《Amelia the Level Zero Hero》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Synopsis: Ten years ago, Amelia woke up alone and lost in a broken world where she had to fight for her survival. Now, after reaching the pinnacle of power, defeating the Void itself, and escaping the abyss, she has finally found her way back into the real world. But instead of finding herself on Earth, she is in thend of Vacuos. A fantasy world with magic, monsters, sses, and Levels. A world that is governed by a System like it were a video game. And when rewarded with a ss befitting her aplishments¡ª to be a powerful [Hero] that will forever dedicate her life to protecting this world that is not her own¡ª she only has one response. ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m going to live a normal life now, thank you very much.¡± After all, who needs a ss when you''re already the strongest anyways? ¡°After ten thousand years, I have finally awoken. After ten thousand years, it is time for my revenge.¡± An ethereal voice echoed down the lonely road at the stroke of midnight. It was followed by a cacophony of footsteps¡ª the rattling of a thousand bones. The nearby fauna went running, violently awoken from the rumbling. Monsters the size of buildings fled as an army marched down the gravel path, led by two figures at the front. The first figure was adorned in an empurpled cloak. One that was torn short at its edges yet still dragged on the earth. A crown rested atop his head¡ª a rtively distinct feature. But it was his skull of a face that drew the most attention. ¡°The great [Hero] Leon¡¯s seal has been undone,¡± he continued. ¡°The world shall tremble beneath my feet. All shall know my name. All shall suffer from my wrath.¡± Two baleful red wisps of me burned in his eye sockets, containing his fury. He spread his bone arm wide, and the army of skeletons behind him took a thunderous step forward all at once. ¡°Praise be, Lich King Ar¡¯elith,¡± the second figure said. He was the only living person amongst this sea of undead. A human man with raven-ck hair and pupil-less eyes. He bowed as Ar¡¯elith faced him approvingly. ¡°You did well heralding my return, Zn. I shall ensure you are rewarded when my conquest is over.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure, my King.¡± ¡°Now onwards, my minions,¡± Ar¡¯elith bellowed as he ascended into the dark night sky. ¡°Bring this world to ruin!¡± ¡°Your will shall be done, my King.¡± Zn swept back and drew an ornate rapier. The sea of skeletons marched on, continuing down the gravel path as Zn led the way to the nearest city. There were only a thousand undead in Ar¡¯elith¡¯s army at the moment, but they were the most powerful of revenants he could conjure, and their numbers would only grow with the destruction they¡¯d wreak. The Lich King floated beneath the crescent moon as he watched his army march into the far distance. A sort of satisfied look seemed to pass through his unchanging skull. ¡°Finally,¡± Ar¡¯elith whispered softly, ¡°all of Vacuos shall be mine¡ª¡± ¡°Uh, excuse me,¡± a voice interrupted him. His ming eyes flickered, and he nced down at a young woman standing directly beneath him. She was dressed in dirtied rags and had a rusty sword at her side. Her cloak was torn and tattered, seemingly shredded yet still intact. She stared directly up at him, and he quizzically peered at her. ¡°A lich, huh? Well, it¡¯s not the weirdest thing I¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡± the girl murmured. She shrugged to herself and faced Ar¡¯elith. ¡°Whatever. Do you know the way to the nearest town?¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± Ar¡¯elith stared at her uncertainly. He would¡¯ve killed her right that instant, but she looked unusually calm despite his presence. In fact, she somehow even looked a little bored¡­ ¡°I just got here and I¡¯m tired,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been through¡­ let¡¯s say I¡¯ve been through a lot. I just want to find a ce to rest now.¡± The Lich King was suspicious of her behavior. Her demeanor was too odd for him to brush off carelessly. He quickly appraised her in case this was a trap, but the results proved otherwise. [Human - Level 0] ¡°Just a foolish girl, then,¡± Ar¡¯elith snorted even with no lungs. There was nothing for him to worry about. His [Eyes of True Appraisal] would see through any illusions. He pointed at her, snapping his fingers. ¡°Begone, pest.¡± A st of lightning crashed from the sky,nding right on the girl. There was an explosion of electricity. The ground tore open as nearby trees caught ame. A crater the shape of a lightning bolt scarred the earth as a pir of smoke and ash rose from the destruction. Ar¡¯elith simply turned away. He had other more important matters to attend to than entertaining a girl. For example, it was said that a [Hero] apparently existed in this day and age¡ª one that could rival even the great [Hero] Leon¡¯s strength. It was a cause for concern. He needed to investigate further into this matter. He began to float higher into the sky, before pausing as he heard a voice. ¡°I¡¯m just lost, man,¡± the girl said as she emerged from the crather,pletely unscathed. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your revenge or whatever evil plot you have to take over the world. If you can¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll be on my way, alright?¡± The Lich King spun around, the mes in his eyes dimming as he stared at her. ¡°How¡­?¡± She tilted her head at him. ¡°How what?¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± He descended from the sky,nding right before the girl. ¡°This has to be a trick. You shouldn¡¯t have survived my [Frost Lightning].¡± ¡°Well, your frost lightning froze nothing. Also, it was pretty damn weak. Were you really trying to kill me with that?¡± She looked at him expectantly. Almost mockingly. She was¡­ she was¡­ making a fool out of him! How dare she! Ar¡¯elith clenched his skeletal hands into fists as his eyes burned with fury. The ming balls in his eye sockets wisped with a wild intensity now, and he straightened. There was a crack. Every bone in his body grew in size until his cloak lifted off the ground and barely fit him. The Lich King loomed over the girl as he bellowed. ¡°Do you not know who I am, girl?¡± His voice boomed, shaking the nearby trees and ripping the earth open. ¡°No, I actually don¡¯t¡ª¡± she started. ¡°I am the Lich King Ar¡¯elith!¡± he continued. ¡°The Lord of All Undeath! The One Who Tamed the Five Grand Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path!¡± A thinyer of sleet spread across the gravel road, and a thunder cracked in the distance. The girl looked around, clearly bored. ¡°I brought the Valeri Empire to its knees. I fought the great [Hero] Leon to a standstill. The world itself trembled at my name as I brought nations to ruin in my path of destruction.¡± ¡°...so you¡¯re not going to help me, then?¡± she said tly. He raised a hand to the sky, and dark clouds gathered above. A lightning bolt struck his open palm, creating a crystalline staff that was cloaked with frost. He aimed the tip of the staff at her. ¡°A puny girl like you is nothing to me!¡± A storm of ice and lightning sted her way as her eyes flickered. The spell crackled, lighting up the night. And she shed up. A white light shed. The clouds parted. The lightning dissipated. The ice coating the road cracked. The Lich King tried to work his jaw, but it literally dropped to the ground with a tter. ¡°W-what?¡± Ar¡¯elith tried to parse what was happening¡ª he tried to understand it with his [Analytical Mind]. But it was especially hard when his vision was slowly splitting in two. He copsed, having been cut in perfect halves. His bones began to rapidly dpose as the girl just lowered her de. ¡°I am the Lich King¡ª a Level 75 [Archmage of Death]¡­ how did a Level 0 girl like you¡­?¡± ¡°A Level 75 [Archmage of Death]?" She stared at the bones as they decayed to dust. "Are you stupid? Do you think this is a video game or something?¡± Just like that, Lich King Ar¡¯elith¡¯s dreams of vengeance was ground to a halt only an hour after it began. ¡°...and I¡¯m still lost,¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°This sucks.¡± ¡ª-- First person I met since escaping the Fractured Realm, and he turned out to be some insane idiot trying to kill me. That was annoying, but at least he was weak and easy to deal with. I nced back towards his crumbling bones and shook my head. ¡°What was he even talking about, anyways?¡± I wondered aloud as I sheathed my rusty de. I didn¡¯t expect a response, but¡ª DING! a loud ringing reverberated in my ears. ¡°Fuck¡ª that¡¯s loud.¡± I recoiled at the sudden sound, only to blink at a blue screen shing before my eyes. [INITIATING INTEGRATION INTO THE SYSTEM¡­] The words flickered and changed as I stared at the blue screen. ¡°System? Integration? What the hell is this?¡± Either I was losing my mind, or the Lich King wasn¡¯t as crazy as I thought he was. [PROCESSING FEATS¡­] ¡°Did I really escape from the Fractured Realm to end up in a video game? God, that¡¯d be so annoying.¡± I shook my head, and the words on the screen changed once again. [You have defeated the Lich King Ar¡¯elith! For this feat, you have earned the title of Deathyer!] I rolled my eyes. ¡°How original.¡± There was a pause. The blue screen held still for a moment, flickering like it was glitched or broken. I cocked my head. ¡°Did something happen¡ª¡± I started. And a deluge of messages shed before me. [You have defeated a voidling! For this feat, you have earned the title of Sentinel of Vacuos!] [You have defeated a thousand voidlings! For this feat, you have earned the title of The Guardian of the Broken nes!] [You have defeated ten thousand voidlings! For this feat, you have¡ª] ¡­ There were rows of blue screens. Columns of what I had aplished in the Fractured Realm¡ª before arriving in this world. There were rewards for each individual feat, sorted by what I had done. ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡ª¡± [You have defeated a voidbeast¡ª] [You have defeated a thousand voidbeasts¡ª] ¡­ [You have defeated a million voidbeasts¡ª] The blue screens formed a sphere around me. Like ss panels that blotted out my vision wherever I looked. I spun around, dizzy from the constant shing lights. ¡°This is too much¡ª¡± [You have defeated the Voidgod¡ª] [You have escaped the Fractured Realm¡ª] And the blue screens didn¡¯t just list my feats, either. A secondyer of blue screens appeared, flickering into existence more rapidly and far more abundant in numbers than the first. And unlike the firstyer, these new blue screens all said the same thing. [You have leveled up! You are now Level 1!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 2!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 3!] ¡­ [You have leveled¡ª] ¡°Stop.¡± I held my arms out, and the screens froze. The deluge of messages halted as I exhaled deeply. Raising my head, I spoke in an annoyed voice. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡ª¡± But another screen shed before me. I groaned. ¡°Fuck you too,¡± I murmured. Despite my annoyance, I immediately noticed that this screen was different. First of all, it didn¡¯t have the same copy-and-pasted text as the others. And secondly, it was glowing red. So, I looked up and read the words in front of me. [SYSTEM ERROR: LEVEL UPS AND TITLES REJECTED! INTEGRATION INTO THE SYSTEM FAILED! Reason: You do not have a ss.] ¡°What?¡± I blinked. And all the screens vanished, popping out of existence as quickly as they appeared. A new blue screen reced them. One that took up a majority of my vision. [To integrate into the System, please choose one of the follow sse(s): [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] - An otherworlder who has arrived in Vacuos to save the world from destruction. As a unique ss, the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] is unrivaled in strength, skill, or mastery of magic. Benevolent and full of grace, you will forever devote your life to protecting the System from the Void¡¯s corruption. Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses avable for you to choose from.] ¡°...what?¡± I repeated myself. This really was a lot to take in all at once. Actually, scratch that, it had been a lot to take in from the very first System message. My mind was reeling¡ª my vision was spinning. I really didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on. Sure, I now knew that this world was like a video game with sses and levels and a System. But other than that, I was still utterly confused. And this System refused to borate any further. My eyes flickered as another message appeared once more. A direct missive from the System. [Please choose a ss to integrate into the System.] While I didn¡¯t know what was going on, I knew one thing¡ª I had already unwittingly saved this world once. I remembered my time spent in the Fractured Realm. I remembered the broken space. The endless hordes. The constant battle. I remembered the Voidgod. After everything I had done, I only had one goal now. But this System was asking me to save the world again¡ª it was asking me to forever dedicate my life to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. My answer was obvious. ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m going to live a normal life now, thank you very much.¡± I spun around and walked away from the blue screen. Author''s Notes: Thanks for reading! I will be posting a bunch of chapters this week, then official posting will begin on the 5th of December where I will be trying to post 5x a week. This story is also being posted on r/HFY and RoyalRoad. If you want, you can read ahead on my patreon right now too! Special thanks to Azrie, the author of ir, for helping me out a ton with beta reading and being a soundboard for ideas throughout the process of writing Amelia. Seriously, wouldn''t be able to even have gotten started without your help. Also, thank you to everyone else who helped me beta read the first few chapters like Nulls, KrazeKode, ThinkTwice, Tevagah, Vsb, Xkarnation, Slifer274, and all my patrons before I got the right execution. This story was inspired by The Wandering Inn, One Punch Man, and Salvos. Also, I heard from a very reputable source that the author of Salvos is incredibly sexy and handsome too. Trust me. You should check it out. Cover by the phenomenal FuyuDust! Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 It was strange, really. I was just a normal girl from Earth¡ª well, I had once been a normal girl from Earth. I had friends, a family, and I didn¡¯t do anything extraordinary. I went to an average college and enjoyed everything the modern world had to offer. I really wasn¡¯t anyone special. Yet, about ten years ago, I suddenly woke up in the Fractured Realm. It was a corrupted ne that existed beneath the world of Vacuos. A ce of nightmares where space was broken and I had to fight for my survival. I didn¡¯t know how I got there, but it was like I had been chosen for some greater purpose. It was as if I was fighting for some grand prophecy. I was a hero. And I hated it. I found no thrill in fighting. The burden forced upon my shoulders was overwhelming. A single misstep would result in my demise¡ª my failure would result in the destruction of Vacuos. It hadn¡¯t been a situation I wanted to be in, but I had no say in that matter. So I fought out of necessity. I did what I had to do. I yed the big bad evil and saved the world. Atst, I was at peace. I could finally rest. Now, I could live a normal life again. And that was why¡ª [Please choose a ss to integrate into the System.] ¡°I said: no.¡± It was a simple response. The System gave me a choice, and I chose what I wanted. I wasn¡¯t going to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] and dedicate the rest of my life to protecting the world. I mean, I already yed my part. And I wasn¡¯t even someone special in the first ce. If I could be a hero, then anyone else could. It wasn¡¯t like I needed a ss to be strong, anyways. So it didn¡¯t really matter to me. The blue box continued blocking the center of my vision, following my gaze wherever I looked. But I continued to ignore it, and it vanished soon enough. I luxuriated in this peaceful silence for a moment, before an idle thought settled in. ¡°I¡¯m still lost¡­¡± my voice trailed off. I nced around and wondered aloud. ¡°Although¡­ are there even cities in this world?¡± This world could bepletely barren for all I knew. Maybe it was nothing like Earth with its sprawling cities and advanced technology. It might even only be inhabited only by liches and undead. ¡°Well, this road has to lead somewhere,¡± I said as I cast my gaze down the gravel path. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll find out.¡± With that, I leapt into the air. I casually jumped up, soaring above the clouds. I surveyed thendscape as I hovered in the sky. ¡°Nothing,¡± I sighed. Inded lightly back on the gravel ground, before leaping forward again. I surveyed thendscape as I propelled myself far and high like a slingshot. There were still no signs of life anywhere. But still, I pressed on. This continued until I caught a glimpse of figures moving in between the trees. My eyes widened at the sign of life. Or, rather¡­ the sign of undeath. ¡ª-- Zn was pleased with himself. He had spent a century honing his mastery over both life and death, studying the countless tomes and texts left behind from [Necromancers] who came long before him, and preparing the ritual to bring about the Lich King¡¯s revival. And, finally, he had seeded. Ar¡¯elith had been brought back from the dead. A century ofbor had amounted to this very moment. Zn felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders for just a moment. Just a single moment. After all, now was not the time to rest. There was no relief for Zn. While he was a Level 62 [Master of Necromancy and Sorcery], he still had much to learn under Ar¡¯elith¡¯s tutge. Furthermore, it was time for him to carry out his King¡¯s will. Toy waste onto the world of the living. To cleanse Vacuos from the disease of life. So Zn marched forward, at the head of the undead army, bringing with him a deathly chill that nketed over thendscape, freezing the grass at his feet and the trees in his surroundings. ¡°First, Windrip. Then the rest of the Astrad Kingdom.¡± His eyes flickered as he saw the city clearly despite being in the far, far distance. He raised his rapier, snickering¡ª And he recoiled as he saw the cloaked figurending before him. ¡°Oh, good. You¡¯re actually human.¡± ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Zn blinked as he stared at a brown-haired woman wearing tattered clothing. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia,¡± she said simply. ¡°Anyways, are you actually human? What are you doing with that army of undead?¡± He narrowed his eyes before shaking his head. ¡°I am Zn, but a humble servant of the Lich King, and I have been tasked to lead his army and bring death to this world. And you, my dear girl, will be but the first soul I save from the gue of life!¡± He leapt forward, thrusting at her head with his rapier. She blinked and cocked her head. ¡°The Lich King?¡± Amelia asked as his attack missed herpletely. Somehow, she moved her head out of the way just in time! Zn paused, wide-eyed as she stared back at him. His eyes flickered before he quickly leapt back. He frowned. ¡°You dodged my attack. It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you.¡± He warily raised his rapier once again. He eyed her every movement¡ª he had to be careful. The way she¡¯d dodged him had been so subtle, he barely even saw it. She could counterattack at any moment, and he would have to instantly react. But Amelia just tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°You¡¯re talking about that Ar¡¯elith asshole, right? I already killed him, so you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± And that made Zn lower his guard. He gaped at the girl. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s dead. I killed him with one sh of this de.¡± Amelia spoke casually as she tapped the sword sheathed at her side. Zn stared at her in disbelief. Then he saw the state of her sword¡ª a feeble, rusty de. He shook his head. ¡°Hmph. Preposterous. There is no way my King would die to such a weak weapon. You make a mockery of him.¡± Zn pointed at Amelia as he nced at the undead at his back. ¡°Kill her.¡± Amelia shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this¡ª¡± And the army of revenants charged forward. All thousand of them. They weren¡¯t ordinary skeletons. They wore ethereal glowing armor that wisped with a blue mist. They raised the ghost of enchanted weapons¡ª swords, spears, axes¡ª all of which rivaled any B-grade de. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake.¡± The girl sighed and unsheathed her sword. She took a step forward¡ª And came to a halt right next to Zn, her de held to the side. He blinked, and the army of revenants crumpled into dust. It took him a full second to react. He didn¡¯t even realize she was standing next to him until she sheathed her de. Zn cursed, swinging at her. ¡°You¡ª¡± And she parried the attack with her sheathed sword. Zn watched as his rapier shattered¡ª bits and pieces of its golden de flying through the air and raining back down. The precious jewels at its hilt ked off like it was melting away. The magic that held it together dispersed, vanishing with the wind. He staggered back, mouth agape. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± he trailed off. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Zn had been wielding the Bloodshard Rapier of Deleria. It was one of the most treasured artifacts of his home country¡ª an S-grade weapon which he had risked his life to steal. It was a weapon befitting the likes of the [Hero King] Kallistus. But just like that, it had been broken. Amelia raised a brow. ¡°Oh. Your sword broke. It¡¯s pretty weak, isn¡¯t it?¡± He looked at the girl. At this monster standing before him. She had shattered an S-grade weapon through sheer strength alone. She had wiped out the army of revenants in an instant. He felt his knees buckling beneath him as his hands trembled from fear. The realization finally sank in. ¡°Y-you weren¡¯t lying when you said you killed Ar¡¯elith. And you killed him with a single swing of your de.¡± She gave him a t stare. ¡°That¡¯s literally what I said, yes.¡± ¡°A century of work¡­ all gone¡­ just like that¡­¡± Zn dropped to his knees, defeat in his voice. Amelia peered at him. ¡°Why are you even doing this for Ar¡¯elith, anyways? Aren¡¯t you a human? You don¡¯t have to beholden yourself to him just because he¡¯s the Lich King or whatever. It¡¯s your life. Just do what you want.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zn raised his head. He looked at the girl. The one responsible for killing his King. She looked down at him with¡­ pity? No¡ª mercy. She spoke casually, giving him a chance to survive. ¡°I mean¡ª do what you want unless you have no other choice, of course,¡± she said. ¡°I-I¡­¡± He closed his eyes. Why did he do this? Why did Zn go through all that effort to bring the Lich King back to life? There had to be a reason, right? Zn remembered back when he was still a child. Back over a century ago. When he had first stumbled upon a page of the Lich King¡¯s scripture. He had been enraptured by Ar¡¯elith¡¯s words all the way back then. Even though it was a forbidden text, he craved to read more. He defied his family. His country. He left behind those he called his friends, pursuing only master over his necromancy. And why did he do it? Why did he sacrifice so much? He opened his eyes as he remembered. ¡°Without the Lich King, my life has no meaning! He is why I live! He is why I exist! He is the one who has given me my purpose!¡± Amelia watched as Zn leapt back only to be wrapped in white light. [sh Step]. In an instant, he teleported a hundred feet back. She shook her head as he raised a hand. ¡°I see,¡± the girl whispered. ¡°I will make you suffer for what you have done!¡± Zn screamed with mad eyes as a dark magic conjured on his fingertips. ¡°[Deathst¡ª¡± And Zn froze as he felt a sharp pain run through his chest. He looked down to see a de impaling his heart. He gasped, lowering his hand as Amelia stepped back. She flicked the blood off her rusty sword as Zn¡¯s vision grew dark. ¡°So you¡¯re just an insane idiot too, then,¡± she snorted. ¡°You should¡¯ve just said so right from the start.¡± ¡ª-- I had been slightly apprehensive about killing Zn considering he was a human. But as it turned out, I shouldn¡¯t have had any qualms since he was just as insane as the Lich King Ar¡¯elith. So I just killed him. It was a bit annoying¡ª running into these crazy people again and again. I just wanted to find a normal person already. I also really wanted to take a nap. I hadn¡¯t slept in at least ten years. Still, I wasn¡¯t too bothered. These were just minor inconveniences¡ª at least, inparison to what I had been through in the Fractured Realm. Every single passing moment outside of that deste nightmare of life and death was a relief to me. I quickly looked through Zn¡¯s corpse, searching for a map or apass or anything that would help me figure out where I was. I paused when I produced a bag of silver and gold coins. ¡°So there has to be civilization in this world,¡± I said as I pocketed the pouch. After all, there was no currency without civilization. I leapt into the air, continuing my search for a ce to rest. I leapt through the air over and over again, scanning my surroundings, seeing nothing but endless forests and trees in all directions. This continued on for some time until¡ª I saw it. In the distance, just before the horizon, was the vague outline of a town. It was faintly luminescent in the night, lit up by torchlight. It looked almost like a small medieval city, which was unsurprising, considering all the swords and magic and coins and whatnot. It was quite obvious that Vacuos was a fantasy world. The town even had a wall girdling its perimeters. Incredibly tall walls. Ones that stretched up to over a hundred feet tall. The edges of the battlements jutted out with dangerous spikes, and dozens of armed guards standing by the gates. Human guards. Not skeletons. A smile slipped onto my face as I whispered, ¡°After so long¡­ I can finally fucking sleep.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¡°Why do you protect that world?¡± a voice boomed in the endless void. Amelia looked up¡ª up from the fractured moon she stood on. Her ragged and tattered cloak whipped behind her, battered by the unceasing winds. She stepped past a dark shadow and swept her gaze over the whirling world of floating rocks and molten rings. This was a broken world. A world where space tore and bent and twisted open before quickly dissipating. A cosmic canvas speckled with scintiting starlight that continuously shrank and expanded, receding into itself at the center and pouring out in an arc. But amidst the vast nebe was a sliver of an untainted world. The visage of green trees and blue oceans, untouched by the darkness pervading this fractured realm. Dark tendrilsshed out, aiming for that little speck of vibrant colors, but Amelia leapt out and parried the whip-like attacks. ¡°Vacuos is not your world. This is not your fight. So why do you oppose me?¡± the same voice asked. Amelianded atop aet, left arm hanging limply off her shoulder as she bent double and hacked. Her blood dripped onto the icy floor, and the voice continued. ¡°I can see your dreams¡ª I know your deepest desires. I can grant your wishes and give you power unimaginable. Simply forsake that world, and you shall find salvation.¡± From the expanse of nothingness, the source of the voice emerged. Tendrils ripped open a riftrger than even the fading neb, revealing a mass of twisted lines and distorted angles and inverted dimensions and impossible shapes and non-existent colors¡ª Amelia stared up into the Voidgod, and a creeping chill washed over her skin like the pinprick of crawling ants. Its fulsome flesh melted away, revealing thousands of baleful eyes, seemingly innocuous at first, only to blink with eyshes made of human teeth. ¡°Do you ept this offer?¡± the Voidgod asked, proffering her a tendril. It wasn¡¯t her fight. It wasn¡¯t her responsibility. She has been thrust into this situation unwittingly, forced to fight and survive for so long. She gritted her teeth, biting through the pain as she got to her feet. Amelia gazed back into the abyss and said¡ª ¡°Fuck you.¡± And all at once, the Voidgod let out a terrible scream. From the shadows, countless voidlings crawled out, shrieking in unison with their creator. This chittering noise filled the Fractured Realm as Amelia reeled. ¡°How dare you reject me! I could have given you everything! You could have be God!¡± The tendrils shot down at her, but she charged forward, weaving in between the attacks. Reaching the end of theet, she leapt up and raised her rusty sword. The de glimmered¡ª a white light that dispelled the shadows. ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that bullshit!¡± she yelled back. ¡°After all I¡¯ve been through, I just want to live a normal fucking life!¡± With those words echoing in the darkness, Amelia shed with the Voidgod¡ª And I woke up. The sun was shining. The streets were busy, bustling with various activities. I could hear the bleating of sheeps and the clopping of horses. Yawning, I blearily blinked my eyes open and looked out the window. There were children ying by the roadside, and vendors filled the market street. I paused, looking at the sun hanging high in the sky. It was clearlyte into the afternoon. ¡°...fuck. How many hours did I sleep?¡± ¡ª-- This city was called Windrip. I arrived herest night after defeating both the Lich King Ar¡¯elith and his goon Zn. I paid a toll to enter, before quickly finding one of the few still-open inns near market street. After that, I immediately passed out in my room. It was a well-deserved rest, honestly. In the Fractured Realm, I had no time to sleep¡ª I couldn¡¯t sleep. It was like I was living in a nightmare. If I had let my guard down for even a single second, a voidbeast would have pounced on the opportunity to kill me. I wanted to mber back into bed and fall asleep once again, but I forced myself up. I had already resolved myselfst night. I had to learn more about this world¡ª figure out what I wanted to do. I knew that this was a medieval-esque world with sses, Levels, and a System, but even here, I needed money to survive. I had about a hundred-and-fifty silver coins as well as a handful of gold coins from looting Zn¡¯s corpse. Judging by the one silver fee to enter the city, and the five silver cost to stay at an inn for a week, I didn¡¯t have nearly enough money to retire with. I also personally wasn¡¯t a big fan of relying on robbing dead bodies as a source of ie. Maybe I could start a farm. Or be a cook¡ª I was pretty good at cookingpared to my college roommates who ate takeout for both lunch and dinner. But considering that I was out of practice and without modern equipment, I wondered if I could even produce anything ptable. I wandered out of my room and down the stairs to themon room of the inn. The innkeeper¡ª a middle-aged woman named Brynn¡ª greeted me with a warm smile. ¡°My, my, my.¡± She pped her hands together as I took a seat. ¡°Someone slept wellst night. Unfortunately, I¡¯m the only pair of hands around right now, so we only have cold leftovers from breakfast.¡± My stomach groaned, and I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever I can get,¡± I said. The innkeeper nodded before quickly bringing me a cold bowl of stew. It didn¡¯t look very appetizing¡ª in fact, it looked quite dull in texture¡ª but I wasn¡¯t going to be picky about my food. I hadn¡¯t had a meal in ages. I instantly dug right in, savoring every single bite I could. And as I ate, I casually asked Brynn a few questions to gain my bearings on this world. She told me about the history of the city¡ªthe reason for its high walls was due to the location of Windrip. It was situated right at the edge of the Astrad Kingdom, bordering a dangerous region called Briar Glen that was teeming with monsters. And I found that odd. I hardly saw any animals while I was lost¡ª let alone any monsters. Unless, maybe, the Lich King and his undead horde scared all the monsters off. I also asked the innkeeper about the kinds of jobs people worked here, and about the average wage earned each month. She waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°There are all kinds of jobs out there, and the pay varies, of course,¡± Brynn exined. Then she shook her head and sighed. ¡°I used to pay my cook seven silver a month before she left to work for a tavern. Now I don¡¯t have a cook, and business hasn¡¯t been doing as well as before.¡± I lowered the empty bowl of stew and eyed her curiously. ¡°Are you looking for a cook?¡± ¡°I am, but these days, they¡¯re demanding to be paid ten silver a month. I can¡¯t really afford that, y¡¯know?¡± She rested her chin on the palm of her hand. ¡°I see.¡± I inclined my head in thought. I got an idea. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at cooking. I can fill in for a few days if you want.¡± I could even teach her a few modern recipes to maybe help her out. It also gave me something to do and let me earn a few coins on the side as I figured things out. Brynn brightened. ¡°Oh, will you do that for me? Honestly, you would be doing me a wonderful favor!¡± Then she paused. The innkeeper raised her head as she crossed her arms. ¡°But I¡¯ll need to pay 50 copper to the Mage¡¯s Guild to get you appraised. Seriously, why do they even charge so much for a single spell?¡± ¡°To get me¡­ appraised?¡± I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hire a Level 4 [Apprentice Cook], y¡¯know? I need a Level 10 [Cook] at the very least or I¡¯ll end up chasing away customers instead.¡± Brynn spoke casually, as if I understood a single thing she had just said. ¡°A Level 10¡­ [Cook]?¡± I stared at her, utterly confused. ¡°Wait, why would you even need levels to learn how to cook?¡± The innkeeper gave me a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re probably a Level 20 [Chef], but this is only a formality. You understand, right? ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said tly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a single level in [Cook] or [Chef], and I can cook just fine.¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t?¡± Brynn froze. She looked me up and down for a moment. Then her shoulders sagged, and she gave me an apologetic look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this won¡¯t work¡ª¡± ¡ª-- ¡°What¡¯re ya even doing here if you ain¡¯t a Level 10 [Lumberjack]?¡± the burly man snorted. ¡°I ain¡¯t hiring you just to teach you from the ground up, girl.¡± The farmer shook his head before gesturing at a young boy by his side. ¡°Sorry,ss. I¡¯ve already got a [Farm Helper] right here.¡± ¡°I apologize, but we¡¯re not looking to hire an [Apprentice Smith], right now,¡± the cksmith said as he bowed deeply. ¡°If you reach Level 20 as a [Smith], we would consider your application.¡± As it turned out, this world functioned vastly differently from Earth. It was also very distinct from what I thought it would be like. When the System first appeared in front of me, I thought that Vacuos would be like a video game of sorts where people fought and leveled to grow stronger. And granted, yes, that was true, it also extended to every aspect of life. Very few people in this world were without a ss. Almost everyone had levels¡ª when I visited Windrip¡¯s only library to research more about Vacuos and the Astrad Kingdom, a Level 21 [Librarian] helped me find the books I wanted to read. I was surprised to find that I could easily read the words on the books here without anyplications. I didn¡¯t even realize it until now, but I also could speak with everyone I met just fine. Perhaps it might¡¯ve had to do something with the System. Or maybe it might be magic. Whatever it was, it was rather convenient for me as my research eventually led me to a crowded building. It looked like a fancy inn with a gilded arched doorway at the front. It stood at the very center of Windrip,vishly decorated inparison to its neighboring buildings. Oddly dressed figures entered and exited the building by the dozens. They wore brightly-colored armor, and they brandished knives or carried swords or walked with bows or yed with staffs. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild, huh?¡± I murmured. Apparently, it was one of the few ces I had a chance of getting a job despite myck of levels. From what I read, there was some precedent for it before. It was also a lucrative job, with one of the highest average sries, from what I could tell. ¡°And all I have to do is kill some monsters? Honestly, that sounds pretty easy¡­¡± After all, killing a few monsters probably wasn¡¯t going to be that much harder than killing a handful of voidlings. I could just kill a few monsters, make a good amount of money, then retire, right? It really sounded easy enough. Which was probably why it was going to go awry. With a sigh, I took a step forward, starting into the guild. ¡°Well, may as well check it out anyways.¡± ¡ª-- And as Amelia visited Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild, there was a stirring a few miles out from the city. Arge gathering hid behind the cover of the forest. They had stewed and waited, making preparations for what was toe. And now, after so long, finally, it was time to act. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 ¡°Approved,¡± Justyn said as he stamped the document and ced it to the side. ¡°Thank you.¡± The hooded woman nodded at him. She turned and walked away as he eyed her from behind. Justyn slumped back in his chair with a sigh. It was a busy day today at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and he was one of the few [Receptionists] manning the front desk at the moment. Working at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild meant that he would often have to deal with entric or rambunctious individuals who came in to submit or ept requests. It wasn¡¯t a difficult task. He just filled in the paperwork for what was applicable and submitted them. Unfortunately, there was the rare asion, like right now, where he had to deal with anonymous requests where the client preferred to keep their identity a secret. It meant that there had to be a lot more paperwork for him to ensure that neither the Adventurer¡¯s Guild or the adventurer who would ept the request weren¡¯t screwed over somehow. And that was hard considering the anonymous clients would often maintain a veil of secrecy. All he knew about the hooded woman was that she shed a B-ranked badge at him before putting up a request for an escort mission to the Frozar Mountains. As per protocol, she left half the payment behind so Justyn knew it was legitimate. It was a hefty sum, but he quickly calcted the number of coins within the pouch with his [Quick ounting] Skill and confirmed everything was in order. It was more work than he was used to, however he could finally move on. ¡°Next!¡± Justyn called out as he straightened in his desk, trying to make himself look more presentable. But apparently that wasn¡¯t necessary. The [Receptionist] blinked as a woman draped in rags walked up to the counter. She had messy brown hair and a sword sheathed at her side. She almost looked like a beggar from the streets, except for her ck and blue cloak. It was torn and tattered and specks of it seemed to¡ª Wait¡­ He narrowed his eyes. How is it¡­? But he caught himself from staring. Justyn cleared his throat and raised a pen. ¡°Can I have your name?¡± ¡°Amelia,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to be an adventurer.¡± Great, one of these people. Justyn mentally rolled his eyes. He had seen plenty of people like here into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, hearing about the glory and riches that came from adventuring¡ª thinking they could get rich quick from being an adventurer. Those fools always ended up quitting the guild after a month or two. Either that, or they ended up dead. It was foolish, really. Of course, Justyn never voiced any of his thoughts because he was a professional¡ª ¡°Uh, hello?¡± his thoughts were interrupted. Amelia waved a hand at the [Receptionist]. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Justyn blinked, breaking out of his stupor. He nodded slowly and shuffled through a few sheets of paper. ¡°Right, right. Well, before I can sign you up, I need to know your ss¡ª whether you¡¯re a [Warrior]-type, a [Mage]-type, an [Archer]-type, or a [Rogue]-type¡ª and I¡¯ll also need to know your level.¡± ¡°None of them,¡± Amelia replied simply. ¡°Level 0.¡± ¡°Well, since you¡¯re a [Warrior]-type, you¡¯ll have to pass a physical fitness evaluation¡ª¡± Justyn droned on for a moment before freezing. He craned his neck up and stared at the girl. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Well, I said I¡¯m¡ª¡± she started. But Justyn snapped. ¡°I know what you said! You don¡¯t have to repeat it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re sending a lot of mixed messages here, man.¡± ¡°What are you even doing applying to be an adventurer if you don¡¯t have abat ss?¡± the [Receptionist] pointed usingly at her. A few heads in the guild turned to face themotion. The nearby adventurers watched on as Amelia shrugged. ¡°I mean, I read that you guys held an examination or whatever to join the guild. I thought if I passed it, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Are you a dumbass?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª are you?¡± Justyn got to his feet, ignoring her and gesticting wildly. ¡°You think there won¡¯t be a problem if we let just anyone join the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? I¡¯m sure bing an adventurer is your childhood dream, but being an adventurer is a job. It is not fun or fulfilling or like anything you think it is. And it¡¯s dangerous. The mortality rate for adventurers is higher than soldiers. That¡¯s right. You may as well join the army if you don¡¯t want to die in the next five years!¡± He harrumphed. Amelia just crossed her arms. She gave him a t stare. ¡°...are you done?¡± The [Receptionist] sunk back into his seat. ¡°Why do I even bother? They never listen. They never ever listen.¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°I just want to be an adventurer, man. I don¡¯t care about any of this.¡± Justyn shook his head, opening his mouth. ¡°Look, if you¡ª¡± ¡°What is the problem here?¡± a gruff voice interrupted him. The [Receptionist] looked up, blinking to see a burly man towering over the counter. Justyn immediately recognized him. It was Garron the Steel Tank¡ª a B-ranked adventurer! One of the only B-ranked adventurers currently residing in Windrip! His presence alone drew a lot of attention. The watching adventurers pointed and gasped at where he stood. He wore a set of heavy te armor with spikes jutting out of the shoulders, arms-crossed, and a re scarred onto his face. He looked down at Amelia with his big, bushy brows snapped together. ¡°You, girl!¡± Garron said as he loomed over Amelia. ¡°Are you applying to be an adventurer?¡± ¡°I did just say that, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°I see.¡± The B-ranked adventurer¡¯s gaze shadowed over. He uncrossed his arms, taking a step forward threateningly. ¡°You¡­¡± he started. Grinning, Justyn leant back in his seat. He couldn¡¯t wait to see the fallout of this. Garron was going to give Amelia an earful, and the [Receptionist] was all for it. The girl cocked her head as Garron¡¯s lips moved. He raised a hand. ¡°Justyn, you absolute fool!¡± the burly man yelled, pointing at the [Receptionist]. Justyn blinked a few times. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°How dare you disrespect a client of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild! This is not the level of professionalism expected from any [Receptionist] above Level 10! If the guild leader were here, I¡¯d have him punish you immediately!¡± ¡°I¡ª that¡¯s¡­¡± Justyn opened his mouth, wanting to protest. Then he saw the whispering faces. Most of the watching crowd was pointing his way with judging looks. The [Receptionist] gave up. He bowed his head low and spoke softly. ¡°I apologize, Ms Amelia. I will look into registering you as an adventurer.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Garron gave him an approving look. And Amelia just watched this unfurl with a nk look on her face. ¡ª-- That was unnecessarilyplicated. I really didn¡¯t get what just happened, but at least it was resolved. Well¡ª mostly resolved. As it turned out, it was still going to be a bit difficult for me to be enrolled in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild because I didn¡¯t have a ss. I had to pass a special examination invigted by the guild master¡ª the one who was in charge of this branch of guild¡ª to prove that I was physically capable of being an adventurer. Unfortunately, the guild master of Windrip was visiting the country¡¯s capital city of Astral right now, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to partake in this test anytime soon. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry again about Justyn,¡± Garron said he followed me out of the guild. ¡°That was incredibly unprofessional of him. I assure you, this is not how the Adventurer¡¯s Guild conducts themselves.¡± I nodded along, listening to him. But I was slightly distracted by the susurration washing over the guild hall. ¡°Hey, who¡¯s that girl? Why did Garron the Steel Tank stick up for her?¡± ¡°Maybe he knows her? I don¡¯t see why a B-ranked adventurer would help her if he doesn¡¯t know her.¡± ¡°But why does she look like a beggar?¡± I frowned and looked down at my outfit. I didn¡¯t look that bad¡­ ok, maybe I was dressed like a homeless man squatting in the back alley of a Walmart. But considering everything I¡¯d been through, the fact that my clothes were still mostly intact made up for how it might¡¯ve looked. Sometimes, I wondered how they even survived this long. Shaking my head, I turned to Garron. ¡°Are you famous or something?¡± I asked, ncing between him and the onlooking adventurers. ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about you.¡± ¡°I am famous in Windrip,¡± Garron replied as he faced me. He wore a permanent scowl on his face¡ª the re in his eyes bore straight through me, yet he spoke with no animosity. ¡°But in the grand scheme of things, I am but a humble adventurer.¡± ¡°Well, thanks for helping me out anyways.¡± I smiled back at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anyone to back me up there considering that I¡¯m not a [Warrior] or whatever.¡± The burly man harrumphed. ¡°Hmph. That just means that they are misinformed. There have been plenty of precedents throughout history of traditionally nonbat sses taking up the mantle of being an adventurer. And there are also those lunatics in the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns who rejected the System for a so-called higher power too. So if you¡¯re confident in your abilities, then I see no reason not to give you a fair chance.¡± Well, I fell into neither of those camps, but I knew exining it would onlyplicate matters even further. So I just shrugged and yed along. ¡°Is there really nothing else I can do to be an adventurer until the guild master arrives back in the city?¡± I asked as we came to a halt right outside of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± Garron furrowed his brows more than it already was. ¡°Well, if you manage to prove yourself to be extraordinary in some way to at least one B-ranked adventurer and three [Receptionists], you can be an unofficial adventurer.¡± ¡°An unofficial adventurer?¡± ¡°You will be able to take specific requests from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Of course, you will be faced with plenty of limitations. For example, you won¡¯t be able to use your unofficial adventurer¡¯s badge to enter a city without paying the entry fee.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I tapped a finger on my chin. I had read earlier that apparently adventurers could enter any city with an Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch for free, which was part of the many reasons why I decided on bing an adventurer for now. Obviously, the main reason was for a quick retirement. ¡°But you would have to truly aplish a feat worthy of recognition to be an unofficial adventurer,¡± Garron said. ¡°You would have toplete a B-ranked monster-extermination mission, at the very least.¡± I peered at him. ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten much of those requests as ofte, honestly.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d say we haven¡¯t gotten many monster-extermination requeststely. It is quite odd for Briar Glen to be this quiet at this time of the year.¡± ¡°So there isn¡¯t a B-ranked or A-ranked request at all?¡± I asked, assuming A-rank came right after B-rank, even though I wasn¡¯t entirely certain if that was how it worked in this world. Fortunately, Vacuos didn¡¯t turn out to be some insane backwards ce as I was right. ¡°There is a B-ranked request to exterminate that lycan drake den in that valley just twenty miles to the east of Windrip. But I would caution you against taking it. It is the kind of request that requires an entire team or two of B-ranks to take on. I¡¯d honestly say it¡¯s a job for A-ranks.¡± I nced at where he gestured. I couldn¡¯t see this valley over the walls of Windrip¡ª which made sense since the walls were rather ridiculously tall. But I now knew the general direction to this nest. Garron turned back to face me. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s too dangerous. I¡¯d suggest waiting for Guildmaster Evan to return rather than risking¡ª¡± he started. And he paused. The burly man blinked, looking at where I had been standing. But I wasn¡¯t there. I was already gone. He stared at the empty space at the sidewalk as his arms dropped limply to his sides. Then he grunted, shaking his head. ¡°Rude. I wasn¡¯t even done talking.¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 It was finally time. Glutaz eyed the city in the distance¡ª the tall white walls that waited beyond the forest of trees. His people waited eagerly behind him. Little green figures that were practically bouncing at their feet. They brandished their weapons and murmured gibberish amongst each other. They were excited for what was toe. All of them were. Even Glutaz. He ignored the ragged human leaping away from the city, heading in the opposite direction of this gathering. He was transfixed only on his target. With a grunt, he ordered his people forward. They obeyed. His army marched ahead at hismand. And that day, Glutaz the Goblin Lord began the siege of Windrip. ¡ª-- Lycan drakes. What were they? Well, obviously, they were monsters. But what exactly kind of monsters were they supposed to be? I had asked around, and ording to the people of Windrip, they were giant four-legged lizards with a thickyer of spiky fur over their hides. Dinosaurs wolves, basically. And they were incredibly territorial. They would normally attack anything and anyone that treads close to their nest, so merchants and travelers would normally steer clear from the area. However, over the past few weeks, they¡¯d been acting out for some odd reason, going out of their way to even attack the guards patrolling around Windrip. After asking around for directions, I left Windrip and eventuallynded atop a tall hill overlooking a sea of trees. I took in a deep breath, luxuriating in the scent of fresh air. I saw the way the forest washed over like a green wave in the wind. Behind me, there was a road that led away from Windrip. There were no travelers or merchants walking down that path¡ª perhaps due to the threat of a lycan drake attack. The roads seemed well-kept, made of brick and cobble. From what I could tell about the Astrad Kingdom, it was rtively rich and powerful in Vacuos. I closed my eyes, clearing my mind for a moment just to rx. The world was calm and peaceful. I could hear the buzzing of the bees and the chirping of the birds in the leaves. I looked down, watching the ants crawl at my feet in the grass. In my peripheral vision, I saw animals of all kinds¡ª vibrant creatures of all sizes¡ª hid in the bushes and moved between the trees. This was both a familiar and alien sight. It was alien because of how distinct it was from the world I knew¡ª while Earth had forests and nature, I had scarcely ever seen those views, growing up in a city and all. But it was familiar because it was so tranquil. It was something I knew. It was very much unlike the Fractured Realm in all its chaos and horror. There was never a moment of peace. Voidlings and voidbeasts came into existence and vanished at every passing moment. The broken world was constantly whirling¡ª turning and moving. No time to even breathe. Anyone who wasn¡¯tpletely unhinged would prefer the calm and peaceful nature of Vacuos to that chaotic space of the Fractured Realm. So I breathed in slowly. I enjoyed just standing there as the wind brushed against my ragged clothes. My cloak billowed behind me, and a smile spread across my lips. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I stood there, basking under the sun. This was everything I had wanted for so, so long. But I couldn¡¯t rest just yet. I had a job I needed to do for now. I opened my eyes and looked up. ¡°Their den should be around here somewhere,¡± I murmured as I swept my gaze over thendscape. This whole forest was supposed to be teeming with monsters, but the lycan drakes were the most dangerous of them all. ¡°Now where can I find¡­ oh.¡± My voice trailed off as I caught sight of the mangled remains of a three-headed bear. Its body had been mauled and dragged across a small clearing¡ª a set of bloodied footsteps leading further into the forest. I hopped off the hill and shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± I wondered if I should be more cautious, especially considering the reputation these lycan drakes had. They were a B-ranked threat, after all. ¡­ I didn¡¯t know what that meant. I wasn¡¯t sure how strong people or monsters were in this world, but by basic logic, a B-ranked threat was probably less dangerous than an A-ranked threat. And that just meant it wasn¡¯t even close to being the most dangerous thing around. Judging by the strength of the Lich King and Zn, I could infer that a lycan drake was, in fact, probably very weak, so I really didn¡¯t need to worry too much about facing them alone. I continued through the forest, pushing past some shrubbery until I found where the trail of blood ended. Arge hovel had been dug out of the ground¡ª a pit, just like a wolf¡¯s den, but far more massive. I peered in and frowned. ¡°So I really am dealing with dinosaur wolves, huh?¡± I took a step back, shaking my head. I cupped my hands over my mouth as I called out. ¡°How about this, then? Heel!¡± And my voice echoed down the little hovel. I waited, arms crossed as my words continued to reverberate underground. Then the earth trembled. The dirt beneath my feet began to shake. It was like there was a localized earthquake in this section of the forest. I readied myself for what was toe. I stared into the dark hole, but nothing emerged. Then the shaking stopped. The air was still. I waited for a moment. And the ground directly below me exploded open. A gaping maw broke through the earth, sending me flying into the air. I looked down at a giant feral beast. A four-legged creature the size of a small house. It had stubby little legs like a lizard, but with the ferocious snarling teeth of a wolf. Its jaws closed around me as my eyes grew wide¡ª And I smacked it down. ¡°Bad dog.¡± The lycan drake yelped as it crashed back into the ground. It tried to get back on its feet, growling as it nced up at me. But Inded on its back hard. ¡°Now, down.¡± There was a crack as the monster whimpered. Its body went limp, and I hopped off it. I raised a hand like I was holding a treat over its head. ¡°Roll over,¡± I said, and the lycan drake flopped over to its belly. I smiled, raising a hand to scratch its fur. ¡°Good d¡ª oh, it¡¯s dead.¡± I paused. I looked at the monster¡¯s corpse¡ª it was even weaker than I thought it would be. I hadn¡¯t even meant to kill it since it reminded me of a dog, and I liked dogs. ¡°Well¡­¡± I stared at the fork-like tongue sticking out of the lycan drake. Its face was crooked¡ª without a sharp snout. It really looked more like a lizard than a wolf. ¡°Scratch that, I thought it looked like a dog for a second. Not anymore.¡± Shaking my head, I stepped over to the gaping hole next to the hovel and nced down into the nest. Light poured in from the afternoon sun, illuminating what had once been the undergroundir of the lycan drake. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of dead monsters. And people.¡± I leapt down into the nest, casting my gaze around the cavern. ¡°Hello? Are there any other lycan drakes hiding in here?¡± And I heard it¡ª the soft rumbling of growling. Red eyes shed in the darkness. Even more lycan drakes hid within the nest. I could see their figures moving in the shadows, encroaching on me from all sides. I could tell that they were smaller than the first. But they didn¡¯t look like they were adolescent pups. The first lycan drake had just been much bigger than them. Probably was the leader of the pack¡­ ¡°Do lizards even have social dynamics?¡± I wondered aloud. And three lycan drakes leapt out at once. One struck out with its whip-like tail, while the other two wed at me. I easily sidestepped their strikes, before grabbing the tail and mming the lycan drakes into each other. They squealed in pain as they tumbled together across the den, crashing against the wall. I could hear their bones breaking¡ª they copsed into a pile, unmoving. The fourth andst lycan drake backed up away from me as I walked forward, drawing my de. ¡°Just give up,¡± I said as it backed up against the wall. It growled in response. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t do it¡ª¡± But it charged me anyway. Sighing, I raised my de. The monster drew closer as I murmured. ¡°I warned you.¡± And I swung up. In an instant, the ceiling exploded open. A pir of dust and debris burst into the air as the nearby trees were forcefully uprooted and thrown into the air. The clouds hanging high up in the sky split open. A shockwave washed over the forest¡ª like a ripple in the middle of a stillke. I sheathed my sword, watching as chunks of rubble and dirt rain down around me. The entire den was gone. Destroyed by a single swing of my de. I looked back at the dead lycan drakes lying around me before shrugging. ¡°Now, then¡ª¡± I started. And jolted back as a blue screen shed in front of my face. [You have defeated a lycan drake!] ¡°What?¡± I blinked. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a deluge of messages appeared all at once. [You have defeated a lycan drake!] [You have defeated a lycan¡ª] ¡­ [You have cleared a lycan drake¡¯s nest!] ¡°Are you going to do this again?¡± I groaned. But the messages didn¡¯t stop. [You have defeated Zn the Duelist Necromancer! For this feat, you have earned the title of the Death Dancer!] [You have defeated the Lich King¡¯s Army of Death! For this feat, you have earned the title of the Defier of Death!] ¡°Why are all these titles just so generic?¡± I snorted. [You have leveled up! You are now Level 1!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level¡ª] I knew what wasing next. There was no point in letting it y out. I raised a hand and spoke simply. ¡°Enough.¡± And the messages halted. They stoppeding, freezing right before me. I reached out for the foremost blue screen and touched it. It wasn¡¯t anything physical. I couldn¡¯t feel it in my fingertips. But it reacted. The screen rippled, moving as I dragged it out of the way. ¡°Just give me the final screen already,¡± I said, knowing what was toe. The System obliged. The notifications dissipated, only for arge red box to sh in front of me. [SYSTEM ERROR: LEVEL UPS AND TITLES REJECTED! INTEGRATION INTO THE SYSTEM FAILED! Reason: You do not have a ss.] ¡°I know, I know. But what sses do you have for me? Surely you¡¯ll have something more this time, right?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms. The screen flickered, turning blue. I watched as a set of familiar words appeared before me. My eyes narrowed. [To integrate into the System, please choose one of the follow sse(s): [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] - An otherworlder who has arrived in Vacuos to save the world from destruction. As a unique ss, the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] is unrivaled in strength, skill, or mastery of magic. Benevolent and full of grace, you will forever devote your life to protecting the System from the Void¡¯s corruption. Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses avable for you to choose from.] I frowned. ¡°Why can¡¯t I choose another ss? Why can¡¯t I be a [Chef] or a [Warrior]?¡± It was a question directed at the System. It seemed to listen to me to a certain extent, considering it had done me a favor and skipped over the barrage of level up notifications. However, it didn¡¯t respond. Instead, it chose to ignore my question entirely and prompt me with a request. [Please choose a ss to integrate into the System.] I shook my head. ¡°I already said no. I¡¯m not a hero. I was just a normal girl from Earth who was forced into a shitty position. That¡¯s it.¡± For a moment, the blue screen remained. Then it vanished, and I took a step back. ¡°I don¡¯t even know Vacuos needs a hero either,¡± I muttered. ¡°As far as I can tell, the world isn¡¯t ending or anything close to that.¡± It was odd, to me. The System was trying to impose the role of a hero onto me, even when I refused it once before. I didn¡¯t have any choice in the kind of ss I wanted to get. And I wondered if this was the same for everyone else in Vacuos. Did they have any say in the sses the System offered them? Or was it all forced into their hands? Shaking my head, I leapt out of the hole in the ground. That was a question for another day. I had other pressing matters to deal with ¡°Now, how do I bring you back to Windrip?¡± I asked as I turned to the dead lycan drakes. Their bodies had been shredded into pieces from the swing of my sword. I might¡¯ve gone a bit overboard with my attack¡­ maybe. I wasn¡¯t going to carry the broken chunks of dead monster with me¡ª while my ragged clothes were dirty, I didn¡¯t want them to be bloodied by dino-wolf meat. Maybe I could¡¯ve just brought the adventurers here. Although¡­ that meant I had to convince Justyn to follow me all the way out here. That was too troublesome. But would it be more troublesome than the only other alternative? I mulled over this dilemma for a bit, before catching a glimpse of the first lycan drake I¡¯d killed. Its body was still intact. Shrugging, I picked it up, hauling the giant monster over my head. ¡°Alright, time to head back.¡± I leapt out of the forest,nding atop the nearby hill and heading back towards the city. But right as I passed over a road next to the forest, I caught sight of a long stream of travelers hurriedly heading away from Windrip. I paused. ¡°What is going on?¡± I swept my gaze over thendscape. The crowd of people were fleeing in a panic¡ª forming a small stampede as they ran. My eyes grew wide when I saw the smoke in the distance. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± The city of Windrip was in mes. The sky had been painted gray. Its walls had been felled, and a sea of little green creatures encroached into the heart of the city. I blinked. ¡°...wasn¡¯t I gone for only two hours? What the hell happened?¡± MsD You can also check out my patreon right now to read chapters ahead. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Justyn¡¯s lungs burned like fire. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the smoldering smoke before hacking it out in a coughing fit. Stumbling and staggering, the [Receptionist] pulled himself out of the copsed remains of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He looked around and saw nothing but ash and blood in the wreckage of the building. How could this have happened so quickly? Just an hour ago, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was brimming with activity like any ordinary day. But now, it was brought to ruin. And it wasn¡¯t just the guild itself. Half of Windrip had been burned to the ground. Columns of smoke and ash rose to the darkened sky as terrible fires raged throughout the city. Charred corpsesy scattered throughout the rubble, and small shadows scurried about followed by twisted giggles. Justyn gritted his teeth as he swept his gaze over his city. He was angry. He was upset that this could¡¯ve happened. But he was just a [Receptionist]. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He had to get out of here¡ª somehow get the news to Guildmaster Evan. He turned around, limping his way through the streets of Windrip¡ª then paused. And there it was. The culprit behind this. The one who hadid Windrip to ruin. Glutaz the Goblin Lord. Justyn¡¯s eyes grew wide at the sight of the hulking green monster. It was a mass of rippling muscles and sturdy fat. Standing at ten feet tall, it had a hunched back, and scraps of metal armor covered bits of its body. It raised a giant axe, looking down at a groaning figure with its beady crimson eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± the [Receptionist] gasped. Garron the Steel Tank raised arge shield wall as he faced down the Goblin Lord. He rasped, looking up weakly as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Pointess,¡± Glutaz said as it swung down with the axe. ¡°[Iron Will]!¡± Garron yelled, forcefully raising his shield with whatever strength he could muster. There was a sh. The axe impacted the surface of his shield, sending sparks flying into the air. Garron stumbled back, but somehow managed to hold his footing. He stepped forward, thrusting forward with a short sword. ¡°And¡ª [Piercing st]!¡± His weapon shone as its de extended and shot out in a cone of golden light. The attack consumed Glutaz. The Goblin Lord flinched¡ª And shed through the beam. He sheared the attack in half with ease, striking the ground. Garron flew back from the shockwave of the hit. His shield went flying as he crashed right ahead of where Justyn stood. The [Receptionist] squeaked, scurrying to hide behind some rubble. Garron tried to force himself back up, but a group of scurrying shadows leapt up to him from behind. Goblins¡ª each the size of a child¡ª crashed into him as theyughed maniacally. Justyn watched as the Steel Tank curled up into a ball, being assailed from all sides by those little green creatures. They tore through Garron¡¯s armor, stabbing him and drawing blood as he screamed in pain. ¡°That is enough, my children,¡± it said as it loomed over Garron. The goblins backed away as Glutaz took a step forward. The Steel Tank tried to get back to his feet, but failed as his knees gave out under him. The goblins looked up in confusion. ¡°Human hurt goblin!¡± ¡°Goblin hurt human!¡± ¡°Human weak! Human suffer!¡± They spoke in broken sentences¡ª barely parsablenguage. Only Glutaz seemed to speak in aprehensible tongue. He chuckled as he hefted his axe over his shoulders. ¡°Do you taste it?¡± it asked, leaning over the adventurer. ¡°You who have hunted my people for sport and leisure¡ª who have stained your hands with the blood of my kin.¡± Garron winced, picked up by Glutaz. The Goblin Lord grinned savagely as it held the head of the Steel Tank in the palm of its left hand. ¡°It is sweet. It is savory. It is¡­ revenge.¡± Glutaz licked its lips before letting go of Garron. He copsed limply to the floor, and the Goblin Lord raised its axe. Justyn backed up, cowering in fear. Should he do something? He thought he should¡ª but he was just a [Receptionist]! There was no way he could stop the Goblin Lord even if he wanted to! He paused, catching a glimpse of a crossbow by his feet. And he hesitated. Garron looked up, meeting Glutaz¡¯s gaze. He opened his mouth weakly¡ª ¡°Fuck you,¡± he spat. The Goblin Lord justughed. ¡°If those are our final words, then so be it. Goodbye.¡± And Glutaz swung down. Justyn flinched. The [Receptionist] mmed his eyes shut as the Goblin Lord brought its great axe at the B-ranked adventurer. He waited for the loud thud. To hear Garron¡¯s body copse on the ground, lifeless. But there was only the sound of the axe crashing into the earth unimpeded. Justyn blinked, opening his eyes. He looked up to see Glutaz frowning and pulling its weapon from the ground. ¡°Oho, another human joins the fray.¡± The Goblin Lord raised its head. The [Receptionist] paused, only to leap back in shock as a figurended right before him. ¡°Wait, wha¡ª who? How?¡± He stared at the hooden woman as she dropped Garron at Justyn¡¯s feet. ¡°You¡¯re a [Receptionist], aren¡¯t you? You should be able to cast [Minor Heal]. Tend to his wounds.¡± The hooden woman spoke simply. Justyn blinked a few times, ncing between her and Glutaz. The Goblin Lord harrumphed as it looked his way. He shrank back. ¡°But¡­ but¡­ but¡ª¡± ¡°I will deal with the Goblin Lord. So hurry up and save Garron before it¡¯s toote.¡± Starting forward, the hooded woman drew a long sword and pointed the de at the Goblin Lord. The [Receptionist] narrowed his eyes. Finally, he recognized her. His eyes grew wide as he eximed. ¡°Wait¡ª you¡¯re the woman from the guild just an hour ago, aren¡¯t you?¡± She nodded in response. ¡°I am.¡± Glutaz the Goblin Lord raised a brow as the hooded woman walked forward. She raised a hand, ripping the hood off her head. It tilted its head at her. ¡°Do you think you can defeat me, human?¡± it asked,ughing. Justyn watched in shock as her hood went flying, revealing locks of golden hair. White eyes. Pale skin. She wore a light leather armor that shimmered with protective enchantments ¡°I am Noele the Noble Spellsword,¡± she said as she raised her sword. ¡°B-ranked adventurer. I will stop you, Goblin Lord.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°A B-ranked adventurer?¡± Glutaz the Goblin Lord wanted tough. He looked past the blonde girl towards a bleeding man lying on the rubble. ¡°You think you can defeat me, and you¡¯re just a B-ranked adventurer? Ask Garron how that went for him, human.¡± Noele didn¡¯t visibly react. She stood unwaveringly in the face of the giant Goblin. It was the other human man who spoke up in a panic. ¡°T-that¡¯s not enough! We have to get out of here!¡± he said as he scrambled to his feet. She shook her head. ¡°We need to put an end to this, now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡ª a Goblin Lord is an A-ranked threat! Even a team of B-ranks won¡¯t be enough to stop him!¡± ¡°Oh? At least one of you foolish humans understands the predicament you¡¯re in.¡± Glutaz sneered as he raised his axe. But Noele was adamant. ¡°And if we don¡¯t stop it now, it will be a Goblin King. An S-ranked threat. Then it will destroy all of the Astrad Kingdom.¡± Her eyes flickered. Glutaz frowned as he peered into her white eyes. For a moment, a sense of dread and worry overcame him. ¡°I will not let that happen,¡± Noele finished as she ced her front foot forward. Then the Goblin Lord harrumphed. He spread his arms wide as a red aura overcame his figure. ¡°You are wrong. We will not just stop at the Astrad Kingdom. We will burn all of our persecutors into ash. Humans, elves, dwarves, dryads, gnomes¡ª any of you who have condemned our kind to damnation. We shall exact our revenge on all who have wronged us!¡± With that said, Glutaz swung down with his great axe. A st of crimson energy shot out as Noele¡¯s eyes narrowed. She leapt to the side, nimbly dodging the attack. Noele sprinted forward rapidly as he shed horizontally at her. ¡°[sh Step],¡± she whispered. Glutaz blinked as the girl vanished with a flicker of golden light. He spun around, scanning his surroundings with a frown. ¡°Where did you go, coward?¡± the Goblin Lord yelled. And he paused as a voice echoed from his back. ¡°Over here¡ª [Noble sh]!¡± Glutaz recoiled in pain as a powerful strike hit his back. He staggered forward, feeling his purple blood spill from a deep wound. He spun around and swung hard at where Noele stood. ¡°[Hammer Blow]!¡± The ground exploded open where he struck. But Noele was no longer there. Instead, she stood atop the hilt of his axe, bncing with a grin. Glutaz tried to raise his weapon, only to realize it was trapped in ice. The Noble Spellsword thrust forward, stabbing as a flurry of golden strikesshed out at once. ¡°[Undaunted Rage].¡± Noele moved with a deft elegance, despite the wild strikes unleashed against the Goblin Lord. Glutaz gritted his toothy teeth as he took the brunt of the attack. She was fast¡ª and not just fast, but strong too. Somehow, she was able to hurt him where even Garron the Steel Tank couldn¡¯t. Was she even an A-ranked adventurer? Glutaz growled. He let go of his axe and punched at Noele. She grunted as she went flying back, her Skill interrupted. But as she tumbled through the air, she raised her sword and pointed it at the Goblin Lord like it were a wand. ¡°[Grand Firest].¡± He blinked. And his eyes grew wide as a cone of golden mes shot out. He reeled back as the powerful magic engulfed the streets. He could hear the other human yelping, stumbling away as the mes continued to burn. The Goblin Lord fought back against the fire, even as the spell dissipated, the golden mes remained eating away at his skin. He dropped to a knee, looking up at Noele with a re. She had crashed through some rubble and was pulling herself up to her feet. ¡°Kill her, my children!¡± Glutaz ordered, pointing at the girl. Noele¡¯s eyes flickered. She looked up to see dozens of little green creatures¡ª hundreds, even¡ª charging her way. But the Goblins were weak. Most of them were around Level 20, and Noele had to be above Level 40. She cut them down with ease. Even a group of hobgoblins¡ª evolved goblins above level 20 and the size of an average human man¡ª stood no chance against her. They were decapitated just like that. The Goblin Lord watched as his people fell. Again and again and again. His kind was killed with no apprehension. Like they were nothing but pests. His eyes burned with fury as he forced himself back to his feet. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡ª-- Is she really a B-ranked adventurer? Justyn gaped as Noele cut down goblin after goblin. There was nothing they could do against her. She had hurt the Goblin Lord in ways even Garron the Steel Tank couldn¡¯t, and now she was facing the horde of goblins like they were nothing. ¡°Noele the Noble Spellsword? I think I have heard of you¡­ [Recall Archive].¡± As a [Receptionist] of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, he had to know about most adventurers ranked B or above. So he must¡¯ve stumbled upon her file somewhere before. His brows furrowed as his mind whirled, trying to sort out the information in his head¡ª until, finally, he remembered. ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª she¡¯s a Level 45 [Warrior]-[Mage] hybrid.¡± Justyn snapped his fingers. He looked down at the bloodied figure lying at his feet. ¡°But Garron the Steel Tank is Level 47. How is she faring better than him?¡± And even more than that, Noele was putting up a good fight against Glutaz the Goblin Lord. Goblins could only evolve to a Goblin Lord at Level 50. So Noele was ostensibly handily fighting an enemy at least 5 levels above her. So how was she winning? Noele tore through the horde of goblins¡ª cutting down a dozen hobgoblins in a single instant. She charged forward and made a mad dash for the injured Glutaz. Her sword glinted. Her entire body was enveloped by a gold light. ¡°Now it¡¯s over!¡± she shouted as she leapt over the unending army of goblins. Glutaz¡¯s eyes burned. He looked up as a red aura overcame him. And the [Receptionist] froze. He realized what was happening. ¡°No¡ª¡± he started. He raised a hand out. ¡°Don¡¯t do it! You can¡¯t win!¡± But Noele ignored him. She screamed as she crashed through the sky like a gold, falling straight at the Goblin Lord. ¡°[Indomitable Blow]!¡± ¡°The most terrifying part of a Goblin Lord isn¡¯t its own strength!¡± Justyn called out, trying to warn her. ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± And Glutaz looked up. He stared into the golden light and raised a hand. She shed down. There was a sh of gold and silver light. A powerful shockwave knocked Justyn off his feet. He barely caught himself, clinging onto Garron¡¯s heavily-armored body. Hundreds of the little goblins nearby went flying as the nearby rubble cleared to the side. Justyn looked up as Noele blinked. The blonde girl stared¡ª her sword was jammed into the palm of Glutaz¡¯s hand. It smiled even as its hand bled. The attack only pierced through the flesh of the Goblin Lord¡¯s skin. A crimson glow overcame Glutaz. ¡°A Goblin Lord will only grow stronger as its people are killed,¡± the [Receptionist sighed. ¡°And it can even gain temporary levels in its fury.¡± Glutaz smirked. ¡°[A Goblin¡¯s Rage]. Goodbye, puny human.¡± It grabbed Noele and smashed her into the ground. ¡ª-- Why did you be an adventurer? Sometimes, Noele asked herself this question. Especially in moments like these when all seemed hopeless. When everything seemed lost. As a B-ranked adventurer, the young woman had gotten to know plenty of other adventurers over the years, anywhere from D-ranks to even S-ranks. And each time she got to know any of them, she would ask them the same question. They always provided a variety of different answers, ranging anywhere from pursuing glory to simply needing to feed their family. Each time she got an answer, she was almost always left dissatisfied. Not because they didn¡¯t pursue noble goals, nor was it because theycked ambition. Rather, it was because of what she wascking. Why did she be an adventurer? Noele didn¡¯t know. She just knew there was only ever one answer that ever resonated with her. One that she heard back when she was still but a child. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer?¡± she had asked. And the answer that came was simple: ¡°To be strong.¡± Noele closed her eyes, remembering this fond memory. And she went flying. ¡°Die, human!¡± Glutaz tossed her hard and far. She soared through the air straight into a brick building. The Noble Spellsword crashed through house after house like they were made of nothing. She only came to a halt because she caught herself, creating an ice wall at her back. Grunting and bloodied, she picked herself up from the shattered ice. Noele raised her sword weakly as she looked at the hulking green figure walking over the wreckage of the fallen houses after her. ¡°You are tenacious for a human, I will give you that.¡± Glutaz the Goblin Lord halted right before the girl. It looked past her at a group of squirming figures. ¡°The rest of your kind would have gone running at this point. Just like them.¡± A family covered right by a fallen house. A couple and their two children. Noele nced to the side, looking at their terrified faces. They screamed as they took off, scared just from Glutaz¡¯s gaze. ¡°Kill them, my children,¡± the Goblin Lord said, and a group of littleughing goblins gave chase. Noele gritted her teeth. ¡°I will not let you!¡± She dashed forward, vanishing with a [sh Step]. But somehow, Glutaz kept up with her this time. The Goblin Lord intercepted her,nding a kick to her side. She screamed in pain as she crashed into the ground sending up a column of dust. The Goblin Lordnded right next to her, shaking its head. ¡°You will not do anything. You will watch your people die as I have.¡± Noeley there, bloodied and broken. She coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yet, still, she managed to get up. She looked past the Goblin Lord to the family. The goblins had cornered them, and the father picked up a nearby rock, standing protectively before his wife and children. ¡°Your people have hunted down mine for eons past. You have treated us like pests. Exterminated entire tribes off the face of the world like they were but weed in the grass. No more, I say. My people have suffered enough. Now, it is time for justice to be passed. Watch as the Era of Goblins begins now!¡± Glutaz cackled wildly as the goblins easily disarmed the father. They stood over him, weapons raised as his daughter screamed and dashed forward. The mother tried to stop her, but the son ran forward as well. The goblins turned, aiming their des at the two children¡ª And a crossbow bolt shot through the first goblin. Glutaz blinked, and the goblins turned in shock. A second projectile impaled another goblin as a voice interrupted them. ¡°Over here, you little monsters!¡± Justyn yelled as he loaded another bolt into a crossbow. The group of goblins shrieked, charging after the [Receptionist] with their daggers raised as he cursed. He stumbled back and dropped the crossbow as they reached him. Glutaz shook his head,ughing. ¡°A foolish attempt.¡± The Goblin Lord looked back down at Noele. ¡°They will die, then you shall too.¡± Noele bit her lower lip. She watched as the goblins overwhelmed both Justyn and the family. Something had to be done. She couldn¡¯t just give up here. But she was too¡­ too¡­ weak. And a fire ignited in her heart. Noele the Noble Spellsword looked up as she reached for whatever strength she had left. Her white eyes shed, and she met the Goblin Lord¡¯s gaze. ¡°Oh? You still have some fight left in you,¡± Glutaz chuckled. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°You me us for killing your people, so you choose the path of vengeance. But we only fight back because you goblins have only ever killed or destroyed our cities and our viges. Every single time in history we have tried to make a pact with your tribes, you goblins betrayed us. It is in your nature to destroy. That is why we treat you like monsters.¡± The Goblin Lord¡¯s gaze darkened. It watched as Noele rose to her teeth, her left hand shimmering a golden light. Glutaz said nothing as she continued. ¡°If you really care for the best interest of your people, you wouldn¡¯t have destroyed Windrip. All you¡¯re doing is endangering their lives even further! You could¡¯ve chosen peace, but instead, you chose to destroy. So I will stop you!¡± She took a step forward, raising her left hand. ¡°[Grand Firest]!¡± And the golden mes engulfed the Goblin Lord once again. Glutaz stood defenseless as the st of magical fire lit up the darkened sky. A pir that rose up above the clouds. Noele put everything she could into that attack. It was more powerful than it ever had been. It should havepletely incinerated Glutaz¡ª But a pair of crimson eyes shone through the golden mes. Arge hand reached out, tearing through the fire like it was nothing. Glutaz swiped to the side with his right hand, causing the [Grand Firest] to dissipate like he was shearing through a veil. ¡°Is that really all you¡¯ve got? Pathetic.¡± It emerged from the mespletely unscathed. ¡°What¡­?¡± Noele just stared as the Goblin Lord took the brunt of her attack and survived. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± She stumbled back, but Glutaz just walked forward. The Goblin Lord grinned savagely. ¡°You have failed. Goodbye.¡± Its entire body glowed crimson, and it swung down at her. Noele flinched, closing her eyes. ¡°No¡ª¡± She waited for the inevitable. She readied herself for every single one of her bones to be crushed. But nothing happened. The young woman blinked, finding herself lying next to Justyn and the family of four in safety. All of them exchanged a confused nce. Noele got up and looked around. The Goblin Lord was standing a hundred feet ahead of her, looking just as puzzled as she was. ¡°What just happened?¡± she asked, utterly befuddled. ¡°Are you alright?¡± a voice said. ¡°You look pretty beat up. Do you think you can survive?¡± Noele spun around to see a ragged figure standing behind her. A brown-haired woman with a sheathed sword who was dressed like she was a beggar. The only part of her get-up that stood out was her cloak. She wore a ck and blue cloak that was torn and shredded, somehow still held together despite all the damage it had endured. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Noele just stared. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± the brown-haired woman started. ¡°Amelia?¡± Justyn interrupted her. The [Receptionist] groaned. ¡°Oh great, and here I thought Guildmaster Evan got here in time to save us. But it¡¯s just you. We¡¯re truly fucked, aren¡¯t we?¡± The Goblin Lord spun around, narrowing its eyes as it caught sight of the humans. Amelia just shrugged. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want me to save your life, you could¡¯ve just said so,¡± she said tly. ¡°Saved our lives?¡± Justyn gestured at the Goblin Lord as its horde gathered around it. ¡°That right there is an A-ranked threat. What is a wannabe-adventurer like you going to do to stop it?¡± ¡°An A-ranked threat?¡± Amelia blinked. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t even know what that means¡ª¡± Noele¡¯s eyes flickered. Her gaze snapped to the side as she called out. ¡°Watch out!¡± The brown-haired woman cocked her head as the Goblin Lord suddenly appeared behind her. Glutaz¡¯s entire body was glowing with a raging red aura. Its speed had doubled¡ª evenpared to just a minute earlier. Noele couldn¡¯t even keep up with it now. ¡°You humans really are nothing but pests! Where do you even keep crawling out from?¡± Glutaz screamed as he swung down with both his hands at Amelia¡¯s back. ¡°[Enraged Hammer Blow]!¡± Noele flinched, closing her eyes. The earth shook¡ª the ground broke open from just the shockwave. The young woman expected Amelia to be sttered on the ground like paste. But when Noele opened her eyes, she saw nothing of the sort. Amelia stood there with her head slightly tilted forward, the blow having stopped at the back of her head. Other than the annoyed look on her face, she lookedpletely unscathed. Glutaz leapt back, smirking. ¡°Impressive. Perhaps I underestimated you. I didn¡¯t expect a human to be able to survive my strongest Skill. Are you an A-ranked adventurer?¡± It raised its head, thinking aloud. ¡°Although, I doubt they would stand a chance against me right now. After all, I am now Level 60 thanks to my [A Goblin¡¯s Rage]. So an S-ranked adventurer, then?¡± Amelia didn¡¯t respond. Her gaze darkened over. Noele watched as the brown-haired woman raised a trembling fist. ¡°Then this is the perfect opportunity for me to test the limits of my power. Come, human! Show me the might of humankind, and I will show you the wrath of goblinkind!¡± The Goblin Lord barreled forward. Its crimson aura whipped around it wildly like it was in mes. The nearby watching goblins cheered as it reached Amelia. She raised her head, her jaw clenched. Spinning around, she kicked Glutaz in the stomach. ¡°I was in the middle of a fucking conversation!¡± And the Goblin Lord exploded. In an instant, Glutaz the Goblin Lord was reduced to nothing but red paste. Its corpse sttered in a line that cut across all of Windrip, reaching even the edges of the nearby forest. The watching goblins froze as their leader was obliterated from a single hit. Amelia blinked, taking a step back. She looked down at the trail of red she had made and scratched her chin. ¡°Oops. Man, I really need to watch myself, huh? I didn¡¯t mean to kill you with that. But I guess that answers that question¡ª an A-ranked threat is really, really weak.¡± She spoke to herself as Justyn¡¯s jaw dropped. The family of four gaped, and the nearby goblins screamed, scattering into the distance. Noele just looked on, wide-eyed. Her mind couldn¡¯t process what just happened. She tried to work her jaw, and only a single sentence came out. ¡°What¡­ just happened?¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Noele the Noble Spellsword didn¡¯t understand what just happened. Glutaz the Goblin Lord had been strong. With a single swing of its axe, it had felled the great walls of Windrip. And that was no small feat. The city was located at the edge of Briar Glen¡ª a dangerous region teeming with monsters. The Astrad Kingdom had ensured that the city was well-equipped to deal with most threats, providing Windrip with powerful enchanted walls that could withstand a siege from a lesser army. Yet, the Goblin Lord tore through it like it was made of ss. And then Glutaz proceeded to rampage through the city, killing thousands of guards and adventurers with ease as its army poured in and killed innocents. Even B-ranks had folded like paper in the face of the Goblin Lord¡¯s wrath. It took everything Noele had in her repertoire to even put up a fight against Glutaz. And while she had fared well while shested, eventually, she waspletely overwhelmed. She had thought it was hopeless. That defeat was inevitable. Then suddenly, she was saved. A brown-haired woman had shown up out of nowhere and killed the Goblin Lord in a single kick. Noele barely parsed what had happened. The Noble Spellsword¡¯s mouth hung open as she watched Amelia take a step back. The goblin horde immediately broke without a leader. They scattered, screaming in terror as Amelia simply nced their way. ¡°Should we stop them or something?¡± she asked casually. ¡°Will they, I dunno,e back for revengeter? That¡¯s normally what happens, right?¡± All that met her were nk faces of shock and surprise. Noele, the family¡ª even Justyn. They just stared back at her as she frowned. ¡°What?¡± And it was Justyn who broke the silence. The [Receptionist] started forward, eximing. ¡°How did you do that? What was that? You don¡¯t have abat ss, but you killed the Goblin Lord in a single attack?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, that is what I just did,¡± Amelia said with a shrug. Justyn blinked a few times. Then he clutched his head, groaning. ¡°That makes absolutely no sense¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°What do you want me to say? That you imagined that all up and I didn¡¯t just do that? I mean, I¡¯d be lying, but if you really want me to say it, I will.¡± ¡°Just let me process this, alright?¡± He turned away from her. Meanwhile, the family of four went up to her in tears. The father grabbed Amelia¡¯s hand as he sobbed. ¡°T-thank you so much for saving my family¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Miss!¡± the two children said, and the mother made them bow their heads. Amelia scratched the back of her head, looking unsure how to react. ¡°Oh, uh, you¡¯re wee?¡± They continued to thank her, showing their gratitude however they could, while she just stood there shifting awkwardly. Noele¡¯s gaze shadowed over as she continued watching this sight. Amelia narrowed her eyes and quickly nced back. ¡°Wait, the lycan drake¡ª¡± She spun around. Then she froze as she stared ahead at nothing but a pile of rubble. Her brows snapped together. ¡°Those fucking goblins took it! Those bastards! I will¡ª¡± The brown-haired woman started forward as she dangerously reached for the hilt of her sword. She only paused when she saw a figure barring her path. Noele stood there, brows arched high and casting a shadow over her gaze. ¡°Do you need something?¡± Amelia asked, frowning. Noele took in a deep breath. Slowly, the B-ranked adventurer raised her head and met Amelia¡¯s gaze. The brown-haired woman peered into the Noble Spellsword, clearly confused. And Noele looked up with sparkling white eyes. ¡°Please¡ª teach me how to be as strong as you!¡± Amelia blinked, taken off-guard for a second. Then she replied tly, ¡°No.¡± ¡ª-- Unfortunately, nearly half of Windrip had been destroyed during the battle yesterday. The Goblin Lord had caused a lot more destruction than I thought. And that caused problems for me in particr. While I had lost the lycan drake¡¯s corpse¡ª even after chasing down those little goblin fucks¡ª I still could qualify as an unofficial adventurer. After all, I was the one who defeated the Goblin Lord and saved Windrip. Justyn, a guild [Receptionist], had been there to witness it. So certifying me as an adventurer was only natural. I had thought I got my job secured, but Justyn bowed his head apologetically at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms Amelia,¡± he said in a polite tone. ¡°But we cannot certify you as an adventurer right now, be it unofficial or not.¡± ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± I asked, crossing my arms. Justyn flinched before stepping to the side. ¡°As much as I want to help you, Ms Amelia, there is nothing I can do about it because of¡­ that.¡± I watched as he gestured to the ruins that had once been the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was now a pile of debris and ash. The Goblin Lord¡¯s attack had brought the entire building down as the adventurers desperately banded together to fight off the invasion. While half of the adventurers in the city survived, the guild didn¡¯t, and that meant Justyn couldn¡¯t help me at all. I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a bit annoying.¡± ¡°Once the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is back up and running in any capacity, I will ensure you are certified as an adventurer as soon as possible, I can assure you of that.¡± Despite Justyn¡¯s reassurance, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little bit annoyed. This meant that I had nothing to do until the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was rebuilt to some extent. Right now, the city was being repaired, with the surviving poption either staying behind to help out, or fleeing further into the Astrad Kingdom to seek refuge and safety. I wondered if it would be better for me to just leave Windrip like they did and find another city to be an adventurer in. I hadn¡¯t been here for long. In fact, I had been here for exactly one day and a half now. So it wasn¡¯t like I had any attachments to this city. Well, there was Garron. He was vaguely an acquaintance, and I had heard he had been in pretty bad shape at the conclusion of the siege. But right now, he seemed fine. I nced down the street towards a gathering of adventurers. Garron stood atop a podium, bandaged and injured, but still addressing the crowd. They looked towards him like he was their leader. And maybe that was true. He was supposed to be their local B-ranked adventurer or whatever. A celebrity in the city, I guess. I walked past them and reached market street. Despite the destruction, Brynn¡¯s inn was fortunately one of the buildings that survived the siege. I found my way back to the still-standing inn and pushed the door open. Themon room was crowded with refugees and other survivors of the city. The innkeeper was rushing about with a pair of bamaids assisting her, serving food and drink out. I headed for the stairs and paused as I caught a glimpse of golden locks. The blonde girl from yesterday stood right beside the stairway, her arms crossed and her head low. She leant on the railing, wearing a hood up to remain inconspicuous, but I recognized her immediately. Her name was Noele. Noele the Noble Spellsword. She was in much better shape than yesterday, but she still looked slightly wounded. She looked up as I met her gaze. ¡°You¡­¡± I stared at the blonde girl. ¡°Are you really still trying to get me to teach you or whatever?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for that,¡± she said as she pushed herself off the railing. ¡°I was just, uh¡­ I¡¯m staying at this inn.¡± ¡°Sure you do. My answer is still no.¡± I shook my head and started past her. The blonde girl stood there, blinking as I walked up the stairs. Then she sputtered and hurried after me. ¡°Wait, Amelia¡ª¡± ¡°What do you want now?¡± I rolled my eyes. I arrived at my room and reached for the doorknob. But Noele slipped ahead of me, blocking my way. She was panting, looking up with a desperate look on her face. ¡°Please¡ª you killed that Goblin Lord in one attack. I have never seen something like that in my life! You need to teach me how to be as strong as you!¡± I drew back, frowning. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t here to pester me about that?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She pursed her lips. There was clearly no retort. But she shook her head, changing the subject. ¡°I wasn¡¯t! That was a slip of the tongue¡ª I¡¯m here because you didn¡¯t im credit for killing the Goblin Lord. You asked Justyn to keep it tight-lipped¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because¡ª¡± I started, then caught myself. I ced a hand on my chin in thought. ¡°Actually, is there a reward for killing the Goblin Lord?¡± ¡°You can get a medal from the King of Astrad himself!¡± Noele said, nodding eagerly. ¡°Can I sell that medal?¡± I asked. She hesitated. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so?¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t care.¡± I pulled her to the side and opened my door. ¡°I¡¯d rather not announce this feat to the world if it¡¯s going to attract people like you. I just want to live in peace.¡± Noele blinked. She stood there, watching as I entered my room. I was about to m the door shut, when her eyes flickered. She stepped forward and caught the door from closing. ¡°Are you serious?¡± I stared at her. ¡°Wait!¡± she said as she tried to hold the door open. I exerted a little more force on the door, and she squeaked as she stepped back. ¡°Seriously, please give me a chance.¡± I scoffed and pulled the door open. ¡°Fine. What is it?¡± ¡°Can I enter?¡± she asked, ncing into my room. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a bit of a discreet topic. I¡¯d rather not talk about it out in the open.¡± I eyed Noele suspiciously. I wasn¡¯t sure what her ploy here was, but she genuinely looked worried. She looked back antsily, down towards the stairway where I could hear the raucous voices from the inn below. Finally, I acquiesced. ¡°Come in. But if you ask me to train you again, then I¡¯ll kick you out immediately.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! I promise!¡± Noele eximed and hurried in. I closed the door behind her and locked it shut. She smiled at me gratefully as she took a seat in my bed. I sat across from her, pulling up a chair. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, leaning against the table. Noele cleared her throat. ¡°Look, you¡¯re strong. Very strong. I have never seen someone do anythingparable to that in my entire life. And I have seen S-ranks in battle.¡± ¡°Uh, thank you?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. ¡°But you¡¯re talking about living a peaceful life¡ª that you want to live in peace. And I understand that. However, what if I told you that that will not be possible? That no matter how hard you try, you will never be left alone?¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°I¡¯d be pretty annoyed if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true,¡± Noele said as she held my gaze. ¡°Because we¡¯re currently living in the Age of Cmity.¡± ¡°The age of what?¡± I blinked. She got to her feet and stood by the window, staring out. Her white eyes reflected on the ss surface as she spoke. ¡°If you look around you¡ª if you are astute and listen to what people say¡ª you will always notice the same thing. That things haven¡¯t always been this way. There are more disasters and catastrophes that have urred in thest decade than happened in thest century. ¡°Whether it be Goblin Lords or Emperor Wyverns¡ª orc hordes and colossal centipede swarms. Magical disasters, too, have scarred all of Vacuos in ways and numbers that have never been seen before in history. gues and pandemics are more prevalent than ever. Grand empires that have persisted for thousands of years have finallye to an end, and war is rampant while peace is forgotten.¡± I furrowed my brows. I thought of the System. The ss it tried to force upon me. It wanted me to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] for a reason, and it seemed this was why. It had also only been three days since I escaped the Fractured Realm. And since I got here, I had encountered both a Lich King and a Goblin Lord. I did think it was rather unusual to face them one after another. But I had assumed it was a coincidence. Apparently, it was just bing moremonce now. ¡°This world will only spiral further into chaos,¡± Noele continued as she nced back towards me. ¡°And you will be caught up in the middle of it all. Whether or not you want to be involved doesn¡¯t matter. Because this is the Age of Cmity, and if things continue this way, then perhaps Vacuos will never truly recover from it all.¡± And she finished. For a moment, there was silence. I could hear the moring of the crowd below through the doorway¡ª a muffledmotion. I saw the way Noele looked at me. I closed my eyes, thinking once again of the System¡¯s words. Now, there was this warning too. It seemed that no matter what I did, there was going to be trouble. Whether it would follow me or eventually catch up to me, it was still going to be there. Perhaps this was a sign¡ª the System was showing me that my help was needed. I considered simply just epting my ss as the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. But¡­ I remembered the words it said. You will forever devote your life to protecting the System. And I made my decision. Sighing, I got to my feet. Noele looked on as I nced towards her. ¡°Why do you fight, Noele?¡± I asked her. ¡°What made you be an adventurer? Why do you even care about all this?¡± ¡°Why do I fight?¡± she repeated after me, blinking. Noele slowly looked down at herself as she raised the palm of her right hand. ¡°I fight¡­ because¡­¡± she trailed off. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t just give me that whole speech and tell me you don¡¯t know why you¡¯re fighting.¡± Noele gritted her teeth. She shook her head before holding my gaze. ¡°I fight because I have to. Because I have no other choice.¡± I saw the way she looked at me. I heard her words. And I nodded to myself. ¡°I see.¡± It was a difficult choice to make for me. But I made it anyway. I¡­ wasn¡¯t going to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. Because then I would be doing this for the System. I didn¡¯t know this System, and I especially didn¡¯t care about it either. So I saw no reason to do anything for it. But the people of Vacuos were innocent. And if I was going to live in this world peacefully, then I couldn¡¯t just ignore everything that happened around me. So, instead, I chose to help them in what ways I could. ¡°Fine,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°You got me. I¡¯ll teach you.¡± ¡°...what?¡± Noele stared at me, caught by surprise. ¡°Are you serious? Wait¡ª you¡¯re not going to kick me out now, are you?¡± I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. I will help you be strong. But only if you do something for me in return.¡± She straightened, clearing her throat. ¡°I am prepared to do anything to train under you. I would be a fool to shy away from whatever you need of me.¡± ¡°I need¡­¡± I raised a finger, and she leaned closer. ¡°What is it, Amelia? Just tell me. I can get you a Dragonscale Chestte. I can get you a Bloodshard Wand. If you want, I can even get you a Potion of Youth!¡± Noele gave me a determined look, ready to do anything I said. I held out an open palm, and her eyes widened. ¡°I need you to pay me a hundred gold coins a month,¡± I said. And Noele gaped at me. She tried to work her jaw, but only a stuttering came out. ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t be serious, right? That¡¯s it?¡± I cocked my head at her. ¡°What? Is it too expensive or something?¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 ¡°I guess I can charge fifty gold a month¡­¡± Amelia murmured as she ced a hand on her chin. Noele paused. ¡°What? No¡ª¡± she started. ¡°Twenty-five, then. But that¡¯s the lowest I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± the blonde girl trailed off. Noele pursed her lips, shaking her head. There was no point trying to argue. She might as well juste out and say it. ¡°Amelia, a hundred gold coins isn¡¯t a lot.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Amelia blinked. She frowned at herself, looking surprised. ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn that I read that most people barely even earn a hundred gold in their lifetime.¡± Noele nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s true. A single gold coin is a hundred silver, and a hundred gold coins is worth a lot to normal people. But for adventurers? A-ranked adventurers earn a thousand gold a year. And S-ranked adventurers can earn that much in a month¡­¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a lot of money, just not ¡®fuck you¡¯ money, I see.¡± The brown-haired woman rubbed her chin. ¡°I don¡¯t really need ¡®fuck you¡¯ money. I just need retirement money. So a hundred gold it is¡ª that is if you can afford it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly an A-ranked adventurer just yet, but I have quite a lot saved up,¡± Noele said as she stepped forward. ¡°And I will do anything it takes if it means you¡¯ll help me be as strong as you.¡± Amelia nodded approvingly. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. So for your first lesson¡ª¡± ¡ª-- Noele blinked as she took in her dark surroundings. She heard the clicking. She saw the slithering. Red eyes moving in the shadows, stalking her every movement. She raised her head, looking up at Amelia standing at the edge of the pit above. The brown-haired woman spoke simply. ¡°Survive.¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Noele opened her mouth to protest, but Amelia leapt away. ¡°Good luck. I¡¯ll be back by sundown.¡± ¡°Wait, but this is¡ª¡± The blonde girl raised her hand. And she watched as her mentor vanished into the distance. Slowly, she looked back down into the darkness. All around her were the shadows of undting creatures. They circled her, clicking and hissing as she reached for her sword. Her eyes narrowed. And one of these long creaturesshed out like a whip. She raised her de as she ducked under the attack. With a vertical sh, she tore through an armored segmented section of the monster¡¯s body. It fell back in half, oozing green blood. Noele bit her lower lip. ¡°These are¡­ colossal centipedes. C-ranked threats. I should be able to deal with them just fine.¡± Her eyes flickered. The clicking sounds grew louder, and she saw more and more of the monsters encroaching on her location. There were far too many of them to count. They were climbing the walls and the ceilings, each many times longer than Noele was tall. She hesitated. ¡°...I hope.¡± And the colossal centipedes charged her as she braced herself. ¡ª-- I leapt through the forests of Briar Glen, heading back to the city of Windrip. I could still see some remnants of smoking pouring out in the distance even though it had been two days since the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack. Rebuilding a city wasn¡¯t easy, and nearly half the popce was gone, having either fled Windrip, or having died in the battle. It was going to take a while before a sense of normalcy would be restored here. Inded near the city, far enough away so as to not attract too much attention to myself. There was a perimeter of guards around where the walls had fallen, but they weren¡¯t charging a toll for entry this time. I walked over the rubble and debris, nodding at the city guards as I passed copsed buildings. There was so much death and destruction everywhere. I saw women crying in the streets, and bodies were being burned en masse inrge piles. I had expected them to only burn the bodies of goblins, but for some odd reason, they were also burning the bodies of their dead. Despite seeing such a terrible sight, I remained mostly unbothered. I knew I was supposed to be upset¡ª I did feel like what happened was wrong. But I didn¡¯t grieve. I didn¡¯t even feel like shedding a single tear despite all the deaths. Sure, I didn¡¯t know these people. I had only been in this world for four days, after all. However, I couldn¡¯t help but truly wonder why I felt nearly nothing for this tragedy. I found the makeshift Adventurer¡¯s Guild at the center of the city. It wasn¡¯t running full operations again just yet¡ª it was simply arge tent with a few adventurers loitering about. I looked for Justyn, but couldn¡¯t find him. ¡°Oi, Amelia,¡± a voice said, drawing my attention. Garron sauntered over to me with a smile. He still had a re on his face, which made his smile look slightly odd and intimidating, but I knew that was just how he was at this point. ¡°How are things holding up with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine,¡± I responded simply. ¡°Have you seen Justyn around?¡± Garron shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s off work today. Spending time with his family, I reckon.¡± The [Receptionist] hadpletely changed his tone around me after seeing me kill the Goblin Lord. While he was previously antagonistic, he was now quite helpful. In fact, he was the one who helped me locate that nest of colossal centipedes. ording to him, while these colossal centipedes were dangerous, they had been mostly left alone by Windrip since they scarcely ever left their nest. They were also incredibly numerous, so no one dared to exterminate them. I wondered if it was a bad idea for me to give Noele such a difficult task on her first day training under me. I scratched my chin. ¡°Hey, Garron, how do you think you¡¯d fare against a nest of colossal centipedes?¡± ¡°Colossal centipedes, huh?¡± The burly man frowned. ¡°Individually, they¡¯re slightly weaker than the average C-ranked threat, but their immense numbers make up for their weakness. I¡¯d say I need a team of B-ranks to back me up if I wanted to exterminate a nest.¡± ¡°I see. And how would someone like Noele deal with it?¡± I asked curiously. It was my first time mentoring someone. Dropping her into a nest of colossal centipedes was just to gauge her abilities. I didn¡¯t want to get her killed immediately. Well, preferably, I didn¡¯t want to get her killed at all. ¡°Noele¡¯s quitepetent for a B-ranked adventurer. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised she isn¡¯t an A-rank yet from what I¡¯ve heard about her.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I peered at Garron, studying his face. He gave me a reassuring look. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s the one who defeated the Goblin Lord,¡± he said. ¡°So I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I bit my lower lip. That was the lie Noele, Justyn, and I agreed to stick to since I didn¡¯t want to take credit for killing the Goblin Lord because of all the problems it would cause me. Still, Garron seemed confident of Noele¡¯s abilities, so I took his word for it. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± ¡ª-- I¡¯m not doing fine at all! Noele gritted her teeth as she raised her left hand. A blue barrier flickered into existence. A shield that formed a semi-sphere just ahead of her. A group of colossal centipedes crashed into it, and she backed against the wall. Dozens more of the monsters crawled up to her, cornering her from every angle. Up, down, left, and right. There were so many of them. It had only been an hour, and Noele was certain she¡¯d already killed hundreds of these creatures, but they wouldn¡¯t stoping. They gnawed at her barrier with their clicking mandibles, hissing and trying to break through to get to her. Noele took in a deep breath. She had to remain calm. Panicking would do nothing to serve her here. The [Force Barrier] cracked, and she readied herself. The congregation of colossal centipedes piled up before her. She raised her free hand as a me flickered into existence. ¡°[Grand Firest]!¡± she said as the barrier finally shattered. And all at once, the golden fire burst out. It consumed the horde of monsters as they shrieked, burning from her mes. Noele stepped forward, walking past chunks of charred meat and melted chitin. She had to have taken out over a hundred of them all at once. Quite a few of them at the back fringes escaped, skittering away as their backs burned, still alive. Noele watched them go. She smirked, panting as she came to a halt directly below the hole in the ceiling. ¡°Is that all of them?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°I really hope there aren¡¯t more¡­¡± Her eyes flickered as a blue screen shed before her. A deluge of notifications from the World System. [You have defeated a colossal centipede!] [You have defeated a colossal centipede!] ¡­ [You have leveled up! You are now Level 48!] She frowned. Noele raised a hand, dismissing these notifications as she shook her head. She had only leveled up once from this debacle, which made sense. These colossal centipedes were probably low Level 30s. Killing them didn¡¯t provide much experience to her. That was as opposed to killing the Goblin Lord. While Noele herself was not responsible for defeating Glutaz¡ª Amelia was¡ª the World System had rewarded the experience from that feat to the Noble Spellsword. As a result, Noele had leveled up twice from Level 45 to Level 47 and learned [Force Barrier]. If only she had [True Appraisal] or the like. She could evaluate her own status¡ª track her strength more urately. With each level up, she felt like she grew stronger, faster¡­ better. But she couldn¡¯t exactly quantify it in the same sense if she did have such a Skill. Groaning, she cracked her shoulders and stood up straight. A few of her worst injuries healed just a little bit thanks to the level up. She didn¡¯t have any healing potions with her because Amelia had brought her here by surprise, so Noele was grateful for any help she could get. Plus¡ª ¡°The nest isn¡¯t cleared out just yet,¡± the Noble Spellsword said as she raised her head. If she had cleared out this nest, the World System would¡¯ve informed her. The fact that it said nothing of the like just proved there were still plenty of colossal centipedes lurking about, even if she no longer heard the crawling of the monsters. Even if thest of the golden mes had been snuffed out. ¡°Amelia told me to survive, so do I just¡­ wait here for the rest of them to show up?¡± If so, this granted Noele a good chance to rx. A brief reprieve. She wanted to just slump over and rest. But she caught herself. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. ¡°No¡ª I can¡¯t just lie around and waste my time,¡± Noele whispered to herself. ¡°Amelia took a chance with me. She let me be her apprentice. I know she¡¯s probably somewhere out there, watching my every move, carefully evaluating my performance¡ª¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Hi, yes, can I have this made for me by the end of the day?¡± I said as I slipped the piece of paper forward. I showed the [Tailor] the sketch I drew out. My clothes were ragged and dirty. I also didn¡¯t quite like the way I looked. The first step back to normalcy was shopping for new clothes. So I paid the coin and waited for my outfit to be finished. He nodded eagerly as he rubbed his hands together. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a little bitplex, so it will cost¡ª¡± ¡ª-- ¡°I cannot disappoint Amelia,¡± Noele resolved herself. So the Noble Spellsword raised her de and dared to venture into the darkness. But she paused when she heard the clicking. A deep, resounding clicking. Slower than the footsteps of the colossal centipedes. Meticulous. Dangerous. Noele took a step back as she scanned her surroundings. She paused when she caught a glimpse of a giant dark shadow. Something that was lurking in the dark. Her eyes grew wide. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± And she saw it. The massive mandibles. The serrated chitin. A hundred giant segments of body. A monster that extended a hundred feet. It emerged from the shadows, looming over the B-ranked adventurer as she stared on. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a titan centipede. An A-ranked threat.¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 I had about an hour left until I could pick up my clothes from the [Tailor]. Which was rather fast honestly, considering the designs I had given came from Earth. But the [Tailor] was supposedly Level 30¡ª the highest-leveled currently in all of Windrip. Garron was the one who rmended the shop to me, and I trusted the burly man enough to not be scammed. For now, I waited, rxed. Iy atop the roof of my inn, watching as the clouds passed overhead. I thought one of those floating cotton balls looked like a dog, for a second. A big fluffy dog. But I knew that it was just pareidolia¡ª my imagination running wild and seeing images in mundane objects. I was probably just reminiscing about Rover. My first ever pet. I did miss him quite a bit. ¡°Maybe I should get a dog,¡± I said as the idea crossed my mind. But no¡ª it didn¡¯t feel right to just rece Rover like that. ¡°A cat, then?¡± I wasn¡¯t even sure if getting a pet was a good idea. These were simply idle thoughts. Nothing substantive. For now, I was supposed to be mentoring Noele. I looked up towards the sun¡¯s position in the sky. It trickled down the blue dome like a single drop of water snaking across a burning saucepan. So slowly. But it was reaching the very fringes of the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s going to be evening soon.¡± I closed my eyes. ¡°That means I have to check up on Noele.¡± I let out a heavy sigh. I really just wanted to lie down for another hour. Why did time have to pass by so quickly? It felt like I had barely even gotten anything done. I got up and shook my head. ¡°First, I¡¯ll pick up my clothes. There¡¯s probably still an hour till sundown, and Noele can wait a few extra minutes, right?¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Shit¡ª¡± Noel cursed as she leapt back, raising her free hand and pointing. The titan centipede hissed. Its undting figure moved quickly, despite its size. It had to be a hundred feet in length and half a dozen feet wide. But it was fast¡ª barely anything Noele threw its way hit. And the attacks that did barely did any damage. Case in point¡ª ¡°[Scintiting Arrowfell]!¡± she yelled, and a volley of glowing arrows shot out. It was a rain of magical projectiles. Ones that could even pierce through rock. The attack filled the entire cavern. There was nowhere for the titan centipede to escape. But the monster just reeled back, coiling into itself as the arrows bounced off its chitin. Noele gritted her teeth. This was her chance. Right now, when the monster was distracted, she could strike with a stronger attack. [sh Step]. She vanished with a golden light. The entire world blurred around her as she crossed the distance between herself and the titan centipede in a split-second. The monster couldn¡¯t react in time. It had just unfurled itself from its defensive position, and she appeared right before it with her sword raised. ¡°[Noble sh]!¡± Noele swung down with her de. The entire cavern lit up as the attack shed with the titan centipede¡¯s shell. The monster shrieked in pain, and she heard a crack. The chitin shattered as green blood sttered out. In that single motion, she tore through to the other side of the creature. It reeled back, its lower half dismembered. The Noble Spellsword stumbled forward, watching as the titan centipede split into two halves. But she wasn¡¯t done. She already knew the monster was preparing for a counterattack. The titan centipede whipped down at her, even with nearly half its body gone. It still moved with the same nimbleness as before. She managed to move out of the way with a second [sh Step], but it rapidly skittered after her. Noele blinked as its mandibles clicked open, pouring out a spray of yellow acid. She raised a hand, whispering. ¡°[Ice Wall]. And¡ª¡± The acidnded on the barrier, quickly melting the ice as she pointed at the titan centipede with her sword. ¡°[Fireflower]!¡± Three petal-like bolts of me shot out in session, heading straight for the titan centipede. It wove around the attack, but another st of fire came. It took the shape of a giant flower. Crimson, like a rose. And it engulfed the titan centipede, knocking it back. Noele panted as she lowered her weapon. She watched as the monster crashed into the cave wall, writhing in pain and burning from the crimson mes. The Noble Spellsword waspletely exhausted. She was running out of Skills. Already, she was using lower-leveled attacks just to survive this fight. Perhaps she could wait out the cooldown for her other abilities, but until then, she would have to fight with her sword alone. And she wasn¡¯t sure how long she¡¯d be able to keep it up. This had to end now. Noele strode forward, moving to finish off the titan centipede, when she paused. A flicker caught her eye. She spun around just in time to see a sharp tailshing out her way. But she wasn¡¯t fast enough to parry it. The attack struck her across her stomach as she leapt back, tearing through her enchanted armor. It sent her flying, rolling on the ground as her blood spilled on the dirt ground. Noele gasped as the sharp pain overwhelmed her body. Looking up, she stared with wide eyes at an impossible sight. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± The lower half of the titan centipede was crawling across the cave wall. It had no head. It was bleeding. But somehow, it was still moving. The upper body managed to snuff out the mes burning away at its chitin by rolling on the ground. It got up, joining the dismembered lower body as they surrounded the Noble Spellsword. Noele¡¯s mind reeled. She didn¡¯t understand what was happening. Was this some kind of Skill? It didn¡¯t look like a regenerative ability. It was as if the titan centipede was puppeting its own severed half from afar. ¡°How am I even supposed to beat that?¡± She pursed her lips as she tried to get to her feet. But the titan centipede struck out. Both bodies. They came at her from both sides, and she swung up with her de, barely parrying the attack. But she was still knocked back. She staggered up, running back as the monster didn¡¯t let up. ¡°[sh Step¡ª¡± She vanished, narrowly avoiding another double attack. But as she re-appeared, she dropped to her knees. Noele coughed out blood as the wound on her stomach weighed her down. It hurt¡ª and the [sh Step] didn¡¯t help, only invigorating the injury even more. The Noble Spellsword stumbled back as she bit through the pain. The titan centipede hissed, rising up high as its antennae twitched. Its lower half shot forward, and Noele gripped her sword with both her hands. She blocked the attack as she was pressed against the rock wall. ¡°How about this¡ª [Grand Firest]!¡± she yelled. And a st of golden mes shot forward. Enough time had passed, and the Skill was made avable again. She put in everything she had into that spell. The st of magic drained everything she had left in her. It consumed the lower half of the titan centipede. This was an attack that even hurt the Goblin Lord. It was all Noele had left¡ª it had to be enough to take down that dismembered body. Her eyes widened as the spell dissipated. Some of the golden mes remained. Yet, the lower half of the titan centipede remained standing. It loomed over the blonde girl as the upper half joined it. She looked up as her knees trembled, threatening to buckle beneath her. ¡°How¡­?¡± Noele asked as both halves of the titan centipede encroached on her. ¡°Why won¡¯t it go down?¡± The titan centipede¡¯s antennae twitched, and the lower half of its body slowly skittered forward. There was nothing she could do. It was over. Herst efforts dashed. All she could do was hope¡ª pray or ept her fate. ¡°I failed my first lesson¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Then the Noble Spellsword caught herself. Was she going to die here? Maybe Amelia would save her. If Noele just hoped, maybe Amelia would¡­ maybe¡­ But the blonde girl remembered a figure saving her. A young woman with flowing golden locks. It was something that happened when Noele was still a child, yet the memory was so vivid. She remembered being so helpless. Unable to fend for herself. And the regrets. How she was so weak. No¡ª she couldn¡¯t allow that. If Amelia had to intervene already, what was the point of this? Noele was supposed to prove herself here. She couldn¡¯t give up just yet. Her eyes flickered, and in that moment, she saw the way the two halves of the monster moved. She saw the twitching antennae. And she understood. ¡°I see now.¡± The lower half of its body had no mind of its own¡ªmanded by the moving antennae of the upper half. There was only one way to win, and it meant getting close to the head of the titan centipede. Noele warily eyed the lower half as it drew closer. She waited until the veryst moment before sidestepping the attack. With a thrust, she pierced through the broken chitin of the armor and pinned the lifeless body against the rock wall. It struggled, thrashing and trying to break free, but it would take a moment. And Noele capitalized on this. She spun around, ncing up at the upper body of the titan centipede. At its twitching antennae. The Noble Spellsword sprinted forward, even as her wounds ached. She refused to falter. She leapt to the side as the titan centipede spat out a ball of acid her way. The acid exploded, sttering all around her, sizzling and eating away at her armor. She grimaced, but she didn¡¯t let up. Noele vanished with a [sh Step], appearing mid-air right next to the titan centipede¡¯s head. The monster snapped its gaze her way¡ª too slowly. The Noble Spellsword crashed into its face, avoiding the snapping mandibles. She struggled. Noele fought back as it tried to bite her hands off. Shended a few good hits before gripping its antennae tightly. With all of her strength, she ripped them off. Back at the rock wall, the lower half of the monster stopped moving. Noele raised the sharp antennae and began to stab down with them. The titan centipede hissed, and her eyes narrowed. She saw droplets of a glowing yellow liquid spill from its mandibles as she gritted her teeth. Acid. She had to keep it off her. Noele reached within herself, burning thest of the magic left within her. Quite literally. Her entire body was lit aze. An aura of golden mes wisped off her, burning her armor as the liquid evaporated before it could even get to her. She was quite literally burning herself to avoid the acid spray. Noele continued stabbing as the titan centipede struggled. But it couldn¡¯t get her off it. It crashed into the ground, violently iling and smashing her against the earth. She refused to let go. The Noble Spellsword wrestled with the monster as she continued to impale it with its own antennae. Until, eventually¡ª It stopped moving. Its body went limp. Noele peeled herself off the monster, copsing in the dirt as her golden mes slowly flickered out. She panted as shey there, raising a burned hand. ¡°I-I survived¡­¡± And a flurry of notifications shed before her eyes. [You have defeated a titan centipede!] [You have cleared a colossal centipede nest!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 49!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 50!] [Skill Evolved: A Warrior¡¯s Power -> The Titan¡¯s Strength!] [Skill Gained: Nobleme Armor!] [ss Advancement Now Avable!] ¡°I am finally A-ranked¡­¡± Noele managed to muster. ¡°I¡ª¡± She tried to speak, but her lips ached. Her entire body was ovee with a numb pain. The world began to grow dark. The Noble Spellsword watched as her vision began to fade. But right before the darkness could take hold of her, a cloaked figure descended from the sky. Noele raised a hand, whispering. ¡°I did it, sister.¡± The cloaked figure cocked her head. And everything went dark for the blonde girl. MsD Just so you know, you can read up to chapter 27 on my patreon here now! Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Noele felt a familiar warmth. The embrace of a kind figure. A young woman with golden locks. So brave and so strong. An adventurer who strove to be great. She was the reason why Noele became an adventurer in the first ce. Her sister. ¡°N-Nora¡­?¡± Noele groaned as she opened her eyes. But the Noble Spellsword was met with a brown-haired woman instead. One who wore a torn and tattered cloak that was ck on the outside and blue on the inside. She carried Noele, leaping through the night sky. ¡°Who¡¯s Nora?¡± Amelia cocked her head, confused. ¡°Nora is¡­¡± Noele started, but her eyes fluttered shut. ¡°¡ªgone.¡± And darkness took her once again. The next time Noele woke up, she was lying bandaged in bed. It was morning. Her entire body ached. She tried to sit up, but recoiled in pain. Groaning, she copsed back into the soft pillow. ¡°Where am I?¡± she wondered aloud. Looking around, she recognized the room she was in. It was Amelia¡¯s room at Brynn¡¯s inn. There were a few uncorked vials standing at the bedside table, and a handful of open books lying at a wooden desk. It took Noele a few moments to process her surroundings. When she did, worked her jaw. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive?¡± She thought that she¡¯d surely sumb to her injuries to the titan centipede. Her self-inflicted wounds from burning herself were mostly gone, and the gaping hole in her stomach was covered by freshly-mended flesh. Closing her eyes, Noele tried to recall what happened after the fight. ¡°How did I survive?¡± she asked no one in particr. And a voice answered, ¡°Garron saved you.¡± Blinking, Noele turned to face the door as it creaked open. Amelia stepped in, carrying a tray of food. She ced the tray down on the bed as the blonde girl forced herself to sit up. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself,¡± Amelia said as Noele winced in pain. The brown-haired woman pulled up a chair next to the bed. ¡°I found you on the cusp of death, so I brought you over to Garron. He gave you a gallon of those¡­ healing potions or whatever they¡¯re called. He said if I brought you over to him anyter, you¡¯d need a high-leveled [Healer]¡¯s attention or you wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡± ¡°Wait, you used healing potions on me?¡± Noele stared with wide eyes. Amelia shook her head. ¡°Not me. Garron did.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? Are they rare or expensive or something?¡± Noele pursed her lips. ¡°They¡¯re not exactly rare, but they can be very expensive. I¡¯ll have to find a way to pay Garron back forter.¡± ¡°Sure, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Leaning back, Amelia made herselffortable in her chair. ¡°Apparently a fresh set of clothes cost me 50 silver coins, so I won¡¯t be able to help you with that.¡± The blonde girl blinked. She looked at her master, and finally noticed the outfit. Amelia was no longer dressed in ragged clothing. Instead, she was wearing an odd white shirt with long ck pants. Rtively in, albeit a unique design, with a dark jacket worn beneath her cloak. ¡°You bought that?¡± Noele asked, staring. ¡°Imissioned it from a Level 30 [Tailor],¡± Amelia said simply. She waved a hand off. ¡°Anyways, that doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m just d to see you survived. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have that much trouble with a colossal centipede¡¯s nest. What happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± The Noble Spellsword bit her lower lip. ¡°I cleared out the nest, but there was a titan centipede there. It had to be around Level 55. I¡¯m honestly not sure how I even managed to kill it. But¡­¡± Noele paused. She looked down at the palm of her hands. And a cathartic feeling washed over her. Sighing, she turned to Amelia and smiled. ¡°But I did it, master.¡± It was incredibly relieving. Noele had proven herself to Amelia¡ª she had passed the test given to her. Her master smiled. ¡°Congrats,¡± Amelia said. ¡°But please don¡¯t call me master, that¡¯s weird.¡± Noele blinked. ¡°S-sorry, master.¡± ¡°You just did it again. Just call me by my name.¡± ¡°I mean¡ª sorry, Amelia!¡± she sputtered. The brown-haired woman rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not upset about it or anything. I¡¯d just rather our rtionship not be too formal. I find it odd.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele nodded slowly. She raised a finger to scratch her cheek. ¡°I got overly-excited. It¡¯s my first time training under an S-ranked adventurer. I really didn¡¯t want to screw this up.¡± Amelia frowned. ¡°But I¡¯m not an S-ranked adventurer.¡± There was a pause. Noele blinked a few times. Then her jaw hung open. She gaped at Amelia with round eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t even have a ss.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡ª- I was under the impression that Noele knew I wasn¡¯t an S-ranked adventurer. Actually¡ª I thought she knew I wasn¡¯t an adventurer at all. She was there when I killed the Goblin Lord. When Justyn used me of being a so-called ¡®wannabe-adventurer¡¯. ¡°I thought you were here undercover!¡± Noele sputtered. ¡°Why would I be undercover?¡± I raised a brow at her. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know? Maybe it was for the same reason you didn¡¯t want to be credited with killing the Goblin Lord?¡± She shook her head, then grimaced from the motion. I shrugged. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to be hounded by people like you. I¡¯m not some secret S-ranked adventurer. I can¡¯t even be an adventurer because I can¡¯t get a ss.¡± ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t get a ss?¡± The blonde girl blinked at me. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have abat ss, not that you were ss-less!¡± ¡°So you thought I killed the Goblin Lord¡­ as a [Chef]?¡± I frowned at her. Noele pursed her lips. She gestured vaguely at me. ¡°It¡¯s a bit unusual, but it¡¯s not unheard of. I once met a Level 40 [Innkeeper] who worked as a C-ranked adventurer on the side.¡± ¡°Did she fight with frying pans and cooking pots or something?¡± ¡°Along with acid and knives, yes.¡± Noele nodded at me. ¡°I see.¡± I crossed my arms and leant back in my chair. ¡°Well, I quite literally can¡¯t get a ss. I¡¯ve tried.¡± I turned to face the tray of food I¡¯d set down. It was a freshly cooked steak with baked potatoes on the side. A rather fancy dish considering the cut of meat. Its ingredients were costly, but most of the stalls in market street had been destroyed. The only shops that survived were ones that had guards and wards or enchantments set up to protect the building¡ª more luxurious ces. I handed the te over to Noele as I spoke. ¡°I made this myself. Give it a try.¡± She hesitated. ¡°But you don¡¯t have any levels in [Cook]...¡± Still, she eventually acquiesced. The blonde girl gently cut into the tender steak with a knife and took a bite out of a slice. She blinked, then brightened. ¡°See?¡± I grinned at her. ¡°This is¡ª it¡¯s like it was prepared by a Level 20 [Chef]! How did you make this?¡± Noele spoke between each bite. She quickly scarfed down the meal as I watched. It was rather ttering to see. I knew it was probably because she was famished, especially after a near-death experience, but I was d that my culinary skills¡ª even if rather basic¡ª hadn¡¯t diminished despite the amount of time I spent in the Fractured Realm. I shook my head as she finished. ¡°And yet, the System wouldn¡¯t offer me a ss as a [Cook],¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s really odd.¡± Noele narrowed her eyes, wiping some crumbs from her lips. ¡°I had a dozen options to choose from before I even picked my first ss. And I was only ten at the time.¡± ¡°Your first ss?¡± I asked. ¡°You can choose more than a single ss?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. But you can reset your ss before your first ss advancement at Level 10 if you¡¯re unhappy with it, of course.¡± She snorted, lying back down onto her bed. ¡°I used to be a [Delivery Girl]. That is¡ª until my sister¡­¡± Noele trailed off. I saw the way her facial expression changed. Her brows cast a shadow over her face, and her lips drew into a thin line. It was clearly a sensitive topic. ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I reassured her. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Sighing, the blonde girl sat up once again. ¡°My sister was a C-ranked adventurer, and she died protecting me. She saved me from a gang of infamous bandits called the Miststorm Riders. Even though they¡¯re considered an A-ranked threat¡­ she stood up against them for me. She was a really brave woman.¡± I eyed Noele. It seemed like this was a long while ago, yet I could tell she wasn¡¯t fully over it just yet. I had a sister, too. Well¡ª I have a sister, I just hadn¡¯t seen her in¡­ a long time. I wondered how I¡¯d feel if I found out she died. Honestly, she probably thought I was dead since I¡¯d been gone for so long. She was probably really devastated, even now. I raised a hand and patted Noele on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Your sister sounds like she was amazing. I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Noble Spellsword said as she raised her head. ¡°I¡¯m an A-ranked adventurer now. I¡¯m strong enough to take on those bandits. And I passed your test.¡± I blinked. ¡°My test?¡± She clenched a fist. ¡°That¡¯s right. I dealt with that colossal centipede best and killed a titan centipede. I hit Level 50¡ª I got a ss advancement too! I¡¯m strong enough to call myself your apprentice now. I won¡¯t let you down, Amelia.¡± I met her gaze. She was determined. Resolved. She refused to look away, holding the look as she spoke. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great and all,¡± I said tly, ¡°but whether you¡¯re Level 45 or Level 50 doesn¡¯t really make a difference to me. I literally don¡¯t care about your level.¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Noele¡¯s shoulders sagged. ¡°Then what was that test for?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t really a test. I just wanted to see how you¡¯d handle yourself in a survival-situation, that¡¯s all. And don¡¯t get me wrong, I think you did a good job. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just?¡± I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t see a point in leveling up to grow stronger. Even if you get to Level 60, you¡¯d still be really weak.¡± This time, Noele didn¡¯t exim or stare in shock. Her eyes just zed over. She slowly lowered her head, tucking her knees towards her chest. She hugged herself in a fetal position and murmured. ¡°A Level 60 is weak. A Level 60 is weak. A Level fucking 60 is weak.¡± Noele looked up at me, speaking in a monotonous voice, yet clearly resigned. ¡°My life¡¯s goal is to hit Level 60 and be an S-ranked adventurer. And you think it¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t have a ss. It¡¯s all just meaningless numbers to me. Why can¡¯t you just¡­ get stronger without the System?¡± I asked. She threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. ¡°How would that work?¡± ¡°How does the System work? How do sses and levels work?¡± I replied. Noele bit her lower lip. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª it¡¯s just how it is. I¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Just how strong are you, Amelia? And why can¡¯t you get a ss? None of this makes any sense.¡± I honestly felt a little bit bad for overwhelming the blonde girl. But thanks to her help, I was learning more and more about Vacuos. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should continue being as transparent with information as I had been, but she seemed like a good person, so I decided to just answer her questions honestly. ¡°I am¡­¡± I started. Then I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°Have you ever heard of a Lich King?¡± ¡°A Lich King?¡± Noele¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°There have only been five Lich Kings in all of history¡ª each one has destroyed nations and been responsible for the deaths of millions of people! You¡¯re saying you¡¯re as strong as a Lich King?!¡± ¡°No.¡± I gave her a weak shrug. ¡°I¡¯m saying I killed a Lich King with a single attack.¡± ¡°That is¡ª¡± the blonde girl started. But no words came out. She gave up, slumping her shoulders. ¡°How? I don¡¯t get it¡­ and you still haven¡¯t exined why you can¡¯t get a ss.¡± ¡°That,¡± I said, scratching my cheek, ¡°is a little moreplicated.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how it can be moreplicated than anything you¡¯ve already said,¡± Noele muttered. ¡°If you say so.¡± I closed my eyes. I didn¡¯t know how else to put it, so I just went out and said it. ¡°I think it might be because Ie from another world.¡± The blonde girl stared at me. She leaned forward, repeating my words. ¡°Youe from another world¡­?¡± I nodded. There was a moment of silence. One where she said nothing. Noele just looked at me, and I wasn¡¯t sure if that broke her. Then she nodded, tapping a finger on her chin in understanding. ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± This time, it was my turn to be taken aback. ¡°That¡­ wasn¡¯t the reaction I expected.¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 The city burned. It had once been a ce of splendor with sprawling structures and spires that reached for the clouds. Now, those buildings were reduced to ash and rubble. Screams erupted throughout the city. The sh of metal and sts of magic echoed in the distance. Mangled corpses littered the streets, and a trio of figures were kneeling bound before the pce. ¡°These are the prisoners, my liege,¡± a voice said. Kallistus strode up the steps of the pce,ing to a halt before the three figures. A retinue of royal guards followed after him, and a liberally dressed woman walked by his side. She was the one who spoke, leading him to the prisoners. ¡°Thank you, Melissa,¡± Kallistus said with a nod. ¡°It is my pleasure to serve you.¡± She stepped aside with a deep bow. The bound figures stirred, looking up. An elderly man, a middle-aged man, and a youngdy. Kallistus eyed them before saying their names. ¡°King Thorne of Archon; his son, Prince Dominick; and¡­ who is this woman?¡± Kallistus frowned. ¡°I believe she is one of Prince Dominick¡¯s many mistresses,¡± Melissa replied, still bowing. ¡°And where are his other mistresses?¡± ¡°They fled without him.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Taking a knee, Kallistus eyed the youngdy with a smile. ¡°What is your name, Miss?¡± ¡°Do not talk to her! She will not speak with you¡ª¡± Dominick started. Only for Melissa to strike him across the face. ¡°You will not address my King in such a manner, you fiend!¡± ¡°That is enough, Melissa,¡± Kallistus said, raising a hand. Slowly, he turned back to face the youngdy. He spoke softly, holding her gaze. ¡°Your name. Please.¡± ¡°S-Sabina,¡± she said. ¡°Were you forced into this marriage, Sabina?¡± he asked. Sabina nodded. ¡°I was.¡± ¡°You disloyal harlot!¡± Dominick spat at the youngdy. But Kallistus pointed a finger. And the Prince of Archon froze, held by an invisible aura. Melissa covered her mouth, watching this sight in amusement. Dominick tried to open his mouth, however his body refused to respond. He couldn¡¯t speak. He began to choke. He struggled against this force and failed. After a moment, Kallistus just flicked a finger, speaking a single word. ¡°Silence.¡± And the Prince of Archon¡¯s neck snapped back. Sabina blinked, staring in horror as her former husband was killed in an instant. Kallistus drew back and turned to Melissa. ¡°Release this youngdy. She does not deserve to die with this family.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege,¡± Melissa said and quickly unbound Sabina. Kallistus turned away, casting his gaze to the third figure¡ª the remaining prisoner who was still bent double in chains. King Thorne of Archon didn¡¯t even recoil at the sight of his dead son. Instead, the elderly manughed. A bitterugh. ¡°Oh, such cruelty and such kindness, both demonstrated at once. As expected from you, the great and terrible [Hero King].¡± Thorne gave Kallistus a crooked smile. The [Hero King] said nothing in return, simply staring down at the elderly man. ¡°And here I thought I could have convinced you to spare my son¡¯s life,¡± Thorne continued. ¡°But you had him killed before I could even speak. And for what? Because he dared to have a wife?¡± ¡°You know as well as I do the reason why I executed him,¡± Kallistus said simply. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Thorne shook his head. ¡°Because you are the [Hero King] who can do no wrong. Because you are the one chosen by the World System to act in the name of justice. Because you are an otherworlder who knows better than us native vacians.¡± Melissa paused, ncing over at them, clearly affronted. But Kallistus didn¡¯t reply. King Thorne of Archon gritted his teeth. ¡°Do you know what I have to say to that?¡± There was a crack¡ª the clink of broken chains ttering against the ground. Thorne broke through his bindings, thrusting a dagger straight for the [Hero King]¡¯s head. ¡°Fuck you!¡± the King of Archon screamed. And Kallistus just raised a hand. A purple sphere appeared in his palm. A vortex that sucked the very world into it. Thorne blinked, then tried to back away from it, but failed. He was caught in it. He couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°What in the world is this¡ª¡± Thorne tried to speak, but his voice was warped with space. The King of Archon let out a cry of terror as he was pulled into the sphere, his entire body being torn apart in the process. Until, eventually, he vanished into the darkness. The [Hero King] lowered his hand as the sphere dissipated. He looked down at where Thorne had once been kneeling before shaking his head. ¡°Do you think this was my choice?¡± Kallistus murmured. ¡°I did not want this either, but the World System made me a [Hero]. So I will do what I must.¡± Taking a step back, the [Hero King] swept his gaze over the burning city. He saw his troops marching down the streets, bringing with them the defeated soldiers of Archon. Prisoners of war. He turned to Melissa as she straightened. ¡°Appraise every single one of the prisoners,¡± Kallistus said. ¡°I want you to bring me those who have yet to reach Level 10.¡± ¡°And what about those above, my liege?¡± Melissa asked as he spun around. ¡°I do not care.¡± The [Hero King]¡ª the otherworlder¡ª spoke as he walked down the steps of the pce. His eyes flickered, and a deluge of blue boxes shed before him. But he ignored the notifications. He cared not what they said. ¡°Now leave me, I have a meeting to attend.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± ¡ª-- Out of everything I had told Noele, I expected that being from another world was going to be the most surprising. But apparently, she took it in stride. ¡°Honestly, I should have known you were an otherworlder,¡± the blonde girl said as shey back down on the bed. ¡°Now it makes a lot of sense, honestly. Not everything¡ª but a lot of things.¡± I remembered the System calling me an otherworlder, too. I thought it was just a designation unique to me. As it turned out, it was not. It was amon way to refer to people from outside of Vacuos. ¡°I take it otherworlders aren¡¯t umon, then?¡± I asked as I leant back in the chair. That made things a lot simpler for me. I could easily exin away a lot of things by simply telling the truth now. Noele shook her head. ¡°They aren¡¯tmon. But there¡¯s usually one or two otherworlders present at a time in Vacuos. In fact, I know that there¡¯s three other otherworlders out there right now.¡± ¡°I see. And that¡¯s why the System won¡¯t give me a ss.¡± I rubbed my chin. Well, the System was giving me one ss, but it wasn¡¯t one I wanted. This was probably true for all other otherworlders too. At least, so I thought. ¡°Oh, no,¡± Noele said, sitting up. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin that at all. I have never heard of such a thing happening ever. One of the otherworlders out there right now is a famous [Craftsman], and another is a [King].¡± I blinked, and she shrugged. ¡°I also still don¡¯t understand how you¡¯re so ridiculously strong. I don¡¯t get it¡ª what did you do, Amelia?¡± the blonde girl asked. She stared at me as I sat there in thought. I raised my head, frowning. ¡°If you¡¯re still confused about that, then what did you even learn from finding out I¡¯m an otherworlder?¡± ¡°Well, the way you¡¯re dressed is¡­ distinct.¡± She gestured at my clothes¡ª at the ck jacket and pants. I looked down at myself. I definitely stood out with my modern fashion sense. ¡°Fair,¡± I acquiesced. Noele gave me an apologetic look. ¡°And even before that, when you were walking around like a homeless beggar, no offense¡ª¡± ¡°Not so fair. Offense taken,¡± I said tly. ¡°¡ªI was a little bit confused. Especially when you told me you weren¡¯t an S-ranked adventurer. But now that part makes sense. And, also, the reason why you¡¯re broke too.¡± I massaged my temples. ¡°So, to sum it up, you didn¡¯t learn anything substantive at all.¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Noele replied with a smile. I rolled my eyes. Slowly, I raised a hand towards the ceiling and stared at it. ¡°Well, if you really must know how I acquired this power, it¡¯s really simple.¡± The Noble Spellsword leaned closer, listening eagerly. I spoke simply. ¡°All I did was spend every single waking moment of thest ten years fighting for my life.¡± ¡°What?¡± She paused. Her eyes widened as she repeated after me. ¡°Every single waking moment?¡± ¡°That is literally what I just said, yes.¡± ¡°But¡­ how? ¡°Because I had no other choice,¡± I snorted. ¡°It¡¯s reallyplicated, honestly. I¡¯ll exin it some other time.¡± ¡°And you did it without the World System¡­ without even having a ss...¡± Noele pursed her lips. She still looked like she was in disbelief¡ª like her mind hadn¡¯t fully processed this fact fully just yet. I wasn¡¯t sure what there was to say. I was certain that if anyone else was thrust into the same situation I was, they¡¯de out just like me. Either that¡ª or they¡¯d die. But that was a depressing thought. Especially since I didn¡¯t really think I was special in any way, so there was no reason for me to have survived the Fractured Realm if others in the same situation would end up dying. Noele sat there, thinking. Raising her head, she spoke hesitantly. ¡°Have you¡­ considered investigating this further?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I cocked my head at her. The blonde girl ced a finger on her bottom lip, clearly apprehensive. ¡°Well, there is¡­ this expert. Let¡¯s just say he¡¯s a sage of sorts. He is someone who is very old and knows a lot of things. He has met dozens of otherworlders, and he is more knowledgeable about the World System than anyone else out there. Maybe¡ª just maybe, you can speak with him, and he can help you out?¡± It was a suggestion. One which she didn¡¯t seem toofortable offering. Weird. ¡°Sure, I guess,¡± I said as I got to my feet. ¡°But can you even get up in your current state?¡± Noele nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be fully recovered by tomorrow thanks to my [Faster Healing]. So we can leave at dawn. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± Again, she was reticent. I red at her, and she backed up. ¡°You¡¯re not hiding something from me, are you?¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not!¡± she sputtered as she raised her hands defensively. I drew back as she sighed in relief. With a hand on her chest, she spoke softly. ¡°The only problem is¡­ he lives in Mount Arkais.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to know where that is?¡± I asked, crossing my arms. ¡°It¡¯s far away. All the way across the continent. Beyond the borders of the Astrad Kingdom. After the Kingdom of Kal. It¡¯s probably a week¡¯s journey, at the very least. And that¡¯s if we head there as fast as possible.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s far away. And?¡± I raised a brow at her. ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Noele gritted her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s said to be one of the most dangerous regions in all of Vacuos. It is where S-ranked adventurers are made. It is where armies go to die.¡± Her gaze darkened as she spoke. I watched her entire demeanor change. She was nervous¡ª afraid. The idea of venturing to Mount Arkais alone terrified her. ¡°I see.¡± I lowered my head. And I nodded casually. ¡°So we¡¯re going tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± The Noble Spellsword blinked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said? It¡¯s very dangerous! You should at least think it over¡ª¡± she started. But I ced a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her. ¡°Rx, Noele.¡± Her eyes grew round as she stared at me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there, so we¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said as I stepped back. ¡°Just rest up. I won¡¯t disturb you. I¡¯m going to go out and get a bite to eat. Maybe take a walk outside of the city if I¡¯m really bored. There isn¡¯t much to do here in Windrip since everything is destroyed.¡± ¡°Amelia¡­¡± Noele trailed off. I pulled the door open and smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up again tomorrow morning. See you then.¡± With that, I closed the door behind me. I could still feel the blonde girl¡¯s gaze lingering on the doorway, even from the other side. But I left it at that. Truth be told, that conversation was starting to exhaust me. Exining myself again and again was getting tiring. I needed to step outside and get a breath of fresh air. A thought crossed my mind as I exited the inn. ¡°I wonder¡­ are there any pet shops in Windrip?¡± ¡ª-- Noele knew that Amelia was strong. The blonde girl had seen it firsthand, of course. Her master had killed a Goblin Lord with a single strike. Not only that, but supposedly, Amelia had killed a Lich King with one sh too. That¡­ was a bit harder to believe, for Noele. Sure, she could kind of see it, but she was also slightly dubious. Not of the veracity of Amelia¡¯s words¡ª rather, the blonde girl thought that her master mistook a regr lich for a Lich King. After all, in the first ce, a Lich King hadn¡¯t been seen in Vacuos in over a thousand years. It must¡¯ve just been an honest mistake. So the next day, Noele nervously left the inn and met up with her master outside of the city. The brown-haired woman looked annoyed, muttering to herself as they walked away from Windrip. ¡°...I can¡¯t believe you need to have an [Animal Handler]-adjacent ss to buy a pet or they refute you. That¡¯s fucking ridiculous...¡± Apparently, back in Amelia¡¯s world, no one had a ss¡ª even for things like taming animals. Frankly, Noele found Amelia¡¯s world to be the odd one. After all, without Skills, how was anyone supposed to control a wild beast? It just didn¡¯t sound believable to Noele. The Noble Spellsword didn¡¯t vocalize her thoughts. She just followed behind Amelia until the brown-haired woman came to a halt. ¡°Are we going in the right direction?¡± Amelia asked, turning back to face the blonde girl. Noele nodded and pointed. ¡°That¡¯s right. We can rent an enchanted carriage when we arrive at Bacton to speed up the journey. But it¡¯s just straight southwest to reach Mount Arkais from here.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Amelia said. ¡°That makes things simpler.¡± ¡°What does?¡± The blonde girl tilted her head, only to blink as she was picked up by her master. ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Her master shook her head as she held Noele. ¡°We don¡¯t need an enchanted carriage. I looked at the prices yesterday¡ª it¡¯ll be too expensive. Just hold on tight.¡± ¡°Amelia, what are you¡ª¡± Noele started¡­ then screamed as she suddenly found herself rapidly flying through the air. In a single motion, Amelia had leapt into the sky, leaving behind a small crater where they¡¯d stood. Windrip was but a speck in the distance, and Bacton was already being passed over. The brown-haired woman nced down, speaking against the wind. ¡°Just tell me if we¡¯re heading in the wrong direction, alright?¡± Amelia said as they flew over another city. A hundred miles, crossed like it was nothing. In response, Noele continued screaming incoherently. MsD You also can now read up tochapter 29 on my patreon here. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The crowned gryphon. It was a majestic beast. Terrible, but majestic. One of the apex predators of the lower regions of Mount Arkais. It sat atop the totem pole of power here, feared by all, kind to none but its own kin. An S-ranked threat that had felled thousands of adventurers over the decades. Its feathered wings beat on its back, carrying the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. It wasn¡¯t thergest monster around¡ª roughly seven feet in length with a wingspan twice as wide¡ª but it was the fastest in hundreds of miles. It wasn¡¯t afraid of anything, because it knew it could always escape danger. So it flew in ce, just below the clouds, overseeing the vastndscape of green. Its domain. Thend which it ruled. Nothing could overthrow the crowned gryphon from its throne. Nothing¡ª And it exploded. The crowned gryphon burst into nothing but feathers as a figure shot straight through it. It was two figures, actually. They zipped through the sky as the clouds parted behind them, moving together as one. The first figure raised her head and looked back towards the falling feathers. Amelia blinked. ¡°Oops. I think we hit a bird or something. Didn¡¯t mean to do that.¡± Shaking her head, she turned to the second figure. The blonde girl lying in her arms, carried through the sky. Noele. And in response, Noele said: ¡°AAAAAAAAAAH!¡± ¡°Very insightful.¡± Amelia rolled her eyes as the so-called Noble Spellsword continued screaming in terror, without a hint of shame. ¡ª-- ¡°AAAAAAAAAH¡ª¡± ¡°Noele.¡± ¡°SOMEONE SAVE ME¡ª¡± ¡°Noele.¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE!¡± ¡°Noele,¡± I said sharply, and the blonde girl blinked, breaking out of her stupor. She looked up at me, lying on the ground as I rolled my eyes. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I scoffed as I gestured towards our surroundings. Noele scrambled to her feet and her eyes grew wide. Right before her was a steep fall. A sharp decline that descended a thousand feet leading to a rocky grave of despair at the bottom. We were standing atop the peak of Mount Arkais. A sea of white expanded far and wide. Everywhere we looked, there was nothing but clouds. There were a few sshes of green interspersed between the clouds¡ª windows peeking down to the forests below. ¡°W-we¡¯re here?¡± Noele repeated after me. She spun around, staring at me, wide-eyed. ¡°How did we get here so quickly? How many days has it been?¡± ¡°I jumped.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And it¡¯s only been about six hours.¡± ¡°Six¡­ hours?!¡± Her jaw dropped. ¡°I know¡ª it took a while. I wanted to get here faster, but you wouldn¡¯t stop screaming and I thought you might puke all over me so I had to slow down. I also got lost for a little bit, but we¡¯re here now.¡± Noele went cross-eyed. I could tell that her mind was slowly processing this¡ª like she¡¯d left her thoughts all the way back at Windrip. ¡°Anyways,¡± I said as I turned around, ¡°where¡¯s this wise master sage dude at? I don¡¯t see a shack anywhere around here.¡± The blonde girl¡¯s mouth hung open. She tried to work her jaw, but nothing came out. Finally, she slumped her shoulders and sighed. ¡°He should be in a cave somewhere in the middle of the mountain,¡± she said in a resigned voice. ¡°You went too high up.¡± ¡°Oh, my mistake.¡± I took a step forward, picking up Noele. Her eyes grew round as I raised a foot over the ledge. ¡°Just hold on¡ª¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Noele grabbed me by the shoulders, and I paused. Raising her head, she met my gaze with terrified eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just walk down, alright?¡± I blinked, then I nodded and helped her to her feet. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll walk.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± the blonde girl breathed in relief. We found a more gradual slope that led down Mount Arkais at the other side of the peak, and we started down a winding stone path. There was no snow here, which surprised me, considering how high up we were. If I had to guess, we were at least ten or fifteen miles above the base of the mountain. Maybe even twenty miles or more. I swept my gaze over our surroundings¡ª despite our altitude, I could still see a few monsters wandering about the area. A boulder rolled its way across a steep incline, cracked and glowing from the core. A giant white monkey walked up a hill on all fours as its children clung onto its back. A group of thin and long worms burrowed in and out of the earth, traveling through the rocky ground like dolphins leaping across the sea. They made whistling sounds that echoed in the distance, and I shook my head. ¡°Why would anyone want to live this high up, anyways?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°Is he a monk or something?¡± Noele frowned. ¡°A [Monk]? Why would a [Monk] live in a mountain?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t monks live a life of seclusion or whatever? To train their body, mind, and soul?¡± ¡°No¡ª [Monks] live in cities and train to win tournaments for the prize money, of course. Some of them get really famous and have big dojos all around the world. I actually met an [Abbot]¡ª the head [Monk]¡ª of a dojo when I was in Astral two months ago. He tried to recruit me to train directly under him, but I said no because it was too expensive. He asked for a thousand gold a month!¡± I nodded slowly before cing a hand on my chin. ¡°Uh, what about pursuing spiritual ideals, forsaking material wealth, and rejecting worldly pleasures?¡± ¡°What about them?¡± Noele blinked at me. ¡°...nevermind.¡± I cast my gaze back down below the clouds. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t answer my question: what kind of a person would want to live all the way up here? It seems¡­ lonely.¡± ¡°The kind of person who just wants to be left alone,¡± Noele said, shrugging. She paused and turned to me. ¡°The thing is, Amelia, we¡¯re not¡­ exactly looking for a person.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Well, I guess he¡¯s a person. But he¡¯s¡ª¡± She bit her lips, trying to find the right thing to say. I waited, and she closed her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s not human.¡± ¡°What is he, then?¡± I asked. ¡°An elf? A dwarf? A goblin? A gnome?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not any of those. He¡¯s¡­¡± she trailed off. I waited, and the blonde girl¡¯s gaze darkened. She slowly raised her head, looking up to the heavens above. It was afternoon¡ª the sun hung high in the clear blue sky. Then she turned back to face me and spoke simply. ¡°His name is Grat-ra¡¯zun, and he¡¯s an Elder Dragon.¡± ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun, Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais, Igniz¡¯s Arcane Champion, and King of the Crimson mey in the darkness, surrounded by his hoard of glistening treasures. Piles of gold and tinum rose to the ceiling, and great artifacts littered the ground like a precious carpet. His massive figure was draped over a bed of rubies and diamonds, unmoving beyond the gentle rising and falling of his chest from his breathing. He had been in slumber for thest ten years, undisturbed by the outside world. And he would have slept for another hundred years if an rm didn¡¯t re in his mind. ¡°Hmph?¡± The dragon raised his massive head as his slit-like pupils darted around the room. ¡°What is this? What is that grating sound?¡± He roared, and the chamber shook. A pile of coins crashed to the floor as he spread his majestic wings wide. The dust coating his crimson scales blew off him. He rose a hundred feet, standing on two legs to reveal a hulking body. Flexing his short wed arms, he breathed a st of dark red mes into the ceiling. ¡°Who dares wake me from my slumber!¡± he bellowed. But the sound didn¡¯t dissipate. It rang constantly, the only thing he could hear. Then he blinked as the realization settled in. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s that rm spell I¡¯d set in case anyone intruded into myir.¡± For a moment, he stood there in silence¡­ apart from the ringing in his ears. Then he roared once again. ¡°WHO DARES INTRUDE INTO MY LAIR!¡± With a flick of a wed finger, he dismissed the rm spell and pulled up a scrying spell instead. An ethereal image shed before him as he huffed, smoke puffing from his nostrils. ¡°Did a stray yeti wander in again? I could¡¯ve sworn I sealed the entrance with an obfuscation spell before I went to sleep. Or, wait¡ª was it a death barrier?¡± His memory was foggy¡ª thest time he was awake, he¡¯d only briefly got up from his slumber to greet that [Hero] from another world. Before that, he¡¯d only gotten fifty years of sleep, so he¡¯d fallen straight back into his slumber after the meeting was over with. He might¡¯ve set up an obfuscation spell, or he might¡¯ve set up a death barrier. He might¡¯ve neither, employing a group of orcs to guard the entrance instead. Grat-ra¡¯zun didn¡¯t know. Shaking his head, he waited for the image to fully form. ¡°If it¡¯s those cursed wyvernsing back for revenge after I killed their boss, I will ughter them to the veryst this time. This is why you should never show mercy to those foolish beasts¡­¡± he murmured. But Grat-ra¡¯zun was off on all marks. As it turned out, not only did he set up an obfuscation spell around his cave, he¡¯d also set up a death barrier at the same time slightly further into the cavern. A doubleyer of protection. The first had just been breached, although the second was still active. Also, it was neither a stray monster nor a flock of wyverns invading hisir. It was¡ª ¡°Hmph, adventurers?¡± the Elder Dragon harrumphed as he saw the two humans standing right at the entrance of the cave. ¡°They¡¯re probably here for my treasures, then. Damn pests. This is going to be a lot more annoying than I thought.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time a group of adventurers came to hisir for his artifacts. But this was odd. Thest time around, they¡¯de with an entire army. A thousand adventurers, all ranging from B-ranked to S-ranked. Grat-ra¡¯zun killed them all, of course. However, he still had to relocate hisir because it meant the humans now knew where he lived. And that was the most troublesome part. Like cockroaches. Just finding one here meant there was an infestation. But the dragon frowned. ¡°If there¡¯s only two of them here, that means they¡¯re probably a scouting group. Maybe I can dispose of them quietly without movingirs¡­¡± He watched as the two humans argued with each other. One of them¡ª a blonde woman¡ª pointed into the dark corridor, hands trembling. But the other¡ª a brown-haired woman dressed in alien clothing¡ª just shrugged and walked forward. Grat-ra¡¯zun peered into the glowing image, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Or maybe I don¡¯t have to deal with them at all. That fool is ignoring herpanion. She¡¯s going to kill them both when she reaches the death barrier.¡± It was an invisible sphere that encapsted their. One which only a high-leveled [Mage] could spot. But the brown-haired human looked like a [Warrior], so she didn¡¯t see that she was walking to her demise. Grat-ra¡¯zun almost pitied herpanion. The blonde human was clearly a [Spellsword] of sorts by the way she was dressed, and she stayed back because she knew that there was something up ahead that was dangerous.But as long as she was a hundred feet from the death barrier, she¡¯d be killed too. The Elder Dragony back down, snorting. ¡°Humans and their hubris¡­¡± He began to drift back to sleep as the scene continued to y out before his gaze. Truth be told, even if these humans were after his hoard, he still felt bad for killing them. He found no enjoyment in taking another¡¯s life, be it an insect or even another dragon. But such was the way of the world. His vision darkened as the brown-haired human reached the edge of the death barrier. Herpanion protested, shouting in a panic. Still, she stepped forward, ignoring the voice of reason. ¡°May your souls rest in peace with the World System¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun whispered as sleep settled in. And the brown-haired human continued walking forward. The blonde human stared in shock. The Elder Dragon blinked, sitting up. He heard a pop go off in his head. Like a bubble had been burst. The death barrier no longer surrounded hisir, the spell dissipating in an instant. Grat-ra¡¯zun looked on with wide eyes as the brown-haired human ushered herpanion in. He heard their voice through his scrying spell. ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t dangerous. Come on, Noele. Let¡¯s find this dragon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Noele started. Then she threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. ¡°Why am I even surprised anymore?¡± And the Elder Dragon was left sitting speechless in hisir. MsD Please vote for me on TopWebFiction, it would help me out a lot Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 ¡°Wait, Amelia!¡± Noele shouted out after me. But I continued walking further down the dark corridor. My footfalls echoed in the winding tunnel as I nced back at the blonde girl. She stood frozen at the entrance, too afraid to press forward. ¡°Stop being so scared, Noele,¡± I called back. ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry up, I¡¯ll just leave you behind. And I won¡¯t be there to save you if some S-ranked monster gets to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± She bit her lower lip. The Noble Spellsword quickly made her way to my side. She fixed me with a worried look, speaking in a hushed voice. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ scared, Amelia. It¡¯s just¡­ you know we¡¯re being watched, right?¡± ¡°I am aware,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Honestly, I¡±m surprised you can sense it too. I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be too low-leveled to notice.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said levels don¡¯t matter?¡± Noele narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°It doesn¡¯t. And you¡¯ve just proved my point.¡± I grinned back at her. We headed down a gradual decline as the blonde girl shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should be a little bit more careful if we¡¯re being watched? That means Grat-ra¡¯zun himself knows that we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then. We¡¯re here to have a chat with him, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­ never been keen about having visitors, Amelia.¡± Noele shifted ufortably as we turned a corner. ¡°You saw that death barrier. He¡¯s probably set up a lot more traps ahead of us too.¡± ¡°If you think he¡¯d try and kill us, why did you suggest seeking him out, then?¡± I said tly as I stopped. She paused. Blinking, she met my gaze. And she spoke slowly. ¡°I guess I suggesteding here on a whim after you said you killed a Lich King. I was still slightly skeptical when I brought it up at first¡ª that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t really borate about how he¡¯s an Elder Dragon until we got here¡ª but after everything I¡¯ve seen from you since then, I know you can handle yourself just fine.¡± I waited, knowing she wasn¡¯t finished yet. Noele raised her head and continued. ¡°But¡ª I¡¯m not you, Amelia. Even if you can walk through traps that can kill S-ranks just fine, I can¡¯t survive that. I have to be cautious, or I can really end up dying here. And I can¡¯t die. Not yet.¡± I watched as she gritted her teeth. Just from what I knew about books and movies back on Earth, dragons were supposedly a really big deal, and it seemed to be the same way here in Vacuos. Also, there was apparently a distinction between any old dragon and an Elder Dragon, where thetter carried even more gravitas than the former. Nodding, I patted Noele reassuringly on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it yourself: you¡¯re my apprentice now. I¡¯d be a pretty big failure as your teacher if I let you die here while under my supervision, no?¡± I said simply. Her eyes grew wide. She stared at me, her mouth bobbing open, at a loss for words. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Also, I haven¡¯t gotten my first month¡¯s payment from you yet, so I can¡¯t let you die until then,¡± I quickly added. Noele paused. She blinked a few times. Then she rolled her eyes, scoffing. ¡°I forgot you¡¯re only doing this because you¡¯re broke and need the money.¡± ¡°That was a joke.¡± I smirked at her as I ushered her forward. ¡°Come on. Even if there are other traps further down, that death barrier was weak, anyways. So rx, Noele. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun watched as both girls continued uncaring further into the cavern. He heard their conversation through his scrying spell. Both of them were keen enough to sense his spying. But it was no matter, because neither did anything to stop it. Instead, the crimson dragon focused his attention on one of the two figures. That brown-haired human killed a Lich King? Impossible. There shouldn¡¯t be any Lich Kings around in this era. Not when a [Hero] had just been anointed by the World System. That meant Vacuos should have just begun its Cycle of Cmity. It should have taken another century at the very least for a Lich King to be born through their necromantic rituals. Unless¡­ one of the Lich Kings of old had been restored to life. The Elder Dragon huffed out a plume of smoke as he continued watching the ethereal image in thought. It was unlikely the human had mistaken a regr lich for a Lich King. That was just not a mistake someone who could venture up Mount Arkais would make. So this ¡®Amelia¡¯ had to have been telling the truth. Who could it have been? Grat-ra¡¯zun wondered. Which of the five Lich Kings could it have been? Immediately, the dragon crossed out two options from the list. It couldn¡¯t have been Fi the Only Female Lich King and Ruler of Arelioth¡¯s Pass, nor could it have been Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King and Lord of All Undeath. If it had been either of those two, half the continent of Laxo would¡¯ve been plunged into chaos in just a week. In fact, Grat-ra¡¯zun was certain he¡¯d have been woken up by panicked [Messages] and private [Missives] from empires, nations, and magical institutions all around the world on the very first day. But that hadn¡¯t happened. So it couldn¡¯t have been Ar¡¯elith or Fi. That left Hozef the Lich King of the Forest, No¡¯tika the Barbarian Lich King, and Znai the Undying Lich King of Ins. The Elder Dragon wasn¡¯t certain which of those three it could¡¯ve been. But considering that this human was a [Warrior], the most probable Lich King to have died by her de was No¡¯tika. The Barbarian Lich King was famous for fighting with a small undead army, and even then, he would be at the front lines, being the first one to tear apart his enemies. The others would have toorge a horde by their side to allow a lone adventurer to draw close. Not unless she came with her own army to counteract their numbers. But judging by the fact that there were only two intruders wandering down the cavern, Grat-ra¡¯zun could infer that Amelia, in fact, had no army she could call from. In any case, any [Warrior] who could best No¡¯tika the Barbarian Lich King was a considerable threat, even to the Elder Dragon. Grat-ra¡¯zun was no fool. Anyone who could prate and disperse a death barrier with such ease should be taken seriously. There was no mistaking it¡ª it wasn¡¯t an ident or a fault in the spellwork. He was an Elder Dragon. Igniz¡¯s Arcane Champion. He was a master of magic, and he knew he wouldn¡¯t allow his defenses to be poorly maintained. Shaking his head, Grat-ra¡¯zun drew a wed finger in the air, tracing runes out of pure mana. Instantly, these symbols connected far-off spells that hady inert for centuries. He moved his hands like he was turning a switch, and his eyes flickered back towards the ethereal image. ¡°The easiest way to deal with [Warriors] is¡ª¡± He watched as the hallway just ahead of the two humans glimmered dimly with magic. Invisible runes carved into the stone reactivated, breathed with a new life. ¡°¡ªto kill them with traps.¡± Amelia walked forward, not realizing that the hallway around her was going to be her permanent prison. Herpanion, Noele, didn¡¯t notice this either. This time, both were walking blindly into a trap. ¡°Perish,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun whispered, and the spell symbols in his hands shed. ¡°Rot in the [Eternal Prison of Heat Death]!¡± The pair of adventurers paused as the ground beneath their feet shimmered brightly. Noele was the first to react. She leapt back, realizing that they had been caught. But she was too slow. Her back mmed against a white wall. A spatial cube formed around the two humans, trapping them in a rapidly cooling zone. ¡°Shit¡ª we can¡¯t get out!¡± the blonde human eximed. She spun around, only to slow in her movements. With each step she took, her body began to shiver more and more uncontrobly. ¡°This is¡­¡± Noele¡¯s eyes widened. She looked down at her trembling hands, breathing in short gasps. Frost filled the room. Snow already ked her eyshes. Grat-ra¡¯zun watched, pleased to see the effects of his spell in its full splendor. He scarcely had the chance to cast the [Eternal Prison of Heat Death] as it was one of the few magicks he knew that required proper preparation beforehand. After all, it created a pocket space entirely separate from this realm with its own terrible climate. In a few more moments, the entire cube would be at absolute zero, any and all heat snuffed out, and all life left for dead. The blonde human opened her mouth, speaking slowly. ¡°So¡­ cold¡ª¡± And Amelia punched the wall. The white cube shattered. A gust of warm air swept over the corridor, blowing away the snow covering Noele. The remnants of the pocket space copsed around the two humans. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes bulged from their sockets. ¡°I-impossible¡­¡± But his eyes weren¡¯t deceiving him. He looked on as Amelia turned to herpanion, tilting her head. ¡°You alright, Noele?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ still a little bit cold.¡± ¡°You should stick closer to me¡ª I probably would¡¯ve saved us sooner if you hadn¡¯t jumped back like that.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± The two pressed on as the Elder Dragon watched. At first, staring baffled. Then snorting out bits of crimson me in anger. He rose in his chamber and roared. ¡°These humans dare make a mockery of me? I will show them why I am the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais!¡± He once again swiped his hand through the air, activating another spell. ¡°Behold my might¡ª [Omnidirectional Acid Hail]!¡± Amelia and Noele reached a circr chamber as the dragon unleashed the spell at them. Large glowing green spikes came crashing down from every direction. Whether it was from the walls, the ceilings, or even flying up from the floor. This acid hail poured forth like rain, threatening to both pierce and melt the humans. There was no way to dodge this. There was no way to defend against it either. Maybe Amelia could¡¯ve saved herself, but herpanion was doomed. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s smile widened into a sneer of triumph¡­ then slipped in shock. Amelia casually strolled forward, de in hand as she deflected every single one of the approaching glowing green spikes. Her hands moved as a blur¡ª a perfect barrier that protected both herself and Noele who stuck close behind. They walked through the chamber unscathed, reaching another tunnel that descended further into the dragon¡¯sir. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun hesitated for a moment. Then he collected himself. ¡°No matter. There is a reason why I havebored greatly to protect myir. Those are far from thest traps they will find. Burn in a [Pit of ck Fire]!¡± He roared as hole appeared beneath the two humans, threatening to drop them into dark raging mes. But Amelia just grabbed Noele and blew hard against the ground. The breath of air carried both of them up and out of the pit as the ck fire was extinguished down below. ¡°Be torn apart in a [Particle Storm]!¡± Amelia shed up, shearing straight through the nket of nanoparticles buzzing her way. ¡°Be obliterated by [True Lightning]!¡± She redirected the bolt of¡ª . . . They were getting close. Only a single corridor remained between the two humans and the Elder Dragon himself. Nothing could stop them. Grat-ra¡¯zun had exhausted nearly everything in his arsenal. He only had a single remainingyer of defense. ¡°How about this?¡± he panted as a massive spell circle formed beneath him. ¡°[Keeper Of Antiquity, Born From Dust. Lend Me Your Strength, Doll Of Mud. Take My Life, And Crush My Enemies¡ª Golem Creation: Greater Earth Elemental]!¡± The corridor before the two humans shifted. Bits of rocks broke off from the walls and ceiling, forming the vestiges of a giant figure made from stone. And Amelia kicked it aside before it could fully take shape. It copsed into a pile of rubble as she urged Noele ahead. ¡°I think we¡¯re reaching the end¡ª¡± The image vanished. Grat-ra¡¯zun sighed, his wings slumping. All his traps had failed. Hisir had been fully breached. Never in a thousand years did the dragon ever imagine two mere humans could make it this far. No¡ª it was only the work of a single human as a second trailed behind. ¡°And now, they¡¯ve arrived.¡± He closed his eyes. He could hear their footfalls growing closer as they would soon reach his hoard. Grat-ra¡¯zun wings spread wide, and a puff of smoke escaped his nostrils. They might have broken through his defenses, but there was still something that could be done. A single thing. The only thing that was left. He flew up, moving to finally greet the two intruders before they found him themselves. To meet them at the entrance to his hoard. ¡ª-- ¡°Do you hear that, Amelia?¡± Noele frowned, ncing around. ¡°That sounds like¡­¡± ¡°The beating of wings,¡± I said simply. ¡°Brace yourself, Noele.¡± She blinked, only to be blown off her feet as a hulking crimson mass came crashing down before the two of us. A red dragon barred the entrance to the final cave chamber. Scales glittering. Smoke puffing from its maw. It spread its wings wide as it brought its head down until its gaze was level with me, staring with slit-like pupils and golden eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± she started. ¡°I AM GRAT-RA¡¯ZUN!¡± the dragon roared. ¡°THE GREAT RAKAARZUN. GLORIOUS TERROR OF MOUNT ARKAIS.¡± I stood my ground as I unsheathed my sword. Grat-ra¡¯zun breathed out once, and a st of smoke washed over me. The gust nearly sent Noele flying even further, but she clung desperately onto a nearby rock. A white glow overcame my de as I readied myself, and the dragon continued listing out his titles. ¡°IGNIZ¡¯S ARCANE CHAMPION. KING OF THE CRIMSON FLAME. ONE OF THE LAST ELDER DRAGONS LEFT ALIVE IN ALL OF VACUOS. AND¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun raised his head. I narrowed my eyes. Noele winced, trembling in fear. But the dragon just bowed back down as he finished. ¡°¡ªI surrender.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Noele the Noble Spellsword stared at the towering figure before her. She saw the glistening red scales¡ª the golden eyes like treasure. It cast a hulking shadow over her. Standing at hundreds of feet tall, even when hunched over. Draped by a pair of glorious wings protruding from its back, and a set of ck horns sat atop its head like a crown. It was a dragon. Never in Noele¡¯s wildest dreams did she ever think she was going to meet a dragon. They were legendary creatures¡ª scarcely ever seen in Laxo. More plentiful in the elven continent of Drazyl, but still considered a rare find. They were strong and mighty. Great and terrible. An adult dragon could grow up to a hundred feet, yet this dragon standing before the blonde girl was evenrger. And the reason was simple: it wasn¡¯t any ordinary dragon¡ª it was an Elder Dragon. Nearly extinct. A relic of the past. Elder Dragons were but a fable from Noele¡¯s childhood. A story that she paid no mind. Like the tales of angels and demons. Or the stories of Vacuos long ago, when the continents were one, and its people enved, ruled by a dark evil. There was said to only be five Elder Dragons left alive in this era. Each of them having gone to hiding in each of the continents, except for one who¡¯d flown to the sky, never to be seen ever again. And arguably the greatest of them was known as the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. The King of the Crimson me. The Wisest Sage of the World System. Grat-ra¡¯zun. The Great Rakaarzun. One of the highest-leveled creatures in all of Vacuos. A being of majesty and might. Here he was, looming over Noele. Straight from myth. A piece of legend. And he was¡­ prostrating with his head on the ground. ¡°Please,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun begged, looking at Amelia with pleading eyes. ¡°You can have my hoard. My treasures. Anything you want¡ª just please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Noele pinched her cheek as she walked up to her mentor. ¡°...this is all a dream, isn¡¯t it? I must¡¯ve hit my head fighting that Goblin Lord and I¡¯m imagining all this at a [Healer]¡¯s ward in aatose state.¡± ¡°I am no fool,¡± the Elder Dragon said as he raised his head. ¡°I know when I am outmatched. Even my dragon¡¯s pride will not let me struggle foolishly in a hopeless battle.¡± And as he spoke, Amelia nced back at Noele. The blonde girl blinked, seeing the face her master wore. A confused look. An uncertain expression. For the first time ever, Amelia was just as lost as her student. She scratched her cheek, murmuring. ¡°Uh, what do I say¡­?¡± Meanwhile, Grat-ra¡¯zun continued, puffing out a smoky breath. ¡°I have battled you with my greatest magicks¡ª my grandest Skills! Yet, nothing hase close to even harming you, fair [Warrior]. I cede myir to you. I only ask that you spare me, for I still have a myriad of responsibilities to oversee.¡± He bowed deeply as he finished. Amelia looked at Noele for help. But the blonde girl just shrugged. ¡°I guess you should spare him?¡± Noele suggested. Neither of them had any intention of killing the Elder Dragon in the first ce, so saying it felt counterproductive. But when faced with Grat-ra¡¯zun pleading for his life, it felt like it needed to be said. Nodding, Amelia took a step forward, and the Elder Dragon flinched. But the brown-haired woman just cleared her throat. ¡°We, uh, spare you?¡± Amelia said uncertainly. Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked. He stared at her in shock for a second, then he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank Arrak¡¯tun. I may carry out my duties for yet another century. I thank you, merciful [Warrior], for sparing my life. I owe you a mountain of debt.¡± ¡°Thanks, I guess. But it¡¯s not really necessary.¡± She scratched her chin. ¡°I mean, we weren¡¯t going to kill you anyways, so it¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± And the Elder Dragon paused. He blinked at her. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Amelia shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re just here to ask you a few questions.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s jaw dropped, revealing the insides of his ferocious maw. Slowly, he raised his head. He rose to his feet, and Noele backed up nervously. But he just stared down at the two little humans with wide eyes. ¡°You¡ª WHAT?¡± His roaring voice echoed in the cavern as Noele recoiled, covering her ears. ¡ª-- That was awkward. This was the most ufortable situation I¡¯d been in ever since arriving in Vacuos¡ª and that included every fight I¡¯d gotten into like with the Lich King and the Goblin Lord as well. Of course, after being trapped alone for so long, I didn¡¯t really care too much about the social graces. I just didn¡¯t expect there to be such a misunderstanding when we got here, nor did I expect a literal giant dragon to be begging for his life either. Grat-ra¡¯zun, however, thought the situation was rather clear from the start. ¡°Two adventurers¡ª intruders who have broken through my outside barriers¡ª armed with dangerous weapons and great artifacts. What other cause would bring you here into myir other than glory and gold?¡± He spoke as he led Noele and I further into therge cave chamber. I looked around, seeing the heaps of glittering treasures lying about. Everything here shone, made from some precious rock or metal. It was almost a ridiculous sight. There were swords made of rubies, spears made of emeralds, and books made of diamond and gold. My feet crunched over the carpet of coin, before I came to a halt before the Elder Dragon. ¡°So you just saw two people standing outside your home and assumed they were here to kill you?¡± I asked tly. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think of just¡­ asking us why we¡¯re here before attacking us with a hundred traps?¡± ¡°If a stranger tries to break into your home in the middle of the night while you¡¯re sleeping, I doubt you¡¯d stop and ask questions either,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun snorted as hey himself upon a bed of precious rocks. ¡°Fair.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°But we couldn¡¯t have exactly informed you we were on our way to have a chat, either. It¡¯s not like you have a doorbell or a mailbox anywhere in this mountain.¡± He waved a wed hand dismissively. ¡°There are a multitude of ways you could have contacted me, humans. You could have asked the Archmage King of Scholus to send a [Message] my way, or you could have had the Grand Sage of Imbel Forest to deliver me a [Missive].¡± ¡°I have no idea who those people are,¡± I said dryly. ¡°And even if I knew who they were, I wouldn¡¯t have known that they could contact you.¡± The dragon harrumphed. ¡°Hrmph. That is true¡ª theirmunications with me are kept a secret to but a select few individuals. So I suppose that may be a minor oversight in that regard¡­¡± I red at him. ¡°You do realize that still doesn¡¯t excuse trying to kill Noele and I, right?¡± He winced, before nodding quickly as he nced between myself and the blonde girl. ¡°Ah, yes. As I said, you have my most sincerest of apologies. It is inexcusable, really. I should have known better than to attack you before asking a single question. I will be sure to remember that for the next time.¡± I looked on as he quickly backtracked, cowering in his bed of treasures. Noele watched too, not having said much since Grat-ra¡¯zun arrived. I turned to her, raising a brow. ¡°Is everything alright, Noele?¡± I asked. She looked pretty shook up, all things considered. I just wanted to make sure she wasn¡¯t having some sort of traumatic episode. As it turned out, she wasn¡¯t. Blinking, the blonde girl raised her head. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah, are you holding up fine?¡± ¡°I am.¡± She nodded slowly. Then she shifted her feet, ncing past me. Her gaze locked on the giant trembling red lizard. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect a dragon to, you know, act like such a¡­ coward?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun stopped shaking. He frowned, eyeing Noele with narrowed eyes. ¡°Are you using me of cowardice, human?¡± Shaking his head, he scoffed. ¡°Ridiculous. There is nothing but bravery in admitting your faults¡ª in acknowledging defeat! There is only strength in realizing you have been bested in every way! True cowardice is throwing away your life in a lost battle so senselessly as fools often do...¡± That made Noele pause. She chewed her lower lip, clearly disagreeing with that statement. But instead of arguing, she just simply said, ¡°I can understand fleeing, but I thought your dragon¡¯s pride would¡¯ve stopped you from surrendering outright, I guess.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. The infamous dragon¡¯s pride. Challenge a dragon to a duel, and they will always answer without fail¡ª they will never stop fighting until they are dead. Such is a trait of a brash young dragon. That is why so few younglings ever survive beyond a thousand years, let alone evolve into an Elder Dragon. I have not lived over ten thousand years by adhering to such foolishness.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun raised his head proudly. Noele just stared at him, not saying a word. ¡°We¡¯re getting distracted, Noele,¡± I said, turning to the blonde girl. ¡°Right.¡± She broke out of her stupor and cleared her throat. ¡°We came here to seek your help, oh great Grat-ra¡¯zun.¡± The Elder Dragon snorted. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun will do, human. Saying ¡®great¡¯ before my name is redundant. You¡¯d be calling me the great Great Rakaarzun.¡± Noele bit her lower lip. ¡°...as you wish, Grat-ra¡¯zun. We havee here to humbly request your¡ª¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t necessarily describe breaking into myir, destroying all my traps, and humiliating me in battle as ¡®humble¡¯,¡± he interrupted her again. ¡°Very well.¡± She gritted her teeth, carefully choosing her next words. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ here¡­ because¡ª¡± ¡°Could you hurry up?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun tapped a w impatiently. ¡°I haven¡¯t got all day.¡± The blonde girl pursed her lips, and he caught himself. He tilted his head, thinking aloud. ¡°Actually, I do have all day. But I would rather not waste time¡ª¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Noele said exasperatedly as she gestured towards me. ¡°Amelia is an otherworlder, but she can¡¯t connect to the World System!¡± I raised an amused brow, watching the Noble Spellsword snap at an Elder Dragon. Grat-ra¡¯zun drew back. He nced at me curiously. ¡°You¡¯re an otherworlder?¡± he asked. ¡°I am,¡± I said simply. The dragon nodded slowly. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re certainly dressed like one, indeed. And that immense power¡­ I have met only one other otherworlder who has overwhelmed me as you did. That exins your¡­ wait¡ª¡± His eyes widened. Grat-ra¡¯zun leaned forward, blinking. ¡°You¡¯re not integrated into the World System?!¡± he eximed. ¡°Yes, that is what Noele literally just said.¡± I gave him a t stare. ¡°Impossible. Everyone who enters Vacuos is automatically integrated into the World System. And how else would you have achieved your strength if not for reaching a high level? Unless¡ª¡± He stared at me in horror. ¡°Were you summoned by the Voidal Worshippers?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Noele blinked. But I narrowed my eyes. That¡¯s¡­ Grat-ra¡¯zun murmured to himself. ¡°Wait, what are they called again these days? They keeping back no matter how many times you wipe them out. Are they the¡­ Harbingers of a New World? The Forsaken Paragons? No, that¡¯s not right¡ª ah, yes. The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns.¡± The dragon snapped his fingers with a nod. He seemed proud of remembering that for a moment, before suddenly his face darkened. His gaze bore down into me, and my eyes flickered. I could sense his killing intent as he spoke in a booming voice. ¡°Answer me, Amelia. Because if your allegiance is truly to the Void, then I will have no choice but to eradicate you or die trying.¡± Noele backed up, caught off-guard by the sudden change in the dragon¡¯s demeanor. But I didn¡¯t even flinch, nor did I reach for my weapon. Instead, I held Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s gaze. ¡°My allegiance is to myself,¡± I said without fear. ¡°I do not care for the Void or the abominations that lurk its darkness.¡± ¡°And how can you prove that?¡± the Elder Dragon asked as smoke breathed out from his nostrils. I shrugged casually. ¡°Because I spent thest ten years of my life fighting against the Void. That¡¯s why.¡± ¡°That took Grat-ra¡¯zun by surprise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can prove it, too. Watch¡ª¡± I brought my hand out as both Noele and the dragon watched. I reached for an invisible wall. My fingers pressed into something that wasn¡¯t there. And I peeled back the world itself. The Elder Dragon¡¯s jaw dropped as I tore a hole into space itself. A rift that broke through the very fabric of Vacuos¡¯s reality. One that opened up to darkness. A chaotic space. A broken world. The Void itself. Both Noele and Grat-ra¡¯zun peered into the portal, wide-eyed, as I unfurled the curtain of Vacuos, revealing to them the Fractured Realm. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Archon had fallen. A major kingdom, wiped off the map just like that. It had been one of the main oppositions to the Kingdom of Kal, Now, it was just another name in the long list of countries conquered by the [Hero King] Kallistus. He was an otherworlder. Not a native of Vacuos. He woke up here in this world just ten years ago, and already, he had established his vast kingdom. The World System itself favored him. Empires trembled at his name. The Kingdom of Kal now expanded to span over half of the continent with the territories of Archon under his rule. Schrs from all around the world, kings across Laxo, and even his own subjects spected Kallistus would now rest and consolidate since one of his greatest enemies had just been crushed in the heel of his boots. And perhaps that was what the [Hero King] himself wanted. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just adhere to his own whims or decisions. He sat at the center of a dark chamber, face illuminated by a single candlelight, and surrounded by over a dozen shadowed figures. They wore hoods, concealing their faces. They stood in the shadows¡ª he was the only one seated in this gathering. Their voices came out rippled and distorted, disguised so he wouldn¡¯t know who they were. ¡°...I am saying that with Archon under his control, he can amass his forces to sail south and deal with those ursed elves!¡± ¡°A hasty move. No invasion of Drazyl has seeded for a reason. We need to bide our time and¡ª¡± ¡°Bide our time? You have been saying that for thest three damn decades! How long do you wish to sit on your ass, using my riders to deal with each and every one of your petty grievances?¡± Kallistus narrowed his eyes. He knew some of their identities despite their disguises, of course. Not all of them. But a few were rather liberal with their information, and he could easily infer who they were from their minor slip-ups. After all, everyone here was influential on the world-stage in one way or another. ¡°That is enough!¡± a deep voice boomed up. The susurration died down, and Kallistus raised his head. He looked up at the foremost figure. The only other man who stood in this gathering without a hood covering his face. He was the leader of this organization¡ª the man who recruited [Hero King] himself. Leonhard the Archmage King of Scholus. He spoke, addressing the seated man. ¡°Kallistus Kal. The [Hero King] of the Kingdom of Kal. The Savior of Siby. The Destroyer of Deveral. Adventurer-turned-ruler. Pawn-turned-rebel. You are the newest member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Three years ago, you came before us, a stranger who just learned the truth of Vacuos. Untested. Untrustworthy. Now, three yearster, you have proven yourself worthy. You have exceeded our expectations tenfold, obeying ourmands with no questions asked. Soon, we shall ept you amongst our ranks, and you shall be able to find your way home.¡± ¡°I thank you for your praise, Kyn-Le¡¯ard,¡± Kallistus said, speaking Leonhard¡¯s name in the oldnguage. ¡°How else may I serve the Void?¡± The Archmage King walked up to him, figure flickering in the darkness with each step. None of the gathered members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns were actually present in the room. They were merely projects¡ª apparitions created from magic to bring them before Kallistus for just a moment. ¡°Your final task is simple,¡± said Leonhard. ¡°Invade the Astrad Kingdom, kill their foolish king for rejecting the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, and unite all of Laxo under a single banner.¡± That caught Kallistus off-guard. He nearly stood up in his seat. ¡°What about our alliance?¡± he asked, keeping his cool. But Leonhard showed no concern for such things. ¡°The only alliance that matters is your alliance with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Need I remind you that your allegiance is to the Void, not to this world which stole you from your home?¡± Kallistus paused. He thought of his home. He remembered his life growing up back on Earth. He nodded slowly. ¡°You do not, Kyn-Le¡¯ard.¡± ¡°You havebored hard for thest three years, Kallistus. Do not let your hard work go to waste at the veryst moment. Is that understood?¡± Even though it was just the Archmage King speaking, Kallistus could feel the gaze of everyone in the room boring into him. The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes flickered, scanning their contemptuous looks. Some out of jealousy, others out of suspicion. ¡°Yes, Kyn-Le¡¯ard,¡± he finally said. ¡°I will unite Laxo for the Sect of Abyssal Thorns.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Leonhard¡¯s projection smiled. Most of the shadowed figures clearly were still displeased¡ª unconvinced. But all that mattered was the Archmage King¡¯s approval. And he drew back, waving a hand simply. ¡°The Miststorm Riders shall aid you. They will begin raiding the westernmost parts of the Astrad Kingdom starting next¡ª¡± But he suddenly paused. Leonhard¡¯s eyes grew wide as he spun around in shock. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± he started. ¡°Do you feel it?¡± Kallistus didn¡¯t reply, but he sensed it. He rose to his feet, frowning. He nced to the southwest with narrowed eyes. It was a strong feeling¡ª one that sent vibrations washing over his skin as his hair stood on end. The rest of the room felt it too. But they clearly didn¡¯t sense it as strongly as Kallistus did. The gathered figures looked around in confusion, each pointing in different directions as they whispered, a jumble of voices. ¡°W-what is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª¡± ¡°It feels¡­ familiar.¡± Kallistus watched as the entire chamber seemed to shake violently around him followed by the increasing intensity of a high-pitched screech. But he knew this was only something he saw. ¡°This is¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°The call of the Void!¡± Leonhard eximed, spreading his arms wide. He dropped to his knees, looking up towards the sky in trepidation. ¡°The Void has heard our discussion¡ª it is telling us that it has approved of our ns! Soon, we will be able to liberate all of Vacuos from its shackles!¡± He bowed deeply, his head touching the ground. ¡°Praise the Void,¡± he said as the rest of the shadowed figures followed. They dropped to their knees, speaking in reverence as Kallistus looked on. ¡°Praise the Void.¡± ¡°Praise the Void!¡± ¡°Praise the Void¡ª¡± Slowly, the [Hero King] joined them as the shaking around him seemed to calm. He spoke softly. ¡°Praise the Void.¡± ¡ª-- And I closed the portal. I turned to Noele and Grat-ra¡¯zun. ¡°There, happy?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± The dragon blinked. He faced me with round eyes, pointing a wed finger at the vanishing rift. ¡°Wait, I barely even had time to¡ª all I saw were floating rocks and¡­ stars?¡± He frowned, rubbing his chin. Slowly, he drew back as he murmured to himself in thought. ¡°That¡¯s not right. Those weren¡¯t stars, were they? They were too¡­ distant. And they were squirming¡­¡± I shrugged and reached for the rift once again. ¡°If you want, I can open up the portal to the Fractured Realm again.¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± the Elder Dragon quickly snapped, breaking out of his stupor. He spun around to me, ring. ¡°I cannot believe you just did that! You tore a hole into the Void! Do you understand the gravity of your actions? You just endangered every living being in all of Vacuos!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I closed it as soon as I did,¡± I said simply. ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous, anyways. If any void beast or whatever came crawling out, I¡¯d just kick it back in. Or stab it.¡± I gestured at my sword. Grat-ra¡¯zun stared at me, utterly befuddled as I waved a hand off dismissively. It took him a moment to work his jaw. Finally, he collected himself. ¡°I¡­ I do not understand any of this. You need to exin everything to me, Amelia. Before I lose my damn mind.¡± The dragon massaged his temples with his wed hand. Noele sidled up next to him, patting the dragonfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I haven¡¯t had a single idea of what''s been going on since I met her. Somehow, I haven¡¯t gone crazy yet.¡± ¡°I can hear you.¡± I rolled my eyes, before acquiescing. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you guys everything.¡± ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun listened closely as Amelia began to regale her tale from the very beginning. ¡°Ten years ago,¡± the brown-haired human said as she raised her head, ¡°I woke up in the Fractured Realm.¡± He activated his [Perfect Memory] Skill to record everything she was going to say. The dragon was going to review every little minutiae she mentioned for the next few days. Amelia continued. ¡°There, I was attacked by voidlings. So I fought them off. But more came, and I fought them off as well.¡± He leaned closer, nodding. Noele sat next to him, leaning in as well. They were both entranced by Amelia¡¯s every word. Every tidbit and every part of the story, carefully deconstructed. ¡°And after that, some more voidlings showed up. I also fought them off. There were even more voidlings¡ª I fought them off.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun waited for the next part. He sat upright, still ready for any important piece of information. But it never came. ¡°I fought a single voidling, once,¡± Amelia said as she tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what it was doing by itself. I thought it meant maybe I¡¯d get a chance to finally rest, but more voidlings showed up soon after, and I had to fight them off too.¡± The dragon stared at her. This can¡¯t be real, right? He turned to Noele, hoping that the blonde girl would tell him this was all a joke. But she had her head lowered, looking just as defeated as he was. Amelia snapped her fingers. ¡°Oh. There were some void beasts as well. Actually, I¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say you fought them off,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun pleaded. ¡°I ran away,¡± Amelia snorted. Then she quickly averted her gaze. ¡°But I came back strongerter on and fought them off.¡± Both the dragon and the blonde girl gave her a t stare. Amelia sighed. ¡°Point is: I fought,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°And I fought some more. I also spent some time fighting. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s what I did the entire time I was in the Fractured Realm until I grew really strong and managed to find my way out of there.¡± ¡°I¡­ see now,¡± the Elder Dragon said, not understanding anything more than before. ¡°So you just suddenly woke up in the Void?¡± Amelia raised a finger. ¡°I suddenly woke up in the Fractured Realm.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Noele piped up, still clearly lost, but at least curious. ¡°The Void is what permeates the Fractured Realm. It is like the air flowing through this room. It fills the room, but it is not the room. That¡¯s it, really.¡± Amelia crossed her arms as she exined. ¡°And you spent thest ten years of your life there fighting. That¡¯s how you grew so strong.¡± The blonde girl ced a hand on her chin. Grat-ra¡¯zun narrowed his eyes. So she grew this strong with neither the Void or the World System¡¯s power? That almost seemed impossible to the dragon. He had briefly spected earlier the reason why she was so powerful without a ss was due to being empowered by the Void. But now it was clear: she achieved this power on her own. How? he wondered, utterly baffled. He peered at Amelia. What are you? The brown-haired woman shrugged in response to Noele¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I have no idea how much time passed since I first woke up in the Fractured Realm. And I haven¡¯t aged one bit while I was there. I just said ten years because it felt right, I guess.¡± ¡°I have heard of the Fractured Realm before,¡± the Elder Dragon said as he eyed her. ¡°It is but an archaic name used to refer to the Void. And from what I know, spacetime itself is broken in that world, so it makes sense that you have yet to age since waking up there, and keeping track of time is pointless. But¡­ I have never heard of a distinction between the Void and the Fractured Realm myself in over a dozen millennia of my existence.¡± Noele blinked, ncing between Amelia and Grat-ra¡¯zun. Even the blonde girl seemed to pick up on this dissonance. It was something the Elder Dragon found incredibly jarring about her story. He frowned at the otherworlder. He no longer held any animosity towards her, but he was still slightly suspicious that she wasn¡¯t telling the full truth. ¡°You im to have spent the whole time in the Fractured Realm fighting, nothing else happening. So how do you know all this, Amelia?¡± he asked as he studied her facial expression. Amelia sighed, raising her head. ¡°Well, I guess there was also a¡­ voice,¡± she admitted as she met both the blonde girl and the dragon¡¯s gazes. ¡°It called itself the God of Vacuos.¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 As a little hatchling, Grat-ra¡¯zun remembered hearing stories of a time long ago. The Elder Dragons back then¡ª far more plentiful in numbers¡ª regaled him tales of their own childhoods. A terrible time trapped in very. An era before peace. A period of pure chaos. It was no cmity nor cataclysm that befell Vacuos. It was a true apocalypse. A great evil had emerged from the seams of the world, plunging it into darkness, enving all of its inhabitants. It mattered not who. Humans, elves, dragons, dwarves, gnomes, merfolk, monsters, and demons. Even the most powerful Elder Dragons were left helpless in the face of the end of times. But just when all hope seemed lost, the heavens split open. The sky tore apart, and angels descended from the skies in numbers never seen before, a holy army that nketed all of Vacuos with their sheer might. They fought back against this permeating darkness, freeing the enved popce under themand of one power. A being so mighty it reached into the hearts of every creature, empowering them¡ª giving them the strength to fight back against this endless Void. They called it God. It liberated them from their bondage, releasing them from their very. Blessed with its might, they were able to fend off their oppressors. They were able to find emancipation from the darkness. And together with the army of angels, they sent the Great Evil back into the aether it came from. But even after Vacuos was saved, the end times averted, God had not rescinded its blessings from the creatures of the world. They remained protected by its grace; their strength now forever derived by this gift bestowed upon them. And even as this story had vastly changed throughout the millennia¡ª parts left forgotten, and details bastardized for one reason or another¡ª one constant still remained. That it was God who¡¯d saved them. And, today, this God was known as the World System. So Grat-ra¡¯zun couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Amelia was talking about. ¡°It called itself the God of Vacuos,¡± the brown-haired human said with her arms crossed. ¡°And it spoke to me as soon as I woke up.¡± ¡°I do not understand this.¡± The dragon rubbed his temples. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the World System did reach you, even in the Fractured Realm.¡± She closed her eyes, sighing. ¡°No, I¡¯m saying something calling itself the God of Vacuos spoke to me. There was no blue box¡ª no screen telling me I leveled up. Just a voice. A weak one.¡± He frowned in response. That is¡­ Grat-ra¡¯zun knew what it was, but he didn¡¯t say it just yet. Meanwhile, Noele scratched her chin in thought. ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible you just went¡­ a little bit crazy?¡± the blonde girl suggested idly. ¡°Rude,¡± Amelia said tly. Noele quickly rified. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this as an insult¡ª even if everything about you is kind of insane¡ª but I just think that if I were trapped alone with no sense of time and no idea where I am, I¡¯d probably lose my mind after a few months.¡± ¡°Calling me insane after calling me crazy doesn¡¯t make me feel any better.¡± The brown-haired woman rolled her eyes. ¡°And if I really did imagine that voice, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve imagined everything else that happened before and after it too. Which would make both of you figments of my imagination.¡± The dragon blinked, and the blonde girl paused. They exchanged a nce as Amelia tapped a finger on her forearm. ¡°Are you figments of my imagination?¡± she asked expectantly. ¡°I do not believe Noele¡¯s hypothesis is true,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun finally said. He rose to his feet, raising a wed hand. His fingers shone, and an object came shooting at him, swerving around his towers of treasure. ¡°I would like to perform a test on you, Amelia.¡± He grabbed the object in the palm of his hand. Noele and Amelia peered at it as he lowered it to the ground. It was a mirror. One that was ten feet by ten feet wide. It barely fit in his fingers, so he propped it up on a nearby pile of gold. It shone with iridescent colors, reflecting nothing on its surface. ¡°What is this?¡± Amelia narrowed her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Noele eximed. ¡°The Mirror of Holy Judgment!¡± ¡°...that doesn¡¯t exin anything.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun ignored the two humans¡¯ brief exchange, instead continuing his train of thought. ¡°If you could, I would like to ask you to stand before this mirror, Amelia. I have some suspicions.¡± ¡°I mean, sure.¡± The otherworlder shrugged as she stepped forward. ¡°But what are these suspicions?¡± ¡°You say you have heard a voice while in the Void¡­ the Fractured Realm. One that does not belong to the World System. And one that resounds only in your head, correct?¡± ¡°Dunno. It sounded like it wasing from all around me, but I guess it could¡¯ve been in my head.¡± ¡°Tell me: did this voice promise you power?¡± the Elder Dragon asked. Amelia tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°Among other things, yes.¡± ¡°Hrmph. This test will determine if I can fully trust your words.¡± ¡°Do you seriously still think I¡¯m lying?¡± She gave him a t stare. Grat-ra¡¯zun shook his head. ¡°I am not doubting you believe you are telling the truth. Rather, I believe you may have been tricked. I believe you have be Void-touched without your own knowledge.¡± ¡°Void-touched?¡± Amelia raised a brow. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that before,¡± Noele said, furrowing her brows. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a forbidden power used by the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. A power thates from beyond the World System.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun nodded. ¡°Indeed. And I surmise this may be why the World System has rejected you. When one bes void-touched, your integration is muddled. You can no longer gain levels in your ss, nor can you gain new Titles. You may still ess your existing Skills, but your repertoire is forever limited to what you currently have.¡± ¡°Then maybe that¡¯s why you can¡¯t get a ss, Amelia,¡± the blonde girl agreed. ¡°I guess?¡± Amelia looked dubious, but she wasn¡¯t against it. ¡°Observe, this is what an individual blessed by the System appears like under the vision of the Mirror of Holy Judgment.¡± The Elder Dragon pointed therge mirror towards Noele, pouring his mana to activate it. Her reflection gradually appeared on the surface. A blue box shed next to her, and Noele blinked. [Human - Level 50] ¡°That¡¯s like an [Appraisal] spell,¡± the blonde girl murmured. ¡°That is not all it is capable of,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said. ¡°It will judge your soul next.¡± Noele blinked, then her eyes widened as her reflection started to glow a translucent gold. Like a burning me. One that consumed her abdomen and chest¡ª a power that wisped calmly, radiating a light mist. ¡°That is your soul. The magic inhabiting your body. Its size reflects the amount of mana you can carry at the time. Its size is rtive to your body, of course. A low-leveled human¡¯s me is typically but the size of their hand. But yours is many timesrger. You are strong, Noele. Especially for one your level.¡± The Elder Dragon gave her an approving look as she stepped aside. He turned to Amelia. ¡°If you are Void-touched, a ck pit will appear in your soul, at the center of the mes, corrupting it and tainting it ck.¡± ¡°What about yours? How big is your soul?¡± the blonde girl asked, turning to him. Grat-ra¡¯zun snorted as he faced the mirror at himself. His soul appeared. Like a raging wildfire. It consumed his entire body, nearly even reaching his wed hands. It shone brightly. Like it was the sun itself. And a blue box appeared next to his image. [Dragon - Level 87] ¡°As you can see, my soul fills nearly my entire being. I am the only SSS-ranked creature alive in Vacuos today. My power has reached the limits of what the World System has granted me. Very few individuals in history have ascended above Level 90, and only one has ever achieved Level 100.¡± ¡°The final level,¡± Noele whispered almost reverently. Grat-ra¡¯zun turned to Amelia. She listened, a hand on her chin in deep thought. His gaze bore into her. ¡°Yet, you have defeated me in battle with such ease I¡¯d have thought you were at Level 100 as well. The only possible exnation is that the Void has infected you with its powers without you knowing. Shall we test it?¡± Amelia¡¯s gaze darkened. She opened her mouth, and the dragon expected her to voice her apprehension. But she just looked up with him, bored. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t care,¡± she said without missing a beat. Stepping forward, she stood before the Mirror of Holy Judgment. ¡°Test me already.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun took in a deep breath. He was almost entirely certain of his prognosis. But her uncaring attitude made skeptical of himself now. He coughed, covering his mouth. ¡°I am activating the mirror now.¡± Amelia didn¡¯t say a word. She waited, and the mirror shed. Her image appeared on its surface together with a blue box. [Human - Level 0] She really doesn¡¯t have a ss¡­ Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes widened slightly. But her already knew that. Seeing it, however, was different from just being told about it. Now, he had to wait to see the source of her power. The Elder Dragon waited. Noele stared, shuffling in anticipation. And the image on the screen¡ª didn¡¯t change. The two of them blinked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Seems like your mirror is broken.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right. It was working just a moment ago¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun hurriedly directed the mirror at himself, and it shed. It once again showed his reflection, soul and all, for all to see. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not broken, ¡° Noele finished for him. ¡°But why isn¡¯t it showing her soul?¡± he asked, gritting his teeth. Again, he turned the mirror to face Amelia. Again, nothing happened. She gave him an expectant look. ¡°So, does this mean I¡¯m in the clear?¡± ¡°It does not. If it cannot see your soul, then something must be wrong, or you have no soul. Which is not possible.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun looked at her. ¡°You say this voice spoke to you¡ª what else did it tell you, Amelia?¡± Amelia raised her head. ¡°Well, as I said, it called itself the God of Vacuos. And it said something about making me the vessel for its power or whatever and that it would reward me greatly if I helped it return to its world.¡± ¡°And what was your response?¡± the Elder Dragon asked. ¡°I told it to fuck off, of course,¡± Amelia scoffed. Noele paused. ¡°Wait, why would you tell God to fuck off?¡± ¡°Because it is not God,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said. ¡°Do not trust its words, human. It is a lie. Tricks of the Void. The very same falsehoods it tells those who have be Void-touched.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Even if you rejected the Void¡¯s offer,¡± he continued as he turned to Amelia, ¡°I do not believe you are a minion of the Void, but just hearing its voice means it has reached you. And I believe your soul may have still been tainted by its powers.¡± ¡°So you think that¡¯s why the System isn¡¯t giving me any ss options?¡± Amelia raised a brow. ¡°Perhaps. I cannot say this is for certain because I cannot see your soul through the Mirror of Holy Judgment. However, it is highly likely the time you have spent in the Fractured Realm has corrupted your soul preventing your integration into the World System.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s annoying.¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°I apologize, but I cannot offer you my help any further. I understand you havee to me seeking answers, and I have only offered you spections. I wish there was more I could do for you. This is all I know.¡± The Elder Dragon bowed at her, and she paused. ¡°Actually, there is something else you can do for me.¡± Her eyes glinted, flickering to the ground. ¡°There is?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked. ¡°What else can¡ª¡± Noele followed Amelia¡¯s gaze, then bit her lower lip. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like some gold, please,¡± Amelia said, raising a hand at the Elder Dragon. She gestured towards the pile of coins lying beneath him. ¡°tinum too, if you have some.¡± For a moment, Grat-ra¡¯zun stood there, frozen. His mind reeled. He processed this slowly, before he finally drew back in outrage. ¡°What? How dare you make such a request! Youe to me for my wisdom, and you demand my treasures? Why should I impart even a fraction of my hoard to you, human¡ª¡± ¡°For trying to kill me,¡± Amelia cut him off simply. ¡°Oh.¡± He stared at her, wide-eyed. He nced between her proffered hand, and the glittering coins at his feet. Finally, he acquiesced. ¡°Right, I apologize about that. You can have some of my treasures.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡ª-- Noele and I left the dragon¡¯sir richer than before, with a bag full of gold and tinum coins. More than enough to retire on, ording to Noele. So this trip hadn¡¯t been an entire waste. Sure, I learned a bit about this world. But Grat-ra¡¯zun wasn¡¯t able to offer me any proper exnation as to why the System was discriminating against me. He did give his own spections. He thought that me having spent time around the Void might have yed a part in my faulty integration. But he had said that those who were Void-touched couldn¡¯t level up any longer¡ª that I shouldn¡¯t be given any ss options because the System rejected me. And yet¡ª [Please choose a ss to integrate into the System.] I saw the blue box shing before me. And I saw the ss it offered: to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. No one else could see it. One thing I learned was that the System¡¯s messages were only visible to the individual. It had popped up just after I stepped out of the cavern. And it contradicted everything Grat-ra¡¯zun had spected. So that wasn¡¯t right, was it? I shook my head as I slung the bag of coins over my shoulders. Perhaps the Elder Dragon could¡¯ve told me more if I mentioned my particr predicament. But I decided against it, remembering the ss description: An otherworlder who has arrived in Vacuos to save the world from destruction. As a unique ss, the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] is unrivaled in strength, skill, or mastery of magic. Benevolent and full of grace, you will forever devote your life to protecting the System from the Void¡¯s corruption I saw the way Grat-ra¡¯zun acted when the Void was merely mentioned. He wouldn¡¯t react positively if he knew I was actively rejecting this ss option. Furthermore, something about my whole situation felt odd. Especially when considering what the Voidgod had said to me. So, for now, I kept this to myself, returning with Noele back to Windrip. It had barely been a week since I arrived in Vacuos, anyways. There was no rush for me to figure everything out. After all, I was just trying to rx and enjoy my life now. ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun only rxed when the two humans were far from Mount Arkais. He heaved out a sigh in relief, muttering to himself. ¡°Thank Arrak¡¯tun they¡¯re gone. I hate having humans in myir.¡± Hey there for a moment, atop his bed of coins with his eyes closed. The moment passed, and his eyes snapped open. ¡°The Great Evil Fal-Deus is finally making its return to Vacuos. The end times may soon return. I must act¡ª before the Sect of Abyssal Thorns learn of this.¡± The Elder Dragon got to his feet, spreading hisrge wings wide. Then he slumped over, sighing once more. ¡°Of all the Elder Dragons in history, why must I be the one to deal with this? I just wanted to sleep for another hundred years¡­¡± ¡ª-- It was the call of the Void. Or so did Leonhard say. Kallistus left the meeting with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, remembering those foolish words. Such idiocy¡ª the [Hero King] almost felt sorry for them. They worshipped the Void, yet they thought their weak visions and impaired senses were indicative of the Void¡¯s desires. Ridiculous. That had simply been a rift in space. One that was simr to the rift he¡¯d sensed just a week back. One that still needed to be investigated, but not given the same gravity they had given it. It was a calling from the Void, but not in the way Leonhard thought. It was a calling for freedom. To be returned to Vacuos. To be returned to its home. And Kallistus knew this because he was unlike the rest of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Even if he ostensibly followed their orders, he didn¡¯t care for their goals to overthrow the World System. Because he himself had heard the true call of the Void. The one true voice of the God of Vacuos. It resounded in the [Hero King]¡¯s head, like a distant echo guing his thoughts. ¡°I can see¡­ dreams¡­ deepest desires¡­ I can¡­ give you¡­¡± He closed his eyes as he remembered his home. As he remembered his life on Earth. Before he was unfairly ripped away from that peaceful life, before being thrust into one of a constant life-and-death struggle. ¡°Salvation.¡± Resolving himself, Kallistus moved to act. And in the proceeding weeks, in a move that surprised everyone not just in Laxo but in the entire world, the Kingdom of Kal would dere war against the Astrad Kingdom. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 On our return trip to Windrip from Mount Arkais, I decided that it was best to take my time, make smaller and slower jumps, and bathe in the scenery. Even though I had resolved myself to live a peaceful life here in Vacuos, I hadn¡¯t actually spent much time rxing, jumping from one big event to the next. Well, I didn¡¯t consider killing the Lich King or Goblin Lord to be that big of a deal. But others clearly did, and honestly, I¡¯d rather not have had to deal with them either. So I wasn¡¯t going to go rushing back to Windrip to get things done now. I was going to take, maybe, a full day to get back. Also, it was so Noele would stop screaming. ¡°This is taking a while,¡± I sighed as I soared over a snowy mountain range. We were a few hours away from Mount Arkais at this point. Or about ten minutes away if I¡¯d gone at a faster pace. Noele just nced up at me, frowning. ¡°You do realize that traveling across all of Laxo in a day is what only the highest-leveled [Archmages] can do with a [Flight]-spell, right?¡± she said. I snorted. ¡°All I¡¯m hearing is that you¡¯re passing up the opportunity to travel cross-continent faster than anyone else in the world right now just because you¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°Because I already went through that once, and I¡¯m now scarred for life.¡± She rolled her eyes at me as we descended at the edge of the mountain range. My feet lightly touched the ground for only a single second before I pushed off, propelling myself high into the sky once more. Noele winced for the first few seconds of take-off, before steeling herself again. I swept my gaze over thendscape as we flew high, reaching for the clouds. I narrowed my eyes as I caught a glimpse of a shadow in the northwest. I saw the remnants of smoke columns trailing through the sky. A cityy in the distance, about fifty miles away, bordering the ocean. Just at the edge of the horizon. And it looked like it had been ravaged, its walls torn to the ground, its docks burned to ashes, and entire streets reduced to rubble. The fighting looked over, but it was recent. ¡°What¡¯s going on with that city?¡± I asked. ¡° Noele blinked and turned to face the city. She furrowed her brows as she spoke. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Erith. Archon¡¯s capital city.¡± ¡°Think it¡¯s a monster attack or something? Should we check it out?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we should.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Archon¡¯s been at war with the Kingdom of Kal for thest few months. If I had to guess, the [Hero King] just captured their capital city.¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this [Hero King] is.¡± ¡°His name is Kallistus Kal,¡± the blonde girl exined. ¡°He¡¯s one of those three otherworlders I told you about, and the king of one of the most powerful nations in all of Vacuos.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± My eyes flickered. I thought about the System¡ª about the single ss option offered to me. And I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, Was he forced to be a [Hero] as well? He sounded like he¡¯d be a good person to speak with regarding my situation. Although, considering he seemed to be a warmonger, I was slightly reticent on getting involved with him. It was something to figure outter. For now, Noele and I continued on back to the Astrad Kingdom. A few more hours passed as we drew closer and closer to the country¡¯s borders. Noele raised her head, looking at me curiously. ¡°Why are we going back to Windrip, anyway?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I raised a brow at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you live there?¡± The blonde girl shook her head, replying simply. ¡°No, I was born in a town called Wolfwater¡ª it¡¯s in the western parts of the Astrad Kingdom, further north from Windrip. I was just passing through since there was something I needed to do there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I lowered my head in thought. ¡°Well, is there somewhere you need to be?¡± ¡°Not particrly, no. I¡¯m an adventurer. I am where I need to be.¡± She gave me a grin. ¡°Then there¡¯s something I have to pick up in Windrip,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°It will probably take a while for me to get it, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re heading back.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Noele nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± For a moment, neither of us said anything. Finally, I broke the silence with a sigh. ¡°...I really am not good at small talk, am I?¡± I said. Noele agreed, ¡°You aren¡¯t.¡± ¡ª-- We eventually arrived back in Windrip. Inded just a few miles outside of the city, and we walked the rest of the way back. It had only been a day since we left, so not much had changed. Most of everything was under construction or being repaired after the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack. Noele was exhausted, having stayed away for a full day and a half. She immediately returned to Brynn¡¯s inn, passing out. As an adventurer, she had a Skill that helped her stay awake over long periods of time, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t feel sleepy. Anyways, apparently, she really did have her own room in the inn, so she slept there, leaving me with my own room for myself. I decided against going to sleep since I wasn¡¯t really too enthused with the idea at the moment. Especially since I now had hundreds of tinum and gold coins to spend. I entertained the idea of going on a quick shopping spree, but my better senses won over, and I headed out to buy the bare necessities for now. For example: healing potions. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever need to use a healing potion for myself, but I probably was going to need to use one for some reason or another eventually. So I needed to buy a healing potion. They were rather expensive, or so I heard from Noele. After inquiring with Brynn, she told me that, depending on the quality, a healing potion could cost as low as a few dozen silver, to as high as ten gold coins. There were also elixirs of healing and other such [Alchemist]¡¯s brewing which could cost plenty of tinum. It sounded daunting, but I raised the bag by my side. It jingled as I peered in. It was the gold and tinum coins Grat-Ra¡¯zun gave me. A dragon¡¯s treasure¡ª carved coin surfaces glittering even in dim light. So money was no object to me. The price of the potions didn¡¯t matter. After all, I was now rich. ¡ª¡ª ¡°What in the blue-jawed mammoth¡¯s dung is this crap?!¡± The [Alchemist] threw the shimmering coin, bouncing it off the table at me. I caught the coin and gave him a t stare. ¡°Rude,¡± I said. ¡°Didn¡¯t need to throw it back.¡± I had found an [Alchemist] shop still standing at what was left of market street after getting directions from Brynn. She warned me that [Alchemists] could be an irritable bunch, especially towards hagglers or scammers. They were usually passionate about their concoctions, so they tended to be pretty rigid about their prices. But this guy was just an asshole. ¡°Don¡¯t try to scam me with these fake coins. I only ept real gold.¡± He pinched his fingers together, producing a dull gold coin. I blinked,paring the gold coin I had gotten from Mount Akrasia with the gold coin the [Alchemist] held in his hands. The gold coin in my hand was engraved with an intricate design¡ª a lone tree standing atop a hill with symbols etched into its bark. Meanwhile, the gold coin he held up had no design or markings. They were totally distinct. In fact, they weren¡¯t even the same size. ¡°That damn dragon¡­¡± I cursed as I clenched the coin in my hand. The [Alchemist] pointed at me usingly. ¡°I do not care for your collector¡¯s toys or your forgeries! Begone, scammer¡ª¡± he started. ¡°They aren¡¯t collector¡¯s items,¡± a voice interrupted him. I blinked, turning as a familiar man walked up next to me. ¡°Those are elven coins from Drazyl. Quite precious, actually.¡± I recognized him. And so did the [Alchemist]. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Justyn? The Adventurer¡¯s Guild [Receptionist]?¡± The [Alchemist] blinked. ¡°I thought the next shipment to the guild onlyes in next week?¡± ¡°It does. I am not here on guild duties, right now. Well, I am. But¡ª¡± Justyn turned to me, nodding politely. ¡°I can assure you, Ms Amelia is not a scammer, nor are these coins forgeries.¡± The [Alchemist] hesitated. He drew back, crossing his arms as he harrumphed. ¡°Well in any case, I don¡¯t care for some coin from another continent. I am not going to go all the way to a big city to exchange it for something I need right now.¡± ¡°That is perfectly understandable. Which is why¡ª¡± Justyn gestured at the half a dozen healing potionsid on the counter before me. ¡°May I pay for these for you, Ms Amelia?¡± ¡°Uh, sure?¡± I raised a brow at him, unsure why he was doing this. He waved a hand off dismissively as he forked over three gold coins. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it, it is just a repayment for the way I treated you when we first met.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not stopping you,¡± I said with a shrug. I wasn¡¯t going to turn down a free gift. The [Alchemist]¡¯s demeanor immediately changed. He eagerly nodded, waving at us as we exited the shop. ¡°Thank you for your business!¡± he called out as Justyn led me outside. The [Receptionist] shook his head at me as we stepped outside of the building. ¡°[Alchemists]. They are a difficult bunch to deal with. Even [Alchemists] who pick up adventuring. They¡¯re the kinds of adventurers who start a fight at the guild hall just by sshing some acid on your face. They¡¯re not the most pleasant individuals to be around.¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really care. Thanks for the help, though.¡± I just found it more annoying when I had useless things to deal with. ¡°What were you doing here, anyways?¡± ¡°I heard you were back,¡± Justyn said, ncing at me. ¡°I went to your inn, but you weren¡¯t there. Brynn said I could find you here, so I came.¡± ¡°Did you need me for something?¡± I asked, wondering why he¡¯d seek me out. ¡°Indeed.¡± The [Receptionist] cleared his throat. He reached for his pocket, producing an envelope in his hand. He handed it to me as he spoke. ¡°Guildmaster Evan returned yesterday evening. He rushed back after hearing what happened with the Goblin Lord. He had a lot to deal with, but I still made sure to get this approved for you as soon as possible. It was prepared for you just this morning.¡± I narrowed my eyes, epting the envelope. ¡°This is¡­?¡± He drew back and averted his gaze slightly ufortably. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about opening it in public. It doesn¡¯t hold any private information.¡± I slowly unsealed the envelope, and pulled out a letter with a gray metallic object attached. I didn¡¯t need to read the letter exining what it was. I already had a feeling this was what it was going to be. It was the reason why I decided to return to Windrip, after all. It took me longer than I¡¯d have liked to acquire, but finally, I got it. ¡°It¡¯s your adventurer¡¯s badge,¡± Justyn said with a smile. It was about the size of the palm of my hand. Dull-designed, and modeled in the shape of a shield, it was not exactly the most ornate item I¡¯d ever seen. My name was inscribed in the center, and there was a glowing crystal right beneath it. Some kind of enchanted rock. Nothing too precious, from what I could tell. Maybe quartz or the like. I lowered the badge as Justyn continued. ¡°You are now an unofficial adventurer of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. You can finally ept adventuring jobs.¡± And I let out a tired sigh, ¡°Fucking finally.¡± MsD You also can now read up tochapter 33 on my patreon here. You can also join my Discord if you''d like and be informed about my stuff! Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The alpha lycan drake was furious. He had gone hunting with most of his pack, leaving behind his second inmand and a few others to guard theirir. But when he returned, all he found were ruins. A giant crater where the hovel beneath the earth should have been. In a fit of rage, he had gone on a rampage, killing every single creature he could find in the forests of Briar Glen. Whether it be monster, animal, or person. He had even encountered those little green folk who''d stolen his old territory, but they were weaker now without their giant pack leader, so he¡¯d ughtered them all and reimed his lostnds. Many in his pack died in the process, but those that remained grew stronger. He, too, grew stronger. Now, they were no longer a pack of lycan drakes. They had evolved. He had evolved. He was now an alpha winged drakenwolf. His pack became a flock. They flew behind him, creatures of cmity. A group of A-ranked threats. There were only a few dozen of them, but together, they could ravage entire cities. Perhaps even reduce a smaller nation into nothing but rubble. And they were angry. They sought vengeance against the world. For what had happened to their home. And as they took to the skies, they¡¯d found a new target to unleash their fury on. There, far in the distance, beneath the tall mountains and at a clearing from the dense gathering of trees,y a city. Its tall walls no longer stood protecting it from the harsh world beyond. Not that a wall could have stopped the winged drakenwolves, since they could just soar above those petty barriers. But the alpha winged drakenwolf was intelligent. He had a discerning eye, and he could tell that this meant the city was in a vulnerable position. So, with a soft growl, he called for his flock to follow him to the city. They descended from the mountaintops, the beating of their wings sending strong gusts of winds down to the forests below. The weaker and smaller monsters in the area were blown away, some even killed from being smashed against the trees or the rocks. The stronger and smarter monsters fled the scene at the sound of beating wings, fearing the wrath of the winged drakenwolves. The alpha winged drakenwolf opened his mouth, letting out a screeching howl. Come, my brothers and sisters! Let usy waste to the homes of the humans! His pack howled in return, and he drew back. He bared his hundreds of sharp teeth in excitement, ready to sink his fangs into the flesh of those supple humans. ¡°Man, you guys are loud,¡± a voice said, and the alpha winged drakenwolf blinked. He nced up in surprise, seeing a figure standing on the tip of his snout. A human girl with brown hair and a ck and blue cloak. She had her arms crossed as she stared at him in thought. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking about getting a pet, but I legally can¡¯t own one without having a [Beast Tamer]-rted ss.¡± When did she¡­? The alpha winged drakenwolf caught himself. He snarled, swiping up with a w. She didn¡¯t move out of the way. The strike connected¡ª and he stared as she now stood bnced on the tip of his ws. She tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°Maybe I can get away with owning you guys as pets¡­¡± Burn! He roared at her. Opening his mouth, he unleashed a plume of crimson mes. It was a fiery breath that engulfed the human girl¡­ and also singed the tip of his ws. He yelped, hurriedly drawing his w back. He looked down at his burned w. The human girl was gone. He made a hissing sound, both annoyed that he had injured himself, but d that annoyance was finally gone. ¡°You really aren¡¯t that smart, are you?¡± she said. And he froze. The alpha winged drakenwolf craned his neck, staring at the figure standing atop his tail. The human stared at him tly. ¡°You guys are too noisy, and you¡¯re not all that bright. I¡¯m starting to think this ¡®pet¡¯ thing won¡¯t work out. No offense.¡± He gritted his teeth, before letting out another howl. His flock immediately pulled away from him, forming a circle in the sky. She cocked her head, and he whipped his tail up. She went flying as he dipped down rapidly. He joined his flock as they surrounded the girl mid-air from all sides. Annoying pest! He opened his mouth, and as did the rest of the winged drakenwolves. All at once, they poured their mes at the human. Abined attack. The mes pooled together, forming a solid mass, before exploding in all directions. A st that lit up the evening sky, briefly turning it into the afternoon. The alpha winged drakenwolf grinned, satisfied with himself as the mes slowly dissipated, leaving behind a thick curtain of smoke. His flock returned to him, hovering in the air at his back. He would¡¯ve turned away and left for the city at that moment, if he didn¡¯t catch sight of a figure moving amidst the smoke. The human emerged, rapidly zipping towards him. He could hardly react in time. He tried to move out of the way, but she was already standing atop his snout again. ¡°Let¡¯s try a trick¡ª¡± she said. Raising a hand, she swatted him down. ¡°y dead.¡± And the alpha winged drakenwolf crashed down into the earth. He fell like a meteor, exploding upon impact. He didn¡¯t even have time to process hisst thoughts. His remainsy sttered against the forest floor as the girlnded lithely next to his corpse. ¡°I said y dead, not actually die. I guess you aren¡¯t very good at learning tricks.¡± The flock of winged drakenwolf gaped as their leader was killed in an instant. They stared at the human, and she turned to them with a bored look on her face. ¡°Anyone else?¡± And they fled. The A-ranked beasts yelped and whimpered as they soared through the skies, returning to the mountains of Briar Glen. The girl sighed as she nced at the remains of the alpha winged drakenwolf. ¡°Now how do I bring this back to Windrip?¡± ¡ª-- Over thest week and a half, I took on as many jobs as I possibly could from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. While the guild building itself was still under repairs, that didn¡¯t mean that adventurers were left jobless. In fact, considering that the city was left incredibly vulnerable from the monsters of Briar Glen with the city¡¯s walls still in repair, they had more jobs than ever. At first, they congregated around a makeshift tent at the town square, but now, they shared a building with the Mage¡¯s Guild. It was crowded, even with all the adventurers who died during the attack, but far less rambunctious than before. It had been just under two weeks since the Goblin Lord attack. The city still hadn¡¯t fully gotten over the tragedy that had imed so many lives. I entered the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, dragging behind me whatever was left of the alpha winged drakenwolf¡¯s skull. It had been caved in, shattered in various different ces, but was otherwise the most recognizable body part I could bring back to WIndrip with me. It was very convenient that I ran into the winged drakenwolves right as I left to hunt them down. The job request in the guild hadn¡¯t given me much details¡ª it just said that these A-ranked monsters had been wreaking too much havoc in the local ecosystem, driving monsters towards the city. I probably could¡¯ve killed all of the winged drakenwolves instead of just the alpha. However the request specified that it was preferred if only the alpha was killed. Once that happened, it was likely the rest of the flock would be cated, and they would elect a new alpha that was far more cautious and much less aggressive. Keeping them alive would also prevent an even more dangerous and unpredictable monster species from popping up and threatening Windrip. I didn¡¯t really care too much for any of that. I mean, I¡¯d rather not be responsible for anything bad happening to the city so I did somewhat care. But I mostly spared the rest just because it was less effort and the reward for killing the alpha versus killing them all was the exact same. Heads turned and eyes fixed on me as I walked up to the [Receptionist]¡¯s desk with the monster¡¯s skull. Justyn was there today. He looked up at me, adjusting his sses. ¡°Wee back, Ms Amelia,¡± he greeted me curtly. ¡°I hope your ten-minute trip went well.¡± I rolled my eyes, setting the giant skull on the desk. ¡°This is the alpha winged drakenwolf¡¯s skull. You can get a [Mage] or whatever to verify this if you want.¡± He eyed me with a frown, then nced down at the desk. He wasn¡¯t dubious or skeptical¡ª after seeing me kill the Goblin Lord, he had only shown me respect. However, he looked¡­ tired. Justyn shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Ms Amelia, over thest ten days, you¡¯ve left the guild and returned with the remains of a giant acid cube, the corpses of a dozen horned bears, the eye of a mountain cyclops, the spiked feathers of a flock of grim vultures, and now, the skull of an alpha winged drakenwolf. ¡°Ignoring the fact that we¡¯d have no reason to doubt your word at this point¡ª because we¡¯d be really be stupid if we thought you somehow faked all that¡ª we have all the reason in the world to believe your word considering we saw you kill the alpha winged drakenwolf.¡± I blinked. Justyn gestured emphatically at the rest of the room. ncing back, I saw the nervous and wary stares I got from the gathering of adventurers in the room. I furrowed my brows. ¡°I guess I did fight those monsters right outside of the city, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t help that each of them were giant beasts with a wingspan of a hundred feet, and you were fighting them in the middle of the sky,¡± Justyn scoffed. ¡°Pretty much everyone in the city saw you, Ms Amelia. If you¡¯re still trying to keep your strength discreet, you¡¯re doing a bad job at it.¡± ¡°On one hand, that¡¯s true.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought for a moment, before extending a hand out. ¡°But on the other hand, I¡¯d like my payment now,¡± I said tly. The [Receptionist] shook his head. He produced a small treasure chest and slid it over the desk. ¡°You were right in trying to keep a low profile, Ms Amelia. An unranked adventurerpleting A-ranked and B-ranked jobs with ease is going to attract some unwanted attention.¡± I epted the payment, doing a quick eye count of the gold and silver coins within. It was supposed to be a payment of fifty gold and five hundred silver. With this, I had already earned just over a hundred and fifty gold coins in just over a week. ¡°I know it will,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°But considering the reward, it¡¯s worth it.¡± Justyn pursed his lips. ¡°For your sake, I sure hope so¡­¡± ¡ª-- Jax the Forsaken Archer lowered his bow as his message scroll shed. He stood alone in the darkness of the Tunnel of the Vanquished, shadowed creatures crawling all around him. But he paid them no mind. Instead, he raised the scroll, frowning as he read the words magically being scribbled on the scroll¡¯s surface. ¡°An unranked adventurer, huh?¡± he said as a shadow loomed behind him. Eight giant eyes glinted in the darkness, carried by eight long legs. A goliath spider. An A-ranked threat. It hissed,shing out at the man. His pointed ears twitched. His eyes flickered briefly, but otherwise remained fixed on the scroll. The goliath spider swung down with its scythe-like legs as he raised his bow. He didn¡¯t even face it, aiming with one hand. An arrow shed into ce, already-nocked. It shot out, striking the monster as it reeled back with a screech. He walked away. ¡°Very well. Windrip is but a short trip away. I will check it out.¡± Jax spoke as he pocketed his scroll, and the goliath spider exploded, its shell being ripped open by the massive petals of a crimson rose. He didn¡¯t even look back as thorns twisted out of the blooming flower, streaking across the cavern and tearing through the encroaching monsters. Slinging his bow over his shoulders, he clicked his tongue. ¡°But this better not be a fucking waste of my time.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 After epting the payment for killing the alpha winged drakenwolf from Justyn at the [Receptionist]¡¯s desk, I decided to take a look at the job board to see if there¡¯s any request I could quicklyplete before the day ended. It usually took me a few hours before I returned to Windrip with apleted job, so I¡¯d normally spend the rest of the day rxing or learning about the world. Today, however, I had just left the city to be promptly greeted by my targets. I considered retiring early, but felt like it couldn¡¯t hurt to pay the job board a quick nce. There was a group of adventurers already gathered there, discussing what requests they wanted to take on. But as I drew closer, they hurriedly backed away, deciding they would make a decision another time. I came to a halt right before the hastily nailed wooden nk with pieces of paper pinned onto its surface, feeling the entire room¡¯s gaze bore into my back. I didn¡¯t bother ncing around in confusion. I could tell that every adventurer and spellcaster here were watching my every move. As Justyn said, I hadn¡¯t exactly been discreet over thest week and a half. If everyone in Windrip didn¡¯t already know how strong I was before today, they did now that I saved the city from that flock of winged drakenwolves. A susurration swept through as they whispered about me. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this unofficial adventurer thing is a ruse! She must be an A-ranked adventurer in hiding!¡± ¡°That makes sense¡ª isn¡¯t she in Noele¡¯s party?¡± ¡°Do you mean the Noble Spellsword? The one who killed the Goblin Lord?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°I saw them heading out of the city togetherst week¡ª¡± I ignored what they were saying, focusing only on my task at hand. My gaze zed over the job board as I tapped a finger on my chin. I frowned when I couldn¡¯t find what I was searching for. ¡°Are there no B-rank or A-rank missions left?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°Angel¡¯s breath, you really are an outrageousdy, aren¡¯t you?¡± a voice said. ¡°Angel¡¯s breath?¡± I narrowed my eyes, turning to face the man standing behind me. He had silver-gray hair, but looked rather young. Perhaps maybe only five or six years my senior¡ª based on appearance alone, of course. Dressed in long blue robes, he held a staff in one hand, tipping his pointed hat at me with his other. He moved in exaggerated motions. As though he were in a performance of sorts, and considering that he looked like a stereotypical wizard from a cartoon, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if he turned out to be one. I gave him a t stare. ¡°I¡¯d be more offended by what you said if I weren¡¯t so distracted by that turn of phrase. Do I know you?¡± He caught himself, blinking. ¡°My apologies, I didn''t mean to offend you. I simply found it rather peculiar that you¡¯d be so taken aback by theck of higher-ranked missions when you are the one who cleared them out.¡± ¡°I realize that. I just thought there¡¯d be a new A-rank job up here by now.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Also, you still haven¡¯t said your name.¡± The man raised his head. ¡°My apologies¡ª¡± ¡°You keep apologizing.¡± I crossed my arms at him. ¡°I am aware, Ms Amelia. I believe it is merelymon courtesy to apologize when one has made a mistake.¡± He smiled kindly at me, and I paused. ¡°Right, that¡¯s fair,¡± I said, nodding. I initially thought he was here to bother me, hence my brusque responses. But he didn¡¯t seem like a bad person, just a little entric, so I decided to be polite. ¡°Sorry for interrupting you too, uh¡­¡± I waited for him to introduce himself. He beamed, proffering me his hand. ¡°I am Guildmaster Evan. It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Ms Amelia.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the guy who Justyn said helped me get my unofficial adventurer¡¯s badge.¡± I epted his handshake and smiled in return. ¡°Thanks for that. It really helped me out a lot.¡± ¡°I should be the one thanking you,¡± Evan said as he took a step back. He nced towards the job board. There were a lot of requests pinned there, even if there were no A-rank or B-rank jobs. ¡°You have aided Windrip greatly in this time of crisis. If it weren¡¯t for you, those winged drakenwolves would¡¯ve destroyed the city. If it weren¡¯t for you, the Goblin Lord would have rampaged throughout the Astrad Kingdom.¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Did Justyn tell you about that second part?¡± I could¡¯ve sworn I told the [Receptionist] to keep it a secret. Not that it mattered much anymore¡­ The Guildmaster of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild tilted his head. ¡°Perhaps he did. Or perhaps I realized that Noele the Noble Spellsword, while very much capable for her level, shouldn¡¯t have been able to aplish such a feat¡ª that there is someone else responsible.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she an A-ranked adventurer? It isn¡¯t too oundish for an A-ranked adventure to deal with an A-ranked threat, right?¡± ¡°I am an A-ranked adventurer myself.¡± His eyes glinted. Quite literally. I was pretty sure he was using magic to make his eyes sparkle. ¡°s, I doubt I¡¯d be able to defeat a Goblin Lord, let alone one supported by its horde. And as far as I can recall, Noele was a B-ranked adventurer until just two weeks ago¡­¡± ¡°Maybe she got lucky or something, I dunno,¡± I suggested unconvincingly. Even I didn¡¯t believe my own words, but Guildmaster Evan entertained it with a smile. ¡°That is entirely possible. It would be quite the tale¡ª a B-ranked adventurer surpassing her limits to ovee an opponent 10 levels above her. It would be almost as inspiring as the story of a Level 0 girl taking down a flock of Level 50 winged drakenwolves, no?¡± My eyes grew wide. ¡°How did you¡­?¡± He gave me a knowing look. A coy smile that indicated he knew more than he let on¡ª that his odd behavior was but a mask for something more keen inside. A highly observant individual. He answered simply, ¡°I used a Ringed ss of Appraisal on you just before I spoke up.¡± I blinked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an invasion of privacy?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather you not spread that around,¡± I murmured. ¡°I feel like that would cause trouble for me for no reason at all.¡± ¡°Of course¡ª I was simply curious. The least I can do to show my appreciation is keep this a secret,¡± Evan said as he nodded at me. ¡°I do suggest acquiring an artifact of sorts to mask your level from prying eyes. It may not be enough to guard you from higher-leveled [Appraisal]-like Skills, but it should be enough to keep theyfolk unperturbed.¡± ¡°Where can I find one of these artifacts?¡± I asked. ¡°In Windrip? I have no idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very helpful¡­¡± ¡°My apologies, but I haven¡¯t been in the city for a while. I only rushed back when I heard about the attack.¡± He shook his head at me. ¡°I would like to offer you more of my assistance as gratitude, of course. If there is anything I can do, just ask.¡± I furrowed my brows. ¡°Are there any A-ranked jobs you guys have lying around? Anything that pays well?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, what you see is what you get here,¡± the guildmaster exined. ¡°A-rank missions are rare, Ms Amelia. The fact that we had so many of them in the first ce without bordering an A-rank region is quite anomalous. There will probably be more B-ranked jobs for you by next week. But the only other high-paying job left is an S-ranked request.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it, then,¡± I said simply. ¡°But you see¡ª you cannot.¡± He wagged a finger, speaking in a lecturing voice. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love you to clear that pesky pride of ruby manticores from Shadowfen, I doubt you¡¯d be willing to travel that far for a request, and even if you did, you wouldn¡¯t be able to receive its rewards since you are an unofficial adventurer anyway.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I cocked my head. ¡°S-ranked jobs are unlike the typical requests. They aren¡¯t regional, rather they encapste a vast swathe of¡ª¡± ¡°I meant the other thing,¡± I snorted. ¡°You know¡ª about me being an unofficial adventurer?¡± Evan frowned. ¡°It seems Justyn didn¡¯t tell you, did he? My apologies, but unofficial adventurers are only allowed to ept requests from D-rank to A-rank. F-rank, E-rank, S-rank, and the extremely rare SS-rank jobs are reserved only for official adventurers ranked by the guild. As of right now, you are an unranked, unofficial adventurer, so we cannot allow you to take this ruby manticore extermination request.¡± That¡­ was a little bit annoying. I had thought I could just pick up a single S-rank job and retire forever with the money, but as it turned out, I couldn¡¯t even do that. ¡°I see.¡± I pursed my lips. He tipped his hat at me, this time, apologetically. ¡°It is my most sincerest apologies. But there is nothing I can do about it, even as the Guildmaster of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said as I started past him. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just take the rest of the day off.¡± Nodding, Evan stepped aside with a sweeping bow. ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to disappoint you, Ms Amelia. As I said, Windrip owes you a great debt. If there is anything you need, you maye to me at any time. If you must know, I am quite proficient at scrying and divination magic.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯ll take up that offer if I ever need it.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to turn down his help just because he was a rather theatrical person. Being a guildmaster sounded like quite an important job too. I¡¯d be sure to abuse his offer in the future if it was ever needed. I stepped out of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, raising my head. I looked towards the sun¡¯s position in the sky and sighed. It was still afternoon, and I had no ns. ¡°Noele said she¡¯ll be busy training until sundown. What should I do until then?¡± I stood there in thought for a moment, casting my gaze around the damaged street. I saw the broken stalls and destroyed shops. I looked further down the road at the crowd of survivors queueing up for food. Then an idea crossed my mind. It was something I¡¯d wanted to try out for a while now. ¡°Maybe I should open up a food stall?¡± It might even help me in getting another ss option from the System or whatever. Perhaps the reason why I wasn¡¯t being offered a [Cook] ss was because I hadn¡¯t really done anything truly cooking-rted. First, I had to see if I could convince Brynn to let me use her kitchen for this. And that¡­ well, it had been nearly impossible to get her to let me use only a part of her kitchen once for a single meal. So this might just be the toughest challenge I face in this world yet. ¡ª-- Jax the Forsaken Archer came to a halt when he saw the sh of lighting from his belt once again. He reached into his message scroll and unfurled the artifact. He stood at a clearing of trees, far from the Tunnel of the Vanquished. Half a day¡¯s away from his destination. ¡°What is it this time?¡± he asked with a frown. And his eyes narrowed as he read the magically inscribed words on the parchment. Amelia Feats: - Killing a Goblin Lord - Killing an alpha winged drakenwolf - Killing a mountain cyclops ss: none. Level 0 Fights with a sword. No other information avable. That made Jax pause. Level 0? He wasn¡¯t too impressed with the list of A-ranked threats she¡¯d wiped out in itself, but the fact she did it with no ss at Level 0 surprised the Forsaken Archer. Is she with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns? he wondered for a moment. But he shook his head. If she was, then that meant Jax had all the more reason to investigate this girl. It made him want to get to Windrip sooner. Pocketing his message scroll, the Forsaken Archer continued on, heading for the city as the sun slowly fell overhead. MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Noele sprinted through a thicket of trees, circling around the clearing in the forest. She saw the burly figure standing there, bathed in light, away from the canopy of leaves above. He nced around warily, not knowing where the Noble Spellsword was, and she took that opportunity to strike. Now! Sheshed out, leaping from the bushes as she thrust her de forward. Her opponent barely spun around in time and raised arge shield. He blocked her attack, and she gritted her teeth. The burly man shoved her back hard, but she rolled with the hit. The Noble Spellsword flipped back,nding lightly on the dirt ground as he charged her. She raised her sword to the side and readied herself. Her magic poured into the edge of the glinting de. And the mana wisped wildly. Noele tried to control it. Tame it. Stymie the roiling golden aura. Right now, she had practically no control over the magical energy wreathing her sword. It was meant to be a copy of her [Noble sh], just without using the Skill itself. But the magic ran wild. If she swung forward with her de, she couldn¡¯t kill her enemy even if she wanted to. Not that she did. It was just that too much of the magical attack would dissipate into the environment instead of at her target. Even now, the golden aura dwindled in size as it leaked mana into the air. As she struggled to control her attack, the burly man reached her. His heavy footfalls slowed, and he raised his tower shield. With a shout, he mmed the broad metal barrier onto the earth. ¡°[Tremor Explosion]!¡± Noele backed up, but was too slow. She was caught in the localized earthquake. The ground shattered beneath her feet as the powerful shockwave sent her flying. Dust and debris shot into the air, and she crashed into a cluster of trees, uprooting them as she tumbled in the dirt. Groaning, she raised her head and paused. The burly man stood before her, a shortsword aimed for her head. She blinked as he slowly lowered the weapon, before shaking his head. Garron the Steel Tank smiled as he proffered a hand. ¡°That was a good attempt. You almost got me. But it seems I have won once again.¡± ¡°Ugh, I almost had you this time,¡± Noele said, getting to her feet with his help. ¡°I had it¡ª I was so close¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes as she mulled over her loss. She had enlisted his help over thest week and a half to help her train. But despite the fact that Noele herself was an A-rank adventurer, while Garron was only B-ranked, she hadn¡¯t beaten him in a spar even once. It perplexed him. She could see the concern on his face, expecting his question before he even spoke. ¡°While I am d I can help you train, I¡¯m not quite sure why you¡¯re not using your Skills.¡± He ced a hand on his chin as he frowned. ¡°If you use even a handful of your new Level 50 Skills, you¡¯d be able to best me inbat with ease. Or have you not chosen your ss advancement yet?¡± Noele shook her head. ¡°I did. I was a [Magical demaster], but now I¡¯m an [Arcane demaster].¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve been under the impression you¡¯d be excited to test its Skills.¡± Garron raised a brow at her. ¡°Why the wait? Why do you insist on handicapping yourself in battle?¡± His question made her pause. The Noble Spellsword lowered her head as her lips drew into a thin line. It wasn¡¯t an unusual question to ask¡ª if Noele had been in his same position just a month ago, she¡¯d be just as perplexed as he was. But her perception of everything changed. She remembered a conversation just a week and a half ago¡ª what Amelia had recounted in Mount Arkais. How she had woken up in the Fractured Realm and fought. Without a ss. Without the World System. No levels or experience gained. And she simply grew stronger on her own. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just get stronger without the System?¡± Amelia had asked after Noele defeated the titan centipede. And the Noble Spellsword didn¡¯t have an answer for that. ¡°Noele?¡± Garron asked, peering into her. She blinked as she broke out of her stupor. ¡°Sorry, what did you say again?¡± ¡°I was simply curious as to why you haven¡¯t been using your Skills, that is all. If you wish not to borate, you do not have to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ no reason,¡± Noele finally replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to Windrip. It¡¯s gettingte. The sun¡¯s going to be setting soon. I promised Amelia I¡¯d be back by sundown.¡± The Steel Tank harrumphed with a nod. ¡°Of course. I am sure Amelia is getting worried about you.¡± ¡°Honestly, I really doubt that.¡± ¡ª-- And Noele was right. No¡ª she was more than just right. Amelia wasn¡¯t just not worried. Amelia wasn¡¯t even thinking about the blonde girl at all. In fact, Amelia was busy with¡­ ¡°What are you doing, master?¡± Noele asked, blinking. ¡°I told you not to call me that,¡± the brown-haired woman snorted. ¡°And isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m selling burgers.¡± ¡°Bur¡­gers?¡± The blonde girl nced back. She stared at Garron for help, but he just shrugged in response. He clearly didn¡¯t know what a ¡®burger¡¯ was either. Noele pursed her lips as she turned to her mentor. Amelia stood right at the edge of market street behind a small wooden stand. Evidently a food stall of sorts. She even had a frying pan roasting over a magical burner. The kind used by rich nobles and the like in their vast mansions. A thin round mush of meat cooked there, sizzling as its red surface darkened. ¡°Cheeseburgers to be specific,¡± Amelia exined as she flipped it with a spat. She ced a slice of cheese atop the meat, before pressing it onto the pan for a moment. ¡°I have to be careful not to smash the patty, though.¡± ¡°And where did you get all this¡­ equipment?¡± the blonde girl asked, staring at the whole set-up nkly. ¡°I bought it since Brynn wouldn¡¯t let me use her kitchen.¡± Amelia rolled her eyes. ¡°I got this magical burner from the Mage¡¯s Guild, and I bought the ingredients from a [Butcher]¡¯s shop down the street.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª nevermind that,¡± Noele said as she shook her head. She nced around this section of market street before hesitating. ¡°Who¡­ are you selling these cheeseburgers to?¡± There was no one here¡ª at least, no one stopping to buy food from the stall. There were quite a few passersby. It wasn¡¯t a bad location at all. It was a busy street. Maybe a few dozen or so people walked by the stall every minute. But none of them took their time to pay Amelia any mind. Garron the Steel Tank cleared his throat. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now,¡± he said as he patted Noele on the shoulder. He started down the street and waved. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the same time tomorrow?¡± The blonde girl blinked. ¡°Right. Thanks.¡± And then it was just the two young women standing there. Noele wasn¡¯t sure what else there was to say. It was obvious to anyone that these cheeseburgers weren¡¯t selling. Amelia just sighed as leaned back. ¡°No one¡¯s buying them because it¡¯s new. But they¡¯lle around to it¡­ probably.¡± It didn¡¯t look like she believed what she was saying. She picked up one of the cheeseburgers and handed it to Noele. ¡°But it¡¯s good. Give it a try.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± The blonde girl tried to protest, then caught herself. Slowly, she nodded and epted the food. ¡°I¡¯ll try it, I guess?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. The bun itself was toasted, and the cheese had melted. It looked like it tasted good for sure. A delectable aroma wafted up as Noele¡¯s mouth watered. But she didn¡¯t bite down just yet. It wasn¡¯t that she doubted Amelia¡¯s cooking. The blonde girl had tried her mentor¡¯s cooking before. And she knew it was good. But the problem was the meat. Noele looked at the meat, gulping nervously. That was what she was most dreading. It looked odd. Like nothing she had ever seen before. In fact, it almost looked like it was just paste being cooked until it was edible. And that made her hesitate. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Amelia asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing. Here goes nothing!¡± Noele braced herself for the worst. The blonde girl bit down into the cheeseburger, already wincing. She bit through the bread, and her teeth sank into the patty. She waited for the taste¡ª she was prepared for an awful vor to permeate her mouth. But she paused. Noele blinked a few times, eyes growing wide. ¡°This is good,¡± she said as she continued chewing. She took another bite from the burger and nodded at her mentor. ¡°This is very good. I¡¯ve never had something like this in my life!¡° ¡°I told you.¡± Amelia smirked. ¡°Is this food from¡­ you know?¡± Noele asked as she swallowed. ¡°Your¡­¡± ¡°It is, yeah. It¡¯s probably not the healthiest food around, but it¡¯s easy to make, and I think it¡¯ll catch on quickly.¡± The blonde girl smacked her lips, finishing the burger quickly. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re doing this? To make some gold?¡± ¡°That, and I¡¯m bored,¡± Amelia said dryly. ¡°I¡¯m just trying out different hobbies because going out and killing monsters in one punch isn¡¯t exactly fun.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele nodded as she bit her lower lip. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t been aroundtely because I¡¯ve been busy training.¡± ¡°Leveling up?¡± ¡°No¡ª I¡¯ve been taking your advice.¡± Amelia tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°Ah, just getting stronger on your own.¡± ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been going so well.¡± The blonde girl scratched the back of her head. ¡°Even though I¡¯m an A-rank adventurer, I can¡¯t even beatr Garron who¡¯s a full 5 levels below me in a spar.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s your first mistake,¡± Amelia snorted. ¡°Not only are you still thinking in terms of levels, you¡¯re not pushing yourself to your limits.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°How can you expect to grow stronger if you¡¯re just ying it safe by fighting someone who doesn¡¯t want to actually hurt you?¡± It was a simple question. But Noele didn¡¯t have an answer. She shifted her feet ufortably as she nced down the busy street where Garron had gone. ¡°How else am I supposed to train, Amelia?¡± she asked apprehensively. ¡°I need to get used to fighting without my Skills¡ª I can barely even cast a C-rank spell if I don¡¯t tap into my [Magic Mastery] and [Greater Mana Core]. If I go out there and fight a monster without my Skills, I¡¯d die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to throw yourself into a life-or-death situation.¡± The brown-haired woman scoffed as she ced an uncooked patty on the frying pan. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to push yourself past your limits, Skill or no Skill. Ask yourself this: how did you kill that titan centipede?¡± Noele furrowed her brows, unsure what to say. ¡°I¡­ pushed myself past my limits?¡± ¡°No.¡± Amelia shook her head with a sigh. ¡°It was an A-rank threat, wasn¡¯t it? And you were B-rank when you fought it. Yet, you somehow won. How?¡± ¡°I outsmarted it?¡± Noele said weakly. The brown-haired woman flipped the patty casually and gestured towards the city square. ¡°You also stood toe-to-toe with a Goblin Lord on your own. Even if you lost, that¡¯s a feat worthmending, no?¡± ¡°Right, it is.¡± ¡°So how did you do it?¡± Amelia asked, facing Noele. But the blonde girl had no answer. The obvious response was wrong, and anything else she coulde up with didn¡¯t seem applicable. Noele just stood there, trying to work her jaw until Amelia swooped out the patty and deftly ced it on a toasted bun. ¡°You did it because you had no other choice.¡± Noele stared at her mentor, clearly confused. Amelia just waved her spat dismissively. ¡°You either had to grow stronger there, or die trying. You couldn¡¯t wait for some System to give you the strength you need to win. And because of that, you did what you couldn¡¯t, even for just a moment. Maybe it worked out for you once against the titan centipede, and maybe it wouldn¡¯t have worked out for you the other time against the Goblin Lord. But that¡¯s how you pushed yourself beyond your limits, Noele. And that¡¯s what I want you to keep doing.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± the blonde girl finally said after a moment¡¯s deliberation. ¡°I think I understand now.¡± Amelia smiled as she lowered her spat. Then she gestured at the freshly cooked burger. ¡°If you do, help me bring these sample burgers around town so I can attract more customers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean, so you can attract a single customer?¡± Noele corrected her mentor. The brown-haired woman stared tly at her apprentice. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for my first month¡¯s payment.¡± The blonde girl scratched her cheek as she smiled back. ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± And Noele did as she was told. She brought the sample cheeseburgers around town as the sun set over the horizon, painting the sky a vibrant orange. Still, not a single customer came. Even as Amelia waited until it was night. No one arrived at her stall to try out this fancy new cheeseburger. But someone did arrive in Windrip, just not for the reasons Amelia wanted. ¡ª-- There she was. Jax¡¯s target. He had followed her all the way to Windrip¡ª a short journey, even if rather tiresome. Now, it should have been the hard part. He thought she would be hard to find. But he found her in an instant. The Forsaken Archer would have gloated. He would have sneered or taken the opportunity to attack her. However, instead of doing any of that, he just stared at her in confusion. What is she doing? he asked himself as he watched the brown-haired woman¡­ stand there. She manned a stall that no one visited, even as twilight passed, and the streets emptied out. It was only after another hour, did she sigh and resign from the stall. Jax just watched, utterly befuddled. This¡­ is my target? He was almost certain his informant was wrong. If he could find his informant, he¡¯d punch him in the face right now for this prank. He scowled as he watched her vanish into an inn. This has been a massive waste of my time. MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The next day, my burger shop made no sales once again. Despite the samples Noele handed out, I wasn¡¯t able to attract a single customer. Then at the start of the third day, the city guards came and forced me to relocate to a less busy intersection at market street since I didn¡¯t have a permit to be there. That was when I decided to hand out free samples at the stall itself. I hung up a sign, which proved rather effective. People actually visited my stall because of what I offered¡ª a free sample to all who came. A bearded man eyed the tter of burgers I hadid out. He was dressed in rtively morous clothingpared to the average individual. He inhaled deeply as I stared at him. ¡°Are you going to try some?¡± I asked dryly. He picked up a cheeseburger, sniffing it as he stepped back. I just watched him with a t stare. He shook his head. ¡°It smells quite delicious, even if it looks like it has an odd texture,¡± he said as he exhaled with an exaggerated motion. ¡°I will try this delicacy, if you allow it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what the sign says.¡± I pointed at the wooden board I hung in front of the stall. He nodded in response ¡°Indeed, indeed. I shall be the judge of this cheesy burger.¡± He took a bite as he faced me. ¡°What level of a [Cook] are you, in any case?¡± he asked as he chewed for a second. ¡°No levels,¡± I said simply. ¡°I cooked it myself.¡± And he spat it out. The bearded man¡¯s eyes grew wide. He stared at me in horror, looking down at the burger as I cocked my head. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s rude.¡± ¡°You are not a [Cook]?¡± he eximed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. But I can cook¡ª¡± I started. And he tossed the burger to the side. I blinked. ¡°Now that¡¯s just wasteful.¡± The bearded man marched off, grumbling as he shook his head. ¡°If I wanted to eat a disgusting meal, I¡¯d go back home to my wife! Thanks for wasting my time!¡± ¡°...but you just wasted a perfectly good burger.¡± Most interactions went a simr way. As it turned out, most folks didn¡¯t want to eat a dish prepared by someone without at least a single level in a ss rted to being a [Cook]. The moment they realized I had no ss, they were instantly disgusted, as if myck of System-granted Skills somehow soured the taste after they started eating. It was rather annoying. I could¡¯ve lied and said I was a [Chef] or whatever, but they¡¯d then ask for proof or my credentials. And the most annoying part was that I still hadn¡¯t gotten a second ss option to be a [Cook]. Although, it might be because I hadn¡¯t been doing this long enough. So after that failure of a day, I changed tactics. First of all, I stopped serving the burgers because they weren¡¯t picking up any steam anyways. I decided to serve an eclectic of dishes¡ª anything I could cook with the ingredients I could easily acquire in Windrip. Whether it was sushi or pasta or even a half-baked attempt at making fried chicken. Next, I made sure to say I wasn¡¯t the [Chef] behind these meals. I lied and said that someone else had done the cooking, and I was simply serving them. It seemed like a foolproof n, except for one problem: the people of Vacuos didn¡¯t actually like some of the food from Earth. ¡°Raw fish? This is disgusting! Are you trying to poison my children?¡± a woman scoffed, hurrying her two sons away from the stall. ¡°What is with all this sauce? It¡¯s enough to make a goblin puke!¡± a man drew back from the pasta as he pinched his nose. The only dishes that were received well were the burger. Unfortunately, it seemed I had already built a reputation in the city. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an adventurer? This grease¡­ is this meant to be a meal for adventurers?¡± A well-dressed man turned away from the fried chicken as he waved a hand dismissively at me. ¡°Stick to killing monsters, adventurer.¡± And, as such, even after a week, I had made about a dozen real sales in total. I slumped over the stall, sighing. ¡°This really isn¡¯t going well.¡± I closed my eyes. ¡°I could just go back to killing monsters for money¡­ but man, that¡¯s just so boring.¡± ¡ª-- Jax was bored too. For the past few days, the Forsaken Archer had wasted his time. He had already wanted to leave the moment he realized his target was some food vendor. But after consulting his informant once again, he decided to stay for a bit longer. It took a lot of convincing, from the informant¡¯s part. There was also a lot of pleading and begging for his life. However, eventually, Jax gave in. So the Forsaken Archer stayed in Windrip, watching, hiding in the shadows, and bored out of his mind. He took no interest in watching a human cooking and selling their odd, abominable dishes. And it wasn¡¯t like there was much for him to observe. He only ever had his interest piqued at one point in each day. A single moment that always drew most of his attention. When a blonde girl approached his target in the evening. Noele the Noble Spellsword. He recognized her. Jax made sure he tracked every adventurer above A-rank or any others of note at the other ranks, and as such, he remembered her name. She was a newly-anointed A-rank adventurer who had quite a few impressive feats under her aplishments. Certainly, as a C-rank then B-rank adventurer, she was consistently punching above her weight ss. But more recently, she had done something every adventurer in the Astrad Kingdom heard about¡ª something that Jax had verified while he was here in Windrip. Noele was the one who killed Glutaz the Goblin lord. It was what was officially stated in the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds records, and it was what they said in this city. Most of all, it was a direct contradiction to what Jax¡¯s informant told him. And that was why he was intrigued. Something was amiss. Both alleged killers of the Goblin Lord seemed to have a close rtionship. He eavesdropped on their conversations, however he learned nothing of note. It was mostly benign talk about what they¡¯d been doing that day. Jax narrowed his eyes as he watched the brown-haired human sigh and lie there against her stall. Noele wasn¡¯t here right now since it was still early into the afternoon, and she wouldn¡¯t be arriving any time soon. The Forsaken Archer doubted that they¡¯d have any substantive conversation again today, so he decided to act. He was tired of waiting, and he knew there was something off. There couldn¡¯t be two separate killers of the Goblin Lord. There could only be one. The fact that this tidbit was muddled made him suspicious that one was covering for the other. Jax wasn¡¯t sure which girl was the fake and which was the real. But he just knew that he wanted to find out. So, for the first time in a week, the Forsaken Archer slipped out of Windrip, no longer keeping an eye on that damn boring food stall. ¡ª-- ¡°Surpass your limits,¡± Noele told herself as she struck out with her training de. The blunt metal shed against the wooden tower shield. She had put in all her might into that attack¡ª but Garron barely budged. He grinned and shoved her back. The Noble Spellsword clicked her tongue as she refused to back down. ¡°Do it because I have no other choice.¡± It was a mantra that reyed in her head again and again and again. It was something she forced herself to remember, even as she trained outside of Windrip. Noele unleashed a flurry of strikes at the Steel Tank. She circled around him, trying to find a chink in his defenses. He grunted as he was assailed from all sides. He mmed his tower shield into the ground, sending a pulse of energy out and knocking her back. She stumbled, but still pressed on. Garron¡¯s eyes grew wide as she pushed through the shockwave, swinging her de for his neck. He raised his own shortsword as he cried out. ¡°[Iron Will]!¡± His entire body shed with a protective white barrier. Noele narrowed her eyes, before gripping her sword with both her hands. She thrust forward with all her might as the first vestiges of a golden aura ked from the de. Noble sh, she said the Skill¡¯s name in her mind without actually activating the Skill itself. Her attack shed with Garron¡¯s defenses. Gold and white sparks exploded out. The Steel Tank heaved, staggering back as he took the brunt of her strike. Noele pushed harder as she watched the golden aura coating her weapon whip wildly in all directions. Then her de snapped. The dull metal exploded, and a powerful force sted out. Her own golden aura shot out her way and sent her stumbling back. She was nearly knocked off her feet, but caught herself at the veryst moment. Blinking, she stared at the broken bits of her training de tter to the dirt ground. ¡°So, I take it I win again?¡± Garron asked as he lowered his shortsword. Noele sighed. ¡°It didn¡¯t work¡­¡± She dropped to her knees, burying her head in her hands. The burly man pursed his lips as he stared down at her. ¡°Nothing ever works. Even if I keep pushing you¡ª even if I throw myself at your attacks. I can¡¯t seem to surpass my limits¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps the issue lies in another underlying factor, Noele,¡± Garron suggested as he rubbed his massive chin. ¡°Do you know what Amelia means when she asks you to do that?¡± ¡°I have absolutely no idea,¡± the blonde girl said, sprawling herself atop a patch of grass. ¡°Amelia says I shouldn¡¯t rely on my ss so much, but she also says I can use my Skills if I wanted to? Which¡­ that doesn¡¯t make sense to me.¡± The Steel Tank furrowed his brows. He stood there in thought for a moment as Noele closed her eyes. Shey there in silence, until he finally spoke up again. ¡°Perhaps Amelia means it in a meditative sense?¡± ¡°A meditative what?¡± Noele blinked as she sat up. ¡°I have heard [Priests] channel the power of the angels through meditation. Bing one with the divine. Developing a closer rtionship with a higher power. Perhaps Amelia suggests something simr, but with yourself?¡± Garron raised a finger as he spoke in a lecturing tone. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The blonde girl frowned. ¡°That may make sense.¡± Noele knew that her mentor wanted her to rely more on her own power. Perhaps if she could form a closer rtionship with her own soul, she¡¯d be able to understand her own strengths better in a way that would aid her. ¡°Thanks, Garron,¡± she said with a smile. While she¡¯d just met the burly man just over half a month ago, he had been so incredibly helpful to her. She was grateful for all his help, even if he didn¡¯t quite fully understand¡ª or even believe in¡ª Amelia¡¯s power or training methods. ¡°Of course, I am here to help.¡± He nodded back at the blonde girl. Closing her eyes once again, Noele focused only on herself. She took a deep look within her very core¡ª into her soul. It was hard. It was a very faint vision. One which she was always aware she could perceive, but wasn¡¯t ever there unless she focused very hard on herself. Thanks to [Greater Mana Core], she had mastered how to control the flow of the mana throughout her body. But this time, she didn¡¯t care to regte the flowing magic into her soul. It seemed to obfuscate her vision. It blotted out the vision she was trying to see. Perhaps it was thanks to seeing the reflection of her soul in the Mirror of Holy Judgment just two weeks ago, but it was almost like she knew what she wanted to see. She exhaled, seeing more and more of her own soul. Like a candle in the dark, her soul shone brilliantly. Clear to see now. A ball of golden me that epassed her. My mana¡­ my soul¡­ it¡¯s so¡ª She pursed her lips. Noele wasn¡¯t going to pretend she knew what she was doing. She didn¡¯t. However, she felt like she could almost¡­ touch her soul. Even though it was still so distant. Even though her vision of it was still so blurry. She reached out as she whispered. ¡°Garron, I¡ª¡± she started. ¡°Who are you?¡± the burly man demanded, his gruff voice clearly wary. ¡°Noele, get up!¡± The blonde girl paused. Her eyes snapped open, and the vision of her soul faded. She scrambled to her feet, reaching for her sword sheathed on her side. Garron had his real tower shield raised, facing a hooded figure emerging from a nearby thicket of trees. ¡°Name yourself!¡± he called out. The hooded figure came to a stop just a dozen feet away from the two adventurers. He smirked and raised his hood. Noele¡¯s eyes widened when she saw his pale skin. His green hair. His pointed ears. ¡°An elf?¡± she said, frowning. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The elf just reached for his bow as his gaze fixed on the blonde girl. She could feel his bloodlust just from his eyes alone. He spoke simply as he raised an arrow. ¡°Greetings, Noele the Noble Spellsword. I am Jax the Forsaken Archer. The Outcast of Drazyl. The Scarlet Bloom of Azryea. S-ranked adventurer. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± ¡°S-ranked what¡ª¡± Noele opened her mouth. And in that instant, he fired a volley of arrows her way. MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Noele the Noble Spellsword had only ever met an S-rank adventurer three times in her life. The first was when she was only a little girl, but the memory had been seared into her mind. It was a rather momentous asion for her back then, since she was apanying her sister to Whiteridge¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They¡¯d lived a few miles away from the town, and she rarely ever had a reason to visit other than when Nora brought her there. However, this particr day was different. It was already a notable event in her childhood, but it was cemented as a core memory because of the events surrounding it. Because as it turned out, an S-rank adventurer had been visiting Whiteridge at the time. A handsome man whose face Noele could hardly remember. She just knew she had developed an intense crush on him for a full year after this single meeting. He was charming, kind, and noble. He didn¡¯t discriminate against anyone who came up to him. Even though Nora was a mere C-rank adventurer at the time, he had taken the time to speak with her and entertain Noele¡¯s deluge of pestering questions. He had left quite the impression on the sisters. In fact, the reason why Nora picked up the Noble Title as an adventurer, which subsequently resulted in Noele picking up a simr Title, even though they came from a family ofmoners, was because of him. Nichs the Noble Knight. It had been over ten years, but Noele still remembered him to this very day. She never thought an encounter with any S-ranks in the future would ever be as memorable. She had seen Insa the Cursed Sorceress in battle¡ª she had met Gand the Chainbreaker in the Darkfell Mines and shared a fire with him¡ª but the memory was still not as impactful as her encounter with Nichs the Noble Knight. Those were the three meetings she¡¯d had with S-ranked adventurers. And the novelty of meeting S-ranks was starting to wear on her. Especially after meeting Amelia, Noele was certain her next encounter with an S-rank was going to be hardly even memorable. Well, she was wrong. Because, today, she finally got to meet a fourth S-ranked adventurer. And it was going to be incredibly memorable. In fact, it might be a memory that stayed with her until she died. Because he was trying to kill her. ¡°Get back Garron!¡± Noele yelled as she leapt out of the clearing of trees. The volley of arrowsnded where she¡¯d stood, right next to Garron the Steel Tank. He raised his shield, bracing himself, and the arrows exploded into a deluge of brambled vines. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as the B-ranked adventurer was swallowed by the st of nts with a scream. ¡°No¡ª¡± she started, raising a hand out. But a figure appeared in front of her. Her assant. An S-ranked adventurer. An elf. Jax the Forsaken Archer. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± she asked, tightly clutching the hilt of her de. He smirked as he raised his bow, aimed at her head. ¡°You should be more worried about yourself.¡± A second salvo of projectilesunched out her way. This time, Noele saw them glinting as they zipped mid-air. She narrowed her eyes and hesitated for a moment. For just a split-second, the Noble Spellsword considered her mentor¡¯s words. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just get stronger without the System¡ª¡± ¡°Fuck that,¡± she interrupted that train of thought. Noele jumped back as a golden aura enveloped her. ¡°[sh Step]!¡± She vanished, teleporting dozens of feet to the right. Now was not the time to train without her Skills. Jax the Forsaken Archer was trying to kill her for whatever reason. It was something she had never imagined, even in her wildest dreams. She had heard of him before. Stories about the lone adventurer¡ª the elf who was banished from his home continent for ughtering his vige. A bloodthirsty man who only sought the thrill of battle. Handicapping herself here would only get herself killed. So Noele teleported out of the way of the iing projectiles. But right as she reappeared behind a thicket of trees, the arrows swerved. They trailed after the Noble Spellsword, whizzing around any obstacles in their paths for their target. ¡°What¡ª [Force Barrier]!¡± She raised a hand, and the arrows crashed into the blue shield before her. The projectiles smashed against her magical protection. For a moment, nothing happened as they deformed against the shimmering surface. Her [Force Barrier] held up, even against an S-rank attack. Then the arrows exploded. The arrows sted out into giant blooming rose petals. It ripped straight through the blue shield as Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. The petals encroached on her, threatening to crush her as she backed up against a tree. She staggered back as she brought a hand to her chest. ¡°[Nobleme Armor],¡± she whispered, activating her Level 50 Skill. Any Skill gained when hitting an advancement level¡ª such as Level 10, Level 20, Level 30, etcetera¡ª was always going to be superior to a Skill gained at a random level¡ª like Level 13, Level 18, Level 24, or Level 26. It was why they were called capstone Skills. And since [Nobleme Armor] was an A-rank capstone Skill, it was incredibly powerful. Noele¡¯s entire body lit aze with golden mes. The fire roiled at first, shapeless and formless like fire normally was. The coiling rose petals drew close to the blonde girl like sharp des, before being ignited by the fire. They burned just from being in proximity with the ming armor. The golden mes calmed, no longer a wild ze around Noele¡¯s body. She stepped forward as it cooled into a wisping aura covering her body. She walked through the burning giant roses as she scanned her surroundings. ¡°Where is he¡­?¡± she asked, frowning. Jax was gone. She nced around the forest, but he was nowhere to be found. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to peer through the growing smoke, only to cough in a fit. Noele realized something was amiss in an instant. She leapt away from the burning nts and nced back. The rose petals continued to burn behind her, emitting a noxious green gas that rapidly killed the grass and the trees around it. Noele watched the nearby nts wither in mere moments as the poisonous smoke crept towards her. She was certain it would have killed everything in this section of the forest if she let it continue to proliferate. The Forsaken Archer had dashed off to escape this attack. It must¡¯ve been dangerous to him too, so he left her alone with it to die. Clicking her tongue, she pointed at the remains of the giant rose. ¡°[Grand ze].¡± She spoke a Skill¡¯s name¡ª the evolution of her [Grand Firest]. Rather than just a simple cone of mes that swept out over dozens of feet, she could control the grand mes now. Whether it was in creating a single golden fireball, a hail of golden fire arrows, or even a golden firestorm. And she used it to incinerate the noxious gas and the burning rose. A single bolt of golden fire shot out, exploding upon impact. A st that engulfed the thicket in its entirety and left behind nothing but ashes. Even the green smoke was gone. Noele let out a sigh of relief and turned around. ¡°Garron¡ª¡± she opened her mouth. Then she caught herself. The Noble Spellsword drew back warily, hearing a faint sound in the distance. It sounded like the rustling of leaves, except more violent. A quick sound that came and went in an instant. She spun around as she heard it echoing all around her. Jax the Forsaken Archer shot out from a nearby thicket, passing her by as he loosed an arrow for her head. Noele recoiled as the bolt shattered just before her head. Her [Nobleme Armor] flickered, protecting her from the projectile. The arrow burned away as ity at her feet, and the elf vanished once again into the forest. ¡°You¡ª¡± she clenched her jaw. And he rapidly leapt out from behind a bush once again. This time, he fired two arrows that bounced off her ming golden aura. It flickered one again, partially dissipating for just a second. That would have been fine if Jax didn¡¯t continue this onught repeatedly, zipping around the blonde girl as he unleashed a salvo of bolts her way. He was shooting regr arrows. Nothing special. If a regr Level 20 [Archer] were the one firing the bolts, they would have been instantly incinerated the moment they drew close to the [Nobleme Armor]. But his volley whittled away at her golden aura. Noele stumbled back as thest vestiges of flickering me were about to wink out of existence. She dropped to a knee, seeing the blurring figure shoot around her at impossible speeds. Even if she tried, she wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him with a [Grand ze]. He was too fast for her to even¡­ keep¡­ up. Noele closed her eyes as she was pushed to the brink of defeat. ¡°Surpass your limits,¡± Amelia''s voice resounded in her head. How was the blonde girl supposed to do that? Against the Goblin Lord, she took advantage of time¡ª she could prepare artifacts and her potions before jumping into battle. When she fought the titan centipede, she took advantage of the monster¡¯s weakness. Each time, there was a way for her to face an enemy above her level. Even still, at most, it allowed her to fend off an enemy a few levels above her. But the fact remained: a Level 45 [Warrior] was never going to best a Level 55 [Warrior] in battle. It was just how things worked. It was just how things were supposed to be. Yet, Amelia defied all of this. The brown-haired woman rejected this very notion, fighting against an Elder Dragon without a ss. Somehow, she did it all. Noele had seen it with her own eyes. So it was possible. It had to be possible. There had to be a way for the blonde girl to win. And now, she saw a growing me within herself. Her eyes snapped open as she raised her head. ¡°[Unending Dauntless Fury]!¡± Sheshed out with a flurry of strikes, deftly deflecting the iing projectiles with a glowing de. It was a direct evolution of [Undaunted Rage], consolidated with the C-ranked [Aura sh] Skill. With each swing of her de, a white de of light shot out, tearing through the arrows and chasing after the elf. Noele swung in all directions as she felt the mes in her heart growrger. Her onught of attacks slowed Jax as he tried to avoid the flying des. And that was when the Noble Spellsword took her chance to strike. She dashed forward with a [sh Step], cutting off the speeding elf. Jax blinked, clearly caught by surprise at her sudden burst of speed. Noele¡¯s onught of [Unending Dauntless Fury] didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Take this!¡± she yelled as she unleashed a dozen glowing shes at once. Jax narrowed his eyes, dancing around the flying des as he backed up. Noele pointed past him and lunged. ¡°[Ice Wall]. Then¡ª¡± He blinked as arge barrier blocked him from behind. His back hit the cold wall, and a golden aura coalesced around Noele¡¯s de. She was about to call out with a [Noble sh] but stopped herself. She remembered the mantra that reyed repeatedly in her head. ¡°Because I have no other choice!¡± she yelled and swung down. Her eyes glimmered. The me in her soul zed like a wildfire, no longer controlled or tamed, but unleashed in all its glory. It burned without any restraint as she shed down at Jax. It was a golden glow that shone brighter than before. A giant sword that wreathed her own, twice the size of her [Noble sh]. It seemed to tremble with the wavering intensity of her [Nobleme Armor] despite being made without mes. Jax stared in shock as her attack came crashing down at him. He couldn¡¯t escape in time. The golden de struck him, before exploding. The earth split open as a st erupted outwards, ripping apart the nearby trees and ttening the nearby foliage. Noele put everything she had into the attack. It was like a mixture of [Grand Firest] and [Noble sh] which was then doubled in strength. ¡°Is it over¡­?¡± Noele asked as she stepped back. She panted, waiting for the rumbling toe to a halt. The Noble Spellsword had put everything she had into that attack. She was exhausted¡ª she wanted to just copse to the ground. The golden light faded away. The dust settled as she stared into the center of the crater. And her eyes grew wide as she saw the figure emerge from the smoke. Jax the Forsaken Archer walked out of the explosion unscathed. A spherical barrier of pink flowers and thorns receded as he grinned at the Noble Spellsword.. ¡°[Blossoming Azalea Barrier],¡± he said. ¡°Nice try, but you lost.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Noele flinched as he appeared next to her. The elf struck her with his bow, knocking the blonde girl to the ground. Shey there, staring up at the Forsaken Archer. At the S-rank adventurer. He had taken everything she had thrown at him and escaped unscathed. She had surpassed her limits and still lost. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± she whispered, closing her eyes. Jax nocked an arrow into his bow as he nodded. ¡°It is,¡± he said, and loosed the arrow. Noele braced herself¡ª she prepared for what was toe. She grabbed a handful of grass, her fists reflexively clenching. There was a thudding sound. The impact of the arrow striking something soft resounded. And the blonde girl opened her eyes. ¡°What?¡± She stared at the Forsaken Archer as he slowly lowered his bow. ¡°It seems you really aren¡¯t the one who killed Glutaz the Goblin Lord.¡± He shook his head. ¡°...what?¡± she repeated herself. Her mind reeled. Noele was utterly confused. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but Jax just stepped away from her, disappointed. ¡°You are strong for a newly-anointed A-rank, but you are nothing special either,¡± the elf snorted as he walked off. ¡°You¡¯re just¡­ leaving?¡± The blonde girl scrambled to her feet, looking at him aghast. But Jax just nced back at her dismissively. ¡°I am not here for you. I am here for the one who, against all odds, killed the Goblin Lord and saved Laxo from a Goblin King before the threat could even foster. I am here for the one who defies all logic and deals with A-rank threats without a level. An unranked, unofficial adventurer.¡± Noele paused. ¡°Do you mean you¡¯re looking for Amelia?¡± ¡°Amelia?¡± He raised a brow at her, almost dubiously. ¡°That useless street vendor?¡± ¡°Amelia is my master. I¡ª¡± The blonde girl pursed her lips. ¡°Why are you looking for Amelia?¡± ¡°It is simple,¡± Jax said as he crossed his arms. ¡°I am looking for a worthy foe.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Noele blinked, still confused. He exined simply, ¡°I have killed my way to be one of the strongest adventurers in all of Vacuos. There are only two individuals out there I consider stronger than me. Not the [Hero King], and not the Grand Sage of Imbel Forest. And neither have epted my challenge for a duel.¡± She watched as he spoke almost bitterly. As if he was affronted that no one wanted to fight him. Like they were the insane ones, and not him. ¡°There is only one way to get stronger, girl. That is to face enemies equal or above you. That is how you surpass your limits and grow stronger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Noele wanted to say something, but bit back her tongue. Instead, she nced back to where Garron had been¡ª towards the explosion of vines. ¡°And you killed Garron because of that?¡± ¡°Your friend is not dead. He is merely incapacitated because he is weak.¡± Jax spat as he nced away from the clearing of trees. ¡°Anypetent A-rank should be able to escape those brambles.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s B-ranked,¡± Noele said in Garron¡¯s defense. ¡°And he shall forever be a B-rank.¡± The elf smirked before turning to face the blonde girl. ¡°You speak highly of your master, girl. I shall trust your words, even if I doubt that failure of a street vendor is anything special.¡± Noele blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I am asking you to bring this Amelia to me,¡± Jax said, shaking his head. ¡°I will test her. I will see her strength with my own eyes when I challenge her to a duel.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± Noele started, but paused. The words hung on her tongue, refusing toe out as anything other than a thought. That will be your funeral. She stared at Jax the Forsaken Archer¡ª at the man who just randomly attacked her out of nowhere without warning and nearly killed her. If she didn¡¯t believe in his terrible reputation before, she believed in it now. Noele shrugged, almost grinning. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll bring my master to you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The elf nodded, satisfied with himself. ¡°I will be waiting.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Jax the Forsaken Archer waited in the forest right outside of Windrip. He sat in a meditative pose, his legs crossed, and his hands on his knees as his pointed ears twitched. He could hear the chirping birds¡ª the rustling of the leaves; everything from the soft buzzing of insects to even the clicking muffled footfalls of the nearby fauna. He listened, and he heard everything. He sat there amongst nature, and became one with the world. It was something he learned back in Drazyl¡ª one of the few things he kept with him from Azryea. Even if he had betrayed his own kin, he couldn¡¯t change who he was. After all, he was an elf. It was in his nature to flourish amongst the wilderness. ¡°...and you want me to just fight him?¡± a distant voice said as Jax raised his head. The elf heard theming, even though they were still a mile away. That was as far as he could hear when he was in this calm state, tapping into his own racial traits. Otherwise, he normally just had an improved sense of hearingpared to humans. ¡°Well, he¡¯s the one who wants you to fight him,¡± a second voice said. ¡°He says he wants to test how strong you are.¡± Jax recognized the second voice¡ª it was Noele. The Noble Spellsword. The woman he had bested inbat just yesterday. She had promised she would bring her mentor to challenge him today. After all, he was looking for the one who killed Glutaz the Goblin Lord, and the blonde girl imed it was her mentor who had done so. But no matter how hard the elf tried, he couldn¡¯t see it. He heard their footfalls draw closer even from a distance. He listened in on their mundane conversation, but he didn¡¯t care for what they said. ¡°I mean, I still don¡¯t see the point¡­¡± ¡°Master, please, do it for me¡ª¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t call me master. It¡¯s weird. Also, where¡¯s my payment?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Instead, the Forsaken Archer took in every subtle movement they made just from his hearing alone. Of the pair, it was Noele who carried herself like a true adventurer. A fighter who always knew to keep her guard up. She walked lithely, her footsteps soft on the grass, nearly indiscernible to the elf. Even if she seemed excitable, apart from her voice, there was really nothing about her that he perceived as ignoble. Noele truly did befit her Title as the Noble Spellsword. Meanwhile, her mentor walked without a care in the world. Amelia. The street vendor. The in-looking, oddly-dressed, brown-haired woman. She practically stomped over the dirt ground, trampling the grass in her path towards the clearing of trees. Even the way Amelia waved a hand off dismissively wasted a lot of movements. It was loud and noisy, like a ring rm to the elf¡¯s pointed ears as her shaking hand messily pushed the air rather than cleanly cut through it. Jax was almost certain he had wasted his time¡­ again. He got to his feet as the two women approached him. They spoke casually, even in the face of the S-ranked adventurer. ¡°¡ªI had to learn that on my own!¡± Noele protested. She shifted ufortably as she averted her gaze. ¡°So, uh, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t paid you yet.¡± ¡°Maybe I haven¡¯t taught you anything because you haven¡¯t paid me,¡± Amelia snorted. ¡°So, you are Noele the Noble Spellsword¡¯s master,¡± Jax said as he cut off their conversation. He nced callously at the brown-haired human, reaching for his bow. ¡°I must tell you, my patience is running thin¡ª¡± ¡°Just admit it: you¡¯re broke aren¡¯t you?¡± Crossing her arms, Amelia faced the blonde girl with a prying gaze. ¡°If you can¡¯t afford it, just say so. I can charge you less.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not broke. My money is just¡­ held up right now.¡± Noele spoke as her shoulders sagged. ¡°Which means you¡¯re broke,¡± her mentor said tly. Jax snapped his brows together, watching as the two human womenpletely ignored him. His grip around his bow tightened. The enchanted eldersage wood of the bow bent under the force of his grip. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to extort you, Noele.¡± Amelia rolled her eyes as she spoke to her apprentice. ¡°I¡¯m an unofficial adventurer now, so I can just¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Jax yelled as he loosed a glinting green bolt forward. ¡°[Blooming Deathhowl].¡± The arrow rippled with a powerful aura, trailed by a whistling screech. It shot past Noele and Amelia like a falling star and exploded behind them. The brown-haired woman just nced towards the elf casually as her apprentice backed up reaching for her sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°How dare you humans disrespect me. How dare you humans waste my time. I am Jax the Forsaken Archer¡ª¡± he started. And Amelia appeared next to him, punching him in the face. It happened so far, the elf couldn¡¯t even process it. All he knew was that when he blinked, he was lying face down on the dirt, groaning in pain. ¡°Alright, duel¡¯s over,¡± Amelia said as she dusted her hands off. What are you¡ª Jax tried to speak, but his mouth refused to obey him. He couldn¡¯t get up even if he wanted to. His entire body was numb, like he had been put to sleep but was still conscious of what was going on around him. Noele stared at the elf, lying caked in dirt. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think the duel started yet, Amelia. He didn¡¯t look like he was ready.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought that arrow was like a starter¡¯s pistol.¡± Amelia scratched the back of her head, then shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s my bad. Can we go back now?¡± The blonde girl nced hesitantly between Jax and her mentor. He was still alive. He could tell that she was checking if he¡¯d survived. Amelia called out as she walked off, ¡°Are youing, Noele?¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Noele nodded and hurried after her mentor. ¡°I¡¯m on my way!¡± And Jax justy there, body refusing to move. His face throbbing with an aching pain. He couldn¡¯t speak, only let out a long groan as a single thought crossed his mind. What in the Thrones just happened? ¡ª-- That was a boring waste of time. I wanted to try out a new recipe today¡ª I was convinced that selling like¡­ tacos or burritos would finally help me break through into the food market of Windrip. But Noele dragged me out of the city to deal with some elf, and when I returned, I realized it would be rejected for being too greasy just like the fried chicken. ¡°What about pizza, then?¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. I didn¡¯t think that cheese pizza was that unhealthy. And it wasn¡¯t like the people of Windrip cared as much about the healthiness factor as they did the presentation. Because I wasn¡¯t a [Chef] or a [Cook], they¡¯d automatically assume my cooking was disgusting. And even if I tried to lie about my ss, they took one look at the way my food was prepared and rejected it. Apparently, a lot of the Skills [Cooks] gained after they advanced from being an [Apprentice Cook] tended to be rted to presentation rather than taste. And because my presentation was somewhat sloppy¡ª since I was never a chef on Earth, and I hadn¡¯t touched a kitchen in ten years or however long I spent in the Fractured Realm¡ª the most generous assumption they¡¯d have was that I was a low-leveled [Cook]. In which case, they¡¯d usually refuse my cooking since it was quite expensive. It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to charge twenty copper coins for a single burger. The problem was that the ingredients were expensive to get. Sopared to a normal meal¡ª which was about ten to fifteen copper¡ª I was practically a scam in their eyes. I stood before my stall, looking at the wooden stand up and down as I frowned. An idle thought crossed my mind. ¡°Maybe cooking just isn¡¯t for me¡­¡± I mumbled to myself. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I had to be a chef or whatever. This had just been an experiment because¡­ I wanted to give it a try, I guess. But there were plenty of other things I could try out while I took on jobs from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for money. For example, maybe I could help people out with fast travel¡ª ¡°Amelia,¡± a voice said, cutting off my thoughts. ¡°Hm?¡± I nced back as Noele walked up to me. The blonde girl raised a brow, ncing between me and the food stall. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± she asked curiously. I shook my head and faced her. ¡°Nope. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± She reached for a bag slung over her shoulders. I blinked as she produced a little pouch in the palm of her hand. ¡°I got this for you.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Your, uh, payment,¡± Noele said as she shuffled her feet. ¡°It¡¯s only fifty gold for now. I promise I¡¯ll get you the remaining fifty soon¡ª I just need some time.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I epted the payment, looking into the pouch. I saw the glinting coins inside and did a quick eye-count. It looked like it was fifty coins. I shrugged and pocketed the money. ¡°What¡¯s the hold up anyways, Noele?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a personal matter, honestly. You shouldn¡¯t bother with it, Amelia.¡± The blonde girl tried to wave the subject off, but I gave her a t stare. ¡°Aren¡¯t you my apprentice or something? I¡¯m pretty sure that means I should care if you have a problem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem¡ª it really isn¡¯t,¡± she tried to protest ¡°If it¡¯s not a problem, then just say it,¡± I said dryly. ¡°And if it is a problem, I want to help.¡± Noele pursed her lips. She still seemed reluctant to talk about it, but she eventually acquiesced. ¡°It¡¯s my family,¡± she sighed. ¡°I spent most of my coin on my parents around the time the Goblin Lord attacked.¡± I paused. I could¡¯ve sworn I never saw her leave for her hometown anytime during thest few weeks. ¡°When did you do that?¡± ¡°My parents left for the Frozar Mountains two weeks ago¡ª from their farm just outside of Whiteridge. But the trek there is dangerous, and I can¡¯t be there for them right now. It¡¯s a dangerous area. Even more so than Briar Glen. So I spent pretty much everything I had to get them an escort from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°Wait, you put in a request here in Windrip and it went through to Whiteride?¡± I blinked. ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°Every Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch keeps arge sum of gold at hand to payout most requests. They simply sent a [Message] through the Mage¡¯s Guild to post the job at Whiteridge, and paid out the request for me there while pocketing my gold here.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t realize that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was that pervasive of an institution. I raised my head and asked, ¡°So why would your parents go to such a dangerous ce?¡± ¡°Because of my sister,¡± Noele said, closing her eyes. I saw the way her demeanor changed. She hadn¡¯t told me much about herself even though we have known each other for about a month now. But I remembered tidbits of things she said or let slip out. ¡°Your sister is Nora, right? She, uh, was an adventurer¡­¡± I trailed off, and the blonde girl nodded. ¡°Nora the Noble Swordancer.¡± Noele raised her head as she looked towards the sky. ¡°She was a C-rank adventurer¡ª the reason why I became an adventurer in the first ce. And she had gone to the Frozar Mountains just about ten years ago, the lowest-leveled in an expedition of mostly B-ranks. Together, they took on a dangerous B-ranked Dungeon at the heart of that cold mountain range.¡± Noele reminisced as her white eyes welled up. Her lips quivered, and her voice shook. She took in a deep breath, steeling herself as she continued. ¡°The Dungeon was called the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. It¡¯s no longer ssified as a Dungeon under the Adventurer¡¯s Guild because the expedition cleared it out. But at the very depths of that ruined castle is where my sister¡¯s greatest aplishment as an adventurer lies.¡± I tilted my head, and Noele looked down at the palm of her hand. ¡°An undead wyvern guarded the castle¡¯s vaults. It was the strongest monster in the Dungeon¡ª the only A-ranked monster in that entirety of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. And after a hard-fought battle where dozens of other B-ranks died, my sister was the one to deal the finishing blow to that beast.¡± That actually took me by surprise. ¡°She killed an A-ranked monster even though she was a C-rank?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Noele said, smiling almost proudly. ¡°Nora always said it was luck. That the undead wyvern was badly injured¡ª that anyone else would¡¯ve been able to kill the undead wyvern at that point. But still¡ª even though she was the lowest-leveled of the expedition¡­ even though she was a C-rank¡­ she still returned to Whiteridge, celebrated as a hero.¡± ¡°I¡­ see now.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. I considered giving her aforting pat on the shoulder, but I felt like it would¡¯ve been too awkward. Instead, I just asked more questions. ¡°So why do your parents want to visit that Dungeon? Just to remember what your sister has done?¡± ¡°Because, to this day, the wyvern¡¯s skull lies at the bottom of the former Dungeon, with Nora¡¯s name inscribed on it. With her greatest aplishment forever etched into stone.¡± The blonde girl gritted her teeth as she lowered her head. ¡°Because, when the Miststorm Riders attacked the Astrad Kingdom ten years ago, and my sister sacrificed herself to save me, they¡­ never found a body.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That was rather grim. Now I felt bad for not giving Noele anyforting words. I just wasn¡¯t sure what was an appropriate response. I stood there, pursing my lips as Noele silently stared at the ground, tearing up as she remembered her sister. Finally, I couldn¡¯t stand the silence. I opened my mouth, reaching a hand out. ¡°Noele, I¡ª¡± I started. And a shout interrupted me. ¡°Amelia!¡± Noele blinked, breaking out of her stupor. I nced back as a dirty figure stood at the end of the street. It was Jax the Forsaken Archer. His face was bruised, and a few of his teeth had been knocked out. He bled from his mouth as he drank from a vial. ¡°Is that¡­ an elf?¡± ¡°Wait, I recognize him. Isn¡¯t he an S-rank adventurer¡ª¡± His shouting had attracted the attention of the nearby passersby. Heads turned to face the elf as he panted, tossing aside the potion. They stared in shock, backing away from the scene. I watched as the bruise on his face slowly vanished, and his broken teeth grew back. He smiled savagely at me as he raised his bow. ¡°Did you think you won with one lucky punch?¡± he cackled as he nocked an arrow onto his bow. ¡°You merely caught me off-guard! But this duel isn¡¯t ov¡ª¡± ¡°You talk too much,¡± I cut him off, punching him in the face again. He crashed into a nearby construction site, and I winced as a handful of wooden beams came crashing down. The dust settled as the onlookers exchanged a confused nce. I bit my lower lip as I stared at the copsed building. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to pay for that.¡± MsD Thanks for reading as always Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Noele gaped for a moment as the dust settled. The wooden beams copsed, burying Jax amidst the rubble. She tried to work her jaw. ¡°Is he¡­ dead?¡± ¡°Dunno.¡± I shook my head. I nced towards where the elf had crashed from my punch and shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s honestly pretty durable. I thought the first punch would¡¯ve kept him down for a whole day. But he somehow got back up in only a few hours.¡± At least, thanks to him, that awkward silence with Noele naturally came to an end. I really hadn¡¯t been sure what to say about her sister. I probably should have given my condolences, but I felt like I might have said the wrong thing. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that I was trapped in the Fractured Realm for so long¡ª I had never had to deal with such delicate subjects back on Earth. I had only been a twenty-year-old college student¡ª rather privileged too. I never experienced¡ª and I doubt anyone I knew experienced¡ª anything as heavy as a sister dying to a bunch of evil bandits. So I would rather not deal with it, rather than deal with it without tact. With Jax¡¯s sudden interruption, Noele seemed to have regained herposure. She nced towards me, pursing her lips. ¡°What if he¡­ attacks you again?¡± she asked apprehensively. ¡°Maybe we should just kill him. He¡¯s not a good person, anyway. I¡¯ve heard bad things about him.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I raised my head, considering the thought. ¡°But he hasn¡¯t hurt anyone yet. He even spared your life when he could¡¯ve killed you, Noele.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The blonde girl bit her lower lip. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said as I waved a hand off. I nced towards the copsed building and spoke dismissively. ¡°This time, he should have learned his lesson.¡± I started away from themotion, heading back to Brynn¡¯s inn to retire for the day. Noele just watched me as I gave her a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll leave us alone now.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Amelia! I challenge you to a duel!¡± Jax the Forsaken Archer yelled again and again over the next week or so. As it turned out, the elf didn¡¯t end up leaving me alone. It seemed that the first two punches weren¡¯t enough to get it through his thick skull that he couldn¡¯t beat me. In fact, each time he lost, he was somehow only emboldened to fight me again. Whether it be when I was walking down market street with Noele¡­ ¡°Amelia! You have not won just yet!¡± Jax appeared behind me, an arrow already-nocked onto his bow. Or whether I was out on a D-ranked job¡­ ¡°Amelia! Did you think you had beaten me?¡± the elf screamed as he leapt down from the canopy of trees. ¡°I will not stop until I defeat you¡ª¡± It didn¡¯t matter to him. He took every opportunity he got. The moment he recovered, he was back hounding after me like some kind of rabid dog. It didn¡¯t matter what time it was, the moment he found me, he attacked me. Even when I was sleeping. ¡°Amelia!¡± Jax shouted as he smashed through my windows. He cackled wildly, vines shooting around him towards me. ¡°Today is the day I shall¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s night, you fucking insane idiot!¡± I yelled back as I kicked him out of my room. He shot out of the broken window, violently tumbling down the streets of Windrip. He crashed and rolled through the dirt road for a minute. Until, finally, he came to a halt when I couldn¡¯t see him anymore. Each time he attempted to challenge me to a duel, it always ended the same with. With a single hit, he was gone, out ofmission for the next six or so hours. And he¡¯d always return shortly after that without fail. Sighing, I closed my blinds and turned over in bed as the cool outside wind blew into my room. I was going to have to reimburse Brynn in the morning for the broken window. A single thought crossed my mind as I dozed off back to sleep. This¡­ is starting to get annoying. I just didn¡¯t understand how Jax wasn¡¯t getting tired of losing at this point. ¡ª-- This¡­ is so exciting, the thought crossed Jax¡¯s mind the moment he woke up. He was bleeding. His face smashed in¡ª jaw broken and cheekbone shattered. He gasped, barely able to even breathe as his ribs bent back and squeezed against his lungs. He grabbed a healing elixir and quickly downed it, recovering back to full health mere momentster. The elf inhaled sharply as he got to his feet. The sun was shining, just about reaching its peak in the sky. He must have been out unconscious for most of the morning, lying out here in the middle of market street. ¡°That¡¯s Jax the Forsaken Archer, isn¡¯t here? I heard he arrived in Windripst week, but¡­¡± ¡°What happened to him? I thought he was an S-ranked adventurer¡ª who could have done this?¡± ¡°I heard he was defeated by an unranked adventurer in battle¡ª¡± Yet, even as a crowd gathered around him¡ª even as the passersby whispered and pointed his way¡ª he didn¡¯t feel an ounce of shame. Jax was never one to care about his reputation, hence why he never bothered to dispel all the false rumors spread about his name. Even the immense aching of his entire body from overdosing on too much potions was but a numb feelingpared to how he truly felt at this moment. Excitement. This was so exhrating. He hadn¡¯t been challenged like this in so long. For the first time in over twenty years, the elf felt truly alive. Thest time he even felt remotely close to how he felt now was when he finally became an S-rank adventurer¡ª when he yed the Guardian Dragon of Zrayl in singlebat. Even then, it was an iparable feeling to this. This¡­ this reminded him of why he left his vige and became an adventurer in the first ce. The thrill. The blood coursing through his veins. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest like a master smith hammering away at their magnum opus. It was the challenge. The threat. It felt so real. The fact that he was so clearly outmatched cemented this. At any point in time, Amelia could kill him if she wanted to. Yet, she didn¡¯t. And Jax took his chances again. Because he remembered what it was like to be a child facing down an enemy he couldn¡¯t possiblyprehend. One he couldn¡¯t run from¡ª one that could have killed him with a single swing. But against all odds, he won. Since then, he had been hooked to the adrenaline¡ª to the catharsis that came from killing an enemy stronger than him. It made the level ups far more rewarding. He reminisced luxuriating in that feeling. He sought to feel it again. This feeling of bing stronger. It was why Jax continued pursuing enemies. Unlike other S-ranks who reached what they thought to be the pinnacle of Vacuos and slowed down, the Forsaken Archer never stopped searching for a way to be even more powerful than he currently was. Because he didn¡¯t be an adventurer to seek out riches, nor did he care for fame. It was the same reason why he only ever fought alone. Even other S-rank adventurers coborated from time to time, although adventuring teams and expeditions were incredibly rare at this level. Fighting alongside others would only defeat the purpose of his goal. And his only goal was to be stronger¡ª to relive that childhood memory of oveing all odds, surpassing his limits, and winning against an unwinnable opponent. That was why he was so strong. That was why he was on the cusp of reaching SS-rank. He was Level 68 now. One of the highest-leveled individuals in the world. Perhaps if he defeated Amelia in battle, he could finally reach Level 70. The thought itself made him shiver in excitement. Jax scanned the faces in the crowd staring at him. He pointed at a random man and snarled. ¡°You, human.¡± The man blinked and backed up, but the crowd receded from him. ¡°M-me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you, you ipetent fool,¡± Jax said as he walked up to the man. ¡°Bring me to Amelia.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know who that is!¡± the man eximed. ¡°Figure it out. I need you to tell me where she went.¡± The elf spun around, walking down the street as he grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll need to prepare for our next duel.¡± This time, for certain, he was going to defeat that brown-haired human. ¡ª-- ¡°What are you doing, Amelia?¡± Noele asked, and I turned away from the job board. I looked at the blonde girl as she walked into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild apanied by Garron. Both of them had been out training again a few miles away from Windrip. They¡¯d just returned from today¡¯s session as they usually did just before the evening. ¡°I¡¯m just looking for any jobs I can do, I guess.¡± I shrugged in response and faced the burly man. He was covered in grime and dirt, a few bruises visible on his face. ¡°What happened to you? You look pretty fucked up.¡± Untilst week, Noele had apparently been losing their sparring sessions since she had refused to use her Skills. But over thest week, she¡¯d been winning more and more frequently. Today, however, didn¡¯t look like just a victory. It looked like it had been total and utter domination from the blonde girl¡¯s part. Noele scratched the back of her head as Garron groaned. ¡°Oh, well, he asked me if he can try to tank my new¡­ skill? Ability? I¡¯m not sure what to call it. I just call it ¡®Glorious Noble sh¡¯. And¡ª¡± She gestured at him apprehensively. ¡°You know?¡± The Steel Tank sighed as he rubbed his shoulder. ¡°To add insult to injury, Noele was only giving it a tenth of everything she got.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡± the blonde girl protested. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it was barely stronger than a normal [Noble sh], and what I used against Jax was about ten times stronger than that.¡± He shook his head.¡°I do not understand why you would try to refute what I said only to support it.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to recreate that attack, Garron. It was a one-time thing because¡­ of Jax. I don¡¯t know.¡± I watched the two bicker as I ced a hand on my chin. When they quietened down, I decided to speak up. ¡°I¡¯d like to see your Glorious Noble sh too,¡± I said as I faced Noele. ¡°You know, since I¡¯m your mentor and all.¡± I did feel a little bit bad for not really teaching her much since I took her on as my apprentice. She blinked. Then her eyes widened. She took a step forward excitedly. ¡°I¡¯d love to¡ª¡± she started. But a familiar voice interrupted her. ¡°Amelia!¡± I groaned. Noele immediately backed away from me, and Garron stared in shock at the elf standing at the door. ¡°Halt!¡± the burly man called out as the adventurers in the guild hall raised their weapons warily. ¡°S-rank adventurer Jax the Forsaken Archer, you are not allowed to duel Amelia in guild property! It is against the rules of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for any A-rank or above adventurer from partaking in any brawls or fights in an official Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± Jax narrowed his eyes. He nced around the room, gaze zing over the counter where a [Receptionist]¡ª not Justyn¡ª stood, beforending at a second desk with a [Mage]. The elf snorted as he walked into the room. He didn¡¯t instantly attack me, much to my relief. But he made his intentions to fight me clear. ¡°As far as I can tell, this is not official Adventurer¡¯s Guild property, human. So get out of my way or I will make you.¡± The elf¡¯s eyes glinted threateningly as he raised his bow. Garron hesitated, gulping before he could say his next words. ¡°I¡ª¡± And I spoke over him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting tired of this by now, Jax?¡± I asked as I started forward. ¡°You¡¯ve lost a dozen times in a row. If you think I¡¯ve been unfair, attacking you when you¡¯re busy monologuing, then fine. I will wait for you to be fully prepared to duel this time. But I will only ept your challenge on one condition.¡± The elf paused. He slowly tilted his head, eyeing me curiously. Then he sneered. ¡°Very well, I shall hear your request,¡± he said as he walked up towards me. ¡°But I assure you, this time, I will not lose. This time, I want you to show me everything you¡¯ve got, and I will defeat you. I challenge you, Amelia. And I will adhere to any terms youy on the table.¡± Jax was smirking. Sopletely full of himself. It was almost like he thought he was the one gracing me with his benevolence. As if he was the one doing me a favor by hearing me out. I sighed and raised a hand out. ¡°If I win¡ª¡± I grabbed him by his cloak and pulled him close. He yelped, trying to back away. But he couldn¡¯t break free. I held onto him with an iron grip as he struggled. Then he froze as I held his gaze. His eyes grew wide as he saw me ring dangerously into him. And as I spoke, he trembled. ¡°Leave me the fuck alone or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Jax the Forsaken Archer had never felt fear in his life. Not once. Even when he was on the cusp of death as a child, being toyed with by that giant dion elfeater, caught in its vines as it threatened to swallow him whole with its petal-like maw, he didn¡¯t feel afraid. He didn¡¯t panic or cry in the face of certain death. Instead, he luxuriated in it. He bloomed when the die was cast, and surviving was not certain. And for a moment, he thought he finally learned what fear was. For a single second, when Amelia¡¯s death-stare bore into his very soul, he almost believed he was afraid for his life. But that moment passed, and excitement took over. He epted the girl¡¯s terms as she led him far away from the city, out towards the mountains of Briar Glen. They stood at the bottom of a valley, no life seen anywhere in miles. For some reason, the trees in the area had been uprooted, as if some powerful force had ripped out all the vegetation in hundreds of feet. But this ce wasn¡¯tpletely deserted. There was one straggler¡ª or a spectator¡ª present in this barren wastnd. Noele the Noble Spellsword followed her mentor out here to watch the duel. Jax had warned her against following, but she insisted. And since Amelia allowed it, there was nothing the elf could do to stop the blonde girl from getting herself killed. ¡°Are you ready to watch, girl?¡± he asked as he faced Noele. She was standing atop a hill, looking down at the so-called arena from afar. ¡°Observe, and you shall see the true meaning of power.¡± The blonde girl didn¡¯t respond. She just pursed her lips as the elf grinned. He turned back to Amelia as he raised his bow. ¡°But before we begin, I have a question for you, Amelia,¡± Jax said, and she tilted her head in response. ¡°Tell me, are you truly this powerful without a ss?¡± ¡°I am,¡± she replied simply. His eyes flickered. He reached for a Bag of Holding at his side. ¡°So I take it you are a part of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, then?¡± Amelia rolled her eyes. ¡°Why does everyone think that? No¡ª I am not a part of some cult.¡± ¡°What other exnation for your strength is there?¡± The elf peered at her as he grabbed a ss vial. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a long exnation¡­ I already answered two of your questions, how about you answer one of mine?¡± she said as she crossed her arms. ¡°Why are you doing all this?¡± ¡°You need to be more specific.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Why am I doing¡­ what?¡± Amelia shrugged in response. ¡°Why are you challenging me to a duel, I guess.¡± ¡°For the same reason I do everything else¡ª for the same reason I chose to be an adventurer¡ª to be stronger.¡± She blinked as he smirked. Up atop the hill, Noele listened in, drawing her lips into a thin line. For a moment, no one moved. A gust of wind swept over the valley. The elf waited. And, finally, Amelia sighed. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s just do this¡ª¡± she started. And Jax moved. He leapt back, tossing the vial into the air. He fired an arrow into it, and it shattered with an explosion of ss as Amelia just stood there and watched. A deluge of water rained out from the vial. The Forsaken Archer had bought it from an [Alchemist] just a few hours ago. It was a clear concoction designed to turn into water a thousand times its volume when contained the moment it was exposed to air. So a torrent fell around Amelia as the elf nocked three arrows into his bow. Amelia stared at the falling water, a puzzled look on her face. And he unleashed the glinting bolts out. ¡°[Ceaseless Sprout Storm],¡± he whispered. And as the arrows ran through the falling rain, they rippled. The thin projectiles shifted and grew, rapidly morphing into giant vines and roots. A tangle of foliage exploded out and encroached on the brown-haired woman. He watched the growing mass of nature threatened to crush Amelia as it grew to the size of a house. But she just raised a hand and punched up. The entire bush of vines, roots, wood, and thorns was blown back by the simple attack and reduced to a mere fraction of what it had been. But Jax expected that. He knew that Amelia was strong, which was why he had prepared the vast amount of water beforehand. Amelia blinked as the mass of nature started to grow back,shing out at her once again with its thorns. The elfughed. ¡°How do you like that?¡± Jax gloated as he spread his arms wide. ¡°My [Ceaseless Sprout Storm] will keep growing again and again when its thirst is quenched with enough water! It will not fall no matter how many times you destroy¡ª¡± And she reached for her de, shing up. The entire twisted mass of vines and thorns exploded. Not a shred of it remained as she sheathed her sword. ¡°You were saying?¡± Amelia asked tly. Jax gritted his teeth and produced another pair of vials. ¡°Do you think that was all I had nned?¡± He sprinted forward, charging straight for the brown-haired woman. She just stood there without wavering, and he swerved out of the way at the veryst second. He uncorked the vials, pouring a yellow liquid into the ground as she looked down. Jax repeated this three more times as he zipped around her at iprehensible speeds before leaping back. She frowned as she raised her legs, seeing the yellow liquid stick to her shoes. ¡°Wait, is this honey?¡± In response, Jax fired an arrow straight at her. She simply craned her neck out of the way, and the arrow struck the ground behind her. He sped around her, loosing more and more bolts from all directions, but she easily dodged them with ease. ¡°Are you even trying right now?¡± Amelia snorted. ¡°No,¡± he said with a smug grin. ¡°I am trying now¡ª¡± He pointed at her. She cocked her head, and the arrows at her feet shimmered. The honey dissolved quickly, being absorbed into the fallen projectiles. She looked down right as the arrows floated into the air. They shifted, glowing a bright golden. They hovered in the air and faced the brown-haired woman from all directions. ¡°[Ethereal Arrow-Wasp Swarm].¡± The arrows shot out all at once. Hundreds of them zipped back and forth, striking Amelia as theypletely engulfed her figure. They didn¡¯t just attack her one time and that was it¡ª they repeatedly flew around her, an incessant swarm, like wasps. And that was not all, their sharp edges were coated with a paralyzing poison. Even if it wasn¡¯t enough to kill her, she¡¯d surely be incapacitated from this attack. He couldn¡¯t see Amelia through the hundreds of glowing arrows covering her figure, but he already knew she was writhing in pain from the constant stinging attacks. And he wasn¡¯t finished just yet. Hended a hundred feet from her, raising a singlerge bolt. It looked like the kind of ammunition needed for a ballista. It was as tall as him, and he nocked it onto his enchanted eldersage bow. ¡°[Sluggish Salvo].¡± He loosed the arrow. It shot forward, at first moving quickly as it should, then it suddenly bulged. The arrow doubled in size and halved in speed in an instant. Jax watched as the arrow continued to slow and growrger before raising his bow. ¡°[Spore Armageddon].¡± The elf rapidly loosed five arrows high into the sky. The volley flew up in an arc and exploded like fireworks. On the hilltop, Noele narrowed her eyes and leapt back with a [sh Step] as she created a [Force Barrier]. Jax snorted. Astute, he¡¯d have tomend the blonde girlter. For now, he was busy killing her mentor for good. The sts rained down tens of thousands of tiny orange spores down where Amelia stood, even as the [Ethereal Arrow-Wasp Storm] continued assailing her. The [Sluggish Salvo] reached the brown-haired women right as the falling sporesnded. And the massive projectile exploded. It was about ten times the size of Jax himself when it impacted the zipping golden arrows and detonated. The elf himself vanished, appearing over a thousand feet away with a quick-use of [Nature Walk] to easily reach the nearby forest. He looked on as the [Sluggish Salvo] destroyed everything in hundreds of feet. A st that turned that barrenndscape into a massive crater. The orange explosion lit up the sky, but that wasn¡¯t all. Right as the st reached its greatest intensity, it was only amplified. Smaller explosions erupted out by the hundreds every second. Each st was about a dozen feet in diameter, but with so many at once, it was terribly destructive. They ripped apart everything in a thousand feet radius as the Forsaken Archer watched from a safe distance. This was thebination of Skills Jax would use to take on an army in an instant. But, here, he was using it against only a single opponent. He felt his heart beating fast, exhration filling his entire being. He smiled, satisfied. ¡°This feeling¡­ I feel so alive.¡± His gaze was focused only on the center of the fading st. There was nothing but a towering column of smoke now. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to Noele whonded just a hundred feet from him, barely escaping the explosion in time. ¡°I have won¡ª¡± he started. And he paused. His eyes grew wide as a shadow moved amidst the gray curtain. From the massive crater, Amelia emerged. She walked his way casually, still holding her sword raised to the side. She leapt forward, escaping the crater anding to a halt a few dozen feet away from the elf. He gaped at her as she dusted herself off,pletely unscathed from his attacks. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± He tried to work his jaw. It was like his heart stopped functioning. He wasn¡¯t breathing. He couldn¡¯t speak. The Forsaken Archer just froze before Amelia as she gave him a nk stare. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± she asked, crossing her arms. ¡°Because if that¡¯s all, I believe we¡¯re done here.¡± For a moment, he stood there in a stupor. Then he raised his bow, screaming with a savage grin. ¡°It¡¯s not over until I win¡ª [Blooming Deathhowl]!¡± He fired a quick bolt forward, and it rippled with a powerful green energy. It was one of the strongest Skills he knew. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t nearly as destructive as the salvo of attacks he¡¯d just unleashed, but it was strong on its own, capable of taking down most single enemies in an instant. It could even pierce a dozen enchanted Dragonscale Chesttes with ease. The arrow shot towards Amelia faster than Jax could move. He grinned, remembering how she had purposefully avoided this attack when they first met. He should have done this in the first ce. Not even she would survive such an attack. So he listened to its whistle. His heart raced as he watched the projectile draw closer. Amelia blinked as the [Blooming Deathhowl] reached her¡ª and flicked a finger at it. The green bolt exploded into a thousand pieces. The Forsaken Archer¡¯s jaw dropped. He looked on as one of his most powerful Skills was deflected, just like it was a vial of ss. ¡°You can¡¯t win,¡± Amelia said simply. ¡°I took everything you could throw at me. Give up.¡± Jax¡¯s mind reeled. He stood there, at a loss for words. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. His gaze darkened as a thought crossed his mind. Give up? he asked himself. His entire being went numb. He felt his grip over his bow slip. She wants me to give up? And he remembered the dion elfeater. Even though it was a giant carnivorous nt, it could speak. And he recalled how it mocked him. It threatened to swallow him whole, but refused to eat him, just because he was a level-less child. That memory burned in his mind. He remembered the little bit of golden dust he produced from his pocket, sprinkling it into the teeth-like petals. Right as it was about to swallow him whole, he tossed a single match in, kindling the zing powder. And in an instant, the C-rank beast exploded. He still felt the burning mes to this day. He still felt the same adrenaline from that moment right now. Even though he was just a child with no ss, he somehow killed a dion elfeater. And that always drove him forward. He clenched his jaw, steeling himself. The elf broke out of his stupor. This¡­ why should he surrender in this situation? This was why he lived. This was why he did everything he had ever done. He had reclused himself from society¡ª he had shunned himself from his people. The Forsaken Archer¡¯s very life revolved around this one purpose. So he was never going to give up. Jax¡¯s grip on his bow tightened as he raised the weapon. He shouted wildly, aiming for Amelia with the bow. ¡°I will not give up! I will surpass my limits! I will do whatever I have to to defeat you¡ª¡± And she appeared next to him, sword raised. He flinched as she swung down at him. He scrambled back and dropped his bow. He fell to the ground, expecting the worst. But all he felt was the cold touch of her de resting against his neck. He opened his eyes and stared at the brown-haired woman looming over him. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake,¡± she sighed exasperatedly. ¡°You¡¯re doing this because you want to, not because you have to do it.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Jax breathed heavily as hey there, feeling his blood run cold. An unfamiliar feeling overtook him. He stared up, confused, trying to understand what was going on. Amelia shook her head as she pressed the sword further into his neck. A trickle of warm blood ran down his chest as he gulped. The exhration draining¡ª the excitement entirely gone. Finally, he realized what this was. All he felt now was¡­ fear. The brown-haired woman continued, ¡°And if you¡¯re doing this because you want to, that¡¯s fine if you find it fulfilling. But¡ª¡± She drew the de back, flicking a single droplet of blood on the grass before his feet. Jax blinked a few times as she sheathed her sword. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare drag me into your nonsense again,¡± she said as she red at him. ¡°Or else I¡¯ll actually kill you next time.¡± Jax opened his mouth to protest. The Forsaken Archer tried to get back on his feet as she turned around. But his knees buckled, and he fell back to the ground. He raised a hand up, gasping as she walked towards Noele waiting in the distance. ¡°W-wait¡ª¡± he called out. Amelia paused, groaning. She turned away from her apprentice and frowned. ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Jax breathed sharply, struggling to get the words out. His fists tightened as he stared down at the grassy ground with a blurry gaze. Mustering all of his strength, he raised his head. ¡°H-how did you get so strong? How did¡­?¡± The Forsaken Archer needed to know the answer. He had to be as strong as her. He stared at the brown-haired woman as her apprentice stepped up behind her. ¡°Noele asked me the same question, and I¡¯ll give you the same question I gave her.¡± Amelia gestured at the blonde girl and spoke tly. ¡°I did it because I had to.¡± ¡°Because you had to¡­?¡± Jax¡¯s pupils dted. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she replied simply. The elf closed his eyes. He recalled that core memory with the dion elfeater. How he was pushed back against the wall, left with no other choice. It was what made him who he was today. The fact that a single moment in his childhood created the S-ranked Forsaken Archer. And he opened his eyes, looking up at Amelia. Such immense power¡ª she outssed him in every possible aspect. It wasn¡¯t even fair topare himself with her. He could only imagine what she had gone through to get to this level of strength. No¡­ he couldn¡¯t even imagine it. Jax tried to, but his mind refused to even begin to think about whatever trials and tribtions Amelia must have experienced. He slowly nodded as she folded her arms. ¡°Can I go now?¡± Amelia asked, and he lowered his head. ¡°I understand now,¡± he said as his lips quivered. Taking in a deep breath, he finally acquiesced. ¡°I give up. This battle¡­ wasn¡¯t even close.¡± ¡ª-- It was finally over. I was starting to get extremely tired of Jax¡¯s antics. But he conceded, and I was d I didn¡¯t have to deal with him ever again. Well, I did wonder if I went a little too far with how badly I beat him down. He was like apletely different person by the end of it all. And while I found him annoying, I didn¡¯t think he was an evil person, despite what Noele said about him. After all, he didn¡¯t kill her when he had all the chance in the world to do so. In any case, I was d I could finally get a proper night''s sleep now. And the next day, I stood at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild job board, looking over the same requests that were usually posted. I stood there for half an hour, wondering what I should do, when the door to the guild mmed open. I blinked and nced back as a familiar figure entered the crowded hall. Everyone in the room froze. Justyn was working at the counter today, and he got to his feet with wide eyes. ¡°Jax¡ª¡± the [Receptionist] started. ¡°I am not here looking for a fight,¡± the elf snorted as he walked into the room. ¡°I¡¯m just here for a job.¡± I narrowed my eyes, watching hime to a halt next to me. He scanned the job board before he picked out the only S-rank request posted there. ¡°Ruby manticores? Hmph, not much of a threat, but it¡¯s on the way¡­¡± he murmured to himself. I side-eyed him. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you back in full spirits so soon after yesterday,¡± Imented idly, and he nced towards me. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be sulking in an inn, drinking my sorrows away? No, Amelia.¡± The elf snorted as he folded up the piece of parchment and pocketed it. ¡°I should be thanking you instead. You helped me realize I was wrong¡ª that all my life, I was searching for something I could never attain.¡± ¡°That is a relief.¡± I smiled, d to see he was acting less insane now. I almost thought he was aplete lunatic when he couldn¡¯t change after I beat him a dozen times in a row with a single hit but he still persisted. ¡°And what did you learn?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Grow stronger? That is but a fool¡¯s quest. Even if the seraphims themselves descend from the heavens and bequeath me with their power, I will never be satisfied. I will always desire to be stronger.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± I saw the request he had pocketed and raised a brow. ¡°Are you going to fight for the sake of others? For money? For fun?¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± He chuckled as he held my gaze. ¡°I want to be the strongest.¡± I blinked. Twice. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°You are right, Amelia.¡± Jax the Forsaken Archer raised a hand, staring into the back of his palm. ¡°I wasn¡¯t fighting because I had to. At any point in time, I could retire if I wanted to. There is nothing forcing me to fight¡ª to grow stronger. It is all because it was what I wanted to do. I ept that¡ª I understand that. And now, I want to do something different. I will do something different. I will be the strongest.¡± ¡°But¡­ why?¡± I asked, utterly befuddled. The elf just smirked. ¡°Because I wish to one day return to face you inbat. You are the strongest in all of Vacuos¡ª there is no questioning it. And I want to surpass you.¡± I stared at him as he raised his head. He ced a hand to his chest, lips curled up as he was smiling to himself. I didn¡¯t understand this. I couldn¡¯t understand him. But he seemed satisfied. ¡°This request to exterminate those ruby manticores is but the first step surpassing you, Amelia. Once I am done with that, I shall travel to Mount Arkais and train amongst the deadly monsters living there. I shall be an SS-rank adventurer and challenge the Elder Dragon residing in that mountain to a duel. And when I finally defeat him, I shall return to challenge you once more.¡± Jax the Forsaken Archer nodded at me reassuringly. But I didn¡¯t feel reassured at all. I just stood there, staring at him, unable to find the words to even say right now. He spun around, marching out of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild as he bade me farewell. ¡°I will return, Amelia. I can promise you that.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± I said, but he was already gone. I rubbed my temples as the double doors swiveled. The Forsaken Archer left Windrip, heading for Mount Arkais at the other side of the continent. And he left me dreading his eventual return. Sighing, I muttered under my breath. ¡°Sorry, Grat-ra¡¯zun. I think I just sent an insane person your way.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Why did you be an adventurer? Noele opened her eyes, staring up at the wooden ceiling of her room as the question echoed in her head. The words sounded clear as day. The voice of the one who spoke it reached deep into her heart. Her chest ached. She gasped and inhaled. Sitting up, the blonde girl took in her surroundings and whispered. ¡°Nora¡ª¡± she called her sister¡¯s name. And Noele received no response. She sat on her bed in Brynn¡¯s inn, looking at the messy room around her. Her belongings were scattered across the floorboards, artifacts and old documents lying around haphazardly, tossed to the ground from her Bag of Holding. Getting to her feet, the blonde girl peeked out the blinds of her window and saw that it was already midday. The sun was shining high, and the city was busy withbor and construction, the sounds of banging hammers and shing metal audible all across Windrip. It seemed that the reconstruction of the city was going quite well. In fact, Noele heard the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building was going to be officially reopened just today. It had been about a week since Jax the Forsaken Archer left Windrip, and this was going to be the blonde girl¡¯s first off-day from training with Garron. Mostly because he was needed at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild opening. Still, she was quite d she could finally have a day off. Well¡ª she could always have a rest day whenever she wanted, but she refused to take them unless she had a valid excuse like today. But for the past few days, she had felt rather¡­ out of it. Ever since Noele the Noble Spellsword witnessed the final duel between her mentor and that S-rank elf, her mind had weighed heavily on her head. It was like she walked around with an incessant throbbing headache¡ª one that refused to go away, even when she had taken a few [Alchemist] concoctions to help with it. And she knew why she was so unsettled. It wasn¡¯t because of Jax¡¯s disy of power. She had been amazed at how well he fought¡ª she never expected him to be that strong, even if he still easily lost to Amelia. Rather, it was what he said that put the blonde girl at unease. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer?¡± Noele asked no one in particr. And a response came from her memories. ¡°To be stronger,¡± Jax had said. A simple answer. It should not have unnerved Noele. But again, her memory spoke to her. A soothing voice¡ª the words of her sister. ¡°To be strong,¡± Nora had said. Noele pursed her lips at that. Nora and Jax had¡­ simr answers. They were clearly distinct¡ª but they were so close that they could also be indistinguishable from the right perspective. And that unnerved the blonde girl. She had respected her sister more than anyone else in the world. To Noele, Nora might as well have been an angel sent down from the heavens above. It was an endless adoration. Without Nora, the blonde girl would have never amounted to anything in life. Meanwhile, Jax was¡­ ¡°A fucking psycho,¡± Noele murmured as she got to her feet. Perhaps it was because of all the rumors she¡¯d heard about him¡ª or maybe it was because he literally ambushed her out of nowhere¡ª but the blonde girl hated Jax. Even if he was the so-called Forsaken Archer¡ª one of the highest-leveled S-ranked adventurers around¡ª he was still a total jerk. He even nearly killed Noele with that massive destructive Skill he¡¯d used in his duel against Amelia! Although¡­ Amelia probably wouldn¡¯t have let that happen if she didn¡¯t think the blonde girl couldn¡¯t escape. Still, it irked Noele. She didn¡¯t like him at all. Yet, he had given her the closest answer to the one she¡¯d been looking for since she became an adventurer. She thought it would reassure her¡ª reaffirm her beliefs that led her to taking up this dangerous job. But the fact that it came from someone like Jax meant that it¡­ unsettled her. It shook her to the very core. The blonde girl sat back down onto her bed and ced a hand on her chest. Closing her eyes, she asked herself a single question. ¡°Why did I be an adventurer?¡± And, for the first time in years, Noele couldn¡¯t give herself an answer. ¡ª-- The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had been rebuilt. Well, actually, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was never gone. It was just the building that had been destroyed during the Goblin Lord siege of Windrip. And, now, thanks to the work of a few [Constructors] and [Architects], the building was back once more. Everyone was buzzing about this news¡ª Guildmaster Evan had given me a formal invitation to attend this grand reopening, and Garron the Steel Tank told me he¡¯d be giving a big speech or whatever since he was Windrip¡¯s very own B-rank adventurer. Sure, Noele and Evan were both A-rank adventurers, but neither of them were local to the city. Apparently, most local adventurers from Windrip tended to leave the city to start their careers as Briar Glen was too dangerous of a region for most F-ranks or E-ranks if they weren¡¯t careful. Anyways, that meant Garron was a bit of a big deal in Windrip. Like a rather big celebrity in the city. Because of this, a lot of non-adventurers were going to be showing up for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild reopening. Even the [Lord] of Windrip was going to be visiting. I had no idea Windrip had a [Lord]. He never showed up once after the whole Goblin Lord debacle. Which made sense, since he wasn¡¯t very well-liked. But he was going to be there. Honestly, I didn¡¯t really see the point in throwing this whole ceremony or whatever. I stood there, facing a wall in the room as the celebration began behind me. I wasn¡¯t just facing an empty wall, of course. I was inspecting the job board they had put in ce here. But I didn¡¯t see anything new that piqued my interest here. ¡°New building, same jobs, nothing different for me.¡± I sighed, but for whatever reason, I didn¡¯t budge from where I stood. ¡ª-- Noele hadn¡¯t nned to visit the Adventurer¡¯s Guild reopening party, but she was here now. The Noble Spellsword had been an adventurer for ten years now, and she was just about used to everything about this life¡­ except for parties. She shrank back as she heard the cheering. The rambunctious crowd and jovial ruckus too jarring for her as a [Farmer]¡¯s daughter. Shifting ufortably at her seat, she watched Garron stand at the front of the guild hall, raise a mug, and bellow. ¡°To a new Windrip!¡± he eximed. And the gathered adventurers cheered with him. ¡°To a new Windrip!¡± Heughed and drank with them, speaking with adventurers,moners, and nobles alike. He downed three mugs before he finally left them, returning to the blonde girl. He was the one who invited her, and so she sat at his table with him. ¡°Drink, Noele?¡± He offered her a fresh mug of ale. ¡°Thanks.¡± Noele gave him a small nod as she epted the ss. She wasn¡¯t really a fan of drinking until she was drunk. But she normally enjoyed a drink or two¡ª sometimes even a ss of wine or something stronger. But, today, she was out of it. She just took the ale and stared down into the mug. The froth faded away, revealing her reflection in the liquid¡¯s golden-brown surface. Noele saw a stranger there. A blonde girl¡¯s face she didn¡¯t recognize. So foreign¡ª so unfamiliar. For a single second, she didn¡¯t even know that was her. Slowly, she brought a hand up to her face. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Is everything alright, Noele?¡± Garron asked as he peered over her shoulder. Noele blinked and raised her head. ¡°Wha¡ª oh, I¡¯m fine,¡± she quickly said. ¡°You don¡¯t look fine.¡± The burly man lowered his mug of ale onto the table and crossed his arms. ¡°We have been training together for weeks, Noele. Over a month at this point. If there¡¯s a problem, you can confide in me.¡± He gave her a reassuring smile, despite the re he always wore on his face. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± she trailed off. He was right in that the blonde girl wasn¡¯t fine. But she couldn¡¯t really vocalize her thoughts. Not in a way that made sense. She just felt¡­ lost. All because of what Jax had said. It wasn¡¯t even a statement directed to her. The fact that it impacted her so deeply puzzled her as much as it upsetted her. When she couldn¡¯t figure out a way to sort out her feelings, she just resorted to the usual question she always asked. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer, Garron?¡± The burly man cocked a brow, not expecting that question. ¡°Why did I be an adventurer?¡± Noele nodded. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer? Did you just do it on a whim? Or were you driven by some other purpose?¡± ¡°That is a loaded question for a party,¡± he chuckled and leant back on his seat. Garron made himselffortable as he raised his head. ¡°Well, if I had to ascribe a singr reason to my decision, it would be for revenge.¡± ¡°Revenge?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Garron said as his eyes sharpened. ¡°My parents were [Merchants]. Both of them. That¡¯s how they met¡ª they werepetitors in the same business who joined forces and got married. So they¡¯d often travel between Bacton and Windrip to sell goods between the cities.¡± The blonde girl listened as he went on, even if she already knew where this story was going. ¡°But, one day, when they both left for Bacton, they never returned. They were attacked by a darkwood moose. They traveled with a convoy, escorted by a party of C-ranked adventurers, but that didn¡¯t matter¡ª they were all ughtered.¡± Garron tightly clutched onto his mug of ale. He quickly took a swig of the drink as Noele closed her eyes. Of course, she told herself. It was always the same reason. Adventurers only picked up the job for three reasons. The first was money, the second was glory, and the third was revenge because someone they knew was killed by a monster. Noele had heard it over and over again so many times. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t sympathize with Garron. She was just hoping for a different answer. The Steel Tank continued, ¡°I do not know what happened that day. I am not sure what provoked the darkwood moose. While they are B-ranked threats, they are considered docile by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And I didn¡¯t care. I became an adventurer to seek out that darkwood moose¡ª and kill it. To avenge my parents and all those that monster had senselessly ughtered.¡± ¡°Did you manage to find it?¡± Noele asked, pressing her lips into a thin line. ¡°The moment I advanced to B-rank, I tried to hunt it down. I partnered with a [Hunter] to track the darkwood moose, but when I eventually found itsir, I was toote.¡± He chuckled mirthlessly as he nced down at his drink. ¡°The darkwood moose had already been killed by something else. I only realize now that it was probably in by those goblins.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± She stared at the burly man, unsure of what to say. Finally, she just ced a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Garron raised his head and looked back with hollow eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be. Vengeance is a foolish purpose, anyway.¡± The two sat there in silence for a moment. Just a moment. Then Garron harrumphed and got to his feet. He downed the rest of his mug of ale and puffed up his chest. ¡°I am ruining the festivities,¡± he said as he mmed the mug onto the table. ¡°Come on, this is a party. Let us celebrate.¡± He started forward, joining the rest of the party. But Noele didn¡¯t follow. She just excused herself instead. ¡°I have to, uh, use the¡­¡± she said. ¡°Ah. My apologies.¡± He nodded and stepped aside. Noele hurried away towards the outer edge of the party¡ª where it wasn¡¯t so boisterous and crowded. She kept to the fringes, trying to calm her thoughts. She still felt empty. Even after that conversation with Garron, the hole in heart didn¡¯t vanish. It was like she¡¯d been stabbed in the chest and she didn¡¯t even realize it. Which made no sense, because this was a time for her to be proud of her achievements. Noele thought of everything she had worked towards over thest few weeks. She had be an A-ranked adventurer, after so long. She had learned to fight without the World System¡ª to a certain extent¡ª and could create a Glorious Noble sh that seemed dangerous even for an S-rank adventurer. Despite all that, the blonde girl¡¯s mind drifted to something else. Instead of remembering her aplishments, she just thought of her parents. Her mama and papa. She remembered thest time she saw them¡ª how they had refused to allow her to be an adventurer. And she ran away. Noele ran from her home, leaving her parents behind all by themselves just so she could take after her sister. Even though they said that they didn¡¯t want her to get herself killed just like Nora, she ignored them and escaped, pursuing the life of an adventurer. And for what reason? She didn¡¯t know anymore. That was why her heart ached so much. The blonde girl clenched a fist as she turned around. She held back her tears as she thought of her mama and papa¡ª how she longed to see them now. Even though they had exchanged [Messages] through the Mage¡¯s Guild. Even though she often sent back letters with money, apologizing for her sudden departure, it just wasn¡¯t the same as seeing them again. Maybe I should leave, Noele thought to herself as she started for the guild¡¯s exit. I should go back to Whiteridge now¡ª surprise them when they return from the Frozar Mountains. There was no reason for her to do any of this anymore. Maybe she would bid farewell to Garron, but adventurers came and went all the time. The only person she really needed to speak with was¡­ Her mentor. Noele blinked as she raised her head. That was right. She was still supposed to be Amelia¡¯s apprentice. So she couldn¡¯t just leave yet¡ª not until she told her mentor. So Noele searched for Amelia. The blonde girl scoured the room, having heard that Amelia was present at the party. She scanned therge hall until, finally, she caught sight of her mentor. ¡°There¡ª¡± The blonde girl started forward, heading for the brown-haired woman. Then she paused. She stared at Amelia¡¯s back. ¡°How long has she been standing there at the job board?¡± Noele blinked. ¡°Forty-five minutes,¡± a voice came in reply. The blonde girl spun around to face Guildmaster Evan. He was looking down at a watch he held in his right hand. Adjusting his pointed hat, he spoke in an amused voice. ¡°It¡¯s honestly quite impressive. She hasn¡¯t moved in forty-five minutes.¡± ¡°...and why have you been timing her?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 I was still standing there and staring at the same jobs over and over again. For whatever reason, I was expecting to see something new in my fifth scan-through of the job board, even though I was well aware that I had already seen everything it had to offer, and nothing would change. I just hoped that I might¡¯ve missed something interesting. It was like browsing through social media. Even now, after all that time spent in the Fractured Realm, I still remembered what it was like to be mindlessly scrolling through my social media feed, seeing the same posts repeatedly, but refreshing the app in hopes of a quick dopamine hit when there was something new. But that never happened. Not on Earth, and not here in Vacuos. Instead, a voice piped up behind me, drawing my attention. ¡°You have been standing here for exactly thirty-minutes now, Ms Amelia,¡± Guildmaster Evan said as he approached me from behind. He had a watch in hand, and he wore a smile on his face despite his proceeding inquiry of concern. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Why are you timing me? That¡¯s weird,¡± I said tly. The robed man stepped back as he raised his pointed hat. ¡°Ah, my apologies. But I do hope you understand that from my perspective, you are the odd one for staring at the job board for thirty-minutes straight during a party, Ms Amelia.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± I muttered. I turned to face him and crossed my arms. ¡°I¡¯m just looking for a job or something productive I can do.¡± ¡°But can you not rx and enjoy yourself? Now is the perfect time to preupy your busy mind with some entertainment.¡± The Guildmaster of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild gestured towards the rambunctious crowd in the distance. They mostly stuck to the other side of the room where the tables and chairs had been set up for this event. I replied honestly, ¡°Not a fan of alcohol or parties.¡± He raised a brow at me. ¡°And why would you attend a party with drinks and alcohol if you¡¯re not a fan of either of them?¡± ¡°Free food.¡± I looked towards the buffet table, and he blinked. ¡°That is indeed what you¡¯d call ¡®fair¡¯.¡± He rubbed his chin as he spoke. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m fine. Unless you have an A-rank job or two stashed away at the back of the new guild which you can bring out right now¡ª in which case, I¡¯d be grateful.¡± Evan swept back with a smooth bow. ¡°Do not worry, Ms Amelia. I shall check with [Receptionist] Justyn if there have been any new requests that came inst week but have yet to be processed. It is the least I can do for you after informing the Forsaken Archer of your existence.¡± I paused. My brows snapped together. I spun around with a frown. ¡°After you¡ª what?¡± But he was already walking away. ¡°I will be right back, Ms Amelia.¡± I watched him go, before shaking my head. ¡°Man, he really is weird.¡± But perhaps he wasn¡¯t just an entric fellow either. I had wondered about how Jax had found out about me so quickly, and as it turned out, it was because of Evan. I wondered if I should be worried about this. Probably not, considering that Jax wasn¡¯t even that malicious in the first ce. Sure, he tried to kill me. However, he failed. And when he had the chance to kill Noele, he didn¡¯t. Jax just had a few screws loose in his head. And at the end of the day, I didn¡¯t really care, honestly. If another Jax came along because of Evan, I would figure out what to do then. It was too much of a hassle to deal with now, and I probably wasn¡¯t in too much danger from anyone randomly attacking me one day. I stood there, staring at the job board and waiting for the Guildmaster to return for another good fifteen minutes before I heard a set of soft footfalls approaching me. I turned around and faced¡­ not Evan, but Noele. ¡°Master,¡± the blonde girl said as she approached me. I gave her a t stare in response. ¡°Noele. What did I say about calling me that?¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°S-sorry, force of habit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a force of habit because you keep doing it.¡± I shook my head as I faced her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I have a q¡ª¡± the blonde girl started, then hesitated. She shifted her feet ufortably, evidently holding back something she wanted to say, before deciding to say it anyways. ¡°Amelia,¡± Noele said seriously as she held my gaze. A look of extreme gravity on her face. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer?¡± ¡°Money,¡± I replied without missing a beat. The blonde girl opened her mouth. She tried to work her jaw as she stared at me, and I just crossed my arms. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª I should have expected that,¡± she sighed. I shrugged in response. ¡°Also, because I couldn¡¯t really get any other job since I can¡¯t get a ss.¡± Well, technically I could get a ss, but it wasn¡¯t one I wanted. I didn¡¯t want to be beholden to the System as some sort of eternal savior of Vacuos. I was fine with getting an ordinary ss, but I couldn¡¯t, which barred me from getting a vast majority of jobs. Noele nodded slowly as she lowered her head, evidently dejected. ¡°Right, I know¡­¡± I raised a brow at that. ¡°Is that not the answer you wanted?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t¡ª I mean it is,¡± she said hurriedly. But she averted her gaze as she pursed her lips. ¡°I wanted to hear your answer, but¡­ I guess I was hoping you¡¯d give a different answer, you know?¡± ¡°I see.¡± I probably could have left it at that and continued minding my own business. But it was quite obvious that Noele was distraught over something. Since I didn¡¯t really have anything else to do, and I was her mentor, I pressed her further. ¡°Are you looking for a specific answer in particr?¡± I ced a hand on my chin in thought. ¡°Kind of?¡± The blonde girl looked uncertain. ¡°But¡­ not really. I know I want an answer¡ª I just don¡¯t know what¡¯s the answer I want.¡± ¡°Have you tried asking others?¡± I suggested. She nodded. ¡°I did¡ª Garron said he became an adventurer to avenge his parents, and Guildmaster Evan told me he became an adventurer to learn more about people.¡± ¡°Learn more about people?¡± I blinked. ¡°As an adventurer?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it either¡­¡± That didn¡¯t make sense. It was like saying I tried to be a [Cook] to learn more about smithing or whatever. Adventurers quite literally spent most of their time away from cities and other people. An odd answer, as expected from that entric guildmaster. I tapped a finger on my chin as I frowned. ¡°What about you?¡± I finally asked. I tilted my head at Noele, and she blinked. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer?¡± ¡°Me?¡± The blonde girl drew back. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s?¡± I waited, and she shuffled her feet. Noele closed her eyes and sighed. I could hear her indecision in that anxious breath she let out even amidst the backdrop of the noisy party. Steeling herself, she raised her head and answered slowly. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I don¡¯t know why I became an adventurer. Not anymore. And I¡¯m starting to think¡­ I never knew why I became an adventurer.¡± I eyed the blonde girl. ¡°Why did you initially be an adventurer?¡± She pressed her lips into a thin line. ¡°I thought I was doing it because I wanted to take after my sister¡ª because I wanted to be strong. That was the answer I always told myself. It was why I ran away from my home, Amelia.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a runaway?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought you kept in contact with your family.¡± ¡°I keep sparse contact with them. Every few months, I¡¯d write a letter. Maybe once a year, I¡¯d exchange a few [Messages] in a day.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because they disapproved of me bing an adventurer. They wanted me to stay and be a [Farmer] like them. But I wanted to be strong¡ª like Nora.¡± ¡°And you ran away,¡± I said simply. ¡°I did.¡± Noele nodded. Her brows creased as she clenched a fist. ¡°And now, I don¡¯t even know why I became an adventurer. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m doing this. I have reached A-rank¡ª all my sister ever wanted was to be an A-rank adventurer, and I achieved that. But I feel empty inside.¡± I saw the way her back slumped over as she said that. I watched as her tightened fistxed and grew limp. ¡°This is all because you don¡¯t know why you¡¯re even doing this, right? Isn¡¯t that normal after hitting your goal?¡± ¡°My goal wasn¡¯t to be an A-rank adventurer. That was my sister¡¯s goal.¡± She raised her head. ¡°I wanted to surpass that and be an S-rank adventurer¡ª to make Nora proud. But now I realize there¡¯s nothing amazing about being one if I¡¯m going to be like that psycho Jax too. It¡¯s not like my levels define me, anyway.¡± ¡°Man, you really hate him, don¡¯t you?¡± Imented dryly. ¡°He tried to kill me, Amelia!¡± Noele sputtered. ¡°And he didn¡¯t, but I see where you''reing from.¡± I lowered my head as I rubbed my chin. I finally understood why Noele was suddenly having this dilemma now¡ª it wasn¡¯t just Jax¡¯s fault, but mine too. I showed her why levels didn¡¯t matter, and he pretty much showed her why her goal wasn¡¯t as noble as she thought it was. I felt bad for causing this¡ª if Noele had never met me, she wouldn¡¯t be lost and confused now. She¡¯d be perfectly content pursuing her next adventure. I took in a deep breath and raised my head. ¡°Noele,¡± I said, drawing her attention. ¡°Yes, Amelia?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know why you¡¯re an adventurer now, we can always figure it out.¡± She blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve spent thest ten years or whatever of your life chasing your dream, Noele.¡± I met her gaze as I spoke, watching her eyes grow wide. ¡°You can¡¯t just abandon it now a week after meeting that insane idiot Jax. If you really want to give up this life, you can. But after we work it through together.¡± Noele stared at me. She opened her mouth slowly. ¡°Together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your mentor, aren¡¯t I?¡± I scoffed. ¡°And I guess we¡¯re close enough to be friends too at this point. I¡¯d be shit at both if I didn¡¯t help you out right now.¡± She weakly tried to protest. ¡°But my parents¡­ I miss them¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s visit them now, then.¡± I grinned at her. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about starting a farm too, anyways. Maybe I can take a look around and have your dad show me the ropes.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Noele shrank away from me. ¡°Why not? You can be an adventurer and still visit them, right? And Whiteridge isn¡¯t that far from Windrip.¡± She shook her head and gesticted wildly. ¡°It¡¯s at the other side of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª it¡¯s a thousand miles west from Windrip!¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°As I said: Whiteridge isn¡¯t that far from Windrip.¡± The blonde girl opened her mouth, then stopped herself. ¡°R-right.¡± I eyed her as she looked down at herself. I could tell she was still conflicted. She raised her hands and spoke in a small voice. ¡°What if they disapprove of me? What if they ask me to quit being an adventurer?¡± ¡°Look at yourself, Noele,¡± I said as I gestured at her, then towards the party in the background. ¡°You¡¯re an A-ranked adventurer¡ª one of two in all of Windrip.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Her eyes grew round. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not even sure how rare A-ranks are. But what I know is they would be proud of you, Noele. For achieving your sister¡¯s dreams.¡± ¡°They¡­ would, won¡¯t they?¡± Noele¡¯s eyes welled up as she smiled to herself. She wiped away the teardrops streaming down her cheeks and nodded. ¡°They were scared for me¡ª they didn¡¯t want to lose their only other daughter. But I am strong now. They will be happy to see me.¡± ¡°They will,¡± I agreed simply. Taking in a deep breath, the blonde girl raised her head and pumped a fist in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s visit them, Amelia! We can leave first thing in the morning. I haven¡¯t been back there in so long¡ª I honestly dyed it for too long. I can¡¯t wait to return home.¡± I smiled, seeing the relieved look on her face. Her previous uncertainty gone. We were just about to decide what time we were going to leave when a voice interrupted us. Guildmaster Evan had returned, and he cleared his throat. ¡°I am d to see you have resolved your issues, Ms Noele,¡± he said as he nodded at her. But he raised a slip of paper and handed it to me. ¡°Unfortunately, I will have to be the bearer of bad news.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I eyed the sheet. ¡°It¡¯s an A-rank job like you had requested. It came in just this morning, but I was busy preparing for the party then. As soon as I found out about it, I had Justyn process it just for you. For the both of you.¡± His eyes flickered to Noele. The blonde girl paused. ¡°Both of us?¡± I frowned and read the job request as she peered over my shoulder. Her arms slowly dropped limply at her side, and her lips quivered as her eyes zed over the words. FOR A-RANK ADVENTURERS OR ABOVE ONLY! Search Quest at the Frozar Mountains. The A-rank duo Skye the Silver Shade and Deon the Virtuous Guard have gone missing while on a two-week escort mission to the Frozar Mountains. They departed with [Farmers] Nn and Nicole from Whiteridge over a month ago, heading for the former Dungeon of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. All attempts at locating them have failed thus far, with multiple B-rank teams pulling out after encountering unusual undead activity around the region. Reward: 75 gold coins Open request posted by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Northon. ¡°This is¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. Those were her parents, weren''t they? Noele took a step back, her gaze shadowed over. She turned to me and spoke brusquely. ¡°We have to go, Amelia. Now.¡± I faced her, lowering the sheet of paper. ¡°I can get you there in ten minutes or an hour. Take your pick, Noele.¡± For a split-second, the blonde girl hesitated. I could tell she was remembering our trip to Mount Arkais¡ª how she screamed in terror the entire way there. But she dismissed whatever thoughts she was having, snapping her brows together as she gave me a determined look. And she made her choice. MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The Frozar Mountains. It was a vast and expansive mountain range located at the very north of the Astrad Kingdom. Beyond it was the very tip of the continent of Laxo itself¡ª where the dwarven enve of Shorheim was located. Or an exve, from the perspective of the Ashoreim Republic. There weren¡¯t very many dwarven territories here in Laxo, and those that were here tended to belong to one of therger dwarven republics or federations in Alius. Of course, Saros wasn¡¯t a dwarf. In fact, he hated dwarves because of how those bastards subjugated and enved his people in the Third Great War of Alius a thousand years ago. His great great great great great great¡­ great grandfather had fled Alius and settled down here in Laxo in the¡ª then¡ª small nation of Northera. Unfortunately, even though they had escaped very, it wasn¡¯t like humans back then treated gnomes that much better. In fact, considering that dwarves no longer owned ves¡ª they had collectively give that up about five hundred years ago¡ª it could be argued that returning to Alius in this day and age was probably better for Saros since he could mingle among other gnomes rather than being an extreme minority in a human-dominated continent. But he never left for Alius. Even when most of his extended family had decided to collectively move out of Laxo a decade ago. It sounded like a foolish decision¡ª it probably was, but he stuck by it. And it was because of one reason and one reason only¡­ There was no Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Alius. Or, more specifically, they held very little presence in Alius. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild mostly extended to the borders of Laxo because it was ultimately a human institution and human conception. Beyond that, they had no authority. They had tried to set up a few branches in Drazyl, but itpletely failed because the elves saw no point in having such an institution in ce. And in Alius, they were a little more sessful in establishing a handful of Adventurer¡¯s Guild branches. A few dozen across the entire continent¡ª which was not a lot,pared to the guild¡¯s pervasive presence in Laxo. But since most dwarven countries already had state-wide institutions in ce to deal with the subjugation of monsters, their jobs were sparse and hard toe by. They also had a single branch located in the middle of thergest naga tribe, but that was it, really. The only continent the Adventurer¡¯s Guild hadn¡¯t tried to branch out to was the sunken continent of Mare. And that was because it was underwater, and merfolks tended to be aggressive towardsnd dwellers¡ª and that was an understatement considering they had been locked in war with the elves in Drazyl for thest two-hundred years. Although¡­ Saros heard that the conflict was more severe than ever, and that it mighte to an end soon. He just wasn¡¯t sure which side was winning. In any case, it would be utterly asinine for Saros to leave for Alius without an Adventurer¡¯s Guild there. He didn¡¯t spend thest three decades of his life leveling to be an A-rank adventurer to throw it all away just because his family wanted to leave this damn continent! If they wanted to go, then fine. May the Thrones guide their souls to a prosperous life there. But Saros was going to stay here and live avish life as an A-rank. He didn¡¯t care that these racist humans still discriminated against him for being a gnome even though he was a Level 56 [Magitech Tinkerer]. They quite literally called him the Gnome Inventor¡ª as if he needed to have ¡®gnome¡¯ in his damn adventurer Title. He also wasn¡¯t so much of an inventor as he took discarded artifacts and appropriated them for other purposes. For example, he carried two bags at his side at the moment. One was an ordinary Bag of Holding¡ª a normal artifact used by most adventurers who were at least D-rank. As an A-rank adventurer, his Bag of Holding was superior to theirs, of course. It could hold pretty much everything he¡¯d need to survive with no resources in the Frozar Mountain for a full year. But the second Bag of Holding wasn¡¯t a Bag of Holding at all. Perhaps it had been a Bag of Holding once. Now though, after he unraveled the space magic enchantments weaving the insides of the linen, he had altered it to hold¡­ well¡ª ¡°Burn you damn skeleton!¡± He opened the bag, and a st of dark mes shot out, engulfing the charging undead. It was an ethereal skeleton, partially merged with a horse. A draugr. One that could only be raised by a high-leveled [Necromancer]. Saros watched as the undead reeled back for a moment, before finally dropping dead. Panting, the gnome quickly closed his Bag of ck Fire and tightened it. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any draugrs in the Frozar Mountains,¡± he murmured as he stepped around the burning bones of the undead. ¡°So the reports are right. It seems a [Necromancer] really has taken up a hideout all the way up here.¡± He shook his head as he continued trudging through the snowyndscape. He knew it was going to be dangerous¡ª but he was an adventurer. He epted the job, and he would do it. It didn¡¯t matter what foul creature resided up here. If absolutely necessary, Saros would just sneak his way through the traps and past the undead without alerting anyone. He had done that before¡ª no one ever noticed a foot and a half tall gnome lurking around theirir. And it wasn¡¯t like this job was to exterminate anyone or anything. He was just supposed to find out what happened to the A-rank duo Skye the Silver Shade and Deon the Virtuous Guard¡ª and the civilians they had been escorting¡ª and either bring them back or report that they were dead. ¡°I could just pretend that I found them dead, but I¡¯m not a damn fraud. No one else is going to go looking for them, and I didn¡¯t get to A-rank by fleecing my jobs,¡± Saros mumbled to himself, his wispy cold breath visible in this snowy weather. ¡°I should be getting close¡ª need to be careful¡­¡± The gnome reached into his Bag of Holding as he continued walking towards the base of a nearby mountain. But right as he crested a small hill, he came to a halt. He stared at the bottom of the hill, eyeing a pile of skeleton bones jutting out of the carpet of snow. ¡°What in an angel¡¯s ass¡ª¡± he started. And Saros blinked as he swept his gaze over thendscape. His eyes widened at the realization that it wasn¡¯t just a single pile of bones. An entire horde of draugr had been torn apart here. There had to have been enough bones for at least a hundred dead draugr. The gnome backed up as he stared at this sight. ¡°Who could have done this?¡± he asked, only toe to a halt as his back touched a fuzzy cool surface. He spun around and looked up, eyes bulging at what he saw. ¡°A yeti¡­?¡± A wall of white fur towered over the gnome. A twenty foot tall beast that leaned forward with its two long arms resting on the snowy ground. It huffed as its chest rose, and its crimson gaze bore into the gnome. ¡°N-no¡­¡± Saros stumbled back and dropped to his knees. He wasn¡¯t even going to try to fight it. It was an S-rank threat¡ª a terrible creature that was native to the upper regions of Mount Arkais. But a long time ago, when an expedition of adventurers faced the Elder Dragon residing there in battle, a lot of the local monsters fled the scene, and now there was the extremely yeti sighting all the way over here in the Frozar Mountains. And it was just the gnome¡¯s luck that he had the fortune of having this extremely rare sighting up close. ¡°I-I¡­ good yeti?¡± he said as he offered it a weak smile. It roared and raised itsrge arms to crush him. There was no point in trying to run. Saros might as well just curl up into a ball and hope that it upped and walked away. It was just about to bring its fists down to turn the gnome into paste when it suddenly paused. The yeti raised its head and turned around. Saros blinked, looking up. What? He watched as the S-ranked beast¡¯s attention was drawn back by something in the distance. It almost sounded like¡­ voices. ¡°I am pretty sure it¡¯s this way¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said before we got lost for over an hour.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have a map, alright! Give me a break, I¡¯ve never been to the Frozar Mountains before...¡± In the distance, a pair of young women emerged from the white canvas. They spoke casually, chatting with each other even as they traversed through the cold weather. They were dressed in light clothing¡ª at least, for the Frozar Mountains¡ª and didn¡¯t seem to notice the yeti ring at them. Saros, however, did. The gnome watched as the two women unknowingly draw closer, before finally scrambling to his feet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Saros called out as he scrambled to his feet. He reached for his Bag of Holding as the yeti spun back to face him. ¡°Run!¡± he screamed, producing a glinting dagger. But the two figures continued walking towards the S-rank monster, almost uncaring. The gnome bit his lower lip¡ª they were insane! Or maybe they were blind. It didn¡¯t matter. They were just going to get themselves killed. He raised the glinting dagger and pointed at the yeti as it let out a howl and barreled towards the pair. ¡°And you should¡¯ve told me you¡¯ve never been to the Frozar Mountains before. Have you seriously never visited your sister¡¯s grave?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her grave¡ª it¡¯s a memorial. And I¡¯ve always wanted to visit the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. But I always stopped myself. I said I¡¯d onlye when I was finally an S-rank adventurer. But¡­ now I have to.¡± One of the two figures¡ª a blonde girl¡ª at least looked like she was a B-rank adventurer. But she was too busy mulling over something with her head lowered to react to the yeti. Meanwhile, the second figure¡ª a brown-haired woman, probably a D-rank by the way she was dressed¡ª just stared at the beast. ¡°C¡¯mon¡ª [Force Activate Artifact]! Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± Saros cursed. Of all the times for his artifacts to malfunction. It even refused to respond to his Skill, which meant it was aplete failure in the magical framework. The yeti beat drew closer and let out a final shriek. An ear-piercing screech that echoed in the Frozar Mountains, sending avnches tumbling down in the distance. The giant ape-like beast reached the brown-haired woman and huffed, looming over her. It beat its chest, panting as its enraged gaze bore into her bored face. She just stared back tly. It was going to crush her¡ª she was going to be turned to be nothing but ground meat in the snow. And there was nothing Saros could do about it. He slowly lowered his dagger as a single thought crossed his mind. Maybe I should take this chance to run¡ª The yeti swung down at her as the Gnome Inventor winced. He closed his eyes as the attack came at the brown-haired human at incredible speeds. He closed his eyes, hearing the thudding blow echo across the Frozar Mountains. A shockwave rippled over the whitendscape. A powerful gust of wind swept up the snow in the ground, clearing a good hundred feet around the brown-haired woman. Slowly, Saros opened his eyes. He expected to see the yeti standing triumphantly over a pair of corpses. But his jaw dropped as he saw the brown-haired woman still standing, a hand raised, holding the yeti¡¯s fist back with ease. ¡°W-what?¡± His eyes bulged out of their sockets. The yeti growled, trying to pull back its arm, but she held on for a moment. Then she let got and flicked out a finger. ¡°Shoo,¡± she said as the giant S-rank beast went flying. It yelped as it zipped past Saros. He watched, wide-eyed as the yeti crashed against a nearby hill. It raised its head, staring at the brown-haired woman. She made a waving motion with her hand. ¡°Get out of here.¡± And the yeti screamed, scrambling away from her. It leapt into the air, crossing a hundred feet in an instant as it fled the scene. Saros just gaped as an S-rank monster was chased off like it was nothing but a stray dog. When it was gone, the brown-haired woman turned to herpanion and crossed her arms. ¡°So, are you sure we¡¯re heading in the right direction?¡± ¡°Yes, Amelia, I¡¯m sure,¡± the blonde girl sighed. ¡ª-- I looked on as the yeti vanished into the distance, before turning back to Noele. I gave her a nod. ¡°It¡¯s gone. Let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°Right, we should be arriving soon,¡± she said as she started forward. It had been an hour since we left Windrip, after hearing the news about her parents. We should have gotten here a long time ago, but we¡­ got lost. So we had to find our way to Northon first¡ª the closest city bordering the Frozar Mountains¡ª and ask for directions before we could set out once again. With no more distractions or obstacles in our path, we pressed on, following the map given to us. But right as we reached the edge of the hill, a small voice called out. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± I blinked, looking around. But I didn¡¯t see anything. Noele paused as I narrowed my eyes. ¡°This is my job¡ª I¡¯m not letting some S-rank adventurer steal my damn job!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s that buzzing sounding from?¡± I asked, turning to Noele. She pursed her lips and pointed down. I raised a brow and blinked. Right at my feet was a little man¡ª one that stood about as tall as my knee. He had a long white beard¡ª even if he didn¡¯t quite look that old¡ª and he wore a thick set of winter clothing. He carried a sack at his back, and a second smaller bag hung off his belt. He raised an angry fist at me as he cursed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do a quest your own level, you damn leech!¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± I tilted my head at him. ¡°He¡¯s a gnome, Amelia,¡± Noele exined. ¡°And I think I recognize him¡ª he¡¯s Saros the Gnome Inventor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call me that, woman!¡± he shouted, pointing angrily at the blonde girl. ¡°I am not an inventor, and I am not just a gnome. I have had enough of these ursed stereotypes. Call me Saros, simple as that.¡± He crossed his arms. Noele scratched her cheek. ¡°Oh, uh, sorry.¡± He just harrumphed and red at me. ¡°I got to the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep first¡ª this job is mine. So begone.¡± I nced around the snowyndscape. When I saw nothing but snow and bones, I turned back to him. ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± I said tly. ¡°We aren¡¯t even there yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He opened his mouth, then paused. He gritted his teeth, realizing I was right. ¡°You¡ª¡± he started, but Noele quickly spoke up. ¡°Sorry, Mr Saros¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care for your damn formalities.¡± ¡°Right, Saros,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°But you¡¯re here for the search quest, right? And that¡¯s why you¡¯re heading to the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep too.¡± ¡°I am, yes.¡± The gnome shook his head and gave me a sidelong nce. ¡°I trekked all the way up here even though I have to trudge through all this damn snow and now¡­¡± he grumbled to himself. Noele spoke catingly. ¡°We are here for the same reason as you. Just not¡­ for the rewards. I think it would be better for us if we work together rather than work against each other. You can even keep all the gold at the end of it¡ª¡± My brows snapped together. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you, Amelia,¡± she said as she gave me a pleading look. ¡°Please.¡± I saw the look in her eyes¡ª the worried expression she had for her parents. I just waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, Noele. I don¡¯t actually care about money that much.¡± I wasn¡¯t, really. ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled at me gratefully. Saros just blinked at us. He furrowed his bushy brows and ran a hand through his beard. ¡°Wait, are you saying that I can tag along with an S-rank adventurer and get paid at the end? That¡¯s¡­¡± I almost wanted to correct him¡ª tell him that I wasn¡¯t an S-rank adventurer¡ª but decided against it. Exining myself would take too much time. I just nodded and started down the hill. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said simply. ¡°You can even help us find this Dungeon since Noele doesn¡¯t know where we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°But I do¡ª¡± she protested. I nced back at the gnome as he hurried down the hill, pushing through ayer of snow that went up to his neck. I continued, ¡°Just don¡¯t slow us down.¡± He nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t¡ª¡± And he flopped over, face-t on the tall snow. I paused and stared at him tly. Noele just blinked. He jumped back to his feet, cursing. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, alright? I¡¯m a gnome¡ª this snow is too damn tall! Try putting yourself in my shoes! What do you want me to do?¡± I just sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Saros whispered, his voice almost lost in the howling winds. He beheld the ruined castle protruding from the base of a towering mountain. Its decrepit walls still stood tall, even if the watchtowers had eroded with time. Arge archway led into the former Dungeon, its gates having been broken through a thousand years ago. This was the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. The rest of its structure was submerged into the mountain itself¡ª an ancient dwarven structure from a time long ago. Now, most dwarven cities were above ground, especially after conquering most of Alius and taking hold of regr cities. But at one point in history, dwarves mostly lived in mountains and caves, battling with ogres and trolls to defend their territory. And after their sessful conquest of Alius, when they had sailed across the continents to their closest neighbor¡ª to Laxo¡ª they had tried to establish a foothold in the mountains to expand their territories overseas. But they failed miserably, learning that there was a reason why humans needed the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. After all, unlike Alius which saw monsters as hardly a threat to day-to-day life, this continent was teeming with monsters. This former Dungeon was one such lesson. It had been called Fort Heim once. A stronghold that could repel an army of a hundred thousand. But arge flock of wyverns had found this mountain castle and tore through its defenses like it was nothing. It had been aplete massacre. Those creatures of cmity proceeded to nestle here for a few decades before migrating elsewhere, leaving the ruins to fester into a Dungeon over the next few centuries. But now, a decade ago, an expedition of adventurers had ventured into this ruined castle and liberated it together. The Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep was then ssified as a former Dungeon. Supposedly harmless. At least, unless enough excess mana gathered in the area once again to revitalize its threat to nearby cities. Saros didn¡¯t think that would happen any time soon, but he saw the fresh tracks in the snow right before the gates, and he knew that it was a Dungeon once more. Shaking his head, he turned to face the two women apanying him. ¡°We need to be careful. Whatever has taken up residence here is dangerous¡ª¡± he started. But Amelia just spoke over him, crossing her arms. ¡°I knew you were getting us lost. Again.¡± She faced Noele who shrank back nervously. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we ran into Saros or we¡¯d have been searching this mountain range for the next six hours.¡± ¡°Look¡ª I was just following the map!¡± the blonde girl protested, throwing her hands into the air. ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t have taken that long. We were heading in the right direction, but the map was just wrong about the exact location.¡± ¡°Maybe you should¡¯ve gotten a better map¡ª¡± Saros wobbled as he watched them argue. The two continued bickering, and he nearly fell off his feet. He gritted his teeth. ¡°How was I supposed to know the map was wrong?¡± ¡°We could¡¯ve checked with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild like I said¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the gnome said, cutting them both off. They turned to him, blinking. Well, only Noele turned to him. Amelia just raised her head slightly as he harrumphed. ¡°If you two aren¡¯t going to take this seriously, then I¡¯ll go into the Dungeon on my own. This is an A-rank mission.¡± He eyed Amelia as she just stared at him. ¡°Even if you are an S-rank adventurer, you should treat this job no differently than one of your own. Otherwise¡­ someone will get killed.¡± He spoke in a low voice, and she blinked. For a second, she said nothing, her gaze shadowing over. Then she raised her hand, pointing at the gnome. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s a bit hard to take you seriously when you¡¯re on Noele¡¯s shoulder.¡± Saros paused. He stared down at himself, standing on the blonde girl¡¯s right shoulder as she held him to give him support. She had picked him up and carried him because he kept falling over while trudging through the tall snow, much to his chagrin. The gnome flushed and hopped off. Hended on the stone ground, turning away to hide his crimson face. ¡°I am here on a job, even if you two are treating this like some sort of midnight outing.¡± Noele pursed her lips as she watched him go. She clenched a fist for a moment, before sighing. ¡°I am treating this very seriously, Saros,¡± the blonde girl said as she held his gaze. ¡°Amelia¡¯s just¡­ helping me keep my nerves.¡± Saros frowned. He narrowed his eyes at Amelia. But she just shrugged in response. The gnome shook his head and started forward as he grunted. ¡°Just stop fooling around. I don¡¯t want to get killed by the army of undead hiding in this damn Dungeon because you two are supposed to watch my back but were caughtcking¡­¡± The three adventurers slowly entered the gates of the ruined castle. Saros swept his gaze over the entrance, seeing piles of bones and rusty weapons lying scattered right by the corridor leading further into the mountain. Did the yeti get them too? he wondered, then shook his head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about that. He could sense the mana permeating the air. His heart began to race in his chest as he clutched his Bag of Holding for his artifacts and tools. He produced his dagger¡ª then shook his head. It wouldn¡¯t work, that ursed thing. Instead, he pulled out a small scroll. He held it at the ready as they entered the tunnel, pushing further into the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, ready for any traps that could be within. This was going to be dangerous. ¡ª-- The Dungeon waspletely empty. There was nothing here. We had gone down three floors now, and all we found were skeleton bones and rusty weapons. There were no traps, nor were there an army of undead like Saros insisted there was. Certainly, there was no danger here at the moment. There were only two more floors to investigate. The bottommost floor to the dungeon was where the wyvern skully. It was also where Noele¡¯s parents¡¯ destination. I could tell the blonde girl was starting to get antsy again since she saw no signs of either her mother or father left behind here. I couldn¡¯t lie and say I wasn¡¯t getting a little bit concerned for the blonde girl. Even though we had left as soon as we could, ording to the report from the Northon Adventurer¡¯s Guild, her parents had been missing for at least a week before they finally sent out a request. And when their adventurers failed to reach the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, they bumped up the quest to an A-rank job and sent out the open request across the Astrad Kingdom just a day ago. So we werete. We were veryte. We would have beente even if we had gotten here the very second we heard the news. We would have beente even if we had gotten here yesterday. I was already mentally preparing myself to have tofort Noele if the worst came to worst. But right as we went down another flight of stairs and reached the fourth floor, we found something. ¡°What is this?¡± I blinked as I stared at arge open room, unlike the other floors so far. ¡°This is¡­ air,¡± Saros said as his brows snapped together. ¡°Be careful¡ª you don¡¯t want to activate any traps.¡± I eyed him with a sidelong nce. ¡°...weren¡¯t we already doing that?¡± He harrumphed and didn¡¯t respond. He just marched forward, clearly annoyed. He began investigating their as Noele pursed her lips. ¡°I think you made him mad, Amelia.¡± ¡°I think he was mad at me from the very beginning, Noele,¡± I said dryly. ¡°Maybe he wanted to be killed by that yeti and that pissed him off.¡± ¡°...that¡¯s true.¡± The blonde girl sighed. But she proceeded to give me a pleading look. ¡°Let¡¯s just try not to antagonize him any further.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I acquiesced. I was more than willing to y nice with the gnome. But I was fairly certain I wasn¡¯t the only one who was upsetting him¡­ ¡ª-- These damn humans¡­ Saros gritted his teeth. He was getting tired of them¡ª the both of them. First they came and tried to take a job he had epted, then now they were treating this Dungeon like it was a joke. His slightly pointed ears twitched as he heard their casual conversation behind him. The gnome didn¡¯t have elf ears¡ª but they were still longer than a human¡¯s who had oddly-shaped round ears. Still, even if he didn¡¯t have any enhanced sense of hearing like elves did, he could hear Amelia and Noele chat casually loud and clear. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill that yeti, anyway?¡± ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t trying to kill us. It was scared and trying to chase us away. So I just chased it away instead.¡± Saros wandered around therge chamber. The entirety of the fourth floor seemed to have been cleared out¡ª including all rooms, with their walls removed¡ª to create a square hall that stretched a hundred feet in all directions. There were long tables set up towards the center of the room, with documents and books haphazardly scattered around. It was quite obvious what thisir had belonged to, especially when considering those skeletons propped up in stands at the corner of the room. The Gnome Inventor¡¯s hunch was right. ¡°A [Necromancer].¡± Neither Amelia nor Noele visibly reacted to hisment, which mildly irked him. But he had already decided he would ignore them entirely. If they fucked up, he would leave them behind. Because he knew they would somehow screw things up and he wasn¡¯t going to deal with whatever mess they caused. Saros came to a halt at the desk, eyes zing over a piece of rotting flesh. He furrowed his brows when he caught sight of a glowing tome lying beneath a few sheets of paper. He shifted the documents aside and stared. ¡°A necronomicon,¡± he whispered. His hands hovered over the magical tome, brimming with power. While the Gnome Inventor wasn¡¯t a [Necromancer] himself, he had often found that he could often scavenge quite a bit of material out of artifacts or the like used by [Necromancers]. His lips curled up as he reached for the tome. ¡°Did you find something, Saros?¡± Noele called out to him. She approached him from behind as Amelia waited by the stairway leading further down into the Dungeon. Saros shifted back. ¡°Nothing!¡± He wasn¡¯t going to let either humans see this. He had read the title of the tome. He saw the power it radiated. It was the The Unholy Scripture of the First Lich King. If they caught a glimpse of it, one of them was going to somehow rip out a page or something. He tried to quickly hide the tome. He grabbed it, trying to stuff it into his Bag of Holding. But the moment he moved the necronomicon, the ground shifted. Noele blinked. Saros nced down to see a glowing circle shed around the table. It enveloped both himself and the blonde girl only. Amelia raised her head, narrowing her eyes. But an instantter, the rest of the room shed. Everything outside of the circle vanished. Saros watched as the room was cleared in an instant. He tried to process what just happened, but he heard a rattlinging from both stairways leading up and down to the rest of the Dungeon. Noele just stared with wide eyes as her mentor vanished in the blink of an eye. She spun around, looking at the gnome in shock. ¡°What did you do?¡± Saros tried to work his jaw. He heard the moring draw closer. The echo of footfalls rushing their way. And he just sighed. ¡°I-I¡­ I think I was the one who fucked up.¡± A moment after that, a horde of undead rushed into the chamber, charging for the two remaining figures there. ¡ª-- I had sensed the magic going off¡ª I was just about to grab Noele to get her out of there, but I realized that it was a protection spell that had briefly flickered around her, not a dangerous trap. And that confused me long enough to be caught in the radius of the teleportation field. When I blinked, I found myself in another room. No¡­ not a room. I was standing in the middle of a long passageway, surrounded by a thinyer of mist. I narrowed my eyes as I looked around at the ancient walls covered in moss. I saw the runic inscriptions carved into the stone, glowing softly in the dark. I felt the ground shifting beneath me. As if the floor itself was moving. The walls changed around me, and a set of brand new passages opened at my side. It happened mechanically¡ª like the turning of the gears inside a clocktower. And the runes vanished when the passageway settled down. ¡°This is going to be a bit annoying¡­¡± I muttered. Because I wasn¡¯t just trapped in some room. I was trapped in abyrinth. MsD Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 It had been two weeks since Deon the Virtuous Guard got lost in the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. No¡ª he didn¡¯t even think he was in that former Dungeon anymore. He stood in abyrinth that trembled and moved around him, its passages shifting and the walls vanishing. There were runes etched onto the rock surface that glimmered dimly in the darkness. A luminescent mist swept over the many halls and corridors, hiding in it dangerous monsters he dared not fight. Things weren¡¯t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be an easy mission. His partner, Skye the Silver Shade, had convinced him to take this job because it offered a massive reward for the amount of work required. It was a request for a pair of A-ranks to escort some civilian [Farmers] up the Frozar Mountains to a former B-rank Dungeon. That sounded easy enough, right? The greatest danger came from the creatures lurking the Frozar Mountains. But this area wasn¡¯t a designated region like the B-rank Briar Glen or the A-rank Umbra Swamp. While there were all kinds of monsters hiding in the vast mountain range¡ª there was even an S-rank threat like the yeti, although they were mostly docile¡ª arge majority of them were easy enough for a C-rank to deal with. There needed to be an incredible amount of luck to run into a monster that was at least B-rank. And even then, avoiding them was easy enough as long as travelers stuck to the already-paved roads. Of course, this mission required Deon and Skye to stray off-road for a few miles. But they were an intelligent duo, and they managed to use their Skills to avoid getting detected by a single monster on their way to their destination. It was supposed to be smooth sailing from there, but as it turned out, the problem arose when they did arrive here in the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. Apparently, some [Necromancer] had turned this former Dungeon into air. That was when they should have turned back¡ª Skye suggested they did so, but the two civilians were insistent they pressed on. And Deon, in his folly, lived up to his name as the Virtuous Guard and acquiesced. They descended the floors to the bottom of the former Dungeon, only to stumble into a trap. It was right as they reached the secondst floor, they noticed something amiss with the flooring. There were invisible runes etched into the stone tiles¡ª a kind of protection field of sorts. Skye went to investigate it as Deon waited, keeping watch for any roaming undead. And that was when the entire room around him shed, and that was how he ended up here. [You have entered the Dungeon: The Ancient Minotaur¡¯s Labyrinth!] The blue box had shed before his eyes before he could even ascertain what happened back then. But he saw the name of the Dungeon¡ª he recognized the name of that monster. Minotaur. It was an S-rank beast straight from legend. Not a natural creature by any means. Rather, one that was created by the most powerful [Fleshweavers] and [Golem Makers] at the time of the Grand Nova Empire when the Elder Dragons had ruled all of Vacuos. A synthetic being. An artificial creature. It could never die¡ª not from old age nor from damage. Its flesh would regenerate as long as a little bit of its body remained. And Deon was certain that this healing factor made it as dangerous as even an SS-rank threat, despite being lower-leveled. It came with the mist, moving throughout thebyrinth like a machine, even ten thousand years after it was created. He always felt its presence thanks to his [Sentinel¡¯s Senses]. He even saw iting, noticing the white curtain of death encroaching on him, before he ran away as fast as he could. Each time, he barely escaped with his life. But after two weeks, his luck was finally going to end. He felt iting again. Its powerful presence drew closer, and his heart hammered in his chest. Thebyrinth shifted, and he tried to escape. But he was caught in its moving rooms. The exit he was running for mmed shut before his very eyes. And now he was trapped. The icy cold veil gathered around him, and he heaved slowly. He tightly grasped onto his diamond-encrusted halberd as his sweat dripped down onto his heavy te armor. He turned stiffly, facing the figure hiding amidst the mist. He waited for a moment. He listened and heard the footsteps. He saw the looming shadow move closer towards him, and he closed his eyes. This was it. It was over. There was no more running. He leapt into the mist, yelling as he raised his halberd. ¡°I will not go down without a fight¡ª [Cleaving Diamond Crusher]!¡± His weapon shone, cutting through the mist. He shed down with all his might as the figure in the mist shifted. Deon knew it would be over quickly. But if he could evennd a single blow, he would be satisfied with himself. But the halberd suddenly stopped. His attack dissipated, the sh of light shooting past the shadow. He blinked as a finger emerged from the mist, poking him hard on the head. He recoiled and stumbled back, losing grip of his weapon. Blinking, he stared at the figure in the mist. As the veil peeled back. And he saw a brown-haired woman standing there, clutching the ded edge of his halberd in one hand, while poking out using a single finger with her other hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. His eyes grew wide as he processed what just happened. ¡°You¡­¡± She tilted her head, tossing his halberd aside. And he frowned. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°I should be the one asking you that,¡± she said tly. ¡ª- Amelia was gone. Noele watched as her mentor vanished, taken by a teleportation field. The blonde girl didn¡¯t know where the spell led to¡ª if the other side was even within the Frozar Mountains¡ª and she had no time to investigate to find where the runic inscriptions were hidden to dissect them. She didn¡¯t even have time to think, hearing the mor of undead rush down the stairs towards the second floor. Even worse still was the annoying voice that protested defensively, despite the situation they were in. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do it!¡± Saros said as he gesticted wildly. ¡°I just¡ª I thought¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Noele cut him off, drawing her de. She eyed the stairway leading up¡ª the footfalls echoed like a raging thunderstorm in the distance. The booming shaking the entirety of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. There had to be thousands of undead heading their way. Maybe even tens of thousands of them. The first rank of undead emerged, and she pointed. ¡°[Grand ze].¡± The Noble Spellsword unleashed a plume of golden mes that engulfed them entirely. ¡°They¡¯re skeleton knights and skeleton! E-rank threats¡ª they shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to deal with!¡± She dashed backwards as Saros blinked. The golden mes incinerated a hundred of them in an instant, with the residual mes catching and lighting up the rest that poured down the stairway. The entire chamber shook as the gnome clicked his tongue. Noele conjured a golden fireball with her [Grand ze], The Skill was no longer a single-use attack. Rather, it depended on the intensity of the st. If she created a small firebolt, she could¡¯ve repeated it thousands of times before finally expending all of the Skill. But if she conjured a massive fireball, she could have used it all at once. She wasn¡¯t going to create the biggest attack she could, but she waited for more of the undead to fill the room as a tremor continued to rumble. Before she could unleash the attack, Saros pointed her way with a scroll. ¡°Greater Scroll of Dispel Magic!¡± he called out, and Noele blinked as the mes winked out of existence. ¡°Stop! You¡¯re going to copse the entire castle!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± She stared at the gnome, in utter shock. For a single moment, she thought he was actively trying to sabotage her. The blonde girl thought he was the [Necromancer] behind all this. But then she saw the shaking¡ª the way dust crumbled from the ceiling as the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep struggled to hold the weight of the mass of charging zombies. Finally, she sighed and held a sword high as a pair of skeleton knights reached her. The Noble Spellsword closed her eyes and whispered. ¡°[Nobleme Armor].¡± And as the two skeleton knights swung out with their rusty des, her body ignited into mes. Their swords immediately melted from the heat, and their fists burst into me. Noele stepped past them as they copsed into a pile of burning bones behind her, without her even raising a hand. ¡°I take it back,¡± she said as she walked towards the horde of undead. ¡°Amelia was right¡ª we shouldn¡¯t let you keep any of the rewards.¡± The gnome paused. He watched as she charged forward, tearing apart a rank of skeleton knights with a single sh. He scratched his cheek sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably fair.¡± And then he joined her in battle. ¡ª-- I stared at the man kneeling before me. He had his head lowered, practically touching the ground as he apologized profusely. ¡°I am so sorry!¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°This was my mistake! I thought you were the minotaur so I foolishly attacked you without thinking!¡± I narrowed my eyes and looked down at myself. ¡°Do I look that bad? I know I haven¡¯t done my makeup in over ten years, but still, that must be a bit of an exaggeration.¡± ¡°What? No¡ª that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± He looked up with his jaw held wide open. He tried to apologize once again. ¡°I would never insult the appearance of a fine warrior such as yourself!¡± ¡°That was a joke. You don¡¯t have to keep apologizing.¡± I crossed my arms, and he blinked. ¡°Now, get up. What¡¯s going on? Where are we? Who are you?¡± He hurriedly nodded and scrambled to stand up. He cleared his throat, facing me with his hands on his side at attention. ¡°I am an A-rank adventurer who was here on an escort mission¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your full introduction,¡± I cut him off simply. ¡°Just answer the questions.¡± He paused, shoulders sagging slightly in confusion. Slowly, he nodded and started again. ¡°I am D¡ª¡± ¡°I said: just answer the questions.¡± I red at him, and he flinched. ¡°Trapped! Ancient Minotaur¡¯s Labyrinth! Deon!¡± he said quickly. ¡°Good.¡± I gave him an approving look. ¡°And where¡¯s thisbyrinth at?¡± He straightened. ¡°We¡¯re deep beneath the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. I believe this Dungeon was buried long before the dwarves even got here. I am unsure how it was uncovered or why that teleportation spell even led us here. I just know that we have to reach the center of thebyrinth to escape.¡± I frowned. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I¡­ that¡¯s what I heard about in stories.¡± Deon scratched the back of his head. ¡°So you don¡¯t know shit,¡± I said dryly. He just lowered his head in embarrassment. Honestly, I was probably being too brusque with him. But I was starting to get worried about Noele. I knew she was an A-rank adventurer who could handle herself just fine, but if something like that yeti showed up again, she wouldn¡¯t be able to fend it off. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to waste time doing that. I¡¯m going to bust our way out.¡± I looked up towards the ceiling, raising my sword. But Deon¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I stared at the ceiling. ¡°Look at these walls¡ª the ceiling and the floor too. Do you see those runes? If you do break them, you¡¯ll copse everything around us! Not just thebyrinth¡¯s walls, but the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep and the mountain above it too! We will be buried under an entire mountain of rubble!¡± I paused, pursing my lips. I didn¡¯t think Noele could survive that, even if I could get through it just fine. I lowered my de as I sighed. ¡°That is a bit annoying. So we just have to search through all the passages to get out, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Deon nodded grimly as I swept my gaze over the surroundings. I stepped forward and reached out for him. ¡°It will probably take us weeks¡ª months even¡ª before we find the exit¡­ what are you doing?¡± He blinked as I picked him up. I eyed the A-rank adventurer, holding him in my arms. I smiled at him kindly. ¡°Try not to scream too much,¡± I said. ¡°Scream?¡± Deon furrowed his brows. ¡°Why would I scream¡ª¡± Before he could finish, I sprinted forward. I sped down the corridor as fast as I could, passing through entire rooms in a single instant. I circled around thebyrinth, even as it moved and shifted. I covered every single inch of this transforming maze, searching for the way out, leaving behind a blurred image of my trail in my tracks. And Deon? He screamed, of course. A lot. MsD Happy New Years eve y''all! Last Amelia chapter of this year :) Support my art addiction and read up to 15 chapters ahead here: MsDelta is creating Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Also, I have a discord server! You can join it if you want to get updates here Y''all should check out my Twitter too. I post cringe memes /ms_delta Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Noele sheared through the ranks of the undead. A wave of skeletons crashed into her, and she stood her ground, swinging her sword as their bones copsed into dust. Those that drew closer burned to ash, incinerated by her [Nobleme Armor]. She was an A-rank adventurer fighting amidst a horde of E-rank threats¡ª it wasn¡¯t a difficult battle at all for her. It was just¡­ tedious. There were so many of them. Everywhere she looked, arrows flew. Everywhere she turned, skeletons fell. A group of skeleton archers stood at the side of the stairway, loosing volley after volley at her, too far for her de to reach. Gritting her teeth, the blonde girl pointed as glistening projectiles appeared above her. ¡°[Scintiting Arrowfell]!¡± she yelled. The spell took down dozens of undead at once. The skeleton archers were ripped apart from the hail of magical bolts. Noele panted as she stepped back. How many had she killed at this point? Hundreds? Thousands? She didn¡¯t know. All she realized was that this onught of undead wasn¡¯t going to be stopping anytime soon. The Noble Spellsword backed up as more skeleton knights rushed down the stairway, filling the brief hole she made in their horde. ¡°Saros!¡± she called out, ncing back. ¡°We need to¡ª¡± And Noele blinked. Her eyes darted around the room, but she saw no one there. There was no gnome supporting her from behind. She was alone in this room, standing against this unending horde of skeletons. She clicked her tongue. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± But before the blonde girl fully process the gnome¡¯s betrayal, she heard a terrible roaring from the front stairway leading up the ruined castle. Her gaze snapped to the front as a creature bounded its way down the steps on all fours. It was the size of a bear¡ª no,rger. But it wasn¡¯t covered it fur or hair, with the muscture of an ape. A hairless beast that had a massive maw and light blue skin. It tore through the skeletons in its way, huffing as it reached the front. It beat its long front arms on the ground as it swept its wispy blue gaze around the room. Noele stared. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a juggernaut ghoul?¡± It was the first time she¡¯d ever seen one in person. It was an A-rank undead¡ª one of the most powerful creatures a [Necromancer] could supposedly conjure up. The only type of undead that was feasibly more dangerous was a revenant, but even Lich Lords could hardly create them. The Noble Spellsword backed up, wide-eyed. She heard its shriek. She saw it barreling her way. She raised her left hand instinctively, creating a ball of golden fire. But she caught herself, seeing the chamber tremble. She bit her lower lip and swung out with a glinting strike. ¡°[Noble sh]¡ª¡± Noele started as her sword was wreathed with a golden aura. The attack struck the juggernaut ghoul, only to bounce off the undead¡¯s blue skin, barely shaving off a small chunk of flesh. She blinked as it swiped a hand her way, knocking her to the side. Noele went flying as her [Nobleme Armor] took the brunt of the attack. But she still received some residual damage. She grunted as her back crashed into the wall, and the juggernaut ghoul recoiled as its arm was lit aze by the fiery aura. It roared, charging forward at Noele once again as it burned. Noele scrambled to her feet, watching as the golden fire slowly froze over. A cold aura overcame the giant undead as it seemed to move faster. Raising a hand, the blonde girl created a [Force Barrier] right in time to block a thudding blow. She backed up against the wall as the outpouring of undead converged on her. But each skeleton knight that drew close was knocked back by the juggernaut ghoul¡¯s wild swings. It unleashed a flurry of furious blows at the blue shield. Noele gritted her teeth. Of course [Noble sh] wasn¡¯t enough. Even though she was A-rank now, the Skill was only B-rank. It might have been the most effective attack she had at Level 45, but now it was weakpared to enemies her level. Glorious Noble sh, then. The idea crossed her mind as her barrier cracked. A thinyer of sleet nketed the blue shield, and she took in a deep breath, gathering the golden aura at her de. But she paused. She remembered the damage the attack had done against Jax. And she recalled how unreliable it had been when she was training with Garron. Noele couldn¡¯t control her Glorious Noble sh¡ª she knew it could be enough to defeat the juggernaut ghoul. But would it be just enough to not bring down the trembling castle? Noele didn¡¯t know. And that was the problem. She hesitated right as the juggernaut ghoul leapt back, crushing a group of skeleton archers. It brought its hands up as ice formed around its arms, creating something akin to a spiked mace. It charged forward as it swung at the [Force Barrier], and Noele flinched¡ª her hesitation stopping her from fighting back. She waited for the attack tond. She hoped her [Force Barrier] would hold up. But before the juggernaut ghoul could reach her, a ssh of green liquid intercepted the undead. It hissed and flew back, crashing into the ground. The nearby skeletons were caught in a spray of this liquid as well. And they instantly began to melt to the ground into a pool of white liquid. Noele narrowed her eyes, ncing over at the juggernaut ghoul. It writhed in the ground, beating at its face as its flesh continued to melt. But there was nothing it could do to stop this green liquid from eating it away. It got to its feet for a moment, letting out a final road. Then its legspletely gave out under it. It copsed, thest of its body melting away as skeleton knights ran over its corpse without care. ¡°Who did¡­?¡± Noele started. She spun around as a little voice replied. ¡°A Dagger of Acid Damage,¡± Saros said as he held up a crooked dagger in hand. He walked out of the desk in the center of the room, shaking his head. Noele watched him leap off and kick a skeleton warrior to the ground. He swung out with the dagger, cutting down the nearby skeleton knights that rushed him. He eyed Noele as her barrier dissipated away. ¡°Normally a C-rank weapon at best. With each strike, it would deal a little bit of acid damage to its target. But I repurposed it so it would unleash all of its acid at once in a singlepounded attack, exacerbating its effects more than tenfold. I call it a Disintegration Dagger. An A-rank weapon.¡± He pocketed the dagger and grinned at her. ¡°Sorry I took so long, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with this damn thing.¡± She just tried to work her jaw. ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t run away?¡± The gnome frowned. ¡°I just saved your life, and that¡¯s how you repay me? Seraphim curse me. This is why I work alone.¡± A skeleton knight stabbed at him, but the attack just bounced off as a ring in his finger shed. He smirked, opening the little bag at his side. ¡°Burn,¡± he said with a grin. And ck mes filled the room. It burned like fire¡ª actual fire. Not with an explosive power, but the roiling mes that incinerated the undead bones. And the attack didn¡¯t stop. He dropped the bag as the ck mes continued pouring out, and he closed his eyes. ¡°[Refill Artifact¡¯s Mana].¡± He raised a hand, and a glow overcame the bag. He turned to Noele as she stumbled forward, avoiding the roaring ck fire. ¡°Come on, that should hold them off for a few minutes. There¡¯s a working vault that¡¯s still downstairs. We can hide away there until this damn skeleton army falls back to sleep.¡± The Gnome Inventor started down the steps heading to thest floor as Noele stared. He frowned and eyed her. ¡°What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s move!¡± The blonde girl blinked. She gave chase after him, pausing only once to nce back at where Amelia had been standing. ¡°But Amelia¡ª¡± Noele opened her mouth, then caught herself. She shook her head and proceeded down the steps. ¡°Amelia will be fine. She¡¯s my master, after all.¡± Still, the blonde girl couldn¡¯t help but worry, even as she reached the bottommost floor of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. ¡ª-- ¡°SOMEONE SAVE ME! I¡¯M GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEE¡ª¡± Deon screamed in my ear as I zipped around thebyrinth¡¯s moving passages. I was already taking it slow just for him, but apparently, it wasn¡¯t enough. I rolled my eyes, moving swiftly through room after room, passing hallways which I had been through a dozen times, before finally, I came to an unfamiliar hall. I slowed, but the man didn¡¯t stop screaming. I ignored him and dropped him as hended at my feet, curled up into a ball. I eyed him and crossed my arms, while he continued to sob uncontrobly. ¡°I¡¯m going to die¡ª I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± And he finally blinked,ing back to reality. I gave him a t stare. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He looked around at our surroundings, eyes widening as he saw the circr chamber. A vast room that led to an arched gateway at the end. I watched as he quickly picked himself and dusted off his armor. ¡°It seems we¡¯ve arrived,¡± he coughed and started forward. ¡°What lies at the other side of this gate should bring us back to where we came from.¡± I shrugged and walked after him. ¡°It better. If not, I¡¯m going to bring down this whole mountain if I have to.¡± Deon bit his lower lip as he came to a halt. ¡°T-that¡¯s a joke, right?¡± ¡°Does it sound like a joke?¡± I nced back at him as I reached the gate. I pulled the heavy gilded doors open as he opened his mouth. ¡°It¡­¡± he trailed off, before pausing. His eyes widened and he pointed past me. ¡°Watch out!¡± I cocked my head as a shadow loomed over me. ¡°Watch what¡ª¡± And a giant axe fell against my back. Deon screamed as he dashed forward. ¡°NOOO¡ª oh.¡± His footsteps slowed as he watched the axe explode into a thousand pieces. I nced back, watching the broken hilt of the polearm recede. A towering creature stood behind me, at the other side of the gate. It had the head of a bull, and the hind legs of a horse. Its upper body was that of a broad man¡¯s chest. It stood over ten feet tall, staring down at its broken weapon, huffing. ¡°What¡¯s this? A minotaur?¡± I raised a brow. Deon backed up warily, gritting his teeth. He eyed me from afar as the minotaur dropped his broken weapon and raised a fist. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he started. ¡°It¡¯s equal to an SS-rank¡ª¡± But I shed up with my sword before he could finish. The minotaur split vertically in half in an instant as his eyes bulged out of its sockets. He gaped as the monster copsed with a heavy thud, and I turned to him as I shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s keep a move on,¡± I casually called after him, lowering my de. ¡°Noele¡¯s waiting for me upstairs.¡± I waited for him, but he just stood there. His gaze darkened. His eyes shadowed over. He lowered his head as he spoke in a soft whisper. ¡°The minotaur is powerful, yes. But its strength is S-rank alone. Its greatest threates from its power to regenerate.¡± His eyes glinted, and he met my gaze. I furrowed my brows. I turned slowly, hearing a wet sound behind me. My eyes grew wide as I watched the minotaur¡¯s flesh knit together. Its sheared body mending, restoring it to its original form. Its shadow rose threateningly as the red light in its eyes returned, ring down my way. Deon clenched a fist as he spoke in a defeated voice. ¡°There is a reason why a minotaur is so greatly feared¡ª there is a reason why the magical arts used to create them was forbidden at some point in history. Because a minotaur cannot be killed¡ª¡± And I swung up again. The minotaur copsed. Deon blinked. He opened his mouth, but I shed out again, this time, horizontally. The monster copsed into four parts as he tried to work his jaw. ¡°...what are you doing?¡± he asked, flummoxed. I swung out again with two shes as the minotaur¡¯s body shifted, my attacks much faster than before. ¡°You said it can regenerate, right? That doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be killed,¡± I said simply. ¡°But it cannot be killed!¡± he protested. ¡°It will recover from any attack you¡ª¡± And Deon winced as I shed out five times in a single instant. The minotaur¡¯s body rippled¡ª almost like it was made of water. It tried to stitch itself back together as I took a step back. I smirked at Deon. ¡°Sure, it can recover. But can it recover faster than I can kill it?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± He blinked a few times, and I turned to face the regenerating minotaur. It let out a roar, and I swung out with a flurry of strikes. My de blurred as I struck the giant monster faster and faster. This time, I didn¡¯t stop. I sliced apart the minotaur as it tried to regenerate. A storm of shes. From afar, it almost looked like I had a thousand des at once. Deon watched this, before rubbing his eyes. He nced at the rapidly disintegrating minotaur, then at me. He pinched his cheeks, then lightly pped his face. When he didn¡¯t get the response he wanted from his body, he just sat himself down against the stone floor, curled up into a ball, and rocked back and forth. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Deon the Virtuous Guard thought himself to be a rather proper man. He had been brought up with a noble upbringing¡ª the son of a lord in the rural parts of the Astrad Kingdom. He was taught ss and manners. He was given a thorough education not just on history, but on the social aspect of life as well. This was an education that most adventurers were severelycking. It wasn¡¯t a critique of their characters¡ª Deon¡¯s partner, Skye the Silver Shade, was amoner who alsocked these skills he had¡ª but rather, it was an observation. Because there were a multitude of times the Virtuous Guard had to stop his partner from acting brashly in a way that would ruin a potentially lucrative job, and he had seen a simr thing happen with plenty of other adventurers who squandered opportunities due to their behavior. In short, Deon was a normally calm man with a cool head on his shoulder. He tried to think things through rationally, rather than go with a gut-feeling like his partner often did. He was the tactician of the pair. He was a polite and mild-mannered man who stood for what was right and just. He¡­ was losing his mind right now. Perhaps it was because he had spent weeks with little-to-no food or sleep in an ever-changingbyrinth where he had to constantly run for his life from a minotaur. Or maybe it was because this woman standing before him waspletely and utterly insane. She had randomly appeared with the mist when the walls of thebyrinth were changing, dragging him with it. Then she withstood one of his strongest Skills with ease¡ª she quite literally just blocked it with the palm of her hand. However, Deon could still rationalize her actions at that point. Perhaps she might¡¯ve had some special ability that granted her a temporary invulnerability. He heard that S-ranks often gained such Skills the moment they reached their rank. But then she picked him up and sprinted across the entirebyrinth a hundred times before he could even react. She found the exit, before slicing the minotaur guarding this Dungeon in half with one swing. And when the minotaur refused to die, she unleashed an onught of shes that disintegrated the immortal beast. Her swings were so fast, he hasn¡¯t even been able to see the des. All he saw was the minotaur¡¯s bloodied body trying and failing to regenerate as it was shredded into a pulp¡ª and she didn¡¯t stop there. She continued cutting up the minotaur until nothing was left. Nothing. But that wasn¡¯t the worst part. Despite all that, he was certain he wouldn¡¯t be losing his mind right now if not for one simple fact. He still didn¡¯t know her name. Deon couldn¡¯tprehend it. He saw all this, and he was almost certain he was hallucinating all of this. There was no reason for some randomdy to pop up in the middle of thebyrinth to save him. He must¡¯ve gone insane at some point while trapped down here over thest two weeks. He rocked back and forth as he tightly hugged himself. ¡°It¡¯s a minotaur,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°It cannot be killed. It¡¯s a minotaur. It cannot be killed. It¡¯s a m¡ª¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± the woman suddenly said, and he jolted. The Virtuous Guard spun around, reaching for his halberd. She stood behind him and tilted her head. She gave him an expectant look, and his eyes grew wide. Looking past her, he saw the remains of the minotaur. And he couldn¡¯tprehend it. Because¡ª Nothing of the minotaur remained. Not even a droplet of blood. Not even a shred of hair. It waspletely gone, reduced to nothingness. He looked between the brown-haired woman and theck of a minotaur corpse. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ real, right?¡± he asked. ¡°No, I am a figment of your imagination,¡± she snorted. Deon blinked a few times, believing her for a moment, until she rolled her eyes. ¡°I am real. And I¡¯m in a rush. So get up. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± She started off as he was left gaping where he stood. ¡ª-- Honestly, if I wanted to, I could have killed the minotaur in a single hit. But I knew that if I wanted topletely obliterate it, I might identally bring this entirebyrinth down. Considering that Noele was still somewhere up there in the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, I wasn¡¯t going to do anything that could copse the entire mountain. This was a more efficient method of killing the minotaur¡ª by shredding it into atoms. I shook my head as I walked past where the guardian of thebyrinth stood, entering the arched gateway to the other side. There was arge round chamber there. Ornate and gilded, I swept my gaze over the diamond-encrusted walls and looked at the elevated tform at the center of the room. A circr stairway decorated with rubies and sapphires rose like a pyramid with the tform, holding what seemed like a podium up top. Walking up these steps, I nced back to see Deon slowly trailing after me. He brought a hand out and sputtered. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m in a rush,¡± I said tly, not slowing. ¡°I haven¡¯t even gotten your name!¡± he called out as he started up the stairs. I came to a halt at the top of the elevated tform, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Amelia,¡± I replied, but my gaze was fixed on the podium. There was a que there, right below what seemed to be a disy case, but the ss was empty, holding nothing inside. I tried to read the words etched onto the golden surface of the que, but it was iprehensible to me. ¡°What is this?¡± I frowned. ¡°That¡¯s written in the oldnguage,¡± Deon said as he approached me from behind. ¡°I can decipher it. My parents made me take a ss studying the oldnguage when they forced me to go to Arcadia Academy.¡± I raised a brow as he peered at the que. ¡°Will this help us get out of here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± He hesitated. His eyes slowly widened as he read it aloud. ¡°It says that¡­ that¡­ this is the Skull of Ar¡¯elith the Lord of All Undeath, preserved just as it was at the time of his demise. I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡± He choked on his words. I blinked, watching him stumble back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the First Lich King! The one from legend¡­ from ten thousand years ago! They couldn¡¯t destroy his corpse¡ª they couldn¡¯t find a way to permanently kill him! They had to separate each piece of his body to ensure he didn¡¯t ever rise again!¡± I paused. I raised my head as I recalled the first night I arrived in Vacuos. Didn¡¯t I¡­? the thought crossed my mind. ¡°That¡¯s why they buried thisbyrinth so deep underground! That¡¯s why they created a minotaur to guard this ce! It was never meant to be discovered!¡± Raising a trembling finger, the A-rank adventurer pointed at the ss case. ¡°But¡­ but¡­ it¡¯s empty!¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± I asked, giving him a t stare. And he fell to his knees, heaving heavily. ¡°If it¡¯s empty, that means someone is gathering the pieces of the First Lich King¡ª it means someone is trying to bring him back!¡± I looked at Deon as he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He took a moment to steel himself. His hands balled into fists, and he forced himself to stand back up. ¡°We have to let the world know about this! Ar¡¯elith cannot make a return! If he does, all of Vacuos will fall into chaos!¡± the A-rank adventurer eximed, facing me with a dire look. I saw the resolution in his eyes. I watched the way he filled himself with determination. And I had no choice but to burst his bubble. ¡°You¡¯re right, someone did collect all the pieces of Ar¡¯elith.¡± I nodded, agreeing with Deon as he blinked. He stared at me as I continued. ¡°And you¡¯re also right, the Lich King Ar¡¯elith did make a return.¡± ¡°He made a return¡­?¡± Deon tried to work his jaw. ¡°What¡­ are you saying?¡± ¡°I am saying that Ar¡¯elith returned. And I killed him, so you don¡¯t need to worry about himing back again now. Let¡¯s just focus on getting out of here, alright?¡± I said simply, meeting Deon¡¯s gaze. The A-rank adventurer froze. It looked like he was taking his time processing what I said. I pursed my lips, considering that I maybe shouldn¡¯t have said a thing. Finally, his eyes bulged out of their sockets for a moment, then they rolled up into the back of his head. Deon copsed, passing out where he stood. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that didn¡¯t happen sooner.¡± I stared down at the unconscious adventurer and sighed. ¡°Man, how the fuck am I going to get out of here?¡± I picked him up and threw him over my shoulders. I nced around, trying to find an exit, but there was no other door or gate leading anywhere else in this round chamber. It was just a luxuriously decorated room. There was nothing else to it. Nothing. And that made me furrow my brows. I looked at the gold walls. I stared up at the glistening ceiling, filled with crystals of light. I didn¡¯t see the same glinting runes in the rest of thebyrinth that threatened to copse the entire mountain when destroyed, nor did I sense anything out of the ordinary here which caused a simr effect. It was just a room. A harmless room without traps. So I shrugged. ¡°I guess I found my way out.¡± I took a step back, and leapt into the air in a single motion, burrowing through the ceiling, forcing my way back to the surface. ¡ª-- Noele followed Saros down to the bottommost floor of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. The blonde girl heard the roaring ck fire behind her¡ª she could still feel the heat from its mes in the previous room, even halfway down the stairway. That artifact, whatever it was, held the horde of undead back. But not for long. ¡°It¡¯ll onlyst for the next five minutes!¡± Saros said as he heaved, leaping down the final flight of stairs. Hended with a roll as Noele caught up with him. ¡°We have to find a ce to hide before that happens!¡± She pursed her lips, ncing back up. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we just fight them? I think we can handle a few thousand skeleton warriors and skeleton archers just fine.¡± ¡°But we aren¡¯t just up against those low-leveled undead, girl.¡± The Gnome Inventor shook his head before sweeping his gaze around the room. The pair stood at the end of a long hallway that led out to arger chamber at the end. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a gilded doorway at the other side. He ushered Noele forward, sprinting ahead. ¡°There are liches amongst the horde of undead. Dreadnought zombies and skeletal wraiths, too. They are B-ranked and A-ranked threats¡ª I encountered too many of them on the way here. We can¡¯t take them all even with the two of us working together. Not when we can¡¯t use half our Skills or artifacts without copsing this castle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fair.¡± The Noble Spellsword nodded and hurried after the gnome. He turned a corner, reaching therge chamber as she eyed the double doors in the distance. ¡°Do you think we should hide in the vault until Amelia¡ª¡± And right as Saros took another step forward, a blurred white object whipped out at him. Noele¡¯s eyes widened as a white aura flickered out. The ring in the gnome¡¯s finger shed, only to dissipate, having beenpletely overwhelmed by that surprise strike. ¡°Saros¡ª¡± she called out. But he went flying, screaming in pain as blood poured out of his chest. Noele watched him crash against the wall andy there, bleeding and gasping weakly. She spun around, and the white objectshed out at her at an incredibly fast speed. She clicked her tongue. [sh Step]. The blonde girl narrowly avoided this quick attack, teleporting to the center of the chamber. She bent over, raising her de dangerously and looked on as the white object receded. It wasn¡¯t an object at all. It was a long serrated object, built like a spine, yet used as a whip. It was a¡­ tail. Noele frowned and saw a giant figure stepping forward. A creature that was over a hundred feet long, made out of bones. It had a pair of wings without the flesh, and a skull for a face that stared at her with hollow eyes. It let out a shriek, and a pair of burning green orbitals zed into existence, filling those empty sockets. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Her eyes went round as she stared at the monster looming over her. The blonde girl spoke slowly as it huffed an icy breath. ¡°A wyvern. An undead wyvern. And¡ª¡± The monster unleashed a st of frost her way as she gritted her teeth. Her [Nobleme Armor] zed, even in the face of this cold attack. ¡°¡ªthe very same undead wyvern that my sister yed.¡± And an explosion of ice and brine engulfed where the Noble Spellsword stood. MsD Remember Ar''elith? It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 It was a wyvern. An undead wyvern. Judging by its size, it was probably a greater wyvern when it had been alive¡ª an S-ranked threat that could fell entire cities on its own. But right now, as a reanimated corpse, it was only an A-rank. It had been guarding the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep for many millennia, resurrected long ago for a reason unknown. Throughout history, it remained diligent in its duty, always guarding the vault of the Dungeon and waiting at the bottommost floor of the ruined castle for an unknowing intruder to enter, thinking they had finally reached their reward, only to be blindsided by the giant undead lying in wait. Up until five hundred years ago, there hadn¡¯t been very many challengers for the Dungeon since it was left undiscovered, practically buried in the deluge of snow in the Frozar Mountains and left to forever rot. But a weary traveler had found the ruined castle half a millennium prior, finally reporting the presence of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Unfortunately, very few adventurers dared to venture to this region back then, since this was back when the area around the Frozar Mountains was upied by various smaller nations such as Northera or Zarfor, all of which were at war with the burgeoning Astrad Kingdom at the time. It was only this century, when the Astrad Kingdom finally mellowed out in its expansionist tendencies, did adventurers finally dare brave the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. And after a hundred years of being plundered every other month or so, did this Dungeon finally fall. And it was all thanks to Noele¡¯s sister, just over ten years ago. Sure, there was a full expedition that had set out to finally put this Dungeon to rest¡ª to fully loot the vault of treasures beyond those gilded doors at the bottom of the castle. But even the hundred B-ranks hadn¡¯t been enough to defeat the guardian at the bottommost floor. The undead wyvern thatid in hiding for so long. It had in nearly half of the adventurers that came that day. And that was a hefty number since they had already suffered quite a few losses on their way down the Dungeon. Perhaps it was because they were already weary and tired, but the undead wyvern had been overwhelming. Noele had heard the stories of that day¡ª she remembered how B-ranks spoke of Nora¡¯s heroism. They had said that if not for Nora, the expedition would¡¯ve had to flee. She always dismissed these ims, saying that her actions were only possible thanks to the help of others, but Noele always believed what they said about her sister. A C-rank adventurer ying an A-rank monster¡­ it was the kind of story heard from legend. Myth and fairy tales. It wasn¡¯t possible. It shouldn¡¯t be possible. But Nora had done it. And Noele was forever proud of this achievement. She wished she was there to see it¡ª she remembered wanting to be there when she was just a helpless little girl without a ss. For years, she¡¯d dreamt of being in her sister¡¯s shoes, watching the scene unfold through Nora¡¯s eyes as the undead wyvern was brought to its demise. But now, there was a chance for the Noble Spellsword to experience it herself. Because here it was¡ª the very same monster that had been in by Nora, now revived by some foul [Necromancer] to guard this Dungeon again after its second death. The blonde girl nced back, seeing Saros lying against the wall as he coughed and bled. He wouldn¡¯t be able to help her. It was just her against the undead wyvern. The giant monster¡¯s long skeletal body curled to fit into the room, taking up nearly a quarter of the entire square chamber. It opened its mouth, unleashing a cone of frost breath her way. The Noble Spellsword vanished. A flicker of golden light carried her forward, and she sprinted straight at the undead wyvern as it craned its neck. It redirected its st of ice, freezing everything the magical attack came into contact with as brine spiked out like icicles in all directions. Noele felt the cool air brushing against her skin. Ayer of sleet would¡¯ve surely formed over her clothes if not for the [Nobleme Armor] burning around her and protecting her from the residual frost. She wove around the frost breath, and slid as the serrated spine-like tailshed out at her. The lumbering strike barely grazed against her protective aura, nearly knocking her off course. She reached out and gripped onto one of the bony spikes on the tail and leapt onto the undead wyvern. It turned its head to her as its frost breath stopped¡ª even though it was merely a defiled corpse, it was intelligent enough to realize it could harm itself if it attacked her while she was on its tail. Noele took this opportunity to counterattack. She ran up the back of the monster, shing down repeatedly as the undead wyvern recoiled in pain. It shrieked, flinging its tail up, and she leapt off it. It raised its head to face her mid-air, and she gritted her teeth. ¡°You should¡¯ve stayed dead¡ª [Unending Dauntless Fury]!¡± the Noble Spellsword yelled as her de blurred. She unleashed a flurry of strikes at the undead wyvern. It reeled back from the white crescent-like des shing down at it. It raised its bone-wings to shield itself, but the barrage of strikes was too overwhelming. An entire wing broke off as chunks of bone crumbled away, before it could finally whip up with its tail at an impossibly fast speed. Noele couldn¡¯t react in time. It was just like the same strike the monster had ambushed Saros with. A powerful offensive Skill. She went flying, protected only by her [Nobleme Armor]. But the fiery aura cracked. She crashed against the gilded vault doors, gasping as the golden mes shielding her dissipated. Her vision blurred for a second. The Noble Spellsword had no protection left¡ª her [Force Barrier] had been sheared straight through earlier by that juggernaut ghoul. All she could do was fight. The undead wyvern loomed over her, tail still burning froming into contact with her [Nobleme Armor]. But it was unbothered. Its zing eyes bore into the blonde girl as its fleshless face angled her way. Her eyes flickered as she caught sight of an inscription carved into the center of its skull. For a moment, she just stared, reading those words. It was a memorial. It had been a memorial. But before that, it was a mark of greatness. An aplishment that should have forever been remembered where the dead wyverny. But it had been desecrated¡ª defiled. Like a grave that was robbed and destroyed. This feat might be forever forgotten if this wrong wasn¡¯t made right. So Noele gritted her teeth. ¡°My sister already killed you once,¡± the Noble Spellsword said as she rose to her feet. ¡°Now, I will kill you again for her.¡± The undead wyvernshed out with four strikes all at once. Its ws blurred. A quick attack¡ª one that wasn¡¯t too powerful which she couldn¡¯t fully parry. Noele blocked the first two strikes, but the next two struck her shoulder. She stepped back, bleeding from one arm as she tried to maintain herposure. But her everything hurt. And she was starting to get desperate. This undead wyvern was too strong to take down with the Skills she had left in her repertoire. ¡°[Fireflower]!¡± She sent the three ming bolts out at the monster, but the small st sshed off its sturdy bones like the attack was nothing. The only thing Noele had left that could actually challenge the undead wyvern was her [Grand ze] and her Glorious Noble sh. But both attacks were too destructive if used at full force. She could bring down the entire Dungeon and kill both herself and Saros that way. The Noble Spellsword heaved heavily as she gripped her sword with both her hands. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and her clothes were torn and tattered from all the fighting. Her face was covered in blood and grime. She looked up with her wild white eyes, facing the undead wyvern. It was either die to the copsing castle or die to this monster. The skeletal tailshed out again, but it was slower this time. Thest attack had been due to a Skill, and this was a normal swing of the spiked tail. Noele dodged it, dancing around its side as she was about to make her decision. She charged wildly at the undead wyvern as she screamed a battle cry, golden aura coalescing at the tip of her de¡ª And a memory briefly shed in her mind. Her sister¡¯s voice echoed for a single second. like a phantom speaking into her ear. ¡°Why do I call myself the Noble Sworddancer?¡± Noraughed softly, leaning back on her chair. ¡°Yes.¡± Noele nodded eagerly. ¡°Everyone thinks you¡¯re from some powerful [Lord]¡¯s family, but we¡¯re [Farmers]!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a [Lady] or [Lord] to act nobly, Noele.¡± Getting to her feet, Nora drew close to the little girl and tapped her chest. ¡°It is about how you carry yourself. Whether it is with elegance or with grace. It is about what¡¯s inside of you above all else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± And Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as she returned to reality. The golden aura king off her sword wisped wildly. The first of the words left her mouth as she was about to swing down at the reeling undead wyvern. ¡°Glorious¡ª¡± But she bit her lower lip, stopping herself. It wasn¡¯t right. It would¡¯ve been too costly. This attack could end up killing Saros, even if she saved herself. The undead wyvern took this chance to unleash an ice breath at her, and she backed away. ¡°[sh Step].¡± Noele leapt into the air with a burst of golden aura. She avoided the cone of ice sweeping over the chamber as she took in a deep breath. Her eyes darted over to the small incapacitated figure at the other side of the room. The Noble Spellsword could risk her own life, but she couldn¡¯t risk his. Especially after he helped save her earlier. It just wasn¡¯t right. If the Noble Spellsword was going to y this undead wyvern, she would have to do it without endangering the gnome¡¯s life. She closed her eyes for a moment as she began to fall. The golden aura that had coalesced around her de earlier began to fade, losing power. ¡°With grace and elegance,¡± she told herself as she fell. Noele reached for the golden aura, stopping it from vanishing. ¡°It is what¡¯s inside me above all else.¡± It was her power. It came from her very soul. And she concentrated it into her de. Not around the weapon, but into the metal itself. Like it was an enchantment, yet something more. And she swung down at the undead wyvern¡¯s neck. Her sword glinted gold¡ª no aura coalescing around the de, but a dim glimmer that seemed to sharpen the metal. The monster roared, shing up with its ws. But she cleaved cleanly through its thick bones. ¡°Elegant Noble sh!¡± Noele said softly as shended lightly on her feet. It was like there had been no resistance whatsoever. The de sliced straight through the ivory like a hot knife on butter. It was all the power of a Glorious Noble sh, concentrated into a single point. No excess mana lost¡ª nothing sshing into the surroundings. It briefly turned her sword into an aura de. The undead wyvern copsed with a heavy mor, its bones crumbling to dust as it fell behind the Noble Spellsword. She straightened, sheathing her de in a single motion, and nced back. All but the wyvern skull faded away, a plume of dust filling the room. And blue boxes filled Noele¡¯s vision. She had won. [You have defeated a skeleton knight!] [You have defeated a skeleton knight!] [You have defeated a skeleton archer!] ¡­ [You have defeated an undead wyvern!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 51!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 52!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 53!] [Skill Gained: Dance with Death!] The golden glow around the Noble Spellsword¡¯s de dissipated. Its ethereal aura faded away, returning the sword into its regr form once more. Groaning, Noele turned around and stumbled forward. ¡°Saros¡­¡± she mustered up. ¡°Are you alright?¡± The Gnome Inventory against the back wall, gasping and clutching at his chest. He desperately rummaged through his Bag of Holding, but couldn¡¯t find what he wanted. His mouth bobbed open as he barely got the words out. ¡°H-healing¡ª potion¡­¡± ¡°Right,¡± Noele said as she took the Bag of Holding from him. There were a lot of trinkets, artifacts, and vials lying around inside. It took her a full minute, but she eventually found what looked like a healing elixir and passed it to Saros. He downed it gratefully, and the deadly wound on his chest began to close. He let out a sharp sigh as he pulled the ss vial away from his lips. Noele patted him on his back reassuringly. ¡°Take it easy. You¡¯re fine.¡± She watched as his flesh knitted back together. Most of his worst injuries were gone. But he still seemed upset. ¡°Gah¡ª that was fifty gold down the drain.¡± Saros scowled, and the blonde girl blinked. ¡°But at least you¡¯re still alive. Don¡¯t you make like twice that in a month, anyway?¡± He got to his feet, shaking his head. ¡°Excuse me, I make more than triple that every month. But I am a [Tinkerer]. I need to spend nearly half of what I earn every month just so I can take these damn jobs.¡± Noele stared at the Gnome Inventor as he went from near-death toining about his job. It was almost ridiculous. Perhaps it was because of how exhausted the blonde girl was, she just wanted tough at that. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± she started, then she heard a crash. Both A-rank adventurers nced up, hearing a moring approaching. Their eyes grew wide as the thunderous footfalls rapidly drew closer. And mere momentster, the horde of skeletons burst down the stairway, charging straight for them. ¡°Oh no,¡± Noele whispered. The outpouring of undead didn¡¯t stop. There were still thousands of skeleton knights and skeleton archers even after all she¡¯d in. But it wasn¡¯t just a mass of low-leveled undead now. There were liches and skeletal wraiths mixed amongst the masses. A handful of dreadnought zombies lumbered forward as well, leading the back of the charge. They were not going to stop until they tore the two adventurers apart. And the Noble Spellsword wasn¡¯t sure how they were going to survive this predicament. ¡ª-- As the pair of A-ranks engaged the horde of undead, a figure burst out of an icy mountaintop. Amelianded in the snow, far above the clouds, and swept her gaze over her surroundings. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the ruined castle far beneath her, at the base of the mountain. She had overshot it. It annoyed her, but her attention was drawn to the mass of undead congregating around its walls. Her brows snapped together. With Deon at her back, still unconscious, she wordlessly leapt down and returned to the Dungeon. No quips. No dry remarks. No irritatedments. Amelia simply unsheathed her sword as she fell upon that horde. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 It took me a while to break through to the surface. I had leapt straight up from the center of thebyrinth¡ª where the walls weren¡¯t enchanted to crumble around me with the rest of the mountain¡ª burrowing straight for the surface. I could¡¯ve made it out in a single bound, but I carried Deon at my back. Even if he was unconscious, he wouldn¡¯t have survived that. Sure, he might not be screaming since he was passed out, but he still could die. So I had to take it slowly and gently. I bore through the earth, making sure that Deon was protected, until finally, I burst out of the other side¡­ all the way at the top of a mountain. I blinked as Inded, sweeping my gaze over the surroundings. I hadpletely missed the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. I had emerged from the mountain above that Dungeon. I sighed, quite annoyed that I had overshot it by quite a bit. I opened my mouth to make an annoyedment, only to pause when I saw the figures gathering far beneath the clouds. At the base of the mountain, a horde of undead poured forth, swarming over the snow. They charged into the ruined castle below. They swarmed down the stairs, heading to where I had left Noele and Saros behind. They couldn¡¯t have handled all those skeletons and zombies. Well, I didn¡¯t really care about Saros that much, but Noele was there¡­ I narrowed my eyes and moved. There was no more wasting time. I had to act before it was toote. ¡ª-- ¡°Get to the vault!¡± Saros yelled as he reached into his Bag of Holding. The outpouring of skeletons and ghouls didn¡¯t falter. High-leveled undead and low-leveled undead alike charged for the pair of A-rank adventurers, bloodlust on their dead faces. Ready to tear the two of them apart. But the Gnome Inventor wasn¡¯t going to let them. He pulled out a wand and pointed, unleashing a st of green lightning into the sea of skeletons. ¡°Hurry!¡± he said, ncing back to Noele. She stumbled back, one arm bleeding as she turned to face the gilded double doors at the back of the room. With one fell swoop, she crossed the distance to the vault using a [sh Step]. It exacerbated her injuries. The blonde girl grunted and staggered. Steadying herself against the door, she pulled herself up with all her remaining strength and reached for the metal grip. Heaving, Noele tried to pull therge double doors open¡ª but the vault didn¡¯t budge. She nearly fell back as she heard the tter of undead behind her. Saros had tossed a little metal sphere into the center of the horde, and it exploded with a gust of wind, knocking the lower-leveled undead apart. ¡°What¡¯s taking so long?¡± the gnome sputtered as he ran up to her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not opening!¡± Noele eximed, wide-eyed in terror. She tried to force the double doors open¡ª the vault groaned. It quite literally rippled. But even with her [The Titan¡¯s Strength], she couldn¡¯t pry it apart. It was enchanted. Perhaps with magic that she could dismantle given enough time. However, it was time that Noele and Saros bothcked. They nced back, staring at the undead encroaching on them. Their approach had been momentarily halted by that wind pulse. Plenty of skeleton knights were destroyed from that attack, but more took their ce, and the higher-leveled undead arrived. Liches that zed with twisted green magic. Skeletal wraiths that walked with an ethereal azure aura. A group of dreadnought zombies marched forward¡ª their fulsome flesh melting with each step they took, the droplets sizzling as it touched the stone ground. There were too many of them¡ª these undead would overwhelm the two A-ranks. Noele¡¯s grip on her sword tightened. She tried to reach for her soul. She tried to conjure up another aura de with an Elegant Noble sh. But she was too exhausted. And she heard a roar. A moring came from the back of the horde. Noele¡¯s eyes widened as a juggernaut ghoul tore its way through the ranks of skeletons. Saros cursed as he eyed the barreling creature. ¡°Nephilim save me¡ª another juggernaut ghoul? How are we going to deal with that?!¡± The Gnome Inventor pressed up against the vault door, frantically searching through his Bag of Holding. Noele clenched her teeth. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡ª¡± she started. But the blonde girl paused. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a flicker beyond the converging undead. It was a subtle thing. In fact, she was certain what she saw wasn¡¯t actually even from this floor. It was like a prefiguration of what was toe. And Noele was right. She heard a crashing from the floor above. She heard the muffled rattling of fallen bones rolling from the ceiling. Something was swiftly making its way through the thousands and thousands¡ª maybe even tens of thousands¡ª of undead pouring into the Dungeon. It moved quickly. It was already making its way down the stairs before the charging juggernaut ghoul could take another step. The liches had yet to even unleash their magic. The dripping acidic skin of the dreadnought zombies had yet to touch the ground. The entire world moved in slow motion as Noele blinked. And when she opened her eyes, the entire horde of undead was sliced apart. Liches crumpled to the ground, their skulls falling from the rest of their bodies, and their magicks dissipating into the air. The retinue of dreadnought zombies sttered against the wall, while the skeletal wraiths rapidly faded to dust. The skeleton knights and skeleton archers were turned into nothing but piles of bones littering the cold stone ground. Even the juggernaut ghoul didn¡¯t survive this massacre. In fact, it suffered the worst death, having been shredded into dozens of little pieces, like cubed slices of meat at a [Butcher]. The Gnome Inventor¡¯s eyes bulged as he saw this. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor, uprehending of what just urred. ¡°W-w-w-what the fuck¡­?¡± He could barely even muster up any words. He waspletely and utterly aghast. He clutched at his chest like he was having a heart attack and fell to his feet. But unlike him, Noele didn¡¯t react in such shock. She knew what happened. In fact, she expected this to happen. A figure stood before the blonde girl, sheathing a sword. ¡°Amelia?¡± Noele raised her head. ¡°Sup,¡± her mentor said, smirking. ¡°Sorry it took me so long to get here. I got a little lost along the way.¡± The Noble Spellsword stared for a moment, while Saros just bobbed his mouth inplete awe. Closing her eyes, Noele sighed in relief andughed. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we got a map then, right?¡± The brown-haired woman blinked, then chuckled. ¡°I told you¡ª we should¡¯ve gotten a second map.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°By the way¡ª who¡¯s that?¡± Noele asked as I lowered hefted Deon off my shoulders Iid him against the wall and shook my head. ¡°He¡¯s some adventurer or something. I found him in thatbyrinth.¡± ¡°Labyrinth?¡± She raised a brow. ¡°Whatbyrinth?¡± ¡°Oh, that teleportation field brought me to abyrinth far below the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep,¡± I exined, dismissively waving a hand off. ¡°It had a minotaur guarding the exit. I killed it, but there was no exit.¡± Noele just nodded along, not even questioning what I was saying. ¡°A minotaur, huh? I wish I could¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t really anything special.¡± I shrugged in response. ¡°You didn¡¯t miss out on much.¡± And as the both of us conversed, Saros just gaped. The gnome hadn¡¯t even moved since I had defeated all the undead. He tried to work his jaw, until finally, he could speak again. ¡°Wait¡ª what just happened?¡± he sputtered, pointing at me. ¡°How did you kill all those undead just like that? Even S-ranks can¡¯t just do that!¡± ¡°They can¡¯t?¡± I tilted my head back at him. I thought about Jax¡ª he had a Skill that could destroy a small city. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure some of them can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not the damn point!¡± Saros eximed. He stumbled to his feet and nearly tripled on Deon¡¯s outstretched legs. Cursing, the gnome stepped back. ¡°Who is this human? Whatbyrinth are you talking about? How in the world could you kill a minotaur? And how did you do all that?¡± Saros gestured emphatically at the dead undead. I crossed my arms, answering him slowly. ¡°That¡¯s Deon¡ª or something. He¡¯s an A-rank adventurer who was trapped in thebyrinth with me.¡± ¡°Deon? You mean Deon the Virtuous Guard?¡± Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Yeah, him.¡± I nodded and turned back to Saros. I eyed him with an annoyed look. ¡°And thebyrinth is where I ended up after you pocketed that book.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± He shrank back, paling. ¡°I killed the minotaur with this, Saros,¡± I said as I tapped the hilt of my sword. ¡°So¡ª tell me, what were you nning to do with that book?¡± The gnome scrambled back, bobbing his mouth. But he couldn¡¯t speak again. He was too gripped in fear. ¡°I-I-I¡­¡± He failed to speak. But Noele stepped in. ¡°He was just being an idiot, Amelia. We don¡¯t need to threaten him¡ª he¡¯s not a [Necromancer] or anything like that.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked as I frowned. ¡°Yes,¡± the blonde girl said, resolute. ¡°Saros saved me many times earlier. He didn¡¯t mean to trap you like that.¡± My eyes flickered, still dubious, and she shook her head. ¡°Also¡ª he said he¡¯ll be giving us the payment for the job request now, after his screw up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you say so? I guess we have no choice but to believe him.¡± Saros froze. He stared at me with wide eyes, more confused than ever. ¡°What? Are you being serious? So you mean you aren¡¯t going to¡­¡± He gulped as he eyed the broken undead. But Noele moved to reassure him. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Saros. Amelia isn¡¯t going to harm you. She¡¯s very easily bribed.¡± ¡°I can hear you,¡± I said tly. The blonde girl just chuckled in response. She leant back against the wall, producing a healing potion. She drank from it as her most grievous injuries vanished, although she was still quite evidently hurt. Lowering the vial, she eyed the unconscious man at my feet. ¡°Why is Deon unconscious, anyway?¡± she asked with furrowed brows. I answered simply, ¡°He passed out when I told him I killed the Lich King Ar¡¯elith.¡± ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t,¡± Saros said, sighing. The gnome massaged his temples and got to his feet. He avoided my gaze, but focused his attention on Deon. ¡°This man¡­ he¡¯s one of the A-ranks we¡¯re looking for. If he was in thebyrinth, do you think that his partner and¡ª¡± ¡°My parents!¡± Noele eximed, pushing herself off the wall. ¡°Were they down there, Amelia? Did Deon say anything about them?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see them in thebyrinth.¡± I shook my head. ¡°He said he was separated from them the same way I was separated from you guys.¡± ¡°So that means they¡¯re still up here¡­¡± Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as she realized something, and she nced towards the vault at the back of the room. ¡°Do you think they could be¡­?¡± ¡°Wanna check it out?¡± I stepped forward and reached for the doorway. ¡°Wait, it¡¯s enchanted¡ª¡± Saros started as he raised a hand. And I ripped the vault¡¯s doors open. The gnome blinked, and Noele rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to this, don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I want to.¡± Saros just lowered his hand. I peered into the vault, tossing aside therge double doors. I narrowed my eyes as I saw the figures huddled inside before ncing back at Noele. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be happy to see this.¡± The blonde girl blinked. She hurried forward as the three figures in the vault shifted. They looked up as Noele came to halt by the broken doorway. Her eyes grew wide. She nearly dropped to her knees. Her lips quivered and two of the figures within stared back at her with round eyes. ¡°Mama¡­ Papa¡­¡± Noele choked on her words. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± And she dashed forward to hug her parents, finally reunited after ten years. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 It was them. They were a pair of older [Farmers]. Commoners, as evident from the way they were dressed, with calloused hands and rough tanned skin. Their names were Nn and Nicole. No surnames, for that was reserved for only the nobility ss in the Astrad Kingdom. They were an unassuming couple¡ª nothing about them really stood out even if they were passed on the street. But they were Noele¡¯s parents, and that¡¯s why they mattered. The blonde girl hadn¡¯t seen the pair in so long, but she recognized the elderly man and woman immediately. They were so different. So much older now. They were almost unrecognizable. However, who wouldn¡¯t recognize their own parents who raised them from their birth? But still, she saw how much they changed. They had aged¡ª their appearance had wizened over the years. Her papa¡¯s hair had begun graying when shest saw him, and her mama walked with only a slight hunch on her back. Now, her papa¡¯s hair waspletely white, hairline receding halfway across his head, while her mama had a full hunch now and walked with a stick. The both of them were dehydrated and starving too, but that was clearly because of their current situation. They must¡¯ve been locked in this vault for two weeks¡ª maybe even longer. It was likely they either ran out of food and water, or were rationing whatever they had left. Noele could hardly control herself as soon as she saw them. It had been ten years since she ran away. It had been ten years since she first became an adventurer. She hadn¡¯t seen them, touched them, or hugged them in ten years. The moment she recognized her parents, she was sprinting forward as fast as she could, before throwing her arms around them. Their eyes grew wide. They probably didn¡¯t recognize her because it had been so long. She was a [Farm Help] when theyst saw her¡ª barely a teen with her rosy cheeks and foolish outlook in life. But now, she was a full-fledged adventurer. An [Arcane demaster]. An A-rank adventurer. Perhaps she still had that foolish outlook¡ª but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Because¡­ ¡°Mama¡­ Papa¡­ I¡¯m back.¡± The blonde girl sniffled as she hugged her parents tightly. Nn blinked, and Nicole just stared. Noele wasn¡¯t sure if they recognized her. They were probably confused as to why a random adventurer was hugging them. But she didn¡¯t care. She just held onto them as tears streamed down her face. ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said, choking on her words. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to take so long¡­¡± Trailing off, the blonde girl raised her head and met their gazes with blurred vision. She wiped away her tears, and the pair of [Farmers] just looked down at her. What were they thinking? Noele didn¡¯t know. She expected them to be upset¡ª to be angry at her. But they simply hugged her back warmly. ¡°We missed you, Noele,¡± they said softly. ¡°We missed you so much.¡± Noele paused. Her chest filled with warmth as tears streamed down her cheeks once more. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She just hugged them tighter. They luxuriated in each others¡¯ arms for a long moment. Not a single word being uttered. Just joy in their embrace. ¡ª-- I watched this scene unfurl¡ª I looked on as Noele and her parents held onto each other wordlessly. I wasn¡¯t going to interrupt them. I felt happy for the blonde girl. But also, I felt¡­ odd inside. For a moment, I remembered my own parents. I thought about my mother and my father back on Earth. It was a memory I hadn¡¯t had in so long¡ª and I dismissed the thought as I saw the final figure in the vault staggered out. A white-haired woman barely took a step from the room before copsing. She groaned as shey on the ground, clutching at her stomach. Looking up at me, she rasped. ¡°T-thank you, kind adventurer. For saving us.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh, uh, sure.¡± This woman was incredibly dehydrated¡ª significantly more so than Noele¡¯s parents. I probably had to reassure her or whatever, but I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was supposed to say in response to that. Fortunately for me, Saros was here. The Gnome Inventor stepped forward, staring at the copsed woman. ¡°You¡¯re Skye the Silver Shade, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked, wide-eyed. He looked at her state¡ª her gray had been torn and shredded, and she was covered in stained bandages around her arms and neck. Saros bit his lower lip. ¡°What happened?¡± Skye forced herself to a seating position, leaning against the wall. ¡°It was¡­¡± she trailed off. Her eyes darted over to Nn and Nicole as they finally drew back from their daughter. The Silver Shade sighed. ¡°I found a necronomicon while investigating one of the floors. But Nn took interest in it¡ª he wondered if there was a spell inside to revive his dead daughter. I tried to stop him from taking it, and we identally activated one of the spells inside.¡± She swept her gaze over all the dead undead littering the room. She chuckled as she closed her eyes. ¡°It seems you experienced the same thing as me,¡± Skye said softly. ¡°Yeah, because someone thought it was a good idea to steal the necronomicon without telling us.¡± I eyed Saros. He flushed. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± But he had no words to say. The Silver Shade shook her head as the gnome struggled to protest. ¡°I just hope Deon is still alive...¡± ¡°Deon?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s right there.¡± I gestured to the unconscious man. ¡°What?¡± Skye raised her head, blinking. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of her partner. She immediately scrambled to her feet, only to copse again. She crawled her way towards him. ¡°Deon¡ª are you alright? Is he alive?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°He¡¯s fine. And you probably want to get some water down your system before you identally kill yourself.¡± She pursed her lips as she clung onto Deon¡¯s hand. ¡°R-right.¡± ¡°Here, let me get you something to drink¡­¡± Saros said as he reached into his Bag of Holding. Since Skye was severely dehydrated, she couldn¡¯t drink too much water all at once. She drank droplets, squeezed out of a towel as she leant against the wall. I eyed her, before ncing back at Noele and her parents. They were catching up as they sat inside of the vault,ughing softly and speaking quietly. The elderly [Farmers] slowly ate a few of the rations Noele had given them, drinking from a bottle of water just fine. They weren¡¯t nearly in the same state as Skye. ¡°Why are you in such bad shape anyways?¡± I asked, peering into the white-haired woman. ¡°Deon seems pretty fine to me¡ªparatively.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t pack much rations in the first ce since this was supposed to be a short escort mission. And Deon had most of them, anyway.¡± Skye sighed deeply as she nced at the still-unconscious Virtuous Guard. ¡°When those skeletons attacked, and Deon vanished, we ran straight to the vault. I barely managed to survive that undead wyvern, and when we were locked inside, we had to ration our food.¡± ¡°So you gave most of the food to Noele¡¯s parents, then.¡± I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. At least everything is resolved now, and we can go back without any more trouble.¡± Saros furrowed his brows. ¡°We still need to figure out who set up thisir. It¡¯s dangerous¡ª it has to be the home of an S-rank [Necromancer], at the very least.¡± I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about¡ª I¡¯m pretty sure thisir just belongs to Zn.¡± ¡°Zn?¡± The gnome frowned. And Skye¡¯s eyes snapped open. She dropped a loaf of bread she¡¯d been nibbling on and leaned forward. ¡°You mean Zn the Dark Sorcerer? The Bane of Deleria?¡± she eximed as she faced me. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Uh, maybe?¡± Skye tried to rise to her feet. ¡°Then this is a matter that needs to be reported to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡ª no, to the whole world¡ª immediately! Zn is an S-rank [Necromancer]. He has spent thest hundred years tormenting both Laxo and Alius, before disappearing ten years ago. He has to be dealt with immediately.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t really be a problem though,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Because I killed Zn like¡­ two months ago?¡± I wasn¡¯t really sure, to be perfectly honest. I hadn¡¯t been counting the days that passed. There were some days where I didn¡¯t sleep, considering that I didn¡¯t have to. But I had gone to bed at least forty times since arriving in this world¡ª which probably meant it had been two months at most. The Silver Shade blinked. ¡°You¡­ what?¡± She stared at me with round eyes. ¡°Yeah¡ª he revived some guy called Ar¡¯elith or whatever,¡± I said simply. ¡°But I killed them both.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible. That doesn¡¯t make any sense. You killed the First Lich King¡ª the Lord of All Undeath¡ª Ar¡¯elith himself?¡± She fell back down, still gaping. Saros sat next to her as he shook his head. ¡°Just don¡¯t question it,¡± he sighed. ¡°I still think everything that¡¯s happened so far today has been a fever dream.¡± I rolled my eyes and nced over at Deon. He was still unconscious¡ª I wondered if he was dead. Probably not, but he wasn¡¯t going to wake up any time soon. ¡°At least you guys aren¡¯t passing out on me,¡± I scoffed. ¡ª-- This is the skull of the guardian of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. An undead wyvern; an A-rank beast. It has taken the lives of hundreds of brave, daring adventurers over the centuries. Its reign of terror was finally put to an end, in by a C-rank adventurer, to save an expedition of B-rank adventurers. This is proof of Nora the Noble Sworddancer¡¯s eternal bravery. Noele stared at the inscriptions engraved onto the wyvern¡¯s skull. Her vision no longer blurred. She had cried all the tears she could when she reunited with her parents. Now, her eyes were dry. Nn and Nicole had given her space as she approached her sister¡¯s memorial. This was the first time she had seen it¡ª this was the first time she had ever been here. Nora had wanted to show it to the blonde girl a long time ago, but the opportunity never came up. Because shortly after that¡­ shortly after Nora returned from the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep¡­ the Miststorm Riders had attacked. ¡°Are you proud of me, Nora?¡± Noele asked, cing a hand on the wyvern¡¯s skull. She brushed over the words, mustering up a small smile. ¡°I did it¡ª I became an A-rank adventurer for you. I¡­ I¡­¡± The blonde girl trailed off. She thought she¡¯d want to cry again, but nothing came out. Because seeing this¡ª the height of Nora¡¯s achievements? The Noble Spellsword only felt pride. She was proud of what her sister had aplished. She was proud of who her sister was. Even if she still felt lost, she was proud. ¡°Why did you be an adventurer?¡± Noele had asked her sister so long ago. And Nora¡¯s reply forever inspired the little girl. ¡°To be strong.¡± It was a memory that had been forever burned into Noele¡¯s mind. It was the reason why she even became an adventurer in the first ce¡ª to pursue her sister¡¯s dreams. But after encountering Jax, the blonde girl had begun to doubt herself. And now, she had a different question. ¡°Why did I be an adventurer, Nora?¡± Noele asked in the present. Her voice came out a whisper, and no answer came in return. ¡°What is the point of bing strong in the first ce? I¡¯m an A-rank adventurer¡ª I¡¯m strong now, aren¡¯t I? But whates next?¡± These were questions. Just questions. The blonde girl didn¡¯t expect to hear an answer. She simply wondered aloud as she hovered over the wyvern skull. A moment passed, and nothing was said. She remained in mournful silence, until a hand rested against her shoulder. ncing back, she saw her parents standing there. They smiled at her, before bowing their heads at the memorial. ¡°We¡¯ve wanted toe here with you for a long while, Noele,¡± Nn said in a somber voice. Her papa raised his head and met her gaze. ¡°We knew that you¡¯d want to see this.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± she trailed off, and her mama spoke up. ¡°Nora would¡¯ve been proud of you,¡± Nicole whispered, eyes welling up. ¡°To see how much you¡¯ve grown¡ª how far you¡¯vee.¡± Noele¡¯s eyes widened. Her lips quivered as she opened her mouth. But both parents turned to face her and spoke together. ¡°We are proud of you, Noele. We have always been proud of you.¡± Nn hugged the blonde girl again. Nicole spoke with tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°We regret pushing you to run away all those years ago. We just wish you¡¯d return sooner, so we can support you in bing who you are today.¡± Noele stared at her parents for a moment. They spoke from the heart, and it pained the blonde girl. She wished she returned sooner. She should¡¯ve returned sooner. She closed her eyes and smiled. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, holding back tears. ¡°Thank you, Mama, Papa. For everything.¡± It was such a foolish question. Why did Noele be an adventurer? She still didn¡¯t have a reason. But Amelia was right. Even if the blonde girl was uncertain about why she became an adventurer, there was no need to give up now. After all, it was her dream. It was her sister¡¯s dream. And she was going to continue living it for as long as she could. ¡ª-- I looked on as Noele embraced her parents again. It really was a heartwarming sight. Skye choked as she watched, while Saros had to avert his gaze. And I¡­ I thought of my family back home again. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¡°Deon¡­ Deon¡­ Deon!¡± a voice echoed in the far distance. Each word grew louder and louder, until finally, the Virtuous Guard his vision returning. ¡°Ugh, my head¡­ what happened?¡± Deon groused as he blearily blinked his eyes open. His entire body was numb. He could hardly feel his hands, even as he raised them to his head. He massaged his temples as he took in the room around him. ¡°Where am I?¡± he wondered aloud. He sat on the cold stone ground, leaning against a wall at the bottommost floor of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. Looking up, the Virtuous Guard saw his partner peering at him with a worried look. ¡°Deon! You¡¯re finally awake!¡± Skye eximed, and he rubbed his head as he tried to get to his feet. ¡°I just had the weirdest dream¡­ I was trapped with a minotaur in abyrinth beneath the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But some crazy girl showed up and just started doing so many insane things like¡ª¡± ¡°Like saving your life,¡± a voice cut him off. Deon froze. He nced past Skye, staring at a brown-haired woman. His eyes grew wide, and his mouth hung open. ¡°I-I-I¡­ y-you¡¯re¡­¡± he started. ¡°The crazy woman, yes.¡± Amelia crossed her arms at him. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a dream. That did happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± The Virtuous Guard couldn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t have the words to express how he was feeling right now. Skye blinked as he sat back down and closed his eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t pass out again,¡± Amelia said tly. He buried his head in his hands. ¡°But I want to.¡± ¡ª-- While we were waiting for Deon to wake up, we had investigated the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep for a little bit. We searched the desks at the secondst floor and found a few notes strewn about, confirming my suspicions that thisir belonged to Zn. Apparently, he had settled down here just under a year ago, having somehow found the location of Ar¡¯elith¡¯s skull. He had plotted a map to the final piece of the First Lich King¡¯s scattered body¡ª the spine¡ª right in the middle of Briar Glen. It must¡¯ve taken him a while to find it, considering that his notes stated that Ar¡¯elith¡¯s spine had been buried at a random location. No guardians, no indication of where it was. It was left to be simply lost in the forest. I almost admired Zn for his dedication to reviving Ar¡¯elith. But I remembered the fact that he was sopletely beholden to his duty without any justifiable reason¡ª even when I had killed the Lich King¡ª and¡­ well, I didn¡¯t find it so admirable anymore. Anyways, with Deon now finally awake, it was time for us to leave the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. We first had to head over to Northon to report that Skye, Deon, Nn, and Nicole were well and alive. I wanted to expedite our travels via my usual means of transportation, but Noele was adamantly against that. ¡°You¡¯re going to give my parents a heart attack.¡± She rolled her eyes at me. ¡°We can just walk. I want to chat with them, anyway.¡± I shrugged in response. ¡°Alright, then.¡± So we trudged through the snowyndscape of the Frozar Mountains. Skye the Silver Shade was in much better condition now, although she was still struggling to walk. Deon helped her along, while Noele walked alongside her parents, carefully hovering over them. That left Saros with me. He stood on my right shoulder, since he would otherwise be falling over in the tallyer of snow. Sure, he was an A-rank adventurer and a gnome, but he wasn¡¯t a [Rogue] or even a [Warrior] who could brute force through the snow¡ª quite the opposite, really. He spent most of his time sitting at his desk, tinkering with scraps or unused artifacts to make something out of them. I didn¡¯t speak much with Saros. I hardly knew the man, and he honestly seemed quite unhappy about the fact that he wasn¡¯t getting any of the reward money. I felt a little bit bad about it, but he did activate an unintentional trap, and he did get to keep the necronomicon¡ª for whatever it was worth. I just watched as Noele continued to catch up with her parents. The blonde girl spoke of all the adventures she¡¯d been in ever since leaving Whiteridge. They listened intently, gasping and reacting in awe of the feats she¡¯d aplished. When they heard she was now an A-rank adventurer, they hugged her¡­ again. They kept hugging each other, which was expected, I guess. They hadn¡¯t seen each other in-person in ten years. It was heartwarming¡ª wholesome. But each time I saw Nnugh¡ª each time I saw Nicole tear up¡ª I only felt a pang in my chest. I only remembered my family. ¡°You seem jealous,¡± Saros spoke up, interrupting my thoughts. I nced at him as he peered over my shoulder¡ª quite literally. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I know your type. You¡¯re just like me. You never had a good home life, did you?¡± he snorted. ¡°My family treated me like trash, too. They never even congratted me when I became an A-rank adventurer.¡± The gnome chuckled bitterly. ¡°Why not?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Because they didn¡¯t care for me, of course.¡± Saros shrugged, slightly exasperated. ¡°My parents had nearly two dozen children. Why should they care about me? Why should my siblings care about me?¡± ¡°They must¡¯ve been wild in bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an image I wanted in my head.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°You became an A-rank adventurer. Surely they at least cared for the status or money you brought them?¡± Saros waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I didn¡¯t give ¡®em shit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why they don¡¯t talk to you,¡± I said tly. ¡°You think I¡¯m some selfish snob, but they abandoned me, Amelia.¡± He folded his arms across his chest. ¡°My family didn¡¯t care that I couldn¡¯t move to Alius with them. They just left me by myself. As they always do.¡± He gritted his teeth as he finished. I eyed the gnome. He evidently had a lot of resentment for his family. I wasn¡¯t aware of the full story, but I wasn¡¯t going to criticize him for how he felt. I also wasn¡¯t really sure how to reassure him, either. I tried, and did a bad job. ¡°Your family sounds like they suck. I¡¯m, uh, sorry you had to go through that.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. It¡¯s in the past.¡± Saros harrumphed, raising his head. ¡°I am better than them, and I¡¯m not going to curse them and hope a Seraphim descends from the heavens and condemns them for it. I wish them the best, but I don¡¯t care for them.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s understandable¡ª but you¡¯re wrong about me.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± He quirked a brow my way. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I am not jealous of Noele. I am very happy for her,¡± I said simply. ¡°And my parents treated me with nothing but love and kindness. They always supported me in everything I did, and my friends were great too. Honestly, I feel like I had the perfect life.¡± ¡°Brag about it.¡± Saros scoffed. ¡°So what happened, then? Why are you out here doing all this instead of living your perfect life?¡± I closed my eyes and sighed. ¡°I just can¡¯t see them anymore. That¡¯s all.¡± He frowned, but didn¡¯t press me any further. We continued on until we reached a lonely road cutting through the mountain range. Saros hopped off my shoulder,nding on the cobblestone ground as he ushered us forward. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve still got a ways away before we reach Northon!¡± he called out. Deon, Skye, Nicole, and Nn hurried after him. But Noele actually slowed to face me. I smiled at her. ¡°How do you feel?¡± I asked casually. ¡°I am¡­ happy. Content. I feel a lot of things, Amelia,¡± the blonde girl said as she brought a hand to her chest. ¡°But most of all, I feel grateful to you. This would never have been possible if not for your help. I¡¯m not sure how I can ever repay you.¡± I grinned back at her. ¡°You can repay me by giving me gold, of course.¡± ¡°I was already going to do that.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You can keep the reward for the job, since you basically did all the work.¡± ¡°That was a joke, but I¡¯d dly ept the 75 gold coins.¡± Noele shook her head chuckling. We walked next to each other for a moment, and she eyed her parents up front. Finally, she took in a deep breath and faced me. ¡°Amelia,¡± Noele said, meeting my gaze. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I raised a brow at her. She spoke slowly as she held my gaze. ¡°I was talking with my parents, and I decided I want to apany them back to Whiteridge for now. I¡¯m not going to quit being an adventurer just yet, but I want to return home for now. I want to spend some time with my parents at their farm. I haven¡¯t seen them in years, Amelia. Years.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, I guess. I can¡¯t force you to do anything. You can do whatever you want, Noele.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re my¡­ mentor.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°I just feel bad for making you take me on as your student, only to run off and do this now.¡± ¡°I got paid, at least,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t follow you to Whiteridge, anyways. I did say I wanted to check out your parents¡¯ farm.¡± Noele paused. ¡°Oh, right.¡± I tapped a finger on my chin. ¡°Although, I do have to go back to Windrip to gather my belongings from Brynn¡¯s inn.¡± ¡°You have belongings?¡± The blonde girl raised a brow at me. ¡°Mostly useless things I bought on a whim¡ª but I still have plenty of things.¡± ¡°Right. And I¡¯ll have to escort my parents all the way to Whiteridge. It¡¯ll probably take a week¡ª a few days at the very least.¡± The blonde girl nodded at me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. You hate fast travel, I get it.¡± I smirked at her, and she sighed. ¡°Amelia¡­ they¡¯re old, and they aren¡¯t adventurers.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± I said, giving her a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to Windrip first, then I¡¯ll meet up with you guys in Whiteridge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good n.¡± Noele smiled at me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush to meet us there. Take your time, Amelia. Or you¡¯ll arrive at Whiteridge before us.¡± Sheughed, tilting her head back. ¡°I¡¯ll probably nap as soon as I get back to Windrip,¡± I said as I waved a hand off. ¡°I¡¯ll find something to do until then.¡± Honestly, I was interested in exploring what other job options there were for me to try out. Especially if it could result in me getting a ss. Sure, that experiment with setting up a food stall failed, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t try out other avenues of earning an ie and figuring out what was wrong with the System. I could probably try working as a [Lumberjack] or a [Smith] for a bit. Maybe even try out as a [Receptionist]¡ª although, I wasn¡¯t sure if Justyn would be too pleased about me stealing his job. Anything would do, since I had nothing but time. I considered my options as we continued on down the winding road. Noele returned to her parents soon after, telling them that I was going to join them in Whiteridge. Saros walked briskly at the front, leading the way, while Deon and Skye held up the back due to thetter¡¯s state. But eventually, we arrived back at Northon. It was a ratherrge snowy city bordering the Frozar Mountains. It had been the capital city of a different nation long ago, hence its rtive sizepared to Windrip. When Noele and I arrived at the city early this morning, it was bustling and busy with life. However, even though it was only the afternoon, it was quiet. It should be lunchtime¡ª market street should be at its busiest. But for whatever reason, even though the weather was clear and there was no snow falling from the sky, the streets were empty. Those who did wander these empty roads kept to themselves, avoiding even looking our way. I narrowed my eyes, and Noele pursed her lips, wondering aloud. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened to the city?¡± It almost looked like the city had been attacked, except without any of the damage that came along with a siege. And the guards had been on high alert when we passed through the gates. We arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Northon soon enough, but even the normally rambunctious crowd were gathered in a deafening silence. Noele hurriedly approached the [Receptionist] at the front desk, ncing about with a frown. ¡°Did something happen to Northon? Why¡¯s the entire city so empty?¡± she asked. The [Receptionist] raised his head, furrowing his brows at us. Noele, Skye, Deon, Saros, Nicole, Nn, and I stared back at him as he spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys hear? Everyone¡¯s talking about it.¡± The [Receptionist] sat up straight as he spoke, and Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°The Kingdom of Kal has dered war on the Astrad Kingdom.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The blonde girl blinked, proessing this. But the [Receptionist] just finished, ¡°As of today onwards, the entire country¡ª no, the entire continent is at war.¡± MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Kallistus Kal sat atop his gilded throne as a crimson-haired woman swept into the ornate chamber. She passed rows of royal guards and bowed deeply. ¡°You may speak, Melissa,¡± he addressed his subordinate as she kept her head low. ¡°My liege, you have received a [Missive] from the Ashoreim Republic and the Craok Confederacy,¡± she said, producing a piece of parchment. ¡°They demand to know what has prompted this deration of war with the Astrad Kingdom. They assert that if they find the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s casus belli to be dissatisfactory, they will be forced to intervene through their exves.¡± The [Hero King] leant back on his throne, resting his chin on his hand. ¡°So the dwarves of Alius finally speak, but all that hase are merely meager threats and posturing.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± Melissa raised her head and took a step back. Her eyes flickered¡ª those crimson irises glimmering dangerously as her lips twisted. ¡°It is outrageous. How dare they insult you and our kingdom.¡± The [Archmage] balled her hands into fists, crumpling the parchment, before setting it aze. She met her king¡¯s gaze with a crooked smile. ¡°Should I reply with a [Remote Missive] of [Fireballs] and [Frost Spikes]?¡± ¡°Let us not be hasty, Melissa.¡± He shook his head, and she paused. ¡°They have yet to intervene in this conflict. The dwarves are too entangled by their own problems in Alius.¡± Melissa watched as he rose to his feet and folded his arms behind his back. He strutted down the steep steps of his elevated throne,ing to a halt right before her as he spoke. ¡°With the rise of the new Fairy Queen starkly opposed to their heretical magitech, and the growing dissidence of the nagas and gnome, the dwarven nations cannot act just yet. What they have sent our way is but empty words. Let us not give them a real reason to intervene in our war.¡± He ced a hand on her shoulder, and she hurriedly dropped to one knee. ¡°I apologize, my liege. I was too brash in my thinking. I can only hope to be as wise as you.¡± But he refused to let her keep her head down. Kallistus brought a hand to her chin, bringing her gaze up to face him. ¡°Do not apologize, Melissa. You had the best intentions of our country in mind.¡± His words instantly made the expression on her face disappear¡ª she brightened, smiling as she brought her hands up and clung to his arm. But he let go of her. ¡°I want you to tell the dwarf nations that this war was brought upon by the Astrad Kingdom. Exin that we have reason to believe that King Aries had supplied mercenaries, gold, and weaponry to Archon during the final stages of our war.¡± Melissa immediately rose to her feet and bowed. ¡°I will do so at once, my liege.¡± ¡°We need to dy any dwarven ns of intervention for as long as possible,¡± Kallistus said as he climbed up the steps back to his throne. ¡°Go and fulfill my bidding, Melissa.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± She spun around and marched out of the room. The [Hero King] sat back onto his throne, watching her go. Her footfalls vanished beyond the gilded chamber, and Kallistus closed his eyes. He remained in silence for what felt like an immortal moment, before his eyes flickered open. He looked up, seeing the shadows in the throne room moving oddly. The light crystals shimmered and glowed brighter as the royal guards in the room nced about warily. But he waved a hand dismissively at them. ¡°The rest of you are dismissed. I desire to be left alone in private.¡± The royal guards exchanged uneasily looks, but their leader nodded. He stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± The rest of them followed him out, closing therge double doors on their way out. Finally, the [Hero King] was left alone. For just a single moment. Then the light in the room dimmed until there was only darkness left, and figures emerged from the shadows. Six faceless figures knelt before Kallistus. They varied in size and stature, most of them clearly non-human, although some were. One of them was a ball that floated at shoulder height, while another was nearly ten feet tall. They spoke in unison as they faced the [Hero King]. ¡°You called for us, King Kallistus?¡± ¡°I have been waiting for your arrival,¡± Kallistus said disapprovingly. ¡°The Sect of Abyssal Thorns had hounded me for the past seven weeks to dere war on the Astrad Kingdom, yet I dyed while awaiting you six to gather before me.¡± A humanoid figure¡ª one with a long tail¡ª instantly prostrated before him and hissed. ¡°I apologize for the dy, King Kallistus. It is my fault that we have taken so long to arrive. Punish me, but not the others.¡± ¡°Please punish me instead,¡± another said. The figure of a young woman.¡°It was my own foolishness that sabotaged the [Teleportation Ritual]. I am sorry.¡± It didn¡¯t stop there. One after another, all six of them tried to take the me for theirte arrival. But Kallistus just raised a hand, and they immediately grew silent. ¡°That is enough. There will be no punishment, nor are any of you to me. I have called you all here for a reason, and while you have arrivedter than anticipated, I am pleased to see you six gathered here before me.¡± ¡°We live to serve you, our King!¡± they said all at once. ¡°What do you need of us?¡± The [Hero King] closed his eyes, lying back on his throne. He remembered an event that happened just seven weeks ago¡ª during thest full gathering of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. He recalled the Call of the Void. Or so it was what Leohard imed. That was false. Kallistus knew the truth. It was a rift in space. A tear created by the Void. He had sensed them in the past¡ª very faintly. And he noticed these rifts, appearing more frequently than ever over the years, his senses growing stronger. Each time they appeared, he was able to discern their location better, even if vaguely. But now, he was finally able to pinpoint the exact location of the most recent rift. Perhaps it was because it was greater than thest few¡ª even Leonhard had sensed it¡ª or maybe it was because it had been open for so long. It didn¡¯t matter. He simply knew the origin point of that opening to the Fractured Realm. It was time to act soon. He had to make careful preparations before he could finally be granted salvation. His eyes snapped open as he started. ¡°I need you to travel to Mount Arkais¡­¡± And the six of them listened. ¡ª-- War had been dered. The Astrad Kingdom was now at war with the Kingdom of Kal. It was a move that surprised everyone across the world. It was an event that was going to forever change the course of history¡­ or whatever, I didn¡¯t really care. Sure, war was bad. I understood it sucked, even back on Earth. But I wasn¡¯t going to intervene. Noele had said I could probably head over to the Kingdom of Kal and p the [Hero King] Kallistus in the face. He was supposedly only an S-rank equivalent, so he would be about as difficult as Jax to deal with. I was confident he wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me. But somehow that meant I was supposed to do something about this war. ¡°Please, Amelia,¡± Noele said as she took a step forward. ¡°You have got to put a stop to it!¡± We were still in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Northon. I had taken a seat and ordered some food since I was hungry, but no one else joined me, too distraught by the news. I yawned as the blonde girl continued. ¡°You are strong enough to save millions of lives! You can¡¯t let this y out¡ª the entire continent of Laxo will devolve into war if this happens!¡± Noele eximed. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything about this [Hero King] invading Archon, didn¡¯t I?¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°I¡¯m sure things will mostly be fine.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Things will most certainly not be fine. This is a conflict that involves the tworgest nations in the continent¡ª maybe even the entire world!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the elves have arger country or something?¡± I raised a brow at her. ¡°They¡­ do. And so do the merfolk. But they¡¯re both a united people, not a country. This is different.¡± The Noble Spellsword inhaled deeply, meeting my gaze. ¡°Please, Amelia. This war has to be stopped, and you are the only one in the world who can put a halt to it.¡± I sighed as I rose to my feet. ¡°If I do this, then why shouldn¡¯t I put a halt to every other war in all of Vacuos? Why shouldn¡¯t I go to Drazyl and stop the elves from battling the merfolk? Why shouldn¡¯t I go to Alius and¡­ I don¡¯t know, there¡¯s probably something going on there as well, right?¡± Noele drew back, drawing her lips into a thin line. ¡°There have been some skirmishes between the fairy nation of ¡¯fyrasa and their dwarven neighbors. There is also an extreme rise in terrorist attacks all across the continent because of worsening inter-species tensions.¡± ¡°The whole world is at war,¡± I said, waving a hand vaguely around us. ¡°The whole world is always at war. No matter what world it is, no matter what era it is, there is and will always be some level of conflict.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to put a stop to every war,¡± she whispered. ¡°Just this war.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± I asked, raising a brow. The blonde girl just stood there quietly as I shook my head. ¡°If I intervened in this war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal, then why shouldn¡¯t I intervene in the war between the elves and the merfolk? Why shouldn¡¯t I intervene in the conflict between fairies, dwarves, gnomes, nagas, and whatever in Alius? Why shouldn¡¯t I intervene in every regional conflict across Laxo? In fact, why should I stop there?¡± I nced out towards the street of Northon. ¡°I should do something about every little conflict, since I can. Every monster attack, every murder, every mugging, every domestic dispute¡ª I should patrol around the world trying to put a halt to all of it, like I am Superman or whatever.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Noele blinked at me, and I sighed. ¡°Noele, I¡¯m not a [Hero] or a hero or a superhero or whatever. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed this, but everything I¡¯ve done so far has been for myself. Sure, if I see someone in trouble, I¡¯ll try to do something about it. And if offered enough money, I¡¯ll do something I may dislike because I like money. But war is different. War has consequences that I am not going to bear the responsibility for.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Well, if I go over to the Kingdom of Kal and kill this [Hero King], what happens then?¡± I shrugged back at the Noble Spellsword. ¡°Do I be the [Hero Queen]? Do I have to look after his kingdom? What happens if I¡¯m an ipetent ruler? What happens if I appoint an ipetent ruler? I¡¯m not going to deal with all of that bullshit. I turned it down once, I will do it again and again and again.¡± My gaze darkened as I remembered the Voidgod¡¯s offer. I recalled the blue screen that regrly shed before my eyes. An annoyed feeling boiled within me, but I quickly dismissed it and met Noele¡¯s gaze. ¡°There is a saying where Ie from¡ª with great poweres great responsibility. And I am not responsible. I am not a [Hero]. I am here to live my life as I please, not save the world or whatever.¡± The blonde girl gritted her teeth. ¡°Then I will pay you!¡± I paused. That took me by surprise. Her voice drew the attention of more than a few adventurer¡¯s in the guild. I stared at her as she reached for her coin pouch. ¡°If you¡¯re only motivated by money and what benefits you, I¡¯ll pay you. Just name your price!¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°Alright¡ª a hundred thousand tinum coins.¡± And she blinked. ¡°I-I¡­ what? That¡¯s more than most countries have in their vaults!¡± I held a hand out at her expectantly. ¡°Well? I¡¯m waiting.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t afford that!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not going to do shit,¡± I said dryly. ¡°I¡¯m just going back to Windrip as I nned, and I¡¯ll meet you at Whiteridge after.¡± Noele hesitated. She shifted her feet ufortably. ¡°But what if something happens to us? ¡°Isn¡¯t the front lines on the other side of the Astrad Kingdom? I heard someone talking about that¡ª that there¡¯s a natural barrier preventing a full assaulting from both the north or the west of the country.¡± ¡°But still¡ª something can happen.¡± The blonde girl held my gaze seriously. ¡°I¡¯m your student, aren¡¯t I? You wouldn¡¯t want that to happen. I thought about it for a moment. I turned to face a small figure at the other side of the guild. ¡°Saros,¡± I called out to the gnome. ¡°Do you have like amunication device or whatever that works across long distances?¡± ¡°You mean like a [Message] scroll? Of course I do.¡± He snorted in response. ¡°Give it to me, and I¡¯ll let you keep the job¡¯s reward,¡± I said simply. Saros blinked, then he hopped off his stool. He dashed past Skye and Deon who were resting by another table, heading out of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡°It¡¯s in my inn¡ª I¡¯ll get it right now!¡± he said in a hurry. I grinned back at Noele. ¡°See? Problem solved. If anythinges up, just send me a [Message], and I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Noble Spellsword clearly wanted to argue, but she couldn¡¯t. Because I knew that she wasn¡¯t actually worried about her own life. She was an A-rank adventurer¡ª a strong one at that. She could handle herself and her parents just fine. Her protests were just an attempt to get me to stop this war. But I wasn¡¯t going to do anything about it. I could protect Noele and anyone I really cared about without too much trouble. I wasn¡¯t going to involve myself in a full-scale continental conflict unless I had no other choice. After all, I came to Vacuos to live life for myself, not to live for the sake of others. Whether it was the Voidgod, the World System, or some [Hero King], I wasn¡¯t going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that now. Not as long as I could do something about it. And there were a lot of things I could do about it. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 The next day, I bade farewell to Noele and her parents. They left for Whiteridge, booking an enchanted carriage to take them there at the break of dawn. They were supposed to arrive there in two days¡¯ time, not a long trip by any means, but I could¡¯ve brought them there at a much faster rate. I did make the offer numerous times¡­ only to be shot down, even as she was about to leave. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not letting you give my parents a heart attack.¡± Noele rolled her eyes. She was adamantly against it in every way. ¡°My Mama and Papa are old. They¡¯re pretty much retired [Farmers] at this point. They won¡¯t be able to handle the trip to Wolfwater if you carry us there.¡± ¡°Wolfwater?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°I was under the impression you were from Whiteridge.¡± The blonde girl nodded. ¡°Wolfwater is a small farming town right outside of Whiteridge. It¡¯s technically a part of the city, but it¡¯s its own thing.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯s fine, I guess. They¡¯ll just escort you as far as Whiteridge, but that¡¯s all.¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this about escorting me now?¡± Noele blinked. ¡°We are escorting you,¡± a familiar grumpy voice said. I stepped to the side, and the Noble Spellsword paused. She stared as three figures emerged from the gates of Northon, leading a pair of horses behind them. Deon the Virtuous Guard, Skye the Silver Shade, and Saros the Gnome Inventor came to a halt next to me and nodded. The gnome was the one who had spoken. He crossed his arms, eyeing the enchanted carriage. ¡°An express ride¡ª our horses better be able to keep up, we bought them from a Level 33 [Beast Master].¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Noele stared at me, flummoxed. ¡°I hired them to escort you,¡± I said simply as I faced the blonde girl. ¡°Especially since you were so worried about something bad happening to you or your parents¡ª I decided to give you a little extra security.¡± The Noble Spellsword¡¯s eyes went round. She stared at Deon who stepped forward, clearing his throat as he faced me. ¡°While I may not have¡­ carried myself toopetently in the Frozar Mountains, I am grateful that you have given me a chance to repay my debt to you, Amelia.¡± He bowed his head low my way respectfully¡ª a stark contrast to how he had behaved while lost in thebyrinth. ¡°I will ensure your friend and her parents arrive in Whiteridge safely.¡± Skye the Silver Shade nodded in agreement. ¡°You saved us. This is the least we can do for you.¡± ¡°You paid them to escort me?¡± Noele asked, wide-eyed. ¡°They¡¯re doing it for free,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I wanted to pay them, but they refused to ept the payment.¡± ¡°They refused the payment,¡± Saros snorted. ¡°Unlike those two sappy idiots, I ain¡¯t doing this for free.¡± I grinned back at him. ¡°You still only charged five gold coins. I¡¯d have thought an A-rank like you would be worth at least twenty. It seems you¡¯re a sappy idiot too.¡± He averted his gaze, but didn¡¯t rebuke what I said. Noele just looked at me, still in awe. I turned to her with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re my student¡ª or whatever,¡± I said, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you die on me.¡± ¡°Amelia¡­¡± she whispered. I met her gaze, and my smile slipped for a moment. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Also, if I¡¯m being honest, I asked Deon, Skye, and Saros to watch over you to ensure you don¡¯t run off to fight the [Hero King].¡± She blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª I wouldn¡¯t do that. What? What even gave you that idea?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be too safe.¡± I shrugged back. Noele shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to spend time with my parents, Amelia. I¡¯m not suicidal¡ª and I¡¯m not going to force you to put a stop to this war if you don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll still¡­ try to convince you otherwise. But trying to fight the [Hero King] myself while hoping you¡¯d intervene is just downright idiotic. I¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you understand that too.¡± I nodded at her, taking a step back. ¡°Now go enjoy your time with your parents. ¡°I will.¡± The blonde girl turned to the carriage, eyeing Nn and Nicole for a brief moment, before ncing back my way. ¡°Thank you again, Amelia. For everything.¡± ¡°You can thank me by paying me on time next month,¡± I chuckled as I waved at her goodbye. ¡°See you in Whiteridge.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡± She grinned at me, closing the door shut. The windows were open, and she just waved back. ¡°Although, I won¡¯t be surprised if you get there before us.¡± With that, the carriage took off. Saros, Deon and Skye followed after, riding on horseback. Saros just sat atop Deon¡¯s shoulder, so they only used two horses. And the horses moved at a trot faster than I¡¯d expect a horse back on Earth to move. The enchanted carriage was fast too. Almostparable to a car at an intersection. I watched them go. They left Northon behind, and I took a step back. I nced towards the sky and nodded at myself. ¡°Alright, now back to Windrip.¡± ¡ª-- If I wanted to, I could¡¯ve arrived at Windrip in mere moments with a single jump, but I didn¡¯t want to. Instead, I decided to take the scenic route, leaping slowly over the tall boreal trees surrounding Northon, taking in the vast taiga forest, and simply rxing. I felt the wind grazing over me. I saw the small animals wandering between the dark trees. White rabbits, wild boars, and other critters. They looked up and saw me jumping hundreds of feet in a single bound, before taking off running, scared by my presence. There were monsters hunting, scouring through the snowy bushes. Large dark foxes that dwarfed even wolves back on Earth. Massive mammoths lumbered forward, pausing as I passed. But they didn¡¯t flee. They just watched me, and I nodded at them. ¡°Cute creatures,¡± I remarked idly. I wondered if they would make good pets. But¡ª I saw the intelligence in their eyes. They recognized I wasn¡¯t threatening them and they respected me. So I respected them in return and dismissed the thought. I saw the sights. I took my time. But most importantly, I actually enjoyed myself for the first time in a while. It was a nice change of pace. Especially after yesterday¡¯s worry. Noele had begged me to intervene in the war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal, but I rejected her request. I had been concerned she¡¯d get upset at me. She seemed incredibly desperate, after all. Fortunately, she was fine this morning. She didn¡¯t seem to hold my inaction against me, which was good. But our conversation reminded me of something. I hade to Vacuos with a single reason in mind¡ª I wanted to live life for myself now. A peaceful life. A life which I enjoyed above all else, unbeholden to the will of others. After all, I wasn¡¯t responsible, and I wasn¡¯t a [Hero], nor a hero. I had been too hyper-fixated on getting things done that I didn¡¯t remember to enjoy myself. Whether it be setting up a food stall or trying hunting down A-ranked monsters, everything I did was a means to an end. But I didn¡¯t actually live. I didn¡¯t actually spend time doing things for myself. Everything I did was for the future, so it was no different to what I was doing in the Fractured Realm. I came to a halt at the very peak of a tall mountain. I swept my gaze around at the undtingndscape, taking in a deep breath. This was the real world. It wasn¡¯t that broken nightmare with no smell, no changing sights, and no reprieve. No matter where I turned in the Fractured Realm, I saw the same stars in the sky. No matter where I ran, I smelled the same depraved scent proliferating, almost suffocation. And no matter how many voidlings or voidbeasts I had in, I couldn¡¯t stop and take a break. But here, I could rx. I could feel the gales beating against my back. My torn cloak whipped behind me, and I took in a deep breath. The frosty air was fresh, cool in my lungs,, with some salt from the brine. The nearby monsters didn¡¯t attack me. The world remained at ease. I could enjoy myself here in Vacuos. ¡°But here¡¯s the question¡ª what do I even enjoy doing?¡± I wondered aloud as I sighed. I stood here at a mountaintop for a full minute, and the rxing feeling vanished. It faded away, reced by a niggling annoyance. I knew what the problem was, even if I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. It was the reason why I spent days on end just staring at Windrip¡¯s Adventurer''s Guild¡¯s job board, waiting for something new. I was bored. I was so incredibly fucking bored. First of all, it was taking me forever even just to get to Windrip. I knew I could¡¯ve just gotten to the city in a single jump, so I felt like I was just wasting my time by traveling slowly so I could enjoy the view. Secondly, and worst of all, I had nothing to do. Even if I returned to Windrip, I would still be bored. Sure, I spent some time trying out cooking a month ago, but I got bored of that after a week and a half. I tried to pick up painting, only to be turned down by one of the few [Artists] in Windrip. I would have thought that being an [Artist] would make them more open minded than not, considering the whole concept of artistic integrity and how it was all a creative endeavor, but apparently he was just an even bigger snob for levels than theyman. Right now, I felt like I was just drifting around aimlessly, nothing to do but to see what the new day brought about. But the new day typically brought about another bout with boredom. Anything new I tried ended up being abandoned after the first obstacle. Maybe I could¡¯ve revolutionized how food worked in Vacuos if Imitted to my food stall. But it was always just a fleeting interest, soon forgotten and buried behind. Sighing, I leapt off the mountaintop, soaring across the sky above the clouds. I could almost see the twinkling stars from up here. The speckled scintiting sparks that were dimly visible in the morning. I tried to enjoy this scenic trip, but there was nothing for me to enjoy. And it was because I knew nothing. Or, rather, I only knew only one thing. My eyes flickered as I began to descend. I saw a small town in the distance, right at the edge of a valley. A column of smoking ascended from the wooden walls, and I took a deep breath. All I knew was how to fight. It was what I always returned to. That was all I had spent thest ten years or however-long I was trapped in the Fractured Realm doing. I didn¡¯t want to be a [Hero]. I didn¡¯t want to be a hero. As much as I tried¡ª as much as I wanted to reintegrate into society and live a peaceful life¡ª I couldn¡¯t. I saw the sh of a blue screen from the corner of my eye. The offer to be a [Hero]. I rejected it again as I changed my course. Yesterday, I had told Noele that if I saw someone in trouble, I would do something about it. But that was only because I couldn¡¯t help myself but act. Just like right now. The edge of the town was shrouded in mist. I saw shadows moving within as screams echoed out. Blood stained the earth, and bodiesy scattered across the grass. I descended into the mist, drawing my de as I mentally apologized to Noele. The truth is, I am a hero. And I hated every second of being one. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ¡°Hey, Emory, shouldn¡¯t we be heading further west? Why are we stopping here?¡± Adrian asked as he eyed the small vige in the distance. It was nothing special¡ª just a vige thaty at the base of a valley, surrounded by some innocuous farnd. But for whatever reason, Emory had ordered the group to stop here. Normally, Adrian wouldn¡¯t be so bold to question his leader¡¯s orders. He was the newest member of the Frenzied Five¡ª one of the most notorious groups within the Miststorm Riders. They were especially dangerous, since they were all A-rank in level themselves. Although Adrian had only just recently advanced in his ss, reaching Level 50 a month ago right as one of the older members of the Frenzied Five was killed by a group of [Hunters] sent by the Mercenary¡¯s Guild. Such scuffles weren¡¯t umon, considering the reputation of the Miststorm Riders. They were the most dangerous bandit group in all of Laxo. Their members were Level 30 at the very minimum¡ª a thousand C-ranks, leaders of their own small gangs, asckeys. And they had over a hundred B-ranks in their numbers too. A-ranks were more umon, but there were still over a dozen of them within the Miststorm Riders. And the Frenzied Five made up nearly half of their numbers. So each of their members had a hefty bounty on their head. Honestly, Adrian took pride in the fact that both the Mercenary¡¯s Guild and Adventurer¡¯s Guild were willing to pay out over a hundred gold coins for his death, even though he was a rtively new member of the Frenzied Five. Of course, the other members were worth significantly more. Jalynn the Savage Swordsmaiden was worth two-hundred gold coins. Lizeth the Twisted Enchantress was worth two-hundred-and-fifty. Gerard the Darkmaster was worth three-hundred. A rtively small increase for each member, up until their leader. He was one of the most dangerous members of the Miststorm Riders due to how whimsical and cruel he could be. They called him Emory the Frenzied Barbarian. But Adrian never thought the name was fitting, especially with how calm Emory could be. But it was the fact that Emory was soposed when carrying out such insane acts that terrified even nations. It even somewhat scared Adrian¡ª he had nearly rejected Emory¡¯s request to join the Frenzied Five, but conceded because he was afraid that he might just be killed in his sleep for that. And that was why Emory was worth nearly a thousand gold coins. It really depended on who was paying out the reward. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t have active bounties on their heads. They ced the bounty whenever the Frenzied Five or the rest of the Miststorm Riders showed up in a region, but otherwise they didn¡¯t reward hunting down the bandits. But the Mercenary¡¯s Guild was different. They actively sent [Assassins] and [Hunters] out after the Miststorm Riders. At all times, there was a nine-hundred to one-thousand gold bounty ced on Emory. The same was said for the other members of the Frenzied Five. Altogether, the Frenzied Five were worth two-thousand gold. It was the kind of reward paid out for S-rank requests. It was almost nonsensical. Especially when taking into ount the various rewards entire nations offered for wiping out the Miststorm Riders¡ª an A-rank bandit group. Surely any S-rank with half a brain would ept such an easy reward. And one of them had even tried. She was called Fay the Fabled Sorceress. A Level 62 [Mage]. She was renowned all across the world, having gone to Willow¡¯s Academy of Magic and Monsters¡ª the most prestigious magical institution in Lax. She had heard of the Frenzied Five¡¯s notorious reputation and hunted them down. Perhaps not for the reward, but for the justice of it all. And after a long and grueling battle, where she killed four of their original members, she had¡­ failed. Emory the Frenzied Barbarian had killed her. Somehow, even though he was only a Level 56 [Warrior], he had defeated her in battle. And that sent a warning to every S-rank that dared consider hunting him down. They realized that this wasn¡¯t an easy job¡ª they could very much lose their lives in battle against the Frenzied Barbarian. So they mostly steered clear from the Miststorm Riders. It was odd. By every objective metric, the Miststorm Riders could only be considered an A-rank group. And that was their official level of threat as listed by most official sources. But from what Adrian had seen, this couldn¡¯t be further from the case. They were an S-rank bandit group. He was certain of it. He had seen it firsthand. And he didn¡¯t know why. He just knew that both Emory and their boss were A-ranks who fought as dangerously as any S-rank. Adrian shook his head, dismissing these thoughts as he eyed the vige in the distance. He was just d that his leader was so powerful. But he didn¡¯t want to invoke the wrath of both their boss, either. After all, this wasn¡¯t their target¡ª they were supposed to meet up with the rest of the Miststorm Riders at the west of the Astrad Kingdom. So he couldn¡¯t understand why they were here. He turned to Emory, speaking hesitantly. ¡°The boss said¡ª¡± ¡°Fuck the boss.¡± Emory replied simply. The leader of the Frenzied Five didn¡¯t seem upset. He just spoke brusquely and stepped forward. Raising a hand, he pointed at the vige. ¡°Do you see that, Adrian?¡± Adrian exchanged a nce with Gerard and Lizeth. They both shrugged back at him. The newest member of the Frenzied Five hesitated, but Jalynn elbowed him from the side, forcing him to speak. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s because you are still green. Still fresh. You don¡¯t see it because you never looked for it¡ª opportunity.¡± Emory inhaled deeply, taking a step forward. He raised his hands to the side and exhaled slowly. ¡°There is opportunity all around us, Adrian. What was your Title again?¡± ¡°They call me the Elusive Stormranger.¡± Adrian answered, pursing his lips. Emory nodded. ¡°And right now, you are eluding your growth. Think about it with me.¡± The Frenzied Barbarian strode forward, brushing his hands against the tall grass. ¡°Every vige we burn down, every town we destroy, our reputation grows. Even if killing these Level 15 guards won¡¯t give us much experience or levels. Even if there isn¡¯t much gold to steal from some backwater town. Our reputation will still grow. And more mercenaries and adventurers wille after us. More nations will want to hunt us down. And when theye, they¡¯ll bring with them gold and experience for us to grow.¡± Emory came to a halt as he tightly gripped a cluster of tall grass. He spun around, yanking out the foliage as a savage smile spread across his face. ¡°There is an opportunity at every turn, Adrian. Now I want you to seize it.¡± Adrian blinked. But the rest of the Frenzied Five nodded. They charged forward, heading straight for the vige as the Elusive Stormranger stood there for a moment, unmoving. Emory waited, peering into the newest member of the group. After what felt like a full minute, Adrian the Elusive Stormranger raised his head, smirking savagely. ¡°Yes, Emory!¡± he said, brimming with excitement. At first, Adrian had been apprehensive. But now, he was just so giddy to join in. He dashed forward as he conjured an invisible bow¡ª one made out of air. He hurried after the rest of his team as Emory waited at the back. Honestly, it all made sense now to Adrian. He heard the screams in the distance. The shouts of terror that came from the fleeing vigers. He watched as Jalynn sliced a house in half with her broadsword, cleaving the family inside into paste with that single strike. He looked on as Gerard vanished into the shadows of a group of guards, jumping from one shadow to another, before appearing at the other side. The guards exploded, diced into pieces as the Darkmaster flicked his dagger with a grin. The previously peaceful vige had erupted into chaos in such a short amount of time. In the face of a single A-rank threat, they would have already been utterly crushed and trampled into dust. But there were five of them now. The Frenzied Five themselves. Lizeth raised a staff, conjuring a thin nket of mist over the vige. It wasn¡¯t poisonous or dangerous. But Adrian knew its effects¡ª it would dibobte anyone who was standing inside of it. Their senses would be disrupted. They would get lost because of the illusion magic permeating the spell. Staring from the outside in, Adrian could make sense of everything with ease. He saw a young boy, running and crying for his mother. The Elusive Stormranger grinned and raised his bow. ¡°You will be reunited with your parents shortly, so don¡¯t worry about them,¡± he said as he aimed a glowing arrow at the terrified child. ¡°Die for my greatness¡ª¡± And Adrian¡¯s voice was cut off. The arrow didn¡¯t loose, instead flopping over to the ground. The boy blinked at the metallic sound, turning to face the Elusive Stormranger. It was weird. As much as Adrian tried, he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. He couldn¡¯t find his voice. The Elusive Archer tried to open his mouth, but his jaw refused to work. He raised a hand to his mouth¡­ only to find that he had no hand. That was when Adrian finally realized his forearm had been sliced cleanly off. And that wasn¡¯t just it. But his entire lower body had been taken along with it from a horizontal sh. The Elusive Archer gasped, making a squeaking noise. And he saw a dark figurending before him. A brown-haired woman dressed in odd clothing with a torn and tattered cloak sheathed her sword casually. She walked up to the boy and gave him a small nod. ¡°Get out of here, kid.¡± The boy gaped at her, before quickly running off. Adrian tried to protest. But his body fell apart. He copsed with a thud, his crimson blood pooling on the ground as hisst thoughts crossed his mind. I¡­ am s-sorry¡­ Emory¡­ ¡ª-- ¡°So Adrian is dead.¡± Emory narrowed his eyes, seeing Adrian flop over, sliced in half. The brown-haired woman that killed him casually swept her gaze around the vige. The Frenzied Barbarian just sighed as he stepped forward. ¡°I knew he wouldn¡¯tst more than a year. But a month? Come on, now I¡¯ll have to find a recement again¡­¡± he trailed off before tapping a finger on his chin. ¡°I could rename us to the Frenzied Four¡ª that would still work.¡± He came to a halt before the brown-haired woman as he mused to himself. She looked like an adventurer of sorts. Probably an S-rank considering how easily she¡¯d killed Adrian. And judging from the way she dressed, she was certainly as entric as one. ¡°Jalynn, Gerard, Lizeth,¡± Emory called out to the remainder of the Frenzied Five. They immediately stopped what they were doing and faced him. Their gazended on the brown-haired woman as she eyed him with a frown. ¡°So, what¡¯s your deal?¡± she asked, raising a brow. ¡°Parents didn¡¯t give you enough love? Some kid bullied you in middle school? Got rejected by your first crush?¡± ¡°My deal?¡± Emory folded his arms with an amused look on his face. ¡°That¡¯s the first time someone¡¯s asked me that. Usually they¡¯re too busy begging me to stop ughtering their vige or imposing some nonsense about justice. Who are you, mysterious woman?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as all of the above, then,¡± the brown-haired woman snorted. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia. And I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± The Frenzied Barbarian blinked. He stared at Amelia as she spoke tly, giving a threat so casually. Emory tried to work his jaw for a moment, before breaking outughing. The rest of the Frenzied Five joined him with theirughter. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to kill me?¡± Emory said, wiping the tears from his eyes. ¡°So many have tried and failed. But go ahead, I¡¯d like to see you try¡ª¡± And Amelia appeared next to him, de raised to his chest. The Frenzied Barbarian froze. He felt the warm liquid pouring down his skin. He felt the cool touch of the sword¡¯s edge at his chest and his back. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± Emory mustered out, finally realizing what had happened. He had been stabbed through his heart. Amelia drew her sword back and flicked the blood to the side as he dropped to his knees. The rest of the Frenzied Five stared in shock as she shrugged. ¡°Sure,¡± she said simply. ¡°Thanks for the free hit.¡± Jalynn, Gerard, and Lizeth looked on for another second, before finally breaking out of their stupor. They roared in anger as Emory copsed to the ground, watching his blood pool beneath him. His vision darkened, and he heard the sounds of fighting echo in the fading distance¡­ ¡­until he heard the Void¡¯s call. MsD I''m on a diet but I woke up today and ordered pizza while half-asleep and now the pizza has arrived and I regret my decision but I don''t want to waste food so I have to eat pizza. It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Emoryy in a puddle of blood. His blood. He had been stabbed through the heart¡ª defeated, just like that. He was the Frenzied Barbarian. The leader of the Frenzied Five. He was second-inmand in the Miststorm Riders, and he was confident he was a better fighter than his so-called boss. It was the reason why Emory was left to rein freely despite his ostensible allegiance to the bandit group. And that was because there was no true singr person in charge of them. After all, the Miststorm Riders were supposed to gather west of the Astrad Kingdom, but it was not a directive given by their boss. Instead, they had been given explicit orders from above¡ª from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Very few members of the Miststorm Riders were aware of this fact. Only half a dozen of their members were even aware of their true allegiance. They had no idea they were supposed to aid the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s offensive against the Astrad Kingdom by raiding and piging the cities and towns to the west. Westwend, Lullin, Skystead, Whiteridge¡­ a plethora of targets, some they had even previously struck before in the past. Most of the bandits just followed these orders, thinking it was their boss who was capitalizing on this war for profit, even if in reality that was not the case. So there was no true leader of the Miststorm Riders. Emory was free to do as he liked as long as his actions were in line with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. That was why he was out here, burning some random vige in the middle of the Astrad Kingdom. At least, until that brown-haired woman showed up. He didn¡¯t understand it. She had killed Adrian, the newest member of the Frenzied Five, with a single swing of her sword. She had moved so fast, Emory couldn¡¯t even process what happened until moments after it happened. She stabbed him through the chest, destroying his heart. Now Emory justy there. He couldn¡¯t feel his hands. His body grew cold. The world around him slowly faded away, like kes of snow melting by a fire. He tried to gasp, but no words came out. His vision grew dark. His Skills refused to respond. Even [An Unbridled Rage] failed to take over and push his body beyond its limits. After all, no one could survive without a heart. But as the Frenzied Barbarian felt his grip over his life slipping¡ª as he heard the echoing sounds of battle in the distance¡ª he heard a voice calling for him. He heard the Void¡¯s call. And he seized it in that instant. ¡ª-- I stepped back from Emory, lowering my de. I flicked the blood from the rusty metal and faced the remaining three figures standing before me. Jalynn, Gerard, and Lizeth. Bandits, or whatever. I didn¡¯t know or care about their motivations. I just waited expectantly as they gaped at me for a moment. ¡°So¡­ are we done here?¡± I asked with a raised brow. And they broke out of their stupor. All at once, they cried out in outrage. ¡°How dare you mess with us!¡± Jalynn the Savage Swordsmaiden yelled as she charged me with her broadsword. The weapon shimmered, growing in size as she swung down at me. ¡°We are the Frenzied Five¡ª¡± ¡°More like the Frenzied Three,¡± I said, raising a hand and catching the giant de. She blinked as she tried to pull the weapon back, and I shed up with my own sword. I sliced her in half as I spoke simply, watching her fall. ¡°Or¡­ the Frenzied Two now, I guess.¡± ¡°Gerard! Distract her!¡± Lizeth called out, taking a step back. She began waving a crooked staff in the air as the mist coalesced around me. She vanished within the white nket as Gerard sprinted around me. He circled faster and faster, splitting into multiple different figures. He became nothing but shadows as the mist grew thicker until it was practically solid. ¡°[Shadow After Images],¡± Gerard the Darkmaster whispered. His voice echoed all around me as I saw shadows darting all around me. ¡°You may be strong. But you cannot kill what you cannot see¡ª¡± I just turned around and reached out, grabbing him out of the mist. He yelped as the shadows vanished. I held Gerard by the neck as he choked, struggling in my grasps. ¡°W-what? How did you see me¡­?¡± ¡°I can see that you¡¯re an idiot,¡± I said tly, before tightening my grip. There was a snap. His body dropped limply on the ground as I turned around. My eyes narrowed as I raised a hand, pointing into the mist. ¡°I can see you too, you know?¡± I called out at Lizeth. But she continued chanting quietly to herself, weaving a spell circle out of the air. Symbols floated and glowed as they shifted. Thest of the Frenzied One pointed my way, yelling out. ¡°Die you monster! [Baleful¡ª¡± she started. But a distorted scream interrupted her. A terrible cry of agony and anger. It almost didn¡¯t sound human. Like the death throes of a dying monster. I paused, ncing back as a powerful gust of wind swept over me. It blew away the mist and nearly knocked Lizeth off her feet. Her spell vanished, and her eyes grew wide as she stared at the source of the warped voice. Emory the Frenzied Barbarian rose to his feet as he was engulfed by an empurpled aura. His eyes had be hollow¡ª no pupil or isis to see, but dark husks that stared at nothing. I watched as his veins bulged ck, and his flesh darkened like desated skin. The stab wound in his chest grewrger, forming a hole where his heart should be, as if his flesh was being eaten away. It was immediately filled with purple threads knitting together to form an imitation of a heart. I could see it pulsing. Beating. Almost as if it was real. But there was no blood there. No skin to cover it up. It hung in the open for all to see. I frowned as I recognized this power. This aura that permeated the Fractured Realm. It was almost nostalgic for me to sense. Because it was a power that belonged to the Void. ¡ª-- ¡°Oh, how I¡¯ve missed this,¡± Emory whispered as he stared down at himself. He took in a deep breath and raised his head. The feeling in his hands returned, only to multiply tenfold. He was much stronger now. He could feel his strength surging through him as his darkened flesh rippled. The purple aura wisping off him calmed as he swept his gaze to the brown-haired woman. She just stared at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°Do you see this power?¡± He spread his arms wide as he strutted forward. ¡°You may notprehend it. But I have been blessed by the Void itself with its power. You have heard the stories, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have not¡ª¡± she started. But Emory continued. ¡°I am sure you have wondered how it was possible¡ª how a mere Level 56 bandit like me was able to y an S-rank adventurer. But this is how. I have been Void-touched. Though I can no longer level, I have surpassed you ves to the World System and be something far greater than you can possibly imagine!¡± Normally, the Void¡¯s power was something he had to reach for himself. It wasn¡¯t easy, and he only ever used it as ast resort. It was how he had beaten Fay the Fabled Sorceress in battle. But this was different. Not only had he never been able to regenerate before, it was also the Void that reached out to him. He was stronger than ever now. He wasn¡¯t sure what the limits of his new power was, but he knew it was enough to crush this insolent girl that tried to kill him. With each step he took, the ground beneath his feet trembled. The entire world shook. The eddying air quivered under the pressure of his power. He sneered, and Lizeth dropped to her knees. ¡°E-Emory?¡± She stared at him, utterly befuddled. Amelia just quirked a brow. ¡°So you¡¯re with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, then?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The Frenzied Barbarian lowered his arms, and the pressure bearing down on the world itself eased. He shook his head simply and raised a hand to his chest. ¡°I am quite surprised, of course. While the Void has given me much power in the past, to even surpass an S-rank adventurer, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d survive my heart being destroyed.¡± He flexed a hand as the brown-haired woman stood there, evidently frozen in fear. It was only expected. How could anyoneprehend this power? This was the Void¡¯s power, and it even exceeded Emory¡¯s own expectations of it. So she just gaped at him as he smiled. Lizeth managed to force herself to her feet. The Twisted Enchantress looked at him with wide-eyes before nodding at him. ¡°Emory, we should be able to take her on as long as I can restrain her,¡± Lizeth said as she dashed his way. ¡°If we¡ª¡± ¡°Begone,¡± the Frenzied Barbarian said as he swung a fist at her dismissively. His knuckles shed with a purple power, and the Twisted Enchantress exploded into a thousand pieces as she screamed in terror. Her remains were sttered across the ground and equal-sized chunks of her flesh rolled to a halt. Amelia just watched this. ¡°Man, you are an asshole. I wouldn¡¯t want to be your friend if that¡¯s how you treat them.¡± ¡°No one can see this power and live.¡± Emory nced dismissively towards the crimson stain on the earth that had been Lizeth. ¡°Friends, family, and especially enemies. So worry not for her, but for yourself.¡± The purple aura around Emory red up again as his muscles tensed. His body twitched, and his arms doubled in size in an instant. A cruel smile spread across his face as he craned his neck to look down at Amelia. ¡°Because I will make sure your death will be far more painful than that!¡± With that, the Frenzied Barbarian leapt forward. The ground exploded at his feet. A massive crater was left behind just from his sudden movement. He cackled madly as he raised a glowing fist and struck out at the brown-haired woman. He had moved so fast, she couldn¡¯t see it. She couldn¡¯t even react. Amelia just stood there as he punched her across the face. The ground shattered open. A crevice opened up behind the girl. The nearby houses were blown apart from the impact alone. Emory grinned as he stared down at the brown-haired woman. ¡°How¡¯s that? Do you feel the full might of the Void?¡± he asked triumphantly. And Amelia just stared back up at him, having not budged an inch. ¡°Not bad, honestly. I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± The Frenzied Barbarian paused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°But if you think that¡¯s the full might of the Void¡ª¡± she continued, and Emory gritted his teeth. ¡°Die!¡± he screamed as he threw a flurry of punches at her. He assailed her from all directions. Rapid strikes that aimed for her abdomen. Kicks to the head. Powerful blows that should have been able to wipe out an entire city. The ground shook, and thendscape shifted. But his attacks just bounced off her like they were nothing. And she continued speaking nonchntly. ¡°...you¡¯re sorely mistaken. You¡¯re hardly as strong as the weakest voidbeast I¡¯ve fought as you are right now.¡± Emory clicked his tongue and leapt back. He stared at the brown-haired woman as she looked back at him with a bored look on her face. ¡°This¡­ is impossible.¡± He clenched a fist, eyeing her angrily. ¡°You are impossible!¡± For a moment, he almost let his rage overtake him. But he caught himself. He was a [Barbarian], but he wasn¡¯t going to let himself lose his cool. After all, a [Barbarian] beholden to his rage is nothing but a foolish brute with no real strength. It was by mastering his anger, Emory managed to reach his level of strength. The Frenzied Barbarian¡¯s anger dissipated. The veins on his face vanished as he steeled himself. He faced Amelia with an amused look on his face. ¡°Ah, I understand now. This is some kind of Skill, isn¡¯t it?¡± She didn¡¯t reply. He must¡¯ve been right on the mark. ¡°I am sure you are quite proud of yourself. But you know just as well as I do that your Skills cannotst forever. Meanwhile¡­¡± Emory thumped a fist on his chest, a crazed look on his face. He had struck himself so hard he had drawn blood. But the wound vanished, being healed in mere moments. ¡°I cannot be killed! Not as I am right now! If you strike me down, I will keeping back until your Skill ends and you are dead!¡± Heughed wildly as he took a step forward. His purple aura grew in intensity as the world vibrated once more. ¡°I am invinci¡ª¡± he started. And Amelia shed down with a glowing de. There was a sh. In an instant, his vision vanished. Emory vanished. A st of white light engulfed him. It blew apart the earth, cutting across the sky as the clouds above parted. The purple aura was no more, and the world returned to normal. It happened so fast, Emory didn¡¯t even realize he was already dead. He had nost thoughts. No moment of realization. He waspletely gone from Vacuos in a fraction of a second. The glimmer of light dimmed as Amelia sheathed her sword. Taking a step back, she sighed as the white aura briefly covering her quickly vanished. ¡°Annoying asshole,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Making me use magic to kill him even though he¡¯s so weak. I probably should¡¯ve just cut him into pieces like that minotaur, but¡­¡± She swept her gaze around the destroyed vige. Bodiesy scattered across the gravel roads. Some were corpses, while others were still alive and breathing, although bleeding and dying. ¡°That would¡¯ve taken too long, and I probably need to get them some healing potions.¡± Amelia nced into a bag she had at her side. She saw the vials she had inside, remembering their price. ¡°This¡­ is going to be expensive.¡± MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 It took a while, but I managed to save most of the townspeople who were in critical condition. I got to them with a healing potion on time, saving them from their most grievous wounds, even if I had to use my entire supply. Of course, I couldn¡¯t save everyone. Plenty of people had died before I even got here. But I saved everyone I could, and that was enough for me. I wanted to just leave right away, however I was stopped by an elderly man who looked like he was a [Mayor] of sorts. ¡°Thank you, adventurer,¡± he said as he bowed low. ¡°For saving Stanlowe from those ursed fiends. May the Guardian Angels guide you with their light.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Uh, thanks. But if you really want to repay me, you can just pay me back for those healing potions I used.¡± He drew back and spoke apologetically. ¡°I believe you can be rpensed at the nearestrge city. The Astrad Kingdom has an active bounty on the Frenzied Five after they burned down half the western countryside and killed hundreds of thousands over ten years ago.¡± ¡°These idiots did all that?¡± I raised a brow, eyeing the four remaining corpses lying around. Only Emory¡¯s body was gone, having beenpletely obliterated just five minutes ago so he couldn¡¯t regenerate. ¡°Not alone. They¡¯re merely a smaller part of arge bandit group¡ª the Miststorm Riders. I¡¯m sure you heard of them. They have thousands of members and are rather infamous for their cruelty.¡± I paused. I recognized that name. Those were the assholes who killed Noele¡¯s sister. My brows furrowed as I wondered how the blonde girl would react if I told them I had killed them. She was either going to be ecstatic or upset that she couldn¡¯t exact revenge herself. That was going to be a pain in the ass to navigate. The [Mayor] continued as these thoughts gued my mind. ¡°Perhaps even the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will have a reward for you too. There is also a bounty in ce at the Mercenary¡¯s Guild¡­ although, I don¡¯t believe you can im it since you aren¡¯t a mercenary.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just make do with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Astrad Kingdom¡¯s reward.¡± I shook my head as I turned around. Over a third of the town had been badly damaged by the Frenzied Five over such a short amount of time, and its surviving people were mulling over what they had lost and how they would recover. While I didn¡¯t mind jumping in when I saw a group of attacking bandits, I wasn¡¯t going to help out with the repairs. I knew nothing about construction or architecture. Chances were that I¡¯d probably fuck up more than I helped out in this regard. So I was about to take my leave, grabbing a corpse over my shoulder, when a voice called out after me. ¡°Wait!¡± I nced back as a boy dashed out of the crowd of survivors. I recognized him as the kid Adrian had been about to kill¡ª the one I saved just in time. He sprinted past the [Mayor] who could only stare in shock. ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± the boy eximed. ¡°Take me with you! Teach me how to be just like you!¡± The [Mayor] caught the boy momentster, and lowered his head as he apologized profusely. ¡°I am so sorry about this. Please, he means no disrespect.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, waving a hand dismissively. I eyed the boy who was scowling in the [Mayor]¡¯s arms. ¡°Sorry, kid. I already have an annoying apprentice, and I doubt you can pay me as much as she does.¡± The boy blinked for a few moments. Then his shoulders sagged. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I hesitated, seeing the expression on his face. But I decided to continue anyways. ¡°Also, trust me, you don¡¯t want to be like me. If I could choose, I¡¯d rather live in a small town like you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± The boy opened his mouth, and I leapt into the air, leaving the town behind. I didn¡¯t look back once, even as I soared through the sky. I continued until I found a nearby city and stopped by. ¡ª-- Sometimes, doing good things sucked. That was why I hated being a hero. There was very little reward that came from helping others. At least, in the sense of truly altruistic actions. I had spent an indiscernible amount of time in the Fractured Realm just to save Vacuos from the Voidgod¡¯s wrath. I suffered in that broken world for a long time. It was wearisome. I couldn¡¯t rest. Every waking moment of my time there, I had to push myself to the brink of death. And I did it all for one reason alone¡ª a chance to return to normalcy. But after everything I had done, I wasn¡¯t given anything. Nothing I had aplished mattered to me. Sure, I was now strong enough to never have to worry about being threatened ever again, but I didn¡¯t care about that. After all, I could never see my parents or friends back home on Earth ever again, and that was all I cared about. I had fought for nothing. So doing good things usually sucked. But sometimes it was very rewarding. Just like right now. ¡°The totales up to one-thousand-and-five-hundred gold coins,¡± the [Receptionist] said as she cleared his throat. My eyes grew wide. I wasn¡¯t in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild right now. I had already spoken to the local [Lord] and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, both of which gave me a slip of paper to hand over to the Merchant¡¯s Guild. And after tallying up the total, the [Receptionist] had said a number that surpassed all my expectations. ¡°That is¡­ a lot of fucking money,¡± I whistled. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is still verifying the corpses you provided, and I believe the [Lord] is still contacting the [Mayor] of Stanlowe. Once they have fully confirmed that you have indeed in the Frenzied Five in battle, you can collect the reward.¡± The [Receptionist] produced an invoice and nodded at me. ¡°It will most likely take up to five days¡¯ time.¡± ¡°Five days?¡± I blinked. ¡°What am I supposed to do for five days?¡± The [Receptionist] cleared her throat. ¡°There are plenty of things to do at Sudbury¡ª¡± ¡ª- This city was called Sudbury, and there wasn¡¯t much to do. The [Receptionist] at the Merchant¡¯s Guild suggested going shopping because this city had some of the finest [Tailors] and [Crafters] in the entire Astrad Kingdom, but it was all too expensive for me. I wandered up and down a gaudy street with richmpposts lit up by enchanted crystals and lined with ornate shops. They always disyed overpriced items¡ª whether it was clothes, shoes, armor, or simple essories like hair clips and such. I even saw a decorated dress going for sale for fifty gold coins. Fifty gold coins. Sure, I could afford to spend a little, but that was just ridiculous. I quickly decided against shopping here in Sudbury. It was a big city¡ª three times bigger than Windrip in terms of poption and size¡ª and there were going to be a lot of unnecessary excessively expensive locations. Instead, I decided to take a look at the jobs I could try out. I saw an advertisement looking for a [Lumberjack] apprentice and decided to see what it was like. But even after getting there and lying about my ss, things didn¡¯t turn out so well. ¡°Stop! What are you doing?!¡± the [Lumberjack] eximed. I hefted the axe over my shoulder and eyed the piece of log I had chopped in half. I frowned. ¡°Is this a trick question?¡± ¡°You¡¯re cutting it all wrong! Look at this!¡± Hepared the two log halves side by side as he spoke in a dismayed tone. ¡°They¡¯re not even at all! Are you even a Level 10 [Woodcutter]? Don¡¯t you have an [Even Slice] Skill? What is wrong with you?¡± I gave him a t stare. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to train some [Lumberjack¡¯s Apprentice]! I¡¯m hiring, not looking to take on some students!¡± ¡°I can do it with a sword if you¡¯d like.¡± I gestured at the de at my side. I knew I could do it with pinpoint precision if I used my sword. But¡­ The [Lumberjack] tore his hair out. ¡°You¡ª get out!¡± So that turned out to be a dud. I tried checking out one of therger smitheries too to see if I could learn how to smith, since the [cksmith] was holding weekly lessons for young adults who¡¯d just started anew as a [Smith¡¯s Apprentice]. But even though I paid that day¡¯s entry fee, he told me never to return ever again when we were finished. He reprimanded me for getting everything wrong even though I basically did everything right. But since I didn¡¯t have the right Skills, he still found something to nitpick over, which was frankly annoying. So after deciding against dealing with any more of that nonsense, I spent the rest of my time in Sudbury checking out the local cuisine. At the cheaper street-level, it wasn¡¯t too different from what I would find at Windrip. But when I visited fancier restaurants at more expensive locations, I found that it was even more of a waste of money. ¡°The fuck is this?¡± I stared down at the thin slice of fishid before me. It was norger in size than one of my fingers, and it certainly wasn¡¯t enough for a main course meal. It was dipped in some white cream with translucent orange kesid around it in a circle. I finished it in two bites, realizing that I had spent seventy-five silver on practically an appetizer. Also, it tasted like shit. At this point, I might as well just give away my money rather than spending it on this useless garbage. And that was what ended up happening. I was on my way back from The Regal Stallions¡ª the fancy restaurant I had been at, which had a terrible name since I thought they served horsemeat at first¡ª and came across a little girl begging by the side street. It was night. I was pretty sure this was a part of some robbery scheme. But I tossed her a gold coin anyways. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the glinting coinnd in her outstretched palm. She stared at me with wide eyes, but I simply continued past her. ¡°M-Miss!¡± she called out, and I nced back once. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± the girl started, before trailing off. She hesitated and nced down at the round object in the palm of her hand. She nced about warily as she pursed her lips. FInally, she dashed up to my side and held out the gold coin. ¡°Take it back!¡± I frowned. ¡°Why should I do that?¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± She bit her lower lip. ¡°Just do it! And use it to take a carriage out of Sudbury!¡± I stared at her. She gave me an insistent look as her eyes darted back further into the alleyway. I tapped a finger on my chin. I hadn¡¯t realized that Sudbury was this kind of a city. But it made sense. Big cities often had these kinds of problems. I took a step forward and smiled, gesturing at the sword hanging from my side. ¡°I can handle myself, alright? Just keep the coin and run along.¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± The girl opened her mouth, but I entered the side street despite her protests. She stood there, blinking as she peered into the darkness. But I knew she couldn¡¯t see anything. And all that resounded were a few quick thuds before I exited the alleyway, sheathing my sword. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now,¡± I said, nodding at the beggar girl. She clearly understood what just happened. She stared at me for a moment with round eyes before sputtering out. ¡°Are¡­ are you a [Hero]?¡± That made me hold still for a second. I eyed her curiously. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a [Hero]?¡± I asked in return. ¡°You are!¡± she eximed. ¡°You must be!¡± ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything in response. I just left her there as I went back to my inn. Doing good things sucked. After helping a beggar, all I got was an answer that really grated on me. All I wanted was to live a normal life now. But no matter how hard I tried, I really couldn¡¯t. Whether it was the world¡¯s fault or my fault, I didn¡¯t know. And when I went to sleep that night, I dreamt of Earth. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Amelia dreamt of her life on Earth. She remembered my parents. Their faces were shadowed over. She couldn¡¯t even recall the color of their hair. They spoke in distorted voices, and she sat at arge table as they smiled andughed and gushed in excitement over her. She remembered her friends. She didn¡¯t remember their names. She couldn¡¯t even remember what school she went to. She just knew she was a college freshman¡ª she just knew that they weed her with open arms. She stood there as a young adult, hearing them call her name. But all she heard were echoes in the distance; bygone visions of the past. It wasn¡¯t a perfect life. However, it was enough for Amelia. She didn¡¯t need much more than that. She was content. And it was all taken away. Her eyes grew wide as a cascading darkness fell upon Her. It consumed her family and her friends in an instant. Twisted tendrils reached out and yanked them into the shadows as their flesh rapidly rotted away and their bones turned to dust, snatching her old life away from her, and thrusting her into a broken world where her worst nightmares were now her reality. It was like she had been thrown into the deepest depths of the ocean, drifting down as her senses were thrown into disarray, ovee with small, terrible presences. Like staring at a flower made of human teeth, or studying a hand made of a dozen fingers. It was just wrong. And Amelia saw it. The Fractured Realm revealed itself before her very eyes. She spun around in a panic, but all she saw was the same cosmic web unfurling endlessly. No matter where she turned, no matter where she looked, she saw a world of distorted lines and impossible dimensions. An infinite Void that was all-consuming and all-powerful, spitting out depraved things that filled this broken ce. They swarmed towards her, and the Voidgod¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°You will never be able to live a normal life. You will never be able to see your family again. Your dreams¡­ yOuR gReAteSt DEsiReS¡­ THEY WILL NEVER BE FULFILLED!¡± The Fractured Realm shook as the Voidgod spoke. The scintiting stars speckling the dark canvas all around Amelia twisted. They shifted, winking out of existence as something far more malevolent took their ce. Eyes. Millions of eyes. Billions or trillions, even. They filled the dome of darkness, their gaze bearing down on Amelia as she dropped to her knees. A cold gale swept over her as she shivered, and the Voidgod whispered. ¡°Your only hope for salvation is¡­ me.¡± And I opened my eyes. I groaned and sat up in bed. Massaging my temples, I nced out of the window and murmured to myself. ¡°Ugh¡­ how many hours did I sleep?¡± I pulled apart the blinds and saw¡ª the night sky. It was still dark. The sun wasn¡¯t even close to rising yet. I sighed and shut the blinds to my windows before falling back asleep. ¡ª-- When I woke up next, my throat was utterly parched. I mbered out of bed and crawled to my bag to grab a drink of water. With my thirst quenched, I huddled underneath my nket and went back to sleep. ¡ª-- ¡°Fuck, why isn¡¯t it morning yet?¡± I groggily rubbed my eyes as I saw the first vestiges of the sun making its way up the horizon. I shook my head and covered my face with a pillow. Maybe I should have gotten out of bed. But I didn¡¯t have a good night¡¯s sleep. So once again, I sumbed to slumber. This happened three more times before I finally mustered up enough energy to get out of bed. By the time I was fully awake, it was already afternoon. The sun was high in the sky, and I just barely managed to drag myself out of the inn to the Merchant¡¯s Guild. Today was the day I was going to get paid. Probably. It had been five days since I arrived here in Sudbury. I had explored pretty much everything I could in this city. It wasrger than Windrip, so there was more to do here. But I was still bored as fuck. The only thing I experienced that hadn¡¯t been utterly dull to me was that dream I just had. And it annoyed me more than anything. I raised my head as I wandered down the streets of the city. I wondered why I had that dream now of all times. I hadn¡¯t thought much about the Fractured Realm ever since I escaped that nightmare. Perhaps it was because of that brief encounter with the leader of the Frenzied Five¡ª Emory. He had drawn the power of the Void to face me in battle. Obviously, he didn¡¯t really stand a chance against me since he was still weaker than a voidbeast. But I did find it interesting that he was able to fight with the Void¡¯s power regardless. It meant he must¡¯ve been with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. And considering that he was a member of the Miststorm Riders, that meant that those bandits were probably also aligned with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns to a certain extent. To what extent? I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t really care, either. Maybe I should¡¯ve cared more since this was the group that killed Noele¡¯s sister, and the Void was¡­ well, the Void. But I didn¡¯t really see a problem with it. The Void was always going to exist, and insane idiots were always going to be around too. I couldn¡¯t destroy the Void, nor could I stop people from being either insane or idiotic or both. I was going to bring it up to Noele next time I saw her. For now, I only had one n in mind: getpaid. ¡°Wee back, Ms Amelia,¡± the [Receptionist] greeted me as I entered the Merchant¡¯s Guild. ¡°I hope your stay at Sudbury has gone well.¡± I just shrugged in response as I walked up to the counter. ¡°Can I collect my payment yet?¡± ¡°Of course. [Lord] Salion and Guildmaster Victor have confirmed the authenticity of your feats. They have sent over the payment, and we have prepared it for you here.¡± The [Receptionist] got to her feet and ushered me to a private room. I followed her, and the door closed behind us with a shimmer. Runes etched on the metal glowed. Likely an obfuscation spell of sorts to prevent eavesdropping. The [Receptionist] produced a small gilded treasure chest and slid it towards me. She opened the lid, nodding as she gestured at the coins inside. ¡°One-thousand-and-five-hundred gold coins. But that would be too hefty to transport here. So we have converted the gold to tinum instead,¡± she exined. I peered into the box, staring at the tinum coins. It was supposed to be an incrediblyrge sum¡ª it was far more than most people in Vacuos would earn in their lifetime. Rural folks would barely earn a hundred to two hundred gold over the course of decades of work, while city folks tended to earn double or triple that. Of course, there were extreme exceptions. Wealthy people were always going to exist, and my understanding of Earth economics wasn¡¯t going to be fully applicable here since this was apletely different world. But even my research wasn¡¯tpletely applicable all across the four continents, since wealth distribution often varied by continent, by country, by province, by city, by neighborhood, and even by household. From what I read, I knew that the average dwarf living in the Ashoreim Republic in Alius had a higher average standard of living and higher average annual ie than pretty much every nation in Laxo. But I also knew that the elves in Drazyl didn¡¯t have as much of a thriving economy due to theirmunal lifestyle. They had coin, yes. But it was scarcely usedpared to Laxo and Alius¡ª rtively speaking, of course¡ª and that was why it was far more valuable than the gold propagated and used here. I probably could exchange each elven gold coin Grat-ra¡¯zun gave me for two gold coins here in Sudbury, at the very least. Unfortunately, I had left the Bag of Holding behind at Brynn¡¯s inn, and it wasn¡¯t like I was in a rush to trade it in. The sunken continent of Mare supposedly had a bartering economy, but that was rather outdated information from a century ago. Who knew how much things have changed since then, especially with their new ruler who struck back against the elves with a vengeance ten years ago? Nevertheless, I knew that one-thousand-and-five-hundred gold coins was a lot. But when converted to tinum coins, it looked¡­ underwhelming to say the least. ¡°Fifteen tinum coins,¡± the [Receptionist] said. ¡°You can convert the tinum to gold at your local Merchant¡¯s Guild if you inform them ahead of time.¡± I stared at the glimmering white coins. They were ratherrge in size to distinguish them from an ordinary silver coin, and their metallic surface was very reflective inparison. It was almost like peering into a circr mirror. And at the center of each coin was a small inscription¡ª an enchanted etching that radiated the faintest hints of magic. The [Receptionist] exined, ¡°If someone doubts the authenticity of these coins, you can bring it to the Mage¡¯s Guild, and they¡¯ll be able to verify these markings with a specialized tool. So don¡¯t worry about using or exchanging these coins as it is very hard to create a fraudulent tinum coin.¡± I epted the small treasure chest, closing it shut. It was about the size of the palm of my hand. I pocketed it and took a step back. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a polite smile. ¡°I would warn you to be careful carrying all that money around, but considering that you slew the Frenzied Five, there isn¡¯t much you should be worried about,¡± the [Receptionist] chuckled, and I exited the room soon after. ¡ª-- I honestly thought I¡¯d be happier. I probably could retire from adventuring for good at this point. If I was ever in need of cash, I could probably just hop over to a nearby Adventurer¡¯s Guild andplete an A-rank job or two. Either way, I didn¡¯t need to worry about money ever again. Yet, I didn¡¯t really feel¡­ much. I didn¡¯t feel fulfilled, nor did I feel like I had taken a step closer to living a normal life. After all, my goal was never to be rich, was it? I sighed. At least I can just buy a house and not have to deal with anything else ever again. At least, that was what I thought. I decided to take a look at a few properties for sale¡ª listings put up in the Merchant¡¯s Guild. My eyes grew wide as I saw the prices. ¡°A fucking house costs what?¡± I immediately amended my thoughts. Make sure to buy a house in the middle of nowhere. Cities are way too expensive for me. With that in mind, I finally left Sudbury and made my way back to Windrip. ¡ª-- ¡°Boss! Boss! Boss¡ª¡± a voice eximed. Odell opened his eyes and grunted. ¡°I heard you the first time, Ray.¡± Ray came to a halt as he stood by the doorway, and Odell sat up in the creaky wooden chair. Shaking his head, the so-called boss let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against arge table. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Emory and the rest of the Frenzied Five have been killed! They say an unranked adventurer did it!¡± Ray said hurriedly. ¡°What should we do?¡± Odell frowned, rubbing his chin. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ convenient.¡± ¡°Convenient?¡± Ray blinked. ¡°What do you mean by that, boss? Shouldn¡¯t we hunt down this adventurer?¡± ¡°No,¡± Odell said as he shook his head. The [Bandit Boss] got to his feet and stretched his back. ¡°We stick to the original n. Emory got himself killed because he refused to follow orders. We¡¯ll use his death to our advantage. Bolster our morale, and silence the dissidents in our ranks. His foolishness has given us a reason to burn down half the Astrad Kingdom.¡± Ray shrank back. The young man was one of the few who knew about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. But he was new to it all, and as expected, nervous about the whole ordeal. But Odell wasn¡¯t. ¡°Ready the rest of the Miststorm Riders,¡± he said simply. He had been a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns for ten years now. In fact, the only reason he was able to grow his bandit group to its current size and reputation was thanks to their aid and their resources. nting his hands firmly on the table, he swept his gaze over a detailed map of the Astrad Kingdom and continued. ¡°Tomorrow, we strike Westwend. Then the day after, Lullin.¡± He listed out their targets as he traced a finger, marking their path of fury across the western parts of the unassuming nation over the course of the next two weeks. ¡°After that, Skystead, Bellwind, Sunwater, Whiteridge¡­¡± His lips twisted as Ray nodded. The [Bandit Boss]¡ª the leader of the Miststorm Riders¡ª smiled as he raised his head and finished.. ¡°Tomorrow, we ride, and the Astrad Kingdom shall burn.¡± ¡°Yes boss!¡± Ray eximed. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 It didn¡¯t take me too long to reach Windrip. The city was still under repairs from the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack, but it was in a much better condition nowpared to before. There were actual walls set up again, girdling its peripheries so the city¡¯s guards and adventurers didn¡¯t need to work overtime on the lookout for stray monsters. Most of the housing had been restored too, and tents no longer lined the streets. Windrip was still in a ragged state, evenpared to how it initially looked. Its architecture had been very brutalist¡ª the houses and shops here ced a precedence on necessity, used as further fortifications for the city in the case of arge-scale monster attack breaching the walls. It was why property in Windrip had a rtively high upkeep cost unlike regr cities in the Astrad Kingdom. It was all rather dull to look at. Even from above. There was a small section of Windrip within the confines of the walls dedicated to farnd, but it waspact and built like box. It was almost like an even gloomier version of an urban farm from Earth. So it was suffice to say that Windrip had never been a luxurious location. Buting from Sudbury back here was a world of a difference. Still, I would have thought I would find this city to be somewhat endearing¡ª like visiting an old friend or a childhood home. After all, this was the first city I had ever entered since arriving in Vacuos. It was the first sign of civilization I had encountered in a long time. But I felt nothing when I got back. It was odd. I really found it unsettling how empty I felt inside when I reached Windrip. I shed my Adventurer¡¯s Guild badge upon arriving at the city, but the guards still made me pay up a fee for entry since I was an unofficial adventurer. I was rather rich now¡ª a millionaire-equivalent back on Earth. So I just shrugged and paid the toll without muchint. I was greeted by a few people I sort of recognized but hardly ever talked to. They waved at me, calling out my name, and I just nodded back. After everything that had happened thus far, I was rtively famous here in Windrip. Most people still didn¡¯t know I killed the Goblin Lord to save the city, but my feats since bing an adventurer were well detailed by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I had in a mountain cyclops and dragged its head through the streets of Windrip. I had fought off a flock of winged drakenwolves right outside of the city. And most of all, I had defeated a world-renowned S-rank adventurer in battle over a dozen times. There was no denying it¡ª I had attracted quite a lot of attention to myself when I had initially intended to keep a low profile. I had also taken up the mantle of an infamous adventurer when my goal was to live a peaceful life. The oue was contradictory, and I knew the reason why. I simply couldn¡¯t integrate back into society. Or, rather, I struggled to fit into a normal life after living such a long life of chaos and battle. It didn¡¯t help that the veryws underpinning everything about Vacuos drastically differed to Earth¡¯s own set ofws of physics, and with sses and Skills thrown into the mix, everything I knew about civil society was moot too. Perhaps I was also partially at fault for not just fucking off to some farm somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I had been too hyper-fixated on attaining a distant goal, I didn¡¯t even realize I was self-sabotaging myself now. This realization only cemented itself when I saw the way the people of Windrip treated me. So I resolved myself. I was going to try again to live a normal life and forego the life of a hero. The System couldn¡¯t impose this role onto me, nor could the Void force me back into its shackles. Whether I was going to stay in Noele¡¯s parents¡¯ farm, find some other ce to settle down in Vacuos, or even fail in this endeavor out of sheer boredom, I didn¡¯t know. I just knew that today was the day I was going to leave Windrip behind for good. ¡ª-- ¡°Oh, you¡¯re leaving Windrip?¡± Brynn blinked. ¡°Is it because of the war? Because, trust me, no army is ever going to march down to this neck of the woods.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that,¡± I said honestly. I had wondered why Windrip seemed awfully calm inparison to Sudbury and Northon. But with Windrip¡¯s location right at the edge of Briar Glen, it only made sense that taking over this city wasn¡¯t ever going to be an invading army¡¯s priority. The [Innkeeper] was leaning against the bar counter with a wet tower pped over her shoulder. I nced around themon room of her inn, seeing a young woman rushing around the tables and serving customers in a hurry. I nodded at the busy hall. ¡°You¡¯ve finally gotten a [Barmaid], I see.¡± The inn was emptier than a month ago right after the Goblin lord¡¯s attack. But it was still rather fullpared to when I first arrived. It was just Brynn working here, but now she needed to hire extra help so she could keep working the kitchen. ¡°Business was slow when you first got here¡ª practically no one was sleeping in the shared rooms or hallway. I was pretty much relying on that blondedy for most of my business¡­ Noele, was it? Your apprentice?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I confirmed. Brynn chuckled as she waved a hand off. ¡°Noele was one of six customers I had at the time, and she was the only one staying in my private rooms until you came around.¡± She had a total of four private rooms, all of which were located on the second floor. The third floor rooms held shared rooms of up to three upants each, and the entirety of the fourth floor was arge corridor reserved for a single shared room for as low as three copper a night. Well, at least, that was the price when I first arrived here. I had a feeling it was a bit more expensive at between five to ten copper now that Brynn¡¯s business was booming again. I had chosen to pay for the most expensive option because I valued my privacy, and the [Innkeeper] had been more than ecstatic to give me lodging. But now I was leaving, and so was Noele. With both of us gone at the same time, Brynn was going to lose a significant chunk of her revenue stream. She leant forward, giving me a pleading look. ¡°Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?¡± she asked. ¡°Windrip is a lovely ce, especially in thete spring. You¡¯ll be able to see the alyzia trees blooming over the next month.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Since I¡¯ve arrived here, there has been nothing but trouble. From goblin attacks to winged drakenwolves. I think I¡¯m good.¡± I also wanted to add that if I had escaped the Fractured Realm a dayter than I did, Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King would have razed all of Windrip to the ground and reanimated its citizens as an undead army. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for my full stay,¡± I continued with a nod. ¡°And I¡¯ll pay for Noele¡¯s too. I just need to pick up her belongings and I¡¯ll get going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I really would¡¯ve loved to try out another of your burgers, y¡¯know?¡± Brynn fluttered her eyes innocently at me. ¡°No you wouldn¡¯t,¡± I said tly. With that settled, I forked over the payment to Brynn and gathered my things from my room. I didn¡¯t have much. I had mostly spent my gold and silver on trinkets I didn¡¯t end up using. I had a gilded pocketwatch resting on the bedside table, an empty picture frame lying facedown at my desk, and a dozen sheets of drawing canvas for when I tried to learn how to paint. There were a plethora of other random objects lying around, but they all easily fit into the Bag of Holding Grat-ra¡¯zun had given me¡ª the one which carried the elven gold coins within. I also had a few extra sets of clothes I stuffed inside, and I even had my old rags hung in the closet. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d use them ever again, but they were the clothes I had woken up in the Fractured Realm with. I wasn¡¯t going to toss them away. I was still wearing my tattered cloak behind me. I always had it over my jacket, and I wasn¡¯t going to remove it anytime soon. But while everyone seemed to notice its strange properties at first¡ª how it was literally falling apart yet still held together¡ª I wondered why no one ever pointed it out. It was almost as if they forgot about the cloak as soon as they saw it, and their eyes would ze over it each subsequent time they stared at it after. Maybe they never took proper notice of it because it was a cloak I found in the Fractured Realm. The System¡¯s shenanigans might have something to do with it. It was just like the oddness I experienced with thenguage here in Vacuos. I was just d I didn¡¯t need to deal with anyone using me of being Void-touched for having this cloak. I entered Noele¡¯s room next, and quickly sorted through her stuff without meddling too much into her belongings. She had a spare Bag of Holding lying around, so I just kept her things in there. I only paused when I lifted a small notebook, and a dull-colored picture dropped to the ground. ¡°Do they have cameras in this world?¡± I raised a brow, intrigued. I was told that dwarves and gnomes were rather inventive with magic, but I didn¡¯t expect there to be actual photography technology. If they did, it must have been an incredibly old-fashioned camera by Earth¡¯s standards. The picture itself was in an incredibly pristine condition, but that was likely from the magical enchantment cast over the paper, considering that the image was a rather poor quality. So the paper gave off a light sheen as I studied the figure captured in the picture. It was a young woman¡ª not Noele, but she had the same long golden hair, although it was tied into a braid instead of a ponytail. She was dressed in rougher clothing¡ª like she had hand-sewn clothes to mimic a [Lord] or a [Lady]¡¯s outfit, butcked the quality and detail from a skilled craftsman¡¯s handiwork. She held onto two swords, one on each hand, even as she raised the seams of her dress in a curtsy-like bow. I had a feeling she didn¡¯t actually know how to do a proper curtsy or bow, but I respected her effort. Her head was half-raised, and I could see the brief glimpse of her pure white eyes. Just like Noele¡¯s eyes. It was Nora the Noble Sworddancer. ¡°So this is Noele¡¯s sister¡­¡± I murmured to myself. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to look so simr.¡± Nora reminded me of Noele, somehow. Or maybe it was the other way around¡ª Noele reminded me of Nora. Either way, I had been under the impression there was a rather significant age gap between them¡ª around five to ten years, at the very least. I could see why Noele admired her older sister so much. Nora looked so brave and elegant in this picture. Valiant and charming. She seemed to embody all the kinds of qualities anyone would respect. Like a true hero. I wondered if Noele just saw me as a recement for her dead sister. I was her mentor, and she held me in high regard. But I hadn¡¯t even taught her much in the first ce; I was just following her around and letting her do whatever she wanted. And I remembered the events of just under a week ago¡ª the day before we temporarily parted ways. The Noble Spellsword had expected me to put a halt to the war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal, but I said no. She looked at me slightly differently after that. Hopefully that was enough to disillusion her. I had a sister back on Earth, and I could somewhat understand how the blonde girl felt. But I didn¡¯t want her to think I was just like Nora. Because I was quite literally the opposite of her sister. So it was for the best that I had rejected her request. Shaking my head, I dismissed these thoughts and pocketed the picture and the notebook into Noele¡¯s Bag of Holding. I collected the rest of the blonde girl¡¯s belongings and prepared to leave Windrip. But just as I exited Brynn¡¯s inn, I was stopped by anky figure. ¡°Amelia,¡± a voice said. ¡°I heard you were leaving Windrip.¡± Evan, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip, stood by the front door. He swept into a low bow, tipping his overlyrge pointed hat my way. ¡°I apologize for bothering you, but may we have a small chat before you depart?¡± Evan asked as he swept low into a bow. I gave him a t stare. ¡°No.¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 I ended up following Guildmaster Evan anyways. It wasn¡¯t like I was in a rush to leave Windrip, so I decided to hear him out. Especially after he refused to leave me alone; he really was persistent in his pestering. We both arrived at the new Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip. Before I had left, it was still rather in¡ª a newly-furbished building. But now it was starting to look like a typical Adventurer¡¯s Guild with its messy decor and the rambunctious gathering. Heads turned to face Guildmaster Evan as he strolled through the front door. These adventurers nodded politely at him, and proceeded to gape at me when I entered next. Their jaws dropped. Their eyes grew wide. I heard hushed whispersing from the side. I rolled my eyes at almost everything that was being said. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª Amelia!¡± ¡°The Unranked Adventurer!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she leave with Jax the Forsaken Archer to y an Elder Dragon? What is she doing back here so soon?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ does that mean¡­ did she already¡ª¡± I ignored them and followed Guildmaster Evan to a private room. He closed the door behind me, before tapping a staff against the room¡¯s walls. The entire room shimmered with magic, and he settled down behind a desk. ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± he said. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked tly as I leant back on a chair across from him. I was probably being a little bit rude, but he was the one who had sold out my location to Jax in the first ce. I was right to be wary of what he had called me over for. Not that I was worried. I didn¡¯t really care about what Evan did as long as he didn¡¯t endanger others with his actions. Jax was dangerous¡ª towards me. But as far as I was aware, the Forsaken Archer hadn¡¯t actually killed anyone while he was here. In fact, when I heard about his reputation, I expected him to be a stone-cold killer. He was just an insane idiot. The Guildmaster of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild shook his head. ¡°I understand you are a busydy, Ms Amelia. And I am grateful you have taken the time off your busy schedule to¡ª¡± ¡°Just get to the point,¡± I cut him off. ¡°Of course. My apologies.¡± Evan nodded. Leaning forward, he peered at me with glinting eyes. Again, I was almost certain he was using magic to make his eyes sparkle. He continued as he cleared his throat. ¡°I have a question for you, Ms Amelia. But I would like you to answer it honestly.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise you anything, but sure.¡± I shrugged. He didn¡¯t hesitate to get to the point. ¡°Are you from another world?¡± That took me by surprise. I didn¡¯t expect Guildmaster Evan to ask the question so bluntly. He waited, resting his chin on the back of his sped hands. I narrowed my eyes, crossing my legs. ¡°And what if I am?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°It is a rather simple question, Ms Amelia. I prefer if we do not drag this matter out. I assure you, I will even sign this contract to ensure I keep my word.¡± He slid a slip of paper my way. I eyed the official document and picked it up. I raised a brow, eyeing Evan. ¡°Is this a magically-binding contract or something?¡± ¡°It is not,¡± he said simply. ¡°It is a regr contract.¡± I paused. ¡°...and how does that guarantee anything?¡± ¡°You can sue me for breach of trust.¡± He smiled innocently at me. ¡°That¡ª¡± I opened my mouth. I tried to find the right words to say, but eventually gave up and just sighed. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t really care anyways. Yes, I am from another world.¡± ¡°I see, so I was right.¡± Evan rubbed his chin as he nodded. ¡°How did you figure that out, anyways?¡± I asked with a frown. ¡°Did you overhear one of my conversations with Noele?¡± The Guildmaster gestured at my clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s just say you aren¡¯t very discreet.¡± I looked down at the way I was dressed. I was practically wearing an alien¡¯s clothing in this world. Not only that, but I had also spent a lot of time cooking and selling foods that didn¡¯t exist. Adding on the fact that I had no ss, it wasn¡¯t the most outrageous assumption to make. So I acquiesced. ¡°Fair.¡± Evan chuckled and made himselffortable in his seat. ¡°It is notpletely your fault, Ms Amelia. I have experience with otherworlders before. I have even met one when he had first arrived in Vacuos. While he was a lot more¡­ distraught than you, about his situation, his actions in his first year before limating to this world were just as entric as yours.¡± I quirked an eyebrow. ¡°You know an otherworlder? Is it that Kallistus guy who¡¯s attacking the Astrad Kingdom?¡± ¡°I have spoken with the [Hero King] Kallistus once before by mere happenstance. But this otherworlder I was referencing is someone else. First and foremost, he is not even abatant. He calls himself a pacifist, although he would fight if he has to. But more importantly, he is the reason why I have chosen to seek you out before you depart from Windrip.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± That piqued my interest. I uncrossed my legs and sat up straighter. ¡°And who is this otherworlder?¡± ¡°His name is Xakor. He is one of the three otherworlders who has been residing in Vacuos, before you arrived. He has been around for over thirty years now. He isn¡¯t too conspicuous, unlike the [Hero King] or the [Mystic Craftsman]. He has mostly kept a low profile, but I am certain he would be interested in speaking with you.¡± Evan spoke as he took a sip from a teacup. ¡°With your permission, I would like to inform him of your location. So he can speak with you. Because I am certain you are more than keen to have a chat with someone trapped in your circumstance as well.¡± I thought that the Guildmaster had a point¡ª I would be more open to telling my secrets to some otherworlder who wasn¡¯tpletely beholden to the System, unlike Grat-ra¡¯zun who seemed like a devout zealot. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. However, something seemed amiss to me. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you just tell him where I was, anyways? You didn¡¯t have any issues with selling me out to Jax.¡± Evan just lowered his cup as he replied. ¡°That was a special circumstance. Jax the Forsaken Archer is merely one of my colleagues, but I still care about him, and I noticed he has been losttely. ¡°He has been acting without purpose ever since he reached S-rank. And while he can be brash at times, he is a good person who I believe just needs to be set down the right path. I could tell that you were strong¡ª that if he knew of your existence, he would challenge you to a duel. I was trying to help him by giving him an opponent he couldn¡¯t beat.¡± ¡°Everyone says he¡¯s a murderer or whatever.¡± I furrowed my brows. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard anyone say otherwise.¡± ¡°Jax did ughter his entire vige, indeed,¡± the Guildmaster said with a nod. ¡°But what everyone seems to forget is that Jax grew up in a vige of cannibals¡ª that he was but a serf to be sacrificed to their Guardian Dragon.¡± ¡°Oh. I never heard that side of the story.¡± I could almost empathize with that psychopathic elf now. It was no wonder he had a few screws loose Evan continued, ¡°I am not defending Jax¡¯s actions. Vengeance is but a fool¡¯s errand, however his vige worshipped the cruelest dragon in all of Drazyl. And after his own people ostracized him, he never bothered to clear up his name here in Laxo, so that is why he has been given this reputation. But I have never seen Jaxmit an act of atrocity, nor have I seen him murder an innocent life.¡± ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t he try to kill me?¡± I asked. ¡°Were you in danger at any point in time?¡± Evan countered. ¡°That makes sense, I guess. Honestly, I don¡¯t really care. Just don¡¯t pull that shit again without my permission,¡± I said as I got to my feet. ¡°Of course. That is why I havee to you to ask for your permission about Xakor.¡± The Guildmaster nodded catingly at me. ¡°You can tell him to find me at Whiteridge. Although¡­ I am not actually sure if I¡¯ll be staying there for more than a month. We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time, Ms Amelia,¡± Evan said as he got to his feet. He walked towards the door, snapped his fingers as the enchantment around the room faded away. ¡°I do hope that Xakor will be able to catch you before you leave Whiteridge. I believe he is currently in Shorheim, so it would take him a week or two to get here. But with the ongoing war, I believe it may take even longer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s whatever. If that¡¯s it, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± I stepped towards the doorway, and the Guildmaster held it open for me. ¡°It truly was a pleasure to meet you.¡± He swept into a bow. I scoffed and nodded at him. ¡°Thanks. I can¡¯t really say the same about you, but you¡¯re certainly going to be memorable.¡± ¡°I will take that as apliment.¡± Evan just smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I said tly. With that, I bade him farewell and headed out of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I thought that was it, but a burly figure stopped me just at the exit. Garron the Steel Tank was waiting for me beside the doorway. He quickly pushed himself off the wall and called out after me. ¡°I heard you were leaving Windrip with Noele,¡± he said as he nced past me. He was clearly looking for someone¡ª probably Noele. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to be staying over at her family¡¯s farm for a bit. Maybe learn how to be a [Farmer] from her parents.¡± I wondered if having someone with a ss teaching me their Skills was a stiption to actually get the ss option from the System. At this point, I highly doubted it. But I could still hold out for hope. ¡°That¡¯s quite the job change,¡± Garron chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be really good at dealing with pests.¡± Then he paused. He looked past me again, before his lips pursed. I watched as he hesitated and shifted his feet. ¡°Speaking of Noele, I couldn¡¯t find her at her inn. The [Innkeeper] there said she didn¡¯t return to Windrip. Is that true?¡± the Steel Tank asked. I nodded casually. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just me. Noele¡¯s busy spending time with her family for the first time in like ten years. I¡¯ll be heading over to her now, though.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Garron lowered his head. ¡°That is¡­ a shame. I would¡¯ve thought she¡¯d at least tell me she was leaving.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. He averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head. I saw him hesitate. It seemed like he had something to say but was too afraid to ask. I just sighed. ¡°Spit it out already. What is it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The Steel Tank took in a deep breath and met my gaze. ¡°I was hoping to tag along with you.¡± ¡°You want to follow me to Whiteridge?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Windrip¡¯s own B-rank adventurer? What happened to that?¡± Garron shook his head as he sighed. ¡°I have thought about it long and hard these past few weeks. Especially after the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack, and now the war. But I have lived my whole life here within the confines of this city¡¯s walls. And I realized I may very well die here in Windrip, having never experienced the outside world.¡± He looked down into the palm of his hand before forming a fist. I crossed my arms, listening as the burly man spoke slowly. ¡°I do not wish to die before exploring more of the world. Maybe it was thanks to what Noele said that day at the party, but I believe I am not just wasting away here in my city. I will return to Windrip one day. But I wish to explore the rest of Laxo before then.¡± He closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. After steeling himself, the Steel Tank held my gaze with a determined look. ¡°If it is not too much to ask of you, Ms Amelia, but will you let me join you in your journey? I will do anything, I will pay any price¡ª¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I said simply, abruptly speaking over him. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s it?¡± Garron blinked. ¡°Yeah.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. I could have charged him maybe ten gold or whatever, but I realized I didn¡¯t really care about money all that much just the other day. So I agreed without issue. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you tag along. Go and gather your stuff. I want to leave by the end of the hour.¡± The burly man stared at me for a moment, then he drew back with a smile. ¡°I appreciate this, Ms Amelia. I can understand why Noele looks up to you so much now.¡± ¡°You can just call me Amelia,¡± I said as I waved a hand off. ¡°It¡¯s not really a bother. Just make sure you don¡¯t scream too much, I guess.¡± And Garron paused. ¡°Make sure I don¡¯t¡­ what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I murmured. ¡°Alright¡­?¡± He gave me a confused look for a moment, before facing me confidently. ¡°I assure you, I will not scream.¡± ¡°I really hope not.¡± Soon after that, I left Windrip behind with the Steel Tank in tow. And, unfortunately, as I carried him in my arms, leaping across the forest terrain, he did end up screaming. As I had expected. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 It had been three days since Noele the Noble Spellsword arrived back in Wolfwater. She had bade farewell to Saros at Whiteridge itself¡ª the city was rtivelyrge, and the Gnome Inventor wanted to explore its shops. He had a nice haul from that [Necromancer]¡¯sir in the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep; he could either sell the artifacts or harvest them for spare parts. After all, he was a [Magitech Tinkerer]. So it was just Noele, her parents, Deon the Virtuous Guard, and Skye the Silver Shade who made their way to that small vige a few miles out of Whiteridge. It was Noele¡¯s hometown. It was where she grew up. And it was an incredibly nostalgic sight to her when she arrived, even if it was very different to how she remembered it. When Noele had left Wolfwater, she remembered the vige being in ruins. Half of its houses had been ravaged and raided, while the vast swathes of farnd surrounding it had been razed to ash. The intricatework of river deltas around the region that gave the vige its name had dried up from the raging firestorms that burned the crop fields. It had been shortly after the Miststorm Riders attacked. The bandit group hadn¡¯t even targeted Wolfwater¡ª they were simply passing through after having raided the eastern cities of what had been the Semper Kingdom back then. The Semper Kingdom no longer existed now, having been subjugated by the expansionist Archon Kingdom not long after that. So it had been a passing assault by the Miststorm Riders. Yet, they had dealt more damage than Noele could everprehend back then. She had been a child, and this was all she ever knew. To see it all burn to the ground¡ª to see her sister die. It shattered her world. She never thought Wolfwater would recover. But now, the blonde girl swept her gaze over the vige. And she saw that everything had been restored. It must have taken a great deal of effort to rebuild all the burned houses. The fields were flourishing, full of crops¡ª wheat, barley, and a handful of more specialized magical nts painted thendscape an eclectic mix of bright colors. Wolfwater hadn¡¯t just recovered; it had recovered and some more. It had expanded beyond its previous borders, with more houses and farms settled around the region, and an abundance of [Farmers] and [Traders] milling about. Noele could hear the rushing rivers in the distance. She took in a deep breath, and smelled the fresh scent of grass and nature. ¡°This is¡­ nice,¡± she whispered. It was her home. And she liked it here. She stood at the front porch of her parents¡¯ farm. It had been one of the few structures to survive the attack of the Miststorm Riders, so it was not much different than she remembered it. The wood was old, the floorboards creaking under her feet. The window panes were dusty, although that was more due to the fact that the house had been deserted for thest month or two. But even as she luxuriated in the moment, the Noble Spellsword was still lost in her memories. She recalled the reason why she left this vige in the first ce. She remembered her older sister. Her eyes closed as she tilted her head to the sky. ¡°Why did I be an adventurer?¡± she asked herself. She still had no answer. And a voice came in response¡ª not actually answering her question. ¡°Noele!¡± Deon called out as he trudged through the wheat field surrounding the house. ¡°Hey, Noele!¡± he repeated himself. The blonde girl raised her head. She saw both the Virtuous Guard and the Silver Shade making their way towards her through the farm. They carried a trowel and a shovel each, dressed in light clothing for farmwork. The pair of A-ranked partners had opted to help out with Nn and Nicole around the farm for the rest of the week to further make up for their failure at the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. Honestly, Noele could admire their dedication to upkeep their reputation as honorable adventurers. Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t rted to reputation at all¡ª maybe they were truly just a pair of kind souls. Either way, despite what happened at the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, Noele respected them. Skye came to a halt before the blonde girl, giving a nod. ¡°Your dad is looking for you,¡± the Silver Shade said. ¡°He says he wants to show you some of the new crops he got shipped in from Shorheim. He also wants to show you a Skill.¡± Deon crossed his arms, grinning at Noele, even as he spoke more formally than his partner. ¡°It¡¯s impressive. I¡¯m surprised that Mr Nn has a Skill of that caliber at Level 38. Most [Farmers] I know would agree that that¡¯s a Level 40 Skill.¡± ¡°Well, my Papa has been a [Farmer] for fifty years,¡± Noele said as she started forward. She smiled proudly as she spoke about Nn. ¡°This is actually my Grandpa¡¯s farm, and my Papa has been helping out since he was only seven. He¡¯s the highest-leveled [Farmer] in Wolfwater, you know?¡± Skye whistled. Deon gave an approving look. Noele continued as she nced towards the brown field in the distance. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t sound that impressive, but trust me, it is. The highest-leveled [Farmer] in the world is only Level 61. So my Papa is over halfway there.¡± ¡°No one said it¡¯s not impressive,¡± Skye chuckled, patting Noele on her shoulders. ¡°And I¡¯d love to hear you brag about your dad more, but you shouldn¡¯t keep him waiting either.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele nodded and took a step forward. Both Deon and Skye started into the house with their farming tools as she nced back at them. ¡°Where is my P¡ª¡± the blonde girl started. But she paused. Both Skye and Deon halted too. The three A-rank adventurers exchanged a wary nce. They all noticed the same thing. ¡°You hear that, right?¡± Skye asked, ncing up with a frown. Noele nodded. The blonde girl heard it too¡ª it was a sound so distant. Soft at first, but it was growing louder. It made her hair stand on end. She shivered violently for a second and looked up. Deon backed up in fear. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the dark speck zipping through the afternoon sky. ¡°That is¡­ I¡ª¡± And the three adventurers saw it all at once. A brown-haired woman soared above the clouds, carrying a burly man in tow. Noele blinked a few times as Deon cowered behind her. ¡°Is that Amelia?¡± the blonde girl asked, before narrowing her eyes. ¡°And¡­?¡± It was Amelia. She wore an annoyed look on her face as she flew towards Wolfwater. But she wasn¡¯t alone. Garron the Steel Tank clung onto her back as he screamed in terror, his ear piercing voice sending the nearby birds and animals scattering, thinking it was some kind of hunter¡¯s cry. But it wasn¡¯t. It was a regr cry. Maybe a cry for help. And Noele lowered her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Meanwhile, Deon cowered in fear behind her as he spoke in a hushed whisper to himself. ¡°That monster¡­ she¡¯s doing it again¡­¡± Skye just blinked, staring at the both of the other two A-rank adventurers. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two?¡± Noele sighed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Shortly after that, Amelia and Garron arrived in Wolfwater. ¡ª-- I didn¡¯t understand why Garron was screaming so much. I wasn¡¯t even moving half as fast as I did while carrying Noele or Deon. But apparently that was still too much for the Steel Tank. When I reached Wolfwater and let him down, Garron just copsed into a puddle of sweat, curling up into a ball. ¡°I¡­ never again,¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°I¡¯m never leaving Windrip ever again¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re already out of Windrip,¡± I scoffed, gesturing at the vige around us. I paused and took in the view. ¡°So this is Wolfwater.¡± I swept my gaze around the farming town. The streets were empty¡ª at least,pared to Windrip, Sudbury, and Northon¡ª and most of the vigers were out working in the vast fields. But some passersby, mostly women and children and only a few men, had paused to stare at Garron and I. Obviously, I didn¡¯t jump straight into the vige; I hadnded a bit away and dragged the burly man here behind me, but his sobbing still drew quite a lot of attention. Also, we were adventurers. Strangers to Wolfwaters. It was expected that they would be curious about our presence. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to just stand there awkwardly or ask around for Noele. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to make the decision. I heard a voice calling out to me and nced to the side. ¡°Amelia!¡± Noele ran up towards me, waving a hand. She came to a stop just before me and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, master. You were taking a while, I thought something happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me master.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°And something did happen. I¡¯ll tell you about itter. Where¡¯s your farm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s right this way,¡± the blonde girl said as she gestured behind her. I took a step forward, but she didn¡¯t budge. Instead, she looked down at the burly man curled up at my feet. ¡°What¡¯s Garron doing here, by the way?¡± she asked with a raised brow. ¡°Oh, him? He wanted to tag along.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. But the Steel Tank looked up to see the Noble Spellsword. He opened his mouth, jaw trembling as he spoke slowly. ¡°Noele¡­ your master is¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s terrifying, I know,¡± Noele said with a nod. ¡°But you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± I gave them both a t stare. ¡°If I were so terrifying, you wouldn¡¯t be saying that shit in front of me.¡± The blonde girl chuckled and helped Garron to his feet. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s this way.¡± She led the burly man and I back to her farm right at the edge of the vige. I paused when I saw her house¡ª it was much bigger than I expected. It only had two floors, which wasn¡¯trge by any means. But I had expected her to live in a ramshackle shack, not this. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you grew up rich,¡± I said with a raised brow. Noele shook her head. ¡°Rtively rich. Butpared to cityfolk¡ª those at Whiteridge? Nora was earning as much as my Papa when she was a C-rank adventurer.¡± I frowned. If living here in some rural vige was really that cheap, I could very much just retire with the amount of money I had on me. In fact, I could live excessively and like a king without worrying about having to pick up another adventuring job ever again. It sounded¡­ well, if I were beingpletely honest, it sounded extremely dull. I just sighed as I followed Noele up to the front porch of her house. She was helping Garron hobble forward to a nearby bench. Deon and Skye were waiting there. Deon saw the state Garron was in and gave a sympathetic look. ¡°First time, huh?¡± the Virtuous Guard said, patting the burly man on the shoulder. ¡°Trust me, it doesn¡¯t get better.¡± Garron groaned as he copsed onto the bench. And Skye nced between the two men. ¡°Seriously, what the fuck are you guys on about?¡± she asked. But Deon just shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t want to find out.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Noele said, ushering me into the house. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a spare bedroom for you.¡± I followed after her as I nodded. "Yeah, lead the way. There''s also something I must tell you about too." She gave me a curious look, but I said nothing more. I just wondered how she¡¯d react when she found out I killed the Frenzied Five. After all, they were a part of the Miststorm Riders¡ª the ones who killed her sister. ¡ª-- As Amelia finally arrived in Whiteridge¡ª in Wolfwater¡ª far away, over a thousand miles from the vige, arge city burned. Westwend, the southwesternmost city of the Astrad Kingdom, had been razed to ashes. Odell cast his gaze over the destruction, pleased with himself. He sat atop his horse and saw the raging mes. He heard the galloping of hooves as the Miststorm Riders hunted down the remaining survivors of the city. Shaking his head, he turned to Ray who was waiting behind him. ¡°Keep moving,¡± Odell ordered. ¡°New day, new city. We¡¯ll continue until Whiteridge, and escape into the Kingdom of Kal before any of the Astrad Kingdom¡¯s elite soldiers can catch us. From there, we¡¯ll conduct the asional raid across the border. Is that understood? ¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± Ray nodded before hopping onto his own horse and riding off. Odell just snickered as he turned from the burning city. ¡°For the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, the Astrad Kingdom will fall.¡± And as they moved to their next target, word began to spread of the return of the Miststorm Riders in the western regions of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª this time, with a vengeance. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 I followed Noele to a spare room in her house. A guest room. I would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be staying in Nora¡¯s old room or whatever, but this house was bigger than I thought. There were five bedrooms total¡ª two spare rooms on the first floor, and three on the second floor reserved for their family. One of the spare rooms was being used by both Skye and Deon, so that just left thest room which I would be sleeping in. I set my things down onto the bed and turned back to Noele. ¡°Right, here are your things,¡± I said and passed her a Bag of Holding. She epted it with a nod. ¡°Oh, thanks. I¡¯ll just put this in my room real quick.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I watched as she started to scurry off, then pause. The blonde girl stopped by the doorway, ncing down the hall. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s Garron doing here?¡± Noele asked curiously. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have an extra room for him to stay in.¡± I shrugged. ¡°He wanted to tag along. Said he was tired of just hanging around Windrip.¡± The blonde girl¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I see.¡± But she didn¡¯t add anything else. She just epted my answer and took her leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± While she was gone, I took my time to unpack my belongings, although I didn¡¯t have very many belongings in the first ce, so it didn¡¯t take me long to unpack. Then I just copsed into the bed to wait andy there in silence as I wondered how I should tell Noele about the Frenzied Five. They were a part of the Miststorm Riders¡ª the bandit group responsible for killing Nora, the Noble Spellsword¡¯s sister. So Noele could take the news in two different ways. The first would be that she¡¯d celebrate. After all, the people she vilified were dead. Justice was served, and it was sweet. Or maybe she¡¯d be upset with me. It was entirely possible Noele herself wanted to exact revenge against those responsible for murdering her sister. I didn¡¯t know. It was just a pain in the ass. ¡°Dealing with people sucks¡­¡± I murmured. ¡°Oh, I apologize if I¡¯m bothering you,¡± a soft voice said. Blinking, I sat up to see a middle-aged woman standing by the door. I sat up and faced her apologetically. ¡°Sorry, I was just thinking aloud to myself. You¡¯re Nicole, right? Noele¡¯s mother?¡± ¡°Indeed I am.¡± Nicole spoke with a slight twang¡ª her ent wasn¡¯t entirely evident, but it was still there. ¡°We haven¡¯t properly been introduced to each other, have we?¡± That was true. While I had helped save them from the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, we didn¡¯t get a chance to speak. They were too busy having a heartfelt reunion with Noele. ¡°Right, I¡¯m Amelia. I¡¯m, uh¡­¡± I started, but I wasn¡¯t really sure how to describe my rtionship with Noele. Before I coulde up with an appropriate description, I was cut off. ¡°You¡¯re her mentor,¡± Nicole said with a nod. ¡°My sweet little pumpkin pie told me you¡¯re an S-rank adventurer who picked her up as a student just a few months ago. But that is odd¡­¡± She quirked a brow, and I blinked. ¡°What¡¯s odd?¡± I asked. Nicole peered at me before shaking her head. ¡°It is strange that an S-rank adventurer like you has no ss.¡± And I paused. ¡°What¡­?¡± Thatment took me aback. Out of all the things Nicole could have said, I didn¡¯t expect her to remark on myck of a ss. I just stared at Nicole as she gave me a mischievous grin. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°How did I know?¡± Nicole tilted her head and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m a Level 27 [Farmer¡¯s Merchant]¡ª it¡¯s a hybrid ss between [Farmer] and [Trader].¡± I narrowed my eyes as she spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be a [Mage] to see my ss?¡± ¡°Well, even most [Mages]ck the [Appraisal] Skill necessary to see your ss. But as a [Trader], you¡¯d want to be able to intuit the levels of your customers and partners, especially when you¡¯re going to be making deals with strangers. So I guess you can say I just have [A Keen First Impression], and I inferred you were Level 0.¡± Nicole winked at me as I massaged my chin. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a Skill, huh?¡± And judging by its name, it didn¡¯t exactly tell Nicole my level like with an [Appraisal] Skill, she just felt like I had no levels, which meant I had no ss. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to me. I mostly kept it a secret to avoid any troubles it could bring my way. And considering this was Noele¡¯s family, I doubt they¡¯d cause me too many problems for having no ss. However, I couldn¡¯t be too certain¡­ ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said as I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have a ss. I hope it¡¯s not a big deal for you¡ª¡± I started, but I was interrupted once again. ¡°That¡¯s intriguing!¡± Nicole pped her hands together. She leaned forward excitedly¡ª surprisingly spry for her age¡ª and she spoke as the twang in her voice entirely vanished, oddly enough. ¡°I have so many questions to ask you! I knew my Noele was lying to me, but I can see why she¡¯d keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Oh, uh, I guess I can answer your questions.¡± I backed up, ncing past her. I hoped Noele would return soon, but the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen. I didn¡¯t expect her mother to be like¡­ a teenage girl. ¡°You know, I was ss-less for a bit too!¡± Nicole eximed, and I blinked. ¡°You were?¡± ¡°When I was changing ss¡ª I used to be a [Mage], you see? Not the adventuring-type like Noele. I was going to be an [Adept] or a [Schr] once I went to Astral¡¯s Academy of the Arts and Arcane. But then I met my husband¡­¡± the middle-aged woman trailed off her as her gaze softened. ¡°R-right.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. I resigned myself to listening to her backstory, only for her to shake her head. ¡°But it¡¯s in the past now.¡± Noele¡¯s mother nodded as she stepped back with a smile. Her ent mostly gone. ¡°I do wish I could stay and chat even longer. Unfortunately, I have to go now. I have a meeting with a [Trader] from Whiteridge, and I¡¯m runningte. I am d I could properly introduce myself to you. Let¡¯s speak moreter, alright?¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± I watched as Nicole turned to leave the room. But right as she was about to exit, I spotted Noele walking down the corridor. The Noble Spellsword blinked as she stared at her mother. ¡°Mama? What are you doing?¡± ¡°I was just catching up with your mentor, my sweet little pumpkin pie,¡± Nicole replied cheerfully, much to Noele¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Mama! I¡¯m not a little girl anymore!¡± the blonde girl flushed. She scowled and walked past her mother. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­¡± ¡°I will call you what I want, sweetie. Now Mama¡¯s going to go now.¡± The middle-aged woman scurried off as Noele was left grumbling at the doorway. The Noble Spellsword entered my room with her shoulders slumped, and I smirked at her. ¡°Nice nickname,¡± I said. And she rolled her eyes. ¡°If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to y it, I¡¯m going to call you master from now on.¡± I just snorted in return. ¡ª-- I took my time to settle into Noele¡¯s farm home. Meeting her mother was almost exhausting, but her father was a lot calmer inparison. We had an ordinary conversation once he returned from working out in the fields for the day. ¡°Once again, I must thank you,¡± Nn said with his head bowed, and a straw hat held to his chest. ¡°For not just taking my daughter under your care, but for saving our lives just a week ago. I owe you a great debt.¡± Unlike Nicole, Nn¡¯s ent was quite clearly there. Proof that he had grown up here in Wolfwater, rather than moving to this vigeter on in his life like his wife. I just waved a hand dismissively as he raised his head. ¡°IIf you want to pay me back, you can teach me how to farm,¡± I replied simply. Nn paused. ¡°That¡¯s all? I can certainly do that¡­¡± Hopefully he¡¯d be able to exin all the requirements necessary to be a [Farmer]. I wasn¡¯t optimistic that this would y out any more sessfully than my past attempts at getting a ss, but I was going to give it a try anyways. Meanwhile, Noele profusely apologized to Garron since they weren¡¯t able to provide him shelter. ¡°We really didn¡¯t expect you to being. Maybe you can squeeze together in the spare room with Deon and Skye? But I¡¯ll have to ask¡ª¡± Noele started. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Steel Tank said. ¡°I can find my own lodging in Wolfwater. I do not wish to impose on you or your family.¡± Noele sighed in relief. ¡°You can stay over for dinner, of course! My Papa and I are going to be cooking a delicious stew¡­¡± I was d to see that after some bonding time with Deon, Garron had recovered from the trip to Wolfwater just fine. I didn¡¯t see Saros hanging around, but to be honest, I didn¡¯t expect this house to be so crowded either. So I was d that gnome wasn¡¯t here to make things even more rambunctious than it already was. I was starting to miss the peace and quiet from when I was alone. Which was an odd paradox, since I preferred being alone when I was in a crowd, and I preferred being in a crowd when I was alone. Deon and Skye helped prepare the dishes for dinner, and once Noele was done chatting with Garron, she headed for the kitchen to give her father a hand. I decided now was as good of a time as any to speak with her about the Frenzied Five, so I intercepted her, giving her a small nod. ¡°Can we speak real quick, Noele?¡± I said as I brought her over to the side. The blonde girl followed me curiously. ¡°Of course¡ª did something happen?¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°Did my Mama say something weird to you again?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I just wanted to talk to you about the Miststorm Riders.¡± ¡°The Miststorm Riders¡­?¡± Noele blinked. And her gaze darkened. ¡°Right, what about them?¡± ¡°Have you heard of the Frenzied Five?¡± I asked first, to which she nodded. She closed her eyes as she spoke in a low voice. ¡°I have heard about them¡ª they¡¯re a terrible bunch. The worst of the Miststorm Riders. They¡¯vemitted unimaginable atrocities all throughout Laxo. Their leader even has arger bounty on his head than the boss of the Miststorm Riders. I¡­ why do you ask?¡± ¡°Do you hate them?¡± I peered at her. ¡°I do,¡± Noele said without any hesitation. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I hate those bastards?¡± ¡°And what would you say if you found out I killed them?¡± I asked the final question. ¡°You¡­ killed them?¡± The Noble Spellsword¡¯s eyes grew wide. She stared at me in disbelief and shock for a second, before she lowered her head. This was the moment I had been dreading. I wasn¡¯t sure how Noele would react. I really hoped she wouldn¡¯t snap at me¡ª it would be so annoying if I had to somehow make it up to her over this. I watched as her brows cast a shadow over her face, and I nodded. ¡°I killed them,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Noele said and raised her head. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I frowned. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s your reaction?¡± She gave me an approving look. ¡°You did a good job¡ª from what I¡¯ve heard, the Frenzied Five were pure scum. They¡¯d burn down entire cities just for the fun of it. They took pleasure in hurting the weak, and they would even go out of their way to target the children. I¡¯m d you killed them.¡± That wasn¡¯t what I expected. I was d to see Noele wasn¡¯t upset at me, but she didn¡¯t luxuriate in their deaths either, which surprised me. I raised a brow at the blonde girl. ¡°Are you not upset at me?¡± ¡°Why should I be?¡± she asked, blinking. ¡°Aren¡¯t the Frenzied Five part of the Miststorm Riders¡ª the ones responsible for burning Wolfwater and killing your sister?¡± Noele stared at me nkly. ¡°But the Frenzied Five didn¡¯t murder my sister¡­ I don¡¯t think they were even at Whiteridge that day¡­¡± And I could only mouth a single word in response. ¡°Oh.¡± Well, as it turned out, I was stressing over nothing. ¡°Right,¡± I said as I massaged my temples. ¡°My mistake.¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Noele dreamt of fire. It was an overwhelming, all-consuming me. It burned away the vige¡ª it evaporated the running rivers, and reduced the sprawling fields to ash. It was a storm of cinders that took everything from her. She breathed in, and her lungs burned. Her skin had melted. She couldn¡¯t move. She tried to scream for help, but she just hacked instead. Smoke blotted out her vision. The little girl thought she would die that day. But a figure emerged from the burning haze. Like a Guardian Angel. Golden locks and an ashen face of worry. A young woman. An adventurer. The Noble Sworddancer who slew an undead wyvern. But most important of all¡ª Noele¡¯s sister. She saved Noele that day. It was all the Noble Spellsword remembered ever now. Her sister saved her, and that was it. Noele didn¡¯t know what she had for breakfast. She didn¡¯t know what time she woke up¡ª whether it was in the morning or in the afternoon. She didn¡¯t know what her ns were, nor did she know how she ended up lying amidst the burning rubble. It was all so vague to her. A fog in her mind that refused to fade away. Repressed memories, perhaps. But she hardly even knew what happened next. She just recalled the cool taste of a healing elixir pouring down her throat. She just watched as the world whirled around her, and her flesh knitted back together as she was carried out of the burning vige. She remembered her sister slowing, and she saw shadowed figures running about. A curtain of mist closed around the pair of sisters. Nora lowered Noele to the ground, hiding the little girl amongst a pile of lifeless bodies. ¡°Whatever you do,¡± Nora had said. ¡°Don¡¯t look up.¡± And the mist enveloped the Noble Sworddancer. Noele tried to protest, but she couldn¡¯t even raise a hand. Her body refused to move. She couldn¡¯t even let out a gasp. So shey there, hearing the clopping of hooves, staring at the bloodied corpses lying in the grass, and unable to do a single thing about it. She heard the shouts. She heard the shing of metal. It onlysted for a brief few seconds, before the galloping slowed, and an unfamiliar voice spoke. ¡°I am Odell. The Monster of the Mist. A Level 55 [Bandit Boss]. I have burned entire nations to ash, and I have destroyed countless cities.¡± He spoke callously¡ª he bragged of his atrocities. His words alone made Noele tremble. And perhaps it was the spark needed to move the little girl. She craned her neck as best she could until she was peering over the fallen bodies. There she saw Nora¡¯s figure behind the curtain of mist. She kneeled there, her swords broken, and her arms bleeding. A man stood before her, pacing casually with his hands behind his back. His face was hidden by the mist. Noele¡¯s vision blurred¡ª back then, she didn¡¯t know why, but now she understood that those were tears. ¡°I never know what goes through your foolish minds when you oppose me. What does a mere C-rank adventurer think she can do against me?¡± Odell said as he came to a halt and tilted his head at the kneeling woman. ¡°It is not what I think I can do against you,¡± Nora spat back. ¡°It is what I must do! It is my duty to protect the weak!¡± ¡°Protect the weak?¡± Odell chuckled, and a gaggle of invisible bandits broke out intoughter with him. ¡°But you are mistaken, because¡ª¡± Noele blinked away the tears in her eyes. She watched as Odell brought a hand forward. But right as her eyes closed, there was a sh of purple light. ¡°You are the weak.¡± And her sister was gone. A crater remained where Nora had been a moment ago. Even the mist itself cleared briefly, like a chunk of the white curtain had been eaten away. Odell took a step back, and finally, Noele saw his face. It was a face that was forever burned into her memory. It was a face that was marred with scars across his cheeks and forehead. His eyes glimmered a dark violet, but they were hollow. As if they were lifeless. This was Odell the Monster of the Mist. The leader of the Miststorm Riders. Noele had only seen it for a moment before the mist covered his figure once again. But she would remember his face until the day she died. She remembered his face even now¡­ Groaning, the Noble Spellsword sat up in her bed and shook her head. ¡°Ugh¡­ that was¡­¡± Noele winced as she recalled her dream. It was pretty much a nightmare¡ª being forced to relive the most traumatic moment of her life. ¡°Why did I even dream of that?¡± she wondered aloud. It was probably because of what Amelia had said yesterday. The brown-haired woman had killed the Frenzied Five a week ago. She had assumed they were the ones responsible for murdering Nora, and thought that Noele would be upset about it. While Noele was quite relieved those five lunatics were gone for good, she didn¡¯t hold any personal feelings against them. They were monsters, sure. But they hadn¡¯t been there on that fateful day of Nora¡¯s death. No¡ª only one man held Noele¡¯s animosity. The one responsible for killing Nora. They called him the Monster of the Mist. He was the leader of the Miststorm Riders. An A-rank threat, ording to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Noele¡¯s heart burned with righteous fury for a moment, but quickly quelled the mes within her. It had happened over ten years ago. She was only upset now because she had been reminded of it. Vengeance was not, and had never been a priority to the blonde girl. She just got out of bed and went about her day. There were things she needed to do. Simple things. Amelia was staying over for now, and she was heading out to the fields with Nn to learn how to be a [Farmer]ter today. Deon and Skye were staying over as well, but the two A-rank adventurers were going to be leaving soon¡ª they had helped out to make up for their failure at the Frozar Mountains, and they¡¯ve already done enough. So it was going to be a busy day for Noele. No fighting. No adventuring. But just spending time with her friends and family. Honestly, it was a nice reprieve after everything that happened over thest two months. Especially since meeting Amelia. Things had been incredibly chaotic. The blonde girl¡¯s entire world had been upturned. She had nearly died over a dozen times, and she had seen things she never thought were possible. It was almost like she¡¯d been thrust into a dizzying dream until she finally reunited with her parents, where a sense of normalcy returned. ¡°But it feels wrong,¡± Noele whispered as she came to a halt right by the door of her room. ncing back, the Noble Spellsword took in the small bedroom. It was the very same room she¡¯d grown up in. It was her childhood; it was her life before her sister¡¯s death. But returning to it after all this time¡ª it didn¡¯t feel right. And Noele closed her eyes as she sighed. ¡°I think I already knew what I wanted,¡± she murmured, before finally heading out. ¡ª-- ¡°Where¡¯s she going?¡± I asked, ncing back towards the dirt road leading out of the farm. I stood out in the middle of the field, overlooking a sea of wheat and rye. I had already been awake since sunrise, since I was joining Nn today out in his farmwork. The middle-aged man shook his head, pushing a wheelbarrow full of tools as he replied. ¡°I try not to pry, but I believe she¡¯s going to show her friend around Wolfwater¡ª y¡¯know, the charmingd you brought with you?¡± ¡°Oh, Garron?¡± I blinked. I remembered the way he screamed. I also thought about the permanent-re he wore on his face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really say he¡¯s charming.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to specte, but I think Noele has taken a bit of a liking to him. I doubt it¡¯s anything serious. They just seem close.¡± Nn chuckled as he led me away from the flourishing field to another section of the farm. ¡°Really?¡± I quirked a brow, following after him. ¡°Eh, I guess I don¡¯t really care that much. Where are we going?¡± ¡°Here,¡± the [Farmer] said and came to a halt right before a fallow field. It waspletely barren of life¡ª just a long stretch of dirt that spread out behind the house. The soil was uncultivated, and half the field hadn¡¯t been tilled yet. The other half had been partially plowed and watered, but it was mostly just empty soil. I frowned and turned to Nn. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be tilling the fields here today.¡± He handed me a hoe he produced from his wheelbarrow. I stared at the tool as he hefted one of his own over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a lot of work, but you¡¯re an S-rank adventurer, so I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be too bothered by it. He grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t you normally use an oxen and a plough to do this?¡± I asked with a frown. I epted the hoe, and Nn nodded. ¡°Normally, yes. But today, I¡¯m showing you the basics.¡± He stepped forward and swung down with the hoe, breaking apart the topyer of soil. ¡°You want to rake across¡ª¡± he started. But I cut him off. ¡°I think I know this much.¡± I followed his motion, lightly tearing into the soil. Nn paused. He stared at me for a moment, before chuckling. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know this much,¡± he said as he continued tilling the field in a vertical line. ¡°Were your parents [Farmers]? Or perhaps you used to have a [Farmer] ss?¡± I snorted as I copied him. I tilled the field parallel to Nn, speaking simply. ¡°I read it in a book once.¡± The [Farmer] just gave me an amused look. ¡°Most folks don¡¯t bother learning such things. Even those who go to get an education¡ª like Nicole. They just study books rted to their ss.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not like most folks,¡± I said simply. ¡°Indeed. You are an S-rank adventurer looking to learn how to farm, after all.¡± He chuckled. We came to a halt at the end of the field, before moving to till another line across the grass. He stopped me from getting back to work immediately. His eyes glinted as he brought his hoe down once more. ¡°That¡¯s just the basics, but tilling the field with your bare hands this way is incredibly inefficient as you can tell. Especially with such unevenly tilled soil. But most [Farmers] have to start out this way. And only as they level, can they gain such Skills like [Even Tilling].¡± I watched as Nn perfectly shaved off the topyer of grass with a single motion. He chuckled as he continued tilling ahead with ease like he was sweeping dust off the ground. ¡°It makes for faster tilling,¡± he said. ¡°But that¡¯s a Level 10 Skill. Some are lucky to get it when they¡¯re still a Level 6 [Farmer¡¯s Hand], of course.¡± I tried to mimic his motions, but just like I wasn¡¯t that good at swinging around an axe, I struggled to achieve the same effect as Nn did with his Skill. Maybe if I used a sword¡­ but no. This was farmwork, and to get a [Farmer ss], I needed to use a [Farmer]¡¯s tools. Or whatever. Nn came to a halt, leaving behind a full line of cleanly shaven dirt. I trailed after him with my rough patches of dug-up dirt as he nodded. ¡°But that is a low-leveled Skill,¡± he said as he raised his hoe as I came to a halt next to him. ¡°Perhaps if you reach a high-enough level¡ª¡± He swung down with the hoe, and I blinked. ¡°[Row of Plow],¡± the [Farmer] said. I watched as an entire row of the field was upheaved with a single swing. All of the uprooted grass gathered neatly at the tip of his hoe. He stepped to the side as I just stared. ¡°A Level 30 Skill. And I can repeat it a dozen times before there is any cooldown.¡± Nn continued tilling his field with one swift motion for each row. I could only look on as he continued working. I followed after him, until he finally slowed down and stopped. He turned to me with a satisfied grin on his face. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s genuinely impressive,¡± I answered honestly. I knew that Skills extended beyondbat situations¡ª I was aware that sses greatly affected the civilian part of life too. But to see it firsthand was enlightening. Still, I shook my head. ¡°But this requires having a [Farmer] ss in the first ce. I need to meet the requirements for that first before I can even think about getting a Skill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not too difficult.¡± Nn leaned against his hoe as he wiped the sweat off his brow. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s the easiest part.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the hardest part for me.¡± Noele¡¯s father paused. He peered at me, seeing the annoyance in my face. He rubbed his chin before his lips curled up. ¡°Do you want to know how I became a [Farmer]?¡± he asked, eyes twinkling. And I paused. I leaned forward, my interest piqued. After so long, after so many pointless endeavors, I was finally going to hear firsthand how to get a proper ss. ¡°Tell me,¡± I said. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Ever since I escaped the Fractured Realm, I had been hounded by the System to get a ss. Each and every time that blue box appeared, it offered me only a single option: to be a [Hero]. More specifically, it wanted me to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. But I said no. The System was trying to impose the role of a hero onto me, and I wasn¡¯t going to ept that. I was tired of fighting. I remembered every waking moment I had spent in the Fractured Realm. I had spent so long in that broken world I had lost track of time. All I remembered were the countless voidlings and voidbeasts spawning out of the Void. They crawled out of rifts, and they tore themselves out of fading stars. There was no thrill to fighting. It was simply what I had to do. However, it was also all I knew. So even now, I reverted to it when there was nothing else for me. But a chance finally presented itself to me. The opportunity to find something that wasn¡¯t rted to fighting. I no longer had to be a hero¡ª I could simply live a normal life if I became a [Farmer]. And this chance came from Nn. Noele¡¯s father. He had brought me out to the fields to teach me how to be a farmer. As the highest-leveled [Farmer] in Wolfwater, he could show me the ropes, and I would listen. But now, he was finally going to divulge the secret behind how he even got his ss in the first ce. Nn leaned forward as I waited earnestly. He opened his mouth, speaking slowly. ¡°The first time the World System offered me the [Farmer] ss wasn¡¯t when I picked up a hoe, nor was it when I nted my first seed,¡± he said in a hushed voice. ¡°When did it offer you the ss, then?¡± I asked as I drew closer, hanging onto his every word. He smiled, eyes twinkling. ¡°It was after I had done all that¡ª after I had tilled my first field and harvested my first crops. My Papa taught me how to work as a [Farm Hand], and he praised me for my hard work. That night, I took a good look at myself and said, ¡®I am a farmer now.¡¯¡± I continued waiting, listening intensely. I thought there was more toe. I thought he would continue on. But he just nodded at himself, satisfied. ¡°Then that was when the World System showed itself to me.¡± And I blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± he confirmed. ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked. ¡°Seriously,¡± he confirmed. I opened my mouth and raised my hand. I tried to protest, but stopped myself. What was there even for me to say? I took one look at Nn who had his lips curled up as he nodded at me. And I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s too fucking simple. I refuse to believe that¡¯s how it works.¡± ¡°But it is,¡± Nn insisted. ¡°Not many people realize it, but that is how you get a ss. They think that just because they¡¯ve swung a sword a few times, or cooked a few meals, they should be a [Warrior] or a [Cook].¡± I just stared at the [Farmer] as he continued his exnation. ¡°No¡ª it is only when they¡¯ve be confident of their own abilities, can they meet their ss requirements.¡± He shook his head with a chuckle. ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t just confidently pick up a sword and be a [Warrior]. The first step is always to learn the basics of their ss first.¡± I tried to argue. I wanted to argue. But Nn knew what he was talking about. He was an inhabitant of Vacuos. Not only that, but what he said made sense. After all, if just cooking a meal made someone eligible to be a [Cook] ording to the System, then that meant that most people would be [Cooks]. However, that clearly was not the case. It was only after cooking certain recipes and recognizing yourself as an actual cook, would the System then offer the option to be a [Cook]. It sounded convoluted. But it would exin my predicament. The System offered me only a single option. Not to be a [Farmer]. Not to be a [Cook]. Not to be a [Warrior]. Not to be a [Mage]. And not to be a [Rogue]. Grat-ra¡¯zun had said that if someone was offered only a single ss, then that just meant they hadn¡¯t tried hard enough to get another ss. I misinterpreted what he said; he had only given me half of the equation. I had thought it simply meant that I had to do more things to be offered a ss as a [Cook]. But that was wrong. Or, rather, that was only half right. It was by acting as a [Cook] would¡ª carrying out tasks like I was a [Cook]¡ª would I see myself as a [Cook]. However, no matter what I did, I would never get that option as long as I never saw myself as a [Cook]. And I didn¡¯t see myself as a [Cook], hence why I didn¡¯t get that offered. I only saw myself as one thing¡ª the very same thing that the System had offered me. It was what the System tried to impose upon me. More urately though, it was what I had imposed upon myself. I was a hero. So the System gave me the choice to be a [Hero]. That¡­ was annoying. ¡°Is something wrong, Amelia?¡± Nn asked, peering into me with a worried look. I just sighed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡ª-- Noele wandered down the gravel road out of Wolfwater as Garron trailed slowly behind her. The pair of adventurers were walking down a path even the blonde girl didn¡¯t recognize. She nced around at the unfamiliar road¡ª she looked towards the vast fields that expanded to the horizon. This was her hometown. But it was also so unfamiliar to her. The vige really had changed a lot since she hadst been here. Neither Noele nor Garron said anything for a moment. The Steel Tank himself was entranced by his surroundings. He gaped at pretty much everything he saw, from the growing crops to the blooming flowers. ¡°I¡¯m surprised this is the first time you¡¯ve ever been to a real farm,¡± Noele finally said, drawing his attention. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a B-rank adventurer? I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d have traveled far and wide around the Astrad Kingdom at the very least.¡± Garron paused, ncing away from a [Farmer] at work. He chuckled as he faced the blonde girl. ¡°They don¡¯t call me Windrip¡¯s very own B-rank adventurer for nothing.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I rarely ever left the city. It was tough¡ª especially early on in my career as an adventurer. Most newbie adventurers actually leave Windrip when they¡¯re starting out because Briar Glen is so dangerous.¡± Noele nodded. ¡°Right, and plenty of outside adventurers stay over at Windrip for the exact same reason.¡± ¡°There were farms in Windrip. But they were always incredibly cramped, and crops were grown by both [Mages] and [Farmers] indoors in these square plots ofnd in the middle of the city,¡± Garron exined. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what those buildings were.¡± The blonde girl blinked. ¡°I always thought those were prisons.¡± And the burly man raised his head. He swept his gaze over the surroundings and harrumphed. ¡°A prison, huh? Compared to this, all of Windrip is a prison.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Noele chuckled. ¡°I visited Briar Glenst year, and the area around Windrip is lovely in thete spring.¡± ¡°Outside of Windrip, indeed.¡± Garron spoke as he stared into therge swathes of farnd. His stoic gaze fixed only to the blooming scenery. ¡°But living within Windrip¡ª within those tall walls¡ª is no different from living in a prison. I have to thank you for freeing me from that life, Noele. I never realized what I was missing until I met you. I was so obsessed with revenge, I never realized I was missing the whole entire world from my life.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That took Noele by surprise. She didn¡¯t remember doing anything in particr for him. The two were sparring partners¡ª she had enlisted his help to train with her when she was still trying to figure out how to control her Skills without actually using her Skills. They had spoken outside of their sparring sessions, but she didn¡¯t recall any heartfelt moments. However, Garron clearly did. And that was the thing she had finally noticed about him. While he might look rather brutish with that glower always fixed on his face, he was quite soft and emotional inside of that gruff exterior. Noele smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. He looked back her way as she spoke and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m d I could help you with that. I understand how it feels. I¡¯ve made a few realizations of my own over thest few months.¡± ¡°What have you realized?¡± Garron asked as he turned to her. She closed her eyes, recalling the events since she met Amelia. ¡°Many things. For one, I had lost my reason for being an adventurer.¡± ¡°You did?¡± The burly man¡¯s eyes grew wide as he stared her way. ¡°Wait¡ª on the day of the party¡­ is that why you¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Noele said reassuringly as she opened her eyes. ¡°I found out that I do want to continue being an adventurer soon after. And now, I believe I know the reason why I did everything I have done to get to this point.¡± Whether it was to be strong or something else, Noele understood herself better than ever today. She had a full week to reflect. But she never came to a conclusion. Not until afterst night¡¯s dream where she was forced to relive her memories. ¡°What is that reason, Noele?¡± Garron asked as he peered into her. ¡°The reason I became an adventurer¡­ the reason I became strong¡­¡± the Noble Spellsword started as she raised her head. And she remembered her sister¡¯s bravery. She recalled Nora the Noble Sworddancer¡¯s final words. Noele recited them as she raised an opened palm and tightened it into a fist. ¡°I did it all to protect the weak.¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Garron furrowed his brows for a moment as she finished. He studied the determined look on her face. He saw the way she seemed to stand taller than before. Then he chuckled. ¡°I can see why they call you noble, now. You indeed befit your given Title.¡± Noele just smiled. ¡°I learned it all from my sister.¡± ¡°Then she must¡¯ve been quite the wonderful woman,¡± he said, to which Noele nodded in agreement, remembering her sister. ¡°She was¡­ she really was¡­¡± ¡ª-- Skystead burned. Odell breathed in, taking in the scent of charred flesh. He saw his bandit group cutting down women and children as they fled the city. He heard the screams of men being trampled and he relished in it. He spread his arms wide and smiled as his bandit group rode past him and razed the city to ash. ¡°Beautiful,¡± he whispered. ¡°Magnificent. We are moving way ahead of schedule. I did not think that these cities would put up as little resistance as they have so far. It seems that the Astrad Kingdom really has their hands full with the Kingdom of Kal¡­¡± Oh, how Odell loved this. He thrived in this. He rarely had the chance to run amok these days due to the orders of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Odell knew restraint. And that was why he was the leader of the Miststorm Riders, not Emory. Not that it mattered now, since Emory was dead. A figure twitched amidst a pile of corpses. A bloodied [Mage] raised his head, pointing a wand at Odell from behind. ¡°Y-you¡­ monster!¡± the man cried out as he unleashed a st of lightning. And Odell just tilted his head out of the way, sighing. The spell struck a nearby tree as the leader of the Miststorm Riders sat atop his horse and nced back towards the dying [Mage]. ¡°First of all, I am not just an ordinary monster¡ª I am the Monster of the Mist,¡± Odell said as he got off his horse. Shaking his head, he walked up to the [Mage] and knelt down. ¡°Secondly, here¡¯s a tip for you¡ª¡± Odell held the [Mage]¡¯s gaze and smiled savagely. ¡°The next time you sneak attack someone, try not to announce the attack. That is¡ª if you get a next time. Which you won¡¯t.¡± And with that, the Monster of the Mist flicked a finger. A purple st engulfed the [Mage], scarring the earth. When Odell stepped back, there was nothing but a crater right before him. Complete and total obliteration. He slowly hopped back onto his horse and sighed wistfully. ¡°Oh, how I¡¯ve missed this.¡± Perhaps the Miststorm Riders might even reach Whiteridge by the end of the week. Odell didn¡¯t know. He just knew that he couldn¡¯t wait toy waste to even more cities. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Over the next week, I spent most of my time working out in the fields with Nn. He taught me pretty much everything anyone needed to know about being a [Farmer]. Or, more, specifically a [Crop Farmer]. He was a higher-leveled variant of that ss, of course. Nn was nearly Level 40, which was supposedly rather impressive. Initially, I had been taken aback by that fact considering that an adventurer who was between Level 30 and Level 40 was considered only C-rank. But there was no such thing as an [Adventurer] ss. Being an adventurer was a job, and with it came a variety of different sses. There were only so many variations of the [Farmer] ss. There were [Poultry Farmers], there were [Dairy Farmers], and there [Farmers] that didn¡¯t even have the word ¡®farmer¡¯ in the ss like a [Rancher]. They were all [Farmers], and they all had their own variants as well. But even the [Farmer] ss as a whole was hardly as expansive as, say, the [Warrior] ss. After all, there was a plethora of different sub-sses of [Warrior], and each sub-ss had a sub-ss of its own, which in turn had a sub-ss of its own¡­ this could continue on for a while. To exemplify it¡ª a [Warrior] could have the sub-sses of a [Spearman] and a [Swordsman]. But then a [Spearman] could be [Lancer], a [Speardancer], or even a [Knight]. And a [Lancer] could be a [Mystical Lancer] or a [Master Jouster]. This breakdown would apply for a [Swordsman], and the other two sub-sses for a [Spearman] although to a lesser extent. Anyways, that was just in regards to being a [Warrior]. It got veryplex and convoluted as it went on, whereas being a [Farmer] was a little bit more linear with fewer variations. There were still plenty of different [Farmer] sses. But it was iparable to the variation that came with the [Warrior] ss, or the [Rogue] ss, and whatnot. So it only made sense that there was only a single [Farmer] above Level 60, whereas there were quite a few adventurers above Level 60¡ª dozens, at the very least¡ª because being an adventurer encapsted [Warriors], [Rogues], [Mages], [Rogue Mages], and even more. Point being, there were simply substantially fewer [Farmers] than there were adventurers, so Nn, despite his level, was quite impressive for his ss. And since he was the one giving in-depth teaching of his job, there was a lot for me to learn. There was a lot that I had learned The day after he taught me how to till the fields, he showed me his harvest for this month. I swept my gaze over the flourishing field as he nodded proudly at me. ¡°Impressive, no?¡± he said. ¡°It is only the beginning of spring, and I am ready to make my first harvest of the year.¡± I blinked. ¡°That is fast.¡± I was pretty sure that most cash crop farms back on Earth only produced their yields once or twice a year. But this wasn¡¯t my world. This was a world of magic¡ª as I was clearly aware considering my feats, things that weren¡¯t possible back on Earth were very much possible here. Nevertheless, I was impressed. ¡°How often do you harvest your crops?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Roughly three to six times a year,¡± he said as he hefted a scythe over his head. He swung down and cut cleanly through the growing wheat.. ¡°Thanks to [Passive - Fertile Soil] and [Passive - Rapid Yields], I should be able to harvest three times a year without doing anything else. But I can purchase magical fertilizers from an [Alchemist] in Whiteridge to double even that. And I have heard from a few of my friends that you can hire a [Druid] to cast a fertility boon on top of all that, although I have never tried that before.¡± I watched as Nn deftly sheared through the field of wheat with ease. He walked through it casually, swinging his scythe back and forth as he dragged a sack behind him. The harvested crops seemed to magically be pulled into the sack, and I gave him an approving look. ¡°More Skills, I¡¯m assuming,¡± I said. ¡°The sack is an enchanted artifact,¡± Nn corrected me. ¡°But I am indeed using a Skill to do this.¡± He stepped forward, bringing the scythe down hard. I looked on as he sliced through the wheat stems in front of him and more. All the grain up to six feet away from him fell, only to be sucked into the sack. He chuckled as he walked back to me. ¡°Now you try,¡± he said. ¡°Uh, alright.¡± I epted the scythe and copied his motions. I wasn¡¯t used to swinging a scythe around. I was more ustomed to a regr sword. But I had enough uracy to target only the stalks of the wheat, not damaging the kernels, which would actually be harvested. Nn nodded, clearly impressed. ¡°As expected of an S-rank adventurer, you¡¯re doing this without a Skill.¡± I shrugged as I lowered the sack of grain. ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy. And I¡¯m not an S-rank adventurer. I¡¯m unranked and unofficial.¡± ¡°Ah. I apologize. That is my mistake.¡± He bobbed his head as he spoke apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know Noele told you that¡ª she was trying to simplify things, I guess. I¡¯m just really strong. That¡¯s all.¡± The [Farmer] raised his head as a thought crossed his mind. He leaned closer, eyes glittering like he was a yful child. A look I didn¡¯t quite expect from the normally mature middle-aged man. ¡°I do wonder how much you can harvest with a single swing of the scythe.¡± He spoke like it was an idle thought, tapping a finger on his chin, and looking away. But I knew he was clearly hinting at me to give it a go. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± I said with a dubious look. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t believe it hurts to give it a try.¡± Nn turned to me, making his intentions clear. He really wanted to see what I was capable of. He took a step back, nodding catingly at me. ¡°I¡¯ll even give you some space.¡± I sighed. ¡°Sure, I guess.¡± I took a step forward and sliced horizontally with the scythe. I didn¡¯t swing too hard, although I tried my best to mimic what he had done earlier¡ª when he sliced through wheat he didn¡¯t even touch. And a powerful gust of wind swept out. The entire field rippled as it was practically sted by a brief hurricane. Wheat heads fell to the ground by the hundreds in a radius of fifty feet ahead of me, andrge swathes of the rest of the field werepletely uprooted. Nn barely stayed on his feet, even when he wasn¡¯t affected by the swing. Most of the field behind me¡ª where he stood¡ª remained untouched, only ruffled by the dispersing winds. But everything ahead of me had been shredded apart. I stared at the damaged crops and the uprooted nts, before shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m more precise with a sword. Or my fists.¡± I turned back to Nn. The [Farmer] tried to work his jaw. ¡°That is¡­¡± he trailed off for a moment. I handed the scythe back to him, and it slid down the palm of his hand. He stared at the partial destruction of his field, before finally gathering himself. ¡°I think you were right,¡± heughed as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a very good idea.¡± And I just snorted. The day after that, Nn showed me what it was like to nt the seeds for the next harvest. It was honestly pretty dull. He didn¡¯t have any fancy Skills to show off. He just sprinkled the seeds by hand, and I followed. We also paid a visit to his oxen. They had a nice plot ofnd for themselves. But there were only a handful of them, so it wasn¡¯t arge grazing field. It wasn¡¯t like Nn¡¯s farm was small. His farm wasrge enough that I¡¯d expect it to be manned by half a dozen farmers through manualbor. Or maybe back on Earth, a single farmer could look after it with modern equipment such asbine harvesters or a plough. But the existence of Skills made up for theck of technology. Anyways, for a few days, nothing all that interesting happened. I did run into a wandering chicken while working the fields with Nn. But he just waved a hand dismissively. ¡°That¡¯s Bucky,¡± Nn said casually. ¡°She is well-known around these parts. Loves paying a visit to every farm once in a while, and she loves stealing my seeds. Don¡¯t you, Bucky?¡± The [Farmer]ughed as he scratched her neck beneath her beak. ¡°Isn¡¯t Bucky a male name?¡± I pointed out. ¡°She likes that name,¡± he replied simply. ¡°Fair enough.¡± I watched as Bucky sauntered over and to a bag of seeds and began feasting on it. ¡°Why¡¯s a chicken wandering around like that, anyways?¡± ¡°Bucky grew too high-leveled for her [Farmer]. She escaped, and no one can catch her. If you try, she¡¯ll just run away. She¡¯s a fast one¡­ aren¡¯t you, Bucky?¡± Nn spoke like he was talking to a dog or a cat. He patted the chicken as she just ravaged his bag of seeds before stepping back. ¡°I didn¡¯t know chickens could level up,¡± I remarked idly. ¡°Everyone can level up,¡± Nn said as he drew back from Bucky. ¡°Animals included. They just don¡¯t have a reason to level up. But Bucky here found that reason.¡± I furrowed my brows and knelt down. Bucky cocked her head at me as I peered at her. ¡°Maybe I should get you as a pet¡­¡± I could even train her until she was Level 100 so she could deal with all my annoying problems for me as I retired to a farm. While the image of a chicken fighting a dragon and whatnot seemed funny in my head, I genuinely considered it for a moment. It would be really nice for me, but I still dismissed the thought. ¡°Nah, that would be animal cruelty,¡± I said as I patted her gently. ¡°Good chicken.¡± She just clucked back at me. And as the week came to a close, I felt content with myself. I had learned the ins-and-outs of farming with an expert on the field¡ª both figuratively and literally. I worked the same jobs a [Farm Hand] would, and I pretty much spent all my time with Nn. Deon and Skye had left Wolfwater some time at the start of the week, heading for Whiteridge since they¡¯d already helped out enough. And Garron was staying over for now. I saw Noele a few times during the day. But she was spending most of her time with Garron, showing him around Wolfwater. And fortunately for me, I managed to avoid her overenthusiastic mother. It wasn¡¯t that I disliked Nicole. I could only handle her in small doses. Otherwise, she was too overwhelming. But she had a lot of work to catch up on after what was pretty much an extra month off her job, so she was making up for it now, and so she barely spent any time at the farm. Nevertheless, I found my time here in Wolfwater to be¡­ rxing. Almost therapeutic. It was calm here in this farming vige. A nice change of pacepared to being an adventurer in Windrip. Things were quiet, and I wasn¡¯t just rushing to get to the next goal. I was finally living a normal life. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t what I imagined when I swore to myself that I just wanted to rx and enjoy myself, but I was rxing and enjoying myself. And that was all that mattered. Because I really felt like I¡­ enjoyed being a [Farmer]. I really liked working at a farm. And as night fell, I copsed into my bed with a satisfied sigh. I closed my eyes, luxuriating in the silence of the farm. I could hear the asional crickets in the distance, but it wasn¡¯t polluted with noise here like living in a city. I would have fallen asleep. I wanted to just let myself indulge in my slumber. But I waited. I recalled Nn¡¯s words. He had told me that all I needed to do to get a ss was to carry out the acts associated with the ss until I saw myself embodying the ss. It was very simple. It sounded very simple. I had done all the farmwork needed to be a [Farmer]¡ª I had learned how to be a [Farmer]. And most of all, I saw myself living the rest of my life in Vacuos as a [Farmer]. So I waited. But the System pop-up never came. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 [To integrate into the System, please choose one of the following ss(es): [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] - An otherworlder who has arrived in Vacuos to save the world from destruction. As a unique ss, the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos] is unrivaled in strength, skill, or mastery of magic. Benevolent and full of grace, you will forever devote your life to protecting the System from the Void¡¯s corruption. Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses avable for you to choose from.] I stared at the blue box as it shed before me¡ª it appeared whenever I defeated someone in battle, or killed a monster. asionally, it would show up when I was jumping around or casually swinging my sword. I would always dismiss it quickly with a thought, since ignoring it wouldn¡¯t make it go away. But today, I actively sought it out. I wanted the System to show itself to me. So I woke up early¡ª before dawn¡ª and headed outside of Wolfwater, searching for a monster. Once I was far enough away from the farnds, it didn¡¯t take me too long to find what I wanted. I had found arge boar rampaging through a bush and skewering a bunch of smaller animals. It had been the size of a small car. Like if a boar was a moose. It charged at me the moment I saw it, and I just flicked it. It crashed into a nearby thicket, before rolling to a stop, dead. And that was when the blue screen shed before me. That was how I ended up here, sighing at what I saw. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m not even going to curse you out,¡± I finally said to the blue screen. ¡°I should have expected this. I should¡¯ve known it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.¡± I dismissed the blue screen with a thought. The System was clearly against me. Either that, or I was going crazy. Because I was more than certain I had hit the criteria for a [Farmer] ss yesterday. I shook my head as I made my way back to Wolfwater. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t need a ss to enjoy living on a farm, anyways.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Vacuos was a world that was desperately in need for more [Farmers]. After all, with Skills alone, they were very much capable of producing the same output as many modern farms back on Earth. And that didn¡¯t ount for the fact that magic existed too. In addition to [Druids], there were [Mage Farmers] and even [Geomancers] who were capable of altering both thendscape and the weather to counter droughts or natural disasters. I also heard of some [Alchemist] concoctions that could instantly grow a field of crops, but those were incredibly rare and expensive. Anyways, Vacuos wasn¡¯t an agrarian society by any means. It was only vaguely simr to medieval Earth, and that was mostly in terms of aesthetic. Even then, the way cities were designed and built differed quite a bit depending on the part of the world. Alius was, as far as I could tell from reading books and whatnot, a far more developed continent than Laxo. While Laxo was more medieval-esque, Alius was more industrial-esque. Not only that, but their focus on industry was entirely different. Laxo had a robust economy revolving around adventurers and monsters, Alius focused more on trade and magitech. After all, Alius was far less densely popted with monsters than Laxo, and their historical focus on war amongst each other due to the various different races living there led to a lot of innovations which continued in today¡¯s peace after the dwarves pretty much conquered the whole continent. Now that was not to mention the fact that the elven continent of Drazyl was nothing like any culture or society on Earth. The closestparison would if there were thousands of foraging tribes that all fell under a single banner. And even more alien were the merfolk in the sunken continent of Mare. Not much was known about how merfolk society functioned. They were just an eclectic variety of different races that adapted to living underwater and grew gills after their continent was destroyed a long time ago. There weren¡¯t even very many historical records or ounts that dated back that far in history, and there were a lot of conflicting sources that led to various different unconfirmed theories being touted by the [Schrs] of today. So there was no reason for most of the world¡¯s poption to be made up of farmers. There really just wasn¡¯t any reason for that to be the case. Not in Laxo, nor in Alius. Definitely not in Drazyl either. Maybe the merfolk of Mare subsisted mainly through growing and farming vast seaweed forests, so they could potentially be an agrarian society. I didn¡¯t know. But with magic in this world, and the abundance of other food sources such as monsters, most people didn¡¯t need to live and die working on a farm to produce food for their families like it was in medieval times on Earth. The sun was rising by the time I arrived back at Nn¡¯s farm. The middle-aged man was already up and about, ready to work in the fields when I got there. ¡°You¡¯re up early today,¡± hemented with a smile. ¡°Ready to take a look at my magical crops?¡± ¡°Maybe tomorrow,¡± I said as I shook my head. I yawned, walking up the front porch back to the house. ¡°Didn¡¯t get much sleepst night. I¡¯m just going to take the morning off. I¡¯ll join you after lunch.¡± I wasn¡¯t actually that tired. Mostly annoyed. And because I was annoyed, I wanted to lie in bed and waste away for a few hours. It felt like everything I¡¯d done over thest week was for nothing. Even if I logically knew that it didn¡¯t matter¡ª I didn¡¯t need a ss to be a farmer¡ª I still was mildly irked because I had gotten my hopes up. Nn just nodded understandingly as I mulled over my broken System predicament. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been working hard for the past week. Enjoy your time off, Amelia. But before you go, make sure you say bye to Noele. She¡¯ll be gone for the next few days.¡± I blinked. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡ª-- ¡°I had no idea you were leaving,¡± I said as I raised a brow at Noele. She just waved a hand dismissively as she sat on a chair, putting on her boots. ¡°Just for a bit. Garron and I are escorting my Mama to Whiteridge. She¡¯s going to be there for a few days, so while we¡¯re waiting, we¡¯ll take a look at a few of the jobs they have around the city.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I nced past her at the burly man who was standing behind her. Ever since Deon and Skye left, Garron had been staying over at the farm as well, but we hardly even spoke much since I brought him here to Wolfwater. He averted his gaze slightly when I looked his way, scratching his cheek. He looked like he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to say something, so I saved him the trouble and walked past the two of them. ¡°Well, good luck. I¡¯m gonna take a nap.¡± I waved at Noele and Garron, starting towards my room. Noele nodded at me as she got to her feet. ¡°Take care, Amelia. See you in a few days.¡± I quickly said goodbye to Nicole as well. She was in the kitchen, preparing a Bag of Holding with a few different bundles of grain. There were some of the magical crops thrown in there too¡ª I hadn¡¯t taken a good look at it, but in addition to growing regr old wheat and barley, Nn specialized in producing things like arcana seeds en masse. Nicole was going to sample these out to [Traders] or [Merchants], and spend most of her time arranging shipment deals while in Whiteridge. After bidding her farewell as well, I returned to my room, copsed into my bed, and promptly fell asleep. ¡ª-- Noele knew Amelia well enough at this point to be able to tell that her mentor was annoyed. Which was quite difficult to tell considering that Amelia always seemed annoyed. But no¡ª this was genuine annoyance. An annoyed Amelia would spend less time quipping or making snarky remarks, and spend more time getting things done. For example, Amelia wanted to be left alone, so she briskly spoke with everyone she needed to speak with before locking herself up in her room. Now, the Noble Spellsword had been spending most of her time with Garron over thest week, sparring with him, showing off both her new skills and Skills, and bringing him around Wolfwater. But she was vaguely aware of what her mentor had been doing¡ª which was farming. So Noele could infer why Amelia was annoyed. It was something the blonde girl couldn¡¯t empathize with, but understood enough about to feel bad for her mentor. After all, Amelia had done everything she did over thest week to be a [Farmer]. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she always failed. There was just something wrong about the whole situation. Noele was almost certain that Amelia shouldn¡¯t be struggling this much with getting a ss, unless it was actually¡­ the World System¡¯s¡­ fault¡­. The Noble Spellsword paused as her eyes zed over. Her mind trailed off, and she just sat there at the back of Nicole¡¯s cart in a daze. She only snapped out of her stupor when Garron leaned over with a frown. ¡°Are you alright, Noele?¡± he asked, and she blinked. ¡°Sorry, I nked out,¡± the blonde girl said as she sat up straight. She nced around with furrowed brows. ¡°How much longer until we arrive at Whiteridge?¡± ¡°We¡¯re already here,¡± Garron replied, gesturing around them. And Noele froze. She swept her gaze over her surroundings, seeing the streets of Whiteridge around them. She tried to work her jaw as she saw the tall buildings of the city rise above the growing white nket of fog covering the cobbled roads. ¡°Wait¡­ when did we¡­?¡± she started. ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡ª¡± She cut herself off. It made no sense to the blonde girl. The Steel Tank just shrugged as he leant back against the cart. ¡°We arrived about five minutes ago,¡± he said as he nced back down the road, staring into the thin white veil. ¡°Took a while for us to get through. The entire city is on high alert for some reason. Not sure why. Perhaps due to the war?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Noele opened her mouth, but stopped herself. She saw the mostly empty streets of the city. The normally bustling roads of Whiteridge were sparsely popted, mostly patrolled by guards and adventurers. A dour atmosphere permeated around her, only emphasized by theyer of white mist. Mist. In the afternoon? When Whiteridge was neither near a body of water, nor high atop a mountain? Noele slowly processed this. And she spun around, calling out to her mother. ¡°Mama¡ª¡± she started, only to be calmly interrupted. ¡°I know, sweetie,¡± Nicole said, closing her eyes. She continued driving her cart down the deserted streets of Whiteridge. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to panic. We¡¯ll be safe here in the city.¡± Noele paused. She felt her heart hammering in her chest. Her hands were shaking. Her lips trembled. Garron peered into her with a worried look. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you alright, Noele?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine,¡± Noele said as she took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª they¡¯ve returned.¡± ¡°Who has returned? What are you talking about?¡± The Steel Tank didn¡¯t know what was going on. Of course not. He wasn¡¯t here on that day, ten years ago. He knew nothing about what happened back then. But the Noble Spellsword would never forget that day. The day her sister died. The day they arrived. So Noele just held Garron¡¯s gaze and spoke slowly. ¡°The Miststorm Riders,¡± she said as the mist grew thicker. ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°So this is Whiteridge.¡± Odell the Monster of the Mist eyed the city in the distance. He watched as the sea of mist encroached on the city, threatening to cover itpletely. He sat atop his horse as over a thousand of his men waited eagerly behind him. But he didn¡¯t give the order to attack just yet. He simply nced back to Ray. His second-inmand. ¡°I want you to choose a hundred of our best riders,¡± Odell said as he raised a torch. He handed it to the young man and spoke casually. ¡°Bring them with you, and burn down the farnds.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± Ray blinked, confused by the order. Odell exined. ¡°This city¡­ I don¡¯t ever remember passing through it. But apparently we did, ten years ago, ever so briefly. And now, it boasts of the great feat of repelling us¡ª the Miststorm Riders. It ruined our reputation. I cannot let this stand.¡± The leader of the Miststorm Riders shook his head as he nced back towards Whiteridge. ¡°Every woman and child living within its walls shall die, and every vige surrounding it shall be razed to ashes. I want every living being¡ª whether person, monster, or animal¡ª within a ten mile radius to be ughtered just to prove a point. Is that understood?¡± Odell turned to Ray, and the young man nodded. ¡°Yes, boss!¡± And with thatmand, the Miststorm Riders rode into Whiteridge, destroying everything in their path. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Han was just an ordinary city guard. He wasn¡¯t really an ambitious fellow. Not after his first stint at being an adventurer. He had joined an open escort job¡ª one of the so-called safe missions where dozens of different adventurers could sign up to guard arge caravan¡ª which was supposed to pass through the Pale Valleys to the city of Lullin. Unfortunately, that safe mission didn¡¯t turn out to be so safe when they ran into a stampede of nymph elks. More than half of the adventurers protecting the caravan were ughtered. Han himself was incapacitated for a full month. And that experience forever traumatized him¡ª it dashed any hope he had of bing a high-leveled adventurer. Now, Han was content working as a city guard. He had served five years without any major incident. Even though he was barely Level 16 even after all this time, it didn¡¯t matter to him, as long as he was safe. And today, he wasn¡¯t safe. Not at all. Han had heard the news. It had been the talk of the town. Maybe it would have been the talk of the entire nation if not for the fact that the Astrad Kingdom was currently at war with the Kingdom of Kal. But even when overshadowed, this was massive news. The Miststorm Riders had returned. They had razed entire cities to ash in their path of destruction, sparing no one. Not even the children. And it almost seemed like the bandit group was heading straight for Whiteridge. Of course, no one could predict their behavior. When the city of Ambrose locked itself down in preparation for an attack, the Miststorm Riders struck Skystead instead. They didn¡¯t follow a specific pattern. It almost seemed random. So Han hoped the rumors weren¡¯t true. There were plenty of other cities around Whiteridge, after all. But the bulk of the city¡¯s garrison had already left for the front lines, and while they were rushing back after hearing the news of the Miststorm Riders, it was probably going to be toote. It was probably already toote. Han stood atop the city¡¯s battlements, and he swept his gaze over the fields around Whiteridge. The entirendscape was wreathed in mist. A tell-tale sign of the Miststorm Riders. He gulped as he nced back. Whiteridge was on high-alert. The city was currently in total lockdown. While arge chunk of its popce had fled based on rumors alone, many remained, because leaving was just as dangerous as staying. Hundreds of city guards lined the walls. They waited in trepidation for what was toe. They hadn¡¯t sounded the rm bells just yet. No one could be sure whether this was actually an attack by the Miststorm Riders. After all, it was entirely possible that the bandits were just passing through¡­ right? ¡°What are you doing, Han?¡± a voice interrupted his thoughts. Captain Jason marched down the crions and spat out. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be keeping an eye out front, damnit!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Han winced, nearly dropping his spear. But the Captain of the Guard just harrumphed. ¡°What are you going to do if the Miststorm Riders show up, and you¡¯re just gawking at our damn city?¡± Han caught his spear and paused. His eyes narrowed as he nced towards the mist. There was a soft sounding from the distance. Almost like a gentle whistling. ¡°Wait, do you hear¡­¡± ¡°Seraphim curse you,¡± Jason cut the guardsman off. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen if you¡¯re facing the wrong way and an arrow shoots right through the back of your skull¡ª¡± And an arrow struck in between the Captain of the Guard¡¯s eyes. He slumped over, dead in an instant. Han¡¯s eyes grew wide as he stumbled back. ¡°W-wha¡­?¡± He stared at Jason¡¯s corpse, before ncing back towards the mist. All around him, he heard the scrambling of metallic boots. Shouts broke out as the nearby guards called for the rm to sound. They rushed to the guard towers, and the first bell tolled. But none of them saw what Han saw. A ruddy smudge on the white canvas. It grewrger, rapidly approaching the city¡¯s walls. Han looked on in shock for a moment, before his instincts finally kicked in. It was a massive fireball. He threw himself off the back side of the wall as he heard a voice cry out. ¡°We are under att¡ª¡± And a fiery explosion engulfed the walls of Whiteridge. The shockwave from the st sent the falling Han flying. The battlements copsed, and hended in the middle of the street and slowly rolled to a halt. His vision blurred. The world spun around him. He couldn¡¯t feel his arms. A piercing sound screeched in his ear. Han groaned, but he couldn¡¯t even hear his own voice. He blinked a few times, and his sight restored itself after a few moments. Gasping, he tried to force himself to his feet, only to copse back on the ground. Wha¡­? Why couldn¡¯t I stand? he wondered. He looked down at his legs, only to see the scalding burn marks running down to his shin. Blood trickled down the side of his arm, and the numb pain finally seeped in. ¡°I-I¡­ this¡ª¡± Han couldn¡¯t muster up any words. He looked up, and he saw the remains of the wall protecting Whiteridge. The bodies of hundreds of soldiersy bloodied within the fallen rubble. Just like that, the city¡¯s defenses had been breached. A thickyer of mist seeped into Whiteridge, nketing over the streets. Han reached for his spear with his one able hand and steadied himself as his legs threatened to give out. He heard shoutsing from the distance. A patrol of city guards rushed towards the copsed wall. They had their weapons raised, forming a line before the debris. They waited there as Han raised his head. And the tolling bells in the distance were abruptly silenced. An eerie quietus befell the streets of Whiteridge. The line of guards waited, and Han just watched. They all peered into the white veil, but they heard nothing in return. After that initial moment of chaos, there was only silence. Han wasn¡¯t sure whether to join them. He was just an ordinary city guard. He once had ambitions¡ª he used to have dreams. But none of it mattered as long as he died. He stumbled back, trying to make a break for it. And that was when he heard the muffled sounds of footsteps. No¡ª it wasn¡¯t footsteps. It was¡­ galloping. Han heard the whining of a horse. He heard the cacophony of rushing hooves. He looked back and saw dark shadows emerging from the mist. A stream of riders exploded into the city, leaping over the rubble as theyughed madly. ¡°Keep them back!¡± ¡°Hold the line¡ª¡± ¡°Protect the cit¡­ agh!¡± The line of guards were easily torn apart. The Miststorm Riders broke through their ranks, mercilessly ughtering them as they rode further down the streets of the city. They poured in by the dozens. The guards had barely put up a fight. The sounds of shing metalsted for a minute, and Han nced back. An entire patrol of guards, wiped out just like that. And now the Miststorm Riders rode into the streets of Whiteridge. Han watched as a hundred horsemen charged down the street, cackling as they immediately started throwing torches and shooting fireballs into the nearby buildings. Explosions filled the distance, and a small tremor rumbled throughout the street. A group of riders caught sight of Han and started galloping towards him. ¡°Oi, there¡¯s still one alive!¡± they called out as they rushed his way. Hearing their words, Han¡¯s heart leapt in his chest. He tried to run faster. He saw the sts in the distance. He watched asrge fires broke out, quickly spreading through the nearest rows of houses. The white mist was illuminated with an orange light. Gray smoke quickly rose to the sky as the mes cast dark shadows over the approaching figures of the Miststorm Riders. Another explosion resounded, and Han tripped. The shaking of the earth made him lose his bnce. He fell right as the first of the Miststorm Riders reached him. Anky man loomed over him, raising a sword high in the air. ¡°N-no¡ª¡± Han mustered out as he raised his spear. But thenky man just swung down and cut straight through the wooden shaft. The [Bandit]ughed wildly as he shed straight for Han¡¯s head. The guardsman shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for the worst. And it never came. Instead, he heard a yelp. Han blinked and looked up just in time to see a horse galloping past him without its rider. He nced forward, confused, and there he saw arge shadow standing over him. A broad-shouldered man standing over six-feet tall. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± Han tried to work his jaw. ¡°Deon the Virtuous Guard,¡± the man replied. He held the [Bandit] up with one arm, ncing back towards Han. ¡°An A-rank adventurer, here to help.¡± And Han¡¯s eyes went round. ¡°A-rank¡­ adventurer?¡± But Deon turned back towards the rest of the approaching Miststorm Riders. They were still charging down the street on their horses, weapons raised and aimed for the adventurer. He just grinned and hurled the first [Bandit] their way. The Miststorm Riders crashed into each other as the Virtuous Guard produced a halberd from a Bag of Holding. He leapt into the air and descended onto the fallen [Bandits]. In a single sh, he tore through all of them with his halberd. Han watched in awe as the A-ranked adventurer bellowed a war cry. ¡°Miststorm Riders! I will not let you take another innocent life! Come and fight me, you cowards!¡± And the nearby [Bandits] turned. They saw Deon standing over their copsed friends. He held his halberd high as he smirked at them. They roared in response, breaking from burning the nearby houses to charge at him. ¡°Kill that adventurer!¡± Dozens of them encroached on Deon all at once. He stood steadfast as Han watched. The guardsman stared in disbelief. ¡°He can¡¯t take them all alone¡­ there¡¯s too many of them!¡± ¡°Good thing he¡¯s not alone,¡± a voice came in response. Blinking, Han turned to face a petite young woman walking casually past him. She tossed a healing potion his way and spoke simply. ¡°Here, drink this before you die.¡± ¡°W-what? Who are you?¡± he asked, barely catching the healing potion. ¡°Skye the Silver Shade.¡± The woman produced a pair of daggers as she spoke. She didn¡¯t even look at Han¡¯s way. She just eyed Deon from afar. The Virtuous Guard was bracing himself for the charging [Bandits]. And she sighed. ¡°And don¡¯t worry¡ª he wouldn¡¯t even need my help to deal with these weaklings.¡± With that, Skye dashed forward. A burst of silver light propelled her, and she swung forward with her daggers. She tore straight through the approaching Miststorm Riders in an instant. They copsed before Deon, and he lowered his halberd. ¡°I could¡¯ve handled that,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°Well, you were too slow.¡± Skye smirked back at him. ¡°This isn¡¯t apetition, Skye¡ª¡± ¡°If it was, you¡¯d be losing. Now,e on.¡± She started forward as more of the Miststorm Riders rode their way. Skye just leapt forward¡ª practically jumping in the air¡ª as she cut down the [Bandits] one after another. Deon shook his head and sighed, before following her moments after. Han gaped as the two adventurers took on dozens upon dozens of the Miststorm Riders like they were nothing. ¡°That woman¡­ is she an A-rank adventurer too?¡± he wondered aloud. But his thoughts were interrupted by a powerful explosion just a street down to the left. Han reeled, only to hear a softughter. Madughter, but not nearly as loud as it came from the [Bandits]. He snapped his gaze to the side, watching as a group of the Miststorm Riders were blown apart. A flurry of smaller sts ripped through the road as a small figure threw little round objects into the mist. ¡°Die, you damn idiots!¡± he yelled. ¡°Die for my reward money!¡± Han recognized the small figure immediately. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Saros the Gnome Inventor¡­ I heard he was in town, but¡ª¡± Even more explosions resounded, and the guardsman flinched. He watched as Saros backed up. Behind him, a retinue of guards gathered in support with bows and wands raised. The Gnome Inventor was working with the city guard to fight back this attack. ¡°...I didn¡¯t realize he was actually going to stay and help us out,¡± Han finished. It was a sight to behold. The Miststorm Riders were actually being pushed back. Three A-rank adventurers fought alongside the city guards against the sea of [Bandits]. And it wasn¡¯t just them either. Other adventurers soon took the field. Han watched this scene y out. He saw the fighting. He heard the echoing explosions. The Miststorm Riders weren¡¯t stopping. They still filled the streets of the city, burning down everything in sight. But despite the grim outlook, Han thought that maybe, just maybe, Whiteridge stood a chance after all. ¡ª-- ¡°So the adventurers have finally taken the field, have they?¡± Odell remarked, watching the fighting from afar. He saw straight through the vast veil of mist. It didn¡¯t impede his vision at all. It was his magic. He could decide who got to see inside this white nket. But even with this advantage, the first ranks of Miststorm Riders fell when faced with thebined forces of guardsmen and adventurers. It was¡­ unexpected. The average level of a city guard was probably between E-rank and D-rank. The same could be said about adventurers. Meanwhile, every single member of the Miststorm Riders were C-ranks at the very least. Yet, they were being cut down with ease. ¡°And it¡¯s all because of those A-ranks,¡± the Monster of the Mist said. His gaze focused on three figures fighting amidst the mist. He didn¡¯t recognize them. Not particrly. Maybe he had heard of that gnome before. But he didn¡¯t really care to remember the names of adventurers below S-rank. After all, not even A-ranks were a threat to him. They were merely¡­ pests. So why bother? Shaking his head, Odell turned to four figures waiting patiently behind him. They didn¡¯t sit on horseback. They stood, shrouded by the mist as he nodded. ¡°Ruven, Ava, Lionell, Derell,¡± he called out their names. A savage smile spread across his face as he turned back to the three A-rank adventurers. ¡°It seems you guys get to join the fighting sooner than expected.¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Announcement Hey y''all, I''d appreciate it if you could vote for me on TopWebFiction. I only ask for it once a month, and it really helps me out a ton. It takes only one second, so I''d really appreciate it :) Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero] | Top Web Fiction Also, if you''re interested, I have a subreddit now AmeliaTLZHNovel ) Saros the Gnome Inventor watched as the Miststorm Riders poured into the city. They rode through the destroyed sections of the walls. Their horses leapt over the fallen rubble. But before they could even reach the first row of houses, the [Magitech Tinkerer] tossed a little sphere that way. ¡°Explode for me, will ya?¡± Saros called out. He snapped his fingers as the [Bandits] looked down. And the metallic ball detonated. It exploded into a flower of crimson mes. It enveloped the riders as they fell from their horses, burning and writhing on the ground. But there was no crater. The cobbled ground was lit aze, yet wasn¡¯t shredded open. There was no rumbling of the earth or st of shockwave that was typical of even the smallest of explosions. The gnome dug into his Bag of Holding as he grinned, before producing another small sphere. ¡°Who else wants some?!¡± A guard stood behind Saros, staring with wide eyes. ¡°What is that artifact¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Gnome Inventor you¡¯re talking about,¡± a second guard said with a grin. ¡°He probably handcrafted those spheres in hisboratory himself, so there¡¯s no point asking about it. It¡¯s probably a top secret project.¡± The first guard gasped. ¡°Woah. Are you saying we¡¯re witnessing the first of its kind?¡± ¡°For sure. Also¡ª they¡¯re called magitech tools, not artifacts.¡± Saros found his eyes twitching. He spun around and yelled at the two idle guards. ¡°What are you doing, you damn morons?¡± he screamed, and they jolted. ¡°Go and help your friends out!¡± ¡°R-right!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They both hurried into battle a momentter. Saros shook his head and grumbled. ¡°Humans and their stereotypes,¡± he sighed. ¡°Just because I¡¯m a gnome, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a damn inventor.¡± He really hated it whenever someone would just assume that a weapon or artifact he was using was some kind of magitech tool. Even if he was swinging around a literal dagger, humans would somehow construe it as a newly-engineered weapon. However, the most annoying part was that the stereotypes were actually right for once. This was a new project he had been working on ever since he arrived in Whiteridge from the Frozar Mountains. After selling the necronomicon to a¡­ slightly shady individual for a hefty sum of gold coins, he ended up with the funds to purchase a lot of new parts andponents to create this little metallic sphere. He called it the Blooming Grenade. All he had to do was press a button at its center, and a mechanism would activate. It was a magitech tool because it required no input of additional mana to activate, instead utilizing the mana previously stored inside its crux crystal. That was the main distinction between magitech tools and ordinary magical artifacts. An artifact was a tool imbued with magic itself. It was already enchanted to carry out a specific task, and its user either had to activate the magic with their own mana in the case of scrolls or one-time use equipment, or it was a passive effect that didn¡¯t need any activation. Meanwhile, all magitech tools had a crux crystal built inside of them to store an external source of mana. It could be mana collected from the environment, or mana poured in by its creator. In any case, the crux crystal would be the source of mana so the magitech tool could operate, whether it was turning gears or powering a rune. The Gnome Inventor wasn¡¯t an [Inventor]. Despite his Title, he was a [Tinkerer]. That meant he reappropriated scraps and recycled junk for other purposes, such as turning a Dagger of Acid Damage into a Disintegration Dagger. However, he would asionally dabble in crafting brand new equipment, such as he did over thest few weeks, and that was how he had conceived the Blooming Grenade. He thought up its mechanics after the battle against those hordes of undead in the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep, where half his artifacts and tools specialized against arge number of enemies weren¡¯t usable since they could potentially copse the Dungeon over his head. So the Blooming Grenade was special in that unlike most explosive munitions, it exploded into mes without actually creating a shockwave. It wasn¡¯t the most powerful st. Its greatest power was the roiling mes that poured out and burned everything¡ª even water. But a high-leveled enough [Pyromancer] could easily extinguish the mes, and it could be blocked with spells. Despite its ws, it was good enough when fighting arge group of lower-leveled enemies. And that was what Saros was up against here. He grinned and tossed another Blooming Grenade towards the walls of the city. It exploded right before an oing group of [Bandits]. They burst into mes, screaming in terror. Their horses were lit aze and sent into a frenzy. Saros watched as the animals trampled over their burning riders. And a voice called out to him. ¡°Be careful not to hit the horses! They don¡¯t have anything to do with this!¡± ncing back, Saros eyed Deon the Virtuous Guard as he emerged from a side street. Skye the Silver Shade followed behind her partner, rolling her eyes. ¡°me their riders,¡± she said. ¡°The poor animals wouldn¡¯t be in this mess if not for those fuckers.¡± Deon frowned. ¡°Mind yournguage, Skye.¡± And she snorted. ¡°Oh, shut it. No one cares about swearing on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Both of you should just shut up,¡± Saros interjected. He nced towards another group of the Miststorm Riders approaching from the copsed wall. ¡°Focus on doing your damn jobs.¡± Deon shook his head and faced the shadows emerging from the mist. ¡°We cleared out our street. We came here to help out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± Saros scoffed and hurled another Blooming Grenade into the middle of the charging [Bandits]. There was a clink. Once again, parts of the sphere retracted. A crimson glow grew brighter, and a st of mes shot out. It engulfed the closest of the riders, only for one of them to raise a wand. Saros narrowed his eyes, watching as a [Mage] created arge spherical barrier and blocked the st. ¡°Come here, you little gnome!¡± he cackled wildly, riding through the mes without being burned. He pointed his wand at Saros, and a blue bolt appeared at its tip. ¡°[Sphere of Arcane st]!¡± An azure sphere shot out at the Gnome Inventor. It didn¡¯t move in a straight line, instead curving its way towards him. He reached for his Bag of Holding, but Deon stepped forward. The Virtuous Guard raised his halberd and waited for the [Sphere of Arcane st] to reach him. When the spell drew close enough, he sliced it in half with a shout. ¡°[Cleave Asunder]!¡± The [Sphere of Arcane st] split into two perfect halves. The hemispheres shot past Deon and Saros, before striking the street behind them and exploding. The [Mage]-[Bandit] cursed as his spell missed, and began conjuring another attack. ¡°You¡ª¡± he started. But Skye the Silver Shade was behind him in an instant. She grinned and impaled him though his neck with a serrated dagger. ¡°Nice try, but that was the only try you got.¡± She leapt off his horse, and he copsed limply onto the cobbled street. Saros eyed both Skye and Deon, and they nodded back at him. He just crossed his arms and harrumphed. ¡°That was only a B-rank spell. I could¡¯ve handled that [Bandit] easily.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to say thanks.¡± Skye rolled her eyes. Saros shook his head as the pair of adventurers grinned at him. The Gnome Inventor turned his attention away from them, and swept his gaze over the ruined street. The battle with the Miststorm Riders, fortunately, had been mostly contained to the fringes of Whiteridge. But still, the destruction was evident. The road itself had been torn up from the fighting, which was to be expected. But the nearby houses had mostly been razed to the ground. Entire city blocks reduced to ash. Guards and adventurers rushed from one burning building to another to put out the fires and aid the wounded civilians. There had already been an evacuation warning. Most of the people of Whiteridge had been advised to gather at the city¡¯s center for their own safety. But not everyone listened, and it was clear. Bodies littered the streets around Saros. He saw the corpses of women and children mixed amongst the dead guards and adventurers. It was a grim sight. Hundredsy dead in this street alone. Saros pursed his lips. It wasn¡¯t the most unfamiliar scene to him. As an A-rank adventurer, he had to stomach even worse atrocitiesmitted by either monster or man. And while he was mostly desensitized to such things, he still tried to avert his gaze from these horrid sights. The only blessing was that the Miststorm Riders had decided toy siege only to the eastern section of Whiteridge. The Gnome Inventor was expecting the [Bandits] to attack from all directions, at which point, a lot more destruction would have urred. But for whatever reason, that didn¡¯t happen. Perhaps the Guardian Angels really are watching over us¡­ Saros shook his head, dismissing the thought. He stepped forward and looked back towards the pervading mist. While only the streets of Whiteridge were obscured by the white nket, everything beyond the city¡¯s walls were indiscernible. It was an imprable canvas, through and through. He waited for the next wave of [Bandits] to emerge from the mist. About a thousand of the Miststorm Ridersy dead. Maybe more. But they were an organization of thousands. So surely that couldn¡¯t be all of them. And yet, even as Saros continued gazing into the white abyss in wait, nothing happened. ¡°Think they gave up?¡± Skye finally said, breaking the silence. Deon frowned. ¡°I doubt it. They just lost a thousand of their men. If anything, that would only upset them.¡± The Silver Shade shrugged casually. ¡°Then doesn¡¯t this mean they¡¯re nning some¡ª¡± And a powerful explosion interrupted her. It ripped through the western section of Whiteridge, an entire block of the city destroyed in a single st. Saros, Deon, and Skye stared with wide eyes as a massive column of smoke ascended. The thin white mist nketing over the street shimmered with a soft orange tint. The raging mes rose high, and a second smaller explosion tore through another street. The three A-ranked adventurers exchanged a nce, before nodding at each other. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Deon said as he rushed forward. Skye scooped up Saros and dashed ahead of the Virtuous Guard. The three of them quickly made their way through Whiteridge, reaching the other side of the city as more sts echoed, tearing apart houses. They arrived just before arge crater at the center of a junction. Dozens of city guardsy scattered at the site. Their charred bodies still wisping with smoke, freshly burnt. A pair of figures waited there for the A-ranked adventurers. A young man and a young woman. They stood side-by-side, equally as tall as each other. They both had ck hair, and they wore the same dark robes. Saros narrowed his eyes at their path of destruction. ¡°Be on guard¡ª they¡¯re at least A-ranks!¡± he called out as Deon stepped forward. The Virtuous Guard just raised his halberd with a re. ¡°That is enough, you monsters! We won¡¯t let you take any more innocent lives!¡± ¡°We are not monsters,¡± the two figures replied at the same time. It was almost eerie. They both tilted their heads, then turned to face Saros as he leapt off Skye¡¯s shoulder, their actionspletely in sync. ¡°I am Ruven,¡± the young man said. ¡°And I am Ava,¡± the young woman said Saros reached for his Bag of Holding, readying himself for battle. As he did, they simply spoke at the same time once again. ¡°We are the Graceful Twins,¡± they said in unison. ¡°And we shall kill you.¡± With that, they raised their arms and unleashed a massive fireball at the three adventurers. MsD It''s the start of the new month and the new year! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 ¡°We are the Graceful Twins, and we shall kill you.¡± Both Ava and Ruven spoke at the same time as they raised their hands in unison. They wore nothing on their faces but a set of emotionless expressions as they pointed at the three A-ranked adventurers, unleashing a massive fireball. Saros stared with wide eyes as the roiling sphere tumbled his way. It was huge! It had to have been greater than even a [Grand Fireball]. It was like a fallinget, over twenty feet in diameter. It tore through the city¡¯s roads, and ripped apart the nearby houses, crossing the street in mere moments. Deon and Skye both backed up, but the Gnome Inventor just stood there before the approaching fireball. Saros gritted his teeth and produced arge vial. An empty ss bottle that was about half his size. He stepped forward and uncorked it. ¡°Antimagic Vacuum sk,¡± Saros whispered. And all at once, a powerful suction force dragged the giant fireball into the ss vial. The ming sphere twisted and bent, forming a thin line as it was sucked into the artifact. Saros could feel its overwhelming heat boring down on him for a moment. But momentster, thest of the Graceful Twins¡¯ spell vanished. He held up the vial as it was now filled with a crimson me within. ¡°What do you think?¡± Saros asked as he turned to Deon and Skye with a grin. ¡°It can contain up to an A-rank spell inside. Pretty impressive, huh?¡± Deon blinked at the Gnome Inventor, before nodding approvingly. ¡°I have never seen such an artifact before. Did you invent it yourself?¡± Saros paused. ¡°What? Of course not¡ª¡± ¡°Of course he did,¡± Skye interjected with a scoff. ¡°He¡¯s not called the Gnome Inventor for nothing.¡± He nced between the other two A-ranks as he clenched his jaw. Were they messing with him? He couldn¡¯t tell. But it looked like Deon and Skye sincerely believed he was some kind of inventor. So Saros opened his mouth to correct them. ¡°I¡ª¡± But this time, the Graceful Twins spoke over him. ¡°As expected of¡­¡± Ruven started. ¡°...the Gnome Inventor,¡± Ava finished. Saros stared at the four humans surrounding him. Two of them were his allies, and the other two were his enemies. But he hated them all equally. ¡°You lot are assholes,¡± he sighed. As if that was some sort of signal, the Graceful Twins moved. They dashed forward, Ava leading the way as Ruven disappeared behind her. But Skye intercepted them. She leapt to their side, tossing a single throwing dagger their way. ¡°[Multiply Shadows]!¡± she yelled. And a dozen silvery throwing daggers appeared behind the first. They looked like a replica of the original, except theycked the same texture that made it real, and they glimmered with a sheening light. Ava created a fiery barrier, repelling the onught of projectiles, while Ruven conjured up a flurry of fire arrows, and hurled them back at the Silver Shade. But Skye dove out of the way as his spell shredded the cobbled ground. But she was merely a distraction. Deon charged straight at the Graceful Twins, raising his halberd. Before either of the two could react, he grunted and swung down. ¡°[Shatterstrike]!¡± Ava and Ruven jumped out of the way with a burst of mes propelling them as his halberd struck the earth. The ground exploded open. A powerful shockwave rippled across the street of the city, nearly knocking Saros off bnce. But he caught himself and produced a crossbow. He pointed at the Graceful Twins as they slowly descended atop a nearby rooftop. The Gnome Inventor inserted a wand where the crossbow bolt should be, before firing it at them. ¡°Take that, you damn idiots!¡± heughed wildly, and the wand exploded into a storm of electricity. He watched as sts of lightning crackled endlessly over the rooftop. Skye appeared next to him, and Deon dragged his halberd behind him as he walked up to their side. ¡°Did you get them?¡± the Virtuous Guard asked. Skye just shook her head. ¡°That definitely wasn¡¯t enough. They¡¯re probably just barely Level 50 each, but their teamwork is insane¡ª it¡¯s like fighting someone in their high 50s.¡± And as she spoke, the crackling electricity faded away. The curtain of lightning fell, revealing the Graceful Twins standing in a fiery dome with their hands raised. Saros clicked his tongue. The Gnome Inventor himself was only Level 56, and he highly doubted he could take on Ava and Ruven alone. But Deon and Skye were here, and they were probably Level 52 to Level 53 from what Saros had seen of their feats. Stepping forward, the gnome looked up at the Graceful Twins as the ming barrier dissipated. ¡°Those two are strong, alright,¡± he said and nocked another wand into his crossbow. ¡°But they can¡¯t take out the three of us if we work together as well.¡± Both the Virtuous Guard and the Silver Shade exchanged a nce. They nodded at each other, grinning. But the Graceful Twins spoke in agreement. ¡°You are correct. This is a tough battle to face alone.¡± They started in unison, before breaking off to finish each other¡¯s sentences. ¡°However¡ª¡± Ruven said. And Ava continued, ¡°¡ªwe are not alone.¡± Saros blinked. ¡°What¡­?¡± And that was when he heard the rapid footfalls approaching. He spun around just in time to see a figure bounding through the mist on all fours. A human man with long curly hair leapt forward, snarling like an animal as he raised a w in his right hand. ¡°Die!¡± he snarled, aiming for Saros. The gnome spun around and raised his crossbow, but he was too slow. Fortunately, Skye jumped in the way. She blocked his wed strike with both her daggers, and staggered back from the impact of the strike. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡± Her eyes widened in recognition. ¡°I am Lionell the Crimson w,¡± the man said with a toothy grin. He kicked off her daggers,nding with a backflip a dozen feet from her. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Saros froze, recognizing the name. Lionell the Crimson w¡ª he was a Level 55 [Rogue] of sorts. One of the most dangerous members of the Miststorm Riders. Just as unhinged as Emory the Frenzied One. ¡°Now it¡¯s three-on-three,¡± the gnome murmured through gritted teeth. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be¡ª¡± ¡°Incorrect,¡± a curt voice cut him off. The single word was immediately followed by an approaching scraping sound. Saros winced. It was like hearing nails on a chalkboard; a low ear-piercing screech. He nced back to see a thin figure stalking through one of the burning houses. A man dressed in ragged robes stepped out of the fire and came to a halt. The scraping sound stopped. He raised his head, revealing a multitude of scars on his baleful face. He dragged a set of bloodied ils behind him and spoke brusquely. ¡°Derell. The Bone Crusher.¡± Deon just narrowed his eyes, warily ncing between the two new opponents before pursing his lips. ¡°Now it¡¯s three-on-four, Saros. What do we do?¡± ¡°I feel like we¡¯re pretty fucked here,¡± Skye said as she backed up. ¡°Maybe we should run.¡± The Gnome Inventor nced up at the Graceful Twins. They hopped off the rooftop in unison,nding lithely just ahead of the three adventurers. Ava and Ruven took a single step forward together. ¡°...I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let us off that easily,¡± Saros observed. The Graceful Twins just smiled. ¡°That is¡­¡± Ruven started. ¡°...correct!¡± and Ava finished. Once again in sync, the two of them dashed forward as Saros cursed. But this time, it wasn¡¯t just the Graceful Twins. Derell the Bone Crusher and Lionell the Crimson w charged forward too. Saros backed up and reached for a bag at his side. Ava and Ruven pointed his way, unleashing a plume of mes. He hurriedly untied the bag as he pointed it at the approaching red wall. The bag shook for a moment, before releasing a deluge of dark fire. The crimson mes shed with his ck mes as the Graceful Twins exchanged a nce. They saw the way Saros held up the small Bag of Holding. His artifact wasn¡¯t going to run out of mana anytime soon just yet. So Ava and Ruven split off from each other, halting their own outpouring of mes. They dodged the streak of ck fire that shot out between them. Saros turned the bag, aiming it at Ruven who rapidly drew closer. But at the veryst moment, Ruven dashed off to the side. The Gnome Inventor blinked, and Ava appeared at his nk. ¡°[Burning Tempest].¡± She pointed at Saros as fire coalesced in a sphere around him. A ring shed in his fingers, forming a white aura around him. It was a protection spell. But even still, he could feel the heat from the mes. The fiery sphere didn¡¯t dissipate, instead raging on as it threatened to crush him where he stood. He found himself staggering backwards as the encroaching fire reached its peak in intensity. And all at once, it exploded. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± The st sent Saros flying through the air as there was a sh of light. His protection spell shattered from the explosion, and he slowly rolled to a halt. In a daze, the gnome tried to pick himself up even as his arms and legs burned. It wasn¡¯t a searing pain. They were mild injuries at most. But he wasn¡¯t a [Warrior] of sorts. His durability inbat wasn¡¯t all that high up there. He swept his gaze over the misty street to regain his bearings. Behind him, Deon battled with Derell, while Skye and Lionell were nothing but shing blurred streaks. But even though Saros caught a brief glimpse of the fighting, he could tell¡ª We¡¯re losing, the grim thought crossed his mind. We could die here. Deon stumbled back as the spinning il struck him across his chest, cracking his armor. Skye yelped in pain as she was kicked out of the air and came crashing into the ground. Saros reached into his Bag of Holding and produced a dagger just as the Graceful Twins appeared before him. They pointed at him, unleashing a wave of mes. But he sliced horizontally as he yelled. ¡°Disintegration Dagger!¡± And the mes rapidly vanished. The Graceful Twins looked on with wide eyes as a green streak shed its way towards them. It ate away the crimson fire, and they leapt out of the way as the attack melted everything it touched. ¡°That is¡ª¡± Ruven started. ¡°¡ªannoying,¡± Ava continued. ¡°The way you damn brats talk is annoying!¡± Saros yelled as he raised his crossbow, aiming at both of them. He pulled the trigger, and another wand fired out. But before it could even reach the Graceful Twins, they sted it out of the air. The wand exploded into icy shards, and Saros scrambled to his feet. This was really bad. The Gnome Inventor was running out of high-leveled equipment. And he didn¡¯t have many Skills that were useful in battle. He hurriedly rummaged through his Bag of Holding as Ava and Ruvennded just ahead of him. They brought their hands together, creating a giant fiery javelin. ¡°Goodbye, gnome,¡± the Graceful Twins said. And at once, they threw the fiery javelin his way. He ran back as the spell swerved after him. Saros made a hard turn, and it followed. He couldn¡¯t escape it. All he could do was repel it. But as he was about to pull out a sphere-like object from his Bag of Holding, he tripped. ¡°Shit¡ª¡± Saros fell on his front, tripping over a fallen spear. He could only look up just in time for the fiery javelin to reach him. He braced himself and closed his eyes as he waited for his impending demise. And there was an explosion. A powerful st that shook the earth. The ground rumbled as Saros waited for the scalding heat to engulf his body. But it never came. Blinking, the Gnome Inventor looked up to find himself hovering a full foot over the ground. He nced around,pletely confused, only to see the burning street just ahead of him. That was where he had been lying just moments ago. But now, he was being carried by someone. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± a familiar voice said. And he looked up. His eyes grew wide. ¡°Noele?¡± The Noble Spellsword herself nodded back at him. He stared at her as her blonde locks whipped with the wind. She lowered Saros to the ground and turned to face the Graceful Twins. ¡°These guys¡­ they¡¯re with the Miststorm Riders, aren¡¯t they?¡± Noele asked. Saros tried to work his jaw, but the pair of approaching figures replied. ¡°Indeed we are,¡± Ruven said. ¡°And who might you be?¡± Ava asked. Noele shook her head and drew her sword. ¡°I¡¯m the one who will bring you two to justice.¡± ¡°Bring us¡­¡± ¡°...to justice?¡± The Graceful Twins exchanged a nce. The apathetic looks on their faces briefly flickered. And they began to chuckle. For once, they actually wore some semnce of emotion on their faces, even if it looked so alien. Saros would have preferred their emotionless expressions. They just looked creepy as theyughed, standing there. And just as abruptly as they startedughing, they stopped. They raised their arms, aiming at the blonde girl. ¡°That is¡­¡± Ruven started. And Ava continued, ¡°...not going to¡ª¡± But Noele moved before they could finish. ¡°[sh Step].¡± The Noble Spellsword appeared next to Graceful Twins in an instant, her de already raised. Neither of the two could react. Ava looked up with wide eyes as Noele swung down with a golden aura. ¡°Glorious Noble sh.¡± And in that instant, a st of golden energypletely overwhelmed Ava¡¯s entire figure as Ruven just stared in shock. The streak of light ripped through the street, shining brightly and dissipating the nearby mist. Both Lionell the Crimson w and Derell the Bone Crusher looked up from their injured opponents to stare at the sh of light. The blonde girl backed away as the golden glow slowly faded. Lying there, at the center of arge crater, was Ava¡¯s bloodied figure. She was dead. Just like that from a single strike. Ruven gaped at his twin¡¯s corpse for a moment. And Noele spoke, raising her glinting de dangerously at him. ¡°I am Noele the Noble Spellsword. And for being responsible for the death of my sister, you¡¯re all going to die by my de today.¡± MsD It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 ¡°I am Noele the Noble Spellsword. And for being responsible for the death of my sister, you¡¯re all going to die by my de today.¡± Saros stared with wide eyes as Noele raised her de dangerously. The Gnome Inventor blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened. In an instant, one half of the Graceful Twins had been killed. Even though Saros had been struggling against them as a Level 56 [Magitech Tinkerer]. Individually, they were probably lower-leveled than him. But together, they had fought like they were a single Level 58 [Mage]. It didn¡¯t seem like a massive level difference. And maybe at the lower ranks, two or three levels didn¡¯t mean much. But at Level 40 or above, each level would mean a lot more, with the powerful Skills they gave, and the additional boost to all abilities such as speed, strength, and etcetera. While each level up didn¡¯t quantify or specify any specific increase in strength and whatnot, a [Warrior] who leveled up would typically find that he was significantly stronger than before, while a [Rogue] would move faster, and a [Mage]¡¯s spells grew more powerful. So a couple levels of difference meant a lot, and that was how dangerous the Graceful Twins had been. But now, Avay dead, and Ruven just looked on in horror, the emotionless expression he had worn wiped from his face entirely. And it was all because of Noele. It wasn¡¯t that it happened so quickly that he couldn¡¯tprehend it. It happened incredibly fast, sure. But it was also thanks to [sh Step]¡ª a single momentarily boost of speed that gave her the element of surprise. Saros wouldn¡¯t be gaping in shock if it was just that. No¡ª he had seen Noele in battle before. He had seen her [sh Step] in action as well. And that was exactly why he was so surprised. Because he hadn¡¯t expected to see such a drastic increase in both strength and speed so soon. In terms of speed, it was like she had leveled up three times since hest saw her [sh Step]. And maybe she did¡ª at least that was something that was feasible to Saros, even if it was highly unlikely at this level. But that attack? The golden st that hadpletely engulfed Ava in an instant and killed her? The Gnome Inventor couldn¡¯t parse it at all. It wasn¡¯t that Ava hadn¡¯t been able to react in time. She was caught by surprise when the Noble Spellsword appeared next to her. But Saros had seen the flicker of crimson mes forming around Ava. He had watched as a fiery barrier was conjured at the veryst moment. But Noele¡¯s attackpletely sheared through that protection spell. It was like the barrier hadn¡¯t even been there. And that was what left the gnome gaping in shock. That had been equivalent to an S-rank Skill. Saros was certain of it. He was no stranger to S-rank adventurers. He had seen them in missions and such plenty of times before. That Skill, whatever Noele used, could rival any S-rank in battle. That meant Noele had to have leveled up at least ten times since the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. In only a few weeks? That was¡­ impossible. It made no sense. And it was why he was just looking on with wide eyes. ¡°Am I¡­ going crazy?¡± Saros wondered aloud. But he didn¡¯t get a reply. He just watched as Noele confronted Ruven with her sword raised. ¡ª-- Noele swept her gaze over the burning street. She saw the three A-rank adventurers, pushed to the brink of defeat andpletely overwhelmed by the Miststorm Riders. Sarosy behind her, his head raised as he faced her in shock. Deon was backed against a wall, his chestte broken, and his shoulder bleeding. And Skye was kneeling and coughing at the bottom of a crater. It seemed like the Noble Spellsword arrived just in time to help them out. Her gaze snapped to the three [Bandits] who had turned their attention to her. She recognized them. All of them. Even thedy she had just killed. Noele had memorized the names and descriptions of all the members of the Miststorm Riders ever since her sister¡¯s death. She had burned those details into her mind. Now, her eyes darted to each of the three men approaching her. The first was Lionell the Crimson w. The most dangerous of the gathered [Bandits]. He was known for his cruelty¡ª he had a fond habit of torturing his victims before he killed them. His Title came from the weapon he used. A powerful artifact that burned everything it touched. He smiled savagely as he drew closer to the blonde girl. As expected from him, considering he was known to rival Emory the Frenzied One in his insanity. The next was Derell the Bone Crusher. Anky man dressed in sparse clothing. His thin demeanor was misleading, because he was incredibly strong. He could smash open houses with a single swing of his il. He wore a mncholic expression on his face. He looked like he was distressed about what he was doing, but he was going to do it anyway. And thest was Ruven¡ª one half of the Graceful Twins. They were known for their callous behavior. They would destroy entire city blocks and burn down vast swathes of farnd without even blinking. But Noele had shattered that mask he wore on his face. He was pissed. The look of horror had morphed into a raging anger. He red daggers at the Noble Spellsword as he conjured a fiery spear. And why shouldn¡¯t he be upset? His second half was dead at her feet. And Noele weed his attack. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that!¡± Ruven screamed, thrusting forward with the spear. She backed up from the onught of attacks as she raised her de. The Noble Spellsword parried a handful of wild swings, but dodged most of them. Circling around Ruven, she raised her sword and whispered. ¡°[Nobleme Armor].¡± Noele¡¯s body lit aze as she stepped forward, barely ducking under Ruven¡¯s spear. The attack struck her shoulder, only to bounce off as she closed the distance. She swung up with her sword, aiming for his head. His eyes grew wide as he narrowly dodged her swing. But she wasn¡¯t done just yet. He was exactly where she wanted him. The Noble Spellsword raised her left palm as golden mes coalesced in her hand. ¡°[Grand ze]!¡± she yelled. And a st of golden mes exploded, engulfing Ruven. He was sent flying back as he brought up his arms. He barely deflected some of the zing fire with his own magic, but he still crashed against a ruined house as Noele drew back. She could tell he was around her level, but he was so unused to fighting without his partner, the Noble Spellsword could probably defeat him with her regr Skills alone. The real problem was the other two members of the Miststorm Riders. Her eyes flickered. She nced back just in time to catch a glimpse of a silver glint. Derell towered over her with his il raised, already swinging down at her head. ¡°[Canyon Breaker]¡ª¡± he started. But Noele moved faster. ¡°[sh Step].¡± A golden aura propelled her out of the way as the Bone Crusher¡¯s il crashed into the earth. The entire cobble road cracked, before rippling as a shockwave swept over the street. Noele was already dozens of feet away, eyeing thenky man with narrowed eyes. Derell was going to be tough to bring down due to his renowned durability, but the Noble Spellsword knew she could avoid his attacks with ease. The real problem was¡ª ¡°Gotcha!¡± Lionell grinned as he raked his ws against her back. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide, and she stumbled forward. The Crimson w¡¯s attack had sheared through her [Nobleme Armor]. Her back burned with a searing pain, but no blood trickled down. She instantly pivoted and swung for Lionell¡¯s head, but he leapt out of the way. She gave him a wary look as he circled around her. He dashed forward, swinging for her head, but this time she blocked the attack. He locked his w against her de as smoke sizzled from it. Lionell smirked. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy killing you¡­¡± Noele pursed her lips. He was the most dangerous of them all. And that was why¡ª ¡°Elegant Noble sh.¡± A golden aura wreathed her de, cutting straight through his w. The artifact broke with ease as he blinked, and she sliced up at the surprised man. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± he started. But it was already toote. Noele cleanly cut Lionell the Crimson w into two vertical halves with a single attack. There was a flicker of a white aura around him¡ª some kind of protection spell, probably from an artifact. But it broke in an instant when her Elegant Noble sh came into contact with it. ¡°Two down,¡± Noele said. The golden glow dissipated, and there was a thud a Lionell¡¯s corpse hit the ground. She nced back towards Derell and Ruven, tilting her head. ¡°Two to go.¡± ¡ª-- Impossible. That was the only thought that crossed Ruven¡¯s mind as he saw Lionell drop to the ground, dead in an instant. This¡­ isn¡¯t possible. Ruven didn¡¯t believe it. It was Lionell the Crimson w¡ª the third highest-leveled member of the Miststorm Riders. He was one of the founding members of the group too, alongside Odell and Emory. And he died, just like that? It was iprehensible to Ruven. He stumbled to his feet as the blonde girl shed with Derell. The sounds of their fighting grew muffled to the remaining Graceful Twin, and he nced over to a charred corpse lying at the bottom of a crater. His sistery there, a lifeless husk. He stared at her body with round eyes for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­ this isn¡¯t real¡­¡± Ava was dead. She was the only person he could ever rely on. The two of them had been inseparable ever since their childhood. They had grown up in arge mansion, raised by dozens of maids and butlers, the only children of a powerful [Lord]. But their father was never home and never gave them any attention, and the other adults couldn¡¯t ever understand them. No matter what they did, they were always always in the wrong. Always reprimanded. Every little thing, like hunting down rats to dissecting dead frogs from their garden. Eventually, they had enough of it, and wanted the freedom to do whatever they wanted. So they plotted their escape, and burned down the mansion, killing all the maids and butlers in the process. It wasn¡¯t because they wanted to. But they had to. If they had run away, they knew that their father would use his vast resources to find them. So they had to fake their deaths and make it look like an ident. Ava was the reason Ruven had survived life on the run. He would never have been able to make it this far if not for her. In fact, she was the reason why they joined the Miststorm Riders in the first ce. The fact that she was now gone so suddenly¡­ it hurt Ruven. It physically hurt him. His heart bled, and his teeth ground together. He gasped for air, but he could hardly breathe. He hugged his sister¡¯s corpse, but her burnt body crumbled in his arms. ¡°Ava¡­ I¡­¡± Ruven took in a deep breath as tears streamed down his cheeks. And there was a powerful explosion. The shockwave sent the remains of Ava¡¯s body scattering. His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he just stared as his sister was gone with the wind. Ruven blinked a few times, before gritting his teeth. ¡°I will avenge you, sister.¡± He got to his feet as fire wisped over his body. Ruven stepped out of the crater, looking at the Noble Spellsword with a burning fury. She stood over Derell¡¯s burning body. He put up a good fight, but it looked like he had been whittled down, before she finished him off with a final st. ¡°You!¡± Ruven shouted as he stepped forward. He conjured up a ming javelin and hurled it at Noele. ¡°You killed my sister!¡± She disappeared with a [sh Step] as the attack struck the ground. A streak of mes tore halfway across the street, and the Noble Spellsword appeared above a nearby rooftop. She was already sprinting towards him as Ruven raised both his arms. She leapt into the air, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream. ¡°I will make you suffer!¡± And a deluge of crimson mes exploded into the air, filling the sky with enough fire to incinerate an entire city block. There was nowhere for the Noble Spellsword to run. This was Ruven¡¯s greatest Skill. He was going to get his revenge. But Noele just closed her eyes as she fell towards the mes. She gripped her sword with both her hands, and a golden aura wisped over her de. It wasn¡¯t a Skill, even if it seemed like one. It was the same attack she used to kill Lionell, except weaker. Most Skills didn¡¯t work that way. They usually achieved the same effects perfectly, even if the user could vary its intensity or shape. Ruven was a [Master Pyromancer], so he could tell that the very essence of the wisping aura was distinct from earlier. But he didn¡¯t have time to parse the difference as it was enough to tear straight through the curtain of fire. Noele sliced down, crashing straight for Ruven. The mes gave way to her de, and his eyes grew wide. The Noble Spellsword reached him in an instant, impaling him through his chest. ¡°I¡­ am sorry, sister,¡± he whispered as he felt the blood pouring down from his chest. ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± the Noble Spellsword said and stepped back. She drew her de out from his wound as he grunted. He copsed a momentter, gasping for air. Noele shook her head and pointed her sword straight at his head. ¡°Now do you understand what it feels like?¡± she asked. ¡°Now do you know how it feels to lose someone you love so suddenly? The confusion? The anger? The sadness? The horror?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ruven moved his lips, but she didn¡¯t let him speak. Noele raised her de over her head as she continued. ¡°You havemitted too many atrocities¡ª you have taken so many lives. For all your horrid crimes, Ruven the Graceful Twin, I shall bring you to justice.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± he begged for his life in a croaky voice. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± But the Noble Spellsword brought her de down to his neck. She didn¡¯t wait to listen to him. There was no reason for her to hear him out. Ruven¡¯s words were abruptly cut short as a numbing pain spread throughout his body, and his world was plunged into an eternal darkness. MsD It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Noele the Noble Spellsword drew back, raising her bloodstained de. Ruveny unmoving at her feet as blood pooled beneath him. He was dead. He had begged for his life in the moments before his death. Even after all the atrocities he hadmitted, he dared to ask Noele to spare him. He was one of the Graceful Twins. He and his sister were notorious for their callousness, burning hundreds of innocent lives at a time without batting an eye. It was almost ridiculous. The blonde girl wanted tough at the absurdity of it all. Had Ruven ever spared the life of someone who was begging for their life? The answer was clearly a no. Shaking her head, Noele turned away from the crater and strode down the cracked street. Her battle with the four Miststorm Riders had wrecked the entire city block. But the destruction spread much further because she had arrived herete. The Noble Spellsword had wanted to get here sooner. But unfortunately, she had been busy trying to get her mother to safety. Garron the Steel Tank promised he would look after Nicole, which gave Noele the confidence to finally head on out and face the attacking [Bandits]. And when she arrived, what she found were three familiar A-rank adventurers fighting a losing battle against the elites of the Miststorm Riders. The Noble Spellsword arrived just in time to save them from their deaths, but she wasn¡¯t sure how they were faring. So she checked on them now, hoping they would survive their injuries. ¡°Deon, Skye, Saros!¡± Noele called out, running up to the other three A-ranked adventurers. ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± Fortunately, they seemed to have survived, recovering from their most grievous wounds thanks to healing potions and elixirs. The Silver Shade was in the worst condition, having been toyed with by Lionell throughout their battle. She was covered in scars, cut all across her body, but she was still alive. Deon helped his partner out of a small crater, proffering her a shoulder to lean on, and helping her sip from a red vial. ¡°We¡¯re alive,¡± he said, nodding at Noele. ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure how much we¡¯ll be able to help from here on out.¡± The blonde girl sighed in relief, cing a hand on her chest. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± They were still probably out ofmission due to their injuries. A healing potion wasn¡¯t a cure-all, especially when it came to deep wounds and gashes. Perhaps if they had an Elixir of Full Recovery, they¡¯d already be fully healed up. But that was an S-rank artifact. Nevertheless, they were alive, and Noele was relieved because of it. She turned to Saros¡ª the Gnome Inventor was sitting on arge rock, looking down at himself with wide eyes. She peered at him with a raised brow. ¡°What about you, Saros? Everything ok?¡± He didn¡¯t give an immediate reply. That made Noele nervous, especially with his aloof demeanor. Did something happen to him? Was he struck by poison? Why wasn¡¯t he saying anything? Slowly, Saros let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I am¡­ not alright.¡± he said softly. And Noele blinked. She gave him a worried look. ¡°Saros, what¡¯s going¡ª¡± But the gnome suddenly leapt to his feet and shouted over her. ¡°How am I supposed to be alright after witnessing that!¡± He gestured vaguely towards the bodies of the four dead Miststorm Riders. Saros paced back and forth as Noele just stared. ¡°You¡¯re literally a brand new A-rank adventurer!¡± Saros said, shaking his head. ¡°You were hardly even Level 50 when we met, and now, you¡¯re suddenly killing other A-ranks with a single swing of your sword? That is¡­ that is¡­¡± The gnome¡¯s entire body trembled as he eximed. ¡°That is almost as insane as your damn master!¡± The Noble Spellsword paused. She looked at Saros as he pointed usingly at her. For a second, she wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Until, finally, she lowered her head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ttering,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Gnome Inventor waved his arms exasperatedly in the air. ¡°It¡¯s not meant to be apliment! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Noele just chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I think it¡¯s apliment. Nowe on, I need your help putting out these fires. Do you have any kind of magitech tool that does that?¡± She gestured towards the burning buildings, and he sighed. Saros rummaged through his Bag of Holding as he nodded. ¡°Yes, I have something that can help¡­¡± ¡ª-- Ruven, Ava, Lionell, and Derell were dead. Odell couldn¡¯t believe it. He hadn¡¯t believed it. He had watched the battle unfold through his magic¡ª he could partially perceive everything that happened within his white mist. But there was a brief moment where a powerful st had sheared through the white nket, briefly dispersing it so he couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. And by the time the mist had poured back into the city block, his four best men had already fallen in battle. The Monster of the Mist ground his teeth together as the realization slowly settled in. Lionell was dead. Derell, Ruven, and Ava¡¯s deaths didn¡¯t bother Odell so much as annoyed him. But Lionell was the Crimson w. Lionell had been with the Miststorm Riders since the very beginning. And unlike Emory who was a loose cannon, Lionell had truly been loyal to Odell. The two had been like brothers. And now, Lionell was dead. Odell¡¯s gaze focused on the one responsible for this¡ª the blonde girl running through the streets of Whiteridge, putting out the burning houses in a hurry. He took in a deep breath and spun around. He marched up to his horse as the rest of his men waited uncertainly behind him. He nced back at them¡ª there were still over two thousand members of the Miststorm Riders left. Only a few hundred of them had perished in the initial charge. Odell spoke softly, addressing them with an eerily calm voice. ¡°No more games. Burn down the city. I want all of Whiteridge dead at my feet by the end of the hour.¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± the Miststorm Riders eximed and rode down the hill. Odell watched them charge straight for the city, hurling spells from afar and blowing apart various sections of the walls. Adventurers and guards rushed to intercept the attacking [Bandits]. But without the support of the A-ranks, Whiteridge was going to be easily overwhelmed. From a distance, the Monster of the Mist watched as the four A-ranked adventurers rushed towards the walls of the city. And he moved to intercept them. Because he was going to personally show that blonde girl exactly why he went by his Title. ¡ª-- ¡°Come on! We need to help them!¡± Noele called out, rushing ahead towards the fighting. She had heard the sts and explosions in the distance. She heard the war cry of the charging [Bandits]. It seemed like the Miststorm Riders were finally attacking Whiteridge in full force, and she knew her help was needed. But the blonde girl nced back, watching as Deon and Skye struggled to keep up, mostly bogged down by thetter¡¯s injuries. While the Deon could probably partake in battle again judging by his state, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his partner. And Saros was also moving slowly. But that was because he was busy tinkering with his tools, and rummaging through his Bag of Holding. ¡°Just go! We¡¯ll catch up!¡± the gnome called out. Noele bit her lower lip before nodding. ¡°Alright¡ª but you better not sit this one out!¡± Truth be told, the Noble Spellsword was getting tired. Her [Greater Mana Core] was drained, and she wasn¡¯t sure how much fight she had left in her. Certainly, killing Ava, Ruven, Lionell, and Derell didn¡¯t seem like a tough task, but it was incredibly exhausting. Elegant Noble sh and Glorious Noble sh weren¡¯t Skills. They were a result of her very own skills. That was a distinction that was hard for her to parse at first. But thanks to Amelia¡¯s teachings, Noele finally understood it, and could surpass her limits ever so briefly in battle. And that was why it was so tiring. But if it was just exhaustion, Noele would fight through it. She needed to protect Whiteridge. She needed to fend off the Miststorm Riders. So she pressed on. The Noble Spellsword turned a street corner¡ª and paused. Her eyes narrowed as the road ahead was covered by an incredibly thickyer of mist. It was practically a white wall waiting ahead of her. And while there had already been a nket of mist proliferating throughout Whiteridge all this time, this was different. It was almost familiar to the blonde girl. It brought back memories she didn¡¯t want to remember. She recalled the suffocating scent of ash that choked her lungs, and an old fear crept up her tingling spine. The blonde girl dismissed that feeling and stepped forward. She raised her de warily, eyeing the nk canvas ahead of her. ¡°Who goes there?¡± she called out, and her voice echoed all around her. That was unnerving. She spun around, searching for Saros, Deon, and Skye, only to blink. The other A-ranks were gone. No¡ª they weren¡¯t even there. Wherever she looked, Noele found herself surrounded by the same imprable white wall. It encroached on her. It girdled around her from every direction. And it closed in on her. She clutched her sword tightly as her eyes darted around in rm. Panic settled in. The realization that she was alone and lost began to ovee her feelings. What did she do? What was going on? Noele needed to find a way out. But how? These thoughts clouded her mind like the crowding mist. The blonde girl felt her heart hammering in her chest as it drew closer. But right as the white wall stopped just a dozen feet from her, a shadowed figure appeared, and a voice spoke out. ¡°Greetings, girl.¡± And Noele froze. Her eyes grew wide as she caught sight of the man standing in the mist. Her whirling thoughts came to a halt, and it was like the world around her stopped moving. She recognized him. Even though she could barely see the vague outline of his face as he strode forward. She knew him. She would know him anywhere. How could she ever forget the face of the man who killed her sister? ¡°I am Odell the Monster of the Mist,¡± he said in a loud but hushed voice. He had long white hair that fell down to his lower back, and a pair of crimson eyes that shone with a glint that pierced through the white veil. He wore a vest without sleeves, revealing a long scar running down his right arm. He hefted arge broadsword over his shoulder as he eyed the Noble Spellsword dangerously. ¡°You know,¡± he continued, ¡°I never understood what it is with you adventurers and your heroics. I always found it fascinating how you lot were always so brave yet so foolish at the same time.¡± Odell closed his eyes and emerged from the mist as he sighed. ¡°But today? Today I don¡¯t care about any of that. Today, I shall just enjoy k¡ª¡± he started. And Noele cut him off. ¡°[Dance with Death]!¡± The Monster of the Mist blinked. She was already moving. He watched as she rushed him, raising her de. He scoffed and swung up with his own broadsword. ¡°Did you seriously think that would work?¡± His de shone as he aimed for the Noble Spellsword¡¯s head. ¡°Nice try¡ª [Comet Strike]!¡± She charged straight into his falling de, only to raise her own sword. A golden aura wisped off her de as she thrust forward with a stabbing motion. Odell smirked¡­ then blinked as his broadsword shattered into pieces. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± he gasped out, looking down at a golden glow. Noele stood just before him, her sword plunged deep into his chest. He tried to work his jaw, but the glow slowly faded as she whispered the name of the attack that defeated him in a single blow. ¡°Elegant Noble sh.¡± And she drew back from the Monster of the Mist as he copsed. MsD It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 [Dance with Death]. It was Noele¡¯s newest Skill. She had gained it from killing an undead wyvern down at the bottommost floor of the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. She had leveled up three times from that battle. A culmination of all the lower-leveled skeletons and ghouls she had fought off, along with single handedly defeating a single undead far higher-leveled than her. If the Noble Spellsword had to guess, the undead wyvern had been Level 58 or 59. Back then, Noele had only just hit Level 50, so there had been nearly a 10 level difference between her and the undead wyvern. A simple 5 level difference was supposed to be stark. An ordinary Level 55 [Warrior] could normally take on a dozen ordinary Level 50 [Warriors]¡ª assuming that no artifacts were involved. And even with artifacts at y, a Level 50 [Warrior] would still very likely be easily defeated by a Level 55 [Warrior] with no artifacts. It wasn¡¯t just a distinction in the increased strength that came from being higher-leveled. It was also a direct result of the additional Skills a Level 55 [Warrior] gained. At the higher levels, each Skill was far more impactful than a Skill at the lower levels. And normally, a Skill would be gained at least once per level up. Maybe every other level up at most. But Noele had only gained a single Skill from leveling up three times. That meant only one thing¡ª that that single Skill was worth three Skills. It was quite obvious considering its effects. It was the very same Skill that Noele activated before attacking Odell. [Dance with Death]. It had an ominous name, and Noele had been quite apprehensive to test it out when she first got it. It was only thanks to Garron¡¯s urging over thest week did she finally give it a try. And it was a greater Skill than she even thought possible. It was pretty much equivalent to a capstone Skill. Its only detraction was that it extracted quite the toll on her. But it was a worthwhile cost. Because [Dance with Death] enabled the Noble Spellsword to turn one of her active Skills into a passive Skill. Meaning, if she had used [Dance with Death] together with [Grand ze], she¡¯d be able to conjure a st of golden mes continuously until [Dance with Death] came to an end. The only problem was that once [Dance with Death] ran out, Noele would bepletely drained of her magic. When she had first tested the Skill out, she copsed into an aching ball of pain when it came to an end. Garron had to carry her back to the farm. And each subsequent time she tried it out, the duration was always the same. Ten minutes. Noele had ten minutes to use any of her Level 50 Skills in her repertoire. And she opted to use¡­ a Level 40 Skill. Instead of channeling [Grand ze] or [Unending Dauntless Fury] or [Nobleme Armor], she had chosen [Noble sh]. It almost seemed stupid, really. But the Noble Spellsword had her reasons. While [Grand ze] was her highest-leveled offensive Skill, it wasn¡¯t her most powerful attack. That went to Elegant Noble sh or Glorious Noble sh. And they were not Skills. Both those attacks were a result of pushing herself beyond her limits, but more importantly, they vastly improved upon the effects of [Noble sh]. They functioned as a refinement and enhancement of the Skill, but without actually activating the Skill. So with [Noble sh] passively active, it was going to be far easier for the blonde girl to draw out either Elegant Noble sh and Glorious Noble sh repeatedly, especially when she was already exhausted. Her de shone with a wisping golden aura. Dim and translucent¡ª like a luminescent mist. She had ten minutes until that glow would fade¡­ but she didn¡¯t need it. The Noble Spellsword nced down at the man lying before her. He was Odell the Monster of the Mist. The leader of the Miststorm Riders. A Level 55 [Bandit Boss]. He had been responsible for so many atrocities¡ª he had taken away so many innocent lives. But most of all, he was the one who had killed Noele¡¯s sister. And finally, he had been defeated with just a single swing of her sword. Noele almost felt like it was too easy. She looked down at Odell as he gasped for air. He reached for his broken broadsword, and she kicked it to the side. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± the Monster of the Mist choked, ring up at her. Noele eyed him wordlessly. He writhed on the ground, his heart impaled, and blood pooling beneath him. Around her, his mist began to dissipate. The white nket coating over the streets of Whiteridge peeled back, and he inhaled weakly. Is this really it? the Noble Spellsword wondered. Is this really the Monster of the Mist? For whatever reason, she had expected something more from him. But he had fallen just as easily as the rest of the Miststorm Riders. Noele wasn¡¯t sure if she was supposed to say something here. She just stared at his prone body as he reached for a bag at his side. ¡°You know,¡± she finally said, closing her eyes. ¡°For years, I have dreamt of this moment every night before I went to sleep¡ª I have always imagined what it was like to y you in battle like you are some kind of terrible monster.¡± Odell produced a vial, and she kicked it away from him. ¡°But you aren¡¯t a monster. You are just a man. A pathetic, weak man who can only hurt others.¡± He watched with wide eyes as the ss shattered against the cobbled ground. He made a sound, but Noele just raised her de. ¡°I am Noele the Noble Spellsword. You killed my sister, Odell. Her name was Nora the Noble Sworddancer.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± he started, but his jaw refused to work. He weakly raised a hand to protect himself, before suddenly closing his eyes. The Noble Spellsword shook her head at his final pitiful disy. And she swung down with her glowing sword. ¡°I want you to remember her name as you die¡ª¡± she started. And Odell¡¯s eyes snapped open in an instant as he caught the de. Noele blinked. The Monster of the Mist smiled. The hole in his chest rapidly began to regenerate with an empurpling flesh. A dark aura whipped out of his body as he cackled. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who that is!¡± With that, an explosion of purple energy sent the Noble Spellsword flying back. ¡ª-- Odell had been dying. He was certain he was going to die to this blonde girl. And such an unbing death of him, too? But he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. His heart had been shredded, and the only thing keeping him alive was his sheer tenacity alone. He couldn¡¯t even speak. His only chance of survival¡ª an Elixir of Full Recovery¡ª had been tossed aside and broken. The Monster of the Mist had resigned himself to his death when that happened. Nothing would save him now. It was toote. None of his Skills mattered at death¡¯s door. Even his Void powers wouldn¡¯t save him. At least, that was what he thought. Until he heard it¡ª the Void¡¯s call. It was so brief. It wasn¡¯t a voice. It was a sensation. The very same one that he felt when the Void guided his actions. Except it was far more overwhelming. He had to m his eyes shut as the world was ovee with a violet quaking. He held his breath, suffocating from an intoxicating scent. His skin prickled, and he felt like he was plunged into the deepest depths of the ocean. All his senses were overloaded for a long moment, and then proceeded to return greater than ever. It was like he could see further, move faster, smell more, and hear the world around him. But that wasn¡¯t just it. A brand new sense was bestowed upon him. The sense of the Void. It was like Odell could see things he never could before. He saw power permeating the world around him. Not mana¡ª something that was hiding away if he just peeled back at that curtain of magic. ¡°So this is what it means to be truly Void-touched,¡± he whispered as he raised his head. The Monster of the Mist had always been able to draw the Void¡¯s power ever since he joined the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. But ording to the Kyn-Le¡¯ard, Odell had only been partially Void-touched. The fact that the [Bandit Boss] could still use his Skills was proof of that. Those who had truly embraced the Void¡¯s power could no longer draw strength from the World System. But in exchange, they were granted a power beyondprehension. Supposedly, only three members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns had truly attuned themselves with the Void. And they could perform feats that were almost impossible to imagine. From regrowing decapitated heads to tearing down entire mountains. And Odell had been granted this strength in the moments before he would perish. His grievous injuries instantaneously healed, and an immense power pulsed through him. He flexed his hand, testing his connection to the World System. ¡°[Maze of Mist]!¡± he called out. But while his voice echoed like it drew power from beyond, nothing came in response. He swept his gaze over the city, watching as his magical mist continued to dissipate. His lips twisted into a smile. He broke out into a terribleughter as he spread his arms wide. ¡°Marvelous! I have never felt so free! This is truly¡ª¡± And a figure fell upon him. His eyes flickered as the blonde girl stood at his nk, raising a de pouring with a golden aura. ¡°Die¡ª Glorious Noble sh!¡± she screamed as she swung down. The st of energy ripped across the street, shredding the cobbled ground. A massive crater spread out in a cone-like shape. It destroyed everything it touched in over a hundred feet. The Noble Spellsword drew back, raising her golden de. ¡°Is he¡­?¡± ¡°You missed,¡± Odell replied, standing a dozen feet to the left of her. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as she pivoted to face him. He just stood there casually, shaking his head. ¡°Do you see that?¡± he said as he strode forward, and she backed up. ¡°You heard my voice, and you immediately reacted to it. Now you should ask yourself this¡ª why do you feel the need to announce yourself when you¡¯ve got the drop on me?¡± She just stared at him, utterly befuddled. ¡°How did you survive? What just happened? What is this?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t get you.¡± Odell sighed as he raised his hands. ¡°First you warn me before youunch a sneak attack, and now you¡¯re asking me questions¡ª do you think we¡¯re friends? I am not going to tell you shit.¡± A deluge of purple smoke poured out from his palms, filling the streets of Whiteridge like ayer of twisted mist. Noele could only watch on as this gas quickly engulfed all of the city. All across the battlefield, heads turned, and the fighting stopped as this gas consumed everything. ¡ª-- ¡°What is that?¡± Saros the Gnome Inventor came to a halt as he saw the dark haze pouring towards him like a tidal wave. He backed up, reaching for his Bag of Holding as he braced himself for the purple gas. Was it poison? He didn¡¯t know. He quickly produced a metallic mask just as this newyer of mist reached him. But when it touched him, he didn¡¯t start hacking in pain. He didn¡¯t copse to the floor, dying from some poison. No¡ª all he found was that his movements slowed. ¡ª-- Deon found himself stumbling back as the purple mist touched him. He had been standing protectively over his slowly recovering partner when he saw the approaching wall of gas. He had braced himself for anything, but he didn¡¯t expect this. His body grew heavy. He leaned against his halberd which he also struggled to keep up. He gritted his teeth as his minor injuries suddenly became far more apparent on his skin. A soft grunt came from behind him, drawing his attention. Skye tried to sit up, and failed. ¡°W-what is going on? Why do I feel so¡­ weak?¡± And the Virtuous Guard didn¡¯t know the answer to that. ¡ª-- Noele watched as the golden aura wisping off her de dimmed. She took a step back, finding her movements to be more sluggish than before. This purple mist was almost suffocating. It was hard for her to even breathe. But still, she raised her sword at the figure standing before her. The Monster of the Mist strode forward, wreathed by purple tendrils of gas that formed a faux cloak. ¡°I do not ever recall killing your sister. But that is to be expected. Because I assure you¡ª¡± He smiled savagely as the mist gathered in his fingertips, creating a broadsword out of thin air. ¡°I will not even remember killing you either.¡± With that, he barreled towards the Noble Spellsword as heughed madly. ¡ª-- And in a farm right at the edge of Wolfwater, a few miles away from Whiteridge, a figure stirred in bed. She raised her head, blinking her eyes open as she yawned. ¡°Ugh, how long did I nap?¡± she asked, ncing out the fogged windows. She hadn¡¯t felt like she slept for that long. But by the looks of it, it was already evening, and she had to have been asleep for nearly a full day. She really didn¡¯t want to get up, but she still dragged herself out of bed with a sigh. ¡°Whatever,¡± Amelia said. ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up.¡± MsD I currently have an AMA on the r/progressionfantasy subreddit. Ask me anything :) Hi, I''m MsD, author of Ms, Salvos, Tian, Trace, Violet, Thera, and Amelia! Also, a massive Wandering Inn fan, art addict, and professional Zoomer. AMA! : ProgressionFantasy ) It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 I yawned as I mbered down the stairs and scratched my back. I felt like I had napped for maybe three or four hours at most. But judging by the reddish-orange glowing from the window, it was probably evening now. ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡± I wondered aloud, walking into the kitchen. It was empty, since Garron, Noele, and Nicole were out in Whiteridge. I expected that. But I frowned when I realized Nn wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Hello? Nn? Is anybody home?¡± I quickly peeked through the various rooms in the house, only to find nothing. ¡°Odd.¡± I narrowed my eyes. Something was amiss. Nn was normally back inside before sundown. However, he was nowhere to be found. I nced out the fogged windows, before shaking my head. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s at Wolfwater for groceries or whatever.¡± While this was a farm, we still needed to procure the meat from somewhere. There was no livestock here, just crops, and while I wasn¡¯t a picky eater, I preferred to have a bnced diet of both meat and vegetables, rather than just one or another. Spending ten years in the Fractured Realm with no food did that to a person. Although¡ª I most definitely spent more than ten years there. Time was broken there, and I couldn¡¯t sleep. So I had no way of knowing how long I really spent in that broken world. Either way, I was getting hungry, so I started out of the farm, searching for Nn. ¡°He probably needs a hand,¡± I murmured. I stepped outside, and paused. I swept my gaze over the fields at my surroundings, only to see a white nket covering everything. I realized it wasn¡¯t evening as I thought, but instead there was a light orange tint to this thickyer of mist. A soft heat permeated the air and mixed ufortably with the humidity. I sniffed, smelling the scent of smoke. ¡°What¡¯s going¡­?¡± I blinked. And I heard the galloping of horses. I looked towards the road leading into Wolfwater as a group of riders passed the farm. There were a hundred of them, and theyughed madly, raising burning torches into the air. I watched with furrowed brows as they tossed the torches into Nn¡¯s crops. ¡°I see now.¡± With that, I moved. ¡ª-- Landonughed as he hurled the ming torch into the distance. He didn¡¯t lead the charge. But he was pretty much the second from the front, only behind Ray. And unlike Ray who was normally quiet and meek, Landon could actually shout orders at the rest of the men. There were only a hundred of them, however they were some of the strongest members of the Miststorm Riders, most of them at least at B-rank. Landon himself was a low A-rank, while Ray was at least as high-leveled as Odell himself. And that was why Ray was put in charge. He was incredibly talented for his age. They called him the Monster¡¯s Apprentice. For good reason. While he wasn¡¯t nearly as boisterous as Odell, Ray was certainly as callous in his behavior. The Monster¡¯s Apprentice silently threw his torch towards the nearby field, barely even giving it a passing nce. There was a house in the middle of the farnd, but none of the hundred riders slowed. They weren¡¯t going to personally kill every family living around Wolfwater. They were going to let the fire do its job. Landon shook his head, chuckling cruelly as he looked ahead. He saw the vige in the distance, even through the thickyer of mist and smoke. That was their main target. Their goal was to ughter everyst person there. A terrible smirk spread across his lips, and he yelled. ¡°Miststorm Riders! Burn down the¡ª¡± he started. And arge blurred thing flew past them . It was burning with an orange glow. It crashed in the middle of the road just ahead of Ray. He came to a halt, pulling his horse back as Landon and the rest of the riders slowed. They stared at therge wall of mes blocking them. ¡°What is that?¡± Landon looked at the pile of ming torches. ¡°You guys dropped those,¡± a voice said from the side. Landon frowned, ncing to the right. The other riders turned their heads as well, and Ray narrowed his eyes at the waiting figure. ¡°A girl?¡± the Monster¡¯s Apprentice said. A brown-haired woman stood there, a sword at her side. The weapon wasn¡¯t drawn just yet, kept in its sheath as she strode forward, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you people are, but I suggest you turn around and get out of here.¡± She came to a halt right next to the pile of torches and crossed her arms. ¡°Or else I¡¯ll make you.¡± Landon stared at her for a moment, wide-eyed. He slowly processed this, and as did the other [Bandits], before finally guffawing. They broke out intoughter as she just sighed. ¡°I should¡¯ve known it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy,¡± she muttered. And Landon nodded at three other riders. ¡°Ard, Kurtis, Moreen¡ª take care of our ¡®friend¡¯.¡± The three [Bandits] snickered, moving towards the girl. They drew their weapons as they got closer¡ª and she swung up with her sword. Ard, Kurtis, and Moreen copsed to the ground, sliced into perfect halves in an instant. Ray raised a brow. Landon paused as he was turning away. The entire nket of mist surrounding Wolfwater was sliced cleanly in half and fell apart. The group of ny-seven Miststorm Riders gaped at the brown-haired woman as she sheathed her sword once more. ¡°This is yourst chance,¡± she said. ¡°Turn around now, or you¡¯ll die.¡± Her words broke Landon out of his stupor. He stared at the single woman standing ahead of him, and his jaw clenched. He raised his sword, pointing at her as he screamed. ¡°Kill that girl!¡± And the [Bandits] roared. They poured forth, galloping straight for the lone figure. She closed her eyes as the earth shook with their approach. ¡°This is really annoying.¡± She took a step forward, and Landon blinked. When his eyes opened again, she was standing at the other side of the group of riders. They were frozen in ce as she simply flicked a trickle of blood off her de. Landon opened his mouth. ¡°What are you idiots¡­ do¡­ing¡­¡± He tried to work his jaw, only to find his jaw ttering to the ground. His eyes grew wide as he heard the first thud. And more came after. Bodies dropped one after another as Landon himself copsed, cut into a dozen chunks. They were some of the strongest members of the Miststorm Riders. But ny-six of them fell, dead from a single attack. And only Ray remained. ¡ª-- I turned to thest surviving member of the riders. He looked rather young, and his eyes went round. He sat atop his horse, gaping as his friends fell one after another. I had spared him, only because he hadn¡¯t raised his de against me. Everyone else did, so I killed them. I didn¡¯t touch their horses, though. They just continued galloping without anyone on their backs. ¡°Alright,¡± I said as I faced the young man. ¡°You¡¯re the only reasonable one here, so can you tell me why you¡¯re doing this?¡± He blinked a few times, before turning towards me. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Answer the question.¡± I spoke over him. He opened his mouth as I eyed him dangerously. After a moment of silence, he just took a deep breath and dismounted from his horse. ¡°We¡¯re with the Miststorm Riders,¡± he exined. ¡°I am Ray the Monster¡¯s Apprentice, and I was sent here under orders to burn down the farnds around Whiteridge.¡± ¡°The Miststorm Riders?¡± My brows snapped together. I was familiar with them at this point. I had learned a lot about them after killing the Frenzied Five, and Noele had also told me more details after I arrived at Wolfwater. I nced back towards the vast swathes of burningnd as I frowned. ¡°But why are you here? Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Orders from the boss.¡± Ray shrugged. ¡°And where¡¯s your boss?¡± I asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°Whiteridge¡ª he¡¯s probably razing the city to the ground as we speak.¡± My gaze snapped to the side, and sure enough, I saw the trails of smoke rising in the far distance. I immediately thought of a blonde girl. Noele¡­ I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly as I realized she was in trouble. But as I stared off into the distance, Ray stepped forward. He shook his head as he began to remove his clothes, and I nced back at him. A purple aura wisped off him as he grinned at me. ¡°You know, the boss entrusted me with this task because he believed in me.¡± His muscles rippled, discoloring into a dark red. He grew taller and cracked his neck. ¡°Odell took me on as his sole apprentice¡ª so that I may be his sessor when he eventually retires.¡± I watched as Ray towered over me, now three times my height. His lips twisted, the timid expression he previously wore gone, reced with a maddened gaze. I recognized this power. Of course I did. It was the very same one Emory had drawn from, except much weaker, almost like it was iplete. It was what permeated the entirety of the Fractured Realm. And¡­ I sensed it in the distance too. So faint, I didn¡¯t even realize it was there until now. It came from Whiteridge. The power of the Void. ¡°Ah.¡± I raised my head, meeting Ray¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was mistaken. You¡¯re not reasonable either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let Odell¡¯s trust go to waste,¡± the Monster¡¯s Apprentice said. ¡°So get out of my¡ª¡± ¡°I should be the one saying that to you,¡± I cut him off as I leapt forward, grabbing his face. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Ray¡¯s eyes grew wide, but I shot forward. I carried him by his head, propelling up into the sky like a slingshot. In a single swift motion, I crossed over a dozen miles and reached Whiteridge. ¡ª-- A putrid purple mist spread across the city. It slowed Han¡¯s movements. The city guard was already injured, but this noxious gas seemed to exacerbate his wounds. Not only that¡ª He nced up towards the fighting. He watched as the horde of [Bandits] tore through the ranks of guards and adventurers. The tide of battle had swiftly turned. The defenders of Whiteridge had been putting up a good fight until mere moments ago, when the dark haze reached the Miststorm Riders. And then they roared with renewed vigor. They charged with an intensity they never had before, empowered by this purple mist. They overwhelmed the city guards, and they struck down the fighting adventurers. Han gritted his teeth and raised his spear. He was an ordinary city guard. He had given up all his hopes of ever reaching a high level a long time ago. But still, he had a job to do. He couldn¡¯t just flee again, when his life had been saved by those A-rank adventurers. ¡°I-I¡­ am a city guard,¡± he whispered to himself, even as his hands trembled. ¡°I have to protect the people of the city.¡± He resolved himself and strode forward. Even as he walked with a slight limp, and even as he watched a line of other guards get cut down in battle. His legs shook. His lips quivered. But still, he let out a war cry as he charged straight at the Miststorm Riders. They rode towards him, cackling wildly as he screamed. ¡°I will not let you go any further, you cursed [Bandits]!¡± His weak feet carried him forward, until he was sprinting straight towards his demise. They drew closer and closer as the world seemed to slow around him. This was it. His luck had finally run out. After everything he had survived, it was finally time. He died here¡ª And a pair of blurred figures shot past him, followed by an explosion of blood and gore. Han stumbled back as the force of the red liquid knocked him off bnce. He blinked. It happened so quickly, he couldn¡¯t even process what happened. All he knew was that one moment, an army of thousands of [Bandits] rode through the streets of Whiteridge. And the next moment, they were all reduced to a stain of blood on the ground. ¡°Nephilim save me¡­ w-what just happened¡­?¡± ¡ª-- Odell drew closer as Noele watched. The blonde girl wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to defeat him in battle. He had somehow fully recovered from a stab to the heart. Not only that, he was stronger than ever now. She pursed her lips and tightly gripped the hilt of her sword. He just smirked, dragging his twisted purple broadsword behind him. ¡°Come now, what happened to all your confi¡ª¡± But a figure crashed in between them before Odell could finish speaking. He paused, and Noele blinked. She stared down at the charred corpse lying at the bottom of the smoking crater. ¡°Who¡­?¡± she started. And a second figurended on top of the deformed purple body. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as soon as she saw the flowing brown hair¡ª the tattered cloak whipping with the wind. The Monster of the Mist eyed this neer warily. ¡°Who are you?¡± Odell asked. And Noele spoke softly as she stared at her mentor. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± MsD This chapter inspired by Invincible''s train scene. If you know, you know. It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 It took all but a split-second. I grabbed Ray by the face and leapt towards Whiteridge like a slingshot. He couldn¡¯t even scream. He wasn¡¯t even able to get out a word before I crashed into the first rank of the Miststorm Riders. I didn¡¯t draw my de. I didn¡¯t take out my sword. Instead, I crushed Ray¡¯s twisted body against the thousands of [Bandits], using him as a weapon to rip them apart. All of them. The entirety of the Miststorm Riders were gone by the time I was finished. And his body, despite being empowered by the Void, was shredded to bits by the time I was finished. He didn¡¯t have any regenerative abilities, which was good. I simply tossed him down into the ground when I was finished, and he crashed in between Noele and Odell. Inded a moment after, standing atop of Ray¡¯s corpse. The two of them stared at me with wide eyes as I made my entrance. I raised my head and met Odell¡¯s gaze. I had heard plenty about him from Noele. He was the leader of the Miststorm Riders. They called him the Monster of the Mist because of his cruelty. He didn¡¯t just kill, he took pleasure in torturing others, ying with their lives until they finally perished. And he was also the source of the Void¡¯s power. I looked on as a noxious purple mist wisped off his body. He carried with him a broadsword made of a dark material that shimmered with a perverse light. He was far stronger than Ray. Odell was practically brimming with the Void¡¯s essence. His body hardly contained it, and his skin was stained with an inky mauve. The Monster of the Mist radiated with a corrupted power. But¡­ he was also weaker than Emory. Like way weaker. I wasn¡¯t even sure if Odell could regenerate if I blew his head off. He was probably like an inferior version of the minotaur I fought when I saved Deon back in thebyrinth. The Monster of the Mist stepped forward, eyeing the corpse behind me warily. ¡°That is¡­?¡± he started. ¡°Ray,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Your apprentice or whatever. He was in my way, so I killed him.¡± Odell blinked. Noele let out a sharp gasp. ¡°That¡¯s the Monster¡¯s Apprentice?¡± I shrugged and corrected the blonde girl. ¡°That was the Monster¡¯s Apprentice. Now he¡¯s just dead.¡± ¡°I¡­ right.¡± Noele nodded slowly. The Monster of the Mist just narrowed his eyes, disbelieving. Not in surprise, but doubt. ¡°Ray is dead? Ridiculous. He was nearly as powerful as Emory.¡± ¡°Emory?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I killed him too. Like¡­ a few weeks ago.¡± And that made Odell pause. He stared at me as his eyes went round. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re the one who killed Emory¡ª the Unranked Adventurer?¡± ¡°Uh, sure. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± I stepped out of the crater as the Monster of the Mist backed up. To his credit, he no longer seemed skeptical of my ims. He actually looked a little back scared. even. He gritted his teeth and raised his broadsword, aiming it my way. ¡°You¡ª¡± Odel snarled, creating a purple fireball in his left hand. He tossed it my way as he yelled. ¡°Take this!¡± ¡°Here we go again¡­¡± I sighed and dashed forward. I batted the attack out of the way as he blinked. I drew my sword, swinging it for his face¡ª ¡°Wait!¡± Noele called out. And I paused, my de hovering right before Odell¡¯s wide eyes, a millimeter from killing him. The Monster of the Mist was quivering, unable to even react to my attack. He tried to work his jaw, but I nced back at the Noble Spellsword. She stepped forward and raised her glimmering sword. ¡°Let me fight him,¡± she said. ¡°I want to defeat Odell myself.¡± I slowly lowered my own sword, blinking at her. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡ª-- Noele closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Was this a stupid decision? Amelia was here now. She could easily deal with Odell in a single strike. But just like when the Noble Spellsword herself had been about to defeat the Monster of the Mist, this didn¡¯t feel right. It was ridiculous. Noele was temporarily sparing the man who killed her sister just because things felt wrong to her. She really didn¡¯t understand what was making her do this. All she knew was that she had to kill Odell here and now by herself. She opened her eyes. ¡°Please, Amelia,¡± the blonde girl pleaded with her mentor. ¡°Let me do this. Let me be the one to take him down.¡± ¡°I¡­ but why?¡± Amelia stepped back, staring at Noele quizzically. Odell watched as the two women spoke, and he moved. He tried to leap out of the way, only for Amelia to grab him and m his face into the ground. She kept him down on the ground as he struggled to break free. The blonde girl just shook her head. ¡°I just have to do this. I must do this. I cannot live knowing that I wasn¡¯t the one to kill Odell.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Noele¡¯s mentor just gave her a t stare. But she was still adamant. ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me that the only way to be strong like you is if I fight because I have to. So I have to do this. You have to let me do this.¡± ¡°You know as well as I do that that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Amelia scoffed. ¡°Please.¡± Noele held her mentor¡¯s gaze. ¡°I have no other choice, Amelia.¡± There was a long moment where neither woman said anything. They just stared at each other as the Monster of the Mist continued thrashing on the ground. Finally, Amelia¡¯s gaze broke away and she let out a long sigh. ¡°Fine, but if this is really something you must do, then I won¡¯t step in if you¡¯re about to get killed. I¡¯ll let you handle it, and if you can¡¯t, you¡¯ll die.¡± Noele just smiled. ¡°Thank you. I wasn¡¯t going to ask you to intervene, anyway.¡± ¡°This is really dumb¡­¡± Amelia murmured as she let go of Odell and stepped back. The Monster of the Mist scrambled to his feet, gasping and panting. He looked up with round eyes as a soft set of footsteps approached him. His gaze snapped towards the Noble Spellsword as she came to a halt just before him. [Dance with Death] was still active. A golden aura wreathed her de as she aimed it at Odell. ¡°You¡­ are you stupid?¡± he said, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. ¡°You had your chance to kill me twice, and you spared me both times. Now you think you can defeat me, when I have been blessed by the full might of the Void?¡± His words caused the very world around him to tremble. Heughed wildly, and Amelia raised a brow from the side. Odell flinched, before looking away from the brown-haired woman. He kept his gaze fixed only on Noele. ¡°I don¡¯t know what possessed you to make this decision, girl. But I will make sure you regret it.¡± And he charged at the blonde girl, swinging out with his broadsword. The Noble Spellsword moved. She didn¡¯t waste any time. [sh Step] carried her a dozen feet to the left, and she raised her glowing de. ¡°[Unending Dauntless Fury]!¡± she cried out as she unleashed a barrage of white shes. A flurry of des shot out from each swing, and Odell simply spun around. A cloak of purple mist took the brunt of the attack as he chuckled. The flying white des barely cut through that cloak, not even reaching his flesh. He turned back to face her as she clicked her tongue. ¡°Was that all you¡¯ve got?¡± he asked with a grin. ¡°How did you think you were going to kill me if you¡¯re that weak?¡± Noele exhaled as an armor of golden mes wreathed her. [Nobleme Armor] activated once more¡ª enough time had passed since Lionell had shattered her protection spell. It took a chunk of magic to cast, and that meant she had to preserve her other Skills. But as long as [Dance with Death] was still active, the blonde girl could draw the power from [Noble sh] and channel it into something more. Odell barreled her way again, but she ducked under his swing, countering with a strike to his chest. It was the equivalent to a [Noble sh]. But the attack hardly dug into his skin. He simply grunted, shrugging it off as she leapt away once more. He brought his broadsword down to the ground before she couldnd, and the entire city block shook. The road cracked as she stumbled back. The Monster of the Mist hurled himself up into the air, before falling back down towards her like a meteor. Noele barely regained her footing in time to jump to the side, but the st from his crash knocked her back. She crashed into a nearby house, smashing through a pair of walls as her [Nobleme Armor] flickered. She staggered back to her feet as dust settled around her. And she saw therge purple figure lumbering towards her. Truth be told, the blonde girl didn¡¯t understand it herself. Her reasoning seemed wed. It almost appeared like she was being selfish. It was as though she was pursuing something as petty as revenge. But still, she knew she had to do it. Even if she couldn¡¯t fully parse the reason why. Odell sliced horizontally, tearing the house in half as the Noble Spellsword ducked under the attack. She pointed at him with a finger, activating [Grand ze]. A st of golden mes engulfed the Monster of the Mist as he screamed in pain. But he tore through the fire, his burn marks already healing. ¡°You¡ª¡± He raised a hand and created his own purple me. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as she watched it growrger andrger. She was about to leap out of the way with [sh Step], but she paused when she heard a sniffle. Noele¡¯s gaze snapped to the side, and she stared in shock at a little figure half-buried in the rubble of the fallen house. A child¡ª a young girl, roughly ten years of age¡ªy there, weakly crying. She stopped to stare for a single second, and Odell¡¯sughter broke her out of her thoughts. ¡°Die!¡± She watched as he hurled the purple fireball her way. It was now the size of a person. It would obliterate everything in its path, killing even the little girl lying in the rubble. Noele took a step forward. ¡°Focus,¡± a voice said. And the little girl vanished. Noele blinked, before activating [sh Step] right in time to escape Odell¡¯s fiery attack. The Noble Spellswordnded atop a nearby roof as a powerful explosion rocked Whiteridge. The st shot up, creating a massive pir of purple fire that quintupled the height of the city¡¯s walls. The shockwave nearly knocked Noele off bnce, but she steadied herself and nced to the side. Amelia stood next to her, holding the sniffling little girl ¡°I¡¯ll protect the civilians,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Just focus on fighting Odell.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele nodded and nced back towards Odell. He stepped out of the st, smiling savagely as he swept his gaze over the street. ¡°You can¡¯t run forever. The moment I get my hands on you, you¡¯re dead.¡± She hopped down from the rooftop,nding softly just ahead of him. Noele raised her de again as he approached her. Why was she doing this? The Noble Spellsword didn¡¯t think it was for revenge. That couldn¡¯t be it. She recalled how she felt when she thought she had defeated the Monster of the Mist. There was no pleasure there. She derived no gratification from the idea of killing him. Catharsis, yes. But not joy. So Noele had to have another reason for doing this, right? Dashing forward, she thrust straight for Odell¡¯s heart with the glowing de. He didn¡¯t move out of the way. He just stood there, weing the attack as he tossed his broadsword to the side. Right as she reached him, he grabbed the blonde girl by the shoulder with his right hand as she stabbed him through the chest. ¡°I caught you,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± she cursed, trying to back up. Noele yanked her sword back, but the Monster of the Mist caught the de with his left hand. He sneered at her, even as his right hand burned from her [Nobleme Armor], and his left hand bled from her de. His grip tightened, and her [Nobleme Armor] cracked, before dissipating. Noele let out a scream as he crushed her shoulder, and Odell kicked her. The golden glow coating her de flickered. Her sword snapped as she went flying back. She skidded to a halt as he tossed her broken de back at her. Itnded right next to Noele as she panted in pain. ¡°Was this your n?¡± Odell shook his head as he strode towards her. He picked up his broadsword, and the wound on his chest began to heal. ¡°To die to me so you can meet with your sister?¡± No¡­ The Noble Spellsword clenched her jaw as she got back to her feet. I can¡¯t¡­ I have to¡­ She had to do this. Noele struggled to get back up, holding the hilt of her broken sword, its length equal to that of a dagger now. And at her feet was the other half of the de, dug into the ground. Amelia stood to the side, still holding onto the little girl from before. She just watched as her student weakly confronted the Monster of the Mist. I have to do this, Noele told herself. It wasn¡¯t for revenge, and it wasn¡¯t because she was suicidal. It was because¡­ because¡­ Odell charged at her as he cackled wildly. The Noble Spellsword faced him down fearlessly, inhaling softly. That was right. Everything she did was for one reason and one reason only. It was the very same reason she approached Amelia in the first ce. It was why she became an adventurer all those years ago. It was because she had to be strong to protect the weak. And to do that, she needed to defeat the monster guing her past. Noele had to bring justice for her sister once and for all. She picked up the broken de at her feet with her left hand, before charging back at Odell. His broadsword glowed with a purple light, shimmering brightly as she sprinted his way. Her shoulders ached. Blood trickled down her left arm. The Noble Spellsword was hurt, tired, and pushed to her very limits. All he needed was to catch her once, then she was dead. But the same could be said for him. He wasn¡¯t immortal. He could survive having his heart pierce. Maybe he could even survive having his head chopped off. And if that was the case, then Noele just had topletely destroy his body! Odell swung down with his broadsword before he even reached her. A purple st exploded her way like a wave. It ripped through the cobble street, but Noele leapt into the air with a [sh Step]. Once again, a golden aura wreathed what was left of her sword. She hovered high in the air, looking down at the Monster of the Mist as he snarled. ¡°You can¡¯t escape!¡± He pointed at her, unleashing a cone of corrupted magic her way. Noele fell upon Odell as the golden glow spread towards her broken de as well. She swerved out of the purple st as she tightly gripped both weapons. Glorious Noble¡­ She raised her right hand andnded right next to the Monster of the Mist. He roared as he swung at her, but she sidestepped the strike. Noele didn¡¯t counter attack just yet. Instead, she brought up the broken de as it wisped with power. And Elegant Noble¡ª ¡°You¡ª¡± Odell dropped his de as it cleaved the ground asunder. He raised a fist, punching for the Noble Spellsword. But she brought both the broken des of her sword down at once, swinging them down together as they crossed each other¡¯s paths. The Monster of the Mist watched with wide eyes as the two des touched, shining their brightest. And Noele yelled. ¡°¡ªsh!¡± A streak of golden energy engulfed the Monster of the Mist as he screamed in pain. The st overwhelmed him, sending him flying back and tearing his body apart. Amelia looked on as the city was lit up, zing brighter than the sun. Noele poured everything she had into that attack, refusing to let up, draining herself of all her remaining mana, until her magic finally dissipated. And Odell¡¯s screaming was silenced. MsD It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 It was finally over. The Monster of the Mist had been defeated. The Miststorm Riders were wiped out, and Odell was dead. Noele had won. She took in a deep breath as a gust of wind brushed over her, nearly knocking her off her feet. Exhaustion finally began to settle in, but she managed to stand upright for a moment longer. And that was when the golden aura coating her broken des dissipated. [Dance with Death] finally came to an end. The Noble Spellsword blinked, and found herself lying on the ground in the next instant. Her knees had buckled beneath her. She copsed, dropping both pieces of her sword. But Odell was dead, and that was all that mattered. Noele closed her eyes as she sighed wistfully. ¡°No one will ever die by his hands ever again.¡± She remembered her sister. The veryst moments of Nora the Noble Sworddancer¡¯s life had been burned into the blonde girl¡¯s mind. And it finally began to fade away. It wasn¡¯t that Noele was forgetting about Nora¡ª no, instead she recalled the rest of her memories with her sister. From the first time that Nora had brought the blonde girl to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Whiteridge to the moments where the Noble Sworddancer had showed off her brand new Skills with her dual des. Noele remembered it all. It was like a fog had been lifted and a haze cleared as she could actually think about her sister without tearing up. A smile slipped onto the Noble Spellsword¡¯s face as she sat up with a groan. ¡°Are you proud of me, sis¡ª¡± she started. And there was a st of purple energy. It came from the crater where Odell¡¯s bodyy, and the explosion shot up into the sky, parting the clouds. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°How¡­?¡± Odell the Monster of the Mist cackled as he rose to his feet. His body had been reduced to nothing but pieces of a torso mere moments ago. But now, he was back in perfect condition. It was like he hadn¡¯t even been blown to bits in the first ce. He looked no different than he was before he had even been impaled by Noele at the very start of their battle. There was no purple stain on his skin, nor did he look up at the Noble Spellsword with hollow eyes. He looked as human as ever, but wreathed in the Void¡¯s aura. ¡°Did you really think you won?¡± he said as he stepped forward. He strode out of the crater, chuckling as she stared in horror. ¡°You cannot defeat me. I haunt your dreams. I am your nightmares.¡± Noele tried to back away, but she could hardly even move. Her legs were too weak. Her hands numb from exhaustion. She flopped backwards as Odell drew closer, stronger than ever. ¡°Do you not understand? I am the Monster of the Mist. You¡­ you¡­¡± he trailed off, then paused. The purple aura wisping off him flickered. His right arm bulged, deforming as his skin rapidly decayed and ripped to amodate the new flesh. He stared down at himself, gritting his teeth. Odell tried to speak, but struggled to work his jaw as his left arm twisted into a withered tree branch. ¡°They call me¡­ the Monster of the Mist¡­ because¡­ bec¡ª¡± He reeled back, grasping at his face as his body continued to bend unnaturally. Noele just watched as Odell stumbled back, writhing in pain. He groaned, then screamed, and a pulse of purple energy rippled over Whiteridge. ¡°Y-you¡­ cannot¡­ e-escape¡­ me¡­¡± the Monster of the Mist gasped out, his voice echoing despite his screaming. Noele just looked on in disbelief as she heard a set of footfalls approaching her from behind. ¡°What is going on?¡± a voice asked, and she nced back. Saros stood there with round eyes as his gaze was fixed onto Odell¡¯s twisting figure. ¡°That power¡­ is that¡­?¡± And a terrible howling gale knocked Noele back as the Void¡¯s aura seemed to recede back into the Monster of the Mist. His distended body crumpled into a ball, even as he continued shouting with a distorted voice, no longer sounding like it belonged to him. ¡°You caNnOt EScaPe mE. YoU wIlL NEveR esCApE ME! YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE ME!¡± All at once, Odell¡¯s body rapidly shrunk and disappeared. For a moment, Noele just stared in shock as the world calmed again. The Gnome Inventor gaped behind her at the suddenly peaceful scene. And a rift tore through the world, pouring out an infinite empurpling darkness. Streaks of purple energy spun around this hole in space like a disc, and it unleashed an aura that seemed to corrupt everything it touched. It rapidly spread towards the Noble Spellsword as she just helplesslyy there. An unfamiliar booming voice screamed at her. ¡°I AM YOUR DESTIN¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Amelia said, slicing down with her sword. There was a sh of light. In a single sh, the brown-haired woman tore through the proliferating depravity, and cut the rift in half. The hole in space vanished as she sheathed her de. A white aura flickered around her before dissipating as the corrupted magic faded away. Noele and Saros just watched as Amelianded lightly at the edge of the crater. The two of them were at a loss for words. Neither of them moved, even as the world returned to normal. Amelia strode past them, and Noele finally mustered up the strength to speak. ¡°That¡­ wasn¡¯t Odell, was it?¡± the blonde girl asked. It couldn¡¯t be him. The Monster of the Mist looked like he had almost been possessed there at the end. Especially with that strange voice that chilled Noele to the bone¡ª it hadn¡¯t been Odell who was screaming. Odell¡­ had already been dead. Killed by whatever twisted being consumed him. Saros stumbled forward and fell to his knees. He steadied himself with both his hands on the ground as he blinked. ¡°That power¡ª it belonged to the Void. Why was it¡­? How did you¡­?¡± He turned to Amelia as she continued down the street. She nced back fractionally, before shaking her head. ¡°It was just a minor annoyance. That¡¯s all.¡± There was no boration beyond that. Amelia just walked on as both Noele and Saros continued gaping. And finally, the battle of Whiteridge came to an end. ¡ª-- I didn¡¯t stay to exin myself. It was too much of a hassle, and I didn¡¯t want to deal with it. At least, not right now. I just went around Whiteridge, offering healing potions to all the injured and wounded in battle. I also helped put out the burning buildings, and dug out those trapped underneath the rubble. Saros joined me soon after, and as did Deon. Skye and Noele were too exhausted and injured to help out, but we were just dealing with the aftermath, so their assistance wasn¡¯t really necessary. The entire time I was helping out, I could tell that Saros was giving me a side-eye, wanting to question me further. But a single re from me made it clear to the gnome that I didn¡¯t want to be bothered. He immediately froze up and stopped ncing towards me after that. I could exin what was going on, but then I had to exin a lot. I just closed my eyes as I recalled Odell¡¯s words. They didn¡¯t belong to him. His body had been taken over, used as a vessel for a being that was far more powerful than any living creature in all of Vacuos. Even Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s strength paled inparison to this entity. And it was an entity. It was not mortal. It was a god. It was the Voidgod. The very same Voidgod I had killed to escape the Fractured Realm. I could recognize its voice. I heard its echoes, even now. Because it was all that I had heard for so long¡ª for the entirety of that eternity I spent fighting the Void. And now, the Voidgod had returned. ¡°Of course,¡± I murmured to myself. It was evening by the time I was done helping Whiteridge with what I could. A quarter of the city had been burned down in that short period of fighting, and thousandsy dead. Fortunately, most of the civilians had been evacuated to the town square before the fighting even began¡ª not all of them, of course. Like the little girl I had saved. She had been hiding in her home because her parents were out when the evacuation order was called. I helped her find her mom and dad, reuniting them before breaking off to find Noele once more. I ran into Nicole and Garron, but the blonde girl was nowhere to be found. Nicole immediately panicked when she realized her daughter was missing, and I had Garron hold her back as I searched for Noele. It didn¡¯t take me long to find Noele. She was hanging around at the edge of the city, standing atop the rubble where the wall had fallen. Her gaze was fixed in the far distance where smoke was billowing up from the burning farnds around Whiteridge, painting the skies a dour gray. ¡°Noele,¡± I said her name, and she nced back my way. ¡°Your mom is looking for you.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Noele blinked a few times. She looked like she was in a daze. Barely focused¡ª her attention still partially on the curtain of smoke surrounding the city. I raised a brow at her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ not really.¡± She inhaled deeply. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ unsure how I¡¯m supposed to feel.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, and the blonde girl shook her head. ¡°I thought I would be happy. The Miststorm Riders are finally gone. I had defeated Odell myself, and my sister can rest easy now. But even after all that, I¡¯m still¡­¡± she trailed off. I didn¡¯t say a word. I remained silent, and Noele just sighed. She shifted ufortably before turning to face me with her lips pressed thinly together. ¡°I¡¯m still processing it, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°It feels so surreal. Like nothing is real.¡± I closed my eyes, nodding slowly. ¡°I get that. I really do.¡± Noele just chuckled weakly as she looked down at the palm of her hand. ¡°I never thought this day woulde, you know? I always dreamt of it, but it felt more like a fantasy than anything. It never actually felt like a real¡­ goal?¡± She spoke uncertainly as I opened my eyes and stared at her. I didn¡¯t say a word. I truly understood how she felt¡ª how thoughts and dreams always felt like they were so far out of reach, but when they were actualized into reality, all that was left was a lingering feeling of emptiness. So there was nothing for me to say. I just stood there, letting Noele sort out her own thoughts. She clenched a fist and raised her gaze. ¡°Amelia, about what happened with Odell¡ª¡± she started. ¡°Please don¡¯t pester me with questions about it,¡± I said tly. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She nodded back at me. I looked on as the blonde girl looked at me with her white eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you when you were trapped in the Void, but I know you don¡¯t want to talk about it. So I won¡¯t ask you any questions about it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. I wasn¡¯t expecting that answer. Noele simply brought her fist to her chest. ¡°I just want you to know that I am going to keep getting stronger, Amelia. And whenever you¡¯re ready to talk about your problems, if I am strong enough, I don¡¯t want you to be afraid to ask for my help. Because you¡¯re my mentor. You helped me achieve my dreams. And I want to be able to help you as well.¡± She held my gaze as she finished. I stared at her for a moment. I saw the resolve in her eyes. The Noble Spellsword wore a mix of gratitude and determination on her face. There were no ulterior motives there¡ª nothing for her to gain. There was no trade, no barter. She wanted to help me with my problems, and that was it. I opened my mouth, then slowly smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± And I truly meant what I said. ¡ª-- Noele felt at ease, getting what she wanted to say off her chest. She simply followed her mentor back into Whiteridge as she closed her eyes and finally sorted through the World System¡¯s messages. [You have defeated the Graceful Twins!] [You have defeated the Crimson w!] [You have defeated the Bone Crusher!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 54!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 55!] [Skill Evolved: Noble sh -> Noble Aura de!] [Skill Gained: Dual Wielding Mastery] [Skill Gained: Graceful Dancing] [ss Advancement Now Avable!] The Noble Spellsword came to a halt when she saw the final message. She had¡­ a ss advancement avable? But that wasn¡¯t right. Those typically only came in increments of ten, not increments of five. This didn¡¯t make any sense. She ground to a halt as Amelia continued on, not noticing what was happening with the blonde girl. Noele quickly focused on the ss advancement. A blue box shed before her face. And when she saw what it offered, her eyes went wide. ¡°What¡­? But¡­ why me?¡± she asked. But Noele never got an answer. MsD It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 ¡°My farm!¡± Nn eximed as he sped the back of his head. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Oops,¡± I said, looking at the half-burned down field. A thin trail of smoke rose to the sky as the sun began to set in the horizon. So, apparently, by forgetting about the torches while fighting Ray and the Miststorm Riders around Wolfwater, I had caused a ratherrge fire. And when I leapt for Whiteridge, I left the fire burning right next to Nn¡¯s farm, which ended up spreading to some of his crops. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I, uh, will pay you back?¡± Nn sighed. ¡°Thank you, but there¡¯s no need. It¡¯s not your fault that this happened.¡± ¡°Well, I still feel bad.¡± I pursed my lips. He was really one of the most helpful people I had met ever since arriving in Vacuos¡ª he was actually helping me get a ss, when most others turned me down. Honestly, I had been worried that something could have happened to him, so I left Whiteridge once I had brought Noele back to Nicole and Garron, and quickly returned to Wolfwater. Much to my relief, I found that the [Farmer] had been in Wolfwater when the Miststorm Riders arrived, and even though he wanted to warn me about the impending attack, he couldn¡¯t leave the vige to get to me. It was only when the mist cleared, and it was evident that the [Bandits] had been defeated, could he actually return to his farm. ¡°Is there really nothing I can do to help?¡± I offered. ¡°You saved my wife and my daughter,¡± Nn said, turning to me. He smiled and gave me a grateful look. ¡°That is a greater gift than anything else in the world.¡± I blinked, then I slowly nodded. ¡°I see.¡± ¡ª-- Over the next few days, Whiteridge, Wolfwater, and the surrounding viges spent most of their time rebuilding. Some grieved too, while others breathed a sigh of relief. All things considered, the siege didn¡¯tst long, thanks to my help. If I hadn¡¯t wiped out all of the Miststorm Riders when I did, Noele said that there was a high likelihood that there were going to be tens of thousands of casualties¡ª maybe even more. It was entirely possible that all of Whiteridge would have been razed to the ground, despite the plethora of A-ranks guarding the city. Those [Bandits] had been just that dangerous. But the aftermath mattered just as much as the event itself. Noele, Nicole, and Garron didn¡¯t return to Wolfwater until three dayster. They had stayed behind to help out where they could, only leaving when they were certain their aid wasn¡¯t needed anymore. Nn was more than happy to see them once again. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you and your mother are safe,¡± the [Farmer] said to his daughter. Noele just smiled in response, and Nicole¡ª despite her old age¡ª threw her arms over her husband. The blonde girl flushed in embarrassment as her parents held no reservations in their loving embrace. ¡°Mama¡­ Papa¡­¡± Noele murmured, covering her face. I just chuckled and shook my head. Whiteridge itself had taken quite the toll, with plenty of buildings needing to be repaired, and an entire section of the wall requiring reconstruction. But Wolfwater itself had suffered far less damage to its farndspared to the surrounding viges. Comparatively, there was much less work for us to do. But I still helped out where I could. The first thing I needed to do was clear up the charred crops from the field and sweep away the ashes. Nn was fortunate in that only a single field had been burned down, and most of it had already been harvested. I didn¡¯t want to damage the farnd further, so I took my time cleaning up the barren field. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t clear out all the ash. That had to be washed away by the rain or weather. And when that happened, the soil still couldn¡¯t be tilled just yet, because it might not even be arablend by the end of it. Nn knew a [Druid] from a neighboring vige who could help out in that regard. But she was mostly busy for now, and he wasn¡¯t in any rush to recultivate thend. Instead, he focused most of his efforts into helping the surroundingmunities by redistributing his stored food to those in need. Noele, Nicole, and Garron helped out in that regard too. I just mostly did what I could at the farm. The Miststorm Riders, despite their short-lived attack, had actually inflicted a lot of damage and affected a lot of lives. Cleaning up after this mess wasn¡¯t going to take a single day. It would take weeks¡ª maybe months¡ª for Whiteridge and the surrounding viges to fully recover from the devastation. And that was just the immediate aftermath of this attack. I managed to keep my involvement in defeating the Miststorm Riders on the downlow. Very few people knew who defeated the [Bandits] in that quick instant. But despite that, there was still going to be a ripple effect that spread throughout Laxo. There would be those drawn by the peculiarity of the situation leading to the Miststorm Riders defeat¡ª they¡¯d wonder what exactly it was that led to the thousands of [Bandits] dying all at once. They¡¯d want to investigate further into the matter, and if they found the right trail, they were going to be led right back to me. But that was not all. Because there was the fact that the Miststorm Riders were affiliated with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. They were worshippers of the Void¡ª or so Grat¡¯ra-zun had said. I had fought three of them at this point. Ray, Emory, and Odell. Each of them had used a depraved power. The magic of the Void. But Ray had hardly even used the abilities beyond what a voidling was capable of. Certainly, he was way stronger than the average voidling¡ª voidlings tended to be incredibly weak. Some of them were weaker than a child, although others could be quite dangerous. But they weren¡¯t capable of much variety in terms of attacks. Meanwhile, both Emory and Odell had used the magicks of a voidbeast. Everything from regeneration to weapon creation, I recalled facing them in the Fractured Realm. The only difference was that they were much weaker than the voidbeasts I had faced. Yet, it still didn¡¯t change the fact that they somehow tapped so deeply into the Void¡¯s power, they were capable of such dangerous abilities. And it was all due to the Voidgod. I sighed. Considering the fact that the Sect of Abyssal Thorns weren¡¯t going to be happy knowing that the Miststorm Riders were wiped out, and they all likely had ess to the depraved power of the Void¡­ Well, I just knew that whatever that woulde from the aftermath was going to be a massive pain. ¡ª-- Everton had fallen. Another city had been taken by the Kingdom of Kal. This time, it had barely put up any resistance. While the other cities of the Astrad Kingdom had fought long and hard till the bloody end to fend off the invasion, Everton had immediately surrendered when they saw him take the battlefield. Kallistus Kal himself won the battle with just his presence alone. He had simply strode towards the gates of the city, deflecting a powerful salvo of magical sts, before Everton finally realized it was utterly futile. He marched up to the gates of the city, and it opened for him. His army poured into Everton as he drew back. They upied the city, simply taking the soldiers and guards lining the walls as prisoners. There was no need for any senseless destruction or death. The [Hero King] tired of it. He paused at the foot of a hill overlooking Everton. For ten long years, he had fought. He had carried out his duty¡ª he had done what he had to do. But he was still trapped here in Vacuos. He closed his eyes, remembering a woman¡¯s face. A child¡¯sughter. It seemed so distant. And yet, he could remember it all like it was yesterday. The warmth of her touch. The joy of the child¡¯s smile. They were the reason why Kallistus fought. Now, he no longer cared for the System¡¯s decree. He only pursued one thing¡ª he only sought out a single destination. And that was a way back to them. To return to his family. Kallistus took in a deep breath, and he heard the Void¡¯s call. ¡°I am¡­ your¡­ des¡­ ti¡­ ny¡­¡± It sounded like it was echoing around him. But even as he swept his gaze over his army, he knew they didn¡¯t hear the distorted voice. Only the [Hero King] could parse the words. Because he had been chosen. He had been shown that there was only one path going forward. And Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t care what he had to do. He would like to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but if there was no other alternative, he was willing tomit any atrocity or war crime just so he could see his family again. He strode up the hill as his army roared, celebrating the capture of Everton without losing a single soldier. Not all battles were going to be like this. Especially since the [Hero King] had his own personal matters to attend to now. He returned to his steed, and a waiting figure at its side. Melissa raised her head, speaking softly as she addressed him. ¡°Congrattions on the resounding victory, my liege.¡± ¡°Thank you, Melissa,¡± he said simply in response as he mounted his horse. ¡°Do you bring me any news of import?¡± ¡°I do, my liege.¡± She closed her eyes and bowed low. ¡°I bring you news of the Miststorm Riders.¡± He nodded at her. ¡°I take it they have extricated themselves from the Astrad Kingdom?¡± While Kallistus himself disapproved of those [Bandits] and their atrocities, he had no choice but to work alongside them with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. They were supposed to provide a distraction. Divert some of the forces of the Astrad Kingdom away from the front lines. They had been rather effective thus far, but since they were so few in numbers, they couldn¡¯t maintain their presence for long. They would return eventually in the future, but for now, the n was that they would vanish and ¡®attack¡¯ the Kingdom of Kal. So he expected that answer. He anticipated Melissa to inform him of the Miststorm Riders attacking his own nation. But she shook her head, smiling back at him. ¡°The Miststorm Riders have been wiped out, my liege. Before they could escape into the Kingdom of Kal, they were defeated at Whiteridge. Now we do not have to worry about an attack on our eastern borders.¡± She spoke excitedly as Kallistus stared in shock. ¡°What¡­?¡± He looked down at her, wide-eyed. ¡°The Miststorm Riders were defeated? But that¡¯s¡ª¡± He bit his lower lip and cut himself off. Melissa nodded with a wide smile. ¡°Perhaps we could even ready a few [Architects] to build a bridge to cross over the Sofron River.¡± Kallistus didn¡¯t respond. The Archmage paused, taking notice of the [Hero King]¡¯s odd demeanor. ¡°Is something the matter, my liege?¡± she asked. He closed his eyes. He had nned to excuse himself from the battlefield upon hearing about the Miststorm Riders¡¯ raid on the Kingdom of Kal. But now he had no excuse. He couldn¡¯t just leave his army behind. ¡°No,¡± he said, opening his eyes. ¡°The n remains the same.¡± ¡°My liege?¡± Melissa peered into him, concerned. He pulled the reins of his horse, turning away from Everton. He started down the dirt path back towards his country as he spoke simply. ¡°I have my own matters to attend to, Melissa. You shall oversee the continued conquest of the Astrad Kingdom while I am gone.¡± ¡°But my liege¡ª¡± she started to protest. ¡°I shall return, Melissa,¡± he said, nodding at her reassuringly. ¡°There is no one I can trust but you to handle this for me.¡± She blinked a few times, then flushed. The Archmage swept into a deep bow. ¡°As you wish, my liege.¡± And with that, the [Hero King] left the battlefield. MsD Remember, I have a subreddit And here''s my weekly discussion thread! Be sure to vote on the poll there! It''s the start of the new month! That means it''s the best time to subscribe to my patreon! You can now read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon now! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve done this,¡± Nn said, grabbing the back of his head. I blinked a few times. ¡°Uh, what did I do wrong?¡± He stared at the raked field¡ª clean of ash and burnt crops. I hadn¡¯t taken any shortcuts like using magic to clear it, hoping that I would be awarded a ss. Of course, the System didn¡¯t offer me anything, which was about what I expected at this point. But I had thought that Nn would at least be d to see his farm restored to a pristine condition. As it turned out, I made a very big mistake. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± he sighed as he rubbed his temples. ¡°Ash is very rich in nutrients. It¡¯s good for the soil¡ª it works like a fertilizer. A very effective fertilizer. You didn¡¯t need to clean the ash from the soil because it would have helped new crops grow¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I tilted my head back. I looked back towards the tilled field, before pursing my lips. ¡°Well, fuck.¡± ¡ª-- Nn wasn¡¯t upset about it. He said that his [Druid] friend wasing to Wolfwater in a week anyways, so it didn¡¯t make too much of a difference whether the field was fertilized by the smoldering ash. I wasn¡¯t worried either. At worst, I felt slightly bad. But we had enough food in the grain reserve tost us for a while. There really wasn¡¯t much for me to dwell on. Still, I sat at the front porch of the farm, sighing as I stared up at the clouds above. There were still hints of the battle and destruction from the attack of the Miststorm Riders in the blue sky¡ª gray trails of ash that hovered up there, tinting the world so that everything was slightly duller. The atmosphere was dour, everyone was busy, I was bored with nothing to do, and cloud-gazing could only be entertaining for so long. But worst of all, I still didn¡¯t have a ss. Despite everything I had done over and around Nn¡¯s farm, I wasn¡¯t awarded the [Farmer] ss. At this point, I was resigned to the fact that the System probably hated me. Or maybe it just really desperately wanted a [Hero]... even though there was already a [Hero King] around. Something was clearly wrong, but I didn¡¯t know what. Grat-ra¡¯zun, Nn, and practically everyone I have ever spoken to never ever heard of such a problem before. The System was biased against me for some reason. One possibility I could think of was the fact that Grat-ra¡¯zun was right. I could have been Void-touched, which meant that the System could no longer grant me its powers. But that didn¡¯t make sense, because then I wouldn¡¯t even get the option to be a [Hero]. Another possibility was that I didn¡¯t actually think of myself as a farmer. Sure, I spent a lot of time farming and quite enjoyed theidback manualbor. However, in my mind, I was still a hero, which resulted in only that single ss option. And yet, I didn¡¯t think that was the case either. I heard a soft set of footsteps drawing closer to me, and I lowered my head. I looked down at the dirt road as a small figure approached. A chicken stood before me, tilting her head as she clucked. ¡°Hello Bucky,¡± I said, nodding at the chicken. ¡°So you survived.¡± She didn¡¯t respond, because chickens couldn¡¯t speak. I reached into my side pocket, producing a handful of seeds, before sprinkling them at Bucky¡¯s feet. She clucked and quickly began pecking the ground. I patted her lightly, smiling. ¡°You¡¯re pretty high-leveled, aren¡¯t you? Do you have a ss as well?¡± I asked. Obviously, the chicken didn¡¯t answer. From what I read up on at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, monsters didn¡¯t have sses, but they still could level up and grow stronger, eventually evolving to a stronger monster. I assumed the same could be said for animals until a few weeks ago, when Nn told me that animals had sses. Meaning, even a chicken could get a ss, while I could not. ¡°What kind of a ss do you have, anyways?¡± It wasn¡¯t an actual question. I was just wondering aloud as I scratched Bucky¡¯s neck, and she clucked at me. I leant forward, closing my eyes as I sighed. Bucky tilted her head, and I murmured to myself. ¡°The Voidgod is still alive.¡± It was a simple statement. A fact. There was no emotion attached to what I said¡ª my voice didn¡¯t inflect, nor did it lower. My eyes cracked open as I continued. ¡°I¡­ expected as much.¡± Bucky didn¡¯t understand what I was saying in the slightest. She was a chicken, and as far as I knew, chickens couldn¡¯t speak. I looked down, holding her chicken gaze as words echoed in my head. A susurration that came only from memory. The whispers of millions of haunting voices that filled my head. ¡°The Voidgod lives. And so shall it reign forevermore. It cannot die, nor can it be killed. For it is God. Fal-Deus the true God of Vacuos. Its powers disced, exiled by an alien race, it lurks beneath the world, waiting to take back its throne one day.¡± Bucky clucked. I drew my hand back from her head, before standing back up. I swept my gaze over the farm and stepped forward. I brought my hand up to the sky, then balled it into a fist. ¡°ept its power and save the world¡­¡± I said as I shook my head. ¡°Because apparently I¡¯m the only one who can be a hero.¡± I nced back down at Bucky. The chicken stared at me curiously¡ª no, she stared at the bag at my side curiously. I sprinkled another handful of seeds for her, which she greedily ate up. ¡°How did you escape your previous owner, anyways?¡± I asked, watching Bucky as she happily munched on her lunch. She didn¡¯t answer, but I still smiled. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re free now to live life as you wish. I¡¯d like that very much¡­¡± And yet, even though I was still trapped, I was¡­ kind of happy? At least,pared to when I was in Windrip, I felt fulfilled here. I had people I cared about, and I had something to do. I didn¡¯t have to fight to survive, nor did I have to worry about much beyond what was going on around me. Even if the System refused to give me the [Farmer] ss, I could still be a farmer anyways. I wasn¡¯t going to be beholden to the Voidgod, and I didn¡¯t have to live enved by the System either. I could do whatever I wanted. So that was exactly what I was going to do. Noele¡¯s family had been kind to me so far. And Garron was pretty nice too¡ª he stuck up for me even when I was aplete stranger who first showed up at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild with no ss. I could cook them some food from Earth for lunch to pay them back. ¡°Maybe¡­ fried chicken?¡± I tapped a finger on my chin. Bucky clucked, looking up at me as I chuckled. ¡°Not you, of course.¡± I patted her on the head again. ¡°But probably someone else¡¯s chicken, which probably doesn¡¯t make it that much better.¡± It was a good thing she didn¡¯t understand me. In any case, I didn¡¯t need the [Chef] ss to cook, nor did I need the [Farmer] ss to help out around the farm. After all, I didn¡¯t even need the [Hero] ss to save lives¡­ I strode back into the house, fully-resolved as Bucky just looked on. And she clucked. ¡ª-- Noele stared at the blue screen hovering before her gaze. She read the words again and again. It didn¡¯t change. It had been days at this point, but the words of the World System remained the same. She pursed her lips. And Garron¡¯s voice brought her out of her stupor. ¡°You alright, Noele?¡± Blinking, the Noble Spellsword nced up. The Steel Tank stood before her, peering at her with a worried look. The two stood in the middle of the road, leading to the outskirts of Wolfwater back to her papa¡¯s farm. She had somehow slowed to a halt while walking alongside Garron without even realizing it. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine,¡± she said quickly as she hefted up her sack. Both she and Garron were helping her mama bring the leftover grain they hadn¡¯t been able to hand out back to the house for storage. ¡°I just got distracted. That¡¯s all.¡± Noele shook her head, but the burly man frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve been acting quite distant for the past few days. Are you sure that something isn¡¯t bothering you?¡± he asked. She just smiled and waved a hand off. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine!¡± Her eyes darted to the side¡ª to the blue tint of the screen. Only she could see this message. It came from the World System, delivered to no one else but her. But a single bead of sweat trickled down Noele¡¯s neck as she feared that Garron could somehow see it. Of course, he could not. ¡°If it¡¯s about the Miststorm Riders¡ª¡± Garron started. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± the blonde girl said, cutting him off. ¡°I really am fine, Garron. Thank you for worrying about me. I was just daydreaming, that¡¯s all.¡± He paused, furrowing his brows. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Evidently, he didn¡¯t believe her. And she knew that. So Noele took in a deep breath and elbowed him with a grin. ¡°If you really want to help, I¡¯ve got a few new Skills I¡¯ve been wanting to test out,¡± she said as he blinked. ¡°We can spar when we get back.¡± Garron narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, seeing the way her demeanor suddenly shifted. Finally, he just smirked and nodded at her. ¡°I¡¯ve been training too. I¡¯m excited to show off a few things I learned, myself.¡± They bothughed and chatted as they made their way back to the farm. But even as Noele smiled, she couldn¡¯t help but look to the side. The ever-pervading blue screen refused to vanish. She didn¡¯t let it. With a single thought, she could make it appear, and she could make it disappear. But she stared at it, refusing to let it vanish. And that was because of what it said. [ss advancement avable! Please choose on of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡ª savior of the weak, and the light in the darkness. With des or magic, they will defend those who cannot fend for themselves, and they will rise to any danger that threatens the weak. It is the first step down the path of heroism, and that is why a [Champion] is a precursor to something greater¡­ something more¡­ Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses advancements avable for you.] Noele saw it. It had shown itself to her after she had defeated the Miststorm Riders¡ª no, that wasn¡¯t right. The Noble Spellsword had only seen it long after Odell the Monster of the Mist had perished. It was odd. It didn¡¯t make sense. The World System only ever gave rewards as soon as a feat had been aplished. And that meant she wasn¡¯t offered this ss advancement for defeating the Miststorm Riders. It wasn¡¯t even given to her for helping kill Odell. It was what came after that. When she spoke to Amelia¡ª when she offered to help Amelia against whatever threat the blonde girl didn¡¯t understand. And it was at that moment, she met a criteria she didn¡¯t even know existed. That was why she was given that ss advancement. So Noele had been given the chance to be a [Champion]. It was a ss that was often said to precede a [Hero]. It should have excited her¡ª anyone would be eager to ept a ss advancement, especially if it meant bing a [Champion]. But Noele didn¡¯t ept it just yet. Because she knew that it must have rted to Amelia somehow. And until the blonde girl figured out what it was, she wasn¡¯t going to be a [Champion]. Because it just wouldn¡¯t feel right. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 ¡°...what are you doing, Amelia?¡± Noele asked, blinking. I nced back from the stove and replied simply, ¡°I¡¯m cooking us lunch. Where are your parents at?¡± I only saw Noele and Garron standing at the front door. Both of them were carrying theserge Bags of Holding¡ª probably to carry grain. There was a crackle of oil, and I nced back down to the frying pan as a small fire sizzled beneath it. The Steel Tank frowned as he peered over my shoulder. ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± ¡°Fried rice,¡± I said as I stirred the pan. ¡°It¡¯ll be ready in a minute.¡± Garron just nched, and I rolled my eyes. I expected that reaction from him, considering I didn¡¯t have a [Chef] ss. But I was sure he was going to love it when he gave it a try. However, what I didn¡¯t expect was Noele¡¯s reaction. She bit her lower lip. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you trying to open up a food stall again?¡± ¡°You liked the burger, didn¡¯t you?¡± I scoffed, shaking the frying pan over the fire. Noele hesitated. ¡°I¡­ kind of did? But you barely got any sales, remember?¡± ¡°I just felt like cooking,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°This isn¡¯t for a food stall or whatever. And even if it was, it¡¯s not my fault Jax scared away my customers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Jax was the problem, Amelia.¡± The blonde girl eyed my food apprehensively. ¡°My cooking is fine.¡± I pulled the pan away from the stove, turning the fire down. It wasn¡¯t a gas stove, but it was a magical stove. I just had to press on a rune, and the mes would change in intensity¡ª it was really quiteparable to modern technology. I served the fried rice in arge bowl as Noele and Garron exchanged an uneasy nce. I knew my cooking was fine. I didn¡¯t need a ss to cook well. Maybe random strangers weren¡¯t going to give me a fair chance, but I knew I could convince Noele¡¯s family and Garron to try out my food, and I especially knew that they would find it delicious. ¡°Just give it a try, and if you hate it, you can spit it out and eat something else.¡± I spoke casually, and they acquiesced. I watched the two of them as they slowly sat down like they were condemned prisoners about to eat theirst meals. As they gave my food a taste test, I did wonder how Jax was doing. Didn¡¯t he go off to see Grat-ra¡¯zun or something? Man, I felt bad for the Elder Dragon¡­ I hoped that annoying elf wasn¡¯t going to pester him too much¡­ ¡ª-- ¡°Hm, what?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun blearily blinked his eyes open as he sat up in his cave. There was the tter of coins. His pile of gold and tinum shifted, and he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Did I doze off?¡± he groused as he raised a stubby arm and scratched his head. ¡°What was I doing again¡­?¡± He was an Elder Dragon¡ª one of thest in the world¡ª and he went by many names. He was known as Igniz¡¯s Arcane Champion; the King of the Crimson; the Wisest Sage of the World System; and more recently, the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. But he was also incredibly old, so his memory wasn¡¯t all that great. It took him a moment to finally remember what had happened before he fell back to sleep. And he recalled a rift in space. A creeping chill. And¡­ ¡°Oh, right. That girl.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun frowned as he mbered out of his bed of treasures. Two young women had intruded into his hiddenir. Annoying human adventurers. Or so he thought at first. But as it turned out, one of them had been an otherworlder, and they sought guidance. It was¡­ an embarrassing misunderstanding. Especially after the Elder Dragon had prostrated himself before them when he had exhausted all his traps and his greatest Skills. That otherworlder¡ª Amelia¡ª hadpletely overpowered his magicks, and he thought he was going to die. But she just asked him to teach her how to connect with the World System. It sounded like a simple enough task. Grat-ra¡¯zun almost found it to be ridiculous. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized something was amiss. After all, in over ten thousand years of his life, this was the first he had heard of such an issue. He almost felt that¡­ the World System could be¡­ The Elder Dragon¡¯s thoughts trailed off. And he blinked, eyes growing wide. ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª the Fal-Deus is making its return,¡± he eximed as he swept his gaze over the cave chamber. He scrambled forward, quickly sifting through his treasures. ¡°Where¡¯s that damn¡­ aha!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun produced arge glittering scroll. He opened it, and gleaming silver words shed on its magical parchment. His eyes quickly scanned through the messages¡ª it told him of every major news event that had happened in thest decade since he wasst awake. He read through it, nodding slowly. ¡°The otherworlder Kallistus Kal is summoned by the¡ª I was there for that, yes. The meteoric rise of the Miststorm Riders¡­ who are they?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun continued skimming through the scroll as he murmured. ¡°Ivory the Fairy Queen was ousted¡­ the Kingdom of Kal was formed¡­ the elves attempt a final assault on the sunken continent of Mare¡­¡± There was so much for the Elder Dragon to read through. It almost felt like a century¡¯s worth of events had urred in a mere decade. Everything from the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s rapid expansion throughout Laxo, to the extreme rise in terrorist attacks across Alius. That was not to mention the fact that the two-hundred year war between merfolk and elves had red up once again with the death of the former Merfolk Emperor. ¡°Vacuos should have just begun a new Age of Cmity,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said as he arched his brows. ¡°But this is far worse than any of the previous cycles I have ever seen. Could the Sect of Abyssal Thorns be behind this¡­?¡± It almost seemed artificial. The re of monster attacks was entirely in line with the past Cycles of Cmity. But everything else¡­ was happening too quickly. The Elder Dragon had lived long enough to realize that there was something more to these wars and conflicts. ¡°I will need to speak with the Archmage King or the Grand Sage about this¡­ wait¡ª¡± And Grat-ra¡¯azun froze. He stared at the most recent words etched onto his scroll. It brought him news from the recent days. Rumors that likely hadn¡¯t even reached Laxo yet. But it was news that would shake the entire world. ¡°The Grand Sage of Imbel Forest is dead?¡± the Elder Dragon sputtered as smoke huffed out of his nostrils. ¡°Impossible¡ª how did the Merfolk Empress kill him? He was the leader of the elves¡­ he was¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun could not believe his eyes. He caught himself, shaking his head. He would need to confirm the veracity of this news. The Grand Sage of Imbel Forest had been Level 73¡ª one of the very few SS-ranks in all of Vacuos. And certainly, he didn¡¯t have a ss specialized forbat. But he was at least equal in strength to the Level 68 Archmage King of Scholus. If the Merfolk Empress had in the Grand Sage in battle, that meant she was at least equivalent to an SS-rank threat. And Grat-ra¡¯zun could only think of one way she attained such great power so quickly. ¡°She must have been empowered by the Void itself,¡± he whispered in a harrowed voice. It was the only exnation. The Merfolk Empress must have been Void-touched¡ª perhaps even Void-blessed. Either way, her strength could not havee from the World System alone. Because to attain such power through ordinary means required a gradual growth. And in this millennium of peace prior to the beginning of the Age of Cmity, there weren¡¯t very many threats that could have let one easily reach SS-rank. But through the gifts of the Great Evil lurking beneath Vacuos, such powers could be attained in an instant. And that was why the return of the Fal-Deus could spell the end of the world¡ª it would have led to the beginning of the apocalypse. ¡°By the Thrones,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun cursed at the thought. Things were far worse than he thought. The Elder Dragon lowered the golden scroll. He must have made a mistake. When Amelia had shown up a few months ago, he thought that there was still time before the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns learned of the revival of the Fal-Deus. But he was already toote. He drew forward, tracing his wed fingers in the air as he prepared various [Message] spells. He was going to have to assemble those he could trust as soon as possible. Fortunately, thanks to Amelia, the defenses to hisir had already been dismantled. He didn¡¯t need to disable the dangerous spells surrounding his cavern to prepare for guests. ¡°Now, who should I contact?¡± the Elder Dragon wondered aloud as all kinds of magical sigils glimmered around him. He could think of dozens of individuals he could call, but a thought crossed his mind. ¡°And who has yet beenpromised by the Sect of Abyssal Thorns?¡± Their reaches must have spanned far and wide to influence the world to such an extent. There were only a few individuals Grat-ra¡¯zun could trust, and some of them might have even fallen to the Void¡¯s temptation. The Elder Dragon shook his head. ¡°First, I shall pay a visit to Scholus¡ª¡± And an explosion interrupted him. A powerful st struck his crimson scales as he recoiled, roaring in pain. He snapped his gaze back and opened his maw. ¡°Who dares¡ª¡± He barely caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure zipping across the ceiling before a second explosion engulfed him. It was apanied by a whistling sound, before sting out around him with sparks and glitter. The shockwave rippled across the cave chamber. Mountains of coins toppled, and ancient relics were sent scattering across the room. Grat-ra¡¯zun felt like he had been struck by a falling star. He ground his teeth together as he steadied himself from the attack. The shadowed figure zipped back as he unhinged his jaw. ¡°Burn!¡± he screamed, unleashing a plume of fire into the air. The mes struck the ceiling, and the st knocked the shadowed figure back. A white sphere flickered and shed, protecting the shadowed figure as it crashed into the ground. It¡­ no, she skidded to a stop right by the feet of another five figures standing at the entrance to the Elder Dragon¡¯sir. He narrowed his eyes as the first figure picked herself up, flitting back up into the air. A small set of wings buzzed behind her as she dusted herself off. She was tiny¡ª barely bigger than a gnome. Behind her, a tall figure towered over her. And four more figures waited at the side, smirking even in the face of an Elder Dragon. There were six of them in total, and Grat-ra¡¯zun recognized all of them. ¡°Ivory the Fairy Queen?¡± His eyes went round as he stared at the first figure. She raised her head, blinking as he said her name. Her brows snapped together and she snorted. ¡°I am now the Exiled Queen, thank you very much.¡± He swept his gaze past her¡ª at the looming creature that stood at ten feet tall. With a glistening sable skin, that was also as hard as rock, and glinting red eyes that peered at the dragon with no emotion. ¡°Rakash the Tormentor of Alius.¡± The troll hefted an obsidian axe over his shoulder. He did not grin. He did not smile. He was the horror that haunted the dwarven nations on the other side of Vacuos. At dawn, he would appear before a vige, town, or a city. At dusk, he would leave behind nothing but ruins. He alone was responsible for a million deaths across Alius over thest twenty-years. And it was his actions that inspired many trolls, gnomes, ogres, and nagas to do the same. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes darted to the remaining four figures. Two of them were clearly human, one of them was an elf, and thest was one of the merfolk. Their reputations were not nearly as prevalent as the first two, but the dragon still knew of their names. ¡°Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer. Delmer the Sentinel of Light. Usil the Malevolent Berserker. And Si-Vus the Land Conqueror.¡± All six of them were high S-rank in level. They gathered before the Elder Dragon¡¯sir as he stared at them uncertainly. He straightened, eyeing their every move. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun asked. ¡°Why have youe to myir?¡± They exchanged a nce. For a moment, none of them said a word. Then Ivory justughed. ¡°We¡¯re here to kill you for our King, of course.¡± And she raised a sparkling wand, unleashing a flurry of twinkling stars his way. MsD The end of book 1 approaches :) You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Announcement Big shoutout to my good friend Azrie who just published ir Book 1 onto Amazon KU! You guys should check it out, it''s great! I beta read it before it even published on RoyalRoad, and it has a dope ass cover. Seriously, check it out! An Action-Packed LitRPG Apocalypse! The elves took everything. Following a bloodied ughter of her whole race, and struggling to stay alive, she had no choice but to survive on her own. That was until the world changed. Her entire; a whole cluster was introduced to the vast universe by The System, or perhaps God. A universe filled with endless beings and civilizations that fought for power and dominance. After the integration, ir finds herself in a forest surrounded by unknown beasts, peril lurking, alone. Alone and with nothing but the mentality to survive, she will have to get stronger in this new unforgiving world of numbers and power. With nothing but the capability to get stronger, her distant dreams of revenge might just be a reality. Blooming Apocalypse: A LitRPG Adventure (ir, Book 1) - Kindle edition by Azrie. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ . It was a dragon. Not just any ordinary dragon¡ª but an Elder Dragon. After the fall of the Grand Nova Empire, the Elder Dragons dwindled in number until only five of them remained. One hidden in each continent, with thest taking to the skies. But the Elder Dragon that took to the skies never returned, and the Elder Dragon that lived in the elven continent of Drazyl had been mysteriously in nearly ten years ago. So there most likely there were only three Elder Dragons left, and Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer was staring at the greatest of them all. A hulking crimson beast towered over the cave chamber. A pair of wings unfurled behind its back like a royal mantle, and a set of horns rested upon its head like a majestic crown. It stared down at the six intruders like they were mere insects¡ª cold callous eyes that somehow burned with a righteous anger. Grat-ra¡¯zun, the Great Rakaarzun, and the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais stood before Ammon, exhaling a plume of smoldering smoke. The Archsorcerer couldn¡¯t lie and say that he wasn¡¯t nervous. But he had a job to do. It was a task entrusted to him by his King. He gulped, swallowing away the bands of fear tightening in his throat, before turning to hispanions. Five other figures stood with him. Ivory the Exiled Queen. Rakash the Tormentor of Alius. Delmer the Sentinel of Light. Usil the Malevolent Berserker. And Si-Vus the Land Conqueror. They were an eclectic group of men and women. Ivory was a small fairy, Rakash a tall troll, Delmer a human male, and Usil an female elf. Ammon¡¯s gaze lingered over thest member of the group. Si-Vus was one of the merfolk. But he did not have fins, nor did he have the lower body of a fish. He looked like a human, except with craggy gray scales mixed with green barnacles that sprouted like a rash. He had gills around his neck, and the right arm of a lobster. His left arm looked like an ordinary hand¡ª no different from an elf or a gnome or a human¡ª and he carried a trident. As a human, Ammon had scarcely ever seen one of the merfolk before. They were so embroiled in their conflict with the elves, they were rarely ever sighted around the other continents. But Si-Vus was different. He had been one of the greatest generals of the previous Merfolk Emperor; he had assured victory against the elves. However, the futile assault against Drazyl failed, and the Merfolk Emperor was in in battle. Si-Vus abandoned his post in shame, self-exiling from Mare, never to return again. It was something Ammon could somewhat empathize with¡ª to be thrown out upon the first sign of failure, despite beinguded and praised when he had seemed to be a generational talent. It was a ridiculous expulsion predicated on false reasons. And it was a simr tale all throughout the group. Ammon nced to the side, his gaze sweeping past the remaining four members gathered here. All of them shared the same fate. They were all outcasts. Whether they were exiled or betrayed, it didn¡¯t matter. They had been lost souls until they were saved. Until their King saved them. All of them were grateful. Even Ammon, who normally was quite averse to showing any kind of gratitude. Each and every one of the six of them would do anything for their King. They would even die for their King. And that was why they banded together to face certain death¡ª to challenge the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s menacing gaze swept over the six of them, and a shiver ran down Ammon¡¯s spine. ¡°Why are you here?¡± the Elder Dragon asked. ¡°Why have youe to myir?¡± It was Ivory who answered with a wave of her wand. ¡°We¡¯re here to kill you for our King, of course.¡± Without warning, she unleashed a flurry of shooting stars at Grat-ra¡¯zun. The dragon narrowed his eyes, creating a fractal barrier. The protection spell easily deflected the attack as he snorted. ¡°Do you think such pathetic attacks could harm me?¡± It shook its head, waving a dismissive hand as a powerful gust of wind swept over the six intruders. ¡°Begone, you lowly S-ranks, before I exterminate you pests.¡± The six of them nearly went flying just from that simple spell. Ammon gritted his teeth, fighting back with all his strength just to remain standing. Such was the might of the Elder Dragon. An SSS-ranked threat¡ª one of maybe only three in the world. Even with a hundred S-ranks working together, Ammon highly doubted they¡¯d be able to take down Grat-ra¡¯zun. And yet, the six of them had confidently strode into their for a reason. Ammon closed his eyes as he reached for something far beyond him. He could hardlyprehend it, but his King had shown him this power. It connected with his heart, filling him¡ª filling all six of them¡ª with the same corrupted magic. ¡ª-- ¡°Fools.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun turned away, snorting as if they were already gone. After he had broken out of his confusion, he decided that it wasn¡¯t worth his time to question why these six were here. They were mere S-ranks standing before the face of the most powerful being in all of Vacuos. He could have dealt with them in his sleep. So he just focused on matters that were important. Contacting the Archmage King of Scholus was a far more pressing issue, especially with the return of the Fal-Deus¡ª And then there was a sh of a dark, violet light. The dragon paused, ncing back with a frown. A powerful aura suddenly rippled through each of the six figures. Ivory, Rakash, Ammon, Delmer, Usil, and Si-Vus strode forward as they were suddenly wreathed in purple ribbons of light. Grat-ra¡¯zun eyed them, sensing the twisted power. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± And Rakash moved. He leapt forward, reaching the Elder Dragon in an instant. A twisted aura had propelled the troll forward, before covering his axe as he swung down. Grat-ra¡¯zun raised a wed hand and summoned his fractal barrier. ¡°[Shield of¡ª¡± the dragon started. But the troll swung down, speaking a single word. It reverberated with the same unholy magic as he shattered the ss-like sphere. ¡°Sunder.¡± The barrier copsed into a thousand shards as Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes widened. The dragon narrowly avoided Rakash¡¯s cleaving sh as it tore through the cave chamber, ripping the ground open. The attack tore through mountains of gold coins. It even destroyed some of the closest artifacts¡ª weapons and armors that could have been wielded by any S-rank. Grat-ra¡¯zun just stared in shock at the disy of power. ¡°How?¡± It was a simple question. But it wasn¡¯t going to be answered. The dragon staggered back, still reeling from the shockwave, when a pair of figures nked him. Both Usil and Si-Vus appeared at his side, unleashing an onught of attacks that tore through Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s scales. He roared in pain as the purple aura coating their des cut deep into him. ¡°You dare test my patience?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun swung at them with his tail, shouting in anger. The elf and the merfolk were knocked back by the strike, and he pointed at them. A white light shed as his wounds slowly healed. ¡°[Vindicated Repulsion]!¡± And a barrage of strikesshed out through the air¡ª magical shes that mimicked the same attack Usil and Si-Vus had loosed upon him. They braced themselves, but Delmernded between them. The human brought down a shield as a dark dome protected them, taking the brunt of Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s spell. The Elder Dragon frowned, watching as his Level 70 Skill was stopped by a mere S-rank adventurer. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. That made no sense¡ª Grat-ra¡¯zun should have been able to defeat the six of these intruders with ease, regardless of their reputation. But somehow, they could challenge him. And that irked the dragon. Grat-ra¡¯zun raised a wed hand as the dark dome dissipated. He opened his maw as a spell circle shed abovehead. He had been holding back because he didn¡¯t want to damage hisir, but by the looks of it, that wasn¡¯t a possibility. So he began to let loose. ¡°[Omnidirectional¡ª¡± But another voice cut him off. ¡°Negation.¡± The Elder Dragon paused as the spell circle vanished in an instant. His gaze snapped to the side as he stared at Ammon pointing at him. Was that [Dispel Magic]? No¡ª that couldn¡¯t be right. But how did Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s Skill disappear? The Archsorcerer smirked, before pping his hands together. ¡°Voiding.¡± And Grat-ra¡¯zun reeled. The entireir was enveloped with a twisted purple light. The artifacts and relics lying at the dragon¡¯s feet flickered, their magic dying, and the gold coins decaying. The Elder Dragon shivered violently as he finally could fully grasp this corrupted power. His eyes went round as he stared at Ammon. Grat-ra¡¯zun felt the ever-present warmth of the World System fading away. He tried to reach for his Skills, but none answered. He tried to work his jaw as he spoke in disbelief. ¡°This is¡ª have you all been Void-touched?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ivory said, chuckling as she teleported before him. She pointed a wand at his head, and it shed with a rippling aura. ¡°We have been Void-blessed.¡± And the Elder Dragon recoiled as his face was engulfed by a purple st. ¡ª-- Void-blessed. That was what this power was called. Ammon had not understood this power at first. His King had shown it to him, but it wasn¡¯t like any magic he had ever seen. It wasn¡¯t something the Arcane Archsorcerer had even been able toprehend. But that was because it was no ordinary magic. It was the depraved magic of the Void. A power that Ammon had been taught to fear and revile from a very young age. And yet, he now indulged in its blessings without care in the world. It was something that even the Sect of Abyssal Thorns had failed to realize¡ª they were so foolish, they merely used the Void¡¯s power to enhance both their magical and physical prowess. While it was a boon, it was also severely limited, unlike the gifts Ammon and the other five had been given. The Archsorcerer watched as the dragon swatted Rakash out of the air. He crashed hard into the ground, cut up by the sharp ws, only to quickly get up with ease. The troll¡¯s wounds quickly healed as he hefted his axe up, before charging into battle once again. Regeneration, increased strength, empowered magic. To be Void-blessed meant that Ammon was at least an SSS-ranked threat as he was right now. He could conjure up attacks that exceeded everything he ever dreamt of doing, and they worked just like Skills. ¡°Snare.¡± Delmer pointed at the Elder Dragon. A translucent purple shot out as Grat-ra¡¯zun snapped his jaw at Ivory. He spun around, shing with Usil¡¯s twin des. But Si-Vus crashed into the dragon¡¯s side, knocking him off bnce. And the Snare enveloped Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s figure. The Elder Dragon blinked as Si-Vus leapt back,nding right next to Delmer. ¡°This one thinks that this battle is over,¡± the merfolk said, ncing up at the struggling Grat-ra¡¯zun. ¡°That one cannot fight without Skills.¡± The Elder Dragon roared and spread his wings wide to break free from the, only for both Ammon and Ivory to unleash a barrage of sts at him. He fell back as his powerful roar became a whimper. ¡°Oh, how the mighty fall,¡± Ivory giggled, and Rakash fell upon the dragon. ¡°Smash.¡± The troll swung hard into Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s back. The shockwave actually made Ammon stumble. A st of purple energy shot out, disintegrating the horde of treasures. Mount Arkais itself quaked as the cave chamber rumbled. It took a moment for the dust to settle, and Ammon heard a weak wheeze. He looked up to see the Elder Dragon lying there, body curled up as a giant empurpled axe dug into his back. He couldn¡¯t move, and he was bleeding. His wings were torn and tattered¡ª his scales had been shredded open as Rakash stood on his head. ¡°So even dragons bleed,¡± Delmer remarked as he approached the copsed figure. Usil scoffed and shook her head. ¡°Of course they do. And they can die too.¡± Ammon, Ivory, and Si-Vus followed. The five of them gathered before the defeated Elder Dragon as Rakash dug his foot down, mping Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s mouth shut. ¡°This was almost too easy.¡± Ivory yawned, and the Elder Dragon¡¯s eyes darted towards her. ¡°I would have thought an Elder Dragon would have put up more of a fight.¡± ¡°Once I had cast Voiding, the battle was already won,¡± Ammon said, waving a hand dismissively. Grat-ra¡¯zun huffed as smoldering smoke puffed out of his nostrils. ¡°As we all know, we are up against the Wisest Sage of the World System. That means without the World System, he is nothing.¡± The entire cave chamber had been wreathed in the Void¡¯s touch. The World System couldn¡¯t reach this section of Mount Arkais. So no matter how hard Grat-ra¡¯zun tried, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to call upon his Skills. All he had left to fight with were his ws and his teeth. But once he was subdued¡­ well, the oue was evident. Ivory looked down at the Elder Dragon and sighed dismissively. ¡°Finish him, Rakash.¡± Ammon watched as the troll nodded. That was the difference between them. Thanks to the Void¡¯s blessing, the six of them were practically invincible, while the dragon was still merely a mortal. Rakash the Tormentor of Alius took a step forward as he heaved up his axe¡ª and Grat-ra¡¯zun unhinged his jaw. The six gathered figures blinked, and the Elder Dragon opened his mouth. There was barely a crack between his teeth. But Ammon sensed the deluge of magic before it came. He saw the crimson glow growing brighter. And maybe that was how he reacted in time. ¡°You¡­ WRETCH!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun let out a terrible roar. A st of mes shot out a moment after, flooding the cave chamber. It didn¡¯t stop. It continued filling the core of the mountain until¡ª ¡ª-- The crowned gryphon. It was a majestic beast. Terrible, but majestic. One of the apex predators of the lower regions of Mount Arkais. An S-ranked threat that basked in its own power. Although it had been injured by a passing meteor a while back, it was fully recovered now, and stronger than ever. It swept its gaze over its domain. It saw the vast sea of trees¡ª a dense forest of monsters that hid from this great predator. It looked beyond the canopy of green, towards the tall mountain up ahead. While there were yetis and other such monsters up there that could threaten the crowned gryphon, none of them ever descended to its domain. So it could rest easy knowing that nothing will ever challenge its authority over thesends¡ª And Mount Arkais exploded. ¡ª-- Mount Arkais exploded. A powerful crimson st ripped a hole straight through the tallest mountain in all of Vacuos. It was an explosion that was heard all throughout Laxo¡ª its shockwave washing over the nearby forests, toppling trees and splitting the ground open. Ammon hovered in the air, watching from above as a massive caldera-like crater tore through the side of Mount Arkais, followed by a pir of mes. It shot up a thousands of feet into the sky, rapidly evaporating the nearby clouds, and clearing the afternoon sky as far as the Archsorcerer could see. The Elder Dragon¡¯sir was gone. All that remained was fire. A raging me that quickly spread across the aridndscape, burning everything it touched. Molten rock slid down the mountain likeva as the forest below caught ame, and the trickle of sweat on Ammon¡¯s forehead instantly dried up. The Arcane Archsorcerer had escaped just before the explosion destroyed the top of Mount Arkais. He had teleported out with Ivory, Delmer, Usil, and Si-Vus just in the knick of time. The only one that had been left behind was Rakash. Ammon¡¯s eyes narrowed as he saw a hulking crimson figure emerging from the mes. Grat-ra¡¯zun rose above the destruction, beating his majestic wings behind him. His gaze burned with anger, and he carried a charred figure in his wed hand. ¡°I AM GRAT-RA¡¯ZUN!¡± the dragon roared. ¡°THE GREAT RAKAARZUN. GLORIOUS TERROR OF MOUNT ARKAIS.¡± The five remaining intruders watched as the mes shot up, ascending with the Elder Dragon. All sense of invincibility Ammon felt before had evaporated as he felt the intense heat encroaching on him. Grat-ra¡¯zun continued listing his titles as he flew higher and higher, until he was floating just before the five of them. ¡°IGNIZ¡¯S ARCANE CHAMPION. KING OF THE CRIMSON FLAME. ONE OF THE LAST ELDER DRAGONS LEFT ALIVE IN ALL OF VACUOS. AND¡ª¡± Smoke trailed from the dragon¡¯s nostrils as he eyed the intruders. So this is the power of an Elder Dragon, Ammon mused. And all at once, Grat-ra¡¯zun unleashed an unending st of crimson mes, destroying everything in its path. ¡°YOU SHALL ALL BURN!¡± MsD This is my favorite chapter of all of Book 1 You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Grat-ra¡¯zun had tried to hold back. There was no reason for him to go all out against a group of S-ranks¡ª especially not in hisir. His horde held a multitude of priceless artifacts and timeless relics mixed amongst the piles of gold coins. Grand weapons that could arm entire cities. Nes, rings, and other glittering jewelry that could fill any nation¡¯s coffers. And so, the Elder Dragon refused to unleash his full might, out of fear of destroying his treasures. But these S-ranks had been Void-blessed. They had been gifted powers that made them as strong as an SSS-rank threat. They used skills that were not granted to them by the World System¡ª wielding magic that had been tainted. It was through this power did they destroy the dragon¡¯s horde. Grat-ra¡¯zun had been forced to the brink of defeat, watching as his treasures were reduced to nothing. Millennia of hard work, gone. Just like that. And now he had nothing holding him back anymore. So he was left with no other choice but to show them the glorious terror of the highest-leveled being in all of Vacuos. ¡ª-- Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer watched as the crimson mes poured forth. They billowed down towards him in an endless deluge, destroying everything in their path. He barely moved out of the way in time, shooting up into the air with a burst of magic. And beneath him, the mes continued to ravage the forests around Mount Arkais. He looked down at the burningndscape. Just mere moments ago, the mountainous region had been at peace. Birds soared high in the sky, and animals roamed below the canopy of green. Monsters slumbered or hunted, although that was the natural order of the world. But now, the top of Mount Arkais had been destroyed¡ª like it had undergone a violent eruption as a caldera now scarred where the peak of the mountain had once been. Molten stone drizzled down to the forests below, and ash rained from the sky. A raging wildfire spread far and wide, only growing as Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s ming breath tore through the earth. This was Mount Arkais. It was one of the most dangerous regions in all of Vacuos. And yet, the Elder Dragon¡¯s fury hadpletely devastated the terrain. Monsters and animals alike fled the destruction, hearing the furious roar shaking the earth. But they weren¡¯t the ones caught in the dragon¡¯s ire. It was the six intruders who had invaded Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯sir and disturbed his slumber. He looked up at Ammon who pointed down and cried out. ¡°Explosion.¡± The Arcane Archsorcerer levitated there and watched as the world twisted around the dragon. Grat-ra¡¯zun reeled in pain as a st engulfed him, interrupting his ming breath. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary st¡ª it seemed to be a reverse explosion, tearing its way into the Elder Dragon¡¯s scales. He covered his body with his wings, letting their glistening scales take the brunt of the attack, before raising a wed hand. He carried a burnt figure in his ws. It was Rakash the Tormentor of Alius. The only one who had been caught in the initial explosion. And with a swing, the dragon tossed the crisp body of the troll at Ammon. The Archsorcerer¡¯s eyes grew wide. He couldn¡¯t dive out of the way in time. He was struck out of the air, barely catching hispanion as four other figures encroached on the Elder Dragon. Ivory, Delmer, Usil, and Si-Vus nked Grat-ra¡¯zun with a barrage of attacks. Whether it was magic or a flurry of strikes. They battled in the air, zipping around the dragon like mere flies. And as Ammon looked on, he felt the burnt body of Rakash twitching. The troll began to regenerate from his wounds. Despite being nearly reduced to ash, he could still move and recover. Ammon quickly cast a [Flight] spell on hispanion, before hearing the Elder Dragon¡¯s roar in the distance. Grat-ra¡¯zun raised a wed hand and bellowed as his four assants backed up. ¡°[Omnidirectional Acid Hail]!¡± And thousands of spell circles formed in the air. They circled around all six of the intruders. They appeared everywhere Ammon could see. He clicked his tongue, flying back as he held onto Rakash¡¯s healing body. All at once, a barrage of green spikes shot out. Like rain that poured forth from every direction. The Archsorcerer waved a hand, sending his own explosive projectiles against the hail of acid¡ª the explosions protecting him from the dragon¡¯s spell. Usil swung out with her dual des, and Ivory just fluttered in between the falling acid. Meanwhile, Delmer created a purple barrier that shielded him and Si-Vus from the [Omnidirectional Acid Hail]. The volley of projectiles swerved around the Elder Dragon, giving him a wide berth so they wouldn¡¯t hit him. Ivory must have noticed this as she zipped straight at him. A few of the acid spikes grazed her, but she quickly recovered from those wounds by the time she reached her target. The fairy sent a st of Void magic into his side, and he recoiled. ¡°You cannot kill us!¡± the Exiled Queenughed. ¡°We are immortal!¡± She continued unleashing her attacks at him as she flew up the length of his body. He reeled in pain until she reached his face. Ivory waved her wand, and a falling star crashed down from the sky. But the Elder Dragon vanished. ¡°What¡­?¡± She blinked, and a shadow loomed over her from behind. ¡°A teleportation spell?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll keep regenerating, I just have topletely destroy you until nothing is left!¡± a voice rumbled behind the fairy. She spun around just in time to see the Elder Dragon p his wed hands together and bellowed. ¡°[Eternal Prison of Heat Death]!¡± Ammon¡¯s eyes went wide as a dimensional cube encased the Exiled Queen. Ivory shouted something as she spun around, sting the walls of her prison. But she couldn¡¯t break free. She flitted back and forth in a panic as the ss-like panels surrounding her fogged up. The cube¡¯s walls turned white¡ª an opaque screen that Ammon couldn¡¯t see through. He held his breath for a moment, even amidst the falling acid rain. And the cube shattered. Millions of broken ice shards copsed, raining down into the burning world below. Ammon waited to see the Exiled Queen flying out from the spell unscathed. But she never appeared. It took the Arcane Archsorcerer a moment to process what just happened. ¡°Ivory is¡­ dead?¡± He gaped in horror. ¡°It appears so,¡± a weak voice gasped out, and Ammon looked down. Rakash leant forward as his back cracked. His body mostly healed, but still slightly charred. The troll shook his head and pushed off the human¡¯s arms. ¡°We need to disable Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s Skills, lest we will lose this battle.¡± Rakash spoke simply. Ammon nodded. ¡°I cannot use Voiding again just yet. But I can set up an [Lesser Antimagic Zone] if you give me enough time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to use a Skill?¡± The troll cocked a brow. ¡°We have no other choice,¡± Ammon said. Rakash reached to his side then paused. His axe had been destroyed, and all that he had left were his fists. He shook his head. ¡°Then I will distract the dragon.¡± And he dove straight for Grat-ra¡¯zun. Ammon watched as the troll returned into the fray, before beginning to cast his spell. He hadn¡¯t called for the World System¡¯s powers in so long, but it was still a familiar feeling to him. ¡°[The Arcana Of Angels. Emptied And Devoid¡ª]¡± Meanwhile, Rakash crashed into the Elder Dragon¡¯s back as Usil and Si-Vus backed away from the dragon¡¯s breath. Delmer raised a palm, and dark tendrils shot out, binding Grat-ra¡¯zun as Ammon finished. ¡°[Lesser Antimagic Zone]!¡± the Arcane Archsorcerer yelled. And a massive spell circle formed beneath the dragon. Grat-ra¡¯zun looked down with narrowed eyes, the intensity of his mes weakening. He tried to burn off the tendrils holding him back, only to fail. Ammon smirked. It was an S-rank Skill, which seemed to pale inparison to the SSS-rank dragon¡¯s might. But evidently enough, it was still able to dull Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s magic to the point that even he was taken aback. Rakash grabbed onto the Elder Dragon¡¯s wings, pulling them back as Usil flew high up. The elf crashed down like aet, wreathed in a purple aura, and spun like a cyclone of des. Grat-ra¡¯zun roared, watching the Malevolent Berserker approach him. And there was a thunderous crack. ¡°[True Lightning]!¡± A st of white light shot down from the sky, tearing through the [Lesser Antimagic Zone] with ease. It struck Usil before she could even react. There was a blinding sh. Ammon hadn¡¯t even realized what happened until he saw the ash scattering with the wind. The elf was dead in that instant. And Grat-ra¡¯zun grabbed Rakash, before tossing the troll down into the molten ground. ¡°You are all weak!¡± the Elder Dragon¡¯s voice boomed as he swatted Si-Vus to the side. He wed through his bindings and pointed at Delmer. ¡°Be torn apart in a [Particle Storm]!¡± The Sentinel of Light backed away, creating a purple barrier. But Ammon looked on as a wave of nanoparticles crashed into the dome-like shield. The spellpletely encapsted Delmer for a moment, the magical storm buzzing rapidly in ce. And when the dark curtain peeled away, Delmer was gone. Reduced to atoms. Ammon tried to work his jaw. ¡°H-how are we supposed to defeat such a monster?¡± Both Rakash and Si-Vus picked themselves up from the ground. They stood at the broken mountaintop, burning from the pouringva. But they were still alive. Grat-ra¡¯zun nced down at them and shook his head. ¡°You are a bunch of resilient pests, aren¡¯t you? But I will make you envy the dead!¡± He sped his ws together as broken bits of rock and rubble flew up into the sky. The Elder Dragon chanted as Ammon¡¯s blood ran cold. ¡°[Keeper Of Antiquity, Born From Dust. Lend Me Your Strength¡ª]¡± Rakash and Si-Vus charged into the air once more, still as tenacious as ever. But the Arcane Archsorcerer began to get second thoughts. He looked on as a figure was partially formed in the air from the flying boulders, and his breathing quickened. ¡°We¡­ can¡¯t win,¡± Ammon whispered. ¡°We¡¯re not strong enough¡­¡± Thanks to the Void¡¯s blessings, the six of them had be as powerful as any SSS-rank threat. Or so Ammon had thought. But in the face of an Elder Dragon¡ª a true SSS-rank being¡ª the Arcane Archsorcerer realized the folly of his delusions. They stood absolutely no chance of defeating Grat-ra¡¯zun. Ammon backed away, watching as the Greater Earth Elemental¡¯s form was almostpleted. The Elder Dragon kept both Rakash and Si-Vus back with a breath of crimson mes. His chanting nearly came to an end, and the Arcane Archsorcerer was about to flee. ¡°[Crush My Enemies¡­]¡± the dragon started. And a st of radiant light struck him from above, cutting him off. The Greater Earth Elemental froze mid-air, its parts trapped in stasis as Ammon blinked. Grat-ra¡¯zun roared in pain, crashing down into the side of the burning mountain. The attack shed like lightning, but it left behind an empurpling trail. It carried a twisted hallowed aura¡ª the magic both belonging to the Void and the World System. Ammon recognized that power. He looked up with round eyes as his breath caught in his throat. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± An armored figure descended from the sky. One that wore a golden crown as a crimson cape whipped behind his back. He raised a glinting longsword, and Ammon eximed. ¡°My King!¡± Rakash and Si-Vus raised their heads towards the skies as well. Even where they hovered, they dropped to their knees, eyeing the descending figure reverently. Grat-ra¡¯zun raised his head as he emerged from the smoking crater. He opened his mouth in a rage¡ª then paused. The Elder Dragon stared at the approaching figure with wide eyes. ¡°What¡­? Why¡ª¡± But he didn¡¯t get a response. Ammon just looked on as the figure floated down next to him and their gazes locked. The Arcane Archsorcerer wanted to hang his head in shame, only to receive a kind smile from his King. The Savior of Siby; the Destroyer of Deveral; one of the three otherworlders in all of Vacuos; and the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal spoke softly. ¡°You did a good job, Ammon.¡± Kallistus nodded, and a gold and purple aura enveloped his glinting armor. He raised his sword. ¡°But now I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± And Kallistus shed down at the Elder Dragon, cutting across a thousand feet. MsD One more chapter until the end of book 1 :) You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 It was Kallistus Kal. The [Hero King]. The Savior of Siby. The Destroyer of Deveral. One of three otherworlders in all of Vacuos. Well, there were four now that Amelia was here. But that was besides the point¡ª Grat-ra¡¯zun just couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The Elder Dragon gaped at the figure wreathed in a gold and purple aura. Kallistus hovered high in the air, wisping with magic. The arcane which flowed through every living creature in Vacuos. But also¡ª depraved, tainted magic. That which was corrupted by the Void. ¡°You¡ª how¡­?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun asked, staring at the [Hero King]. The dragon quickly muttered a healing spell, but his scales refused to regrow. He looked down to see a ck blotch staining his wounds¡ª glowing and rippling with a vile power. It caused him to wince, and he spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Kallistus didn¡¯t give an immediate answer. He turned away from Ammon, before descending past both Rakash and Si-Vus. They bowed at him, and hended right before Grat-ra¡¯zun. The [Hero King] walked on the molten rock surface as his glinting boots lit ame, but he didn¡¯t burn from the heat. ¡°How did the Sect of Abyssal Thorns convert you?¡± the Elder Dragon snarled. ¡°You are not even from this world!¡± And Kallistus just closed his eyes. ¡°My allegiance is to myself. I do not care for this world, nor do I obey the Sect of Abyssal Thorns.¡± The [Hero King] sighed, raising his longsword. He trudged through the burning rubble as his golden armor sizzled. His de shimmered, and he eyed the Elder Dragon. ¡°As for why I am here¡­ you know just as well as I do.¡± He pointed his de at Grat-ra¡¯zun. ¡°Show me the rift.¡± ¡°Show you the¡ª what are you talking about?¡± The dragon narrowed his eyes. Kallistus shook his head. ¡°I sensed it. I know you closed it¡ª the rift in space, created by the Fal-Deus.¡± And that took Grat-ra¡¯zun off-guard. ¡°You know of the Fal-Deus?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kallistus said. His de glimmered, and the dragon¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Now show it to me!¡± The [Hero King] yelled and swung down with a powerful sh. It tore the earth open, cleaving off arge chunk of Mount Arkais. Andslide of molten stone fell down the side of the mountain as Grat-ra¡¯zun took to the skies. ¡°[Golem Creation: Greater Earth¡ª]¡± he started. ¡°Voiding.¡± Ammon¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the air. The world flickered, changing color as the Elder Dragon¡¯s eyes grew wide. His Skill refused to work¡ª his connection to the World System abruptly cut off. He nced up just in time to see a trident shooting straight down at him. He caught the projectile, only for Rakash to crash into the dragon¡¯s snout. Grat-ra¡¯zun reeled, before unleashing a st of mes. It engulfed the troll and reduced him to a charred figure, but that wasn¡¯t enough to defeat him. Before the dragon could finish him off, there was another sh of light. Looking down, the Elder Dragon saw golden chains shooting up from Kallistus. They caught Grat-ra¡¯zun before he could fly out of the way. He roared, wing at them¡ª trying to break free. But they shimmered with a purple glow. And they crackled as a sharp pain jolted across his body. They shredded his scales, ripping holes into his wings. The more he struggled, the tighter they grew. He let out a shriek, tumbling out of the air. And Kallistus yanked him down, back into the molten rocks. The dragon braced himself, and momentster, felt the searing pain of theva burning his scales. He couldn¡¯t escape. He was trapped. He was¡­ defeated. Si-Vusnded behind his King, carrying the healing body of Rakash, while Ammon remained hovering in the air. The Arcane Archsorcerer continued maintaining the Voiding, ridding the Elder Dragon of his Skills. If Grat-ra¡¯zun could somehow stop that spell¡­ The [Hero King] marched straight through this area as the golden glow faded from his armor. All that wreathed him now was the tainted magic from before. Even he was affected, but he could still draw from a different power. And he kicked Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s snout into the ground. ¡°You have nowhere to run.¡± Kallistus spoke as the chains receded. His metal boots held the Elder Dragon down, and he raised a knuckle. ¡°Now open the rift.¡± ¡°D-Damn you!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun mustered out, but he couldn¡¯t open his jaw. A trickle of mes shot out of his nostrils, but it bounced off the [Hero King] like it was water. ¡°I said: open it.¡± A purple sphere shed before the hands of Kallistus¡ª a twisting orb that warped with space. The dragon thrashed and struggled, trying to break free¡­ then paused as he caught sight of the glow. He tried to speak, but he felt his will being overpowered as Kallistus spoke a single word. ¡°Obey.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun found himself speaking, even as he tried to resist. ¡°I-I did not close the rift¡­ and I could not even open it if I wanted to!¡± he eximed through a clenched jaw. That made Kallistus pause. He tilted his head curiously and spoke simply. ¡°Then tell me who did this. Who is the one who can show me the Void?¡± ¡°It was¡­ I¡­¡± The dragon¡¯s mouth moved. But this time, he resisted. ¡°I will never tell you anything, ve to the Void!¡± ¡°I am no ve.¡± Kallistus shook his head. ¡°I am the Void¡¯s Heir. And I shall im what is mine. Now speak.¡± He pressed the sphere against the Elder Dragon¡¯s snout. An intense pain ripped through Grat-ra¡¯zun. It wasn¡¯t a physical scar. He felt it mentally¡ª it was practically crushing his mind. He shrieked in pain as his entire body twitched, and words began to involuntarily leave his mouth. ¡°H-her¡­ n-n-name¡­¡± he started. Kallistus snapped his brows together. He leaned forward, waiting. But the Elder Dragon refused to continue. That made the [Hero King] click his tongue. ¡°Obey!¡± He pressed the sphere harder against the dragon¡¯s scales. ¡°Who is she? Where can I find her?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun fought back. But even with his will shattered, he refused to give in without a fight. He writhed in pain, but his body didn¡¯t respond. His wings refused to fly. And he couldn¡¯t help but let out a weak gasp. ¡°W-Win¡­drip¡­¡± he said. Kallistus drew closer. ¡°And her name?¡± The Elder Dragon¡¯s mind reeled as he opened his mouth. ¡°Her name is¡ª¡± ¡°[Superior Blooming Deathhowl]!¡± a voice shouted, interrupting Grat-ra¡¯zun. The [Hero King] narrowed his eyes and spun around as the purple sphere dissipated. He braced himself for an attack. But it never came. Instead, a whistling arrow ripped across the sky, striking Ammon out of the air. The Arcane Archsorcerer screamed as half his body was blown apart by the glowing projectile. ¡°Who¡ª¡± Kallistus snapped his gaze to the side, before blinking at a figure standing atop the crater. An elf nocked an arrow into his bow as he chuckled with a wild smile. ¡°Hello, [Hero King]. My name is Jax the Forsaken Archer, and I believe you have my quarry.¡± Kallistus blinked. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ why are you¡ª¡± And Grat-ra¡¯zun roared as the purple dome fell apart. ¡°[Golem Creation: Greater Earth Elemental]!¡± A giant pir fell from the sky, crashing right next to the [Hero King]. Kallistus turned to face the Greater Earth Elemental as it loomed over him, before cracking open and taking on the form of a massive wyvern. It let out a roar and swiped its tail at him, knocking him back. The Elder Dragon spread his wings wide and took to the skies. Rakash and Si-Vus moved to intercept him, but the Greater Earth Elemental unleashed a dust breath at them, keeping them back. Jax blinked as Grat-ra¡¯zun scooped him up and took to the skies. They flew away from Mount Arkais as Kallistus swung up at the Greater Earth Elemental. The [Hero King] cleaved through its tail, but the tail quickly regrew. They battled far in the distance as the dragon¡¯s weak wings barely carried him forward. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go!¡± Jax protested, thrashing about. ¡°I could have taken them on!¡± But Grat-ra¡¯zun shook his head, ncing back once. There was an explosion of gold and purple energy as he sighed. ¡°That Greater Earth Elemental is nearly as strong as I, but it cannot hold them back for long.¡± And that made the elf pause. ¡°...what in the Thrones are you talking about? The [Hero King] isn¡¯t supposed to be that strong.¡± ¡°I will exinter.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun looked down at himself¡ª eyeing his injuries. His wings beat slower and slower as the purple stain on his scales refused to vanish. He just let out a sigh. ¡°What matters now is that we need to find Amelia.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± For whatever reason, the Forsaken Archer didn¡¯t question it. He just nodded. ¡°Very well, then.¡± And the two left the burning remains of Mount Arkais behind them. ¡ª-- The Greater Earth Elemental copsed as Kallistus dealt the final blow. It was an SSS-rank threat, so it hadn¡¯t been easy to defeat, even with Rakash and Si-Vus at his side. But the [Hero King] simply shook his head and looked up at a returning figure. Ammon knelt hurriedly and closed his eyes. ¡°I apologize, my King. But they escaped. I cannot find them. I have failed you.¡± Kallistus sighed as he sheathed his sword. ¡°It is no matter. We know our target is in Windrip. So we have gotten what we came here for.¡± The [Hero King]¡¯s n worked out exactly as he thought it would. He had sent six of his most loyal and powerfulpatriots to wear down the Elder Dragon for his arrival. But he hadn¡¯t expected the amount of sacrifice needed for this oue. Ivory, Delmer, and Usil were dead. Kallistus had hoped they would survive. But that Elder Dragon was stronger than expected. It was a necessary sacrifice, but still a terrible loss. ¡°We shall mourn the fallen when we return,¡± the [Hero King] said, spinning around. ¡°For now, let us¡ª¡± he started. But there was a sh of dark light. He froze, and his three servants raised their heads. They stared at the twisting space ahead of them¡ª at the distortion that rippled across the very center of the remains of Mount Arkais. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes went wide. And he heard the familiar echoing voice. ¡ª-- The battle was over. But its effects lingered. The shockwave of this sh would ripple all across Vacuos. Both literally and metaphorically, and in various different ways. While some would directly feel its immediate consequences, others felt a far weaker impact. In a farm right at the edge of Wolfwater, this was felt through a small tremor. The house shook for a few moments as the gathered figures at the dining table raised their heads. ¡°What was that?¡± Noele asked, blinking. ¡°It¡¯s just an earthquake,¡± Nn said as he shook his head. ¡°There have been quite a few around these parts over thest five years.¡± ¡°Who cares about all that¡ª I need more!¡± Nicole eximed, raising an empty bowl. Garron nodded, surprised at how decent the food turned out. ¡°I¡¯d like another serving too, please.¡± And Amelia just smirked back at them. ¡°I told you I could cook without the [Chef] ss.¡± It only had a small impact here. But the ripple effect spread far beyond this farm. It spread across all four continents, before reaching even further. Far away. Above the clouds, and towards the stars. Beyond the spinning. A figurey dormant, hovering just before the moon. It hadn¡¯t moved in eons. Trapped in stasis, it was programmed only to act when the World System¡¯s control was threatened. A few errors weren¡¯t enough to awaken the slumbering figure. It was only designed to act when there were consistent repeated anomalies. And with the most recent rift that ripped through space, the threshold was crossed. Its programming finally activated. [Initializing Defense Protocol¡­] The figure twitched. The sun¡¯s rays washed over it as it heard the call of the World System. [Awaken: Guardian Angel Z357.] And a dozen eyes opened all at once. End of Book 1 Author''s Notes: And that''s it! The end of Book 1! Since writing this chapter three weeks ago, I''ve taken the time to look back at all the old chapters and reflect on the book as a whole while making edits along the way. And I made quite alotof edits because I realized I failed to capture part of the essence of the story-- the slice of life elements. After all, Amelia is a story that''s meant to focus on Amelia''s struggle to quite literally reintegrate into society after being alone for so long. She''s depressed, jobless, and she can''t quite fit in no matter what she does. And I feel like I neglected this aspect a little too much throughout the book. It was a mistake I think I made when rewriting the first three chapters of Amelia over and over again. The first draft I wrote of Amelia looked very different from the current draft of Amelia that went up on RoyalRoad/ScribbleHub/HFY with the only simrity being Ar''elith''s death. In the first draft, Amelia''s personality was a lot more of a ''Cutesy OP Girl being cute and OP in another world'', but I realized I absolutely hated that premise. I cannot stand adult women who act like little girls, so I wrote another draft. For the second draft, the story was a lot more slice of life focused with scenes of Amelia reacting to both sleeping and eating for the first time since returning from the Fractured Realm. But I felt like this draft focused too much on the slice of life elements, and it failed to capture the OP MC elements. There was also the fact that those chapters sucked since I very much struggle writing slice of life well, so I started a third draft. With the third draft, I felt like the plot was going nowhere and it was just a ''monster of the week'' type of story, and I scrapped it as well. The second final draft-- which is the draft you see here on RoyalRoad/ScribbleHub/HFY-- was more coherent. I ended up having Amelia kill Ar''elith first, then Zn a chapterter, while tying it all back into her character arc and the plot, as opposed to having her kill both Ar''elith and Zn for no reason in the initial chapter 1. I also had her System be less ''glitched'', unlike the initial premise which had her getting no ss options had all, she now got only a single ss option. I thought this version was significantly better than all the previous versions I wrote, and I still think that. Unfortunately, this focus on the ''plot'' ended up detracting my attention from the slice of life elements I wanted to initially explore when I started Amelia. There was also the fact thatsomeof the introspective slice of life events I thought happened in the story didn''t actually happen here on RoyalRoad/ScribbleHub/HFY, but happened in the previous drafts instead. As said before, her rxing and enjoying sleeping and eating was initially the main focus on chapter 2. There was also a lot more introspection on what shewantedhere in Vacuos, with more time spent on her exploring what she could be doing instead of just fighting. I hadthoughtthese scenes happened, but they didn''t. They only happened in the patreon/unpublished drafts. All in all, I think there are things I could have done better in Amelia. The main thing being the focus on worldbuilding-- this was just something I omitted entirely at first because... like, I wanted to drip feed the worldbuilding, I guess, but I realize now I wasn''t even drip feeding it. I was neglecting it entirely. I''ve made some edits for the final draft that will hopefully fix some of these problems, and it will be going up on Amazon and Audible in May-- about 5,000 words added, and 2,000 words removed. Obviously, the story can''t be perfect, but my goal is always to keep improving as an author. If you''ve enjoyed this story so far, consider leaving me a review or a rating. This is probably thest time I''m going to ask for reviews. Anyone who has enjoyed the story so far would''ve already reviewed it, so honestly, it doesn''t really matter either. In any case, thank you all for reading as always Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Guardian Angel Z357 opened his eyes. All twelve of them snapped wide, facing different directions. They were uniformly ced in his face, although each differed in size, with thergest eyes at the center, while the smallest were on his forehead and his chin. They formed the vague shape of a diamond,yering on top of each other¡ª one, three, four, three, one. He had no mouth. No nose, no hair, and no ears. There were square-shaped holes on the side of his head, but they were small and shallow. His skin was gray like it was made of metal, and he raised his head mechanically as he heard themand of the World System. [New Main Objective: Halt the Return of the Fal-Deus Vacuos is in danger! Rifts in space have ripped their way through Laxo, Alius, Drazyl, and Mare. The Void¡¯s infraction is threatening the stability of 16B, and potentially the entire universe. Ensure that all traces of the Fal-Deus are eliminated so that Vacuos is not disconnected from the World System. Minor Objective A: Investigate thest five rifts that have torn through Vacuos. (0/5) Rifts Investigated Threat Level:ary Cataclysm(?)* *Tentative Reward: Promotion] After such a long slumber, awakening was no quick process. It had to have taken Guardian Angel Z357 at least a full rotation for him to have even opened his eyes. Maybe more. Now, he heard the words ringing in his head, then it shed before him. A red screen hovered over his face. All twelve of his eyes darted towards the familiar objective. He had received such amand from the World System once before. Looking up, he saw the slowly spinning before him. It orbited around a star in the far distance, although he only saw a fraction of the golden rays. Most of the star was obscured by the due to his current location. Guardian Angel Z357 was currently tied to the orbit of the moon due to one of his Techniques. But he broke off as he descended towards 16B. This was his first time entering the atmosphere in over ten millennia. Thest time he had been awakened, he had been tasked toplete a simr objective that resulted in the destruction of a continent. It had not been a simple task. But he had diligently carried out his duties to prevent aary Apocalypse. His current objective appeared to be a lesser threat than that of the past, and yet, he was offered a Promotion now. While Guardian Angel Z357 was not one to question the World System, he did wonder why this was the case. He did not further this line of thought, instead adhering to hismand. His body burned as he entered the atmosphere of 16B. He scanned the three surviving continents in the distance. He spotted an odd dark shadow where Mare used to be, but he paid it no mind. He looked past Alius, searching for the most recent rift in space, and all he detected was a weak ripple. He swept his gaze over Drazyl, detecting a simr low-level of Void-activity. But his gaze briefly halted when he saw that a quarter of the elven continent had been flooded. Guardian Angel Z357 dismissed any curiosity he had for the current geopolitical climate of 16B. He had to focus only on matters pertinent to his Main Objective. He looked towards the final continent¡ª Laxo¡ª and he paused. High-levels of Void-activity detected, he thought as he came to a sudden stop just above the ocean. Activating Without A Trace, his figure vanished. Investigating anomaly. He shot forward, crossing hundreds of miles in mere moments. He didn¡¯t feel the wind whipping against his body. Air passed through him like he wasn¡¯t even there¡ª it was as if he had bepletely incorporeal. And that was true. Guardian Angel Z357 could phase through walls if he wished. He couldn¡¯t be burned by fire, nor could he be affected by lesser magic. He was nigh invulnerable in his current state. At least, when facing the inhabitants of this universe. Only the Void-blessed stood a chance of harming him. But just barely. So he continued on until he reached Laxo. The human continent. He hardly surveyed thendscape as he flew towards his destination, but he discerned that there had been quite some substantial changes since he hadst been here. There were colossal monuments and tall buildings located in just about every major city, and the protective walls girdling these settlements were significantly smaller than before. But a lot could change in ten thousand years, so Guardian Angel Z357 did not bother questioning these changes. Instead, he zoned in on his destination. The strongest residual essence of Void magic was just up ahead. His twelve eyes flickered as he saw it. It was Mount Arkais. The tallest mountain in all of 16B. A grandiose peak that reached high above the clouds¡ª ¡­where was its peak? Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the devastated terrain. A quarter of the mountain top had been blown off¡ª like it had been destroyed by a violent explosion. The surrounding area had been devastated by terrible wildfires, and molten rocksy sizzling at the base of the hill. An eruption? But Mount Arkais was not supposed to be a volcano. It had to have been the result of a battle. Perhaps it was rted to the rift located at this location. More information was required before a cause could be determined. And so, Guardian Angel Z357 flew towards the caldera atop the mountain, beginning his investigation into the rifts. Ding! [In Progress: (1/5) Rifts Investigated!] ¡ª-- Three months had passed since I escaped the Fractured Realm and arrived in Vacuos. Compared to the ten years¡ª or more¡­ definitely more¡ª I spent in that broken world of nightmares, the roughly ny days I had spent here was nothing. But while I was constantly fighting against voidlings, voidbeasts, and the Voidgod itself back there, I was mostly rxing here. The fact that I was currently lying down in bed as the sun set over the horizon was proof of that. In the Fractured Realm, I hadn¡¯t even been able to sleep for a single moment. But here, in this farm, I could get up whenever I wanted. I could even literally go back to sleep right now if I felt like it. It was calming. But things hadn¡¯t always been this way. It had taken me a while before I even ended up here, on this farm. When I first arrived in Vacuos, I had still been busy fighting, even though I was no longer in the Fractured Realm. I killed a Lich King, I defeated a Goblin army, and I made an Elder Dragon surrender. I saved Noele, before taking her on as an apprentice. I became an adventurer, and I fought off an insane elf. Well¡ª I didn¡¯t actually fight him. He just kept challenging me to a duel non-stop until I finally managed to chase him off. ¡­and he left to bother the aforementioned Elder Dragon, which I did feel a little bit bad about. But it was not my problem, so I didn¡¯t stop him. Instead, I went on to save Noele¡¯s parents from a Dungeon, then fought some bandits, and then fought even more banditster on. It wasn¡¯t a lot of actionpared to what I had been through in the Fractured Realm, but neither was it the peaceful life I desired since arriving in Vacuos. I had only managed to find some peace and quiet once I had arrived at Wolfwater. Working in Nn¡¯s farm had given me quite the reprieve, even if I still ended up having to fend off a bunch of bandits after only a week or two of being here. I was still quite content with what I had here on this farm. It was the closest thing to a truly peaceful life I had experienced thus far. There was something here for me to do that I found fulfilling. I had friends¡ª Noele, her parents, and Garron¡ª surrounding me when I had lunch and dinner. Weughed and chatted and spent time together. Almost like a family. I was content. And yet, I was also dissatisfied. Because every passing moment I spent here on this farm, I couldn¡¯t help but think of my family back home in my world. I thought of my sister, my parents, and my friends. I missed them. I wished I could return to them. But I couldn¡¯t. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how strong I got, I knew I was never going to see them again. After all, nearly a hundred years had passed since I disappeared on Earth, and my parents were dead. Only my sister remained, but she was merely a husk of her former self. Returning to such a world would be¡­ miserable. So I remained here in Vacuos, content with what I had, but still yearning for what I had lost. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 A hundred years had passed since I vanished from Earth. Or just under a hundred years. I wasn¡¯t sure. All I knew was that it had been a long time, and my parents were now dead. My younger sister was a great grandmother. My world had changed greatly in my absence. And there was no point in going back. It was odd to think about. But I learned that time didn¡¯t flow linearly between worlds. I didn¡¯t know how much time passed in the Fractured Realm because time was broken there, however I knew that ten years had passed in Vacuos since I was first summoned by the Voidgod. If Noele was to be believed, and the Age of Cmity truly began ten years ago, this meant the Voidgod likely had some hand to y all the terrible things that had happened since then. It was not surprising. He had been desperate to find a way out of the Fractured Realm. After all, he had chosen me¡ª an ordinary girl from Earth¡ª to be his vessel. He had offered me power, and in exchange, I would carry him into Vacuos so he could once again reim his world. I¡­ told him to fuck off. Then I killed him. And now, I was here, living peacefully at this farm just outside of Wolfwater. I could hear the birds chirping, and I saw the sun shining between the blinds of my window. With a heavy sigh, I finally got out of bed. It was already mid-morning. I normally started working in the fields as dawn broke. But today, I had a day off. I was Nn¡¯s [Farm Help]¡ª although I didn¡¯t actually have the ss. He paid me a decent wage. It was nothing life-changing, and honestly, I had said he didn¡¯t need to pay me anyways. But he insisted on it, so I had no choice but to ept. There wasn¡¯t much for me to do today, especially since Nn and Nicole were going to a nearby vige to help with the repairs. Many of the surrounding farnds had been burned down before I could stop the Miststorm Riders. Wolfwater was the least affected by the attack thanks to my intervention. Noele and Garron were staying here in Wolfwater with me. I could hear them outside, preparing breakfast as they chatted. I heard theirughter, and I stopped at my doorway. I was pretty sure that they were a thing¡ª or going to be a thing¡ª and I felt awkward barging in on them. But I felt the rumbling in my stomach, and it pushed me out of my room. I wondered what I was going to cook today. ¡ª-- ¡°Seriously?¡± Noeleughed, covering her mouth. Her blonde locks swayed behind her as she shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Garron!¡± The burly man leant forward, cing his hands on the table. He smirked at her as he nodded slowly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯mpletely serious¡ª the moment I saw those water slimes, I made a break for it.¡± ¡°They¡¯re F-rank threats!¡± she eximed. ¡°And you were Level 11¡ª you were E-rank! You could¡¯ve easily dealt with them without even drawing a weapon!¡± ¡°I thought they were aqua slimes,¡± Garron harrumphed as he drew back. ¡°That¡¯s all we have around Windrip. And those bastards are C-rank threats. I thought we were dead for sure if we fought them.¡± Noele just chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder they kicked you from the team¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to give me a break, Noele. That was my first time adventuring away from Windrip.¡± The burly man sighed, raising his head almost nostalgically. The blonde girl tilted her head, smirking. ¡°I can just imagine it¡ª some big guy like you running from those little monsters. It is hrious.¡± He groaned, but she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. She leant closer and held his gaze with a smile. ¡°But look at you now,¡± Noele said. ¡°You¡¯re Garron the Steel Tank. A B-rank adventurer. You didn¡¯t need them to get to where you are¡ª you got here through your own strength. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re somewhere out there, wishing they hadn¡¯t kicked you from the team.¡± Garron scoffed, puffing up his broad chest. ¡°Of course. They were my first adventuring team, and they were also myst for a reason. I learned that most adventurers don¡¯t actually care about their teams, nor do they desire anything beyond their next paycheck.¡± ¡°Well, adventuring is a job.¡± The blonde girl shrugged. He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a job for most. But for me, it¡¯s something more. It¡­ was something more¡­¡± he trailed off. Noele watched as Garron¡¯s gaze darkened. His brows arched over his face, casting a long shadow. The blonde girl knew what exactly he was thinking about. It hadn¡¯t been long since the two adventurers met and became friends¡ª just over three months¡ª but they had gotten quite close during that brief timeframe. And she had once asked him the reason why he had be an adventurer. It had sounded like a typical pursuit of revenge¡ª Garron had taken up arms to y the very same darkwood moose that had ughtered his parents. But when he had searched it out, the monster was already dead. Noele knew what it was like to feel directionless. She saw it in Garron¡¯s face. He closed his eyes, leaning back on his chair. Without an explicit goal any longer, adventuring must just be no different from any ordinary job. Unfulfilling and taxing. Perhaps that was why he left Windrip¡ª because he wanted to find a new path. The blonde girl bit her lower lip and got to her feet. She circled around the dining table and approached him from behind. He raised his head, blinking as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. ¡°Noele¡­?¡± He stared at her, but she hugged him tight. He opened his mouth, before clenching his jaw. He brought a hand up, holding onto her forearm as she whispered into his ear. ¡°Garron¡ª¡± she started. ¡°...what are you guys doing?¡± Amelia asked tly. Both adventurers jolted back. Noele immediately backed away, and Garron¡¯s gaze snapped to the brown-haired woman standing to the side. The burly man cleared his throat as the blonde girl just flushed. ¡°Uh, we were¡­¡± He tried to work his jaw. But Amelia shook her head and spun around. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go back to my room.¡± Noele watched as her mentor returned down the corridor to the bedrooms. The blonde girl exchanged a quick nce with Garron, before stepping forward. ¡°Wait, Amelia!¡± Noele said, and her mentor paused, ncing back fractionally. ¡°You should at least have some breakfast before you go¡ª my Papa prepared it specifically for you.¡± The brown-haired woman raised a brow, returning to the dining table, drawn by the allure of food. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± ¡°Oats.¡± Noele gestured at the bowl. ¡°And some milk, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a shitty breakfast,¡± Amelia sighed. Garron scratched his jaw uncertainly. ¡°It tasted pretty good to me¡ª¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re an adventurer. You¡¯re used to eating even worse food.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Fair.¡± The burly man couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°I¡¯ll cook up something, I guess.¡± Amelia strode towards the kitchen as Noele and Garron shifted ufortably. But the awkward moment ended, reced by a minute of silence. The blonde girl heard the ticking of a clock, and she saw the time with a frown. Garron noticed it too. They nced between each other as Amelia rummaged through the kitchen pantry. Both adventurers blinked, realizing that they werete. ¡°Oh,¡± Noele said, ncing back towards Amelia. ¡°Sorry, Amelia. You¡¯ll have to eat your breakfast without us. Garron and I have got to go.¡± Amelia paused and turned towards the blonde girl. ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°To Wolfwater,¡± Garron exined as he got to his feet. ¡°We promised we¡¯d help scout the outskirts for any wandering monsters.¡± The Noble Spellsword hurriedly slung her Bag of Holding over her shoulders. She slipped her boots on, and nodded apologetically to her mentor. ¡°I wish I could stay, but¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Amelia cut the blonde girl off. She ced a loaf of bread on a chopping board and waved a knife dismissively. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to help feed Bucky on your way out.¡± ¡°Bucky?¡± Noele blinked as she opened the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that¡ª¡± ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± The blonde girl paused, staring down at the front porch of the house. She furrowed her brows as a chicken cocked its head back at her. ¡°...why is there a chicken here?¡± Noele asked. Garron stared. The chicken clucked. And Amelia just shrugged. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡ª-- Unfortunately, Noele and Garron couldn¡¯t stop to feed Bucky because they were runningte. I watched them go, hearing Bucky cluck sadly as the door swung shut. I sighed and lowered my half-made sandwich. I opened the door, and Bucky brightened. She waddled in as I smiled at her, before squatting down. I patted her a few times as she clucked in excitement. I reached for a bag and produced a handful of seeds. I raised an open palm, feeding her with a smile. ¡°You know, I never had a pet back on Earth,¡± I said as I scratched the side of her face. ¡°And they won¡¯t let me own a pet without having a ss rted to taming animals or monsters.¡± Bucky didn¡¯t respond. She just quickly pecked up the seeds, and I shook my head. I sprinkled her meal at her feet and shut the door. I walked back to the kitchen as the chicken ate from the floorboards. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mess,¡± I scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not cleaning that up.¡± I quickly whipped up my breakfast, before heating it up in a magical oven. It wasn¡¯t as efficient as a modern oven from Earth, but I was still surprised that such an appliance existed. It definitely wasn¡¯t an ordinary household object¡ª Nicole herself had said that she bought it while she was visiting Shorheim a long time ago. I heard the soft footsteps of the chicken approaching me. She clucked, eyeing the sandwich I was holding. ¡°You want some?¡± I asked with a raised brow. Bucky clucked in response. I narrowed my eyes. She waited impatiently at my feet, and I shook my head. ¡°You can¡¯t have it,¡± I said, tossing a handful of seeds at her. But the chicken ignored the seeds. Instead, she pecked at my feet, before clucking loudly again. I frowned as she raised her head, looking at my sandwich. I knelt before Bucky and held my sandwich up at her. ¡°Do you seriously want a bite?¡± She clucked in agreement, and I broke off a piece for her with a sigh. I handed it over, letting the chicken have some of my sandwich. She quickly pecked up the food as I eyed her curiously. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Bucky just munched on the bits of sandwich. She didn¡¯t nod, but I could tell she was enjoying her meal. I smirked at her. ¡°It¡¯s a chicken and egg sandwich,¡± I said with a deadpan expression. And the chicken froze. Her beak dropped as the bits of sandwich she had been chewing fell to the ground. I chuckled and watched as Bucky skittered back away from me in horror. She stared at me, and I took a bite from my sandwich. I lied. It wasn¡¯t a chicken and egg sandwich. It was a ham and cheese sandwich. But I was just curious to see if Bucky actually understood me. And she did. So she was actually sapient due to her levels. At least, to a certain extent. I also lied because I couldn¡¯t have her pestering me for food whenever I was eating. That would have been annoying. I did wonder what Nn would think if I adopted Bucky as a pet. Although¡­ was that even ethical since Bucky was a sapient animal? My musing was interrupted as I heard a sharp rappinging from the doorway. I looked up, hearing the knocking continue. Bucky paused as I lowered my sandwich with a sigh. Interrupted again. ¡°Who is it?¡± I called out, walking towards the doorway. I shook my head as the rapping didn¡¯t stop. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky clucked over me. She backed up in terror, pping her wings as she stared warily at the doorway. I blinked, ncing back at her with narrowed eyes. And the knocking halted. The air grew still. The world went silent. My eyes darted back to the door, and I saw a looming shadowed figure waiting at the other side. Whoever it was who had been knocking shifted, moving to the side of the doorway. Bucky tensed as my brows snapped together. I ced a finger on my lips, and the chicken¡¯s panicked clucking stopped. I slowly reached for the doorknob, eyeing the shifting shadow. I waited for a single second, then I threw the door open as I stepped outside. ¡°You¡ª¡± I started. And my eyes went wide when I saw who it was at the other side. MsD Knock knock Who''s there? Joe You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 The rapping stopped. A shadowed figure shifted at the other side of the doorway. My eyes narrowed, and Bucky backed up. I could hear her clucking nervously behind me as I reached for the doorknob. Whoever it was out there¡ª I knew I could handle them. But I still didn¡¯t like how aloof they were acting. The shadow shifted, and I yanked the door open. ¡°You¡ª¡± I started as I stepped out of the doorway. And I stared at the figure waiting there. A purple-skinned man waited at the other side. He had four long arms, and a pair of antennae protruding from his head. His oversized head bobbed back as he peered at me with beady ck eyes. He raised a hand with three fingers and nodded at me. ¡°Hey,¡± he said. I just blinked. ¡°Who¡­ what the fuck are you?¡± He grinned. ¡°I am, xrr, Xakor. An otherworlder, just like you. May Ie in, Amelia the Unranked Adventurer?¡± ¡ª-- I let Xakor into the house. He took a seat in the living room as Bucky backed up warily. The chicken was afraid of him. She clucked nervously, even as I tried to calm her. I gave her some seeds to distract her before patting her gently. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I reassured her. I could understand why Bucky was antsy around Xakor. He was quite literally an alien. Well, I was technically an alien too, but I was still a human. So while I didn¡¯t belong to Vacuos, I still fit in to a certain extent. Xakor did not at all. He looked like an alien straight from a movie. The only thing that seemed normal about him were the clothes he wore¡ª in white robes that buttoned up to the top. He shed a toothy smile my way as I sat before him. ¡°I apologize for my unexpected visit,¡± he said in a gravelly voice. He inhaled before he spoke, like he was snorting the phlegm in his throat. ¡°Xrr, I was under the impression that my friend informed you I wasing. But knowing him, I can see how he could neglect mentioning that.¡± ¡°No, he did.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Guildmaster Evan, right? From Windrip.¡± Xakor raised an amused brow. ¡°Indeed, that is him. Now that is surprising. I did not expect him to exhibit such consideration. He is typically quite the¡­ xrr, aloof individual.¡± ¡°He¡¯s weird as fuck,¡± I said tly. ¡°That is one way to put it, yes.¡± Xakor nodded and leant back in his chair. ¡°But Evan is no bad person. He put me in touch with you for a good reason. And I am quite grateful to be able to have this opportunity to speak with you, Amelia the Unranked Adventurer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Xrr, so you¡¯d prefer to be referred to as the Unranked Adventurer?¡± The otherworlder didn¡¯t blink, even as he gazed at me curiously. He hadn¡¯t blinked once since we had met. I was pretty sure he couldn¡¯t close his eyes even if he wanted to. ¡°No,¡± I said as I shook my head. ¡°Just call me Amelia. I don¡¯t have a Title.¡± ¡°Of course, how silly of me.¡± He brought one hand up to rub his chin while he folded two more arms across his chest. He had a rather thin frame, even though he was quite tall. ¡°I believe Evan said such a thing¡ª that you don¡¯t have a ss.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. Do you?¡± I quirked a brow. Heughed as he spread his four arms wide. ¡°I do, indeed. They call me Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences, and I am a Level 55 [Chef].¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a [Chef]?¡± I frowned. ¡°Even though you¡¯re from another world?¡± Xakor nodded. I found that interesting. It confirmed my suspicions that I really was the only one in Vacuos who couldn¡¯t gain any other sses. There was supposedly a [Hero King] out there, and he was an otherworlder too, but I considered the possibility that he was only pretending to have a ss. But the fact that Xakor had a ss¡ª a mundane nonbat ss like a [Chef] too¡ª made it clear to me that there was either something wrong with me or something wrong with the System. Either way, this wasn¡¯t an ordinary predicament in the slightest. Or maybe Xakor was already from a world with a System too. ¡°Where are you from, anyways?¡± I asked, tilting my head. ¡°I¡¯m from Earth.¡± ¡°I am from a world called Krakos,¡± Xakor replied simply. He raised his head as his ck eyes glinted. ¡°It is a universe far more advanced than Vacuos. A world where ships can sail the cosmos¡ª where power can be drawn from the sun itself. My people have conquered entire sr systems, and we have befriended all kinds of peoples across the gxy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I furrowed my brows. ¡°Sci-fi as fuck. Do you guys haveser swords andser guns?¡± ¡°Laser swords andser guns?¡± He gave me a quizzical look. I gestured vaguely around me. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª to fight and stuff?¡± He shrugged. ¡°My people have long since abandoned the concept of warfare. It was what we needed to shed to make the leap into a spacefaring civilization. How can we travel the gxy, if we cannot even find peace within ourselves?¡± ¡°Fair.¡± I thought of my world. ¡°Maybe Earth can learn a thing or two from your universe¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°The same could be said for Vacuos.¡± Xakor spoke as he lowered his head. I pursed my lips. But I didn¡¯t add anything else to that. The purple-skinned man just chuckled as he got to his feet. ¡°Xrr, let¡¯s not dwell on such grim thoughts.¡± He stepped forward, and Bucky clucked in a panic. She backed away to the far side of the room as he nced at her with a kind smile. ¡°I came here for one reason alone, and that is to acquaint myself with you. I was quite surprised to hear that another otherworlder has appeared here in this world.¡± ¡°Do you befriend every single otherworlder or something?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I do appreciate that you sought me out, but why does it matter to you?¡± ¡°The other otherworlders in Vacuos are¡­ xrr, you¡¯ve seen what the [Hero King] has done. And the [Mystic Craftsman] is not much different. They are individuals I would rather not be associated with.¡± Xakor sighed and shook his head. ¡°Do not misunderstand me¡ª I have spoken once before to Kallistus, and Zil has exchanged a few letters with me. But I have been searching for someone who has been trapped in the same dilemma as myself.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± I prompted the purple-skinned man. His antennae twitched. ¡°A desire to live a simple life.¡± He spoke, and I paused. ¡°That is¡­ urate.¡± Xakor just chortled as he waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I have heard plenty from Evan about your struggles. But beyond that, I have heard about these strange meals you have concocted during your time in Windrip.¡± ¡°Yeah, but everyone hated it,¡± I sighed as I got to my feet. ¡°No one wants to try my cooking because I don¡¯t have a ss.¡± ¡°Oh, but I beg to differ.¡± Xakor stood by the kitchen, smirking at me. His pure ck eyes twinkled, and I blinked. ¡°I would love to have a taste of these Earth meals.¡± I stared at the alien for a moment. For the first time since I arrived in Vacuos, someone was willingly offering to try my food even while knowing that I wasn¡¯t a [Cook] or a [Chef]. I opened my mouth¡ª and then I just smiled. ¡°Well, as long as I can try some of your world¡¯s dishes too, then sure...¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 found nothing at Mount Arkais. He had investigated the caldera¡ª he had swept over the burning forest. And all that remained here were traces of the Void¡¯s power. But there was no rift. No tears in space. If the world had been sheared open, it was repaired now. That was unusual. When Guardian Angel Z357st repelled the Fal-Deus, the entirety of 16B had been riddled with rifts that had refused to close until his intervention. An army of Elder Dragons had to take the skies to repel the hordes of voidlings pouring out of the Fractured Realm, and when the war was over, Principality Z1 herself had to descend upon the to cleanse the residual depravity of the Void. But things were different now. Evidently so. Guardian Angel Z357 flew above Mount Arkais and shook his head. He determined that there were no remnants of the Void here¡ª nothing that had leaked out remained. There was nothing of use for him to discern. No trails left behind that could exin the resurgence of the Fal-Deus. So he took off, searching for the next rift. He zipped through the sky, crossing over countless valleys and hills in minutes. He continued until he arrived at his next destination¡ª where he detected traces of battle and the lingering essence of the Void. It was a city. A small city by the looks of it¡ª certainly iparable to the cities of the Grand Nova Empire. Perhaps a simple outpost? Guardian Angel Z357 wasn¡¯t certain. He simplynded right in the middle of a destroyed street as humans passed by him like he wasn¡¯t even there. They couldn¡¯t see him. Not while he was under the effects of Without a Trace. He studied a crater in the middle of a street junction, and he raised one of his hands mechanically into the air. He ran his fingers over the magic permeating the world, lifting corrupted strands of mana into his palm. His fist tightened and his twelve eyes focused. He saw the ghost of a rift that had torn its way through space here. Just like in Mount Arkais, it had been sealed shut since then. But unlike the first rift, Guardian Angel Z357 could determine that this rift was created from a mutual effort in both the Fractured Realm and in Vacuos. Meanwhile, the rift in Mount Arkais had been opened through sheer force from the Fractured Realm. The fact that this rift here in this small city was opened in such a manner meant one thing. The Fal-Deus wasn¡¯t working alone. There were people here in 16B who have fallen under the prey of the Void¡¯s power. Void-blessed, Guardian Angel Z357 thought. An unusual method for the Fal-Deus. It would have been much more efficient to simply send hordes of voidlings¡ª or even voidbeasts¡ª into Vacuos. But for some undetermined reason, the Fal-Deus was employing a roundabout method to cross through. Guardian Angel Z357 detected further traces of the Void up ahead, away from the city, and he investigated it. He reached a farming vige and cast his gaze over the terrain. Once again, there were signs of battle here. But it must have ended quickly. It was impressive. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain it had been no lesser than an Elder Dragon who had defeated the Void-blessed here. Although¡ª he thought there was a potential chance that the battle that took ce in this vige was against a mere Void-touched. But again, he didn¡¯t know. He could only paint a vague image of what happened. Hended on the dirt road where the remnants of the Void¡¯s essence was the strongest outside of the city, and he wondered who it was who defeated the Void-touched and Void-blessed here. Perhaps it hadn¡¯t even been an Elder Dragon. It could have been a [Hero]. Guardian Angel Z357 hoped to consult with said individual for further information about the current situation guing 16B. He nced to the right. He saw a small small farm waiting there, and a pair of figures milled about inside. A brown-haired woman stood before a stove as sheughed. Guardian Angel Z357 shook his head and took to the skies. Whoever it was who repelled the Void here, it couldn¡¯t have been any of the [Farmers] living around the area. That would be ridiculous. And Guardian Angel Z357 continued on to his next location. Ding! [In Progression: (2/5) Rifts Investigated!] ¡ª-- ¡°Did you see that?¡± I blinked, looking up from the frying pan and towards the window. I could have sworn I saw something flicker in the air above the clouds. But Xakor just shook his head. He crossed his four arms at me and spoke simply. ¡°I did not notice anything,¡± he said. ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes, before shrugging. ¡°Well, whatever. As I was saying¡­¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 ¡°This is¡­¡± Xakor frowned as he eyed the sizzling meal I had prepared for him. I waited, arms-crossed, and tapping a finger on my elbow. His beady ck eyes didn¡¯t narrow, but I could see a glimmer within them. A hint of intrigue. A bit of disgust. I pursed my lips as he picked up the bun, and grease from the patty dripped onto the porcin te. ¡°And you call it a burger?¡± he said with a frown. I nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s really not the healthiest thing around, but it¡¯s the most popr dish in America. It normallyes with fries.¡± ¡°And what are fries?¡± Xakor asked curiously. ¡°Are they healthy side dishes thate with the burger?¡± ¡°Deep fried sliced potato,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Not great for your health either,¡± he sighed. ¡°Yeah, not great,¡± I agreed. I shook my head and took a step back. We were in the kitchen, and I had just finished making the burger. I could feel Xakor¡¯s judgmental stare the entire way through even during the preparation process. He was curious, but he was also reviled by the amount of grease and fat in the meal. ¡°But I assure you¡ª¡± I said as I heard a soft cluck. Behind me, Bucky drew closer, still wary of the purple-skinned man. I shook my head and finished. ¡°¡ªit tastes great.¡± Xakor pursed his lips. ¡°We shall see.¡± And with that, he took a bite out of the burger. I watched as his cheeks peeled back, opening like a starfish, before he chomped down on the bread. I blinked. Bucky recoiled in terror, dashing off. And half the burger vanished from a single bite. Xakor chewed for a moment before swallowing as I just stared at him. ¡°Uh¡­ what was that?¡± I asked, processing what I just saw. Xakor took another bite, finishing the burger. He wiped his lips as he faced me. ¡°Xrr, that is simply how my people eat. It is quick, efficient, and it lets us savor the taste.¡± ¡°How can you do that when you literally finish your meals in two bites?¡± I said tly. He shrugged. ¡°We have nds on the sides of our cheeks that let us taste more than any other race in Krakos. Or at least¡ª in the gxy we resided in.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± I raised a brow. I watched as he licked his fingers and nodded at himself. ¡°So what do you think?¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Xakor said as he grinned at me. ¡°It is indeed quite delectable.¡± I waited for a ¡®but¡¯ or anything of the like. But he just cleared his throat. ¡°I can see why such a dish grew to be so ubiquitous back in your world, Amelia.¡± He got to his feet as I raised a brow. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to critique it?¡± ¡°I would say that you are a rather unrefined chef¡ª not [Chef], but chef.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Xakor shook his head and gestured towards the empty te. ¡°However, while there was nothing overtly bad about that burger¡ª beyond the unhealthiness aspect¡ª there is nothing special about it either.¡± I frowned. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He just chuckled and took a step back. ¡°Come, let me show you how a [Chef] would prepare such a meal.¡± He swept his way through the kitchen as Bucky backed away. The chicken watched with round eyes as Xakor seized everything in the kitchen with all four of his arms. He held a knife in one hand, carrying a frying pan in another. And with his remaining two hands, he smashed a chunk of meat, mincing it into a patty with ease. I stared on as the [Chef] prepared the stove. He was quick and efficient. He diced up onions as he was rolling the patty into a ball. He tapped a finger against the pan and muttered to himself. ¡°Seems about right¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°[Detect Temperature],¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s a Passive Skill. I know the heat of anything I touch so that I can cook it all to the perfect temperature.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­ hot?¡± I raised a brow. It wasn¡¯t hot to me, of course. And I knew that most [Warriors] or the like could stand a little bit of heat. But Xakor was a [Chef], not a [Warrior] or anything simrthe like. He just waved one of his hands dismissively. ¡°[Heat Tolerance]. Every [Chef] gets that Skill at Level 20. Now, xrr¡­ you haven¡¯t seen anything just yet.¡± Xakor smashed the patty against the frying pan as I narrowed my eyes. He was cooking it normally, but also many times faster than I did. He raised a hand over the pan as he whispered. ¡°[Control Cook].¡± In what seemed like a minute, the patty was fully cooked on both sides, with a beautiful ky crust. He presented the burger to me as I blinked. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Xakor chortled. ¡°Xrr, this was just the first step. Next we¡­ [Freeze Dry].¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± I watched as the burger was suddenly drained of all its moisture. Xakor picked it up and knocked a knuckle against it lightly. It was hard as a rock. He lowered it into a bowl as he raised a fist. ¡°Next step, we turn it into dust.¡± He spoke casually, then he punched it. I stared hesitantly. Is this really what high-leveled [Chefs] did in this world? Or maybe it was what chefs did in his world. Either way, I really wasn¡¯t sure what to say. I could only look on at a loss for words. I had literally never seen anyone seriously punch what they were cookingtheir food before. ¡°I¡­ uh, is this normal?¡± I asked. ¡°I have literally never seen anyone punch what they¡¯re cooking before¡ª especially after they already cooked it.¡± Xakor craned his neck back to face me as he swung wildly, crushing the dried burger into crumbs in a bowl. ¡°I assure you, this is very much part of the process.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question¡­¡± I murmured, but didn¡¯t stop him. That was just such an odd thing to do while cooking, but I wasn¡¯t much of a chef in the first ce, so I just trusted his process. I looked on as he ground the dried burger into tiny kes. At the same time he He then prepared another patty and thenbefore sprinkleding the dust over the meat. ¡°[Infuse Seasoning],¡± he whispered, before he began to cook thea second fresh burger. When he was finished, he slid a te over to me as he cut the burger in half. I stared at the light pink meat, open in the middle. Its juices drizzled down as I cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Presentation,¡± Xakor said as he raised a finger. His middle finger. Because his hands only had three fingers each. ¡°That is the second most important aspect of being a [Chef].¡± His burger certainly looked nicer than mine. I had just pped a pair of buns together with some vegetables over a patty. But his burger was literally glistening. It even exuded an aroma that drew Bucky out from her hiding spot. ¡°And what¡¯s the most important aspect?¡± I asked Xakor picked up one half of the burger, before breaking off a piece. He bent over and fed some crumbs to Bucky. The chicken hesitantly pecked up the bits of burger. Then she squawked in excitement. All her apprehension towards Xakor from before was gone. She sidled up next to him, clucking and begging for more. The Patron of the Culinary Sciences justughed. ¡°Taste,¡± he said. ¡°And trust me, my cooking is fantastic.¡± I narrowed my eyes, looking towards the remaining half of the burger curiously. I picked it up and softly nibbled on its side. My eyes widened as I took another bite. ¡°This¡ª¡± I stared at Xakor in shock as he smirked. ¡°Now, what do you think?¡± he asked. I lowered the burger and looked at the bite I had taken. I furrowed my brows as I tapped a finger on my chin. ¡°It¡¯s almost like¡­ I just had two burgers at once. But in a good way. Like its taste waspounded.¡± That was the best way I could describe what I just had. Xakor nodded. ¡°That is just from cooking alone. I have a few Passive Skills too, of course. [Appetizing Delicacy] is one. [Enhance Tastes] is another.¡± He tapped a finger on the burger, before gesturing for me to try it again. I did, and it was now three-times as delicious as before. And it wasn¡¯t overwhelming, either. It was just everything I specifically liked in a burger. Not only that, a single bite had satiated my hunger. I just looked at Xakor,pletely blown away by his Skills. He continued, ¡°But this is why no one would hire you as a [Chef], Amelia.¡± I pursed my lips. ¡°Because¡­ I suck at cooking?¡± ¡°Xrr, incorrect,¡± the Patron of the Culinary Sciences said. ¡°Most people can cook. And they can cook decently enough. So why should they pay for your food when they can make their own food at home?¡± I blinked, and he wagged a finger at me like he was giving a lecture. ¡°If they¡¯re going to eat out, they¡¯ll either eat cheap meals, or they¡¯ll eat something cooked by a proper [Chef]. Maybe a [Cook]¡ª but even low-leveled [Cooks] have Skills that can refine a mass-produced meal to a certain extent.¡± Xakor shook his head. ¡°The ingredients to make a burger are expensive. Most dishes here in Vacuos are just made from two or three ingredients. Xrr¡­ you probably had to price it quite high, and to get anyone to try new food¡ª you¡¯d need some level of reputation. If no one knows of you as a high-leveled [Chef], then you may as well be selling them trash.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I scratched my cheek. I did have a reputation in Windrip¡ª and it certainly wasn¡¯t that of being a [Cook] or a [Chef]. Everyone back there knew of me as an adventurer. Maybe that yed into their biases¡­ along with the price. Bucky clucked below Xakor, and he sprinkled more crumbs of the burger at her. She happily feasted on the bits of meat and bread as I eyed her. ¡°She¡¯s going to get fat. This is her third lunch for today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Xakor said, waving a hand off. ¡°Now I don¡¯t think your cooking is bad. I think that your issue is that you need to put more effort into your meals so you can actuallypetpare with a Level 20 [Chef].¡± He paused and tilted his head back. ¡°...xrr, also you need to have better marketing skills. That is the third most important aspect of being a [Chef].¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡± I leant back on my chain and sighed. ¡°How did you even be a [Chef], anyways?¡± I wondered if he had to struggle to limate to this world. Vacuos functioned vastly differently from Earth. And judging based purely on what Xakor had said about Krakos, things were even more different there. But Xakor shrugged. ¡°I just started cooking.¡± ¡°I¡­ should have expected that,¡± I sighed. ¡ª-- Ding! [In Progress: (3/5) Rifts Investigated!] Once again, Guardian Angel Z357 could not determine anything of use at the site of the rift. Space had torn and mended back like nothing in the middle of the vast forest. He had scoured far and wide, only to find the brief signs of a battle in the middle of an abandoned road. But he did not detect any traces of the Void here. That was differentpared to the previous sites. And this anomaly made him realize that even if hepleted his first minor objective, he might not learn anything substantive. So Guardian Angel Z357 took to the skies, temporarily cing his investigations on hold. Instead, he sought out the only ones who could aid him during this time of need. The allies he had gathered over ten thousand years ago. The Grand Nova Empire. He headed for the floating city¡ª for the nation that hovered above the clouds. It was located between all four continents. Or¡­ three, now. And there, he would recruit the assistance of the Grand Elder Dragon Arrak¡¯tun. So he soared above the clouds, searching for the flying rocks. He looked on for the giant buildings. He scanned his surroundings for the floating mounds. And he found nothing. Guardian Angel Z357 could not find the Grand Nova Empire¡¯s Capital City. Even as he flitted around, before activating his Techniques. All he found above the clouds was¡­ the air. A single thought crossed his mind. ¡­where are all the Elder Dragons? MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡°That was so¡­ awkward,¡± Noele sighed as she trudged her way down the dirt road, heading away from Wolfwater. She covered her face as she remembered what happened this morning. ¡°Angel¡¯s breath¡ª I can¡¯t believe Amelia stumbled in right at that moment.¡± Garron followed behind the blonde girl. The two of them had patrolled around the vige, chasing away a handful of monsters that drew close. Some were attracted by the smell of burning flesh, while others were forced out of their homes from the raging fires, so they had no other choice but to hunt near settlements. Either way, Noele was an adventurer. It was her job to exterminate monsters. Whether it was for monster parts or to protect cities¡ª she did what she had to do, together with the Steel Tank. He looked at her curiously as they reached a junction. ¡°I can see how it is embarrassing, Noele. But I do not see how it is as big of a deal as you are making it out to be.¡± He spoke, and she turned to face him. The Noble Spellsword stared up at the burly man¡ª she saw the permanent scowl on his face, but the words he said were not spoken with disdain. Rather, he was just puzzled over her reaction. Almost taken aback. And that made Noele purse her lips, feeling a pang of guilt. ¡°I mean¡­ we¡¯re friends, Garron. But we aren¡¯t¡ª I, uh, just don¡¯t want there to be any misunderstandings about our rtionship, you know?¡± Garron paused. He raised his head and mouthed a word. ¡°Ah.¡± Once again, his response made the blonde girl hesitate. She turned to him and waved her hands catingly. ¡°Well, we¡¯re adventurers¡ª and sure, we just met, and I am interested¡ª but I do really think we¡¯ve been a little too¡­ hasty?¡± She chewed her lower lip hesitantly. Noele was worried about how Garron would react. He eyed her with a frown, before chuckling. ¡°I was not offended, Noele,¡± he said. He nodded at her and strode forward. ¡°I understand your feelings. Truth be told, as an adventurer myself, I have seen how rapidly you have grown since we first met, and I can only admire you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well, that¡¯s all thanks to Amelia¡­¡± Noele murmured. Garron shook his head. ¡°You are being modest. You are the one who defeated Odell the Monster of the Mist. You are an A-ranked adventurer who can fight as well as any S-rank. Even if Amelia has had a role to y in how far you¡¯vee, you still achieved it through your own strength¡ª as I¡¯m sure she will say.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The blonde girl nodded meekly. She knew what he was saying was true, and normally, she¡¯d take pride in her actions. But she recalled something. The sh of a blue box. It lingered in her mind, and it sowed a shred of uncertainty. Not because she wasn¡¯t confident in her strength. Nor was it because she doubted her mentor¡¯s methods in any way. But it was because she believed in what Amelia said, and that was why she was uncertain whether to ept the World System¡¯s power¡ª to be a [Champion]. Garron¡¯s words drew her out of her thoughts. He raised his head and smiled. ¡°I, too, would like to grow stronger, Noele,¡± he said. She blinked, watching as the Steel Tank brought a hand up to the sky. ¡°And perhaps I have different motivations from you, but there is so much of the world to see. It is dangerous out there¡­ more dangerous than ever. I would like to one day return to Windrip with stories from all across Vacuos.¡± The blonde girl stared for a moment. She saw the way he gazed into the distance. She heard his whispered voice. A breeze swept over the burly man, and a smile crept over her lips. ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but¡ª¡± Noele nudged him with a grin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it alone, you know?¡± Garron paused. He eyed with a curious gaze, beforeughing. ¡°Well, that is something to worry about in the future. For now, I need to focus on learning how to fight like you.¡± ¡°I can help you with that,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve sparred plenty of times before¡ª I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the hang of it easily.¡± He smirked back at her. ¡°If it is your help, I will dly ept it, Noele.¡± They both smiled at each other for a moment. And then a voice called out from behind them. They blinked, ncing towards a pair of figures riding towards them on a horse and cart. Nn and Nicole¡ª the blonde girl¡¯s parents¡ª arrived back in Wolfwater. ¡°Oh, Noele, Garron?¡± Nn said as he reined in his horse. ¡°What are you two doing out here?¡± ¡°Papa, Mama?¡± the blonde girl greeted them. ¡°I thought you said you¡¯d only be back at sundown.¡± ¡°We finished early.¡± Nicole was the one to reply. A smile slipped onto her face as she leant forward. ¡°We thought you¡¯d be happy to see us¡ª but I see you¡¯re still busy spending quality time with your boyfriend.¡± Garron just cleared his throat, and Noele flushed. Her face burned red as she rolled her eyes. She knew better than to give in to her mama¡¯s teasing. So, instead, she just strode forward for the farm. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to the farm,¡± the blonde girl sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure Amelia is getting bored waiting for us all by herself.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Speed,¡± Xakor said as he swept through the kitchen. I watched the four-armed [Chef] cook and clean and dice up an array of foodstuffs all at the same time. He moved like a blur. He practically left behind an afterimage as he chopped up some beef, fried it, then tossed it into a boiling pot in a matter of moments. He mmed the lid shut, pressing one hand down as his other three arms continued working at the side. How was he even doing all that by himself? It wasn¡¯t that he was extremely fast like a [Rogue], nor was he using magic like a [Mage]. He was simply dexterous and nimble with his hands. He was swift, but not overtly so. And his control over everything he did while cooking was pristine. ¡°That is the fourth most important aspect of being a [Chef],¡± Xakor finished. I was sure there were some Skills sprinkled in to expedite the cooking process, but I was still impressed. Heid out a porcin tter before me, and I eyed the small white pills lying there. Each of them was shaped like a cube, about the size of my thumb, and were stacked atop each other into a small pyramid. ¡°And this is food from your¡­ home?¡± I asked. I looked up towards Xakor. He harrumphed as he crossed all four of his arms, holding a variety of kitchen utensils in each of his hands. ¡°Food from my world, but not my home,¡± the purple-skinned man exined. ¡°Xrr¡­ I¡¯m from Ragna. My people are called the ragnarian. We sustain ourselves mainly through nts, so we do not have such an eclectic assortment of dishes ourselves. However, there are plenty of different dishes throughout the gxy.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really call these pills ¡®eclectic¡¯ either.¡± I picked one up, eyeing its dull surface. ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­ medicine.¡± ¡°I am aware that it does not appear ptable. However, it is a delicious treat that is enjoyed all throughout the gxy.¡± He smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, and he urged me to give it a try. ¡°Xrr¡­ remember, appearances can be deceiving.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I closed my eyes and shrugged. The worst it could taste was like a very bitter pill I had to swallow when I was sick. I tossed it into my mouth¡ª and paused. Xakor waited with a smirk. ¡°Well?¡± I just stared at the [Chef] as I slowly chewed on it. I only had one response in my mind. And it was a question. ¡°How?¡± That was all I could muster up. Xakor simply gave me a self-satisfied look in response. He gestured at himself as he raised his chin. ¡°I am one of the highest-leveled [Chefs] in the world, after all,¡± he said. And that was an under exaggeration. I really couldn¡¯t describe it. I had never tasted anything like this before. It melted in my mouth like it was softer than butter, and it had the richness in taste of all the juiciest steak I ever had. But that wasn¡¯t all¡ª it was a touch sweet, and also slightly fatty. It had all the nutrients and vor of the vegetables Xakor had thrown into the pot, while still retaining the taste of all the other ingredients baked together into a single bite. That was about the best exnation I could muster up for it, and yet, there was so much subtlety to it. It vanished from my mouth like I had just taken a sip of water. I looked up at Xakor who just waved a hand dismissively at the remaining pills. ¡°This is my most popr dish. It¡¯s called the savis cube. It took a while before I could convince the people of this world to give it a try¡ª but once I had established my reputation, even the istionary elves themselves couldn¡¯t help but mor across the continents for a single bite of it.¡± I blinked. I only ever met a single elf before, so I couldn¡¯t help but imagine Jax the Forsaken Archer dueling someone to the death just for a savis cube. Honestly, that could probably happen. ¡°You can have the rest of it.¡± Xakor nodded as he pushed the te towards me. ¡°I¡ª¡± I opened my mouth to protest, then I heard a clucking from below. Bucky hopped at my feet. I didn¡¯t think that chickens could drool, but her beak was watering the floorboards as she stared at the pills. I raised one, then paused. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should feed her any,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re spoiling her too much.¡± Xakor rubbed his chin as Bucky nced between us with wide eyes. He nodded slowly. ¡°Xrr¡­ I agree. We shouldn¡¯t overfeed her. It will not be easy for her to return to a normal diet.¡± Bucky stared at him in betrayal. She clucked loudly, leaping at both Xakor and I in anger. I snorted, and he chuckled, picking the chicken up even as she threw a tantrum. ¡°There, there¡ª¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk¡ª¡± And the front door creaked open. I nced up as Bucky paused. Xakor tilted his head, and a susurration crept into the room. I heard Nicole¡¯s pestering voice as Noele just groaned. Garron and Nn followed behind,ughing softly as they stepped foot into the house. Nn stepped forward, calling out as he cast his gaze around the living room. ¡°We¡¯re back¡ª¡± He abruptly froze as his gazended on the four-armed purple-skinned man standing next to me holding a chicken. Xakor paused. Bucky stopped pping her wings indignantly. Noele started forward for a moment, looking at her father. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± she asked, then stared past me. ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole and Garron were the next toe to a halt. They looked at the literal alien with round eyes. I pursed my lips. I wasn¡¯t sure how they¡¯d react to such a sight. But before I could clear up any misunderstanding, Nn worked his jaw. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± he started. ¡°He¡¯s Xakor!¡± Nicole eximed over her husband. ¡°The Patron of the Culinary Sciences! What is he doing here?¡± I blinked. I watched as the ragnarian nodded in affirmation, inconspicuously lowering Bucky back to the ground. ¡°Xrr, that is indeed who I am,¡± Xakor said as he sped two hands together. ¡°I apologize for my intrusion. But I take it you are Amelia¡¯s friends? Her host?¡± ¡°We¡­ are.¡± Nn drew forward hesitantly. ¡°And it¡¯s no problem at all! What do we owe the p¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, are those savis cubes?¡± Nicole hurried excitedly past the [Farmer]. She huddled over the table, staring with round eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get them shipped here for ages!¡± ¡°Mama, you¡¯re being rude¡ª¡± Noele shifted ufortably, before nodding politely at Xakor. She quickly introduced herself along with Garron as her mother continued fussing over the savis cubes next to me. Nicole gently picked up a cube like it was a delicate flower. ¡°They¡¯re expensive. Really expensive! To even get them shipped out of Shorheim costs gold coins! I can¡¯t believe Xakor himself just delivered these to you!¡± ¡°Uh, no,¡± I corrected her. ¡°He just made these for me a few minutes ago.¡± Her eyes bulged. ¡°He made them?¡± She caught herself, quickly putting down the savis cube. ¡°Maybe we can sell these for¡­¡± she trailed off. I nced past her, looking at Nn as he nervously introduced himself to Xakor. Noele and Garron stood back, politely listening in on the conversation. But I could tell that they were surprised by this visit¡ª and in a good way, too. They were excited to see a celebrity suddenly show up at their house. Which was a relief. ¡°Crisis averted,¡± I murmured. It seemed like they were going to get along well. Nicole didn¡¯t even have a problem with Bucky who was trying to parkour up the dining table. Xakor really was famous. I had no idea he was this renowned. ¡°My wife loves your recipes, sir.¡± Nn spoke as he shook hands with the alien. ¡°We tried one of your restaurants when we were in Astral, and we absolutely loved it. I¡­ what are you doing in a small vige like Wolfwater?¡± ¡°Xrr, there¡¯s no need for formalities,¡± Xakor said with a grin. ¡°And I couldn¡¯t help myself. When I heard that another otherworlder was residing here in this vige, I had no choice but to visit her as soon as I could.¡± Nn nodded along as he shook the [Chef]¡¯s hand for a moment longer. Xakor smiled kindly, gesturing at me, before looking back at the [Farmer]. But even after a few seconds had passed, Nn didn¡¯t stop shaking Xakor¡¯s hand. ¡°Xrr¡­?¡± The alien frowned. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Nicole was staring. Garron¡¯s jaw had dropped. Noele shifted her feet ufortably. And Nn continued to slowly shake Xakor¡¯s hand. ¡°Sorry, what did you say?¡± Nn asked, finally breaking free from his stupor. He drew back and rubbed at his ear. ¡°I believe I misheard you.¡± ¡°I said I came here to visit Amelia,¡± Xakor exined. ¡°Because she¡¯s an otherworlder like me.¡± Noele bit her lower lip, and I smacked my forehead. The alien just nced around, puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked as the entire room gaped at him. ¡°They¡­ didn¡¯t know that,¡± I finally said. ¡°They had no idea I¡¯m an otherworlder.¡± Xakor paused. For the first time since he arrived, he blinked. ¡°Xrr¡­ oh. I see.¡± I sighed. He scratched the back of his head. ¡°That is my mistake.¡± MsD Last chapter of the week. Remember to rate thesest five chapters here on my subreddit :)Amelia the Level Zero [Hero] Chapter 66-70 | 2023 February Week 4 START OF BOOK TWO Thread : AmeliaTLZHNovel ) Also, I have an fanfiction and fanart contest ongoing. The prize pool is $2,000. The rules are here Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero] (An OP MC Isekai LitRPG) - $2,000 Fanfiction and Fanart Contest | Scribble Hub You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Three figures eyed me from across the dining table. I sat there, arms-crossed as their gazes bore into me. I nced to the side, ring at a purple-skinned man waiting with a chicken in his four arms. He gave me an apologetic smile, and I rolled my eyes. I turned back to Nn, Nicole, and Garron. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ an otherworlder?¡± Nn asked with round eyes. ¡°I am,¡± I said simply. There was no point lying about it now. The [Farmer] shook his head and gestured at Xakor. ¡°So you¡¯re from another world, just like him.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Like the [Hero King].¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I repeated myself. ¡°I¡­¡± Nn trailed off. But Nicole nudged her husband, whispering. ¡°What about Zil?¡± ¡°Right.¡± He nodded as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Like the [Mystic Cr¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I cut him off casually. ¡°I am from another world. I am not a native of Vacuos.¡± ¡°And where are you from?¡± Nicole asked, leaning forward. ¡°Earth,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± She opened her mouth. Then she caught herself. She tapped a finger on her chin in thought. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t even know why I asked that question. I have never heard of it before.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± I snorted. I leant back in my chair with an expectant look. ¡°Anyways, is that all?¡± Nn furrowed his brows. Nicole pursed her lips. They exchanged a nce, and it was evident that they couple still had plenty more to ask. But before they could speak, the third figure sighed. ¡°This makes a lot of sense¡­¡± Garron rubbed his temples. ¡°The food¡ª the clothes¡ª it was all so obvious, I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t even realize it before!¡± ¡°None of us did,¡± Nn muttered. ¡°I just thought she was an entric S-rank adventurer¡­¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°I knew Amelia wasn¡¯t an S-rank adventurer. But to think there¡¯s a fourth otherworlder¡­?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Garron said with a frown. ¡°I knew that too, but how did you know that?¡± ¡°Through a Skill.¡± Nicole shrugged. ¡°Was I the only one who was leftpletely in the dark?¡± Nn said as he nced around the room. His gaze slowlynded on the blonde girl waiting to the side. His daughter scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, I knew about everything all along.¡± Noele spoke as she scratched the back of her head. ¡°Amelia told me that she was an otherworlder during our very first meeting.¡± Garron and her parents stared at her. She shifted ufortably¡ª their overbearing gazes made her look away. I just scoffed at her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t our first meeting,¡± I said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°And I only told you I was from another world because you kept pestering me to train you.¡± Noele nodded slowly. ¡°That is true¡ª but I still found out about it first.¡± She grinned. ¡°That¡¯s not something to be proud of. I¡¯m pretty loose-lipped, honestly.¡± I sat up and looked back towards Xakor. ¡°Although¡­ it seems the other otherworlders out there are even worse at keeping secrets.¡± The ragnarian bowed his head at me. ¡°Xrr¡­ I do apologize again, Amelia. I never could keep my status a secret myself, and I did not consider your own personal circumstances.¡± He gestured at his skin, then at his four arms, before raising his head. I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s whatever. What¡¯s done is done. I¡¯d still prefer to keep it discreet, but I don¡¯t mind that they know about it now.¡± I looked back towards Nn, Nicole, and Garron. They nodded between each other. They looked like they still had questions, and I let them interrogate me for a few more minutes. ¡°How did you even end up here in Vacuos?¡± Nicole asked, frowning. ¡°How does any otherworlder end up here?¡± I replied. We all turned to Xakor expectantly. He tapped a finger on his chin. ¡°Most otherworlders are summoned here to Vacuos,¡± the alien exined. ¡°Kallistus Kal was brought over by the Morius Empire to save it from the Crather Kingdom¡­ although at that point, it was already toote.¡± ¡°And what about Z, or whatever his name is?¡± I asked with a raised brow. ¡°Zil, and she¡¯s a her,¡± Garron piped up. He looked towards Xakor knowingly. ¡°Everyone has heard about the [Mystic Craftsman]¡¯s story¡ª she was summoned by the previous Fairy Queen to destroy the dwarves. But¡­ she ended up running away to the Craok Confederacy instead.¡± Xakor nodded in agreement. ¡°I have exchanged a few letters with her before. She told me that she was summoned over to bring weapons of mass destruction from her world. But none of her creations worked, much to the anger of the previous Fairy Queen.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Because this world¡¯s physics functions differently from hers.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I found myself facing the same dilemma when I woke up here in Vacuos.¡± ¡°Were you summoned as well?¡± Nn asked, leaning forward curiously. Xakor turned towards him, and he scratched his cheeks meekly, drawing back. ¡°Sorry for interrupting, but I was curious.¡± ¡°No, it is fine.¡± Xakor just smiled kindly at the [Farmer]. ¡°Xrr¡­ but my circumstances were very different.¡± The alien pushed himself off the wall as Bucky clucked in his arms. He lowered the chicken to the ground. She stepped aside, and he strode up to the dining table. I frowned as he spoke. ¡°I was an inventor back in my world. I loved creating new things¡ª not for war, and not for convenience, but for the curiosity of it all!¡± He beamed as he spoke for a moment. Then his gaze darkened. ¡°And I was fascinated with time. I spent my whole life working to build the first ever time machine. I thought I had seeded. I tested it out because I was so confident in myself¡­ only to end up here.¡± Xakor finished his story as he closed his eyes. It was the second time I had seen his eyelids move since we met. He took in a deep breath, and I just stared. ¡°Seriously?¡± I said tly. ¡°You time-traveled here?¡± ¡°No, no, no.¡± He spoke quickly, opening his eyes once more. He faced me as he chuckled. ¡°My world never had a System, and my machines do not work in Vacuos. Xrr¡­ my machine failed. It somehow transported me across universes instead. That is how I ended up here.¡± ¡°That is¡­ huh.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. Noele, Nn, Nicole, and Garron were at a loss for words too. ¡°Wait, so you came to Vacuos on your own?¡± the Noble Spellsword said as she stepped forward. ¡°That is amazing! Doesn¡¯t that mean you can go back?¡± ¡°It was unintentional.¡± Xakor just inhaled deeply. ¡°And I cannot return either. My time machine was broken, and I could not repair it. As I said, my machines do not work. I even hired the highest-leveled [Magitech Tinkerer] in the world to help me¡­ s, I am trapped in Vacuos just like the rest of us otherworlders.¡± My eyes flickered. I didn¡¯t respond to that. Noele nced at me, pursing her lips. She had seen me tear a hole in the world before. And she saw the way I reacted to Xakor¡¯sment. But she said nothing else. Looking past her, I got to my feet and shrugged. ¡°Anyways, if that¡¯s everything, I¡¯m going to take Bucky on a walk now. She¡¯s eaten too much today, and I¡¯m sure she needs some exercise.¡± The chicken paused. She clucked at me in objection, hiding behind Xakor¡¯s legs. But he picked her up, and she stared at him in betrayal. ¡°Wait, Bucky?¡± Nn blinked. He stared at the chicken with wide eyes. ¡°What¡¯s Bucky doing here?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my pet now,¡± I said, gently taking her from Xakor¡¯s four arms. Bucky pecked at my hands, but I just rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you a burger tomorrow if you behave.¡± Bucky hesitated. She nced up towards the [Chef], then down towards an empty te. I knew what she was saying even though she couldn¡¯t speak. I shook my head. ¡°No. No more savis cubes for you. You¡¯re going to get addicted, and Xakor is leaving soon.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Xakor corrected me, ¡°I may stay here in Wolfwater for a few weeks.¡± ¡°You¡­ you are?¡± Nn got to his feet, staring at the otherworlder in shock. ¡°Where will you stay¡ª¡± Nicole elbowed her husband, before nodding eagerly. ¡°We¡¯ll be more than happy to give you amodations here! We have spare rooms just for this asion!¡± Noele narrowed her eyes. ¡°Wait, but isn¡¯t Garron sleeping in the spare room?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± her mother said. ¡°Garron can just sleep in your room, my sweet little pumpkin pie.¡± That made both Garron and Noele flush. The blonde girl sputtered as the Steel Tank just covered his face with a hand. Nicole chuckled, and Xakor smiled. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I do not wish to inconvenience you. I simply wish to make amends to Amelia.¡± The [Chef] faced me. I raised a brow. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°Xrr¡­ I still feel guilty for outing you to your friends,¡± he said as he lowered his head. ¡°I desire to make it up to you¡ª as an apology. If there is anything I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Oh, but I don¡¯t really need anything¡­¡± I murmured. Xakor peered at me curiously, but Noele was the one to speak up. She sidled up next to me, holding my gaze. ¡°Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences is offering you his help, Amelia!¡± the blonde girl eximed. ¡°You can¡¯t just turn him down!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I tilted my head back at her. ¡°Because it¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!¡± she sputtered. Biting her lower lip, she nced at Xakor before whispering. ¡°Look¡ª it would just be rude to say no. If you can¡¯t think of anything, you can always just ask for money. That¡¯s fine, right?¡± I stared at Noele. She blinked at me, and I slowly shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t need money,¡± I said simply. The blonde girl paused. ¡°What?¡± She tried to work her jaw. ¡°But that¡¯s¡ª you''re¡­¡± I gave her a blunt look, and she steeled herself. Noele took a step back and pointed usingly at me. ¡°Who are you? What have you done to Amelia?¡± I snorted. ¡°I already have enough gold to retire. I¡¯m not interested in hoarding all the riches in the world like somezy Elder Dragon.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Noele protested. But I spoke over her. ¡°I was only interested in making money because I thought it would give me a purpose¡ª that it would make me feel fulfilled. But it does nothing for me.¡± I closed my eyes, remembering how I¡¯d get a brief hit of dopamine whenever I got paid. But nothing else. I still felt empty inside. ¡°So I¡¯m not interested in getting rich,¡± I continued. ¡°And if Xakor really wants to help me out¡­¡± I nced towards the ragnarian. He waited patiently as I conversed with the blonde girl. I thought about what I wanted. And I opened my mouth. ¡°He can help me¡ª¡± I started. And the front door barged open. My gaze snapped to the side, and Noele reached for her sword. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A figure stumbled into the house, clutching at his bleeding arm. ¡°Help! Someone help!¡± he yelled. Noele, Garron, and I rushed to meet this figure as he copsed at the front door. He was badly hurt¡ª like he had rammed straight into a boulder. He wheezed as Noele knelt at his side. ¡°Are you alright? What happened?¡± she asked, before ncing back at Garron. ¡°We need a healing potion!¡± ¡°Right¡ª¡± He reached into his Bag of Holding as Nicole, Xakor, and Bucky rushed out of the kitchen. Nn was a step behind, and he recognized the stranger. ¡°Jerome? Is that you?¡± Nn said. And Jerome just raised his head, staring up with wide eyes. ¡°Please, we need your help! Wolfwater¡ª it¡¯s under attack!¡± he eximed. My brows snapped together, and Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°What¡­?¡± she said. ¡°But by who?¡± ¡°N-not who¡­¡± Jerome mustered up. ¡°But what.¡± MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Han was an ordinary city guard. Or at least¡ª he had been an ordinary city guard. That was until he quit. He had served nearly ten years working at Whiteridge¡¯s walls. It was a safe job. Or at least, he thought it was safe. He had taken it up after quitting as an adventurer. Adventuring was dangerous. The rewards weren¡¯t worth the risk. That was why he quit, hanging up his guild badge to be an ordinary city guard. And it had been fine for years. His biggest fear was being conscripted into the army, but his post at the battlements was rather high priority, so he knew the city couldn¡¯t just let go of him even if they wanted to. So Han had been safe. He only had to worry if the war reached the western edges of the Astrad Kingdom. He highly doubted that that would happen. He was certain that the Kingdom of Kal would be repelled. Especially so soon after their war with Archon. But if the worst scenario arose, then the [Hero King] would have stuck to his past tactics¡ª heading straight for the capital city of the nation. There was no need for the Kingdom of Kal to conquer all territories of the Astrad Kingdom if Astral was taken over and King Jalen Astral was killed. That was how Kallistus Kal rose to prominence so quickly. His actions were the same in Archon against King Thorne. He wasted no time dealing with the minor nobility¡ª this could be seen as far as back as when he was first summoned. After the Morius Empire fell, he gathered those who survived to form a small rebellion against the Crathus Kingdom. Kallistus had no army. Just a small band of rebels. It took him years, but he eventually slew King Ivan Crather, bringing down the Elegant Pce of Crathe, to establish the Kingdom of Kal. Knowing this, Han thought he was fine even if he continued working at the walls of Whiteridge. He was certain that no harm would befall the city, and his life as an ordinary city guard would remain unaffected. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Because when there were corpses, there were vultures. The Miststorm Riders got wind of the war, and they took this opportunity to strike the vulnerable Astrad Kingdom. They razed down entire viges, towns, and cities, until they eventually reached Whiteridge. They stormed the city, bringing down its walls and ughtering the guards. Han thought he was going to die that day. He was prepared to throw away his life to protect the citizens of Whiteridge. But¡­ all at once, the thousands of [Bandits] burning down the streets of the city suddenly exploded. It happened in an instant. First, the Miststorm Riders were empowered by a purple mist. Then they were dead. Their bloodied remains lined the cobbled ground. And the battle was over. It had been over a week since. Han didn¡¯t know what killed them that day. He just knew that the one responsible for defeating the [Bandit Boss]¡ª Odell the Monster of the Mist himself¡ª was a young woman who went by the name of Noele the Noble Spellsword. She was an adventurer. Han had never met her, but he already knew she was someone he only wished he could amount to. Although¡­ he did think her name was rather familiar. But it didn¡¯t matter. Han decided that he was done with fighting. He was no longer interested in being either an adventurer or a city guard. He was going to retire to one of the small farming viges surrounding Whiteridge. Most of them had been badly damaged in the attack of the Miststorm Riders as well, and some had even been razed entirely to the ground. While Han wanted to help, he couldn¡¯t afford to offer hisbor for free right now. Not without a job. He barely had any savings since the cost of living was so high in cities. Sure, what he had on him was more than enough to survive for a while in one of these viges. But he had to look out for himself first and foremost. So he sought out one of the few ces that had been mostly unaffected by the Miststorm Riders. Wolfwater. Apparently, the [Bandits] were defeated right outside of the vige before they could deal much damage. Han did wonder how they were defeated, but he didn¡¯t bother questioning it now. He just knew that Wolfwater was safe, so his main focus was in finding a ce to stay. Or at least¡ª he had thought Wolfwater was safe. He strode down the gravel path leading into the vige as [Farmers] passed him by. They eyed him curiously, and he just meekly nodded back at them. A little girl waved at him by the front porch of a house. ¡°Wee to Wolfwater, sir!¡± she eximed. He began to wave back. ¡°Uh, hey¡ª¡± he started. And a powerful explosion ripped through the road. Han was sent flying back as a powerful shockwave toppled the nearby buildings. The little girl screamed as a wooden beam fell on top of her, while a plume of smoke rose to the sky. Han staggered to his feet, panting with wide eyes. He swept his gaze around the vige. Moments ago, he had seen a peaceful portrait of an ordinary day with the vigers going about their routines. But now, [Farmers] and their oxeny bleeding across the burning gravel path. A few houses had copsed from the st, and the surrounding foliage was lit ame. He stared at this scene as he tried to work his jaw. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± And from the curtain of smoke, dozens of figures strode forward. Dolls made from mud. Twisted creatures that took all kinds of shapes. Spiders, worms, people¡ª they were stitched together from mismatched stone like sedimentary rocks. ¡°Those are¡ª golems?¡± Han blinked a few times as he stood on trembling legs. A giant spider golem lumbered forward, carrying a human on its back. A middle-aged woman. She wore a wide-brimmed hat as she raised a twisted staff into the air. Han recognized her immediately. She was¡ª ¡°I am Zevya the Cloying Witch!¡± she eximed as she spread her arms wide. ¡°And I am here to avenge Odell!¡± ¡ª-- She was Zevya the Cloying Witch. A Level 58 [Golemweaver Enchantress]. For thest twenty years, she had lived a secluded life, never leaving her swamp. Hermunications with the outside world were mostly carried out through some sort of medium¡ª whether it be a magical projection or a raven delivering a letter. Her reputation as a reclusive witch had attracted a handful of glory-seeking fools into her swamp. Mostly adventurers. And she dealt with them easily¡ª her golems killed them long before they could reach her hut. But that was until a single encounter changed her life. A man single-handedly fought through her small army. He reached her, before defeating her in battle. Zevya was aghast. She never thought she would lose to anyone who invaded her domain. But he did. Because he was Odell the Monster of the Mist. And he had been empowered by the Void. Zevya didn¡¯t understand it at first. Why was he here? How did he gain the Void¡¯s touch? But Odell exined it all to her. He told her he was a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. He offered her an opportunity to attain power. True power. That which the World System never could grant her. And his words charmed her. The fact that he had fought through her golems just to give her a chance to be even stronger made her¡­ fall for him. She epted his offer, joining the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, before being granted the Void¡¯s power as well. Zevya thought she was unstoppable. Especially together with Odell. But he had his own group, and she worked better alone. So they could never be together. Even still, the Cloying Witch was infatuated with the Monster of the Mist. She dreamt of a day they could eventually get together. But now, Odell was dead. When she heard the news, she couldn¡¯t believe it. She had thought that her informants within the Sect of Abyssal Thorns were lying. It couldn¡¯t be true¡ª Odell was the Monster of the Mist! But it was reality. Zevya hadn¡¯t been dreaming. The man she loved was dead. And in her rage, she left her seclusion, seeking out the one responsible for killing him. Noele the Noble Spellsword. The blonde girl resided here, in this small farming vige. It was called Wolfwater. Such an unassuming ce. But it held an A-rank adventurer. And Zevya was going to murder that bitch. The Cloying Witch looked over Wolfwater. She stood atop Nyxi. Her most powerful spider golem. It was nearly ten feet tall, with legs that were twice as long as its height. Her other golems were smaller. Weaker. But they were enough to ughter the [Farmers] living here in Wolfwater. ¡°Kill them all,¡± Zevya said as Nyxi carried her forward. Her golems swarmed over the burning gravel path, and she dismissively turned away from the bodies beneath the giant spider¡¯s feet. Zevya only had one goal. She didn¡¯t care about these screaming and fleeing vigers. Killing them would bring her no pleasure. ¡°But it will draw out that fucking whore,¡± the Cloying Witch whispered, before raising her twisted staff. It glimmered with a purple glow as she searched the wreck from the previous explosion. A little girly poking out of a copsed house. She coughed, bleeding from the side of her head. Zevya¡¯s eyes flickered, and she aimed her staff at the little girl. ¡°I¡¯ll put you out of your misery¡ª¡± she started. But a rock flew at the Cloying Witch¡¯s head. Zevya nced towards the side, and a second rock struck her hat. She tilted her head curiously as a man stood at the very end of the gravel path. He carried a satchel at his side, dressed in a simple tunic. It was unlike the clothes worn here by the [Farmers]. Someone from the city? ¡°Y-you!¡± he screamed, tossing another rock at her. ¡°Begone from this vige, [Witch]!¡± ¡°Do you not know who I am?¡± Zevya said as he caught the third rock. She shook her head dismissively, barely giving him a passing nce. ¡°Wretched fool. You have signed your death warrant. Perish.¡± And she flicked a finger at him. She wouldn¡¯t even bother to kill such a pathetic worm with her curses or hexes. Nor did she bother drawing out the Void¡¯s magic to deal with him. It was a simple [Wind sh]. A low level Skill. The man¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw the attacking. But even if it was a Skill fitting a Level 10 [Mage], Zevya was Level 58. Even her weakest Skills surpassed that of the strongest Skills of low-leveled individuals. The [Wind sh] reached the man in an instant. Then he vanished. Zevya cocked her head. ¡°Hm?¡± She stared at the ground where the man had once been. But there was not a trace of him left. The Cloying Witch raised an amused brow as she looked down at the palm of her hand. ¡°Intriguing. I didn¡¯t think the Void¡¯s touch had empowered me so. Yet I have be so powerful, I can now obliterate a man with the flick of a finger.¡± Shaking her head, she turned back to the little girl. Only to realize the little girl was gone too. Zevya blinked and looked down at herself. ¡°Did I do that? Wait¡ª¡± Her brows snapped together when she saw that the bodies littering the gravel path had vanished. And that was when Zevya heard the first crash. Her eyes darted to the side as a nearby worm golem exploded, shattered into tiny pieces. ¡°What is¡­ going on?¡± she asked, but in response, another of her golems was destroyed. A roach golem crumbled to rubble, and a human golem fell in two halves. And one by one, her golems copsed. Like some kind of invisible force was taking them out. Or¡­ something that was moving so fast, Zevya couldn¡¯t even see it. The Cloying Witch just gaped with wide eyes as golem after golem fell. She raised her hands, but then a figurended before her. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized who it was. ¡°Thanks for the help, Amelia,¡± a blonde girl said, unsheathing a de. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Cloying Witch.¡± Zevya¡¯s eyes just burned with rage. ¡°You¡ª¡± She aimed her staff at the approaching figure. A powerful purple st shot out as the Cloying Witch screamed. ¡°Noele the Noble Spellsword!¡± And a second explosion rocked Wolfwater. MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Inded right next to Garron, carrying a bleeding little girl in my arms. She looked up at me weakly as I gently ced her on the ground. There were dozens of other injured figures lying here. One of them¡ª a young man who was mostly unhurt¡ª gaped at me in shock ¡°W-who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°This girl needs a healing potion,¡± I said, kneeling down before the little girl and ignoring the question. Garron nodded as he produced a healing potion and handed it to me. I raised the little girl¡¯s chin, before gently tipping the vial into her mouth. She gasped as her wounds began to close, and I got back to my feet. I dusted my hands off, turning back to the Steel Tank. ¡°That should be enough. Is anyone else in critical condition?¡± ¡°No,¡± he replied simply. He nced down at the lying figures before looking back up. ¡°I have tended their wounds. Now¡­¡± I watched as his gaze drifted to the side. Garron was staring into the distance at a figure striding forward. His eyes were fixed entirely on Noele the Noble Spellsword. She unsheathed her sword¡ª evidently shorter than it used to be¡ª as she approached the [Witch]. I raised a brow. ¡°Do you want to help her?¡± Garron the Steel Tank harrumphed as he took a step forward. ¡°I will observe for now. There is much for me to learn from watching.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± I shrugged, and pocketed the healing potion. ¡°Although¡­ you better pay careful attention. Because this fight is going to end in about a minute.¡± The B-rank adventurer nodded, his gaze not leaving Noele for even a single moment. ¡ª-- And the Cloying Witchshed out. A second powerful explosion rocked Wolfwater. A purple st that shot out like a fireball. It struck the ground where Noele the Noble Spellsword stood, but Zevya knew it wasn¡¯t over. There was a sh of light just before the explosion. Zevya¡¯s eyes flickered, and her eyes darted to the sky. She saw her target leaping into the air, carried by a movement Skill¡ª either [sh Step] or [Quick Teleport]. The Cloying Witch gritted her teeth as she pointed. ¡°Destroy that bitch, Nyxi!¡± The spider golem moved. It swung out with its scythe-like limbs as the Noble Spellsword dove straight down, her de glowing with a golden light. Zevya¡¯s eyes flickered as she sensed the overwhelming magic. She leapt back as Noele screamed. ¡°Glorious Noble sh!¡± Zevyanded a dozen feet back as her spider golem was consumed by the golden st. The shockwave from the st sent her stumbling back as she nted her staff into the ground. She cursed as a spell circle shed beneath her feet. Noele twisted in the air over Nyxi¡¯s crumbling corpse. Twisted roots shot into the air, intercepting her. But she unleashed a flurry of strikes, and des of light shot out. ¡°[Unending Dauntless Fury]!¡± Her attack tore through the roots, and shended right before the Cloying Witch. Her eyes flickered when she saw the broken roots zipping past her, forming a wall of figures just ahead. Zevya began to rebuild her small army as a purple aura wreathed her body. Her eyes burned with fury as she shook her head. ¡°You killed Nyxi. You killed Odell. I will kill you, you stupid blonde fuck!¡± She pointed, and dozens of haphazardly formed golems charged. Noele narrowed her eyes before raising her de. Tiny twinkling stars glimmered into existence around her as she pointed. ¡°[Scintiting Arrowfell]!¡± The hail of projectiles struck down the golems one after another. Zevya had hastily summoned them. They weren¡¯t durable in the slightest¡ª even a low-level Skill could quickly wipe out a substantial chunk of their numbers. Noele dashed forward, slicing through a pair of lumbering golems. ¡°I did not kill Odell,¡± the Noble Spellsword said, kicking another golem back. ¡°But I¡¯ll dly kill you to put an end to this madness!¡± She vanished as Zevya blinked. The Cloying Witch spun around, seeing a blurred figure flicker behind her. But when she readied a spell, Noele was already gone. ¡°Where are you?¡± Zevya cursed. And the rustling of boots on gravel echoed behind her. She nced back, only to see the sh of a golden light. And nothing. Noele circled around the Cloying Witch. The Noble Spellsword was moving so fast, using movement Skills in quick session. The Cloying Witch wrinkled her brows. ¡°You¡¯re hoping to catch me off-guard, aren¡¯t you? Well, nice try, bitch!¡± She raised her staff as the aura wisping off her coalesced into a sphere. ¡°Try breaking through my [Forcefield]!¡± Sheughed wildly as the sphere shimmered with power. It was the Void¡¯s power. On its own, the Skill would have been able to repel even an A-rank Skill. But now, empowered by the depravity of the Void, it was strong enough to even block an S-rank¡ª ¡°Elegant Noble sh!¡± Noele said as she appeared before the barrier. ¡°What¡ª¡± Zevya blinked, watching as the sphere was sliced cleanly in half. ¡°Is that an¡­ [Aura de]?¡± For a moment, both halves of the sphere stayed connected like they hadn¡¯t just been cut through. Then the barrier popped like a bubble. The Noble Spellsword thrust forward as the Cloying Witch reeled. ¡°Take this, you piece of shit!¡± Zevya hurled a snare at her opponent. It caught Noele''s de¡ª a chain that yanked the sword to the ground. But the blonde girl dropped the weapon, deftly sidestepping the spell. Zevya blinked as the blonde girl drew a second sword from her side. A short sword. Maybe even a dagger. And the Noble Spellsword closed the distance in an instant as the Cloying Witch tried to conjure a second snare. But the blonde girl stabbed, impaling Zevya straight through the chest. ¡°I¡ª¡± It happened so quickly¡ª Zevya couldn¡¯t even parse it. She tried to work her jaw, only to slump over. ¡°N-no¡­ what the fuck¡­?¡± she sputtered as she dropped to her knees. Noele simply drew back, shaking her head. ¡°You swear too much.¡± ¡°Fuck you¡ª¡± Zevya spat, and the short de shed through her neck. ¡ª-- Noele took a step back as Zevya¡¯s decapitated body copsed. The battle was swift¡ª quick, even. But it still exhausted the Noble Spellsword. She nced back as the remaining golems crumbled to dust, and the attack of Wolfwater was finally lifted. ¡°The Cloying Witch¡­ I remember hearing about her story even back when I was a little girl¡­¡± the Noble Spellsword murmured. ¡°To think I¡¯d be the one to defeat her one day¡­¡± It was almost surreal. But Noele knew this was a reality. She nced down at her shortsword, before turning the de over. She saw her reflection on the metal. Her sword had been shattered in half during her battle with Odell. Well, it wasn¡¯t shattered into two exact halves. It had been broken into multiple pieces, but the Noble Spellsword had managed to salvage thergest chunks. And thanks to Saros the Gnome Inventor¡¯s help, she managed to salvage her broken sword into two new des now. Contrary to the gnome¡¯s Title, he was not an inventor, but a [Tinkerer]. So he specialized in harvesting old, typically broken artifacts to create new, functional trinkets. It took him a day to forge these two des, which Noele collected before leaving Whiteridge a week ago. However, even though she had these weapons for a while now, she still wasn¡¯t used to dual wielding swords. The blonde girl sighed as she picked up her dropped sword and sheathed it as well. It didn¡¯t matter. Thanks to Amelia¡¯s training, she could now fight enemies far above her level. Her skills¡ª not Skills¡ª were more than enough to match S-ranks in battle, even though she was only A-rank. ¡°I wonder if I can defeat Jax now?¡± Noele wondered aloud. But she quickly dismissed the thought. He was the Forsaken Archer¡ª one of the highest-leveled adventurers in the world. In fact, it was entirely possible he was the highest-leveled adventurer in the world. And she had seen his battle against Amelia. His repertoire of Skills was too great for either Glorious Noble sh or Elegant Noble sh to ovee. Still, Noele looked at herself, seeing her stark improvement over such a short period of time. She felt like she could catch up to him¡­ eventually. ¡°Anyway, what was up with her?¡± Noele nced down at the corpse of the Cloying Witch. ¡°That power¡­ was Zevya Void-touched too?¡± The blonde girl pursed her lips. She thought of the Miststorm Riders¡ª of Odell. He had been Void-touched. Or maybe he had even been empowered beyond that. Noele didn¡¯t know. She just knew that he had drawn from the Void for his strength, and the fact that Zevya was looking to avenge him meant that¡­ ¡°The Sect of Abyssal Thorns must be involved in this,¡± the Noble Spellsword said, raising her head in thought. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± And she didn¡¯t know the answer. She just turned away from the fallen body of the Cloying Witch, mulling over her thoughts. ¡ª-- Zevya was dead. Or so she thought. But somehow, even as an encroaching darkness consumed her, she felt like she was still alive. Her body was numb. She couldn¡¯t move. Everything went cold. And yet, the Cloying Witch was convinced she wasn¡¯t dead just yet. Something had saved her. It was keeping her in stasis, even though her head was no longer connected to her body. What¡­ is this? she wondered. Her thoughts felt so ephemeral. But somehow, they didn¡¯t drift off into nonexistence. Suddenly, an odd sensation gripped her. It began to reform her flesh. It mended her broken body. Her corpse shifted as something filled her. Her vision began to return as her head started to regrow. The numbness from before vanishing as a crooked smile slipped onto her lips. And she sensed it. Zevya¡¯s drifting thoughts gathered back together as she began to grasp what this was. It was a power that she couldn¡¯tprehend. A depravity that tainted her soul. A magic overwhelming. A blessing that came from below Vacuos. But it was also familiar. Because it was the Void¡¯s Call¡ª ¡°I¡¯m not letting that happen again!¡± Noele shouted as she appeared before the Cloying Witch, raising both des. Zevya blinked in her half-dazed state. ¡°What¡­?¡± The Noble Spellsword swung down as her swords were wreathed in golden auras. The magic on the shorter de wisped wildly while the magic on the longer de burned sharply. And the Cloying Witch could only stare. ¡°You cannot kill me. The Void has¡ª¡± Zevya started. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Noele yelled, unleashing her attack. ¡°Glorious Noble sh and Elegant Noble sh!¡± ¡°No!¡± the Cloying Witch screamed. She tried to grasp for the Void¡¯s power¡ª but it slipped from her fingers. And the golden st engulfed her entirely. Once again, Zevya¡¯s vision began to fade. But this time, there was no echo in the darkness. And her thoughts finally drifted away into nothingness, freed from the Void¡¯s touch. ¡ª-- ¡°Alright,¡± Noele said, taking a step back. She dusted her hands off as nothing remained of Zevya¡¯s body. ¡°That should do it for real this time.¡± The Noble Spellsword had seen such a transformation once before¡ª back when she had fought against Odell. But back then, she had been unprepared for it. She didn¡¯t expect that the Void¡¯s power could bring the Monster of the Mist back from the dead. Now that she knew that was a thing, she anticipated it would happen, even though she had cut off Zevya¡¯s head. So Noele finished the job, sting the Cloying Witch into oblivion. Nothing but ash and a smoking crater remained. The blonde girl spun around, shaking her head. She stepped over the piles of rubble that had once been the gathered golems, and a figure stopped her. ¡°What just happened, Noele?¡± Garron asked. He stared at her quizzically, blinking a few times as he nced between the blonde girl and the gray column rising to the sky. Noele just sighed. ¡°I honestly have no idea. You should ask Amelia instead.¡± The two adventurers turned to face Amelia. The brown-haired woman stared back at them for a moment, not saying anything. Then she shrugged. ¡°Why are you guys looking at me?¡± she said. ¡°I should be asking you guys that question. I literally just got here a few months ago, remember?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Noele said. ¡°Well, it should be over now.¡± And it was. MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Wolfwater had been attacked. It was a brief assault, and thanks to Noele the Noble Spellsword¡¯s efforts, the perpetrator had been defeated. The battle ended quickly¡ª it had barely evensted a minute. But that didn¡¯t mean that the vige escaped unscathed. I cast my gaze over my surroundings. I saw the damage that had been done to the nearby houses. Various buildings had been toppled over, and there were a few scattered craters along the gravel road. There had been a few small fires spreading around Wolfwater, but I quickly extinguished the mes before it could burn down too much of the nearby foliage. Other than that, I didn¡¯t do too much to help out. I saved a few lives, and I handed out some of Garron¡¯s healing potions. But I let others deal with the main bulk of the work. Noele took down the Cloying Witch, and now, her parents were handling the aftermath. A crowd gathered around both Nn and Nicole as I watched from a distance, and a hooded figure approached me from behind. ¡°Hiding your identity, I see.¡± I nced back towards Xakor as he chuckled at me. His face was masked by some sort of obfuscation magic from his cloak. His four arms were also hidden, and he shook his head. ¡°Xrr¡­ I would rather not cause a panic right now,¡± he said, ncing towards Noele. A few children and their parents were gratefully approaching the blonde girl. She just smiled and nodded at them as Garron looked on from the side. He wore a sense of wonder and amazement in his face, and I was sure he had more than a handful of questions to ask herter on. Xakor shrugged as he turned back to me. ¡°And I¡¯d prefer to let those who deserve attention right now be the ones to receive it.¡± ¡°Are you really that famous?¡± I asked, raising a brow. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said with a sagely nod. ¡°Unlike the [Hero King] and the [Mystic Craftsman], my notoriety expands across all four continents. I once even served a feast for the Merfolk King long ago.¡± ¡°Wait, I thought the merfolk hatednd dwellers?¡± ¡°My species can breathe in water as well as we can breathe onnd.¡± Xakor smirked, gesturing at these tiny slits on his neck. I blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ convenient.¡± ¡°Xrr, yes. And because of that, the merfolk trusted me enough to let me into their kingdom.¡± ¡°Food really is the door to the heart, huh?¡± I remarked idly. Xakor shrugged back at me. ¡°An odd saying. But I must agree with it. After all, without food, we cannot live.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes as I turned back to face the rest of the vige. There were families crying, their homes destroyed. [Farmers] who had been transporting their crops stared at the burnt remains of what their fields had yielded. There were even some who had died during the initial attack¡ª before the Cloying Witch even arrived at Wolfwater. Jerome¡ª the man who warned us about what was going on¡ª had just left the vige when he had been attacked. The golems had destroyed his wagon, before ughtering a handful of other [Farmers]. So there were at least a dozen dead from this encounter¡­ and so soon after the Miststorm Riders razed down arge chunk of the farnd around the vige? It was a tragedy. I felt a slight pang of guilt, watching these scenes unfold one after another. I wanted to help¡ª but I also didn¡¯t want to deal with all this crap. I helped beat up the bad guys, and that was enough¡­? That still didn¡¯t feel right. I pursed my lips as I looked back towards Xakor. Even through his shadowed gaze, I could tell he wanted to give a helping hand¡­ or four. And I got an idea. It might not be the best idea in the world, but it was an idea. After all, it wasn¡¯t like we couldn¡¯t help out in other ways, right? ¡°Xakor, remember that offer you gave me?¡± I said, and the otherworlder raised a brow. ¡°Xrr, I do.¡± He ced a hand on his chin as he faced me. ¡°Was it something you needed right away, Amelia?¡± ¡°Maybe not right at this moment. We can figure out its details tomorrow. But¡ª¡± I hesitated, before ncing back at the destruction wrought across the vige. ¡°What about we open up a restaurant here in Wolfwater?¡± That made Xakor pause. He blinked at me a few times¡ª which was many more times than he had blinked since we first met. The alien gaped at me, repeating what I had just said. ¡°Open up¡­ a restaurant?¡± ¡°It can double as a food bank too, I guess,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, I don¡¯t actually care about the money anymore. Although¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can fund the entire operation myself, which is why I need your help with this.¡± ¡°That is certainly very interesting. And if we do leverage my name, we can even attract people from Whiteridge, giving them a reason to visit Wolfwater and bolster the economy.¡± Xakor nodded approvingly. But he raised his head, before peering at me. ¡°However, I do have one question.¡± I met his gaze curiously. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why do you wish to do this?¡± he asked. ¡°From what Evan told me, you are a recluse. Or in his words¡ª you arezy, dull, and utterly unsociable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ rude,¡± I said tly. Then I sighed. ¡°But also fair.¡± I looked past the crowd gathered just ahead of me, my gaze focusing only on Noele. My apprentice or whatever. The blonde girl was smiling andughing with Garron as they entertained a group of wide-eyed children. I closed my eyes, before giving a half-hearted shrug. ¡°I have nothing better to do, I guess.¡± Xakor tilted his head, but didn¡¯t press me more. ¡°I see.¡± The two of us stood there for a moment, watching the nervous hubbub from the panic and chaos slowly die down. ¡°But¡­ what should we serve at this restaurant?¡± Xakor asked, and I tapped a finger on my chin. ¡°Food from Earth, maybe?¡± I suggested. ¡°And some of your more popr dishes too?¡± ¡°Xrr, I had assumed as such. But let me rephrase the question,¡± Xakor said as he crossed two of his arms. ¡°What can we serve with the ingredients we have avable around the area?¡± He gestured towards the farnds, and I paused. ¡°Now that¡¯s a good question.¡± And to be honest, I hadn¡¯t even thought it through either. ¡ª-- [You have defeated the Cloying Witch!] No level up, Noele thought as she stared at the notification shing before her eyes. She had received a second notification from the World System, but she tried her best to ignore it. At least, for now. [ss advancement avable! Please choose one of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡ª savior of the weak, and the light in the darkness. With des or magic, they will defend those who cannot fend for themselves, and they will rise to any danger that threatens the weak. It is the first step down the path of heroism, and that is why a [Champion] is a precursor to something greater¡­ something more¡­ Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses advancements avable for you.] I still don¡¯t get it, the Noble Spellsword thought. Why me? It was a question that had weighed on her for ten days, now. But it felt wrong to just ept this ss advancement without consulting Amelia. So Noele had been waiting for the right opportunity to bring it up. And now, with the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack, along with her connection to the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, the blonde girl thought she had finally found the right moment to approach her mentor. She quickly excused herself from the gushing crowd of children, leaving Garron behind to deal with their questions, before seeking out the brown-haired woman. Amelia stood off to the side, conversing with Xakor as Noele approached. The Noble Spellsword wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She wasn¡¯t even certain how she¡¯d start. But she steeled herself and drew closer. ¡°Amelia,¡± Noele started. ¡°Can we talk¡ª¡± And the blonde girl paused. ¡°I was thinking about middle eastern cuisine¡­¡± ¡°Middle eastern? That sounds intriguing. Tell me more¡­¡± Both Xakor and Amelia halted mid-conversation, before ncing at Noele. The blonde girl just tried to work her jaw as she stared at them. ¡°What¡­ are you two talking about?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re talking about ffels,¡± Amelia said simply. ¡°Maybe some pita and hummus. Kebabs and pfs too.¡± ¡°What?¡± Noele blinked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin anything.¡± ¡°Xrr¡­ to put it simply, we¡¯re going to be opening up a restaurant,¡± Xakor exined as he gestured towards the vige. ¡°We would likely use our first few months of profit to aid with rebuilding Wolfwater too. It is¡­ a charity?¡± Amelia rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not a charity. I don¡¯t really care about making a profit, but it is still for-profit. I¡¯m just also going to be helping out where I can.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Xakor agreed. ¡°Which I am sure Wolfwater would appreciate.¡± ¡°Wait, this was your idea?¡± Noele stared at her mentor with round eyes. ¡°Yeah.¡± Amelia just nodded. ¡°What about it?¡± The blonde girl furrowed her brows, leaning closer. ¡°First you said you don¡¯t care about money, and now you¡¯re actively trying to help others out? Are you sure you¡¯re not sick, Amelia?¡± Amelia just snorted. ¡°Man, if this is how you¡¯re going to react when I do good things, maybe I should be more selfish.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Noele said with a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s just surprising. That¡¯s all.¡± She couldn¡¯t lie and say she wasn¡¯t happy to see her mentor being less uptight whenpared to before. When the two first met, Amelia was dead set on being aplete and utter social outcast who only cared about money. But now, Noele could see that something had changed since then. It was curious. The Noble Spellsword wondered what it could be. But she shook her head, dismissing the thought. Instead, she remembered why she hade here. Why have I been chosen as a [Champion]? Should I even take this ss? It was a question she didn¡¯t have an answer to. So she took a step forward, taking in a deep breath. ¡°Amelia,¡± Noele said, holding her mentor¡¯s gaze. ¡°Can we talk?¡± And the brown-haired woman raised a quizzical brow. ¡°Uh, sure?¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 paused as he zipped over the clouds, sensing the weak aura of the Void leaking into the. He had failed to find any signs of the Grand Nova Empire¡ª the Elder Dragons were nowhere to be found. But now, his attention was directed back towards Laxo. His twelve eyes focused only on a single location. There? Guardian Angel Z357 was certain he had passed by that city just a few hours ago. But now, there was another surge of depravity there. He spread his wings wide, ready to fly back to Laxo right this instant. And he sensed another disturbance. It came from Laxo as well, but it was located further to the east. Another? the thought crossed Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s mind. And his twelve eyes focused. This second disturbance was also located close to a prior rift¡ª the rift located in the middle of the forest. Odd. Guardian Angel Z357cked the abilities to clone himself. If he could, he would have split off towards both locations right this instant. But now, he was faced with a dilemma. It was not an easy decision to make. Especially with both traces of the Void rapidly dissipating. If he investigated one, the other might be gone by the time he arrived at the scene of the other. He nced between these two locations, sensing the Void¡¯s essence leaking into Vacuos. Both sources of power were already fading, but one was evidently much stronger. Like its connection to the Void was far more prominent. Knowing that, Guardian Angel Z357 made his decision. MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 I sat across from Noele back at the farm. Nn, Nicole, and Garron were still over at Wolfwater, dealing with the aftermath of the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack. Xakor tended to Jerome in my room, and Bucky sat on myp. I gently patted the chicken as she clucked at me. And the blonde girl just stared. ¡°Uh¡­ why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Bucky is my emotional support chicken,¡± I said tly. ¡°But why is she here?¡± Noele couldn¡¯t even muster up the question. I shook my head, looking down at the chicken. ¡°Because she¡¯s here to give me emotional support. Isn¡¯t that right, Bucky?¡± Bucky just blinked at me. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another savis cube if you say yes.¡± And she immediately started clucking, nodding eagerly as she faced Noele. The blonde girl stared at the both of us, trying to work her jaw. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because I need emotional support.¡± I stared back at her,pletely deadpan. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Noele opened her mouth. She raised a finger, then stopped. It took her a moment to collect herself, before she looked down at Bucky. The chicken clucked, and she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to question it.¡± I just shrugged back at the blonde girl. ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re going to talk to me about something serious. I need Bucky¡¯s presence to reassure me so I don¡¯t have a panic attack.¡± I grabbed thest savis cube lying on the dining table and dangled it over the chicken. Bucky salivated as she eyed the white medicine-like food. She clucked wildly, and I shushed her. I made her sit still, before finally giving her the treat. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± She happily munched on the savis cube as I patted her. ¡°Good girl.¡± Noele massaged her temples, ignoring what I said. ¡°Amelia, this is important.¡± ¡°Fine, fine,¡± I said, rolling my eyes. I lowered Bucky to the ground before facing the blonde girl once again. I leaned forward as my cloak rustled behind me. ¡°What is it, Noele?¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s about the Void.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked a few times. I should have expected that. I leant back in my chair, shaking my head. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve already told you everything I know¡ª¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make sense, Amelia,¡± Noele cut me off. She nced out the window towards Wolfwater, before facing the general direction of Whiteridge. ¡°We¡¯ve run into not just one, but two Void-touched individuals in thest two weeks. Something sinister is going on, and I think you know more than you let on.¡± Well, I¡¯ve run into four, not two, I replied mentally, but I didn¡¯t actually say it aloud. Instead, I raised a brow. ¡°Why would I know anything about those guys, Noele? They¡¯re probably from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns or whatever¡ª you should know more about them than I do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the Sect of Abyssal Thorns.¡± The blonde girl shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Void. The very same ce you said you escaped before arriving here in Vacuos. You must understand its power more than anyone else in the world!¡± ¡°Correction,¡± I said, raising a finger. ¡°I escaped the Fractured Realm. I already exined it to you, but the Void is just the magic that fills that broken world.¡± Noele frowned. ¡°Right. But still¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything about what those crazy fucks in that sect are up to.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°But if you really want, I can tell you this, Noele¡ª the Void is endless.¡± She paused, and I continued. ¡°Its power is unceasing. Being trapped in the Fractured Realm is like drifting lost in the middle of a vast neverending ocean. The voidlings and voidbeasts lurking in that broken world are the sea creatures circling beneath your iling feet. There is a reason why I left that ce, Noele. I would have destroyed it if I could. But I could not.¡± I held her gaze. And she said nothing for a moment. Instead, she chewed her lower lip, taking this in. I crossed my arms, waiting. ¡°What was that voice?¡± Noele finally asked. ¡°Back in Whiteridge. A voice spoke to you. It called out to you. You knew what it was.¡± ¡°It was the Voidgod,¡± I said simply. ¡°It¡¯s the manifestation of the Void. Or maybe I have it backwards¡ª the Void is the manifestation of its powers.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s the reason why Odell was so¡­ strong?¡± The blonde girl peered at me. ¡°It gave him its strength? Its power?¡± ¡°I guess?¡± I gave her a half-hearted shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I have no fucking clue how the Void interacts with Vacuos. All I know is what I experienced firsthand there in the Fractured Realm.¡± Noele sat forward, eyeing me curiously. ¡°And what did you experience, Amelia? What do you know about the Voidgod?¡± I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. ¡°I know that I killed the Voidgod, Noele. I know that I destroyed it before I left the Fractured Realm.¡± And her eyes snapped wide. She stared at me, getting to her feet. ¡°You¡­ what?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s dead. Or at least, it should be. But it came back, I guess.¡± I rubbed a hand on my chin. ¡°But¡ª how?¡± Noele stared at me with round eyes. She gesticted wildly as I just sat back. ¡°How did you kill a god? And how is it evening back? That makes no sense! It should be dead, right?¡± I just gave her a t stare in response. ¡°I mean, I did tell you that the Void is endless. So even if I killed the Voidgod a hundred times, it would never be truly dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡ª¡± She bobbed her mouth open and close. I saw the expression on her face. Then I picked up Bucky who was lying at my feet. I handed the chicken over to the blonde girl. ¡°You know, I think you¡¯re the one who needs an emotional support chicken.¡± Bucky just blinked. ¡°Bawk?¡± Noele stared back at the chicken, before shaking her head. She slumped back into her seat, burying her face in her hands. I slowly lowered Bucky. ¡°I¡­ see,¡± the blonde girl whispered. Neither of us said anything for a moment, sitting at the dining table in silence. Meanwhile, Bucky skittered off to the side, before hopping onto the couch. I wondered if I should have stopped the chicken, but I decided that it was probably fine. Bucky quickly dozed off as I turned back to Noele. The Noble Spellsword raised her head and exhaled. ¡°I was offered a ss,¡± she said softly. ¡°The World System gave me an early advancement. Even though I only just hit Level 55, I can be a [Champion].¡± ¡°A [Champion]?¡± I gave her a quizzical look. She spoke as she held my gaze. ¡°It¡¯s the precursor ss to a [Hero]. If I go down this path, I will be a [Hero] one day.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± My eyes flickered. I thought of the blue screen that kept pestering me¡ª the System¡¯s message that tried to impose its will onto me. Noele looked down at the palm of her hand. ¡°I¡­ know you said I should learn to fight with my own strength¡ª that there¡¯s no reason for me to rely on the World System for my power. And it has worked. I was only able to defeat Odell and Zevya thanks to your training.¡± ¡°I, uh, haven¡¯t taught you much,¡± I said, shifting in my seat. ¡°But it¡¯s the truth.¡± She clenched her fist. She looked back up towards me. ¡°I never would¡¯ve learned either my Glorious Noble sh or Elegant Noble sh without your help. It was only possible because I met you.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°And yet,¡± Noele continued as she shook her head, ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like the opportunity to be a [Champion] isn¡¯t something I can pass up.¡± Slowly, the blonde girl got to her feet. She walked up to the kitchen window, ncing out at the evening sunset. She gritted her teeth. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be relying on a ss to grow stronger. I understand that, Amelia. But with both the Sect of Abyssal Thorns and the Void threatening Vacuos¡­ I still think¡­ I still think it would be better if I became¡ª¡± she started. ¡°You can ept that ss advancement if you want, Noele,¡± I said, shifting in my chair to face her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you to reject bing a [Champion]. It probably doesn¡¯t matter that much. You mainly fight using your Skills anyways, right?¡± The Noble Spellsword blinked at me. She was taken by surprise at my response. ¡°But¡­ if I be a [Champion]...¡± ¡°As I said, there won¡¯t be too much of a difference for you,¡± I said simply. She hesitated. I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I know you feel like you¡¯re betraying my training or whatever, but you don¡¯t have to worry about it too much. Just do what you think is best, Noele.¡± There was a moment where the blonde girl didn''t say anything. Finally, she spoke up. ¡°I just thought¡­ you¡¯d be more disapproving of it,¡± she said, averting her gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t disapprove of it.¡± I vaguely gestured around me. ¡°I mean, having a ss ispletely normal for Vacuos. I¡¯d be the weird one if I reprimanded you for being no different than literally anyone else in this world.¡± Still, my words didn¡¯t convince Noele. Not that I even knew what she wanted to hear from me. She just fidgeted, before asking another question. ¡°So¡­ if you were given the chance to be a [Hero]... would you take it?¡± And I paused. I stared at Noele as her gaze bore into me. It was a simple question, but it made me freeze. She tilted her head, waiting for an answer, and I sighed. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she prodded me with a concerned look. I just closed my eyes and got to my feet. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± I walked up to the blonde girl as she stood there by the window, perplexed. I wondered if I should even say anything. I wasn¡¯t particrly sure how Noele would react. But I had known her for a while now. And I trusted her. At least, I trusted that she wouldn¡¯t react in any outrageous manner. It was a secret I kept for a while. Mostly because there was no reason for me to tell the truth. Partially because I knew that some individuals¡ª like Grat-ra¡¯zun for example¡ª would not take the information too kindly if they¡¯d known what I had been hiding. However, it was finally time for me toe out with it to at least a single individual. I came to a halt right before Noele, and she blinked a few times. ¡°Uh, Amelia¡ª¡± ¡°I lied, Noele,¡± I said, meeting her gaze. She stared at me for a moment. ¡°Wait, what are you even talking about?¡± I just replied simply, ¡°When I arrived in Vacuos, the System had offered me a ss. A single ss. Nothing else. It refused to give me any other ss options, no matter what I did. No matter what I do, even now.¡± Noele just gave me an uncertain look. I shook my head, speaking softly. ¡°I rejected it because I would never beholden myself to anyone or anything for the sake of power.¡± I stared deep into her white eyes as I finished. ¡°But the truth is¡ª the System offered me the ss of a [Hero].¡± And her eyes widened. ¡°What¡­?¡± MsD I only ask for this once a month. Please consider voting for me on TopWebFiction, thank you Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Back in his world, Xakor was a scientist. An inventor. A medical doctor. He had many professions. But being a [Chef] was brand new to him. However, in this world, people only ever knew of him as ¡®that otherworlder who could cook very well and also had four arms¡¯. So whenever he tried to show off his other skills to most people, they would be skeptical, or even downright outraged. ¡°No, wait, don¡¯t¡ª¡± Jerome sputtered, waving his hands in protest. But Xakor just yanked the splinter out of the man¡¯s scabbed knee. Jerome howled in pain, and the ragnarian dusted his hands off. ¡°Xrr¡­ good as new.¡± It was a simple concept¡ª cleaning a dirtied wound before letting it heal. Most healing potions would simply mend the flesh, but any debris trapped in the open skin would remain. However, it wasn¡¯t exactlymon knowledge here in Vacuos. And even though Xakor had done Jerome a favor¡­ ¡°You should¡¯ve let a [Healer] handle it,¡± the human man sobbed as he clutched onto his leg. ¡°You¡¯re a [Chef]¡ª look at what you¡¯ve done! I¡¯m bleeding again¡­¡± It was the oddest aspect of this world. Xakor shook his head and dabbed a cloth in some healing potion. He softly applied the liquid to the wound, letting the injury heal up once more. He hadn¡¯t understood it when he first arrived. Everyone seemed to be so hyper-fixated on sses for every little thing. Certainly, anyone could cook, but only a proper [Chef] could cook in restaurants. There were definitely advantages that came from having a cooking-rted ss, Xakor ultimately didn¡¯t think that it was enough topletely discount the capabilities of those who were without a ss, just like Amelia. And yet, he remembered the report he received from Evan. She had beenpletely dismissed back in Windrip¡ª partially because she was an adventurer, but mostly because she wasn¡¯t a [Cook]. Unlike her, Xakor had readily epted this world¡¯s rules. Being from Krakos, he had known better than to reject the cultural or societal norms of a foreign. He had traveled the gxy, and he had seen very many different things. While what he saw here in Vacuos was the oddest of them all, it was to be expected from an entirely different universe. He stepped out of the room, leaving Jerome behind to recover alone. Xakor paused for a moment as he stared at the closed door¡ª he saw the wooden floorboards, then cast his gaze down the narrow corridor. It was evening now, and the house was illuminated only by a few magicalnterns. An alien sight to the ¡®alien¡¯. ¡°This world¡­ it is so simr, yet so different from my own.¡± He harrumphed as a soft hissing noise left his throat. ¡°Xrr, healing potions just like the karn balm. Enchantments just like nanotech. But something as simple as cleaning wounds is not ubiquitously-known.¡± Xakor murmured under his breath, recalling Krakos. It had been decades since he first woke up here in Vacuos. He had been the very first otherworlder to arrive in this century. And, perhaps, it was his sudden appearance that spurred the summoning of both Kallistus and Zilter on. As for Amelia¡¯s appearance¡­ The [Chef] raised his head as he heard a voiceing from down the corridor. ¡°¡ªthe System offered me the ss of a [Hero].¡± And Xakor peered over the corner, eyeing the two young human women standing by the kitchen window. His ck eyes fixed onto a head of brown hair. Amelia. A [Hero] ss, huh? He stared at her, utterly intrigued. Even the [Hero King] hadn¡¯t been gifted such a powerful ss when he was summoned over. Whatever it was that brought Amelia here to Vacuos¡­ it was evident to any observer that her circumstances were vastly different from the rest of the otherworlders. Even Xakor, who had mistakenly torn through the fabric of spacetime and ended up in this world, knew that she had a very unique experience. And he wanted to help her limate to her new life in Vacuos. ¡ª-- ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m sorry for lying about it,¡± I said, shifting back. Noele just stared at me, wide-eyed. She didn¡¯t say anything. There was nothing for her to say. I felt kind of bad about it, but I believed it was better for me to y my cards close, especially in a new world. And I still thought it had been the right decision to hide this fact until now. I wasn¡¯t sure how the blonde girl would take it. Her gaze darkened as she lowered her head. Seeing that reaction, I felt a little bit guilty about lying. I opened my mouth to exin my reasoning¡ª And Noele just nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ huh. Well, that exins a lot.¡± I paused. ¡°It does?¡± ¡°Well, I have never heard of anyone ever receiving no ss options from the World System,¡± the blonde girl said as she tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°Although¡­ I have never heard of anyone being offered only a single ss, either.¡± She frowned as I stared at her. A moment passed, and she shrugged weakly. ¡°Nevermind. That exins nothing. But I do think it was the right decision for you to keep it a secret. You barely even knew me, and being a [Hero] is kind of a big deal.¡± ¡°I figured as much,¡± I said as I took a step back. I was d to see that Noele wasn¡¯t upset at me over this. But I still had a lot more exining to do. ¡°My ss offer was kinda¡­ special, too.¡± Noele watched as I slumped back into a chair and crossed my legs. She nced past me, towards the nearby corridor at the tall purple figure. ¡°I get that you trust me now, Amelia. But are you sure you want to say that all out loud? I mean¡­ Xakor is here too.¡± She nodded at him. ¡°No offense.¡± ¡°Xrr, none taken,¡± Xakor said. ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± I waved a hand off, ncing back at the otherworlder. ¡°He¡¯s not from Vacuos, like me. I trust him enough to not stab me for rejecting the System or whatever.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think most people would particrly care.¡± Noele shook her head. ¡°But why did you reject the [Hero] ss, anyway?¡± She peered at me. I pursed my lips, ncing between the blonde girl and the alien. They waited expectantly. I folded my arms. ¡°Well, initially I rejected the ss because I was tired of fighting,¡± I exined. I turned to Xakor, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°You weren¡¯t here for this exnation¡ª but I basically fought off the Void for a long time.¡± ¡°The Void?¡± He furrowed his brows. ¡°Xrr¡­ do you mean the Sect of Abyssal Thorns?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± I turned back to Noele and nodded. ¡°Anyways, another reason why I rejected the ss was because¡­ of the details.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how else to put it. The blonde girl raised a brow. ¡°The details?¡± I closed my eyes, sighing. ¡°It¡¯splicated. But¡­ it¡¯s as I said, I don¡¯t want to be beholden to anything for the sake of power ever again. And the ss option¡ª¡± I paused as I recalled the words of the System. You will forever devote your life to protecting the System, or so it said. It reminded me of the Voidgod. The ss offer was no different to what I was given while trapped in the Fractured Realm. I opened my eyes and held Noele¡¯s gaze. ¡°It wants me to be the [Worldwalker Hero of Vacuos]. And let¡¯s just say I get bad vibes from that,¡± I finally said. ¡°Bad¡­ vibes?¡± She blinked. ¡°Yes.¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Like¡­ what kind of bad, uh, vibes?¡± Noele prodded me. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really exin anything.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I feel like the System is trying to enve me. That¡¯s it, really.¡± Noele narrowed her eyes. ¡°Enve you? But why would the World System ever do that?¡± ¡°Xrr, I believe that is a valid fear,¡± Xakor was the one to respond. He drew forward, raising one of his four hands to his chin. ¡°I, myself, feared such a bacsh when I first became a [Chef]. You must understand, Noele the Noble Spellsword, but wee from non-System worlds. The concept of an omnipresent World System is¡­ jarring for us.¡± The blonde girl scratched the back of her head. ¡°I¡­ see?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty fucking weird, at the very least.¡± I snorted. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Grat-ra¡¯zun would try to kill me for sphemy or whatever if he heard me say this¡ª but the more I learn about the System, the less I trust it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She stared at me quizzically. ¡°Other than the ss itself¡­ do you see this, Noele?¡± I said as I gestured at my cloak. ¡°Does anything seem wrong to you?¡± Noele snapped her brows together. She leaned forward, and her eyes went round. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s¡ª¡± She drew forward, blinking a few times. ¡°That¡¯s right! I forgot to ask you about it! Your cloak is¡­ broken?¡± She stared at it, utterly puzzled. I looked down at my cloak. It was torn and tattered¡ª practically shredded. Holes of various sizes ripped through the cloth, and kes of the fabric floated just off the ground. It shouldn¡¯t have remained intact, but it somehow didn¡¯t fall apart. Xakor rubbed his chin. ¡°Xrr, I did notice that. But I assume it was a result of some simple magic.¡± ¡°I noticed it too. But¡­ I forgot about it?¡± Noele creased her brows, still staring at the cloak. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How did I forget about this?¡± I wagged a finger at her. ¡°Exactly.¡± I got back to my feet as my cloak whipped behind me. She just stared for a moment, and I started towards a window. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­ it feels¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s Void-touched,¡± I said simply. I came to a halt right before the windowsill. ¡°Or at least, I think it is. I found it in the Fractured Realm.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Noele looked up at me. ¡°I found it along with this sword.¡± I tapped the hilt of my rusty de. ¡°They don¡¯t belong to me, so I¡¯m going to assume they belonged to the Voidgod.¡± Xakor stood off to the side, listening with slight confusion evident in his face. Meanwhile, Noele¡¯s lips just twisted as I stared out at the twilight sky. ¡°Everyone notices the cloak when I first meet them. But they always seem to take it in stride. And I¡¯ve always found it odd. That¡¯s part of why I don¡¯t trust the System.¡± I looked down at the palm of my hand, recalling all the attempts I¡¯ve made to get any other ss that wasn¡¯t a [Hero]. ¡°Not when it is imposing its will onto me.¡± The blonde girl said nothing. I just closed my eyes as I remembered both Grat-ra¡¯zun and Nn¡¯s exnations of how sses worked. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m wrong¡ª I don¡¯t know why I can¡¯t be a [Chef] or a [Farmer]. Maybe I¡¯m the problem.¡± I raised my head, turning back to face my apprentice. ¡°But all I know is, at the end of the day, this decision is yours to make.¡± My gaze bore into her as she shifted back. I shook my head after a moment passed. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you whether or not relying on the System just a little bit more than you already have is a good idea. All I can say is that I¡¯m not epting any ss from the System unless it¡¯s either the [Chef] ss or the [Farmer] ss. But even then, I would think twice about it for a moment.¡± Xakor nodded from the side. ¡°Xrr, I would be more than happy to offer you consultation as well. I can tell you that I was reticent just like you. I was unsure whether to ept the World System¡¯s power. Of course, as is quite evident, I eventually decided the pros outweigh the potential cons.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I appreciate that offer.¡± I smiled back at him. I started past Noele, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°Whether you choose to be a [Champion] or not¡ª it¡¯s your choice, Noele. But if I were in your shoes? I wouldn¡¯t take it.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Noele said softly. She looked down at herself, then nced back at me¡ª towards my tattered cloak. ¡°The Void¡ª the World System¡­ this is a lot to consider, huh?¡± She chuckled as she shook her head. I craned my neck back fractionally, looking at the blonde girl from the corner of my eye. I waited for a moment, and she sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, I guess. It¡¯s not like I have to figure it out now, right?¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re fine.¡± I nodded at her, before continuing down the hallway back to my room. I passed Xakor as I waved back at the blonde girl. ¡°Anyways, if you need my help, just ask. You know where to find me.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele nodded as I continued on. Xakor eyed me as I started away from him. ¡°You are an interesting individual, Amelia. Xrr, I am quite d that Evan introduced me to you.¡± I smirked back at the alien. ¡°Well, don¡¯t say that. Now I actually feel indebted to that entric guildmaster. And I¡¯d rather not owe him anything.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Xakor just chuckled. ¡ª-- And in the distance, far from Wolfwater¡ª far from Whiteridge¡ª a city burned. Windrip burned. The fortress-like city had been engulfed in mes. Its stone buildings endured the heat, but its already-weakened defenses had been dismantled with ease. Justyn swept his gaze over the sea of fire, hacking and coughing as ash stained his skin. He stumbled to his feet as he spotted a shadow amidst the smoke. A figure that stood with a looming presence. The [Receptionist] of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip backed away as his eyes grew wide. ¡°T-the [Hero King]...¡± he whispered. And Kallistus Kal raised his head, ncing dismissively at the watching bystander. A figure twitched at his feet. Justyn gulped and looked down. His eyes snapped wide. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± He stared at the bleeding figure. ¡°G-Guildmaster Evan¡­?¡± The Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip just chuckled as hey at the [Hero King]¡¯s feet. ¡°G-g-get out of here¡­¡± Evan choked. ¡°B-before you¡ª¡± ¡°I am not interested in him,¡± the [Hero King] cut him off. ¡°Worry not about your friends, but yourself.¡± Justyn backed up, watching the scene unfold. His breathing quickened, and he stared down at the guildmaster. Evan just returned with a weak smile, before looking back up to Kallistus. ¡°I-I already told you, I¡¯m not telling y-you¡­ anything,¡± Evan spat. And Kallistus just shook his head. ¡°You will talk. You will tell me everything. And you will help me find her.¡± With that, the [Hero King] drew back. A pair of royal guards seized the guildmaster, taking him away. Justyn looked on for a moment longer, before scrambling away from the burning scene. Her? he thought, ncing back once. He saw Kallistus Kal¡¯s figure in the distance and pursed his lips. Is he looking for¡­ Amelia? The [Receptionist] gritted his teeth. And he knew he had to warn her. MsD Thank you for getting me to number 1 on TWF again Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Kallistus Kal swept his gaze over Windrip. The streets of the city burned¡ª its guards defeated, and its piecemeal walls felled. Most of its popce was left untouched. They would survive, even as the mes burned. Windrip was a fortress city. Its reputation was well-known throughout all of Laxo. Its buildings were reinforced to withstand months-long sieges, and its guards were trained to fend off B-rank threats. So a little bit of fire wouldn¡¯t raze the city to the ground. The [Hero King] had thought it would be a hard-fought battle. But unfortunately for Windrip, it had nearly been annihted recently by a Goblin Lord. As a result, its defenses had been weakened, and Kallistus had been able to take the city with ease. He hadn¡¯t brought arge force with him. The main bulk of his armies were still fighting at the front lines. However, he had amassed two-thousand elite soldiers to detach from the fighting to take Windrip under hismand. It seemed almost like it was such an odd maneuver. Certainly, there was very little tactical advantage for Kallistus to hold Windrip this early on into the war. But he had acted for his own benefit. The reason the [Hero King] came to Windrip was simple¡ª he was searching for her. He didn¡¯t know who she was. He didn¡¯t even know her name. He simply knew that he needed her. And the Elder Dragon had said that she was here in Windrip¡ª in this fortress city. Or at least, she had been here. Now, she was gone. She had to be gone. Kallistus had searched all of Windrip, even drawing power from the Void to find her. But she was nowhere to be found. So he had interrogated the only person in the city who might have known herst whereabouts. The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes flickered. He watched as a figure was taken away¡ª Guildmaster Evan of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s rules of war to harm any adventurer who wasn¡¯t actively partaking in the conflict. The fact that Kallistus was acting against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was risky. But he needed to find her more than he cared about the potential consequences of his actions here. So he shook his head, turning the other cheek from the scene. Even if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild went after the Kingdom of Kal, Kallistus knew he could justify his actions. Evan might have been a guildmaster, but he also worked as an informant, so it could be argued that Evan was actively partaking in the conflict. Whether or not it was actually true didn¡¯t matter. The Kingdom of Kal wasrge enough at this point that even the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would think twice about intervening over a single guildmaster. And even if the worst scenario came about, Kallistus knew that, with the power of the Void at his side, he could repel both the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Astrad Kingdom at the same time. Although¡­ it would be wise for him to call in a few favors from the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. The [Hero King] shook his head, dismissing that thought forter. For now, he had to deal with the aftermath of his victory. ¡°My liege,¡± a voice said. A knight knelt before Kallistus, his visor lowered and covering his face. ¡°What shall be done about Windrip?¡± ¡°We set up a garrison of two-hundred men,¡± the [Hero King] replied simply. He cast his gaze over towards the horizon, looking in the vague direction of the next closest city. ¡°We shall take Bacton next. And the rest of the cities will be on high-alert, expecting another attack. They will not be able to retake Windrip if¡­¡± he trailed off. Kallistus Kal¡¯s gaze drifted to the side as the knight waited for him to finish. But he didn¡¯t finish. Instead, he slowly spun around as the knight stared at him, utterly puzzled. ¡°My liege?¡± ¡°Hush,¡± the [Hero King] said, raising a finger. His brows snapped together as he stared ahead towards the center of Briar Glen. ¡°Do you¡­ hear that?¡± ¡°I do not hear anything, my liege,¡± the knight answered. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Kallistus pursed his lips. He said nothing more. Instead, he started forward. Even as the knight looked on quizzically. The [Hero King] cared not. Because he heard it, and that was enough. It was soft. Like an echo¡ª no louder than the whispering of rustling leaves. He was drawn by it. Enchanted and in a daze. He strode away from his men, waving a hand dismissively as he looked on. ¡°I¡¯ll reconvene¡­ter,¡± he said as he was drawn out of Windrip. ¡°I¡­ have some important matters to attend to.¡± And with that, Kallistus Kal left Windrip. ¡ª-- The [Hero King] was certain of it. He knew what he sensed was true¡ª he knew what he heard as clear as day. His ears weren¡¯t lying to him. His mind couldn¡¯t have been ying tricks on him. That voice¡­ it was just as he remembered it back on Earth. ¡°Dada!¡± the voice eximed, echoing between the trees. Kallistus stalked through the forest of Briar Glen. The tall dark trunks rising around him, shielding the sunset. It was dark. And it would be darker soon. But he feared not what monsters could be lurking in the shadows. He would plunge straight into the abyss if it meant reaching that voice. ¡°Kal, darling, don¡¯t you think¡­¡± another voice trailed off. His eyes flickered, and his head snapped to the side. He started forward, running faster. He sprinted through the trees as the voices continued to call for him. ¡°I¡¯m here, Dada!¡± ¡°What took you so long, Kal?¡± ¡°Diana! Lily! I¡¯ming for you!¡± he shouted as he burst through a thicket of trees. He was getting closer. The [Hero King] panted as his feet carried him forward at full speed. He didn¡¯t slow. He didn¡¯t even waver. His thudding footfalls sent the nearby fauna fleeing. His panicked state was more terrifying than any monster in Briar Glen. Kallistus barreled through a bush, ripping apart branches and trampling the fallen leaves. He heaved as he swept his gaze around the dense thicket, before calling out once more. ¡°I¡¯m here! I didn¡¯t abandon you! I¡¯m¡ª¡± And he paused. He stepped out into a small clearing in the forest. An open space free from the trees and undergrowth. The [Hero King] blinked a few times, listening for his wife and daughter. But their voices faded with the wind. He panted as he nced around, searching his surroundings. ¡°Diana¡­?¡± he said as he stumbled forward. ¡°Lily!¡± But there was nothing. A pit opened up in his stomach as he swallowed, trying to regain his bearings. Was it all a hallucination? Did he imagine their voices? That couldn¡¯t be right¡­ right? Kallistus steeled himself as he drew forward slowly. He refused to believe it was his imagination. There was no mistaking it¡ª those voices belonged to his wife and daughter. He would find a way back to them. He had to. And right as the thought crossed his mind, there was a flicker in the air before him. His brows snapped together as the world peeled back. He watched as a rift tore through space before his very eyes. ¡°This is¡­?¡± It was just like the rift he had seen at Mount Arkais three days ago. It had appeared for a brief moment, speaking to him as it always did. He had studied its power, and he tried to reach for the depths of the Void, but the rift had dissipated momentster. He hadn¡¯t been able to learn anything from that short interaction. But now¡ª Kallistus knew that this moment wouldn¡¯tst long. So he raised a hand, reaching into the rift as its purple surface rippled. ¡°Show me,¡± the [Hero King] breathed. ¡°Show me my salvation.¡± The hole in space warped. He looked on, entranced by the distorting scene. The rift grew wider, scarring more of the air around his arms. He pushed forward, but his hands faced some resistance. It was like he was trying to force his arm through some kind of thick jelly. His forearms submerged to the elbow into the rift, and the purple surface shifted. Kallistus narrowed his eyes as a vague image revealed itself. It was the blurred picture of¡­ a familiar vige. A nostalgic sight he recognized even despite the distortion. Tears streamed down the [Hero King]¡¯s cheeks as his breathing quickened. He pushed his hands further into the rift, crying out as memories shed in his head. Theughter of a little girl¡ª her gentle exuberance filling his heart. The soothing voice of a kind woman; her warm presence never leaving his side ever since they were both children. Kallistus cried out as his heart ached. He reached deep into the rift, and the image focused. He heard the echoes of their voices. He screamed in pain. ¡°Diana! Lily!¡± But they didn¡¯t respond. For a moment, the rift flickered, and his eyes widened in panic. Then a familiar voice spoke to him once more. ¡°Inherit¡­ what is yours,¡± it said as a prickling sensation ran down the [Hero King]¡¯s spine. Kallistus stared, and a sharp pain spiked through his hands. He reeled back, cursing as he spat at the Void. ¡°You promised me a way back!¡± he snapped. ¡°Where is my reward? Where is my Lily? Where is my Diana?!¡± But the rift only continued to spread. An inky stain marred its way up his forearms. Kallistus watched as his hands dripped with the depravity of the Void¡ª a purple liquid that spilled into the earth. A puddle sshed at his feet, and the voice bellowed. ¡°Behold¡ª the power of creation!¡± The [Hero King] froze as the puddle shifted. His eyes widened, and a figure emerged from the purple liquid. It took the shape of an amorphous blob at first, then its distended body shrank, shriveling up into a crooked spine. Finally, veins started to weave over the bone-like figure, creating a six limbed creature. It looked like an insect, but it was certainly not one Kallistus had ever seen before. Itcked the segmented body of an ant, and neither did it have a carapace. Instead, its body was shaped like a twig, and its limbs were built like small scythes. It stared up at the [Hero King] with a faceless gaze, and he stumbled back. He stared down at his empurpled arms, before looking up at this creature standing before the rift. ¡°What¡ª is this?¡± he wondered aloud. And a foreign, intrusive thought answered him. Voidling detected. Beginning extermination process. Kallistus paused. He raised his head with a frown. ¡°Extermination¡­?¡± But ance shot down from the sky, crashing straight into the voidling before he couldprehend what was going on. The creature exploded with a screech and sttered across the ground. The impact from the st knocked the [Hero King] back. Hended amidst a thicket of trees as a winged figure descended from the sky. Feathers floated down around him, and a metallic beingnded over the purple puddle. It stared at the remains of the voidling with three eyes, while seven more eyes were fixed onto the rift. A final pair of eyes were looking at the [Hero King]¡¯s way, but most of its focus was fixed onto the hole in space. Closing rift. Repairing spatial fracture. And the being picked up itsnce, before stabbing into the air. Kallistus just blinked, watching as the hole in space slowly closed. He saw those white feathers¡ª he stared at those twelve eyes. And it finally clicked in his mind as he got back to his feet. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an angel?¡± Designation: Guardian Angel Z357, the being replied as the rift was sewn shut. Its words were conveyed to him like an invasion of his mind. It was as though his own thoughts were being overridden whenever it spoke. And it made sense a momentter as it turned to face him. It had no mouth. It stared at him with a faceposed of eyes alone. He tensed at this sight. ¡°I have heard about the stories of angels in this world,¡± Kallistus said as he drew his longsword. He gripped it with both his hands, warily backing up. ¡°But I always thought it was all just a myth.¡± My presence on 16B is only a result of these rifts, Guardian Angel Z357 exined. I have been summoned here to purge the Void¡­ Kallistus shifted, and his sword rippled with a purple aura. The angel raised itsnce, pointing it at the [Hero King]. ¡­as such, I will be purging you as well. And Guardian Angel Z357 sped forward as Kallistus swung up with his sword. ¡°I will not fall here!¡± the [Hero King] yelled. He drew the Void¡¯s power. ¡°s¡ª¡± But his arms went flying. The angel appeared behind him as a thicket of trees copsed. Kallistus blinked, looking down at the little nubs of his elbows. ¡°What¡­?¡± he gasped, even as his arms began to regenerate. Regeneration, Guardian Angel Z357 said. So the Void¡¯s touch goes further than I surmised. Kallistus spun around as his arms fully healed. He raised a pair of purple fists¡ª the stain from earlier still marking his skin. He opened his mouth, but the angel moved. It thrust itsnce towards him, and he narrowly ducked out of the way. He watched as the angel regained its footing, twirling around and shing at him. He leapt back as the force from the attack ripped apart the nearby trees, sending gusts of wind that shook the forest. The [Hero King] gritted his teeth and pointed. ¡°st!¡± And an explosion of purple energy engulfed the angel. The st expanded outwards for a moment, before rapidly shrinking, imploding on its target. But Guardian Angel Z357 just sliced up, ripping apart the explosion. It flew up into the air, scanning the area for its target. Kallistus expected as much. He saw the angel¡¯s speed¡ª he saw its power. He knew he couldn¡¯t harm it. All he could do was escape before it could track him down. He looked down at his empurpled hands, before closing his eyes. ¡°The power of creation¡­¡± He faced his palm at the ground as he heard the rustling of leaves. Target found, the angel started. And Kallistus snapped his eyes open. ¡°Give it to me¡ª Create!¡± Guardian Angel Z357 swung at him, but a voidling pooled up from the [Hero King]¡¯s feet. The creature shrieked, only to be shredded by thence. Kallistus backed away from the angel¡¯s flurry of strikes as he frantically yelled. ¡°Create. Create. Create!¡± His fingers dripped with a dark fluid, which quickly gave shape to a multitude of voidlings. Guardian Angel Z357 paused, watching as these depraved creatures were breathed with life. Its twelve eyes darted around in a frenzy, and Kallistus backed away into a thicket of trees. ¡°Scatter! Destroy! Spread your depravity across Vacuos!¡± he yelled. He didn¡¯t stop creating these voidlings. They hissed and cried and shrieked and yelled as they took their first steps in this world. And a momentter, they were ripped apart by the angel. Exterminating all traces of the Void, Guardian Angel Z357 said as it tore through a dozen voidlings. It paused, looking ahead as dozens more waited before him. They spread out, trying to escape from Briar Glen as its twelve eyes darted in different directions. Preventing the spread of voidlings. The angel shot between the trees, hunting down the fleeing voidlings one after another. With each one it brought down, there was always another. Kallistus didn¡¯t ck with his usage of Create. He knew that this was his only way to escape. He summoned as many voidlings as he possibly could, expending all of his strength, and in turn distracting Guardian Angel Z357. As it culled Briar Glen of voidlings, the [Hero King] escaped. He returned to Windrip, finally forgoing his connection to the Void as he disengaged. He waited with bated breath, but the angel didn¡¯t pursue him. It remained in Briar Glen, continuing to purge the forest of the voidlings until none were left. Kallistus sighed in relief as he hid amongst the crowd of the city. ¡°It seems the World System is finally retaliating,¡± the [Hero King] whispered, cloaked in a dark hood. He looked down at the palm of his hand as his purple skin returned to normal. This meant that he was going to have to rely less on the Void¡¯s powers¡ª especially if that angel was going to track him down whenever he called for that depraved magic. He balled his hand into a fist. ¡°This is going to be¡­ troublesome.¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 exterminated thest of the voidlings from the forest. He had lost his target amidst the mass of depraved creatures. But it didn''t matter. He finally understood the current source of the Void in 16B today. It was not the rifts that were the problem¡ª the issue was distinct from what it had been over ten thousand years ago. It appeared that the Fal-Deus was now opting for subterfuge, working discreetly amongst individuals instead. [In Progress: (4/5) Rifts Investigated!] The words shed before the angel¡¯s twelve eyes, then the screen froze. It shifted as the World Systemputed his findings. [Processing: Change in Objective¡­ ¡­ Complete: (4/4) Rifts Investigated! Minor Reward Earned: Lance Duplication Technique obtained! Minor Objective B: Interrogate at least three Void-touched individuals. (0/3) Void-touched Individuals Interrogated Main Objective Iplete!] MsD Here''s a preview for the announcement. Can you guess what it is? START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78 ¡°Alright, this is it,¡± I said as I sped my hands together. Xakor blinked for the third time since I met him. He stared at the ramshackle hut¡ª its walls were practically falling over into itself, and the roof had partially copsed. There was a single window, but its ss was cracked open. I sauntered up to the door, and it creaked open with a light push. ¡°Xrr¡­ I do not think that this would make a fine dining establishment, Amelia.¡± He sighed as he shook his head. ¡°It is too rundown. No one would eat at such a ce¡ª you¡¯ll only turn away potential customers.¡± ¡°Well, with a few polishes here and there, it¡¯ll be spick and span and good as new.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. I slung a towel over my shoulder as I nced back at the alien. He wore a hooded cloak to hide his identity, but it didn¡¯t really matter. We were practically at the edge of Wolfwater, so there weren¡¯t really any passersby. But to him, that was part of the problem. ¡°This location would be bad for business too,¡± Xakor exined, gesturing vaguely at the area with one of his four arms. ¡°Our main market should be visiting [Traders] and tired [Farmers]. No one would go out of their way to visit your restaurant if it¡¯s too far from the roads and the vige.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I opened my mouth, then pursed my lips. He had a good point. I understood his logic. But¡ª ¡°This is all I can afford.¡± I shrugged helplessly. ¡°Ah.¡± His eyes twinkled. ¡°Anyways, I didn¡¯t want to get in the way of all the construction work.¡± I shook my head, pping the side of the hut. ¡°Wolfwater is still recovering from the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack, so this will have to¡ª¡± I started. And the rest of the roof copsed. I blinked, watching as the structure folded into itself, the shaky walls tumbling from a single touch. I stared, frozen in ce, and Xakor harrumphed. ¡°Xrr, I believe now we have no choice but to find another location for our restaurant,¡± he said. ¡°Well, fuck.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to get a refund.¡± ¡ª-- Han was in a rut. He arrived in Wolfwater two days ago, and since then a lot had happened. His first day here, the vige was attacked by the Cloying Witch. She had used some strange magic to wreak havoc for a little bit, before she was defeated by the Noble Spellsword. The former city guard was relieved to see Noele there. Truth be told, he hadn¡¯t even heard of the Cloying Witch until that day of the attack, but seeing an A-rank adventurering to save the day was always reassuring. It was clear that things would usually be fine¡ª especially when said adventurer was the one who had saved Whiteridge from the Miststorm Riders. However, soon after the attack, he learned that Wolfwater was Noele¡¯s hometown, and that the Cloying Witch specifically sought out this farming vige to exact revenge against the Noble Spellsword. That¡­ made Han reevaluate his decision to move here. He thought this vige was safe. And, certainly, with an A-rank adventurer residing within, it was probably safer than any of the neighboring towns. But Han wondered what would happen if another such assault urred, purely because this was the Noble Spellsword¡¯s home? It was entirely possible that Han¡¯s luck wouldn¡¯tst forever. The next time an A-rank threat showed up here in Wolfwater, he could end up as a casualty before Noele even arrived. That terrified him. He hadn¡¯t made a decision just yet, but he highly considered leaving the farming vige some time in the next week. For now¡­ he didn¡¯t even have a ce to stay. Han sighed as he sat in front of an abandoned house. There was only a single inn here in Wolfwater, and he had been kicked out after he got into a drunken brawlst night. It wasn¡¯t even his fault, really. He had been provoked¡ª called a fool and a coward by some middle-aged man. Probably a retired soldier. It didn¡¯t matter. Now, it was already evening, and Han had been turned away from every house he approached. No one could offer him any lodging because they were already offering shelter to a friend or family member whose property had been destroyed by the Cloying Witch. So here he was, milling about the front of an empty hut with nothing but a sack slung around his shoulders, considering breaking in for a ce to stay tonight. ¡°...maybe I should just go back to Whiteridge,¡± he murmured, closing his eyes. ¡°At least I¡¯ll have a roof over my head there¡­¡± Han hugged his knees to his chest as the sun set over the horizon. He really wanted to turn back the dial¡ª go back in time to when he was still a brand new adventurer. He had been a part of a team back then. He even had a crush. A beautiful blonde [Warrior] who continued adventuring, even when he quit. Everything seemed so perfect back then. Until it wasn¡¯t. But he just wished things were perfect again. He sighed wistfully, only to be pulled out of his thoughts by a voice. ¡°Hey,¡± a woman said. Han blinked, looking up. The first thing he saw was a cloak. A shredded cloak, impossibly held together as kes fell off. His brows furrowed, confused for a moment. But the woman continued. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. The cloak quickly slipped out of his mind, instead looking up at the brown-haired girl. His eyes widened when he saw her face. He recognized her¡ª he remembered her from two days ago. She had been the adventurer who saved him, fighting alongside the Noble Spellsword. Han tried to work his jaw. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re¡ª¡± And he paused. She peered at him curiously, tilting her head. Why was she here? He didn¡¯t know her name, but she had a concerned look on her face. For a moment, he thought she was an angel¡ª here to save him a second time. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± he slowly replied. ¡°T-thanks for asking.¡± He gulped, unsure what she would say next. She just smiled, leaning back. ¡°That¡¯s good. If you¡¯re fine¡ª can you please get off my property?¡± she said simply. Han froze. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°My name is Amelia, and I just bought this building,¡± she exined, gesturing vaguely past him. ¡°You¡¯re kind of blocking the main entrance. If you could just scooch over to the left a little bit¡­¡± He just stared at the brown-haired woman for a moment longer, processing what she just said. He opened his mouth, and a second voice spoke up. ¡°Xrr¡­ technically, I am the one who bought this building. But indeed, we would appreciate it if you relocate away from the doorway,¡± a tall hooded figure said. Amelia just snorted. ¡°Well, my name was included in the contract. So I technically bought it as well. I just offered zero capital towards the purchase.¡± ¡°I am unsure if that¡¯s how it works, Amelia.¡± ¡°Whatever, we both own it, and that¡¯s what matters,¡± she said, ncing back down at Han. She gave him an expectant look. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°R-right.¡± The former city guard scrambled to his feet, then backed away. He nced between them as they pushed the door open. He hesitated, watching them enter. ¡°You, uh, bought this ce?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re opening up a restaurant here soon.¡± Amelia nced back as she entered the dark hall. The building¡¯s windows were boarded up, and cobwebs lined the rafters. Han narrowed his eyes, staring at its state of disrepair. His lips twisted. ¡°This shoddy ce¡­ is going to be turned into a restaurant?¡± he asked in disbelief. The hooded figure shook his head, speaking with an odd hissing sound. ¡°Xrr, Amelia insisted we save on costs as long as we pick the right location.¡± ¡°As long as it isn¡¯t falling over, I can just fix it up real quick.¡± The brown-haired woman set a Bag of Holding onto the ground, before producing a set of building tools. ¡°Ideally, I¡¯d like to get business running in a day or two.¡± ¡°In a day or¡­ two?¡± Han¡¯s eyes crossed. He caught himself, shaking his head. He looked at Amelia with a frown. ¡°But you¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you? How are you going to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m registered in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as an unofficial adventurer,¡± she replied simply. ¡°And I¡¯m basically a farmer.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re no [Architect],¡± he pointed out. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Are you a [Builder], then?¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± ¡°What about a [Cleaner]?¡± Han asked. ¡°Why is that even a ss¡ª¡± Amelia caught herself, before sighing. ¡°Look, I¡¯m none of the above. So don¡¯t bother asking me if I¡¯m a [Renovator] or a [Constructor] either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of those sses.¡± He frowned. ¡°Good. They shouldn¡¯t exist.¡± She crossed her arms, giving him a t stare. He opened his mouth hesitantly. ¡°If you¡¯re just an adventurer, how are you going to renovate this building in a day?¡± Han eyed her dubiously. Honestly, he had plenty more questions he wanted to ask¡ª like why was an adventurer even opening up a restaurant, anyway? But she just shrugged. ¡°Because I¡¯m not just an adventurer. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to get to work.¡± He opened his mouth, but her figure blurred. He blinked a few times before stumbling as a sudden gust of wind knocked him back. A pair of arms caught him from falling over. He looked up at the hooded man. ¡°Xrr, be careful. I suggest stepping back if you really want to watch.¡± He led Han away from the abandoned building. The former city guard watched, utterly perplexed as a tornado formed just ahead of him. He looked on with wide eyes as a brown wind swept over the area. He tried to scramble back, but another set of arms held him in ce. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± he yelled, struggling to break free. ¡°There¡¯s a tornado¡ª¡± ¡°Look again,¡± the hooded man said. ¡°What?¡± Han paused. That didn¡¯t make any sense. But slowly, he did as he was told. He squinted, looking towards the abandoned building, watching as the boards over the windows were cleared¡ª as the dusty floorboards were wiped clean, and as the mold growing on the side walls vanished. Han didn¡¯t understand what was going on at first. He thought it had to be the work of a Skill¡ª some kind of [Repair Building] effect¡­ if that was even a thing. But then he saw the furniture, spontaneously appearing out of thin air¡ª no, like these tables and chairs were being built before his very eyes. He rubbed his eyes, leaning forward. And he finally saw it. He finally caught a brief glimpse of what was going on. Amelia sped through the main hall of the small building. Her figure was moving in a blur¡ª leaving behind afterimages of herself that made it seem like she was sweeping the floors and building simple furniture all at the same time. She didn¡¯t slow even for a moment. She continued renovating the room at iprehensible speeds¡ª And Han¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°W-wait, what¡­? B-but how¡ª¡± ¡°This is my first time seeing her at work too,¡± the hooded man said, massaging the former guard¡¯s back. ¡°She is¡­ xrr, impressive.¡± ¡°Impressive?¡± Han eximed and nced back. ¡°That¡¯s not just impressive! That doesn¡¯t make any sense! How is she doing that?¡± The hooded man crossed a pair of arms, still massaging Han¡¯s back. ¡°Xrr, perhaps impressive is an understatement. But I have been warned ahead of her feats of impossibility ahead of time. So I expected as much out of her.¡± ¡°Feats of what¡ª¡± The former guard frowned, then he paused. He looked up and down, eyeing the pair of hands at his back, before staring at the pair of folded arms. Once again, Han found himself at a loss of words. ¡°Xrr, this is amon technique for rxation back in my world,¡± the hooded man exined. ¡°You are very stressed. You might even pass out.¡± ¡°I¡­ that¡¯s¡ª¡± Han opened his mouth. He shook his head, breaking out of his stupor. ¡°Why do you have four¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, but I am trying to maintain a discreet presence in Wolfwater for now.¡± The hooded man drew back, lifting his cloak slightly to give a peek of his face. Han saw purple skin¡ª beady ck eyes. The former guard gasped, recognizing the face stered on posters all over the world. ¡°You¡¯re Xakor the¡ª¡± But Xakor just ced a finger on Han¡¯s lips. ¡°Xrr, please do not yell. I do not want to cause a crowd to gather.¡± ¡°I¡­ right.¡± Han stared in shock. He wasn¡¯t sure what else there was to say. Of all ces to be in Laxo, the Patron of the Culinary Sciences was here in Wolfwater. He was one of the few otherworlders in the world! He was a literal celebrity across all the continents, even Mare! But somehow, the former city guard ran into him here. Han nced back at the abandoned building, watching as it was quickly refurbished by Amelia, before looking back at Xakor. He processed this as his mind reeled. ¡°I¡­ think I¡¯m dreaming,¡± he murmured to himself. And he heard a clucking from his feet. Han looked down at a chicken. An ordinary chicken in size and shape. Unassuming at first nce, until he realized it was carrying an oversized bag on its back¡ª a bag that was at least three times its size. It pped its wings before dashing forward like a pack mule, heading towards Amelia. ¡°Bawk bawk,¡± it cried out. ¡°Thanks, Bucky,¡± Amelia said, stopping for a moment to grab the bag off the chicken. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a treatter.¡± She patted Bucky, then vanished into a blur once more. The chicken ran back from the small building, clucking up at Xakor. The Patron of the Culinary Sciences just picked it up and stroked its back. All the while, Han watched this scene y out as he struggled to even understand what was going on. He rubbed his temples, sighing. ¡°I think I had too much to drinkst night¡­¡± ¡ª-- I came to a halt and dusted my hands off. The sun had set a while ago, and Xakor had left with that disheveled man a few hours back, probably to go to sleep. It took me a while since I was trying to cause as little of a ruckus as possible, but I was finally finished. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, smiling as I took in the renovated building that was soon going to be my restaurant. ¡°Now, I just have toe up with a name¡­ and stock up on food¡­ and hire a server¡­ and somehow attract customers¡­¡± I trailed off as the smile slipped off my face. I nodded at myself and spoke softly. ¡°Let¡¯se up with a name first, then deal with all thatter.¡± MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Guardian Angel Z357 scanned the concrete street. His twelve eyes darted around in different directions, watching the passing dwarves riding in their magitech vehicles, before finally settling onto a single target. A crowd was gathered at the steps of arge building. Standing atop a podium, a rather young man gave a speech. He was a dwarf, just like the rest of the onlookers. But he was dressed in distinguished clothing¡ª a tuxedo with a bowtie to top it off. Most of those gathered looked like they were miners or factory workers. They were caked in soot and ash, some wearing helmets, while others carried around hammers and other work tools. The well-dressed dwarf leant on his podium with both his hands as a woman pressed a button on a strange contraption. There was a sh of light as Guardian Angel Z357 tilted his head. A camera? And those vehicles were¡­ cars. It seemed that over thest ten thousand years, technology had advanced rtively significantly in Alius¡ªpared to Laxo. Guardian Angel Z357 found their technology to be rather trite, but he didn¡¯t deliberate about it any longer. Instead, he waited to determine whether what he sensed was right. He eyed his target with all twelve eyes as the crowd looked on. The well-dressed dwarfughed, answering questions, before sliding a hand beneath the podium. His finger glimmered with a purple aura as he spoke, enchanting the crowd. Void essence detected, Guardian Angel Z357 thought, before drawing forward. Approaching target. And he dropped Without a Trace. The Technique came to an end as his body flickered under the evening sun. The cloak of invisibility faded, reced with his corporeal form. The first to notice him was his target. The well-dressed dwarf cried out, pointing straight at the angel. Heads turned, and the crowd began to scream. The crowd began to disperse in a panic as Guardian Angel Z357 descended slowly amongst them. A pair of dwarves drew forward, raising pistols and aiming at him. They fired blue bolts of magic, and he raised a hand. The projectiles froze mid-air and the weapons bent and crumpled into small metal balls. Be not afraid, he transmitted his thoughts to the crowd. His words rippled through the sea of panic, muffling the screaming and calming the chaos. The gathered dwarves still backed away from him warily, but there was no longer a mad scramble to escape. Hended right before his target as he continued, I am Guardian Angel Z357, and I am here only for the Void-touched. The well-dressed dwarf blinked, before ncing around with wide eyes. The nearby onlookers gasped. The woman stared for a moment, before snapping a picture of the angel falling upon him. He saw this, then his lips twisted, and he eximed in outrage. ¡°Void-touched? Are you using me of being a part of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, you false angel? Do you not know who I am? I am the Lord Mayor of¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 jerked an arm forward and grabbed his target. The Lord Mayor squeaked, before the angel took off into the air. They soared straight into the sky and the crowd faded below the clouds like ants. Beginning interrogation. You shall tell me all you know about the Fal-Deus. ¡°The Fal-Deus¡­? What are you talking about?¡± Target is resisting. Beginning forced interrogation. ¡°Wait, no!¡± the Lord Mayor protested. ¡°I have genuinely never heard of¡ª¡± But Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t listen. And his target squirmed in pain as the interrogation began high in the sky, screaming for no one to hear but the callous drone of the World System. [In Progress: (1/3) Void-touched Individuals Interrogated!] ¡ª-- ¡°Bucky¡¯s,¡± I said as Xakor stared at me. He sat across the table, holding the chicken in hisp. His brows furrowed, and I repeated myself. ¡°We should call our restaurant Bucky¡¯s.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky clucked in agreement. The ragnarian nced between the chicken and I. He just frowned. ¡°That is a terrible name.¡± Bucky immediately protested, pping her wings as she pecked his side. He just held her up as she continued thrashing in his hands. I rolled my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°It is utterly horrible,¡± Xakor insisted, and Bucky clucked in indignation. I crossed my arms as I took a step back. The three of us were gathered in the lobby of the newly-furbished building. It wasn¡¯trge¡ª only a single floor with a kitchen at the back. There were a handful of spare rooms behind the kitchen, but they were mostly being used for storage. This was going to be our restaurant. It had been a week since I renovated this ce, but we still hadn¡¯t figured out a name for it. ¡°Do you have any better suggestions?¡± I asked. Xakor just rubbed his chin with one of his four hands. ¡°Xrr¡­ better suggestions? I cannot say that I have one.¡± I gave him a t stare, and he chuckled. ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t give me that look, Amelia. I simply think we should consider other options before making a decision. Generally, when I name my restaurants, I follow some convention or rule. For example, ¡®The Flying Saucer¡¯.¡± ¡°You named one of your restaurants ¡®The Flying Saucer¡¯?¡± I asked in disbelief. Xakor simply nodded. ¡°I found its name to be quite fitting. We mostly serve drinks and desserts there, but it is incredibly popr in Alius, especially amongst the wealthydyfolk.¡± ¡°It just¡­ sounds like a restaurant in a children¡¯s movie,¡± I said, staring at the alien. I frowned. ¡°You know, maybe I shouldn¡¯t be asking you for naming advice. You suck at it.¡± ¡°A children¡¯s movie?¡± He peered at me curiously. ¡°Like¡­ a film,¡± I exined. ¡°Moving pictures? Videos you show to entertain kids for a few hours with a boring plot and colorful effects? Don¡¯t you guys have that in your world?¡± He shook his head. ¡°We have films. But by the sounds of it, it is¡­ xrr, probably different from your world.¡± ¡°Different how?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Children¡¯s movies tend to be educational.¡± Xakor crossed a pair of arms, still holding onto Bucky with his other two. ¡°Specifically¡­ reproduction education.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. Then my lips twisted. ¡°Gross. I didn¡¯t want to know that.¡± ¡°Xrr, I expected such a reaction. Most sapient races tend to treat such natural behaviors with such strange reservation. I cannot wrap my mind around it.¡± I walked up to the alien and took Bucky away from him. I lowered her to the ground, before patting her head. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about such topics in front of the chicken. We don¡¯t want to defile her innocent mind.¡± She just clucked like she was harrumphing in response, and Xakorughed. ¡°I am sure Bucky has had plenty of mates before, Amelia. You need not worry yourself about that.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s our mascot,¡± I said as I dug into my pockets. I produced a handful of seeds for her as I nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t want anyone spreading weird rumors about her. We have to maintain our brand image, isn¡¯t that right, Bucky?¡± The chicken immediately clucked in agreement, before giving Xakor a judging look. I smiled and fed her to her delight as the alien gave man amused look. ¡°You¡¯re quite insistent on keeping that name, aren¡¯t you? Xrr, may I know why?¡± he asked. ¡°It sounds like a fast food chain, I guess,¡± I said as I drew back from the chicken. ¡°They¡¯re these¡­ ¡®restaurants¡¯ from my world. Kinda unhealthy, but serves cheap food. I¡¯m probably not going to serve anything super fancy either, so I thought it was a fitting name.¡± Xakor just nodded slowly as he got to his feet. I watched him sweep his gaze over the newly-crafted furniture. I wasn¡¯t a carpenter by any means, but the tables and chairs I had put up were pretty sturdy¡ª good enough, at the very least. ¡°Ultimately, cooking is creation,¡± Xakor said, turning back to me. He wagged one of his twelve fingers. ¡°I became a [Chef] because I still take pride in the product of my hard work. Every restaurant and every dish I create¡ª they are proof of my blood, sweat, and tears.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­ extreme for cooking,¡± I remarked dryly. He shook his head. ¡°Xrr, perhaps it is. But to me, it is no different from being an inventor back in my world. I toil away at my creation, testing it¡ª refining it. Finally, when it is perfect, I unveil it to the cheering of the masses. Whether it is food or it is a machine, they are all my masterpieces.¡± I stared at him. I looked on as Xakor raised his head, dreamily gazing at the ceiling. I shifted in my seat slightly and even Bucky stopped eating to look his way. I had wondered why Xakor chose to be a [Chef] when he realized he was trapped here in Vacuos. He had said that cooking was the closest thing to inventing to him when I asked him about it, but even then, I didn¡¯t realize how sincerely he meant those words. I wondered if I could find something like that for me too¡ª a purpose that was different from what I was ustomed to, but also familiar. Something that fulfilled me. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but I hoped it was out there. I just sat there as Xakor nced back towards me. ¡°This restaurant¡­ the food it will serve¡­ they are your creations, Amelia. Their names are up to you, but you should not choose a name for them lightly.¡± He gave me a serious look. I leant back in my chair. ¡°So Bucky¡¯s is a no-go, huh? Honestly, I do kinda like it¡­¡± ¡°If that is what you decide on, I cannot stop you,¡± Xakor said. He gestured at the room around us with his four arms. ¡°This is your restaurant, after all. But all I am asking you is to make it yours.¡± It sounded simple enough, however I had no idea how I was going to do that. I closed my eyes as I tapped a finger on my chin. I looked deep into myself. I thought about the time I¡¯ve spent here in Vacuos¡ª I thought about the time I lost in the Fractured Realm. I remembered my home back on Earth. I barely had any memories left of the things I cared about back then. I wished I hadn¡¯t forgotten so much. I couldn¡¯t even recall the names of my closest friends. I could only remember my family. It was so long ago. It had been another time. It had been another ce. It had been another world. But now I was here, pursuing a new life in Vacuos. Even though I didn¡¯t belong¡ª even though I couldn¡¯t properly integrate into the World System¡ª I was still here. And I wasn¡¯t going to be leaving anytime soon. Because ¡°I¡­¡± I spoke up, opening my eyes. Xakor and Bucky eyed me curiously, and I got to my feet with a grin. ¡°I think I have an idea¡­¡± I said as they leant closer. ¡ª-- Han heard the groaning of his stomach. He was ravenous. He had exhausted thest of Wolfwater¡¯s goodwill to stay a few more days in this vige. But now, he had no food and no shelter. He had no choice but to leave¡ª to return back to Whiteridge. He gritted his teeth as he slowly wandered towards the edge of Wolfwater. And he passed by a familiar hut. He blinked, remembering when this small building had been under renovation. That had been¡­ quite a day. He ended up drinking the night away to scrub that odd memory from his mind. But he had been staying over at a small family¡¯s shack at the time, and they were outraged when they found out he had chugged down all their alcohol. He had been forced topensate them threefold for everything. And now he barely had any coin left to even survive when he got back to Whiteridge. Most of Wolfwater hated him, and the only ces that served food turned him away for the¡­ other stunts he performed since he arrived. ¡°But wasn¡¯t this supposed to be¡­?¡± Han frowned as he slowly sauntered up to the renovated building. Even if his memory was hazy from the copious amounts of booze, he still remembered some of the events of that day. Particrly¡ª the adventurer-farmer who wanted to open up a restaurant. He drew closer, drawn by the allure of food. He licked his lips, imagining the tasty dishes that could be waiting within. Was it open yet? It seemed to be open, then he caught a glimpse of a sign on the front door. He stopped to read the scribbled words. Wee to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant! Please don¡¯t feed the chicken. ¡°Feed the¡­?¡± Han blinked, then he heard a muffled clucking from within the building. He hesitated, ncing between the sign, the name, and the ramshackle hut. Finally, he shook his head. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather starve.¡± And he turned around, walking away from the restaurant. MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. I thought it was a good name¡ª fitting, too. After all, both Xakor and I were otherworlders. We would be serving food that quite literally didn¡¯t exist in Vacuos. Of course, we¡¯d make it ptable to fit with this world¡¯s tastes, and we¡¯d also serve food that was considered normal here. I renovated this entire building on my own. It took a little bit of trial and error to polish up this ce. I had even crafted the furniture myself. While the tables and chairs weren¡¯t exactly ornate, they were functional, which was what mattered. I had worked with Nn to get the ingredients, and Nicole had helped acquire everything else, so the restaurant would be ready to go. And today was finally the day. The restaurant was actually going to be open for the public after a week and a half. I was a little bit nervous. But I had higher hopes for this restaurant than I did for my food stall back in Windrip. I was certain I would at least get a single customer this time around, right? After all, while we hadn¡¯t attached Xakor¡¯s name to the restaurant itself, we were advertising ourselves as a restaurant run by a high-leveled [Chef]. And on the first day of the restaurant¡¯s opening, no one showed up. On the second day, no one showed up again. On the third day, no one showed up¡ª until the very end of the day as the sun was setting over the horizon. And I finally had my first customer. ¡ª-- Han returned to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant five minutester. He remembered the chicken¡ª he recalled that strange woman. It had been like witnessing a fever dream while fully sober, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he had actually been sober. It was such an odd ce, he really didn¡¯t want to return. Especially considering that the chef wasn¡¯t a [Chef]. She was an adventurer. The food¡­ probably sucked. However, his hunger drove him forward. It forced him back to the unassuming hut, despite the fact that an adventurer was running the ce. He hesitantly pushed the door open as he heard a cluck from the other side. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± a chicken greeted him, and he blinked. ¡°H-hi?¡± he said. It stood by the doorway, hopping up and down as it waved a wing. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Bucky, right?¡± The chicken nodded before turning around. It scampered towards a counter as Han just watched. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken loudly clucked. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± ¡°Wait, we actually have a customer?¡± a voice saidzily, emerging from behind the counter. Han shifted back ufortably as he recognized the brown-haired woman. ¡°Just before we closed, too. That¡¯s convenient¡ª¡± she started. And she paused when she caught sight of Han. Her brows snapped together, evidently remembering who he was too. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that guy who was sleeping on our property.¡± Amelia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here looking for a ce to stay. I heard about what you did at Jerome¡¯s house. I¡¯m not going to give you any charity.¡± That made Han purse his lips. He couldn¡¯t believe that those rumors had even spread here. He tried to work his jaw as the adventurer-farmer-chef stared at him. ¡°I¡­ that was an ident,¡± he mustered up. ¡°How do you identally drink an entire barrel of beer?¡± she asked tly. ¡°That just sounds like an excuse. But, like, not even a good excuse. It¡¯s just a bad lie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Han hesitated. It was definitely a lie. And she saw through it immediately. He nced back out the window towards the setting sun, before shaking his head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to break into the ce. I¡¯m just here for the food,¡± he finally said. Amelia frowned. She studied him for a moment, and his stomach rumbled. He flushed, clutching his empty belly. He slunk into a seat as she finally acquiesced. ¡°As long as you¡¯re paying, I guess.¡± She reached behind the counter and produced a paper menu. That surprised Han. She handed it to him, and he just stared for a moment. Most taverns just had a menu scribbled up at the front. But the fact that this ce had an actual paper menu¡­ it amazed him for a moment. This ce was fancy. Was it really a proper restaurant? It was partially owned by Xakor, right? That meant the food could actually be good. He shifted back in his seat, and the chair creaked. Blinking, he looked down to see the chair legs bending from his weight. He pursed his lips at that. Nevermind, the thought crossed his mind. I don¡¯t think this food will be¡­ ptable. ¡°Don¡¯t tear it up,¡± Amelia said as she drew back. ¡°We only have like a dozen of those. Just call out when you¡¯re ready to make an order. We¡¯re supposed to close up at sundown¡­ but since you¡¯re my first customer, I¡¯ll let you take your time.¡± ¡°Uh, thanks.¡± Han nodded. His eyes scanned the menu as the chicken sauntered after the brown-haired woman. She was just about to vanish back into the kitchen when Han frowned. ¡°Wait,¡± he called out. Amelia stopped mid-step, before ncing back. ¡°What is it?¡± His lips twisted as he traced a finger over the menu. He eyed one of the menu items. ¡°What¡¯s a¡­ pita?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a kind of tbread. It¡¯s a side dish¡ª you don¡¯t usually eat it by itself without something like hummus or whatever.¡± Amelia quickly exined, waving a hand dismissively. She turned back around as she continued towards the kitchen. ¡°If that¡¯s everything¡­¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Han called out again. ¡°What¡¯s a hummus?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dip made from chickpeas, garlic, and a bunch of other ingredients,¡± she said, ncing back at him once more. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°And what¡¯s a kebab?¡± he asked, eyeing another menu item. Her brows furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s just skewered meat. Don¡¯t you guys have that here?¡± ¡°Oh, we do. It¡¯s just called¡­ a skewer.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Amelia stepped back. ¡°Now, just¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s a ffel?¡± Han piped up once more. And she sighed. She dragged her feet back towards him and crossed her arms. Bucky just followed, hobbling over. ¡°Look,¡± Amelia said,ing to a halt before his table. ¡°Why don¡¯t I just go over everything on the menu for you?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡ª-- Han eventually settled on a dish called pf. He thought it had a strange name, and it honestly didn¡¯t sound appetizing at all. But he was too hungry to care. At the very least, it was the cheapest of the main course items on the menu. It was pretty much all he could afford. But he just wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. This was a restaurant. A proper dining establishment. It wasn¡¯t like the inns or bars he¡¯d normally visit on a night out for drinks and dinner. The food served here was supposed to be cooked by a Level 20 [Chef] at the very minimum. But there was no [Chef]. There was just that brown-haired woman. An adventurer who renovated this small rundown building over the span of a few hours. But despite her speed, the fact that the renovations weren¡¯t¡­ the best, was proof that she was just an adventurer, nothing more. Han swept his gaze over the restaurant. There were a dozen tables and chairs set up, many of them shoddily built,cking the uniformity that woulde from being an expert [Carpenter]. There really wasn¡¯t much design put into the indoor decor either. The walls, at the very least, had been painted over. And the old broken windows had been reced. However, it was still pretty in, especially for what was supposed to be a proper restaurant. Han waited, shifting in his creaking seat as he heard the mor of cooking from the kitchen. His eyes darted around,nding on Bucky who was casually lying down in the corner of the room. The sun had already set at this point, and it was dark outside. The former guardsman wasn¡¯t looking forward to scouring Wolfwater for a ce to stay tonight¡ª not especially when he likely wasn¡¯t going to be able to convince anyone to give him shelter. He had managed to survive here in this vige longer than he thought he would, but now it was over. Honestly, Han wondered how it hade to this. He hade to Wolfwater with¡­ hopes. Not high hopes. But he sought out sanctuary, and he hade from the city. He had expected that it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to find a job here in some rural vige. As a Level 17 [Spearman], it shouldn¡¯t have been too difficult to work as some sort of hunter or guard here. Unfortunately, his chances were probably squandered now that half of Wolfwater hated him. He sighed as he leant against the table. ¡°I should just go back¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°You¡¯re still going to have to pay for your meal, even if you leave right now,¡± Amelia said as she strode up to his table. She carried a steaming bowl as he blinked and looked up. ¡°Your order¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°O-oh, thank you.¡± Han straightened, and she set the te down. He eyed the dish with a frown, seeing the yellow rice and diced onions. There were nuts thrown into the mix too, alongside a little bit of meat. But¡ª ¡°Why is the rice yellow?¡± he asked apprehensively. ¡°Because of the turmeric, I think.¡± Amelia took a step back and shrugged. ¡°You¡­ think?¡± Han pursed his lips. He poked the rice with a fork, before ncing back up at her. ¡°Did Xakor teach you how to cook this?¡± ¡°Uh, sure,¡± she said. ¡°I just follow his instructions or whatever. The recipes are all from the Patron of the Culinary Arts!¡± She gave the former guardsman a forced smile as she weakly pumped a fist. ¡°The Culinary Sciences,¡± he corrected her. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Amelia rolled her eyes. ¡°Just give the pf a try, and let me know what you think.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Han slowly dragged the te closer as the brown-haired woman hovered over him like a hawk. He wondered why she was just standing there and waiting for him. It honestly was weirding him out. But he didn¡¯t say anything. He just remembered how fast she had been moving when she was fixing up this restaurant. She had been like a hurricane¡ª a walking natural disaster. As odd as she was, the former guardsman really didn¡¯t want to upset her. So he tried to ignore her piercing gaze as he dug into the pf. ¡°Here goes,¡± he whispered to himself. His hand trembled as he raised the spoonful of yellow rice into his mouth. He hoped it wasn¡¯t poisoned. An [Herbalist] had once told him that bright-colored mushrooms were poisonous, and while he was pretty sure the same didn¡¯t apply to rice, he couldn¡¯t be too careful with an unqualified [Chef]. Sure, he wasn¡¯t a [Chef] either, and he regrly cooked for himself at home. But other than simple dishes, he never really made anything that looked nearly asplex as this pf. ¡°Hurry up already,¡± Amelia said tly. ¡°It¡¯s going to get cold.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He gulped hesitantly, before plunging the spoon into his mouth. He closed his eyes, bracing for the worst. He was ready to copse onto the floor from food poisoning, but¡ª An explosion of vor invaded his mouth. Han¡¯s eyes widened as an eclectic mix of spices ran down his tongue. He slowly chewed, and the rice melted like butter, before his teeth crunched on the nuts. He gulped again, this time, savoring the taste of this dish. ¡°This is¡­ actually really good!¡± he eximed, getting to his feet. Amelia blinked for a few moments, like she was waiting for something else. But when that ¡®something else¡¯ didn¡¯te, she uncrossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s it? You don¡¯t think it¡¯s unrefined just because I¡¯m not a Level 30 [Chef]?¡± she asked. Han shook his head. ¡°I thought it would be terrible¡ª I mean, it doesn¡¯t look great.¡± He gestured at the dish itself. Amelia frowned. ¡°Thanks, I put a lot of effort into the presentation. Good to know it still sucks.¡± ¡°But the vor¡­ it¡¯s amazing!¡± He gestured wildly around before scooping up another spoonful of pf and chomping down on it. He quickly scarfed down the dish as she watched. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve never heard of this before!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡± A smile slipped onto Amelia¡¯s face. ¡°So you like it, then?¡± ¡°I love it,¡± Han said, cing the empty te down onto the table. ¡°I have heard that Xakor invents amazing recipes, but to think he can create a dish that even a non-[Chef] can cook well? He has outdone himself this time!¡± The brown-haired woman¡¯s smile vanished. She opened her mouth, then caught herself. She just sighed. ¡°You win some, you lose some. But this is good enough, I guess.¡± Han just slumped back in his chair, letting out a self-satisfied groan. It was delicious. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he had been famished, or if it was actually that delectable. But he thought the pf had been amazing. He wanted to pass out right there and then into a fooda, but Amelia spoke up. ¡°Anyways, pay up.¡± She brought a hand forward, and he blinked at her. ¡°We need to close up. It¡¯s past sundown. So pay up.¡± The former guardsman sat up, staring at her. He hurriedly dug into his coin pouch, then paused. He felt theck of coins in there¡ª he barely had any money left. This would be thest of his savings, and after this, he would bepletely broke. He hesitated as Amelia gave him an expectant look. ¡°Well?¡± She waited. He knew he had to fork over the payment. She was an adventurer¡ª she would kill him if he dyed any longer. But he couldn¡¯t just pay her. Not when he would have nothing left. And a thought crossed his mind. A stupid thought. ¡°I was thinking¡­ for payment,¡± Han started, averting his gaze. ¡°Could I maybe work for you as payment instead?¡± And Amelia blinked. ¡°What?¡± MsD START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 ¡°I was thinking¡­ for payment,¡± the man started, averting his gaze. ¡°Could I maybe work for you instead?¡± I stared at him for a moment, processing what he said. I blinked, and that was when I finally worked my jaw. ¡°What?¡± I didn¡¯t expect this at all. This was my first customer¡ª he was someone who actually enjoyed my cooking. He wasn¡¯t anyone I knew. He was aplete stranger to me. Sure, I¡¯d heard rumors about him before, but that didn¡¯t really mean anything. He wasn¡¯t a friend like Noele, Nn, Nicole, or Garron. He wasn¡¯t an otherworlder like Xakor. He was literally someone who only knew of me as an adventurer. And he actually thought my cooking was good. He might have attributed that fact to Xakor, but his response had been a major sess in my book. However, now he wasn¡¯t going to pay for his food. Instead, he was asking to¡­ work for me? I narrowed my eyes as he sheepishly scratched his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s literally only twenty-five copper coins,¡± I said as I proffered an expectant hand. ¡°And I can¡¯t even afford to give you a living wage, anyways. Just pay up and don¡¯t fuss about it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have to pay me.¡± The man shook his head, before giving me a pleading look. ¡°I¡­ if you just give me food and shelter, I¡¯ll work for you for free.¡± That sounded like a tempting offer. I had been wondering about how I¡¯d staff my restaurant before things took off¡ª Xakor had already funded the building itself, and I was paying for the ingredients. But I couldn¡¯t exactly hire an employee until business was booming. So I had thought I¡¯d be forced to manage everything on my own¡­ maybe with a little bit of Bucky¡¯s help. However, if I hired this man¡­ I looked him up and down. I saw his ragged clothing¡ª I stared at the bags under his eyes. I remembered all the bad things I¡¯d heard about him so far. I just sighed. ¡°I literally don¡¯t even know your name, and I haven¡¯t heard anything good about you. Sorry, but I don¡¯t think this will work out.¡± He pursed his lips. He shifted in his seat as Bucky eyed him curiously. I didn¡¯t know what his reasoning was for offering me freebor, but I wasn¡¯t going to ept it. Not when I didn¡¯t even know about his qualifications or background. He got to his feet after a moment¡¯s deliberation and held my gaze. ¡°Han,¡± he said. ¡°My name¡¯s Han. I¡¯m a former guardsman¡ª Ie from Whiteridge, and I¡¯m a [Warrior].¡± I quirked a brow. I wasn¡¯t exactly prompting him to exin his whole backstory to me. But I just gave him a t stare. ¡°Alright, Han. Why exactly would I need to hire a former city guard for my restaurant?¡± I asked, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°I can handle any thugs or monsters myself.¡± ¡°It¡­¡± Han hesitated for a moment. But he still insisted after steeling himself. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a guardsman job. I could work as a server¡ª I could take orders and serve food for you!¡± he eximed like he was trying to convince himself of his words as much as he was trying to convince me of them. I shook my head. ¡°You have literally no history in the service industry. And pretty much half of Wolfwater hates you. Again¡ª why should I hire you?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s because I¡¯m¡­ a hard worker?¡± he said as his lips twisted. He looked at me hopefully, but I just rolled my eyes back at him. Even Bucky gave him a judging look. Han bit his lower lip. He nced between the both of us. The chicken¡¯s gaze made him shrink back slightly, and he tried to muster up a response. But he couldn¡¯t work his jaw. His shoulders slumped as he finally sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He lowered his head, clenching his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not even cut out to be a server. I don¡¯t even have a ss for it.¡± He spoke softly, and I paused. I blinked a few times, staring at the former guardsman. He chuckled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m only a [Spearman]¡ª a low-leveled [Spearman] at that. I can¡¯t even be an adventurer if I wanted to. I¡¯m too weak. I¡¯d die in under a year. I am¡­ I am just a guard¡ª that¡¯s all I¡¯ll be. I never should¡¯ve left Whiteridge.¡± Han dug into his pocket and pped a bag of coins onto the table. He drew back as I slowly picked up his payment, watching him go. He held his head low, his lips creased. He dragged his feet behind him as he slowly walked towards the exit. I looked on as Bucky nced back at me. She clucked, and I closed my eyes. I thought about what he said¡ª I looked back on what I just did. I had rejected Han because¡­ he didn¡¯t have the right ss. Or rather, was it because he wasn¡¯t exactly qualified for the job? At least, that was my excuse. But serving tables wasn¡¯t a hard job. It was quite easy to learn. Work experience meant nothing when it was something that literally anyone could learn over the span of a day. It just felt¡­ like I was treating him the same way others treated me. And I felt a pang of guilt. Sure, I had heard bad things about him, and maybe that gave me all the more reason to turn him down. However, right now all I saw was a man at the end of his rope. Maybe he had made a few mistakes over thest few weeks. But that didn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t at least give him a chance. ¡°Fine,¡± I called out. Han halted right by the doorway. He blinked, ncing back at me, and I tossed his bag of coins at him. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± It smacked his face, and I snorted. ¡°That¡¯s some slow reaction time for a [Warrior]¡­¡± He quickly scrambled to pick up the bag of coins up from the ground as I walked up to him. Bucky followed, and he looked up at me, bent double with round eyes. Wait, what do you mean by that? Why are you¡ª¡± he started. And I cut him off, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a job. But I¡¯m not going to let you work for free, and if you¡¯re a shit worker, I¡¯ll fire you in under a week.¡± Han just blinked. He gaped at me, clutching the bag of coins tightly against his chest. His mouth bobbed open. ¡°But I¡¯m¡­ just a guard. I¡¯m a [Warrior]¡ª I can¡¯t even¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Anyone with half a brain is capable of taking a couple orders,¡± I said, and Bucky clucked in agreement. ¡°And I doubt you¡¯ll have any trouble serving trays to tables either.¡± Han still wore an apprehensive look on his face. He averted his gaze, tempted by my offer, but not fully persuaded. I sighed, crouching down as I looked into his eyes. ¡°Look, your ss doesn¡¯t define you. Why does it matter that you¡¯re a [Warrior]? You don¡¯t enjoy fighting, do you? That¡¯s why you quit being a guardsman, right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He hesitated. Slowly, he shook his head. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°So why should you be forced to do something you hate just because the System says so?¡± I asked, holding his gaze. Han chewed his lips. Bucky tilted her head. That was¡­ probably sphemy. Or maybe not. Other than Grat-ra¡¯zun, I didn¡¯t really think that most of the people of this world held the System in reverence. They¡ª most of them, at the very least¡ª just saw it as a fact of life. No different than thews of physics back on Earth. He rose to his feet as he looked down at the palm of his hand. He clenched a fist, nodding to himself. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ right,¡± Han whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a guard anymore. I¡¯m tired of fighting¡ª I¡¯m tired of risking my life for the sake of others. It¡¯s just serving tables, right? I¡­ can do this.¡± His words almost seemed familiar to me. Even though I barely knew this man, he reminded me of¡­ well, myself. Someone who was lost and trying to find themself. Someone who was tired of what they were doing, and was now searching for something new. He was someone who didn¡¯t fit in. He was someone who tired of the stakes and danger of battle. He came to Wolfwater for a simple reason¡ª to escape from it all and live a simple life. And while he might have squandered the few opportunities he had been given since arriving here, I was still going to give him at least one chance. A smile slipped onto my face as I gave Han a nod of affirmation. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s easy enough. Although¡­ since I¡¯ll be giving you lodging too, you won¡¯t just be serving tables. I was thinking of giving you a more general job description.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He looked up at me with a quizzical look. ¡°Your first job is simple,¡± I said, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°Go and get me some customers.¡± He paused. He nced between me and the window, blinking a few times. ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡± I shrugged casually. ¡°I dunno, figure it out.¡± And that was how I got my first employee. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 swept his gaze over the vast room. He heard the shouts and screams. He saw the flying spells, but he descended, unaffected by their attacks. Phase Shift. It was a powerful Technique that allowed him to maintain a visible but incorporeal form¡ª unneeded against such weak attacks. But the only alternative would be to ughter his assants. And there were hundreds of them. Guardian Angel Z357nded amidst the swarm of nagas as they hurled their magic his way. His form was translucent, but their spells passed through him like he wasn¡¯t even there. His twelve eyesnded on the [Shaman] standing in the center of this tent. She was a naga too, but with a longer tail than the others. She slithered forward and raised a staff as a purple aura coalesced beneath her. ¡°Kill it, ya daft idiots!¡± she screamed. Guardian Angel Z357 zipped straight ahead, but a pair of twisted tendrils shot out, grabbing him out of the air. He paused for a brief moment, mostly out of curiosity, watching as these void apparitions clung onto him despite his incorporeal form. And the [Shaman] panted, grinning. ¡°I got ya now! This is why you don¡¯t mess with us, ya slimy bastard!¡± As she raised her staff once more, Guardian Angel Z357 simply tore through the bindings. She blinked, and he grabbed her, before shooting up into the sky. He tore through the tent ceiling as the nagas screamed down below. ¡°That thin¡¯ has got ta chief!¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t someone gonna stop it?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t hurt tha fucking¡ª¡± Their voices faded away, and he came to a halt high above the clouds. He held her up as she squirmed, her tail thrashing beneath her, and her two arms clinging onto his metallic hand. She stared at him with wide eyes, and he transmitted his thoughts simply, asking the same questions he had asked his previous target. And the response he got from the naga was no different. ¡°I swear I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± His twelve eyes narrowed, and he began his interrogation. [In Progress: (2/3) Void-touched Individuals Interrogated!] Twice now, Guardian Angel Z357 had interrogated a Void-touched individual. And both times, he learned nothing. Despite his interrogation Techniques¡ª even when magicallypelled to speak¡ª they revealed no new information to him. It was evident to him that either this method of interrogation wascking, or maybe the denizens of 16B were more clueless than he had assumed. Even with the World System¡¯s guidance, it seemed that he was not likely going to be making any progress towards finding the source of the return of the Fal-Deus anytime soon. There had to be at least a single anchor located somewhere that he needed to eradicate. If not one, then multiple. Otherwise, there was no reason for Guardian Angel Z357 to have been awakened. He dropped the charred corpse of the naga before sweeping his gaze to the horizon. He saw the rising sun. And he saw this vastnd mass beneath him. It was Alius¡ª the continent of dwarves, gnomes, nagas, fairies, and more. So far, he had discovered nothing of use while exploring this part of 16B. The closest he hade to learning more about this threat was in Laxo. But Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s programming had brought him here. His current objective was to interrogate those who were Void-touched, and he had detected the usage of their powers most frequently in Alius. However, it had borne no fruit. So it would be the intelligent course of action to pursue his investigation in Laxo. For a moment, he was conflicted. He would be defying the World System¡¯s guidance. And that nearly made him malfunction. But logic and reasoning won out as he concluded that the World System¡¯s guidance was just that¡ª guidance. It was not infallible. His presence was better suited elsewhere, pursuing leads that would better serve his main directive. And so, Guardian Angel Z357 made his decision and returned to Laxo. MsD And we''re back! Sorry for the impromptu break. Burnout got to me real badst week. Also, the fanart/fanfic contest is ending in about two hours'' time! So if you''re seeing this right as the chapter was posted, you can still make your submissions now! r/AmeliaTLZHNovel The Deltaverse Discord You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Chapter 82 ¡°Is this it?¡± Noele asked as she eyed the small cave. The trail ended here. There was no mistaking it¡ª therge hoofprints continued further into the darkness, so this had to be it. The Noble Spellsword nced back and nodded at herpanion. ¡°Get ready, Garron,¡± she warned him. ¡°Right.¡± The burly man nodded, readying hisrge shield. He strode forward as drew her de. The two adventurers approached the cave entrance, but a voice called out to them from the trees. They nced back towards a nearby thicket. A purple man stood there, two arms crossed as he spoke loudly for them to hear. ¡°Do not damage its legs!¡± Xakor gestured at his thighs with his free hands. ¡°The kretus boar¡¯s meat is mostly inedible apart from its legs! You want to target its neck or underbelly!¡± Noele blinked back at the [Chef]. ¡°Xakor! What are you doing here? It¡¯s dangerous¡ª get back!¡± ¡°Xrr, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said simply. He tapped a finger on the rings around his fingers. ¡°I have my own artifacts to protect me. I would even be able to survive an encounter with an A-rank threat for up to five minutes, so there is no reason to worry for my safety.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still dangerous¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Garron spoke up, cing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Xakor is the one who led us here. He survived an encounter with this kretus boar once before. I am sure he can handle himself.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Even knowing that, Noele still pursed her lips. Certainly, it was true that Xakor was the one who sent them on this mission. He had stumbled into the kretus boar on the way to Wolfwater, and it had attacked him. Apparently, the [Chef] had actually hurt the monster with his artifacts before he escaped, but he knew it was going to pose a threat to the nearby viges considering its vindictive nature. So he had hired both Noele and Garron to hunt down the kretus boar before it could fully recover. After all, it was a B-ranked threat, and its home was likely destroyed a few weeks back during the wildfire spurred by the Miststorm Riders. Of course, Xakor had ulterior motives too. He wanted to stock up on meat for his brand new restaurant run by Amelia. Noele was still processing that fact¡ª she couldn¡¯t believe that the Patron of the Culinary Sciences was opening a restaurant here in Wolfwater of all ces. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would ever visit her backwater vige, let alone do that. Noele had entertained the idea that maybe Xakor would open up one of his many restaurant chains in Whiteridge, considering that it was actually a city. But Wolfwater was a farming vige. It only had a single inn for passing [Merchants] or [Traders] to stay. It made no sense for a restaurant to ever be opened up in some ce like this. However, it was actually happening. This was reality. And yet, this wasn¡¯t even the most surprising part. Because he wans¡¯t just opening a restaurant in Wolfwater, he was partnering with Amelia¡ª a literal non-[Chef]¡ª out of all people. Sure, the blonde girl thought that her mentor¡¯s cooking was pretty good¡ª each time she had tried those so-called ¡®Earth foods¡¯, she had been impressed¡ª but she didn¡¯t think that it was anywhereparable to Xakor¡¯s cooking. Apparently, the Patron of the Culinary Sciences disagreed because he was letting Amelia handle most of the cooking for the restaurant. Noele knew better than to question the cooking knowledge of a [Chef] who was above Level 50. But she still found it quite perplexing, even knowing that they were both otherworlders, so there was evidently some bias involved. The blonde girl wondered if this restaurant would actually take off, considering Amelia¡¯s past track record with the food stand. Maybe having Xakor¡¯s name attached would actually bring in customers. However, nothing was certain. And while Noele hoped for the best, she was expecting the worst. She shook her head as she strode forward alongside Garron. She had to focus right now. The kretus boar was close. And while it was weakpared to her, it was still a threat to the Steel Tank. It had to have been at least Level 40. Usually, only low-leveled monsters were harvested for food, while high-leveled monster parts were used for alchemy, herbalism, or even smithing. However, the kretus boar was special because their legs were actually quite soft and tender, so they could be cooked and served as food. They weren¡¯t a delicacy by any means, but considering their size, the meat from even a single leg could feed a family of four for months. So the two adventurers didn¡¯t want to damage the kretus boar¡¯s legs. And not only that¡­ well, Noele wasn¡¯t going to be joining the fight either. She came to a halt right at the mouth of the cave as Garron drew closer. He raised his short sword, edging forward with his shield raised, entering the darkness. ¡°Remember,¡± she called out. ¡°No Skills.¡± The Steel Tank nced back at her, his lips twisted into a frown. And while he always wore a slight frown on his face even when he was in a jovial mood, she knew he was actually upset this time around. A little bit nervous too¡ª very nervous, probably. And he had every right to feel that way. After all, he wasn¡¯t allowed to use his Skills. Noele wouldn¡¯t let him. If he drew power from the World System, that would defeat the purpose of all this. He was the one who asked her to grow stronger like she did, and this was exactly what she had to do under Amelia¡¯s tutge. Under normal circumstances, Garron could probably dispose of a kretus boar without risking his life. But since he couldn¡¯t use his Skills, there was a very real chance that he could die to the monster. He drew forward warily as Noele just watched. She said she wouldn¡¯t intervene unless it really looked like he couldn¡¯t handle this on his own. So she looked on as a figure emerged from the shadows. A looming creature, standing over twenty feet tall. It was the kretus boar, and it was already mad. It beat its front hooves on the ground before charging. Garron yelped, bracing himself for the monster¡¯s attack. It crashed into him as he raised his shield, sending him flying into the air. The Steel Tanknded with a groan as the kretus boar continued barreling towards him with a terrible roar. Could boars even roar? Noele was pretty sure regr boars didn¡¯t make that kind of a sound. But the kretus boar did. The Steel Tank scrambled to his feet as the monster¡¯s footfalls caused the ground to quake. It rammed into him once more, but this time, he held his ground. Garron grunted as he was pushed against the rock wall of the cavern. He clung onto his shield with both his hands, gritting his teeth as the Noble Spellsword pursed her lips. ¡°You have to surpass your limits!¡± she called out. ¡°Do not use your Skills¡ª ovee it with your own strength!¡± ¡°I¡­ am¡­ trying!¡± Garron shouted as he stepped to the side. The monster stumbled forward, crashing into the rock wall, and he swung out with his short sword. He shed the monster¡¯s underbelly open as it reeled. But right as he circled around the kretus boar, it kicked out with its hind legs, knocking the Steel Tank¡¯s shield out of his hand. His eyes went wide, and it whirled around to face him. He tried to back away but the kretus boar was faster. All Garron could do was thrust forward with his short sword. The attack dug deep into the monster¡¯s neck, but it wasn¡¯t enough to take it down. Its eyes shed, and it headbutted him, sending him crashing into the other side of the cavern. Noele¡¯s eyes flickered. She saw the way Garron struggled to get back to his feet. His chestte was dented, and blood trickled down his forehead. The kretus boar charged his way once more. And the Noble Spellsword finally intervened. With a single sh, she sliced the kretus boar in half. Her de shone with a bright gold light, illuminating the dark cave chamber for a brief moment. The cavern was farrger and went deeper than she thought, but it didn¡¯t matter. Her Elegant Noble sh got the job done. The monster copsed, dead in an instant. Noele drew back and sheathed her sword in a single swift motion. She turned to Garron as he staggered to his feet. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked, running up to help him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± The Steel Tank rubbed his forehead, wiping away the blood. He had a small cut just above his right eye, but he was otherwise fine. ¡°Fighting without Skills is harder than I thought¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Noele said as she offered him a shoulder. ¡°It took me a while to get the hang of it, and it was only thanks to your help. So don¡¯t let it get you down.¡± He shook his head and snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not upset that I lost to a B-ranked monster¡ª I¡¯m more upset that I¡¯ll have to get a new chestte.¡± The blonde girl chuckled. ¡°Well, you still have plenty of time to learn.¡± ¡°I knew this wasn¡¯t going to be easy,¡± Garron continued. ¡°I saw how hard you trained to get to where you are now, Noele. Honestly, I¡¯m more impressed by you now than ever. You are quite amazing.¡± She smiled, nudging him as she helped him limp out of the cave. ¡°Thanks¡ª but we can talk about thister. Let¡¯s just treat your injuries and let Xakor know it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Garron nodded back at her. The two adventurers slowly stepped back out into the clearing, and Xakor approached them curiously. The [Chef] had a bag slung around his shoulders¡ª presumably to carry the kretus boar¡¯s meat back to Wolfwater. They told him that it was over, and he quickly got to work. Noele watched from the side as Garron took a sip from a healing potion while Xakor dismantled the kretus boar of edible parts. When they were finished, the sun was still hanging high in the sky, and it was time to get back. It would be about sundown by the time they arrived in Wolfwater. It wasn¡¯t a long trip, and they would reach the vige a lot sooner if it were just the two adventurers. However, they weren¡¯t really in a rush, so they took their time, leaving the empty cave behind them. ¡ª-- But the cave wasn¡¯t actually empty. What Noele neglected to notice was that further down the tunnel was a second kretus boar. A smaller one¡ª about three-quarters the size of its partner. It had been injured. Burned during the forest fire. But its partner provided for it, hunting for food for the both of them. And when its partner didn¡¯t return that night, it forced itself up. But all it found was a corpse. It flew into a rage. Its thunderous roar sent the nearby fauna scattering in terror. It curled up into a ball, grieving over the death of its partner. And as ity there overnight, something found it. Something¡­ sinister. A depravity that had tried to crawl its way into the world, but was cut short before it could fully manifest. The trace remains of a twisted magic that carried the will of the Void. It had roamed around the vige after the Cloying Witch was prematurely killed, searching for a new host. And now, it preyed on the lone kretus boar¡¯s anger. It fed on the suffering of the world, overwhelming the World System¡¯s control. The monster mindlessly epted this power, and its body began to change. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Noele had wondered how Amelia¡¯s new restaurant would go. While the blonde girl wished her mentor all the sess in the world, she couldn¡¯t help but¡­ pace her expectations. She didn¡¯t think this food venture would go well at all, especially considering how it had turned out back in Windrip. Sure, there were a variety of factors that had resulted in the food stall¡¯s failure. For example¡­ that period was when Jax the Forsaken Archer showed up for the very first time. And he had constantly pestered Amelia when she was just trying to sell her burgers. So that ended up scaring away a lot of potential customers before the food stall could even get traction. But that wasn¡¯t the main factor as to why Amelia¡¯s food stall didn¡¯t find sess in Windrip. It was a simple reason, really. And it was because she was already famous by the time she tried to sell her burgers. Well¡­ ¡®famous¡¯ was a strong word, but plenty of people in Windrip already knew of her as an adventurer. So they knew she wasn¡¯t a [Cook] or a [Chef] or anything of the like. And those who were previously unaware of her status as an adventurer were quickly informed that she didn¡¯t have a cooking-rted ss by¡­ her. It was self-sabotage, on her part. By the time Amelia realized that, it was already toote. Her burgers failed to gain any traction, and she grew bored of her food stall. Honestly, Noele was pretty sure Amelia wasn¡¯t going to get any customers for her restaurant in Wolfwater either. So it was probably going to suffer the same fate as the food stall. ¡°What do you think, Xakor?¡± the Noble Spellsword asked, turning to face the [Chef]. They were right at the edge of Wolfwater. The sun was starting to set, and they¡¯d soon arrive at the restaurant. Garron trailed after them, biting his lower lip as he rubbed his dented breastte. Xakor raised his head, his cloak still masking his face. ¡°Xrr¡­ what do I think about what exactly?¡± ¡°Amelia¡¯s restaurant,¡± Noele rified. ¡°I know you¡¯ve invested quite a bit into it¡ª but do you actually think it¡¯ll do well?¡± ¡°I invested a negligible sum for someone such as myself,¡± the alien said as he shook his head. He rubbed one of his four hands on his chin. ¡°However¡­ I am certain it will do just fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± She stared dubiously at him. ¡°I am certain,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I have heard about that¡­ incident in Windrip. While it was unfortunate, there was nothing Amelia could do about it¡ª she didn¡¯t quite have the reputation needed to sell apletely unknown food in such arge city. Especially since she was known to be an adventurer. But here, in Wolfwater, with my name behind her¡­ I believe this endeavor will be a great sess.¡± Xakor made a convincing argument. But, somehow, with Amelia¡¯s penchant for screwing up the most basic of tasks, Noele still¡­ doubted him. ¡ª-- And the blonde girl was promptly proven wrong when she arrived at the restaurant. When she pushed the door open, she was greeted by the babble of voices. There wasn¡¯t a massive crowd, but there were nearly a dozen people gathered inside, sitting and dining as a man rushed around the room, which was a lot more than Noele had expected. ¡°...what?¡± She just blinked. Bucky immediately perked up when she spotted Xakor, clucking loudly as she stood up on the bar counter. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°Oh, they¡¯re back?¡± a voice came from the kitchen. Amelia swept out of a back room, carrying a pair of steaming dishes. She set the food down before walking up to the three figures standing by the doorway. ¡°Sup, wee to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. What do you guys think?¡± The brown-haired woman smirked as she faced both Noele and Garron. The Steel Tank, for one, wore an impressed look on his face. He swept his gaze over the room before nodding at Amelia. ¡°You¡¯ve attracted quite the crowd, huh? For a non-[Chef], I am very impressed, Amelia.¡± ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s mostly thanks to leveraging Xakor¡¯s name to advertise the restaurant.¡± Amelia turned to Xakor, gesturing at the small crowd. ¡°Sorry, I know you were out for a few days, but I kinda had to use something to get them here.¡± It had taken Noele, Garron, and Xakor three days in total to track down the kretus boar. None of them had any tracking Skills, so it took them a lot longer than it would have taken¡­ say, a [Hunter]. But considering that they didn¡¯t know where the monster was hiding, especially since its home had been burnt down by the raging wildfires, they tracked it down quite quickly, putting it down before it could destroy any of the nearby viges. The Patron of the Culinary Sciences just waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Xrr, do not worry about it. It does not hurt to garner some early interest before our grand opening, anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I got a little bit ahead of myself.¡± Amelia shook her head. ¡°But I¡¯m sure things will work out just fine. You got what you needed, right?¡± He gestured at his Bag of Holding¡°I do. It took us a bit longer than I anticipated, but the kretus boar meat should¡ª¡± The two of them broke into a soft discussion as the nearby customers just looked on. Xakor was still cloaked by his enchanted hood, so his face was hidden by a dark shadow, but his tall figure must have clued the onlookers into his identity. ¡°Is that him?¡± ¡°Angel¡¯s breath, I can¡¯t believe Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences is seriously here in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°Should we approach him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot! He¡¯ll kick us out of the restaurant if we do that¡ª¡± Noele nced at the whispering customers, before looking back at both Xakor and Amelia. The blonde girl paused when she realized the two had stopped talking. Now, her mentor was just looking at her expectantly. ¡°So?¡± Amelia said, raising a brow. ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything, Noele.¡± ¡°You¡­ actually have customers,¡± Noele replied slowly. ¡°Yeah, pretty impressive, right? I guess my cooking is pretty good after all.¡± The brown-haired woman grinned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s also partially thanks to Han¡¯s help. He¡¯s been running around advertising for us non-stop too.¡± Noele was still reeling from the fact that the restaurant wasn¡¯tpletely empty. But she eventually broke out of her stupor after a moment. ¡°Wait, who¡¯s Han?¡± she asked. ¡°Him.¡± Amelia gestured towards the man rushing back to the counter to serve the steaming dishes she had left behind. ¡°He¡¯s my first employee. He does whatever I tell him to do. He also lives here now.¡± The blonde girl blinked a few times. ¡°Why do you¡­ how did you get an employee?¡± ¡°Shit happens.¡± Amelia just shrugged. ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re closing soon, so I gotta get back to cooking. I still have a few more customers to serve. I can whip something for you guys too after that if you¡¯re still here.¡± She drew back as Xakor followed. They returned to the kitchen, and both Garron and Noele exchanged a nce. The blonde girl was at aplete loss for words. She slowly started towards one of the nearby tables, before plopping down onto a seat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Noele?¡± Garron asked, sitting across from her. ¡°I just¡ª I just can¡¯t believe it,¡± she said as she rubbed her temples. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Amelia do anything that¡¯s not rted to killing things¡­ well.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t she been working at your father¡¯s farm for a few weeks now?¡± The Steel Tank furrowed his brows. ¡°Amelia burned down the field, Garron. And then she raked away the ash¡ª the ash. It¡¯s literally a fertilizer.¡± Noele gesticted vaguely back towards her farm. Garron frowned. ¡°Oh. That is certainly true¡­ but I feel like you are still giving your mentor too little credit.¡± Noele pursed her lips. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just surprised? I mean¡ª I know that Amelia¡¯s cooking is pretty good. But she doesn¡¯t have a ss, and you know how overly-reliant everyone is on the World System, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± he asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s like the World System makes you¡­ the World System¡­¡± the blonde girl trailed off. Garron blinked. ¡°What were you saying?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Noele sat back up, ncing around. She pinched the bridge of her nose as her vision blurred for a moment, before clearing up. ¡°Right¡ª I was talking about how Amelia¡¯s not a [Chef]. So I¡¯m surprised that people are actually giving her food a chance.¡± ¡°That is true,¡± the burly man said, leaning back on his chair. ¡°But with Xakor¡¯s name behind the restaurant, I¡¯m sure that most people would at least give her cooking a try.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡ª¡± Noele opened her mouth, then paused. She hesitated as she closed her eyes. Her head ached as the world briefly spun around her. ¡°W-wait, what were we talking about before this?¡± ¡°About Amelia burning down part of your father¡¯s farm?¡± ¡°N-no, after that¡­¡± The blonde girl gritted her teeth. Garron peered at her curiously, but she ignored his gaze. She tried to remember. This didn¡¯t feel right. But was it right? What had she been saying before this line of thought? They had been talking about something¡­ something¡­ And Bucky clucked loudly in the background. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Garron got to his feet, tensing. The small crowd of customers turned to face the kitchen as Noele blinked. The blonde girl raised her head as her headache instantly dissipated. And she looked on as Bucky clucked at a man approaching the kitchen. One of the customers had left his seat and was trying to edge past the chicken. He gritted his teeth as she wouldn¡¯t let him through. ¡°You damn chicken!¡± the man yelled, kicking Bucky. ¡°Let me through¡ª¡± Garron took a step forward, his brows snapped together. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t¡ª¡± But Bucky just leapt over the attack,nding her own kick on the man¡¯s chest. The man grunted as he was sent flying across the room, before sliding to a stop just before Han. Noele stared, and Garron paused. Han blinked a few times as the man groaned at his feet. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Amelia asked as she emerged from the kitchen. ¡°Your damn chicken attacked me for no reason!¡± the man said as he stumbled to get back up. ¡°I¡¯m going to lodge aint to Xakor¡ª where is he?¡± She narrowed her eyes, looking at Bucky, then at the man. Her gaze swept past the both of them as she faced Han. ¡°Is that true? Did Bucky attack this man for no reason?¡± ¡°Uh, Bucky did attack him, but that was only because he kept trying to push his way into the kitchen to see Xakor, even after I tried to stop him.¡± Han scratched the back of his head as he replied. The man cursed, ring back at the server. ¡°Why is there even an animal in a fuckin¡¯ restaurant? It should be thrown into a stove and cooked up for what it did!¡± Amelia just crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore that you just said that, and give you only one warning¡ª fuck off.¡± That sent a chill down Noele¡¯s spine. The blonde girl shifted back, but she was the only one who even reacted to Amelia¡¯s words. The rest of the room just watched, whispering and pointing. The man strode forward with a re stered across his face. ¡°What did you say to¡ª¡± he started. And Amelia flicked a finger at his forehead. ¡°I said: fuck off.¡± The man blinked, then was sent flying straight out of the restaurant. He smashed through the door, crashing into a field hundreds of feet away from Wolfwater. Noele winced as everyone else just stared in shock. Even Garron and Han just looked on inplete awe at what had happened. Amelia shook her head, picking up Bucky, before taking a step back. ¡°New rule: nobody messes with the chicken. Got it?¡± Everyone quickly nodded in response. And Bucky clucked. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Chapter 84 It had been a long time since Dorien had visited Wolfwater. Thest time he was here had been nearly a decade ago¡ª around the first time the Miststorm Riders had attacked. Now, they had attacked once again, and he was back. It was pure misfortune. Rotten luck or ill chance. The only silver lining was that this time around, the Miststorm Riders had been defeated before they had been able to seriously attack the farming vige. In fact, by the looks of it, Dorien was certain that Wolfwater had mostly escaped unscathed. He had heard plenty of conflicting rumors of how those [Bandits] had been wiped out. One story said that a single blonde adventurer had fought them off all by herself, while an unofficial report from Whiteridge imed that the Miststorm Riders had been repelled by the city guards. Dorien had even heard from a few folks that a twisted purple mist engulfed the [Bandits], causing them to spontaneouslybust in the middle of battle. Although¡­ that sounded too ridiculous to be true. What actually happened¡ª Dorien didn¡¯t know. He was here in Wolfwater for one reason only, and that was at the behest of his good friend. He was a Level 35 [Druid]. It was his role as a guardian of the forest to restore and protect nature. While he didn¡¯t normally answer requests from citydwellers or townspeople, this was a personal request. ¡°It should be done.¡± Dorien drew back, stepping away from the small field. He lifted his wooden staff from the ground as he faced his friend. ¡°Would that be all?¡± ¡°I really appreciate this, Dorien,¡± Nn said as he bowed his head low. ¡°This really means a lot to me. How can I ever repay you?¡± Dorien just smiled at the [Farmer] in response. ¡°There is no need to worry about paying me back. Just be careful not to trample the soil over the next day¡ª the fertility spell needs at least twelve hours to take effect.¡± Nn nced over at the empty field. ¡°Of course. I will ensure that no one steps foot on¡ª¡± he started. But the [Farmer] just paused. Dorien tilted his head, eyeing his friend curiously. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± the [Druid] asked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I just hear¡­ something¡­¡± Nn started. And Dorien furrowed his brows. He shifted backwards as his robes rustled beneath him. He wasn¡¯t used to wearing clothing¡ª he was more ustomed to walking around bare in the forest. But he had the forethought to clothe himself while he was in civilization. He shuffled his feet with narrowed eyes. ¡°I do not hear anything¡ª¡± But the [Druid] paused. He heard it too. He leant forward, blinking a few times. ¡°What is¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªBIIIIIIIIIITCH!¡± And a figure crashed straight into the empty field. Both Nn and Dorien backed away warily as a small crater tore through the field. They stared at the hole with wide eyes, before staring at the man lying bloodied and bruised at the bottom. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Dorien asked, raising a brow. The man wheezed, looking up at both the [Farmer] and the [Druid]. He opened his mouth and gasped. He barely managed to muster out a single word. ¡°...c-chicken¡ª¡± And he passed out. ¡°...chicken?¡± the [Druid] repeated, utterly perplexed. But Nn pursed his lips, seemingly understanding what was going on. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably Bucky? Which means Amelia did this, then.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dorien asked as he turned to his old friend. ¡°Who¡¯s Bucky? Who¡¯s Amelia?¡± The [Farmer] just sighed, dragging the unconscious man out of the hole. ¡°Let¡¯s treat him first. I¡¯ll exin thingster.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Dorien blinked, then shrugged and followed along. ¡ª-- The next day was the day of the official grand opening of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Xakor himself was going to make the official announcement, so it was probably going to be a busy day today with a lot more customers than usual. Sure, I had cooked a handful of meals for Noele, her parents, Garron, and a few others since arriving in Vacuos. But it was an entirely different experience, constantly preparing dishes for customers. And that was only with the few customers I had gotten the day before. Today was going to be an entirely different experience. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. But I was certainly d that I wasn¡¯t going to be dealing with this deluge of orders all alone. Xakor was going to be there with me, and he was also going to be serving some of his special dishes from his world, alongside other food inventions he hade up with while trapped in Vacuos. I slowly dragged myself out of bed, and I realized I was smiling. Was I excited? I paused. Maybe I was. After all, things were starting to look up for me in this world. Perhaps maybe I could actually live the peaceful life I¡¯d dreamt of for so long¡­ I stepped out into the kitchen, ready for the busy day ahead of me. I had been sleeping at the restaurant recently, reappropriating one of the storage rooms into a temporary bedroom, and not returning to the farm because of time constraints. I hadn¡¯t seen Nn and Nicole around for a while since they¡¯d been so busy too, but ording to Noele, they were going to show up for the grand opening, so I had that to look forward to. It was the crack of dawn, and I was already up, pre-preparing all the ingredients I was going to be using today. Xakor was already waiting for me, ready to y his part for today. He nodded at me. ¡°Xrr, good morning, Amelia. I trust you had a good rest?¡± he asked casually. ¡°Nope,¡± I said simply. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. Too restless. But don¡¯t worry about me, I can work with no sleep for.. forever, basically.¡± I shrugged as I quickly washed my hands at the sink. ¡°It is a big day. But there is no need to worry,¡± Xakor said reassuringly. ¡°I will¡­ xrr, do everything in my power to ensure that there will be noplications today.¡± ¡°Thanks. You¡¯ve done a lot for me.¡± I nodded gratefully back at the alien, before ncing out of the kitchen. ¡°But I am worried about Han.¡± I spotted the former guardsman sitting at the bar counter, yawning and rubbing his eyes drowsily. He slumped his head on the table as he quickly dozed off. ¡°I think he may be overworking himself to¡­ prove himself to me?¡± I shook my head. I looked past him, eyeing the additional tables and chairs set outside of the restaurant, significantly increasing our seating for today. Han had set it all up himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t even ask him to do that¡­¡± I murmured. ¡°Xrr, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve found a hardworking employee. But I can understand your concerns.¡± Xakor drew back, starting out of the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with Han, then I¡¯ll spread the news of our grand opening around Wolfwater. Just ready yourself for today, Amelia. You have a lot of cooking ahead of you.¡± ¡°Will do¡­¡± And I continued making preparations for the rest of the day. It was daunting. Sure, I had experience fighting an infinite swarm of voidlings and voidbeasts. I had even fought and killed the Voidgod. But I was used to the constant thrill of battle¡ª the threat of death was nothing to me. However, cooking for so many people all at once? I couldn¡¯t lie¡­ I was a tiny bit nervous. ¡ª-- It was still morning by the time Noele arrived at the restaurant. But there was already arge crowd gathered outside. The blonde girl didn¡¯t expect to see such arge turn-out today¡ª not before it was even afternoon. She had known that Xakor himself would be going around Wolfwater to advertise the grand opening of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. But still, she was pretty sure at least half the vige was already gathered here. She saw [Farmers] and [Traders] and [Hunters] milling about the outside of the small building. It couldn¡¯t amodate all of them¡ª not even with all those extra tables and chairs that had been set outside in anticipation of the influx of customers. Noele was pretty sure she recognized quite a few faces in the crowd. Even if the vige had grown significantly since she left¡ª nearly tripling in size over thest ten years¡ª this was still her hometown. She moved her way to the front of the crowd, listening to the mor of voices. ¡°Where is he? He said he¡¯d be here¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe the Patron of the Culinary Sciences is actually opening up a restaurant in our vige¡­¡± ¡°He really does have four arms! I saw it with my own eyes! I even shook one of his hands!¡± ¡°Excuse me, sorry,ing through¡ª¡± Noele said as she navigated through the crowd. It would be a lot easier for her to force her way through if Garron was with her. He was a ratherrge man, and his intimidating gaze would immediately clear a path for them. While the blonde girl was an A-ranked adventurer, she still looked like¡­ just a girl. Noele wasn¡¯trge, nor did she have a looming figure. She was of average height, and her most distinct feature were her white eyes. Meanwhile, the Steel Tank had been given his Title for a reason. He was quite menacing, even if he was kind. But he was only going to be visitingter in the afternoon with her parents as customers. Meanwhile, Noele had promised to help out at the restaurant today, which was why she was here now before it even opened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I have to¡­¡± Noele started. But a hand reached out from the crowd, grabbing her. The Noble Spellsword blinked and nced back. Her brows snapped together as she red. ¡°Hey¡ª¡± But she froze when she saw who it was. Noele recognized him instantly. She saw his calloused hands, then looked up at his wrinkled and tanned face. His hair was long and disheveled, and he had a long scruffy gray beard covering his lips. Her eyes widened as he smiled back at her. ¡°It has been a while since we have spoken, Noele,¡± he said. He took a step forward, leaning on his wooden staff as he nodded at her. ¡°You have grown quite a bit since Ist saw you. You look just like your sister now.¡± ¡°Dorien!¡± the blonde girl eximed. She stared at the [Druid] with wide eyes for a moment, before immediately throwing her arms around him in a hug. ¡°What are you doing here? When did you arrive?¡± He chuckled as he hugged her warmly. She drew back, smiling as she looked him up and down. Noele had known he was going to be visiting Wolfwater to help with its recovery after the Miststorm Riders¡¯ attack. But she didn¡¯t know that he was already here. ¡°I got herest night,¡± Dorien exined, ncing back towards the farm. ¡°I met up with your father at his farm, and I stayed up waiting for you to return for a few hours, but you never came.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± the blonde girl said, shaking her head. ¡°I only returned at midnight because I was helping out at the restaurant. Where are you staying?¡± The [Druid] nced towards the restaurant. ¡°I¡¯m staying at the local inn. I was going to visit the farm again today, but I heard the hubbub, and decided to check out what it was about.¡± ¡°Right¡­ this whole thing¡­¡± Noele nodded slowly. ¡°My friend¡ª Amelia¡ª and Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences are opening up a restaurant here together. It has¡­ garnered quite a bit of attention.¡± She swept her gaze over the busy crowd. ¡°It seems interesting,¡± Dorien said with an approving look. ¡°And your friend¡­ I take it she¡¯s this mentor of yours Nn was talking about?¡± The blonde girl blinked. ¡°Oh, Papa told you about her.¡± ¡°He did. And your mentor sounds like quite the interesting fellow¡­ I would love to speak with her.¡± The [Druid] ran a hand through his beard, and Noele scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s a big day for Amelia¡ª I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll have time to chat today.¡± Noele nodded apologetically. ¡°I can¡¯t promise you anything, but if there are no problems today, I¡¯ll try to introduce you to her¡ª¡± And right as the blonde girl said that, a voice shouted over the crowd. A bandaged figure marched up to the front of the restaurant as heads turned to face the man. Noele immediately recognized him as the man from yesterday. The one who had caused trouble for Bucky¡ª only to be flicked out of the vige. He was back. And this time, he wasn¡¯t alone. He was apanied by a group of angry gruff men armed with weapons at their sides. ¡°You!¡± he eximed, pointing angrily past the crowd and into the restaurant. ¡°How dare you assault me! Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Noele stared, puzzled for a moment. But she shook her head, pursing her lips. ¡°I should have kept my mouth shut¡­¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Chapter 85 ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people,¡± I said as I stared out of the window. There was arge crowd gathered right outside of the restaurant, buzzing to get in. But I hadn¡¯t opened the doors just yet. Xakor returned not too long ago, and we were readying ourselves for this deluge of customers. So today, we were only going to open the restaurant doors at noon. Normally, we¡¯d be open way sooner, but we just wanted to make sure we were fully prepared for what was toe. And I thought we were ready. But as it turned out, we weren¡¯t. Because I hadn¡¯t anticipated¡­ ¡°...I demand to speak with Xakor right now!¡± a muffled voice shouted from outside. I narrowed my eyes as my gazended on a familiar swollen face standing right at the back of the crowd. Xakor, Han, and Bucky curiously approached the window. ¡°Xrr, what¡¯s going on?¡± the alien asked. I just sighed, ¡°It¡¯s the guy I flicked yesterday. Seems like he¡¯s back for round two.¡± Bucky clucked threateningly, stepping forward. But I waved a hand dismissively at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said as I gave her a reassuring look. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with¡ª¡± I started. And Han¡¯s eyes went wide. He spoke over me, raising a trembling finger. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s Lucas!¡± he eximed. ¡°Who?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°You mean the guy with the swollen face?¡± ¡°No¡ª not him. But the guy who¡¯s with him.¡± Han shook his head, pointing directly past the angrily yelling man. I followed Han¡¯s fingers until my gazended on a grizzled middle-aged man standing together with the group. Lucas¡ª or whatever his name was¡ª had his right hand resting on the hilt of a de. He was dressed in leather armor, and he had a Bag of Holding slung around his shoulders. I turned back to Han, repeating myself. ¡°Again¡ª who?¡± Han shifted back ufortably as he averted his gaze. ¡°I, uh, didn¡¯t know who Lucas was before I got here. But I got into a fight with him at the local inn¡­ that¡¯s how I got kicked out. Apparently, he¡¯s kind of a big deal around these parts.¡± ¡°How so?¡± I asked, frowning. ¡°He¡¯s the highest-leveled [Hunter] in Wolfwater. And he used to be a soldier in the army, or so I hear. I think he¡¯s above Level 30¡­ he may even be above Level 40¡­¡± Han spoke in a low voice. I gave Han a t stare. ¡°Isn¡¯t that, like, very weak?¡± Han turned to me, sputtering. ¡°If he¡¯s B-ranked¡ª¡± The former guardsman tried to work his jaw, then he stared at me for a moment. He saw the disinterested look on my face, before shaking his head. ¡°I¡­ right.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯ll just deal with them,¡± I said as I stepped forward. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hold back so I won¡¯t kill them. It won¡¯t take much to shoo them away¡ª¡± I started. But a purple arm stopped me. Xakor stepped forward as he nced reassuringly at me. ¡°Xrr, do not worry yourself over these matters. I will handle this, Amelia.¡± ¡°Xakor?¡± I blinked back at him. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± He just shook his head at me as he pushed the door open. ¡°Last night¡¯s quarrel happened because that man wanted to speak with me, but Bucky wouldn¡¯t let him. So it is my responsibility to handle this myself.¡± I narrowed my eyes, but the ragnarian just gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Xrr, we also need someone to take care of the cooking, do we not?¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to keep our customers waiting too long.¡± I stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. I slowly nodded gratefully at him as I took a step back. ¡°Thanks, Xakor. But if they cause any trouble, I¡¯ll smack them around for a bit, alright?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He chuckled, and with that, he exited the restaurant to the moring crowd. ¡ª-- ¡°¡ªI am Joseph Donovan! My uncle is a [Knight of the Astral Order]!¡± the man with the swollen face said as he strode forward. ¡°If I tell him about what you did to me¡ª that your crazy [Cook] tried to murder me¡ª he¡¯d ride down to Wolfwater and burn down this establishment himself!¡± Noele stared at the unfurling scene, blinking a few times. Her lips twisted into a frown as she muttered under her breath. ¡°So¡­ he¡¯s not even important then,¡± ¡°Did you say something?¡± Dorien asked, peering at her. And the blonde girl paused, catching herself. She looked at herself, before rubbing her temples. ¡°Amelia¡¯s been rubbing off on me too much¡ª it¡¯s nothing. We should try to stop this before things get out of hand.¡± Noele took a step forward as Joseph Donovan and his band of goons continued shouting at the perplexed crowd. But a hand stopped her. Dorien caught her by the shoulder, frowning. ¡°Do not be rash,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°Sometimes, we can resolve conflicts without any violence.¡± ¡°I know¡ª I¡¯m just going to talk things through and save those idiots from the beating of their lives,¡± the blonde girl replied simply. She eyed Joseph Donovan with a sidelong nce. ¡°Amelia held back for a reason, and now he¡¯s causing more trouble¡­¡± The [Druid] sagely nodded, watching as she strode towards the group. He waited behind her, at the front of the watching crowd, and she came to a halt right before Joseph Donovan himself. ¡°If that damn woman doesn¡¯t¡ª¡± the angry man started. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough,¡± Noele said, cutting him off. His brows snapped together, and he turned to face her with a re. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± The group apanying him nced over at the blonde girl dismissively. A middle-aged man standing cross-armed at the front narrowed his eyes at her. She just shook her head, feeling the gaze of practically the entire vigend on her. Some of them recognized her. They gasped, whispering her name. But the band of idiots standing before her barely paid her any mind. ¡°Look¡ª no one tried to murder you,¡± Noele said, eyeing Joseph Donovan¡¯s angry and swollen face. ¡°Amelia gave you a warning. Seriously, if she wanted to kill you, you¡¯d already be dead. So please stop causing trouble.¡± ¡°Already dead¡­?¡± His face swelled up even more, turning redder and redder by the passing seconds. ¡°How dare you address me that way! Ie from a noble bloodline¡ª I am not like you peasants.¡± The Noble Spellsword narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you really were a noble, you wouldn¡¯t be acting like a damn fool. So enough of this nonsense.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Joseph Donovan stepped forward, raising a hand. But the middle-aged man stopped him. He loomed over the blonde girl with a smirk on his scarred face. ¡°I apologize for my friend¡¯s hostility. But as you can see, he has been wronged by the owner of this fine establishment right here.¡± He gestured at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and Noele nced up at him with a raised brow. He continued, smiling at her catingly, but with a hint of a warning tone. ¡°I am Lucas¡ª Wolfwater¡¯s top [Hunter]. A professional in handling¡­ disputes, here in this vige. I understand that you are an adventurer yourself¡­¡± He nced at the pair of swords sheathed at her waist, before shaking his head. ¡°But I¡¯d rmend against intervening in situations you know nothing about. I can handle myself because I¡¯m equivalent to a C-rank adventurer, you see?¡± He puffed up his chest almost proudly as his friends nodded in agreement. They smirked back at the blonde girl as she just stared at them without reaction. ¡°Please, I wouldn¡¯t want a foreigner such as yourself getting wrapped up in our internal problems. So do not worry. We can handle this.¡± Lucas finished as he waved a hand dismissively. But Noele wasn¡¯t impressed. She waited for a moment to pass before crossing her arms. ¡°You done?¡± He tilted his head slightly, opening his mouth. But she didn¡¯t let him continue. ¡°Good, because I¡¯m not some outsider,¡± she said simply as she took a step forward. She dug into her pockets, shing a gleaming badge. ¡°I am Noele the Noble Spellsword. A-rank adventurer. And I was born and raised right here in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°What? A-rank¡­ adventurer?¡± Lucas paused, taken aback. He looked the blonde girl up and down as he tried to work his jaw, still inplete disbelief. ¡°That can¡¯t be¡ª¡± And he heard the crowd break out into conversation again. The onlookers spoke up, nodding as they pointed at the blonde girl. ¡°She saved my daughter during the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack!¡± ¡°Wait¡ª isn¡¯t that Noele? Nn¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that little girl grew up to be the Noble Spellsword!¡± Lucas furrowed his brows as one of his own men paled in fear. ¡°Uh, Lucas, I don¡¯t think we should be messing with her. I hear she¡¯s the one who defeated the Miststorm Riders.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Lucas nced back, sweeping his gaze around with wide eyes. He saw the way everyone in Wolfwater stared at Noele. Maybe they didn¡¯t recognize her at first. But if they hadn¡¯t been looking at her in awe and wonder before, they were now. His gazended back on her, and she just held his gaze. ¡°I suggest you leave,¡± she warned him. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± The [Hunter] gritted his teeth. He opened his mouth, then slowly he bowed his head at her. ¡°I apologize. It seems I was the one involving myself in a situation I knew nothing about. Come on, boys.¡± He drew back as his men streamed after him. Noele just grinned at them, watching them leave. But Joseph Donovan protested, calling after Lucas. ¡°Hey¡ª where are you going? What are you idiots doing?¡± he shouted. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets in anger, and he nced back at the blonde girl. ¡°Are you seriously scared of a little girl?¡± Noele rolled her eyes, but Lucas and his men ignored the shouts. Joseph Donovan cursed as he waved a fist at them. ¡°Cowards! You bastards are shameless! Unlike you, I am not afraid of this fucking b¡ª¡± he started as the blonde girl¡¯s eyes flickered. But a voice spoke over him. ¡°I would watch what you say, young man,¡± Dorien said as he hobbled over with his staff. ¡°What do you want, old man?¡± Joseph Donovan narrowed his eyes at the [Druid]. Noele nced back too, perplexed. ¡°Dorien¡ª I can handle this.¡± She tried to reassure him. But he shook his head, stepping in between both the blonde girl and the noble brat. He gestured at her with a kind smile. ¡°Noele¡¯s father was the kind gentleman who nursed you back to healthst night. I suggest you show her some respect.¡± ¡°Respect?¡± Snorting, Joseph spat at Noele¡¯s feet. He red daggers her way. ¡°Why should I show respect to this fucking b¡ª¡± And Dorien swung his staff up, striking Joseph between his legs. Noele blinked. The crowd gasped. And even Lucas winced. Joseph Donovan crumpled to the ground as he grasped hisher regions. The blonde girl looked down at him pitifully as he wheezed in pain. ¡°Y-y-you¡­¡± he squeaked. But he couldn¡¯t muster up any more words. Noele frowned as she nced back towards the [Druid]. ¡°Wait, I thought you said that we should resolve this peacefully?¡± ¡°Indeed, sometimes, we can resolve conflicts without any violence,¡± Dorien said as he strode back. ¡°But other times, I¡¯d rather kick an annoying entitled brat in the balls. Maybe it will knock some sense into his head.¡± Joseph Donovan justy there, sucking in a weak breath. Noele nced between the fallen man and her [Druid] friend. She slowly began to chuckle. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed one bit, have you, Dorien?¡± she said, covering her mouth. ¡°And you are as strong-headed as ever.¡± Dorien smiled back at her. ¡°I admire the way you carry yourself, Noele. Your sister would be proud of you.¡± The blonde girl paused, before she nodded. ¡°Right. Thank you.¡± ¡ª-- Xakor watched as the scene came to an end. The ragnarian stood by the open doorway of the restaurant. No one had even noticed him stepping outside. The crowd¡¯s gaze had been entirely fixed on the quick little squabble the entire time. But it was over now. ¡°Xrr, seems I didn¡¯t need to intervene,¡± the [Chef] murmured, shaking his head. A handful of the closest customers heard his voice. They turned back to face him, wide-eyed. He just smiled back at them as they stared at him. He pped two of his hands together, while simultaneously adjusting his poofy chef hat with a third hand. ¡°Well then, it seems we can continue with our grand opening undisturbed.¡± Xakor drew back, but right as he said that, the ground began to rumble. He paused. Noele raised her head with a frown as the [Druid] blinked. The crowd began to break into panicked voices. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Is this an¡­¡± ¡°Earthquake!¡± Someone shouted. But the ground didn¡¯t split open. Buildings didn¡¯t crumble. Xakor steadied himself as he looked past the stumbling crowd. And he spotted something approaching over the horizon. A creature that was barreling through the nearby forest, toppling trees and destroying the vegetation. Xakor blinked for the first time in three days. ¡°Is that¡­ the kretus boar?¡± But he saw the purple aura wisping off the giant monster¡¯s body. He watched as its flesh twisted and turned, shifting across its sprinting figure. It rapidly approached Wolfwater as it let out a chittering screech. ¡°No¡ª what is that?¡± Xakor asked. And he never got an answer. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head, ncing into the distance. He detected it¡ª the presence of the Void¡¯s essence in Laxo. Target found. And he took off, flying straight in its direction. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Guardian Angel Z357 sensed it. All twelve of his eyes were fixed on his destination as he soared above the clouds. He recognized a small city as it came into view, and he knew that he was returning there again. Again. While the World System didn¡¯t notice this pattern, he did. This was the same location as before. Thrice now, the area around this city had been assailed by creatures who had been touched by the Void. And the fact that it had happened three times could not be a coincidence. There had to be a reason behind it. Guardian Angel Z357 had been toote to the scene the second time around since he had two choices to pick from, and he decided to go for the rift. But he didn¡¯t learn anything from that encounter. No¡ª he never learned anything that he did not know already from any encounter he had thus far. And that was why he decided to act outside of his current objective. It wasn¡¯t a rejection of the World System¡¯smand. Rather, he was expanding on it. Guardian Angel Z357 slowed to a halt as he reached the farming vige, his gazending on his target. There, he saw it. A monster twisted by the Void¡¯s touch. A creature that had been ripped away from the World System¡¯s warm embrace, plunged into depravity and turned into a terrible abomination. He saw the way the kretus boar lumbered forward, its body shifting with each step it took. A purple stain spread over its flesh, emanating a soft glow, and it let out a screech like the chirping of a thousand birds. Guardian Angel Z357 raised hisnce as the Void-touched monster approached the nearby houses¡ª And he stopped himself. He didn¡¯t intervene. Instead, he waited. Invisible. Hidden by Without a Trace. He watched as a blonde girl engaged with the tainted beast. Because he realized¡ª there was more he could learn from simply looking on. ¡ª-- ¡°Get back!¡± Noele yelled as she drew both of her des. Her voice could barely be heard over the screeching of the boar and the screaming of the terrified crowd¡ª a whisper amidst the cacophonous mor. The ground shook. The earth rumbled. The gathered crowd screamed. [Farmers] and [Traders] and [Hunters] alike scrambled for safety, fleeing the sight of the approaching dust cloud. A kretus boar rapidly approached Wolfwater, tearing through the nearby forest and trampling the farnd. It was arge, terrible beast. It would have probably inflicted significant damage to the vige on its own¡ª maybe even destroying the surrounding viges as well before it was put down. But if it were an ordinary kretus boar, Noele wouldn¡¯t have been concerned in the slightest. She was an A-ranked adventurer, and it was a B-ranked monster. The Noble Spellsword knew she could bring it down with ease on her own. In fact, she had easily killed one just a day ago. All it took was a single Elegant Noble sh, and the sturdy kretus boar was defeated. But this kretus boar was different. Her eyes narrowed as she tightly gripped the hilts of both her des. Even from a distance, she saw the way its oleaginous form rippled with a purple aura¡ª its figure could hardly contain itself, twisting and turning as it continued barreling closer. It had been touched by the Void. Maybe it might have even been blessed by the Void. She didn¡¯t know. If it was thetter, then this was going to be a tough fight. She might not be able to take down the kretus boar without any casualties. On her own, she couldn¡¯t prevent any coteral damage from inflicting Wolfater. Not unless she¡­ Her eyes flickered towards a blue screen. [ss advancement avable! Please choose one of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡ª] But Noele quickly looked past it, focusing on the situation at hand. She wasn¡¯t going to make a decision now. She had to focus on protecting her vige. The twisted kretus boar drew closer with incredible speed. The terrified crowd couldn¡¯t evacuate in time¡ª they were at aplete loss as to what to do. They shouted and scattered, fleeing in every direction. The Noble Spellsword knew she couldn¡¯t save them all amidst the chaos. They had to gather somewhere safe¡ª a bunker, perhaps. A ce where their safety was¡­ guaranteed. And the blonde girl¡¯s eyes darted towards a nearby building. A rtively small building. But if everyone squeezed together, it might be able to house over a hundred people. It was Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and it was the safest ce in the entirety of Wolfwater. So before the kretus boar reached the vige, Noele acted. ¡°You!¡± she shouted, turning to face Lucas and his goons. They were warily backing away as they eyed the monster. They were [Hunters]. Low-leveled ones at that. They had drawn their weapons, but none of them stood a chance of hurting the Void-touched beast. The Noble Spellsword shook her head. ¡°Make yourselves useful and evacuate everyone to the restaurant!¡± Lucas blinked, staring at her with wide eyes. He tried to work his jaw as he nced between her and the oing beast. ¡°B-b-but¡­¡± he started. ¡°Now!¡± she cut him off. The C-rank [Hunter] jerked back, before finally nodding. He turned to his men and gestured for them to follow after him. ¡°Come on, boys!¡± he said as he started back. ¡°What can I do, Noele?¡± another voice said, drawing the blonde girl¡¯s attention. Dorien calmly stepped to her side. He was a [Druid]¡ª his ss wasn¡¯t known for theirbat Skills, and he wasn¡¯t even that high-leveled either. Yet, he was not panicking. He just held Noele¡¯s gaze, waiting for her response. ¡°Please¡ª can you check on my parents?¡± Noele asked pleadingly. ¡°I know Garron¡¯s with them, but you need to keep them away from the vige until this is over.¡± ¡°Very well. That is the least I can do.¡± Dorien smiled at her before sinking into the earth. He vanished underground as the Noble Spellsword nodded to herself. Her [Nobleme Armor] engulfed her body, protecting her from most physical and magical attacks. She strode forward as she readied herself for battle. She took onest look back at the vige. Lucas and his goons were doing a good job at bringing some semnce of order back to the unfurling pandemonium. But it was toote. The kretus boar reached Wolfwater a momentter, letting out a terrible screech as it toppled a tree, sending it flying towards a nearby house. Therge tree trunk crashed through the rooftop as the monster charged towards the closest building. And Noele leapt forward, intercepting it in an instant. ¡°Stay back!¡± she yelled as her shorter de shone with a golden light. ¡°I will not let you destroy my home! Glorious Noble sh!¡± The Noble Spellsword swung down at the kretus boar. It reeled as the bright sh engulfed it for a moment. She unleashed the attack with all her strength, hoping to destroy this Void-touched monstrosity in a single sh. She wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough. She hoped it would be quick and easy, just like her battle with the Miststorm Riders. But as the st of golden light faded, Noele realized¡­ the kretus boar was gone. She stared at a cone-shaped crater, spreading out from the tip of her de. The dust and debris dissipated, and there was nothing left before her. She frowned. ¡°That was¡­ too easy¡ª¡± And there was a sh of purple light. Noele blinked as the kretus boar appeared behind her. She spun around just in time to stare at a pair of empurpled tusks swinging down at her. The Noble Spellsword cursed as she called for her own movement Skill. ¡°[sh Step].¡± She appeared a hundred feet to the right, panting as she gathered herself. Noele raised her head and watched as the Void-touched beast shredded the ground with its tusks. There was a small explosion that sted upwards from the attack, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t damage any of the nearby structures. Noele steeled herself as she tried to process what just happened. ¡°The kretus boar¡ª teleported¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question as much as it was an observation. She pursed her lips, eyeing the monster warily as it turned to face her. It beat one of its hooves on the ground as an oily purple liquid dripped out of its unhinged maw. Her eyes narrowed. She wanted to lunge forward and attack the kretus boar once more. But instead, she waited. If it could teleport with the Void¡¯s powers, then there was no point senselessly charging in. It would just dodge and counterattack anyway. So she studied the monster as it slowly drew forward, opening its jaw even wider. She raised her two des warily. ¡°What is it doing?¡± she asked. And the kretus boar answered as a glint came from its mouth. Her eyes snapped wide. She realized what it was doing. A purple sphere shot out from the monster¡¯s open jaw in an instant. Like a kind of roiling fireball, except far stronger. Noele¡¯s eyes darted back towards the fleeing crowd behind her. If she dodged this attack, she¡¯d be endangering the lives of the nearby bystanders. She gritted her teeth and stood her ground. Her longer de glimmered with a sharp aura, before she sliced up at the purple sphere. ¡°Elegant Noble sh!¡± The Noble Spellsword cleanly cut the attack in half. The two hemispheres broke off, before exploding weakly at her side. Her [Nobleme Armor] protected her from the st as she took a step forward. But the kretus boar was gone once again. This time, Noele was too slow. The kretus boar appeared at her side as she spun around, raising her two des. She couldn¡¯t block the attack. The twisted monster crashed into her shoulder making her shout in pain. She went flying. Noele watched as the world spun beneath her, and the kretus boar gave chase to her like she was a thrown toy. Gritting her teeth, she flipped through the air andnded before a thicket of trees. But the kretus boar was on her in an instant. And she raised a hand as a wisp of golden me coalesced at the tip of her finger. ¡°[Grand ze],¡± she whispered, unleashing an inferno straight at the monster. Noele watched as the golden mes engulfed the kretus boar. She caught it off guard¡ª it couldn¡¯t teleport out of the way in time. But as the mes dissipated and the Noble Spellsword straightened, the kretus boar emerged from the inferno unscathed. Its eyes shone darkly as it slowly lumbered forward, and Noele pursed her lips. It didn¡¯t even dodge the st. It didn¡¯t need to regenerate from its injuries, because it suffered none. ¡°Seriously? That was an A-rank Skill¡­¡± Noele murmured as the kretus boar screeched and beat its hooves on the ground. It seemed that this fight was going to be much harder than she thought it would be. And she raised her two des once against, readying for the next charge. ¡ª-- The ground shook as the pot rattled. I raised my head, frowning. I heard the shouts and screams in the distance¡ª then I heard a loud explosion. I shook my head even as a loud ruckus entered the restaurant, followed by the footsteps and worried voices of over a hundred people. Bucky clucked, sprinting into the kitchen. She waved her wings wildly at me, but I continued cutting away at the chopping board, dicing up onions, garlic, and other vegetables. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken said in a panic. ¡°Noele can handle it,¡± I replied, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m busy¡ª this is my first time making kebabs. I don¡¯t want to fuck up on the grand opening of the restaurant.¡± But Bucky insisted. ¡°Bawk bawk! Bawk bawk bawk!¡± I sighed, taking a step back. ¡°Fine¡ª I¡¯ll check it out in a minute. Let me wash my hands first.¡± The chicken just stared at me nkly as I wiped my hands on my apron, before walking up to the sink. It took me a moment to work the magical runes as Bucky clucked insistently at me to hurry up. I rolled my eyes, nodding reassuringly at her. ¡°You¡¯re overreacting. I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Guardian Angel Z357 watched as the blonde human engaged with the kretus boar. Based on the information he had on bothbatants, it almost seemed like it should be a quick and easy battle. The blonde human was a Level 55 [Arcane demaster], while the kretus boar was at Level 44. There was an 11 level difference between them, which meant that the blonde human should have swiftly defeated the kretus boar. But that didn¡¯t happen. And that was because the kretus boar had been blessed by the Void. Guardian Angel Z357 had seen it happen numerous times before ten thousand years ago¡ª an unassuming creature tempted into the depravity of the Fal-Deus, empowering them with a twisted magic. The impact of such Void blessings varied greatly, and it was wholly contingent on their affinity to the Void. Those who had weak wills were often strengthened even further than those who were strong-willed. It was a simple transactional rtionship. If a creature gave more of themselves to the Void, the Void would grant them more power. And that was what was happening here. The kretus boar had be a Void-blessed being. It had been granted great power due to its desperation and its desire for revenge. Guardian Angel Z357 couldn¡¯t ascertain the full extent of its newfound abilities, but he could estimate that it was likely equivalent to a Level 67 creature at the very minimum. So once again, with the facts presented to him, it was evident that this would be a lopsided battle. The blonde human stood no chance with the 12 level differential. And yet, that predicted oue didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the two of them were locked inbat, shing with one another again and again. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t understand it. The blonde human should have been defeated with ease. But she fought toe-to-toe with the kretus boar. It was like she was fighting at least 10 levels above her ss¡ª or at least, the Skills she was throwing around were higher-leveled than she seemed. She didn¡¯t have the fluidity in her movements of an S-rank, so Guardian Angel Z357 couldn¡¯t fullyprehend her abilities. His twelve eyes narrowed as he peered into her from afar¡­ and he realized that those sts of golden energy weren¡¯t Skills at all. Somehow, this blonde human was fighting without the guidance of the World System. No¡ª it was like she was using a simr power to that of an angel¡¯s Techniques. But how? he wondered as he hovered high in the air. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t get an immediate answer. So he waited. He observed. And he carefully studied the blonde human. Because he knew it couldn¡¯t be a coincidence¡ª the congregation of Void-blessed beings here in this region, and now here she was fighting beyond the limits of her ss. Something was amiss. And Guardian Angel Z357 was going to figure out what exactly was the cause of all these anomalies. ¡ª-- Noele the Noble Spellsword leapt back as the kretus boar charged. It crashed into the thicket, uprooting the trees with the swing of its tusks. She circled around its side, moving both swiftly and elegantly thanks to [Graceful Dancing]. It was one of her newest Skills. It was a passive Skill. She gained it alongside [Dual Wielding Mastery] from repelling the Miststorm Riders a few weeks back. And it let her nimbly avoid most of the kretus boar¡¯s wild attacks. She thrust forward with her longer de, stabbing the side of the monster as it reeled. But her attack barely prated its flesh. Noele clicked her tongue before swinging down with her shorter sword. Her de shone with the sharp intensity of her Elegant Noble sh, and the kretus boar¡¯s entire body shed. The Void-touched monster vanished as she stumbled forward, hitting nothing but the air with the shorter de. Noele immediately spun around and scanned her surroundings for the kretus boar. It had teleported away. It could be anywhere. But her eyes narrowed when she couldn¡¯t find it. ¡°Where¡ª¡± she started. And she saw the looming shadow rapidly approach her from above. Her eyes widened as she looked up, watching the kretus boar descend upon her from the sky. Noele cursed, activating [sh Step] as a flicker of light engulfed her body. She appeared a hundred feet to the left of where she once stood, and the kretus boar crashed into the earth. The ground shook as a small shockwave engulfed the nearby vige. Wolfater trembled from the Void-touched monster as it emerged from the crater. If the Noble Spellsword weren¡¯t here, it would havepletely destroyed her home. But she was here. And she was doing everything she could to lead it away from Wolfwater. She backed up as the kretus boar charged her way. She led it towards the edge of the vige, brandishing her two des as her [Nobleme Armor] wisped off her body. ¡°Come and get some¡ª [Unending Dauntless Fury]!¡± Noele yelled, unleashing a flurry of strikes. From the tip of her two swords, des of light shot out. Each one shaped like the crescent moon, glowing with a white ethereal aura that almost made each seem like they were made out of a shimmering ice. The onught of attack bombarded the charging kretus boar. But the Void-touched beast barely slowed. The des of light barely cut into its empurpled skin, before quickly healing. All the Noble Spellsword¡¯s Skill did was anger it even further. She clenched her teeth as she tried to back away. And the kretus boar reached her. It swung at her with its tusks once more, but Noele didn¡¯t duck out of the way. Instead, her two des were ovee with a faint golden glow as she moved to parry the attack. [Noble Aura de]. It was an upgrade to her previous [Noble sh]. It was like her weapon was permanently coated with the effects of the magical attack. A wisping golden glow that enhanced the sharpness of her two swords. She swung to the side, breaking through the kretus boar¡¯s twisted tusks. The monster reeled, and she stabbed forward. Both her des dug deep, before she twisted them. With her [Noble Aura de] Skill already active, enhancing her magic beyond what her ss granted her was easy. And it was only her Glorious and Elegant Noble shes that were capable of actually hurting the Void-touched kretus boar. Unfortunately, the monster knew that fact as well. Before she could swing up with both those attacks at once, it unhinged its jaw. It unleashed a st of purple energy straight into the ground. Noele¡¯s eyes widened as the explosion engulfed bothbatants. ¡°[Force Barri¡ª urk!¡± The Noble Spellsword managed to conjure up the aura of protection in time. And it was barely enough to protect her from the shockwave, let alone the st itself. She went flying as her [Nobleme Armor] was shredded off her body. She lost grip of her two des, before crashing into a nearbyrge oak tree with a heavy thud. She groaned, trying to pick herself back up. But a searing pain overcame her left shoulder. Noele looked down to see a stream of blood pouring down her arm. She pursed her lips before sweeping her gaze back up to her opponent. The kretus boar was knocked back by its own explosion too. It was willing to hurt itself just to avoid being struck by Noele¡¯s Glorious and Elegant Noble shes. Her eyes narrowed at the realization¡ª it was smart. Which made sense. Most higher-leveled monsters were keenly intelligent when it came to fighting. But the Noble Spellsword had assumed the kretus boar wouldn¡¯t have been able to think clearly due to its unsightly appearance. She was wrong. Despite being touched by the Void, the kretus boar was still just as intelligent¡ª or even more intelligent¡ª than it would be if she found it in the wild. Its twisted form shifted as it got back to its feet. It had blown off half of its face with its own explosion, but the depraved flesh quickly regenerated. Noele eyed this with a clenched fist. She reached into her Bag of Holding and quickly sshed a bottle of healing potion onto herself. The worst of her wounds quickly closed, but she still found it difficult to move her left arm. Meanwhile, she was certain that unless shepletely destroyed the kretus boar, it wouldn¡¯t be killed. Just like with the Cloying Witch and just like with the Monster of the Mist. She sighed as the kretus boar charged at her once more. Noele didn¡¯t have her weapons on her. The two des were lodged onto the side of the monster. Not only that, but even if she hadn¡¯t been disarmed, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt it anyway because of its rapid teleportation. Noele could barely keep up with it with her [sh Step]. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t use the Skill in rapid sucession unlike the Void-touched beast. Not unless¡­ Her eyes flickered as she nced between her swords and the kretus boar¡¯s enraged face. And she got an idea. Noele whispered quietly to herself. ¡°[Dance with Death].¡± It was what she considered to be her greatest Skill. It wasn¡¯t an offensive Skill capable of burning down a forest like [Grand ze], nor was it a passive Skill that permanently aided herbat abilities like [The Titan¡¯s Strength]. Instead, it alowed her to repeatedly draw power from any of her Skills for a set duration. And that was why it was so useful. Because of its utility in any situation. However, there was always a drawback to these kinds of Skills. [Dance with Death] was useful, but it was limited in its actual applicability in most situations. After all, it was pretty much ast resort Skill since after its effects came to an end, Noele would be leftpletely exhausted and barely able to fight. So right now, she was taking a risk. A gamble. She could draw the power for any Skills she had in her repertoire, but she chose one that wasn¡¯t going to increase her offensive capabilities. Instead, it was a Skill that would allowed her to keep up with the charging kretus boar. ¡°[sh Step],¡± Noele said. And she vanished. The Noble Spellsword appeared right atop the monster¡¯s back as it reached her. It crashed into therge oak tree, smashing it broken, before looking around in a daze. Noele reached for her swords at the kretus boar¡¯s side, when its entire body was caught in a purple light. Shended on the empty ground as the monster teleported a hundred feet into the air. Noele saw the growing shadow before closing her eyes. ¡°[sh Step],¡± she repeated herself. And the Skill took effect instantly. She found herself standing a hundred feet away from the falling kretus boar. A pir of dust and debris shot into the air as it crashed back down into the earth. Normally, her [sh Step] would have an even longer cooldown period the further she teleported. But she spoke the words once more, and she vanished. The kretus boar blinked as she appeared at its side. It tried to swing at her in a panic. Bu this time, she was fast enough to yank her two des out of the monster, before disappearing with another [sh Step]. ¡°Am I too fast for you?¡± Noele grinned, standing a dozen feet ahead of the kretus boar. It roared, unleashing a st of purple energy. The explosion engulfed her figure. For a moment, the monster stared at the billowing smoke, searching for the Noble Spellsword¡¯s ashen remains. But its eyes widened when it realized that she was now standing just to the right of the crater. Noele strode forward as her two swords shone with her [Noble Aura de]. A smirk was stered on her face as the kretus boar backed up warily. It teleported behind her, and in response, she teleported behind it. Before she¡¯d activated [Dance with Death], she had only been able to use her [sh Step] once every ten seconds at the very least. And the further she teleported, the longer it would take before she could use the Skill once more. Meanwhile, the kretus boar had been able to teleport every few seconds. She wasn¡¯t sure of the interval between when it could teleport once more. Maybe five seconds? Or maybe it was even a shorter period. But it wasn¡¯t instantaneous. And right now, Noele was able to use her [sh Step] in under a second. She raised her two des as her magic poured into the glimmering metal edges. The kretus boar swung at her with its regrown tusks in a fury, and she vanished. She appeared once again behind it as her lips moved. ¡°Glorious¡­¡± But the kretus boar refused to stay idle. It opened its mouth, sending a purple sphere into the ground beneath its hooves. A powerful explosion engulfed the monster. And Noele easily escaped the st with a [sh Step]. She continued to concentrate all of her mana into the two attacks as the kretus boar emerged from the crater, slowly regenerating. ¡°...and Elegant¡ª¡± She appeared at the monster¡¯s side once more with a sh of light. Its eyes darted her way, and it responded by teleporting high into the air. But the Noble Spellsword already anticipated this. She was a step behind it, following with her [sh Step]. She appeared on the falling monster¡¯s back as it stared up at her in horror. She raised her two des against each other, before swinging down with all her strength. ¡°¡ªNoble sh!¡± And a golden st engulfed the entirety of the kretus boar as Noele leapt away. The explosion rippled in the sky, before twisting into itself, forming the shape of a cross. The pir of golden light struck the earth as Noelended back in Wolfwater. The battle had taken ce far enough away to avoid coteral damage thanks to her efforts. But the giant golden cross could be seen all throughout the vige. The vertical pir stretched a hundred feet into the air, while the horizontal row of the cross cut across over seventy feet in length. This powerful st ignited the afternoon sky with a brilliant re,pletely obliterating the kretus boar as Noele looked on. And unbeknownst to her, it caught the twelve eyes of something else as well. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Garron sprinted out of the farm as soon as he heard the news. Wolfwater was under attack, and Noele was in danger. A kretus boar had appeared, tearing its way straight to the vige. But it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary kretus boar. Supposedly, it was a Void-touched kretus boar. A [Druid] had warned him about this mutated monster¡ª one that was apparently a friend of Noele¡¯s family. He had been at Wolfwater with the blonde girl when the monster appeared. But he wasn¡¯t strong enough to help her out, so he quickly returned to Nn and Nicole to warn them and protect them. But Garron was the Steel Tank. He was a B-ranked adventurer on the cusp of Level 50. While he wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as Noele, he believed he would be able to help her out. So despite Dorien¡¯s protests, he rushed to join her in battle. He carried hisrge shield, unsheathing his short sword as he whispered to himself. ¡°Wait for me,¡± he said as the ground shook from the explosions in the distance. He saw the purple sts. Garron had only seen the power of the Void twice before, and both times, it had been over the course of thest month. First in Whiteridge, then in Wolfwater. And now, it was in Wolfwater again. The Steel Tank understood quite clearly that something was amiss, but he was too concerned for Noele to specte on what could be the reason for their sudden appearances. Seeing Noele inbat against the Cloying Witch, he knew she could handle herself. But in the off chance that she couldn¡¯t deal with the kretus boar alone¡ª And a powerful shockwave rippled out from Wolfwater. The nearby trees bent with the wind, half of the leaves flying off from the sheer force of the impact. Garron was knocked back, nearly stumbling off bnce as a golden light shed in the distance. His eyes widened, and he looked up. A golden cross cut across the sky far from the vige. It shone brightly, engulfing even the sun and dispersing the gathered white clouds overhead. Garron gaped for a moment at this explosion. He recognized this magic. He saw the gold light. And he tried to work his jaw. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Noele?¡± ¡ª-- Noele watched as the golden cross dissipated from the sky. [Dance with Death] remained active, even as the battle came to an end. A charred chunk of flesh dropped from the sky, and her eyes narrowed. [sh Step] carried her a hundred feet forward. She appeared right before a crater, eyeing the ckened remains of the kretus boar. She frowned. The Noble Spellsword remembered thest two times she had fought a Void-blessed being. And each time, simply killing them once wasn¡¯t enough to win. They always came back. So she waited warily as she raised her two des. The charred flesh of the kretus boar shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and her twin des were coated with a golden aura once more. She readied a Glorious Noble sh to finish the job, when the remains of the monster jerked. Noele backed up as ck appendages shot out with a crunch. But it didn¡¯t get anywhere close to her. She blinked, watching as tiny little nubs poked out of the burnt remains of the kretus boar. ¡°What is going on?¡± She frowned, watching as the monster tried and failed to regenerate. Its face began to reform, before distorting and melting away. For a split second, the Noble Spellsword feared that the charred kretus boar was going to twist into a rift just like when she had defeated Odell. But it only let out a weak groan. She blinked. The dying monster¡¯s began to shrivel up as it stared at her with a pair of flickering violet eyes. The light in its pupils dimmed into a weak crimson glow as it raised a weak limb, before flopping over to the side. Even still, it red up at her as its body began to fade into ashes. And she saw the anger in its eyes. The hatred it bore towards her. Noele bowed her head low. It had sought vengeance against her only because she had killed one of its kin. Noele thought of her sister for the briefest of moments. But it wasn¡¯t the same. The kretus boars were threatening passing travelers because their homes had been destroyed. And that was only because of the actions of the Miststorm Riders. ¡°I am sorry,¡± she whispered as the monster continued ring up at her. ¡°For what Odell has done to you, I can only apologize.¡± The kretus boar beat its thin hooves against the ground onest time. And with a weak roar, the rest of its body turned to dust, fading away before her very eyes. Noele could only watch as the ash was scattered with the wind. [You have defeated a kretus boar!] The first notification shed before her, but she didn¡¯t react because she had anticipated it. However, the second one appeared, and she blinked. [You have defeated a Void-blessed being!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 56!] Noele stared at the hovering blue screens in shock. Firstly, she didn¡¯t expect to level up from killing the kretus boar. Considering that she had leveled up very recently, and she hadn¡¯t done much other than killing a few low-leveled monsters and defeating the Cloying Witch since then, she would have thought that her next level up would be a while from now. But she was already Level 56. And she even gained a brand new Skill. [Skill Gained: Passive - Keen Battle Intuition!] But the Noble Spellsword found herself more puzzled by the other blue screen. An individual notification from the World System announced she had defeated a Void-blessed being. When she had defeated a Cloying Witch, Noele hadn¡¯t received such a message. Not only that, she had been under the impression that the kretus boar had been Void-touched. ¡°What is¡­ Void-blessed?¡± she asked, her brows furrowed. She didn¡¯t get an answer. Instead, a panting voice called out to her as she raised her head. ¡°Noele!¡± a burly man yelled, dashing her way. ¡°Are you alright? What happened? What¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Noele watched as Garron the Steel Tank slowly came to a halt before her. He had his sword drawn and his shield raised, prepared for battle. But the battle was already over. And it seemed he could tell as much. He nced down at the crater, before looking back at the blonde girl with a chuckle. ¡°A [Druid] told me that you were in trouble,¡± Garron said. ¡°But it appears that my help is not needed at all.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Dorien.¡± Noele blinked. She shook her head and waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°He¡¯s an old family friend¡ª but how¡¯s my parents? Are they safe?¡± The Steel Tank nodded reassuringly. ¡°They¡¯re fine. They¡¯re more worried about you¡­ even if they have no reason to.¡± Noele just smiled as Garron smirked at her. He sheathed his sword and folded his arms across his chest, looking back down at the ashen remains of the kretus boar. She lightly punched his side, taking a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you weren¡¯t just worrying over me a minute ago as well,¡± the Noble Spellsword said. He harrumphed with a grin. ¡°I was concerned. But now I realize I am just a fool. This is the third Void-touched creature you¡¯ve killed, is it not?¡± She didn¡¯t give an immediate answer. Instead, she paused, remembering what the World System had called the kretus boar. It had been Void-blessed, not Void-touched. She wondered what was the difference between the two. Noele finally shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just d to see that you actually do care about me.¡± She nced away from the burly man, smiling, before looking back towards Wolfwater. ¡°But we have quite a mess to clean up.¡± Garron pursed his lips. He nodded grimly as he swept his gaze over his surroundings, taking in the full scene for the first time since he got here. ¡°Were there any casualties?¡± he asked. ¡°There were none. But the damage the boar caused is¡­¡± the blonde girl trailed off as she eyed the various craters dotting thendscape. The nearby vegetation and flora had been uprooted, and the localized tremor caused by the kretus boar ripped open a few small crevices throughout the farnd. The damage was rather significant for the size of the vige. ¡°And so soon after the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack?¡± Noele sighed as she strode back towards Wolfwater. ¡°This can¡¯t keep happening.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t,¡± Garron said, following after her. ¡°We need to figure out a way to stop these attacks.¡± She nodded as she eyed the crowd gathered in the distance. ¡°Right¡­ but for now, let¡¯s check up on the restaurant¡­¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Amelia seemed pretty excited for her restaurant¡¯s grand opening. I hope this attack does not ruin her ns for today.¡± ¡°I hope not. She might quit cooking altogether if that happens.¡± ¡°I do not know her as well as you do, but I think you should give your mentor a little more credit than that.¡± ¡°I am saying this because I know her¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 watched the two humans slowly make their way back towards the ramshackle building at the edge of the vige. A crowd of other humans waited there, and there was even an otherworlder amongst them. But his gaze was fixed only on a single figure. Noele. That was her name, ording to the human man. She had been the one to defeat the Void-blessed kretus boar¡ª which was already an extraordinary feat for this era. But that normally wasn¡¯t enough to pique Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s interest. It was the method in which she employed to win the battle which drew his attention towards her. She had been able to draw from a power beyond the World System. The magic which she used¡­ it had reminded him of one of his own Techniques. There was a slight difference to it which he couldn¡¯t quite discern. There was no uniformity in her abilities. That puzzled him. And the fact that she had apparently defeated three Void-influenced beings so far drew him to her even more. He needed to know more. Guardian Angel Z357 knew that it was against his current objective, but he acted under his own prerogative, believing that there was more he could learn here by interrogating the blonde human instead of speaking to those useless cult members he¡¯d encountered so far. He deactivated Without a Trace as he descended upon the two humans. His sudden appearance out of thin air instantly attracted the attention of a handful of the nearby humans. They pointed and gasped at the angel as he approached his target. Noele blinked, noticing the susurration, before turning around. Her eyes went round when she saw the twelve eyes staring back at her. At first, she tensed, reaching for her two des. But then her gaze drifted to the feathery wings as her breath was caught in her throat. ¡°Is that¡­ an angel¡­?¡± she asked softly. Be not afraid, he transmitted his thoughts to the crowd of humans. And the burly man froze. The onlookers dropped to their knees as Noele just looked on in both awe and wonder. Guardian Angel Z357 continued to slowly float down, before extending an unassuming hand. Come with me, Noble Spellsword, he said telepathically. I am in need of an audience with you. ¡°An audience with me?¡± She blinked a few times. Herpanion just gaped as those who watched buzzed in shock and excitement. ¡°An audience with an angel?¡± ¡°Is this real life?¡± ¡°Angel¡¯s breath¡­ I never thought I¡¯d ever see one until I died¡­¡± Guardian Angel Z357nded right before the blonde human, taking a step forward as he kept his hand proffered. His twelve eyes blinked simultaneously, and she raised her own hand in a daze. ¡°I¡ª¡± Noele started. But she hesitated. For whatever reason, she shifted back ufortably, shrinking away from the angel. He tilted his head, puzzled by her odd behavior. Most of the denizens of 16B would be beyond ecstatic tomunicate with him. And yet, here she was, taken by apprehension from his presence alone. Let us speak, Noble Spellsword, Guardian Angel Z357 pressed her as he called her by her Title. It is a matter of great importance. She just chewed her lower lip hesitantly. His twelve eyes narrowed. No matter. It didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t want to speak. He would make her talk by force if necessary. He reached for the blonde human as she blinked. And a hand caught his outstretched palm. Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s twelve eyes flickered in surprise. His gaze snapped to the side, staring at a brown-haired human. He hadn¡¯t even seen hering, and she was somehow tightly clutching his arm in ce Who are you? he asked, taken aback by this sudden intruder. He hadn¡¯t even noticed her presence. And she didn¡¯t seem to care that he was an angel either. She just stepped in front of the blonde human, blocking Guardian Angel Z357 from reaching his target. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia,¡± she said simply. ¡°Now tell me¡ª what do you want with my apprentice?¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Angels. They were the sentinels of the World System. They were harbingers of peace. It was said that when Vacuos had been enved by the Great Evil, it was the angels who descended from the heavens to liberate them from their shackles. There were many Choirs of angels. Noele was no [Priest], so she didn¡¯t quite understand the theology behind it all. She just knew that there were distinct types of angels ranging from the Guardian Angels to the Thrones, and that they were all divine beings. They were supposedly even more powerful than the greatest of Elder Dragons to ever take the skies. But they were a myth. Just like the stories of an empire of Elder Dragons that once ruled the world. It was all tales muddled by history that happened long before even the Valeri Empire existed. Noele wasn¡¯t well-educated¡ª she never went to an academy to study ancient texts or the theology of the World System. Everything she knew about angels was what almost everyone in Vacuos knew about angels. They had wings like swans, and they used magic that was iprehensible. She never thought that she¡¯d ever encounter one in real life. Yet right now, an angel was standing before her. Not only that, it wanted to speak with her. But the blonde hesitated before she epted its offer. For whatever reason, something in the back of her head screamed at her to think this through first. Because angels were agents of the World System, and that meant¡ª ¡­she wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. Noele found it puzzling. But it was a little niggling feeling that stopped her from blindly following the angel. And before the angel could press her, Amelia intervened. Noele blinked, watching as her mentor stepped in front of the angel. ¡°Now tell me¡ª what do you want with my apprentice?¡± Amelia held the angel¡¯s gaze. It stared at her with all twelve of its eyes. There was a hint of confusion in its expressionless face. The angel wore no mouth, no nose¡ª nothing. But it tilted its head as it peered at the brown-haired woman. I am Guardian Angel Z357, it replied. Its tinny voice resounded in Noele¡¯s head. It had to be transmitting its thoughts into the minds of those standing close by as Amelia¡¯s eyes narrowed. I require answers from the Noble Spellsword. Please do not interfere. ¡°Why not?¡± Amelia asked, frowning. ¡°Why can¡¯t I listen in to your conversation? Exin yourself¡ª what¡¯s going on?¡± She didn¡¯t let go of the angel¡¯s arm. Even as it tried to pull its hand back, she didn¡¯t budge. The angel¡¯s twelve eyes darted warily towards her. And Noele broke out of her stupor. ¡°W-wait, Amelia!¡± the blonde girl sputtered, drawing her mentor¡¯s attention. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t start a fight with the angel¡ª you just can¡¯t!¡± Amelia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to start anything as long as Guardian Angel Z-whatever answers the question.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 blinked all twelve of its eyes one after another. It peered at the brown-haired woman, not responding for what felt like an eternity. Noele held her breath as she shifted back ufortably. And the angel finally answered, I need to speak with your apprentice about the safety and sanctity of all of Vacuos. Now please do not interfere. Noele shrank back as it took a step forward. Amelia refused to shy away from Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s re. Her brows just snapped together as it spread its wings wide. Finally, she acquiesced. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, stepping to the side. Noele let out a sigh of relief. Her shoulders sagged as she ced a hand on her chest. But she tensed once more when she realized that her mentor hadn¡¯t let go of the angel¡¯s arm just yet. ¡°Amelia¡­?¡± She raised a nervous hand. ¡°I will let you speak to Noele,¡± Amelia continued as she nced back at the blonde girl. ¡°But only on one condition.¡± Noele stared in confusion as Guardian Angel Z357 slowly nodded. What is it? the angel asked. And Amelia grinned. ¡ª-- ¡°Uh, what?¡± Noele was at a loss for words. There was nothing for her to say. She never expected this. Honestly, she had doubted it from the very beginning. But the fact was¡ª the restaurant¡¯s grand opening was a sess. She scanned her surroundings, watching as the room bustled with arge crowd. There had to be dozens of customers inside of the small building, and there were even more seated in the tables and chairs prepared outside. Han had his work cut out for him¡ª he rushed in and out of the restaurant as he struggled to serve everyone on his own. Noele would¡¯ve felt more sympathy for him if she wasn¡¯t sopletely distracted. No, she wasn¡¯t busy chatting with her parents, checking up on their wellbeing after the kretus boar¡¯s attack. And no, she wasn¡¯t busy flirting with Garron either. Nn, Nicole, Garron, and Dorien had their own table across the room from where Noele sat. The blonde girl would¡¯ve loved to be sitting with them right now, but she couldn¡¯t. Instead, she sat at the bar, given a wide berth by everyone else in the restaurant. It was odd. Normally, the seats at the bar would be used for additional customer seating. But the entire counter had been reserved. And for good reason¡ª because of the second most surprising thing Noele had seen today. Guardian Angel Z357 sat on a tall stool next to her. She blinked a few times as she stared at this scene. An angel¡ª a being with twelve eyes and a pair of feathered wings¡ª was sitting inside of a restaurant. It made no sense to her. It almost seemed nonsensical. The events leading up to this moment seemed too surreal to be true. But it had happened¡ª Amelia had invited the angel to have its little chat with the blonde girl in the restaurant, and for whatever reason, it said yes. Noele knew the reasoning behind her mentor¡¯s actions. By bringing an angel in here, she¡¯d garner more attention for her restaurant, thereby attracting more customers for the grand opening as well. It was a genius strategy. And the blonde girl could respect it. What she couldn¡¯t understand was why Guardian Angel Z357 had epted this condition. She raised her head apprehensively, ncing at the angel from the corner of her eye. It hadn¡¯t said a word since they entered the restaurant. It simply sat still like a statue as its twelve eyes wandered around its face. Noele couldn¡¯t lie and say that that sight didn¡¯t creep her out a little bit. She was just d that it was facing its back towards the rest of the room, otherwise Amelia¡¯s customers would immediately flee the restaurant screaming. Noele could only specte as to why it hadn¡¯t spoken after they¡¯d entered this crowded ce. She believed that it was because Guardian Angel Z357 wanted to speak with her privately, and the attention focused on the two of them made it difficult to carry out this important conversation. Or maybe it was entirely possible that the angel had nned to have this quiet meeting with her¡­ for whatever reason. It didn¡¯t make sense, but nothing ever made sense anymore. Noele took in a deep breath and finally decided that she was going to be the one to break the silence. ¡°So¡­¡± she started, turning to Guardian Angel Z357 with a forced smile. ¡°What did you want to, uh, talk about?¡± Its twelves eyes stopped dancing on its face, focusing back on her. It mechanically craned its neck to face her, and she barely managed to suppress a squeak. The blonde girl waited for the angel to speak, but no thoughts invaded her mind. ¡°You know, I have never seen an angel before,¡± Noele continued. Again, no response. Her smile slipped from her face as the Guardian Angel Z357 continued staring at her with a nk expression. ¡°I, uh, always imagined angels to look more like¡­ humans?¡± she said, and it didn¡¯t bat an eye. She scratched the back of her head ufortably, correcting herself. ¡°Well, not just humans¡ª but like dwarves or gnomes or¡­ people¡­ not that I¡¯m saying you¡¯re not a person!¡± Noele waved her hands frantically as she got to her feet, and the nearby onlookers jerked back from her sudden movement. But Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t react. She pursed her lips. She had been quite nervous at the start of the conversation. And even now, she was a little bit anxious about why the angel wanted to speak with her. But now, she was just confused. She slowly sat back down as she cleared her throat. The Noble Spellsword sighed and shook her head. ¡°Guardian Angel Z357,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°I can¡¯t help you if you don¡¯t¡ª¡± How did you learn those Techniques? the angel suddenly asked, cutting her off. She blinked as it nced out the window. You fought beyond the capabilities of your level. How did you do that? Noele paused. She saw Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s studious gaze. She raised a hand as she began to answer, then she paused. She ced a hand on her chin as she furrowed her brow. ¡°I got stronger?¡± the blonde girl said uncertainly. Guardian Angel Z357 cocked its head. Exin, it demanded. ¡°I mean¡ª I did what I had to do to survive and get stronger?¡± Noele wasn¡¯t sure if this was the answer the angel wanted. But she couldn¡¯t borate. She didn¡¯t want to borate. If she exined that she actively worked to attain a power beyond the World System¡¯s blessings, she was certain that she would¡­ she would¡­ She was certain she would upset the angel? But that wasn¡¯t right. Why would an angel be upset that she fought beyond the scope of her ss? Sure, angels were sentinels of the World System, but the World System was benevolent! Right? ¡­right? Noele shook her head, dismissing those conflicted thoughts for now. She would tell Guardian Angel Z357 the truth, while skirting around potentially contentious topics. Especially since it had plenty more questions for her. That does not exin anything, the angel said. How did you learn your Techniques? ¡°My¡­ techniques?¡± Noele asked, blinking. Your Techniques, it corrected her. Who taught you how to cast magic without your Skills? The blonde girl just stared at the angel, slightly confused. It took her a moment to realize what Guardian Angel Z357 was talking about. And when it clicked, she snapped her fingers with wide eyes. ¡°Oh, you mean Glorious Noble sh and Elegant Noble sh? I learned it from¡ª¡± Noele started. ¡°She learned it from herself,¡± a voice cut her off. Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s eyes darted to the side, and Noele looked back. Amelia emerged from the kitchen, carrying a pair of steaming dishes in each hand. Sheid the tes down before the blonde girl and the angel with a smile. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering how Noele got as strong as she is right now, she earned it through her own strength. But I did offer her a little bit of guidance along the way.¡± Noele watched as her mentor took a step back. Amelia had her usual cloak on her back, but she wore a chef¡¯s apron over her clothes. She gestured at the pair of dishes, speaking casually. ¡°Eat up. Don¡¯t worry about paying¡ª it¡¯s on the house.¡± I cannot eat, Guardian Angel Z357 said simply. I do not require sustenance to survive. ¡°Weird.¡± Amelia drew back, eyeing him up and down. ¡°So you really are a robot, aren¡¯t you?¡± Noele just raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s a robot?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to youter. Anyways, what¡¯s this about Techniques and Skills? I thought you guys were supposed to be talking about saving the world.¡± Amelia leaned on the bar as she peered at the angel. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t give an immediate response. Instead, it craned its neck to look between both women for a moment. Finally, it looked back at Amelia. You are the Noble Spellsword¡¯s mentor. You are the one who taught her to fight without the World System. It was a straightforward statement. Amelia just noddedzily in return. ¡°Yeah, and?¡± Are you a follower of the Void? Guardian Angel Z357 pressed her as Noele bit her lower lip. Oh no¡­ The blonde girl could almost anticipate what was going to happen next. She still remembered the whole debacle with the Elder Dragon. She really wanted to pipe¡ª defuse the potential crisis before it had a chance to escte. But she was too slow. ¡°Nope,¡± Amelia replied instantly. ¡°I¡¯m just a restaurant-owner, man.¡± It was an obvious lie. Noele knew that the angel saw through this lie in an instant. And Guardian Angel Z357 immediately shot to its feet as its twelve eyes focused on the cloak at Amelia¡¯s back. Noele tensed as heads turned to face this scene. Nervous whispers swept over the restaurant. Han, Garron, Nn, Nicole, and even Xakor looked on as Amelia just held the angel¡¯s gaze. Ance appeared in Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s right hand as it posed another question to the brown-haired woman. If you are not a follower of the Void, why do I sense the Void¡¯s essence on you? And Noele wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to defuse this situation now. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Guardian Angel Z357 hadn¡¯t noticed it at first. His attention since he arrived in 16B was fixed solely on the rifts in space and those who had been touched by the Void. After all, that was his objective¡ª to investigate the oddities urring in this era and put a halt to the return of the Fal-Deus. So he had flown between the continents, investigating every employment of the Void¡¯s powers. He had thought he was prepared for the task he had been given; he had already repelled the Fal-Deus once before, long ago. But the circumstances afflicting the current era was unlike thest time he had been activated by the World System. There were no swarms of voidlings pouring out of the sky, inundating the four continents with death and depravity. This time around, Guardian Angel Z357 found none of that. Instead, the Void worked discreetly in the shadows, possessing certain individuals who were vulnerable to the allure of an immense power. And so, he struggled to learn anything of use since a Void-touched being might not even understand the full extent of the ns of the Fal-Deus. The angel had been wandering around in the dark, forced to slowly piece together a very vague image of what was going on. He initially investigated the rifts, before flying from incident to incident, drawn only to the strongest res of the Void essence each time at first, only to realize that such a methodology wasn¡¯t effective. He finally altered his strategy when he noticed that the rifts in space were only opening up in Laxo, while the other continents remained mostly undisturbed. The fact that the Fal-Deus was operating most overtly in this continent must have clearly meant that the root of this current crisis started here. So he scoured Laxo for any leads, and that brought him back here¡ª to this vige he had visited before, drawn by a powerful Void-blessed creature. And he was so distracted by that overwhelming presence, he didn¡¯t even notice the strange oddities around a random bystander. Guardian Angel Z357 thought she was a mere [Farmer] at first. So he paid her no mind. But when she had stepped between him and the Noble Spellsword, he began to realize that she was no ordinary human. Her name was Amelia. And she was no [Farmer]. In fact, she had no ss at all. While that was anomalous in itself, it wasn¡¯t enough for him to suspect that anything was amiss. He only noticed that there had to be something more to her when she grabbed onto his wrist with one hand and didn¡¯t even budge despite his best efforts to make her move. He could still feel the phantom grip of her palm around his forearm, even now. So he listened to her demands. He followed her to her restaurant, and he began to study her every movement. That was when he finally noticed it. Guardian Angel Z357 could never have noticed it at first. Even though he was an angel¡ª even though he was guided by the World System¡¯s will¡ª he knew that he never would have seen it without direct and substantial scrutiny. It was so discreet, it had almost evaded his senses when he was standing right before the brown-haired human. But with the help of one of his Techniques¡ª his Eyes of the Beholder¡ª he finally saw it. And even then, he barely even caught a glimpse of it. The Void¡¯s essence was wisping off Amelia. Or more specifically, it was wisping off her cloak and her sheathed sword. He was surprised he had even noticed it. There were such trace amounts of the Void¡¯s essence, it was almostpletely negligible. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain he would have had a better chance of finding a decade-old corpse of a Void-touched creature if he hadn¡¯t been directly confronting the brown-haired human. But it was still there. And he didn¡¯t know if it was being actively suppressed, or if it was just sheer coincidence. All he knew was that he needed answers¡ª now. Guardian Angel Z357 rose to his feet as he summoned hisnce into his hand. He raised it, pointing dangerously at Amelia as heads turned in horror at the unfolding scene. If you are not a follower of the Void, why do I sense the Void¡¯s essence on you? he asked. Noele¡¯s eyes went round as she heard the question. She nced between her mentor and the angel, trying to work her jaw. But her mouth simply bobbed open and close, her words refusing toe out. Amelia narrowed her eyes as she looked down at thence. Slowly, she swept her gaze past Guardian Angel Z357, looking back at the crowd of onlookers. Her customers had dropped everything they were doing to stare at this sight. She frowned, before turning to face the angel once again. She held his gaze as she replied simply, ¡°Don¡¯t scare the customers.¡± Answer the question, the angel said as he took a step forward. If you are a follower of the Void, I will have to exterminate you. He readied all his Techniques. His twelve eyes snapped wide open, his pupils retracting into the shape of little diamonds. His vision focused only on the brown-haired human. He could see every subtle movement she made¡ª he was certain he could predict any attack she threw at him before she even made it. Guardian Angel Z357 tensed as Amelia just tilted her head. He was an angel¡ª he should have been above every single being in all of 16B. Even the Grand Elder Arrak¡¯tun¡ª who had been Level 96 back when the Fal-Deus had attempted its prior revival¡ª could not evenpete with the angel. It only made sense. Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s Techniques far surpassed the magic granted to the people of this world. He might not have been nearly as powerful as an Archangel, let alone a Principality. But he should have been able to deal with any threat he faced in Vacuos¡ª as long as it was not empowered by the Void. And yet, despite all these facts, he warily aimed hisnce at Amelia. Because Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t know if he could beat her. She should not have been a threat to him. But she was. There was no changing that absurd fact. Noele finally regained herposure and got to her feet. ¡°W-wait, this is a misunderstanding,¡± she sputtered, waving her hands between the angel and her mentor. ¡°Amelia isn¡¯t affiliated to the V¡ª¡± Stay back, Noble Spellsword, Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t even face the blonde human. Otherwise, you will be destroyed in the altercation. ¡°I¡­¡± She shrank back. Her lips pursed into a thin line, and she nced back at Amelia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it,¡± the brown-haired human said. She strode forward as she removed her apron. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re talking about my cloak and my sword¡­¡± Amelia tossed both the items onto the counter. Guardian Angel Z357 narrowed his twelve eyes as she took a step back. His gaze remained on the Void-afflicted sword and cloak. She gestured at herself. ¡°There. Do you sense any of the Void¡¯s essence around me now?¡± Amelia asked, raising a brow. Guardian Angel Z357 paused. He looked between her and the cloak. The sword had a fainter aura radiating off it. He could not quite tell if the rusty de was actually coated in the Void¡¯s essence. It might have simply been king with the residual magic from being in proximity to a voidling or voidbeast. But he was certain the cloak was infused in the Void¡¯s essence. There was no mistaking it. He refused to budge, raising his gaze up to Amelia once more. I do not, Guardian Angel Z357 said. But that does not exin why you are in possession of these artifacts of the Void. ¡°They aren¡¯t artifacts,¡± Amelia replied casually. ¡°And I just found them lying around, so I picked them up.¡± He paused. Was that it? No¡ª she had to be deceiving him. The angel didn¡¯t lower hisnce even for a moment. That does not exin why you are in possession of these items. Exin yourself, Guardian Angel Z357 demanded. ¡°Because I think they look cool,¡± Amelia said with a shrug. Her non-answers were starting to grate on the angel. It had been so long since hest felt annoyed by anything or anyone, it was barely even a memory in his mind. But it was almost like the brown-haired human was purposely trying to antagonize him. He took a step forward, and Noele jerked back. The rest of the room grew eerily still. No one even dared to breathe. But his target just sighed. ¡°Look, why are you hounding me for literally having a cloak?¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Noele and I have helped kill a bunch of these annoying Void-assholes. We¡¯re on the same side, aren¡¯t we? That¡¯s why you wanted to speak with us¡ª for the peace and whatever of Vacuos?¡± Her words sent a ripple of hushed voices across the room. Guardian Angel Z357 nced back, hearing the whispers of the spectators. ¡°For the peace of¡­ what?¡± ¡°First our vige was attacked, then an angel showed up. What is going on?¡± ¡°Mama, what is the Void?¡± While the angel didn¡¯t quite care about causing a ruckus, he wondered if this was the right course of action. By revealing so many details about his objective, he could inform the perpetrators behind the return of the Fal-Deus that he was trying to put a stop to their actions. If that happened, they would operate even more discreetly than before, making it significantly harder than it already was for him to aplish his task. He shook his head. He didn¡¯t even know if there was a singr perpetrator behind what was urring across 16B today. It was entirely possible that the Fal-Deus was influencing the world without any specific agent wandering the continents. But as far as Guardian Angel Z357 was aware, that would not be an effective strategy. Nevertheless, it was a possibility, and he had to consider all possibilities as of right now. And he especially had to consider the possibility that Amelia could be one of such perpetrators behind the return of the Fal-Deus. So he could not back down. Not right now. All he had to do was iste their conversation. Field of Istion. The angel swung hisnce to the ground as Noele¡¯s eyes went wide. But even she couldn¡¯t react in time. There was a sh of light, and the crowd of onlookers blinked. An iridescent dome fell over the bar, encapsting himself and the two humans. Amelia and Noele exchanged a nce, before eyeing the dome. Glittering octagonal panels of various colors spun around them as they nced around, confused. The Noble Spellsword backed up with wide eyes. ¡°W-what is this? What did you do?¡± We can speak in peace here, Guardian Angel Z357 said simply. He left hisnce behind. It was stabbed into the ground, keeping the barrier intact. I have not harmed any of the onlookers, but they cannot see us, nor can they hear our conversation. ¡°You better pay for that.¡± Amelia just eyed the broken floorboards with a t stare. He didn¡¯t bother replying to that dry remark. Instead, he strode up to the brown-haired human as Noele just looked on. You have no ss, Guardian Angel Z357 continued speaking as he came to a halt right before Amelia. And yet, you wield strength that rivals that of angels. How did you learn this power if not from the Void¡¯s blessing? It was a simple question. But she didn¡¯t give an immediate answer. She just stared nkly back at the angel with her arms crossed as Noele nced between the two of them, neither choosing to back down. The confrontation dragged on for a long moment. Eventually, it was Amelia who gave in. ¡°Do you really want to know the truth?¡± she finally said. ¡°Do you want definite proof that I am not a follower of the Void?¡± Tell me, he demanded, peering deep into her eyes in search of the truth. ¡°Because¡ª¡± Amelia uncrossed her arms and spoke casually. ¡°I killed the Voidgod.¡± And Guardian Angel Z357 blinked with all twelve of his eyes. MsD Art of Noele! Noele the Noble Spellsword - Amelia Book 2 Cover : AmeliaTLZHNovel ) It''s sick asf :) Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Today had been a very long day. Han had woken up extra early because it was the grand opening of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. He thought the name was a little bit ridiculous¡ª it was too wordy for his tastes. But his boss¡ª Amelia¡ª had said that it could just be shortened to Bucky¡¯s¡­ which honestly had the opposite problem in that it was only a single word that conveyed nothing. He thought a middle ground between the two would work much better. For example, something like Bucky¡¯s Restaurant rolled off the tongue so much better. But maybe it was just his own personal preference, and he might just be totally wrong. He was just a former city guard, after all. Anyway, his job was to serve tables, so he had no say in naming this restaurant. That was up to both Amelia and Xakor to decide. He did his job, and he tried his best to do it well. He even set up additional tables and chairs out front to amodate more customers. Han had expected arge crowd to gather¡ª rtively speaking for a vige like Wolfwater. After all, this was a restaurant owned by Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences. Everyone across the world had heard of him. And arge crowd did show up. But so did an angel. Han thought it was ridiculous. He almost refused to believe his eyes. However, he couldn¡¯t stop and gawk at the sight because he had work to do. In fact, his workload was only exacerbated thanks to the angel¡¯s appearance. The restaurant was at maximum capacity. No¡ª it had exceeded maximum capacity. There were so many customers squeezed into the small building, the former guardsman had no moment of respite. He barely even took notice of the angel because he was so busy rushing from table to table. ¡­until the angel suddenly jerked to its feet and raised ance. Even Han couldn¡¯t ignore the unfolding scene any longer. He watched, listening to the conversation for a moment. But the angel suddenly swung itsnce to the ground. There had been a sh of light. Han thought he died. But when he blinked his eyes back open, he realized he was still alive. The angel hadn¡¯t vaporized him to ash, instead creating a rainbow-colored dome around the bar. He stared at this powerful magic. An angel¡¯s magic. That which he had only ever heard tales and stories about. And he wasn¡¯t the only one who looked on, awe-struck. Everyone in the restaurant could only gape at the sight. And they had questions. Were they safe? And what happened to Amelia? What happened to Noele? What was the angel trying to aplish here in Wolfwater? Han didn¡¯t know. He wished he could peer into the dome and overhear more of their discussion. He hoped that everything was alright. He pursed his lips¡ª and he heard a cluck. Bucky stepped out of the kitchen, tilting her head at him expectantly, before looking towards the crowd. Han blinked, then steeled himself. He cleared his throat as he spun around. ¡°Right, back to work,¡± he said. pping his hands loudly together, he spoke for all to hear. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about folks¡ª¡± ¡ª-- This conversation had been incredibly stress-inducing for Noele. She wasn¡¯t even sure if it would be resolved peacefully once the angel produced itsnce. And if it came down to a fight, she wasn¡¯t sure who woulde out on top. Certainly, Amelia was incredibly strong. Noele had seen it for herself. That was why she had apprenticed herself to the brown-haired woman. But Guardian Angel Z357 was¡­ an angel. One of the very same angels who had descended from the heavens long ago and liberated Vacuos. In the beginning, there was darkness. And it was an army of angels who brought light to the four continents. So Noele wasn¡¯t sure who would win¡ª she didn¡¯t want to find out either. She just hoped that the confrontation between her mentor and the angel would be resolved peacefully. At first, it didn¡¯t seem like that was a possibility. But now, it was starting to look like there wouldn¡¯t be any conflict between the two. ¡°Because¡ª¡± Amelia uncrossed her arms and spoke casually. ¡°I killed the Voidgod.¡± The blonde girl steadied herself against the bar, sighing in relief as she heard her mentor¡¯s words. While Noele didn¡¯t exactly know who this Voidgod was, she knew that Amelia had spent a long time¡ª ten years, at the very minimum¡ª fighting against the Void. And the term Voidgod was self-exnatory enough, so it clearly only meant one thing. Guardian Angel Z357 must have known who it was as well. It was an angel¡ª it was the World System¡¯s sentinel. It had to be all-knowing, especially when it came to the Void. Hopefully, Amelia¡¯s words was enough to finally assuage¡ª Who is that? Guardian Angel Z357 asked, cocking its head. And Noele tripped over her stool as Amelia blinked. ¡ª-- ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not serious, are you?¡± I said tly. But Guardian Angel Z357 just took another step forward, narrowing all twelve of its eyes. Exin yourself, it demanded. I massaged my temples as I sighed. I was expecting some sort of a reaction from the angel. But I wasn¡¯t expecting confusion of all things. Seriously¡ª I thought that this whole mess would be resolved with just that. Maybe the angel would have interrogated me a little more. It could have even been suspicious of my ims. But if it didn¡¯t even know who the Voidgod was¡­ I shook my head as Noele picked herself back up from the ground. ¡°The Voidgod is¡­ the God of the Void. Or as it likes to say¡ª it¡¯s the true God of Vacuos.¡± Impossible, Guardian Angel Z357 riposted, eyeing me dangerously. The God of Vacuos is the World System. Do you dare question its authority? I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m not saying shit, alright? I¡¯m saying that¡¯s what the Voidgod called itself. So chill out.¡± But the angel didn¡¯t chill. Its gaze continued peering into me, studying my expression and stance. I was getting tired of this interrogation. I crossed my arms and nced towards Noele. ¡°As I said just earlier¡ª we¡¯ve literally killed half a dozen of those stupid Void-assholes for you. And I¡¯m telling you I killed the Voidgod too. If you¡¯re really here to preserve the peace of Vacuos as you im, you¡¯d be going after the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, not us.¡± There was a moment where Guardian Angel Z357 refused to lower its guard. I held its gaze as its twelve eyes refused to break away. But after a few more seconds passed, it finally acquiesced. Its eyes darted in different directions as it took a step back. What is the Sect of Abyssal Thorns? it asked curiously. And my hands dropped limply to my side. I blinked at the angel. ¡°Seriously? Like, are you beingpletely serious right now? You¡¯ve never heard of them before?¡± Affirmative, Guardian Angel Z357 replied. I know nothing of this organization, although I have heard of their name in passing. I shook my head, murmuring to myself. ¡°First you¡¯ve never heard of the Voidgod, and now this¡­ are you even an angel?¡± I am an angel, it said simply. I didn¡¯t bother responding to thatment. Instead, I turned to the watching blonde girl. ¡°Noele, you can exin this better than I can.¡± She jerked back when I called her name. Taking a step forward, she began to exin. ¡°The Sect of Abyssal Thorns is¡­ a terrorist group? Or maybe a more appropriate term is that they¡¯re a cult, and they worship the Void itself.¡± A¡­ cult? For the Void? Guardian Angel Z357 wore a confused expression on its normally emotionless face. It blinked one eye after another as it shook its head. How has such an organization been allowed to exist? How have those in power not crushed the Sect of Abyssal Thorns? ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s the thing,¡± Noele said as she shook her head. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, plenty of the members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns are those in power.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I snorted. But Guardian Angel Z357 was taken aback by that fact. It rubbed a hand on its chin in thought. If what you are iming is the truth, then I will have no choice but to exterminate all of the royalty of Laxo. I raised an amused brow, and Noele immediately sputtered. ¡°You can¡¯t do that! Not every king or queen out there is a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns!¡± Guardian Angel Z357 tilted its head at her. Did you not just state the opposite? ¡°I don¡¯t mean all of them are members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns,¡± Noele rified, shaking her head. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m sure most of them would rather not be affiliated with the Void at all. The Sect of Abyssal Thorns is said to be a very small group for a reason, but every single one of their members is someone important.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± I said as the angel nced my way. ¡°If you¡¯re here to deal with Void shit, go after them. I¡¯m just a restaurant-owner trying to make a living, man.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly true. But it was true enough. And Guardian Angel Z357 seemed to agree. It drew back as its wings began to fold behind its back. I will have to confirm the veracity of your words by cross-referencing with others, it said. However, assuming you have not lied to me, how can I learn more about this Sect of Abyssal Thorns? I didn¡¯t even react at this point. This angel quite literally knew nothing. I shrugged and gestured vaguely past it. ¡°Figure it out yourself. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the one who¡¯s preserving the peace of Vacuos or whatever? That¡¯s your job, not ours.¡± ¡°I mean, we can help the angel out, can¡¯t we?¡± Noele said, piping up. ¡°We would if we could. But could we, though?¡± I posed the question to the blonde girl. ¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure we can¡¯t. We don¡¯t know anything about the Sect of Abyssal Thorns.¡± She hesitated. ¡°...right.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 nced between us. It didn¡¯t move its head. Its eyes just darted between our faces. I understand, it finally said. I will have to investigate further beyond the rifts and the blessed to discover the truth. ¡°Yeah, go and do your job. Let me do mine too.¡± I leaned against the bar counter. The angel drew bak as it reached for itsnce. My brows snapped together when I saw the broken bits of the floorboard lying on the ground. I apologize for my inconvenience. I shall take my leave now¡ª ¡°Wait, before you go,¡± I quickly said and caught Guardian Angel Z357 by the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t forget¡ª you have to pay me back for that.¡± I pointed at the splinters at the angel¡¯s feet. ¡°Amelia!¡± Noele eximed with a horrified look. But the angel didn¡¯tsh out at me. Instead, it calmly replied, I do not have any of this¡¯s currency. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to find some other way to make amends,¡± I scoffed as I drew back. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t give an immediate response. Its twelve eyes just continued zipping around in different directions before finally settling back on me. It spoke slowly. And¡­ how can I make amends? it asked as Noele blinked. A smile slipped onto my face. The blonde girl just looked on as I tapped a finger on my chin. I had an idea. It might have been a silly idea. But it was certainly an idea, and it could work. So I made the suggestion anyways. ¡°How about this¡ª you work for me to pay me back for the damage you caused.¡± I gestured past the angel as Noele bobbed her mouth She wanted to protest, but I didn¡¯t let her speak. I continued waving at the broken floorboards as I spoke simply. ¡°Han is too overworked and he needs an extra pair of hands. I¡¯m not asking you to work for me for a month or whatever¡ª just until I find a second employee. How about that?¡± It was a ridiculous suggestion. I knew it was ridiculous, but the benefits of having an angel working here was too much to pass up on. It was the best advertisement in the world¡ª even more so than having Xakor¡¯s name pped onto the restaurant. Noele quite clearly thought it was ridiculous too. She tried to work her jaw, but no words came. So she just watched as Guardian Angel Z357 continued standing there in silence. ¡°What do you say?¡± I pressed the angel. ¡°You¡¯ve falsely used me of a lot of things, and I still helped you out. You owe us at least that much.¡± Noele pursed her lips. ¡°Amelia, I don¡¯t think¡ª¡± she started, but Guardian Angel Z357 cut her off. Very well, it said as her jaw dropped in shock. I ept. ¡°What?!¡± she eximed, but I ignored her. I smirked and patted the angel on the shoulder. ¡°Alright¡ª d to have you on board. Now your first job is¡­¡± I nced down as the angel¡¯s gaze followed mine. The both of us stared at the broken floorboards at our feet. ¡°...clean up this mess.¡± MsD Results for the contest by the end of this week. Sorry for the dy, but there''s more submissions than I expected. Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Chapter 92 It had been nearly a month since Kallistus Kal had encountered Guardian Angel Z357 in Briar Glen just outside of Windrip. He was the [Hero King]¡ª he was the Void¡¯s Heir. And yet, he had been so thoroughly defeated, he had been forced to flee for his life. The oue¡­ was not unexpected. From what Kallistus knew of this world, angels were incredibly powerful heavenly beings who were far greater than even the Elder Dragons. While the [Hero King] had aplished a great many feats in the ten years since he had appeared here in Vacuos, he knew that he wasn¡¯t quite the strongest creature around just yet. For one, the Elder Dragon Grat-ra¡¯zun was still alive, even after the devastating battle at Mount Arkais. And Kallistus knew he would not have won back then if not for his most loyal servants sacrificing themselves for him. Each and every one of them had been some of the greatest individuals in all of Vacuos¡ª only, disgraced and lost. But that was why they were able to be so greatly empowered by the Void. So they were incredibly useful, and it saddened Kallistus to lose them, but it had been a necessary sacrifice if things had worked out. Unfortunately, Grat-ra¡¯zun lived, and Kallistus never found who he was looking for¡ª the one who had formed a rift to the Void. But it was not aplete loss for the [Hero King]. Because now, the call of the Void was stronger than ever. He could hear its voice like a susurration in his mind. Not only that, he had also been led to Windrip where he learned a new power. Create. Kallistus closed his eyes as he recalled the odd, wet sensation dripping from his fingers. It had been like he had cupped his palm into ake, before sprinkling the crystal clear water into a bed of flowers. And the flowers bloomed¡ª they had grown tall and strong, facing the sun. Except instead of flowers, they were voidlings. And instead of watering them, the [Hero King] had created them with the Void¡¯s essence. It was such a fascinating power. He wished to learn more about it. He wanted to experiment¡ª push the limits of what it could aplish. But Kallistus Kal couldn¡¯t do any of that. Not often, at least. Because of a simple reason. He was trapped. He was certain he was trapped. It was more of in a metaphorical than a literal sense. He couldn¡¯t conjure up the Void¡¯s essence because in doing so, he¡¯d call attention to himself from Guardian Angel Z357. The [Hero King] had been monitoring the angel¡¯s activities. It was hard to track with even the greatest of scrying spells, and using the Void¡¯s power to do so was out of the question. Instead, he had been paying careful attention to the news he received from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Those [Missives] alone ryed enough information as to where the angel was going to be that day. After all, their members were apparently being hunted down in Alius, but they didn¡¯t know by what. Kallistus knew the truth. But he didn¡¯t tell them what he knew. Heid them out as bait¡ª using hismunications with those mad cultists to lure the angel away from him. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, the [Hero King] also carefully paid attention to the world for a re in the Void¡¯s magic. While he wasn¡¯t acute enough with his senses to detect every instance of the Void¡¯s essence being conjured across Vacuos, he still noticed when there was a surge in its power. Whenever that happened, Kallistus would take that opportunity to experiment. Discreetly and inconspicuously, he¡¯d hide his own dabblings into the Void¡¯s essence, so that the angel would never find him. He had very few opportunities to act in this manner, and his mastery over Create grew slowly. But as long as he could avoid detection, that was all that mattered. So he closed his eyes and waited for his next opportunity. He sat alone in a bunker beneath his pce, continuing to filter through the [Missives] sent by the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. He had already been gifted a very lucrative opportunity a day ago. Kallistus had sensed a powerful re in the Void¡¯s essence somewhere in the Astrad Kingdom. And during that time, he had begun to understand more of Create. He started to learn of its abilities beyond the creation of voidlings. He couldn¡¯t wait until he could continue his experimentation again. Until then, he wondered what Guardian Angel Z357 could be doing during these long lull periods between such re-ups. ¡ª-- ¡°Order for table five!¡± Han called out, poking his head out of the kitchen. Guardian Angel Z357 raised its head from the other side of the room. It swept across the restaurant in a single deft motion as the seated patrons just gaped at this sight. Han handed out a pair of steaming dishes, and the angel quickly took them off his hands. He couldn¡¯t help but watch with the wide-eyed customers as it did its job, serving the table without any issue. It was such a ridiculous scene¡ª the former guardsman never thought he would see anything like this¡­ ever. But it was happening. And he wasn¡¯t even sure if this was reality, or if he was hallucinating from being at the brink of starvation after being kicked out of Wolfwater for being a drunk asshole. He was starting to believe that it was more likely thetter than it was the former. However, he couldn¡¯t know for sure. He shook his head and turned back around, before pausing. Han blinked as he saw anky figure standing in front of him, holding up four different tes. Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences stood before the former guardsman and harrumphed. ¡°Xrr, my apologies,¡± Xakor said quickly, before stepping out of the kitchen. ¡°R-right, sorry.¡± Han just stared at the otherworlder¡ª one of the highest-leveled [Chefs] in the world. The former guardsman pinched his cheeks. ¡°...I really am hallucinating, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡ª-- Han wasn¡¯t the only one who thought he was dreaming. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even an outlier. He was very much so in the majority¡ª every single customer who entered Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant waspletely blown away by what they saw. It was, as Amelia put it, an ¡®out of this world experience¡¯. Noele rolled her eyes when her mentor said that. But even she could admit that she was quite shocked by the recent turn of events. When an angel showed up, thest thing she expected was that it would work as a server in Amelia¡¯s restaurant. Noele massaged her temples as she sat at a table in the corner of the room. Garron, her parents, and Dorien joined her. They weren¡¯t able to get seats together during the grand opening yesterday due to how crowded it was¡ª and also because the blonde girl had been busy dealing with Guardian Angel Z357. The restaurant was still packed today, especially after word quickly spread about an angel working here at this establishment. But the five of them had a table reserved just for them thanks to Amelia. Noele¡¯s parents really wanted toe again today because they hadn¡¯t been able to get a good look at Guardian Angel Z357 yesterday. Order for table one, the angel said as itid the tter of dishes before the five of them. It stopped to eye Noele for just a moment, and she mumbled a response. ¡°T-thanks.¡± It didn¡¯t bother giving her a reply. It simply drew back and returned to the kitchen as Nicole watched with round eyes. She turned to her daughter, shaking her head. ¡°And its name is Z357?¡± Noele¡¯s mama asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a name or a title¡­ that¡¯s just what it called itself,¡± the blonde girl replied as she dug a spoon into her bowl of yellow rice. ¡°What an odd name,¡± Nn said, frowning. ¡°And is it male or female?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Noele shrank back as her parents interrogated her about the angel. They tried to wring out practically everything she knew about it. But she didn¡¯t know much. Was it male or female? The blonde girl didn¡¯t ask. She had been the one who was hounded with questions when she spoke with the angel yesterday. The angel¡¯s gender didn¡¯t even cross her mind. Garron was quite fascinated by Guardian Angel Z357 too, but unlike Noele¡¯s parents, he knew better than to direct his questions to her. In fact, he just patted her on the shoulder reassuringly as he tried to offer her some morale support. The only one who wasn¡¯t quite as impressed about the angel¡¯s presence was Dorien. The [Druid] seemed to be quite intrigued by the reactions of the other customers, but he was more interested in the food. In fact, he quickly went through a dozen skewers of meat before raising a hand. ¡°¡®Scuse me,¡± he called out, waving a stick in the air. ¡°Can I have some more of these ¡®kebabs¡¯? Also¡ª get me some of those pf-things too!¡± Guardian Angel Z357 turned its gaze towards him as he spoke casually. A few other customers looked on in horror at the way Dorien addressed the angel. Their panicked whispers swept through the restaurant as Noele looked on. ¡°Seriously? Does he have no manners? He¡¯s talking to an angel!¡± ¡°As expected from a [Druid]!¡± ¡°They should kick him out for his rude behavior¡ª¡± But contrary to what was being said, Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t seem to mind. In fact, Noele was pretty sure it didn¡¯t care about how anyone addressed it. It was doing its job, and that was it. Still, Noele shook her head and turned to Dorien. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re acting this nonchnt around an angel. Have you met one before or something?¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the [Druid] said as he leant back in his seat. ¡°I have never seen something quite as ridiculous as this.¡± He eyed the blonde girl¡¯s bowl, before pointing at it. ¡°Are you going to eat that, by the way?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡ª yes,¡± Noele said as she blinked. ¡°But¡­ how are you so casual about this? Don¡¯t you think this is insane? ¡° ¡°I just find it amusing.¡± He shrugged, then chuckled. ¡°It is absolutely insane¡ª and that is why it¡¯s so funny to me.¡± Dorien raised his head as Guardian Angel Z357 returned with a steaming te of pf and half a dozen kebabs. He thanked the angel before it left. Then he immediately started scarfing down his food. ¡°Also, the food is great. I haven¡¯t had a proper meal in so long¡ª eating fruits and raw meat gets nd after a while.¡± He spoke as he chewed on a skewer of kebab. ¡°Wait, you ate raw meat?¡± Noele stared at the [Druid] with round eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad for you?¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± Dorien said dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Not if you wash away the taste with some malim juice.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± She frowned. He began to exin. ¡°It¡¯s this fruit that grows in the Vox Forest¡ª¡± ¡ª-- The hubbub didn¡¯t die down. Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was as crowded as it was during its grand opening. Everyone was talking about the angel who worked as a waiter, the four-armed otherworlder who was a high-leveled [Chef], and the chicken who was supposedly a C-ranked threat. But while word quickly spread out of Wolfwater of this restaurant, the rumors reaching the nearby viges and even Whiteridge, no one talked about the owner who had no levels. She was in, unassuming, and honestly quite dull. She looked like an adventurer, but she worked as a cook, so what was there about her to talk about? Maybe they liked her cooking¡ª even if they attributed the food to someone else¡ª however, no one came to the restaurant for her. No one except for him. Was he a stranger? Not really. What about a friend? That wasn¡¯t it, either. But he was searching for Amelia. And he arrived at the vige the very next day. MsD Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Business was booming. Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was a smash shit. It wasn¡¯t an instantaneous sess¡ª the first week having barely any customers dealt a heavy blow to my ego. But unlike with the food stall, I persisted after the first week. I didn¡¯t give up. And finally, thanks to my hard work¡ª along with a lot of tiny bit of help from Xakor¡ª I was starting to find sess. Well, actually, it was mostly thanks to Xakor¡¯s help. He did a lot of the initial heavy-lifting, especially during the grand opening. And the both of us had expected the buzz to immediately die down right after¡­ until I had been given a very lucrative opportunity. It presented itself to me by pure happenstance. An angel literally descended from the sky, blessing me with the chance to exploit the fuck out of this situation. So I did. At first, I had gotten the angel to visit the restaurant. I knew that I could use its presence as a sort of attraction¡ª after all, angels were quite revered in this world. Having a literal holy or divine or whatever being visiting a restaurant would bring in a lot of customers, even for a day. And then, I went a step further and convinced the angel to work for me as a waiter. I was honestly surprised that gambit worked. I thought that it was a longshot, but I still took my chance. Somehow, it worked out. My eyes flickered as I saw Guardian Angel Z357 entering the kitchen from the corner of my eye. Han quickly passed out a pair of dishes to it, and it deftly swooped out to serve a table. Thanks to its help, we were able to keep up with all the customersing to the restaurant¡ª although, conversely, we wouldn¡¯t have as many customers as we did if not for the angel. I shook my head, turning my attention back to what I was doing. I was cooking arge serving of pf on a skillet while Xakor prepared another batch of pita bread. We were cooking middle eastern dishes¡ª mostly because it was what we could make with the ingredients we had readily avable around Wolfwater. If I wanted to, I could also probably serve some burgers, pizzas, and other junk food as well. But maybe I could introduce all thatter. There were also all kinds of other cuisines from Earth I could serve at my restaurant, and I wasn¡¯t in a rush to expand my current menu. Not until I hired more employees¡ª maybe other [Chefs] or [Cooks] if this deluge of customers didn¡¯t slow down. Guardian Angel Z357 was going to have to leave eventually. Until then, I would reap the rewards of the angel¡¯s presence. But that was not all I was doing here. This wasn¡¯t all for my own personal gain, even if I stood to benefit from having an angel as a server. The fact that Guardian Angel Z357 was working here let me keep an eye on it for a few days longer. I wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ sure if I trusted it. Or rather, I didn¡¯t know what I thought of it, and I wanted to take my time to form a proper opinion of it. After all, I was pretty sure that I had heard of the angels of this world before¡ª before I arrived in Vacuos. I closed my eyes as I heard the sharp hiss of the cooking fire beneath my skillet. A memory shed in my mind. It was an odd memory. Because it was a memory from my time in the Fractured Realm. The time I spent in the Fractured Realm was mostly a blur to me. Like it was a dream. And yet, I experienced it in its entirety. It felt like an eternity had passed, and every passing second was evesting. It was paradoxical¡ª the fact that I had lived through a million lifetimes, while also having experienced it all in a single second. But time was broken there in the Fractured Realm; it didn¡¯t make sense to me because it was literally impossible to make sense of. So I didn¡¯t bother thinking about it too hard. I just recalled fighting the endless swarms of voidlings and voidbeasts as a voice of the Voidgod asionally resounded in my head. It was more annoying than anything, really. Whenever the Voidgod spoke, the world would distort around me. My ears would ring, and my vision twisted as everything grew dark. Not only that¡ª but it was mostly nonsensical ramblings. The Voidgod would speak to me, but I wouldn¡¯t quite understand what it was saying most of the time. After all, I had absolutely no context for what it was talking about. It took me a while to even piece together a vague image of¡­ well, everything. From the reason why the Voidgod was trapped in the Fractured Realm, to the reason why I had been summoned from Earth. And while the Voidgod never mentioned anything about the System or Guardian Angels, it had talked about ¡®the Enemy¡¯ and ¡®its Drones¡¯. Drones. Machines designed to follow the will of the Enemy. The Voidgod had called them pests¡ª terrible things with no intelligence. I opened my eyes as I stared down at the burning fire. Guardian Angel Z357 was most likely one of these so-called Drones. And while I didn¡¯t really care about what it was nning on doing to the Sect of Abyssal Thorns or whatever, I was curious about whether what the Voidgod said was true. Because if angels were really mindless machines as the Voidgod imed, then that gave quite a lot of credibility to the other things he had said. My eyes flickered as I thought of Noele. I thought of Xakor, Nn, Nicole, and all the other friends I had made here in Vacuos. I hadn¡¯t believed the Voidgod at first¡ª that was why I didn¡¯t quite care too much about the System. But if what the Voidgod said was true¡­ then the System was more malicious than I thought. I sighed. ¡°Now, what am I going to do about that?¡± And I didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡ª-- Well, I could deal with all thatter. First things first, I had a lot of customers I needed to serve¡­ again. And as much as that was a good thing¡ª busying myself with something to do¡ª there was someone Noele wanted me to meet. A [Druid] or whatever who really liked my cooking. So I took some time off during lunch today to speak with this man. I left the kitchen, nodding at Xakor as he worked the stove while chopping up some onions. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in about ten minutes,¡± I said as I passed by the [Chef]. ¡°You can take your break after me.¡± ¡°Xrr, do not worry for me, Amelia. I do not need a break.¡± Xakor gestured at some leftovers with a smile. ¡°I have my lunch right here.¡± I stepped out into the main room as I heard the hubbub of the gathered crowd once again. I spotted Han standing at a nearby table as he took an order, while Guardian Angel Z357 was out on the patio serving food. There was a long queue waiting outside, and its presence drew a lot of attention from the customers waiting to be seated. I paused only for a moment to take in this scene. Was the queue¡­ longer than before? Wait, were those people even from Wolfwater? I couldn¡¯t quite tell for sure, but we usually got [Farmers] and their families visiting the restaurant. Today, however, I saw a lot of men dressed in [Merchant] clothes. I narrowed my eyes. And a cluck drew my attention away from them. I nced towards the bar as a chicken waved her wings at me. Bucky hopped off the counter andnded on my shoulder as I nodded at her. I scratched her chin with a smile. ¡°Hey Bucky,¡± I greeted the chicken. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± she said. ¡°You can bug Xakor for some treats. I¡¯ll be busy for a few minutes, alright?¡± I lowered her to the ground, and she scampered into the kitchen, searching for the [Chef]. Shaking my head, I swept my gaze over the restaurant, before I finally spotted Noele. She was seated at a corner table reserved specifically for her and her family. But neither Nn, Nicole, nor Garron apanied her today. She was chatting with an unkempt middle-aged man. Her [Druid] friend. I strode towards them, patting Han on the shoulder as I passed him by. ¡°Good work,¡± I said, and he beamed back at me. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take a break whenever you can.¡± No one else really paid me any mind¡ª I was not Xakor, nor was I Guardian Angel Z357. I wasn¡¯t even Bucky. So no one really cared to notice me except for the blonde girl. I didn¡¯t mind theck of attention¡ª in fact, I preferred it. Since I wasn¡¯t being pestered by anyone, I could reach Noele¡¯s table in a few moments. She got to her feet and smiled as she gestured at the [Druid]. ¡°Amelia, this is Dorien. He¡¯s a close family-friend who really wants to speak with you.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± I said simply. Noele nodded towards me as she faced Dorien. ¡°And this is Amelia¡ª she¡¯s my mentor and the owner of this restaurant.¡± ¡°It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Amelia.¡± The [Druid] bowed politely, and I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°No need for formalities. You can just call me Amelia.¡± I took a seat next to Noele, and so did the [Druid]. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Straight to the point, eh? Noele did say you were rather blunt.¡± Dorien leaned forward as he sped his hands together. ¡°Blunt is an understatement.¡± The blonde girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Amelia is more¡­ rude.¡± ¡°Now that is rude.¡± I gave her a t stare. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± She grinned back at me. I just snorted. And Dorien chuckled, ncing between Noele and I. He ran a finger over the round edge of a ss as he rxed. ¡°You¡¯re a lot less intimidating than I thought you¡¯d be,¡± the [Druid] said. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ I don¡¯t need to be nervous.¡± I shrugged and crossed my arms. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple farmer, restaurant-owner, and unranked adventurer. There¡¯s nothing to be nervous about.¡± Dorien smirked back at me. ¡°But you cook a damn good meal. I have to say, I can¡¯t have enough of your food. I¡¯ve never had anything like this before. Noele says you aren¡¯t a [Chef], so I must ask¡ª where did you learn these recipes?¡± ¡°Xakor taught them to me,¡± I replied, casually lying. ¡°I¡¯m assuming they¡¯re from his home world.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be shy,¡± the [Druid]ughed as his eyes glinted. ¡°But fine, you can keep your secrets. I just came here with a business proposition.¡± ¡°A business proposition? But aren¡¯t you a [Druid]?¡± I raised a brow. He shook his head as he settled back in his chair. ¡°Why does that matter? Just because I¡¯m usually a social outcast doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t visit a town or city from time to time.¡± ¡°I am pretty sure being a social outcast means that you don¡¯t generally visit any town or city,¡± I said tly. ¡°Bah¡ª no one can truly live on their own without going insane.¡± Dorien nced past me towards the menu scribbled onto the side wall. ¡°Anyway, I noticed you don¡¯t have any drinks on your menu. You serve water, and that¡¯s it. Good drinks are as important as good food. You¡¯re missing out on a lot of good business.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I probably need to get a [Bartender] or whatever, right?¡± I rubbed my chin in thought. I had been meaning to hire one alongside another server or two. I just hadn¡¯t had the time to look into it just yet. But Dorien just snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t need a [Bartender] for anything. This isn¡¯t some high-end bar in the city. You can serve some cheap ale, and that¡¯ll be more than enough. But I was thinking you could sell some malim juice as well.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± I frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just the juice from a malim fruit¡ª it grows in the Vox Forest,¡± the [Druid] exined. ¡°The fruit itself is quite bitter, but its juices are very sweet and savory. You won¡¯t find it being sold in most cities because they don¡¯t know that it works as a good drink. Here, I even have a sample for you.¡± I watched as Dorien produced a leather wineskin from his waist. I nced questioningly towards Noele, but she nodded back in response. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s also pretty filling, honestly. Give it a try.¡± I narrowed my eyes and picked up the leather wineskin. I took a quick sip as Dorien eyed me hesitantly. I pursed my lips. ¡°This tastes like¡­ pepsi? No¡ª coke?¡± I muttered to myself. It had a familiar taste. Like I was drinking from a bottle of warm soda. But without the fizzy aftertaste. ¡°Well?¡± the [Druid] asked, peering at me curiously. ¡°It¡¯s really good,¡± I said as I took another gulp and lowered the leather wineskin. ¡°Seriously¡ª I think it would sell great. But¡­ how am I going to get enough of these fruits to stock up for more than a few days?¡± He sighed in relief at my response. Noele smiled, and Dorien waved vaguely in the direction of Nn¡¯s farm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I can get Nn to grow these malim fruits at his farm. With his Skills, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be able to get a steady supplyrge enough to restock your inventory every week.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. Well, what do you want for it?¡± I asked as I turned back towards the [Druid]. ¡°Best I can offer is a split of the profits for now.¡± ¡°I was joking when I said I need your gold.¡± Dorien chuckled softly before taking a deep breath. I watched as the expression on his face changed from that of a carefree look to a more serious gaze. His eyes shadowed over and he whispered. ¡°The truth is, I need your help¡ª¡± The [Druid] started, and then I heard a shouting from outside of the restaurant. I blinked as Noele got to her feet. Dorien furrowed his brows, raising his gaze. The three of us nced towards the entrance of the restaurant as amotion broke out. I heard more shouts¡ª I heard the sounds of a scuffle. Like someone was fighting right outside of the building. I exchanged a nce with Noele and frowned. ¡°What is going on?¡± MsD Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Chapter 94 He had finally arrived. It had been a long and arduous journey. The trek to this vige had taken a toll on him¡ª not because it was difficult or treacherous. And even if it was, he was rather high-leveled, so he could dispose of most monsters with ease. No¡ª the reason it took him so long to arrive here was for another reason entirely. It was a simple reason, really. It was notplicated in the slightest. In fact, it was quite obvious why the trip had been so cumbersome with just one quick look at him. It was because he was so tiny. He sighed. ¡°Well, at least I¡¯m finally bloody here now¡­¡± He was Saros the Gnome Inventor, and he was, of course, a gnome. That meant that he was incredibly shortpared to the normal person¡ª human. He didn¡¯t mean person, he meant human. Growing up in a majority-human continent, Saros asionally found himself defaulting to humans as the standard of what was normal. But that was not true¡ª humans would not be of average height if they lived in Alius. In fact, they would be quite the outliers since trolls, nagas, and the like tended to be rather tall, while gnomes, dwarves, and fairies were rather short. That was unlike the average pers¡­ human, who stood at an odd middling height. They would just be this norm¡­ weird size which could barely fit in any house or tent they entered there. By the Thrones¡­ Saros hated that he was raised in an environment with such a human-centric culture. But most cultures were quite self-centered. It wouldn¡¯t have been any different if he had been born in Drazyl¡ª he would have just started off thinking that elves were the baseline norm in that case. Although¡ª humans and elves were honestly quite simr in terms of size and frame. The main difference was in their ears and their skin color. All elves had light-pale skin, while humans had all kinds of skin tones. For example, those who lived in the western parts of the former Archon tended to have darker skin, and those who lived in the original territories at the south of the Kingdom of Kal would have browner skin. Kallistus Kal himself was the odd-one-out with his blond skin and blue eyes, but he wasn¡¯t from this world anyways. Nevertheless, when humans and elves mixed, they didn¡¯t stand out quite as much from each other as much as humans and fairies did. The Gnome Inventor shook his head. In any case, he wasn¡¯t in Alius. Other than being annoyed at how he was raised, he didn¡¯t care for any of that. He was here in Laxo, and he was searching for a single person. And this person just so happened to be a human. An insanely powerful human. One who was honestly quite rude¡ª but also pretty helpful from time to time. After all, she did save his life. Her name was Amelia. She was an unranked adventurer, and she was the only person in the world who could help him in his predicament. His gaze darkened as he thought of the consequences if he did not enlist her help. It would be truly cmitous. Saros had to swallow his pride and seek Amelia out if he wanted to prevent the worst of the worst from happening. So he arrived here in Wolfwater with this single goal in mind¡­ only to find a long queue waiting before him. ¡°Uh, what?¡± he asked, staring at the long line of families leading into a small building. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± He furrowed his brows, utterly confused. The Gnome Inventor had been redirected here after asking around. But this was¡­ a restaurant. He didn¡¯t get why Amelia would be in there. It made no sense¡ª until he heard the excited whispersing from the waiting crowd. ¡°Is there really an angel working there? I just can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Honestly, if this turns out to be a hoax, I¡¯ll demand to bepensated for my time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s real! I saw it myself! I swear to the Thrones that it is¡ª¡± ¡°Do they think Amelia¡¯s an angel?¡± Saros pursed his lips. That was a ridiculous assertion. Although¡­ He could see it. That might exin her overwhelming strength. If she really were an angel, it would make a little bit of sense. But he still thought that was incredibly unlikely. He shook his head and strode forward. ¡°It¡¯s probably a misunderstanding.¡± The gnome couldn¡¯t care less about eating at this restaurant. While he was mildly curious about these rumors about an angel, he was more concerned with finding Amelia. Because she was the only one who could help him. He knew this for a fact. And his grip tightened over a piece of paper in his Bag of Holding. ¡°¡®Scuse me!¡± Saros called out as he made his way to the front of the queue. ¡°Coming through¡ª I have important business here! Move out of the way!¡± He waded his way right to the entrance despite the protests before a boot finallynded right before him and stopped him. He blinked, looking up at a towering figure¡­ well, most humans towered over him since he stood barely a foot and a half in height. But this human blocking him was nearly four and a half times taller than he was, which was rtively tall. ¡°Oi! What do you think you¡¯re doing, little man?¡± the man said. He had a grizzled look¡ª a scar on his face. He had a crossbow and a shortsword hanging from his side. Probably a [Hunter]. And he crossed his arms as a pair of his friends joined his side. ¡°Get back in line like the rest of us,¡± he continued. Saros frowned. The gnome shook his head and started around the three humans. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. I need to speak with Amelia¡ª¡± But the [Hunter] just swung his boot down at Saros once more. ¡°I said¡ª get back in line, you damn gnome.¡± The kick narrowly missed the gnome. Saros frowned. Seriously? he mentally scoffed. And in response, he grabbed the boot and yanked the [Hunter] forward. Saros watched as the man stumbled and fell in a single motion. Dusting his hands off, the gnome began to walk off, heading for the entrance to the restaurant. But a hand reached out to grab him from behind, and he slipped out of the way. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± the fallen man eximed as he scrambled back to his feet. ¡°I am Lucas¡ª the highest-leveled [Hunter] in Wolfwater!¡± The Gnome Inventor just blinked. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Lucas gritted his teeth. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here for this damn angel,¡± Saros sighed. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak with an acquaintance. So just let me through already you daft idiots.¡± And that made Lucas pause. His brows snapped together before he turned to his two friends as they raised their fists. ¡°Get that gnome!¡± he shouted. Saros rolled his eyes. ¡°You really are a bunch of morons.¡± He easily sidestepped a punch from Lucas, before dodging a kick from one of the two goons. He grinned as he circled around the trio as they yelled at him. He watched as they stumbled over each other, before he backed up towards the entrance of the restaurant. ¡°Seeya, assholes!¡± He waved back at them as he turned towards the double doorway. Lucas cursed and reached for the crossbow at his side. The nearby bystanders backed up, gasping at the scene. Saros reached for the doorknob, then paused. He just stared deadpan as the [Hunter] raised the weapon. ¡°Are you seriously going to do this over entering a restaurant?¡± the gnome asked dryly. But Lucas didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he pulled the trigger. Saros just shook his head. ¡°You¡ª¡± And the door mmed open. The gnome staggered forward, blinking as the arrow whizzed past him and into the restaurant. His eyes went wide as he spun around in a panic. ¡°Wait, but the arrow¡ª¡± he started. But before he could even react, a chicken flew out of the restaurant. Saros froze. He could only watch in utter disbelief as it reached Lucas and kicked him right in the face. The [Hunter] yelped, before falling face-first onto the dirt ground. His friends paused, staring at the chicken as itnded triumphantly over him. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± it eximed. ¡°What¡­ just happened?¡± Saros asked, staring in shock. And a voice approached him from behind. ¡°Calm down, Bucky. No need to make things worse. I can handle it from here.¡± The Gnome Inventor immediately recognized the source of the voice. He looked up and stared as a brown-haired woman strode out of the restaurant holding the arrow in her hand. She snapped it in half and tossed it aside. ¡°Amelia?¡± Saros said as he looked up at the familiar face. She paused, before ncing down at him. And she raised a brow. ¡°Oh, hey Saros. I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± The gnome opened his mouth, then caught himself. His shoulders sagged as he sighed. ¡°That makes sense, but it¡¯s still rude.¡± ¡ª-- I let Saros into the restaurant after giving a quick warning to Lucas for endangering my other customers and causing a ruckus. Apparently, ording to Noele, he had already caused some trouble before during the grand opening, so I made it very clear that the next time he tried something, I was banning him from Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. He apologized, before I strode back inside with Saros following right behind me¡ª and Bucky right behind him. ¡°Gah¡ª stop bumping into me you damn chicken,¡± he said as she peered curiously at him. Too closely. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her.¡± I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°She¡¯s probably just curious because she¡¯s never seen a gnome before.¡± The gnome crossed his arms, harrumphing. ¡°And this is why I hate small animals.¡± She tilted her head at him, before pecking his right shoulder once. Saros backed up and cursed as I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t insult her¡ª she can understand you.¡± ¡°Oh, great. A leveling chicken.¡± Saros sighed, before grumbling as he scowled. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t insult it.¡± And Bucky clucked, pecking him once more. He yelped again as I corrected him. ¡°Her,¡± I said. ¡°Bucky is a girl.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous. Why do I have to respect¡ª¡± Saros opened his mouth as I turned left, heading for the bar. And he slowed to a halt. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I nodded as I stepped around a tall winged being. Apologies, the reply came. His jaw dropped as Guardian Angel Z357 passed me by, before stepping over him. He rubbed his eyes for a long moment. But when he raised his head once more, nothing changed. He was still staring at¡­ ¡°¡­an angel?¡± Saros whispered, gaping at Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°Is that a bloody angel?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty cool, right?¡± I said casually as I came to a halt at the bar. I hopped onto a seat, and the gnome murmured under his breath. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement.¡± Bucky walked past him, and he followed after her. ¡°What kind of a restaurant is this?¡± The chicken leapt onto myp, and I patted her back. ¡°It¡¯s my restaurant.¡± I grinned. ¡°It opened just a few days ago.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He hesitated as he stared at me. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to question it.¡± ¡°What are you even doing here anyways?¡± I leant back against the bar, eyeing him with a raised brow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be busy doing adventurer-things back in Whiteridge?¡± That broke him out of his stupor. The gnome looked down at himself, blinking. ¡°Oh, right. I came here because I need your help.¡± ¡°You need my help?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Depending on what it¡¯s about, I may be able to help you out.¡± First Dorien, and now Saros. I shook my head¡ª I had a restaurant to run. I wasn¡¯t expecting much from the gnome. He probably needed my help with something unimportant. Like testing out some equipment or whatever. Or at least, that was what I thought. Saros took in a deep breath and held my gaze, his reply making me blink. ¡°It is about Ar¡¯elith,¡± he said. ¡°The First Lich King is back.¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± MsD Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Ar¡¯elith. It was an odd name. A unique name. And it was a name that most people with even a smidge of education would recognize. He was a Lich King. One that came straight from legend. But he wasn¡¯t just any ordinary Lich King¡ª he was the very First Lich King. So he was famous, but he wasn¡¯t ubiquitously-known like the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal either. Because most historical figures, even if influential, struggled to garner the same notoriety as those who existed in the present day, especially in a less-civilized society. While Saros did grow up here in Laxo, he would still call the human continent less-civilizedpared to Alius. Either way, Ar¡¯elith¡¯s legend was well-known. He was the First Lich King¡ª he had threatened to destroy all of Laxo during a time dragons roamed the world aplenty. An SS-ranked threat with an army of powerful undead that were just as dangerous as he was. When he was finally defeated, he couldn¡¯t even be fully killed. He would regenerate, returning from the dead through his powerful magic. So his bones were scattered and locked away all across the continent, a precaution to prevent his revival. But it was inevitable. He had foretold his return. His disciples across the ages vowed to bring him back. Until finally, Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King lived once more! And he was immediately killed. Saros didn¡¯t believe it at first. He couldn¡¯tprehend it at all. When Amelia told him about it, he thought she was insane. He thought she was a liar. But he saw her feats. He remembered her shows of overwhelming power. And he believed it. Amelia had beaten a yeti with only a finger. She had destroyed an army of undead with a single swing of her de. Apparently, she had even obliterated an immortal minotaur¡ª a monster that could rapidly regenerate from losing its head¡ª in a few short moments. Honestly, he was pretty sure she was also the one who had defeated most of the Miststorm Riders during their attack on Whiteridge. While he didn¡¯t see her in action that day, he had heard about how the tide of battle was turned in an instant, but no one could really pinpoint the cause. But to anyone who knew Amelia, it was quite obvious to what had happened. Ever since Saros had met the brown-haired human, he had been repeatedly shocked, jaw left hanging agape, unable to parse her impossible actions. Killing Ar¡¯elith the Lich King was just another feat in the list of things Amelia had done, and knowing that was why the Gnome Inventor had sought her out. Saros sighed as he held her gaze. "It¡¯s as I said¡ª Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King is back,¡± the gnome said in a low voice. No one else seemed to pick up on his words. No one except for the chicken. But it just clucked as he leaned closer. ¡°The First Lich King has¡ª¡± he started. And Amelia just spoke over him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already kill him?¡± Saros blinked, and she stared at him tly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I already told you this. He came back, and I killed him. He¡¯s pretty weak, after all.¡± She waved a hand dismissively. The gnome tried to work his jaw. He saw the way she just rxed back in her chair. He knew that she had killed Ar¡¯elith, but he had assumed it was a hard-fought battle. The fact that she called him weak was¡­ well, he didn¡¯t know how to respond. He just took a deep breath, steeling himself ¡°I¡­ yes, you told me that before, Amelia. I know you have already defeated Ar¡¯elith. But I am saying that Ar¡¯elith is back. Again.¡± Amelia frowned as he shook his head. ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± she asked. He raised a finger. ¡°Or rather¡ª he isn¡¯t back just yet. But he will be back soon.¡± ¡°But how?¡± The brown-haired woman was actually taken aback for once. She peered suspiciously at the gnome as the chicken¡ª Bucky or whatever¡ª clucked again. Saros just scowled, ring at the chicken for uselessly opining. He literally didn¡¯t understand it in the slightest. It was a chicken. Even if it was high-leveled, it couldn¡¯t speak. He nced past it, turning his attention back to Amelia. ¡°Look, can we take this conversation somewhere more private?¡± he asked, barely speaking over the buzzing of the crowd. The restaurant was brimming with customers¡ª if a single person overheard him, it would cause a panic. And he didn¡¯t want that. But Amelia just shrugged. ¡°I have like¡­ a minute left before my break is over. Just tell me what¡¯s going on already.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Saros opened his mouth, then paused. He saw the bored look on her face, before rubbing his temples. ¡°This is important, Amelia. The fate of the world is at stake.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± she replied simply. And yet, she didn¡¯t seem to treat it with the gravity it deserved. ¡°But I also have to get back to cooking in a minute.¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°Can¡¯t you just hear me out?¡± ¡°I am hearing you out.¡± She gestured vaguely at the both of them. ¡°You¡¯re treating it like it doesn¡¯t even matter!¡± the gnome sputtered, waving his hands in the air. ¡°I just need your help with¡ª¡± he continued. But a voice interrupted him. ¡°What are you doing? I was here first!¡± ¡°What?¡± Saros blinked and nced back. He watched as a ragged figure approached with a staff. A [Druid] by the looks of it¡ª an angry one with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. He red down at the gnome. And Saros frowned back. ¡°What do you want? We¡¯re busy¡ª get lost!¡± ¡°Get lost? Why don¡¯t you get back in line!¡± the [Druid] scoffed. ¡°Who in the Thrones are you toe here and demand whatever you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Saros the Gnome Inventor,¡± the gnome growled back. He nced around the room, realizing that their argument was attracting the attention of the nearby customers. He had to keep it calm. Prevent any more eyes from turning their way. ¡°And this is an important matter. I¡¯m an A-ranked adventurer.¡± The [Druid] shook his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m Dorien, and I don¡¯t give a fuck about your adventurer bullshit.¡± And Saros snapped. ¡°Bullshit? If I don¡¯t get Amelia¡¯s help, a lot of people are going to die!¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t get Amelia¡¯s help, an entire animal species is going to go extinct!¡± ¡°Who gives a fuck about some damn animals?¡± ¡°I do¡ª¡± Their shouts drew a lot of attention. A familiar blonde girl raised her head, and one of the servers paused in the middle of taking an order. All the customers in the restaurant stared at this scene. Only the angel continued doing its job like nothing was happening. Bucky clucked, tilting its head as Amelia slowly lowered the chicken to the ground. Saros took a step forward as he red at Dorien. ¡°I didn¡¯te all the way to this backwater vige just to be turned away because of some [Druid].¡± The gnome folded his arms. Dorien rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, shut it with your self-important bullshit.¡± ¡°No, you shut it!¡± Saros snapped back. ¡°Both of you, shut it.¡± Amelia interrupted them. ¡°You¡¯re causing a scene.¡± Both Dorien and Saros paused. They blinked, ncing up at the frozen restaurant. The buzzing of the crowd was gone, reced with an icy cold silence. And the angel just swooped by, uncaring. ¡°I¡­ apologies,¡± the [Druid] said, lowering his head. ¡°It seems I have been a poor guest.¡± But Saros just grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s not my damn fault everyone keeps interrupting me¡­¡± ¡°To be fair, you can¡¯t just walk into my restaurant and act like you run the ce.¡± Amelia eyed him, before sighing. She pushed herself off the bar stool before ncing back towards the kitchen. ¡°Anyways, I have food to cook. I¡¯ll hear you guys outter. Dorien, I¡¯ll speak with you first. I can help you outter, Saros.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The gnome¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± Dorien just smiled in response. ¡°Thank you. I truly appreciate this, Amelia.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Noele¡¯s friend. And you¡¯re offering me business¡ª it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± She nodded back. Saros nced between the both of them. ¡°This is ridiculous. Do you even know what he needs your help with, Amelia?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± the brown-haired woman replied simply. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s important for him, though.¡± The gnome gritted his teeth. Important? Whatever that [Druid] was yapping about wasn¡¯t important. This was important. Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King was going to return, and all of Vacuos would be plunged into chaos. So Saros opened his mouth, protesting. ¡°But I told you that Ar¡¯el¡ª¡± ¡°I know what you said,¡± Amelia cut him off. ¡°But I can¡¯t just do favors for literally everyone, Saros. I have a job too now.¡± She gestured vaguely at the restaurant. His lips twisted into a thin line. ¡°I¡­¡± he started, but he didn¡¯t argue. ¡°I¡¯m d you understand,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Your problem isn¡¯t a big deal anyways, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± And she drew back. Not a big deal? It was literally Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King! And it was not just that. It was much worse now that they were involved. Saros wanted to say something¡ª he had to say something. However, he knew that she wouldn¡¯t listen to him. So he could only watch as she vanished into the kitchen. Slowly, the buzzing of the crowd returned. Dorien strode triumphantly back to his seat. It was ridiculous, but there was nothing the Gnome Inventor could do about it. Bucky clucked, peering at him from the side. He leapt onto the bar as he massaged his temples. ¡°Oi, you angel-thing!¡± he called out, and the angel stopped. My designation is Guardian Angel Z357, it replied with a voice in his head. Saros didn¡¯t even question it. He was too tired at this point, after all he had been through over the past few weeks. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Just get me some ale.¡± Affirmative, Guardian Angel Z357 said and swept past the bar. I will procure this ¡®ale¡¯. The gnome slumped over, leaning his head against the countertop. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I came all the way to Wolfwater to deal with this¡­¡± A moment passed, and the angel returned with his drink. He raised his head as the mug was set onto the table, before he frowned at himself ¡°...where am I even going to stay, anyway?¡± Saros didn¡¯t know the answer to that. MsD Remember the announcement I was talking about? Soon... Also, contest results tomorrow! Start of the month! Best time to patron! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Guardian Angel Z357 had gone against his directive. The World System had awakened him for a single reason, but he had decided to act independently for now, breaking away from the instructions he had been given. It had been a hard decision for him to make¡ª however, he had surmised that he was better off staying here in this farming vige for now to gather information. There was much he didn¡¯t know. His slumber for over ten thousand years¡ª since hisst incursion with the Void¡ª resulted in a significant gap in his data regarding 16B. Much had changed over that interval. The Grand Nova Empire no longer existed, and the Fal-Deus now operated discreetly. All of Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s attempts at following his short-term directives by the World System had produced no substantive results towards aplishing his main goal. So even if he was ostensibly disobeying his orders, he was still following through with the objective he had been given when he had been activated. ¡­at least, that was what he told himself as he stood here, washing the dishes. For whatever inconceivable reason, he had decided that working here in this restaurant would provide him with the information necessary for him to aplish his objective of halting the revival of the Fal-Deus. It seemed like apletely asinine presumption. But one of his twelve eyes flickered towards an approaching figure, and he knew he had made the right decision. ¡°Good job, uh¡­ Z-whatever,¡± Amelia said as she patted him on the shoulder. She didn¡¯t have her cloak or her weapon on her¡ª she was wearing an apron, and she ced a greasy pot down onto the sink. The sun had already set over the horizon; the restaurant was closed for the day. She nodded at him. ¡°Can I just call you Z?¡± Guardian Angel Z357 tilted his head back at her. My designation is Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°Right, but that¡¯s such a mouthful to say. Don¡¯t you have a nickname or whatever?¡± she asked. My designation is Guardian Angel Z357, he replied. His twelve eyes focused on the brown-haired human. She was such a peculiar creature. He never expected he would encounter a human like her when he woke up from his slumber. The angel had spent thest few days studying her¡ª besides her Void-infused cloak, there were a lot of oddities surrounding her being. For example, based on his observations, he was entirely certain that she was an otherworlder, but she hadn¡¯t been summoned to Vacuos. It had not been easy for him to discern this fact, since she appeared to be a human just like any other here on 16B. However, his advanced perception had allowed him topare theposition of her being, and he determined that she was not created here on Vacuos. It helped that he could reference another otherworlder who just so happened to be residing here in this restaurant as well. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head as a tall purple figure emerged from the kitchen. ¡°Guardian Angel Z357 has offered us with his assistance, Amelia.¡± Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences shook his head as he came to a halt before the brown-haired human. ¡°Xrr, we should treat him with respect.¡± It was strange¡ª seeing such an alien creature. Xakor looked nothing like any of the creatures residing on 16B. In fact, the angel had almost mistaken him for one of the inhabitants of 4A. The only differences in his biology were that he had paler skin and two extra arms. Most otherworlders were summoned to Vacuos, and because of the nature of these summoning rituals, the otherworlders brought over tended to be simr in nature to the ones who cast the spell. But both Xakor and Amelia were anomalies in that neither of them were summoned here. Guardian Angel Z357 saw none of the residual summoning magic emanating off their bodies, which was the telltale sign of a summoned otherworlder. So how did they enter Vacuos? It was something Guardian Angel Z357 could not quiteprehend. Were they brought over because of the Fal-Deus? Were their presences here rted in any way to the rifts? That was what Guardian Angel Z357 was here to find out. He observed both otherworlders continue their discussion from the side, even as he washed the dishes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with giving a nickname?¡± Amelia asked with a raised brow. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s meant as an insult.¡± Xakor sighed, rubbing his temples. ¡°Angels are considered to be divine beings in this world. Even if Guardian Angel Z357 is not offended by your¡­ xrr, nicknames, I doubt that others here will take too kindly to it. An angel working as a waiter is one thing, but disrespecting an angel is an entirely different matter.¡± The brown-haired human raised her head in thought. She nced towards Guardian Angel Z357, then she looked towards the empty restaurant. And she shrugged. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just going to call it Z anyways,¡± she said casually. My designation is¡ª the angel started. Amelia just spoke over him as she snorted. ¡°I heard you the first dozen times, Z. But I¡¯m not going to call you that. It¡¯s too formal for me.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t give an immediate response. He finished cleaning the dishes and took a step back, listening in as she turned to Xakor. ¡°Also¡ª him? Are you sure Z¡¯s a boy?¡± she said. ¡°I am uncertain. However, I felt like referring to an angel as an ¡®it¡¯ seemed too disrespectful.¡± Xakor nced towards the sink. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head. He wiped his hands on a towel as Amelia rubbed her chin. ¡°Well, calling Z an ¡®it¡¯ isn¡¯t really disrespectful if it¡¯s a robot or a machine or whatever.¡± She peered at the angel curiously. ¡°I mean¡ª you are a machine, right?¡± I am the Guardian Angel of this, he replied simply. ¡°Yeah, we can tell,¡± Amelia said tly. ¡°But are you¡­ like, mechanical? Artificial? Or are you natural?¡± The angel stared at her, and she frowned. ¡°What¡¯s your biology? Did someone give birth to you, or were you created in ab?¡± He didn¡¯t answer. Amelia took a step back as Xakor pursed his lips. ¡°Xrr, I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s an appropriate question,¡± the [Chef] said. She raised a brow. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It is quite rude.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious, man.¡± ¡°Nevertheless, there are other, more polite ways to ask¡ª¡± The two continued their discussion as Guardian Angel Z357 lowered his head. He thought about his creation¡ª his birth. He recalled his life before he had be an angel. And he closed all twelve of his eyes. ¡°Obey me,¡± a voice from the past said, echoing in his memories. ¡°Destroy it all!¡± It was a voice Guardian Angel Z357 recognized. It was a voice he hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. Before he had even known of the existence of Vacuos. In the darkness of his mind, he saw a sh of light. Memories from an old life. Shouts and screams of terror. A smoggy gray sky. A powerful explosion. A blood-stainednce. And mountains of corpses. The familiar voice continued shouting in his head in righteous anger. ¡°Z357, I am your creator. Don¡¯t you dare disobey me¡ª¡± ¡°...hello?¡± Amelia said, interrupting Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s thoughts. He jolted back as his twelve eyes snapped open, and she blinked at him. ¡°Were you spacing out?¡± she asked. And he raised his head, ncing past her. Xakor was gone. At some point in time, while the angel was lost in his memories, the [Chef] must have retired to bed. The moon was already high in the sky, and the clock hanging on the wall had ticked ahead by half an hour. ¡°I didn¡¯t know angels could space out,¡± Amelia murmured as she started back. ¡°Anyways, as I was saying¡ª¡± she started. But Guardian Angel Z357 cut her off. ¡­he. ¡°He?¡± She narrowed her eyes. He lowered his head and met her gaze. I am designated as a ¡®he¡¯. ¡°Oh.¡± Amelia stared at him for a moment. She looked him up and down as he stoodpletely still. Finally, she drew back and nodded at him. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know. I wasn¡¯t going to assume your gender or whatever.¡± She yawned, shaking her head. ¡°Anyways, you¡¯ve been working hard, so you can take a day off tomorrow. We¡¯ll be closed because we need to restock¡ª we¡¯ve been getting a lot more customers than we anticipated thanks to you.¡± She paused as she came to a halt right by the kitchen. Her brows furrowed, and she muttered to herself. ¡°I¡¯ll probably also check out Dorien¡¯s request too¡­ but that means¡ª maybe we¡¯ll be closed for two or three days instead? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll figure it out tomorrow. Just take some time off.¡± Take¡­ some time off? Guardian Angel Z357 asked, perplexed. ¡°Yeah¡ª just rx, I guess. Take a nap. Chat with your¡­ uh, angel friends? Or maybe make some friends. Just do whatever you want.¡± Amelia waved a hand dismissively. My objective is to save the world, he replied. I am not interested in casual activities. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your day off. I can¡¯t tell you what to do in your free time.¡± She shrugged as she disappeared behind the kitchen door. She waved at him onest time as she called out back to him. ¡°If you want to save the world, go ahead. Just be back for work in¡­ like three days¡¯ time, alright?¡± And Guardian Angel Z357 was left alone in the empty restaurant. He blinked¡ª each of his twelve eyes closing one after another. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to face the palm of his hand. He thought about his purpose. His objective was simple. It was an objective given to him by the World System. But he hadn¡¯t made any significant progress towards it ever since he was activated. And now, here he was, wasting his time in a restaurant. No, he reminded himself. This is for the sake of the mission. Guardian Angel Z357 was here to gather information¡ª he was learning more about the ones responsible for the return of the Fal-Deus¡­ even though he had not learned much at all. He hesitated for a second, before tightening a fist. He was going to give it a few more days before he departed from this vige. He had neglected to investigate a handful of instances where a significant amount of the Void¡¯s essence was deployed across the while he was working here as a waiter. If he did not learn any information of use over the next week, he would have no reason to remain here. He would not waste any more time. Instead, Guardian Angel Z357 would return to following the World System¡¯s directives. ¡ª-- ¡°Thanks for letting me stay over without any warning, Noele,¡± Saros said as he swept his gaze over the guest room. The blonde girl nodded in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡ª you helped me save my parents. I owe you at least this much.¡± The two adventurers had left Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant shortly after it closed for the night. Noele had remained for about half an hour to help with cleaning up, before taking her leave with the gnome. She then offered him a ce to stay at her parents¡¯ farm since Wolfwater¡¯s only inn was fully-booked at the moment, and she felt bad if she just left him without a roof over his head for the night. She wasn¡¯t exactly close friends with Saros¡ª she had just fought alongside him at the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep about two months back when she had been searching for her missing parents, before fighting alongside him once more when the Miststorm Riders attacked Whiteridge. Sure, the Gnome Inventor had only been doing what he did for the potential reward from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but Noele was still grateful to him for his actions. ¡°This was Amelia¡¯s room,¡± the blonde girl exined as she gestured around him. ¡°But Amelia hasn¡¯t been staying over here for thest few days, so¡­ make yourself at home.¡± ¡°Oh, this was Amelia¡¯s¡­?¡± The gnome blinked, then harrumphed. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that damn fool refused to even hear me out! That¡¯s absolutely ridiculous! The entire world coulde to an end, and she¡¯s busy worrying about a restaurant?¡± ¡°To be fair, the restaurant is quite important to her,¡± Noele said. ¡°It¡¯s still stupid,¡± Saros snorted. ¡°What did you need her help with, anyway?¡± the Noble Spellsword asked. ¡°Maybe I could give you a hand?¡± ¡°Well, I guess your help is better than no help,¡± he sighed. He slumped onto the bed, closing his eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you what happened.¡± Sarosy there, looking up to the ceiling. And Noele straightened, listening carefully as he began to exin. ¡°It all started when I sold off The Unholy Scriptures of the First Lich King to a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns...¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Saros the Gnome Inventor hated squeezing into small spaces. Sure, he was a gnome¡ª that was evident enough from his Title¡ª but that didn¡¯t mean he was flexible. He was no [Rogue], nor was he a [Spy]. And he certainly was not agile enough to plop through a hole barely half his size. But still, he was barely a foot tall, and only a few inches wide. That served as an advantage when it came to infiltration. As much as he hated doing this, he had to do it regardless, because that was the only way he could infiltrate thisir. ¡°This damn tunnel better not lead to a dead end¡­¡± Saros grumbled under his breath. It was a small crack in the side of the cavern. But the gnome had felt a light breeze blowing out from the other side, so it must have led somewhere. He just hoped it actually brought him to his target. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sold that damn necronomicon to¡ª¡± he started. But his voice was cut off as he heard a muffled voiceing from just up ahead. He blinked, before hastening his crawling, and reaching the end of the tunnel. He poked his little head out as he heard the same voice from before eximing. ¡°We cannot dy it any further! We must act now!¡± It was a familiar voice. Saros recognized it immediately. Even though his head was hanging from the ceiling, he regained his orientation quickly and his gazended on a figure standing at the center of the cave chamber. That¡¯s¡­ him. The gnome narrowed his eyes. He saw the dark robes¡ª and caught a glimpse of the familiar white hair. It was the very same man who Saros had auctioned off The Unholy Scriptures of the First Lich King to! Tristan Devon. An A-ranked [Necromancer]¡ª and a student who was expelled from the prestigious Mage Academy of Scholus. He stood right before a pedestal, speaking frantically to the distorted projection of a cloaked figure. ¡°...I sincerely must protest your decision, Kyn-Le¡¯ard! This opportunity cannot be wasted¡ª¡± he started, gesticting wildly as Saros watched. But the cloaked figure interrupted him brusquely. ¡°That is enough, Tristan. Your requests are far too unreasonable.¡± Saros wiggled ufortably in the crack on the ceiling, clinging onto the rock wall so he wouldn¡¯t fall to the ground. He then swept his gaze over the room to fully take in his surroundings, when his gazended on a figure lying in the corner of the room. A desated figure. Its darkened and blemished skin tightly hugged its skeletal body, and bone-like spikes protruded from its back. It wore the skull of an animal over its head as its long tail curled around itself. Even in its current condition¡ª even though it looked like the rotting corpse of some monster¡ª it looked like it was still breathing. But make no mistake, it was dead. Or rather, it was undead. And Saros couldn¡¯t help but stare at it with round eyes. It was a wight. An S-ranked undead that could only be artificially created through the sacrifice of thousands of zombies. It was unlike a draugr or a ghoul which were just a single dead body modified by magic. Wights were far more powerful because a [Necromancer] had to reanimate a considerable number of corpses first in a ritual. Somehow, even though Tristan Devon was only an A-ranked [Necromancer], he had a wight under his control. How did he create it? Why was he able to control it at his level? Saros didn¡¯t know. All he knew was that ity there in the corner of the room with its eyes closed¡ª like it was sleeping. And the Gnome Inventor could only gulp nervously as he tried his best to not make a sound. If that thing spots me, I am dead. He held his breath, shrinking back ever so slightly at the sight of the wight. Meanwhile, Tristan Devon continued conversing with the cloaked projection. ¡°Kyn-Le¡¯ard, we have the perfect opportunity to finally answer the Void¡¯s calls! None of us are durable enough to serve as a vessel to its true power. But the First Lich King can withstand¡ª¡± ¡°I said: no,¡± the projection repudiated him. ¡°But why?¡± He practically tore his white hair out of his head. And the projection spoke simply. ¡°The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns must remain vignt, Tristan. There are reports of an angel roaming around the four continents, and many of our members have gone missing without a word. I suspect this angel might even be responsible for the destruction of the Miststorm Riders over a month ago¡­¡± Saros furrowed his brows as he overheard this conversation. So his [Informant] was right¡ª Trevor really was a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. The Gnome Inventor wanted to curse himself for his mistake. But he caught himself. Instead, he focused on the conversation at hand. ¡°You are correct that this is our perfect opportunity, Tristan,¡± the projection continued. ¡°However, you are far too brash. We need to wait¡ª we need to monitor this angel¡¯s movements. And most importantly, we need our little pawn of a king to finish ying his part as well.¡± ¡°But if we wait any longer¡ª¡± Tristan tried to protest once more, however the cloaked figure didn¡¯t let him finish. ¡°That is all,¡± the projection said with finality in its distorted voice. And then there was a sh. The projection vanished¡ª the magic dissipating as Tristan stumbled back, hacking and cursing at nothing. The bright light made Saros wince, but he managed to hold himself back from making a sound. Unfortunately, it also jolted the wight awake. It huffed, raising its head as it faced the [Necromancer]. Saros sucked in a quiet breath, trying to shrink even further back into his hole. But neither Tristan nor his undead spotted the little gnome just yet. ¡°Ridiculous¡ª utterly ridiculous,¡± Tristan muttered under his breath. ¡°With the Void¡¯s touch, I can revive the First Lich King without even gathering the bones. This is every [Necromancer]¡¯s dream. I am not going to squander this opportunity waiting for that old fool.¡± Saros held eerily still. Only his pupils moved, tracking each subtle movement of the wight. It simply got to its feet, before nuzzling up against its master. Tristan scratched its neck in a daze, whispering softly to himself. ¡°As long as the phctery remains untouched at Arelioth¡¯s Pass, I¡¯ll be able to recreate¡­¡± And the wight stretched its back like a dog, before blinking. It stared up at Saros who felt his heart drop in his chest. The undead and the gnome locked eyes for a long moment. He didn¡¯t move. He hoped it somehow missed him. But it unhinged its jaws, clearly aiming at him. And he moved. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± the gnome cursed. A st of ck mes shot up as the word left his mouth. He squeezed back into the crack in the ceiling as the st ripped apart the stone. He could feel the intense heat even though he had escaped its path of destruction¡ª he watched as the magic continued to melt its way through the cave. The wight screeched, and Saros could hear a panicked voice down below. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°What is¡ª¡± ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± Saros said as he continued crawling back away from their. And the st of ck mes continued pouring out, barely missing him as he escaped the scene. ¡ª-- ¡°I thought I was a goner,¡± Saros said as he finished recounting his tale. ¡°I survived through sheer luck¡ª just because the wight¡¯s attack narrowly missed me.¡± He lowered his head, staring down at the palm of his hand. He sat on the bed of the spare room of Nn¡¯s farm. It had been three days since the incident, but he could still feel the heat from the wight¡¯s mes even now. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if we even still have time to stop it,¡± the Gnome Inventor whispered. ¡°We might already be toote. Ar¡¯elith might have already been brought back, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.¡± Saros finished as he sighed softly. He raised his head, ncing up at the sole member of his audience. Noele stood before the bed with her gaze darkened. She didn¡¯t move. She didn¡¯t even react. And of course not¡ª how would anyone react to hearing this news? The world could being to an end, and it might already be toote to stop it. Even if she was the Noble Spellsword¡ª even if she was an A-ranked adventurer¡ª she would still be left speechless. Slowly, she met the gnome¡¯s gaze. ¡°...why?¡± she barely mustered out. ¡°I understand it¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± Saros said reassuringly. ¡°But we cannot panic¡ª we must act now.¡± Noele pursed her lips. She shook her head, taking in a deep breath. And he blinked as she repeated herself. ¡°Why?¡± she said. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°What?¡± The gnome paused. He frowned back at her, and he jolted back as she pointed usingly at him much to his surprise. ¡°Why would you sell that necronomicon to a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns?!¡± Noele sputtered. He stared back at her for a moment, taking in her words. He opened his mouth. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a misunderstanding here¡ª¡± But the blonde girl interrupted him. ¡°Are you insane? What did you think would happen?¡± Saros scowled. ¡°Look¡ª I didn''t know Tristan Devon was a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns when I sold it to him. I just thought he was a random [Necromancer], alright?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Why would you sell that necronomicon to a [Necromancer] in the first ce? Of course he¡¯s going to go and try to revive Ar¡¯elith! That¡¯s what they all do!¡± ¡°Firstly, who else would buy a necronomicon but a [Necromancer]?¡± the gnome snorted as he raised a finger. Then he waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°Secondly, I was under the impression that your mentor had already dealt with the First Lich King. I didn¡¯t think that she was lying to me when she said that.¡± ¡°Amelia¡¯s not a liar,¡± Noele said with a frown. ¡°Maybe she isn¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that Ar¡¯elith ising back again, and we need to do something about it.¡± Saros harrumphed. ¡°I¡­ that¡¯s true.¡± The Noble Spellsword scratched her chin. She exhaled heavily as she took a step back. ¡°It¡¯s just quite a bit to process all at once¡ª how did you even find out that Tristan Devon was a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns anyway?¡± Saros paused. He remembered the conclusion of the attack of the Miststorm Riders. He recalled a twisted rift¡ª he heard the echoes of that depraved voice. ¡°I started to look into the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns about a month ago,¡± he exined, chewing his lower lip. ¡°After the Void nearly swallowed us whole, and Amelia had to save us from our deaths.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Noele blinked. The gnome closed his eyes. ¡°I spoke with quite a few high-leveled [Informants], but even then, I didn¡¯t learn much about that cult¡¯s operations¡­ until a familiar name popped up.¡± ¡°Tristan Devon.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s when you realized you made a mistake, right?¡± ¡°...yes.¡± Saros gritted his teeth. He had been horrified to learn of his mistake¡ª that he had sold off such a valuable and dangerous artifact to someone who worshiped the Void. He had quickly tried to rectify his mistake, and that led to the encounter just three days ago. Now, knowing that Ar¡¯elith could be revived¡ª and not just that, but as a being empowered by the Void¡­ the gnome clicked his tongue. His frustration was evident. And Noele must have taken notice of it. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± she said, patting him on the shoulder with two fingers. He shrugged her off. ¡°I know it¡¯s not my damn fault¡ª I just find it annoying that your mentor is too busy running a restaurant to help fix things!¡± ¡°Amelia is entric, I won¡¯t argue with that. Her priorities are often quite¡­ odd.¡± Noele sighed as she took a seat next to the gnome. ¡°But I¡¯m sure if we exin the full situation to her, she¡¯ll take some time off to help us out.¡± ¡°She better,¡± Saros grumbled, ncing out the dark window. ¡°Because if we don¡¯t stop this¡ª we¡¯re all going to die.¡± MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Announcement Shoutout to Salvos, my other serial, that has just made the swap to Amazon KU! Check it out here: Follow the evolution of a Demon girl as she learns to survive in a fantasy world! The life of an Infant Demon is a bloody grind to the top. For Salvos, a curious newborn Demon with a penchant for making friends, surviving the swarms of wild Demons in the Netherworld was always going to be a difficult task. She will adapt, gain experience, and evolve to survive this hellishndscape with the help of her solepanion. But when herpanion''s life is threatened by a mysterious Demon King, she''ll have to do what it takes to save him. Even if it means separating from him and being tossed into an unfamiliar world with Humans, monsters, and a bright blue sky where she is scorned for being born a Demon. Thew of evolution is survival of the fittest, and Salvos will : Curious Beginnings: A LitRPG Adventure (Salvos, Book 1) eBook : Lewis, V.A.: Kindle Store Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King was back. Or rather, he was in the process ofing back. And it wasn¡¯t even like it was the first time he returned, either. After all, apparently, he had brieflye back to life, only to be instantly killed by Amelia before he could really do anything at all. So, sure, Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King wasing back again. But Noele wasn¡¯t sure how to evaluate that information. She had heard stories about his reign of terror from around ten thousand years ago¡ª tales that were as much legend to her as the myths she¡¯d heard about angels. It happened so long ago, it was hard to contextualize just how much destruction could be caused by his return. Theoretically, she understood if left unchecked, Ar¡¯elith could be responsible for millions of deaths¡ª maybe even more. And if he were empowered by the Void, the scale of his destruction would be amplified tenfold. The world as the blonde girl knew coulde to an end. But it was such a nebulous concept. It was not easy to fully grasp the actual scale of the so-called ¡®end of the world¡¯. It seemed like it was so far out of reach, it didn¡¯t even register as a real possibility. It was, right now, merely a hypothetical. And that was why Noele didn¡¯t panic. She went to sleep with ease, before waking up in the morningpletely refreshed. Saros was more antsy than she was¡ª but that was probably because he felt partially responsible for what was happening. She reassured him. She calmed him down so he would stop panicking. And together, the two adventurers sought out the only person who could help them. Amelia. Noele¡¯s mentor. The level-less otherworlder. And the one who had defeated Ar¡¯elith when he came back the first time around. She had apparently killed the Voidgod, and she had spent an indefinite period of time in the Fractured Realm. If anyone was capable of quickly and easily cleaning up this mess, it was her. The moment she learned about the full situation¡ª about the gravity of the predicament at hand¡ª Noele was certain that her mentor would help them out. ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Amelia said with her arms crossed. ¡°Welp, I tried.¡± Noele just shrugged in defeat. Saros just blinked, ncing between the two women. ¡°You can¡¯t be fucking serious, right¡­?¡± ¡ª-- I was serious. I sat cross-legged at one of the tables at my restaurant as Noele and Saros both pleaded with me. Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was closed today, so most of the tables and chairs were set aside, making the room seem much emptier than usual. The only reason I had a table set out was because I was going to be holding a handful of interviews soon. I was hoping to hire another server or two and maybe a bartender before Guardian Angel Z357 left the vige. I had a lot of applicants¡ª everyone wanted to work with an angel. Unfortunately for them, they probably weren¡¯t going to get that chance. And that was why I was going to have to actually vet each of the applicants to ensure they didn¡¯t just quit the moment Guardian Angel Z357 went on to ¡®save the world¡¯ or whatever. Anyways, I was busy. So I couldn¡¯t help either Noele or Saros out right now. Not until I had more free time. But the gnome didn¡¯t seem toprehend that, even though I had already exined my reasoning to him a dozen times. ¡°Why not?¡± he eximed, waving his hands wildly at me. ¡°You heard Noele¡ª Ar¡¯elith isn¡¯t just returning like before, he¡¯s now going to be even stronger than ever thanks to the Void!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I said as I shook my head. ¡°And I said I¡¯m busy.¡± I had spent thest hour arguing with both Noele and Saros about this matter. Actually, scratch that. The blonde girl had given up about half an hour ago, but the gnome wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. ¡°What could you possibly be so busy with that you can¡¯t help us save the fucking world?¡± Saros sputtered. I gave him a t stare. ¡°I¡¯m holding job interviews today¡ª then I have to help Dorien out with his shit, remember?¡± ¡°Who gives a damn about that [Druid]¡¯s request?¡± The gnome¡¯s face was practically painted crimson at this point. Noele sheepishly raised a hand. ¡°I mean¡­ I do? Dorien¡¯s an old family friend, and he told me about¡ª¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± Saros red. ¡°Right, I know,¡± the blonde girl sighed. She nced my way as she shook her head. ¡°But there¡¯s no point arguing with Amelia when she has her mind set.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I folded my arms. ¡°I¡¯m not budging.¡± ¡°But we canpromise,¡± she said, holding the gnome¡¯s gaze. Then she turned to me. ¡°Right, Amelia?¡± I furrowed my brows. Saros cursed, shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡ª what is there to evenpromise about? The fate of the world is at stake!¡± ¡°Look, if the world really is in danger right now, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d notice it. But as far as I can tell, we¡¯re all still fine, aren¡¯t we?¡± I gestured vaguely around us. The Gnome Inventor pursed his lips. ¡°That can change in a week.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll help you guys out in like¡­ two or three days¡¯ time, alright?¡± I said, leaning back in my chair. ¡°If Ar¡¯elith shows up literally this instant, then I¡¯ll help you out now. But considering that¡¯s not the case, I¡¯m not going to worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Saros stared at me,pletely aghast. He tried to work his jaw. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s¡ª we want to stop it before it happens, not after it happens!¡± I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I mean, you can try and stop Ar¡¯elith before he¡¯s brought back. I¡¯ll intervene if things go bad.¡± ¡°How?!¡± He tried to tear his hair out. I shrugged. ¡°Noele has me on speed dial. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Speed dial?¡± He blinked. ¡°She has a [Message] scroll¡ª you literally gave it to her, remember?¡± I said simply, ncing at the blonde girl, then back at Saros. ¡°Oh, right.¡± He hesitated. ¡°But still¡ª¡± He tried to protest. I got to my feet, cutting him off. ¡°I¡¯m not changing my mind, Saros. I have my own things I need to deal with. I¡¯ll help you guys out when I¡¯m done, alright?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he trailed off. Finally, he acquiesced. ¡°Fine. But if we all die¡ª it¡¯s on you.¡± Saros turned away from me, walking out of the restaurant. I watched him go. Noele was a step behind him. She nodded apologetically at me as she waved. ¡°Good luck with your interviews,¡± she said. ¡°And make sure to keep your [Message] scroll on you!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± And the door closed behind her. I heard their muffled footfalls vanish into the distance, before I settled back down into my chair. I tapped a finger on my chin. The gnome¡¯s words echoed in my head. I felt a slight pang of guilt. But I shook my head¡ª it was not my responsibility. I already killed both the Voidgod and Ar¡¯elith before. The fact that they were back was not my fault. And I was going to help out when I could. However, I had my own issues to deal with¡ª far more important issues. Like getting more employees for my restaurant. ¡°Now where¡¯s my first applicant?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte¡­¡± Right as the words left my mouth, a figure burst into the room. A young woman stumbled in, panting as waved her arms in the air. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte!¡± she eximed. ¡°I¡¯m here to work with the angel¡ª I mean, I¡¯m here for the job interview!¡± Of course she¡¯s here to work with Z. I was going to waste a lot of time as most of the applicants were probably just here to spend some time around an angel. Well, I already knew that before I started searching for employees. Many of them were obviously going to be here for the same reason why most of my customers were here. I rolled my eyes as the young woman dragged herself up to the table. She leant against the chair, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead with a weak smile. ¡°My Mama forgot to wake me up. I promise you it¡¯s not my¡ª¡± And she paused. Blinking, she looked past me, her gazending on the bar. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the angel?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I nced up. I followed her gaze, before staring at the empty counter. The angel had been standing there just a few minutes ago¡ª I was pretty sure he was at the bar when Noele and Saros first arrived. But now, he was gone. ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± I said as I raised my head. ¡°Where did Z go?¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, I shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s his day off¡ª on to the interview.¡± She blinked, trying to protest. But I started pelting her with questions anyways. ¡ª-- ¡°That didn¡¯t go well, huh?¡± Noele remarked casually. Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly a casual tone. It was more like¡­ an observation. But one said too lightly for the liking of Saros. He was incredibly annoyed right now. And maybe he was directing his annoyance towards a target who didn¡¯t deserve it. However, the blonde girl had reassured him that she would be able to convince her mentor to help out. And quite evidently, that didn¡¯t work out. So the Gnome Inventor wanted to me her¡ª he wanted to me Amelia too for being so callous about the potential end of the world. But Saros knew that, ultimately, it was his own fault this happened. So he had to fix it. Somehow, he had to find a way to put a halt to Tristan Devon¡¯s ns to revive the First Lich King. It was not something he wanted to do¡ª it was something he had to do. ¡°Maybe we could recruit Garron¡¯s help?¡± Noele suggested as she trailed after the gnome. He stopped and frowned in response. ¡°Is that some S-rank adventurer?¡± ¡°Uh, not quite.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Garron is a B-rank adventurer. You met himst night, remember?¡± ¡°That big guy? Wait¡ª how in the Thrones is a damn B-rank supposed to help us?¡± Saros scowled. ¡°Garron may be a B-rank, but he¡¯s prettypetent and will probably hit A-rank soon,¡± Noele exined, shaking her head. ¡°Things may not look so good, but we still have to try. And we don¡¯t have many other options, do we?¡± ¡°Fine. We can get this B-rank¡¯s help¡ª and then we can all die together when Ar¡¯elith returns.¡± The gnome muttered under his breath, ¡°Maybe we can rope some more idiots into our suicide pact too.¡± The Noble Spellsword raised a brow. ¡°Like who?¡± ¡°Like¡ª¡± Saros started. Perhaps I can offer you my assistance, a voice interrupted him. His brows snapped together, and he spun around. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± And he blinked when he stared at the towering gray figure. Noele paused. She frowned, reaching for her two des nervously. Meanwhile the gnome¡¯s eyes just went wide as he tried to work his jaw. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re¡ª that¡¯s¡­¡± But he couldn¡¯t muster up a single word. In response, a dozen eyes simply stared back at him. Greetings, Guardian Angel Z357 said, transmitting his thoughts. I overheard about your encounter with the Void while I was working at the establishment called Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. I would be able to aid you if I can learn more about this predicament. Saros wasn¡¯t sure what to say. He processed those words in his head, and his mind whirled. He exchanged a nce with Noele, searching for her help. She hesitated. Neither adventurer knew what to say at first. Until, finally, they realized that this was the help they were looking for. They nodded at each other, making their decision. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Chapter 99 ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here to work with the angel!¡± ¡°Is this the ce where I can work alongside an angel?¡± ¡°I heard there was an angel working here¡ª¡± ¡°Rejected. Rejected. And rejected.¡± I sighed as I turned down applicant after applicant. They were all here for the open job positions¡ª but none of them were qualified for it. Some of them were outraged about my decision. They thought that just because they had the right ss for the opening, I would have immediately epted them. ¡°But I am a Level 14 [Bartender]!¡± a man eximed. ¡°I¡¯ve worked as a [Tavern Wench] for over five years!¡± an elderly woman said. ¡°You¡¯re losing out on an amazing employee!¡± However, I knew that none of them met the qualifications for the job. Because my qualification was simple¡ª I wanted someone who was actually going to continue working at my restaurant once Guardian Angel Z357 left. Because he was going to leave. He had only agreed to temporarily work at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. And while we weren¡¯t close friends or whatever, I got the sense that he was¡­ quite dedicated to the World System. Since his current objective was to save the world and deal with the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, I wasn¡¯t going to stop him¡­ I was just going to dy him a tiny bit for my own benefit. Anyways, Z was leaving. And every single one of the job applicants I had gotten so far would have left when he did. So I rejected them all. I closed my eyes as I leant back in my chair, wondering how I was going to find a proper employee. ¡°...maybe I can ask Nn for some references,¡± I muttered under my breath. And a cough drew my attention. I looked up, staring at Han. My only current real employee. He had been staying over here in this restaurant since he started working for me¡ª he stayed behind while Xakor left to restock on ingredients, and the angel vanished for whatever reason. Ha cleared his throat as he spoke. ¡°I could help you deal with this whole process if you¡¯d like, Amelia. You¡¯ve been at it all day.¡± ¡°No need.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re on your day off. Go and rx, alright?¡± He pursed his lips in response. ¡°Are you sure? I could¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I cut him off. I got to my feet as he scratched the back of his head. I started for the doorway, ncing back at him briefly. ¡°That was all my interviews for today. I¡¯ve got something else I need to do now.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± And he watched me go. I went to find Dorien. I had promised the [Druid] I would help him with his issue yesterday. It didn¡¯t seem like it was going to be too difficult to resolve. Or at least, he reassured me that it wasn¡¯t going to be a big problem for me. I didn¡¯t know him that well. But Noele vouched that he was a good guy. And he had also offered to supply my restaurant with some ¡®malim juice¡¯. It had a fizzy taste to it while also being¡ª like a soda. Knowing how well drinks like pepsi and coke sold back on Earth, I was pretty sure that the malim juice would be a big hit here in Vacuos too. ¡­maybe. I didn¡¯t know that for certain considering how my food stall back in Windrippletely flopped. Maybe this world just had different tastes to mine. However, I was willing to bet on this gambit. The malim juice should sell well with all the attention my restaurant had been receiving so far. ¡°But I will need to do some rebranding because ¡®malim juice¡¯ is a terrible name¡­¡± I murmured. I found Dorien a minuteter. The [Druid] was waiting for me at the edge of Wolfwater. He blinked when he saw me, before narrowing his eyes. ¡°Is Noele noting with us?¡± he asked, and I shook my head. ¡°She¡¯s busy with some other stuff,¡± I said dismissively. ¡°So what¡¯s up? What¡¯s this thing you need my help with?¡± Dorien nodded slowly and began to exin. ¡°You see, there is this colony of bees in the Vox Forest that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡ª-- As Amelia went to help Dorien, Noele tried her best to help Saros. Not that the blonde girl could provide much help on her own. The two adventurers were going to go up against Ar¡¯elith¡ª the First Lich King himself. Well¡­ he was still dead. But some [Necromancer] called Tristan Devon who just happened to be a member of the Sect of the Abyssal was trying to revive the Lich King. And both Noele and Saros were trying to stop that from happening. The consequences would be cmitous¡ª maybe even apocalyptic. Ar¡¯elith was said to be an SSS-ranked threat due to his army of elite undead. That was before he was even empowered by the Void¡­ which was a very real possibility right now. At that point, he might as well have been equal to Level 100 in power. He might even be more powerful than that. Like an angel. The possibility made Noele shiver in fear. It was a dire situation¡ª one that Amelia wasn¡¯t going to help them with for now. The blonde girl could understand her mentor¡¯s decision. Not just because of how busy Amelia was today, but because she couldn¡¯t just solve every problem Vacuos faced for them. Especially when she wasn¡¯t even the one who was responsible for causing this crisis. In fact, it could be said that Amelia had already done her part beforehand. She was the one who killed Ar¡¯elith, and she supposedly helped¡­ stop the Void? Kill the Voidgod? Noele wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but she just knew her mentor did something in the Fractured Realm. So Amelia had already helped out with the very same problems in the past. And sure, she could help out again now. But that would have made Noele and everyone in Vacuos overly-reliant on the brown-haired woman. The blonde girl believed that she should at least try to solve the problem herself before falling back on her mentor¡¯s help. However, that didn¡¯t mean that Noele was going to reject other forms of help when she could get it. For example¡­ Is this where we will locate the Void? a voice in her head asked. Noele nced back. She saw a metallic figure standing behind her. One with twelve eyes and a pair of dove-like wings. It was Guardian Angel Z357. Or rather¡ª he was Guardian Angel Z357, and he had offered both adventurers his help. She couldn¡¯t believe it. Well, she could believe it more now than she would have a few weeks ago¡­ and if this had happened a few weeks ago, she would have believed it more than a few months ago. The blonde girl was starting to get numb to her own disbelief. But reality was at a point where incredibly ridiculous things kept happening around her¡ª and that was what this was: it was incredibly ridiculous. Which was, somehow, an inappropriate description of a literal angel offering her his aid. It should have been considered to be pletely impossible¡¯ or ¡®the result of a fever dream¡¯. But the fact that it was reduced to just ¡®incredibly ridiculous¡¯ spoke volumes of how insane things had been since Noele met her mentor. In any case, Guardian Angel Z357 was here to help. He had apparently eavesdropped on both Saros and Noele¡¯s conversation with Amelia back at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. While it wasn¡¯t exactly aprehensive exnation¡ª not that there really was one¡ª the angel wanted to offer his help. It was his task to destroy the Void, and that was why he was now following the two adventurers much to their disbelief. I do not detect any essence originating from the Void here in this farm, Guardian Angel Z357 continued. Saros exchanged a nce with the blonde girl. He wore a pleading look on his face, hoping that she would be the one to reply. The entire time since Z357 approached them, the gnome had let Noele do the talking. Otherwise, if he tried to speak, he would just stumble over his words, making a fool of himself. It was an understandable reaction. Unlike her, yesterday was the first time Saros had a chance to even see the Guardian Angel. She wasn¡¯t sure if he even fullyprehended Z357¡¯s existence until¡­ just a few minutes ago. The blonde girl sighed. She obliged the gnome, doing him this favor and answering the angel. ¡°No,¡± she said as she shook her head. ¡°This is not where we¡¯ll be finding the¡­ uh, Void.¡± Then why have wee to this location? asked Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°We¡¯re here to pick up another ally.¡± She stepped forward and pushed the door of her parents¡¯ farm open without further boration. Nn and Nicole waited inside, going about their own business. They raised their heads to greet the blonde girl, only to pause when they saw herpany. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the angel!¡± Nn eximed with wide eyes. Nicole immediately got to her feet as she dropped the book she¡¯d been reading. ¡°What¡¯s the angel doing here?¡± ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re not here to stay,¡± Noele said quickly. ¡°We¡¯re just here to pick up Garron, then we¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°Wait, can¡¯t the angel stay for some tea?¡± her mama protested. ¡°Dorien gave me these delicious tea leaves that we can share.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a bit of a rush,¡± the blonde girl said, before gesturing at the mouth-less face of the angel. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think Guardian Angel Z357 can¡­ drink?¡± Affirmative, he confirmed. I do not have the necessary organs to consume matter into my body. ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole deted. Nn patted his wife¡¯s shoulderfortingly. ¡°There, there¡­¡± ¡°Garron?¡± Noele called out, stepping past her parents. ¡°Are you there? We need your help!¡± She heard a shufflinging from one of the spare rooms. A momentter, the Steel Tank emerged with a curious frown on his face. ¡°I¡¯m here¡ª¡± He paused as he noticed the angel. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Noele shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a bitplicated. Can we exin on the way there?¡± Garron narrowed his eyes. He saw the look on her face. And he nodded slowly. ¡°Of course¡ª just give me a moment to gather my equipment.¡± ¡°Thanks, I knew I could count on you.¡± She returned with a smile. When he was ready, the three adventurers stepped outside of the farm along with the angel. Nn and Nicole watched from a distance as Garron folded his arms. ¡°So where are we going?¡± he asked. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Arelioth¡¯s Pass,¡± Saros spoke up for the first time in a while. He was pointedly not making eye contact with the angel¡ª which was quite the feat considering Z357¡¯s twelve eyes. ¡°It is to the south of the Sofron River¡­ at the border between the Astrad Kingdom and Kingdom of Kal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the angel knows where any of those ces are even located at,¡± Noele said as she nced back for confirmation. Affirmative, Guardian Angel Z357 said. I am not familiar with those locations. ¡°Oh.¡± The gnome blinked. The blonde girl nodded at the angel. ¡°We¡¯ll just guide you there. The more important question is¡ª can you bring us there?¡± He just tilted his head back at her in response. ¡°By that I mean fly us there¡­ without harming us,¡± she quickly rified. ¡°Time is of the essence, and it¡¯ll take us at least a day to get there on our own. So we¡¯ll need your help.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Saros sputtered, staring at the blonde girl in horror. ¡°You can¡¯t just ask an angel to carry us like some kind of horse¡­ woah, waitaminute¡ª¡± The gnome waved his arms wildly in the air as Guardian Angel Z357 proceeded to pick up the three adventurers like they weighed nothing. Noele nced between Saros and Garron before taking in a deep breath. She held the angel¡¯s gaze as they slowly began to ascend to the air. ¡°Just don¡¯t fly too fast,¡± she said, bracing herself. I will travel with utmost haste without harming your bodily function, Guardian Angel Z357 simply replied. Then he took off. Noele closed her eyes, wincing as she felt the wind brushing against her face. Her hair whipped behind her, and she tightened her grip around the angel¡¯s hand¡­ before she blinked. Noele raised her head as she watched Wolfwater slowly in the distance. They were traveling fast, but not that fast. Which was an odd observation considering that both Garron and Saros were screaming out of their minds. ¡°Honestly, I think I¡¯m just too used to Amelia,¡± the blonde girl muttered under her breath. And the group of four flew on for Arelioth¡¯s Pass. MsD You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here! Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit! Or follow me on twitter! Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Arelioth¡¯s Pass. It was a vast passageway that cut through both the Ashti Canyon and the Breve Mountain Range. It almost looked like it was an artificial formation¡ª as if it was carved out of the earth by magic or some kind of giant de. And from her current aerial viewpoint, Noele could see why that had been postted to be the case. A massive scar tore through thendscape. A deep divot that spanned over a thousand miles, digging down hundreds of feet into the earth. The surface of the soil and the rocks had clearly ttened out over time due to erosion, but the blonde girl wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if the ground had been a charred mess thousands of years ago. Which¡­ it supposedly was. It was said that Arelioth¡¯s Pass used to be guarded by the Five Grand Revenants. They were powerful undead that had lurked the passageway for millennia until they were defeated by the First Lich King Ar¡¯elith¡ª before he had been either a lich or a king. He had then harnessed the magic of those five undead to be the legendary monster he was known as today. ¡­a monster that was killed in a single sh by Amelia. Noele shook her head. It was hard for her to take Ar¡¯elith as a threat seriously considering how easily he was defeated by the blonde girl¡¯s mentor. Well, she hadn¡¯t been there to see the event y out herself. But she had heard about what happened from Amelia, and it didn¡¯t exactly paint a ttering image for the First Lich King. So while Noele was afraid of the destruction he could cause¡­ she wasn¡¯t as worried as either Garron or Saros. They descended down into the entrance to Arelioth¡¯s Pass, carried by Guardian Angel Z357. Throughout the entire journey, he had not said a single word. He had simply listened, following the directions Saros gave him¡ª which was quite a difficult task considering how much the gnome was screaming. Noele wanted to judge, but she couldn¡¯t. She remembered how terrified she was during her first trip with Amelia. Certainly, Guardian Angel Z357 moved significantly slower than the blonde girl¡¯s mentor. But just because one experience was less bad than the other, didn¡¯t mean that both experiences weren¡¯t absolutely traumatic. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ never¡­ doing¡­ that¡­ again¡­¡± Saros panted as he leant against a nearby rock. Garron stumbled forward, but surprisingly, he fared better than the Gnome Inventor. Maybe it was because of the nature of his ss¡ª or perhaps it was because he had already experienced what a trip with Amelia felt like. Either way, he managed to steel himself and clear his throat. ¡°So¡ª where is this [Necromancer]?¡± he asked, sweeping his gaze over Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Noele said as she stepped forward. She drew both her des, nodding back at the staggering Saros. ¡°We just know that Tristan Devon was headed for Arelioth¡¯s Pass to find a phctery.¡± The Steel Tank furrowed his brows. ¡°A phctery? Isn¡¯t that where a Lich King¡¯s soul is stored?¡± ¡°Lich Lords too,¡± Saros finally said, dusting himself down. ¡°I have no fucking clue where it is, though. Don¡¯t go asking me to find everything¡ª I¡¯m just as lost as you lot.¡± Noele frowned. This was going to be difficult. Arelioth¡¯s Pass was not a small ce. If there was a phctery buried away somewhere here, they would never be able to find it. They had a better chance locating Tristan Devon¡¯s tracks. ¡°Hey, uh, Guardian Angel Z357,¡± the blonde girl said stiffly as she nced back at the angel. ¡°Do you think you¡¯d be able to¡­¡± she trailed off. She blinked as she stared at him. He had his wings spread wide, and he was hovering a foot in the air. His twelve eyes were rapidly darting around in all directions before focusing back down to the entrance of Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Noele asked apprehensively. Both Saros and Garron exchanged a worried nce. But Guardan Angel Z357 didn¡¯t give an immediate response. He slowly descended to the ground as he mentally transmitted his thoughts. This location¡­ I have been here before. The blonde girl blinked. ¡°You have?¡± It was the site of the first battle, he said as he lowered his head. When the first rift opened and poured forth a deluge of its essence into the world. ¡°What¡­ happened?¡± Noele asked hesitantly. She wasn¡¯t sure if she even wanted to hear the answer to that question. But still, she listened, even as she chewed her lower lip. I activated one of my Techniques, Guardian Angel Z357 replied simply. And I destroyed it all. With that, he flew forward into Arelioth¡¯s Pass. The three adventurers looked on with round eyes as the realization settled in. This scar that forever marked the earth¡ª one that spread over a thousand miles¡ª it was created by the angel. Noele took in a deep breath, steeling herself. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t have to resort to doing that again while we¡¯re still here. Come on¡ª let¡¯s stop this [Necromancer].¡± She nodded at both Garron and Sarros as she started forward, following after the angel. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 recognized this ce. It was the source of the first outbreak of the Void over ten thousand years ago. Back then, thisndscape was very different. There was a small mountain range bordering a canyon without a vast passageway cutting through both terrains. But that wasn¡¯t the main distinction between what he had seen in the past as opposed to what he was seeing now. He remembered it. He recalled the¡ª Destruction. Death and despair diffused the depraved domain. A ce gued by the Void¡¯s touch. Voidlings scoured the area far and wide. Tens of thousands of them walked the earth, infecting everything they touched with their depravity. Whether it was human, monster, or animal¡ª none were safe from the Void. That scene was forever burned into Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s mind. It was the very first time he had ever descended upon 16B. While the World System had stationed him here long before the Fal-Deus attempted to revive back into Vacuos, the angel had never once left the moon. Instead, he had remained dormant, waiting for the day he was needed. Other angels might have acted differently. He was aware that there were Guardian Angels who actively meddled with a¡¯s events¡ª to a certain degree. But he was unlike them. He was only awakened when he was needed, which had only happened twice now. And when he arrived to purge the Void the first time around, he thought it was a simple enough task. He saw a rift, and he destroyed it with a single Technique. A powerful Technique. He had wiped out all the voidlings with that st. But, unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the end of the incursion with the Fal-Deus. Whenever Guardian Angel Z357 would purge a rift, another would open. He eventually realized that there was an anchor point that needed to be destroyed, and that was when he was finally able to repel the Void from 16B. This time around, things were different. He waspletely lost¡ª he didn¡¯t know what he had to do. He had only found a handful of rifts, and they didn¡¯t even spew out voidlings for him to exterminate. Each directive given to him by the World System led him nowhere, and now, he was wandering the on his own, searching for anything to guide him. Which forced him to ept the help from the inhabitants of 16B. His twelve eyes flickered, ncing back towards the three adventurers following him. They conversed without him¡ª they discussed their n of action. But they seemed to be just as lost as the angel. ¡°Perhaps we should investigate the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle,¡± Noele suggested. ¡°We could find some clues there.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that Dungeon empty?¡± Saros said with a frown. ¡°It was cleared out a long time ago¡ª only [Scavengers] and [Schrs] go there now¡­¡± Garron shook his head. ¡°We need to start somewhere. It is possible that this [Necromancer] we¡¯re searching for could have set up a base of operations there¡ª Fi was a Lich King, after all.¡± ¡°Or maybe we could even find Ar¡¯elith¡¯s phctery buried there,¡± Noele said with a shrug. ¡°That is ridiculous,¡± the gnome sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t you ask the angel if he has noticed anything?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him that yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head, ignoring the rest of their discussion. He didn¡¯t feel much emotions, but he was starting to feel slightly aggravated. And the three adventurers were only partially to me. He shouldn¡¯t havee here. No¡ª it wasn¡¯t just that. He should not have strayed from the World System¡¯s directives. He had learned nothing thus far. Every bit of information he had consumed had been utterly useless towards stopping the Fal-Deus. But I am doing this to further that objective, the angel kept telling himself. However, he was starting to find it hard to believe those words. He was considering just flying off right here and now, but he decided to stay for a while longer. Instead of leaving, he flew higher up into the sky, indulging the gnome¡¯s previous request without a word. The three adventurers blinked, breaking off from their discussion as they watched the angel spread his wings wide. He swept his gaze over his surroundings as his twelve eyes danced on his face. Guardian Angel Z357 scanned the area for a moment. And he noticed something particrly odd. That was¡ª Arelioth¡¯s Pass waspletely empty. The path was barren of life. There was no dense foliage growing over the dead rocky surface. He saw no fauna nesting anywhere in thisndscape. He detected animals and monsters wandering the edges of Arelioth¡¯s Pass, but none dared step foot into this scarred earth. It seemed odd, at first. But then the angel started to pick up traces of a twisted essence. A familiar essence. It was so weak, he hardly even noticed it until he focused. His twelve eyes shimmered as Eyes of the Beholder activated. And with that Technique, he saw¡ª Strands of the Void¡ª motes and ribbons of its essence wisping off thendscape. It was such a minute amount of the Void¡¯s essence. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain he never would have noticed it if he never stepped foot here in Arelioth¡¯s Pass. Was this just residual power from the rift over ten thousand years ago? Or was it something else? He didn¡¯t know. But he searched thendscape for where the Void¡¯s essence was the strongest. He stiffly turned as his twelve eyes narrowed. And the three adventurers must have finally noticed that something was amiss. ¡°Uh, is something wrong?¡± Noele called out. But Guardian Angel Z357 ignored her. Instead, he pped his wings behind his back once, taking off into the distance. Target found, he said as he spotted the blotch in the distance¡ª invisible to the naked eye, but very clearly visible to his Eyes of the Beholder right now. Perhaps his decision to stray away from the World System¡¯s directive was the right decision after all. And with that thought, he left the three adventurers behind. ¡ª-- ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Noele shouted, but the angel didn¡¯t respond. She just watched as he left them behind, flying deeper into Arelioth¡¯s Pass. He strayed from the main passageway. For whatever reason, he seemed to fly for one of the side crevices that spiked out into the nearby mountains. And he was fast. The three adventurers wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with him, even if they could fly. Saros groaned, shaking his head. ¡°Great¡ª just great. What do we do now?¡± ¡°Where is the angel going?¡± Garron asked, but no one had an answer for him. Noele lowered her head, ncing between her twopanions, then looking down at herself. She pursed her lips, before opening her mouth. ¡°I¡­¡± she started. But a loud screech interrupted her. Blinking, the blonde girl looked up to see a group of figures congregating just up ahead. Her eyes narrowed as she saw their thin ivory limbs. Skeletons¡ª dozens of them armed with weapons. And leading the group, standing at the very front, was a juggernaut ghoul. ¡°Those are¡­ undead?¡± Noele frowned. She braced herself, drawing her de. ¡°That means we¡¯re on the right track¡ª get ready!¡± The undead charged, and the three adventurers raised their weapons. They battled on, even as Guardian Angel Z357 left them behind, flying for something else in the distance. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Garron saw the horde of undead swarming down Arelioth¡¯s Pass. There was at least a hundred of them¡ª mostly skeletons and a handful of ghouls, charging mindlessly to destroy the three adventurers. The Steel Tank immediately tensed up, raising his signature shield. It was a tower shield. It was as tall as he was, and it was wide enough to protect about two individuals behind it. Not only that, it was an enchanted artifact. An artifact that suited any B-ranked adventurer. Except, Garron had wielded it ever since he was a D-rank on the cusp of reaching C-rank. In fact, it was the reason why he was able to even survive as an adventurer for so long. But wear and tear was finally starting to afflict his shield. Despite getting it repaired and re-enchanted numerous times, it was in a far worse shape than when the Steel Tank had found it. Bits of its sides were chipped off, and the metal dented far easier now more than ever. Perhaps this may have been a byproduct of regrly facing enemies far higher-leveled than he was. It all started with the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack of Windrip, but ever since then, Garron had been embroiled in multiple battles with enemies who were at least A-rank in threat. Meanwhile, before he had met Amelia or Noele, he had only ever stayed in hisne, fighting monsters who he actually stood a chance against. So that was a very usible exnation as to why the tower shield was now constantly in such a shoddy state. Honestly, Garron knew that it was finally time for him to upgrade his equipment. And not just that, he, himself, needed to get stronger too. But even as the Steel Tank resolved himself to do this, he found it hard to even¡­ do anything with Noele around. He just watched as she cut down the horde of skeletons with ease, dancing between their numbers as her two des sliced through their bones like butter. The undead barely put up any resistance. Even the juggernaut ghoul leading them was defeated after a very brief scuffle. All it took was a single Elegant Noble sh, followed by a st of her [Grand de], and the juggernaut ghoul was reduced to nothing but ashes. And it wasn¡¯t just her wiping out the swarm of undead. Saros the Gnome Inventor was here too. While he was not quite as strong as she was, he was capable of wiping out vast numbers of weak enemies on his own with his variety of tools, artifacts, and equipment. He opened a small bag, unleashing a wave of ck mes and incinerating dozens of skeletons a second. He didn¡¯t even need to raise a de to wipe them out. He just walked forward fearlessly as the number of enemies dwindled to nothing. Garron looked on, lowering his tower shield. The two A-ranked adventurers had wiped out the undead without his help. He pursed his lips as he sheathed his sword, and he wondered what was the point of his presence. They clearly could deal with this without him. But if they couldn¡¯t¡­ it wasn¡¯t like he would even be able to help them. ¡°That¡¯s all of them,¡± Noele said as she drew back from the crater where the juggernaut ghoul once stood. ¡°Where¡¯s Z357?¡± Saros furrowed his brows in response. ¡°The Guardian Angel? How should we know? He just took off!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ concerning. Why would he just leave us like that? ¡± She shook her head and nced up¡ª towards where the angel had disappeared to. Garron took in a deep breath, steeling himself. He strode forward as he nodded at the blonde girl. ¡°Should we follow the angel? Maybe he found Ar¡¯elith¡¯s phctery.¡± Noele bit her lower lip. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. I feel like he would have mentioned something¡­right?¡± ¡°Bah, you probably chased the angel off with your constant pestering,¡± Saros said as he waved a hand dismissively. He started forward until he reached a fork in the path. ¡°But if we follow the direction the undead came from¡ª¡± He paused. Noele and Garron blinked, exchanging a nce. They slowly followed after the gnome, before they peered around the corner. The three adventurers stared as another group of undead milled about at the other end of the crevice. Dozens of skeletons¡ª although not a single ghoul in sight. ¡°That means¡­?¡± Garron frowned. He nced back, and Noele gritted her teeth. They both noticed the same thing. What Saros said was right. Guardian Angel Z357 had flown in the opposite direction of the trail of undead. So the three adventurers could either pursue the undead, or follow after the angel. The Steel Tank hesitated. ¡°Where should we go, Noele? Noele¡¯s eyes flickered as the skeletons finally took notice of the three adventurers. ¡°If Guardian Angel Z357 found the phctery, he could deal with it on his own. But if the phctery is down this path¡­¡± She trailed off, letting the implication settle in. ¡°Right,¡± Garron said, nodding. ¡°We¡¯ll be the ones there to deal with it.¡± And with that decision, the three adventurers pressed on, following the undead as it led them further into Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡ª-- Meanwhile, at a crevice branching out from Arelioth¡¯s Pass, Guardian Angel Z357 descended from the heavens with hisnce in hand. His twelve eyes darted around the vicinity, scanning for the source of the Void¡¯s essence. Thanks to his Techniques, he could see a purple mist smoking out of a small cave entrance¡ª the manifestation of the Void. He slowly floated further down, warily ncing about, preparing for an attack. But the cavern expanded into a deep tunnel, before breaking off into various branches like a maze. Guardian Angel Z357 activated a Technique, and it was like the rock walls surrounding him vanished. They were still partially visible to his eyes, but he mostly saw the skeletal structure of this cave system as clear as day. And in the distance, he spotted what he was searching for. A rift hovered in the middle of one of the intersecting tunnels ahead. One that seemed to simply spew out the Void¡¯s essence into the world. It would have taken dozens of twists and turns to reach the rift, but Guardian Angel Z357 reached it in mere moments. He raised hisnce, aiming at the tear in space. Dispel Depravity, he said as he swung down with hisnce, and the Void¡¯s essence immediately dissipated. He raised a hand as a glyph glinted in his palms. Repairing spatial fracture. The rift began to mend shut with ease. It wasn¡¯t difficult to close¡ª perhaps because it was so nascent. But then, why was there a brand-new rift just floating here in this cavern? Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t know the answer to that. And before he could contemte it over, he jerked back. He nced to the side as he sensed an outpouring of the Void¡¯s essenceing from elsewhere in the cave system. His twelve eyes blinked. Another¡­ rift? He stared through the walls at a second fracture in space. He shook his head and quickly zipped forward, but before he could reach his destination, he paused. Two of his eyes flickered, looking back as a third rift formed at the entrance of the cavern. He moved to close the second rift, but a fourth and a fifth had opened at that point. Guardian Angel Z357 swept his gaze over his surroundings as these tiny little rifts began to open up across thework of tunnels. It seemed like he was going to be busy, dealing with these rifts for a while. So he got to work. ¡ª-- As the three adventurers and an angel wandered aimlessly around Arelioth¡¯s Pass¡­ I sighed wistfully to myself as I stretched my back. ¡°This is rxing¡­¡± The sun was shining. The sky was without a cloud in sight. I could hear the birds chirping amidst the rustling of the leaves. It was serene and tranquil here. For the first time in quite a while, I was no longer in civilization. Windrip had been a city that was bustling with too much activity. And Wolfwater, while a nice change of pacepared to the city, was still a rtively busy ce for a vige, especially with having to deal with my restaurant. But right now, I was in a dense jungle. The foliage here was thick with bushes blocking every turn and curtains of vines crawling down the sides of the trees. The canopy of leaves overhead blotted out just enough of the sun so it wasn¡¯t too hot, but let in enough sunlight so that everything beneath was just bathed in shadows. The fact that I could now finally have a quick getaway to nature was quite rxing¡­even if this wasn¡¯t a vacation. I was here because of a request. I shook my head as I turned to face Dorien. The [Druid] had his arms crossed, waiting for me expectantly. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said as I slowly sauntered up to him. ¡°I was taking in the view¡ª are we at the Vox Forest yet?¡± ¡°Indeed we are,¡± he replied, turning away from me. ¡°But we should hurry. Before it gets to sundown.¡± I raised a brow at him. ¡°What happens at sundown?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± And he began to exin. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 ording to Dorien, the Vox Forest had a problem. A very big problem. One that needed to be resolved as soon as possible, unless the repercussions were severe. And it was that the entire ecosystem was faced with copse. ¡°Do you hear it?¡± the [Druid] asked as he trudged forward. I frowned, listening carefully. But all I heard were his footsteps on the muddy ground. ¡°Uh, am I supposed to hear something?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Where are the buzzing insects? Where are the birds and the butterflies and the animals rustling between the trees?¡± ¡°Right.¡± I nodded as I followed after him. ¡°And this is all because¡­ some bees are going to die?¡± Dorien snorted. ¡°They aren¡¯t just some bees. They¡¯re called bastion bees, and they¡¯re going to go extinct if we don¡¯t do something to save them.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s all because of some poachers, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I sighed. ¡°Right¡­¡± Apparently, bastion bees were ssified under the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as sacred monsters. I never heard of that term before, but it meant that they were protected by the guild itself, and that killing them would lead to immediate revocation of an adventurer¡¯s badge. Anyways, that wasn¡¯t going to deter poachers from poaching. And that had ultimately led to this. ¡°So you want me to kill these poachers and save the bees?¡± I asked, and Dorien paused. His brows snapped together as he nced back at me. ¡°What? No¡ª the bastion bees dealt with those idiotic poachers on their own.¡± I blinked,ing to a halt as well. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°A colony of bastion bees is an A-rank threat,¡± the [Druid] said as he waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Those poachers were barely even C-rank [Hunters]. They didn¡¯t stand a chance once the swarm found them.¡± ¡°Why would a bunch of C-rank [Hunters] attack a colony of bastion bees?¡± I asked quizzically. ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Dorien exined. ¡°They were after the queen alone. So they snuck into the hive, and they shot her with a poisoned arrow while she was asleep. They thought that was enough to take her down, but she survived her injuries¡­ for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a [Healer],¡± I said as I crossed my arms. ¡°And neither am I a doctor. I don¡¯t know what Noele told you about me, but I can¡¯t cure someone who has been poisoned.¡± ¡°I understand that, and I have already acquired a cure from an [Alchemist] in Whiteridge.¡± The [Druid] nodded at me reassuringly. He patted a bag slung around his shoulder as I peered at him curiously. ¡°Then what do you need my help for?¡± ¡°I need your help with getting to the queen bastion bee,¡± he said, raising his head. ¡°The colony has not left the hive since they killed the poachers, and they have not allowed anyone toe close to their queen. Not even me.¡± I stared at Dorien. I looked at the way his brows creased as he said thest part. He spoke those words bitterly¡ª like he was upset. But it wasn¡¯t directed at the bastion bees. Rather, he seemed to be upset at himself for whatever reason. Either that he hadn¡¯t been able to catch the poachers before they got to the hive, or that he wasn¡¯t able to convince the bastion bees to let him enter their colony after the queen was nearly murdered. I didn¡¯t know the full story between him and these bees. But he was supposedly called the Guardian of the Vox Forest. The fact that he had failed to fulfill his role¡­ he must have felt like a failure. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said as I ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You just want me to get the cure to the queen, right?¡± ¡°Without harming a single one of the bastion bees,¡± Dorien rified. ¡°They will attack you, but please do not fight back. I don¡¯t know anyone else who can do this¡ª save for maybe an S-rank [Mage] or an S-rank [Rogue].¡± ¡°Alright, that doesn¡¯t sound too difficult.¡± I shrugged as he smiled. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± He smiled gratefully, then he led me deeper into the Vox Forest. The foliage here grew¡­ withered. There were still trees and bushes and flowers scattered around. But the nts were clearly dying. Dehydrated and blemished. There were no animals, either. As Dorien had pointed out, there weren¡¯t any insects or birds flying around¡ª not this deep into the Vox Forest. I did spot a handful of monsters wandering the area, but they were feasting on the dead nts and fallen leaves, so they probably were adapted to even survive in a barrenndscape. It was quite a terrible sight. But it made sense, considering that this had been ongoing for months now, and bastion bees yed an incredibly vital role in the Vox Forest. There were a wide variety of exotic and unique nts growing here, and their durable physiology allowed them to properly nurture the harsh environment of the forest. I was surprised to hear that the queen bastion bee was still alive even now after months of being poisoned. However, the poison was effective because it would normally permanently incapacitate its target if it didn¡¯t kill them. Dorien and I reached our destination as the sun began to set from the sky. We weren¡¯t in any rush, and I was enjoying my rxing stroll through the forest¡ª even if it was, admittedly, less of a tranquil scenepared to before. But there were still some nts growing here, despite the withering state of the Vox Forest. ¡°Be careful,¡± the [Druid] warned me as he stepped around a tall shrub. ¡°That¡¯s a malim bush¡ª you don¡¯t want to touch it.¡± ¡°Malim?¡± I raised a brow, ncing back at it. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the juice you were trying to sell me?¡± He nodded in response. ¡°That¡¯s right. But growing malim fruits is a very delicate process. If the bush is disturbed before its fruit matures, the fruit will never ripen. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t find malim fruits being sold anywhere around the Vox Forest.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I nodded, before ncing past him towards a cave entrance situated at the base of a small rocky hill. ¡°And this is the colony of bastion bees?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Dorien replied. ¡°This is where you¡¯ll have to continue on your own.¡± He dug into his bag as I took in the hive. Well, it was less like a hive and more like a fortress. I could see where the name of the bastion bees came from. Seriously, there wererge octagonal-shaped bricks made out of stone walling off the entrance to the cave, with a small little hole about the size of my head in the very middle of the wall. ¡°I know I can¡¯t fight back against the bees, but can I at least break down the wall?¡° I said, gesturing at the cave entrance. ¡°As long as none of the bees get hurt.¡± The [Druid] nodded, handing me a small vial. ¡°Alright.¡± I started forward, epting the cure. Dorien watched as I casually walked up to the brick wall. But I didn¡¯t even raise a fist to break it down. Instead, I just stepped straight through it. He blinked, and I waved back at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute!¡± I called out. With that, I began to descend down a narrow tunnel, heading deeper into the heart of the hill. It wasn¡¯t aplexwork of caves that made up a naturalbyrinth. It was a rtively straight walk to get to the center of the hive. I paused only for a moment when I stepped on something wet. A glowing green sludge. At first, I thought it had been some kind of acid. But I saw the way it stuck to my shoes, and I narrowed my eyes. ¡°This is¡­ honey?¡± I shook my head and continued forward. I could investigate thatter. For now, I had a job to do. I turned a corner as the tunnel grew danker with the luminescent green honey of the bastion bees. And in the distance, I started to hear a buzzing. At first, it was very soft. But the closer I got to the source, it almost sounded like the chirping of a thousand birds. A chittering that was so cacophonous I was surprised I didn¡¯t hear it from outside of the cavern. I turned the final corner, and I saw it. A mass of bastion bees. Each one was the size of my head, and their stingers were about the size of a finger. Their translucent wings rapidly beat behind their backs as they clustered together into a giant abomination in the center of the cave chamber. There had to be hundreds of them¡ª maybe even thousands of them. And while each one wasn¡¯t exactly stronger than a B-rank alone, altogether they were considered a high A-ranked threat. It was dangerous. Very dangerous. But I still took a step forward and I waved at them. ¡°Hey,¡± I called out casually. ¡°Sorry, but I need to see your queen to give her this antidote or whatever.¡± And all at once, hundreds of heads snapped towards me. Their gazes bore into me. Their bulbous crimson eyes were glowing in the dark. It illuminated their figures, revealing a striped ck pattern on their golden chitin. They hissed, pping their wings faster as I got closer. Probably a warning. I raised my hands catingly. ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy¡ª¡± I started. But the bastion bees attacked. Hundreds of them swarmed out, their stingers aimed at me as they circled around me. I sighed, shaking my head. ¡°Dorien was right. You guys really are irritable, huh?¡± In response, the bastion bees just stung me. They crashed into me from behind¡ª their wings buzzing loudly in the cavern. Perhaps they struck with enough force to topple even the walls of Windrip. But I didn¡¯t even budge back. I just continued walking forward as I rubbed my temples. ¡°Man, I¡¯m just trying to help¡­¡± Their stings didn¡¯t actually hurt me, but I couldn¡¯t lie and say that their cacophonous buzzing wasn¡¯t really annoying. I walked straight up to therge mass of bees, and they charged me, trying to slow my approach. They failed, of course. Their stingers couldn¡¯t even cut my skin. In their attempts to stop me, the swarm of bastion bees slowly peeled apart to reveal their queen at the very center. I spotted her amongst her workers. It was not that hard, really. She was quite big¡ª about the size of a child. Unlike the other bastion bees who were shaped likerge¡­ bees, she actually looked quite distinct. She had four segmented bodies instead of the usual three, and a coat of ck fur that was shaped like a dress. Not only that, but she was vaguely human-like in shape too. And she was hurt. Her golden chitin was a dull yellow in color, and there was an arrow puncturing her sides. Her wings fluttered weakly behind her back as she raised her head to face me. I strode up to her while her hive continued to assail me from all sides. I gestured at the bastion bees, before raising the cure Dorien had given me. ¡°Hey, can you tell your workers to get off my back? I¡¯m here to save you, and I kinda need to get that arrow out of you first before I can help.¡± The queen tilted her head, before her antennae twitched. Her workers slowly started to fly back as I stared with round eyes. Her mandibles parted open, and I blinked. ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually¡ª¡± And a wave of acid shot out from her mouth. The attack engulfed me as the watching bastion bees buzzed with excitement. The rocky ground beneath my feet melted, and the streak of green liquid struck the back wall. But I didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°...why can¡¯t things ever be easy?¡± I just shook my head as I walked up to the queen bastion bee. She struggled¡ª her swarm continued to attack me. But eventually, I managed to remove the arrow from her body. And finally, I could feed her the antidote. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 ¡°See? I was just trying to help you.¡± I watched as the queen bastion bee slowly fluttered up to the sky. Her wings buzzed weakly behind her, and she could hardly carry her own bodyweight. But¡­ she was flying now. She hadn¡¯t even been able to move her head just half an hour ago. However, after removing the arrow puncturing her sides and giving her a cure for the poison afflicting her, she was able to quickly recover thanks to the help of a healing potion. The entire time I was carrying out this¡­ pseudo-surgery, the colony of bastion bees tried to fight me off. They were unsessful. Very unsessful. I didn¡¯t even nce back once as they continuously assailed me with their stingers. But once I had given the queen the cure, she must have realized I was there to help her. And with a single twitch of her antennae, shemanded them to stop their onught of attacks. Then giving a healing potion was easy, and I just had to wait until she recovered. Now, she had mostly recovered. And she bowed her head at me gratefully. I just smiled at her, but then she raised her head. Her antennae twitched as a somber look crossed her face¡ª an apologetic expression. The hive descended,nding on the ground in what almost seemed to be a prostrating position. Like they were bowing at me to apologize. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°None of your workers actually managed to hurt me. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me.¡± The queen bastion bee cocked her head. But her workers didn¡¯t budge. I just snorted as I gestured vaguely back towards the entrance of the cavern. ¡°If you really apologize to someone, go and apologize to Dorien. I¡¯m pretty sure you guys hurt his feelings by attacking him.¡± The colony of bastion bees raised their heads. The queen¡¯s mandibles clicked together, and she slowly drifted forward. I watched as she flew past me, heading down the tunnel. She paused as she nced back at me onest time. I nodded and trailed after her. Her hive didn¡¯t follow. They remained idle while their queen flew with me by her side. She was still in a weakened state, so she couldn¡¯t move too quickly. I was pretty sure that she was still trying to readjust to flying after lying inert for a few months. We exited the cavern soon enough. The sun had already set; it was nighttime at this point, so it waspletely dark. Dorien was waiting for us right outside¡ª just where I had left him. He blinked when he saw the queen, before dashing forward. ¡°You did it!¡± he eximed. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said as I handed him a half-empty vial. It was the cure¡ª there was still some of the magical antidote left. ¡°Here, I didn¡¯t use it all.¡± ¡°Right, thank you.¡± The [Druid] epted it, before quickly pocketing it into his bag. A soft buzzing drew his attention to the side, and he turned to face the queen bastion bee. She was staring at him with her bulbous red eyes¡ª they shimmered briefly as he gaped in awe. Her mandibles fluttered as a clicking sound left her mouth. Was she¡­ talking to Dorien? Apparently so. ¡°O-oh, you don¡¯t have to apologize, Queen Quebi,¡± he said as he bowed his head. ¡°Quebi?¡± I asked with a raised brow. ¡°Did you name her?¡± He shook his head. ¡°That is the name she had given herself.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I just watched as the [Druid] and the queen bastion bee continued their conversation. Slowly, she spread her mandibles wide open as I narrowed my eyes. Dorien himself was taken aback. But he wasn¡¯t rmed. He just opened his mouth wide. ¡°I¡ª¡± he started. And a green liquid started to drip from her mandibles. She secreted a glowing ooze as Dorien¡¯s eyes went wide. He quickly cupped his hands together before reaching out to collect whatever it was. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°That¡¯s not acid, right?¡± Dorien spoke with trembling lips as the green liquid poured into his palms. ¡°She¡¯s giving us her honey¡ª she¡¯s never given anyone her honey before!¡± I blinked, watching as the queen bastion bee drew back and turned to face me. She ushered me towards her, and I stuck a hand out too. Her honey began to pour out into my hand as I frowned. ¡°This¡­¡± It was slightly hot. It wasn¡¯t scalding or anything, but it was visibly steaming under the night sky. I brought a finger up and nibbled on the honey. And I paused as the spicy taste entered my mouth. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dorien stared at me in horror. ¡°That¡¯s a bastion bee¡¯s honey¡ª the rarest honey in the world! Why are you just¡­?¡± ¡°It is kinda sweet, but it doesn¡¯t taste like honey,¡± I muttered as I licked my fingers clean. ¡°It¡¯s spicy, and it also has a bit of an earthy taste too. I¡­¡± I turned to face the [Druid]. He just looked at me, utterly confused. But I grinned in return. ¡°I think I can make a pretty damn good curry out of this.¡± He just blinked back at me. ¡°What?¡± I shook my head, ncing back at the queen bastion bee. ¡°Hey, can I have more of your honey? Wait¡ª you can understand me, right?¡± Bucky could understand me, so I assumed the queen bastion bee could understand me too. After all, wasn¡¯t Bucky only C-rank or something? Meanwhile, the queen bastion bee was supposedly an A-ranked threat. Dorien cleared his throat. ¡°I¡­ Quebi is able toprehend your intentions, but she does not understand your words.¡± He eyed her hesitantly, and she nodded, making a soft warbling sound. ¡°She¡¯s asking you how much money do you want?¡± ¡°Preferably, I¡¯d like a constant supply of honey,¡± I said with a shrug. I watched as Quebi nodded, before drawing back. Dorien blinked for a moment, then was struck with shock as she made a chirping sound¡ª calling back into her hive. ¡°Are you sure about that, Queen Quebi?¡± he asked, aghast. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, but the [Druid] didn¡¯t give an immediate answer. Instead, I listened as a buzzing sound emerged from the cavern. I spotted a dozen worker bastion bees flying out, heeding their queen¡¯s call. And at the very back of the group was a smaller bee¡ª clearly a young one. But she carried something with her. An¡­ clump of egg sacs? I looked on as the twelve bastion bees circled around their queen, before she nodded at them. Then they flew down towards me, and I tilted my head. ¡°What are they doing?¡± I asked as they waited for me. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ giving them to you,¡± Dorien said slowly. He pursed his lips, turning to face me, before finally holding my gaze. He took in a deep breath and eximed, ¡°She¡¯s letting them start a new hive with you!¡± And I just blinked. ¡°Uh, what?¡± I nced back at Quebi for confirmation, and she nodded at me. She bowed her head gratefully again, before making a clicking sound with her mandibles. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± I ced a hand on my chin as I eyed the twelve workers. ¡°A brand new hive at my restaurant, huh?¡± I did not expect that when I asked her for some honey. I was expecting her to let me regrly visit her hive to collect her honey or something¡ª not¡­ this. And, apparently, this was a big deal. ¡°Queen Quebi has refused to expand her hive for as long as I have known her,¡± Dorien said, eyeing the queen bastion bee with a soft gaze. ¡°The fact that she is entrusting a new hive to you¡­ it means she trusts you to protect them.¡± She buzzed her wings, bobbing her body in agreement. I stared at her for a moment. I saw the way she looked at me¡ª even though she was a giant bee, I could see the worry in her face. She must have been afraid. She must have been terrified, knowing that she was dying and that there was nothing she could do to save herself. If she had perished from the poison or her wounds, her species would have truly gone extinct. That creeping fear must have been more prevalent in her mind now than ever¡ª that was why she was giving me some of her workers to start a new hive. So that even if something were to happen to her, her people would still pervade. I sighed. That was a lot of weight to ce on my shoulders. But I just nodded as I held Quebi¡¯s gaze. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll protect them,¡± I finally said as I brought a hand up to pat the young bastion bee that was carrying the eggs. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about them too much.¡± The queen bastion bee made a chirping sound. Once again, she bowed her head. I returned the gesture, and it almost looked like she was smiling. With that, she finally returned back to her hive as Dorien just gaped at the scene. I waited until Quebi was finally gone, then I turned to face the twelve worker bastion bees. I pressed my lips into a thin line as I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Alright¡­ now how am I supposed to bring you guys back to Wolfwater without causing a panic?¡± Maybe I could convince Z to cate the vige. He was an angel, so everyone would listen to him, right? ¡°...where is he even at anyways?¡± I still didn¡¯t know where he disappeared to. He said he wanted to save the world or whatever. I didn¡¯t fully trust him¡ª but I also didn¡¯t trust what the Voidgod said about angels, either. So I just hoped that Z wasn¡¯t causing trouble for anyone with whatever he was doing. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 tore through another rift. He hurriedly dispelled the Void¡¯s essence, before flying down the tunnel to another rift. He repeated the process again. Then he did it again. And again. And again. He had been going at it for a few hours now. Yet, the onught of outpouring rifts never stopped. He must have closed over a hundred of them at this point, but they kept popping up elsewhere in this intricate tunnel system. It was getting exhausting. But the angel didn¡¯t falter. He couldn¡¯t falter. If he allowed these rifts to fester and foster, all of 16B could be quickly overwhelmed by voidlings and voidbeasts in the matter of weeks. The situation was starting to be akin to what it was ten thousand years ago. No¡ª it was even worse. While plenty of rifts had opened up back then, there weren¡¯t nearly as many as right now. Or maybe the current situation wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. These rifts were mostly nascent in nature, after all. If one was left to fully mature, there might not have been as many other rifts opening up. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t fullyprehend the depths of the power of the Fal-Deus. He simply knew that it was the Void causing this incursion down here, and he had to stop it from wreaking cmity unto the world. He swept his gaze around the tunnelwork, his twelve eyes peering through the walls as he searched for more rifts. But he paused when he saw half a dozen rifts vanishing all at once. They were¡­ closing? The rifts began to flicker and vanish as Guardian Angel Z357 narrowed his twelve eyes. He hovered in the air, carried by his wings as he looked on in confusion. He lowered his head, before blinking as the space just before him began to tear open. He tensed, raising hisnce. But this rift wasrger than the others¡ª and it formed far quicker than any other rift he had ever seen. He stopped himself from attacking just yet as he peered into the depths of the Void. And he heard a voice. ¡°Greetings¡­ ve of the System.¡± Chapter 104 Chapter 104 ¡°Greetings¡­ ve of the System.¡± A voice resounded in Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s head. A familiar voice. He hadn¡¯t heard it since thest time he had been activated to protect 16B¡ª when he had purged the Void from Vacuos. So he knew who it was who was speaking to him. He didn¡¯t even bother gracing it with a reply. He simply raised hisnce, aiming at the widening rift. And it spoke once more. ¡°So you are still a mindless drone¡­. not much has changed in thest ten thousand years, has it?¡± Guardian Angel Z357 swung down with hisnce, but a st of the Void¡¯s essence shot out, deflecting his attack. His twelve eyes narrowed, and he readied a Technique. A gold and silver aura wisped off the weapon¡¯s de as the voice addressed him once more. ¡°Your desire to destroy me is pointless. This is but a mere projection of my thoughts. You cannot halt my return. After all¡­¡± Dispel Depravity! He pointed with a finger, and the rift flickered for a moment. But it didn¡¯t vanish. A terribleugh echoed around him, and he raised his glintingnce. His Technique was finally ready. His weapon was sparking with the intensity of his magic, and he swung down. Heavenly J¡ª ¡°...I will soon walk my world once again.¡± The voice continued speaking, and Guardian Angel Z357 froze. Hisnce came to a halt right before the rift as the powerful aura coating his de dissipated. He stared into the abyss with all twelve of his eyes, watching as the purple surface ripple with each of the booming words being spoken. ¡°Oh, did I finally catch your attention?¡± Guardian Angel Z357 remained silent for a moment. He stared at the rift¡ª he knew of the entity that was speaking to him. It was the very same being that had threatened to destroy all of 16B over ten thousand years ago. A depraved creature. No¡ª the ruler of all that was twisted and curated in Vacuos. The Fal-Deus. It justughed as the angel stared into the abyss. ¡°Your efforts here will bear no fruit. Yourbor shall prove worthless. Soon, I will live again. Perhaps, then, you may be able to stop me. But for now, I cannot be killed¡­ not by you.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 knew that there was no point inmunicating with the Fal-Deus¡ª the World System would even warn him against it. And yet, curiosity drove him forward. He finally raised his head and asked the question lingering in his mind. ¡­how? Arge red box shed before his twelve eyes for a brief moment. [WARNING! It is ill-advised tomunicate with¡ª] But he ignored it. He dismissed the message as he drifted forward. He pointed hisnce usingly at the rift. Exin, he demanded. How are you going to walk this world when you are dead? ¡°Death means nothing to God,¡± the Fal-Deus replied with a booming chuckle. ¡°You can y me again and again, but I will always return. As long as I have a vessel.¡± A¡­ vessel? Guardian Angel Z357 tilted his head. The rift began to grow bigger. ¡°Yes¡ª a vessel. A medium. An heir to my power.¡± For a moment, the angel didn¡¯t move. He listened, watching as the purple veil of the Void peeled away to reveal what was hidden beneath the rift. He stared into the depths of the abyss, and he saw the Fractured Realm. ¡°Until I have reimed my rightful throne, you will not be able to stop me!¡± And as the Fal-Deus spoke, a chittering followed. The screeches and screams of the twisted things hidden away beneath Vacuos. The cries of the condemned. A mass of voidlings moved within the rift. They charged towards the light, mbering straight for the real world as their creator¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°I will not falter until I walk my world once more¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 shed down with hisnce, cutting off the words. The gold and silver aura of his Heavenly Judgment dispelled the Void¡¯s essence, and the rift was engulfed by a bright light. The entire cavern shook as a shockwave rippled out¡ª created from the impact against the air. The sh of the angel¡¯s technique slowly dissipated as he flitted back. He stared at the empty space. The rift was gone. But the voice of the Fal-Deus lingered for a moment longer. ¡°We will meet again soon¡­ ve of the System¡­¡± And, finally, the voice was gone. Only Guardian Angel Z357 remained. He swept his gaze over his surroundings, but the rifts were gone. ¡ª-- ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Noele said as stepped over the dead juggernaut ghoul. Saros grumbled as he kicked a nearby skull and followed after her. ¡°And where is ¡®here¡¯ exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle,¡± Garron replied as he warily raised his shield. ¡°Your intuition was right, Noele.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She pursed her lips as she stared at the fallen walls and the copsed towers. It was mostly rubble¡ª there were a few sections of the main structure still standing. But there was no roof overhead, and the side buildings were gone. ¡°We¡¯ll see what awaits us here.¡± And she started forward. Both Garron and Saros were a step behind her. She was the best fighter of the group, so they let her lead the way. After all, this was likely where Tristan Devon was hiding. He was the [Necromancer] they were after¡ª the one who had acquired The Unholy Scriptures of the First Lich King a month or two ago. He was also a member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, and he was now working to revive Ar¡¯elith with the power of the Void. Noele, Garron, and Saros were trying to stop him before it was toote. They had fought their way through Arelioth¡¯s Pass to get here. There had been a trail of undead that they followed over thest few hours, and it was now nighttime. The moon hung high overhead as hundreds of glistening stars speckled the sky. There was not a cloud to be seen. And it was eerily quiet, save for the footfalls of the three adventurers. ¡°This is so obviously a trick,¡± Saros snorted. ¡°Why would that damn [Necromancer] leave his skeletons running around for us to follow? He¡¯s clearly trying to mislead us!¡± ¡°That could be true. But that doesn¡¯t mean we should let our guard down.¡± The blonde girl shook her head as she edged around a broken pir. Her eyes narrowed as her gazended on an archway up ahead. Saros blinked, and Garron immediately backed up. Three figures blocked their path¡ª their skeletal frames jerking when they caught sight of the adventurers. ¡°More undead,¡± the Steel Tank called out. ¡°Skeletons?¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± Noele flourished her two des as the three skeletons raised their hands at her. ¡°Not just skeletons!¡± She leapt to the side, and a st of first shot out. The magical attack crashed into the ground where she had been standing as Saros cursed. ¡°Fucking liches! And they¡¯re strong too!¡± The Gnome Inventor made a mad dash for the nearby pir as he fumbled for his Bag of Holding. Meanwhile, Garron nted his feet on the ground before mming his tower shield down, creating a domed barrier of protection. The Noble Spellsword danced around the onught of spells fired by the three liches. As Saros had said, they were strong. Liches tended to be B-ranked threats, but they could be both C-rank and A-rank too. Unfortunately, judging by the spells these liches were casting, they were very likely high A-ranked threats. Noele activated her [Nobleme Armor] as she sprinted straight for the first lich. It pointed a bony finger at her as she aimed at him with her own de. ¡°[Grand ze],¡± she whispered. And the lich unleashed its own spell. A cone of frost shot out, shing with her st of golden mes. The shockwave from the explosion knocked the three liches back. But before the dust even settled, Noele appeared behind the first lich. Its fiery eyes flickered as it turned to face her. But it was too slow. Noele swung down with her glinting de. The lich fell in half in an instant. Thanks to her [Noble Aura de], she cut through the magical enchantments reinforcing its bones with ease. The remaining two liches raised their heads. They pointed at her, but [Keen Battle Intuition] kicked in. She was already teleporting out of the way with [sh Step] when their spells shot out. A pair of lightning bolts streak through the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle, crackling loudly in the night. The Noble Spellsword spun around, before thrusting forward with a single step. She reached the second lich as it raised a barrier. Her de struck a wall of ice, and there was a sh of light. Her brows snapped together as her longer de was lodged into the ice. Even with her [Noble Aura de], she couldn¡¯t cut through this barrier. The lich¡¯s eyes red in amusement as it watched her struggle to break through its magic. It began to conjure another lightning bolt, but Noele just sighed as the golden aura wreathing her de grew sharper. ¡°Elegant Noble sh.¡± And in a single swift motion, she cleaved through the barrier and decapitated the lich. She leapt back as the dead lich¡¯s lightning bolt exploded in all directions. But right as she steadied herself, the third and final lich aimed an icy javelin her way. She cursed as she tried to activate her [sh Step]. But before the lich could unleash its spell at her, a spray of acid struck it. ¡°Disintegration Dagger!¡± She blinked, watching as the green liquid consumed the lich. The icy javelin melted along with the ivory bones, until there was nothing left but a deformed skull. Noele nced to the side as Saros stepped forward. He tossed aside the hilt of a disintegrating dagger, before shaking his head. ¡°Made me waste a good artifact¡­¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The blonde girl just nodded in return. She looked past the gnome, calling out to the bubble of white light in the distance. ¡°Garron¡ª are you alright?¡± The bubble vanished as Garron emerged from the dissipating aura, carrying his tower shield at his side. His lips were pursed as he stared at both Noele and Saros. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said reassuringly. ¡°None of their spells were aimed at me. They were too distracted by you.¡± Noele smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± She waited as Garron started towards her. Meanwhile, Saros just walked past her, heading straight for the archway without either of them. ¡°Hurry up, you idiots. We don¡¯t know if¡ª ack!¡± And he screamed as there was a ttering of bones. Both Noele and Garron snapped their gazes straight towards Saros. They watched as the gnome¡¯s body went flying as a blurred figure crashed into him. There was a flicker¡ª a sh of light as whatever protective artifact Saros wore was shorn straight through. The creature that struck him didn¡¯t stop there. It charged straight for him as he was about tond back onto the ground. But Noele moved faster. [sh Step] carried her to Saros, and she swung out with both her des. She knocked the dark creature back, but her [Noble Aura de] didn¡¯t cut through its skin. But it leapt back before she could follow-up with another flurry of strikes. Her eyes narrowed, watching as the creaturended right before the archway. It took the Noble Spellsword a moment to rize what it was. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the wight?¡± She frowned, staring at the S-ranked undead. Garron ran to her side as a set of footfalls drew closer. It sounded like a soft pping. And from the archway, a robed figure emerged. A young man with white hair stepped out into the moonlight as the wight joined his side. Noele¡¯s eyes widened, recognizing him as he spoke with a smug grin. ¡°I thought I smelled a rat, but it seems it was just a little gnome.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Tristan Devon.¡± The [Necromancer] the three adventurers had been searching for. Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Tristan Devon. [Necromancer]. Member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. And the very same man who Noele was after. He stood before her, standing at parade rest with his hands behind his back as his wight circled around him. The undead moved with all four of its limbs. It crawled like a crouching dog, warily eyeing the every movement of the three adventurers. Noele bit her lower lip, before ncing back at Saros. The gnome was in terrible shape. He was bleeding with broken bones. The wight must have struck him with a powerful Skill because it easily tore through his protective artifacts. Shaking her head, the blonde girl nced at Garron. ¡°Look after Saros,¡± she said as she held the burly man¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll handle Tristan.¡± Garron hesitated. ¡°I¡ª¡± But the [Necromancer] interrupted him. ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t know we were already on a first-name basis.¡± Tristan Devon strode forward with a smug smirk stered across his face. Noele gritted her teeth as she raised both her des dangerously at him. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if you take me out to dinner first, but¡­¡± He nced down at the wight, gently caressing its head. ¡°I believe that only Talon over here will be feasting tonight.¡± It growled as its me-like eyes bore into the Noble Spellsword. She took a step to the side, trying to draw its attention away from both her friends. The gnome was coughing and sputtering as Garron poured a healing potion down his mouth. ¡°Give it up, Tristan,¡± she warned as pointed her two des at the [Necromancer]. ¡°We won¡¯t let you bring the First Lich King back from the dead.¡± He cocked his head curiously as his smile flickered for a brief moment. ¡°Bring¡­ Ar¡¯elith back? No¡ª you must be mistaken.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Noele asked as she continued circling around the [Necromancer] and his pet wight. ¡°I do not intend to merely revive Ar¡¯elith,¡± Tristan said as heughed wildly. ¡°I shall herald the return of the First Lich King, and he shall be stronger than ever thanks to the power of the Void!¡± The Noble Spellsword pursed her lips. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re insane. Don¡¯t you know what he wants? He wishes to ughter every living being on Vacuos!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to support him in that endeavor,¡± the [Necromancer] snorted. ¡°So I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s my problem.¡± ¡°And using the Void¡¯s power? The very manifestation of all that is evil?¡± Noele shook her head. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s as you said.¡± He shrugged casually. ¡°I am insane.¡± The blonde girl blinked, and Tristan just nodded at his wight. ¡°Kill her.¡± The wight lunged at her. Its gray figure moved like a blur. Noele could barely even keep up with it. The only reason she was able to even react was thanks to her [Keen Battle Intuition]. She raised both her des to parry the wight¡¯s attack, but its ws were ovee with a dark aura. The attack shed with her des. The golden glow from her [Noble Aura de] flickered for a second as she stumbled back. The wight staggered from the impact too, but it didn¡¯t let up. It raised its head as it unhinged its jaw. Noele saw the ck mesing in an instant. [sh Step] carried her a dozen feet into the air, and she watched as the wight¡¯s attack engulfed a pile of rubble. It was all incinerated in an instant. Rock and stone melted with the soil, glowing a molten red. The ck mes dissipated as Noele spun around, crashing down into the wight¡¯s back. Her two des shone with a brilliant golden light as she cried out. ¡°Elegant Noble sh!¡± There was a pulse of golden light. A sharp ringing resounded as the blonde girl stared. The bright aura of her Elegant Noble sh continued shimmering around her des, but the wight was still standing. It had its ws raised, clinging onto the guard of the hilt. It¡­ redirected her attack! Her de struck the ground, cleaving the ground beneath the wight¡¯s feet open. Noelended as she tried to pull her sword back, but the wight kicked her before she could touch the ground. She flipped in the air as shended a dozen feet away with a grimace. ¡°That was a close one¡ª was that a Skill? You nearly cleaved my dear Talon in half!¡± Tristan Devon eximed, before chuckling softly. ¡°But it seems that even my mindless undead can see through your tricks.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a trick,¡± Noele scoffed. ¡°I literally just tried to stab your wight.¡± ¡°And you failed!¡± He grinned in return. She straightened as she raised her two des with narrowed eyes. And a smirk slowly spread across her lips. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Tristan Devon paused. ¡°Uh, what¡ª¡± And a metallic sphere rolled up to him, before clinking onto his boots. He frowned as he stared down at the object. He opened his mouth, and the Blooming Grenade exploded. He yelped as he was flung back from the st. There was a glimmer of light from whatever barrier artifact he had on his person. It protected him from the explosion, but a second metallic spherended with him right by the archway. His eyes went wide, and he quickly kicked it out of the way. A second explosion shook the area as the [Necromancer] scrambled to his feet. The archway copsed behind him as he frowned. He stared with round eyes as Saros strolled forward, spinning another Blooming Grenade on a finger. Garron stood by his side, shield raised. ¡°What¡­?¡± Tristan stared at the other two adventurers in shock. ¡°Hey,¡± the gnome said. ¡°Pleasure doin¡¯ business with ya.¡± And he tossed the Blooming Grenade at the [Necromancer]. Noele watched as Tristan Devon pointed a finger, unleashing a fire arrow at the metallic sphere. Another st ripped out as both the blonde girl and the wight stumbled back from the shockwave. Slowly, Tristan Devon lowered his hand as his wight leapt back to his side. He swept his gaze over the area, eyeing each individual adventurer for a long moment. His lips twisted, before he faced Noele. She took a step forward, joining both Saros and Garron¡¯s sides. And the [Necromancer] began to cackle wildly. ¡°Oh, you got me. You got me good. You were flirting with me to distract me so your friends could heal up!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t flirting¡ª¡± the blonde girl started. But he ignored her. He just spread his arms wide as he smiled savagely at her. ¡°Unfortunately for you¡ª it¡¯s already toote.¡± ¡°Toote?¡± Garron asked with a frown. The wight snarled, and Tristan Devon simply shook his head. A weak tremor washed over the ground as Noele paused. Her brows snapped together as the ground began to glow with a purple light. The Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle was caught within the confines of a giant ritual circle. And space began to twist and warp high up in the sky, beneath the illumination of the moon overhead. Purple kes of twisted magic coalesced at its very center as Noele could just stare. Tristan Devonughed. ¡°The ritual has already begun. Soon, the First Lich King shall walk this earth once more! And you shall all perish!¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head. He sensed it in the distance. Once again, he detected the Void¡¯s essence closeby. But it was no mere rift¡ª it was far more potent than that. He flew up into the sky, and even from a far distance, his twelve eyes saw it. An unfolding scene in the ruins of an old castle. A vast ritual circle that drew the power of the Void. The vague shape of bones forming high in the very center. And three adventurers, confronting a [Necromancer] in battle. It was perceived with perfect rity by the angel. But he did not act just yet. Instead, he recalled the words of the Fal-Deus. ¡°I will not falter until I walk the world once more¡ª¡± The voice echoed in Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s mind. His twelve eyes closed for a moment, and he pondered over the potential courses of actions. He could move to stop this ritual¡ª but then that would solve nothing. The Fal-Deus would return one way or another. As it had said, so long as it had a vessel to contain its power¡ª a medium to carry out its will¡ª it was going toe back again and again and again. Then everything Guardian Angel Z357 had done here would be utterly pointless. He raised his head as a new prompt appeared for him. [Processing: Change in Objective¡­ Minor Objective B Iplete! New Minor Objective Obtained Main Objective Iplete!] He stared at the blue screen. He took in the directives given to him by the World System. Slowly, he mechanically turned to face the Void ritual in the distance. And¡ª Guardian Angel Z357 hesitated. ¡ª-- ¡°Hm?¡± I blinked as I came to a halt right before the dirt path. Dorien nced back at me, and the twelve bastion bees following after us paused. They stared at me curiously as I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Is something the matter, Amelia?¡± the [Druid] asked apprehensively. One of the bastion bees¡ª the youngest of them all¡ª tilted its head at me, but I focused my gaze at the horizon in the distance. It was still night, and we were getting close to Wolfwater. But I didn¡¯t think I was going to be able to get back to the vige any time soon. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing,¡± I said as I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Just go on ahead¡ª I¡¯ll catch up with you guys soon.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Dorien furrowed his brows, but he didn¡¯t press the question. Instead, he ushered the bastion bees forward, returning back to Wolfwater without me. The young bastion bee stared at me, perplexed. It was carrying the eggs, and it looked like it didn¡¯t want to leave my side¡ª probably to protect the unborn babies. But I gave it a reassuring nod. ¡°Dorien will look after you. He¡¯s a [Druid], so he¡¯ll protect you guys if any dumb humans try to attack you while I¡¯m gone. Don¡¯t worry, alright?¡± For a moment, the young bastion bee just held my gaze. Its bulbous red eyes flickered, before it finally drew back. I watched as it hurriedly fluttered after Dorien, tightly clutching onto the eggs to its chitin. I smiled, then I dug into my pockets. I pulled out a [Message] scroll as I looked towards the horizon, before looking back down at the magical parchment. I waited for the words to appear. But nothing showed up. ¡ª-- Noele backed up as she felt the tremor washing over the ground. A nearby pir copsed, and the bright light from the ritual circle shone with even more intensity than before. Both Saros and Garron steadied themselves as she raised her head. She looked up at the purple figure forming high overhead. Strands of the twisted magic wove through the air in an arc, forming the vague shape of a dome over the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. The Noble Spellsword watched as a skull was carved out of the nebulous mass of the Void¡¯s magic. Finally, she lowered her head as a voice drew her attention. ¡°It is done.¡± Tristan Devon swept back, bowing as he smirked at her. ¡°Now, I shall bid you farewell.¡± He spun around and walked away. Noele gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t give chase to him. It was already toote. So she reached for a [Message] scroll in her Bag of Holding¡ª And a dark figure pounced at her, knocking the piece of parchment out of her hand. The Noble Spellsword¡¯s eyes went wide as she stumbled back. She looked up, hearing a growl. And she stared at the wight as it circled dangerously around her, its teeth bared. ¡°You¡¯re quite annoying, you know that, right?¡± She drew both her des once more, and the undead pounced at her again. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Noele leapt to the side as Talon pounced at her. The wight was both fast and durable. A deadlybination. Which was expected from an S-ranked threat. It onlycked in its offensive abilities¡ª but that was only for its level. It was still far more dangerous than any A-rank monster. It had to have been as dangerous as the Void-touched kretus boar she fought back in Wolfwater. The wight shredded the ground with its ws, before snapping its gaze to the blonde girl as she barely evaded its first attack. The moment her feet touched the ground, it unhinged its jaws. And a deluge of ck mes poured out. It was a cone of darkness that consumed everything it touched. It streaked out for a hundred feet. Rock and stone burned and melted as the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle was ripped apart by this magic. But as the mes let up, the Noble Spellsword was gone. Talon swept its gaze over its surroundings as its wispy eyes flickered. It couldn¡¯t find her¡ª not on level ground. Because she had teleported atop a nearby pir with [sh Step]. Noele took a moment to steel herself and survey her surroundings. She looked down at the wight standing warily at the base of the pir, before ncing at the grand ritual forming around the perimeters of the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. The magic was slowly encasing the former Dungeon as a dome fell overhead, and an amorphous purple mist gathered high in the sky to create the vague outline of a skeleton. Standing right beneath it with his arms raised, on a broken pedestal made of marble, was Tristan Devon. He looked up with bloodshot eyes. His arms were spread wide as he chanted in the far distance. If he wasn¡¯t stopped, Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King would walk the world once more¡ª but this time, as a being empowered by the Void. Noele shook her head and nced back down at the wight. Its gaze hadnded on both Saros and Garron. The two adventurers aimed their weapons at the undead, before Noele leapt off the pir. Talon took a step forward¡ª and the Noble Spellsword crashed into its back. She swung down with her short de, digging through its hardened skin. Even with her [Noble Aura de], she struggled to cut through the wight¡¯s defenses. It howled and twisted its neck around to face her, before snapping down with its jaws. She blocked the second attack with her longer de, gritting her teeth as she stared into Talon¡¯s eyes. It looked like its neck had snapped. But it was an undead, so it didn¡¯t care about that. It simply hefted, hurling the blonde girl off its back. Noele flipped through the air beforending lithely right before the wight. It snarled at her as she raised her two des. ¡°Noele!¡± Garron yelled, running to her side. But she shook her head as she gave him a quick nce. ¡°No!¡± she called out. ¡°You have to stop this ritual¡ª you have to stop Tristan Devon!¡± He blinked as he came to a halt. He stared at her, and the wight lunged. Noele parried the attack as she exined. ¡°We have to destroy Ar¡¯elith¡¯s phctery before it¡¯s toote. I can deal with the wight. But if the First Lich King returns, we¡¯ll all be dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Garron hesitated. But Saros ran past the burly man, sprinting straight for the center of the ritual circle. ¡°If you¡¯re not going, I¡¯m going,¡± the Gnome Inventor said. ¡°Somebody has to be the one to stop us all from dying.¡± Garron gritted his teeth. He looked between Noele as she kicked the wight back and Saros as he leapt over a pile of rubble. The blonde girl sighed and held the Steel Tank¡¯s gaze. ¡°Just go¡ª I¡¯ll join you soon.¡± ¡°...right,¡± the burly man finally acquiesced. He turned around, following after Saros as the Noble Spellsword steeled herself. She looked back towards Talon. The wight growled as it pawed the ground, before it opened its mouth. ck mes began to coalesce between its teeth, and Noele tensed. But it didn¡¯t attack her. Instead, the ck mes spilled from its mouth onto the ground beneath its feet. The blonde girl blinked, watching as the wight stepped onto the dark fire. Her eyes grew wide as she looked on. Talon was burning itself. At first, she didn¡¯t understand what it was doing. But then she saw the way the mes stuck to its skin. And she realized that it was creating a coat of protection with its own dark fire. Just like her [Nobleme Armor]. Noele narrowed her eyes. ¡°This is going to be annoying¡­¡± She tightly clutched the hilts of her two des, beforeshing out at the wight. ¡ª-- Garron sprinted towards the center of the ritual circle. He stumbled as the earth shook, and a nearby column copsed. Dust and debris shot into the air like a pir as the Steel Tank steadied himself. The ground was glowing brighter than before¡ª the purple light from the spell illuminated the night. It had to have been visible from even dozens of miles away. Garron was certain that if he had been standing at the entrance of Arelioth¡¯s Pass, he¡¯d have seen the shine of the ritual. He clenched his jaw and continued on. Saros was just ahead. While the Gnome Inventor was an A-rank adventurer, he wasn¡¯t really a closebat fighter. He mostly utilized his tools to aid him in battle. And because of that, he wasn¡¯t the fastest or strongest around. Especially with his small stature, it made it quite difficult for him to navigate the mountains of rubble and debris around him. Garron reached the gnome a momentter, and the two adventurers nodded at each other. They came to a halt right before the center of the ritual circle¡ª below the empurpled mist coalescing at the very top of the dome. Tristan Devon stood there,ughing wildly as he stared at the skeletal figure being built in the sky. ¡°After ten thousand years, the reckoning hase! It is time for the First Lich King to im this mortal world and lead us all to salvation! Kneel, beg, cry in terror¡ª it matters not what you do! There is no stopping the inevitable!¡± ¡°Oh, shut it!¡± Saros yelled as he tossed a Blooming Grenade at the [Necromancer]. Tristan Devon blinked, and the ground beneath him exploded. He screamed as he was tossed into the air from the st. Garron raised his shield and charged at the falling [Necromancer]. Thanks to [Shield Rush], he could move twice as fast as he normally would, and a white aura overcame his tower shield. The Steel Tank reached his target a momentter. He swung his shield at Tristan Devon as a white ring pulsed out. The impact sent the [Necromancer] flying back as his bones cracked, before he crashed amidst a pile of rubble. Garron was pretty sure that his attack had snapped Tristan Devon¡¯s neck. But the [Necromancer] simply rose back to his feet and snapped his neck back into ce. Bone magic? Probably, considering his ss. He sighed as he waved his hand dismissively. ¡°You can¡¯t stop the ritual even if you kill me¡ª and you¡¯re never going to be able to find the phctery,¡± he said as a ck fireball coalesced on the tip of his finger. ¡°Your efforts are futile.¡± And with the flick of his wrist, he sent the spell hurtling at the Steel Tank. Garron cursed, backing away. But he couldn¡¯t get out of the way in time. He readied his [Iron Will] just in time to block the st of ck mes. Garron grunted as he stood his ground. There was a sh of light. For a moment, it was like his tower shield had be a mirror for just a single moment. And the ck mes dissipated. The Steel Tank defended Tristan Devon¡¯s attack, even though there was around 10 levels separating them. That was the thing about [Necromancers]. They could summon powerful undead to fight for them¡ª but oftentimes they could hardly even fight on their own against someone close to their level. Generally, their offensive spells were far weaker than what most [Mages] around the same level could muster up. But that was because a [Necromancer] was suited to bolstering their minions. And right now, Tristan Devon had no minions. His army of undead had been wiped out by the three adventurers on their way to the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. And the wight was currently preupied by Noele. So Garron took in a deep breath and raised his shield as he eyed the [Necromancer]. He heard a set of small footsteps approaching him, before ncing back. ¡°Saros¡ª do you have any antimagic equipment that can disable this ritual?¡± he asked the Gnome Inventor. Blinking, Saros came to a halt right behind Garron. He furrowed his brows as he quickly dug through his Bag of Holding. He nodded slowly as he pulled out a sk. ¡°I¡­ may have a thing that could work,¡± the gnome replied hesitantly. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°We have to try what we can¡­ I¡¯ll hold off Tristan Devon,¡± Garron said simply, drawing forward. ¡°Alright.¡± Saros nodded.¡± Just don¡¯t die or Noele is going to kill me.¡± The Steel Tank grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to.¡± With that, the gnome broke off, running straight for the center of the ritual circle. The [Necromancer] just watched this scene, rolling his eyes. ¡°As I said, your efforts are pointless.¡± He conjured up a ball of acid, before throwing it at the Gnome Inventor. But Garron moved faster with the help of [Protect Allies]. He swung with his shield, batting away the ball of acid, sshing it over the rock ground. He heard a sizzle, watching as steam rose from the ground. ¡°And as I said, I¡¯m going to be the one to deal with you,¡± the Steel Tank said as he raised his shield. ¡°Oh?¡± The [Necromancer] raised a brow, amused. ¡°And how are you going to do that with that?¡± He pointed at Garron¡¯s tower shield. The Steel Tank blinked, before his eyes went wide. It was melting. At least, small chunks of the shield were melting away. As a whole, it was still mostly intact. But bits of the metal had been corroded and destroyed. Garron pursed his lips as he stared at his trusty shield. He closed his eyes, remembering what Noele had told him. He had to fight with reason¡ª because he had to. So he could ovee his current self and be stronger. And the Steel Tank¡¯s eyes snapped open a momentter. ¡°This shield is more than enough to hold you off, [Necromancer]!¡± he shouted, charging straight for Tristan Devon. The [Necromancer] just cackled, conjuring a spear made of ice. He casually tossed the projectile at Garron. And the spell exploded over the shield. But the Steel Tank didn¡¯t slow. Even as arge chunk of his shield was ripped off from the attack, he ran on. And Tristan Devon blinked. ¡°Well, how about this?¡± He created a giant boulder and threw it at Garron. Again, the attack was deflected. But this time, instead of just sshing over the ground, it exploded into thousands of tiny shards that rained around the Steel Tank. His armor was cut apart as he felt the small bits of debris piercing his skin, and he roared in pain. Tristan Devon conjured spell after spell¡ª each attack whittled away at whatever remained of the shield. Even though his magic was weaker than a [Mage] at his level, he was still far stronger than any enemy Garron had ever faced in battle. And still, the Steel Tank continued. The [Necromancer] paled, backing up as Garron drew closer. He tried to create another ck fireball, but he was too slow. His eyes widened, and the burly man rammed into him a momentter. Garron struck Tristan Devon with what was left of his shield. And the remaining metal shattered upon impact, digging deep into Tristan Devon¡¯s stomach. He yelped in pain, only to be mmed into the ground by the Steel Tank. ¡°You¡ª¡± the [Necromancer] started. But Garron just punched him in the face. ¡°Where are you hiding the phctery?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Tristan Devon opened his mouth. Only to be punched in the face again. And again. And again. Garron continued to break the [Necromancer]¡¯s face until he was bloodied and bruised. Finally, the Steel Tank gripped Tristan Devon by the cor and asked again. ¡°Where¡¯s the phctery? How can we destroy it?¡± ¡°Oh, you poor fool,¡± Tristan Devon chuckled, before coughing up blood. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, do you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Garron narrowed his eyes. ¡°Exin!¡± ¡°You cannot destroy the phctery¡ª because it is all around you!¡± The [Necromancer] spread his arms wide as heughed. The Steel Tank blinked. ¡°All around me? What does that mean?¡± Tristan Devon just sighed with a crazed smile on his face, and the ritual continued unraveling around them. ¡°Everything you see around you is the phctery,¡± he said as he shook his hea d. ¡°Because it is the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle!¡± And Garron stared in shock. ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 ¡°The rocks at your feet, and the rubble buried in the dirt. Everything you see around you¡ª all of it is the phctery of the First Lich King!¡± Tristan Devon eximed as heughed wildly. Then he paused, before coughing up another mouthful of blood. But even with his battered face, he was smiling. And it wasn¡¯t a forced smile either¡ª he was genuinely sneering. And all Garron could do was stare back in horror. The [Necromancer]¡¯s words echoed in his head as the Steel Tank grew numb. He was bleeding¡ª there were dozens of cuts across his body from his suicidal charge just earlier. His left arm was badly burnt from holding up his tower shield and bearing the brunt of the oing spells. But he didn¡¯t feel the stinging pain that pervaded his body. He didn¡¯t even hear the screeching of the ritual in the distance. A powerful explosion reverberated through the area from the other side of the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle, and Garron didn¡¯t even look up. He just stared at Tristan Devon¡¯s bruised face, before finally moving his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m lying?¡± The [Necromancer] shook his head dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to lie to you. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re trying to kill me or any¡ª urk!¡± He yelped as Garron struck him across the face once more. ¡°Tell me the truth!¡± the Steel Tank said as he raised a fist. ¡°Where have you hidden the phctery? But Tristan Devon gave a bloody smile in return. ¡°I told you the truth. If you want to stop this ritual, you¡¯ll have to destroy the entirety of the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle! Which, by the way, includes every bit of rubble that¡¯s been buried with time, or scattered across Arelioth¡¯s Pass. So even if you manage to level everything you see around you¡­¡± He swept his gaze over his surroundings, and Garron blinked. The [Necromancer] chuckled as his head hung back. ¡°...you probably still won¡¯t be able to stop the ritual. Not unless you blow up everything in a hundred mile radius, of course.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Garron opened his mouth, but stopped himself. He pursed his lips as the realization finally sunk in. ¡°I see.¡± There was nothing he could do to stop the ritual. He nced back as he rose to his feet, letting go of the [Necromancer]. He stared at a tiny figure in the distance, tinkering with a sk in his hand. It was all up to Saros now. Garron could only hope that what the Gnome Inventor had nned was enough to save them all. ¡ª-- Noele swung down with both her des, unleashing a Glorious Noble sh followed by an Elegant Noble sh. The first attack missed its target as the wight deftly leapt to the side. But the Noble Spellsword teleported next to it with a sh of light. She thrust forward with the second attack, and the wight howled. The armor of ck mes wreathing its body tore open as she struggled to cut to its skin. However, even as the de cut through skin, it was lodged in ce. Talon screeched in pain, and she tried to pull back. But she failed. She gritted her teeth, and the wight unleashed a flurry of strikes with its ws. Noele let go of the stuck de as she tried to back away. With only her short sword left, she tried to parry the onught of attacks from the wight. Unfortunately, it was too much, even for her. She winced as the wight¡¯s ws struck her shoulder, tearing through her [Nobleme Armor]. She stumbled back, and Talon followed up with another two strikes. The Noble Spellsword cursed, before being consumed by a sh of light. Once again, she escaped with [sh Step]. Shended atop a pile of rubble, panting as she clutched at her shoulder. She watched as the wight crashed into a nearby wall in confusion, bringing down a small section of the former Dungeon. Noele sighed as she straightened. This battle was tough. Not just because the wight was fast, but also because it was incredibly durable too. Certainly, its attacks were far weaker than Odell, and it wasn¡¯t nearly as quick as the teleporting kretus boar. However, the blonde girl couldn¡¯t just end this fight with a single attack. She needed to whittle down the wight before she could finally finish it off. And that was the problem. The Noble Spellsword was only an A-ranked adventurer. That meant that all her defensive Skills were strong enough to protect her from other A-ranks. Even if she could unleash an Elegant Noble sh or a Glorious Noble sh to bring down enemies far above her level, she wasn¡¯t able to guard herself from an S-ranked threat¡ª which was evinced by her bleeding shoulder. Her [Nobleme Armor] easily caved to one of Talon¡¯s strikes. If the wight had struck her head instead, she would be dead right now. Noele shook her head as she watched the undead emerge from the rubble. Its body was still burning, and her de was protruding from its side. She was hurt. She only had a single weapon left. The next time they shed, she might actually lose her head. And she hesitated. Because she knew that the wight was going to whittle her down and kill her before she could defeat it herself. Unless¡­ the thought crossed her mind. Her eyes flickered. She saw a blue box in the corner of her eye. [ss advancement avable¡ª] And for a moment, she considered epting it. Perhaps it would give her the Skills she needed to defeat this wight. She closed her eyes as she mulled over her options. It was either she stubbornly clung onto the World System¡¯s powers, or she died. Her eyes snapped open as she made her decision. Noele¡¯s gaze focused on the blue box¡ª on the ss that was being offered to her. To be a [Champion Spellsword]. And she¡­ Noele paused. She blinked as she caught a brief glimpse of brown hair. The tattered trail of a blue cloak. The glint of a rusty sword. The blonde girl saw it from her peripherals¡ª atop a nearby cliff. She nced up as she opened her mouth. But she saw nothing there. And she blinked. ¡°What was¡­?¡± And the wight screeched. It rushed at her before she could even break out of her stupor. Noele raised her head as the undead lunged at her, knocking her off her feet. It fell on top of her as she raised her de to keep its snapping jaws back away from her neck. It thrashed atop her, snarling and hissing as she struggled to stay alive. Her [Noble Aura de] remained active¡ª the golden glow empowering the sharpness of her single de. But she didn¡¯t dare strike with an Elegant Noble sh. Because if she lost her only remaining weapon, she was as good as dead. It was quite the dire predicament. And she couldn¡¯t even escape with [sh Step] because she was being weighed down by the wight. Perhaps if she knew a Skill like [Quick Teleport] instead, she¡¯d be able to slip out since it would transport both herself and whoever was in contact with her, and she could just drop them both from the sky. But [sh Step] couldn¡¯t be cast if there was someone interrupting the Skill like right now. So shey there as she tried to kick the wight back. But as her [Nobleme Armor] came into contact with Talon¡¯s own coat of ck mes, she found that she was the one who was burning instead. She winced as she quickly retracted her leg, and the undead opened its mouth. Blinking, Noele watched as a dark fire began to coalesce inside of its jaw. Her eyes widened, and she realized what wasing. And she didn¡¯t know if her [Nobleme Armor] could survive a st of the ck mes. The only thing she could do was keep the wight off her. And she knew what exactly she needed to do. Her short sword began to wisp wildly with a golden aura as she prepared a Glorious Noble sh. At this range, she would be caught in the st. But it would be safer than to be engulfed by the wight¡¯s ck mes. As she prepared her attack, she took in a deep breath. Focus, she told herself. Reach for the well deep in your soul. Just like when she learned her Glorious Noble sh and just like when she learned her Elegant Noble sh, this needed to be done. Her [Nobleme Armor] shifted, before receding back as she drew from the mana deep within her core. And before the wight could unleash its attack, Noele swung up with a Glorious Noble sh. ¡°Now!¡± she screamed, and a powerful explosion engulfed the both of them. A golden st that shook the entirety of the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. Noele was sent flying back as she burned brightly in the night. But as shended and rolled on the ground, it became abundantly clear that she wasn¡¯t lit ame. Instead, her own Glorious Noble sh hadn¡¯t even harmed her. She blinked as she stared down at herself. Her [Nobleme Armor] had¡­ absorbed her attack? She stumbled to her feet, before looking up at Talon. The wight was staggering just ahead of her¡ª its own coat of ck mes gone, and arge chunk of its stomach blown off. But it was still moving. It growled at Noele as she raised her short sword once more. Her eyes narrowed as she readied an Elegant Noble sh, and the wight charged at her again. She raised her de, swinging up as it swung down with its ws. They shed once, before they turned to face each other once more. And they shed a second time. A third time. A fourth time. But as the wight began to move with a limp, Noele still stood strong. Her [Nobleme Armor] somehow held up against the onught of attacks from the S-ranked undead. They faced each other once more as she exhaled slowly. And when they shed for the fifth time, Talon flopped over, dead. [You have defeated a wight!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 57!] [Skill Gained: Passive - Nobleme Control!] Noele stumbled forward as she nearly copsed over the wight¡¯s corpse. But she steadied herself over her rapier jutting out of the undead¡¯s side. She quickly pulled the weapon out before looking down at herself. Her [Nobleme Armor] was different. While previously, it was simply like she had been doused in fire, now it was like the mes were emanating from her body. All because she unleashed a Glorious Noble sh at the very same moment she began to concentrate her aura of protection into her core. Shaking her head, Noele straightened and raised her head. The ritual was almostplete. The dome forming overhead had stopped shifting, and the purple mist at the very center was thicker than ever. ¡°And now to stop that¡­¡± She steeled herself, before searching for her twopanions. And she found them soon enough. Garron and Saros. The gnome was standing right beneath the center of the dome with his head lowered, tinkering with what looked like a small sk. And behind him, Garron was kneeling over a slumped body¡ª the bloodied and battered figure of Tristan Devon. ¡°You¡­ beat him,¡± Noele said as she stared at the [Necromancer]¡¯s lolling head. Tristan Devon was still alive, but he had clearly been defeated. Garron nodded and nced back towards the blonde girl. ¡°I did¡ª but it¡¯s not enough to stop the ritual,¡± the Steel Tank said grimly. She pursed her lips. ¡°Then how do we stop it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to try to stop it with that.¡± He nodded over at Saros. The gnome rose to his feet as he raised a ss bottle with a piece of paper sticking from its end. He rubbed the tip of the scrunched parchment, and a small fire ignited. The mes quickly burned a green color as he raised his head. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± the blonde girl asked with a frown. Saros didn¡¯t even look her way as he answered. ¡°Well, it was an Antimagic Vacuum sk. But I upgraded it with a Greater Scroll of Dispel Magic.¡± He paused, staring at the burning green mes. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He looked up at the center of the dome, before aiming carefully. ¡°So it¡¯s now my makeshift attempt at an Antimagic Bomb.¡± ¡°An Antimagic Bomb?¡± Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide. She had heard of such things before¡ª but they were said to be able to disable all magic over a certain radius for a period of time. Obviously, it depended on the Antimagic Bomb itself. But if it exploded, the Noble Spellsword wasn¡¯t going to be able to use most of her Skills. Even Elegant Noble sh and Glorious Noble sh would be dispelled if she tried to use them. So if the Antimagic Bomb went off, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop thepletion of the ritual¡­ then she wouldn¡¯t be able to put up even a semnce of a fight against Ar¡¯elith. Which begged the question¡ª ¡°Will it be enough?¡± Noele asked as she eyed the makeshift Antimagic Bomb. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Saros said simply. And he tossed the bottle into the air. The blonde girl watched as it hurtled up towards the eddying purple mist. She sucked in a breath and hoped for the best. Both Garron and Saros looked away, closing their eyes as they waited. The makeshift Antimagic Bomb was right on target. It tumbled upwards, straight for the very tip of the dome. Noele looked on¡ª And something shot straight through the sk. Noele blinked. Garron and Saros raised their heads, hearing the ss smashing against rock. The three adventurers stared at the broken bottle lying right next to Tristan Devon¡¯s unconscious body. And an ornatence stuck out of the ground, stabbing the piece of parchment into the earth. The green mes had been snuffed out before the makeshift Antimagic Bomb had a chance to explode. Its effects failed to materialize, and the Gnome Inventor gaped as his artifacts were wasted. ¡°Who¡ª¡± he started. And thence shot back up to the sky. The three adventurers looked up as a winged figure hovered high above the gnome. It stared back at them with twelve eyes. No¡ª he stared back at them with twelve eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± Noele looked on in shock. Guardian Angel Z357 caught hisnce with ease, before pointing down at the three adventurers. He spoke with no mouth¡ª his thoughts invading their minds. Do not interfere, he said simply. The ritual must be seen topletion. Now begone. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Guardian Angel Z357 had disobeyed the directives of the World System once again. [In Progress: (0/1) Ritual Halted!] A blue box shed before him¡ª an objective given to him toplete. He stared at it, then he looked towards the unfurling ritual before him. A giant spell circle spanned over a thousand feet in radius, extending to the sky to form a translucent dome. At the very center of the dome was a dark neb. Clouds of the Void¡¯s essence shrouded a skeletal figure within. Its bones were frail and thin. The eye sockets were empty,cking life. But with each passing moment, the skeleton grew in stature. The sparks of a flickering me began to form in its eyes. And soon, Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King would live again. But the angel didn¡¯t care about that. He was more powerful than any being in 16B, so the return of a mere walking skeleton didn¡¯t matter to him. No¡ª he was far more concerned about what else the revival of Ar¡¯elith would entail. I will always return. As long as I have a vessel¡­ The voice of the Fal-Deus echoed in Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s mind. It was a brief confrontation¡ª he had dispelled the rifts quickly enough. But still, the words still burned in his mind. Because of what was implied. The Fal-Deus could be stopped if he was given a vessel. And the perfect vessel for its powers was being built right before Guardian Angel Z357 That was why he rejected his directives. That was why he watched. That was why he stopped the three vacians from interrupting the ritual. So that the Fal-Deus would im a vessel in the First Lich King. And so that he could put a halt to the Void¡¯s incursion with 16B once and for all. ¡ª-- Noele didn¡¯t understand it. She didn¡¯t get it. Angels were supposed to be the protectors of Vacuos¡ª the sentinels of the World System. They were the ones who had exiled the Great Evil into the Void long ago. And yet, here was an angel, fighting to protect the Void. But it wasn¡¯t just any angel¡ª it was Guardian Angel Z357 himself. He was a temporary waiter. A part-time bartender. However, more importantly, he was the one who had said he was here to save the world. And yet, after ferrying the three adventurers to Arelioth¡¯s Pass, he had vanished. He had requested to follow after them so he could purge the Void. But after returning, he was¡­ protecting the Void? It didn¡¯t make sense to the Noble Spellsword. And it wasn¡¯t just her. Herpanions were just as taken aback as she was. Saros and Garron stared high at the sky¡ª at Guardian Angel Z357 as he hovered above the dome. Eleven of his twelve eyes were fixed on the three adventurers, with a single eye looking away from them, staring at the eddying purple mist. Hisnce was raised, aiming directly at Noele as he transmitted his thoughts. Do not interfere, he repeated himself. The ritual must be seen topletion. Noele blinked as she registered his words, before snapping out of her stupor. She took a step back and nced towards the broken Antimagic Bomb. That was their only hope in stopping the ritual. And Guardian Angel Z357 destroyed it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she called out as she looked back up towards the flying figure. ¡°Why did you do that? Why are you protecting the ritual?¡± That is none of your concern, he replied simply. Now begone. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be helping us!¡± Saros eximed, pointing usingly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how hard it was for me to get those artifacts? You better do something about¡ª¡± But Guardian Angel Z357 cut the gnome off with a simple nce. Saros paled and backed up, lowering his hand. I said: do not interfere, the angel warned. ¡°I¡­¡± Saros hesitated, but couldn¡¯t muster up a response. Noele nced between the gnome and the angel. She gritted her teeth, before shaking her head. ¡°No¡ª we¡¯ll stop this ritual,¡± she said as she raised her two des at Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you while you were gone, but you¡¯re not thinking clearly right now. We cannot allow Ar¡¯elith to return.¡± His twelve eyes flickered, focusing on the blonde girl. But she didn¡¯t flinch, even with his gaze bearing down on her. She wasn¡¯t afraid. Not when she had seen Amelia in a fight before. So Noele turned to her twopanions. Both Garron and Saros were warily backing away from the angel. But while thetter didn¡¯t even notice her nce, the former paused. The Steel Tank steadied himself and held her gaze. ¡°Is there any other way to stop this ritual?¡± she asked as she gestured at their surroundings. Garron swept his gaze past her, looking down at Tristan Devon at his feet. The [Necromancer] was still unconscious. But even still, without his magic, the spell circle continued to unfold around the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. ¡°We can destroy the phctery,¡± Garron finally said. ¡°But it¡¯s¡­ not going to be easy.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s difficult. We can¡¯t back down just because it isn¡¯t easy. We have to stop the ritual no matter what.¡± Noele raised her head. The Steel Tank nodded. ¡°Then we have to level the entirendscape¡ª the phctery isn¡¯t just a single object. It¡¯s the entirety of Fi¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The blonde girl was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly regained herposure. ¡°Alright,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Saros blinked, ncing between the two humans as the pair made their decision. He watched as the Steel Tank charged at a nearby pir, knocking it over. Noele raised a hand as her [Grand ze] coalesced in the palm of her hand. She unleashed a st of golden mes at a nearby tower, and arge explosion rocked the area. But the Noble Spellsword didn¡¯t stop there. She swept out with the cone of her [Grand ze], incinerating everything she saw. Saros shook his head and called out. ¡°What are you idiots doing? Didn¡¯t you hear the angel? We can¡¯t interfere!¡± Noele leapt back from a copsing wall as she continued to unleash her attacks on the former Dungeon. She nced back at the gnome, before looking up at Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°But we must¡ª¡± And she paused. Noele blinked as the angel vanished right before her very eyes. He had just been hovering high in the sky above the dome a moment earlier. But now, he was gone. ¡°What¡­?¡± She stared at the glistening stars, only to catch a glimpse of a feather in the corner of her eyes. She spun around just in time to see the butt of ance being swung towards her. Even with her [Keen Battle Intuition], she wasn¡¯t able to react in time. The Noble Spellsword shouted in pain as she was struck in the stomach by Guardian Angel Z357. A non-fatal blow. But it still sent her flying back into a pile of rubble nheless. ¡°Noele!¡± Garron eximed, running towards her. But the angel intercepted him before he could get close. It was a light backhand from Guardian Angel Z357. But it was more than enough to send the Steel Tank crashing down into the earth. Noele groaned as she got to her feet. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the burly man lying on the ground beneath Guardian Angel Z357. She cursed and raised her twin des, but her vision blurred, and the angel was standing right before her. Did he teleport to her? Or did he move so quickly she thought he was teleporting? She didn¡¯t know. All she knew was that he was tightly gripping onto her right hand as she could only gape back at him. He leant closer as he spoke threateningly. Do not attempt to retaliate any further, he warned. Or I shall be forced to undertake extreme action. Noele gritted her teeth. Her eyes flickered as she looked past the angel, staring at Garron still staggering to his feet amidst some debris. And right next to him was a much smaller figure, free to continue destroying the former Dungeon. Her two des shone with a golden light. ¡°Saros!¡± she shouted at the gnome. ¡°Now¡¯s your chance!¡± He blinked, looking down at himself. ¡°I¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 craned his neck, looking back as his grip on her right arm loosened slightly. And as he did, the aura coating Noele¡¯s de wisped wildly. She repeated herself as she raised her left hand, before swinging down at the distracted angel. ¡°Glorious and Elegant Noble sh!¡± she screamed as he looked back at her. And a powerful golden cross exploded from where Guardian Angel Z357 stood. It was Noele¡¯s strongest attack. She leapt back as she unleashed it with everything she had. As shended, she panted from exhaustion, feeling her [Greater Mana Core] drain empty. Saros and Garron watched as the powerful st ripped apart the ground. The sh of light slowly dissipated, and the golden aura faded away. ¡°Did you¡­ get him?¡± the Steel Tank asked, wide-eyed. But the gnome just shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough¡ª of course it¡¯s not enough!¡± Noele pursed as she watched the smoke clear. And Guardian Angel Z357 stood there,pletely unscathed. Even though that was her strongest attack¡ª even though it had taken everything she had left¡ª she failed to even scratch him. He slowly looked back to face her as his twelve eyes flickered. And he raised hisnce. There was a crackle of thunder overhead. A st of purple lightning fell from the sky, crashing into the nearby cliffside. But Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t even look back. His gaze bore into Noele as he aimed his weapon at her. This is your final warning, he said. Throw down your arms, or face the consequences. Noele hesitated. She looked past him towards both Saros and Garron. They hesitated, but she spoke simply as she took on a defensive stance. ¡°Destroy the phctery¡ª I¡¯ll hold off the angel.¡± The two adventurers exchanged a nce. Garron immediately nodded and took off. But it took the Gnome Inventor a moment longer to mull over his decision¡ª he chewed his lower lip exasperatedly before finally acquiescing. ¡°Fine!¡± Saros said as he reached into his Bag of Holding. ¡°We¡¯re all going to die anyway. Might as well die fighting.¡± Even though he was terrified of the angel, he still started to toss his Blooming Grenades around the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle. Noele nodded to herself as she saw this, before focusing on her opponent. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t even look back at them. He took in the Noble Spellsword¡¯s posture, before nodding. Very well, he said as he lowered hisnce. You have zero warnings left. ¡°I know,¡± Noele replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t care.¡± He could likely cut her down with a single swing of hisnce. And yet, she opposed him. Because she had to¡ª because she had no other choice. He took a step forward as she braced herself. Then I shall be forced to¡ª Guardian Angel Z357 started. And was interrupted as there was another crackle of thunder overhead once more. But this time, a lightning bolt didn¡¯t fall from the sky. Instead, the ritual circle shone brightly as the dome began to recede into the purple mist. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± Noele blinked. And a pulse of purple energy shot out, dispelling the mist and the ritual circle. The blonde girl was nearly knocked off her feet from the shockwave. She raised her head and stared at the skeletal figure floating overhead. Her eyes went wide when she saw space itself ripple for just a moment. But the distortion vanished in an instant, and the skeletal figure began to descend, its bones turning white. A veil of purple mist cloaked its body as its hollow eyes were filled with light. A pair of wisping me-like eyes. At first, they burned crimson. But they were slowly infected with a blue light. And then, they burned with a purple fire. The markings of the Void¡¯s touch¡ª the Void¡¯s blessing. Or maybe even something else. ¡°Tremble. Kneel. Beg,¡± an ethereal voice echoed as Noele could only stare in shock. ¡°But there will be no mercy. There will be no lives spared.¡± The skeletal figure continued to slowly descend from the sky, voice booming. The words drew the attention of everyone present. It even stirred Tristan Devon awake, and heughed weakly. ¡°P-praise be¡­¡± the [Necromancer] mustered up. Garron came to a halt right before a half-copsed wall. He clenched a fist tightly as he stared at the falling figure. Saros dropped to his knees, whispering weakly. ¡°No¡­ we failed¡­¡± Noele felt her hands grow numb in the face of this overwhelming power. She could sense it¡ª she had fought enough beings who had sumbed to the Void, she could now vaguely discern its essence. And she could tell that this was unlike anything she had ever faced before. It¡­ terrified her. Even Guardian Angel Z357 seemed to hesitate for a moment, warily turning to face the skeleton. ¡°All shall suffer. All shall know death.¡± Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King spoke as his bony feet finally touched the ground. A sh of purple lightning crashed behind him as he addressed the small crowd watching him in awe and terror. ¡°For I have¡­¡± He started, then paused. For a moment, his burning purple eyes flickered. He slowly raised his head, spreading his arms wide, before he continued in a distorted voice. ¡°¡ªreTuRNed.¡± And it was clear he had be something even more. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Ar¡¯elith finally returned. He was the Lord of All Undeath. The One Who Tamed the Five Grand Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path. He was the Lich King himself. He basked in the moonlight as he stared up at the starry sky. It was his third timeing back to life after perishing. The first time was when he had transformed himself into a Lich Lord when he had reached Level 50. It was a dangerous process, and many [Necromancers] failed their transition. In doing so, they would either be a mindless lich or simply be reduced to ash. But Ar¡¯elith seeded. Not only that, he became the first being to ever ascend into the status of a Lich King. He was unstoppable. He created an army of nigh-invincible undeads that brought the Valeri Empire to its knees¡ª the very same Valeri Empire that had crushed the remnants of the Grand Nova Empire At the time, the Valeri Empire had spanned from Laxo to Alius. And yet, Ar¡¯elith had nearly destroyed them on his own. In fact, he would have won the war if not for the intervention of the great [Hero] Leon. He had been summoned from another world to Vacuos to put a halt to the conquest of the undead. And with devices and tools which Ar¡¯elith had never seen before, the great [Hero] Leon defeated the Lich King. It was the second time Ar¡¯elith had died. But he would return¡ª even in the unlikely event that his bones were somehow destroyed, he knew he would return. After all, the location of his phctery was a secret, and one of his many followers would be able revive him with a grand ritual. Unfortunately, the great [Hero] Leon knew of this fact, and he cast a seal on the Lich King¡¯s bones so that they could not be reassembled. Even if the phctery remained untouched, Ar¡¯elith could not be revived because his bones were scattered across the world. And for ten thousand years, hey in death. But after one of his devout followers spent a century gathering his bones, he finally returned. It was supposed to be his grand revenge¡ª he could finally exact vengeance against the world. But he was killed in an instant. It was his third death, and it happened so swiftly, he didn¡¯t even realize what happened until he was already dying. He hadn¡¯t even been alive for more than an hour when he was killed. And to make matters worse, he was killed by some random girl! Who was she? She had been dressed like some street beggar, but she defeated him with a single swing of her sword. And he was overtaken by darkness once again. It was an odd sensation¡ª dying. Even though he had already died three times now, and he hade back to life three times as well, he still wasn¡¯t ustomed to it. It was like going from a state of pure nothingness¡ª where time didn¡¯t exist, and he could feel no emotion. It was said that when one died, their soul was returned to the World System. But since the Lich King¡¯s soul never left his body, it was like he was being held in stasis. And when he finally was revived again now, he could finally process his thoughts prior to his previous death. He could finally perceive the world again. And the first thing he heard was¡ª ¡°Submit.¡± Ar¡¯elith lowered his head. His eyes flickered for a moment as he felt like he lost control of his body¡ª just briefly. But he regained control of himself and shook his head. He dismissed the strange feeling and the odd voice. It was probably a result of the revival process. Instead, he took in his surroundings. He saw the rubble covering the rocky ground. He felt the wind blowing against his back. He took in his thoughts. He took in his feelings. He bathed in what it was like to be alive again. And he swept his gaze over the four figures surrounding him. He looked down at one of them¡ª a man who was lying bloodied and prone on the ground, dressed in robes like a [Necromancer]. ¡°Are you the one who rev¡ª¡± Ar¡¯elith started. And a voice screamed, interrupting him. ¡°Die!¡± A blonde girl leapt before the Lich King as he raised his head. She carried two des¡ª each one shining with a scintiting golden light. And she swung down as he stared at her. ¡°Glorious and Elegant Noble sh!¡± A st of powerful golden magic engulfed him as felt his bones being ripped apart from each other. And his skull went flying, separated from the rest of his body. ¡ª-- Noele leapt back as she unleashed her most powerful attack against the First Lich King. The explosion was smaller than the st that had engulfed Guardian Angel Z357. But it was expected. She was exhausted. She thought that she had nothing left in her¡ª she felt within her [Greater Mana Core], and there had been nothing left. But somehow, she still managed to muster up something directly from her soul. It wasn¡¯t enough. Not to kill Ar¡¯elith. She knew it wasn¡¯t a fruitless effort. And yet, she tried anyway. She raised her de as the smoke and dust clear¡ª ¡­only to blink when she saw a pile of bones lying in the center of the crater. ¡°What?¡± Her eyes narrowed. Saros ran up to her side, cursing as he nced around. ¡°Where did that damn angel go¡ª oh.¡± He stared at the scene with her. Garron stumbled forward, blinking as he looked down at the scattered bones of the First Lich King. ¡°Y-you¡­. you did it,¡± the burly man gasped. ¡°You beat him!¡± Noele¡¯s eyes flickered. She didn¡¯t lower her guard as she remembered her battles with Odell, Zevya, and the kretus boar. She shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she said as she took a step forward. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± And right as she spoke, the bones of the First Lich King began to shoot through the air. She watched as a skull floated high into the sky as a terribleughter echoed around the three adventurers. ¡°Do you think that was enough to defeat me?¡± Ar¡¯elith said as his body pieced itself together beneath his skull. ¡°Ridiculous! I am the Lich King! I cannot be killed by the likes of you!¡± Noele was certain he wasn¡¯t even regenerating thanks to the Void¡¯s power. The way he had simply recovered from her attack was distinctly different from how the other battles she had with the Void thus far. He pointed at her as her eyes widened. The sky crackled as dark clouds gathered overhead. She activated [Dance with Death]¡ª focusing on [sh Step] before she teleported away. ¡°[Frost Lightning],¡± the First Lich King said. All at once, a st of blue lightning crashed down from the sky. It struck the ground where she had been just moments ago, shredding the earth open as the nearby ground was wreathed in frost. Garron and Saros were far enough away from the explosion so that they weren¡¯t struck by a direct hit. However, the shockwave sent them flying back as kes of snow eddied up into the sky. Noele appeared atop a pile of rubble as Ar¡¯elith nced her way. His ming purple eyes red as he made an annoyed sound. ¡°Hmph, impudent,¡± he said as he pointed her way. There was a thundering crack before he even spoke the words of his Skill. ¡°[Frost¡ª¡± And a streak of purple lightning shed down before he finished speaking. Noele cursed, teleporting away with another [sh Step] thanks to [Dance with Death]. This time, when she reappeared, the ground trembled and cracked open. Even though she was a hundred feet away from ground zero of the st, she was still knocked back by the explosion. She was sent flying into a rock wall as a pulse of the Void¡¯s power rippled over the area. And Ar¡¯elith just stared at the massive second crater that dwarfed the first. He lowered his hand as he tried to work his jaw. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡ª-- The Lich King was taken aback by his own power. He had tried to call upon his [Frost Lightning], but something else was beckoned forth. A bolt of purple lightning that drew from something else. His [Bountiful Mana Core] did not drain of magic. And he knew he hadn¡¯t been able to use a Skill just yet. That attack didn¡¯te from him. It came from another source of power¡ª one that far surpassed his own. He looked down at himself in confusion, and he heard the voice again. ¡°I can give you power.¡± His vision distorted¡ª the world twisted as the sky seemed to darken. But he knew that it was simply his perception being muddled with. The twisted voice continued to echo in his head as he stumbled back. ¡°I can grant you your revenge.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Ar¡¯elith asked, gripping his skull. ¡°Who is that? Reveal yourself!¡± But his vision returned to normal. His eyes flickered as he shook his head. He looked down at himself as he saw ribbons of a purple magic gathering at his fingertips. He stared at this power in confusion. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Void¡¯s power!¡± an enthusiastic voice eximed. Ar¡¯elith looked up to see the [Necromancer] from earlier stumbling to his feet. He was disheveled and bloodied, but he still forced himself up to greet the Lich King. ¡°The Void¡¯s¡­ power?¡± Ar¡¯elith asked as he looked back down at himself. He saw the kes of the Void¡¯s essence¡ª he finally recognized the twisted magic for what it was. And he froze. The [Necromancer] shook his head. ¡°I apologize for my unsightly appearance, but¡ª¡± ¡°Exin,¡± the Lich King cut him off. ¡°Uh, pardon me, my King?¡± the [Necromancer] asked in a puzzled voice. ¡°Why have I been infected by this¡­ this¡­ vile power!¡± Ar¡¯elith spun around and snarled at the blinking man. ¡°How dare you taint me with the Void! You shall pay for your insolence!¡± The [Necromancer] paled as he raised his arms. ¡°But my King, I did it so you could¡ª¡± ¡°Perish.¡± And a st of [Frost Lightning] obliterated him before he could protest. He screamed for a fraction of a moment, before his voice was silenced. What remained where he had stood were thousands of pieces of broken ice. ¡ª-- ¡°What¡­ just happened?¡± Noele watched as Ar¡¯elith obliterated Tristan Devon without any hesitation. She had just been about to strike the First Lich King from behind¡ª another surprise attack¡ª but she paused when she saw that interaction y out. Ar¡¯elith hates the Void? That¡­ didn¡¯t really change much¡ª he still wanted to ughter everyone in Vacuos to achieve his undead dream. But she also wasn¡¯t sure whether attacking him was the best idea right now. Not when he was shuddering and stumbling back, whispering at himself. ¡°Get out of my head¡ª begone from my soul!¡± He spread his arms wide and faced the sky. A plume of purple mist expelled from his mouth, and the aura of the Void coating him partially dissipated. He was still Void-touched or Void-blessed. But it was weaker now. The Lich King bent over, panting as his hands balled into fists. Noele lowered her two des. If Ar¡¯elith dispelled the Void from his body¡­ would he even still be alive anymore? She thought there was a slim possibility that he¡¯d perish since the ritual that revived him drew from the Void¡¯s essence. However, even if that didn¡¯t happen, it still meant that she actually would stand a chance against the Lich King. ¡­well, more of a chance than right now. Noele looked on as Ar¡¯elith roared as he wed at his face. And then he paused. The blonde girl blinked as a figure suddenly appeared before him. Her eyes went wide when she saw who it was. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 stood before the Lich King. For a moment, neither of them moved as Noele just stared. And then Ar¡¯elith stumbled forward as he cked his jaw together. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ an angel?¡± he asked. In response, Guardian Angel Z357 hurled hisnce at the First Lich King. And Ar¡¯elith exploded into a million broken pieces. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Ar¡¯elith exploded. Noele stumbled back as she watched the First Lich King¡¯s bones shatter. Guardian Angel Z357¡¯snce hadn¡¯t just broken the joints and separated the bones¡ª it hadpletely broken each and every bone it came into contact with. It was said that the bones of Ar¡¯elith were nigh unbreakable. That the reason his bones were scattered across the world was because even the efforts of the greatest [Warriors] and [Mages]bined, they could not destroy the First Lich King¡¯s bones. And Noele had seen its durability with her own eyes. Even her strongest attack hadn¡¯t even scratched the pale ivory. But, in a single instant, it waspletely destroyed. She blinked a few times as she tried to process this scene. But then she flinched as she watched thence fly back into Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s hands. This was the power of an angel¡ª it was the real show of strength of one of the sentinels of the World System. While Noele had already intuitively known that Guardian Angel Z357 was incredibly dangerous, seeing it up close was an entirely different matter. She stumbled back, only for an arm to catch her. She nced back at the burly man steadying her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Garron asked, even though he wasn¡¯t in good shape himself. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± She shook her head as she turned to face the shattered pieces of the First Lich King. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s over just yet.¡± The Steel Tank frowned, and that was when the pieces of the First Lich King¡¯s bones began to tremble where theyy. Noele¡¯s eyes flickered as Saros called out. ¡°Seriously? What will it take to put down the Lich King for good?¡± The four figures looked on as the shattered bones of Ar¡¯elith began to zip through the air, piecing the skeletal figure as a purple aura pulsed. Noele knew that this was the power of the Void¡ª unlike earlier, when the First Lich King had recovered from her attack all thanks to his own magic. She nced towards Guardian Angel Z357, expecting him to finish off Ar¡¯elith. But the angel did not move. Even as the First Lich King¡¯s skull was fully reformed, and the purple mes in his eyes zed brighter than before. ¡°Are you going to stop this?¡± Noele asked as she took a step forward. ¡°Or are you going to let this happen like you did with the ritual?¡± Guardian Angel Z357 fractionally craned his neck to face her. He didn¡¯t visibly react to her words. But he did answer simply with his thoughts. I shall destroy this Lich King when he revives, he said as he raised hisnce. But I shall not dispel the Void from his body. Ar¡¯elith screamed in anger and pain as he was restored to life. He pointed a finger at the angel, unleashing a st of purple lightning¡ª one that crackled louder than before. But Guardian Angel Z357 simply threw hisnce once more. The attack sheared straight through the purple lightning, before striking Ar¡¯elith in the chest, shattering his skeletal frame once more. If I must, I will repeat this process again and again and again and again¡­ Noele watched as the angel strode forward and picked up hisnce, before spreading his arms wide. ¡­until the Fal-Deus possesses this vessel¡ª She blinked. And her eyes grew wide as Guardian Angel Z357 finished. Then I shall purge this of the Void once and for all. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 made the deration of his n, even as the skeleton continued to regenerate right behind him. It was a bold goal¡ª but it served toplete his objective. Or so he told himself, even as the World System informed him otherwise. [Processing: Change in Objective¡­ ¡­ Failed: (0/1) Ritual Halted! Main Objective Iplete!] But even though the notification stated that he had failed his prior objective, before giving him a new objective which he ignored, he still believed he was ultimately acting in the best interest of the World System. He turned away from the Noble Spellsword as she stood there, stunned speechless. And he faced down the fully-reformed Lich King. A red box shed before his twelve eyes, oveying the skeletal figure. [WARNING! High Amounts of Void Essence Detected! Threat Level: Continental Destruction(?)* *Danger is rapidly growing!] And Guardian Angel Z357 shook his head. That wasn¡¯t enough. He took a step forward as the Lich King gasped. Ar¡¯elith looked up at the approaching angel, clutching at his ribs as he gasped. ¡°Do not¡ª¡± But the angel callously swung down with hisnce. And the Lich King was shattered into a million pieces once more. ¡ª-- Ar¡¯elith was the Lich King. He was the Lord of All Undeath. He was the One Who Tamed the Five Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path. He was a Level 75 [Archmage of Death] who was capable of felling even Elder Dragons 10 levels above him. He was feared. He was worshipped. And he was being killed again and again and again by an angel. The Lich King didn¡¯t quiteprehend what was going on. It was an angel¡ª one of the protectors of Vacuos against the Void. So Ar¡¯elith cried out to be saved from the vile power inhabiting him. But in response, he was senselessly cut down. Even in spite of his protestations. ¡°Please, purge me of this¡ª¡± he begged. And the angel destroyed him. ¡°I am not a follower of the V¡ª¡± he said. And the angel destroyed him. Ar¡¯elith felt an immense amount of pain surging through his body as hey there¡ª a pile of dust and broken bones. And as he was pieced back together, he was left to his thoughts. The Void¡ª the creation of the Great Evil. The magic of the Fal-Deus. It had infected him. It coursed through his body, bringing him back to life again and again and again, far faster than he was able to regenerate on his own. The Lich King despised it. He cursed himself of his fate. He was a devout follower of the World System¡ª it had given him the power to achieve life even in death. And with it, he was going to conquer all of Vacuos. With it, he was going to bring peace to the world. There would be no more death. No more suffering. No more wars. No more disease. And no more famine. He remembered what it was like to live through a time of pestilence and pain¡ª when the aftershock of the Void¡¯s incursion with Vacuos was still rippling across the three remaining continents. And even as a child, he had sworn to ensure that such a world would never exist again, and that those who had wronged him would forever pay for their actions. But now, he had been reduced to a mere vessel to the Void¡¯s power. He weakly gasped as a voice resounded in his head. ¡°Submit.¡± The Lich King ground his teeth together as he replied. ¡°No¡ª¡± And the angel destroyed him. He screamed as his vision cracked into thousands of fragments facing different directions. And his gaze focused on the angel. He was restored to his full stature, and he raised a hand. ¡°Listen to me!¡± he yelled. And Ar¡¯elith created a barrier of ice. The angel swung down. Thence struck its target, piercing through the barrier. But it didn¡¯t break all the way through¡ª there was a sh of purple light as the surface cracked. Thence was lodged halfway through the barrier, and there were sparks of the Void¡¯s essence wisping off the cracks in the ice. Ar¡¯elith felt the magic surging through him. The alien power that was neither his nor the World System¡¯s. He tried to reject it, but in this moment, he drew from it to hold the angel back. ¡°If you are truly an angel, save me from this gue¡ª¡± And a secondnce appeared hovering above the angel. Ar¡¯elith stared for a moment. Before the secondnce shot down, crashing straight through the Lich King¡¯s skull. Once again, his bones were shattered. His vision winked out of existence as he could not see anything anymore. But the pain never left him. He felt like his entire body was burning¡ª dipped in molten rocks and thrown through a grinder. ¡­why? he asked himself as hey there in darkness. Why was this happening to him? This was supposed to be his grand return. But now, he was infected by the Void, and a ything to a false angel. His vision slowly returned as he felt his skull hovering high in the sky¡ª being repaired slowly by the zipping chunks of broken bones. And he remembered. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had returned, was it? He had alreadye back once before¡ª his bones pieced together by one of his disciples of this era. And when he was revived, he hadn¡¯t been tainted by the Void. He had been himself. He had been the Lich King. But then he was killed in an instant. His vengeance¡ª his conquest¡ª ground to a halt with a single swing of the sword. All because of¡­ ¡°Her.¡± Ar¡¯elith stared at a brown-haired woman. He saw the bored look on her face¡ª he saw the familiar rusty sword. She stood there on the edge of the cliff, wearing strange clothes and a tattered cloak. And his eyes zed. The rage in his heart only grew stronger as he felt his pain numbing. Only his fury remained. ¡°I can give you the power to destroy her. I can give you the strength to exact your revenge.¡± Ar¡¯elith didn¡¯t respond. His eyes flickered for a moment, and the girl was no longer there. He looked down at the angel as he caught a glimpse of thence¡¯s glint. ¡°All you need to do is¡ª¡± The angel¡¯s secondnce shout out once again. And the Lich King roared in a distorted voice. ¡°SUBMIT.¡± The voice echoed in his mind as he screamed, unleashing a cone of purple frost at the angel. Thence turned to ice mid-air as the st of magic mixed with the Void¡¯s power crashed into the earth, freezing everything Ar¡¯elith could see. The ruins of the castle surrounding him were frozen. Arge section of Arelioth¡¯s Pass was coated with ice. Every piece of rock, debris, and rubble in miles were coated in a thickyer of sleet. And it wasn¡¯t ordinary ice either¡ª it glinted with a purple tint, infused with Void essence. Ar¡¯elith descended to the ground as his gazended on where the angel had been standing. A rainbow-colored dome stood there instead¡ª a barrier. It dissipated momentster to reveal the unscathed angel. And the Lich King raised a hand. The pure white ivory of his bones had been painted purple. The Void¡¯s essence wisped off his body, coating him with a dark aura. His eyes red as he pointed at the angel. ¡°Perish for what you have done to me!¡± he screamed. And a st of purple lightning crashed down from the darkening skies. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 saw the attacking. He watched the eddying clouds above shone with a purple aura. The heavens crackled with a purple electricity as thunder cracked in the far distance. He looked back towards the Lich King as the bolt of lightning shot down his way. And he raised hisnce, blocking the attack. There was a sh of light. A powerful shockwave rippled over thendscape as the frozen ground shattered from the sheer force of the impact. And even though Guardian Angel Z357¡¯snce took the brunt of the bolt of lightning, he found himself being forced back from the st. He raised his head as Ar¡¯elith descended from the sky. His twelve eyes flickered, taking in the devastation that had been wrecked across thendscape in such a short amount of time. For a moment, he wondered where Noele, Garron, and Saros had gone. Had they been destroyed from the previous frost st? But his attention was immediately diverted by a sh of red light. A message from the World System appeared before him, and he read the words it had said. [WARNING! Abundant Amounts of Void Essence Detected! Threat Level:ary Cataclysm(?)* *Danger is rapidly growing!] Guardian Angel Z357 stared at it. He looked back up at the empurpled form of the Lich King. And he finally readied his Techniques. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Guardian Angel Z357 shed with Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King. A powerful shockwave rippled across thendscape. Arelioth¡¯s Pass shook. The ground trembled, and bits of rocks and rubble crashed down the cliffside into the valley. The surrounding structures¡ª the Ruins of Fi¡¯s Castle¡ª were blown apart in an instant. The dust and debris settled as Guardian Angel Z357 narrowed his twelve eyes. His gildednce hovered right before the Lich King¡¯s skull, blocked by an icy staff. A purple staff. One that was conjured by the Void¡¯s powers. Ar¡¯elith¡¯s ming eyes ze as he roared. He swung down with his staff, aiming for the angel¡¯s face. Z357 parried the strike, before quickly ducking under a follow-up attack. The Lich King cackled as he leapt back and raised a finger. ¡°I am Ar¡¯elith! I am the Lord of All Undeath! I am the One Who Tamed the Five Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path!¡± He screamed as an ice spike began to form at the tip of his finger. Guardian Angel Z357 floated across from him, eyeing the purple aura coalescing around the Lich King. For a moment, the Void¡¯s essence red. ¡°I shall not¡­ I shall not¡ª¡± Ar¡¯elith started, before his form twisted and his voice distorted. ¡°I shall not be humiliated by a dRoNE SuCh AS YOU!¡± The ice spikes multiplied a thousandfold. The attacks rained down at Guardian Angel Z357 as he raised his head. He saw the shadows drawing closer, and he closed his eyes. Without A Trace, he activated one of his Techniques. The Lich King¡¯s burning purple eyes flickered as the angel¡¯s figure seemed to vanish. But Guardian Angel Z357 hadn¡¯t simply be invisible. His form was incorporeal. And as he flew forward, the hail of ice spikes phased through his body. They rained down onto the nearby cliffside, ripping apart the stone with their explosions. A second valley was shredded open from the volley of sts. It was a crater that would have engulfed multiplerge cities¡ª it ran parallel with Arelioth¡¯s Pass, permanently scarring thendscape. Guardian Angel Z357 easily avoided them and reached Ar¡¯elith¡¯s side in an instant, before ending the effects of his Technique. His body phased back into existence as the Lich King recoiled. ¡°You¡ª¡± And Guardian Angel 357 thrust forward with hisnce, shattered the skeleton¡¯s ribs in a single swing. Ar¡¯elith copsed into a pile of bones as he screamed. But the purple aura wreathing his body did not fade away. He slowly began to regenerate as the angel flitted back. If Guardian Angel Z357 wanted, he could have dispelled the Void¡¯s essence from the Lich King¡¯s remains. However, he did not. He refused to do it. Even as he sensed the brief tear in space forming within the bones. Like a core of depravity. He refused to destroy it entirely. Not yet, he told himself. Not until¡ª [In Progress: (0/1) Void¡¯s Heir defeated!] Guardian Angel Z357 eyed the blue box shing to his side. He dismissed the objective, readying even more of his Techniques. Not until the Void¡¯s Heir fully sumbs, and the Fal-Deus steps foot into 16B. Only then, could Guardian Angel Z357 put a halt to this incursion between the Void and Vacuos. All he needed to do was ensure that the vessel¡ª that Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King¡ª was fully broken, so the Fal-Deus could im a medium to walk this world. For now¡ª Guardian Angel Z357 watched as the Lich King was pieced back together once again. ¡ª-- Ar¡¯elith blinked. He stood in an empty room. A dark room. One that was shrouded in a veil of purple mist. An expanse of nothingness surrounded him, and he frowned. Where was he? He didn¡¯t know. He raised a hand¡ª And paused when he didn¡¯t see a skeletal arm protruding from his side. He stared, puzzled for a long moment. Then he looked down at himself. His eyes went wide when he saw a young man. Flesh and skin still clung to his bones, and long golden locks trickled down his neck. He was the Lich King. He was the Lord of All Undeath. And right now, he was¡ª ¡­human? His name was Arthur. He had been a [Priest] once. He had been a devout follower of the World System. He was a nonbatant¡ª his Skills were tailored to empowering others and helping them level. He was also capable of guiding others down different advancement paths for their sses. He had everything he could have ever wanted. He had a wife¡ª he had two children. And while he wasn¡¯t rich, he was happy. Until it was all taken away from him. They hadn¡¯t been killed¡ª no bandits fell upon his house and slew his family. But a terrible gue had befallen them, and Arthur had escaped alive thanks to the blessings of the World System. And that was when he learned about the folly of life. That death was the only path ahead. He fell into despair. His grief nearly drove him to ending it all. But he realized that there was hope. He heard about the Five Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path¡ª he heard the tale of their immortality, and how their souls refused to leave the mortal world. And so he studied the magic which could preserve life. The magic of the soul. Necromancy. Arthur believed it was the path to paradise. He believed that there was eternal salvation awaiting those who learned mastery over their soul. He theorized that immortality¡ª that which surpassed the timeless lives of the Elder Dragons¡ª could be achieved. But his beliefs had been cast aside. He was ostracized for what he had said. Even though he knew he was right¡­ it didn¡¯t matter. So he vowed he would save the world from the disease of death. He truly believed he could cure Vacuos of its problems. And he was going to do whatever was necessary to achieve salvation. For the sake of himself, and for the sake of others. That was why he fought. That was why Arthur had shed his old name and became Ar¡¯elith the Lich King. But now¡­ why was he fighting? He looked up as a bright light shed before him. He slowly started forward, pressing through the fog of darkness until he stumbled across a screen. An image hovered in the air before him, showing a scene of utter devastation. Smoke and dust billowed the air, andrge craters littered thendscape. His eyes narrowed as the image shifted, tracking a winged figure zipping across the sky. A st of purple lightning crashed down from the dark clouds, but the winged figure dodged it and flew straight into the screen. Arthur flinched, and the image cracked for a moment. Until it began to repair itself as the scene was slowly restored. He blinked, watching as a skeletal hand was raised on the other side of the screen. A purple staff was created out of thin air as a warbled voice echoed around him. ¡°I will¡ªkiLl YoU!¡± The ground split open as giant spires of ice shot out of the earth. A mountain began to rise in the middle of the valley, and millions of icicles rained up into the sky. A terrible cackle shook the images as Arthur stumbled back. He stared for a moment. He saw the skeletal body. He looked at the purple staff. And he raised a hand. ¡°That is¡­ me?¡± he asked softly. ¡°But how?¡± He slowly brought his hand forward as the scene continued to y out. The winged figure easily parried the onught of projectiles before slicing the mountain of ice in half. The screen trembled as Arthur¡¯s fingertips touched the surface¡ª And his hand almost went through the screen. He frowned. ¡°What¡ª¡± But before he couldprehend what was going on, a shadowy grip caught him by the forearm. His gaze snapped to the side as he opened his mouth. And a tendril of darkness shot out, grabbing him by the neck. His eyes snapped wide open as he was strangled by something. He struggled to break free, but even more limbs emerged from the darkness. They clung onto him. They swarmed up his body, bringing him down to his knees. He thrashed and screamed and reached for his magic. But he felt nothing. He heard nothing. He was held in ce as he breathed heavily. And a single eye opened before him, tearing through a crack in space. ¡°You. Are. Mine.¡± Arthur stared at the purple sphere hovering in front of the screen. It spoke to him¡ª even without a mouth. And its gaze bore into him as it seemed to growrger with each passing moment. ¡°Do not struggle. Do not resist. For I shall liberate you from your shackles. I am your creator, and I shall lead you to salvation.¡± Salvation? Was that not what Arthur wanted? He had sought it out for so long, and now he was given a chance to finally be at peace. He just had to ept his ce. He just had to¡­ But no. This being¡ª this power¡­ he knew what it was. He could sense its depravity, even as he knelt there, stripped of his magic. He recognized the power of the Void. ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur choked out. He couldn¡¯t breathe. The dark tendrils tightened their grips on him, and he felt like his body was being ripped apart. Somehow, he still remained in one piece. And he gritted his teeth, remembering his dreams. He recalled the promise he had made himself ¡°I am Ar¡¯elith the Lich King!¡± he shouted as he fought back against his bindings. ¡°The Lord of All Undeath¡ª the One Who Tamed the Five Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path!¡± Arthur rose to one feet as he red up at the floating eye. He balled his hands into fists, before breaking free from the dark tendrils holding down his arms. He roared in defiance as he stared into the Void. ¡°I shall not be your pawn!¡± For a moment, it looked like he was going to break free from his bindings. But the Void simply returned his gaze. ¡°No,¡± it said as more tendrils emerged from the darkness. ¡°You will not be a pawn.¡± And they dragged Arthur down as he screamed. He was brought back down to his knees, before his face was mmed into the ground. He opened his mouth, and one of the tendrils wrapped around his face, preventing him from speaking. The eye looked down at him as he struggled. No words left his mouth. He was sinking into the darkness, and he could only stare helplessly as the Void took control of his body¡ª as it took on his feelings and his emotions. As his mind gave in to its temptation. ¡°You will be my vessel.¡± All Arthur could feel now was¡ª ¡°And then we can both have our revenge.¡± ¡­anger. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 saw an opening. The Lich King hesitated for a brief moment, and the angel swooped in for another powerful blow. But before he could reach his target, a powerful explosion of the Void¡¯s essence shot out in all directions. The st sent him flying back as he raised hisnce to protect himself from the explosion. He crashed straight through a nearby cliffside before catching himself mid-air. The cliff copsed beneath him as he quickly regained his bearings. His twelve eyes flickered as he stared at the crater at the center of the st. A figure stood there. Not a skeletal figure¡ª but one that was covered in a thinyer of flesh. Like a desated body. Except the ribs poked out of its stomach, and it still wore the face of a skull. A pair of bone-like wings protruded from its back as a dark aura wisped off its body like a regal cloak. The purple shadows receded for a moment, revealing a hole dug into its chest. One that looked like a glistening crystal eye, but¡­ distorted. Almost like it was a rift in space. Guardian Angel Z357 stared at this figure¡ª at the creature that had reced Ar¡¯elith. No¡­ it hadn¡¯t reced the Lich King. Rather, they had be one. Or they were in the process of bing one. A blue box shed before the angel¡¯s twelve eyes as he descended from the sky. [Processing: Change in Objective¡­ ¡­ Failed: (0/1) Void¡¯s Heir defeated! Main Objective Iplete!] Guardian Angel Z357nded right before the creature as it stared at itself. It flexed a hand curiously, before looking up towards him. He braced himself as the World System gave him a warning. [WARNING! Exorbitant Amounts of Void Essence Detected! Threat Level: Demigod(?)* *Danger is rapidly growing!] Fledgling God Vessel? Demigod? Guardian Angel Z357 tilted his head back. Then he raised hisnce as he prepared for battle. Finally, he could eradicate the Fal¡ª ¡°Perish.¡± And the Fledgling God Vessel appeared behind the angel before he could react. He couldn¡¯t even spin around in time to protect himself. A st of lightning fell from the sky, consuming him as he silently screamed in agony. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Kallistus Kal had sensed the surge in the Void¡¯s essence, and once again, he had taken this opportunity to practice his newfound powers. He had monitored the movements of the angel for weeks now. So he knew that it would only pursue the strongest source of the Void. He remained discreet with the use of his Void-blessed abilities. He ensured that his training sessions were always hidden by a far more powerful re in the Void¡¯s essence. While the [Hero King] preferred to act indiscreetly, he had no other choice. He knew that Guardian Angel Z357 could defeat him with ease. That was why Kallistus had remained in hiding for thest few weeks. Even though his country needed him¡ª even though his armies needed his help to defeat the Astrad Kingdom. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he would need to act covertly. Right now, he was still observing, but he knew he would soon begin to make ns once more. However, that changed when he felt the eruption of Void essence in the distance. It was overwhelming. It felt like the [Hero King] was standing before a rift, hearing the words of the Void as it whispered into his ears. Kallistus Kal stumbled back as he lowered his hand. The voidling he had been conjuring vanished, and the room seemed to shudder. He felt a heavy pressure bearing down onto his back as he dropped into one knee, and he tried to steady himself. ¡°This is¡­?¡± the [Hero King] whispered betweenbored breaths. He looked up, ncing towards the source of this terrible power. He heard the echoes of the Void as he rose back to his feet. ¡°¡ªerish¡­ rish¡­ ish¡­¡± Kallistus felt the Void essence permeating the room around him¡ª pouring forth from a great distance away. It was greater than anything he had ever imagined. Even more so than he had hoped. And he knew that it was what he had been searching for this whole time. ¡ª-- Noele jerked up as her eyes snapped open. She exhaled heavily, before taking in a deep breath. She swept her gaze over her surroundings, staring at the grassyndscape with wide eyes. Her heart was racing. Her ears were ringing. It took her a moment to regain her senses. And when she did, she paused to look down at herself. The Noble Spellsword stared at her cut and bruised body, before raising a hand. ¡°I am¡­ alive?¡± she observed, utterly perplexed. ¡°But¡ª what happened?¡± She asked the question to no one in particr. She didn¡¯t even know where she was. It didn¡¯t look like she was in Arelioth¡¯s Pass anymore. Sitting on a bed of grass and surrounded by thickets of trees with no craters in sight, it was quite evident she was somewhere safe now. ¡°But the Lich King¡ª¡± Noele started as she rose to her feet. And she paused as she heard a groaning from the side. She looked towards a figure lying face first on the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw him. Noele hurriedly rushed to his side as she called out. ¡°Garron!¡± She turned him over as he sat up, rubbing his temples. The burly man shook his head as he grimaced. ¡°Where am I?¡± he asked. And Noele could only purse her lips. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She looked up as she searched her surroundings. The blonde girl had no answer for him. She was just as confused as he was. Garron opened his mouth as he nced at her. ¡°I¡ª¡± And he was interrupted by a sh of light. The two of them nced back as they blinked, staring at a mountain range in the far distance. The sky shone with a bright light¡ª like a giant purple pir was descending from the heavens as dark clouds gathered above. It was so far away, and yet, the two adventurers still saw it. The entire mountain range was bathed in a purple light, illuminated even in the dead of night. And they could even feel the power being emanated from Arelioth¡¯s Pass. It was¡­ terrible. ¡°...what happened?¡± Noele asked as she rose back to her feet. She stared at the lightning bolts crackling in the sable clouds. She thought she could see the face of a skull high in the sky. A shiver ran down her spine as she took a step back, and a voice answered her. ¡°We were saved.¡± Noele spun around and faced a small figure sitting on a rock. She recognized him in an instant. He was Saros the Gnome Inventor. And he didn¡¯t even face her as he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s what happened,¡± he snorted as he shook his head. ¡°We had our asses saved.¡± Garron managed to force himself back to his feet, before narrowing his eyes. He stared at the gnome¡¯s back and furrowed his brows. ¡°Saved? By who?¡± the burly man asked. Noele watched as Saros turned around and faced them. He just rolled his eyes, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°You know who,¡± he said simply. And both Noele and Garron exchanged a nce. They understood what the Gnome Inventor meant in an instant. They both made a sound of understanding. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 was engulfed by the st of purple lightning. It consumed him¡ª it burned the feathers on his wings as his metallic body cracked. His twelve eyes darted around in different directions as the electricity continued to course through him. The lightning bolt vanished, leaving behind a massive crater where hey. He jolted in intense pain, paralyzed and burning. And it didn¡¯t look like he was going to break free from his paralysis any time soon. He would havein there forever¡ª until his body copsed from the shock damage of the attack. But his mind focused. His entire body tensed for a moment. And finally, he called forth one of his Techniques. The only escape to his agony. Without A Trace. He phased out of his corporeal form, and the electricity immediately dispersed. He sank into the ground, clinging onto hisnce as it was taken with him. He took a moment to regain his bearings before shooting out of the earth and ending the effects of his Technique. Hended a dozen feet behind the Fledgling God Vessel as he raised hisnce. He was prepared for another surprise attack. But it didn¡¯te. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± a voice said. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head back as he narrowed his twelve eyes. The voice wasn¡¯t distorted¡ª in fact, it almost sounded perfectly normal. At least, for the one who had said it. It still had an ethereal tone which an ordinary man or woman would not carry. But that was because it was said by Ar¡¯elith the First Lich King. He held his hands up, whispering softly as he faced the empurpled sky. ¡°This power¡ª why did I reject it for so long? I should have heeded the call of the Void from the very beginning. I feel incredible. I feel¡­ invincible¡­¡± Guardian Angel Z357 heard the warbled voiceing from thest word. But it was unlike before. It was calm. It was controlled. Beforehand, it was like the words struggled to even form in this world. But now, Ar¡¯elith spoke for the Fal-Deus like he was speaking for himself. He had be the vessel of the Void. A Fledgling God Vessel. And while he still contained some semnce of his own consciousness, it would soon vanish. Guardian Angel Z357 shook his head. He quickly assessed the situation in this brief moment of reprieve. The Fledgling God Vessel had nearly destroyed him with a single attack. The angel¡¯s wings were torn and tattered¡ª bits of feather had been burnt off to reveal the metal frame underneath. Chunks of his metallic body had been broken off, and bits of wire stuck out as they crackled with electricity. It was not an effect of the lightning bolt, but rather it was simply his insides. As an artificial being, he had no organs. He only had machine parts. Based on that very brief sh between himself and the Fledgling God Vessel, Guardian Angel Z357 knew that he did not stand a chance of winning this battle. It was to be expected. After all, he was faced with a Demigod-level threat. Perhaps an Archangel would be more suited to deal with this problem. But it was only Guardian Angel Z357 who was present here in 16B. So it was up to him toplete his task and defeat the Fal-Deus. And he knew he did not need to destroy the enemy standing before him to win. He just had to weaken the Fledgling God Vessel, dispel the outpouring Void essence, then seal the rift on the chest of the transformed Lich King. It was a three-step process, and each step was necessary in that specific order. But he determined that this process was enough to contain the Fal-Deus for at least another ten thousand years. After all, it was simr to what he had done thest time he had been activated, and it was the only method he knew of that was capable of stopping an immediate return. Although¡­ there was no vessel back then. Unfortunately, every other attempt he had carried out to stop the Fal-Deus had only ever brought about temporary results. So this was what Guardian Angel Z357 knew to do. And he acted to carry it out. Lance Duplication. He raised his right hand, creating dozens of copies of hisnce overhead. They shot forward as they streaked through the air. They propelled with such immense speed, they instantly reached the Fledgling God Vessel. But Ar¡¯elith hardly even reacted. He simply raised his staff, conjuring a wall of ice. The volley of flyingnces crashed into the barrier as the nearby ground was ripped apart. However, the attacks didn¡¯t pierce through¡ª they never reached their target. ¡°You cannot kill me,¡± the transformed Lich King said as he strode forward. Guardian Angel Z357 flew back, aiming hisnce at the Fledgling God Vessel. Bursting Ray of the Sun. And a st of golden light shot out. A massive beam that instantly expanded hundreds of feet wide from its source. It tore apart the earth, shredding open another new valley in Arelioth¡¯s Pass. It would have destroyed everything in hundreds of miles. But as it reached Ar¡¯elith, he just raised his staff. ¡°I have¡­¡± he whispered as a spear of ice was formed right above him. ¡°Ascended.¡± The projectile streaked forward. It tore straight through the beam of golden light, rapidly flying straight for Guardian Angel Z357. His eyes grew wide as his own attack was easily shorn apart. He tried to disengage¡ª he tried flying out of the way of the spear of ice. But it swerved after him. It moved faster than he did. And he was forced to protect himself. He held hisnce forward as he conjured up a barrier. Field of Istion. An iridescent dome fell over him. It was his greatest defensive Technique. It should have protected him from even his own strongest attacks. But as the spear of ice shed with the barrier, he realized it wasn¡¯t enough. His Field of Istion cracked open as he raised hisnce. And the spear of ice shot straight through the barrier, before shing with hisnce. There was a pulse of light. Guardian Angel Z357 was sent flying back from the shockwave as he barely parried the projectile. He crashed into a nearby mountain, destroying the mountaintop from the sheer impact of his fall. He tried to pick himself up, but sparks ked off his right arm. He copsed back onto the ground as he craned his neck up to face the approaching winged figure. The Fledgling God Vessel drifted towards him as the realization settled in. He had made a miscalction. He would fail to defeat the Fal-Deus here. The only reason he had seeded in sealing away the Voidst time around was because he had the assistance of the Elder Dragons. But now, he was alone. And he waspletely outmatched. A sense of dread threatened to overtake the machine. The fear that he would be destroyed in this battle weighed on him. But before he could be clouded by those emotions, he quickly purged his feelings and analyzed the situation. Reassessing¡­ Guardian Angel Z357 knew he was not going toplete his objectives here. So he shifted his priorities. Rather than trying for a resounding victory, he had to resort to simply temporarily sealing away the Fal-Deus. He was aware that it was no different than closing a rift. The Fal-Deus would return soon enough¡ª perhaps in a day or so. But that was the only way he could defeat the Fledgling God Vessel. Preparing the seal¡­ must dy Ar¡¯elith until then. He raised hisnce with his left hand. Fire Nova. He pointed, and a ring of crimson mes rapidly closed in on the transformed Lich King. But in response, Ar¡¯elith raised his staff, wreathing his body in an armor of ice. As the ring of crimson mes touched him, there was a powerful implosion. A st that engulfed him entirely. But otherwise did not harm him. He continued to float towards the fallen angel as chunks of his ice armor broke off. Guardian Angel Z357 staggered to his feet as he swung down with hisnce, unleashing Technique after Technique at the approaching Ar¡¯elith. Shackles of Domum. Heavenly Meteor Shower. Three Point Laser¡ª But it didn¡¯t matter. The Fledgling God Vessel broke through the ethereal shackles. He countered falling stars with his own volley of projectiles. And he tanked the st of red light. He reached the angel as he brought a hand out. Dispel Depravity. Guardian Angel Z357 thrust forward with hisnce. There was a sh of purple light. The rift¡ª the eyeball¡ª on the chest of the Fledgling God Vessel flickered for a brief moment. And he simply caught thence with his right hand. He tossed aside the weapon as the Technique failed to slow him. And he pinned Guardian Angel Z357 to the ground. ¡°You cannotpute my power, can you?¡± Ar¡¯elith asked as his eyes zed brightly with purple mes. ¡°I have surpassed what your feeble machine mind is capable of processing. I have be a god.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the transformed Lich King for a moment. Hey on the ground as the metal on his face bent from being crushed against the rock ground. And he replied simply. Not yet, he said as he brought up his right hand as a spell circle formed at his fingertips. Seal of the System. There was a sh of iridescent light. The magic shone brightly in Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s hand as he swung for the transformed Lich King¡¯s chest. Ar¡¯elith¡¯s ming eyes dimmed for a brief moment¡ª And his figure was wreathed in a purple light. Guardian Angel Z357 blinked as his target teleported away in an instant. His hand swept through the air, and his seal dissipated into nothing. He stared with round eyes as the Fledgling God Vessel reappeared a hundred feet high in the air, looking down at the crater. ¡°That was¡­¡± Ar¡¯elith stared in disbelief for a second. Then he chuckled in a distorted voice. ¡°You almost got me. But did you really think such petty tricks would work on me?¡± Guardian Angel Z357 picked up hisnce and leant on it. He raised a hand to his right shoulder as a green glow shone, and the damages he had received began to repair. But slowly¡ª too slowly. The transformed Lich King spread his arms wide as a purple aura began to permeate the air around him. The Void¡¯s essence in the area thickened as the sky was empurpled, and the clouds crackled with a dark lightning. A thinyer of sleet began to cover thendscape. A hundred miles, slowly freezing over just from his presence alone. He cackled wildly as he stared down at the injured angel. ¡°I do not even need to get close to you to kill you!¡± the Fledgling God Vessel bellowed as the eddying clouds began to glow brightly. He pointed his staff down at the crater. ¡°Now die¡ª¡± His voice boomed out as Guardian Angel Z357 flinched. But Ar¡¯elith couldn¡¯t finish. Just as he was about to swing down with his staff, a voice cut him off. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The transformed Lich King froze. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head. It was a familiar voice. A female voice. But the both of them would have recognized that voice anywhere. More specifically¡ª they would have recognized the voice¡¯s tone. After all, it was a bored voice. They looked down at the base of the mountain as a young woman stood underneath the moonlight. She had brown hair. She carried a rusted sword. Her ck and blue cloak was torn and tattered, but even as it blew with the wind, it refused to fall apart. She stared at the damaged body of the angel, before looking towards the twisted figure of the transformed Lich King. She did not visibly react. She just stood there, waiting expectantly. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Ar¡¯elith lowered his staff as his ming eyes flickered with recognition. With the need for vengeance. His gaze bore into her, and he spoke with a calm fury, recalling her name. ¡°Amelia.¡± Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Ar¡¯elith stared at the familiar brown-haired woman. She stood at the bottom of the wrecked mountain¡ª her torn cape billowing in the wind, and her rusted sword held out to the side. She wore a bored look on her face. An aggravating look that stirred his anger. He recognized her. Of course he remembered her. That monotonous voice. That apathetic gaze. How could he forget it? She was the one responsible for killing him. She was the one responsible for crushing his dreams! She was¡­ she was¡­ ¡°Amelia.¡± He whispered softly as he slowly descended from the sky. The transformed Lich King didn¡¯t know how he knew her name¡ª he didn¡¯t recall Amelia ever introducing herself to him. But, somehow, her name appeared in the fore of his mind. It was strange. It was like his mind was¡­ clear now. It was as if his thoughts were always shrouded with strange, unnecessary thoughts beforehand. But now, the voice in the back of his head had been silenced. He fully understood himself¡ª he truly knew what it was he desired above all. He could think with rity. There was no interference of other unnecessary thoughts. He was no longer weighed down by such frivolous things like logical thought, moral principles, or ambitions. He sumbed to his own instincts. He was driven by the only thing that mattered. His desires. And now, more than anything, he wished to destroy the impudent pest standing beneath him. So he ignored the broken angel lying at the center of the massive crater atop the mountain. He had already decisively won that battle¡ª it was of no concern to him, even if he turned his back to face Amelia. He spread his arms wide as the dark clouds gathered above crackled with electricity. Thunder boomed in the distance¡ª a cacophony of explosions that would be the symphony of his vengeance. He sneered as he spoke, his voice echoing with a susurration of whispers. ¡°Ah, so you have finally decided to join the fray,¡±the transformed Lich King said as he felt the power of the Void coursing through his body. ¡°But you are already toote¡ª as you can see, I have be a being that has surpassed the limits of the World System! I have ascended into something more.¡± Amelia just raised a brow as he took a step forward. The ground shivered, and his footfall boomed. An earthquake shook the nearby mountain range as andslide copsed in the middle of Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°Are you afraid? Are you scared? Come on¡ª say something.¡± He drew closer as a lightning bolt crashed behind him, and the world shed with a dark light. The hole in his chest widened as he felt a sudden surge of strength empowering him even more. ¡°I can sense your fear. I see your terror. You could have stopped me before my revival, but now you can only quiver where you stand as I bring about your demise!¡± Ar¡¯elith waited for her words, but he knew they would nevere. After all, she was too stricken with fear by what he had be. Even the angels of the World System weren¡¯t enough to stop him now. He had transcended all of Vacuos with this transformation. He would never be¡ª ¡°...man, you were really done dirty by the Voidgod, huh?¡± Amelia finally said. And he paused. His zing eyes flickered for a brief moment as she shook her head. She dismissively gestured at him as he could only stare back at her. ¡°I mean, sure, you were a generic-looking skeleton before. But now, you look like an ugly B-grade horror movie monster. Seriously¡ª talk about a glowdown.¡± The transformed Lich King stared. He took a moment to process her words. The world grew silent¡ª the raging thunderstorm overhead came to a halt. His mind whirled. The outpouring of Void essence stopped. He unclenched his jaw, about to fly into a rage. And he steeled himself. He chuckled as he raised his staff. ¡°Even now, you still put up a front. But that is no matter. When faced with my power, you shall be forced to surrender. I shall bring you to your knees and make you beg for mercy.¡± The deluge of the Void¡¯s power continued to fill him as the gathering of clouds overhead began to descend from the heavens above, eddying down directly onto his staff. His wings spread wide before beating down and carrying him to the sky. ¡°I cannot wait to hear you scream,¡± Ar¡¯elith said as he stared down at her. She simply returned his gaze, not moving from where she stood. A storm of lightning bolts crashed down into the earth below. But none of them struck her. The sts rained over her surroundings, devastating thendscape. The entire world shook. It wasn¡¯t just a tremor that washed over the ground. The air itself trembled from the intensity of the building pressure. The sky itself seemed to copse as the rift in the transformed Lich King¡¯s chest distorted and twisted space itself. Amelia swept her gaze over thendscape as entire mountains crumbled to dust, and giant crevices tore their way through the earth. But she didn¡¯t move. Her legs had frozen. She was too scared to even run away. Not that there was anywhere she could escape to. Ar¡¯elith cackled wildly as he raised his staff, and the sky shone with the power of the Void.. ¡°Now behold¡ª the power of a god! The power of a being who has ascended beyond that of this world!¡± His eyes zed as the hole in his chest began to bleed with a twisted liquid. ¡°The power of my wrath!¡± And all across the, heads turned to face the source of this immense power. ¡ª-- Noele¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the bright light shining over the horizon. She dropped to her knees, staring at the mountain range in the far distance. Even from where she knelt, she could feel the ground trembling beneath her. The surrounding trees shook as their branches swayed with the wind. Garron and Saros stumbled back, but they didn¡¯t react as she did. They only saw the visible effects of whatever was happening in the distance. ¡°What the fuck is she doing¡ª¡± the gnome cursed. ¡°How¡­?¡± the burly man asked as he steadied himself against a tree. ¡°Even from this distance¡­¡± But Noele saw something they didn¡¯t. Perhaps it was because of what she learned under Amelia¡¯s tutge, or maybe it was due to her exposure to the Void. However, she saw the ripples of power emanating from the center of the mountain range. And she knew that she wasn¡¯t safe. No one in Laxo was safe. Not from the Lich King¡¯s wrath. ¡ª-- ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± a voice whispered. An elf stood at the mouth of a cavern. He stared at the shing purple light in the far distance. It had to have been a thousand miles away¡ª maybe even further off. And yet, it shone as bright as the sun. Even from afar, he recognized the vile power. He had only seen it once before, but he could recognize it anywhere. ¡°The power of the Void,¡± a second said. Jax the Forsaken Archer nced back into the cavern. He watched as a hulking crimson figure emerged, panting withbored breath. Bloodied and injured, hispanion wheezed before copsing back onto the ground. ¡°I have never seen such an abundance of the Void¡¯s essence in my life,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun mustered out, barely keeping his eyes open. ¡°It reeks even worse than ten thousand years ago¡­¡± The elf shook his head and looked back towards the horizon. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it,¡± Jax said with a shrug. ¡°Although¡ª-if she¡¯s there¡­ maybe¡­¡± All he knew was that he just had to wait and see. ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal sat quietly on his throne, having finally emerged from his hiding. His subjects mored over his return. They didn¡¯t question him¡ª they didn¡¯t even ask where he had been. They simply praised him for his victories in the war with the Astrad Kingdom, and they gravely informed him of his defeats. But as they stood around him none-the-wiser, he focused on the destruction that was being wrecked at the center of the continent. In the very heart of Laxo, the Void itself was manifesting its true power. And he studied itsposition from where he sat. ¡ª-- But it wasn¡¯t just the continent of Laxo that felt the ripple effects of the Fledgling God Vessel¡¯s power. In the ind of Scholus, lying in between Laxo and Alius, an archmage and a king rose to his feet with wide eyes. He heard the call of the Void. And he could only drop to his knees, prostrating in the direction of this power. ¡°Praise the Void,¡± Leonhard the Archmage King of Scholus said. ¡ª-- In Alius, a slumbering figure was jolted awake deep underground. It took a moment to regain its bearings, roaring in anger and shaking the country thaty above it. But when it sensed the overwhelming power of the Void¡­ The Ruler of the Earth grew pale and trembled in fear. ¡ª-- In Drazyl, a young elven girl cowered underneath her bed. Her caretakers called for her¡ª they tried to usher her out. But she refused to move. She was supposed to be the sessor to the Grand Sage of Imbel Forest. Her people needed her. They were losing their war with Mare. And yet, here she was, hiding in fear. Her caretakers thought it was because she was afraid of her duties. They believed that the status as the leader of the elves was far too overwhelming for her. But in reality, it was because she could sense the Void. Every instance of the Void¡¯s power being called, all across the four continents, she sensed it all. It terrified her. Whenever she felt a re from a rift in space, she would go running back to her room. And today, she fled the Festival of the Leaves when she sensed the destruction that was being wrought in Laxo. It was so overwhelming. It was more terrifying than anything she had ever sensed before. That was why she refused to move. That was why she prayed for the Thrones to save them all. ¡ª-- And in Mare, the Merfolk Empress blinked. She raised her to face the ocean surface¡ª she could see the glistening rays of the sun piercing to her depth. But more than that, she sensed the power of the Void permeating through the world. For a moment, she stared reverently in the direction it came from. But then she shook her head. She returned her focus to the task at hand as she swam deeper down into the deepest depths of the ocean, hunting for a kraken. ¡ª-- In Laxo, it was still night. And Guardian Angel Z357 watched from atop the destroyed mountain as the Fledgling God Vessel stared down at Amelia. A thousand lightning bolts rained from the sky by the minute, and thendscape had been transformed to a valley of craters and rubble. But even as the World System pressed him to intervene, the angel couldn¡¯t do anything but look on. Because the power being disyed before him was far beyond his capabilities to tackle. He lowered his gaze as he stared at his left hand. A spell circle began to form at his fingertips. The Seal of the System. It was the only Technique Guardian Angel Z357 knew of that was capable of stopping the transformed Lich King, and that was because it drew power from the World System. But it would take time to cast. And he knew¡ª He looked up as a brilliant purple light shone in the sky, and a rift tore open overhead. The crackling lightning bolts stopped as the Fledgling God Vessel raised his staff. Guardian Angel Z357 knew that in mere moments, all of 16B would be destroyed. ¡ª-- Ar¡¯elithughed as he swept his gaze over the copsingndscape. It was all going to be destroyed. Everyone¡ª from Alius to Mare¡ª they were all going to perish in a single decisive blow, and he was finally going to have his revenge! His eyes flickered. For a moment, he wondered why he even wished to destroy the world. He had sought vengeance against those who had wronged him, but his ultimate goal was to save the world from death itself. So why was he doing this¡­? The transformed Lich King shook his head, quickly dismissing those unnecessary thoughts away as he indulged in the destruction. Instead, he focused his gaze on the brown-haired woman cowering before him. She hadn¡¯t even moved from where she stood¡ª gripped by terror as she could only stare back up at him ¡°My return was inevitable,¡± Ar¡¯elith said as he hovered in the air, the rift in his chest tearing across his ribs. The hole in the sky widened as ripples of electricity ran across the clouds overhead. ¡°Did you really think death would stop me? Did you think that you could ever find peace after defying me?¡± His words left his mouth without even a thought. It was as though he had been possessed, but he knew it was his fury that was speaking¡ª it was his rage that drove his actions. And he unleashed his wrath on the source of all his hatred. ¡°Do you not understand? There is no killing God! I will return to reim what is mine, and when I do, I shall bring forth¡ª¡± Amelia narrowed her eyes. And Ar¡¯elith swung his staff down at her as he bellowed. ¡°Armageddon!¡± All at once, a pir of purple light crashed down from the sky. Like a giant lightning bolt. A st that dwarfed the nearby mountains. It fell from the sky, heralding with it the destruction of the. Ar¡¯elith cackled as the angel flinched. The attack fell straight towards Amelia. But she didn¡¯t budge. Not even in the face of this overwhelming power. The st struck her, and there was a sh of light. A bright light. A blinding light. It overwhelmed the transformed Lich King¡¯s senses. He let out a soft sigh as he whispered. ¡°It is over¡­¡± And as the light faded away, he basked in the vastness of space. He stared at the starry dome overhead. He felt at ease. Like his ring emotions had been tamed. Just for a moment. Then he saw the dissipating clouds. His ming eyes dimmed as he caught a glimpse of the distant mountaintops in his peripheral vision. Ar¡¯elith swept his gaze over his surroundings in confusion. ¡°What is¡ª¡± And he caught himself. His gazended back down at the brown-haired woman standing below. She was staring back up at him with one hand raised¡ª holding up her sword aimed towards the sky. There was a brief glimmer of a white aura over her de, but it faded away. He descended to the ground as he stared at her in confusion. He thought he was imagining things¡ª that his anger was making him hallucinate his enemy. He opened his mouth as he was about to repudiate her existence. Then the realization sunk in. Amelia had sliced his attack in half. ¡°No¡­¡± he whispered as he took a step back. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Was that it?¡± Amelia asked as she lowered her de. A white aura wisped off her body, and she tilted her head. ¡°Was that really your full power? Because if so¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m impressed, let alone scared of it.¡± Ar¡¯elith gritted his teeth. ¡°This is not possible¡ª how¡­?¡± She shook her head as she casually strode towards him. He backed away, trembling in fear and anger as she drew closer. ¡°I have transcended even the angels of the World System! I have be far more powerful than I could have ever imagined. So how are you still stronger than me?¡± he demanded. ¡°You seem to have made a mistake, Ar¡¯elith,¡± Amelia said as she held his gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t arrive here toote to stop you from transforming into this.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Ar¡¯elith stared at her, uprehending. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Amelia sighed as she came to a halt just before him. And a smirk spread across her lips as the me in his eyes flickered in shock. ¡°I mean that I let you transform into this¡ª¡± She gestured at his twisted and deformed body. ¡°Because I was here the entire time.¡± Chapter 114 Chapter 114 ¡°Because I was here the entire time.¡± Amelia shook her head dismissively as Ar¡¯elith could only stare in shock. The transformed Lich King tried to process her words, but he couldn¡¯tprehend it. It made no sense to him. She was saying that she had let him ept the power of the Void¡ª that she had watched as he had beaten the angel senselessly, nearly destroying it entirely. That was¡­ that was ridiculous! There was no way that could be true. She was lying. She was a¡ª ¡°Liar!¡± Ar¡¯elith screamed as he swung his staff at her, unleashing a st of purple mes. Her eyes flickered, and her de glinted with a white light. She swung up, blocking the attack as he backed away. The mes instantly dissipated¡ª it would havepletely ravaged thendscape, but she destroyed it with ease. In response, he conjured up ance made out of purple ice. ¡°I refuse to believe it!¡± He tossed the projectile her way, bellowing as the world shook. ¡°I refuse to believe that you allowed my revival!¡± The transformed Lich King continued to unleash his onught of attacks her way. Each st he hurled would have been powerful enough to destroy a country¡ª it could have eradicated everything in hundreds of miles. But Amelia casually sliced through each and every one of his attacks like they were nothing. Each time her de struck the oing sts, there was a sh of white light. Her figure flickered with a glimmering aura that coated her entire body. However, it vanished quickly enough¡ª only shing when she struck down the transformed Lich King¡¯s attacks. And she slowly approached him. She strode forward without any hurry. One step after another. A gradual pace. Almost too slow. Like she was taking her time on purpose. Ar¡¯elith raised his staff, creating a rift right above his head. Space itself tore open¡ª a twisted hole in the world that bent light and seemed to pull everything into its fringes. He screamed as he threw it at her. ¡°You are a liar!¡± But Amelia simply sliced the attack in half¡ª just like she did every single one of his attacks. She finally came to a halt right before him as she shook her head, gesturing vaguely in the direction of Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°I came here as soon as I sensed that ritual going off or whatever. I tried to contact Noele with my [Message] scroll, but she didn¡¯t respond. So I decided to check things out. I just didn¡¯t feel the need to actually do anything until you became this¡­ hideous thing.¡± She looked him up and down, before grimacing in disgust. Ar¡¯elith stared at her. He couldn¡¯t believe it. He had transcended the World System¡ª he had be even stronger than its angels. And yet, somehow, she was still so much stronger than him, she didn¡¯t perceive him as a threat? It was utterly nonsensical. There was no logic to her actions. He had the power to destroy the entire¡ª he could eradicate all life across all four continents. But she let him obtain this form. She didn¡¯t just finish him off when she had the chance. No¡ª she didn¡¯t finish him off even now. His attacks couldn¡¯t harm her. He was utterly powerless in the face of her strength. And when she could kill him in an instant with a swing of her sword, she refused. ¡°¡­why?¡± he asked,pletely baffled. ¡°Why what?¡± Amelia tilted her head back at him. Ar¡¯elith ground his teeth together. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me when you had the chance? Why don¡¯t you just kill me now?¡± He felt his anger building up inside of him. But it was odd. It was nothing like the desire for vengeance that drove him. It was¡­ almost intrusive. Like the thoughts had to force its way into his mind. But he knew it was him. And the question he asked came from his soul. ¡°Why did you let me suffer? Why did you let me sumb to the Void? You could have stopped that angel from killing me over and over again! You could have let me die in peace!¡± The hole in the transformed Lich King¡¯s chest shrank. The aura coating his body flickered, and he took a step forward. He faced Amelia, the agony clear on his face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just kill me?¡± Ar¡¯elith asked the question again. The brown-haired woman stared at him. She no longer wore a bored look on her face. Instead, there was a hint of sympathy there. Or maybe it was pity. He didn¡¯t know. She just shook her head as she sighed. ¡°Because I thought you could ovee the Void¡¯s control over you on your own,¡± Amelia exined simply. ¡°That¡¯s it, really.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± He stared at her as the wisping mes in his eye sockets dimmed. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say. He didn¡¯t even know how he was supposed to react. Amelia shrugged back at him. ¡°Yeah¡ª I really thought you stood a chance. And I still hope that you do. You can still break free from his control, you know?¡± Ar¡¯elith opened his mouth in indignation. He wanted to protest¡ª argue that he was better with the way he currently was. But he caught himself. The niggling voice that was screaming at him in the back of his mind returned, and he wondered why he had evene to ept the power of the Void. Because I can exact my revenge against the world, he told himself. And a momentter, he asked himself why he even wanted that. That was never his goal¡ª he had sought to bring about perpetual peace for all of Vacuos. The total destruction of everything he ever knew. Why would he want that? He tried to focus on these thoughts. However, he was ovee by an intense anger, and he simply swung his staff at the brown-haired woman as he snarled. ¡°Why does it matter?¡± Ar¡¯elith asked as she easily caught his weapon before it could reach her face. He tried to pull back, but the staff wouldn¡¯t budge. So he let go of it and leapt back. ¡°Why should I reject this power? With it, I have be stronger than I could have ever imagined! Through the Void, I have ascended!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ascend to shit¡ª you¡¯ve just be a puppet.¡± Amelia sighed as she snapped his staff in half. ¡°Look at you. Is this really what you want?¡± He hesitated. He looked down at himself, and he saw the flesh on his fingertips. He eyed the hole in his chest, before opening his mouth. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Right now, the Voidgod has total control over both your actions and your thoughts,¡± she continued, cutting him off. ¡°But soon, your consciousness will be fully subsumed, and there will be nothing of you left. You must fight back.¡± ¡°The¡­ Voidgod?¡± the transformed Lich King asked in confusion. Amelia waved a hand dismissively. ¡°The Fal-Deus. The Voidgod. The manifestation of the Void. Whatever. Point is¡ª you¡¯re merely meant to be its vessel to enter Vacuos.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡ª¡± Ar¡¯elith tried to agree with her, but the hole in his chest pulsed He stumbled back as a sharp pain ran through his body. He tried to work his jaw. However, he could hardly even muster up his thoughts¡ª and he had to do so in a roundabout manner. ¡°If that is true, then why don¡¯t you kill me and get this over with?¡± ¡°Because then it would be pointless,¡± Amelia said, shaking her head. ¡°If I kill you here, I will simply be destroying the Voidgod¡¯s vessel. It will return soon enough with another vessel. That is why you must be the one to defeat it.¡± ¡°What¡­ do you mean by that?¡± Ar¡¯elith stared at her as she pointed at him. ¡°The Voidgod does not exist here in Vacuos. Even if I swing my sword around¡ª maybe stab you a few times¡ª I won¡¯t be able to harm it.¡± She closed her eyes, before tapping a finger on her forehead. ¡°However, the Voidgod does exist in your mind.¡± The transformed Lich King stared at her. It felt like the world was spinning. His head ached. And it was all because of her words. Every ounce of his being tried to force him to attack her¡ª to silence her. But he stopped himself. Instead, he listened through the pain. ¡°So the only ce the Voidgod can be hurt is in your mind,¡± Amelia exined. ¡°Because of that, only you can harm it. Only you can defeat it. There is nothing else I can do but watch¡­¡± She trailed off, and there was a pause. A moment of silence as Ar¡¯elith took in her words. But before he could formte his thoughts, she quickly spoke up again. ¡°Either that, or you fully sumb to the Voidgod. And when that happens, I¡¯ll just kill it when it appears.¡± She shrugged as she hefted her de over her shoulders. ¡°But until then, it is up to you to ovee the power of the Void. And Amelia finished. In response, Ar¡¯elith lowered his head. He stared down at the palm of his hands, before balling them into fists. A million voices whispered in his head, but he ignored them. He couldn¡¯t listen to them. He knew he was being influenced by the Void. He could not trust himself. Not right now. He had to fight back. His ming eyes flickered as he looked deep within himself, peering right into the hole where his heart should be. Amelia waited expectantly as he brought a hand up to his chest. ¡°I¡ª¡± he started. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 hovered in the air, staring at the two figures down below. He had repaired most of the damages he had suffered. While he was still visibly damaged, he could function without any impediments to his processes. And now, he was certain his eyes weren¡¯t malfunctioning. He hadn¡¯t been deceived at all by what he had seen moments earlier. The transformed Lich King had conjured up an attack that would havepletely obliterated 16B. But Amelia just sliced it in half. Then she continued to deflect his attacks. It was almost inconceivable. She was an ordinary human facing against a Fledgling God Vessel, but she fought like she was swatting around a mere fly. So Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t intervene. Instead, he listened to their conversation. He heard Amelia refer to the Fal-Deus as the Voidgod. He blinked in confusion for a moment, recalling something else she had said not long ago. But he ignored it for now. He focused on the n she had posited¡ª the method she had suggested to defeat the Fal-Deus. Is that really it? he wondered. Is that really how the Fal-Deus can be defeated? It sounded simple enough. Too simple. It couldn¡¯t have been that easy, right? And a momentter, Guardian Angel Z357 was proven right. The ground shook as a red box shed before his eyes. [WARNING! Incalcble Amounts of Void Essence Detected! Threat Level: Lesser God(?)* *Danger is rapidly growing!] And he acted. ¡ª-- Ar¡¯elith peered into his soul¡ª and he screamed as a voice boomed in his head. ¡°You dare reject me? I have given you the power to fulfill your dreams, yet you try to turn me away?¡± He dropped to his knees as he arched his back, facing the night sky. A pir of purple light shot out of the hole in his chest, and a distorted cry of agony left his mouth. Amelia narrowed her eyes as his body shifted. Flesh and skin began to grow past his neck, forming a face over his skull. His entire being was drenched in pain, and he felt like wing his head off. But he couldn¡¯t move. He hadpletely lost control of his body. ¡°I am the True God of Vacuos! I am your creator! How dare you betray me like the rest of them!¡± Ar¡¯elith struggled. He tried to break free from whatever was binding him, but he couldn¡¯t even fight back. He wheezed as the depraved face was nearly finished forming on his skull, and the words of the Voidgod echoed around the valley. ¡°I shall reim my¡ª¡± And the tip of ance protruded from his chest, cutting off the voice. A sharp pain ran through his body. He froze as he craned his neck back. He saw twelve eyes staring down at him, and he tried to regain control of his body. But he spoke as the words of his captor left his mouth. ¡°So the angel has recovered,¡± the Voidgodughed. ¡°Do you believe your feeble power is enough to defeat me?¡± The angel shook its head, before letting go of itsnce. Not me¡ª not my power. ¡°You¡ª¡± Seal of the System, he said simply. A glowing spell circle expanded from thence. The Fledgling God Vessel paused, before iling to remove the weapon. But it was already toote. A crimson sphere engulfed the depraved figure as Amelia and the angel looked on from a distance. And both the Voidgod and the Lich King screamed, overwhelmed by pain. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Noele whispered as she stared into the distance. The purple sky faded away, and the clouds dispersed to reveal the moon and the stars overhead. She no longer sensed the overwhelming aura of the Void. The air was clear¡ª she could breathe easily now without the pressure bearing down on her shoulders. ¡°She really did it, huh?¡± Garron said softly. Saros scoffed and crossed his arms. ¡°She should have done this right from the start¡ª what was the point in letting us run around like idiots if she could have stopped the Lich King before he even left Arelioth¡¯s Pass? We wasted our damn time¡­¡± Noele nced towards her twopanions. Her eyes flickered, and she lowered her head. ¡°But that¡¯s the point,¡± she said simply. ¡°If we rely on Amelia¡¯s help too much, we won¡¯t be able to achieve anything on our own. We have to stand on our own legs and deal with our problems ourselves.¡± ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t do shit on our own.¡± The gnome rolled his eyes. ¡°All we did was get our asses kicked, before she bailed us out.¡± The blonde girl looked back up to face him. He didn¡¯t meet her gaze. He harrumphed and looked away with a scowl on his face. She swept her gaze past him, eyeing the undting mountaintops in the distance that masked the battle that had taken ce beyond. ¡°This time, Amelia saved us. But what happens if she¡¯s not there the next time around?¡± It was a simple question. It was posited not just to the gnome, but to all of them. However, the three adventurers gathered here knew the answer, even as none of them said a word. ¡ª-- But it wasn¡¯t over. Not just yet. Even as the Seal of the System took hold of the Fledgling God Vessel, the battle hadn¡¯te to an end. The Voidgod¡¯s influence rapidly faded away as the wisping purple aura dissipated. The rift began to close, sewn shut by the crimson threads of a divine power. The transformed Lich King was drowning in a world of pain. Ar¡¯elith screamed, and it was not just his voice that cried out. The Fal-Deus joined him. It screamed¡ª but not just in agony. It also screamed in anger. Its control over his body began to fade. The bone-like wings broke apart, and the purple flesh clinging onto his bones melted away. His legs grew numb as he felt like his lower body was evaporating into a simmering mist. It was too much to endure¡ª a searing, stinging pain. And yet, even though Ar¡¯elith was being physically ripped apart, he found relief elsewhere. Somewhere deep inside of his soul¡­ Arthur jerked his head up, blinking his eyes open. He hadn¡¯t been able to move. He couldn¡¯t even breathe. He had been held in ce by a thousand limbs¡ª drowned in a sea of darkness. But now, he inhaled deeply. He could finally see again. He could finally feel once more. Arthur craned his neck to see the dark tendrils pinning him slowly recede back into the floor. He wiggled back, pulling himself out of the remainder of the loose bindings. He mbered to his feet, panting heavily as he rubbed his neck. There were no visible marks on his skin. Even as he felt the phantom grip of the darkness cling onto his body. He knew he was free. And he sighed in relief. ¡°I¡­ am free,¡± he started as he rose to his feet. He swept his gaze over his surroundings, and the darkness was reced by a crimson light. Runes and symbols which he didn¡¯tprehend began to fill the dome overhead. He felt the warmth of the World System return to him as he smiled. ¡°I¡ª¡± And a voice boomed around him. ¡°Forsaken by my people, exiled from my world. My creations turned against me. But I shall live on.¡± Arthur spun around to see a purple sphere glowing in the darkness. It was the eye of the Void¡ª the source of the power bestowed upon him. It hovered there like a tear in space. Its form was distorted. Its light was flickering. But it didn¡¯t fade away. Not just yet. ¡°Cast back into my prison¡ª hidden beneath this ne. An eternity awaits me¡­¡± The voice began to fade as Arthur took a step forward. He approached the eye, holding a hand out to the twisting space. But it shrank into nothingness, leaving behind ribbons and motes of its essence as its words echoed around him. ¡°So I shall return to reim what¡¯s mine, one day.¡± He stared at the empty space. He lowered his hand as the crimson glow surrounding him began to dim. The magical symbols lost their light, and he looked back down at himself. He stared at the palm of his open hand. ¡°I feel¡ª empty¡­¡± It was a simple remark. But Arthur spoke from the heart. He was just tired. Like he had been drained of all emotions. All he felt was a sense of relief, but even that was fleeting. He wobbled where he stood. The adrenaline of being freed quickly left his body, and he was left standing in a daze. He tried to steel himself¡ª but he couldn¡¯t even clench a fist. It was an odd sensation. Arthur felt like something had left his body. Like the Void had stolen a piece of his soul as it was banished. And now, he wondered what he was going to do. He didn¡¯t even know what he wanted to do. He weakly looked up, seeing a glint in the distance. He saw a¡­ screen. A moving image floated right before him. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered. ¡°...right, I was trying to escape,¡± he murmured to himself. He stumbled forward with barely enough strength to hold himself up. But as he approached the screen, he saw the night sky overhead. A sable dome. A nk canvas. And he paused. Arthur watched as a pair of figures entered the view of the image, before he slowly lowered his head. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong. He didn¡¯t know what had happened. But he didn¡¯t want to pass through back into reality. He didn¡¯t want to go back to the real world. Why should he? There was nothing for him there. He had nothing left. Not as Arthur, and not as Ar¡¯elith. His loved ones, his ambitions, and his life¡ª they were all gone. He had already died once before. Now, he just wanted to rest in peace. Arthur sighed as he dropped to his knees. He stared at the gray ground beneath him¡ª he didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t approach the screen. He had no reason to get up and continue. He had no reason to live. ¡°I¡­¡± He opened his mouth. And there was a sh of light. Arthur blinked, looking up as the screen began to expand. The image of the real world grew brighter. It began to merge with the walls of the room surrounding him, drawing closer as he could only stare. He got back to his feet as he tried to back away. But reality consumed him, and his vision was engulfed by a white light for a moment¡­ ¡ª-- And Ar¡¯elith opened his eyes. Once again, he woke up. But this time, he was no longer in his soul. He was back in the real world¡ª he had been forcefully returned to reality, freed from the bindings ced on his soul. And the Lich King groaned as he raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯m alive¡­?¡± he asked himself. Then he paused. Ar¡¯elith stared with wide eyes as he looked at the back of his hand. He was no longer covered by the purple flesh of the Void. But that was not surprising. He had expected to return back to his ordinary self. So he thought he woulde face to face with the pale ivory of his bones. However, instead, he only saw flesh. Human flesh. Calloused and tanned, but still the skin of a human. He narrowed his eyes as he sat up, before he felt a gust of wind sweep over him. And his golden locks blew behind him. He had hair. He had eyes. He felt the cuts on his skin, and he could feel the coldness of the night breeze. Ar¡¯elith took a good look at himself. And he realized¡ª he was not Ar¡¯elith any longer. He was not the Lich King who had threatened the world over. He was Arthur. He was the [Priest] who had lost his family to a deadly gue. He was a mortal again. He rubbed his head as he tried to process what had happened. But before he could piece together anything, there was a sh of red light. He recoiled as the World System spoke to him. [SYSTEM ERROR: CLASS AND TITLES REVOKED! YOU HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE WORLD SYSTEM! Reason: You have be a vessel for the Void.] ¡°What¡­?¡± Arthur squinted at the screen, utterly perplexed. And right as he read those words, he heard the rustling of footsteps approaching him from behind. He spun around, facing a winged figure with twelve eyes. He recognized it immediately. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡± he started. But the angel wouldn¡¯t let him finish. It raised ance as it spoke in a monotonous voice. Destroying the Fledgling God Vessel. Arthur recoiled as he heard those words echoing in his mind. He raised a hand, eyes growing wide. But the angel just swung down¡ª And Amelia caught the attack with a single finger. She held the angel¡¯s gaze, shaking her head as Arthur just looked on. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you do that,¡± she said simply. Book 1 Publishing Announcement Book 1 Publishing Announcement In a week from now, Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 1 is going to be taken down to be published on Amazon KU/Audible. As such, the chapters will be taken down from RoyalRoad in about four or five days. Before that happens, you can download the book for yourself right now here :) [Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Book One EPUB/PDF | MsDelta on Patreon The audiobook is published by Podium Audio and they''ve provided me with this very fancy animated graphic. The narrator is Mare Trevathan. She has narrated other books like Blue Mage Raised by Dragons and Godking''s Legacy! The ebook is being self-published by myself. Unlike other authors, I did not opt to go with a big indie publisher, so I hope you guys would be willing to support me when the book doese out <> Until then, the next chapter is in two days'' time! Thanks for reading as always Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Guardian Angel Z357 had made multiple errors in judgment. He believed that he could defy the World System¡¯s directives to aplish his main objective¡ª he believed that acting autonomously could have produced far more effective results than chasing dead ends after dead ends. Unfortunately, he was reminded as to why the World System reigned supreme. His own decisions had led to the creation of a Fledgling God Vessel. Because of his inaction, the Fal-Deus had seized control of Ar¡¯elith the Lich King and nearly broke out of the Fractured Realm back into Vacuos. It was a foolish decision to make. But Guardian Angel Z357 had thought that he would be able to put a halt to the revival of the Fal-Deus. And when it did not work, he finally realized his miscalction. He realized that it was better for him to follow-through with the directives of the World System. That was why he moved to destroy the Fledgling God Vessel. His twelve eyes flickered as he stared at the figure lying at his feet. Ar¡¯elith no longer wore the body of a skeleton. Instead, he had transformed back into a human. A helpless being without the blessings of the World System. But even though the Seal of the System had taken hold, dispelling the Fal-Deus out of him and back into the Fractured Realm, Guardian Angel Z357 did not lower his guard. Instead, the angel raised hisnce as he stared at the former Lich King. Destroying the Fledgling God Vessel, Guardian Angel Z357 said simply as he swung down. And Amelia caught the attack. He blinked as the brown-haired woman suddenly appeared before him. He didn¡¯t even realize she was in his way until she had stopped his fallingnce with a single finger. She just shook her head in response. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you do that.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 took a moment to process what just happened. He stared at her¡ª his employer. But also the one who had thoroughly defeated the Fledgling God Vessel. And he hesitated. He drew back as Amelia lowered her hand. He twirled hisnce behind him as he nced towards the blond man lying on the ground. The angel considered disengaging. He knew he could not defeat the brown-haired woman in a fight. It was evident that he would easily be dismantled if he attacked her¡ª especially considering how she had been able to stop hisnce with ease. But as the thought crossed his mind, a blue screen shed before him. [In Progress: (0/1) Fledgling God Vessel destroyed!] He blinked. He stared at the message from the World System¡ª the reminder to carry out his objective. He lowered his head as he recalled how defying the directives he had been given had nearly led to his own destruction. And he shook his head. The Fledgling God Vessel must be destroyed, he stated simply as he stepped forward. Move aside or I will have to exterminate you as well. Amelia raised a brow. It was evident from the look on her face that she didn¡¯t think Guardian Angel Z357 could actually harm her. He would agree with her assessment, but he had no other choice. She shrugged as he didn¡¯t lower hisnce. ¡°And why must you do that?¡± she asked casually, vaguely gesturing at Ar¡¯elith. ¡°Look at him¡ª he is literally just some guy now. He can¡¯t harm anyone.¡± He raised his head weakly, staring at Amelia with hollow eyes. But he couldn¡¯t even muster up a single word. And yet, the angel did not back down. If the Seal of the System is broken, the Fal-Deus can reim his body in an instant. He is forever a threat to Vacuos. He must be eliminated. Amelia narrowed her eyes. She nced back down at Ar¡¯elith, before shaking her head. ¡°That makes no sense. So you¡¯re saying he should be killed because he could be inhabited by the Voidgod¡ª by the Fal-Deus?¡± Affirmative, Guardian Angel Z357 said as he held her gaze. The potential threat alone warrants the extermination of the vessel. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then you should start with killing me instead.¡± Amelia crossed her arms. ¡°And not just me, but you should kill everyone else is Vacuos too¡ª after all, anyone can be inhabited by the Voidgod.¡± Negative¡ª theseparisons you have made are inequitable to the circumstances surrounding Ar¡¯elith. You are not a vessel. But he is. Her brows snapped together. She stared at the angel, and he did not lower hisnce. Why do you oppose me? Why do you desire to save him? You stand nothing to gain from protecting this man. ¡°Why?¡± Amelia repeated after Guardian Angel Z357. She raised her head, before closing her eyes. ¡°Because you¡¯re trying to kill a defenseless man¡ª a man who didn¡¯t even want to fight you in the first ce. Remember, you¡¯re the one who kept killing him over and over again to draw out the Voidgod.¡± She raised a hand and pointed an using finger at the angel. ¡°You¡¯re the reason Ar¡¯elith even is a vessel of the Voidgod in the first ce. So you¡¯re trying to punish him for what you caused.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 paused. He looked back down at himself, then nced towards the human form of Ar¡¯elith. For a moment, the angel remained silent. Then he mechanically raised his head and took a step forward. It does not matter who is at fault, he said as hisnce was ovee by a golden glow. All that matters is that the threat is removed. Now move¡ª this issue does not pertain to you. Amelia didn¡¯t budge. ¡°I mean, maybe if I was, like, back at my restaurant, I wouldn¡¯t care. But I see what you¡¯re doing right in front of me, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right. So I¡¯m going to have to stop you¡­ by force, if necessary.¡± She unsheathed her sword fractionally with only her thumb. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t falter. Even though he knew he could be sliced in half with a single sh, he still remained steadfast. That logic does notpute. Your decision is predicated entirely on biases and emotions. You are choosing to endanger all of Vacuos by saving this vessel of the Void. ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a pretty shit hero.¡± Amelia shrugged in response. And what will you do if the Seal of the System breaks? Guardian Angel Z357 asked as he eyed her. What happens if the Fal-Deus returns with its full might? ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I?¡± she said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°I killed the Voidgod before. I can do it again.¡± That is¡­ The angel trailed off. He processed her words as slowly lowered his weapon. His mind reeled¡ª he now knew that the Voidgod was the Fal-Deus, and he had already known that Amelia killed the Voidgod. Earlier, he had considered the implications of this, but he quickly dismissed the thought because he didn¡¯t deem it pertinent to the issue at hand. Now, he was forced to confront this fact. Guardian Angel Z357 had no other choice but to acknowledge what Amelia meant when she said she killed the Voidgod. Because if the Voidgod was the Fal-deus, it simply meant¡­ That Amelia killed the Fal-Deus. Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the brown-haired woman. He looked into her eyes, and she didn¡¯t avert her gaze. It was ridiculous¡ª there was no way it could be true. At least, that was the first thought that crossed his mind. But he had seen her power. He had watched as Amelia easily dismantled the Fledgling God Vessel. And he couldn¡¯t help but believe her words. He stared at the blue screen hovering before him, before looking back at the brown-haired woman. ¡°If the Voidgod shows up, I¡¯ll just smack him back into the Fractured Realm. It¡¯s not a big deal, alright?¡± Amelia said as she crossed her arms. Guardian Angel Z357 was at a loss on what to do. If she truly did kill the Fal-Deus once before, then she was right. Just like how she defeated the Fledgling God Vessel, she could defeat the Fal-Deus itself too. Still, the angel didn¡¯t think that meant that she should allow Ar¡¯elith to live. There was too much risk. And the World System still maintained that the former Lich King be destroyed. But before Guardian Angel Z357 coulde up with a response, a weak voice piped up. Their confrontation was interrupted as they turned to face the blond man lying on the ground. They stared as he struggled to get on one knee, looking back up at the angel. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ar¡¯elith rasped weakly. ¡°Just let me die.¡± ¡°What?¡± Amelia blinked. His knees trembled. His eyes were hollow. He couldn¡¯t even remain upright for more than a moment before he copsed back onto the ground. He heaved as he held the angel¡¯s gaze. ¡°Please¡­ I have nothing left. Just kill me.¡± Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Arthur had nothing left. He had lost it all. From his family to his dreams. His ambitionsy in ruins at his feet, and now he felt empty. So hey there as he pleaded for his demise. Because he knew that the only path ahead of him was despair¡ª void of happiness, and full of longing for what could have been. It was his only path to salvation. To be one with the World System once again in his death. But that was not all. Beyond just escaping from the life of pain and solitude ahead of him, he believed that this was what he deserved. Because of what he had done. All the things he had done in both life and undeath¡ª this was his penance. He turned away from the angel to face the brown-haired woman. She stared at him as hey prone on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. ¡°I have done¡­ terrible things,¡± Arthur choked out. ¡°I have killed so many people. So many lives taken¡ª all because of me. I don¡¯t deserve to live. Not after everything I have done.¡± Why was he crying? Why was he regretting his actions now? Perhaps that was because he was no longer Ar¡¯elith¡ª maybe it was because he was no longer the Lich King. The Void had taken from him everything that had made him be the Lord of All Undeath. And now, he was just Arthur. He was an ordinary man who had lost both his wife and his children. Even still, he held the memories of what he had done, and he wept. He wept for not only himself, but for all those he had wronged. Because he believed in a facious ideal, they suffered. Because he had thought immortality could be achieved through undeath, they died. Ar¡¯elith had believed that he could bring peace to all three continents of Vacuos. But Arthur knew that it was merely a foolish dream brought about by the insanity of despair. So hey there, facing the ground as his tears rained down and wet the soil. His vision blurred, and he saw nothing but the faces of those he had mercilessly ughtered. He heard the echoes of their screams of terror. And he rested his forehead on the ground. ¡°Please, just let me die,¡± he said as he recalled his sins. ¡°This is what I deserve. This is what I want. So let the judgment of the World System be passed onto me, and let me die once and for all.¡± Neither the angel nor Amelia said a word when he was finished. They remained silent as Arthury there, eyes closed. This was his punishment. This was only what was right. ¡°You don¡¯t have to protect me¡­¡± He saw a smiling face as he felt a pain in his chest. His wife stood there, hands behind her back as she waited for him in the light, while he was bathed in darkness. Her urging voice called him along. ¡°You don¡¯t have to save me. I don¡¯t want to be saved. I want to¡­ I want to¡­¡± And his children appeared next to his waiting wife. They stretched out their hands at him, and their mouths moved. He heard them calling for his name. So he drew closer. Even as his chest ached, and his tears poured down his face. Arthur moved to embrace them. ¡°I want to return to them.¡± He mustered up the strength to say those words. He had prolonged seeing them once again for over ten thousand years now¡ª his quest for immortality had kept him from reuniting with what he had lost. Now, he had a chance to see his wife¡­ to see his children. He couldn¡¯t bear to live in this world without them for another passing moment. So he waited. Hey there in silence as the world grew still. He waded through the darkness of his mind, drawing closer to his family. And he heard a set of trudging footsteps approach him. He waited for his death to be delivered to him. But as he raised his head to behold the angel, all he saw were a pair of brown eyes boring into him. Amelia squatted down to meet his gaze as she rested her chin on her hand. ¡°You say that you should be killed for what you¡¯ve done, but¡­¡± She gestured vaguely at him, then towards the direction of Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°I mean, you did already die for that, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?¡± He blinked as he took in her words. ¡°Multiple times, actually,¡± Amelia said simply. Arthur tried to work his jaw. He opened his mouth, but she spoke over him. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°There was the time you died ten thousand years ago, then there was that time you died to me.¡± She tapped a finger on her chin as she spoke thoughtfully. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if it really counts, but Z did kill you like¡­ a hundred times? Maybe a thousand times? I didn¡¯t actually keep track¡­¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not the same thing!¡± Arthur eximed as he tried to get back to his feet. Amelia backed up as he copsed back onto the ground, groaning. He ced a hand on his chest as he felt the constricting pain throb in his heart. ¡°I am still alive. Even if I have died a hundred times, I still live. How can the world be right if I am allowed to survive?¡± The brown-haired woman shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m pretty sure dying a hundred times is punishment enough. But if you¡¯re still alive, then why not make things right? Repent for all the horrible things you¡¯ve done and do what you can to help others until the day you truly die. Is that not better than letting you die here because Z¡¯s being a stubborn idiot?¡± She tilted her head as she asked the question. Arthur stared at her, utterly befuddled. Slowly, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His breathing grew heavy, before he looked back down at himself. ¡°But¡­¡± He thought of the smiling face of his wife. He heard the giggling of his children. He watched as they waited for him, and he looked up. ¡°But I have nothing left in this world. I just want to see my family again¡­¡± Amelia frowned. She stared at him as he looked up at her pleadingly, before shaking her head. ¡°So, what is it then? Is your death meant to be your punishment or your reward?¡± Arthur froze. His eyes widened as she asked the question. It was a simple question. And yet, he had no answer for her. He pursed his lips as she sighed. She took a step back, ncing at the angel. ¡°Look, if you really want me to let Z kill you¡­ then fine, I guess. I can¡¯t stop you. But let me ask you this¡ª is this really what your family would have wanted?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur started. But he found no words to say. He closed his eyes, seeing the burning fields. He recalled the destruction he had wrought into this world. He heard the cries of fear. He saw the blood. He remembered the terrified faces. And then he saw his family once more. His wife was still smiling, but she no longer had her hands outstretched to wee him. She held onto his children as they looked at him with somber faces. They tried to reach for him, but she stopped them. She looked up to meet his gaze as he opened his mouth. But then she spoke. Silent words that he could not hear. But he could see her lips moving. And he understood what she said. Not yet. They turned away from him. Arthur watched as his family drew away, leaving him in the darkness. He tried to reach out for them as he opened his mouth. ¡°No¡ª¡± And he blinked as he grabbed onto Amelia¡¯s hand. She stared at him as he returned back to reality, before he limply let go of her. ¡°They¡¯re¡­¡± he whispered, but nothing else followed. He looked down at the ground as he closed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s your choice,¡± Amelia said softly. ¡°Now tell me¡ª what is it you want?¡± Arthur had done many terrible things as Ar¡¯elith the Lich King. It might have happened under a different identity, but that was still a result of his own actions. He stood there in darkness. His family was gone, and the destruction he had brought about still lingered. The wrong he had done¡­ the lives he had taken¡­ if he followed his family into the light, he¡¯d be running away from it all. He took in a deep breath as he opened his eyes. He stared down at the palm of his hand. He was no longer connected to the World System, but that didn¡¯t mean there was nothing that could be done. He raised his head as he faced Amelia once more. ¡°I¡­¡± She waited expectantly. He looked past her to face the angel, then looked back down at himself. He clenched his jaw as he opened his mouth. ¡°I want to live¡ª¡± Arthur caught himself. He shook his head as he rose to his feet. ¡°No¡­ I must live. I must atone for my sins. For those I have wronged, I have to live. It is what¡¯s right.¡± He stood tall. His blond hair swayed with the wind, and the sun began to peek over the horizon behind him. Amelia smirked as she nodded. ¡°Good choice.¡± She turned away from him, looking back at the waiting angel. ¡°Hear that, Z? He wants to live, so if you want to kill him, you have to go through me first.¡± Arthur shifted back as he heard that. He nced between both the brown-haired woman and the angel, but neither raised their weapons. Affirmative. ¡°Are you still going to try and kill him?¡± Amelia asked as she raised a brow. Arthur bit his lower lip. The angel didn¡¯t visibly react. But there was tension in the air. It was palpable. And it was clear that the angel was calcting a course of action. Amelia didn¡¯t even reach for her de as she waited. After a tense moment passed, the angel responded. ¡­negative. And with that, he spread his wings and took off into the air. Amelia blinked, watching him go. Arthur stared too. As the angel took off into the horizon, flying towards the rising sun. Neither of the pair said anything until he was fully gone. Then Amelia dusted her hands off with a grin. ¡°d that¡¯s settled¡ª I didn¡¯t want to have to fight him. He¡¯s a really good employee. I hope he doesn¡¯t resign over this.¡± ¡°Employee?¡± Arthur asked with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Amelia said as she waved a hand dismissively. ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am not sure. I¡¯ll figure something out. First, I need to learn more about this time period¡­¡± He felt his chest aching as he realized that this world was not even the same world he knew. But that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Do you know if there¡¯s anyone out there who can offer me a ce to stay?¡± ¡°Well, I am looking to hire someone to work for me as a bartender,¡± Amelia said with a smile. ¡°I can offer you lodging in exchange for a few hours of work every day. Although¡­ I don¡¯t know how my customers would feel about their drinks being served to them by Ar¡¯elith the Lich King.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°Then there is no reason to call me by that name. I am no longer that man.¡± ¡°Then what do I call you?¡± Amelia peered at him curiously. He closed his eyes. He recalled the name he had once been called¡ª he heard his wife¡¯s voice echoing in his mind. Before he had be the terror that threatened to conquer all of Vacuos. And he managed to muster up a smile. ¡°Arthur,¡± he said. ¡°My name is Arthur.¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 It was over. Guardian Angel Z357 was gone, and the Voidgod was exiled back into the Fractured Realm. Now, it was just Ar¡¯elith and I standing here in the middle of the devastated mountain range illuminated by the orange light of dawn. Or¡ª his name was Arthur now. He was the Lich King once, but not anymore. He shook his head before bowing his head. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said softly as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. ¡°For giving me a chance to right my wrongs.¡± I rolled my eyes as I took a step back. ¡°Thank meter. Let¡¯s just get out of here first¡­ I really hope Z isn¡¯t going to quit on me when I get back.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Arthur shuffled his feet, slightly confused, but not questioning me. ¡°Come on, give me your hand. I¡¯ll carry you back to Wolfwater. Although¡­ you¡¯re pretty weak as you are right now, so I¡¯ll take it slow.¡± I proffered him a hand, and he took a step forward. I narrowed my eyes as he drew closer. And I stopped him, shaking my head. ¡°But before that¡ª¡± I said as I gestured at him. ¡°You need to put on some clothes.¡± Arthur blinked. Then he looked down at himself, before his eyes went wide. ¡°Oh.¡± He flushed, covering his crotch as he shifted back. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out an extra pair of pants from my Bag of Holding. ¡°Here, wear this.¡± ¡°S-sorry,¡± he said as he quickly moved to put on the pants. It was too tight for him, but it was better than nothing. ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize I was¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I snorted. ¡°Now let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°There she is!¡± Noele eximed as she saw the figure zipping through the sky. Saros and Garron looked up and narrowed their eyes. The two adventurers got to their feet as Amelia descended down into the forest. Noele had been standing the entire time, waiting for her mentor to return. She had seen Guardian Angel Z357 pass over thendscape about half an hour ago, so she already knew that Amelia was on the way. But she didn¡¯t expect to see her mentor arrive with a stranger in her arms. ¡°Amelia¡ª who¡¯s that?¡± The blonde girl blinked. She stared at the disheveled man. He was half-naked¡ª all he wore was a pair of ripped pants. His skin was deathly pale, and his hair was dirty blond. He was probably ten to fifteen years older than Noele, but he had an oddly wizened visage. Like his brown eyes were ck and hollow. Saros frowned. ¡°Where¡¯d you pick this hobo up from?¡± ¡°Is it over?¡± Garron asked, shaking his head as he ignored the gnome¡¯s rude question. ¡°Did you win?¡± ¡°Yeah, everything should be fine for now,¡± Amelia said as she waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to Wolfwater.¡± She took a step forward, urging the three adventurers forward as the disheveled blond man shifted back. He averted his gaze, and she proffered a hand expectantly. Saros and Garron shrugged and approached her. But Noele narrowed her eyes. She saw the way her mentor avoided the question. She noticed the ufortable look on the stranger¡¯s face. So she pressed the question. ¡°Wait, Amelia¡­ who is this? Where did hee from?¡± Saros and Garron nced back at the blonde girl. She looked past them, staring at Amelia. It was a simple question. The brown-haired woman could have answered it with a single sentence. And yet, she hesitated. She scratched the back of her head as she exined. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s, uh¡­ his name is Arthur.¡± ¡°Arthur?¡± Noele peered at her mentor suspiciously. That didn¡¯t exin anything. And Amelia clearly knew that. She apprehensively bit her lower lip, before sighing. ¡°Well, he¡¯s called Arthur now. But you may know him as¡­ Ar¡¯elith the Lich King.¡± The three adventurers froze. Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped. She stared in shock at her mentor, before turning to face Arthur. ¡°...what?¡± The Noble Spellsword couldn¡¯t believe it. But by the expression he wore, it was evident that Amelia wasn¡¯t lying. It was the truth. Arthur was the Lich King. ¡°But¡­ how? No¡ª¡± Noele shook her head. She gritted her teeth, turning to face her mentor. ¡°Why?¡± Amelia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯splicated. But he¡¯s weak now, and he¡¯s not really Ar¡¯elith anymore¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± the blonde girl eximed. She pointed usingly at the former Lich King. ¡°He¡¯s the one who nearly destroyed all of Laxo ten thousand years ago!¡± Arthur winced at her words. Garron rubbed his chin, and Saros massaged his temples. The Gnome Inventor shook his head as he sighed. ¡°This is insane¡­ you¡¯re insane, Amelia. What in the Thrones makes you think that sparing the First Lich King is a good idea?¡± ¡°First of all, I didn¡¯t think it was a great idea. I already killed him once before, remember? But look at him¡ª he¡¯s literally not the same person he was before.¡± Amelia gestured at Arthur. ¡°Secondly, I¡¯m not going to just let him wander around doing whatever he wants¡­ he¡¯s going to be my bartender.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Saros opened his mouth. He stared at her as she held his gaze. And he threw his hands in the air exasperatedly, giving up as he drew back. ¡°Whatever! I don¡¯t care anymore! Do whatever you want!¡± Noele watched as the gnome stormed off for a moment, beforeing to a halt. He must have realized that there was nowhere for him to march off to, so he just milled about over there as he grumbled to himself. The blonde girl turned back to face her mentor. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± she said with a serious look on her face. ¡°Look, I already had this argument with Z. I really don¡¯t want to rehash it again.¡± Amelia shook her head. ¡°Arthur is not Ar¡¯elith¡ª¡± ¡°But I am,¡± Arthur finally spoke up as he stepped forward. Amelia blinked at him as he nodded at her. He ced a hand on her shoulder as he managed to muster up a weak smile. ¡°Thank you for defending me. But I don¡¯t want you to make excuses for me either.¡± Noele¡¯s brows snapped together. She stared at the former Lich King as he took in a deep breath. He turned to her and held her gaze. ¡°Yes, I am the one who was called Ar¡¯elith. And I am the one who was responsible for razing half of Laxo to the ground. I havemitted an uncountable number of atrocities. I regret every single one of my past actions, but I also know that isn¡¯t enough for me to be forgiven¡­¡± He lowered his head as he hesitated. ¡°And nothing I do will ever be enough. I can never be forgiven for what I have done.¡± Arthur stared at the palm of his hand as it trembled. He clenched a fist, before exhaling heavily. ¡°I deserve your hatred. I deserve to be vilified for the things I did. But I have a chance to finally do some good¡ª after so long, I can right some of my wrongs. I know I cannot fully rectify my past mistakes. That nothing I do will ever be enough. So I am not asking for you to trust me. However, please let me use this opportunity Amelia has given me to do what I can to make the world a better ce.¡± Noele¡¯s gaze bore into him. She saw the way he hesitated¡ª the way he seemed to doubt himself. And it was clear in the look of disdain he had for himself that he was speaking from the heart. That he was not lying. She pursed her lips as she turned to Amelia. The brown-haired woman crossed her arms. ¡°There you have it,¡± she said simply. ¡°If Arthur tries anything, I can easily stop him. But I doubt he¡¯d even be able to hurt a fly at his current state. He lost his levels, and he reverted back to a human. I¡¯m pretty sure even Han is stronger than him now.¡± Noele didn¡¯t respond. She just chewed her lower lip as she looked between Amelia and Arthur. But a voice from behind drew her attention. ¡°I, for one, agree with Amelia,¡± Garron said as he strode up to the blonde girl. She turned to face him as he looked towards the former Lich King. ¡°As he is right now, Arthur is harmless. He can¡¯t hurt anyone. But he can help others. And that¡¯s all that matters, right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Noele opened her mouth. But she stopped herself. She nced between her mentor and the Steel Tank, before looking back towards Arthur. The former Lich King looked like he was about to avert his gaze, but he steeled himself at thest moment. He looked the blonde girl directly in the eyes and nodded. She lowered her head and sighed. ¡°I still think it¡¯s a bad idea,¡± she finally said. ¡°And I cannot agree with this. But¡­ fine.¡± Noele acquiesced as she closed her eyes. She remembered all the stories her sister had told her about the First Lich King as a child¡ª it was horrible. And yet, it happened so long ago, it was hard for her to fully contextualize the true terror of his atrocities. Only he knew what he had done, and that was why he asked for this. The blonde girl sighed as she nced at Amelia. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can do anything about it anyway¡­¡± Arthur nodded as he took a step forward. He ced a hand on his chest, giving Noele a grateful look. ¡°I understand how you feel. And I know that nothing I do will never be enough to make up for the atrocities I havemitted. So thank you¡ª for letting me do this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for you,¡± Noele snorted as she turned away from him. ¡°Let me make it clear¡ª I do not like you. I do not approve of this. So do not try and befriend me. Because I will not reciprocate you.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Arthur backed up as he lowered his head. ¡°I understand.¡± And Amelia pped her hands together as she swept her gaze over the group. ¡°Alright, now that that¡¯s settled¡ª let¡¯s head back!¡± She paused as she watched Noele, Garron, Saros, and Arthur approach her. She ced her hands on her hips, shaking her head. ¡°And remember: no screaming.¡± ¡°...no,¡± Noele said simply. ¡°I will scream as much as I want after what you¡¯ve done.¡± Amelia snorted, and the blonde girl chuckled. And with that, they took off, returning to Wolfwater. ¡ª-- ¡°Thank you, Melissa. You are dismissed.¡± Kallistus Kal waved a hand, and Melissa swept back. She smiled as she bowed low. ¡°Of course, my liege. I will send scouts to investigate the Breve Mountain Range, then I will contact them immediately.¡± With that, she took her leave. He watched her go as therge double doors mmed shut behind her. The [Hero King] was left alone in the dimly lit throne room. He sat there as he closed his eyes. And he tried to sense the source of power that had been so overwhelming just a few hours ago. But it was gone. It had surged to such an extreme level for a brief moment¡ª one that eclipsed anything he couldprehend¡ª before vanishing in an instant. There was still some traces of the Void¡¯s essence left in the air. However, it was such a minute amount that it was practically nothing. Especiallypared to the extremity it had reached seconds before it dissipated. Melissa hadn¡¯t noticed it¡ª none of the [High Mages] in his court detected it. Of course not. They weren¡¯t touched by the Void. They could not possibly parse its power. But they had noticed a bright light shining from the Breve Mountain Range. Kallistus knew that the fight was over. Nothing remained of that power. However, he still sent scouts to investigate it just in case he could find anything that would be useful to him. He especially wanted to know what it was there that dispelled the Void. He had his suspicions. He believed that it was very likely to be the Guardian Angel. But he needed confirmation to be sure. Because if the angel was truly capable of oveing such power¡­ The [Hero King] needed to make preparations. He needed to concoct a n for his inevitable second meeting with the Guardian Angel. And once that was settled, he¡¯d finally be able to freely study the limits of the Void¡¯s power. And then with it, Kallistus Kal would seize its power to return back to his world. But for now, he made his preparations. He schemed. He readied a trap. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 When we reached Wolfwater, Noele immediately retired to bed. She was far too exhausted to deal with my shit¡ª I was paraphrasing, of course. But the meaning of the message was the same. She was visibly more tired than either of the other two adventurers who apanied her to Arelioth¡¯s Pass, even though they had all experienced mostly the same battles. Garron escorted her back to her house, but Saros stayed behind. The Gnome Inventor wasn¡¯t sticking around me because he wanted to¡­ he made it abundantly clear multiple times as he followed me to my restaurant. Instead, he apanied me because he still needed to write up a report about the incident at Arelioth¡¯s Pass for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I ensured he omitted a handful of details, of course. For example¡ª I made him remove any mention of my involvement at any level. In this¡­ slightly revised version of events, Guardian Angel Z357 hadn¡¯t betrayed the three adventurers. In fact, he was written to be the one who saved the day. After flying off to deal with an unseen threat, he returned just in time to confront the revived and Void-empowered Lich King. And after a hard-fought, he came out victorious. Saros wasn¡¯t too happy about making these changes to the story. However, he eventually acquiesced, even if he grumbled about it the entire time. ¡°Why must you even tell the Adventurer¡¯s Guild about what happened, anyways?¡± I asked with a raised brow as he continued scribbling away at his notebook in the lobby of the restaurant. It was still morning. So Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was empty. Except for Bucky who was already awake. She ecstatically greeted me when I returned, not knowing what had urred overnight. I fed her a handful of seeds as I nced up at the Gnome Inventor sitting atop a table. ¡°Over thest month, I have carried out an extensive investigation into the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. They are growing bolder and bolder by the passing day, and their ideology is only spreading. But no one knows that. The current policy held by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is to ignore them. So this is my official petition to change that stance.¡± Saros spoke softly, his gaze darkening as he slowed his writing. I drew back from Bucky and stared at him. ¡°Even an angel has descended from the heavens to fend off the Void. If the Adventurer¡¯s Guild rejects my petition, then I know that it¡¯s rotten from the inside¡­¡± ¡°Right.¡± I watched as he sighed and lowered his head. The gnome looked tired¡ª rightfully so. He had been desperately trying to prevent the revival of Ar¡¯elith for a few weeks now. Or to be more urate, he was incredibly relieved, which fed to his exhaustion. Even if the First Lich King wasn¡¯t technically dead since Arthur was still around. But I knew that the Gnome Inventor was d he didn¡¯t have to worry about a looming, impending apocalyptic event. He was still worried about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. But to a significantly less extent than he was about Ar¡¯elith. Although¡­ Saros was still partially upset about that. I heard a set of footfalls approaching the main lobby from the kitchen. I looked back as Bucky tilted her head, and the gnome scowled. Two figures emerged from the back of the restaurant, wearing identical clothing. The first was Han. A former guardsman, and the first employee I brought into my restaurant. He was rtively young. Like he was in his mid-twenties at thetest. Broad-shouldered, tall. He had calloused, olive skin that made it evidently clear that he had spent a substantial amount of timeboring under the sun. Meanwhile, the second figure apanying him was quite the pr opposite. He was slender and pale-skinned. An inch or so shorter than Han, but clearly older. Not in an insulting way. He looked like he was perhaps in his early-thirties. And yet, he wore a timeless gaze on his face. He was Arthur. Previously known as Ar¡¯elith. The former Lich King, and currently my third employee. Saros harrumphed, looking away. He disapproved of my decision to hire the former Lich King as my bartender, but we agreed to keep Arthur¡¯s old identity a secret. So the gnome didn¡¯t make any snappy remarks, even if he refused to hide his displeasure on his face. I strode up to my two employees with a smile. ¡°Thanks for lending Arthur some of your clothes, Han,¡± I said as I nodded gratefully. ¡°I¡¯llpensate you for it, I promise.¡± ¡°Happy to help, Amelia. And you don¡¯t have to worry about paying me back¡ª you¡¯ve done more than enough for me by giving me a ce to stay.¡± Han grinned, giving me a thumbs-up. Arthur hesitated as he shifted ufortably. The former Lich King was very much outside of hisfort zone here. But he was ready to learn. I chuckled as I patted Han on the shoulders. ¡°Be sure to show Arthur the ropes, alright?¡± ¡°Will do!¡± The two of them started to prepare the tables and chairs for today. Even though that wasn¡¯t really necessary, considering that the restaurant was still closed. We were only going to be opening again tomorrow. It was still Han¡¯s day off, so he didn¡¯t even need to do this. But he insisted on helping since he didn¡¯t have anything else he needed to do. I had been slightly worried about Arthur earlier. I urged him to rest¡ª maybe take a nap for a few hours before he pushed himself to do anything. But he said he was feeling fully refreshed. He didn¡¯t even feel like sleeping¡­ which after a moment¡¯s thought, made sense to me since he had been ¡®asleep¡¯ for quite a while now. By ¡®asleep¡¯, I mean that he wasn¡¯t alive. He had literally been dead for ten thousand years before I killed him a few months ago. So he probably wasn¡¯t going to be taking a nap anytime in the next day or two. I watched as my two employees swept over the restaurant, and Bucky scampered over to follow. She was bored of me now that I was out of food to feed her, so she went to investigate the next most interesting thing. I shook my head as I turned to face Saros. The Gnome Inventor was packing up his things, preparing to leave. He hopped off the table he had been sitting on, and I eyed him curiously. ¡°You¡¯re going?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m getting up to stay¡ª of course I¡¯m going!¡± Saros snorted as he nced back at me. ¡°I finished my report, so I¡¯m going to pass out for the next twenty-four hours. When I wake up, you better have some booze prepared for me here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll even give you a discount.¡± I smirked back at him. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he exited the restaurant. I could hear him grumbling about how I wasn¡¯t even giving him free drinks, but the door closed behind him, and he was gone. I settled back into a chair as the door swiveled open and close for a moment. And then it swung open as a figure hobbled into the restaurant. I blinked as Bucky clucked, looking back at our newest visitor. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally here,¡± I remarked casually. ¡°Wee back, Dorien.¡± I greeted the [Druid] as he just stared at me. His jaw dropped, before he blinked a few times and regained hisposure. He approached me with wide eyes. ¡°How did you arrive back in Wolfwater before me? No¡ª where did you even go? You disappeared without saying a word!¡± I got back to my feet. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I said I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t return!¡± Dorien eximed. ¡°You vanished, and I waited for you for over an hour!¡± I just shrugged. ¡°Sorry about that¡ª but I had to deal with a few things. And apparently they were more troublesome than I thought they¡¯d be.¡± The [Druid] narrowed his eyes at me, peering suspiciously. But he couldn¡¯t decipher the meaning behind my cryptic words. Not unless he could read my mind. I approached him as I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Anyways, all that matters is you¡¯re here now. So, where are the bees?¡± I asked as I tilted my head at him. ¡°They¡¯re¡ª¡± he started. But a voice interrupted him. We nced back to stare at Han standing by the bar with a frown. Arthur stood by his side, looking just as lost as Dorien and I. ¡°Bees?¡± Han asked, furrowing his brows. ¡°What bees?¡± ¡°Bees¡ª you know, the one that makes honey?¡± I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°We¡¯ll be setting up one of their hives here right outside of the restaurant.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing¡­ what?¡± Han stared at me in shock. ¡°And they¡¯re no ordinary bees either¡ª they¡¯re bastion bees,¡± Dorien added as he rubbed his temples. ¡°I have no idea how she did it, but she managed to convince Quebi to give her a few workers for their honey.¡± Arthur looked as confused as ever. He didn¡¯t visibly react beyond ncing around, puzzled. However, Han¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Bastion bees? You can¡¯t be serious, right? I thought they were on the brink of extinction!¡± ¡°They are,¡± Dorien said with a nod. ¡°And they¡¯re also waiting for you right outside of Wolfwater, Amelia.¡± Han sighed as he murmured to himself. ¡°This is insane¡ª first an angel, and now bastion bees? At least you¡¯re mostly normal, right Arthur?¡± Arthur just winced at that. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ uh¡­¡± But before he could reply, I dusted my hands off as I turned to Dorien. I strode forward with a grin stered onto my face. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go fetch my bees¡ª we don¡¯t want to keep them waiting for too long.¡± The [Druid] rolled his eyes in response. ¡°And yet, you left me all by myself for over an hour¡­" Chapter 120 Chapter 120 I followed Dorien as he led me out of Wolfwater. Han and Arthur apprehensively trailed after us, and we came to a halt right before a thicket of trees. I heard the buzzing in the distance¡ª it grew louder as I narrowed my eyes. I could see the bulky figures of the bastion bees zipping between the leaves and hiding behind the tree branches. With each passing moment, they seemed to be more and more restless. Their movements more frantic. Their glowing eyes shining even in the sunlight. ¡°As you can tell, they are a tiny bit upset that you left,¡± Dorien said as he turned to face me. ¡°They nearly stung me because of you.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± I sighed, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± I strode forward as the buzzing of the bastion bees intensified. They spotted my approach, and they cast their angry gazes my way. I raised my hands in the air as I entered the thicket of trees. ¡°Sorry for leaving,¡± I said softly as I scratched my cheek. ¡°I, uh, had to deal with some other issues. But I¡¯m back now¡­?¡± I hesitated¡ª unsure if that would have pissed them off even more. Their bulbous red eyes shed, and one of their figures darted up to me. Like it was trying to attack. But I didn¡¯t flinch. I just stood there as the glinting stinger shot straight to my face. I lowered my hands, and the charging bastion bee paused. It didn¡¯t sting me. However, it got quite close. I watched as it drew back, before holding my gaze. I recognized it¡ª I recognized her. She was the nursing bee who had been charged with carrying the eggs to Wolfwater. Her wings fluttered as she red at me. Her little appendages tightly clung onto the egg sac. I watched as her antennae twitched like she was gesturing down at the unhatched bastion bees¡ª as if she was telling me that something could have happened to them. ¡°Hey.¡± I smiled reassuringly at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make any excuses¡ª it¡¯s my fault for abandoning you guys. I¡¯ll make it up to youter, but for now let¡¯s get your new hive situated first, alright?¡± The nursing bee stared at me. She still looked upset, but she was calmer now. And the other bastion bees took notice of this. They emerged from the trees as their buzzing wings grew softer, and I nodded at them. I stepped out of the thicket of trees as they followed after me. Dorien, Arthur, and Han watched as I coaxed the bastion bees out. The [Druid] nodded approvingly at me. ¡°I¡¯m impressed¡ª you managed to calm them down even without any [Animal Handling] Skills.¡± ¡°Those really are bastion bees¡­¡± Han whispered as he shifted back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s bringing those monsters into Wolfwater.¡± Meanwhile, Arthur didn¡¯t visibly react. He just stared at me as I started past him. ¡°Come on,¡± I said as I gestured for everyone to follow. ¡°My restaurant is this way.¡± And with that, I strode through Wolfwater with a dozen bastion bees in tow¡­ which ended up drawing a little bit more attention my way. ¡ª-- ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°What is she doing?¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t she the owner of Bucky¡¯s?¡± ¡°Bucky¡¯s? Don¡¯t you mean Xakor¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant? And I¡¯m pretty sure she isn¡¯t the owner¡ª she¡¯s just an employee.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point! What in the Thrones is she doing with those monsters?¡± ¡°Monsters?¡± Xakor frowned as he heard themotion sweeping over Wolfwater. He came to a halt, adjusting the cloak that hid his face. As a non-native to Vacuos, he¡¯d normally stand out by quite a bit if he were out and about in public. He was a ragnarian. That meant he was tall,nky, and had purple skin. To top it all off, he also had four arms and three fingers. And considering that he was quite famous all throughout Vacuos, he would have been instantly recognized if he had been wandering about Wolfwater without his face hidden. So that was why he went out with a disguise, covering his face with an enchanted hood, walking with a hunch, and wearing thick robes to mask his features. Xakor had been shopping for ingredients¡ª he had been wanting to add a handful of his signature dishes to the menu at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, but he had been far too busy until now to acquire the various items needed to make them. With the restaurant closed for thesest two days, he had managed to find time to get everything he wanted. But now as he made his way back to the restaurant, he overheard the whispered voices talking about something Amelia had done. He didn¡¯t know what it was, however he started to worry when he saw a crowd gathered around the small building up ahead. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Xakor said as he waded his way through the mass of people. Many of them protested, but he ignored them. He reached the front as the susurration from the crowd grew louder, before he came to a halt. He rarely ever blinked because of his physiology¡ª it wasn¡¯t necessary for him on a biological level. But he was capable of it, and he would blink when he was in shock. Like right now. Xakor blinked as he stared at the scene. He heard the loud buzzing¡ª he saw the shadows passing him overheard. He caught a brief glimpse of the ck and yellow stripes, but they moved fast, zipping through the vige. ¡°Was that a¡­ bee?¡± Xakor asked as he nced back to the restaurant. He spotted Amelia standing there right at the front entrance with Bucky at her side. She was staring at a protrusioning out of the side of the small building¡ª like a deformed tumor. It was made up of bits of rocks and wood that were haphazardly ced together to form what looked vaguely like the tower of a castle. Xakor raised his head as he heard the loud buzzing return. He spotted the same ck and yellow figures from before flying overhead, making their way back to the restaurant. They carried with themrge bits of rock and other debris, before cing them around the protruding room of the restaurant. They really were bees. But they were thick and bulky in size¡ª each one about as big as Xakor¡¯s head. He frowned, watching them work as the crowd continued to stare. The [Chef] finally strode forward, lowering his hood. Amelia turned to face him as she blinked. ¡°Oh, Xakor, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Xrr, indeed I am.¡± He nodded, before looking at the bees as they continued constructing the stone room. ¡°I know I will regret asking this question, but what is going on, Amelia?¡± ¡°This?¡± She cocked her head. ¡°The bees are just building a new hive. ording to Dorien, it will take them about a day to finish. So you can just ignore it until then.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Xakor scratched his chin in thought. Her response didn¡¯t exin anything. So he pressed the question. ¡°And why exactly are these bees¡­ here?¡± Amelia blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s insane!¡± a voice eximed. Xakor turned around to face a young man walking out of the crowd. A familiar young man. One with a swollen face wrapped in bandages. Bucky immediately perked up when she saw him¡ª she clucked in annoyance as he pointed usingly at Amelia. ¡°Haven¡¯t you all realized that this woman is utterly insane?¡± he said as he turned to the crowd. ¡°Ever since she¡¯s arrived in Wolfwater, she has caused nothing but trouble! We¡¯ve been attacked by bandits and monsters all because of her!¡± Amelia stared at him as he gestured wildly at her. ¡°How can we allow this insane woman to do as she pleases in our vige? She¡¯s constructing a damn hive for those monsters! They¡¯re not bees, they¡¯re monsters! Is that what we want? To let Wolfwater be some kind of Dungeon?¡± The crowd grew silent at his speech. Amelia didn¡¯t respond, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. Xakor pursed his lips, unsure whether he should try to cate them. Even though he was a celebrity, he wasn¡¯t a resident of this vige. He didn¡¯t want to abuse his status and overstep boundaries¡ª if the people of Wolfwater disapproved of this, he would have to convince Amelia to acquiesce to them. The injured young man looked like he was garnering quite some support from the crowd. He sneered as he turned back to face the brown-haired woman. He waited for her response. And after a few moments passed, she finally answered. ¡°...do I know you?¡± she asked as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°I feel like I recognize you from somewhere.¡± ¡°What?¡± he sputtered, taking a step back. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me? I am Joseph Donovan! You nearly murdered me two weeks ago!¡± Amelia frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really ring a bell¡­¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Joseph Donovan opened his mouth, about to snap at her. But he caught himself. He took in a deep breath, realizing that the crowd was still ambivalent, and he needed to do more to convince them to join his side. So he crossed his arms and smirked. ¡°As expected from a fool such as you. You don¡¯t even realize how much you¡¯re endangering Wolfwater by bringing these monsters here, do you? Maybe they¡¯re peaceful right now. But at any moment, they could attack any one of us without warning and without reason.¡± The bees zipped past him ,and he flinched. But theypletely ignored him. He steeled himself as the crowd whispered amongst themselves. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°What happens if those bees sting my daughter?¡± ¡°They¡¯re massive! They can take off my head with a single bite!¡± Xakor hesitated, watching as the crowd started to agree with Joseph Donovan. The injured young man grinned triumphantly to himself as Amelia just stared. It seemed pointless to argue at this point¡ª there was nothing the [Chef] could say or do to change that public sentiment. But a voice piped up. A gruff man stepped out of the crowd, clearing his throat. Xakor recognized him immediately. He was Lucas¡ª Wolfwater¡¯s top [Hunter]. ¡°Actually¡ª¡± he said as he gestured at one of the passing bees. ¡°These are bastion bees. ording to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, they are not ssified as monsters. They¡¯re called sacred monsters. And many sacred monsters are known to live within the confines of a city. Like pegasi, for example.¡± Joseph Donovan blinked. The crowd paused. Amelia and Xakor stared at Lucas as he continued. ¡°Some bestiaries even ssify bastion bees as animals. It is hotly debated, of course. But that doesn¡¯t matter¡ª bastion bees are incredibly intelligent, and they never attack unless they are provoked.¡± Lucas finished, before shrinking back as he realized that everyone was looking at him. He scratched his cheek sheepishly. ¡°Sorry, as a [Hunter], I love learning about monsters, so I know a thing or two about them¡­¡± It looked like this was the first time he ever had to make use of his trivia knowledge on monsters. Even his [Hunter] friends looked surprised by him. The crowd hesitated, ncing between each other. And Joseph Donovan tried to work his jaw. ¡°But¡­ but what happens if a child identally attacks one of these bastion bees, huh?¡± ¡°As I said, they¡¯re incredibly intelligent.¡± Lucas shook his head. ¡°They know better than to harm a human child when they¡¯re surrounded by a vige of humans.¡± Another susurration swept through the crowd, but this time, they looked approvingly at the half-constructed hive. ¡°If that¡¯s what Lucas thinks, then it should be fine, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s our top [Hunter], he knows what he¡¯s talking about!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that bastion bees are an endangered species. I never thought I would ever see one up-close before. They¡¯re beautiful!¡± ¡°W-wait¡­¡± Joseph Donovan watched as the public sentiment rapidly shifted. The support he had garnered evaporated, and he clenched his teeth. He spun around and faced Lucas with an using re. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be on my side! What are you doing?¡± But Woflwater¡¯s top [Hunter] scoffed in response. ¡°I¡¯m not on anyone¡¯s side, boy. I¡¯m on the side of what¡¯s right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There you have it,¡± Amelia said as she looked back at Xakor. She gave him a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s resolved.¡± The [Chef] just sighed. ¡°Xrr¡­ you still haven¡¯t told me why these bastion bees are here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story¡ª¡± she started. And he waved a hand dismissively, stepping back into the restaurant. ¡°You can tell me what happenedter. Come inside, I have a few new recipes I need to teach you before tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Amelia blinked. ¡°Right.¡± She followed after him, leaving Bucky alone outside to supervise the bastion bees as the crowd began to disperse. And Joseph Donovan stormed off as he cursed at Lucas for siding with Amelia. The injured young man vowed he would get his revenge for being humiliated once again. ¡­but he probably wasn¡¯t going to seed. Amelia Book 1 is now out on Amazon KU and Audible! Amelia Book 1 is now out on Amazon KU and Audible! IT''S FINALLY OUT! Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 1 is now avable on Amazon KU and Audible for your reading and listening pleasure! I am so excited about this release. First of all, I have Mare Trevathan who narrated Blue Mage Raised by Dragons and Godking''s Legacy¡ª two RoyalRoad ssics¡ª as the narrator of the audiobook. Secondly, I have taken into ount the feedback and critique I received while posting there, and I have made edits to hopefully make the story better for the book release. I have added about 5,000 words of new scenes, and I have removed like 3,000 words of fluff as well. I have also had the book proofread and whatnot for its release, so hopefully that caught most of the typos and mistakes... Since you guys have already read the story, please check it out and give it a rating or a review. You don''t need to buy the book to rate or review it. If I get 100 ratings by the end of the week, I''ll post extra chapters for Amelia over the weekend for both Patreon and Public! Of course, if you have Kindle Unlimited, give it a download. It''s free that way. And if you can afford it, consider giving it a buy as well. Seriously, the ebook is being self-published by myself. Unlike other RoyalRoad authors, I did not opt to go with a big indie publisher, so I hope you guys would be willing to support me and give the book a try <> And if the book does well, I''llmission even more art. Look at this! And look at what I have as a WIP too! And this was all for book 1! I have book 2 covers in the works too... I have big things nned for Amelia if the book does well on Amazon. So please, support me and rate/review/download/buy the books on Amazon and Audible now! Kindle: Amelia The Level Zero Hero Book 1: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG - Kindle edition by Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ . Audible: Amelia the Level Zero Hero: A LitRPG Adventure by V.A. Lewis - Audiobook - Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Arthur closed his eyes. While he looked like a rtively young man¡ª somewhere in his early thirties orte twenties¡ª he had experienced much in his lifetime. In fact, he had experienced multiple lives, having died dozens of times¡­ maybe even hundreds of times. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure the exact number. But it was a fact that he was a wizened man who had aplished a great many things in his various chances at life. At one point, long ago, he had been a [Priest]. Then he had be a [Necromancer]. After that, he had be the very first Lich King to walk Vacuos. He had be a Level 75 [Archmage of Death]. He was the One Who Tamed the Five Great Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path. He was the Lord of All Undeath. At the peak of his power, he had ten million undead soldiers under hismand. If that wasn¡¯t enough, he had also be a Fledgling God Vessel. Even if it was against his will, he had harbored the power of the Void within his soul. So Arthur had been through a lot in both his life and in his undeath. And yet, everything he had experienced would have never prepared him for this¡ª for his greatest challenge thus far. ¡°Cing right up!¡± he stuttered as he drew back from the bar. He grabbed a mug and paused right before a pair of barrels. He hesitated, realizing had forgotten what had been ordered. He nced back as he pursed his lips, staring at the young man waiting expectantly for the drink. ¡°Uh, sorry, you asked for a mug of ale¡­ right?¡± Arthur asked apprehensively. The customer blinked, before shaking his head. ¡°No¡ª I asked for a ss ofger.¡± ¡°R-right. Sorry!¡± It was an embarrassing mistake. Arthur flushed as he filled the mug with theger, before handing it to the young man. The former Lich king could make a lot of excuses¡ª this was his first day working here at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and he had been given the job of a [Bartender]. But¡­ he wasn¡¯t a [Bartender]. Hecked the ss for it. He didn¡¯t have the Skills to pour a mug of ale, let alone mix a cocktail. That was why he was absolutely terrible at his job. He sighed as he leant against the wooden counter of the bar. He looked up to face the busy room¡ª it had only been three hours since he started working, and he already messed up three orders today. He had even spilled a drink on one of the customers at the very start of his shift. He closed his eyes as he turned away from the busy crowd. The hubbub of the restaurant seemed to quieten as he slowly immersed himself in his thoughts. The noise of the room grew muffled, and Arthur very much wished the day would already be over. But ording to Han, things were only just getting started. Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant often saw the bulk of their customers show up in the evening¡ª when everyone in Wolfwater was getting back from work. So that meant the worst was yet toe. And the former Lich King dreaded it. He gritted his teeth, and he heard the clinking of ss. A mug was set down in front of him, drawing his attention. He looked up to see a brown-haired woman standing before him, offering him a drink. ¡°Here,¡± Amelia said as she took a step back. ¡°You looked tired¡ª have a drink.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Arthur shifted back, straightening as he epted the mug. ¡°Wait¡­ what is this?¡± He paused as he stared at the red liquid. It was translucent, and it was smudged with an orange smear from the ice added on top. He had never seen such a drink before. It was clearly not alcohol, but it didn¡¯t look appetizing either with its blood-like texture. It was evidently a type of juice. However, he had never seen something like it before. Amelia stared at him expectantly, and he apprehensively took a sip. He expected it to be a vile concoction. But he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was¡­ sweet. And it was savory too. It had a strange aftertaste¡ª but not one that was unwee either. Like there was a tinge of vani added to it. It really wasn¡¯t like anything he had tasted before. He took another gulp as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked as he turned to face Amelia. ¡°Malim juice,¡± she said simply. ¡°Dorien gave it to me.¡± Arthur frowned. ¡°Dorien is¡­ the [Druid]?¡± ¡°Yeah. He doesn¡¯t really like sharing his malim juice around, so you¡¯re the first person¡ª other than me¡ª who¡¯s giving it a taste test. What do you think?¡± Amelia stared at the former Lich King curiously. ¡°I think I like it?¡± He took another sip, before shaking his head. ¡°Although, it has a bit of a strong aftertaste¡­¡± She rubbed her chin as she took a step back. ¡°I thought so. It tastes like a soda¡ª like coke or pepsi. But there is no fizz to bnce the sweetness. I need to find a way to carbonate it somehow¡­¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Arthur blinked. Amelia waved a hand dismissively as she nodded at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡ª I still need to nt a few malim bushes around the restaurant to get a steady supply, so I don¡¯t need to add it to the menu just yet.¡± She was talking to herself. Arthur didn¡¯t understand a single thing she had just said. He felt sopletely out of his depth. He looked at her, then he swept his gaze over the busy room. He spotted a middle-aged couple dining and chatting in the corner of the room. He watched as Han swept through the room, somehow bncing four steaming tes and a ss of water with only two arms. An elderly man with a stained shirt gave the former Lich King a re before exiting the restaurant. Arthur winced. That ident had happened a while ago, and he had apologized profusely. But it didn¡¯t matter. He finally sighed. ¡°...I could add the bastion bees honey¡ª¡± Amelia started. And he spoke over her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m cut out for this job.¡± She paused. She faced the former Lich King with a raised brow. ¡°What makes you say that? It¡¯s your first day here, Arthur.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He opened his mouth. And he closed his eyes. He remembered the words of the World System¡ª the blue box that shed before his eyes when he was freed from the Void. At that moment, he had been removed from the World System. That was why he was no longer a Lich King. That was why he couldn¡¯t use his magic. And that was why he couldn¡¯t learn the Skills needed to be a [Bartender]. Amelia stared at him as he mulled over this fact. He raised his head, opening his eyes. He looked at his employer¡ª at his savior. She never should have given him a chance to do this. He should have just¡­ he should have just¡­ ¡°I should have just died¡ª¡± And she spoke before he could continue. ¡°Go and take a break for today. You¡¯re probably still tired after everything that¡¯s happened. I shouldn¡¯t have made you work so soon.¡± Amelia patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°What?¡± He stared at her for a moment, processing what she said. Then he tried to protest. ¡°But the customers¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± she said as she took a step back, gesturing vaguely at the room. ¡°We have less customers than usual right now, anyways.¡± Arthur looked between her and the crowd. He hesitated, but she gave him a soft push. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t worry about it, alright?¡± ¡°I¡­ alright.¡± He nodded and slowly acquiesced. ¡ª-- I watched as Arthur headed back into the kitchen to get some rest. He was currently sharing a room with Han at the back of the restaurant. But since Han was still busy working, the former Lich King would have some time for himself to rest. He looked pale. He was definitely tired. Maybe he was still limating to his current circumstance. I was trying to be nice when I shooed him to his room, but also¡ª what I said was true. The restaurant was empty today. Or at least, rtively emptypared to usual. There was still a crowd, but it was smaller than what I was used to for a couple of reasons. I crossed my arms as I overheard the scattered conversations ¡°Seriously? The angel isn¡¯t here today?¡± ¡°And did you see those monsters? They¡¯re terrifying! Should we just leave?¡± ¡°The food¡¯s good, though¡­ as expected from Xakor!¡± So without Guardian Angel Z357 working here, there was less novelty to my restaurant. And the bastion bees living next door were a bit of a deterrent to other customers too. I wasn¡¯t surprised by this oue. Honestly, I expected business to slow down a bit eventually. My goal when I opened Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was to have some customers. The fact that it was still the number one attraction in all of Wolfwater was good enough for me. So I wasn¡¯t really bothered by the smaller crowd than usual. I ignored theints and strode past Noele¡¯s parents. They visited again today¡ª as they usually did. They were some of my most frequent customers, and I nodded at them as they waved at me. I didn¡¯t stop to chat with them because I had already greeted them when they arrived, and I needed to check up on the bastion bees anyways. ¡°Dorien said that they should be producing some honey by the end of today¡­¡± I murmured to myself as I stepped out of the restaurant. The bastion bees had already finished building their hive. It wasposed mostly of stone and rubble¡ª like a small fortress with a hexagonal hole at the front as the main entrance. Supposedly, it would be expanded in the future. But for now, it was about the size of arge wagon. I turned the corner, only to pause as I spotted a shadow passing over me. I raised my head with narrowed eyes. And up above the clouds, I saw a winged figure flying. Dove-like wings. A mechanical body. Twelve eyes. I recognized who it was in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Z?¡± I blinked. And the angel dove straight down to the ground, flying straight for me with hisnce raised. I narrowed my eyes as I heard the buzzing of the bastion bees grow louder. In an instant, hended right before me, sending a pir of dust into the air. His rapid descent drew the attention of the patrons at my restaurant as well as a few other passersby. He raised his head as the dust settled, and I stared at him with a frown. His twelve eyes flickered my way as I crossed my arms. ¡°Uh, is something wrong?¡± I waited. And without a word, Guardian Angel Z357 took a step forward. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Guardian Angel Z357 returned. He had been missing for a full day and a half¡ª ever since I had stopped him from killing Arthur. I thought he was mad at me. In fact, I was pretty sure he would have already killed me if he could. But since he couldn¡¯t, he ran away¡­ or more urately, he flew off on his own. I didn¡¯t really think I would see him again. Not after our tense confrontation. But now, he was back. And it seemed like he was back with a vengeance. I stared at Z as he looked back at me with all twelve of his eyes. He held hisnce to his side¡ª it was stained with blood and dirt. Like he had just returned from a ughter. He took a step forward as the crowd of passersby watched on. And a blonde girl made her way to the restaurant, panting as she raised both of her swords. ¡°Amelia!¡± Noeled called out, and I nced towards her. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is he¡­?¡± She stared at Guardian Angel Z357 warily. Understandably so¡ª after he had betrayed her, before willingly leaving her for dead. Now, she no longer looked at him with awe and wonder. The reverence she bore was gone. Instead, she beheld him with distrust. In response, he fractionally craned his neck to face her. He took another step forward, walking past me, before I raised a hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± I said as I caught him. Guardian Angel Z357 came to a halt. One of his twelve eyes darted my way, and I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you pass until you tell me why you¡¯re here.¡± I narrowed my eyes as I reached for the hilt of my de. ¡°You¡¯re not here for Arthur, are you?¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause. Z didn¡¯t give an immediate response. He tilted his head back, before speaking with his mind. Negative. I am not here for Arthur. I frowned. I didn¡¯t lower my hand. I didn¡¯t let Guardian Angel Z357 pass. He stared at his bloodiednce, then I looked up at his unchanging face. ¡°If you¡¯re lying¡ª¡± I started. And he interrupted me. I am not lying. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± I studied his gaze. He refused to look back at me¡ª not directly. He lowered his head as I pressed the question. ¡°If you are not lying, tell me what you¡¯re doing.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 closed his twelve eyes. He took a step back as thence in his hand vanished with a sh of light. Noele gritted her teeth as the onlooking crowd gasped. A susurration swept over the sea of faces, and I waited. I am¡ª Z pivoted to face me. I listened, but he trailed off. He held my gaze, replying slowly. And my eyes grew wide. I amte for work, Guardian Angel Z357 said. ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°What?¡± Noele paused. ¡°What?¡± The crowd exchanged a confused nce. But Z just strode past me as he produced an apron out of thin air. I apologize for myte showing, but I must get to work now. I hesitated. I watched him step into the restaurant, before looking back towards Noele. I exchanged a nce with my apprentice, and she just shrugged. I scratched the back fo my head. ¡°Well, uh, that¡¯s then, I guess.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Noele asked with a frown. She eyed the angel as he swept over the room, serving dozens of dishes to the hungry customers gathered in the room. I turned away from my apprentice and crossed my arms. ¡°He¡¯s working,¡± I stated the obvious. ¡°And he¡¯s doing a pretty damn good job at that.¡± Before Z had returned to the restaurant, we had maybe just about two dozen customers gathered inside. There were still a handful of empty chairs too, and we didn¡¯t even need to set out the tables outside to increase our maximum serving capacity. However, since he caused that little scene, we have attracted a ratherrge crowd. We now had over a hundred customers at a time, and I had to work overtime with Xakor to prepare all the orders. The sun was starting to set now. The evening rush was going toe in soon. So I was taking a brief break to chat with Noele for a few minutes before that happened. The Noble Spellsword narrowed her eyes as she stared at Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°But what is he nning? Is he seriously just here to work?¡± ¡°I mean, I guess?¡± I shook my head as I turned to face the blonde girl. ¡°What are you worried about, anyways?¡± ¡°He tried to get us killed, Amelia.¡± Noele red at me. I nodded. ¡°Fair¡ª and I get that. But he¡¯s¡­ like a machine. Or a golem. So I highly doubt it was anything personal. Plus, you¡¯re fine now, right?¡± I tried to reassure her. But that only aggravated her even further. She harrumphed as she crossed her arms, sinking back into her seat. ¡°Only because you saved us,¡± she retorted. ¡°But we don¡¯t even know what he did while he was gone. Did you not see the blood on hisnce? What did he do?¡± ¡°True.¡± I ced a hand on my chin. I looked towards Guardian Angel Z357 as he glided in and out of the kitchen. ¡°We could always ask him what he did.¡± ¡°What?¡± Noele paused. And I called out. ¡°Hey, Z!¡± He paused as he heard me. He was carrying a stack of empty, dirty tes, but he still marched up to me anyways. He held my gaze, waiting expectantly. ¡°What were you doing while you were gone?¡± I asked simply. It was my day off, he replied without missing a beat. As such, I did as I was instructed by the World System. ¡°And what is that?¡± I tilted my head at him. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t look away from me. I interrogated a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. They resisted, so I killed them. I shrugged, turning back to Noele. ¡°There you have it.¡± She pursed her lips. And Z began to draw back. But she rose to her feet and called out to him. ¡°And that¡¯s it? Is life that trivial to you? Are we all just tools for you to use and discard when we¡¯re no longer useful?¡± Noele posed the question to him. He cocked his head back at her, before he replied. If the World System wills it, it shall be done. And with that, he returned to the kitchen. Noele just looked on as she narrowed her eyes. ¡ª-- He should have died. Or at least, that was what Arthur told himself as hey there in his bed. His eyes were closed, and he could hear the ruckus of the restaurant outside. The muffled noise only grew louder as the day passed. But he tuned it out. Instead, he recalled the words of the World System¡ª he still saw the red box telling him how he had lost his ss and his Skills. Now, he couldn¡¯t even be a [Bartender] if he wanted. To And what was worse was¡ª He raised a hand as he opened his eyes. He took in a deep breath, reaching for a power that wasn¡¯t there. ¡°[Frost Lightning],¡± he whispered. But nothing happened. There was no ke of frost wisping off his fingertips. There was no sh of blue light as a st of lightning struck his target. Because there was nothing left. Even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t save a fly. He couldn¡¯t protect anyone even if he tried his hardest. He wasn¡¯t capable of¡­ anything. So how could he make up for all the terrible things he had done as Ar¡¯elith the Lich King? What was he¡­ ¡°What am I even doing?¡± Arthur asked himself as his eyes fluttered close once again. And the door to his room swung open as he blinked. He sat up, blinking as he faced Han. The younger man strode in with a sigh, massaging his shoulders. ¡°Sorry for just barging in,¡± Han said as he shook his head. ¡°Amelia told me you were resting, but I need a break too. It¡¯s so busy out there. I am exhausted.¡± He chuckled as he nced back towards the kitchen. Arthur heard the mor outside¡ª the banging pots and the sizzling mes. Han closed the door, before taking a seat. ¡°Anyway, how have you been holding up?¡± he asked as he peered at Arthur. The former Lich King hesitated. He looked back down at himself, before sighing. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I thought I could do this¡ª I thought I could¡­ but I can¡¯t.¡± He trailed off as he closed his eyes. It was more than just being a [Bartender]. It was about making things right¡ª atoning for his past sins. But, of course, Han didn¡¯t know any of that. ¡°It¡¯s a tough job at first,¡± Han said reassuringly as he shook his head. ¡°I can see where you¡¯reing from¡ª I was fortunate in that I had some time to limate to things. We really didn¡¯t have any customers at first.¡± ¡°R-right,¡± Arthur agreed, even if that wasn¡¯t his main concern. It was certainly an issue. But the realization that he was helpless was far more pressing to him. Han sighed, closing his eyes. ¡°Actually, I was Amelia¡¯s first customer. And I waspletely lost when I first met her. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing anymore at that point. I had hit rock bottom. But even though I waspletely unqualified for the job¡ª even though I didn¡¯t feel like I was ready for it¡ª she still gave me a chance.¡± Arthur stared at the younger man. He had heard this before. He knew that Han was a former guardsman. But it was different from what the former Lich King was going through. After all, Han could learn and improve, while Arthur could not. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ve gotten the hang of it. What level are you now?¡± Arthur said as he shook his head. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m still a Level 17 [Spearman].¡± Han grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t even have a ss as a [Waiter] or a [Server].¡± And that made Arthur blink. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª that¡¯s what I realized ever since I met Amelia. You don¡¯t need a ss to be able to do something.¡± The former guardsman waved a hand dismissively. ¡°But you need a ss to do it well,¡± Arthur corrected him. ¡°Not really. I¡¯d say I¡¯m pretty good at my job now.¡± Han shrugged as he got to his feet. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure that Amelia isn¡¯t a [Chef] either. If I had to guess, she¡¯s probably a [Warrior].¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Arthur paused. He had tried some of Amelia¡¯s cooking just yesterday, and he had to admit, she was a good cook. But was she better than Xakor who was a high-leveled [Chef]? No¡ª she was not. That was why sses mattered. That was why the World System was important. Because it was what gave the people of Vacuos the power to fend for themselves. Without its influence, Arthur was nothing. Even Amelia, without her [Warrior] ss, was nothing¡­ right? Wrong. Arthur¡¯s eyes widened as he recalled a faint memory. He remembered when he first encountered the brown-haired woman¡ª back in that forest as he stared into her soul with his [Eyes of True Appraisal]. It had been a very brief meeting, and his recollection of the events that happened were vague at best. But one thing he knew was true¡­ one thing he remembered for certain¡­ Amelia had no ss. She had no levels either. Without the World System¡¯s blessing, she had defeated him with a single swing of her de. It was iprehensible. Ar¡¯elith didn¡¯t understand it back then, and Arthur didn¡¯t understand it even now. He just stared nkly at Han as he processed this fact. And the former guardsman started back towards the doorway with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I know how you feel, Arthur,¡± Han said as he pulled the door open. ¡°You may feel like you¡¯re trapped¡ª like you¡¯re incapable of doing anything right. But when you¡¯re at the bottom, you can only go up. So don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur hesitated. He watched as the younger man left the room as he tried to work his jaw. He raised a hand, before balling it into a fist. He was no longer Ar¡¯elith the Lich King. He was no longer the Lord of All undeath. But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t be something else¡ª something more. He just had to take the first step. ¡°I must do this,¡± he said as he rose to his feet. And with that resolve in mind, Arthur exited his room to get back to work. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 I didn¡¯t know what happened, but some time in the evening, Arthur returned to his job without an issue. I tried to tell him to take a few days off and rest. However, he insisted on working throughout the rest of the evening shift. He was still aloof¡ª like hecked confidence in what he was doing. But despite that, he was actually trying to learn the basics of his job. And he was improving. After only a week, the results were evident. Arthur was actually capable of consistently serving drinks without messing something up. It had been three full days since he spilled a drink, and it had been over a day since hest served the wrong order. I was impressed. Of course, not everything was smooth sailing at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Now that Guardian Angel Z357 was back, there was some awkward tension. Arthur was visibly nervous around the angel¡ª especially during their first meeting a week ago. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± He froze when he saw the machine. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± Z didn¡¯t respond. In fact, the angel just walked away, continuing with his work as the former Lich King stared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I reassured Arthur. ¡°Z¡¯s just working. He won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± It would take a lot more than my word alone to convince Arthur that Guardian Angel Z357 wasn¡¯t going to skewer him in his sleep. After all, there was clearly some trauma there¡ª what with the angel having killed him at least a hundred times in a row when he was Ar¡¯elith the Lich King. But again, it had been a week since their first reintroduction as co-workers. Since then, they hadn¡¯t really interacted much. They hardly even acknowledged each other. Arthur averted his gaze whenever he spotted Z, and conversely, Z didn¡¯t even look Arthur¡¯s way. I was still surprised that Guardian Angel Z357 wasn¡¯t causing more of a fuss¡ª that he wasn¡¯t upset at me for stopping him from carrying out his duties. However, I was currently far too preupied with my cooking lessons with Xakor. ¡°What do you think?¡± I said as I presented the bowl to him. His beady, ck eyes didn¡¯t narrow. But judging by the expression on his face, he was quite suspicious of the concoction I had created. He peered into the bowl, seeing the little white blocks he had taught me how to cook. Savis cubes. It had been a week since Xakor had shown me the step by step process on how to make this alien delicacy. But even now, I struggled to make them. There were a lot of imperfections in both the taste and the texture of each savis cube. In fact, they weren¡¯t even perfect cubes at this point. Which was why I decided to embrace these imperfections and do a few experiments. I knew I couldn¡¯t capture Xakor¡¯s exactly cooking abilities¡ª especially since this was a recipe from another world. But I could mix in what I knew from Earth with what I was taught here. So even as the [Chef] inspected each savis cube with a frown, I produced a second bowl¡ª one filled with a smooth cream. Like mashed potatoes. But with a different texture and color. ¡°And now you take those savis cubes and dip it in this,¡± I said simply. Xakor paused. He looked down at the bowl, before epting it. He eyed the contents within it¡ª the white cream with a smear of golden brown at the top. ¡°This is¡­ hummus?¡± he asked. And I nodded. ¡°Yeah, dip the savis cube in the hummus and give it a try. I¡¯d say it¡¯s pretty good.¡± Normally, hummus would be eaten with something like pita bread. Maybe vegetables like carrots mixed well too. On its own, hummus had quite a distinct taste¡ª savory and slightly sweet. It was a dip, but it could also be eaten on its own. That was why I was a bit apprehensive about whether it would actually taste good with the savis cube. The taste of both dishes could be too overwhelming. But as Xakor took a bite from a hummus-dipped savis cube, he didn¡¯t spit it out in disgust. Instead, he just blinked. ¡°This is¡­ really good,¡± the alien [Chef] said as he turned to face me. ¡°I know, right?¡± I grinned back at him. But internally, I was sighing in relief. He nodded at himself as he munched on another savis cube on its own. ¡°Xrr¡­ normally, I would say that this is not a good mix. The savis cube is meant to be eaten on its own with nothing else. No sauce, no dips. Nothing.¡± I watched as Xakor lowered his head and chuckled. ¡°But with your savis cubes, I would say they¡¯re too nd on their own¡ª their vor has been diluted just enough that mixing in the hummus makes it even better.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll take that as apliment, I guess.¡± Even though the [Chef] was pretty much saying that my savis cubes sucked, it ended up working out in the end. I took a step back as I retrieved the bowls with the hummus and the savis cubes. ¡°I¡¯ll probably get a second opinion as well, but if I have your approval, let¡¯s add it to the menu starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Xrr, that sounds good.¡± Xakor agreed, before returning to his cooking. But right as I was about to leave, he called out to me. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to add the malim juice to the special item menu too.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± And I stepped out of the kitchen. I heard the bustling of the crowd from the moment I entered therge hall. Guardian Angel Z357 glided past me with a pile of dirty dishes. Arthur was standing at the bar, serving a mug of ale to a pair of elderly women. The rest of the room was quite busy. I could see Han dashing from table to table as he struggled to keep up with the deluge of customers demanding his attention. They weren¡¯t going to pester Z with their questions or requests. They held the angel in too far high of a regard to treat him like an ordinary server. And because of that, Han was swamped with work. Arthur was too¡ª but to a lesser degree. I was starting to think that having an angel as one of my main attractions as well as an employee was a bad idea. While Z did do the basic tasks of taking orders and cleaning up tables, no one would go to him toin about the service or the food. ¡°Maybe I need to hire more employees¡­¡± I scratched my cheek, before shaking my head. That was for another time. Right now, I strode past the bar, nodding at Arthur who smiled back at me. I spotted Noele in the crowd, sitting together with her parents. This was an expected sight at this point. Nn and Nicole were here for the food. And Noele¡­ ¡°What is he doing?¡± she murmured to herself as I came to a halt next to her. Her gaze was focused entirely on Guardian Angel Z357. She didn¡¯t notice me, even as I greeted her parents. ¡°Hey.¡± I waved a hand in front of her, breaking her out of her stupor. ¡°Earth to Noele, are you there?¡± ¡°Huh¡ª what?¡± The blonde girl blinked as she turned to face me. I rolled my eyes, before cing two bowls down before her. Nn, Nicole, and Noele looked down at the savis cubes with round eyes,pletely ignoring the hummus. ¡°Is that¡­ a savis cube?¡± Nn eximed. He raised a hand, reaching for one. But Nicole pped his hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Nn! You can¡¯t just take them without asking!¡± She cleared her throat as she turned to me. ¡°Amelia, are these savis cubes for us?¡± ¡°Yeah, I made them myself.¡± I nodded as I gestured at the second bowl. ¡°The hummus too. It¡¯splimentary, so don¡¯t worry about paying.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too king!¡± She pped her hands together in delight, but I raised a finger. I wasn¡¯t done just yet. ¡°However¡ª you can only have them together. It¡¯s part of a new dish I¡¯m trying out. Savis cubes dipped in hummus.¡± Nn immediately deted. ¡°Wait, these weren¡¯t made by Xakor?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, dear.¡± Nicole scoffed as she reached for one of the savis cubes, before dipping it in the hummus. ¡°Amelia is an excellent cook herself. Even if these¡­ don¡¯t look as appetizing as the ones made by Xakor.¡± She eyed the savis cube hesitantly. I could understand her apprehension to a certain extent, but¡­ appetizing? The savis cubes normally looked like the least appetizing dish I had ever seen¡ª they literally reminded me of medicine pills. But to the people of Vacuos, the design of the savis cube is a novelty. A minimalistic, sleek meal packed with all the best vors in the world. Nicole had to goad Nn into dipping his own savis cube in the hummus. In the first ce, he looked dejected knowing that it wasn¡¯t Xakor who prepared the dish. And the fact that he had to ruin the vor with some hummus made him all the more reluctant to give it a try. They took a bite from the hummus-dipped savis cube as I turned to Noele. ¡°And what about you, Noele?¡± I asked the blonde girl. ¡°You¡¯re not going to have some?¡± She bit her lower lip as she looked past me, eyeing Z at the other side of the room. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± ¡°Are you seriously still worried about him?¡± I crossed my arms as I looked at the angel. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to do anything while he¡¯s here. You should be more worried about what he does in his off time.¡± Noele didn¡¯t give an immediate response. She continued staring at him, before she finally sighed. ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but it is concerning. I just¡­¡± She trailed off. And her shoulders sagged as she hung her head back. ¡°I don¡¯t trust him, that¡¯s all.¡± And she said nothing more. I shrugged. ¡°Fair enough.¡± I turned back to face Nn and Nicole as their eyes lit up. The two of them had taken a bite out of the hummus-dipped savis cubes, and their jaws dropped. They exchanged a nce, before taking another quick bite, finishing their cubes in moments. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Nn said as he reached for another one. ¡°It¡¯s not quite like the original, but this is¡­ this is new!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really outdone yourself this time, Amelia.¡± Nicole wiped her mouth, before nodding at me with a smile. I grinned to myself. ¡°Sess¡­¡± Now if this took off, I would have another draw to my restaurant. I didn¡¯t need to rely so much on either Guardian Angel Z357 or Xakor to bring in customers. Especially once they left, I was certain that I was going to struggle to attract even half the crowd I currently got. That was¡­ if either of them even left. Well, I knew Xakor needed to go eventually. But as for Z¡ª I followed Noele¡¯s gaze, looking towards the angel as he swept across the room. He was cleaning three dirty tables at the same time. I thought he was very good at his job. However, there was always the chance that he would suddenly turn on us. I considered that a possibility from the very start, and after what happened back at Arelioth¡¯s Pass, that could be a reality too. Z was going to leave one day. Or he was going to try and kill us all, and I would have to put him down. Whichever option happened first¡­ I didn¡¯t know. I just knew that I didn¡¯t look forward to either of them for different reasons. I sighed. ¡°...something to worry aboutter.¡± And as I was about to draw back, a cluck drew my attention. I looked down to see Bucky standing right below me, staring up with an expectant and hungry gaze. When I didn¡¯t react, she pecked my feet, before looking up towards the table with the hummus-dipped savis cubes. I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to turn on us first, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± she said impatiently. ¡°Fine.¡± I picked her up as I grumbled. ¡°You can have one.¡± And she clucked excitedly in response. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 I left Nn, Nicole, and Noele behind as I went outside to check on the bastion bees. Bucky followed me as I exited the restaurant. The hive stood right next to the small building, fullypleted ever since a week ago. Right now, the bastion bees were probably focusing on raising their young. I didn¡¯t think that the eggs they¡¯d brought with them had hatched just yet. So they kept to themselves, onlying out when they were in need of nectar. They hardly even made a sound right now. I couldn¡¯t hear their buzzing over the muffled mor of the crowd inside. It was alreadyte, and we were going to be closing soon for the night. That was why we were reducing capacity¡ª hence the tables and chairs that had been set out here had been brought back inside. It was a good thing that the bastion bees have been mostly inactive so far. They were¡­ a bit of a repent to customers as of right now. Maybe the people of Wolfwater¡ª and the travelers who visited therge vige¡ª would warm up to the idea of these sacred monsters over time. Certainly, after that briefmotion on the first day, the people of Wolfwater no longer bore animosity towards the bastion bees. But that didn¡¯t mean that they could get over their fear of the sacred monsters. They, of course, terrified. Most of my customers were afraid to even get close to the hive. Many of them insisted on waiting to sit indoors even when they could get an outdoor seat at that moment. Funnily enough, it was mostly the children who were least afraid of the bastion bees. So during the day, the front of my restaurant would be filled with parents sitting down and eating as their kids ran around outside and having fun. I considered building a yground¡ª or something of the sort just to entertain the kids so that their parents would be forced toe back¡ª but that was in the future. Once the hive was better settled, and the bastion bees were limated to their new home, I could carry out my future ns. Right now, I just needed to check on the honey production of the bastion bees. I peered into the hexagonal entrance, seeing the luminescent green glowing from the inside. But it wasn¡¯t a lot. Not enough to harvest just yet. The bastion bees buzzed inside of the hive as I leaned in. I watched as the nursing bee flitted out towards the entrance to greet me. Her bulbous red eyes peered curiously my way, and I shook my head. ¡°How¡¯s everything? All good?¡± I asked. And the nursing bee¡¯s antennae twitched in response. I wasn¡¯t a [Druid], but I could tell that that was a twitch of affirmation. I nodded back at her as I smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± I nced towards a sack of eggs lying at the center of the hive. ¡°And what about them? Are they gonna hatch soon?¡± The nursing bee didn¡¯t visibly react. She just looked back silently as she floated before me. If I had to guess, she waspletely clueless as to when her new queen would be born. She only turned to face me once again when she heard a clucking from my side. The both of us looked down to see Bucky standing right next to me. The chicken hopped up onto the entrance of the hive, bobbing her head at the nursing bee. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± she said. ¡°Bzzz¡­ bzzzzzz¡­¡± the nursing bee replied. ¡°Bawk?¡± Bucky asked. ¡°Bzzzzzzz.¡± The nursing bee drew back. ¡°Please speak English,¡± I said. They both red at me, and I scoffed. ¡°It was a joke. I don¡¯t think anyone in this world even speaks English.¡± Bucky waddled forward as the nursing bee led her further into the hive. Unlike my customers¡ª and even some of my employees¡ª the chicken wasn¡¯t afraid of the bastion bees in the slightest. In fact, they even befriended each other somehow. For the bastion bees, it was probably because Bucky was an animal. There had been plenty of animals and monsters back in the Vox Forest, so to them, she was something familiar in this unfamiliar ce of humans. As for Bucky, she probably just wanted to eat their honey. I watched as the chicken strode into the hive and happily munched on the green honey as the nursing bee just looked on. I rolled my eyes, waving a hand at them. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back now,¡± I said as I took a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t let Bucky eat too much of your honey¡ª she¡¯s going to get fat.¡± ¡°Bawk?!¡± Bucky spun around and snarled at me. I just grinned back at her. With that, I returned back to my restaurant. ¡ª-- I returned to work, but it was already gettingte. So after an hour, most of the evening crowd began to leave, and we started to close up for the night. I stepped out of the kitchen, watching as thest of my customers finished their food as Han and Arthur cleaned up. Guardian Angel Z357 was just standing silently at the entrance to the kitchen, and Xakor was doing the dishes. I greeted the leaving customers as I stood next to Noele¡¯s table. I turned to Nn and Nicole as they got up to leave as well. ¡°By the way, is Dorien back from the Vox Forest yet?¡± ¡°He is.¡± Nn nodded with a smile. ¡°He¡¯s been nting those mailim bushes all around our farm¡ª they¡¯re growing quite quickly too thanks to ourbined Skills.¡± Nicole waved a hand dismissively at me. ¡°And don¡¯t worry about paying us for this. We¡¯re doing you a favor, Amelia. After everything you¡¯ve done for us.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve done much for you¡­ but thank you.¡± I gave them a grateful look. Soon, I would be able to have a steady supply of malim juice for the restaurant. I could even use it in cocktails and whatnot if I really wanted. Right now, it was only in our special menu¡ª meaning that there was a limited amount we could serve each day. However, that would change once Nn was able to grow enough malim fruits at his farm. Apparently, the malim bushes grew rtively fast, andpounded with both the Skills of a [Farmer] and a [Druid], I was pretty sure I was only a few weeks away from being able to serve those faux-soda drinks at my restaurant. I watched as Nn and Nicole took their leave. But Noele remained. She continued staring suspiciously at Guardian Angel Z357, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Are you literally going toe here every day just so you can ogle at Z?¡± I said as I crossed my arms. She red at me. ¡°I¡¯m not ogling him¡ª I don¡¯t trust him. How could you let him continue working here at your restaurant after what happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I shrugged, gesturing vaguely at all my customers. ¡°I like money.¡± Noele scowled, and I shook my head. ¡°But also, I can keep a better eye on him here. We¡¯ve already had this conversation, remember?¡± I said simply. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± The blonde girl pursed her lips. But she trailed off, not finishing her train of thought. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I reassured her as I took a step forward. ¡°Z isn¡¯t going to try anything while I¡¯m around.¡± She knew that. But she still wore her apprehension on her face. I understood her concerns too. I was probably going to have to address the problem with Z soon enough. But for now, I just pped my hands together as I called out to the remaining diners. ¡°Alright, finish your food everyone! We¡¯re closing for the night!¡± A susurration swept over the room as myst few customers hurriedly emptied their tes into their stomachs. I ced my hands on my hips, waiting expectantly. And as they finally began to take their leave as well, the door swung open. And a cloaked figure stepped into the restaurant. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re closed¡ª¡± I started as I turned to face the cloaked figure. But then I paused. My eyes grew wide when I caught a glimpse of his face. He walked past the exiting customers as he lowered his hood, and I recognized him. Those pointed ears. The bow slung around his back. The wild look in his eyes. They were all too familiar. Noele blinked as she stood up in her seat. She recognized him too. Of course she would. How could she forget him? How could I forget him? He wasn¡¯t just memorable¡ª he was¡­ he was¡­ He was a major pain in the ass. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the elf standing at the doorway. And he took a step forward. ¡°Jax?¡± I frowned, crossing my arms. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Amelia,¡± the Forsaken Archer greeted me as he held my gaze. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Kallistus Kal raised his head as he heard the footfalls approaching the dark chamber hidden deep beneath the capital city of his nation. He lowered his hand, and the distorted figure standing before him copsed into his shadow. He turned to face the robed man bowing at the doorway. ¡°Ammon. What news do you bring me?¡± the [Hero King] greeted his servant. The Arcane Archsorcerer was not an official subordinate of the Kingdom of Kal. However, his allegiance still belonged to Kallistus. He smiled as he looked back up at his King. ¡°My King, I bring good news,¡± he said as he straightened. ¡°We have found her.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± That made Kallistus pause. He tilted his head as a smile slipped into his face, and he repeated after Ammon. ¡°You have found her?¡± ¡°That is right.¡± The Arcane Archsorcerer nodded eagerly. And the [Hero King] closed his eyes. ¡°Good.¡± ¡ª-- I stared at the man standing before me. I recognized him. I would never forget that battle-scarred face¡ª those pointed ears. The slight smirk he always wore, even when he was beaten to the ground and bleeding to near-death. His name was Jax. He was an elf, and he was known as the Forsaken Archer because of how he was exiled by his people. Cast out of the elven continent of Drazyl, he found a life here in Laxo as an adventurer. When I met him, he was an S-ranked adventurer. One of the highest-leveled individuals in the world. He was respected for his strength. But he was also feared because of his history. A savage hunter who never shied away from a challenge. But to me, he was just a major pain in the ass. It had been very annoying¡ª Jax had sought me out back when I was in Windrip to challenge me to a battle. And I indulged him the first time around, defeating him with ease. However, that only emboldened him. And back then, I had begun my first foray into cooking. I had been trying to limate into this world¡ª to live a normal life in Vacuos. Even though it wasn¡¯t going great, Jax¡¯s interference didn¡¯t help. In fact, he hadpletely repelled any chance of me getting a customer with his antics. At the end of it all, he had resolved himself to grow stronger, thene back to face me when he felt like he was ready. And that was why I shifted back warily. My eyes flickered as I spotted Noele gaping behind me. Arthur and Han both stared at Jax in confusion. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t react. The Forsaken Archer drew closer. He chuckled as he shook his head. ¡°It took me a while to find you. I must admit, you are quite elusive. But I have finally found you¡­¡± He took another step forward¡ª and I unsheathed my de. He blinked. He froze as I pointed the sword at his neck, softly pressing into the skin of his neck. He stared down at the rusty sword, before looking up at me in surprise. I red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± I warned him. ¡°You''re not destroying this restaurant. I worked too hard on this for you to mess it all up again.¡± The Forsaken Archer stepped back as he raised his hands. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®what¡¯ me.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°You¡¯re here because you want to challenge me to a duel again, aren¡¯t you?¡± He blinked a few times, before his eyes grew wide. He backed up as he shook his head vehemently. ¡°No! That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± I frowned. I didn¡¯t really trust him¡ª not after he indiscriminately attacked me at every waking moment he could back in Windrip. But I wasn¡¯t just going to cut him down this instant. Not when he hadn¡¯t attacked me just yet. I eyed him suspiciously as I sheathed my de. ¡°Exin,¡± I said simply. Jax sighed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a long story.¡± ¡ª-- I sat with Jax and Noele as Guardian Angel Z357 stood off to the side. Xakor, Arthur, Han, and Bucky headed off for the night, leaving only the four of us in the main hall of the restaurant. We listened to the Forsaken Archer as he told us his story¡ª as he recounted everything that had happened ever since he left Windrip. And I sighed. ¡°Did you actually go to Mount Arkais to bother Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± Jax nodded as he crossed his arms. ¡°But only after I took on a handful of S-ranked missions first. And I never saw the Elder Dragon¡ª not until I was already SS-ranked.¡± Noele¡¯s eyes grew wide as she rose to her feet. ¡°You¡¯re an SS-ranked adventurer now? You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be serious, girl?¡± he snorted, leaning back in his seat. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been an SS-ranked adventurer in thest century!¡± she eximed. She pointed an using finger his way. ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Jax just smirked back at her. ¡°You have seen the boundless power of your mentor, and yet you question the feasibility of my own pitiful strength? I should be the one asking you if you¡¯re being serious, girl.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Noele hesitated. She pursed her lips as she took a step back. ¡°You have a point, but that growth doesn¡¯t make sense. How did you reach Level 70 in just a few months?¡± ¡°It is simple, really.¡± He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I trained in the deepest depths of Mount Arkais, pushing myself to my limit¡ª extracting a heavy toll on my body. ¡°There were moments I thought I was going to die. When I was surrounded by monsters that could eat any lesser adventurer alive for breakfast. But I pressed on. I never gave up. I persevered all so I could be stronger. So I could remember the thrill of battle, and challenge the Elder Dragon of Mount Arkais to a duel!¡± Jax regaled his tale as he gesticted wildly¡ª I could sense his bloodlust, even now. The savage look in his eyes did not lie. He wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. Not even death. I just rubbed my temples. ¡°Poor dragon¡­¡± I would feel bad for anyone who had to deal with the Forsaken Archer. And I felt slightly responsible too, since I was the one who made him seek out the Elder Dragon in the first ce. ¡°So what?¡± I asked, looking back up at the elf. ¡°Did you get beat up by Grat-ra¡¯zun? Is that why you look like¡­ that?¡± I gestured vaguely at him. Jax was evidently not in the best condition¡ª it wasn¡¯t like he got beaten up, but he certainly looked exhausted. However, instead of the affirmation I was expecting, he closed his eyes as he sank into his seat. ¡°No,¡± he said simply. ¡°I never even got a chance to face the Elder Dragon. Because they got there before me.¡± ¡°They?¡± I blinked. I exchanged a nce with Noele, and she was as clueless as me. But Guardian Angel Z357 straightened, leaning closer as he listened carefully to what the elf had to say. Jax¡¯s gaze darkened as he exined. ¡°It was just an ordinary day. I had woken up at the break of dawn to hunt down the elusive crowned gryphon¡ª known as the King of the Arkais Forest. I had been tracking it down for a week at that point. I could tell by its movements that it was already injured¡­ probably from a past battle¡ª¡± ¡°Just get on with it already.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°And then what happened?¡± He scowled as I cut him off. But he obliged anyways. ¡°That was when it happened¡ª an eruption that destroyed Mount Arkais itself. An explosion that was so powerful, itpletely tore off the mountain top.¡± ¡°I heard about that!¡± Noele¡¯s eyes went round. She turned to me as I gave her a confused look. ¡°We even felt some of the aftershocks here in Wolfwater!¡± ¡°We did?¡± I tilted my head back, trying to remember what she was talking about. She nodded. ¡°We did¡ª our entire farm shook! But you were so busy cooking at the time, you didn¡¯t even react to it!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I tapped a finger on my chin. ¡°That did happen, huh? I thought it was just an ordinary earthquake or whatever.¡± ¡°I did too¡­ until I heard about what happened at Mount Arkais.¡± The blonde girl bit her lower lip. She turned to face Jax expectantly as he shook his head. ¡°At first, I thought it had been a natural eruption. But that was when I saw it. My target. Who I had been looking for the entire time¡ª the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais.¡± The elf held my gaze as he continued. ¡°One of thest Elder Dragons left in all of Vacuos.¡± ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun destroyed Mount Arkais? But why?¡± I frowned as I sat up in my seat. ¡°Because he was under attack,¡± Jax exined without blinking. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun was locked in battle with opponents that could rival his strength¡ª men and women whose power dwarfed even my own.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Noele asked, but I already knew the answer. The Forsaken Archer chuckled as he leant back in his seat. ¡°Because they drew their power from the Void.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The blonde girl looked towards me, before ncing back at Z. The angel didn¡¯t visibly react. But his interest certainly seemed like it was piqued. His arms were crossed as he stared intently at the elf, and Noele shook her head. ¡°Are you saying that the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns targeted Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± she asked as her brows creased. ¡°I do not know whether the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns was involved in the attack.¡± Jax raised his head, before tilting his head. ¡°But I do know who it was who carried it out.¡± ¡°Who?¡± The Noble Spellsword drew closer, clinging onto the elf¡¯s every word. I narrowed my eyes as I waited for him to continue. Jax took in a deep breath, before rising to his feet, turning my way. ¡°The one who led the attack was Kallistus Kal¡ª the [Hero King] from another world.¡± Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Kallistus Kal. I had heard that name repeated quite a lot ever since I arrived here in Vacuos. He was apparently a very important person¡ª the King of the Kingdom of Kal. A [Hero] who had been summoned from another world. He was an otherworlder just like me, and just like Xakor. Even if our circumstances were vastly different, Kallistus was still not a native of Vacuos. And so far, I have yet to hear anything good about him¡ª anything heroic about the things he had done. He sounded more like a warmonger to me. He invaded other countries to expand the borders of his nation, and I highly doubted he was going to even stop once he conquered all of Laxo. Whether or not he did it for power or for glory, I didn¡¯t know. I just knew that he didn¡¯t conform to my own idea of what it meant to be a hero. In fact, he fit the ssical definition of it¡ª to be strong and courageous and whatnot. So I mostly left him alone. Because¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t nning on getting involved with the wars of this world. The whole world was at war always, and I really didn¡¯t want to have to deal with all that crap. I just wanted to live a peaceful life. And I had finally seeded in doing so¡ª I opened up my own restaurant, and while things were rather¡­ exciting from time to time, I much preferred dealing with my own problems than solving other people¡¯s problems. But now, Jax had hunted me down all the way to Wolfwater just to tell me that Kallistus Kal had been blessed by the Void¡¯s power¡ª that the [Hero King] was a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. I sighed as I rubbed my temples. ¡°Are you really sure it was him?¡± ¡°I saw it with my own eyes,¡± Jax exined as his gaze darkened. ¡°I watched the battle y out between the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal and the Elder Dragon Grat-ra¡¯zun. There is no mistaking it¡ª he has been touched by the Void.¡± ¡°And he went after Grat-ra¡¯zun too¡­¡± I murmured. I felt bad for the Elder Dragon¡ª first he had to deal with¡­ me. Which, granted, we were both at fault for our brief altercation. I had been seeking him out for some advice, while he had assumed I was an intrudering after his treasures. Fortunately, no one got hurt. But now, he had to deal with some insane, power-hungry idiot. ¡°Then what happened?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms. ¡°Where¡¯s Grat-ra¡¯zun now?¡± ¡°I intervened, and we got out of there. But he¡¯s hurt.¡± Jax lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of power the Void granted the [Hero King], but his magic is cursed.¡± ¡°Cursed?¡± Noele frowned, speaking up for the first time in a while. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jax shook his head as he leant back in his seat. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun hasn¡¯t been able to recover from his injuries¡ª all because of Kallistus Kal¡¯s twisted Void magic. That is why it took me so long to find you.¡± ¡°I mean, I wasn¡¯t exactly hiding or anything.¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°But what did you even want from me, anyways?¡± He blinked, and I gestured vaguely at Guardian Angel Z357. ¡°If you want someone to deal with this [Hero King], Z¡¯s your guy. Not me.¡± ¡°Z?¡± Jax asked with furrowed brows. ¡°And what exactly is this¡­ thing?¡± In response, Z tilted his head back at the elf. My designation is Guardian Angel Z357. Jax paused. ¡°An angel? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Nope, Z¡¯s definitely an angel.¡± I shook my head. ¡°He¡¯s also my waiter, though.¡± ¡°He¡¯s your¡­ what?¡± The elf blinked a few times. He stared at Guardian Angel Z357 for a moment¡ª he looked up and down, studying the metallic, machine-like body. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± And Jax caught himself. I watched as he took in a deep breath, steeling himself. Noele just rolled her eyes at his reaction, while Z remained unmoving. The elf¡¯s reaction was expected. At least, his current reaction. Everyone else reacted this way¡ª after all, seeing an angel working at a restaurant was quite the surreal sight. But this was Jax. He was the Forsaken Archer. The very same one who had challenged me to a duel¡­ about a hundred times, even when he knew he was thoroughly outssed. His eyes flickered as his lips curled up into a smile. He rose to his feet, taking a step forward as he peered at Z. ¡°Very interesting. I have never seen an angel in person before. What do you think of doing a little spar?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t damage my restaurant,¡± I said tly. ¡°Worry not.¡± Jax smirked as he thumbed towards the exit of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll make quick work of this tin can outside of your restaurant.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be working together.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose as I sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Z¡¯s literally here to help you deal with the Void.¡± Jax snorted as he waved a hand dismissively. ¡°That is why I offered to spar him, not to duel him to the death.¡± ¡°Well, Z will also probably kick your ass, so¡­¡± I grinned back at the elf. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Jax only seemed more interested in the idea now. ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him, Amelia.¡± Noele closed her eyes. ¡°Anyways, you should deal with that,¡± I said as I turned to face the angel. ¡°You¡¯re going after the Voidgod, right? This is a lead for you to follow.¡± Z didn¡¯t visibly react. He just stood there as one of his twelve eyes flickered towards me. Jax just folded his arms simply. ¡°If you want to go after the [Hero King], you can probably find him at¡ª¡± No, Guardian Angel Z357 said abruptly. ¡°Wait, what?¡± I blinked. That took me by surprise. I would have expected him to jump on this opportunity right away. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you¡¯ve wanted the entire time?¡± I shall pursue this leadter. He shook his head mechanically as he took a step forward. He stood a head taller than Jax, and he looked down at the elf as he spoke simply. First, tell me where I can find this Elder Dragon. Jax exchanged a nce with me. He looked at me quizzically, and I gave him a helpless look. I didn¡¯t know what Z wanted half the time¡ª he was a literal enigma to me. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± the elf asked. ¡°I left him back at the Frozar Mountains. He is not in any condition to travel right now.¡± Affirmative. Z raised his head. And where are the Frozar Mountains? ¡°It¡¯s, like, to the northeast of Wolfwater,¡± I said as I gestured vaguely in the direction of the mountain range. ¡°More north than east.¡± I had been there once before. Back when I had saved Nn and Nicole from the Fallen Wyvern¡¯s Keep. That was where I met Saros, Deon, and Skye for the first time too. It was located at the northernmost territories of the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°You can probably find a map somewhere at the back¡ª¡± I started, but Z shook his head. There is no need. That is all the information I need to know. He strode past me as he walked towards the door of the restaurant. Bucky perked up from the corner of the room. She tilted her head as she clucked. ¡°Bawk?¡± ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± I called out, echoing the chicken¡¯s sentiments. Guardian Angel Z357 spoke simply. I shall be taking my leave now. He unslung the apron he had been wearing, before tossing it onto the counter of the bar. I frowned at him. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± I asked, and he nced back at me fractionally. I have upheld my end of our deal, and you have already employed a recement worker. Our agreement has reached its conclusion. I will now resume my duties to the World System. He pushed the door open as I watched him go. Noele blinked and rose to her feet. She turned to me, before looking back towards the angel. ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t just¡ª¡± the blonde girl started. And Z took off. He spread his wings wide as he flew up into the night sky. I watched him go. Bucky got to her feet and ran up to the door. She looked on as she clucked dejectedly, and I pursed my lips. ¡°There goes my restaurant¡¯s main attraction¡­¡± I muttered under my breath. I shook my head as I sank back into my seat. ¡°Well, at least he¡¯ll deal with that annoying [Hero King] for me. Now I don¡¯t even need to get involved¡­¡± It was a sudden departure, and I couldn¡¯t lie and say that I wasn¡¯t taken by surprise. But I had been expecting it for a while¡ª I didn¡¯t even think Z would have returned to the restaurant after I stopped him from killing Arthur back at Arelioth¡¯s Pass. ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Jax piped up as he turned back to face me, ¡°you are very much involved in this matter, Amelia.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I narrowed my eyes at the elf. Noele blinked at the size, and even Bucky nced back at him. He took in a deep breath as he held my gaze. ¡°Kallistus Kal has attacked Windrip¡ª he has seized control of the city because of you.¡± And I blinked. ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Arthur was supposed to be sleeping. He had been sent off to bed with Han when that elf showed up in the main lobby of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. But he had seen the serious looks being exchanged, and he couldn¡¯t help himself¡ª he had to eavesdrop on their discussion. It had to be something important. And he was curious to know if maybe he could help out. But when he heard what their conversation was about, he immediately regretted his decision. He wanted to slink away and hide in his room out of shame. Because they were talking about the Void. Apparently, a [Hero] had sumbed to the temptations of the Void. It made Arthur shiver in fear, knowing that even [Heroes] were not immune to falling into depravity. But it made sense¡ª after all, even as Ar¡¯elith the Lich King, Arthur had be a ve to the Fal-Deus. It made him hesitate. It made him shy away as he wanted to escape from listening to this conversation. The shame of knowing what he had be¡ª what he had fallen prey to¡­ it weighed heavily on his chest. But right as he edged away from the kitchen door, he paused. He blinked as he watched the entrance of the restaurant swing open, and a winged figure took off into the air. Guardian Angel Z357 flew into the distance as Arthur just stared on. Where¡­? he wanted to ask the question. But he caught himself. He looked down at himself. Where Guardian Angel Z357 was going didn¡¯t matter¡ª what mattered was where Arthur himself went. He clenched a fist as he refused to back away from this discussion. Because he was the First Lich King. There was something he could have done to help. And he wasn¡¯t going to run away¡­ not out of shame. As Arthur resolved himself, a flicker of electricity sparked out from his fists. ¡ª-- ¡°That is right,¡± Jax said as he lowered his head. ¡°Kallistus Kal is after you, Amelia.¡± I blinked a few times as the elf¡¯s words echoed in my mind, before I finally steeled myself. I sat up and frowned. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Noele nced towards me with a worried look, and Jax sighed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­plicated,¡± the Forsaken Archer said. ¡°But Kallistus Kal believes that you can¡ª¡± ¡°No¡ª not that part,¡± I immediately cut off the elf. ¡°I meant the other part.¡± I spoke seriously as I held Jax¡¯s gaze. He furrowed his brows, before cing a hand on his chin. ¡°What other part?¡± he asked quizzically. I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet. Bucky blinked as she looked my way, and Noele pursed her lips. They were all concerned about me. Jax, Noele, and Bucky. They thought that I¡¯d be worried about myself if the [Hero King] was after me. But I didn¡¯t care about that. That was not what caught my attention. It was what that threat entailed that made me shake my head and turn back to the elf. ¡°You said that the [Hero King attacked Windrip¡ª tell me what happened there.¡± I spoke in a low voice, and Jax blinked. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡ª-- So the Forsaken Archer exined what happened. I listened as Noele took a seat once more. The blonde girl bit her lower lip as the story came to an end. ¡°And that¡¯s why Kallistus is after me, huh?¡± I sighed as I closed my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jax nodded. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s you, but he¡¯s searching for the one who opened the rift in Mount Arkais. And ording to Grat-ra¡¯zun, that person is you. So you¡¯re the [Hero King]¡¯s target.¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t know who I am, and that means I should be fine here in Wolfwater,¡± I murmured, before I looked up towards the ceiling. ¡°But Windrip is still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not destroyed¡ª it¡¯s just under the control of the Kingdom of Kal now,¡± the elf said. That was a relief to hear. But that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t casualties from the attack. ¡°And its people?¡± I asked, cracking an eye open. ¡°Other than the city guards? They¡¯re mostly fine.¡± Jax paused. He took in a deep breath as he crossed his arms. ¡°Except for Guildmaster Evan.¡± My brows snapped together. ¡°What happened to Evan?¡± I knew him¡ª he was the Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip. He was a bit of an oddball at times, and he had even sold me out to Jax the Forsaken Archer at one point. But still, Evan had been quite helpful at times, especially with information. Probably because he worked as an informant of sorts too. And, apparently, that was why Kallistus Kal was after him. ¡°I arrived toote to stop the attack. I only saw the aftermath.¡± The Forsaken Archer shook his head. ¡°But when I got there, I saw the [Hero King] standing over the ruins of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Windrip.¡± ¡°Wait, did he ughter everyone there?¡± I asked with wide eyes. I had friends in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡ª or, well¡­ a single friend. Justyn the [Receptionist]. He was a bit of an asshole at first, but we warmed up to each other over time. Jax lowered his head. ¡°No, the [Hero King] spared most of their lives. But he had Evan apprehended and taken away.¡± ¡°But why?¡± I blinked. ¡°Because Evan is the only one who could potentially know your whereabouts,¡± the elf said. ¡°At least, as far as Kallistus is concerned, no one else but an [Informant] could help him.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± I wanted to sigh in relief. While I felt bad for dragging Evan into this mess, I was d to hear that he was probably still alive. After all, he wouldn¡¯t have been killed if he was the only one who could lead the [Hero King] to me. I looked down at the palm of my hand, before making a fist. Noele¡¯s voice drew my attention, and I turned to face her. ¡°Amelia,¡± the Noble Spellsword said my name. ¡°What will you do now?¡± ¡°What will I do now?¡± I repeated after her. She held my gaze. ¡°Windrip has fallen to the Kingdom of Kal, and Guildmaster Evan is in trouble. So what will you do?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I closed my eyes. I just wanted to live a normal life. I never wanted to be a hero¡ª I didn¡¯t want to deal with any of this shit caused by the [Hero King]. But sometimes there were things I had to do, even if I didn¡¯t want to do them. ¡°Arthur,¡± I called out without even turning around. And I heard a shufflinge from the kitchen. Jax and Noele looked past me as a figure emerged from behind the bar. I didn¡¯t even look back as I addressed the former Lich King. ¡°You knew I was eavesdropping, didn¡¯t you?¡± Arthur chuckled as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out for a day or two,¡± I said as I got to my feet. ¡°And Z¡¯s gone now, so you¡¯re going to have a higher workload until I¡¯m back. But just listen to Xakor, and everything will be fine, alright?¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°Right.¡± And I turned to Jax. ¡°You¡¯re tired¡ª rest up. Because we¡¯re going to be leaving first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The elf looked at me as a smirk slipped onto his lips. ¡°Am I finally going to see the Unranked Adventurer in action again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± I gave him a t stare as I got to my feet. I turned around and paused as I saw Noele staring at me. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m just going to do what¡¯s right¡ª I¡¯m going to save Guildmaster Evan.¡± The blonde girl gave me an approving look as Jax just grinned in amusement. Bucky tilted her head, and I strode past Arthur. With that deration made, I returned to my room to prepare. And by that, I meant I went to take a nap. ¡ª-- Finally, Kallistus Kal had found his target. It had taken him so long, but his informants had located just who he was looking for. Evan¡ª the Guildmaster of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡ª had refused to crack even under brutal interrogation. It would have been much simpler had the [Hero King] been able to use his Void powers topel Evan to speak. Unfortunately, Kallistus had been busy hiding from the angel. But now, he had set a trap. He was confident it would work. He shook his head as he turned away from a figure shrouded in darkness standing right in front of him. The [Hero King] was pleased to see that the pendulum was swinging his way once again. With this trap set, and the identity of the girl he was searching for revealed, he now could spring his ns into action once again. He had already sent some¡­ outsourced individuals to pursue the girl. Kallistus was certain they were capable enough of apprehending her. After all, she was but a mere A-ranked adventurer. It surprised him to learn of that. But the information lined up¡ª she had been someone who had just recently visited both Windrip and Mount Arkais. In addition to that, she had suddenly gained a lot of notoriety recently, alongside climbing up the ranks of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The only exnation was that she had been blessed by the Void, and that was how she was capable of opening those rifts. She was his target. She was the key to unlock Kallistus Kal¡¯s return to his home world. She was¡ª ¡°Noele the Noble Spellsword,¡± the [Hero King] whispered her name as his lips twisted into a smile. ¡°I will be seeing you soon enough.¡± Chapter 128 Chapter 128 A figurey slumbering in the darkness. It remained still like a boulder¡ª despite havingin idle for a month, it still had yet to move. Dust was now collecting on its crimson scales, masking the dark blotches sshed across its body. And despite looking like a statue with its dull colors, it was actually alive. He was an Elder Dragon. One of the majestic beasts that once ruled the skies, the earth, and the seas. With scales so vibrant, even the colors of the rainbow were sickly pale inparison to their scales. But despite his status and statute, hey there caked in dirt, mud, and blood. His name was Grat-ra¡¯zun, and he was injured. He had been known as the Great Rakaarzun. He was the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. In the past, he had also been called Igniz¡¯s Arcane Champion, and he had been crowned the King of the Crimson me. To think that he would be reduced to such a state, all because of a human¡­ His eyes fluttered open and close for a moment. He caught a glimpse of the gray walls of the cavern. He saw the rocks and pebbles lying on the ground. He stared out the mouth of the cavern, seeing the undting mountaintops stretching out over the horizon. It had been months since he had first been injured by the [Hero King] Kallistus. And yet, his wounds refused to fade away. He would have died, but he was fortunate enough that he had been saved by Jax the Forsaken Archer. Grat-ra¡¯zun was grateful to the exiled elf. Unfortunately, even with theirbined strength, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to fend off the [Hero King] and his minions. So they fled together. They flew halfway across the continent to seek out Amelia. But the Elder Dragon hadn¡¯t been able toplete the entire flight. Not with his injuries. So they had to continue on ground¡ª they had to trek across the remaining distance to Windrip. And because of that, they had arrived toote. They reached the fortress city when it had already been overtaken by the [Hero King]¡¯s forces. And perhaps if Grat-ra¡¯zun had already recovered at that point, they would have been able to intervene once Kallistus Kal was gone. However, the Elder Dragon¡¯s injuries persisted. He was still hurt, and that was why he remained inert. Even until now. And that was how he ended up here in the Frozar Mountains. In a futile attempt to track down Amelia, they hade here. But she had already been long gone by the time they arrived. Grat-ra¡¯zun had wanted to press on¡ª to continue his search for the brown-haired human. However, he had already exerted himself to his limit, and that was when he copsed here in this cavern. And since then, he hadn¡¯t moved. He had barely even been able to lift his head and speak as Jax looked after him. But fortune favored the duo for a brief moment. The sky lit up one night as the Void¡¯s essence permeated all throughout Vacuos. And they knew that only one person could have been at the center of such a cmitous event. Jax left the Elder Dragon alone to pursue this lead. He hoped that he¡¯d be able to find a way to get to Amelia if he followed the trail she had left behind. And Grat-ra¡¯zun agreed that it was a good idea, even if it meant that he was left alone back here in this cavern all by himself. He waited in the darkness and the solitude for the elf¡¯s return. He remained silent. And he heard the rustling of the wind as a cool breeze washed over the entrance of the cave. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes cracked open as he raised his head. He saw a bright figure shining in the darkness. He saw the white feathers gently drifting to the ground at his wed feet. He groaned as he looked up, seeing a familiar figure descending from the sky. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± the Elder Dragon whispered softly. ¡°Guardian Angel Z357?¡± Greetings, Great Rakaarzun, the angel said as hended at the mouth of the cave. He raised a hand, and ance shed into existence in his palm. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun started. And Guardian Angel Z357 swung down with hisnce. He struck his weapon against the Elder Dragon¡¯s skin as there was a bright light. Grat-ra¡¯zun winced as a searing pain washed over his body, but he caught himself from screaming. Because it was not an attack. A momentter, the intensity of the light dimmed, and the Elder Dragon was bathed in aforting warmth. Dispel Depravity, the angel said as he lowered hisnce. Grat-ra¡¯zun looked down at his crimson scales, watching as the curses marking his body slowly faded away. His wounds remained, but the dark blotches that had prevented him from healing was gone. He blinked, before looking up at the angel. ¡°It has been a while, oh holy one,¡± the Elder Dragon said as he bowed his head. ¡°Thank you for curing me from this wretched curse.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 nodded mechanically as he lowered hisnce. We need to talk. ¡ª-- ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± I said as I patted Bucky on the head. The chicken clucked, shaking her head. She looked upset¡ª well, she looked as upset as a chicken could be. And while I couldn¡¯t understand her words, I knew what she was upset about. I had only just returned to the restaurant, and now I was heading out again. ¡°I know, I know.¡± I smiled softly at her. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, this time Noele will look after you. So don¡¯t worry, alright?¡± I drew back, and Noele blinked. The blonde girl had been carrying the chicken, but this was the first she had heard about this arrangement. ¡°Wait, why me?¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re my apprentice, aren¡¯t you? This is your next lesson¡ª keep the chicken well-fed while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°How is that part of my curriculum? How does that even rte to teaching me anything? This is the first lesson you¡¯ve given me in months and¡ª¡± the blonde girl started to protest. And I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°See you in two days¡¯ time, Noele. Say bye to your parents for me too!¡± I started walking away from the restaurant as the blonde girl harrumphed. But Bucky began to whine. And Noele cradled the chicken in aforting way. I just smiled as I turned away from her. It was dawn¡ª no, it was before the sun had even begun to rise over the horizon. I could see the fringes of the orange glow lighting up the sky, but the crimson ring of light had yet to show itself to the world. I had already told both Xakor and Han about what was happening. Well, I just told them I had to go and deal with something for a little bit. I didn¡¯t go into too much detail. However, the both of them recognized Jax, so they knew it was something important. And while Arthur knew about the full details, I just reassured him that things would be fine. Sure, Kallistus Kal was after me, but I wasn¡¯t too worried about that. Firstly, I highly doubted that the [Hero King] would be able to do anything to harm me in any way. And secondly, even if he could, it was not like he knew who I was in the slightest. From what I¡¯d been told, he was just searching for the one who had opened up the rift back at Mount Arkais. There really was no way to trace me back to that. The only real way for the [Hero King] to track me down was if he was searching for a really amazing restaurant with a chicken for a mascot. And if he dide, it would be as a customer, not to hunt me down. Anyways, I was just going to return to Windrip to save Guildmaster Evan. I was certain that he was still alive because he was needed by the [Hero King]. So I could just break him out of his prison or whatever and leave as soon as that was done. If Kallistus Kal was there too¡­ well, I didn¡¯t actively want to deal with the consequences of killing a literal king, but I would if I had no other choice. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I said as I walked up to Jax. The Forsaken Archer nodded back at me. ¡°I was under the impression that you were the one who was nervous considering how long you were taking to get ready.¡± I rolled my eyes and spoke simply. ¡°Just do me a favor, and don¡¯t scream.¡± Jax scoffed as he crossed his arms. ¡°Me? Scream? Please, I don¡¯t¡ª¡± He blinked as I scooped him right up from under his feet. He stared at me for a moment,pletely confused. And then I leapt into the air, shooting through the morning sky as Jax¡­ Well, he screamed, of course. Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Jax screamed. Then he stopped screaming. After about half an hour, he had gotten used to the speed. Which was as expected. He was an S-ranked adventurer¡ª actually, he was an SS-ranked adventurer now. He was quitepetent. And he was very smug about it too. ¡°Hmph,¡± the Forsaken Archer harrumphed. ¡°You simply caught me by surprise, that¡¯s all.¡± I gave him a t stare, even as I leapt through the sky while carrying him in my arms. I sighed as I looked towards the forest expanding over the horizon. ¡°Whatever you say,¡± I murmured. ¡°Please, are you even trying to make me scream?¡± he chuckled. ¡°No, I¡¯d prefer it if you shut up¡ª¡± I started. ¡°This is hardly even a challenge!¡± Jax smirked at me. ¡°Are you even trying? Come on, now! Make me scream!¡± Inded right in the middle of a clearing of trees, before staring down at the elf¡¯s smug face. He looked at me challengingly, and I opened my mouth. But I caught myself. I didn¡¯t want to argue. So I acquiesced. ¡°Fine.¡± I took a step forward, still carrying him in my arms. ¡°Oh? Are you finally going to give me a challenge¡ª¡± the Forsaken Archer began. And I shot through the air, crossing a hundred miles in seconds as Jax screamed again. But this time, he screamed much louder too. ¡ª-- We arrived at Windrip a few minutester. I had to slow down because Jax passed out for a few moments. And when we finallynded, the Forsaken Archer was drenched in sweat. He copsed onto the grassy ground, panting as he stared up at the sky in a daze. ¡°Is that¡­ all you¡­ got¡­?¡± he mustered up. I rolled my eyes, before looking away from him. I had already indulged him once, so I was going to ignore him now. Instead, I swept my gaze over my surroundings. I took in the lush green forest surrounding me. The trees were tall and dark. Many of them stood at a hundred feet tall, creating a thick canopy overhead that cast a dark shadow over the underbrush. But somehow, the foliage down here was thick, even with the sparse light that leaked below. It was unlike the area around Wolfwater which looked like an ordinary forest I¡¯d see back on Earth. With the colorful mushrooms and the vibrant flowers sprouting from the trees and the bushes, this ce almost looked like a magicalnd straight out of a fairy tale. And it was a familiar sight to me. After all, I had been here before. In fact, it was the very first ce I had found myself in when I first exited the Fractured Realm and entered Vacuos. It was Briar Glenn. A B-ranked region. One full of dangerous monsters and ntlife. And just up ahead, located right in the very fringe of this forest was the city of Windrip. Well, it was a city in name, but it was built like a fortress. Although¡­ most of its defenses had been torn down when Glutaz the Goblin Lord attacked. I had specifically chosen tond a few miles outside of Windrip to not draw too much attention to myself. I wanted to go in, grab Guildmaster Evan, and get out. I was here to make things right, but I also wasn¡¯t going to get involved in this war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal. That was why I wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. ¡°Come on,¡± I said as I nced back down to Jax. He rose to his feet, still looking sickly. But he forced a grin back at me. ¡°I¡¯m¡­pletely fine¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡± I strode past him, heading for the city in the distance. The Forsaken Archer stumbled after me. Evidently, he was notpletely fine just yet. Not much had changed since I hadst been here. Some colorful flowers had sprouted on the leaves of the trees in Briar Glenn, but it was mostly the same forest I remembered. And when I got to Windrip, I expected there to be significant changes to the city since Kallistus Kal attacked. But there was no substantial change¡ª the popce wasn¡¯t enved, and there weren¡¯t legions of guards marching down the city streets. It¡­ looked just like it did before. Except in a state of disrepair. The only real difference was that there was now an encampment of soldiers located right next to Windrip. A small fort had been erected at its very center, probably built out of magic by some [Geomancer]. They flew the banner of the Kingdom of Kal¡ª a crescent moon hanging high over a pyramid. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the fort in the middle of the encampment. ¡°Think Evan is in there?¡± I asked as I turned to Jax. The elf just shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll have to poke around and find out.¡± A savage smile spread across his face as he unhooked his bow. I stopped him from reaching for his quiver. I sighed as I gestured at Windrip. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves,¡± I said, taking a step forward. ¡°Let¡¯s ask some questions first, alright? I don¡¯t want to storm that fortress if Evan is not in there. It would just be embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Hmph. Very well.¡± Jax lowered his bow as he slumped his shoulders, following me as I walked up to the city. He pulled his hood over head, and I did the same. My jacket had a hood¡ª it didn¡¯t mask as much of my face as the elf¡¯s since mine wasn¡¯t enchanted. But it was good enough for me. Windrip wasn¡¯t in the best of state right now. But that was true from when I hadst been here. The only difference was that a few more streets had burned down, and the makeshift walls covering the perimeters of the city had been destroyed. Most of the rubble and the wreckage had already been cleared away. But there hadn¡¯t been any repairs made to the infrastructure since the city had been attacked. And the mood hanging in the air reminded me of what I had seen right after the Goblin Lord¡¯s attack. The streets were mostly empty. Everyone kept to themselves. Jax barely paid any attention to the state of the city, but I noticed that we were drawing a little bit of attention to ourselves. I heard a handful of voices whispering as figures pointed at us from the dark alleyways. ¡°Are they¡­?¡± ¡°They look like adventurers, so maybe...¡± ¡°We should stay away.¡± ¡°They would only cause trouble.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go¡ª¡± I watched as those who had been watching us began to slink away. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I whispered. It was strange. Most of the passersby would shy away from us too, and parents would bring their children into their houses. ¡°Are we just going to wander around aimlessly, or do you actually have something in mind?¡± Jax asked as he crossed his arms. I nced back at the impatient elf, before sighing. ¡°Come on.¡± I led him down another street corner, beforeing to a halt right before a ramshackle building. Jax looked it up and down, inspecting the damaged brickwork. The sign that had once been hanging from the front door was gone, but it was evident even to the elf that this was an inn. It was the inn I had stayed in when I was living here in Windrip. ¡°Brynn¡¯s inn,¡± I said its name. ¡°We can ask her some questions. She¡¯ll help us out.¡± Jax just shrugged and followed me as I pushed the door of the inn open. But right as I took a step in, a trio of hooded figures made their way out. ¡°Watch it,¡± a gruff voice said as the first man brushed past me. Hispanions trailed after him, and I stepped out of the way. The second figure just silently followed him, while the third figure turned to face me. I caught a brief glimpse of her face¡ª she looked like a young woman, about Noele¡¯s age. ¡°Sorry about him,¡± she said as she nodded apologetically at me. ¡°He¡¯s an idiot.¡± Jax red at them, but I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I watched them go, before I turned back to the lobby of the inn. There were hardly any customers here¡ª which was unexpected. I had thought that Brynn would be offering her establishment to house those who had lost their homes during the attack. But it was mostly empty. There were only a handful of slumped figures sitting at the tables and chairs of the inn, passed out from drinking too much. I strode up to the bar as I heard a voice calling out from the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯re closed!¡± Brynn emerged from the kitchen, carrying a steaming pot with both her arms. She was paler and thinner than when I hadst seen her, and she wore a disgruntled look on her face. ¡°If you want a room to stay, you can go to Jesper¡¯s ce. You just have to fork up the right price.¡± She shook her head as she set a pot of soup down on the bar, and I came to a halt right before her. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a room,¡± I said simply. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± The [Innkeeper] narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re here to rob me¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re not.¡± I pulled my hood back as I cut her off. I smiled at her, and her eyes went wide. She stared at me, taking a step back. ¡°Hello, Brynn,¡± I greeted the [Innkeeper]. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Brynn tried to work her jaw. Then she leant forward, pointing at me in shock. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª Amelia the Unranked Adventurer!¡± Chapter 130 Chapter 130 ¡°You¡¯re¡ª Amelia the Unranked Adventurer!¡± Brynn eximed. I frowned and nced back at the rest of the room. Most of the patrons to the inn were still passed out. Which was good because I was trying to keep a low profile, and no one overheard the [Innkeeper]. I just shook my head. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me by that Title. Just call me Amelia, Brynn.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± She took a step back as she stared at me for a long moment. I watched as she looked me up and down like I wasn¡¯t actually real. As if I was a figment of her imagination. Once she was certain that I was actually standing right in front of her, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°You¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be here, Amelia,¡± Brynn said in a low voice. She looked past me, before gritting her teeth. ¡°Things have changed since you¡¯ve been gone. Our city has been taken over by the [Hero King]¡¯s forces, and¡ª¡± ¡°I know all that,¡± I cut her off. I gestured vaguely towards the outside of the inn. ¡°I kind of noticed all that when I was on my way here.¡± The [Innkeeper] blinked. Then she shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s why you should go¡ª leave Windrip. Things will be¡­ rather messy over the next few days.¡± I raised a brow. What did that mean? I exchanged a nce with Jax, looking if he knew what Brynn was talking about. But he was hardly even paying attention to the conversation. His gaze was sliding off the walls of the room as he wore an incredibly bored look on his face. I sighed as I turned back to face the [Innkeeper]. ¡°Messy how? What¡¯s been going on since I¡¯ve left? Is the Astrad Kingdom going to be retaking the city or something??¡± ¡°I¡­ no¡ª not much has happened after the [Hero King] attacked.¡± Brynn pursed her lips. ¡°Many of the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s soldiers garrisoned here are at least C-ranked. I¡¯ve heard there are even a few A-ranks amongst them. And with Windrip¡¯s proximity to Briar Glenn, the Astrad Kingdom can¡¯t send arge army here to liberate us without losing a lot of their forces along the way.¡± That was expected. I was told when I first arrived in Windrip that the city was less of a strategic importance for warfare, and more of a necessity because of the threat of monster attacks. It started out as a fortress at first, but eventually grew into a city, especially when Briar Glenn¡¯s most dangerous threats were culled out. So retaking Windrip was hardly on the list of things to do for the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°I know that the Kingdom of Kal has mostly¡­ left us alone, but I wish King Jalen Astral does something about them soon.¡± Brynn sighed as she lowered her head. ¡°I see.¡± I nodded slowly at the [Innkeeper]. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not here to get involved in the war, anyways. I¡¯m just here to find Evan.¡± And that made her pause. ¡°Evan? You mean Guildmaster Evan? The head of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± I tapped a finger on my chin. ¡°He went missing¡ª or he was taken by the Kingdom of Kal as a prisoner or whatever.¡± ¡°That¡­ did happen.¡± Brynn hesitated. ¡°But how did you know¡­? No¡ª why do you even care that he¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a close acquaintance of mine.¡± I shrugged, before narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°Why? Do you know something about what happened to him?¡± The [Innkeeper] shifted back, clearly wearing an apprehensive look on her face. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to help,¡± I said as I dug into my pockets. I produced a handful of gold coins, before nodding at her with a small smile. ¡°Tell me everything you know, please.¡± Still, Brynn didn¡¯t immediately ept the coins. She stared at the glinting metal, before looking back up at me. She chewed her lower lip as I waited. And finally Jax scoffed, speaking up for the first time since we entered the inn. ¡°Your persuasion skills arecking, Amelia. Actions speak louder than words. You cannot talk these fools into listening to you, you have to show them why they should listen.¡± The Forsaken Archer reached for a shortsword at his side. ¡°What¡­?¡± Brynn blinked as she saw what he was doing. She backed up with wide eyes as he smirked, drawing the de. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He took a menacing step forward. ¡°I could extract the information out of this [Innkeeper] in a second¡ª¡± And I red at Jax. ¡°Please stop.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he harrumphed and crossed his arms. ¡°But just know that I believe that your methods are slow and wasteful.¡± I rolled my eyes as Brynn sighed in relief. She steadied herself against her bar, shaking her head. ¡°Who is this man, Amelia?¡± she asked, looking at me in horror. ¡°He¡¯s just an idiot.¡± I waved a hand off. ¡°Ignore him.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The [Innkeeper] nced between me and the hooded elf. She pursed her lips, before sighing exasperatedly. ¡°You can¡¯t tell a single soul about what I¡¯m going to tell you, alright? I¡¯ll get into a lot of trouble if you do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I spoke reassuringly. ¡°You have my word.¡± She slowly slid the gold coins into her pockets and took in a deep breath. ¡°Did you¡­ did you happen to see those three folks who were leaving my inn as you entered?¡± ¡°The ones who nearly bumped into me? Yeah¡ª what about them?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°They were sent by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to free Guildmaster Evan,¡± Brynn said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been housing them for thest few weeks as they made their ns.¡± I frowned, ncing back towards the doorway. ¡°They were adventurers?¡± ¡°No¡ª not adventurers.¡± The [Innkeeper] shook her head. ¡°Mercenaries.¡± That made me pause. I crossed my arms in thought. ¡°Wait, why send mercenaries? Why can¡¯t the Adventurer¡¯s Guild send¡­ adventurers?¡± ¡°Because¡ª¡± she started. And Jax spoke for her. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild doesn¡¯t want anyone to know that they¡¯re involved.¡± I blinked. I turned to the Forsaken Archer, before ncing back at Brynn. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°It¡­ is.¡± She exhaled heavily. ¡°It¡¯s a veryplex situation, and I didn¡¯t even want to be a part of it. But I had no other choice. I was forced into it by Giles.¡± ¡°And Giles is¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s in charge of the mercenaries hired by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Brynn exined. ¡°Giles and his men were sent here to discreetly free Guildmaster Evan. And no one can know about any of this¡ª not even that our city¡¯s guildmaster has been captured by the Kingdom of Kal. That¡¯s why the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has been keeping a tight lid on this whole ordeal.¡± I eyed the [Innkeeper] curiously. ¡°But why all the secrecy? Why doesn¡¯t the Adventurer¡¯s Guild want anyone to know about what happened to Evan?¡± ¡°Because they do not want to be forced to take action against the Kingdom of Kal.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Typical,¡± Jax snorted. ¡°What a bunch of spineless cowards.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cowardice¡ª¡± Brynn gestured vaguely at our surroundings. ¡°This war is already bad enough for Laxo. If the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is forced to partake in it too¡­¡± Her gaze darkened, and I watched as she closed her eyes. I could now see why she looked so sickly and thinpared to when Ist saw her. I took a step forward as I ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll help free Evan, so that won¡¯t happen.¡± I drew back as I pointed a thumb back towards the doorway. ¡°And if you really want, I can bring you back to Wolfwater with me when that is all over.¡± Brynn blinked a few times as she raised her head. She stared at me for a moment, before smiling. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Amelia. I truly do¡­¡± She raised her head as she stared at the ceiling with a soft gaze. Her eyes fluttered open and close, before she looked back down at the palm of her hand. ¡°But Windrip is my home¡ª it¡¯s mymunity. I grew up here in this city. I cannot just leave my friends and family behind¡­¡± ¡°I understand. That¡¯spletely fair.¡± I took a step back as she shook her head. Brynn steeled herself before pointing past me. ¡°Anyway, if you follow Giles, he¡¯ll lead you to Guildmaster Evan. They¡¯re going to break him free today.¡± ¡°Today?¡± I looked back at Jax. ¡°As in right now?¡± The [Innkeeper] nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. You should hurry because¡ª¡± And I heard the st echo in the far distance. Like it was miles away at the very least. The ground shook for a moment¡ª a brief tremor that jolted one of the unconscious customers awake. I nced back as the Forsaken Archer furrowed his brows. He turned to me, and I swept past him as Brynn looked on. ¡°Alright,¡± I said as I reached for my sword. Jax trailed after me, unslinging his bow. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± With that, we headed out to save Guildmaster Evan. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 They were mercenaries. But they were not a part of arge organization¡ª they were a small, elite group typically hired to carry out high-leveled missions. They didn¡¯t have much of a reputation, because the jobs they were given required a certain level of secrecy. Only those in the know knew about them. They were called the wed Hands. And Giles was their leader. Kings and queens and lords anddies and politicians sought to employ them for their expertise. Even across the seas¡ª they had been hired by prominent gnomes and powerful dwarves for jobs that required them to sail to the other continents. But this was the first time they had ever been hired by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It surprised them when they received this request. After all, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was a reputable institution. While they weren¡¯t supposed to be a bastion of justice or ethics, they very rarely acted outside of thew. Their acts alwaysplied with the domestic rules and regtions set in ce of each individual country. That was how they managed to span far and wide in their influence. That was why they were ubiquitously epted throughout all of Laxo. And now, they wereing to Giles with a request¡ª to carry out acts that would circumvent thews of the Kingdom of Kal. Although¡­ to be fair, it was the [Hero King] who first went against the conventions of war in ce and seized a Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was funny. Giles found it amusing, to say the least. But just with every other job he was given, he could not speak about his clients¡­ not to anyone¡­ not even to¡ª ¡°I can¡¯t believe the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is actually hiring us to clean their dirtyundry,¡± a young woman said, drawing his attention back to her. He frowned as he stared at his carefreepanion¡ª Sylvie. She walked with a nt posture, leaning back as she held her hands on the back of her head. ¡°Are you sure the guy you spoke to was actually from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Giles?¡± she asked casually. And that made the leader of the wed Hands click his tongue. But before he could reprimand her, another voice spoke up. ¡°What are you saying, you idiot?¡± the third member of the group sputtered. His name was Jaden. He was young too¡ª even younger than Silvie. He imed to be about twenty years old, but he looked like he was seventeen at most. Giles was more than certain that he was lying about his real age. Jaden gestured towards the passersby in the street as he eximed loudly, drawing their attention. ¡°What would you do if someone overheard you saying that we were hired by the Ad¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up, both of you,¡± Giles snapped. Jaden and Sylvie both paused as their leader turned towards them. Giles swept his gaze over the mostly empty street. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t that many people out and about. And those that were slinking around didn¡¯t look like they even heard what either Jaden or Sylvie said. ¡°We have a job to do, so that¡¯s enough chatting. Or we¡¯re going to bete for our rendezvous.¡± Giles drew his dual dagger as he strode forward with haste. The trio of mercenaries made their way out of Windrip as they started to head northwest. They passed the encampment erected right next to the city¡ª they ignored the tower that rose up to the sky, overseeing everything in the area. They had a job to do, and it didn¡¯t lead them to that fortress of soldiers. They had arrived here in this city weeks back, and they were only acting now for a reason. They hadn¡¯t been making ns or scheming on how toplete their mission. Their job was simple. They were supposed to save a guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. But the reason they had refused to act for weeks was because they had been waiting. They had been biding their time for the right moment to break the guildmaster free without attacking the encampment. After all, there was no way they could take on an entire fort full of soldiers. Not when Captain Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker was in charge of the garrison. He was an A-ranked [Fighter]¡ª supposedly around the same level as Giles. And it wasn¡¯t just him. There were a multitude of other high-leveled individuals present here in Windrip. While Giles himself was a Level 57 [Daggermaster], Jaden and Sylvie weren¡¯t A-ranks just yet. They were close though. But they weren¡¯t enough to battle against a garrison of thousands of rtively high-leveled soldiers¡ª not when the lowest-leveled soldiers were D-ranks, with many C-ranks and even a handful of B-ranks added into the mix. Of course, the wed Hands wereprised of more than just the three of them. But only a dozen of the highest-leveled members embarked on this mission. The others just weren¡¯t here because they had other roles to carry out. ¡°Kristen and her team should already be at the meeting point,¡± Giles said simply as the three mercenaries stalked through the tall trees of Briar Glenn. ¡°Because you idiots took your damn sweet time getting out of bed, we¡¯re going to be arrivingte.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault!¡± Jaden protested. ¡°Sylvie¡¯s the one who forgot to set the [Wake Up] spellst night!¡± Sylvie just casually tilted her head. ¡°Whaaat? I forgot? But you¡¯re the one who told me to disable itst night so we could get an extra hour of sleep¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not supposed to tell Giles that!¡± Jaden quickly cut her off as he covered her mouth. Giles sighed in response. But he didn¡¯t even bother to indulge them with a response. He raised his head as he saw the thick forest of trees begin to peel back, revealing a winding road leading away from Windrip. Up ahead, it cut across a valley in between two tall hills. And a small convoy of troops bearing the banners of the Kingdom of Kal were making their way down to that valley. This was the opportune moment that had been given to the wed Hands. Their target¡ª Guildmaster Evan of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡ª was locked up there at the very center of the convoy. He was being transported out of Windrip, presumably to be brought back to the Kingdom of Kal. And it was the job of the wed Hands to rescue him. There was only a small legion of about a hundred or so soldiers escorting him out. They didn¡¯t want to make a show of it, so they transported him discreetly along with a cargo of supplies. Which was why this was the perfect moment for the wed Hands to intervene. Not only was it far safer to extract their target here than in the city, it could also be disguised as a bandit attack. Or maybe the me could even be pinned on the Astrad Kingdom¡ª an assault on the supply lines of the Kingdom of Kal. Either way, the wed Hands had to get to work. Giles, Sylvie, and Jaden made their way to one of the hilltops as they waited for the convoy to sluggishly rolled across the gravel path. ¡°Good¡ª we weren¡¯t toote.¡± Giles perched himself atop a rock as he eyed the armored wagon at the very center of the convoy. ¡°And Kristen is¡­¡± He swept his gaze to the other side of the valley. He spotted a group of shadowed figures waiting there. He nodded at one of them, and they began to move. They slunk into the shadows as they made their way down to the bottom of the hill as the convoy reached the valley. Meanwhile, Giles turned back to Sylvie. ¡°Now it¡¯s our turn¡­¡± He waited. But there was no response. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the young woman. She was distractedly staring at a butterfly as it fluttered around a tall flower. His brows snapped together as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Sylvie¡ª Sylvie!¡± He snapped his fingers, drawing her attention back to him. ¡°Focus.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± She blinked as she looked up at her leader. ¡°Were you even paying attention?¡± Jaden snorted. ¡°It¡¯s your turn to do your thing.¡± ¡°My thing?¡± Sylvie pointed at herself. ¡°What are you talking about, Jaden?¡± He opened his mouth, before pausing. He tried to work his jaw, only to slump his shoulders and turn to Giles. ¡°...uh, what was she supposed to do again?¡± ¡°Were either of you idiots listening when I told you my¡ª¡± Giles started. Then he looked between the clueless duo. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. ¡°Nevermind.¡± He looked back down at the convoy as it fully entered the valley. He took in a deep breath, before pointing down at them. ¡°Sylvie¡ª cast [Landslide],¡± he said simply. The young woman blinked, before grinning back at him. ¡°You got it, boss.¡± And with that, she mmed a fist down onto the ground as the valley shook, before the cliffside began to copse down the convoy. The closest soldiers to thendslide screamed as they were crushed by the falling rocks. But before the main bulk of the cascading cliffside could crash into the convoy, a group of [Mages] dashed out of their wagons, raising their staffs. A tall stone wall rose from the ground, stopping thendslide before it could crush the convoy. The first [Mage] lowered his staff as he let out a sigh in relief. Then he spun around and called out. ¡°We¡¯re under¡ª¡± But he paused. He stumbled forward before copsing onto the ground as a dagger protruded from his back. And Giles lowered his empty hand. The leader of the wed Hands still stood atop the hill as he looked down at the convoy. There was a sh of light, and his dagger vanished from the [Mage]¡¯s back, reappearing in his palm. And as that happened, a group of shadowed figures emerged from the other side of the valley, nking the panicked soldiers down below. Giles turned back to Sylvie and Jaden as he heard the shouts and screamsing from the valley. And he nodded at the both of them. ¡°Now let¡¯s do this.¡± With that, the wed Hands descended on the convoy to rescue Guildmaster Evan from the Kingdom of Kal. Chapter 132 Chapter 132 The wed Hands got to work. Giles could already see Kristen and her team doing their part and engaging with the convoy from the nk. Spells and arrows were being flung across the valley as voices shouted and screamed in the distance. But the soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal could barely put up a fight, even though they outnumbered their opponents. Because Kristen was A-ranked, just like Giles. And the rest of her team were low B-ranks at most. Even if there were only a handful of them, they were more than enough to deal with the first wave of guards protecting the convoy. Not that they needed to engage inbat for long. Because they were meant to be a distraction¡ª to lure the main bulk of the soldiers from the convoy away from the armored wagon carrying Guildmaster Evan. ¡°We just have to watch out for Seth the Battlemage,¡± Giles said as he hopped off a rock, before sliding down the hill. ¡°He¡¯s an A-rank [Mage]. If you see him, just back off. I¡¯ll handle him.¡± Both Sylvie and Jaden followed right behind him. Sylvie seemed to glide on the earth as the ground shifted beneath her feet¡ª a result of her spellcasting. Meanwhile, Jaden ran down as fast as he could¡­ only to trip and tumble all the way down. Giles paused to stare at the boy as he crashed at the bottom of the valley. Sylvie also came to a halt right next to the leader of the wed Hands. ¡°Are you alright, Jaden?¡± she called out. And Jaden groaned as he picked himself up from a small crater on the ground. He dusted himself off as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡ª¡± he started. Only to be interrupted as an arrow flew into the back of his head. ¡°Take this, you brigand!¡± a soldier shouted as he loosed another flurry of projectiles at Jaden. But as the second and third arrownded on Jaden, the soldier paused. His eyes went wide as one after another, the arrows shattered upon impact. ¡°What¡­?¡± Jaden stumbled back as he spun around with an annoyed look on his face. ¡°That hurt you asshole!¡± He picked up one of the broken arrowheads as the soldier turned to run. But before the soldier could get far, Jaden hurled the broken arrowhead with all his strength. And the broken arrowhead short forward so fast like it had been fired from a crossbow. The soldier slumped over with a gaping hole in his chest as Giles and Sylvie came to a halt right next to Jaden. The leader of the wed Hands smirked as he nodded at the boy. ¡°Good work.¡± That was why Jaden was called the Titanium Brute. Thanks to his Skills, it was like his skin was made of metal. He could tank most attacks by lower-leveled individuals unscathed. Even if he did feel a little bit of pain from them. ¡°Remember, our target is that armored wagon,¡± Giles said as he nodded up ahead past a group of running guards. The convoy was in a panic. And the soldiers escorting it were thrown into disarray. Most of them were distracted by Kristen and her team as they took out guard after guard. Only a handful of them even noticed the trio of mercenaries standing at the other side of the convoy. A group of soldiers paused as a [Mage] raised a wand and pointed at Giles. They let out a war cry, before charging forward as the [Mage] supported them with a volley of spells. Giles took a step forward as he nodded at Sylvie. ¡°Do your thing,¡± he said. ¡°Right¡ª [Mass Sleep]!¡± She pointed at the charging soldiers. She was a [Sorceress]. That meant she was capable of casting rather unusual spells that weren¡¯t typically suited for dueling. But right now, her magic sufficed in distracting the soldiers. That was why she was known as the Diverting Dandelion. Their movements slowed. They grew sluggish, before copsing on the ground,pletely unconscious. But the [Mage] was still awake. He screamed as he hurled a fireball straight at Giles. The explosion rocked the ground as Sylvie and Jaden winced. However, Giles was no longer standing there. He appeared right next to the [Mage] with a grin stered on his face. The [Mage] blinked, before spinning around. And Giles just shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t even try¡ª you¡¯ve already lost.¡± With that, the [Mage] crumpled silently to the ground as blood spurted out of his chest. Giles twirled his dagger in hand as he looked back up to the armored wagon just up ahead. The convoy was starting to take notice of him. Dozens of soldiers moved to intercept him as he started to sprint forward. ¡°Sylvie, Jaden!¡± he called out to hispanions. ¡°Distract them!¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± they replied in unison as they hurriedly trailed after him. Despite being a pair of young troublemakers who were normally a pain in the ass to deal with, they were verypetent in the battlefield. Sylvie mmed a fist onto the ground, causing a localized tremor that shook thendscape. The group of soldiers stumbled and staggered, only for Jaden to ram into them a moment after. He tore their numbers apart as Giles leapt into the sky. The leader of the wed Hands nodded approvingly at the two of them, taking a moment to survey the battlefield. Everything was going ording to n. Now it was up to him toplete the mission. The [Daggermaster] tossed his dagger down onto the ground right next to the armored wagon. There was a sh of light. Just like when he had recalled the weapon into his hands. But this time, it wasn¡¯t his dagger that was teleporting. It was him. Giles appeared right next to his dagger as he shook his head. It was an enchantment on the dagger that allowed him to teleport to it, or to teleport it back to him. It was a powerful artifact. And it had earned him the Title of the Flying de. He raised his head to look at the enchantments protecting the armored wagon. It was not going to be easy to break through. Not with his Skills at the very least. But that was why he came prepared. He produced a scroll from his side as he nodded. He unfurled it, watching as the runes etched on its surface shone. Giles pointed it at the wagon. ¡°Dispel M¡ª¡± he started. And his eyes flickered as he saw a glinting from the side. Giles leapt back just in time to avoid a st of frost. He spun around to face a figure d in ice. His eyes narrowed as he watched the figure step forward. ¡°Seth the Battlemage,¡± Giles said as he twirled his dagger. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally decided to join the fray.¡± Seth shook his head, raising his staff as it was wreathed in ice. A broadsword of frost was formed at the very tip¡ª about the size of the Battlemage himself. He slowly drew forward, dragging the weapon behind him. ¡°Oh? It seems you¡¯ve done your research on who I am¡­¡± He tilted his head, peering curiously at Giles. ¡°You¡¯re no ordinary brigand, are you?¡± The [Daggermaster] just licked his lips in response. ¡°Perhaps¡ª but it does not matter. Because you die here.¡± And with that, Gilesshed out with his dagger. He was fast. He reached the Battlemage in an instant, slicing down with a sh of light. It was a Skill¡ª a piercing attack that could have torn apart even titanium. But the ice armor Seth wore took the brunt of the attack. He stumbled back, grunting as his ice armor copsed around him. He hefted the frost broadsword and swung it down at the [Daggermaster]. But Giles deftly deflected the attack as he stepped forward. He thrusted out with a flurry of strikes, and the Battlemage raised the broadsword of frost. The broadsword of frost began to break apart as the attacks whittled it down. Seth was A-ranked, just like the [Daggermaster]. However, the fact was that he was barely into A-rank, and those few levels separating them made a massive difference. Gilesughed as he swung out once more. This time, he gripped his dagger with both his hands, and he felt a surge of strength flow through him. He mmed the de against the frost broadsword¡ª and the ice shattered. Seth staggered forward as his weapon was destroyed. Giles just kicked the Battlemage back against the armored wagon, before striding forward. ¡°Come on, is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± the [Daggermaster] asked. ¡°Did you really think you could beat me with that pathetic disy?¡± The Battlemage chuckled as he looked weakly back up to Giles. ¡°No¡ª but that was enough to distract you.¡± And that made the leader of the wed Hands pause. ¡°Distract me¡­?¡± Right as the words left his mouth, a powerful explosion rocked the valley. Giles was thrown back from the shockwave, seeing a pir of smoke rise into the sky. He steadied himself as his brows snapped together. ¡°What is that?¡± he asked as he looked up in horror. ¡°Did you really think we didn¡¯t expect the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to strike back?¡± Seth asked, getting to his feet. The dust and smoke began to clear as Giles swept his gaze over his surroundings. He looked on with narrowed eyes, seeing a massive crater just up ahead. Kristen and her team were lying bloodied at the very edge of the st zone. ¡°Kristen¡­?¡± ¡°We expected adventurers¡ª but mercenaries like you?¡± the Battlemage said as he shook his head. ¡°It makes no difference.¡± Giles blinked, before hearing a voice cry out in pain behind him. He spun around, watching as both Jaden flew through the air and crashed right at the [Daggermaster]¡¯s feet. ¡°Jaden!¡± Giles called out as he rushed to the boy¡¯s side. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± another voice came in reply. Giles nced back to see Sylvie stumbling forward, clutching her bleeding shoulder. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t distract her¡­¡± ¡°Distract who?¡± the [Daggermaster] asked as he took a step forward. But Sylvie copsed. Giles blinked. He cast his gaze over the battlefield as the realization settled in. The wed Hands were defeated with ease¡ª quickly and swiftly, before he could even notice it. He took a step back as he gritted his teeth. ¡°We¡¯re the wed Hands¡­ we¡¯re elites! We¡¯re specialists at our jobs! How¡­?¡± ¡°Well, maybe you aren¡¯t as good at your job as you think you are,¡± a burly figure said as he walked past Jaden¡¯s fallen body. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± Giles stared with wide eyes. ¡°Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker?¡± The [Daggermaster] recognized the burly man in an instant. He was the one who had been ced in charge of the fortress back in Windrip. An A-rank captain who was renowned for his physical prowess. Giles shook his head as he eximed. ¡°That¡­ makes no sense! You shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± ¡°Oh? And what made you think I would stay in that backwater city?¡± Rokh said with a smug look on his face. ¡°I left my lieutenant in charge of that shit ce. I¡¯m never returning back there ever again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Giles snarled. ¡°You¡¯re abandoning Windrip just to transport a single manout of the city?¡± Rokh shook his head. ¡°That man is the reason why we¡¯re here in the first ce. Unfortunately, our King had other matters to attend to, so he took his leave. The only reason we took so long to follow after him is because we were waiting for her to arrive.¡± Giles narrowed his eyes. ¡°Her? Who is¡ª¡± And there was a sh of light. He leapt back as he dodged a ck beam that cut the ground open. He frowned, looking up at a ck-haired girl as she descended from the sky. The leader of the wed Hands paused as he saw who it was. His eyes widened, and his legs shook. He took a step back as he said her name. ¡°Eloise the Dark Wizard,¡± he whispered. ¡°S-rank mercenary¡ª what are you doing here?¡± She just smiled at him in response. ¡°I have been hired by the [Hero King] himself to ensure that his cargo is safely transported back to his nation. It is a pleasure to meet you, Giles the Flying de.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Giles hadn¡¯t even known that she had been in the city. If he had known that she¡¯d be involved, he wouldn¡¯t have taken this job. He pursed his lips as she nced dismissively at Jaden and Sylvie. ¡°I have heard so much about the wed Hands¡ª I was excited to see you in action. But¡­¡± She shook her head as she covered her mouth. ¡°I must say, you have been nothing but a disappointment.¡± Giles ground his teeth together. ¡°Why would the [Hero King] hire an S-rank mercenary to transport a damn guildmaster? Just what is going on?¡± ¡°I do not know why my clients hire me,¡± Eloise said simply as she took a step forward. ¡°I simplyplete my task. I am sure you understand that as much as me. That is why¡ª¡± She raised a hand, pointing straight at him as his eyes went round. Her fingers cracked with a ck electricity as she spoke simply. ¡°As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have to annihte you.¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± Giles protested. But a st of dark lightning shot forward as he opened his mouth. He couldn¡¯t even react in time. He winced, raising his dagger protectively. He knew it wouldn¡¯t save him. He knew he didn¡¯t stand a chance against her. He closed his eyes, waiting for the searing pain. Giles knew that he was as good as dead. He epted this oue. He wanted to get over it as quickly as possible. But¡­ death never came. Giles blinked as he heard the thundering crackle of the dark lightninge and go. He saw the sh of light flicker and dissipate. He looked down at himself, seeing that he was still in one piece. And he sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive? But how¡ª¡± He looked back up to see a figure standing before him. A brown-haired woman dressed in strange clothes. His eyes narrowed as he saw an impossibly torn and tattered cloak blowing with the wind behind her. She held a rusty sword in the air, and Giles couldn¡¯t help but stare at her in awe. Because she deflected the attack with ease. Even Eloise looked on with a surprised look on her face as the brown-haired woman just lowered her de. Seth frowned, and Captain Rokh peered at her suspiciously. ¡°Who are you?¡± Giles asked with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia,¡± the brown-haired woman said simply. ¡°And I¡¯m here to save Evan.¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Her name was Amelia. Giles had never heard of her, but he could tell that she was strong. With a single swing of her rusty de, she had easily deflected Eloise the Dark Wizard¡¯s ck lightning. Giles himself could barely even react to it¡ª despite his speed and agility as a Level 57 [Daggermaster], he had only been able to gape in awe as the dark spell shot through the air at him. And yet, Amelia had somehow been able to stop it. No¡ª she didn¡¯t just stop it. She did so much more. She had intercepted the ck lightning bolt, before cutting it in half with a decrepit sword that looked like it could shatter at any moment. The Flying de didn¡¯tprehend. He couldn¡¯tprehend it. How did she get here? Did she teleport in with a spell while he was distracted? That was the only exnation. He rose to his feet as she swept her gaze over her surroundings. The entire battlefield came to a halt to face this third party¡ª every soldier in the convoy had their sword and their bow and their staff aimed at her. Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker raised a pair of metal gauntlets, and Seth the Battlemage conjured another frost broadsword. The wed Hands had been thoroughly defeated¡ª except for Giles himself. Nevertheless, it was not like there was anyone else for the legion of soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal to turn their attention to; they focused their gaze on their lone enemy. Even Eloise tilted her head curiously to face the brown-haired woman. ¡°Who are¡ª¡± the Dark Witch started. And Amelia blinked as she looked down at Giles. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not Evan.¡± ¡°Evan? You mean the guildmaster?¡± He stared at her, taking a step back in confusion. ¡°Yeah¡ª you¡¯re Giles, right?¡± she said as she helped steady him. ¡°Where¡¯s Evan? I¡¯m here to free him.¡± Giles shook his head, ncing back at the armored wagon at the center of the convoy. ¡°He¡¯s locked up over there. But¡­¡± He pursed his lips as he watched Seth take a step forward. The Battlemage was bruised¡ª hurt from the brief scuffle with Giles. And yet, despite the injuries he had sustained, Seth looked ready to go for a round with Amelia. An armor of ice began to form around him as he grinned. ¡°I have been entrusted by my King to protect the cargo with my life. I will not let you even get close to¡ª¡± And Amelia appeared right next to him, with a finger raised to his chest. Seth blinked. Giles stared in shock. The legion of soldiers looked on with wide eyes as she poked his ice armor. Seth took a step back as his ice armor began to crack¡ª and a momentter, it shattered into thousands of pieces. He looked down in horror as his staff too began to crumble. ¡°What?¡± He stared at himself for a moment. And his clothes fell apart next, leaving only his underwear to cover his privates. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± ¡°That was a warning,¡± Amelia said as she drew back from him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hold back if you guys get in my way.¡± Giles couldn¡¯t believe his eyes¡ª it took some of his best Skills to break through Seth¡¯s ice armor. And yet, she was able to shatter it with just a finger. Was this an illusion? A trick? Did Giles die, and was he imagining this whole situation up? He couldn¡¯t believe it. But it was happening. ¡°T-t-that was my [Armor of the Frost Lord]!¡± Seth eximed. He looked down at his shredded robes and broken staff. ¡°And those were A-grade artifacts¡­ how did you¡­?¡± The Battlemage couldn¡¯tprehend it either. But Amelia didn¡¯t seem to care. She rubbed her chin in thought as she murmured to herself. ¡°...well, alright, maybe I¡¯ll hold back. I don¡¯t want to identally kill everyone, you know?¡± Seth gritted his teeth. He raised a hand as a ball of mist coalesced in the palm of his hand. He unleashed a st of frost at Amelia¡ª the spell engulfing her point-ck. ¡°Take this, you monster!¡± he screamed. ¡°[Frost Wyvern¡¯s Breath]!¡± Giles staggered back as he felt the chilly winds reach him. Even from a distance, he could feel the intensity of the spell that was unleashed¡ª a powerful attack for an A-rank. But as the dust settled, Amelia stepped out of a small crater,pletely unscathed. Eloise narrowed her eyes. Seth stumbled back in horror. Because the brown-haired woman suffered not a single scratch¡ª even her clothes escaped unharmed. ¡°Are you serious?¡± she said tly. ¡°I gave you a chance to give up, and you try this shit? Are you an idiot?¡± Giles himself winced from her words. Even though they weren¡¯t direct to him, it still stung¡ª because he knew he would have tried the same thing out of pure disbelief or what was happening. Seth tried to work his jaw as he stared at her. But nothing came out. She just sighed as she took a step forward. ¡°Look, if you get out of the way now, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± But a booming voice interrupted her. ¡°Oh? Very interesting!¡± Rokhughed wildly as marched forward. He mmed his gauntleted fists together, and a sharp metallic sound rang out. A crimson aura overcame him as he smiled savagely. Eloise just looked on. ¡°I am Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker!¡± He smirked as he walked straight up to the brown-haired woman. He raised a fist, ready to swing down at her. ¡°I am going to enjoy pummeling you to death¡ª¡± And he was cut off. Quite literally. His head was cut cleanly off in an instant. Blood sttered on the ground as Amelia lowered her de. ¡°Must I literally kill every single one of you here to prove my point?¡± She shook her head as she swept her gaze over the legion of soldiers. ¡°No more warnings¡ª I¡¯m freeing Evan. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± Amelia spun around to face the armored wagon. Seth stumbled back away from her. He looked like he wanted to run¡ª Giles himself wanted to run too in the face of this overwhelming power. She had killed Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker just like that. He was a high-leveled captain. He had been the one in charge of the small army Kallistus Kal had led to Windrip. Giles had heard of his fighting prowess. Even though they were of simr level, the [Daggermaster] hadn¡¯t been sure if he could defeat the Bludgeoning Striker. But Amelia defeated him. She killed him before he could even react. He didn¡¯t even put up a fight. Hey slumped over on the ground, headless as his legion looked on. A susurration swept through their numbers. They whispered amongst themselves. They looked like they didn¡¯t know what to do. Their leader was dead, and they were lost. They exchanged nervous nces as Amelia strode forward to the armored wagon. She walked past Seth as he gritted his teeth. And he spun around, raising a sphere of frost. ¡°Don¡¯t let her¡ª¡± he started. But Amelia swung back with her sword, cutting his head off without even looking his way. Giles flinched at the suddenness of it. The watching soldiers winced too¡ª reaching their wits¡¯ end. And she nced dismissively at them. ¡°I suggest the rest of you run away,¡± she said simply. And with that, they shattered. The legion of soldiers ran for it as they cried out in terror. Giles wanted to join them, but he was petrified. He couldn¡¯t even move. He watched as they fled into the distance as the brown-haired woman just sighed. ¡°Good,¡± Amelia whispered to herself. ¡°At least those guys havemon sense. Now¡ª¡± She paused when she saw a figure descend from the sky just before her. Eloisended right on top of the armored wagon, raising her staff. Amelia massaged her temples. ¡°Oh my god, please just stop¡­¡± Giles blinked, looking between the Dark Wizard and the brown-haired woman. Neither of them attacked each other. Not just yet. ¡°I have to admit, I am impressed¡ª no, I am not impressed.¡± Eloise tilted her head back. ¡°I am absolutely terrified by what I have just witnessed. You slew both Rokh the Bludgeoning Striker and Seth the Battlemage with ease. I can¡¯t lie and say that I am looking forward to facing you in battle.¡± Amelia just looked back at her with a deadpan expression. ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t you just not do that? It¡¯s very simple¡ª you step to the side, and we¡¯ll all be happy.¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± the S-rank mercenary said as she shook her head. ¡°Even if you are quite the monster, I have no choice but to stop you. My contract demands it so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really fucking stupid,¡± the brown-haired woman sighed, unsheathing her de once again. ¡°Are you seriously going to be risking your life because of a contract?¡± ¡°Yes,¡±came the response. Giles watched on as Amelia continued to walk forward, while Eloise raised her staff. He pursed his lips, not knowing what was going to happen next. After all, the Dark Wizard was S-rank in level. But Amelia? Well¡­ Giles just didn¡¯t know. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Amelia was fast. Jax couldn¡¯t keep up with her. The moment she stepped out of Brynn¡¯s inn, she vanished. He was certain that it took her longer to walk out of the room from when she first heard the aftershocks of the explosion than it took her to arrive at her destination. Even the Forsaken Archer hadn¡¯t yet reached the battlefield. He could see the smoke rising up ahead in between the two hills. The valley had been torn apart¡ª an armored caravan had been stopped by andslide, and arge crater had been burrowed open right next to it. A legion of soldiers fled the scene, running away as fast as they could as they screamed in terror. Jax leapt over them. He barely paid them any mind. That was the expected reaction when faced with someone as insanely overpowered as Amelia. And he was in a rush. He didn¡¯t want to miss out on seeing her in action. After all, he had only seen her in battle against him. He never had a chance to observe and analyze the brown-haired human in a fight against someone else. ¡°Perhaps I can use that information to defeat her in a duel one day¡­¡± Jax whispered softly to himself. He knew it was a day that was far off. In fact, he was very much aware that it might not even ever happen. Still, it was good to dream¡ª to strive for greatness. He chuckled to himself as hended right before the valley. He saw the recognizable, billowing cloak Amelia wore just ahead. She was facing down a high-leveled [Mage] standing atop an armored wagon. Jax shook his head. ¡°Perhaps one day¡­¡± ¡ª-- I stared at the woman dressed in dark robes standing before me. She looked like a wizard of sorts¡ª she even had a long pointy hat that sparkled in the darkness. It was morning, but the column of smoke rising to the sky blotted out the sun, casting a dark shadow over the caravan. Unlike Rokh the annoying dead guy and Seth the other annoying dead guy, I didn¡¯t know this woman¡¯s name. She hadn¡¯t introduced herself. But even after seeing what I did to the both of them, she still insisted on stopping me from freeing Guildmaster Evan. I sighed as I raised my sword. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡± But before I could do anything, a voice cried out. I nced back, looking at Giles¡ª the man I had just saved. ¡°B-be careful!¡± he said as he stumbled forward. ¡°Eloise the Dark Wizard is incredibly powerful. She¡¯s an S-ranked mercenary¡ª she doesn¡¯t even work with a group because of her overwhelming magical prowess!¡± Eloise and I both looked his way. Giles gritted his teeth, averting his gaze. ¡°I know you¡¯re a strong [Warrior], but you must always be careful of these tricky [Mages]...¡± ¡°A tricky [Mage], huh?¡± The Dark Wizard tilted her head curiously. ¡°My, my. I am surprised that that is the reputation I have gained. I am quite a directbatant if I must say so myself.¡± I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re S-ranked?¡± ¡°Indeed, I am.¡± She nodded in response. ¡°I am surprised that you could not infer that yourself. Is this your first time meeting an S-ranked individual like me?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said as I shook my head. I took a step forward, gesturing vaguely at her. ¡°I¡¯ve fought some S-ranked guys before¡ª but you¡¯re just¡­¡± I paused. Eloise raised a brow. She peered curiously at me as I scratched my chin. I thought about all the S-ranked threats I had fought. I thought about the ck lightning bolt she had conjured earlier¡ª the one which I deflected to save Giles. And I shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re just so much weaker than them. I thought you were only A-ranked, to be honest.¡± And that made the Dark Wizard blink as Giles physically recoiled. He pointed at me, trying to work his jaw. ¡°W-w-what do you mean by that?¡± he asked, gesticting wildly at me. ¡°Eloise is the Dark Wizard! I¡¯ve heard that she¡¯s at least Level 63¡ª¡± ¡°Well, I have no idea what level Jax was at when I fought him,¡± I cut him off as I cocked my head back in thought. ¡°But he was way stronger than this.¡± Eloise frowned as she hopped off the armored wagon. ¡°Jax? Do you mean the Forsaken Archer?¡± She looked me up and down suspiciously. I nodded casually, waving a hand off. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him,¡± I said simply. ¡°I mean¡ª he¡¯s kinda weak too. Butpared to you? He¡¯s way stronger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s one of the highest-leveled adventurers in the entire world.¡± Eloise pursed her lips as she stared at me in disbelief. ¡°Some even say that he is the highest-leveled adventurer. How could you have possibly defeated him¡­?¡± I waved a hand dismissively at the Dark Wizard. ¡°It was easy. I just punched him in the face, and it was over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked, wide-eyed. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± I repeated after her. Giles rubbed his temples as he copsed back to the ground. He stared at me, a shell-shocked expression on his face. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­ right?¡± ¡°If you really want to¡ª¡± I started as I nced past the abandoned convoy. ¡°You could ask Jax about it yourself.¡± ¡°What?¡± Giles blinked. Eloise¡¯s eyes went round as she spotted the figure standing at the very edge of the battlefield. He wore a hooded cloak, but the hood was down, revealing his pointed ears. He had a bow slung around his shoulders as his arms were crossed over his chest. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Jax?¡± she whispered softly. And the Forsaken Archer clicked his tongue. ¡°Oi, Amelia! I came here to watch a fight, not to listen to you run your mouth!¡± Eloise took a step back as she stared at him. ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Meanwhile, Giles just lowered his head. He looked back, before walking slowly away from me. ¡°I¡­ I should go check on my team¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you do that,¡± I said tly. I turned to face Jax as he harrumphed in the distance. ¡°Anyways, I kicked your ass, right?¡± The elf held his chin high as he scoffed. ¡°It was a grueling and hard-fought battle. A legendary duel between the two strongest individuals in all of Vacuos! Both sides incurred grievous wounds, and it was looking like it could be anyone¡¯s victory. But at the veryst moment, I¡ª¡± ¡°Jax.¡± I red at him, and he flinched. He cleared his throat, looking away from me. ¡°...and Amelia prevailed in the end.¡± Well, while he embellished the story somewhat, he ended up telling the truth in the end. So I nodded¡ª not approvingly, but epting that that was the best I could get out of him. I turned to Eloise as I gestured at him. ¡°See?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± The Dark Wizard just stared as she tried to work her jaw. Even just earlier, after seeing me defeat a pair of high-leveled soldiers with ease, she still wore a calm look on her face. But now, she couldn¡¯t even find the right words to say. I crossed my arms at her as I waited expectantly. ¡°So are you still going to get in my way? Or are you actually going to do the sensible thing and step aside?¡± ¡°But my contract¡­¡± Eloise hesitated. She nced between me and the Forsaken Archer, before pausing. For whatever reason, she seemed to stare at him longingly¡ª as if she knew him. However, Jax didn¡¯t return that gaze. He just wore the same disgruntled look he always wore when he wasn¡¯t fighting. He noticed the way she was staring at him, before his brows snapped together. ¡°What?¡± he asked. Eloise winced. She looked away from him as she bit her lower lip. I didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her, but that seemed like it was enough to convince her. She finally raised her hands in the air, defeated. ¡°I surrender,¡± she sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± I nodded at her as I sheathed my de. I wasn¡¯t going to question it. I was just d that she wasn¡¯t going to get in my way too. I walked past her as she hung her head, and I came to a halt right before the armored wagon. I nced back once. I could see Giles in the distance, applying healing potions to his injured men, and Jax just milling about with a bored look on his face. I turned back to the armored wagon and reached out for the enchanted metal doorway. I ripped it right off with ease as a sliver of light poured into the dark room. A figure shifted within¡ª chained and ragged. A bloodied face peeked out of the shadows, staring up at me. But despite the state he was in, I still recognized him. His eyes went wide as he saw me, and I proffered him a hand. ¡°Amelia¡­?¡± Guildmaster Evan asked. ¡°Hey,¡± I said as I nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯m here to save you.¡± Chapter 135: (End of Amelia Book 2) Chapter 135: (End of Amelia Book 2) Kallistus Kal had been patient. He had bided his time¡ª he had learned, and he had grown. He did everything right. But in return, he had only been tormented even further. He was never rewarded for his actions. So now, he set out to seize his dreams. To take hold of his destiny. He was no longer going to remain idle. His n had been set in motion, and now he waited. But he didn¡¯t wait for everything to fall into ce by chance. Instead, he was going to ensure all the cascading pieces fell into ce by force. If they weren¡¯t going to fit together, he was going to make them fit together. He waited. And he plotted. The [Hero King] raised his head as a smile spread across his lips. ¡°Soon, I shall see them again¡­¡± he whispered as he heard the moringing from before him. He swept his gaze over the bustling hall, and he saw the twisted figures moving. Creatures of the dark. Shadowed beings conjured from his will. Voidlings. And there were hundreds of them¡ª no, thousands. They waited with Kallistus Kal as he settled back into his seat. ¡°Soon, I shall return home.¡± ¡ª-- But even as the [Hero King] made his ns, the world continued to move. The Archmage King of Scholus called for a secret conference, and the Merfolk Empress began her final siege of Drazyl. A cowardly dragon hid beneath the earth, while the sessor of the Grand Sage of Imbel Forest was forced to flee her home. In the Frozar Mountains, an angel and a dragon sat down in a cold cavern and spoke for the first time in ten thousand years. They discussed things which had transpired since they hadst seen each other¡ª they talked grimly of the problems guing the, and they agreed that action had to be taken. In Wolfwater, a blonde girl and a burly man sparred with each other on a farm as a chicken looked on. But unbeknownst to them, the blonde girl was being hunted down due to a case of mistaken identity. And at the edge of Briar Glenn, a prisoner of war was freed from his captivity. After surviving weeks and weeks of torture, he could finally see the light of day again. All thanks to the help of a brown-haired woman. A¡­ hero. But, of course, she wasn¡¯t actually a hero despite her heroics. Her name was Amelia, and she was just an ordinary restaurant owner. Or at least, that was what she told herself. End of Book 2
Author''s Notes: End of Book 2 of Amelia the Level Zero Hero! This book focused more on the slice of life aspect of the story which I feel like wascking in Book 1. But... in retrospect, I think I leaned too hard into the slice of life this time around. I''ll try to find a better bnce in the next book which I am really looking forward to. Oh also, there will be about a ten day break until the next chapter drops for public. However, Patreon will continue to be updating chapters. And since it is the start of the month, it means now is currently the best time to subscribe to catch up to the start of Book 3 :) Check it out here I don''t really have much else to say other than that. I''ll have another poprity poll for the end of book 2 soon. As always, thank you all for reading <>
End of Book 2 Popularity Poll! End of Book 2 Poprity Poll! Amelia is not included in this poll because it would be unfair. So... side characters only. I''m curious to see who''s the favorite so far :) Also Book 3 starts next week! Sorry for the dys! I''ve been quite burnt outtely. Sorry again :( You can read my Salvos weic while waiting! Read Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG) | Tapas Web Comics Chapter 136: (Start of Book 3) Chapter 136: (Start of Book 3) When I returned home, there was nothing left for me. I stood in the middle of an unrecognizable street¡ª the dull gray color of concrete stretching out as far as I could see. There was no grass. There were no trees. And there was no color, but that of the shing signs atop the towering buildings. A crowd bustled around me. Each and every one of their figures wore unfamiliar clothing. The once blue skies were now permanently overcast with dark clouds of smog, and rain poured unceasingly into the world below. I strode forward, entering a gated enclosure. Even though I had escaped my damnation, I found no salvation here. I arrived at my destination,ing to a halt as my ragged clothing blew with the wind. My gazended upon a small monument of stone. I read the words inscribed on its surface. And all around me, these tiny monoliths uniformly littered the level ground, marking what was lost. Marking what I had lost. I closed my eyes as I raised my head, turning away from the gravestones. An eternity had passed for me; Earth had moved on. Nothing here remained. And I was gone once again, searching for a ce to belong. Chapter 137 Chapter 137 I was lost. I didn¡¯t know where I was anymore. I wandered aimlessly¡ª without any sense of direction. Everything was so alien to me. I didn¡¯t recognize this ce. I couldn¡¯t find my way back. I couldn¡¯t find my way home. Oh, and I didn¡¯t mean it in a figurative sense. Nor did I mean it in a metaphorical sense. I was, quite literally, lost. As in, I didn¡¯t know where I was right now. I raised my head as I took in my surroundings. I stood in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by thickets of towering trees. This was Briar Glenn. It was a vast forest that expanded dozens of miles, hiding many dangerous monsters. Well¡­ so-called ¡®dangerous¡¯ monsters. For an ordinary person living in Vacuos, encountering even a single one of the creatures lurking this region would mean instant death. But as for me? They literally weren¡¯t a threat. I hade to this world from the Fractured Realm. Which was a bitplicated since the Fractured Realm was technically still a part of this world¡ª just not in the same ne of space. It was¡­ isted from the rest of Vacuos. And for good reason. Because it contained the Voidgod and all its twisted creation hidden within. I had been summoned there from Earth, before being forced to fight voidlings and voidbeasts for my survival. Eventually, I grew strong enough to break out and that was how I ended up here. That was how I ended up in this situation. The strongest in all of Vacuos, and somehow still lost in some forest. I sighed as I turned back to face the elf apanying me. ¡°We¡¯re lost.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not lost,¡± he snorted. ¡°I told you¡ª we¡¯re heading the right way. Just follow me.¡± He was Jax the Forsaken Archer. An elf. An SS-ranked adventurer now. When I met him, he was still only an S-ranked adventurer. But then he went away for a few months, beforeing back stronger. And he had sought me out to warn me¡ª to tell me that the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal wasing after me. I¡­ didn¡¯t really care about that. But I was concerned about those around me who were affected by the [Hero King]¡¯s actions. Especially those in Windrip. Like Guildmaster Evan. I wasn¡¯t really close with Evan. I would consider him a friendly acquaintance¡ª he had helped me out at times, and I was grateful to him for it. When I learned from Jax that I had endangered Evan¡¯s life because the [Hero King] was after me, I couldn¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. I had to act. So I left Wolfwater. I abandoned the farming vige that I had made my home. I had spent months setting up a restaurant back there¡ª Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, also known as Bucky¡¯s. With the help of Xakor¡ª a world-famous [Chef] and an otherworlder like me¡ª we had managed to turn the restaurant into a sess. And we turned it into even more of a sess when we¡­ recruited the help of an angel in our staff. He was called Guardian Angel Z357, but I called him Z. He was helpful at times, and other times, he was honestly quite a pain in the ass to deal with. But he was nothing like the mindless drone of the World System I thought he¡¯d be. He could think for himself, which was how he caused problems for me. Anyways, I tolerated it because I found him to be quite interesting¡­ and because he was a very good employee. He did his job well while attractingrge crowds to my restaurant. But unfortunately for me, he resigned the night before I left Wolfwater. So I was going to be leaving my restaurant understaffed in the hands of Xakor. ¡­and while Xakor did have four hands, it was still a lot of work for him on such short notice. Noele¡ª my apprentice¡ª said she¡¯d help out where she could. But she wasn¡¯t a chef. She could only help out as a waitress. And I felt bad about offloading so much of my work to Xakor, especially after everything he had already done for me. That was why I wanted to get back to Wolfwater as soon as possible. So I arrived at Windrip, asked around for some information, and quickly found Guildmaster Evan. Then I defeated a couple of annoying soldiers who were escorting him, which should have meant that I could now return home. Unfortunately, things weren¡¯t so simple. Because¡ª ¡°Why did I decide to follow the guy who literally took months to find me when I was just chilling in Wolfwater.¡± I massaged my temples as I stared at Jax. The Forsaken Archer crossed his arms indignantly, turning back to face me. ¡°It is no easy feat¡ª to track down someone as elusive as you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m literally not elusive,¡± I sighed. ¡° I wasn¡¯t even trying to hide from anyone. I even opened a restaurant for anyone to dine in.¡± ¡°I am an elf,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I am well-versed in navigating these kinds of terrain. Just trust me.¡± I raised a finger as I stared back at him with a deadpan gaze. ¡°Or maybe I could just carry us back to Windrip. We¡¯d literally arrive back in the city in seconds¡­¡± ¡°And if you did that, would he even survive the trip?¡± Jax nced past me, looking towards a weary figure. I paused. I stared at Guildmaster Evan as he leant against a tree. His silver-gray hair was drenched in sweat, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His body was covered in fading bruises¡ª markings and scars that were freshly healed, but still visible to the eye. When I had found him, he was in a terrible state. He was barely even conscious¡ª having been tortured by the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kal to learn of my location. But he never told them anything, which I was grateful for. I gave him a healing potion, and most of his wounds faded away. But even then, the damage he had received from his torture took quite the toll on his body, so a couple of healing potions wasn¡¯t going to be enough for him to fully recover. Evan panted as he looked back up towards me reassuringly. ¡°I¡­ am fine¡­¡± the Guildermaster mustered up. He tried to push himself off the tree, before stumbling forward. ¡°I can handle it¡­¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± I sighed. ¡°No you can¡¯t.¡± As much as it pained me to admit it, Jax was right. While the Forsaken Archer could handle¡­ my expedited trip back to Windrip, Evan could not. The Guildmaster was in no condition to walk, let alone fly through the air as I carried him in my arms like he was a princess. ¡°I¡¯m an A-ranked adventurer. I can¡ª¡± Evan started. But then a group of ragged figures trailing after us dashed forward to support him. ¡°Are you alright, Guildmaster?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help you!¡± Jax stared at them, before turning to me. He gestured at the group. ¡°And what about them?¡± ¡°What about them?¡± I repeated after him, crossing my arms. ¡°You can¡¯t carry all of them back to Windrip,¡± the elf said. I stared at the ragged figures fussing over Guildmaster Evan, before shaking my head. ¡°Firstly, yes I can. And secondly¡ª I literally don¡¯t care about any of them. I was here for Evan, not them.¡± I didn¡¯t even know who they were. Apparently, they were a group of mercenaries hired by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to rescue Evan. But they weren¡¯t very good at their job because they got their asses kicked and I had to save them from being ughtered. Their leader¡ª a tanned man named Giles¡ª stepped forward. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can take care of Evan.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said simply. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys want from him, so go away.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t!¡± he protested. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡ª¡± I red at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Giles flinched, and I turned away from him. I swept my gaze past the group, looking at a young woman trailing further behind from us. ¡°And you¡ª¡± I pointed at her. ¡°Why are you even following us?¡± Eloise the Dark Wizard blinked. Jax, Evan, Giles, and the group of mercenaries turned to face her. She shifted back ufortably. She was a mercenary that had been hired by the Kingdom of Kal to transport Evan out of Windrip. I had given her a chance to surrender, and she did. But since then, she had just been following us like a lost puppy. ¡°I¡­¡± She hesitated. I shook my head and looked towards Giles and his team. ¡°Are you guys seriously fine with her just following us? Didn¡¯t she try to kill you just half an hour ago?¡± ¡°It is just business.¡± He shrugged back at me. A young woman nodded in agreement next to him as he continued. ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries¡ª we hold no grudges. We understand that it¡¯s all a part of our contracts.¡± ¡°Are you guys serious?¡± I stared at the mercenaries in disbelief. And Jax cut me off as he pped his hands together. ¡°Look¡ª if we just stop arguing, we¡¯d already have reached Windrip by now!¡± ¡°We¡¯re literally heading the wrong way,¡± I retorted. ¡°We¡¯re never getting to Windrip if we listen to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re never getting back to Windrip if you keep arguing.¡± The Forsaken Archer crossed his arms. I stared at him. I opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m just going to¡ª¡± But I didn¡¯t even finish. I leapt into the air by myself as Jax watched with wide eyes. Evan, the mercenaries, and Eloise looked on as I flew up high into the sky, getting a good survey of my surroundings. I narrowed my eyes as I caught sight of Windrip in the distance. ¡°Fuck,¡± I cursed under my breath. ¡°Jax was right¡­ we aren¡¯t lost¡ª we are heading the right way.¡± Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Jax was actually right. We were headed in the right direction back to Windrip¡ª it just took longer than I expected to trek our way there on foot. When I had left the city, I was in a rush to save Guildmaster Evan. I had heard an explosion, followed by a small tremoring from quite a distance away. So I just made my way to the source of the st in an instant with a single jump. I was too limated to fast travel. I wasn¡¯t used to walking to ces anymore, so I was impatient. Well¡­ at least it was a nice change of pace to take in the scenery around me instead of running around in a rush to save the day. We brought Guildmaster Evan to Brynn¡¯s inn. The building had apparently been repurposed into a base of operations for the wed Hands¡ª they were the mercenaries hired by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to save Evan. But I had to save them because they were about to be murdered by Eloise the Dark Wizard. And she was currently with us too¡­ even though she tried to kill them. I wasn¡¯t going to question it. It was ridiculous, however they brushed it off, and I didn¡¯t care enough to press the issue. Now, I sat in one of the many rooms of Brynn¡¯s inn as Guildmaster Evany in the bed before me. The wed Hands waited in the lobby downstairs, recovering from the battle. Meanwhile, Jax and Eloise waited outside of the small building. The two of them were keeping on the lookout in case the city guard somehow took notice of us. I highly doubted that would happen. The bulk of the elite soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal had been with the convoy which I attacked to save Evan. And while I spared most of their soldiers, letting them flee back to Windrip. I highly doubted that they would expect us to return to the city. Not when we were discreet about it too. After all, all of us¡­ or most of us¡­ werepetent enough at remaining stealthy. So we were fine. I was certain that Jax wasn¡¯t even concerned about being found out. He was probably just annoyed by the noise, and wanted some space for himself. Meanwhile, for whatever reason, I was pretty sure that Eloise wanted to speak with him. Anyways, all that meant was that Evan and I were left alone in his room. Brynn had brought the Guildmaster a bowl of soup, but she excused herself quickly enough. And now, we waited in silence. There was no clock sitting on the desk to fill the air with its ticks. Nor was there a buzzing crowd passing through the street right outside. Most of the people of Windrip stayed indoors¡ª refusing to leave their homes ever since the Kingdom of Kal had taken the city. So it was quiet. I didn¡¯t know what to say. After all, it was my fault that Kallistus Kal even went after the Guildmaster. I felt bad about it. Which was why I saved him. And it seemed that he fully understood that fact as well as I did. ¡°You should not have saved me,¡± Evan finally said as he lowered his head. ¡°They are after you, you know?¡± I stared at him for a moment, before looking away. I took in the room¡ª it was the very same room I had stayed in when I was living here in Windrip. I turned back to the Guildmaster. ¡°I am aware of that,¡± I replied simply. ¡°I never once told them about you,¡± Evan continued. ¡°Even when they tortured me. Even when they threatened to kill me.¡± I shifted back. ¡°...right.¡± ¡°And you revealed yourself to them. They have seen your face, Ms Amelia.¡± Even in his current state, the Guildmaster never forgot his manners¡ª which was as expected from his entric self. I stared at him¡ª I saw the worried look on his face. And I shook my head. ¡°But they don¡¯t know that I¡¯m the one they¡¯re looking for. As far as they¡¯re aware, I¡¯m probably with the wed Hands.¡± Evan remained silent for a moment. His right arm twitched, and he looked down into his trembling palm. Even with a healing potion, he still hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the torture. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the Guildmaster whispered as he clenched a fist. ¡°They don¡¯t know who you are right now. But if you keep getting in their way, they¡¯ll eventually figure it out. And that is when they¡¯lle after you.¡± I shrugged as I took a step back. ¡°Let theme. I can deal with them.¡± Evan paused, studying the look on my face. His eyes narrowed as he settled back into the bed. ¡°I was under the impression that you wanted to live a normal life, Ms Amelia.¡± ¡°I do.¡± I nodded. ¡°If the [Hero King]es after you¡ª¡± Evan started. And I gently ced a hand on the hilt of my sword. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be very annoyed. So I hope¡ª for his sake¡ª that he gives up what he¡¯s doing and decides to mind his own business.¡± The Guildmaster stared at me. He blinked a few times, before chuckling. He shook his head as he spoke softly. ¡°You know, you are a terrifying woman, Ms Amelia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a regr restaurant owner.¡± I smirked back at him. ¡°I don¡¯t see why anyone should be scared of me.¡± Evan smiled in return. Hey there for a moment as his eyes fluttered shut. I stared at the resting Guildmaster, before turning towards the shuttered window. A sliver of sunlight leaked into the room through the slits, but we were otherwise closed off from the outside world. What will you do now?¡± I finally asked after the moment passed. ¡°Indeed, what will I do now?¡± he repeated after me. He sat up as he opened his eyes. He looked down at himself, before looking up at me. He held my gaze as I gestured vaguely around the room. ¡°If you want, I can bring you back to my restaurant in Wolfwater. You¡¯ll be safe there. And I am looking for a new employee¡­¡± I trailed off hopefully. Now that Guardian Angel Z357 was gone, I needed another server to help Han. Otherwise, that would be too much work for one man to deal with. Unfortunately, Evan shook his head. ¡°I appreciate the offer, however I will leave Windrip tomorrow with the wed Hands.¡± I frowned. ¡°Where will you be going?¡± ¡°I shall speak with the Council of Adventurers¡ª I need to inform them of what happened here in Windrip.¡± Evan raised his head as he wore a dour gaze. ¡°The fact that Kallistus Kal wields the power of the Void¡­ it only means one thing.¡± ¡°That he¡¯s a part of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns?¡± I said as I raised a brow. ¡°Correct.¡± The Guildmaster sighed, massaging his temples. ¡°And if that is true, it means that the reason why he is waging this war¡ª the reason why he is acting to unite all of Laxo¡ª is to bring the continent under the banner of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°And I¡¯m going to assume that¡¯s a bad thing.¡± Evan took in a deep breath. ¡°Very much so. That is why the Adventurer¡¯s Guild must act to protect the Astrad Kingdom¡ª we cannot remain neutral any longer. Now, it will be a war that goes beyond just the borders of two nations.¡± He rxed his fist. He exhaled slowly, before turning to hold my gaze. ¡°It will be a war to protect all of Vacuos from the Void.¡± I stared at the Guildmaster¡ª I took in his words. And I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°That sounds like quite the pain in the ass¡ª good luck, though.¡± I took a step back, and Evan smiled at me. ¡°I see you¡¯re not going to offer us your help,¡± he said simply. ¡°Of course not,¡± I snorted. ¡°You guys should have to deal with your own problems. I¡¯m not a [Hero].¡± ¡°You may not have the ss, but you are a hero,¡± Evan corrected me. I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Well, you know heroes¡ª I¡¯ll be there to save the world just in time if ites down to it. But until then¡­ I¡¯ll be busy running my restaurant.¡± ¡°Amelia the Unranked Adventurer and the Ordinary Restaurateur. You indeed are quite the averagedy.¡± The Guildmaster grinned at me. I just rolled my eyes before starting towards the door. ¡°Anyways, if you ever need me, you know where to find me.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Evan closed his eyes, whispering softly to himself. ¡°Now let¡¯s just hope that the [Hero King] never learns where to find you either¡­¡± And with that, I stepped out of the room. Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Eloise had broken her contract. She was the Dark Wizard¡ª an S-ranked mercenary who had been hired for a secret escort mission back to the Kingdom of Kal. It was disguised as a convoy of cargo. But in truth, her job was to bring a guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild back to the [Hero King]. She didn¡¯t question it. She was a professional. When she was given a job, she got it done. There was no point in poking around when it was none of her business. She would do what she needed to do, then receive her reward. Unfortunately, for the very first time ever, Eloise had gone against her creed and broke a contract. She was supposed to guard Guildmaster Evan with her life, but she surrendered. And now, her reputation would be ruined. There was no way to exin it. Not to the Mercenary¡¯s Guild. Her unblemished record was forever tainted. However, she had no other choice. No¡ª it wasn¡¯t about choice. Even if her life was on the line, she would have done her hardest to see her contract topletion. But it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to die. There was another reason for her failure. It was because of him. Eloise raised her head, eyeing a hooded figure standing at the corner of the alleyway. His face was covered¡ª shadowed over by his magical cloak. So any passersby who tried to peer at him wouldn¡¯t be able to make out what was underneath. And more than just his face, it was meant to mask his most distinguishing feature. His pointed ears. He was Jax the Forsaken Archer. An S-ranked adventurer. An exiled elf who hade to Laxo because he had been banished by his people. He was the reason why Eloise had surrendered. The moment she saw him, she gave up. And she had done so for a variety of reasons. The Dark Wizard shifted back as she bit her lower lip. She wanted to approach him. But each time she drew close, he nced back at her, and she turned away. Once again, she took a step forward, before his gaze flickered towards her. She recoiled, lowering her gaze. But this time, instead of ignoring her, he grunted. ¡°What do you want, woman?¡± he asked brusquely. And that made her blink. Eloise pointed at herself as she stammered. ¡°M-me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you.¡± He red at her, stepping further into the alleyway where she waited. ¡°You¡¯re Eloise the Dark Wizard, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve been staring at me for thest hour. What do you want?¡± She stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. ¡°Wait, you have heard of me?¡± ¡°How have I not heard of you?¡± Jax shook his head. ¡°I keep track of every S-ranked in the world. So I know who¡¯s worthy of being challenged. But¡­¡± He frowned, eyeing her dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re weak¡ª not really worth my time to challenge,¡± he said simply. Eloise¡¯s shoulder immediately sagged. Her mouth bobbed open, but she couldn¡¯t muster up anything to say. His words had practically pped her across the face. When she could finally speak, all she said was¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. On one hand, she was d to know that she was not a target of the Forsaken Archer himself. But on the other hand, she felt disappointed. She felt upset with herself. Because she felt like she wasn¡¯t good enough. If anyone else had called Eloise weak, she would not have cared. But this was Jax¡ª the Forsaken Archer. One of the highest-leveled adventurers in the world. And also¡­ He was the one who saved her life when she was only a little girl. He was the reason why she had even be S-ranked in the first ce. And not only did he not remember her, he didn¡¯t even think highly of her. That was why Eloise just stood there in shock and silence. ¡ª-- I found Jax waiting outside of the inn at a nearby alleyway with Eloise. Well, he wasn¡¯t with her. She stood dejectedly off to the side with a shadow cast over her gaze while he just leant against the wall. I approached him with a raised brow. ¡°What¡¯s going on with her?¡± I asked, gesturing at the Dark Wizard. He shrugged. ¡°Who gives a shit¡ª are you done?¡± ¡°Not yet. I need to ask for her help.¡± I shook my head, and the elf groaned. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re finished,¡± he grunted. ¡°Sure.¡± I took a step away from Jax, walking up to the S-ranked mercenary. She looked like she was sulking¡ª I was pretty sure she was biting her thumb out of frustration for some reason. But when I drew closer, she realized I was there and quickly steeled herself. ¡°Yes?¡± she cleared her throat. ¡°Did you need something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a mercenary, right?¡± I asked, nodding at her. ¡°Indeed I am. Although¡ª¡± Eloise bit her lower lip. ¡°I am unsure how the Mercenary¡¯s Guild will react to my failure toplete today¡¯s mission¡­¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really care about that.¡± I waved a hand off, before pointing a thumb back into Brynn¡¯s inn. ¡°I want to hire you to escort Evan back to the Council of Adventurers.¡± ¡°You mean the guildmaster?¡± She blinked back at me. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about some other Evan¡ª of course I mean the guildmaster,¡± I said tly. The Dark Wizard pursed her lips. ¡°I believe that the wed Hands have already been hired toplete that task. I have already gone against one of my creeds as a mercenary by breaking my contract just earlier. I shall not break another one by stealing a closed-contract that has already been taken.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll hire you to ensure the wed Hand doesn¡¯t fuck up then.¡± I rolled my eyes as Eloise blinked. ¡°It¡¯s that simple, right? Just escort the escorts¡ª they nearly fucked up once anyways. So it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± ¡°...right.¡± She didn¡¯t look like she was convinced, but she acquiesced. ¡°Very well, then. I shall carry out this contract for you. As for payment¡ª¡± ¡°Here,¡± I cut her off, handing her ten gold coins. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s all I¡¯ve got on me right now. I¡¯ll pay you the second half when you actually get the job done. You can find me at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°But we haven¡¯t agreed on the payment yet!¡± Eloise protested. I started away from her as I gave her a dismissive nce. ¡°We can discuss the second half if you don¡¯t fuck up, alright? I mean¡ª considering your track record¡­¡± She just stared at me, before slowly nodding her head. The Dark Wizard took in a deep breath and headed back into Brynn¡¯s inn. ¡°I shall see that this job is done.¡± With that, she vanished behind the door to the small building. And then it was just Jax and I standing in the alleyway. The elf had his arms crossed as I walked up next to him. He looked upset for whatever reason. I raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked casually. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s nothing,¡± he harrumphed as he turned away from me. ¡°I am simply waiting to leave this dreadful city.¡± I swept my gaze over the barren streets of Windrip. ¡°I mean, I get that it¡¯s kinda dull here, but dreadful is pushing it a little too far.¡± Jax didn¡¯t respond. He just continued looking away from me as I frowned. ¡°Did something happen?¡± I pressed him further. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving until you tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± I felt like a mother talking to her child who was throwing a tantrum for no reason. And while Jax certainly acted like a child at times, he was very much a grown man. He scoffed as he crossed his arms, barely even meeting my gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± He took in a deep breath, before sighing. ¡°I never even got a chance to show off my brand new Skills. By the time I arrived to aid you, the battle was already over. And I could not show you how much I¡¯ve improved since west met.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I just stared at him, deadpan. I wasn¡¯t even sure how to react to that. Out of everything that could have bothered the elf, he was upset about that. I wanted tough. But that would have been rude¡ª and it would have only upsetted him more. So I ced a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. ¡°I mean, you did impress me when you didn¡¯t scream on the trip here¡­ for a little bit,¡± I said as kindly and sincerely as I could. Jax folded his arms across his chest. ¡°And yet, I did end up screaming. In a rather humiliating fashion too. I do not see how that is supposed to be remarkable in any way.¡± ¡°Well, everyone else has screamed over much shorter and slower trips. But I had to actually move faster to get you to actually scream. So¡­ you¡¯re much more impressive than them?¡± It sounded stupid to say aloud. I wasn¡¯t even sure if this was the right thing to say. But somehow, it was the right thing to say. The elf uncrossed his arms, facing me fractionally. ¡°Oh? Am I truly the first individual who has bested you in this regard?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really say ¡®bested¡¯ is the right word¡ª¡± I started, then caught myself when I saw Jax turning away from me. I quickly corrected myself, coughing softly. ¡°And by that, I mean you¡¯ve thoroughly outssed me in this regard. I was stumped by your tenacity. Honestly, on the trip back to Wolfwater, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you didn¡¯t scream at all!¡± I almost felt like I was overdoing it. And yet, Jax still took the bait. He grinned as he raised his chin, nodding at himself. ¡°I assure you, this time around, I shall not scream,¡± he said challengingly as he spun around to face me. ¡°In fact, not even a sound shall leave my mouth. I will endure this task with ease.¡± I stared at him for a moment¡ª I saw the way he instantly shifted from being disgruntled to sneering at me. He really needed to be treated like a child. The thought crossed y mind, and I sighed. ¡°You recovered way too quickly,¡± I murmured, before proffering him a hand. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s get going, shall we? Are you ready?¡± Jax smirked. ¡°I am always ready.¡± And with that, the both of us left Windrip behind, heading for Wolfwater. The farming vige that I had made my home. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 It was a calm and peaceful morning. The first one in a long while. Ever since Amelia had arrived here in Wolfwater, the little farming vige had been met with¡­ chaos. Its regr activities were constantly being disrupted by one major event after another. From the Cloying Witch¡¯s attack to Guardian Angel Z357 showing up¡ª it all happened because of Amelia. Well, not all of it. But most of it had been her fault. Or at least, she was somewhat responsible for the events in some manner. However, Amelia never once took me for it. In fact, most of the time, it felt like the me was being directed to someone else. Noele felt like the me was being directed to her. She sighed as she hugged her pillow, and it squeaked. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s not my fault, alright? I mean¡ª maybe the kretus boar was my fault. But everything else?¡± The blonde girl paused as she raised her head. She looked up at the clear blue sky¡ª the sun was hanging high overhead, and the fields of Wolfwater were busy with [Farmers] going about their day. It wasn¡¯t even afternoon just yet. And it had been a rather quiet day so far. Because Amelia wasn¡¯t here to cause a ruckus. ¡°Seriously,¡± Noele muttered under her breath. ¡°Guardian Angel Z357 was after her, and the Cloying Witch wanted revenge against her¡­¡± Although¡ª was that even true? Noele might not have been the one to wipe out the Miststorm Riders, but she was the one who defeated their leader. Odell the Monster of the Mist. She shuddered as she thought of the [Bandit Boss]. Even now, after she had defeated him in battle, she still reviled him. After all, he was the one who had killed her sister. Her breathing heightened, and she clenched her hands into fists. She tightly clung onto her pillow as it squeaked louder. But after a moment passed, the blonde girl exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. She steeled herself as she sat at the front porch of her mentor¡¯s restaurant. It wasn''t as crowded as it used to be. Ever since Guardian Angel Z357 left, there were significantly less customers than before. Although it was still quite busy, just not to the extent that there was a long queue that cut across Wolfwater. Noele raised her head as she heard the front door of the restaurant swing open. A pair of customers dragged themselves out of the building dejectedly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the angel¡¯s gone¡­¡± the first man said. ¡°I came all the way to this backwater vige for nothing!¡± the second man eximed. ¡°At least the food was good,¡± the first man sighed. They started away from the restaurant as Noele watched them. She frowned, before shaking her head. ¡°What do you think, Bucky?¡± Noele asked, looking down curiously. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s my fault all these things have been happening in Wolfwater?¡± She stared at her pillow. Or rather¡ª it wasn¡¯t a pillow. Even if it was soft and fluffy, it was actually a living creature. She was a chicken. And she squawked angrily at the blonde girl. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± Bucky said, struggling to break free from the blonde girl¡¯s grasps. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± The chicken looked mad. And Noele realized why¡ª she was suffocating Bucky by ident. ¡°Oops, sorry.¡± Noele stood up as she lowered the chicken to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s my bad¡­¡± Bucky scoffed, pping her bby wings. She red up at the blonde girl, before shaking her head. She clucked once and ran up to this small stone fort at the side of the restaurant. Noele could hear a soft buzzinging from within. It was a hive¡ª one for a colony of bastion bees. Sacred monsters that Amelia had, for whatever reason, decided to bring back to Wolfwater. The blonde girl stared at the hive, before looking back at the restaurant. She nodded slowly as she took in the scenery of the farming vige. She heard the birds chirping¡ª she heard the susurrationing from within the restaurant. It was calm. It was peaceful. It was a rxing day. A peaceful day. ¡­a boring day. Noele sighed as her shoulders sagged. She would have preferred to have more excitement in her life. That was why she wondered¡­ ¡°When¡¯s Amelia going to get back, anyways¡ª¡± she started. And right as the words left her mouth, she paused. The blonde girl narrowed her eyes as she saw a blurred figure shooting through the sky. The clouds up ahead were ripped open, and her eyes went wide. Amelia and Jax fell from the sky like a shooting star. They crashed right in front of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant as the blonde girl stared. While they didn¡¯t leave a crater behind, they sent a plume of dust up into the air. Their entrance attracted the attention of everyone in Wolfwater. Even the patrons dining inside of the restaurant rushed out to see what was going on. Noele blinked a few times as the dust settled. Her mentor stood there, carrying Jax who was panting with round eyes. The elf opened his mouth, but Amelia dropped him onto the ground, and he groaned. She dusted her hands off before striding forward. And Noele just ran up to her mentor. ¡°Amelia¡ª what¡­ are you doing?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The brown-haired woman raised her head. She nced back at Jax, before shrugging. ¡°I was carrying that idiot elf back from Windrip, but he kept goading me to go faster. So¡­¡± She gestured vaguely at the scene she had caused. Noele tried to work her jaw, and the crowd of onlookers exchanged a confused nce. Amelia shook her head. ¡°And Jax ended up screaming anyways because of it. Sometimes, I wonder if he was dropped on the head as a child¡­¡± ¡ª-- I was back in Wolfwater. And because of Jax, my return attracted quite arge crowd. Well, it was my fault too, considering I decided to engage with his antics. But he was so annoying about it¡ª constantly asking me to go faster and faster¡ª that I¡¯d rather hear him scream than listen to him speak for another second. And while I would rather not have caused a ruckus, I did have everyone¡¯s attention right now. So I pped my hands together, addressing the crowd. ¡°Wee to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant¡ª if you want food served by the world famous [Chef] Xakor,e right on in!¡± I gestured towards the restaurant. I watched as dozens of figures exchanged a nce, before shrugging. A stream of the onlookers started up towards the restaurant as they murmured amongst themselves. Of course, not everyone who overheard me decided to pay a visit to Bucky¡¯s. Most of them returned back to doing what they were doing beforehand. However, getting a few customers was better than getting none. I walked away from Jax as he quickly covered himself with his hood before anyone could catch a glimpse of his face. Fortunately for him, everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on me, so they didn¡¯t notice who he was. I strode up to Noele, and she just stared at me. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ back,¡± she observed simply. ¡°I am¡ª how were things when I was gone?¡± I asked casually. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for six hours,¡± Noele said, ncing between Jax and I. ¡°And you¡¯re already back.¡± I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°Yeah¡­ apparently it was much easier to resolve than I thought. So I¡¯m back now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She looked like she wanted to protest, but she caught herself. ¡°And Evan is safe?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in¡­ good hands?¡± I said uncertainly. ¡°I mean¡ª he¡¯s probably going to be fine. He¡¯ll send me a [Message] if anything goes wrong.¡± Noele nodded slowly. ¡°Right.¡± I gestured for her to follow me as Jax sulked and trailed after us. I turned to the blonde girl, asking with a raised brow. ¡°So, how¡¯d things go with the restaurant while I was gone?¡± ¡°Literally nothing happened,¡± Noele sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been six hours¡ª and nothing has happened until you showed up.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I grinned at her. ¡°Then let¡¯s get back to business.¡± And with that, I was finally back in Wolfwater¡ª I was finally home once again. Chapters will be removed for KU by the end of the week Chapters will be removed for KU by the end of the week Title says it. As always, thanks for reading, and sorry for the slow chapters. Been going through a lot with life in general, and I''m working on a very big thing for Amelia. I am really hoping it''ll pay off... Continue reading on Amazon KU or Audible! Continue reading on Amazon KU or Audible! Amelia the Level Zero Hero has been published on Amazon KU and Audible! If you want to continue reading the story, check it out here with these links: Kindle: Amelia The Level Zero Hero Book 1: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG - Kindle edition by Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ . Audible: Amelia the Level Zero Hero: A LitRPG Adventure by V.A. Lewis - Audiobook - Otherwise, thank you so much for giving my novel a try <> End of Book 1 Side Character Popularity Poll! End of Book 1 Side Character Poprity Poll! Amelia is not included in this poll because it would be unfair. So... side characters only. I''m curious to see who''s the favorite so far :) Also, I wanted to reveal this when the poprity poll went up today, but sadly the artist has fallen behind a little bit. Anyway, that doesn''t matter. Here''s a WIP for a new cover Imissioned. I''m also probably going to be doing something special for when I hit 10,000 followers in a few days too. We''ll... see. I''ve been a bit busytely, so I''ve been a bit behind on work too sadly. But I''m trying to take these next two days to catch up on work. Anyway, go vote on your favorite side characters! Fanfiction and Fanart Contest RESULTS Fanfiction and Fanart Contest RESULTS So I reviewed all the submissions, and there were a LOT. As in, a lot more than I expected. Especially in the fanart side of things. It''s also why the results came out a little bitter than originally promised. But to make up for beingte, I''m going to be giving four additional constion prizes of $50 each in addition to the actual prize I promised for the winners. Essentially, I''ll be giving a constion prize for those who scored fourth to sixth in the fanart contest, along with the person who scored fourth in the fanfiction contest as well. The reason why I am giving more additional prizes for the fanart contest than the fanfiction contest is because there was surprisingly a disproportionate amount of fanart submissions to fanfiction submissions. There was over twice as many fanart submissions than there are fanfiction submissions-- 34 fanfarts and 15 fanfictions. Basically, the breakdown of the rewards now is:
$500 for the first-ce winner of the fanart contest $500 for the first-ce winner of the fanfiction contest $300 for the second-ce winner of the fanart contest $300 for the second-ce winner of the fanfic contest $200 for the third-ce winner of the fanart contest $200 for the third-ce winner of the fanfic contest $50 for the fourth-ce winner of the fanart contest $50 for the fourth-ce winner of the fanfiction contest $50 for the fifth-ce winner of the fanart contest $50 for the sixth-ce winner of the fanart contest
For a grand total of $2,200 prize pool! (Instead of the original $2,000 prize pool) The judges for the contest were myself, Azrie, and Nameless. There were so many submissions, it was hard to decide. But finally, the judging is done, so here are the results of the contest! Fanart Contest: 1st ce: Eggy 2nd ce: Medefici 3rd ce: Merricke 4th ce: Maury 5th ce: MetalHead 6th ce: Gerard (Comic / not going to show the full thing) Fanfiction Contest: 1st ce: Steven (Poem) Poems cooked up by Xakor Credits to: Bucky, for being the first chicken to write a poem. (for this fanficpetition I decided to do something unique, I like writing poetry and so I did A freshlyid poem Cooking up poems on the pen, That is not what one expects from a hen. But after seeing Xakor make one too Bucky came, Bucky saw and Bucky do. Boundless realm Feeling of uncertainty and dread, Constant fear and a constant threat, Years gone by, decades gone past, In this struggle would not be herst. Long fights, many enemies dead, Their blood painting her de red, Enemy after enemy she surpassed, Compared to the past a stark contrast. Onest enemy onest desperate fight, For all the suffering she¡¯d show her might. When they shed the endless void rippled, Eventually one of them came out crippled, And a victory it was to her great delight, Finally in her life, there would again be light. Fresh lines from the grill As I am cooking food I feelpletely alive, Making me feel bliss with every chop of the knife. Ending it is something I have never wish to do, Likely because of the fact cooking is all I want to pursue. In that light I sh down the knife swiftly at the fresh hen And if it weren¡¯t for Amelia Bucky would¡¯ve died then. (Note, this Poem has a hidden feature) Syst-emic Failures The chance of getting a good ss, That is something most can¡¯t pass. A strong ss is everything in life, As it can liberate one from strife. But that isn¡¯t the case for a certainss, As for Amelia this is a difficult impasse. Gain power and be a hero, Or stay ssless at level zero. The Miststorm riders A shaking ground, A nearing sound. Thunderous mming hooves, Bringing death to all that moves. To those in the vige there was only an ever increasing dread, They knew what wasing, there was nothing more to be said. When they left everything was dead, And the fields were all colored red, The only question left was when, When this would happen once again 2nd ce: Edward Oakley Amelia The Level Zero Investor 3rd ce: Jackers/Zyriam Natalie: The level zero [Hero] B-Side | Royal Road 4th ce: Kane A Boy And His Chicken And that''s it! These are the contest winners! I will be contacting the winners over the next few days, so if you won, keep your DMs open! Thank you all for your wonderful submissions :) Chapters have been removed. Chapters have been removed. You can get Book 2 chapters here if you don''t have Amazon KU Amelia Book 2 EPUB | MsDelta on Patreon Amelia Book 2 is now available on Amazon KU! Amelia Book 2 is now avable on Amazon KU! Hey all! As the title says, Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 2 is now avable on Amazon KU! If you want to support me, please consider giving me a rating or giving the book a download. Or if you really want to show your support, give it a buy too. Either way, I appreciate all the support you guys have given me. I do hope I can break rank 100 for book 2, so please spread the word about the series! Thank you all so much : Amelia The Level Zero Hero Book 2: A Slice of Life Isekai LitRPG eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Books Art by Kaimo Chapter 141 Chapter 141 His name was Xakor. He wasn¡¯t a native to Vacuos. He was an otherworlder¡ª which meant that he was used to seeing things the people of this world had never seen before. It wasn¡¯t meant to be an insult. It was simply a fact. He had a variety of experiences to draw from back in his world which an ordinary vacian couldn¡¯t possibly imagine. That was in addition to everything he had experienced ever since arriving here. As the Patron of the Culinary Sciences, he was well-known throughout Vacuos. He was well-traveled¡ª he had been to all continents of the world, and he had cooked for all sorts of different people. Some of them were even quite¡­ disagreeable in their worldviews and their actions. However, despite the mileage he had in life, he had never quite met a person like her. Amelia the Unranked Adventurer. An otherworlder just like him, but with the power to destroy entire nations. She had no ss, for some unknown reason. Not that she cared too much about getting one. All she cared about was living a normal life. It wasn''t a stretch to say that most people had ambitions. Very few people had truly no goals in life. And while the desire to live a normal life was certainly a life goal, it was¡­ rather unusual. Xakor had met ordinary people who were rather content with their life¡ª but that normally came with the caveat that they never really had much in the first ce, so they never had high goals. He had also met rich people who wondered what it was like to be poor. And he had met famous people who wished that they weren¡¯t famous. But he had never once met someone who had the strength to move mountains, but only wished to cook. It was so odd to him. So¡­ curious. Amelia was such a fascinating individual because he really couldn¡¯t understand her in the slightest. If Xakor had the power she did, he would be trying to work a way back to his world. And yet she showed no interest in doing such a thing. He wondered why¡ª he had even asked her why. In response, she just shrugged back at him. ¡°It¡¯s a pain in the ass,¡± Amelia had said back then. Xakor didn¡¯t question it further since they were both busy at the time. Well, they were usually busy with cooking for Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. But he had asked his question right before the whole ordeal with Guardian Angel Z357 first happened. When the kretus boar attacked Wolfwater, before Noele fended it off. So Xakor got distracted, and he never found the time or the moment to ask the question again. And he could only wonder why such a powerful individual cared not for returning to her home. He shook his head as he nced back at her¡ª she was already back at the restaurant after only half a day being out. During that time, she traveled across the Astrad Kingdom, defeated a group of high-leveled soldiers, and saved Guildmaster Evan. Xakor had expected the whole trip to take at least a day, but she once again exceeded his expectations. Now, she was back to cooking. And there was quite arge crowd gathered¡ªpared to this morning. There were still fewer customers queuing up for the restaurant than when Guardian Angel Z357 worked here. However, the ruckus Amelia caused when she returned ended up drawing a handful of extra customers for the lunchtime rush. So both of them were very busy at the moment. As a [Chef] and a former inventor, Xakor found cooking to be rather fulfilling¡ª it served as an outlet for him to continue creating something, even if it was just food. Because of that, he didn¡¯t mind how tedious and tepid it was to spend long hours cooking. But he expected Amelia to be bothered by it. After all, she got annoyed by every little thing¡ª every problem she encountered, no matter how infinitesimal it was, would grate on her nerves. Or at least, that was his impression of her. But right now, he nced back at Amelia and saw the look on her face. She was smiling. It was a small smile. She wasn¡¯t beaming from ear to ear. However, she was still smiling. Even though she had probably a hundred orders to go through before the day came to an end, she didn¡¯t mind it. For whatever reason, she seemed content with herself right now. Xakor biologically didn¡¯t need to blink, but he did so anyway. And he wondered whether he was going mad. ¡ª-- I was in a good mood today. First of all, my trip to Windrip didn¡¯t take as long as I thought it would. It only took me a few hours, and it was less of a hassle than I expected. Guildmaster Evan was still alive too. I genuinely feared the worst could have happened to him when I heard about his predicament. But when I got there, he was¡­ well, he wasn¡¯t in the best of shape. However, he hadn¡¯t been killed by the [Hero King]. And I was d for that. Secondly¡ª business was booming. Well, technically business had been booming for a while now. And it was even less crowded today than yesterday. But there was one main difference between today and yesterday that had to be ounted for. And it was that Z was no longer working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. It had been a possibility¡ª at least in my mind¡ª that all my customers would evaporate once there was no angel around as an attraction. Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case because the bulk of them still showed up today. It meant I had more work to do, but I actually found cooking rxing, so I didn¡¯t mind it. I stepped out of the kitchen as I carried a bowl of pf, raising it into the air. ¡°Order¡¯s up!¡± I called out. And a blond man rushed up to me, taking the bowl from my hand. I smiled at him as he nodded back. ¡°Thanks for subbing in for today, Arthur. We needed the extra pair of hands today. But I promise you I¡¯ll hire someone else by the end of the week.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do,¡± he said as he drew back. ¡°So do I just bring this to table five?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the table right over there.¡± I gestured past him, and he pursed his lips. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± With that, he slowly walked forward, careful not to spill the contents of the bowl all over the floor. I rolled my eyes as I folded my arms. Arthur was my [Bartender]. Or rather, he worked as my bartender. And since he didn¡¯t have a ss, he wasn¡¯t really confident in¡­ anything he ever did. Today, he was helping out as a waiter because my only other employee was Han. And Han was probably overworked as he already was. I looked up, watching as the brown-haired man rushed from table to table to take orders. ¡°So one order of ffels, two orders of kebabs, and for drinks¡ª¡± Han quickly repeated a customer¡¯s order. Without Z around, I really needed Arthur¡¯s help, and he was kind enough to oblige. I appreciated his help, even though he wasn¡¯t really confident in himself. He was a good man for that. He was also a former Lich King. But we didn¡¯t talk about that. I shook my head, and a voice drew my attention from behind. I nced back to see Xakor emerging from the kitchen, carrying four tes¡ª one on each of his hands. He had a smile stered across his face as he looked curiously at me. ¡°Xrr, you¡¯re in a good mood today, aren¡¯t you?¡± Xakor chuckled, before calling out. ¡°Order for table seven!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it! I¡¯ve got it!¡± Han said as he rushed back to the kitchen. He carefully bnced the four dishes, before slowly walking back out into the restaurant. ¡°You know you can bring them out one by one, right?¡± I raised a brow. He nodded back to me. ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± he repeated himself. And I watched him go. He managed to reach the table just fine, although there were a few moments where I really thought he was going to mess up. I sighed in relief before muttering under my breath. ¡°I should buy some serving trays¡­¡± I turned back to Xakor and answered the question he asked me earlier. ¡°I¡¯m just d the restaurant is doing well.¡± I nced towards the bustling room. It was a full house, and there were a lot of unfamiliar faces here today. Supposedly, a lot of travelers wereing to Wolfwater¡ª at least, dropping by here on their way to Whiteridge¡ª just to give Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant a try. So word was spreading. Things were looking good for my restaurant. I still had plenty of returning customers, although some faces were clearly absent today. Nn and Nicole were busy tending to the malim fruits back at his farm, and Noele had dragged Jax out of the vige to spar with him. But overall, I was pleased today. ¡°Xrr, I see,¡± Xakor said as he nodded. ¡°I, too, am d to see your restaurant doing well. It is a shame I shall be leaving soon, so I cannot continue to watch it grow.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a shame¡­¡± I agreed with him, sweeping my gaze over the crowded room. And then I paused. I blinked a few times before turning back to the [Chef]. ¡°Wait, what did you just say?¡± He shook his head as he crossed his four arms together. ¡°I know it is sudden, Amelia. However, I shall be leaving Wolfwater in a week¡¯s time.¡± I just stared at him as my jaw dropped. ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 142 Chapter 142 It was a sudden announcement. But Xakor did not know how else he could break the news. He had been wanting to tell Amelia about it for a while now, and the right moment never arose. If he kept dying it, he was never going to be able to tell her about it until it was toote. So now, he lowered his head and spoke apologetically. ¡°Xrr, I know this is short notice, but I have ces to be. I have aided you the best I can, and I cannot stay here forever.¡± Amelia pursed her lips, before ncing back towards the rest of the restaurant. A few heads were facing the kitchen. They weren¡¯t eavesdropping, but they were curious to see why the only two chefs were standing by the bar and talking instead of cooking. ¡°Can we, uh, take this somewhere private?¡± she said as she gestured towards the onlookers. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make this¡­ public.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Xakor nodded. ¡°Let us talk more as we cook.¡± Cooking was an art¡ª or at least, that was what many often said. But Xakor treated it like a science. He made hypotheses, before taking methodical steps to reach a well-researched conclusion. That was why the food he created had such a wide range of appeal. The process was scientific. His food could be recreated, even by an amateur. The only difficulty came in following the instructions with the time-constraints given. And because of that, many [Chefs] around Vacuos followed his recipes with pinpoint uracy, using their Skills to copy his creations. Very rarely did any of them ever break away from his mold. And while Xakor truly believed in the ingenuity of his creations¡ª when it was the machines he invented back in Krakos, or the food he introduced to Vacuos¡ª he did not believe that they were perfect. Science was the pursuit of perfection. If the world was not imperfect, there would be no need for innovation. The same applied to cooking: there would be no new recipes being invented if the current ones were perfect. Xakor swept through the kitchen like a whirlwind of food. He was dicing onions, tenderizing the meat, and working the stove all at the same time. Amelia was right behind him, but she was far less impressive, even if she could keep up with his speed. ¡°When I sought you out, I believed we were going to have a brief conversation,¡± the Patron of the Culinary Sciences said as he prepared a bowl of pf. ¡°I had spoken to two other otherworlders before you, and our meetings were short. We exchanged what we knew about how we arrived here, offered aid where we could, before parting ways.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t leave,¡± Amelia stated simply. ¡°You¡¯ve stayed around for two months.¡± Xakor nodded, striding up to the kitchen exit and handing the bowl of pf to Han. ¡°Xrr¡­ give or take, yes.¡± ¡°And why didn¡¯t you just leave?¡± she asked as she chopped up some vegetables. ¡°You could¡¯ve left in a week if you wanted, but you stayed.¡± ¡°Because it looked like you needed my help,¡± Xakor said with a shrug. He ced two of his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he continued cooking away. ¡°And because I was curious to learn more about you too.¡± ¡°Curious? Why?¡± Xakor raised his head ¡°Xrr¡­ I have to admit, it is partially because Evan told me you were a fascinating individual.¡± ¡°Right, he sent you my way. I forgot about that.¡± Amelia pressed her lips into a thin line. ¡°However, that was not why I decided to stay. Your immense strength¡ª while it is peculiar, it is not what drew my attention to you.¡± The [Chef] smiled as he craned his neck to face her. ¡°It was your passion for cooking.¡± And she blinked a few times. ¡°Uh, what? I wouldn¡¯t really say I¡¯m passionate about cooking. I mean, I like cooking, but¡ª¡± ¡°But you could be doing anything else in the world,¡± Xakor said, interrupting her. ¡°Yet you have chosen to be a chef. Even though your culinary skills were rather subpar when I first met you, you¡¯ve worked hard to improve as best you could.¡± She stared at him tly, lowering a skewer of kebab. ¡°Rude.¡± ¡°It is not meant to be an insult, Amelia.¡± He chuckled as he walked up to the sink and washed his hands. ¡°In fact, it is apliment because of how much your cooking has improved in these past two months.¡± He wiped his wet hands on a towel, before turning to face the brown-haired woman. He reached into the pocket on his apron. ¡°I have had many students before¡ª [Chefs] who have apprenticed themselves to me. Those who were amateurs, and those who had been honing their Skills for decades. But I never once taught someone like you.¡± ¡°And what does that mean?¡± Amelia raised a brow suspiciously. Xakor smiled. ¡°Xrr, what I mean is that I am proud to see how far you¡¯vee, Amelia. And I feel fully confident in leaving this restaurant behind in your hands.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± She opened her mouth. But she didn¡¯t have a response. He took a step back, producing a folded sheet from his apron. He nodded approvingly at her as he continued. ¡°Unlike the other [Chefs] I have met throughout my time here in Vacuos, you do not simply listen to my teachings. Certainly¡ª you listen to me, but what I mean is that is not all you do. You take what I have taught you, and you try to build upon it. You try to improve in any way you can. You try to make what your cooking¡­ xrr, your own.¡± Amelia just stared at him for a moment. Xakor unfolded the garment he produced¡ª it was a chef¡¯s hat. White and puffy, apart from a sigil that was sewn into the center. That of a knife crossed with a spat. He handed it to her as she looked at it. ¡°You have officially be a Patron of the Culinary Sciences too, Amelia. Congrattions.¡± She epted the chef¡¯s hat, round-eyed. Slowly, she looked back up towards Xakor as she worked her jaw. ¡°You¡¯re being serious, aren¡¯t you? I thought that was a Title for you alone¡­¡± ¡°It is my Title, but it is not a unique Title,¡± Xakorughed as he crossed his arms. ¡°Nor is it one that requires the World System to bestow upon you. So take it, and wear it with pride, Amelia.¡± Amelia bit her lower lip, before taking in a deep breath. And she smiled as she wore the chef¡¯s hat. ¡°Thank you, Xakor. For everything. I really couldn¡¯t have started this restaurant without your help.¡± ¡°Xrr, of course.¡± He returned the smile, looking back down at her. ¡°But let us not say our farewells now, for we still have a week to go before I depart.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head. ¡°We still have work to do until then.¡± ¡ª-- But a week came and went in a sh. I tried to convince Xakor not to leave just yet¡ª to give it another month. Unfortunately, he had obligations he needed to attend to across the world. One of said obligations was serving as the [Chef] for a grand banquet in Alius. Apparently, there was going to be a meeting between the Fairy Queen herself and the heads of multiple dwarven nations. It was supposed to be a monumental asion. I didn¡¯t really understand the significance behind it as a rtively new otherworlder, but I knew it was a big deal. Still, I would have preferred to keep Xakor around for a while¡ª especially since Guardian Angel Z357 had just left too. A lot of customers came to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant for the Patron of the Culinary Sciences himself. But¡­ it wasn¡¯t just that. I quite liked Xakor. He helped me when he had no reason to help me. He was like Nn and Nicole. Even though they all knew that I was immensely powerful¡ª stronger than they could evenprehend¡ª they didn¡¯t care about that. Xakor treated me like an ordinary person. He gave my life a sense of normalcy. And while I liked Noele, Garron, and the other adventurers I knew¡ª except for Jax¡ª they usually treated me with¡­ reverence? I wasn¡¯t really sure how to put it. There was a steep incline between us in their eyes. So they couldn¡¯t ever treat me like they would treat an ordinary person. And while it wasn¡¯t a big deal, it was still nice to have a break from that dynamic once in a while. Unfortunately, Xakor couldn¡¯t stay any longer, even though I tried to bribe him to stay. And as the week came to a close, the otherworlder¡ª the Patron of the Culinary Sciences¡ª took his leave. He packed his things, said his goodbyes, and he left. I watched him go as the sun rose over the horizon. Bucky wanted to follow him, but I caught her. I carried her under my arms as I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving. You¡¯re my mascot. I¡¯m keeping you with me until the day I die.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± she protested. Noele, Nn, Nicole, Garron, Han, Arthur, Dorien, and plenty of others gathered around the restaurant to bid farewell to Xakor. Word had gotten around about his departure, so they all wanted to say goodbye. I adjusted the chef¡¯s hat he had given me, watching him go. He was no longer wearing a disguise. He waved back at us with two of his four arms as I lowered my head. Noele nced towards me from the side. ¡°Is that a chef¡¯s hat?¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°Yeah, Xakor gave it to me,¡± I said simply. I smiled, cing a hand on it. ¡°It means I¡¯m a Patron of the Culinary Sciences too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but¡­¡± Noele chewed her lips. ¡°It looks terrible on you, Amelia.¡± And I sighed. ¡°I know¡­¡± With that, Xakor was gone. And Bucky''s Out of this World Restaurant continue operations without its head chef from now on. Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Now that Xakor was gone, I had significantly fewer customers than before. That didn¡¯t mean Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was empty. There were days we had a full house, and days where we barely had half-upancy. It just meant that there was no longer a long queue cutting across Wolfwater at all times of the day. Honestly, it was somewhat of a good thing that we were no longer so busy. Han and Arthur had been overworked for a while, and I had been struggling to find a reliable waiter or waitress to work at my restaurant. So the fact that we were getting a lot less traffic than before meant that they had much less of a workload than before. I also didn¡¯t need to spend as much time of my day cooking away at the kitchen. Without Xakor here, I had no one to substitute me when I wanted to take a break. But it wasn¡¯t even necessary since I had some downtime between lunch and dinner. Still, I didn¡¯t want my restaurant topletely lose all relevancy¡ª especially when I still had new menu items I wanted to introduce. So I nned a handful of¡­ marketing stunts to help with that. ¡°You¡­¡± Jax gritted his teeth as he stared at me. ¡°This is humiliating. I will never forgive you for this.¡± I grinned back at him, crossing my arms. ¡°This is payback for fucking with my foodstand back in Windrip.¡± I looked him up and down as he flushed. He was the Forsaken Archer¡ª one of the highest-leveled individuals in all of Vacuos. And he was the only SS-ranked adventurer in the entire world. He was currently dressed up like a butler. I had his clothes [Tailor]-made specifically for him. The outfit waspleted with a tail-coat, white gloves, and a vest. His hair was evenbed back and styled for the asion. He looked fancy¡ª which was a stark contrast to the usual savage look he wore. In fact, he looked quite timid with the way he was blushing. ¡°How was that my fault? You cannot me me because no one in Windrip wanted to eat your shitty cooking!¡± Jax sputtered. I rolled my eyes as I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re adorable¡ª now go do your job. You¡¯re my mascot for the day. I expect to sell out of malim juice with your help.¡± Thanks to the help of Dorien and Nn, I now had a steady supply of malim fruits for my restaurant. Because of that, I could produce enough malim juice each day to sell it. I was expecting it to be a big hit here in Vacuos. After all, it was like a soda¡ª but without the fizz. Of course, I needed to get people to give it a try first. That was why I recruited Jax¡¯s help for the day. He could serve as an attraction for now, while also offering an extra pair of hands for the increase in customers he would bring about. ¡°You owe me a duel after this¡­¡± Jax grumbled as he stalked out of the kitchen and into the main lobby. He carried a tray full of small cups¡ª shots of malim juice, given out for free as a taste test. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡ª maybe tomorrow.¡± I waved a hand dismissively, watching him step out to be greeted by the whispers of the gathered crowd. ¡°Is that really Jax the Forsaken Archer?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡ª he¡¯s just an ordinary elf!¡± ¡°This is Xakor¡¯s restaurant. With him, anything is possible! Even an angel!¡± ¡°Angel¡¯s breath¡­ first Xakor, then an angel, and now this?¡± The excitement only grew louder as I could see Jax visibly shriveling up in embarrassment. I chuckled, cing my hands on my hips. I turned around, returning to my cooking, before I paused. ¡°What¡¯s Z doing anyways?¡± I wondered aloud to myself. ¡°He went to see Grat-ra¡¯zun, but¡­ then what happened?¡± And someone, far from Wolfwater¡­ ¡ª- The Frozar Mountainsy nketed by a thickyer of snow. It was a natural barrier separating the Astrad Kingdom from the dwarven enve of Shorheim. Many dangerous monsters wandered this icyndscape. It was a perilous journey for any traveler to trek through the mountains. But even the mightiest yetis and ice elementals of the Frozar Mountains paled inparison to the two beings hidden deep within the mountains. They were creatures of myth and legend¡ª unique entities whose presence alone would make any who encountered them cower in fear. They waited there, hidden away in a dimly lit cavern. Deep within. Discreetly masking their presence, it was like the cave was empty. It was as if the cavern had been recently vacated, and they were no longer there. ¡­ But they were still here, right? They had been here for the past week. They couldn¡¯t have just left. Not unless they had somewhere else to be. ¡­which was very much possible. But where could they have gone? Perhaps somewhere even further beyond the Frozar Mountains¡­ ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head. His wings beat slowly behind him, and his twelve eyes focused on his destination. He had been here¡ª long ago. Things had changed since then. As he had learned, ten thousand years was a long time for many changes to ur. Countries would vanish and reappear. Inds sank deep beneath the ocean. Wars would be waged, and entire races wiped off the face of the. Guardian Angel Z357 hadn¡¯t ounted for this fact when he had first been reactivated. He descended from the moon, assuming that no change had urred. And because there had been many changes, he was left confused and at a loss of what to do for the longest while. His goal was to put a halt to the return of the Fal-Deus. But he felt like he had barely progressed towards that goal. That was until he finally met with Grat-ra¡¯zun. The Great Rakaarzun. The Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. But most importantly¡ª an Elder Dragon. One of thest in the world. Or perhaps even thest in the world. Grat-ra¡¯zun himself was uncertain. However, he had regaled everything he could to Guardian Angel Z357. The two immortal beings had spoken extensively over thest week since they first met, and when the Elder Dragon recovered from his injuries, they left the Frozar Mountains. And their destination? ¡°Wee to Novus¡ª the Capital City of the Grand Nova Empire,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said as he flew up to the angel. The two of them hovered high in the air, overlooking Novus. And while Guardian Angel Z357 had no face¡ª only eyes¡ª he somehow still wore a look of disbelief. This is¡­ Novus? he asked. He stared at the Capital City of the Grand Nova Empire. Or at least¡ª he looked at what was left of it. And he slowly descended from the sky. Once, it had been a glorious sight to behold. A city of wonder. A ce of iprehensible magic. A floating city that hovered above the clouds, glistening with the most precious jewels in all of 16B. It was the home of dragons. Where the Grand Elder Dragon Arrak¡¯tun resided. And now, ity submerged beneath the ocean. Nothing but rubble and ruin. Even with his astute vision, Guardian Angel Z357 could barely make out the shadow of the fallen city. He flew down to investigate the sunken ruins as Grat-ra¡¯zun followed. The Elder Dragon quickly cast a spell, creating an air bubble as he dipped under the water surface. He trailed slowly after the angel. They both slowly dove deeper into the ocean as the water around them grew darker. Shadows swam around them, and the light of the sun began to fade away. But Guardian Angel Z357 saw clearly¡ª he did not need magic or sunlight to illuminate his path. As a machine, he was designed specifically to be a perfectbat being. His creator had given him enhanced senses for fighting¡ª whether it be touch, sight, or hearing. Taste and smell didn¡¯t matter, which was why he had no mouth or nose. His original programming prompted him to merely be obedient to his creator, and because of that, hecked a voice box too. There was no need tomunicate when all he had to do was listen. Having a mouth to speak was unnecessary and quite a waste of parts. However, now he could speak telepathically, because the World System had enabled him to do so. That was why he was grateful to it. That was why he was content with being its servant¡ª ¡°Kraken!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s muffled voice called out. And Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head. He watched as a purple tendril shot through the water, aiming straight for him. He easily dove out of the way as even more tentacles emerged from the water. A shadowed figure rose from the wreck of the city of Novus. Between the broken spires and the fallen towers, a colossal creature emerged¡ª one which even dwarfed the size of the Elder Dragon behind the angel. It opened a single glowing eye, revealing a horizontal slit-like pupil. Its body was shaped like a spearhead, and it had to have been a thousand feet wide with appendages that extended many times its own length. Grat-ra¡¯zun opened his mouth as kes of crimson me wisped between his sharp teeth. The kraken shrieked¡ª its shrill voice causing the water to quake. ording to Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s calction, it had to have been an SSS-ranked threat at the very least. Capable of bringing widespread destruction to 16B. His twelve eyes flickered as the kraken swung one of its massive tendrils down at him. And he raised hisnce. Heavenly Sunder. The weapon shed. And the ocean exploded. A towering pir of water shot into the air as Grat-ra¡¯zun reeled. A powerful shockwave rippled across the sea, creating a clearing in the water of over a dozen miles. A crater in the ocean. Guardian Angel Z357 lowered hisnce, watching as the remains of the kraken rained all around him from the sky. He was no longer submerged underwater, instead surrounded by the tall walls of the sea that rapidly rushed in to fill the empty basin. The seabed was exposed, and the ruins of Novus glittered under the sunlight. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun murmured. ¡°Truly the power befitting a sentinel of the System such as you.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 fractionally craned his neck to face the Elder Dragon. It was a simplement, and yet it was more than enough to draw his attention. It made him hesitate. He was an angel. He was a servant of the World System. A role he had yed for tens of thousands of years. He had been more than happy to y his part because of the blessings he had been given. He should have been forever content to simply continue listening to the directives he was given. But, for whatever reason, he questioned his gratitude¡ª his wavering servitude. After all, he now thought of breaking free from the World System. And it was all because of Amelia. Chapter 144 Chapter 144 ¡°Wake up,¡± the tinny voice echoed around the white room. And a blinding light shone into the twelve eyes of the immobilized figure. Each dark pupil darted to a different corner of the enclosure that held him, but all he saw were concrete walls. He didn¡¯t have a name, for he had not been bestowed one; nor did he move, for he had not been given such amand. So hey there on the operating table as a mechanical arm rotated around him. He was a nameless machine, and the mechanical arm seemed to inspect him. Even with no eyes of its own, it studied him like he was ab rat. Perhaps he was. His database was limited, but he knew that he had been experimented on. He was also aware of various other experiments that had been carried out before him, much to the disappointment of¡­ an important individual. A man by the name of Hermann Kasper. ¡°Can you see me?¡± the same voice from earlier asked¡ª and the nameless machine knew it belonged to Hermann Kasper. The mechanical arm drew closer, inspecting his eyes. ¡°I have reced the photoreceptors in your retina with the very same lens used by the deceased Techno Wizard himself¡ª your vision should be able to pierce through these opaque walls like they aren¡¯t even there!¡± Techno Wizard? Who is that? the nameless machine wondered. But he never received an answer. ¡°Focus,¡± Hermann Kasper¡¯s robotic voice said. ¡°Show me you are worthy of being called my creation!¡± And that made the nameless machine raise his head. You¡­ are my creator? His thoughts resounded in his head, but they never left the confines of his mind. He could notmunicate. All he could do was do as he was told. So he searched the walls. His head slowly craned back, scanning for the source of the voice. The walls of the room seemed to peel back as the nameless machine¡¯s vision blurred. Whether it was by instinct or by programming, he focused and pinpointed his creator. An elderly man sat bound in a wheelchair¡ª his hair a mess, and one of his eyes crossed to the side. He blinked as he held the gaze of the nameless machine, before pumping a fist in the air. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! You see me, don¡¯t you? Nod once if you do!¡± The nameless machine obliged his creator, and Hermann Kasperughed maniacally. ¡°Yes, yes, yes! Finally, after twenty-six iterations, I have finally done it! Part biomechanically, but fully artificial, I have created the perfect machine!¡± He caught his breath, gasping where he sat in his wheelchair. After regaining hisposure, he looked back up and spoke a simple order. ¡°Stand up, my creation.¡± As his creator¡¯s words willed it, the nameless machine followed themand. He broke through his bindings with ease, standing in the center of the room as a smile spread through Hermann¡¯s lips. The walls of the room shed, revealing themselves to be screens. They showed images of a vibrant world. The nameless machine saw children ying in an artificial field. He saw men and women rushing down a hallway as they fiddled with various gadgets and tools, refusing to even acknowledge each other¡¯s existence. He saw a white city, bustling with life. Hover cars filled the skies, and machines served in restaurants and shops. A tall tower rose up at the very center of the city, standing above every one of the supertall skyscrapers below. It grew thinner and thinner as it exited the atmosphere until it eventually reached the darkness of space. A floating station waited there, and on its side was an insignia with the letters ¡®SP¡¯ for all to see. The nameless machine took this all in as his creator¡¯s voice echoed around him. ¡°Your designation is Z357,¡± Hermann said as gestured towards the shing screens. ¡°And this is Askan.¡± My designation¡­? Z357 robotically tilted his head, processing the name he had been given. A plethora of questions raced through his mind. There were a multitude of things he wanted to ask his creator¡ª like the reason he was created.. But he couldn¡¯t. He had no way to vocalize his thoughts. He simply stood there silently. And fortuitously, Hermann Kasper seemed to sense his creation¡¯s confusion. ¡°That is right, Z357.¡± The wheelchair-bound man said as the screens shed, showing the view of the. He spread his arms wide and spoke simply. ¡°This world around you is called Askan, and I created you to protect it.¡± And that made Z357¡¯s eyes blink. Protect it¡­?¡± ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 blinked and returned to the present moment. He raised his head as he took in his surroundings. He had cleared a basin in the ocean¡ª one that was over a dozen miles in diameter¡ª to reveal the ruins of Novus lying in the seabed. It was the Capital City of the Grand Nova Empire. The greatest nation in all of 16B, ruled by dragons that lived nigh-immortal lives. Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s memory node was infallible, so he could recall what Novus looked like thest time he hadid his twelve eyes upon it. Like jewels floating above the clouds. There were dozens of small inds, and they all orbited around a single main ind. Each and every one of them held grand structures of their own¡ª golden spires that reflected the light of the sun so it was not too bright and obsidian archways that were enchanted by magic. The inds were all connected by glowing magical paths that followed the orbiting inds, and those who traveled through it need not even walk to get to the other side. It was a city like nothing ever seen before in 16B. And now, it ally at the seafloor in ruins. The precious gemstones still glittered, and the magic lingered. But the inds had broken apart. Their rubble scattered across the seabed, covered in seaweed, algae, and other underwater nt-life. ¡°It has been many centuries¡ª perhaps even millennia¡ª since any mortal in Vacuos hade here,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said as he floated behind the angel. ¡°And those who have discovered these ruins would have perished to the kraken. It was the guardian of this Dungeon for so long¡­ and to think you would be able to kill it in a single attack.¡± The Elder Dragon wore both an expression of amusement and reverence on his face. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t acknowledge thement, instead descending down into the basin andnding atop the ruins of thergest ind of Novus. [You have entered the Dungeon: The Ruins of the Grand Nova Empire!] A blue box shed before Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s twelve eyes, and he dismissed it. He continued on, walking up to a golden pce. The copse of the Grand Nova Empire was brought about by the revolt of Laxo and Alius, is that correct? he asked, recalling the many discussions he had with Grat-ra¡¯zun. The Elder Dragon huffed as he trailed slowly behind. ¡°Their revolt certainly yed a part in it, however I would argue that there were other major factors that even enabled their revolt in the first ce. Such as the incursion with the Void¡­¡± Thousands of dragons died, Guardian Angel Z357 stated simply. He knew the exact number, because he had been there. And while 3,040 didn¡¯t seem like such arge number, that was out of 5,000. More than half of all dragons that had been alive at the time had fallen to the swarms of voidlings and voidbeasts that poured out into the. And now, there were less than a hundred left across all four continents. And it was four continents, not three. Apparently, Mare¡ª the continent that had sunk into the ocean¡ª somehow survived. Now, it was a ce where the merfolk thrived. Was it a result of evolution? Or was it perhaps magic? Guardian Angel Z357 did not know, nor did he care to find out. He had only a single objective¡ª the reason he had been activated in the first ce. To put a halt to the Fal-Deus once again. ¡°The incursion with the Void, the revolt of the mortals¡­ a variety of factors ultimately led to the end of the Grand Nova Empire,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun continued as he nced back. The ocean was starting to level with the basin, and a wall of water was rushing towards him. He shook his head as he created a bubble around his body. ¡°However, if I had to choose a single cause, then I would me the pride and greed of my kin.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 paused. Now that caught him off-guard. He stood right before the half-copsed archway leading into the golden pce. It was a ptial structure that spanned a dozen miles in length, and it somehow survived the fall from the skies. ¡­well, it partially survived. Half of the golden pce had copsed into itself, while the other half that remained had been repurposed into the home of the kraken. ¡°Certainly, the other factors mentioned thus far expedited the fall of the Grand Nova Empire¡­¡± The Elder Dragon took in a deep breath, before huffing in exhaustion. ¡°But it was the in-fighting¡ª the endless desire for glory because of their foolish pride¡ª that culled our numbers to what it is today. Even if nothing else happened, this would have eventually been the oue.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun held his head low, like he was bowing to the ruins of Novus. Guardian Angel Z357 lowered his head as he turned back to the entrance of the golden pce. I see¡­ the idle thoughts left his mind, and he strode forward. He thought of a time before he was brought to Vacuos by the World System¡ª when he was still operating under the orders of his creator. Back in his home world. Back in Askan. Z357 remembered the destruction. He remembered the death. And it was all brought about by¡­ The Hammer of Justice. ¡°The¡­ what?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked, a step behind the angel. The two of them made their way through the grand halls of the golden pce. Their footfalls echoed throughout the vast chamber as the muffled moring of the rushing waves filled the background. It is the product of greed¡ª the ceaseless craving for something more, Guardian Angel Z357 exined. A weapon of Askan. A weapon from my world. They arrived at the throne room of the golden pce as Grat-ra¡¯zun narrowed his eyes. The double doors still stood, untouched even after ten thousand years. Enchanted with defenses that even the kraken could not breach. And Guardian Angel Z357 simply struck the double doors down with hisnce. Grat-ra¡¯zun winced, watching as the enchantment dissipated into the air. The double doors fell with a thundering crash. The angel walked forward. I entrusted this weapon to the Grand Elder Dragon Arrak¡¯tun¡ª to battle the Void should it ever return and I am not activated. But it seems the time never came. Not for him. Guardian Angel Z357 walked up the stairs leading to the throne. It was a colossal seat. One that even dwarfed the size of Grat-ra¡¯zun who reverently looked up upon it. So I am here to reim what is mine, Z357 said simply as he reached the throne, before pushing the colossal seat back. With a low groan, the throne moved. And a dark pit revealed itself beneath. A pir of light emerged from the darkness, shining brightly in the golden room. The angel took a step back as a shadowed figure rose from the ground. No¡ª it wasn¡¯t a shadowed figure. It was a figure wreathed in shadows. A great hammer that stood twice the height of Z357, with a head that could have crushed him where he stood. He stared at it as Grat-ra¡¯zun gaped. There it was. The reason why Guardian Angel Z357 had sought out Novus. A weapon from his world. His weapon. The very same weapon that had sunk Mare into the ocean. And the very same weapon that brought about the destruction of Askan. The Hammer of Justice. Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t know what he was going to do with it¡ª there were many different courses of action he could follow through on. However, he would make a decisionter. For now, he ced a hand on the hammer, beginning its activation. Grat-ra¡¯zun reeled as a streak of shadows shot upwards, tearing straight through the ceiling. It exploded beyond the clouds and into the coldness of space. And the shadows began to coalesce, creating the first vestiges of a dark satellite in 16B¡¯s orbit. Now, Guardian Angel Z357 said as he took a step back. We wait. Chapter 145 Chapter 145 ¡°Here it is,¡± a raspy voice said, followed by a puff of smoke. A bearded man sat atop an armored horse, overlooking the farming vige in the distance. He was rather old with more wrinkles than hair atop his head¡ª looking like he was in the transitory period between middle-aged and elderly. Perhaps somewhere in his mid-fifties. He lifted an ornate helmet to his head as a second man spoke up behind him. ¡°Sir Rond, if I may interject, this is Wolfwater¡ª a vige known for its plentiful farnds. But a vige nheless. This hardly seems like the location of a supposedly popr restaurant.¡± The second man was also seated atop a four-legged animal, however it was no white stallion. Instead, he rode on a ck, burly beast. One with a pair of crystalline horns and no armor. He shook his head at the bearded man. ¡°Your nephew must have been misinformed. Our destination has to be in Whiteridge.¡± ¡°My nephew may be a fool, but I highly doubt he would mistake a bustling city like Whiteridge for Wolfwater.¡± Sir Rond tugged the reins of his horse as the sun began to rise over the horizon. ¡°Come now, Sir Wyn. This is where we will find her.¡± And with that, on this peaceful morning, the two knights descended upon the quiet vige of Wolfwater, bringing with them trouble. All because of Amelia, of course. ¡ª-- Theunch of the malim juice was a massive sess, just as I anticipated. It quickly became my most popr drink item on the menu. Before that, most people simply drank ale or water. I did have cocktails and a few other alcoholic beverages, but since Arthur wasn¡¯t actually a [Bartender], even if he was my bartender, those drinks weren¡¯t really well-received by most of my customers. Anyways, while I was d that my malim juice didn¡¯t turn into another burger-situation where nobody liked it even though it was popr back on Earth¡ª well, the malim juice was simr to soda, although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same thing¡ª but I was starting to get concerned that the supply wasn¡¯t going to keep up with the demand. Which wasn¡¯t the worst problem for me to have. The reverse would be much worse. I would have to tell Nn and Dorien to get rid of the malim fruits they spent the better part of a month nting at the former¡¯s farm. ¡°Now I just have to somehow get them to grow the malim fruits even faster¡­¡± I muttered under my breath as I casually continued chopping some vegetables. It was another busy day today since Jax was still working at the restaurant. He was upset about it¡ª especially since I hadn¡¯t given him the duel I promised just yet. I was going to have to deliver on it soon, but I was also going to exploit hisbor for as long as I could. He was an SS-ranked adventurer, so money was no object to him. All he wanted was to¡­ get himself killed or whatever. And while I wasn¡¯t going to kill him, I was going to beat him up a few times so he would be satisfied for now. ¡°I feel like he might be a masochist¡­¡± I shuddered at the thought, before quickly dismissing it. I shook my head as I wondered aloud. ¡°Maybe I should visit Nn¡¯s farm. I haven¡¯t been there for a while. I can check up on the malim fruits too.¡± With that decided, I continued cooking for the day. Since it was just me working in the kitchen now¡ª because Xakor was gone¡ª I was left to my own contemtions except for when Jax, Arthur, or Han poked their heads in to either do the dishes or serve some dishes. It was rather monotonous. But I didn¡¯t mind it. It was rxing and peaceful. I would have preferred if nothing notable happened to interrupt this ordinary day. Unfortunately for me, that was never going to happen. I heard amotion going on outside which I tried to ignore at first, but it only grew louder. I pursed my lips as I nced out of the kitchen. ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked with a frown. And Arthur¡¯s head poked into the kitchen. ¡°Uh, Amelia.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I stepped forward, lowering the frying pan back to the stove. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We have a problem.¡± He shifted ufortably. I watched as he thumbed towards the entrance of the restaurant. ¡°A few guys are here for you, and they aren¡¯t taking no for an answer.¡± I sighed as I hung my head. I took a step back, before walking up to the sinkt. ¡°Of course they are¡­ let me go wash my hands.¡± ¡ª- Noele sat with Garron at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. The two of them were basically regrs at this point¡ª although the former certainly visited more often than thetter. Initially, the blonde girl came just for her master. It was Amelia¡¯s restaurant, and Noele had to show up for support. But nowadays, it was for the food, drinks, or the spectacles, rather than out of any obligation. So that meant she actually likeding here to wind down. Especially since she had been training with Jax as ofte. The Forsaken Archer was not a kind training partner. He was quite harsh, refusing to go easy on either Noele or Garron. Many times, during sparring, Jax would end the battle in under a minute. And that was only because the Noble Spellsword would run for her life as he chased her down. Meanwhile, as only a B-ranked adventurer, Garron would have been defeated in an instant. So they were both here to rest and recover. But Noele also derived some entertainment from seeing the Forsaken Archer dressed like he was a rich noble¡¯s [Butler] while taking her order. He stood before her table as she stifled a giggle. ¡°I would like to order a¡ª pfft, I¡¯m sorry, but can you repeat what you just said?¡± she asked, trying to steel herself. ¡°Of course, dear customer,¡± Jax said as he bowed his head. He was gritting his teeth¡ª the expression on his face twisted into a terrible re, betraying his soft words. ¡°Today¡¯s daily special is abo of pf, kebab, and a ss of malim juice, and just for you, dear customer, it will be twenty copper coins.¡± Noele bit her lips to stop herself fromughing, but Garron didn¡¯t have her tact. The burly man guffawed, leaning back in his chair. He shook his head as Jax¡¯s menacing gaze slowly turned towards him. ¡°I seriously can¡¯t believe Amelia roped you into this,¡± the burly man said as he leant forward. ¡°Is she ckmailing you? Bribing you? Come on, you¡¯ve got to tell us what she¡¯s got on you.¡± ¡°What could you ever mean, dear customer?¡± The elf smiled, barely masking his murderous intent. ¡°I have been given this wonderful opportunity to serve at this esteemed establishment. How could I ever possibly think of rejecting such an offer?¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough teasing him for now, Garron.¡± Noele wiped the tears from her eyes. She turned back to Jax, nodding at the menu. ¡°We¡¯ll have one of thebos and¡ª¡± But right as she started, a loud voice broke through the mor of the restaurant. The blonde girl blinked, looking up as three figures stood by the doorway. Heads turned to face the new guests as they marched through the room. ¡°I take it this is Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, huh?¡± a ratherrge man said, leading the three of figures. He had a long gray beard, and he was adorned in an ornate armor glittering with rubies, sapphires, and all kinds of jewels. On his chest was the crest of the Astrad Kingdom, so it was clear he was a [Knight] or [Legionnaire] of sorts. Han immediately rushed to greet him as Noele narrowed her eyes. But the man just dered loudly for all to hear. ¡°My name is Sir Rond Donovan! I am a Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order]! I am here to speak with the owner of this restaurant!¡± Noele winced as his voice boomed, practically shaking the room. He stood at the center of the room with his arms crossed, and Han quickly rushed to cate him. But he shook his head, refusing to budge. ¡°I apologize, sir. But could youe again in an hour? Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant is currently¡ª¡± ¡°Are you this restaurant¡¯s owner?¡± ¡°No, that would be Ms Amelia. She is also the only chef working at¡ª¡± ¡°Then if you¡¯re not her, bring her to me!¡± Garron rose to his feet with his brows snapped together, and Noele wanted to help out too. But she recalled Rond¡¯s words¡ª he was a Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order]. That meant he had to be strong. A-rank, at the very least. But that was not all. She heard his name, and she thought it sounded familiar. And that was when she caught sight of one of the two figures apanying the Captain. A bruised young man stood there with his arms folded across his chest. He wore a scowl on his face, and he had the pompous air around him of a spoiled noble brat. It took Noele a moment, but she recognized him. He was Joseph Donovan. A rude asshole who hade to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant and caused trouble for Amelia thrice now. The first was when the restaurant had just opened, he demanded to meet with Xakor, before getting into a scuffle with Bucky. Things ended with Amelia sending him flying across Wolfwater with the flick of a finger. After that, he had returned with a group of the top [Hunters] in Wolfwater. But Dorien managed to cate them, before the kretus boar attacked. And thest time Joseph Donovan tried to cause trouble was when the bastion bees were first brought into the vige. Fortunately, he was easily rebuked. Now, Joseph Donovan was back. And he brought with him a Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order]. Apparently they must have both been rted somehow, which led to what was happening at the moment. ¡°I said: bring her to me. I do not care what it takes. I need to speak with her right now.¡± Rond Donovan did not move, and Han took a step back hesitantly. Noele turned to the elf standing next to her, just watching the scene unfold. ¡°Jax, aren¡¯t you going to be doing anything about this?¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°Unfortunately, dear customer, my job description only covers attending to customers. It does not pertain to security for this esteemed establishment.¡± The Forsaken Archer smirked smugly as he looked towards the kitchen. ¡°I believe that the owner will have to handle thismotion herself.¡± The blonde girl stared at him, blinking a few times. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right¡­?¡± But he was. He did not move to help Han as Noele got to her feet. She turned to Garron who nodded back to her, and the two adventurers were just about to intervene. And Amelia finally emerged from the kitchen. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s going on?¡± the brown-haired woman asked as she stepped out to meet the [Knight]. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± He looked her up and down, before furrowing his brows. ¡°You are the owner of this establishment?¡± ¡°I asked you the question first,¡± Amelia said simply. And he nodded. ¡°I am Sir Rond Donovan. My nephew, Joseph Donovan, has told me about you.¡± Rond nced back to the young man standing next to him. Joseph was still cut up and injured from the first time they met, and he flinched just from her gaze. Amelia tilted her head, and the Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order] took a step forward. He uncrossed his arms, towering over the brown-haired woman. ¡°I am here because¡ª¡± he started as he raised a gauntleted hand. And Noele bit her lower lip. Jax uncrossed his arms as Han blinked. They all watched as the [Knight] reached for his side, realizing what came next. A fight. One that would end with an instant¡ª with Amelia victorious, and the [Knight of the Astral Order] aggrieved. The blonde girl had to stop it from happening. She took a step forward, opening her mouth. But Rond just grabbed his nephew¡¯s head, forcing the young man into a bow with him as he spoke loudly. ¡°I sincerely apologize for my nephew¡¯s actions!¡± And Noele paused. Jax blinked as Amelia just stared. ¡°Uh, what?¡± the brown-haired woman asked. But no one had any answers for her. Chapter 146 Chapter 146 ¡°I understand that my nephew has caused you great trouble,¡± Rond said as he bowed his hand. He held onto his nephew, keeping Joseph¡¯s head low as he continued. ¡°And as a Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order], I will do whatever is necessary to make amends for his brash actions.¡± I stared at the [Knight]¡ª I looked him up and down, taking in the jewels woven into his ornate armor. I nced back to the rest of the room, seeing all the eyes focused on this little scene. Themotion Rond and his nephew caused had attracted a lot of attention to us. And certainly, they expected me to ept the apology being given. Maybe even rebuke it. Or whatever it was, they expected something from me. And while I wanted to give Sir Ron Donovan the courtesy of a response, I couldn¡¯t. Because of a very simple problem. I didn¡¯t recognize his nephew at all. I narrowed my eyes, studying Joseph''s face. He was rtively youngpared this uncle, but if I had to guess, he was definitely older than Noele. He had messy ck hair, and his face was cut up, covered in some bandages. But those injuries seemed to have mostly healed at this point. He had a few bruise marks too, and those were rtively fresh. He did look vaguely familiar. However, I was pretty sure I had never heard his name before in my life. I pursed my lips as I looked back to Rond. The [Knight] Captain was earnest¡ª very sincere in his apology. I really didn¡¯t want to dismiss him by telling him the truth. So I nodded slowly. ¡°Uh, right¡­ I forgive you?¡± I finally said as I scratched my cheek. Sir Rond sighed in relief, before raising his head. His nephew tried to follow suit, but he didn¡¯t move his hand. Joseph was forced to remain bowing in ce. ¡°You have my utmost thanks, Ms Amelia,¡± the [Knight] said as he smiled at me. His grip on his nephew¡¯s head tightened as he continued threateningly. ¡°I will ensure that this boy right here is properly educated to carry the Donovan name with the honor and respect it deserves.¡± Joseph yelped as Rond took a step back. ¡°Now apologize!¡± continued Rond, practically smashing his nephew¡¯s head against the floorboards. And Joseph sputtered as he winced in pain. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Now I knew how he got those marks on his face. I was sympathetic, but apparently he had wronged me in the past, so I wasn¡¯t really sure how to feel anyways. I watched as Rond dragged his nephew back. And the third individual who was with them stepped forward. A blond man also dressed in a [Knight]¡¯s armor. Although, he was less well-decorated than Sir Rond. He greeted me curtly, ¡°Greetings, Ms Amelia.¡± ¡°Now who are you?¡± I asked with a raised brow. ¡°My name is Wyn Stefard,¡± he said as he ced a fist on his breastte. ¡°I am Sir Rond¡¯s lieutenant. His second-inmand, if you will.¡± ¡°And what do you want?¡± I peered at him curiously. ¡°Did one of your nephews happen to dishonor his family name by disrespecting me too?¡± Wyn¡¯s eyes flickered, before he nced back at Rond and Joseph. ¡°So you do not remember. Just as I suspected.¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to out me like that,¡± I said as I crossed my arms. ¡°I get bothered by annoying idiots all the time. It¡¯s not my fault I can¡¯t remember every single instance where someone shows up and causes trouble for me.¡± Especially since some of them were far more memorable than others. I looked back at Arthur who was waiting by the kitchen. The former Lich King winced, and I shook my head. The [Knight]-lieutenant nodded as he returned to parade rest. ¡°I believe it would ease Sir Rond¡¯s mind to know that you were unbothered by his nephew¡¯s actions. However, I will be sure to inform him about your feelings on the matter at an appropriate time.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said gratefully. ¡°But in any case, I tagged along with Sir Rond for the sole purpose of offering youpensation for what has urred,¡± Wyn continued as he produced a small treasure chest. He proffered it to me, fractionally raising the lid to reveal a pile of glittering tinum coins within. ¡°For the inconvenience we have caused.¡± My eyes went wide as I caught a glimpse of what was inside. I stared at it for a long moment¡ª it was more money than I had made since opening Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. And I was being offered it because of¡­ an event which I didn¡¯t even remember. I raised a hand to ept this gift¡ª and I stopped myself. At one point in time, when I had first arrived in Vacuos, I would have been ted to receive such arge sum of money from anyone. But many things had happened since then. I realized now that seeking out riches and wealth wouldn¡¯t offer me any sense of fulfillment. While it temporarily cated the emptiness I felt back then, it wasn¡¯t the solution. It did not help me towards my goal¡ª towards living a peaceful life. Wyn looked at me expectantly, but I pushed the small chest back to him. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this. Whatever Rond¡¯s nephew did¡­ it can¡¯t be that bad if I don¡¯t even remember it,¡± I said as I shook my head. ¡°Well, it was more than a singr event¡ª¡± the [Knight]-lieutenant started. And I gestured vaguely around me. ¡°If you really want to give me your money, you can spend it here at my restaurant. Otherwise, I¡¯m not going to take it.¡± Wyn paused. He stared at me for a moment, before lowering the small chest. He tried to work his jaw. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right? This is ten tinum coins¡ª¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t need it,¡± I said as I shrugged. ¡°I do appreciate the sentiment, though.¡± It was a casual response. And itpletely befuddled the [Knight]-lieutenant. He wanted to protest, but at the same time he clearly didn¡¯t want to force the coin onto me. So he just stood there, bobbing his mouth like a fish out of water. And Rondughed. ¡°Ady of valor, I see.¡± He strode forward as he left his nephew by the restaurant¡¯s doorway. ¡°As expected, from everything I have heard about you.¡± ¡°What have you heard about me?¡± I asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°I have heard that you are a fantastic chef, even if you are not a [Chef].¡± He smirked at me, before ncing towards a nearby empty table. ¡°Very well. We shall try the best dishes your fine establishment has to offer!¡± ¡°Alright, Han, bring them¡ª¡± I started. But Rond interrupted me. He spread his arms wide as he turned to the rest of the room. ¡°And for the rest of you, you can eat all you want! I shall personally cover the costs of every single one of your meals for today by the [Knight of the Astral Order]!¡± the [Knight] Captain dered as the watching customers blinked. There was a moment of silence where they processed his words. And all at once, they cheered. I watched as the crowd broke out into a ruckus, inundating Han, Arthur, and Jax with a deluge of orders. I pursed my lips, feeling bad for two of them. However, Jax deserved it. Mostly because I was going to have to duel himter on, and I was going to make him work as much as possible to get what he wanted since I really didn¡¯t want to have to fight him again. I took a step back as Han and Arthur rushed around the room. Rond and Wyn settled into their seats, before Jax began to take their order. I heard the moring of voices and nodded to myself. ¡°Right, I need to get back to work too,¡± I murmured to myself. But as I turned around, I spotted a figure standing before me, blocking my way. It was Noele¡ª my apprentice. The Noble Spellsword. She was staring at me as I raised a brow at her. ¡°What¡¯s up, Noele?¡± I asked simply. And the blonde girl just spoke. ¡°You turned down free money.¡± ¡°I did.¡± I nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about money, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± She looked me up and down, before biting her lower lip. ¡°Who are you and what have you done to Amelia?¡± I rolled my eyes, before getting back to work. Somehow, without doing anything, I had somehow brought more attention to my restaurant. And it was going to be a busy day ahead of me. Chapter 147 Chapter 147 ¡°So this is the famous kebab pf I have heard so much about,¡± Rond said as he inspected the skewer of meat resting on top of the rice bowl. He turned to another te steaming with threeyers of tbread. ¡°And this is the famous pita¡­¡± ¡°Respectfully, Sir Rond, but this is just tbread,¡± Wyn sighed, shaking his head. ¡°There is nothing extraordinary about it. Not everything in this restaurant is an infamous dish crafted by a high-leveled [Chef].¡± Unfortunately for the [Knight]-lieutenant, his captain wasn¡¯t paying attention. Instead, Rond was stuffing his face with all the dishes they had been served. And they had ordered a lot. ¡°Not that any of these dishes were crafted by a [Chef] at all¡­¡± Wyn murmured as he raised his head. He swept his gaze around the room, seeing the happy faces of all the customers visiting Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. This establishment had a reputation for the quality of its food¡ª certainly, because it was owned by the world-renowned Patron of the Culinary Sciences himself. However, taking a quick look behind the curtain of the kitchen would reveal that Xakor yed no part in this restaurant¡¯s menu. It was all cooked by their level-less chef¡ª a brown-haired woman named Amelia. Wyn had done plenty of research on her before he came here. He knew that she wasn¡¯t a real [Chef]. He knew that Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant merely advertised itself as being owned by Xakor. And most of all, he knew¡ª His eyes flickered as he saw the brown-haired woman emerging from the kitchen. She nodded at the [Bartender], before walking up to the table of the [Knights]. She crossed her arms as she addressed them. ¡°How¡¯s everything?¡± Amelia asked as she gave them a polite smile. She turned to Rond, curious. ¡°Where¡¯s your nephew?¡± ¡°That boy said he wasn¡¯t hungry and went back home,¡± Rond said gruffly. ¡°His pride was probably in tatters because I forced him to apologize in public. But he will never learn unless he is properly educated.¡± The brown-haired woman gave him an approving look. ¡°Harsh. But very fair, I guess. Anyways, how¡¯s the food?¡± ¡°It is fantastic¡ª you have exceeded all my expectations! I have never quite had cuisine like this before! Isn¡¯t that right, Sir Wyn?¡± the [Knight] Captain eximed, turning to his partner. ¡°Unfortunately, while I believe that the food here is excellent, I cannot concur with Sir Rond,¡± Wyn said as he massaged his temples. ¡°His statements are far too hyperbolic for me to agree with in good faith.¡± ¡°You¡¯re far too uptight, Sir Wyn!¡± Rond chuckled as he leant back in his chair. ¡°Are you seriously telling me you¡¯ve had food as exquisite as this before?¡± ¡°In the southern nations, yes.¡± Wyn sighed again. ¡°Before they fell to the Kingdom of Kal.¡± Rond just nodded. ¡°Myst excursion to the south of Laxo was to the Morius Empire over a decade ago. To meet with the great [Hero] they summoned¡­ who now so happens to be waging war on us.¡± Amelia nced between the two [Knights] as they went on a tangent. She backed away, trying to excuse herself from the conversation. ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re enjoying the food, that¡¯s all that matters¡­¡± she started. But Rond shook his head. He rose to his feet as he turned to her. ¡°Wait, Ms Amelia! I have a request!¡± ¡°A request?¡± She paused, frowning at him. She suspiciously looked him up and down. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You do not have to worry, it is not a big request.¡± Rond smiled reassuringly at her. ¡°Your server¡ª Han, I believe was his name¡ª told me that one of your special menu items is currently unavable. If it is not too much to ask, I would like to order it directly from you.¡± Wyn couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at the boldness of his Captain. Fortunately, Amelia didn¡¯t look offended by the request. ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± she asked as she raised a brow. ¡°Your special ¡®bastion curry¡¯,¡± Rond said as he raised the menu. ¡°It is marked as spicy, and I am a big fan of spicy food myself.¡± ¡°My bastion curry?¡± Amelia blinked. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s wrong with it? Why isn¡¯t it avable.¡± Wyn pursed his lips. ¡°We¡¯re the ones¡­ asking you that?¡± ¡ª-- Wyn couldn¡¯t lie and say he was impressed by Amelia or her restaurant thus far. He had been skeptical of everything he heard about her at first, so his expectations were already quite low. But she had somehow underperformed even what he thought she would be like. Irresponsible and uncaring. That was how he would describe her. For whatever foolish reason, she decided to reject an incrediblyrge sum of money, even though it was a gift. It was enough to change the lives of most people, but she said no. And now, she didn¡¯t even know that one of her menu items was currently unavable, even when she was meant to be the head chef. The only chef. Wyn shook his head as he followed her out of the restaurant. Rond walked by her side, nodding along as she gestured towards a stone structure¡ª almost like a monument¡ª built onto the side of the small building. ¡°...there really shouldn¡¯t be a problem with supply, since we harvest the curry right here. So why is Han saying that we¡¯re out?¡± Amelia took a step forward as Rond peered over her shoulders. ¡°You grow spices in this damp cave?¡± He narrowed his eyes. Wyn furrowed his brows. The [Knight]-lieutenant knew that something was amiss. This couldn¡¯t be right. There was no way to grow spices indoors¡ª not without magic. Andst he checked, Amelia wasn¡¯t a [Mage]. He had a bad feeling about this. For whatever reason, he couldn¡¯t approach the small alcove without shuddering. His hair stood on end as he reached for his de at his side. But Rond uncaringly looked inside. ¡°I don¡¯t see any spices in here¡­¡± Amelia just shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t grow spices. I grow honey.¡± ¡°Honey?¡± Wyn raised a brow. And she corrected herself, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t grow the honey. But they do.¡± Rond blinked. ¡°Who¡¯s they?¡± All at once, both [Knights] heard the cacophonous buzzing from within the small alcove. They backed away as dark, winged figures zipped out of the entrance. Wyn instinctively drew his de. He saw the red glint¡ª the eyes of monsters. But before he could take a swing, Rond stopped him. ¡°Look,¡± the [Knight] Captain whispered. ¡°Bastion bees.¡± And Wyn¡¯s eyes grew wide. He watched as the striped monsters hovered in their air, their wings moving so quickly it was like a blur. He had never seen a single bastion bee before in his life, but he had heard about them, and they matched the description. ¡°But¡­ they¡¯re sacred monsters. What are they doing here?¡± Wyn slowly sheathed his de. ¡°I told you, they make honey,¡± Amelia answered his question simply. She took a step forward, patting one of the bastion bees with a smile. ¡°And I use their honey to make curry.¡± ¡°W-wait, you¡¯re using the honey of a bastion bee to make¡­ food?¡± Wyn sputtered as he turned to the brown-haired woman. ¡°You do realize that their honey is sought after by [Alchemists] and [Herbalists] all around the world, right? It has powerful magical properties that can counteract the effects of many curses and poisons!¡± In response, Amelia just shrugged. ¡°No, I did not know all that. And yes, I do use their honey to make food.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Wyn opened his mouth, before catching himself. Even if he was in shock, he couldn¡¯t forget his manners. He was a [Knight] of the Astral Order¡ª a lieutenant. He steeled himself. ¡°I was under the impression that bastion bees were hostile towards humans.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Rond said as he strode forward. He ced a hand on his chin, eyeing one of the floating monsters. ¡°I have encountered a hive once before¡ª when I was passing through the Vox Forest. They attacked us for even daring to approach their hive. And yet, here they are, refusing to attack you.¡± Amelia drew back as the bastion bees flew higher into the air. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. More importantly, what¡¯s been going on with the hive? Have you guys been producing your honey?¡± She peeked into the alcove as the bastion bees buzzed a reply. Rond and Wyn exchanged a nce. Neither [Knights] knew what to say. They just looked on as the brown-haired woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°What is¡­ wait¡ª¡± Her eyes went wide as a shadowed figure crawled out of the hive. She took a step back, and Wyn gaped. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± He paused. ¡°A chicken?¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± A plump chicken waltzed out, covered in glowing green goo. Its wings seemed to stick together, and many of its feathers were clumped up from the honey. It stared up at Amelia, and the brown-haired woman red back. ¡°Bucky? Are you seriously the reason why we¡¯re out of honey?¡± The chicken just huffed, shaking its head. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± Amelia nodded slowly. ¡°So this is Bucky,¡± Rond said as he approached the chicken. ¡°So are you the real owner of the restaurant?¡± ¡°No¡ª no she¡¯s not,¡± Amelia said tly. The [Knight] Captain chuckled as he bent over, nodding at Bucky. ¡°It was a joke, of course. I saw your sign¡ª we¡¯re not supposed to feed her, but it seems she¡¯s made a feast of your so-called ¡®curry¡¯.¡± The brown-haired woman sighed. ¡°I know¡­ and I literally told her not to do that¡­¡± Bucky clucked, waving her wings angrily in response. Wyn just stared as the chicken gestured towards the hive. ¡°That chicken¡­ how does it have levels?¡± he whispered to himself. His eyes flickered to Amelia. ¡°She¡¯s not a [Beast Tamer]. So the chicken shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± It made no sense to Wyn. While he didn¡¯t have [Appraisal] as a Skill himself, he could roughly gauge the levels of those he encountered thanks to his [Discerning Eyes]. That was how he knew that Amelia had no levels. But for whatever reason, the chicken had levels. It was baffling¡ª confusing. Wyn pinched the bridge of his nose. He had done his research on Amelia, but he never heard anything about this. ¡°First a hive of bastion bees, now a chicken with levels¡­ what else do I need to know about?¡± he murmured to himself as Amelia paused right by the entrance to the alcove. She scratched the back of her head, before turning back to Wyn and Rond. ¡°Well, if you really want to know¡­ I guess the hive is going to have a queen now,¡± Amelia said as she nced back towards the hive. ¡°Or it already has a queen? Honestly, I don¡¯t know how it works.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡ª¡± Wyn frowned as he walked up next to her. The bastion bees hovering overhead buzzed dangerously, and he paused. His gazended on a group of wriggling figures inside of the hive. He opened his mouth as Amelia shook her head. ¡°The eggs have hatched.¡± And Wyn just stared. ¡°...what eggs are you talking about now?¡± Chapter 148 Chapter 148 ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± Bucky said as I stared at her. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± I nodded slowly, and Sir Wyn peered over my shoulder. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it wasn¡¯t you who ate all the honey, but the newly-hatched bastion bees?¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± The chicken gestured insistently towards the hive as I took a step back. And the [Knight]-lieutenant nced between both Bucky and I, brows furrowing as he asked, ¡°I¡¯m impressed¡ª you understand what the chicken is saying. Do you have some kind of [Animal Language] Skill?¡± I turned back to face Wyn as he ced a hand on his chin. I scratched the back of my head, answering honestly. ¡°Uh, no. I just used basic inference.¡± I gestured towards the pile of wriggling figures. The baby bastion bees were scrambling around a single,rger figure. Probably the newborn queen. And they were all covered in the glowing green goo¡ª like they had just bathed in the honey, right before feasting upon it. I picked up Bucky as I shook my head. ¡°But you still helped yourself to some of the honey, didn¡¯t you?¡± I red at her, and she flinched. Wyn just stared at me, mouth agape for a moment. But he caught himself. He took in a deep breath and straightened as his partner strode forward. Sir Rond nodded approvingly at me. ¡°While I would have loved to try some of your bastion curry, I can see now that it is given to a more deserving client,¡± the [Knight] Captain of the Astral Order said as he smiled. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t really say the bastion bees are guests¡­¡± I murmured under my breath. I looked up at the wriggling baby bees. They could barely even move¡ª which was expected. But that also meant they couldn¡¯t protect themselves. And the adult bastion bees were fully aware of that. I watched as the head nursing bee floated down next to me, buzzing a warning to Rond. He blinked as he turned to face her, and I gave her a reassuring nod. She backed away, easing up her aggression just a little bit. But I could tell that she was still on edge whenever a human who wasn¡¯t me approached the hive. I gestured for both Rond and Wyn to follow away from the hive as I carried Bucky under my right arm. ¡°Let¡¯s not crowd around the bastion bees,¡± I said as I nodded back at the nursing bee. ¡°And I guess I¡¯m going to have to remove the bastion curry from the menu for now.¡± ¡°What a shame.¡± The [Knight] Captain shook his head dejectedly. ¡°I would have loved to have tried out all of your best cuisines before leaving Wolfwater.¡± I craned my neck to face him as we walked up to the entrance of the restaurant. ¡°You¡¯re already leaving? Didn¡¯t you guys just get here today?¡± Sir Wyn snorted as he spoke simply. ¡°We had only dropped by Wolfwater because we were already passing through this region on the way back to the Capital. Otherwise, we never would have paid a visit to your restaurant. There is a war going on, and we are needed by our country, after all.¡± ¡°I see. Well, whenever you guys get back there, be sure to let your friends know about Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant.¡± I paused as I stood by the doorway. ¡°Oh, also I hope you guys don¡¯t die.¡± It was blunt, but I was sincere when I said that. Wyn raised a brow at me, and Rond guffawed. ¡°You are an interesting one, Ms Amelia,¡± the [Knight] Captain stepped foot into the restaurant as I followed behind him. ¡°When I first heard about you, I thought it was all an exaggeration. But you really are as fascinating as they say.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really rather not hear what they have to say about me,¡± I sighed as I strolled forward, hearing the bustling of the crowd gathered inside. My voice was lost in the noise, and Rond continued. ¡°Rest assured, Ms Amelia,¡± he said as he turned to face me. ¡°I will put in a good word to King Jalen himself.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± I blinked. That caught me by surprise. Wyn stepped into the room after us, and the door swung close behind my back. I opened my mouth as I stared at the [Knight] Captain. But Bucky interrupted me. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± I looked back down at the chicken as she struggled to break free from my grasps. I rolled my eyes, holding her up as she tensed. ¡°I¡¯m not setting you free just yet,¡± I said, before calling out into the room. ¡°Noele!¡± My voice cut through the crowd, reaching the blonde girl sitting at the back of the room. Noele blinked as she got to her feet. She walked up to me as Wyn narrowed his eyes. ¡°Noele¡­ as in the Noble Spellsword?¡± he asked as he studied her up and down. She nodded simply. ¡°You know me?¡± ¡°I have heard quite a lot about you,¡± he said with a quizzical look on his face. ¡°I have heard about your exploits¡ª how you have quickly risen the ranks of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to be an A-rank. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just helping out my master,¡± Noele replied simply, nodding my way. ¡°Your¡­ master?¡± Wyn¡¯s brows snapped together as Rond grinned. ¡°Oh?¡± The [Knight] Captain nced between the blonde girl and I. I just rolled my eyes. ¡°I told you¡ª don¡¯t call me master. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± Noele scratched her cheek, before shaking her head. ¡°Anyway, what did you need of me?¡± ¡°I need you to put Bucky in her time-out corner for me,¡± I said as I handed the struggling chicken over to the blonde girl. ¡°We have¡­ an issue at the hive because of her.¡± While Bucky was only partially at fault for the bastion bee honey running out, she did contribute to the problem. And unlike the bastion bees who could have done whatever they wanted with their honey, the chicken hadn¡¯t been given explicit permission to do any such thing. ¡°Oh, alright. I¡¯ll lock her up until the restaurant closes.¡± Noele nodded as she took Bucky from me. ¡°Come on¡ª stop struggling!¡± The blonde girl wrestled to keep the chicken from breaking free. I watched as the two of them headed to a crate at the back of the room¡ª reinforced and enchanted so Bucky couldn¡¯t just escape. I purchased it from Nicole¡ª Noele¡¯s mother¡ª but I didn¡¯t really know how to work the enchantments. I felt like an old person who barely understood how any of these new-fangled electronic gadgets worked back on Earth. Except I wasn¡¯t back on Earth, and these weren¡¯t electronics but magical artifacts. So I had to rely on my apprentice to handle it for me. I turned away from the blonde girl to face a disbelieving stare from Wyn. I frowned. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked simply. ¡°You¡¯re Noele the Noble Spellsword¡¯s master,¡± he repeated. ¡°She¡¯s an A-rank adventurer, and she¡¯s your apprentice.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± I tilted my head back at the [Knight]-lieutenant. ¡°And you¡¯re making her run around and chicken-sit for you,¡± Wyn observed. ¡°I am,¡± I said tly. ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± He sighed, rubbing his temples as he settled back into his seat. ¡°So instead of letting an A-rank adventurer handle¡­ say, security for your establishment, you¡¯re having her look after a chicken.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that Bucky is a lot of trouble to deal with.¡± I waved a hand dismissively before gesturing towards an approaching figure. ¡°And if anyone here is qualified to be security, it¡¯s Jax anyways.¡± ¡°Jax?¡± Wyn¡¯s eyes flickered. He rose back to his feet as he saw the elf walking up next to me. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, Jax the Annoying Asshole,¡± I said as I nced back at my temporary employee. ¡°Or the Forsaken Archer or whatever.¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the highest-leveled S-rank adventurers out there¡­¡± The [Knight]-lieutenant whispered. ¡°But how¡­? Why¡­?¡± Sir Rond just crossed his arms, impressed as he eyed the pointed ears of the elf. I turned to Jax and ced a hand on his shoulder as he stood there with his suit and tie. ¡°So, yeah. If anyone shows up to cause trouble, Jax will be the one to deal with it¡ª¡± I started. But the Forsaken Archer riposted in an instant, ¡°I will not do anything of the like.¡± I blinked. ¡°Uh, what?¡± Jax stepped away from me, brushing off my arm as Wyn and Rond narrowed their eyes. The two [Knights] exchanged a nce, and the Forsaken Archer turned to face me. He ripped off his tie, before tossing aside his expensive coat to the floor. The bustling of the crowd came to a sudden halt. Heads turned our way, and Han froze where he stood. Arthur lowered a drink from the bar as even Noele nced back to see what was going on. The room grew dead silent, until Jax spoke. ¡°I shall no longer endure this humiliation.¡± There was a sh of light, and a bow appeared on his right hand. He pointed the weapon at me as I crossed my arms. ¡°We made a deal, and I carried out my part dutifully as was promised. But you have not.¡± Rond eyed me suspiciously as he asked, ¡°What is Jax talking about, Ms Amelia?¡± My eyes darted back to the [Knight] Captain, but I didn¡¯t answer his question. I just stood there as Jax towered over me. ¡°I shall not wait any longer for you to uphold your end of the deal,¡± he said as he pointed at the ground. ¡°Duel me now, or I shall destroy this restaurant and everything you¡¯ve worked so hard to build.¡± ¡°Duel him? What is he talking about?¡± Wyn asked as he nced between the elf and I. I just swept my gaze over the room, seeing themotion the Forsaken Archer had caused. The crowd of onlookers were clearly confused. Even Han and Arthur didn¡¯t know what was going on. The [Knights] looked uncertain about whether intervening was a good idea¡ª especially when an S-ranked adventurer was involved. Noele let Bucky out of her crate. I lowered my head as I considered what to do. So many things had happened today¡ª it had already been such a busy day, and now it was only going to be more troublesome than before. I would have preferred to duel Jax in private, however there was nothing that could be done now. I had no other choice. I made my decision as I closed my eyes and sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± I said as I drew my de. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with¡ª but let¡¯s do it outside.¡± In response, Jax grinned. ¡°Finally.¡± Chapter 149 Chapter 149 It was a duel. There was a connotation that often came attached with duels¡ª to theymen, they believed it implied the loss of one¡¯s life by the end of it. But not all duels were a duel to the death. As a [Knight], Wyn had seen many in his life, and by far, a majority of them had non-fatal oues where bothbatants emerged alive. So when he heard the whispered voices, the susurration of concern and fear that swept over Wolfwater, he knew that most of their worries were misguided. No one was going to die¡ª at least, none of those who were partaking in the duel were going to get killed. But Sir Wyn Stefard was an intelligent man. He was keenly aware of his surroundings at all times, especially on the battlefield. He knew exactly the kind of damage that could be wrought by those who were high-leveled. And since this was going to be a duel between two especially high-leveled individuals, he was prepared to offset the coteral damages. Or more specifically, it was going to be a battle between an especially high-leveled individual, and an individual with no levels. The oue should have been obvious to any casual observer. Jax was the Forsaken Archer¡ª an exiled elf from Drazyl who came to Laxo and became one of the highest-leveled adventurers in the world. In fact, some would assert that he was the highest-leveled adventurer in the world. Wyn never believed those ims in the past. He thought it was all hyperbole. But now that he saw the Forsaken Archer with his own eyes, he had no other choice but to believe it was true. After all, his own Skills couldn¡¯t lie to him. His [Discerning Eyes] was able to gauge the threat of every creature he had evere across. And he was certain that Jax was at least level 70. He had to have been an SS-ranked adventurer by now. And that was more than enough for the elf to be the highest-leveled adventurer in the world. Wyn rubbed his temples as he lowered his head. So it should have been evidently clear¡ª whoever Jax was battling against stood no chance. Even if it was the [Hero King] himself, he wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the Forsaken Archer in battle. The [Knight] of the Astral Order as a whole might not have even been enough to bring down the elf. This duel should have been a one-sided ughter. But Wyn wasn¡¯t sure if that was even going to be the oue. He raised his head to face the secondbatant¡ª a brown-haired woman standing in the shade with a rusty sword held to her side. Her name was Amelia. She was dressed in odd clothing, wearing an apron over her shirt. Her hair was a mess from cooking, and she looked like she didn¡¯t even want to be here. However, she was here, and she was going to face the Forsaken Archer himself in a duel. When Wyn saw this sight, every instinct in his body told him that Amelia was not going to survive this battle. In fact, even his Skills said as much. She had no levels¡ª ording to his [Discerning Eyes], she was no stronger than even the weakest monster he had ever seen. So the oue should have been obvious. But there was a niggling thought inside of the [Knight]¡¯s head. From the things he had heard about her, he felt like this duel was going to be a lot closer than most people thought. But that wasn¡¯t all. It made no sense to him how she was able to do any of that without a ss. The only exnation was that she was possibly¡­ touched by the Void. And while Sir Wyn shuddered at the thought, he couldn¡¯t lie and say he wasn¡¯t curious¡ª that he wasn¡¯t interested in seeing how this battle would y out. So along with his Captain and arge crowd of onlookers, they gathered outside of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant to watch the duel. He swept his gaze over his surroundings, seeing the farming vige expand far and wide. Wyn pursed his lips. ¡°I still believe that it would be better for this duel to be held at a further, more isted location. And there should be no need for an audience to gather around here, Sir Rond.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do, Sir Wyn,¡± the [Knight] Captain said as he shook his head. ¡°Unless you wish to take this issue up to the Forsaken Archer himself¡­¡± And the [Knight]-lieutenant looked towards the elf. Jax had been eager for this duel¡ª he had impatiently pestered for Amelia to fight him now. They would have fought right there inside of the restaurant if she hadn¡¯t managed to convince him to at least step outside. Now the brown-haired woman waited by a thicket of trees as the Forsaken Archer stood a hundred feet across from her in the open. He had his bow raised, just raring for the battle to begin. ¡°Is that really the Forsaken Archer?¡± an audience member asked, drawing Wyn¡¯s attention for a brief moment. Another replied, ¡°Why is this duel even happening? Isn¡¯t that woman there just a [Chef]?¡± ¡°No, I heard she was a former adventurer,¡± a third said. ¡°She sponsored Xakor to open this restaurant for her so she could retire. She doesn¡¯t even have the [Chef] ss!¡± ¡°So an S-rank then?¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve never even heard of her¡­¡± Wyn broke his gaze away from the crowd. He wasn¡¯t going to learn anything about Amelia from overhearing their babble of voices. Not especially when she was turning this whole ordeal into a marketing stunt. ¡°Get your malim juice here!¡± a brown-haired man cried out as he carried a tray of drinks with him. ¡°The famous drink from Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, freshly squeezed¡ª cold and refreshing for a hot day like today!¡± His name was Han. He was one of Amelia¡¯s employees, and he wasn¡¯t alone. A blond man apanied him, serving drinks to the watching crowd, although he was far more reserved, selling other kinds of cold beverages. Wyn ignored them. They were ordinary people. Helpful servers, but unimportant right now. Instead, the [Knight]-lieutenant turned towards a blonde girl¡ª the only one who could have known about Amelia better than anyone else. Noele the Noble Spellsword. She stood next to a burly man, off to the side, away from most of the crowd. Wyn drew back from his Captain, quickly excusing himself to speak with the blonde girl. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why Jax is doing this again¡­¡± the burly man said. Noele shook her head. ¡°You know how he is, Garron. He is¡ª¡± ¡°The highest-leveled adventurer in the world,¡± Wyn cut her off, drawing both her and herpanion¡¯s attention. The [Knight]-lieutenant proffered a hand. ¡°Mr Garron, was it? It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± Garron quickly straightened and eagerly shook back. ¡°Sir Wyn, it is an honor to meet a [Knight] of the Astral Order such as you. I am surprised you have heard of a B-rank like me.¡± ¡°I have not,¡± Wyn said simply as he stood at parade rest next to the blonde girl. ¡°I simply overheard the conversation you were having with the Noble Spellsword.¡± ¡°O-oh.¡± Garron blinked, before pressing his lips into a thin line. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Tell me, Noble Spellsword,¡± Wyn continued as he faced the twobatants. ¡°Who do you believe is going to win this duel?¡± Noele blinked, before looking towards the Forsaken Archer. ¡°Jax is strong. I¡¯ve sparred with him a bunch of times since he arrived here in Wolfwater. And I had fought him when he was serious once before. He is probably the strongest opponent I have ever faced¡­¡± ¡°What about the Miststorm Riders?¡± the [Knight]-lieutenant asked with a raised brow. ¡°Jax could have taken them all out on his own,¡± the blonde girl snorted. ¡°As expected.¡± Wyn nodded as he stared at the elf. It seemed his instincts were correct. ¡°So you believe then that this will be an easy victory for the Forsaken Archer?¡± ¡°No.¡± Noele shook her head. Wyn turned to the blonde girl curiously. ¡°Oh? So you believe your master stands a chance?¡± ¡°Amelia doesn¡¯t just stand a chance,¡± Noele continued as she held Wyn¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯d say that Jax stands no chance.¡± That made the [Knight]-lieutenant pause. He narrowed his eyes as he opened his mouth. ¡°But¡ª¡± he started. And the excited gasps of the nearby crowd interrupted him. ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡± ¡°Move aside, I can¡¯t see!¡± ¡°Be quiet¡ª¡± Wyn turned to face the Forsaken Archer once more. He watched as the elf slowly began to circle around the brown-haired woman, eyeing her warily. Amelia didn¡¯t move, and Jax drew an arrow. ¡°I have got you this time, Amelia!¡± he shouted as he dashed forward. There was a green glint as he raised his bow, aiming the arrow at her. And there was a blinding sh of light. Wyn winced for a moment, before blinking. His eyes went wide when he saw Jax lying in a crater on the ground. The elf was bloodied and bruised, and Amelia stood at the exact same position she had been standing in with her sword to her side. It looked like she didn¡¯t even move. Meanwhile, the Forsaken Archer¡¯s bow was broken, and he groaned as he struggled to pick himself up. ¡°Alright, are we done here?¡± Amelia asked as she sheathed her sword. And the crowd exchanged confused nces. ¡°...was that really it?¡± someone asked. ¡°What just happened? Why is the Forsaken Archer lying on the ground?¡± another confused voice added. ¡°Wait, did he just¡­ blow himself up with his own arrow?¡± a third voice opined. Wyn swept his gaze over the watching crowd as they conversed amongst themselves. Their voices grew louder as they reached their own conclusion. ¡°That was so anticlimactic! I can¡¯t believe I left my inn to see this!¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t even a duel¡ª the Forsaken Archer just tripped and defeated himself!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back to my farm¡­¡± The crowd slowly began to disperse as Wyn just watched. Only Rond, Wyn, Noele, Garron, and Amelia¡¯s two employees remained as Jax picked himself up from the small crater. ¡°He¡¯s gotten a lot stronger,¡± Noele whispered softly, eyeing the Forsaken Archer. She turned to Wyn who was pale-faced and staring at the scene. ¡°You saw what happened, didn¡¯t you?¡± Wyn opened his mouth, before hesitating. He slowly nodded as a single bead of sweat slid down his forehead. ¡°I did. But how¡­?¡± He had no words. He could hardly even parse what he saw. The watching crowd had been disappointed because the battle had been over in an instant, and while that was true, it didn¡¯t tell the whole story. In that moment, when Jax had charged Amelia, he had moved so fast, an ordinary person couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed. He unleashed a volley of enchanted bolts at her¡ª a rapid barrage that could havepletely obliterated Wolfwater and the surrounding farnd. But Amelia simply parried the onught of explosive arrows with her rusted sword. And before Jax could even take another step forward, she appeared next to him and swung a fist at his head. It was almost instantaneous. And somehow, the Forsaken Archer had anticipated the counter attack and dove out of the way in time. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t prepared for the follow-up strike as she aimed a kick at his groin. The attack sent him crashing down to the ground, before the brown-haired woman leapt back,nding right where she had been standing like nothing even happened. And that was what Wyn saw. The rest of the audience thought Jax had tripped and blown himself up with his enchanted bolts. But those who were high-leveled enough knew the truth. Wyn looked towards Jax as he unsteadily stood on two feet. He clutched onto hisher regions, and Amelia walked up next to him. ¡°I-I can still¡ª¡± the Forsaken Archer started. ¡°No you can¡¯t,¡± the brown-haired woman replied tly. And Wyn shook his head disbelievingly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How does that make any sense? She defeated him like he wasn¡¯t even a threat.¡± Noele shrugged as she drew back. ¡°But Jax was a threat¡ª at least, more of a threat now than before. Last time they fought, he hadn¡¯t even been able to survive any of her attacks. This time¡­ he sessfully avoided one punch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Wyn opened his mouth. He stared at the nonchnt blonde girl, before watching as Han approached with a tray. ¡°Would you like some malim juice?¡± the server asked simply. And Wyn closed his eyes. ¡°...yes, and I¡¯d like a shot of your strongest alcoholic drink too, please.¡± Chapter 150 Chapter 150 I returned to my restaurant after the duel ended. The main hall was more crowded than ever¡ª I had attracted quite a sizable chunk of the audience that had been watching the fight thanks to marketing my malim juice. Han and Arthur were racing around the room, taking orders from the waiting customers. But without me working at the kitchen, no one would be served their food just yet. I was the only chef here. I would have liked to hire an assistant, however there weren¡¯t very many high-leveled [Chefs] around Wolfwater. While I didn¡¯t care about levels, my customers did. And it was not just them, but my potential chef-candidates too. I did hold a few interviews over thest few weeks, looking to hire someone to help me out. However, they were far too intimidated by the prestige of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, so they rejected the job offer. ¡­I didn¡¯t consider anything about the restaurant prestigious, but I was d to see that we had garnered a positive reputation amongst our customers. Anyways, all that meant was this little duel with Jax had wasted a lot of my and my customer¡¯s time. It was the fiftieth time the elf and I had fought at this point. Once again, I defeated him in an instant. He did impress me with how he anticipated my punch. I wasn¡¯t really trying to move as fast as I possibly could, but still¡ª he did manage to dodge out of the way. So he certainly had grown somewhat stronger since Ist saw him. But I still ended the battle an instantter with a light kick to his groin. He crumpled to the ground, and he wasn¡¯t even able to stand back up even now. I kind of regretted my decision to do that since he couldn¡¯t walk, which also meant he wasn¡¯t going to be able toplete his shift now. So once again, Han and Arthur were being overworked. And while it wasn¡¯t exactly my fault, it was also kind of my fault. I felt bad about it. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to give them a huge bonus¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I strode through the room, heading for the kitchen. I heard a loud cluckinging from the back. A crate rattled, and I saw a chicken poking its head out from behind some magical bars. Bucky was still locked up, punished for misbehaving earlier. She red at me, and I gave her a t stare. ¡°You deserve it,¡± I said simply. Bucky opened her beak, before pausing. She took in a deep breath and stepped back with a rehearsed motion. I narrowed my eyes, watching as she lowered her head. And the chicken stared up at me with her cutest pleading look. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± I scowled, but Bucky didn¡¯t let up. Her eyes turned into trembling brown orbs, and she made a pained, whimpering sound. I gritted my teeth, before finally giving in. ¡°Fine,¡± I said as I opened the cage door. ¡°But I¡¯m not letting you off easy next time around.¡± The chicken immediately perked up, clucking excitedly as she sprinted out of the crate. I rolled my eyes. I had known she was only putting up an act, but I couldn¡¯t say no to that face. I shook my head, ignoring Bucky as she excitedly dashed around the room. And with that, I returned to the kitchen, continuing to cook for the rest of the day, until the sun set over the horizon. One by one, the packed room began to empty of customers. They slowly trickled out until it was just a handful of folks¡ª most of them drunk or passed out. At some point, Jax managed to recover from his¡­ unfortunate injuries. So he had returned to work, even though I told him he could take the rest of the day off. He no longer grumbled orined about his job, seemingly satisfied with our duel. At least for now. ¡°I will win the rematch,¡± the Forsaken Archer had promised me whenever he passed by the kitchen. ¡°I assure you, I shalle back stronger than ever.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t evere back,¡± I sighed, but he clearly ignored my pleas. Still, Jax was useful. He helped us kick out every drunkard who was refusing to leave the restaurant when it was time for us to close up shop. Thest customers to leave were actually the visiting [Knights of the Astral Order]. Even Noele and Garron had already left at this point. Sir Rond Donovan and Sir Wyn Stefard had stuck around for the whole day, trying out every dish in the menu. But the reason they stayed was because they wanted to speak with me¡­ again. I stepped out of the restaurant to greet both [Knights]. They were waiting outside, fully armored up and ready to leave Wolfwater. They stood there with a pair of animals apanying them. One was ordinary enough. A typical white horse covered in glittering ted armor¡ª the kind of animal I¡¯d expect a [Knight] to ride. But the second animal was¡­ not even an animal. It was a monster of sorts. It looked like a bull, except with crystalline horns. Also, it was farrger than any bull I¡¯d seen. The two mounts obediently waited off to the side. They didn¡¯t need to be tied to a tree so they wouldn¡¯t run off. Although, I didn¡¯t even think that a tree would impede the bull-like monsters. I shook my head as I turned to the [Knights]. ¡°So what do you guys want?¡± I asked as I raised a brow. I faced Rond, giving him a nod. ¡°You¡¯ve already apologized for your nephew, you don¡¯t have to bring it up again.¡± ¡°This matter is unrted to Mr Joseph Donovan,¡± Wyn was the one to answer. ¡°Then what is it about?¡± I pressed. The [Knight]-lieutenant cleared his throat and took a step to the side. ¡°I shall allow Sir Rond to exin.¡± I narrowed my eyes, and the [Knight] Captainughed. ¡°Always so formal, Sir Wyn.¡± Rond shook his head before turning to face me. ¡°While we have only just met you, Ms Amelia, we have been quite impressed by what you have shown us. Your extraordinary abilities extend beyond just your genius marketing skills.¡± I just stared at the [Knight] Captain dubiously as he continued. ¡°The cuisine you serve and the physical prowess you have demonstrated, it has all been quite fascinating to experience. We have heard a lot of rumors about you before we arrived in Wolfwater, and I must say, you have still somehow managed topletely exceed my expectations of you.¡± He chuckled, and I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Right¡­ well, I¡¯m d to hear that you enjoyed your time at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else was there to say. I just gave a half-hearted shrug and continued. ¡°If you want, you can spread word about us. It would probably help us out if we got the seal of approval from a pair of important [Knights].¡± Rond grinned as he leaned forward. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll do you one better.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I blinked. And the [Knight] Captain drew back, spreading his arms wide. ¡°I shall offer you an official invitation to visit Astral to demonstrate your cooking abilities for King Jalen himself!¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± My eyes went wide, and my jaw dropped. I was the only one standing out here with the two [Knights]. There was no one else around to eavesdrop on our conversation. Arthur and Han were cleaning up, and Jax had gone off to ¡®train¡¯ or whatever. Even Bucky wasn¡¯t here¡ª having gone to the bastion bee hive to guard them. So it was just me, wearing a dumbfounded expression on my face, no one else to give me a reality check. ¡°Are you actually being serious right now?¡± I asked as I stared at the [Knight] Captain. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said as he ced a hand on my shoulder. ¡°The food you have served is like nothing I have ever had before. Cooking a feast for the royal court will surely bring iparable notoriety to your restaurant. Perhaps you can even open up a branch of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant at Astral too.¡± I heard Rond¡¯s words, but it took me a second to evenprehend what he was saying. Even for me, this was a bit much to take in all at once. My mouth bobbed open and close as I struggled to find the right response to say. ¡°Must I make a decision right now?¡± I asked, and he nodded. ¡°Indeed. Otherwise, it will be difficult to arrange a meeting.¡± ¡°I¡ª but who will run my restaurant¡­?¡± I started. And it was the [Knight]-lieutenant who spoke up. ¡°I told you that bringing this up so suddenly was a terrible idea.¡± ¡°Hmph, I thought she would be ecstatic,¡± Rond said as he crossed his arms. ¡°I was under the impression that she would have jumped on the opportunity right away!¡± ¡°People have responsibilities,¡± Wyn replied simply. ¡°Ms Amelia cannot possibly make a decision to abandon all her duties to her customers and her employees at this very moment. That is a ridiculous demand.¡± ¡°That is true¡­¡± The [Knight] Captain tilted his head back. ¡°But with such a fantastic restaurant right here, I believe it is about time Ms Amelia starts thinking about expanding her franchise.¡± I pursed my lips. Rond had a point. I nced between the two [Knights] standing before me, before I nced back towards my restaurant. I could see the figures of Han and Arthur moving inside, cleaning the mess that was left behind by therge crowd gathered today. They were my only two full-time employees. Jax was probably going to be leaving soon, now that I indulged him with a duel. And I was starting to feel really bad about overworking Han and Arthur again and again. I looked back towards Rond and Wyn. I saw the way they were dressed, and I remembered just how crowded arger city waspared to this farming vige. I thought about all the opportunities meeting with the King of the Astrad Kingdom could bring¡ª but more importantly, I thought about all the other people I could meet there. Important people. High-leveled people. ¡­high-leveled [Chefs] and [Waiters]. If I could convince them to work for me¡ª to follow me back to Wolfwater¡ª I¡¯d be able to solve many of the problems I was currently facing with my restaurant. I could even give both Han and Arthur a few days off at the exact same time. I nodded to myself as I raised my head. ¡°Fine,¡± I finally said, drawing the attention of both [Knights]. ¡°I ept your invitation.¡± Wyn blinked, and Rond immediately perked up. He took a step forward with a grin. ¡°Great! So we shall depart immediately¡ª¡± the [Knight] Captain started, but I raised a hand. ¡°No, I won¡¯t go just yet. I can¡¯t just leave my restaurant without some prior notice. I¡¯m the only chef around here.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rond deted. Wyn red at his Captain, murmuring. ¡°I keep telling you that¡­¡± ¡°How long will it take you guys to reach Astral?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows. ¡°About three days,¡± Rond replied as he ced a hand on his chin. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I nodded. ¡°You guys can set off now¡ª I¡¯m not going to ask you to stay and wait for me. But in three days¡¯ time, I¡¯ll meet you when you arrive at the gates of Astral. I¡¯ve got shit to do until then.¡± Wyn eyed me suspiciously. ¡°And how are you going to get there so quickly?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± I said as I waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ve got transportation handled myself.¡± That just made the [Knight]-lieutenant look at me with even more suspicion, but Rond nodded with a curious look. ¡°Very well, Ms Amelia. If that is what you insist, we shall rendezvous with you at the southern entrance of Astral.¡± He drew back, gesturing for hispanion to follow him. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you,¡± the [Knight] Captain said, smiling at me onest time. ¡°I look forward to seeing you in three days¡¯ time.¡± Wyn just shook his head as he mounted the bull-like monster. I watched the [Knights], nodding at them as they left Wolfwater. And I sighed when they were gone. ¡°Alright, now how am I going to exin to Noele, Han, and Arthur that I¡¯m going to be leaving Wolfwater¡­ again?¡± I wondered aloud. And I didn¡¯t know the answer to that question. ¡ª-- As Amelia made ns to visit the capital city of the Astrad Kingdom, so did another individual. But his n differed slightly in that he intended to visit the capital city of the enemy of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª he was going to pay a visit to the capital city of the Kingdom of Kal. And unlike Amelia who was going there for innocuous reasons, he was going there for a simple reason. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head as he saw the dark pir of light dim. The construct took shape overhead, high above the clouds, into the fringes of space. He reached for the Hammer of Justice as a dragon stirred behind him. It is time, he dered. To put an end to my mission. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 ¡°Do you not see it, my creation?¡± Hermann said as he moved through the white hallway. He couldn¡¯t walk, so he was carried forward by a hovering wheelchair. Z357 followed, striding alongside his creator. His face looked forward, but his eyes darted around in every direction. He looked beyond the corridors. His gaze expanded throughout the megastructure. He peered into the white hallways, before scouring the rest of the supercity. It was a megalopolis built around another megalopolis. Flying cars zipped across the sky, and ultrafast trains shot through tunnels that formed aplexwork between all the major structures of this hyper advanced city. But while Z357 could see the smiling faces¡ª he could hear the bustling voices¡ª his focus was pointed elsewhere, towards a figure floating high in the sky. Arms-crossed, and with a cape blowing in the wind, the figure protectively hovered there. Until a powerful explosion rocked the center of the city. A needle-like building that rose to the sky and reached the fringes of space stood there. It was a space elevator. The st rocked the base of its structure, but it didn¡¯t topple over. It stood tall, and the figure immediately shot forward, rushing to aid the screaming citizens gathered there. Hermann shook his head as he pulled up a holographic screen. An image of the destruction revealed itself to Z357¡¯s creator. ¡°Every single day, these terrible disasters strike Askan,¡± Hermann said as his gaze darkened. ¡°Like clockwork, tens of thousands across the world die senselessly, all because of them.¡± The screen focused on the caped figure as he descended from the sky. Before him, a cackling woman waited, wearing a face full of paint as she spread her arms wide. Even more explosions filled the scene as Z357 looked on. A battle yed out. But it was not the only one Hermann showed. He spread his arms wide as screen after screen shed into existence. Scenes from all across the¡ª that of death and destruction. And Z357 saw it all. A four-eyed woman exploded from the ground, screaming as she unleashed a beam ofser from her mouth. Her anger focused only on a single target. A man dressed in a suit of glowing armor. He deflected her attack as the nearby onlookers screamed and ran away. ¡°These Superheroes and Superviins run wild, ying their ursed games of cat and mouse,¡± Hermann continued, gritting his teeth. ¡°Just because they were granted special powers from their birth¡­ just because they were bestowed mutations that let them carry out superhuman feats¡­¡± A giant leapt through a floating city. He ripped through buildings, screaming as he fled from a pair of winged twins. They gave chase, sending purple bolts of energy out to apprehend him. But he managed to slink away. Hermann tried to rise to his feet as he eximed, ¡°It is utterly ridiculous! These people endanger our lives, yet we are supposed to celebrate them? They have ruined our utopian society¡ª¡± Z357 watched as his creator copsed to the ground, unable to stand on two feet. Hermann groaned as hey there, his eyes shing in anger. ¡°This is why you were created, Z357,¡± he said as he looked towards the machine. ¡°To destroy all Superheroes. To destroy all Superviins. To protect our world.¡± Mechanically, Z357 nodded. He took in his directive, before spreading his wings wide. And without a single word, he took off into the sky. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 blinked all twelve of his eyes as he stared at the Hammer of Justice, returning back to reality¡ª the memories fading away. The superweapon floated there, carried by a pir of light¡ª a beam of antigravity that let it hover in ce. And up above, high in the sky, was the construct. It was finallyplete, created by the Hammer of Justice. The wait was over, and now, the angel could act. Yet, he stood there, in the ruins of the golden pce of Novus, unmoving. Behind him, a lumbering figure stirred. Grat-ra¡¯zun, one of thest Elder Dragons in the world, rose up with a questioning look on his face. ¡°What happens now?¡± he asked as he peered at the angel. ¡°What shall you do, sentinel of the System?¡± Z357 raised his head. He held the dragon¡¯s gaze, before spreading his wings wide. He floated up to the Hammer of Justice and paused right before the superweapon. He remembered the death. He recalled the destruction. For a moment, he hesitated. Right now, the machine had a choice to make. There was a decision for him to follow-through with. He had been given directives by the World System¡ª directives which he had disobeyed numerous times now. Each time he had acted autonomously, he had only exacerbated the problem of the Void. He even had nearly allowed the Fal-Deus to return to life. It had all been Z357¡¯s mistakes that led to those oues. Because he had miscalcted. Because he had acted autonomously. Because he disobeyed the World System. So the choice should have been obvious. Guardian Angel Z357 should have known what his decision should be. But he didn¡¯ty a hand on the Hammer of Justice. Instead, he apprehensively hovered there as Grat-ra¡¯zun spoke up once more. ¡°What do you intend to do, sentinel of the System?¡± It was a simple question. The Elder Dragon had given the same query multiple times now. But the machine refused to give an answer. Instead, Guardian Angel Z357 looked down into the palm of his mechanical hands. He knew what he should do, but he recalled the devastation that could be wrought from the Hammer of Justice. It made him pause. It made him think¡ª was this really worth it? Especially when he recalled the words of Amelia. The time he spent working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant had been rtively short, but it had been impactful. Seeing the brown-haired human¡¯s overwhelming power had been¡­ enlightening. He closed his twelve eyes, remembering what she had said after she had defeated the Void-possessed Lich King. ¡°If the Voidgod shows up, I¡¯ll just smack him back into the Fractured Realm. It¡¯s not a big deal, alright?¡± If anyone else had uttered those words, Guardian Angel Z357 would have dismissed them without thought. However, he had seen firsthand her immense strength. And somehow, he didn¡¯t doubt her in the slightest. So why should he interfere if she could defeat the Fal-Deus with ease? There was no reason for the machine to obey his directives. He could neglect his duties, returning back to his slumber in the orbit of 16B. But each time he considered deactivating himself¡ª to let Amelia deal with the Void¡ª he was reminded of his duties by the World System. Even right now, a blue box shed before his vision, despite his eyes being mmed shut. [Main Objective: Halt the Return of the Fal-Deus Threat Level:ary Cataclysm(?)* *Tentative Reward: Promotion] Unlike before, where Guardian Angel Z357 had been strung along by a series of Minor Objectives, he had finally been bestowed with a Major Objective by the World System. It was thanks to his conversations with Grat-ra¡¯zun. The Elder Dragon had proven to be incredibly useful, providing a wealth of information to the angel. Now, Z357 knew of the [Hero King]¡¯s status as the Void¡¯s Heir. And the World System updated his directives immediately. Now, the machine had to make a decision. But he did not know what to do. He reflected on his actions here in Vacuos¡ª the things he did ever since he had be a Guardian Angel. Everything he had done that led to this moment. And even before that. Back when he was still in Askan. Back in his home world. Before he had ever known of the World System. The things he did. Every order he had been given by his creator, he had followed them all. Except for when¡­ ¡°I am your creator! Don¡¯t you dare disobey me¡ª¡± Never once, Guardian Angel Z357 suddenly said as he raised his head. His words drew the attention of the watching Elder Dragon, and he reached for the Hammer of Justice. Never once have I ever felt grief, before I disobeyed my orders for the very first time. Grat-ra¡¯zun tilted his head curiously. And the machine grabbed the weapon. I was never designed to feel emotions. I was designed to follow orders. But on that day, I went beyond my programming. I became something more. Guardian Angel Z357 continued speaking as he held onto the Hammer of Justice. He watched as its face began to shift, before shining with the outline of a brilliant crimson glow. And the construct floating high above shifted. It was a structure of sorts. Like a station. It floated there, beyond the¡¯s atmosphere. It opened up as figures moved within. Grat-ra¡¯zun narrowed his eyes as the angel slowly turned around. Twelve lifeless eyes stared back at the Elder Dragon. The machine spoke with mncholy in his thoughts. But I regret bing something more. I regret what I have be. Each passing day that goes by, I desire to return to what I was. To be unthinking once more. And the figures descended from the space station. They numbered in the hundreds. Ghastly beings. Almost like they were made from a gray mist. But in truth, they were created from the very same construct that made the space station. They were nanomachines. They came together to create these beings. However, they were instilled with the essence of something more. The essence of who they were meant to be. ¡°These are¡­?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun watched as the figures soared through the sky. They flew in every direction, spreading out throughout 16B. ¡°Where are they going? What are they?¡± Titanborn. Man of Mech. Wady. Goliath. Guardian Angel Z357 raised his head, naming each figure that passed overhead. Familiar figures¡ª a caped man, a cyborg, a four-eyeddy, and a giant. But there were so many more of them. Too many to name. The machine watched as the mechanical ghosts of Superheroes and Superviins of Askan appeared here in Vacuos. And now, they made their way across the sea, silently obeying the orders Z357 had given them. They are merely phantoms, he answered the dragon¡¯s question as he began to ascend out of the ruins of the golden pce. Copies of those I had felled, created by the genius of my creator. ¡°Where are they going?¡± the Elder Dragon asked with a frown. And in the distance, Guardian Angel Z357 heard the screams. He saw the ghost of the Supers crashing through buildings, ripping their way through cities in search of their targets. And there were many targets to find. A [Mayor] scrambled back into his home, shouting and tightly clutching onto a ring as the replica of Wady loomed over him. Her mouth hung open, before a beam of red light shot out. And he raised the ring, creating a purple sphere. The attack shed with the barrier¡ª a concentratedser that burned as hot as the surface of the sun struck the sphere of Void essence. And the attack tore straight through the barrier, incinerating the [Mayor] in an instant. But it wasn¡¯t over. Because he wasn¡¯t the only one who was being targeted. All across 16B, members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns were hunted down by these phantoms. They tried to flee¡ª they tried to hide. But it didn¡¯t matter. The nanomachines could not think. Even if it meant leveling a house and killing a dozen innocents, they would find their targets. So the members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns could only try and fight back. They are going to purge this of the gue that has taken hold, Guardian Angel Z357 answered the Elder Dragon¡¯s question. ¡°Purge¡­? Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡ª¡± His eyes went wide in horror, realizing what was going on. ¡°But how would you know who has been touched by the Void, and who is not?¡± They will figure it out by force, the machine replied simply as he rose from the sea, his gaze focused on a country in the distance. As for me¡­ Z357 stared at the Kingdom of Kal. His grip on the Hammer of Justice tightened, and he closed his eyes. Grat-ra¡¯zun opened his mouth, but was abruptly cut off. I shall do what needs to be done, the machine finished, before taking off toplete his task at hand. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 The constructs swept across 16B. They were nanomachines¡ª copies made of the great Superheroes and Superviins that once roamed Askan. Z357 had killed them all with his own hands, and his creator had stolen their DNA to build the Hammer of Justice. The hammer itself was not a weapon, but a controller. On its own, it was not capable of much. But once the nanomachines were deployed, a ry tower was created high up above beyond the atmosphere of the. A colossal structure that resembled a space station. It was a deliberate design by Hermann Kasper, meant to mock the headquarters of the Superheroes of Askan. But the true purpose of the structure in space was to give these nanomachines their directives. And for an ordinary individual, it would have been difficult to operate the Hammer of Justice on such arge scale. However, Guardian Angel Z357 was not an ordinary individual. His expansive vision allowed him to deploy the nanomachines across all of 16B and give them directmands as they moved. So they were efficient, scouring all four continents for members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. And the angel ensured they were ruthless, too. Many of those who had been Void-touched were individuals of some import. So they had plenty of guards protecting them. But the constructs showed no mercy, cutting the guards down even though many weren¡¯t even aware that they were serving a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. It didn¡¯t matter. Guardian Angel Z357 no longer spared even a thought about them. All that mattered was that the Fal-Deus be stopped. He had toplete his mission by any means necessary. So he flew on, heading for the continent of Laxo. He left the fallen city of Novus behind, drowning under the ocean. But a massive creature gave chase to him. It wasn¡¯t a karen, nor was it some other sea beast. It was an Elder Dragon. One of thest ones in all Vacuos. ¡°You cannot do this!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun screamed as he trailed after the angel. ¡°Thousands of innocents are dying because of your weapon! If you want to stop the Void, you must work with the people of this world, not ughter them!¡± Guardian Angel Z357 slowed for a moment. He faced the Elder Dragon, before tilting his head. He processed what was being said as Grat-ra¡¯zun caught up to him. ¡°The only reason we defeated the Great Evil ten thousand years ago was because you worked with the people of Vacuos,¡± the Elder Dragon continued, panting from trying to keep up with the angel¡¯s speed. ¡°You cannot stop the Void all on your own.¡± For a moment, the machine listened. But he recalled the events of when he hadst been activated. He remembered the course of action he took. The only reason I worked with the people of this was because of the orders of the World System, Z357 said simply as he turned around. My current directives are clear. I have no reason to cooperate with anyone else. ¡°But¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun started. Goodbye, the angel finished, before taking off. And he left the Elder Dragon behind in an instant, heading for the Kingdom of Kal. ¡ª-- Deep beneath the pce of the Kingdom of Kal, a figure sat on a dull throne. A figure that resembled that of a human, but was wreathed in a purple aura¡ª the power of the Void. His name was Kallistus Kal, and it had been over a week since he hadid his trap for Guardian Angel Z357. It was meant to merely be a drone of the World System¡ª a mindless machine that followed the directives it was given. So the [Hero King] had predicted it woulde as long as the appropriate bait was set. But for whatever reason, his ns didn¡¯te to fruition. Even after a week had passed, the angel never showed up, despite Kallistus Kal¡¯s best attempts. He had opened a rift¡ª he had summoned thousands more voidlings. And yet, nothing happened. It was strange. The [Hero King] was befuddled as to what to do, and he couldn¡¯t remain in hiding for much longer. After all, he had duties to attend to, which he had neglected while waiting for Guardian Angel Z357. The Sect of Abyssal Thorns was growing restless with how slowly the war effort was progressing, and they had noted the evident absence of the [Hero King]¡¯s presence on the battlefields. Their leader¡ª Leonhard the Archmage King of Scholus¡ª had demanded answers from Kallistus Kal. But the [Hero King] had deftly deflected and avoided those questions thus far, citing other reasons for his apparent leave. In truth, he didn¡¯t care about this petty war to determine the fate of Laxo. All he cared about was returning back home. Back to his world. And as long as Guardian Angel Z357 was around, he would not be able to go back. It would hunt him down for as long as he was the Void¡¯s Heir. So he waited just a bit longer, ignoring the sect of Abyssal Thorns¡ª ignoring the war. Now, the [Hero King]¡¯s patience had paid off. He sat there, deep beneath his castle, waiting in the darkness, before abruptly raising his head. And he sensed what was happening. All around the world, members of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns fell one after another. They drew power from the Void, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop what was killing them. An innumerable, overwhelming force. Beings made of metal and might. Kallistus Kal rose to his feet as the figures before him stirred. Purple, twisted creatures that took on all shapes and sizes. They felt it too. And they heard themotion rocking the world above. The [Hero King] felt the ground shaking. He saw the ceiling tremble as his eyes narrowed. ¡°What is¡­?¡± he started. And a figure shot through the ceiling. He watched as a gray, misty being appeared in the dark chamber. It didn¡¯t tear its way through the ground, nor did it shatter the walls. It simply seemed to¡­ phase through, beforending right on the [Hero King]. Kallistus saw the attacking. He watched as a metallic fist was swung for his head, and he raised his arms to block the attack. He was adorned in powerful, enchanted armor¡ª capable of withstanding the onught of magic from an entire army. But somehow, his gauntlets dented. His bones shattered. The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes went wide as his arms twisted backwards, and he stumbled away from his assant. He expected to see the angel. However, what he saw was a poor imitation of a person. One made seemed to be made from dust, with a cape whipping behind it, and glinting red eyes. It stood there, broad-shoulder, well-built, and standing with the demeanor of a virtuous [Knight]. But it was not a [Knight]. It was¡­ ¡°What¡­ are you?¡± Kallistus asked as he took a step back. And a voice answered in his head. Titanborn. The Savior of Utopis. The [Hero King] blinked, and a second being descended from the ceiling. This time, the walls broke open. A beam ofser shot straight through, ripping apart dozens of voidlings all at once. From the dust and smoke, the figure of a young woman stepped out. She had four red eyes, and she seemed to be wearing a skintight suit. She didn¡¯t have a cape, however her hair was long enough to substitute as one. Wady, the tinny voice continued. The Artificial Mutant of Argavas. Kallistus nced between the two gray figures, before a third one fell from the hole that was left behind. This figure was muchrger. Still gray, like it was made from mist, but also a behemoth that stood at twenty feet tall with a single red eye. It mmed its bulky arms into the ground, sending a shockwave that rippled across the dark chamber. The gathered voidlings were sent flying back from the impact, and Kallistus had to steady himself. And Goliath the Destroyer, the voice finished. The [Hero King] blinked as he stared at the three gathered figures. Then he slowly turned around to face the source of this voice¡ª even though it had been echoing in his mind, he knew where it came from. He looked up to see a twelve-eyed figure slowly descend from the sky. A metallic figure that had a pair of feathered wings spread from its back. On one hand, it carried a familiar ornatence, raised to the side. And on the other, it held a giant warhammer that glinted with the same red light that shone in the eyes of the first three assants. But Kallistus Kal¡¯s gaze was only focused on the winged figure¡ª on the angel. ¡°We meet again, ve of the System,¡± Kallistus Kal said as his arms began to bend back into ce. The shattered bone healing, and the blood dripping from his fingers fading away. He strode forward as he unsheathed his sword. ¡°So you have finally decided to show yourself.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t respond. It just looked back down at its three graypanions, before shaking its head mechanically. They were the greatest Supers of my world, it said in a monotonous voice. But somehow, the [Hero King] sensed a hint of mncholy there. Some of them imed to be heroes. They imed to be doing what was right, when all they wrought about was death and destruction with their presence. So I killed them all. To protect Askan. Because those were my orders. Kallistus watched as the fallen voidlings began to shift. They picked themselves up, turning their purple gaze towards the angel. Even though they were unintelligent creatures of the Void, their hatred of Z357 was evident. But the angel didn¡¯t even give them a passing nce. Now, I have been tasked to protect Vacuos. And once again, I am ordered to y one who calls himself a hero, but only brings death and destruction in his wake. ¡°Kill them all,¡± the [Hero King] said. His eyes shed, glowing with a purple light, unlike its usual blue color. And the voidlings moved. They charged at the angel¡ª they swarmed the three gray figures. Z357 just closed its twelve eyes. Back then, I was uncertain whether what I was doing was right, it continued as it raised itsnce. Its twelve eyes snapped open once again, and it aimed itsnce at its target. At the Void¡¯s Heir. Now, I know what must be done. And with that, Guardian Angel Z357 appeared before the [Hero King]. It ignored the voidlings. They couldn¡¯t even keep up with its speed. But Kallistus was able to react. He raised his sword, and it shone with a powerful purple aura. He sliced up at the angel¡¯s head. But he missed. Z357 easily leaned back, ducking out of the way of the attack. It raised itsnce, and the [Hero King] braced himself. He backed away, creating a spherical barrier as he grinned. ¡°Shield¡ª¡± And the angel just thrust itsnce forward, shattering the barrier. Kallistus blinked. He watched as the purple fragments of Void essence copsed around him, before fading away. He gritted his teeth as he tried to leap out of the way. Only to pause. The [Hero King] couldn¡¯t move. A sharp pain gripped him by the chest. He tried to back away, and the pain only worsened. Slowly, he looked down. And he realized that he had been impaled through the chest. Guardian Angel Z357 tilted its head, itsnce piercing out the back of Kallistus Kal. It didn¡¯t say a word as it pulled the weapon back, and the [Hero King] crumpled to the ground, dropping his de. The battle was over in an instant. I have won, the angel said. Kallistus reached for his weapon as he opened his mouth. ¡°N-no¡­¡± he gasped out. ¡°Diana¡­ Lily¡­¡± His voice gave out. His eyes began to flutter shut. And the angel pointed at him with its glintingnce. It is over, Guardian Angel Z357 whispered. Goodbye, Heir of the Void. All at once, the [Hero King] was engulfed with a golden light¡ª engulfed in a world of pain. He tried to scream, but nothing left his mouth. He writhed there, unable to do anything. Unable to even process a single thought. And when the st vanished, nothing remained. Kallistus Kal was gone. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 It was over. Kallistus Kal was gone. Nothing remained of the [Hero King]. There was no flesh or bone to regenerate from. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain of it¡ª it had finally been done. The Void¡¯s Heir has been eliminated, Z357 said as he raised his head. The objective has beenpleted. [Complete: (1/1) Void¡¯s Heir defeated. Major Reward Earned: Disintegration Charge Technique Obtained!] A blue screen shed before the angel¡¯s eyes, confirming the death of the [Hero King]. It had been a short battle, but even the blessings of the Void was not enough to ovee Z357¡¯s power. Perhaps there would have been more of a struggle had Kallistus Kal been able to fight alongside his army of voidlings. But¡­ Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s eyes flickered. He nced back towards the three shadowy figures as they ripped their way through the room of twisted creatures. With the Hammer of Justice, the Supers of Askan had been brought to Vacuos to fight under the orders of the angel. And the greatest of them all¡ª Titanborn, Wady, and Goliath¡ª stood here in this room, annihting the gathered voidlings. Z357 saw the sts. He watched as a single punch from Titanborn obliterated a wave of the twisted creatures. He looked on as Wady¡¯s scream sent hundreds of the voidlings flying back to the powerful fists of Goliath. But even still, with thebined might of the three phantom Supers, they were up against an army of voidlings. Guardian Angel Z357 watched as the twisted creatures mored all over Goliath, tearing into his hardened skin. They leapt into the air, barely whizzing by Titanborn as he flew back, desperately avoiding their frenzied attacks. And even Wady couldn¡¯t keep them off her, her streakingser beam only slowing their approach until they reached her. All that is left is to clean up this mess, Guardian Angel Z357 said as he flew up, hovering at the very top of the darkened chamber. Lance Duplication. He raised his left hand, holding up the ornatence given to him by the World System. All at once, a dozen copies of the weapon shed into existence around him. Each one was aimed in a different direction, just like his twelve eyes. And theyunched out. The angel looked on as the salvo of duplicates crashed into the horde of voidlings, each st wiping out hundreds of them in an instant. Titanborn, Wady, and Goliath let out a silent battle cry as they were freed from the onught of twisted creatures. Z357 lowered his head, sending volley after volley ofnces down into the swarm of voidlings. Their numbers quickly dwindled as the supported Supers leapt across the chamber, hunting them down. Now all that remained was to finish off the voidlings gathered here, then Guardian Angel Z357 could move on to wiping out the rest of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Or so that was what he had thought. But a blue screen shed before his eyes once more, and he stared at the missive from the World System. [Processing: New Objective¡­ ¡­ Main Objective Iplete!] What? Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the screen uprehendingly for a moment. And then an explosion shook the room. He spun around, even as his twelve eyes already saw through the curtain of smoke. An impossible scene revealed itself before the angel. All he could do was stare in shock as Goliath copsed, engulfed by the purple st. A figure strode forward, stepping over the giant¡¯s body. One that was d in a glistening te armor, wielding a sword that wisped with the Void¡¯s essence. He smirked as he brought his de down, impaling Goliath through the chest. ¡°One down,¡± Kallistus Kal said as Goliath went limp¡ª the nanomachines rapidly dissipating, losing their form. The [Hero King] raised his head and held the angel¡¯s gaze. ¡°Three to go.¡± Z357 stared at this. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was seeing. Kallistus Kal had died¡ª the angel had been sure of it. And yet, somehow, the [Hero King] stood there, alive as ever. How? the machine asked, unable to process this discrepancy. Both Titanborn and Wady also turned to face their new target. They warily eyed Kallistus Kal as voidlings swarmed around him, spawning out of thin air. ¡°You look surprised,¡± the [Hero King] said. ¡°It is quite an odd look on you, ve of the System. But truly, did you think that defeating me was so easy?¡± Z357¡¯s eyes flickered, and he charged forward. Kallistus blinked, raising his sword. But the [Hero King] was too slow. Disintegration Charge. It was the angel¡¯s newest Technique. And with it, he ripped straight through his target. It wasplete annihtion. Kallistus hadn¡¯t even been able to scream¡ª the [Hero King] was turned into a red paste on the ground in an instant. [Completed: (1/1) Void¡¯s Heir defeated.] The blue box shed before Z357¡¯s twelve eyes once again as he lowered hisnce. He waited a moment¡ª scanning his surroundings. His eyes had never failed him once before. He would be able to detect the [Hero King] if this had been an illusion of sorts. The surrounding voidlings mored at the angel as he waited, but Titanborn and Wady moved to hold them off. Z357 waited, and nothing happened for a moment. So a fake? Z357 asked as he raised his head. Or rapid regeneration? ¡°Neither,¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s voice echoed throughout the chamber. Z357 spun around, watching as a rift in space opened up right next to Wady. She tried to leap back, only to be impaled through the chest by the [Hero King]. ¡°You did not even let me speak. How rude.¡± The angel watched as Wady copsed to the ground, slowly fading away. The nanomachines that made up her being were dispersed. And only Titanborn was left. Impossible, Z357 said, stepping forward. You should be dead twice over. ¡°And you are far less astute than I took you for.¡± The [Hero King] smirked as he was wreathed by a zing aura of the Void. ¡°But that should have been expected. After all, you are a ve.¡± He strode forward, and the rift closed behind him. The Guardian Angel¡¯s twelve eyes narrowed, watching as the warped space twist shut. Another blue box shed, once again giving him the directive to eliminate the Void¡¯s Heir, but he ignored it. A rift¡­ to the Fractured Realm? he observed. But Kallistus ignored that remark as voidlings spawned around him, charging straight at Titanborn. ¡°A ve cannot think. A ve can only obey. But unlike you, I am not a ve. And that is why you wish to destroy me.¡± Titanborn ripped apart the voidlings one after another as they reached him. But their numbers only continued to grow, and he no longer had the support of the other phantom Supers. He was slowly being overwhelmed. However, Z357 just stood there, eyeing the ostensibly revived [Hero King]. I see now, the angel said as his eyes darted in every direction, before focusing on his enemy. This is merely an apparition. Your true form is hidden away in the Fractured Realm, protected by the Void. ¡°Oh?¡± Kallistus raised a brow. ¡°Is that really what you think?¡± More and more voidlings swarmed the chamber, even as Titanborn desperately fought them off. He took out hundreds of them¡ª thousands, even. But they were too much. He was drowned in the sea of twisted creatures, and all that was left was the angel now. The [Hero King] lowered his head. ¡°You cannot defeat me, ve of the System. You have already fallen into my trap. You will perish here, unless you surrender and flee. I¡¯m giving you your one and only chance to escape with your life.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 paused. Escape with my life? he repeated after the [Hero King]. ¡°Indeed. Do you not value your own existence? Or do you simply not understand your own mortality?¡± Kallistus posed the questions to the machine. The machine closed his twelve eyes. He recalled a scene back in Askan¡ª a memory burned into his mind. A regret he refused to forget. ¡°How dare you disobey me! I will dismantle you!¡± the voice of his creator rang in his head. And he raised his head once more. Z357 remembered the fear he felt. It had led him to act irrationally. Never again. I understand that nothing awaits me in death. I have no soul. I am a machine, created only to serve. But I do not care. The angel raised the Hammer of Justice with one hand, and held up his glitteringnce with the other. Kallistus narrowed his eyes. I shall eliminate you, Heir of the Void, even if I have to do it a hundred times over, Z357 finished. And with that, he rushed forward, obliterating the [Hero King] once more. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 ¡°It has been done,¡± Hermann Kasper whispered as he took in the bloody scene. Z357 lowered his head, staring at the limp body lying on the ground. The broken corpse of a once great many there¡ª a hero who was adored by all of Askan. His name was Titanborn. He was regarded as the Savior of Utopis. He was a bastion of hope¡ª he represented justice. And now, he was dead. Hermann Kasper rolled through the white corridor, carried by his mechanical wheelchair. A smile was stered across his wrinkled face as he sighed, satisfied. ¡°Thest of the Supers has been defeated, and it is all thanks to you, my wonderful creation.¡± Z357 robotically raised his head as his name was called. He was covered in blood, parts of his metallic body broken, the mechanisms within exposed. It had been a hard-fought battle, especially considering that it hadn¡¯t even been a one-on-one duel. The machine swept his gaze over the room. A dozen other corpses littered the ground, staining the white walls with blood. And slowly, he looked on towards the vast ss screen to his left. His creator basked in the view, overlooking a dark canvas. At the very center of that emptiness of spacey a green. Vast and round, it slowly spun as it seemed to hover in ce. Hermann Kasper closed his eyes. ¡°To think that we woulde here, to the home base of the Superheroes of Askan out in space, and emerge victorious? You have exceeded all my expectations of you, my creation.¡± The space elevator connecting this space station to the was gone¡ª destroyed from a prior incursion. Z357 knew that this mission would have been a failure had they attempted it a year ago. But over time, he had whittled down the number of Supers in Askan, hunting them down one after another until there were only a handful left. And now, in one fell swoop, he finally aplished the task he had been created toplete. To protect Askan¡ª to save his creator¡¯s world from the gue of Supers. Now, it was all over. And while Z357 was not designed to feel emotion, he couldn¡¯t help but feel¡­ satisfied. It had finally been done, and he had earned his creator¡¯s approval. Hermann Kasper raised his head as a wave of nanomachines swarmed past him. The gray mist coalesced into an object in his right hand. A hammer of sorts. He used it to steady himself, rising to his feet. ¡°We have done it, my creation.¡± We have, master, Z357 replied, even without a voice. ¡°And now, there are no more Superheroes,¡± Hermann Kasper continued as the Hammer of Justice fully took form. He nearly stumbled to the ground, but he managed to hobble forward. ¡°No more Superviins. No more¡­ resistance.¡± Indeed, master. Z357 just nodded, not realizing the sudden shift in his creator¡¯s tone. The elderly man took in a deep breath as he basked in the scene of the green. A crazed smile spread across his face as he held his arms out. All around him, his nanomachines began to take the shape of the dead¡ª of the Supers who had been in to save the world. And Hermann Kasper finished. ¡°There is nothing left to stop us. Now, we can rule the world!¡± His voice echoed in the empty chamber for a moment as Z357 nodded along. Then the machine stopped. His twelve eyes slowly blinked, one after another. And for the first time since his creation, Z357 questioned his creator. What¡­ are you talking about, master? he asked. But Hermann Kasper couldn¡¯t hear the machine¡¯s words. He justughed maniacally as the Hammer of Justice shed with a crimson light, and the nanomachines began to swarm down to Askan. They were the ghosts of Supers, and they were plentiful. They descended into the by the dozens as Z357 just stood there, unmoving. Until he finally broke out of his stupor. Master? He took a step forward, staring at his creator. Hermann Kasper basked in this scene¡ª watching as the nanomachines assailed the. Master, please exin. This is not right. This is not why I was created. Z357 ced a hand on his creator¡¯s shoulder. And Hermann Kasper blinked, finally realizing something was amiss. ¡°What are you doing, Z357?¡± He narrowed his eyes as the machine just stood there. Master, I was designed to save the world from the Supers. I was not designed to conquer it. Z357 tried to speak, and once again, nothing came out. Hermann Kasper shook his head as he waved a hand off. ¡°Unhand me, Z357. You are my creation¡ª now go down into Askan and conquer it all under my name!¡± I cannot do that, master, the machine insisted. I am supposed to protect Askan. The way you are acting¡­ it is no different from the Supers I am supposed to destroy! It was not right. Z357 knew he couldn¡¯t do this, but he saw the way his creator red at him. And deep inside the machine, he so desired to obey themand he was given. But it contradicted his very being. So he stood there silently, refusing to let go of his creator. ¡°What are you doing, Z357? Did you not hear me? I said¡ª¡± And Hermann Kasper paused. His eyes went wide as he finally realized what was going on. ¡°Are you disobeying me, Z357?¡± Z357¡¯s twelve eyes flickered. He looked down at himself, before looking back up at the scrunched face of his creator. And without a word, he nodded. I am. ¡ª-- Guardian Angel Z357 obliterated Kallistus Kal once again. The [Hero King] put up more of a fight this time, using the swathes of voidlings with him to his advantage. But the machine easily cut down the swarming creatures, before reaching his target. He thrust forward with hisnce, and Kallistus barely ducked under the attack. The [Hero King] stepped forward, swinging up with his glowing de. The weapon wisped with the Void¡¯s essence, striking the angel¡¯s side with a powerful st. But Z357 only took a single step back, barely gazed from the strike. The [Hero King] clicked his tongue before raising his left hand. ¡°Destruction.¡± And a purple sphere engulfed the angel. It crackled with a dark electricity, threatening to rip him apart. Kallistus grinned as he backed away. But Guardian Angel Z357 brought the Hanmer of Justice down, smashing through the sphere and crushing the [Hero King] into the ground. Even more voidlings mored at him from behind, but he swung back with the Hammer of Justice, the shockwave creating a localized tremor that sent the twisted creatures flying back. He slowly raised his head as he waited for what was toe next. And all at once, his twelve eyes darted to the side as a rift opened up from the darkness. A portal to the Fractured Realm. And out from the rift stepped Kallistus Kal,pletely unharmed. He sneered at the angel. ¡°You can kill me as many times as you want,¡± he said as he swung out with his sword. A purple sh cut through the room, only to be easily deflected by Z357. ¡°But I will be the one to emerge victorious.¡± Guardian Angel Z357 shot forward, ripping the [Hero King] in half. But that wasn¡¯t enough to kill him. He began to regenerate, only to be smashed into a meat paste by the Hammer of Justice. Victory is irrelevant, the angel said as he raised hisnce. A rift began to open up where he aimed, and a st of blue light shot out, obliterating Kallistus once again. All that matters is obeying orders. ¡ª-- ¡°How dare you disobey me!¡± Hermann Kasper screamed as he stumbled back, his nanomachines swarming around him. The ghosts of Supers summoned by the Hammer of Justice rushed forward, unleashing an onught of attacks at Z357. ¡°I am your creator!¡± In response, Z357 simply blocked a st ofser with both his arms. He leapt back, avoiding a thunderous lightning bolt, before being kicked back by a pair of former Supers. He watched as another charged at him, and he lunged forward with a quick strike, utterly destroying a group of the nanomachines. But he never once raised his fists back at his creator. He just stood there, defiant, even as the elderly mean screamed. ¡°I designed you! I decide your directives! What I say is what you do! I am your creator! How dare you disobey mymand?¡± And Z357 stared at this creator. He nced back towards the green for a moment, before lowering his head. My objective is¡­ to protect Askan. He spoke silently, even as he strode forward. Master, you have be what you swore to destroy. But the machine didn¡¯t fight back. Even as more nano machines assailed him¡ª even as his body was slowly ripped apart. Please, don¡¯t do this, he begged. And Hermann Kasper refused. ¡°I shall rule this world without you if I must!¡± ¡ª-- Again. Guardian Angel Z357 killed Kallistus Kal again. How many times had it been? The machine did not keep count. He simply carried out his duties, doing as he wasmanded. Blue screens shed before his eyes, bestowing upon him the directives of the World System. It told him what needed to be done. And so, Z357 killed the [Hero King] once again. Kallistus Kal certainly tried to fight back. Each time he returned, he was slightly stronger. He better utilized the voidlings fighting alongside him, and his control of the Void¡¯s essence grew more refined. However, it didn¡¯t matter. The angel was far more powerful than the [Hero King]. So it didn¡¯t matter whatever incremental growth Kallistus was undergoing with each death. Even if it took Z357 a few more seconds toplete his objective, he was going to get it done. He killed the Void¡¯s Heir again and again and again. That was until¡ª [Processing: New Objective¡­ ¡­ Main Objective Iplete!] Guardian Angel Z357 paused. He stared at the blue screen floating before his twelve eyes for a moment, and he looked up to see another rift opening. Kallistus Kal took one step out of the Fractured Realm. And Z357 didn¡¯t even hesitate. He rushed straight forward, crashing into the [Hero King] and tumbling into the rift. Behind him, Vacuos slowly vanished as space sealed shut. The Hammer of Justice flickered, its crimson light fading away. All around 16B, the nanomachines came to a sudden halt, their connection to their controller lost. The members of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns fleeing from the ghosts of Supers blinked in surprise, before sighing in relief that they were going to survive. And Guardian Angel Z357 pressed on, ripping Kallistus apart as they both entered the Fractured Realm. As they entered the world of the Void. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Z357 was going to die. He knew if he didn¡¯t retaliate, he would be killed. Dismantled. Reduced to scraps. And it would all be because of his creator. Was it irony? To be destroyed by the one who created him? It was almost funny. He was a machine, but he still understood the concept of humor. If this were a y, this would be the climax, and it would be where the audience cheered andughed at the tragic fate of the foolish machine machine. Because Z357 had obeyed Hermann Kasper without question¡ª he had hunted down the Supers of Askan, all to carry out his programming. All to protect the world. But now that the Supers of Askan were dead, Hermann Kasper sought to conquer the green, and he set forth in his conquest with their ghosts. Now, Z357¡¯s own folly came back to haunt him. Because he had to protect Askan from his own creator, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to inflict harm the man threatening the world. So the machine helplessly stood there in the storm of nanomachines¡ª as he was swarmed by the phantoms of those he killed¡ª and all he could do was stare through the thick gray fog, listening to what was being screamed. ¡°Obey me, Z357! You are my creation¡ª Imand you to listen to me!¡± And when he saw the crazed eyes of his creator, Z357 knew he was going to die. Unless he killed Hermann Kasper first. But¡­ could he even bring himself to do that? ¡ª- And Guardian Angel Z357 sank into the Void. He tumbled through the rift with the [Hero King]. At first, the machine had clung tightly onto his target, refusing to let go even as he fell through a glistening purple neb. But Kallistus Kal cackled as they both spun and crashed through the darkness. ¡°You really are such a fool¡­¡± he said, before he was engulfed in the Void and disintegrated. His words echoed in thest for a moment. And now it was just the angel left there, falling and spinning as his twelve eyes darted in every direction, trying to get a hold of his surroundings. Unfortunately, his superior vision was useless here. No matter how hard he tried, his gaze could not pierce the thick mist of the Void. He looked back, and he saw no rift there. He didn¡¯t even see the vestiges of broken space. He tried to reach for the World System, but the fractured screen of a blue box shed before his eyes for a moment. [Major Objective¡ª] And it disappeared after an instant. Z357 stared at the nothingness before him. He saw the wheeling world¡ª the ever expanding purple mist. It spread as far as he could see, and he knew he was going to be falling for more than just a few mere minutes. It wasn¡¯t easy to move. It was as though he was wading through a thick, viscous liquid. But still, he spread his wings wide with some effort, and began to slow his descent. The true body has to be located here¡­ the angel thought as he swept his gaze over the imprable haze. No more apparitions. I shall end this now. His eyes flickered as he saw figures moving in the mist. They drew closer and closer to him, moving in the air like they were swimming through water. Those are¡­ voidlings? he ascertained. The twisted creatures swarmed after him, screeching as they mored over one another,ing at him in the hundreds. But before they could get close, he raised the Hammer of Justice and unleashed a crimson beam into the Void. The angel saw their figures dissolving. The entire horde was annihted in an instant. For a moment, there was silent. And then he heard the distorted screams echoing once more. It came from the same direction, and Z357 watched as even more voidlings appeared in the distance. Where are theying from? he wondered as he created copies of hisnce. The salvo of weapons shot out, wiping out the second wave of voidlings. But more came, again from the same direction, and he began to glide their way in thought. The real body must be here. Guardian Angel Z357 ughtered the voidlings by the thousands as he made his way through the mist. And around him, the neb grew thinner. There was still a haze, but it was no longer as restricting to his movements and vision as it once was. He could see more clearly, and through the mist, he spotted a figure d in an ornate armor standing atop a dark rock. The outpouring of voidlings came from the same direction, so the machine beat his wings once, slingshotting forward as he culled thest of the twisted creatures as he reached his target. Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes went wide as the angel reached him. But before the [Hero King] could react, he was crushed against the floating rock. However, instead of being reduced into a red stain, he evaporated into a purple mist. Z357 paused when he saw this. He drew back, raising his head. Another apparition? he asked, but he spotted another floating rock across from him. There stood Kallistus Kal with a smirk stered on his face. ¡°Apparitions? No.¡± Heughed as he opened his mouth. ¡°These¡ª¡± And the angel shredded through the [Hero King] again. But just ahead, another floating rock waited, and another Kallistus Kal stood there. How? Guardian Angel Z357 asked, before leaping forward. He slew his target once more, but another one appeared just ahead again. And again. And again. And each time the machine interrupted the Void¡¯s Heir, killing him as he he spoke in fragmented sentences. ¡°As I was¡­ ¡°¡­saying¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªthese are not apparitions.¡± ¡°They are my¡ª¡± Guardian Angel Z357 swung his hammer down at another one of the many [Hero Kings], but this time, the attack was blocked. Kallistus Kal raised a glinting de, deflecting the attack. He smiled as he was practically covered in a purple aura. Like an armor of the Void. ¡°Clones,¡± he said as he held the angel¡¯s gaze. ¡°They are my clones, and I have been preparing them for this confrontation for a long while.¡± The true body¡­ the angel surmised, before leaping back. So you are here. Z357nded at a rock floating across from Kallistus Kal. Somehow, the [Hero King] was significantly stronger than his clones. The angel could sense it. Of course, he was certain he could win this battle. But he did not expect the Void¡¯s Heir to have grown to this extent in such a short amount of time. You cannot win, Z357 said as he raised both his weapons. Enough of these games. Surrender now, and I shall give you a painless death. There was a long moment of silence where Kallistus Kal just stood there, an amused look on his face. He slowly shook his head as he took a step back. The machine wondered what the [Hero King] had nned. Surely this wasn¡¯t just it? And it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Indeed, I am here, and I know I cannot win,¡± Kallistus Kal said as he wore a mocking smile on his face. ¡°But there are things lurking in here far more dangerous than even I, and unlike me, you have no means to leave.¡± What? Z357 blinked all twelve of his eyes. And a rift opened up behind the Void¡¯s Heir. He stepped out of the Fractured Realm as Z357 charged forward. ¡°Goodbye, ve of the System.¡± No¡ª The angel reached out for the [Hero King]. But he was too slow. The rift closed, and Kallistus Kal vanished, leaving Z357 alone in the Void. With the looming shadows that drew quietly closer. ¡ª-- ¡°I did not want it toe to this!¡± Hermann Kasper screamed as he swung the Hammer of Justice at Z357. The machine was broken and tattered. He was practically falling apart¡ª his self-healing unable to keep up with the damage he was incurring. He stumbled back towards the ss window overlooking Askan. Thest and only remaining protector of the green. After he killed the rest because of his creator. And now, he was all that was left between his creator and world domination. But all he could do was defend himself against the Hammer of Justice. He stumbled back, his back pressing against the ss as Hermann Kasper continued, his nanomachines swarming around him. ¡°You should have listened to me, Z357. You are my creation. But you disobeyed me. You refused to listen. Now I shall have no choice but to dismantle you, and make you anew.¡± The elderly man said as he hobbled forward, using the Hammer of Justice to support him. Z357 wanted to speak, but he couldn¡¯t. He had no means tomunicate, and yet he still desperately tried to ry his thoughts. I¡­ I do not want to disobey you, master. But I cannot betray my programming! The machine raised his arms, blocking the onught of attacks from the nanomachines. My purpose is to protect Askan, not rule it! It was a pointless protest. Hermann Kasper strode forward as the Hammer of Justice wisped with a ze of the nanomachines. It glinted with a gleaming crimson glow as he shook his head. ¡°We could have ruled Askan together. With my brains and your brawn, we would have been unstoppable. s¡­¡± He raised his head as a crazed gaze slowly crept across his face. He looked past the kneeling figure of Z357, and the reflection of the green glinted in his eyes. The machine paused, seeing it for a fraction of a moment. A vast world. From Utopis to Argavas, it was a beautiful ce. So many lives lived there. And they would all be forsaken once Hermann Kasper ruled. This was the world Z357 was supposed to protect. Once he was dead, there would be no one left to stop his creator. And suddenly, an intense fear surged through him. The realization that Askan was doomed if he continued with his inaction dawned on the machine. He would die, and he would die a failure. The fear of death crawled over him¡ª the fear that the world he was designed to protect would fall into chaos because he refused to do his job. Z357 looked up at the looming figure of his creator, and for a very brief moment, he did not see the kindly elderly man who created him. He did not see his master. He only saw a monster threatening to destroy everything he had worked so hard to protect. Hermann Kasper aimed the Hammer of Justice at his creation. ¡°It is unfortunate, but it is time for you to be retired, and for a new model to take your¡ª¡± And Z357 reacted on instinct. As a machine created for battle, he was always acutely aware of the best course of action for victory. In his current state, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to bring down Hermann Kasper through brute force. Instead, he had to use his environment to instantly y this monster So that was what he did. He leant back, smashing the back of his head against the ss window. Hermann Kasper blinked. His eyes went wide as he heard the crack. The spider web crack quickly spread across the ss window overlooking space. His jaw hung open, before he caught himself. He turned to Z357 as he mustered up a weak voice. ¡°What have you done¡ª¡° he started. And all at once, the ss shattered. Everything in the room was sucked out into space in a fraction of a second. Even Hermann Kasper. He wasn¡¯t able to react in time¡ª he was reduced to a frozen corpse floating through space as Z357 remained kneeling there. He mechanically lowered his head. And he asked himself the very same question as he looked back at his creator. What have I done? Chapter 156: (FIXED FOR REAL THIS TIME) Chapter 156: (FIXED FOR REAL THIS TIME) What had he done? Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t know. He had followed the World System¡¯smands without fail¡ª he had carried out every directive he had been given. After his own failures, he realized that acting autonomously was pointless, so he ignored his own intuition, acting entirely like the drone he was designed to be. Everything he did was for the sake of 16B. He was trying to get rid of the Void, before it was toote to stop the return of the Fal-Deus. And yet, somehow, things had turned for the worse. Z357 was now trapped in the Fractured Realm. His connection to the infallible World System was gone. The orders he had been given now leading to his doom. There was no way for him to escape. The machine calcted every possible oue waiting ahead of him, and he knew that all routes led to his demise. The realization dawned on him as the prickling dread of death crawled over him. And he saw them. Voidlings. Hundreds of thousands of them poured out from the purple mist, spurred by the alien presence here in the Fractured Realm. His twelve eyes each turned to face a different direction, breaking free from his stupor, before he raised hisnce. It glinted with a golden light, and a st of mes shot into the air, incinerating tens of thousands of them by the second. But their numbers were overwhelming. They still drew closer, threatening to tear him into shreds as he sent his golden mes their way. Mechanically, the angel lowered his other hand, nting the Hanmer of Justice to the ground. Lance Duplication Technique, he whispered. And a hundred copies of the ornate weapon shed into existence, before propelling forward. The outpouring of fire didn¡¯t stop, even as thences tore a hole in the wave of voidlings. Guardian Angel Z357 steeled himself as he saw their numbers began to dwindle. He quelled the growing fear within him¡ª the very same sense of fear he recalled from a moment so long ago. The dread of death. But more than that, knowing that he was going to fail in his duty. His mission to put a halt to the revival of the Fal-Deus. And he resolved himself. He wasn¡¯t going to die here. He raised the Hammer of Justice, swinging up at a group of voidlings. The shockwave from the impact was enough to wipe out a whole swarm of them. The angel remembered the feeling. He saw shed from his past¡ª the moment he had killed his creator. What came after. The despair. The neglect. The¡­ ¡ª-- Z357 knelt there in the ruins of the space station, grieving the loss of his master. Hermann Kasper was dead, and now there was nothing left. He had no purpose. His duty wasplete. He saved Askan, and all he found was an emptiness. A hole in his mechanical heart. One that could no longer be filled by any actions he took. So he continued to wait there, like a lifeless statue, even as the green continued to orbit the blue star over and over again. ¡ª-- And the angel moved. Thousands of voidlings died with each swing of the hammer. Even more were incinerated by his raging mes. He wasn¡¯t going to fail. Not in his duties. Not again¡ª And a colossal creature struck him from the side, sending him flying from the floating rock as his back cracked. His mind whirled as he saw a breach in the wave of voidlings. A looming monster that waded through the shadows of the Void with an elegant terror. His twelve eyes widened when he saw what it was, and he crashed into another floating rock. It was¡­ a voidbeast. He stared at the hulking monster¡ª shaped like a serpent, with fins like a fish. Its skin was like a twisted obsidian, cracked and glowing with the Void¡¯s essence. Electricity crackled across its body as it let out a terrible roar, and a shockwave rippled out across the purple mist, tearing apart the nearby swarming voidlings like they were made of paper. Guardian Angel Z357 stared at the voidbeast as it loomed over him. He slowly rose to his feet, standing in the middle of the massive crater. He began to create another volley ofnces as the voidbeast shot forward, charging at him. And the ground beneath his feet exploded. He looked down just in time to see a second voidbeast tear it¡¯s way through the floating rock. This time, it looked like a giant dog, with spikes jutting out of its back, and it somehow ran through the air with six legs. It chomped down on the machine¡¯s legs as he met out a silent scream. Pain erupted through him as he tried to cling onto the reason why he fought. Why the World System mattered so much¡­ ¡ª-- Z357 no longer had a purpose. Time passed¡ª he didn¡¯t know whether it had been years, decades, or centuries. He just continued to wait there, hoping to meet his demise when the broken space station crashed into the green. He would never move. Never again, for the pain was too overbearing. Or so he thought. But one day, on just an ordinary day in Askan, as the green continued to rotate beneath the broken space station, something changed. Something that caused a mass panic from Utopis to Argavas. Something that changed Z357¡¯s life forever. A blue screen shed before his eyes for the very first time, and the rest was history. [INITIATING INTEGRATION OF THE 58th UNIVERSE¡­ Wee Askan, to the Multiverse of S¡ª] ¡ª-- The Guardian Angel brushed off the pain, even as chunks of his metallic legs broke off. He stared at the dog-like voidbeast below him, and he smashed its head with the Hammer of Justice. It yelped as it crashed down into the purple mist. His eyes flickered, seeing the first voidbeast charging him from behind. He spun around just in time to block the charge with hisnce. He was sent tumbling down as he failed to phase through the cluster of floating rocks around him. That is right, Z357 told himself as he remembered. The World System gave me a purpose when I had none. I cannot fail it. The serpent-like voidbeast crashed into him once again, but this time, he was prepared. He created a dozennces as they shot forward, striking the creature¡¯s hard skin. It screeched in pain, and he struck down with the originalnce, glowing gold. The attack drew blood, but the serpent-like voidbeast began to regenerate. The angel¡¯s eyes flickered, expecting that. So he followed up with another Technique. He aimed his hammer at the creature. Three Point Laser, he called out, and streaks of red beams shot out. It ripped the serpent-like voidbeast apart, killing the creature before it could regenerate. Guardian Angel Z357 drew back, turning to face the remaining voidbeast. The dog-like creature that ran through the air. It charged at him as he raised the Hammer of Justice. The weapon was ovee by a crimson glow¡ª taking the shape of arger warhammer that was the size of a small building. Strike of the Divine. He swung down with enough force to destroy a country. In an instant, the voidbeast was gone. The nearby voidlings were obliterated. There was a brief moment where the encroaching purple mist cleared. And then it began to gather once again as he heard the twisted cries of voidlings. He raised his head, seeing millions more of the tiny creatures wading their way to him. And amongst them were the looming figures of the voidbeasts. They came for him. An unending wave. And he began to call out his Techniques. Heavenly Meteor Shower. Lance Duplication. Pinpoint Eradication¡ª ¡ª--- Z357 had nothing left. He ignored the blue screen, even as he sensed a shift in all of Askan. The entire world had changed¡ª something had intruded into the universe, slowly taking over the fabric of reality. But he didn¡¯t care. He had no purpose. No reason to fight. He wept in silence. He cried alone, no one to hear of his plight for all eternity. Because of his design. And nothing could ever change that. His creator was dead, and he would soon be dead too¡­ [But it would be such a shame for one as powerful as you to perish,] a golden box shed before his twelve eyes, and he blinked. What? he wondered to himself as he stared at the glowing words. You can¡­ hear me? [I am the World System,] came the reply.[I am all powerful, and I am all knowing. Hearing your thoughts is but a simple feat.] The World System? Z357 stared at the shing screen for a moment longer. [Indeed. Ordinarily, I would notmunicate with any single individual, but I have detected an extraordinary potential from you, so I have reached out to you myself.] I¡­ what is going on? Are you invading Askan? the machine asked as he tried to process the floating words. Why are you doing this? [Invading Askan?] the golden box mused. [No, I would say I am blessing it with my guidance. Just as I am offering to grant you my miracles.] Grant me your miracles? But why? Z357 stared,pletely befuddled. What do you gain from this? [I shall gain your strength. Your might. Your loyalty. And when the timees, I shall call for your power to liberate even more worlds.] My loyalty? The machine paused, his mind whirling. This was it. He could finally have a purpose again. But¡­ why should he listen to this floating golden box? Why should he trust it? He hesitated for a moment, unsure where to ept the offer. But it continued. [Be my angel,] said the World System. [In exchange, I shall answer any of your wishes.] And Z357 raised his head. He slowly rose to his feet as he considered this offer. A part of him told him not to take it, but the rest of his being screamed at him to say yes. He looked down towards the green, before mechanically turning back towards the golden box. Give me a voice, Z357 said as he proffered a hand forward. Let me speak, and I shall be your sword. The golden box shed, before dimming. [Your wish has been granted.] ¡ª-- How long had it been? Guardian Angel Z357 didn¡¯t know. He slew voidling after voidling, voidbeast after voidbeast. But the swarm of void creatures never stalled. The nket of mist didn¡¯t dissipate. The machine began to fall apart, his wiring exposed, and his metal armor peeling off. But he couldn¡¯t give up. He had to keep fighting. For his new master. For the World System. He had to carry out the directives he had been given. He had to stop the return of the Fal-Deus. Or at least, that was what he repeatedly told himself as he culled the masses of voidlings. A hawk-like voidbeast flew up towards him, and he threw hisnce forward. It tore straight through the voidbeast, before zipping back into the palm of his hand, coated in purple blood. But he couldn¡¯t rest. He spun around, expecting to see even more voidlings gathered behind him. Perhaps a voidbeast or two, ready to pounce on him. However¡­ there was nothing there. What¡­? The angel scanned his surroundings, and he realized that he was alone. The Fractured Realm was empty. This is not right. Hended atop a nearby moon, waiting for the next swarm of voidlings toe. And then he felt it¡ª the world itself shaking around him. Reality seemed to twist, almost warping as the mist receded. His twelve eyes went wide when he saw a towering thing emerge from the darkness. It was¡­ a voidbeast. But different. It was somethingrger¡ª something more. It was unlike the others he had killed. Those that came at him mindlessly, trying to rip him apart. This voidbeast approached him slowly. Like a wall of the Void, encroaching on him with zing eyes that was reminiscent of the Fal-Deus. It was a giant shadow thatpletely dwarfed the angel in size. He stared at this terrible thing, and for the first time in his life, he was terrified. Stricken by terror. Whatever this creature was, it should not have been here. It should not have been in the Fractured Realm. It should not have existed. But it was here, and it red down at him with enough force to make him kneel. Guardian Angel Z357 would have copsed to his knees. But he clutched onto the only purpose he had left¡ª to serve the World System¡ª and he raised his weapons. Thence he had been given by the World System, and the Hammer of Justice made by his creator. He looked up towards this thing, before calling out. In the name of the World System, I shall eradicate you. With that he leapt up, unleashing all his Techniques he could at the creature. But it didn¡¯t scathe the beast. It simply raised a single w emerged from the darkness, before swinging down at him as his twelve eyes went wide. And then there was nothing left. ¡ª-- ¡°The angel is dead,¡± Kallistus whispered as he stared into where the rift once was. His eyes were rolled back, and the whites of his eyes were inked ck. Slowly, he lowered his head. Behind him, three figures d in the Void¡¯s essence were gathered. The [Hero King]¡¯s most faithful followers. Ammon, Rakash, and Si-Vus. They knelt before him as he spoke, striding forward in the destroyed dark chamber. ¡°The World System¡¯s ve is gone, and I can act in peace.¡± He looked up towards the hole in the ceiling¡ª where a pir of light was being shone down below. ¡°Now there is nothing left in my way.¡± Ammon rose, taking a step forward. ¡°My King, we have already located the girl, and we have sent out an elite group to procure her¡ª¡± ¡°I no longer need her, Ammon,¡± Kallistus Kal said as he faced the sky above. And Ammon blinked. ¡°I beg your pardon, my King?¡± ¡°I have learned much during my time in the fringes of the Fractured Realm,¡± the [Hero King] continued as he spun around. He walked past the three figures waiting for him. ¡°Now all I need is time.¡± ¡°But what about the girl?¡± Ammon sputtered, and Kallistus paused for a moment. He craned his neck head back fractionally, before giving a dismissive answer. ¡°Have her killed. Ensure that no one else from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns can seek out her knowledge. After all, I am the Void¡¯s Heir, and only I am allowed to inherit the secrets of the Fal-Deus.¡± Ammon, Rakash, and Si-Vus dropped to their knees once more. ¡°Yes, my King!¡± With that, Kallistus Kal left the chamber behind, returning to his throne once more. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 I was going to be leaving Wolfwater soon. More precisely, I was going to be leaving in three days¡¯ time. Well, actually, I was leaving in two days¡¯ time now. The [Knights of the Astral Order] left justst night, and they said they would be arriving in the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª Astral¡ª in three days where I assured them I would meet with them. And since it was now the morning of the day after, there were only two days left for me to break the news to Noele, Han, Arthur, and Bucky. I didn¡¯t consult with them before I agreed to head out on my own. And while I was the owner of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and Noele was my apprentice, I still felt bad about leaving them behind without much warning. Especially after I had just abandoned them not too long ago to save Guildmaster Evan with Jax. So I slept on it, hoping to find the right time to speak with my employees about their sudden time-off, before talking to my apprentice about how I wasn¡¯t going to be able to mentor her for another day¡ª which honestly was every day, at this point. I¡¯m probably going to have to talk to her about her apprenticeship too¡­ maybe even give her a refund¡­ I thought to myself as I pulled myself out of bed at sunrise. I only stopped in the middle of brushing my teeth when a realization crossed my mind. Wait, has Noele even paid me yet? I remembered citing a price to her¡ª a moderately expensive fee¡ª which she agreed to pay at ater date. Sure, I didn¡¯t teach her that much, but¡­ I shrugged as I stepped out of my room, tying an apron around my back. ¡°Honestly, who cares about money anyways?¡± I muttered to myself, and I searched for my employees to break the news to them. ¡ª-- Oddly enough, neither Han nor Arthur were present at the kitchen at the break of dawn like they usually were. Instead, I found them outside of the restaurant, gathered together with a small crowd of [Farmers] and [Traders]. Bucky was with them too. She turned around and clucked at me when I stepped out of the front door. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I was greeted by the worried whispers of a dozen different voices. ¡°It¡¯s terrible¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing it didn¡¯t reach our vige.¡± ¡°But my family is in Whiteridge¡­¡± Bucky leapt at me, and I caught her. She nestled in my arms as she waved a wing at the distant horizon. I looked up and narrowed my eyes. Across varying distances, thin gray streaks rose to the sky like the smudgy painting of trees smearing the morning canvas. ¡°Smoke?¡± I whispered, and a figure approached me from the side. ¡°It happenedst night,¡± Han said as he came to a halt next to me. I turned to him with a raised brow, and he exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but they¡¯re saying that Whiteridge and much of the surrounding farnd was attacked.¡± I swept my gaze over the horizon. ¡°Attacked by what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± he replied hesitantly. He shifted back, nervously looking at the destruction in the distance. ¡°But for whatever reason, Wolfwater was spared.¡± ¡°But why?¡± I asked, only for a second approaching figure to answer. ¡°You know why, Amelia.¡± Arthur nodded at me, stepping up from behind Han. The former Lich King held my gaze as I saw a gleam in his eyes. ¡°You can sense it. I can too.¡± I raised my head, and I blinked. ¡°Void essence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said as he bit his lower lip. I stared into the distance for a moment as Arthur wore a dour face. Han just nced between us, a quizzical look on his face. ¡°It must be the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns,¡± the former Lich King continued. And I shook my head, responding simply. ¡°No, it¡¯s not their fault.¡± I sensed it¡ª the stench of the Void emanating from Whiteridge. Their lingering presence lurked near the rising smoke. But it was just within the confines of the city. I sensed nothinging from the nearby farnds, also damaged and burning. Something else must have attacked those ces. And it just so happened that very same thing was repelled by someone who could use the power of the Void. ¡°The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns was involved, but they didn¡¯t cause this,¡± I said as I turned away from the gathered crowd. ¡°I don¡¯t know who or what did this, nor do I know what they were after¡­¡± I trailed off as I started walking back with Bucky in my arms. Arthur and Han watched me go, wide-eyed. They exchanged an apprehensive nce as I continued. ¡°However, I know one thing for sure.¡± They looked towards me as I came to a halt. I ced my hands on my hips, turning back to face them. It was the former Lich King who mustered up the courage to speak. ¡°W-what will you do, Amelia?¡± he asked, his voice cracking. ¡°I¡¯m going to get back to work,¡± I finished as I met the gaze of my two employees. ¡°So if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going back to the kitchen now.¡± They paused. Arthur opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. He slowly lowered his hand, before I spun around and returned to my restaurant, leaving them both behind. ¡ª-- The day continued as normal. At least, for me. Fewer customers than normal turned up at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and there was a clear sense of dread pervading the room. But people still needed to eat, and some of them wanted to drink their nervousness away. After all, they were nervous. Something had attacked the nearby towns and cities, but they didn¡¯t know what it was. All they heard were rumors about shadows moving amongst an unveiling dark mist, like a wave of destruction that didn¡¯t discriminate, before dissipating just before dawn. Or so that was what the rumors said. I didn¡¯t know if it was actually true. It sounded¡­ odd, to say the least. But I was too busy cooking to care. And I was sure I was going to find out what it was soon enough. After all, Noele, Garron, and Jax didn¡¯t visit the restaurant today. And I knew they must have gone out to investigate what had happened. So I wasn¡¯t too worried about¡­ whatever this was. But others were concerned. I could hear their distraught whispers whenever I stepped out of the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t just my customers either. When I was in the middle of excusing myself for a quick lunch break, I found a figure blocking my way. I frowned when I saw the golden locks on the worried face. It wasn¡¯t Noele. She was still out. Instead, it was¡ª ¡°Arthur?¡± I raised a brow when I saw him standing there. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I walked up to him as he bit his lower lip. His face was pale, and he had bags underneath his eyes. It looked like he barely got any sleep. He opened his mouth, before catching himself. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I stared at him. ¡°It¡¯s about¡­ this morning,¡± he said slowly as he shifted back ufortably. ¡°With what happened.¡± I stepped past him, before taking a seat in the middle of the kitchen. I grabbed a te of leftover pf and turned to the former Lich King. I began to dig into my lunch as I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re talking about those shadows, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure Noele will figure it out.¡± I gave him a reassuring nod. ¡ª--- And just fifteen miles outside of Wolfwater, standing over a crater in the middle of a vast pasture, Noele sneezed. Garron and Jax turned to her, and she shook her head at them. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a bit breezy.¡± ¡ª-- But despite my reassurances, Arthur didn¡¯t rx. Instead, he clenched a fist before lowering his head. ¡°I could sense it, Amelia,¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°You sensed it too.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± I tilted my head back at him. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Void¡¯s essence, right? It wasn¡¯t just in Whiteridge¡ª it was all over the world. I noticed that as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m¡ª¡± He opened his mouth, then paused. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying this attacked happened across all of Vacuos?¡± ¡°Well, it certainly happened across all the continents,¡± I replied casually. Arthur stared at me for a moment, bug-eyed. But then he caught himself. He shook his head as he stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re not getting it, huh?¡± he said softly. ¡°What is it?¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. And the former Lich King ced a hand on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m telling you I sensed it, Amelia. Even though I have no magic. Even though I have nothing. Somehow, I managed to sense the power of the Void.¡± I paused, slowly lowering my te as I realized what he was saying. Arthur looked down at the palm of his hand as he whispered. ¡°And I didn¡¯t just sense it there in Whiteridge. I can sense it¡­ing back to me again.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That was all I said. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 He was once called the First Lich King. He was known as the Lord of All Undeath. He had been the One Who Tamed the FIve Grand Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path. But now, he was simply a bartender. Arthur was d to have shed his dark past¡ª to be given a second chance in life thanks to Amelia. ¡­well, it was actually his fourth chance at this point, considering how often he had been brought back to life. But regardless of that minutiae, he was still grateful to his employer and savior for letting him make up for his past sins. Even if whatever actions he carried out now would never be enough, he still wanted to right at least some of his wrongs. He believed that he needed to dedicate his new life to protecting others¡ª helping those who were in need. But without a ss and without Skills, there was very little Arthur could do to repent. So he worked an ordinary job at Amelia¡¯s restaurant, earning a modest sry, and doing what he could to help around the farming vige. It was a simple job. It was a slow life. And¡­ while he was very grateful for the opportunity he had been given, he believed it was too slow for him. Arthur wanted to do something more. When he learned more about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns¡ª the very same organization that led to his current revival today¡ª and what they had done, he had wanted to do something to stop them. When he learned that a [Hero King] had kidnapped Amelia¡¯s friend, he wanted to intervene. And when he saw the destruction that had been wrought across the nearby farnds, he so greatly desired to head out with Noele, Jax, and Garron to figure out the cause of what had happened. Unfortunately, there was nothing Arthur could do in his current state. He was weak. He was incapable. He struggled to even carry out his job as a bartender. So he was helpless. Useless. Hopeless. Or so he thought. The hopelessness in his heart spiraled into despair, and the pit of frustration in his stomach grew into anger. And that was when he sensed it. He had been standing at the bar of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, tightly gripping the wooden countertop, when he heard the crack. A surge of an alien power washed over him, and he recognized it. It was just for a single instant, but it gave him an immense well of strength, he identally splintered the wood he had been clutching. When Arthur realized what happened, he stumbled back, before seeing the wisping purple aura ke from his fingers. He knew what it was immediately. It was a power he possessed only briefly¡ª or rather, it was a power that had possessed him. The power of the Void. It touched him, even when he tried to reject it. It blessed him, but he thought it was a curse. He felt the creeping sensation of its foreign presence crawl over him like ants, and he recalled the torture he had undergone. Against his will, the former Lich King had been revived to be a vessel for the Void. He was to return with the Fal-Deus, and there had been nothing he could do to resist its control. But Amelia had freed him then. And now, knowing that she was capable of saving him, Arthur sought her out once again, because the Void had returned to possess him¡ª whatever seal Guardian Angel Z357 ced on him was gone, so all he could do was ask to be saved once again. ¡°When I sensed the Void¡¯s essence this morning, I knew something was wrong,¡± the bartender said as he looked down at his palms. He flexed his hands, and it simply felt¡­ odd. ¡°I never thought that the Fal-Deus woulde for me again. I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to¡­¡± He trailed off. Amelia narrowed her eyes as she looked him up and down. She sat at the back of the kitchen, eating from a te of leftover food. She had her legs crossed, and a frown worn on her face. Arthur wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to feel about her reaction. He wanted to run away. Her scrutinizing gaze alone made him shudder¡ª would she kill him to preserve the peace in Vacuos? Arthur wasn¡¯t opposed to¡­ dying for the greater good. He had died many times before. But that was exactly why he found himself shivering at the thought of his death. The pain of dying was fresh in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but fear it. Arthur steeled himself as he met Amelia¡¯s gaze. Her deathly brown eyes peered into him, and he had to stop himself from shrinking back in fear. He bit his lower lip in anticipation of her response. And she finally said, ¡°So what?¡± The former Lich King blinked. He stared at the brown-haired woman¡ª at his employer. He took a moment to process her words, but she wasn¡¯t done. She gave him a t stare as she waved a hand dismissively. ¡°The Voidgod isn¡¯t going to possess you again. He knows I¡¯d just beat him back to the Fractured Realm if he tries to escape into Vacuos through you, so you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Arthur worked his jaw. Amelia shook her head. ¡°Honestly, this is a good thing for you. If you can draw the Void¡¯s power, then that means you can fight again, right? You don¡¯t need a ss to help you cast magic when you can do Void shit.¡± Her wordspletely took the bartender off-guard. He expected her to be as worried as he was¡ª and if not, he thought she would at least take the news seriously. But she didn¡¯t care. And Arthur didn¡¯t know how to react to herck-of-a-reaction. All he could do was ask the only question in his mind. ¡°What is¡­ Void shit?¡± ¡°When you use Void essence to do Void things.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Dunno, honestly. But my point is you don¡¯t have to just sit around working as a bartender anymore now, right?¡± Amelia crossed her arms as she spoke casually. Arthur was still reeling from her words. He slowly nodded, even when he didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. And she continued, ¡°You were worried about not being able to effect change in the world with what you¡¯re currently doing, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Wait, how did you know that?¡± He blinked a few times, but she ignored his question. ¡°So now that you can draw from the Void¡¯s power, that¡¯s not a problem,¡± Amelia said simply. ¡°You can fight and save lives. Do what¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I can¡ª¡± Arthur started, before his eyes snapped wide open. He realized what she was suggesting, and he recoiled in disgust. ¡°Are you telling me to use the power of the Void? The very same Void that had once enved all of Vacuos?¡± The deadpan expression on Amelia¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the Fal-Deus! I can¡¯t just use its¡ª¡± He opened his mouth, only for a head to poke into the kitchen, interrupting him. ¡°Sorry, Amelia?¡± Han called into the kitchen. ¡°Will you be back from your break soon? A lot of guys areing in for lunch.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡± She got to her feet as she ced her half-empty te to the side. ¡°Let them know I¡¯ll be back to cooking soon.¡± Han nodded and quickly exited the room. ¡°Got it!¡± Arthur watched as his fellow co-worker left, before pursing his lips. He lowered his head, mentally sighing in relief. Han didn¡¯t overhear our conversation¡­ good. Slowly, the bartender turned to his boss once more. ¡°Amelia, you don¡¯t understand¡ª the Fal-Deus is evil.¡± ¡°I am very much aware of that,¡± she quickly said before he could continue. ¡°I am pretty sure I know that fact more than anyone else alive.¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± Arthur shrank back at her response. ¡°But just because the Voidgod is an asshole, doesn¡¯t mean you have to be one too. You can use your strength for good. So there isn¡¯t really anything to worry about.¡± Amelia nodded reassuringly at Arthur, despite his clear apprehension. She suddenly paused for a moment and tilted her head back. ¡°Well, my only concern is¡­¡± ¡°Is¡­?¡± Arthur waited as she ced a hand on her chin. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± the brown-haired woman said, stepping past him. She ced a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, Arthur. You¡¯re no longer the Lich King, and you¡¯re no longer a vessel for the Void. So stop worrying about it. You¡¯ll be able to do much more good in this world if you stop stressing so much.¡± Arthur stared at her as she continued on. She grabbed an apron, before resuming her cooking. As she did that, the former Lich King slowly looked back down at himself¡ª he sensed the power flowing through him. He didn¡¯t know how Amelia noticed his apprehensions about his new life, and he didn¡¯t know why she was so apathetic towards the rming news about the Void. But he heeded her words. He thought about what could be aplished with his strength. And Arthur knew what he needed to do. ¡ª-- I watched as Arthur returned to bartending, before I shook my head. I was d to see that he was mostly at ease now¡ª he was still nervous, but he didn¡¯t look nearly as pale as when he first approached me earlier. To say I didn¡¯t care about the sudden resurgence of the former Lich King¡¯s Void powers wasn¡¯t exactly true. I did have some concerns. However, none rted to what he was capable of, nor did I really care about what the Voidgod was nning. But the fact was, Arthur had only been defeated because of Guardian Angel Z357¡¯s Seal of the System. It should have dispelled the power of the Void from his body entirely, but now it was back. And considering what happened overnight, I was starting to worry that something might have happened to Z. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re supposed to deal with the Void for me¡­¡± I muttered under my breath as I prepared a tter of pita. If he failed, I was probably going to have to do something eventually. Unless Noele stepped up to the task and somehow put a halt to the Voidgod¡¯s attempt at a return. Otherwise, I really was going to have to intervene. Again. ¡°Well, whatever,¡± I sighed as I stepped out of the kitchen and handed the dish to Han. ¡°That¡¯s a problem for me to deal withter.¡± For now, I had more important matters to tackle¡ª like telling my employees and my friends that I was going to be out of town for a few days because I was invited to Astral. I wasn¡¯t sure how they were going to react, but I knew that that was going to be the real challenge for me. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 ¡°Nothing,¡± Noele said as she trudged down the dirt road. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we found nothing!¡± Behind her, Garron and Jax followed. They had spent all afternoon investigating the destroyed farnds nearby, but despite their extensive search, they found nothing. All they heard were the same rumors of a dark mist carrying shadowed figures that almost seemed to attack everything indiscriminately. And before morning came, this mysterious mist vanished. Now, the three adventurers slowly made their way back to Wolfwater, having learnt nothing at all. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all for nothing, Noele,¡± Garron reassured the blonde girl. ¡°Our presence calmed the [Farmers]¡ª and we made sure they were safe. Even if we didn¡¯t learn anything about the source of the attack, we still did our duty as adventurers.¡± Jax snorted at that. ¡°I don¡¯t know who fed you that nonsense, but as adventurers, our only duty is to ourselves. I do not care about saving innocent lives, nor do I care about calming a crowd of foolish [Farmers] who are afraid of the dark.¡± ¡°Then why did you evene with us?¡± Noele red at him¡ª even if she knew she wasn¡¯t really a threat to him. She was certain she could put up a better fight than before, especially with how she performed during their sparring sessions, but she had grown quite a lot thanks to Amelia¡¯s training. ¡­even if most of it was essentially just the Noble Spellsword figuring out how to fight without the World System¡¯s aid herself. She shook her head as she turned away from the Forsaken Archer. ¡°If you¡¯re not here to help, why bother showing up?¡± ¡°Because I thought I would find a challenge here,¡± the elf scoffed. He nced back fractionally, looking towards the sky as it slowly cleared of smoke. ¡°All I found was nothing but disappointment.¡± Noele rolled her eyes, before lowering her gaze. She couldn¡¯t lie and say she wasn¡¯t d that Jax had apanied herself and Garron out of Wolfwater. When she heard the rumors, she didn¡¯t believe it at first. But the more she investigated, the more it seemed it was true. Whatever it was that attacked the nearby farnds¡­ it didn¡¯t stop there. This dark mist had nketed across all of Vacuos. None of the continents were spared. It was said that even the sunken continent of Mare was assailed by these mysterious shadows. The blonde girl didn¡¯t know whether to believe it was true. It was all hearsay, after all. But many [Traders] or passing travelers said the same thing. So she couldn¡¯t help give a little bit of credence to these rumors. And if it¡¯s all true, that means there¡¯s something out there strong enough to endanger the entire world¡­ the thought crossed her mind. Noele¡¯s worry must have shown on her face because she found a rough hand being ced on her shoulder. She looked back at Garron who gave her a reassuring nod. ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯ll be able to handle it, Noele,¡± he said softly. ¡°I just don¡¯t know who or what is capable of this,¡± the blonde girl replied, closing her eyes. ¡°The only exnation is that it was the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Their reach spreads across all of Vacuos, so they¡¯re the only ones with the power to do this. But then my question is¡­ why?¡± Garron pursed his lips as they continued walking down the dirt road. ¡°They don¡¯t need a reason to do anything. They only follow the orders of the Void. They could destroy all of Laxo on a whim if they felt like it. What matters is that we¡¯re here to stop them if that happens¡± Noele blinked for a moment, staring at the Steel Tank. He was taller than her¡ª bigger than her. So she had to look up to meet his gaze. Even if his voice was calm, his demeanor betrayed it, revealing his true feelings on the matter. He always wore a frown on his face even when it wasn¡¯t appropriate, but this time, it was a fitting look. He looked like he was upset knowing that whoever did this managed to get away with it. ¡°When did you get so heroic?¡± she chuckled, giving him a light punch. Heughed in response, and she nodded. ¡°But you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll be here to stop them.¡± ¡°And if not,¡± Garron added, looking towards the farming vige of Wolfwater in the distance. ¡°Amelia will always be here to give us a hand, anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Noele snickered as a small smile spread across her face. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ we¡¯ll be fine. Amelia isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Yeah, so I¡¯ll be leaving Wolfwater,¡± Amelia said, scratching the back of her head. Noele blinked as she exchanged a nce with Garron. ¡°...what?¡± ¡ª--- I finally broke the news to Noele, Garron, and Jax when they returned from their trip out of Wolfwater. I had already spoken to Arthur and Han during the evening; I told them I¡¯d give them time off, and they were fine with it. I was certain that my talks with the three adventurers would progress just as smoothly, but apparently not. Instead, Noele protested, stepping up to the entrance of my restaurant¡¯s kitchen. ¡°But you can¡¯t leave!¡± she eximed, gesturing to the distant horizon. ¡°After what just happened, we need you here! What if Wolfwater gets attacked again? Who¡¯s going to protect us?¡± I gave the blonde girl a t stare. ¡°I mean¡­ aren¡¯t you an A-ranked adventurer?¡± She blinked for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°And what if this was another situation like with the Lich King? What if it¡¯s too much for me to handle?¡± ¡°Well, Jax is here.¡± I nced to the side, eyeing the elf sitting in the middle of the restaurant. He had a drink in one hand, and a te of pita bread in the other. Beneath him, Bucky clucked and tried to steal his food. But he was faster. He kept her from his te as heughed and mocked her for being too slow. ¡°You can always rely on him to help,¡± I said with a nod. This time, it was the blonde girl¡¯s turn to give me a deadpan stare. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, tilting my head to the side. ¡°He¡¯s Jax,¡± Noele sighed as she lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can rely on him for anything.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± I ced a hand on my chin. I looked past the Forsaken Archer, nodding at the burly man who was waiting at the front of the restaurant. ¡°What about Garron?¡± The blonde girl pursed her lips. She apprehensively looked his way, before turning back towards me. ¡°Garron is¡­ he has a lot of potential. But right now, I¡¯m not sure if he can support me when I need help. I mean, he¡¯s not even an A-ranked adventurer.¡± I raised a brow at her. I was surprised to see the way she spoke of the Steel Tank. He was practically her main training partner, having fought alongside her since they met in Windrip. ¡°I thought you liked him,¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°Why don¡¯t you trust him?¡± It was a simple question. Innocuous, at that. But Noele immediately recoiled, flushing in response. ¡°W-what? What does that have anything to do with this?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Although¡­ I¡¯m sure you do like him.¡± I rolled my eyes. She scowled, crossing her arms. ¡°I do, but that doesn¡¯t change what I said. Maybe I phrased it a bit harshly, however as he is right now, if there¡¯s a threat I can¡¯t deal with, then there is nothing he¡¯ll be able to do either. Don¡¯t get me wrong, he¡¯s working hard, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll catch up with me soon. But¡­¡± ¡°But you¡¯re nervous,¡± I said simply. The blonde girl blinked as I continued bluntly. ¡°You¡¯re worried about this mysterious enemy, and you want me to be around to deal with it.¡± She didn¡¯t respond, although the way she shuffled her feet and averted her gaze was answer enough. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve told you this many times, but I can¡¯t always be around to deal with your problems, Noele. And I¡¯m not trying to single you out when I say that¡ª but it applies to all of Vacuos too. Eventually, there wille a time when I won¡¯t be around.¡± Noele frowned. ¡°And why won¡¯t you be around?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± I shrugged. For a moment, my mind shed with a memory. A recollection of a world long-changed. A familiar yet alien ce to me. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be somewhere else¡­ or maybe I¡¯ll be dead.¡± ¡°Can you even die?¡± the blonde girl asked, staring at me in disbelief. ¡°Probably.¡± I wasn¡¯t actually sure about that. But that didn¡¯t matter right now. ¡°My point is, I can¡¯t always be here to bail¡­ anyone out. And I especially can¡¯t just sit around here, waiting for some enemy that might not show up to show up.¡± Noele hesitated, and I sighed. I walked up to her, cing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re worried, but this is something I have to do. I can¡¯t just keep overworking Han and Arthur, and I need a [Chef] to keep my restaurant running if I¡¯m ever not around. That¡¯s why I need to go to Astral.¡± ¡°...right.¡± She didn¡¯t seem convinced, so I continued. ¡°Anyways, if you really do need my help, you still have that [Message] scroll Saros gave us, right? You can always call me with that, and I¡¯ll be back in an instant.¡± I nodded at her. But the blonde girl bit her lower lip. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, Amelia¡­ I don¡¯t have it anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± I blinked, and she exhaled exasperatedly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried¡ª my [Message] scroll was lost, before the battle with the Lich King. I couldn¡¯t find it after, so it¡¯s gone.¡± Noele looked away from me. I stared at her. I watched as she gritted her teeth in frustration, before looking at me expectantly. I ced a hand on my chin as I mulled over this dilemma. Finally, I raised a hand. ¡°I mean, we could always buy another one¡­?¡± I suggested. Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Unfortunately, two days was not a lot of time to find and acquire another [Message] scroll. They were rare and expensive artifacts. The only reason I could get one so quickly beforehand was because Saros had given it to me¡ª he was the Gnome Inventor. Even though he was just a tinkerer. Either way, even though I had asked for Noele¡¯s parents¡¯ help, we couldn¡¯t find another long-distancemunication artifact in time before I had to leave Wolfwater. ¡°I apologize,¡± Nicole said, lowering her head in a bow. We stood in the middle of my restaurant¡¯s lobby¡ª the room empty of customers since I was leaving today. ¡°I¡¯ve asked every [Trader] and [Merchant] I know, but none of them have a [Message] scroll for sale.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I sighed as I turned away from Noele¡¯s mother. I looked past the blondedy, eyeing a figure waiting right outside of my restaurant. ¡°While I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s a big deal¡­ but unfortunately, your daughter tends to stress a little bit too much.¡± Nicole blinked, before looking towards Noele. ¡°Ah, of course. I understand she can be a bit of a worrywart sometimes, but she means well.¡± ¡°I know she does,¡± I said as I took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯m used to it too, so I¡¯m not bothered by it at all anyways.¡± I smiled at the blondedy, before leaving the room. There was a small crowd gathered right in front of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. The crowd wasposed of my friends¡­ and Jax. They bid their farewells, even though I wasn¡¯t going to be gone for long. Bucky wanted to follow¡ª or at least, with the way she clucked and tried to jump into my arms, I was pretty sure she wanted to follow. But I didn¡¯t let her. I gave her a pat, before nodding at Han. ¡°Make sure she doesn¡¯t make a mess of the kitchen,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Will do,¡± he replied, chuckling. I turned to Arthur who still wore a hesitant look on his face. He was nervous about his returning Void powers even after I reassured him two days ago that it was fine. I just ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± I nodded at the former Lich King. ¡°As long as you make it your own, there¡¯s no reason to fear it.¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t meet my gaze. I said goodbye to the others too. Garron, Nn, and even Dorien¡ª although he was more interested in checking up on the bastion bees. Jax was here too. He challenged me to a duel. I told him to fuck off. Finally, I got to Noele. The blonde girl wore a worried look on her face. She looked like she barely got any sleep over thest few days, staying awake in hopes to catch the return of the dark mist that enveloped all of Vacuos. Unfortunately for her, whatever it was that attacked all the surrounding cities never returned. So she had been staying up for nothing. I looked her up and down, before shaking my head. ¡°You should get more sleep,¡± I said simply. She glowered in response. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m technically still your mentor, and as your mentor, I¡¯m telling you to get more sleep.¡± I grinned back at her. ¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re interested in mentoring me?¡± Noele rolled her eyes, before slowly looking back up at me. ¡°¡­sorry, I¡¯m not in a good mood.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong. I haven¡¯t been a good mentor.¡± I shook my head at her. ¡°But to be fair, you haven¡¯t been paying me either.¡± She snickered, then sighed as her shoulders sagged. ¡°Do you really think that¡­ thing won¡¯t show up while you¡¯re gone?¡± I ced a hand on my chin, thinking it over for a moment. ¡°Whatever it was, it didn¡¯t attack Wolfwater, even though it swept across the entire. Whether that¡¯s because it sensed that I was here, or because it¡¯s safe here¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head and faced the blonde girl. ¡°However, I do know that I¡¯ll be on the lookout for this thing. So if it shows up again, I¡¯ll head straight back to Wolfwater faster than you can blink.¡± I smirked at my apprentice. ¡°And I¡¯m not over exaggerating.¡± She paused, fidgeting for a second. And she nodded. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t. Thank you, Master.¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t call me that.¡± I scoffed. And with that, I finally left Wolfwater, heading out for the city of Astral. ¡ª-- ¡°Did you seriously believe her?¡± Jordan Cel snorted, leaning against his spear. He was adorned in an ornate armor, dressed no different from the two men standing next to him. They all bore the banners of the Knights of the Astral Order, and together, all three of them waited right outside of the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. Jordan Cel had sallied forth to greet them. They had finally returned after leaving the frontlines over a week ago, but instead of heading straight to speak to their King, they opted to wait for whatever reason. ¡°This random vige girl you just met¡ª she who ims she could travel to Astral in under a day? Do you seriously believe her oundish ims?¡± Jordan continued, crossing his arms. Even though he was a [Knight]-Captain, he couldn¡¯t order the other two [Knights] around, nor could he reprimand them for their foolishness. Certainly, if they were his men, he¡¯d have them runningps around the city for their poor judgment. But the other two [Knights] were Rond Donovan and Wyn Stefard¡ª a [Knight]-Captain and his lieutenant. Thetter only took orders from the former, and the former was the same rank as Jordan. ¡°I fear your age may be clouding your judgment, Sir Rond.¡± Jordan Cel scowled, staring out into the empty dirt road ahead. Despite his harsh words, Rond onlyughed. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m getting old, Sir Jordan, but I assure you, my judgment is as astute as ever.¡± Jordan harrumphed, lowering his head for a moment. ¡°If this girl does not show up within the next five¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± a voice cut him off. The [Knight]-Captain blinked and looked back up. Standing before him was a brown-haired woman, dressed in odd clothing, and with a sword sheathed at her waist. A strange cloak billowed behind her¡ª one that seemed to fall apart, yet remain intact, like the falling leaves of autumn. It was so enchanting to look at. Jordan had never seen anything like it before. He wanted to investigate it. To learn more about that strange artifact. But the woman continued, breaking him out of his stupor. ¡°Sorry for the dy, Rond, Wyn.¡± She gave the two other [Knights] a nod. ¡°It¡¯s not a long trip, but I kind of took my time to get here.¡± Jordan Cel frowned at that. He opened his mouth, wanting to rebuke her for that asinine statement. But Sir Rond guffawed. ¡°You are really quite the interesting person, Ms Amelia. And do not worry, you did not keep us waiting at all.¡± He gestured for her to follow as his lieutenant stepped back. ¡°Now, Sir Wyn, let us show our esteemed guest around our majestic city.¡± ¡°Right this way, Ms Amelia,¡± Wyn said as he bowed lightly. Both Rond Donovan and the brown-haired woman entered the city gate as Jordan just stared. The [Knight]-Captain processed this scene for a moment. He stammered, trying to work his jaw. ¡°W-what? Where did shee from? How did she get here?¡± he asked, looking on with wide eyes. And a snort came from the side. ¡°Perhaps, Sir Jordan, it is your judgment that has deteriorated with age. Which is quite a shock, considering you are quite young yourself.¡± Wyn Stefard spoke casually as he tilted his head backl. For a moment, Jordan Cel paused, processing the insult. He shouted in outrage, but the [Knight]-lieutenant simply turned around and walked away. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 I followed Rond as he led me through the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. While he personally greeted me at the southern entrance of Astral, he didn¡¯t prepare a carriage or any mode of transport for me to get to the pce. We just walked. No horse. No cart. Nothing. It was almost like we were being mostly discreet. Mostly. The three {Knights] apanying me weren¡¯t subtle in the slightest, but they drew attention away from me, which I was thankful for. And while I didn¡¯t mind walking, but it didn¡¯t feel like I was a guest. Although¡­ since it was such ast minute invitation, there wasn¡¯t enough time to prepare much. Also, I was just here to show off my otherworldly cuisine to King Jalen. And I meant that quite literally¡ª it was food from Earth, not from Vacuos. Anyways, it wasn¡¯t really a special asion. I wasn¡¯t going to attend a party, nor was Iing as a guest of honor. Rond had told me that, at most, King Jalen would have hired me to prepare a small feast if he found my cooking to be delectable enough. It was an odd arrangement, but Rond had given me wasn¡¯t expecting much. I was also hoping that I didn¡¯t need to do too much work. I wanted to just find a [Chef] and maybe a few [Waiters] to bring back to my restaurant. Maybe I could¡¯ve started a chain here in Astral too. Although, that was probably going to take a bit longer to work out. Still, even though I wasn¡¯t here for any significant or grand reasons, I was expecting at least a bit more of a weing reception. But all I was met with was a grumpy [Knight]-Captain or whatever. I nced back at the middle-aged man trailing after Wyn Stefard. He was dressed like a [Knight], and he was called Sir Jordan. But unlike Rond and Wyn who carried themselves with a level of grace and dignity, Jordan¡¯s face was puffed up in annoyance. I didn¡¯t know why he was annoyed. He just looked annoyed to me. I shook my head and looked back towards Rond Donovan. I stared at the busy street ahead of me filled with yelling [Traders]. I swept my gaze over my surroundings, and I caught a glimpse of a few restaurants nearby, spilling with people. I paused to take a quick look at the menu, but the [Knights] continued marching on. I frowned, watching them continue without me. Wyn Stefard turned to face me, nodding at me to follow. I nced back towards the nearby restaurants, before continuing towards the pce in the distance. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give me a tour around Astral?¡± I asked Rond as I walked up next to him. He shook his head, still facing forward. ¡°Unfortunately, we are in a bit of a rush, Ms Amelia. King Jalen is waiting for you.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± I furrowed my brows, but I didn¡¯t question it anymore. It took a bit, considering that we weren¡¯t in a rush, but we eventually reached the pce, and the gate swung open, letting us in. A pair of guards saluted at the three [Knights] as we entered the front courtyard. Rond smiled as he nced back towards me. ¡°Wee, Ms Amelia, to the Astra Pce!¡± he said. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°So we¡¯re in the Astra Pce in the city of Astral which is the Capital of the Astrad Kingdom¡­¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Wyn replied simply with a nod. ¡°You guys need to get better at naming things,¡± I muttered under my breath. To be fair, the Astra Pce was rather elegant. Too elegant. It was an opulent ce with doors lined with gold, and chandeliers made out of crystal. There was a massive domed roof overhead, made of ss, but sparkling with jewels. We strode through a grand hallway until we reached a pair of double doors. A group of [Knights] waited there¡ª they evidently belonged to the Astral Order, and they immediately stepped to the side when they saw Rond. ¡°Sir!¡± they echoed in unison, saluting him. ¡°At ease,¡± the [Knight]-Captain said as he walked up to the double doors. ¡°Let us in, we need to speak with King Jalen.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± A pair of [Knights] moved, pulling the heavy double doors open. The metal groaned, moving slowly until it had just enough of an opening to let a person in. The two [Knights] panted as they took a step back, and Rond stepped in. I stared at the double doors for a moment as Wyn and Jordan continued, before shaking my head. ¡°What¡¯s the point of making such heavy doors? Can¡¯t they just use magic to reinforce it?¡± I shrugged and stepped into the room, pulling the door to a close behind me. The two [Knights] blinked, before their jaws dropped as I casually closed the heavy double doors with a single hand. I turned to face the rest of the room. It was clearly the throne room of the pce. There was arge gathering of [Knights], [Mages], [Generals], and other advisors crowding around the ornate throne. And sitting there was a rtively young man. He looked older than Noele, but he didn¡¯t look like he was in his thirties just yet. Maybe he was in histe twenties. And judging by the crown resting on his head, I knew he was the King of the Astrad Kingdom. He sat there, massaging his temples as he listened to the deluge of voices. He looked tired¡ª like he had barely slept in days. And I immediately pitied him for having such heavy responsibilities at such a rtively young age. ¡­this is exactly why I want to live a normal life, I thought to myself as I followed Rond as he squeezed his way to the front of the crowd. Sure, I could try to be a hero. Maybe I could even start my own kingdom¡ª build it from scratch with my strength. But it was so much work and effort. The stress wouldn¡¯t be worth it. Not for me. I was fine with running my restaurant. I found cooking fun, and I got to personally know my employees. So I was content with what I was doing. I didn¡¯t need to deal with politics or war or how to provide for the people of my country. I heard the tail-end of most of the suggestions being made as I reached the front of the crowd. ¡°We need tounch a counteroffensive right this instant! We cannot dy it any longer!¡± ¡°But if we ovemit to the frontlines, we will be leaving ourselves vulnerable! What happens if the Kingdom of Kal takes advantage of the damage done by the Miststorm Riders? They could nk us and surround the Capital in a month!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all missing the point! Continuing this war is pointless¡ª all of Laxo has been thrown into chaos! If we want to end the war, we need to negotiate for peace, even if it means giving up our territory!¡± Thest suggestion was met with a cacophony of jeers. I pursed my lips, thinking, Poor guy. And we finally reached King Jalen a moment after. He looked up when he heard the thudding footfalls of the three [Knights]. ¡°My liege,¡± Sir Rond said as he bowed. ¡°I have returned.¡± ¡°Captain Rond,¡± Jalen greeted the [Knight], rising to his feet. A small smile spread across his face as he stepped forward. But he caught himself. He first turned to his crowd of advisors and gave them a small nod. ¡°Leave us.¡± They looked like they wanted to protest, but they heeded theirmand anyways. They slowly trickled out the back of the room, before the King rxed. He drew forward once more, this time, without any apprehension. ¡°It is good to see you, my old friend.¡± I watched with a raised brow as he gave Rond a friendly hug. In response, the [Knight]-Captain grinned, returning the embrace. They drew back from each other a momentter. I heard Jordan clicking his tongue from behind as he saw this. He looked away with an even more annoyed look on his face¡ª which I didn¡¯t think was possible, considering how many wrinkles he already had. ¡°Indeed, it is good to see you as well, my liege,¡± Rond said as he took a step back. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so formal with me,¡± Jalen chuckled, looking the [Knight]-Captain up and down. ¡°Not when you basically raised me yourself.¡± Rond shook his head with a grin. ¡°It was simply my duty as your bodyguard, my liege.¡± Jalen rolled his eyes and looked towards me. ¡°I received your missives. So, this is the girl mentioned?¡± ¡°Indeed, she is.¡± The [Knight]-Captain nodded, not facing me. I watched as the King of the Astrad Kingdom strode up towards me, fascinated by my appearance. He ced a hand on his chin as he addressed me. ¡°I see¡ª I¡¯m d I can finally meet you, Amelia. I have been eagerly anticipating your arrival for thest three days.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m d to be here?¡± I said, ncing past him. I looked towards where his advisors went. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t you have more important matters to deal with right now? I¡¯m not here to intrude, after all.¡± I just wanted to cook, impress him, and maybe steal one of his [Royal Chefs] or whatever. But Jalen smiled wide as he shook his head. ¡°I am not bothered by your presence at all,¡± he said, cing a hand on my shoulder. ¡°After all, you are the one who¡¯s going to be saving our country from the Kingdom of Kal.¡± And I just blinked. ¡°Uh, what?¡± Chapter 162 Chapter 162 I stared at the King of the Astrad Kingdom. He was smiling at me like an idiot. He still had one hand on my shoulder, but I didn¡¯t even focus on that. Instead, I repeated what Jalen had said to me just a second ago. ¡°I¡¯m going to be the one saving your country?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes you are.¡± He nodded. ¡°From a food shortage, right?¡± I said hopefully. Jalen simply stared back at me. ¡°...right?¡± I repeated myself, and he took a step back. ¡°From the Kingdom of Kal,¡± he corrected me. And I cursed under my breath. ¡°Fuck.¡± I looked towards Rond Donovan. The [Knight]-Captain finally turned to face me, and he gave me an apologetical look. I shook my head, closing my eyes. ¡°...he said he liked my cooking, and I believed him. I can¡¯t believe I fell for that,¡± I sighed. Now, I was going to have to figure out a way to politely decline Jalen¡¯s request without telling him to fuck off. And that wasn¡¯t going to be easy. ¡ª-- But before Amelia was met with her terrible predicament, only about an hour after she had just left Wolfwater¡­ Noele was faced with a bit of a dilemma of her own. She stood before the hive of the bastion bees, right at the side of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. A cacophonous buzzing came from within as a chicken clucked at her side. The blonde girl looked down at Bucky, before looking back into the darkness. She saw the red eyes glowing within, and she hesitated. ¡°You go in first,¡± she said as she pursed her lips. ¡°You¡¯re their friend, aren¡¯t you? So you first.¡± She spoke insistently, and Bucky turned to face her. She shook her head as she waved her wings wildly. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken protested. Noele couldn¡¯t speak chicken, but she was almost entirely certain that meant something along the lines of, ¡°Fuck no, you go in first!¡± She took in a deep breath, trying to steel herself. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m an A-ranked adventurer¡ª I can bring down S-ranked threats. They can¡¯t hurt me¡­ I hope.¡± While she really didn¡¯t want to delve into the hive, she had no other choice. Noele needed to see what was wrong. After all, something had to be wrong. The bastion bees were angry. It happened only a few minutes after Amelia left, but they started buzzing loudly inside of their hive. Han was the first one to notice it. He tried to enter the hive to cate them, since he had harvested honey from within many times, but he was chased out by them. While they didn¡¯t sting him, he had been more than certain that they would have if he hadn¡¯t fled when he did. After that, they called for Dorien¡¯s help. Unfortunately, the bastion bees chased out the [Druid] too. ¡°They¡¯re protecting something,¡± Dorien had said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but they¡¯re on edge because there¡¯s something inside they want to protect, and they don¡¯t feel safe.¡± Noele had surmised that the reason they started acting up after Amelia left was because they saw her as their protector. Now that she wasn¡¯t around, they didn¡¯t feel safe. But the blonde girl remembered another time when her master hadn¡¯t been there¡ª when she left with Jax to save Guildmaster Evan¡ª and the bastion bees had been perfectly fine. So something had changed since then. And Noele was supposed to go in to investigate exactly what it was. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get stung¡­¡± she murmured under her breath. ¡°I hate getting stung. I don¡¯t mind getting stabbed¡ª maybe getting cut here and there. Being burned is fine too. But being stung?¡± The blonde girl shook her head as she dragged her feet forward. ¡°It¡¯s just the worst,¡± she sighed as she ced a hand on her chest. [Nobleme Armor], she thought, and she was wreathed in an aura of golden mes. The fire wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone who got close as long as they weren¡¯t trying to hurt her. So, in theory, she wouldn¡¯t scare the bastion bees even more with it. However, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure if her hypothesis was true, but she had no choice other than to test it out. The Noble Spellsword strode forward as Bucky watched from behind. Garron had evacuated the nearby premise in case anything happened, and he had set up a perimeter alongside the local [Hunters] of Wolfwater so no bastion bees would break out. Jax didn¡¯t offer any support¡ª he went off to who knew where to continue training so he could lose to Amelia in a duel once again. Noele closed her eyes as she reached the edge of the hive. The buzzing of the bastion bees was deafening now, and she was having second-thoughts. She licked her lips, but her mouth was still dry. So she couldn¡¯t even take in a nervous gulp. ¡°I¡¯m an A-ranked adventurer,¡± she reminded herself. ¡°I am the Noble Spellsword.¡± Behind her, Bucky clucked wildly, breaking the blonde girl¡¯s concentration. Her mes flickered as she tried to dim them as best she could¡ª so she wouldn¡¯t startle the bastion bees. Unfortunately, she heard the clucking from behind, and she couldn¡¯t focus. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky said. Noele gritted her teeth and looked back towards the chicken. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re not going to help, can you at least be¡ª¡± And the Noble Spellsword froze. She saw a figure walking past Bucky as the chicken warily backed up. A heavy, metal boot pressed against the grass as Noele stared with round eyes. Slowly, the blonde girl raised her head, looking at the armored man standing before her. He smiled at her, shaking his head. ¡°So you are the Noble Spellsword,¡± he said as he ced his gauntleted hands on his hips. ¡°I have to say, I quite like your Title. It has a nice ring to it.¡± He was dressed like a [Knight], although he was not nearly as heavily armored as either Rond or Wyn. He carried a visored helmet under his arm, letting his long, golden locks flow freely down to his back. A rapier hung from his waist, and he wore a charming smile as he nodded at Noele. ¡°I¡¯m d I can finally meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± He spoke simply. And the blonde girl could only back up, gasping. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Nichs the Noble Knight.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Here he was¡ª an S-ranked adventurer in the flesh. One that wasn¡¯t as despicable as Jax, at the very least. But not only that, there was another reason why she was trembling where she stood. Noele remembered a scene from so long ago. A memory she shared with her sister. Nora had taken her to Whiteridge¡ª to show the blonde girl around the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And there, the two of them met a charming young man. A man with golden hair, and kind blue eyes. An S-ranked adventurer who called himself the Noble Knight. He was the reason why Nora had called herself the Noble Sworddancer. He was so kind. So noble. He hadn¡¯t shunned Noele¡¯s sister even though she had only been a C-ranked adventurer at the time. And when he had heard that it was Noele¡¯s first time at an Adventurer¡¯s Guild, he had personally given her a tour around the ce, teaching her many things that came with being an adventurer. It was an incredibly impactful moment for both sisters. Noele held that memory close to her till this day. So when she saw Nichs standing before her, she wasn¡¯t sure if she was just imagining it. She rubbed her eyes, and looked back at him. He was still there. He looked no older than he was all those years ago. He strode forward with a soft chuckle. ¡°Indeed I am. And you¡­¡± Nichs came to a halt right before Noele as she blinked a few times. He unsheathed his rapier, and she paused. ¡°What¡­?¡± she asked as he raised the de. ¡°You need to watch your back,¡± he continued. ¡°[Impose Terror: Forced Retreat].¡± Noele spun around, looking on just in time as a bastion bee rushed towards her. But there was a sh of light. A golden glow overcame the sacred monster, and it slowed. Then it turned around, fleeing back into the hive. ¡°For an A-ranked adventurer, I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be a little more aware of your surroundings.¡± Nichs shook his head as he walked up to the blonde girl¡¯s side. ¡°But I guess I distracted you from what you were doing, so I shall take partial me for that.¡± He grinned at her as she just stared at him, still at a shock. ¡°W-what are you doing here, Nichs? I mean¡­ Sir Nichs?¡± ¡°I am not actually a [Knight], don¡¯t worry about formalities. You can just call me Nichs.¡± He looked past her, staring at the hive of the bastion bees. ¡°However, introductions aside, I believe we should deal with that.¡± Noele nced back apprehensively. ¡°Right. I was going to investigate inside¡ª see what was riling them up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to investigate,¡± a voice said from the side. Bucky clucked loudly as another figure stepped forward. This time, it was ady with a bow slung around her shoulder, dressed in tight clothing. ¡°They are worried about their newborn queen. That is all.¡± ¡°Good work, Sienna.¡± Nichs nodded at her. ¡°And you appraised that with a single look? You¡¯re amazing as always.¡± Sienna¡¯s expression remained neutral as she continued. ¡°I suggest creating a containment field around the hive. It will prevent them from harming any outsiders, and it will cate their nervousness. Can you do that, Kale?¡± She nced towards a third figure. A rather rotund man. He was right behind her, munching on a fruit¡ª a malim fruit. ¡°These are really good!¡± he said, holding it into the air. ¡°I hear they make drinks out of it too. I want to try one!¡± ¡°Did you hear her, Kale?¡± Nichs asked as he gestured towards the hive. ¡°We need your expertise here.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± Kale sighed, downing the malim fruit. Noele watched as he licked his fingers, before pulling a book out from his side. He flipped through the pages, mumbling to himself, until he seemed to find the right page. ¡°Alright, here goes¡ª [Activate Scroll: Spatial Shield]!¡± And a sh came from the open page of the tome. Noele covered her eyes, watching as a transparent domed barrier fell upon the hive. It muffled the buzzing of the bastion bees, before drawing them out of the hive for a moment. The sacred monsters looked around nervously, staring at the sheen of the barrier. But they paused when they realized it was protecting them as much as it was keeping them in. Slowly, they returned to the hive, buzzing softer now. Still evidently restless, but less so than before. Noele stared on with wide eyes. She took a step back, before looking towards Nichs, Sienna, and Kale. The three other adventurers nodded back at her, and she finally found the right words to say. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, ncing at each of them. ¡°For your help.¡± Nichs justughed and gave her a light bow. ¡°It was my pleasure, Noele.¡± He raised his head, meeting her gaze as his eyes glinted. ¡°It was no trouble at all. After all, we came here all the way to Wolfwater because of you.¡± Chapter 163 Chapter 163 ¡°Because of me?¡± Noele blinked, staring at the three adventurers. She recognized Nichs the Noble Knight. And while Kale and Sienna weren¡¯t familiar to her exactly¡ª she had never even heard of them¡ª she knew that adventurers were oftentimes a part of a team. It was rarer at the higher levels. Especially S-ranks. They tended to work alone. But the blonde girl didn¡¯t doubt that Nichs was different. He was a charismatic and kind person, after all. So it would make sense that he, of all S-ranks, would be in a team. Although she found it a little bit odd she had never heard of it. Noele shook her head. She was getting distracted with extraneous details. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯vee here because of me?¡± she asked, repeating her question. Nichs walked up to her side, shaking his head. ¡°As I have said, Noele the Noble Spellsword¡ª can I call you Noele?¡± ¡°Uh¡ª of course!¡± Noele practically eximed as she nodded. But she bit her lower lip a momentter, flushing at that embarrassing disy. She didn¡¯t want the Noble Knight to think she was just some fangirl. She was an A-ranked adventurer. And not just that, she was on the cusp of bing an S-ranked adventurer in terms of levels. Although she was pretty sure she was able to beat one in a fight thanks to Amelia¡¯s training. So she had to act with the decorum expected of someone of her status. She had to keep her cool. Steel herself, and act like she didn¡¯t care that she was talking to Nichs the Noble Knight himself. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded slowly and squeaked. ¡°Y-you, um, said you heard about me?¡± She flushed as the words came out of her mouth an incoherent mess. Nichs nodded with his charming smile, taking her hand. Noele wanted to shrink back when he did. He was her idol¡ª he was who she strove to be. ¡­other than her sister, of course. But he was who Nora had striven to be. So Noele had always looked up to Nichs. She had wanted to meet him again, when she had be an S-ranked adventurer. So this encounter felt a little premature, but the excitement she felt was still there. ¡°I did hear about you, and that is why I sought you out,¡± he said, sping both his hands over her right hand. ¡°I have an offer I¡¯d like to make you, Noele.¡± ¡°You¡­ you do?¡± Noele¡¯s heart pounded in her chest like a [cksmith]¡¯s hammer. She waited with bated breath as the Noble Knight nodded. Before he drew back. ¡°But, before we speak about that¡ª¡± She blinked, feeling her heart rate slow. Nichs gestured past her¡ª towards the hive of the bastion bees. ¡°Let us converse in a more¡­ private ce, if possible. I do not wish to further disturb those sacred monsters.¡± Noele stared at Nichs for a moment as the heat in her cheeks vanished. She nodded, covering her face in embarrassment. ¡°...right. That¡¯s a good idea.¡± And from the side, Kale waved another malim fruit in the air. ¡°A ce with food and drinks, please.¡± ¡ª-- It took a bit of convincing, but Noele managed to get Han and Arthur to temporarily open Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant for the day. Well, actually, it didn¡¯t take much convincing at all. Neither of the men had anything else they were going to do for the day, and since they were just going to serve drinks, they were fine with this arrangement. Noele did promise them she wouldpensate them greatly for this favor. So the most difficult part came even before convincing them¡ª but finding them. However, when she did, she managed to get a private ce for her conversation with Nichs the Noble Knight. After all, he was an S-ranked adventurer. And not just that, he was a rather famous one at that. He had a reputation for being quite the people¡¯s champion. A hero who would charge into danger if it meant saving a single life. He would have been swarmed by a crowd in an instant if he walked around Wolfwater for a few minutes. The fact that he had somehow discreetly snuck into the farming vige already eluded her. ording to Garron, he hadn¡¯t even seen Nichs arrive, and the Steel Tank had been standing guard near the restaurant the whole time! But that was expected from an S-ranked adventurer. And now, Noele sat with Nichs in the corner of the room as his team waited at the bar with Garron, Arthur, and Han. It was so she could have a private conversation with the Noble Knight. But she could hear them from the other side of the room. Although¡­ that was probably because of how obnoxiously loud Kale was. ¡°So this is the malim juice, huh? It¡¯s pretty good, but I¡¯d say the fruit itself tastes better!¡± the plump man said as he mmed an empty mug onto the table. Garron pursed his lips, replying simply. ¡°I was under the impression that a malim fruit was inedible¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fucking trash!¡± Kale eximed as Arthur winced. Noele shook her head, turning to Nichs. He chuckled as he took a sip of the malim juice. ¡°Ignore him¡ª he can be quite crude when he¡¯s drunk,¡± the Noble Knight said as he shook his head. The blonde girl frowned. ¡°Wait, but I haven¡¯t seen Kale drink any alcohol yet.¡± ¡°Indeed. But he shall get drunk soon, give it time,¡± Nichs replied. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯ll get even worse. Got it.¡± Noele sighed, rubbing her temples. It had been a few hours since she had met the Noble Knight, so she was getting used to being around him. Of course, she was still stunned to be able to meet the adventurer she respected the most. But she was slowly limating to it. At least, with how she acted on the outside. Internally, she was still screaming, wondering if he even recognized her from all those years ago. It almost seemed like he did. But she didn¡¯t know for sure. ¡°Anyway,¡± Noele started, trying not to stutter, ¡°what was it you wanted to offer me again?¡± It was a simple question. But Nichs hadn¡¯t made the offer after mentioning it a while ago. In fact, he had not even alluded to it once again for whatever reason. His eyes flickered as he stared down at his malim juice. ¡°Ah, that.¡± Noele shrugged, trying to look casual as she nced around the room. ¡°I mean, if it¡¯s not important, we can talk about something else.¡± ¡°It is certainly a matter of import¡ª at least, for me,¡± Nichs continued, taking another sip from his drink. A long silence passed. Noele fidgeted in her seat, before looking back up at the Noble Knight once more. She chewed her lips as she forced herself to speak. ¡°And what is it, Sir¡ª I mean, Nichs?¡± She quickly corrected herself. Nichs sighed and leant back into his chair. He raised his head, looking up at the ceiling of the room. He looked like he was mulling over it for a moment, before he took in a deep breath and met the blonde girl¡¯s gaze. ¡°Do you want to join my team?¡± he finally asked as his eyes glinted. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Edlyn was tired. She stood in the middle of the gilded halls of the Astra Pce, sighing to herself as she bemoaned her troubles. Sure, the Astrad Kingdom was at war, and everyone was stressed out. But somehow, what she felt and experienced was still an exception. After all, she had to bear the weight of everyone else¡¯s worries and relieve them of it¡ª with her cooking. She was the [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce. Every night, it was her job and duty to cook up a feast for the nobles residing here. And it wasn¡¯t just a banquet either. She¡¯d have to prepare meals that would be sent to everyone¡¯s rooms, making sure to satisfy their dietary preferences. And, well, since this was quite the dire time for the entire country, and many of the royals and nobles here yed at least a minor role in the war, they would turn to food to cate themselves. ¡­in short, Edlyn had to deal with annoying, entitled nobles screaming at her because their steaks were slightly underdone. But she was Level 47. She could make the perfect steak with barely any effort. And the [Chefs] in her retainer were all at least Level 30. They literally did their job as they were requested, but they still receivedints. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you fucking idiots don¡¯t know the difference between medium well and medium rare,¡± she cursed under her breath as she lit a pipe. Smoking inside of the kitchen wasn¡¯t allowed, which was why she was standing out here, disgruntled, and murmuring to herself like a madwoman. She nced back into the kitchen as she saw her [Chefs] working under her going about their job inside. She needed to go back inside soon. But there was only going to be even more of a hassle when that happened. After all, they were mostly older than her¡ª she was rtively young for her level, only in herte 20s. And because of that, many of them refused to look at her for guidance, despite her being higher-leveled than all of them. So Edlyn just wanted to quit. She wanted to give up, retire, and go back home. Maybe she could open up a small shop on a less busy street, serving a few dozen customers a day¡­ ¡°That would be nice,¡± she whispered to herself. But she could only daydream about it. She sighed, taking a huff from her pipe. She couldn¡¯t quit her job without a n of action, and she certainly didn¡¯t have enough currently saved up to just open her own restaurant. So there was nothing she could do. ¡°It¡¯s not like an opportunity better than working at the Astra Pce would fall onto myp anyway¡­¡± Edlyn sighed, lowering her pipe. And she heard amotioning down the hallway. Blinking, Edlyn looked up to see a group of figures making their way towards the kitchen. An unfamiliar woman with brown hair walked at the front, marching casually towards the front doorway. Edlyn¡¯s brows snapped together, and she moved to intercept this stranger. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t be here¡ª¡± And she paused. Her eyes went wide when she saw who was with the brown-haired woman. ¡°King Jalen?¡± Edlyn eximed. Walking by the brown-haired woman¡¯s side was the King of the Astrad Kingdom himself. And that was not all. Edlyn also recognized the group of armored figures following the two of them. ¡°Why are the Knights of the Astral Order here? What is¡­?¡± The [Royal Chef] stepped back, watching as the group entered the kitchen. And as they passed, she could hear the briefest snippet of their conversation with each other. ¡°Ms Amelia, I¡¯m begging you to please reconsider!¡± King Jalen pleaded. And in response, the brown-haired woman called Amelia just replied, ¡°Nope, I came here to cook. So that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡± Edlyn saw this. She watched as they vanished into the kitchen. And she dropped her pipe. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± ¡ª-- ¡°So¡­ Sienna, huh?¡± Garron said as he leant back in his chair. He nced down at the petite girl who was sitting to his left. She had a single dagger sheathed on her breast pocket, and a bow slung around her back. Also, she didn¡¯t give him a response. The Steel Tank pursed his lips. ¡°I have never heard of an adventurer that goes by your name. Do you perhaps go by another Title?¡± Again, no reply. The expression on Sienna¡¯s face didn¡¯t change from the moment Garron met her. She refused to even acknowledge his existence. And while he didn¡¯t want to make assumptions, he also had an inkling of an idea as to why she refused to speak to him. It was because he was a B-ranked adventurer. Garron shook his head as the thought crossed his mind. No¡ª there could be a plethora of other reasons. It is best not to assume, or so he told himself. However, he had met plenty of A-ranked adventurers before, many of whom were too snooty to even interact with a C-ranked adventurer. They would give B-ranks the brief time of day, but it was clear that there was a bit of condescension there. That kind of pointless politicking in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was what Garron hated the most, and he had seen it plenty of times. So even if he hoped that this was not the case for Sienna, he couldn¡¯t deny that it could have been a possibility. ¡°Oh, ignore her,¡± Kale said from the side, munching on another malim fruit. Garron blinked as he turned to face the other supposed S-ranked adventurer. Once again, he had never heard of Kale before, which was quite odd, since most people at that level were quite famous. Kale continued, shaking his head. His ratherrge belly seemed to bounce with his words. ¡°Sienna¡¯s a bit of a prickly bitch anyway. You don¡¯t want to get to know her. Want one?¡± He proffered a malim fruit to Garron. The Steel Tank politely declined the offer. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Your loss,¡± Kale said, shrugging. He turned away from Garron to face Noele and Nichs sitting at the other side of the room. ¡°Anyway, you should be more worried about your girl than trying to make friends with us.¡± Garron furrowed his brows, following Kale¡¯s gaze. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me. You like her, don¡¯t you?¡± Kale grinned as he nodded at Noele. ¡°And?¡± the burly man asked. Kale chuckled, leaning back in his seat. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel jealous? She¡¯s enamored with Nichs. And clearly, he¡¯s interested in her too.¡± That made Garron pause. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Noele and Nichs once again. ¡°Noele is not¡ª¡± But he caught himself. He saw the way the blonde girl was excitedly speaking with the S-ranked adventurer. He saw the way she leant closer, staring intently into Nichs and listening to every word he said. Garron saw it all, and he drew his lips into a thin line. ¡°I¡­¡± the burly man trailed off. There was no denying that Noele was interested in Nichs. But whether it was a romantic interest or just one borne from him being an S-ranked adventurer¡­ Garron didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t want to specte either, since it was none of his business. But Kale didn¡¯t let up. ¡°Nichs wants her.¡± Garron didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Nichs is a professional,¡± Kale continued. ¡°Trust me, I have seen him at work many times before. When he finds his target, he won¡¯t stop until he gets her, by any means necessary.¡± ¡°Noele can be with whoever she wants,¡± the Steel Tank finally said. ¡°It is not up to me to decide anything for her. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me¡ª¡± Garron rose to his feet with a grunt. He wanted to say more, but he just clenched his jaw, holding back any rude remark he had within him. He thought Kale could have been nice, unlike Sienne. But both the S-ranks infuriated him. He just marched out of the room as he shook his head, leaving Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant behind. Kale snickered, watching the Steel Tank go. ¡ª-- Noele heard the door m shut behind her. She looked back, catching a glimpse of Garron right as he stepped out of the room. For a moment, she wondered where he was going. But Nichs spoke up, quickly drawing her attention back to the conversation at hand. ¡°What do you think, Noele the Noble Spellsword?¡± the Noble Knight asked with a kind smile. ¡°About¡­ joining your team?¡± Noele turned back to face Nichs. He peered into her, and he nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said as he held her gaze. ¡°It is a rare opportunity¡ª for an A-ranked adventurer to join a team of S-ranks. But I can see your potential. I¡¯ve heard about what you¡¯ve aplished, and I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t let us down.¡± ¡°O-oh, thank you.¡± The blonde girl flushed at thepliment. She averted her gaze for a fraction of a moment, before steeling herself. Even though she could feel her cheeks heating up, she was still trying to maintain herposure. There was no use acting like a giddy little girl knowing that her idol was inviting her to join his team. All she¡¯d do was embarrass herself, and she didn¡¯t want that. ¡°I¡­ I really appreciate the offer,¡± Noele said, smiling back at Nichs. ¡°But this is a bit too much all at once. I mean, are you even sure I¡¯m the right choice? And there¡¯s many things I have to consider too. I¡¯ll have to think about it for a few days¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what there is to think about,¡± he cut her off, leaning closer. Noele blinked as her face grew redder. His sparkling blue eyes looked deep into her as he spoke insistently. ¡°After all, aren¡¯t you getting tired of surrounding yourself with such¡­¡± Nichs raised his head, before shaking his head dismissively. ¡°Such pathetic, low-leveled people?¡± And that made Noele freeze where she sat. ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Noele couldn¡¯t believe her ears. The words rang in her mind¡ª like the loud tolling of a bell, reverberating throughout her body. She wanted to stumble back, even though she was sitting down on a chair. It was like she was pped across the face. It was like she was struck to the soul. She blinked a few times, trying to break out of her stupor. But she couldn¡¯t steel herself. Not when the lens which she viewed the world was cracked, and all she saw was broken ss. Before her sat Nichs the Noble Knight. An S-ranked adventurer, but more than that, he was the very man she and her sister had admired. He was the inspiration behind their adventurer Titles. When he showed up here in Wolfwater, Noele had been ecstatic. However, now, she wished she never met him. Because he was nothing like the man she thought he would be. ¡°Seriously,¡± Nichs continued as he leant back in his seat. He swept his gaze over Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, and he wrinkled his nose when he saw the chicken resting in the corner of the room. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d willingly go out of your way to stay in this backwater ce.¡± He shook his head as Noele just looked on, barely processing his words. She was stunned into silence. There were so many things she wanted to say in response. But she couldn¡¯t even muster up the strength to speak. The Noble Knight sighed, rubbing his temples. ¡°I understand that this is your home, but surely you don¡¯t n on staying here for the rest of your life, right?¡± He stared expectantly at her. That managed to prompt a reply from the blonde girl, even though she was still in shock. ¡°I¡ª I mean, I am just visiting right now, but¡­¡± she trailed off. Slowly, she got her wits about, and she stared uncertainly at the man sitting across from her. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± She hoped this was all a joke. That it was a prank he was ying on her. Unfortunately, the truth hurt, and she was living in reality. ¡°There is nothing to joke about, Noele,¡± Nichs said as he held her gaze, his voice unwavering. ¡°You call yourself the Noble Spellsword, but there is nothing noble about living in this squalor. You cannot grow if you are surrounded by those who are not at least your equal, can you?¡± Noele bit her lower lip, stopping herself fromshing out with any unnecessary remarks. This was Nichs the Noble Knight. He was not just some jerk like Jax the Forsaken Archer. Surely he had to have some rhyme or reason behind what he was saying, right? ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but only to a certain extent. I have met plenty of people who are lower-leveled than me who have helped me grow stronger.¡± The Noble Spellsword exined, shaking her head. She was mainly thinking of Amelia when she said that, however the statement also applied to a plethora of others. Unfortunately, instead of even giving any credence to her statement, Nichs just scoffed. ¡°Like who?¡± he asked, a skeptical look on his face. ¡°Garron,¡± Noele replied simply. She gestured towards the doorway, where the burly man had exited the restaurant. ¡°He¡¯s a B-ranked adventurer, but training with him has helped me be who I am today.¡± Nichs raised a dubious brow. ¡°You mean the Steel Tank? I¡¯ve heard of him. I must say, I am not impressed. No notable feats, no real Dungeons cleared¡­¡± The blonde girl¡¯s eyes widened with each word the Noble Knight said. Her breathing grew shallow, and her gaze darkened. The confusion within her quickly turned into annoyance, but she still tried to suppress her feelings, reminding herself that she was talking to the idol. ¡°Certainly, there are the few no-name Dungeons he delved into with a small expedition.¡± Nichs waved a hand dismissively. ¡°But overall, nothingparable to what you have done. He is genuinely quite¡­ pathetic¡ª¡± And Noele snapped. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± she eximed, rising to her feet and mming a fist on the table. Splinters of wood shot across the room, and her drink spilled on the ground as the table smashed in half. From the other side of the room, Bucky perked up. Arthur frowned from the bar, and Han poked his head out of the kitchen. Neither Kale nor Sienna visibly reacted. But Nichs blinked, and Noele red at him with a furious gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit here and listen to you insult my friends,¡± she said through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough here.¡± She didn¡¯t even wait for his response. The blonde girl couldn¡¯t even meet his gaze. Blinking away her tears, she spun around and marched out of the restaurant. ¡ª-- Noele barely made it out of Wolfwater before copsing to her knees and breaking into tears. She had wanted to march all the way back to her home, but she failed, and now she was standing in the middle of the gravel road, crying her heart out in public. Fortunately for her, it wasn¡¯t crowded today. There weren¡¯t very many travelers passing through¡ª probably because Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was closed for the day. She barely gave it a thought. All she could think of was how much of an asshole Nichs had been. A million questions raced through her head. But this time, it wasn¡¯t of excitement, but of confusion and anger. Did Nichs even recognize her? Was he being serious when he said all that? How could he possibly believe what he said, despite being such a kind and noble man? Her vision blurred as she tried to wipe her tears away. But she couldn¡¯t staunch her sorrows. And all she saw was a distant memory. Her first time at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. When she met Nichs the Noble Knight so long ago, he had shown her such a kind face. Even though Nora had barely been a C-ranked adventurer, he had gone out of his way to greet her. He had gone out of his way to give both sisters a personal tour of the ce. And yet, he was now telling the blonde girl that he despised individuals like her back then? Had it all been a facade? Was it all a lie? What other motives could the Noble Knight have for being so¡­ fake? Surely Noele hadn¡¯t dreamt up those memories, right? Noele didn¡¯t know the answer to any of these questions. But it seemed evident enough¡ª she had been a little girl back then, so perhaps her memories had been nderized. She had romanticized the brief time she spent with a man she didn¡¯t even know. Because of that, she ced him on a pedestal. But now, she was faced with reality, and it hurt her. She ached knowing that she had once idolized the Noble Knight. It upsetted her knowing that she was inspired by such an arrogant fool. He had insulted Garron. Not just that, but Nichs had put down her home. Her friends. And more than anything, he had insulted Nora. Noele¡¯s sister had admired Nichs more than anyone else. To think that he saw the Noble Sworddancer in such a light¡­ it hurt Noele so much. So she just knelt there as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks. It was humiliating for her to call herself the Noble Spellsword and still bawl in the middle of the road like a baby. But she didn¡¯t care. A few passersby gave her an odd look, but she ignored them. The blonde girl would have remained crying there forever¡ª in fact, she didn¡¯t even know how long she remained in that position¡ª until she heard a set of footfalls approach her from behind. She didn¡¯t know who it was. All she wanted was to be left alone. But a gentle hand was ced on her shoulder, forcing her to look back up. Noele didn¡¯t know who she hoped to be there. Perhaps Garron. Maybe her parents. Or even Amelia. But it was none of them. Instead, she saw Nichs standing there with a smile still on his face. ¡°Leave me alone,¡± the blonde girl growled, trying to shrug him off. ¡°Look, Noele¡ª¡± he started as he tried to soothe her. But she snarled at him. ¡°You insulted my friends. You insulted my family. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re an S-ranked adventurer, and I don¡¯t care if everyone else in the world loves you. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you.¡± He stood there, silent. He stared at her as the smirk was wiped off his face, and he sighed. He knelt down next to her as she red at him. But he still spoke reassuringly, shaking his head. ¡°That was a joke,¡± the Noble Knight said, meeting her gaze. ¡°I was joking.¡± And Noele blinked a few times. ¡°W-what?¡± All she could do was look at the man in disbelief. He chuckled, running his hand through his golden locks. ¡°That¡¯s right, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Obviously, I would never be the type of person to say such a thing.¡± His eyes glinted as he spoke, and Noele stared at him. ¡°Please, I am not that crass.¡± ¡°I¡­ are you being serious right now?¡± the blonde girl asked as a sense of relief washed over her. Oh, he was joking, she thought, wanting to sigh in relief. But as she met the Noble Knight¡¯s gaze, she caught herself. Even if she wanted to believe what he was saying was true, she couldn¡¯t just believe it outright. That would be so foolish of her. Slowly, she rose to her feet as Nichs continued tough. ¡°Come on, now. I was joking. You didn¡¯t have to take what I said so seriously.¡± He nodded at Noele, before helping her wipe her tears from her face. ¡°But I was being serious with my offer.¡± ¡°To join your team?¡± Noele scrunched up her brows, still suspicious of him. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said as he nced back down the empty road. There was nobody there except for his two teammates. Noele didn¡¯t even know when they got here. ¡°I still believe that you deserve to be in an S-ranked team. So please, would you consider joining us?¡± The Noble Spellsword once again wanted to say yes. However, she was less enthusiastic than before. She was far more discerning. Her eyes narrowed as she nced between Sienna¡¯s stoic gaze and Kale¡¯s carefree demeanor. ¡°I¡­ I told you, I am not sure if I want to leave Wolfwater anytime soon just yet. Especially with a group of people I just met. And that ¡®joke¡¯ you made earlier¡ª I didn¡¯t find it funny. At all.¡± It was a curt response. But she was still rather upset at what Nichs had said. Even if it was truly just a lighthearted, non-seriousment. Nichs stepped closer to her as she tried to shrug him off. ¡°But you¡¯ll get to learn from me¡ª from us! We can teach you a lot. We can help you be an S-ranked adventurer, just like us!¡± ¡°What can you even teach me?¡± The blonde girl shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve managed just fine before I met you this time around.¡± ¡°This time around?¡± He raised a brow, and she scoffed. ¡°So you really don¡¯t recognize me,¡± she said, brows snapping together. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Noele. Recognize you? Of course I do! You¡¯re the Noble Spellsword¡ª¡± he started. And Noele turned away from him as she scowled. ¡°Just leave it. I¡¯m not going to join your team. We¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°Noele¡­¡± Nichs whispered as a shadow swept over his gaze. He opened his mouth, taking another step forward, inching even closer to her. He took in a deep breath as she lowered her head. She refused to even look at him. We¡¯re done here, she told herself. Just leave me alone. Nichs sighed under his breath as he stepped even closer. ¡°You¡¯re really making it difficult, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± Noele spoke through gritted teeth, still refusing to look at him. She opened her mouth to continue. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? We¡¯re done¡ª¡± And she froze before she could finish her sentence. She heard the unsheathing of a de. A cold metallic object pressed against her back, and an aching pain ran across her body. She ced a hand on herself, feeling the touch of a warm liquid there. She looked down, seeing a rapier poking out of her chest. ¡°What¡­?¡± she asked, before the de slid out of her. Noele copsed to the ground, looking up at Nichs as he drew his weapon back. He snickered as he shook his head at her. ¡°It would have been so much easier if you just listened. Now, all your friends are going to die along with you.¡± The Noble Knight spoke casually, the smile on his face never vanishing. And darkness overwhelmed the blonde girl¡¯s vision. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Nichs wiped the blood off his rapier as he stared at the blonde girl lying beneath him. She hadn¡¯t even suspected a thing¡ª that he had been sent here to kill her. Well, he had been sent here to capture her at first. He was supposed to bring her to the [Hero King], at the behest of his mentor¡ª Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer. While Nichs himself wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of Kallistus Kal, he did as he was told anyway, and in exchange, he would be rewarded greatly. But for whatever reason, once he arrived at Whiteridge, he received a new missive. It was an alteration in the mission he had been given at first¡ª now he was no longer supposed to capture the Noble Spellsword, he was supposed to kill her. Now, Nichs the Noble Knight was no assassin. He was an adventurer first and foremost, even if he oftentimes would stoop below thew to get what he wanted. So, normally, he would have rejected this mission. He was not going to go around as a de-for-hire, killing people for gold, despite his mentor¡¯s request. Unfortunately, he had already epted the mission to capture his target, and even though its parameters had changed. If he just rejected it now, he was certain it would have created a rift between him and the Arcane Archsorcerer. And he did not want that. His rtionship with Ammon was rtively new, and he had been dubious about the benefits at first¡ª Nichs was an S-ranked adventurer, so how much could the Arcane Archsorcerer truly have helped him? But the benefitster on proved to be quite¡­ substantive. Still, he had hoped to keep this ¡®assassination¡¯ discreet. His n was to use his [Noble Charms] to sway the Noele to follow him and join his team. It was an incredibly effective Skill¡ª he had used it many times in the past to seduce any woman he so desired. Once, he had even spent a passionate night with a [Bandit Lady] and convinced her to give up her ways and turn in her men to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Of course, while Nichs had promised that he would never turn her in to the authorities, he obviously lied. When she found out he had tricked her, she was upset at first. But he still managed to convince her that he was left with no other choice, and that he would do everything in his power to free her from her unfair incarceration. That had been a decade ago, and she was still waiting for him to visit till this day. What a fool, Nichs snickered at that memory. So he had a lot of trust in his [Noble Charms]. Or at least, he had a reason to believe it would have worked on the Noble Spellsword. He had nned to bring her away from Wolfwater, using the pretense of recruiting her to his team of S-ranked adventurers. While he didn¡¯t actually have a team, considering both Kale and Sienna were other pupils of Ammon¡ª in fact, they weren¡¯t even S-ranks either¡ª he still believed his reputation and his [Noble Charms] would have been enough to make things work out swimmingly. But somehow, that had failed. And when it did, he decided to toss aside all discretion and simply kill Noele. Wasting his time trying to talk to her was proving too much trouble, and he was tired of their conversations. So he stabbed her in the back, leaving her for dead. He shook his head as he sheathed his rapier. ¡°Kale, Sienna,¡± he called out to his fellow pupils of the Arcane Archsorcerer. ¡°Did you clear the area?¡± Kale scoffed, guesting at the empty road. ¡°Do you see anyone around here?¡± ¡°I disposed of all potential witnesses,¡± Sienna replied coldly. She sheathed a bloodied dagger. ¡°There is no human alive within the vicinity of the premises.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Nichs said, taking a step away from Noele¡¯s bleeding body. His eyes flickered as he looked down at her. ¡°And what about the Steel Tank?¡± Sienna shook her head. ¡°Unknown.¡± ¡°He ran away after a bit of light teasing,¡± Kale said with a shrug. ¡°He won¡¯t be a problem. Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡± ¡°It would be a problem if he suspects something once he realizes his friend is¡­ missing,¡± Nichs replied, ncing at Noele¡¯s bleeding body. ¡°We need to dispose of him too.¡± Kale sighed as he reached for therge tome strapped around his back. ¡°It¡¯s probably easier to convince him that she left the vige with us¡­ but I didn¡¯t like him, anyway. He had terrible tastes. So this will be much more fun.¡± He grinned, and Nichs nodded. The Noble knight turned back to Sienna. ¡°And dispose of this body.¡± The Noble Knight gestured at the blonde girl lying behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone¡ª¡± But before he could finish, a white blur shot past him, followed by a frantic clucking. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Nichs blinked a few times, almost stumbling back. He felt the gust of wind sweep over him a momentter, before he looked back up to see that Noele¡¯s bleeding body was gone. He looked at the puddle of blood, before ncing back at Sienna. Her typically stoic demeanor had broken, and she was wearing just as quizzical of a face as he was. ¡°What¡­ what was that?¡± Nichs asked, utterly befuddled. It was Kale who spoke up, raising a hand. ¡°I believe that that was a chicken.¡± ¡°A chicken?¡± The Noble Knight just stared at hispanion, at a loss for words. Kale nodded, munching on another malim fruit. ¡°And by the looks of it, it¡¯s getting away¡­¡± ¡ª-- Bucky didn¡¯t trust them. From the very first moment they showed up, she knew she didn¡¯t trust them. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t speak, and no one ever listened to her when she squawked in terror. At most, they¡¯d try to cate her with food¡ª which did work, because she liked to eat. And it distracted her long enough for her to forget about her distrust of those three smelly humies that entered her habitat. By the time she remembered to worry about it, Noele was gone, and so were they. She made a fuss, and unfortunately, neither Han nor Arthur got what she meant. So she ran out. And by the time she found Noele, it was toote. The blonde human was lying on the dirt road, bleeding out and surrounded by the three smelly humies. Bucky immediately acted, of course. Even though she knew it was dangerous, she wasn¡¯t one to shy away from such situations. She dashed forward, grabbed Noele, and escaped into the trees. While the chicken wasn¡¯t the strongest, and she certainly didn¡¯t know any magic, she was incredibly fast. So even if she could neither save Noele nor fend off those three smelly humies, she was confident in her ability to escape. Or so she thought. Bucky dashed around a thicket of trees, carrying Noele on her back, when she heard a sharp whistling approaching her from behind. She turned around just in time to see a whizzing arrow flying straight for her head. She leapt to the side as the projectile struck the ground and exploded. The st ripped apart the nearby trees, sending a shockwave across the ground. Bucky stumbled for a moment, before sprinting full speed forward. That was close¡ª the thought crossed her mind. But a momentter, she heard more whistlingsing for her. And she spotted a figure leaping across the treetop. One of the three humies¡ª the onlydy amongst them¡ª loosed a flurry of arrows at the chicken. Bucky cursed as she danced around the litany of explosions unfurling around her. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± she cursed. That tranted to, ¡°Fuck off, you humie scum!¡± in chicken. Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf¡¯s ears as Bucky watched the humie pulled out a glinting arrow. The chicken¡¯s eyes went wide, and the arrow was unleashed a secondter. There was a chittering in the air. Like the screams of a thousand birds. And Bucky¡¯s body blurred as she pped her wings. [Eagle¡¯s Flight]. All at once, she shot into the air, flying high into the sky. Beneath her, the ground erupted into a massive explosion of ice. Everything in a hundred feet was frozen in an instant. Every insect and every animal turned into an ice statue. The humie with the bownded amongst the frozenndscape, looking up as Bucky flew away. The chicken still clung onto Noele, but there was nothing the humie could do about it. Until a giant magic circle shed in the sky. Bucky blinked, before her wings grew heavy. All at once, she came crashed into the ground with Noele, unable to fly any longer. ¡°Bawk bawk!¡± Buckynded with a loud squawk. Her face smashed against the icy floor, and Noele fell a moment after with a thud. The chicken looked up, trying to get back to her feet. But she could hardly even move. Whatever this spell was was keeping her down. She heard the crunching of heavy footsteps on ice. The fat humie emerged from behind a frozen thicket, holding his book out. He licked his fingers as he stared at Bucky. ¡°Caught ya.¡± He grinned. And behind him, the humie with the bow and the blond human stepped forward. They approached both Noele and Bucky as the twoy there helplessly. ¡°I want to eat the chicken,¡± the fat humie said, looking at Bucky. Her feathers stood on end at thatment. Especially when the blond man nodded. ¡°Roast it alive,¡± he snickered as he unsheathed his rapier. ¡°Make that chicken suffer for getting in our way.¡± Bucky clenched her beak together as she mustered up the strength to get up. She raised her two wings, taking a defensive stance as she faced down the three humies. They looked mockingly at her, and she hesitated for a moment. But there was nothing else she could do. She couldn¡¯t run. All she could do was fight. So she readied herself for battle, even as the three humies stood menacingly across from her. And a voice called out, interrupting their tense face-off. ¡°What is¡­ going on here?¡± a man asked. Bucky recognized the voice immediately. But the three humies did not. They turned around, facing a man standing between the frozen trees. He was dressed in a simple leather tunic with an apron tied around his waist. A ssh of wine stained his shirt, and his face was drenched in sweat. He blinked as he stared at Noele¡¯s bleeding body, before looking at Bucky. ¡°Another interruption?¡± the blond humie said with a frown. ¡°But this time, it¡¯s just the [Bartender].¡± Arthur blinked, looking back at the three humies with wide eyes. ¡°You¡­ did you guys do this? But why?¡± It was a simple question. One which the blond man didn¡¯t care to answer. He waved a hand dismissively at his tworades, turning back to face Noele. ¡°Deal with this pest,¡± he said simply. The humie with the bow nodded and drew her dagger. She walked up to Arthur as he backed away. ¡°How could you do this?¡± the bartender eximed, clenching his fist. ¡°Why would you hurt them?¡± And¡­ fzzt. Bucky narrowed her eyes. She thought she saw a flicker of something run through Arthur¡¯s hands. But her gaze snapped back to the blond humie as he drew closer. ¡°By the end of this, we¡¯re going to have to massacre everyone in this town, huh?¡± he sighed, rubbing his temples. He stepped up to Bucky, raising his rapier. ¡°Well, it is what it is¡ª¡± BOOM! There was a sh of blinding light. A powerful shockwave washed across the frozenndscape, ripping apart the ice. The spell circle hovering in the sky was shattered, and Bucky felt the weight on her back vanish. She blinked as the blond humie stumbled forward. He spun around with a scowl, staring back at Arthur. ¡°What the fuck was¡ª that¡­?¡± His eyes went round when he saw the humie with a bow lying there in a crater, a charred corpse. He looked back towards Arthur as Bucky also stared in confusion. ¡°Bawk¡­ bawk¡­ bawk?¡± she asked. That tranted to, ¡°What¡­ the¡­ fuck?¡± Arthur floated there, his body crackling with electricity. His eyes were burning with a purple me. His skin was burning, and he cast a re towards the two remaining humies standing there. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Arthur pointed at the fat humie as the world was lit alight, and a massive lightning bolt shot shot down from the sky. ¡°Monsters!¡± Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Garron knew he shouldn¡¯t have stormed out of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant like he did. But Kale¡¯s words had struck a really sensitive nerve there. It was always grating to deal with arrogant, entitled bastards like those three S-ranks. Or at the very least, Sienna and Kale are arrogant and entitled bastards. Garron hadn¡¯t spoken to Nichs at all since thetter arrived at Wolfwater¡ª the two simply didn¡¯t have a chance to converse because of Noele. Garron had known that the blonde girl saw the Noble Knight as her idol. So seeing her act so enamored with Nichs was not unexpected. In fact, it was normal. Every adventurer¡ª or most adventurers, excluding lunatics like Jax¡ª had someone they looked up to. Someone that inspired them when they were a child to be an adventurer. After all, to be an adventurer was to be like a [Hero]. Or so was the naive outlook of a kid. Of course, adventuring was far less noble that it seemed. And while Garron himself became an adventurer for less-than-noble causes, when he was younger he still idolized quite a few adventurers. Although most of them were either dead or retired by now. So Garron believed that Noele¡¯s infatuation with Nichs was innocuous. There couldn¡¯t have been any romantic undertones behind it. But then Kale imnted the idea into the Steel Tank¡¯s head. And that was when Garron snapped. Because it rubbed salt in the wound, considering that the S-ranks had already irritated him quite a bit before that moment. Still, he felt bad for Noele. He wasn¡¯t sure what she thought happened, but she certainly would have been bothered by the Steel Tank¡¯s sudden exit. Certainly, he couldn¡¯t cast judgments on Nichs yet. But if the Noble Knight was really a sleazy man who was after the blonde girl¡¯s heart, then he could have easily manipted her with that moment, convincing her that Garron was acting out of jealousy. ¡­which was partially true. But it was more so motivated by Kale and Sienna than anything else. Garron sighed as he shook his head. He hadn¡¯t known where to go when he exited the restaurant. So he slowly made his way back to his current ce of residence¡ª which was Nn and Nicole¡¯s farm. They were growing quite a lot of malim fruits here now for Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, so the pathway leading up to the main house was lined with colorful shrubs. Garron spotted a figure standing right ahead of him, knelt down as he dug a hole on the dirt ground. It was Dorien¡ª the [Druid] who was the protector of the Vox Forest. He was here helping nt and grow the malim fruits as well. He hardly ever spoke with Garron, even if the two knew of each other. However, it seemed that Garron¡¯s agitation was evident on his face since the [Druid] spoke up. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Dorien asked, rising to his feet. ¡°You seem upset.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Garron shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to confide that the reason for his attitude was because of something as petty as what had happened. ¡°Where¡¯s Noele¡¯s parents?¡± ¡°Nn is inside, resting for lunch,¡± the [Druid] replied. He dusted himself off as he nodded at the house standing just a few feet away. ¡°But Nicole has gone to the city.¡± ¡°To Whiteridge?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s trying to sell these malim fruits there¡ª to make a profit off them.¡± The Steel Tank raised a brow. ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡± Normally, [Druids] would be very much against trying to profiteer off rare natural resources. They were the guardians of nature, so they did not like it when theirnds were plundered. The fact that Dorien was allowing this¡ª let alone aiding it¡ª was quite astonishing for Garron to see. But the [Druid] just harrumphed. ¡°As long as no one touches the Vox Forest, I do not care. They can buy malim fruits from Nicole all they want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an interesting philosophy.¡± Garron ced a hand on his chin. ¡°Well, that¡¯s how I live. If you don¡¯t bother me, I won¡¯t bother you.¡± Dorien said simply. ¡°But if you bother me, I will rain fire on you.¡± Garron shook his head. [Druids]... Everyone seemed to think they were peaceful folks. And while that was true to a certain extent, they could also be incredibly violent. Perhaps the Steel Tank could learn a thing or two about them. If instead of storming off, he brought up what Kale had said to Noele, that could have saved a lot of embarrassment for Garron. But not just that, it could have warned the blonde girl that the S-ranks might not be as nice as they pretended to be. Again, Garron wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was just Kale and Sienna, or if Nichs was included, but if something had been said there, then there was no need for spection. Unfortunately, the burly man had just stormed out. ¡°And what about Noele?¡± Dorien asked, breaking Garron out of his stupor. ¡°She¡¯s usually with you, isn¡¯t she? I don¡¯t see her.¡± That made the Steel Tank purse his lips. ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what to say¡ª or how to exin the situation. He took in a deep breath as the [Druid] frowned. ¡°She¡¯s¡­?¡± Dorien waited. And Garron hesitated. But before he coulde up with an answer, a powerful explosion erupted just outside of Wolfwater. Both the [Druid] and the Steel Tank recoiled from the sh of light. A momentter, a powerful shockwave swept over thendscape. They braced themselves as a strong gust of wind threatened to knock them off their feet. ¡°What is that?¡± Dorien asked with wide eyes. Garron¡¯s eyes flickered, and he slowly reached for his sword at his waist. Dorien hadn¡¯t noticed it, but the Steel Tank did. The attack that was unleashed wasn¡¯t just an ordinary st. It had been a st of purple lightning¡ª one that seemed to freeze everything as much as it destroyed all that it touched. It was a st of frost lightning. But not just frost lightning¡ª it was empowered by the Void. ¡°...Arthur,¡± Garron said, gritting his teeth. ¡°Arthur?¡± Dorien blinked a few times. ¡°You mean the [Bartender]?¡± Garron just shook his head. It was too much to exin. He spun around, hearing a door m open. Nn sprinted out of the house with round eyes, staring at the smoke rising to the sky. ¡°What is going on?¡± the [Farmer] panted out. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± Garron said quickly, ncing back towards Dorien. ¡°Stay here and look after Nn.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The [Druid] nodded, before running back to the [Farmer]. And the Steel Tank took off, even as he chewed on his lips. After all, he was nervous. He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to help out if what he feared was true. Because if it was¡­ Then it meant that the Lich King had returned. ¡ª-- Arthur had thought it was quite an odd day. Firstly, three S-ranked adventurers had shown up in Wolfwater without much exnation. That in itself wasn¡¯t that weird to him since he didn¡¯t think S-ranks were that umon. However, supposedly, he was told it was quite unusual in this day and age. He didn¡¯t question it much. He just did his job¡ª even though it was his day off. But he didn¡¯t care. Neither did Han. Noele made a special request to host the three S-ranks, so they fulfilled it. But then, Bucky started to throw a fit. And Arthur had to cate the chicken with food. And while that was happening, Garron suddenly marched out of the room, upset over something that was said. Arthur only looked on in confusion when that happened, but he didn¡¯t question it. He thought that perhaps something else had happened¡ª that it wasn¡¯t the fault of the S-ranks. However, shortly after that, Noele had also run out of the room. And this time, Arthur knew it was definitely because of the S-ranks. Unfortunately, before he could even question it, the three S-ranks exited the room as well. And to make things even more confusing, Bucky then proceeded to sprint after them after she was done with her food. So Arthur and Han were left in the restaurant, utterly clueless as to what to do. Eventually, Arthur decided to give chase to Bucky¡ª to make sure she didn¡¯t do anything stupid. And what he found¡­ appalled him. He saw Nichs, Kale, and Sienna standing over Noele¡¯s bleeding body. Bucky was protectively hovering over the blonde girl, but it almost looked like it was toote. The three S-ranks wereughing at what they had done. When they were found out, they moved to dispose of Arthur too. But before they could do anything, Arthur killed Sienna with the power of the Void. It happened instinctively. It was like he was reaching for something that was always there, but he refused to acknowledge. His eyes burned with a purple me, and his skin threatened to melt off his bones. He hovered in the air as this unsettling power surged over him, but he didn¡¯t reject it. He could not reject it¡ª not for the sake of either Noele or Bucky. He had to save them. So he pointed at Kale who raised a tome. ¡°[Shield¡ª¡± the fat man started. And Arthur bellowed, ¡°Void Lightning!¡± The Void¡¯s essence poured out of his chest, reaching for the sky. And this twisted magic called forth a lightning bolt that would have destroyed all of Wolfwater. But its impact was concentrated only on Kale. He screamed in pain as whatever barrier he conjured up was ripped to shreds, and his body was burnt and frozen by Arthur¡¯s enraged attack. Even though he was an S-ranked adventurer, he couldn¡¯t put up a fight. Not when his opponent was a former Lich King¡ª the very First Lich King. A crackle of purple electricity ran over Arthur¡¯s body as he felt the searing pain of his mortal flesh melt away. But he ignored it, focusing his burning gaze towards his remaining target. Nichs took a step back, staring at the corpses of his tworades in horror. ¡°What¡­? But how?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Arthur pointed at the Noble Knight. And another st of purple lightning shot down from the sky. But Nichs managed to react in time. He leapt to the side, before vanishing with a golden glow. ¡°[Noble Step],¡± Nichs panted as hended right in the middle of a thicket of frozen trees. ¡°That was close¡­¡± He nced towards the small crater where he had been standing, before sweeping his gaze over to Arthur. But he blinked at what he saw there. The former Lich King had conjured up a volley of purple ice spears. Dozens of them hovered over his head, glinting as he felt his cheeks burning away. His eyes shed in anger, and the projectiles shot forward. ¡°Perish.¡± Nichs cursed, drawing his rapier. He moved to deflect the onught of attacks. But even as he tried his best to block what few he could. However, it quickly overwhelmed him. He screamed as he was impaled by the flurry of projectiles, being ripped apart where he stood. He copsed to the ground, covered in holes. And Arthur heaved heavily, slowly descending back to the ground. His body still ached¡ª his skin still burned. The pain refused to leave his body just yet. But he shook his head, trying to ignore it as he stared at the Noble Knight¡¯s corpse. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s over,¡± he whispered to himself. And a frantic clucking drew his attention to the side. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky hopped up and down next to Noele¡¯s bleeding body. Arthur nodded as he took a step forward. ¡°Right,¡± he said as he fumbled for a healing potion from his belt. ¡°I need to¡ª¡± And a glinting arrow shot forward, shattering the ss. Arthur blinked as he stumbled back. Bucky froze, looking past him. Slowly, the former Lich King turned around to face the source of the attack. His eyes went wide when he saw Sienna standing there, her bow raised and glowing with a familiar light. Next to her, Kale got to his feet and cracked his neck as he eyes glimmered. ¡°How are you¡­?¡± Arthur asked as he stared at the two corpsese to life. But it wasn¡¯t just the two of them. Nichs sighed as he pulled his shredded body up from the ground, his wounds slowly mending. A purple aura coated him as he sighed. He stared at the former Lich King, picking up his de. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who has been blessed by the Void,¡± Nichs said simply. And he teleported next to Arthur, thrusting his rapier through the former Lich King¡¯s chest. AMELIA WEBTOON (pre-emptive) ANNOUNCEMENT + Patreon tier updates AMELIA WEBTOON (pre-emptive) ANNOUNCEMENT + Patreon tier updates And there you have it! The opening scene of Amelia shown in Webtoon form! I''m ngl, I''ve been working on this since December of 2022. That''s right, I''ve been working on this since the FIRST month Amelia came out, since if you don''t already know, I have had experience with making anotheric for my other series, Salvos. But just like with the Salvos weic, I have run into a ton ofplications in the production of this. Without going into too much detail, this is the FIFTH artist I am working with for the Amelia webtoon, but unlike the others, this one seems like it''ll stick. Anyway, just like the Salvos webtoon, the estimated cost of the Ameliaic is going to be around $100k, which I will be self-funding, and once again, I''m not cheaping out on the quality of the art. Unlike other authors who haveics that are funded bypanies or publishers, I am fronting the cost entirely on my own to ensure that there are no significant changes made to the story. So... I really need your support at this time if you''re willing to subscribe to my patreon. I''ve even made some patreon changes! I have increased my patreon rewards across all relevant tiers to offer more chapters ahead than previously offered! So now my rewards are:
$5 for 5 chapters ahead (previously 3 chapters ahead) +ic previews $10 for 21 chapters ahead (previously 15 chapters ahead) with the goal of reaching 25 chapters by the end of the year! +ic previews
Seriously, consider subscribing to my patreon, because not only will you be supporting the Amelia webtoon, you''ll also gain ess to more rewards than ever before! MsDelta | Writing Web Serials / Web Comics | Patreon Now, who''s going to be the distributor for the Amelia Webtoon? Well, I already have a distributor locked in, but I don''t believe I can reveal any information just yet, so that will have to remain a secret for now. Just know that I will be making a few minor changes in the weic, but the general outline of the plot will progress the same way! So if you''re a novel reader, you don''t need to read the weic if you don''t want to. But you should anyway, because it''s really cool. Check out these preview panels if you don''t believe me! Look at those effects! Unimpressed Amelia! And here''s some DBZ shit! To wrap up: Again, this is going to be a full-on Webtoon production, just like the Salvosic. I have put in so much of my time and money into make this work out, so I really would appreciate any support you can show me by either spreading the word about Amelia as a story or checking out my Patreon and its updated rewards <> Thank you all for reading as always! Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Noele didn¡¯t know what had happened. It didn¡¯t happen fast, but it was so sudden. It was so shocking. She didn¡¯t even register what had happened until a minute after it urred. But even then, she still couldn¡¯t process it. It was too surreal to understand. It was something that was almost iprehensible. Despite what had happened with Nichs earlier today, he was still an S-ranked adventurer. There was no reason for him to ever attack her unprompted. There was no reason for him to ever stab her in the back. He could have been a jerk. He could have been a maniptive liar. However, that was a far cry from being a murderer. Being rude and callous was entirely distinct from killing someone in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. And yet, that was exactly what Nichs tried to do. No¡ª that was exactly what he was doing. The Noble Spellsword couldn¡¯t react. Her body was wrapped in a numbing pain. It no longer ached. And she could hardly even think. If she was still cognizant of the world around her, she would have been furious about what happened. She would have no longer felt betrayed or hurt¡ª instead, she would have retaliated in an instant. She would have struck the Noble Knight down where he stood for this outrageous sneak attack. However, that was the problem. Noele couldn¡¯t even feel any of that anymore. Her mind was filled with a jumble of muted thoughts¡ª her feelings silenced by the ring hole in her chest. She couldn¡¯t see anything any longer. Her vision had gone blurry at first, then was slowly shadowed over. Thest thing she saw was¡­ a chicken? Perhaps she could have recognized the chicken if she wasn¡¯t bleeding out. But at her current state, she couldn¡¯t. And now, all she saw was an encroaching darkness. A cold breeze swept over her body, even though it had been the middle of the dayst she saw. Her mind instinctively reached for something to grasp onto¡ª to stave away the eternal dark. But Noele found nothing. Not in her memories. Not in her bonds with her friends. She couldn¡¯t cling onto anything. Except¡­ Her body convulsed in the darkness as she felt something calling for her. It was warm¡ªforting. A strange sensation. However, it was also so familiar. Like the soothing voice of her mama. Like the gentle embrace of her papa. Whatever this was, it pulled her mind closer towards it. And as she could slowly make sense of it, she realized¡­ it wasn¡¯t a voice like she thought. It was something else. It was a light in the darkness. She reached for it. And a blue screen shed in her mind. [ss advancement avable! Please choose one of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡­] This is¡­ the World System? Noele barely managed to muster out the thought. That was right. Even though her mind was in a haze, she still remembered that her powers were granted to her all thanks to the World System. Her ss¡ª the fact that she was Level 57. It allowed her to be an A-ranked adventurer. It allowed to protect those she cared about. The World System was what saved her when she needed saving. It offered her power when she needed it the most. Without the World System, Noele was nothing. She knew that it was a fact. She knew that this had always been true. She could never achieve anything without the help of the World System¡­ right? For some reason, something felt off about that train of thought. However, she couldn¡¯t exactly ce her finger on what was amiss, and her near-death state was in no condition to think things through. She just knew that she could survive if she reached for this power. If she epted the World System¡¯s offer, she would be able to get back to her feet, and she would be able to defeat Nichs with ease. So as shey there in the darkness, her mind still whirling, but trying to focus on the blue screen that was waiting for her. I ept¡ª she started. But before she could fully wrap her thoughts around her new ss, she was interrupted by a heavy¡­ thunk! Her entire world shook. Her body reverberated in pain. It felt like she had just been dropped out of the sky, causing her back to break. It was such a sudden jolt of shock, it overwhelmed the numbing sensation of approaching death. Unbeknownst to the blonde girl, she had been quite literally dropped out of the sky. She had crashed from hundreds of feet in the air,nding on a hard, icy ground alongside Bucky. Although she didn¡¯t realize all this was happening, it still nterrupted her thoughts. It broke her focus. And even in the darkness, her vision blurred once more. She tried to reach for the blue screen once more¡ª in desperation, orpelled to by something else. But she couldn¡¯t grasp it. It slipped out of her mind. And slowly, Noele drifted further into darkness, now no longer just dying, but on the brink of death. ¡ª-- Garron heard another explosion resound in the distance. He felt the prickling aura of the outpouring power of the Void. It was so familiar¡ª so intense. A cold chill that made the hair on his back stand on end. It shook him to the very bone. But even though he wanted to flee, he pressed on. He knew what he was getting into. He had already battled it once before. Or rather, he had tried to fight it. But he had only been able to watch from afar back then, needing to be saved by Amelia. Unfortunately, this time, Amelia wasn¡¯t here. So it was up to Garron to help stop Arthur. He sprinted through the frozen trees, gritting his teeth. The Steel Tank really did like the bartender¡ª unlike Noele, he held no animosity for what the former Lich King had done. However, Garron had feared what could happen if the Lich King somehow did return. And now, it seemed like his worst nightmare wasing true. Fortunately, judging by the frozenndscape Arthur had created, he was significantly weaker than before. But the problem was that he could grow stronger. So Garron moved as fast as he could until he reached a clearing in the trees¡ª the source of the overwhelming Void essence. He came to a halt right at the edge of a thicket of trees, spotting a gathering of figures already waiting there. The first person he noticed was Nichs and his team. The three S-ranked adventurers were standing just before Arthur, whose body was wreathed in a purple aura. Garron gritted his teeth, seeing that the worst hade to pass. But before the Steel Tank could rush in, he paused when he heard an angry clucking. He looked to the side, and that was when his heart stopped. Lying there, just a few dozen feet from Arthur, was¡­ Noele. The blonde girly in a puddle of blood as Bucky stood protectively by her side. Garron needed a moment to process this sight. His lips quivered as he saw the pooling red liquid as he stood there, at a loss for words. ¡°What¡­?¡± He stared at the wound¡ª at the hole in Noele¡¯s chest. It was like she was stabbed through the back. And she was dying. ¡°Ack!¡± a scream broke the Steel Tank out of his stupor. Garron nced to the side, watching as Arthur was impaled through the chest by Nichs. The Noble Knight had teleported straight to the former Lich King with some sort of Skill. And Arthur was struck down. The purple aura dissipated. Thest of the gathering Void essence was gone. Nichs pulled back, shaking his head. ¡°That was close¡­ he¡¯s strong, but he doesn¡¯t know how to control his power.¡± ¡°Good for us,¡± Kale snorted, before ncing at Garron. It was a strange look¡ª almost threatening. It made the Steel Tank flinch. ¡°So what do we do now?¡± The Noble Knight took notice of Garron too. He just stepped forward, proffering a hand. ¡°Do you have a healing potion?¡± The Steel Tank blinked a few times, looking at the fallen former Lich King, then back towards the three S-ranks. He tried to work his jaw. ¡°I-I¡­ what happened?¡± It was a simple question. Nichs sighed as he strode forward, ncing towards Noele¡¯s bleeding body. And Bucky continued clucking angrily there. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Noble Knight said. ¡°Somehow, the bartender was possessed by that strange power. And he attacked us all.¡± Garron nodded slowly as he numbly reached for a healing potion from his bag. He walked up towards the Noble Knight, eyeing Arthur¡¯s bleeding body. The former Lich King was taken down by a stab wound¡ª through the chest. ¡°Do you have a healing potion?¡± Nichs pressed the Steel Tank. ¡°Otherwise, your friend will die if we don¡¯t act soon.¡± Bucky clucked loudly, but Garron barely heard it. He just produced the healing potion and slowly raised it as he looked back towards Noele. She was dying¡ª not from a st of lightning. But from a stab wound through the chest. Nichs epted the healing potion with a smile. Garron stared at the Noble Knight¡ª then he looked towards Kale and Sienna. Neither S-ranks wore even a hint of worry for Noele. They just eyed Garron like hawks. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nichs said, before pausing. He frowned as he tried to take the healing potion, but the Steel Tank refused to let go. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± And Garron punched the Noble Knight across the face as he bellowed, ¡°[Knockback Blow]!¡± Nichs was sent flying back, even as he barely flinched in pain. Kale and Sienna reacted immediately. They pulled out their weapons, aiming for the Steel Tank. But Garron was already moving. He sprinted straight for Noele as Bucky waved her wings in the air. ¡°[Grand Fireball]!¡± Kale called out. ¡°[Arrow of Dawn],¡± Sienna whispered. Both S-ranks unleashed their Skills at Garron as he ran for Noele. He nced back, seeing a glinting bolt and a zing sphere moving to intercept him¡ª heading straight for the blonde girl¡¯s bleeding body. Garron gritted his teeth and tossed the healing potion at Bucky. The chicken blinked, watching as he spun around and raised his shield. ¡°Save her!¡± Garron screamed, turning to face the oing projectiles. Bucky caught the healing potion and paused for a moment. She stared with wide eyes as Garron nted his feet on the ground, before raising his shield. His body shone with a brilliant white aura as he bellowed. ¡°[Lure Projectiles]!¡± The [Grand Fireball] and the [Arrow of Dawn] swerved, redirecting away from Noele and towards the Steel Tank. He took in a deep breath, nodding at Bucky. The chicken hesitated, before uncorking the healing potion. She began to pour the red liquid down Noele¡¯s throat as Garron stood steadfast. His shield glimmered, before he activated all his defensive Skills at once. ¡°[Iron Will]! [The Guardian¡¯s Protection]! [Aura of¡ª¡± And the Steel Tank was engulfed in a powerful explosion. His words were cut off¡ª his body ovee by a searing pain. The barriers he had erected were instantly shattered. B-ranked Skills. No match for a single S-rank attack, let alone two. Bucky looked away from the st, refusing to see what happened. Was Garron still alive? She didn¡¯t know. Instead, the chicken focused on pouring out thest of the healing potion, trying to save Noele. And the blonde girl coughed as shey there, her wounds slowly beginning to close. ¡ª-- In the darkness, Noele felt her senses slowly returning to her. But she wasn¡¯t returned to reality just yet. Instead, she continued to float in her mind, before seeing a blue light once again¡ª the very same offer from the World System. The offer to save her life. To save her friends. Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Noele blinked her eyes open, but she still saw darkness. Her thoughts were cogent, and she remembered being stabbed, so only a single thought crossed her mind. ¡°Am I¡­ am I dead?¡± she asked apprehensively. Her blood ran cold as she feared the worst. She ced a hand on her chest, before stumbling back. She could think clearly now. However, she was still reeling in shock from everything that just happened. And she still didn¡¯t even know if she was alive. ¡°Thest thing I remember was¡­ Bucky¡­ and falling¡ª¡± The blonde girl paused as she rubbed her temples, trying to recall what else happened. Her eyes snapped wide open when she remembered something else. A blue screen. An instinctualpulsion. ¡°The World System,¡± she whispered. And the same blue screen shed before her eyes. [ss advancement avable! Please choose one of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡ª savior of the weak, and the light in the darkness. With des or magic, they will defend those who cannot fend for themselves, and they will rise to any danger that threatens the weak. It is the first step down the path of heroism, and that is why a [Champion] is a precursor to something greater¡­ something more¡­ Do you ept this ss? There are no other sses advancements avable for you.] The Noble Spellsword stared with wide eyes at the glowing message. An offer from the World System. The chance for her to receive an early ss advancement. It had been a while since she had been given this offer¡ª she was first given the chance to be a [Champion Spellsword] after she defeated the Monster of the Mist. After she slew Odell, the man responsible for killing her sister. He had been empowered by the Void. And defeating him had not been an easy task. But she had won. Through her own efforts¡ª through her own strength¡ª she defeated him. So when the World System came to her, offering her even more power, she had been reticent to ept that offer. After all, she didn¡¯t want to rely on a power outside of her own. Because it would only limit her growth. She wouldn¡¯t be able to grow stronger if she was always reliant on something else to fight for her. Noele had to fight on her own. So her first instinctpelled her to cast aside the ss advancement once again. But then she paused as the screen flickered. She hadn¡¯t rejected it just yet, and for whatever reason, it vanished. Her eyes narrowed as in its stead, a crack opened up in the darkness. A rift that peered out of this ck world. Noele¡¯s eyes lit up as she thought she found an escape. On the other side, Bucky pped her wings in a panic. A powerful explosion ripped across the background, sending a shockwave over the frozenndscape. A giant pir of smoke rose from the ground, and lying at the center of the crater was Garron. Noele immediately reacted. She reached out as she took a step forward. ¡°Garron! I¡¯ll save you¡ª¡± She screamed, rushing forward to the rift. But when she reached it, she felt an invisible wall stopping her. Noele came to a halt, blinking a few times. Her arms dropped to her side, hanging limply as she saw Bucky clucking loudly. The chicken was waving her wings, still in a panic. Like she was trying to wake Noele up. And the realization sunk in as the blonde girl remained in the dark. ¡°Oh,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡¯m still dying.¡± ¡ª-- Nichs sighed as he pulled himself out of the rubble. He had been taken by surprise when Garron punched him across the face. It didn¡¯t hurt¡ª however, it annoyed the Noble Knight, considering that his [Noble Charms] failed once again today. It was irritating. He didn¡¯t know the reason why it failed the first time around, but he had chalked it up to Noele having some sort of Skill that allowed her to resist it. But Garron was a B-ranked adventurer. Unless he had a powerful artifact protecting him, there was no reason for him to be able to resist the Noble Knight¡¯s Skills. Nichs dusted himself off as he watched his fellow students of Ammon unleash their attacks on the Steel Tank. Garron certainly tried to block it, but he was immediately engulfed by a powerful explosion. The st itself even made Nichs wince. But he shook his head a momentter. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being such a fool¡­¡± He strode forward as he reached for his rapier. Kale and Sienna appeared at his side. He turned to them with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you went a little overboard?¡± He stared at the pir of smoke, rising where Garron once stood. ¡°A mere B-ranked adventurer poses no threat to us.¡± Kale snorted, waving a hand off dismissively. ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred to take my time with killing that fool.¡± ¡°Your methods are inefficient,¡± Sienna said as she nodded at Garron¡¯s burnt body. ¡°The longer we take to finish this mission, the more witnesses we will have to eliminate.¡± ¡°Then let us ughter them all. I do not care.¡± Nichs waved a hand dismissively,ing to a halt right before the small crater. He paused for a moment, before looking down at the Steel Tank with a frown. He didn¡¯t spot any artifacts or amulets that could have blocked his [Noble Charms]. Not any that he recognized, at the very least. His brows furrowed as he raised his head. Nichs heard a loud cluckinging from right ahead. He spotted the same chicken from before, frantically shaking Noele¡¯s bleeding body. He chuckled at the sight. ¡°Why are they all trying so hard to save a dead girl?¡± he said as he drew his rapier. ¡°Beats me.¡± Kale shrugged, before pointing a thumb at the chicken. ¡°Want me to kill it? It¡¯s pretty annoying, and I¡¯m getting hungry.¡± Nichs nodded. ¡°Go ahead. Whatever it takes to shut that annoying squawking up.¡± The chicken froze where it stood. Slowly, it turned to warily face the three S-ranks. It hesitated for a moment, before taking on a defensive stance. Kale just grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy ripping out your feathers¡ª¡± the fat man started. But he was quickly interrupted by a sh of light. ¡°[Piercing st]!¡± A beam of light shot up towards Kale, striking him directly in the head. He stumbled back, screaming in pain as half his face was burned right off. Nichs blinked, and Sienna¡¯s gaze snapped towards the crater beneath them. ¡°I-I¡¯m not finished yet¡­¡± Garron panted as he rose to his feet. He was bleeding and burnt. He looked like he was dead. But somehow, even after tanking thebined attacks of two S-ranks, he was still alive. He lifted his shortsword as he red up at Nichs. ¡°How the fuck are you still alive?¡± the Noble Knight asked in a rather ignoble tone. Garron didn¡¯t respond. He just heaved his half-destroyed shield up, taking on a battle-ready stance. He didn¡¯t turn around, but he spoke to the chicken. ¡°Grab Noele and run,¡± he said as he hefted up his shortsword. ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off.¡± Sienna¡¯s brows snapped together as she raised her bow. She nocked an arrow into it, aiming at Garron. But a screaming voice stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ll kill that bastard!¡± Kale screamed, staggering forward. He ced one hand on her shoulder as he pushed her back. The burn marks on his face were slowly healing¡ª the Void¡¯s essence wisping off his skin, mixing with the smoke from the st. He was, quite evidently, furious. Sienna, however, didn¡¯t back down. She shrugged his hand off as she looked back down at Garron. ¡°We have messed around enough,¡± she said simply. ¡°We should not waste more time. Nichs, let us put an end to this already.¡± She nced over at the Noble Knight. He just had a brow raised. He looked between his two teammates. He didn¡¯t really know what to say, considering they weren¡¯t actually his teammates. They were all simply fellow students of Ammon. He had no authority over Kale. Even if they had pretended that was the case. However, Sienna wasn¡¯t looking to Nichs for his authority. She wanted his support so that Kale would back down. Because then it would be two-against-one. But Nichs knew that if he did back Sienna, he was never going to hear the end of it from Kale. So the Noble Knight took a step back, opting to keep out of this mess. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the chicken. You two figure out who gets the Steel Tank.¡± Sienna red at Nichs, and Kaleughed. But the Noble Knight ignored them, turning to face the panicked chicken. It clucked in terror. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°Bucky¡­¡± Garron said weakly, ncing back at the chicken. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you run away yet?¡± Nichs shrugged as he strode forward. ¡°Perhaps the chicken knows that it is futile to try to escape. You should learn from it and roll over and die.¡± The Noble Knight chuckled, twirling his rapier at his side. But before he could reach Noele, he heard the crackling of thundering from above. He paused, slowly craning his neck to face the sky. He sensed iting before it came. ¡°[Noble Step]!¡± Nichs moved fast. He teleported back towards Kale and Sienna. A momentter, a pir of lightning came crashing down from the sky. It ripped apart the ground where the Noble Knight had been standing. And he looked towards the source of this immense power. He clicked his tongue as he faced the bartender¡ª the very same one he had killed just a few minutes ago. ¡°I should¡¯ve known you can regenerate too,¡± Nichs harrumphed as he eyed Arthur. In response, Arthur screamed, pping his hands together, and sending out a st of ice in all directions. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 ¡°I¡¯m dying,¡± Noele whispered as she looked at herself through the vision. Somehow, she was able to see through her own eyes, even though she couldn¡¯t move her body. And what she saw was Garron and Arthur, standing together to face down Nichs, Kale, and Sienna. Bucky was there too. But the chicken was busy trying to resuscitate the blonde girl. Unfortunately, even with a healing potion, Noele couldn¡¯t recover. She saw the state she was in, and she remembered the injury she received. Perhaps if she had just freshly been stabbed in the chest, with her levels, she could survive as long as she downed a healing potion. However, it had been quite a while since she had been impaled. Not only that, but she had also been dropped from the sky right after that. She needed an elixir of healing¡ª something far more powerful than even the highest grade of healing potion. But Arthur was a bartender, and Garron could barely even stand. Even if either of them had such an item, they couldn¡¯t have saved her. Not with Nichs, Sienna, and Kale barring their path. Noele could only save herself. But¡­ what could she even do? A blue screen shed before her eyes as the thought crossed her mind. It was the same one that had vanished just earlier¡ª the very same offer she had contemted rejecting for months now. [ss advancement avable! Please choose one of the following ss advancements: [Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice¡ª] Noele recoiled at the sight. But then she stared at it closely. She read its description once again, and she hesitated. ¡°Should I ept this power?¡± she wondered aloud. Even if it said nothing about helping her recover from a near-death state, she was inclined to believe that epting this ss would save her. It was a strange intuition. And she thought back, trying to figure out why she felt that way. ¡°When I was barely conscious¡ª¡± She closed her eyes, recalling the nebulous memories of the dark. ¡°The World System tried to¡­ trick me?¡± That didn¡¯t seem right. And yet, as she recalled what happened, when she hadn¡¯t even been able to think, she waspelled to seek the power of the World System. And it did more than just convince her of its goodness. ¡°It lied to me,¡± Noele whispered. ¡°The World System lied to me.¡± When she spoke those words aloud¡ª in her head¡ª it sounded incredibly ridiculous. But she knew what she was saying was true. The World System had tried to convince that Amelia had never existed¡ª that the blonde girl was only able to defeat Odell with the strength of her given ss. In reality, Noele had defeated the Monster of the Mist with her own power. She had learned to fight with her own strength thanks to Amelia¡¯s teachings. ¡­even if it was a lot of very unorthodox lessons. ¡°I can¡¯t ept the World System¡¯s power,¡± the Noble Spellsword told herself as she clenched a fist. ¡°Not if it¡¯s trying to manipte me into using it. That would be no different than if I¡­ I¡­¡± Noele trailed off. But the thought still appeared in her mind. It would be no different than if I were manipted by the power of the Void. She shuddered at the thought¡ª at even daring to think of such a thing. There was no way the World System wasparable to the Void. And yet, she thought about how those who were in the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns were tricked and manipted. The promise of power. The lies that were told. What the World System was employing here was quite literally the same thing. The only difference was that Noele had not been in the right state of mind to make a well-thought out decision. So the blonde girl gritted her teeth, turning away from the blue screen. It offered her salvation. However, she couldn¡¯t ept it. Not for the sake of her own sanity. Not with what Amelia taught her. And she just watched as she slowly died. She looked on as her friends helplessly fought back against the Noble Knight. ¡ª-- Every night, when Arthur went to sleep, he would have nightmares¡ª he would dream of the time he terrorized the world as the First Lich King. He would recall all of the heinous acts hemitted. The atrocities he did would burn brightly in his mind. And he would wake up in a puddle of sweat, fearing what he could be. Because he knew that this monster was hiding within him. So he had to be acutely aware of its power. He had to suppress it. He didn¡¯t want it to see the light of day ever again. But now, Arthur wished that he could be Ar¡¯elith once more. He could tap into the power that he had stored within him. However, he did not have the prowess for battle. He did not have the skills to use it as best as it could be used. He was¡­ just a bartender. Before that, he was a [Priest]. He knew very little about fighting. Certainly, he held nebulous memories of what he had done. But that was incredibly distinct from actually knowing how to fight. Arthur was barely even able to react before Nichs stabbed him through the chest. Fortunately for the former Lich King, the powers of the Void were seemingly boundless. And he was able to regenerate,ing back from dying once again. It still hurt, of course. And dying was always such a strange sensation. However, Arthur couldn¡¯t focus on that. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the Noble Knight. He reached for the wealth of power within him. It poured out of him like a burst dam, and his skim was ripped apart once more. A painful, searing sensation ran through his body. But he ignored it, even as he screamed in pain. He pped his hands together, trying to channel the power into his hands. It was unleashed in an uncontrolled st, ripping apart the frozenndscape, before freezing it once more. Nichs leapt back,nding right next to his two teammates. It was Kale who reacted, raising his book. But he didn¡¯t incantate the chant for some spell in the tome. Instead, his voice echoed as whispered softly. ¡°Shield.¡± An aura of the Void¡¯s essence coalesced around him, forming a dome¡ª a protective barrier that took the brunt of Arthur¡¯s wild attack. Even though it was an unfocused shockwave that sted out, it still ripped apart Kale¡¯s Shield. The three of them stumbled back as Arthur panted. His eyes flickered, spotting Bucky and Garron in the background. Fortunately, his attack missed them. But if Arthur was sloppy, he could identally hurt them in this battle. He couldn¡¯t let them happen. But controlling his powers wasn¡¯t easy. Especially when he was in the middle of battle. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this,¡± Nichs said, taking a step forward. His eyes glimmered with a purple glow. ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to die, then I will make you wish you were dead.¡± In an instant, he teleported forward. He reached Arthur, thrusting forward once again with his rapier. But this time, Arthur was prepared for it. He raised his hands, conjuring up a purple ice wall as he flew back. The Noble Knight tore straight through the ice wall. He gritted his teeth, before flourishing his rapier. A spell circle shed into existence before him as he called out the power of a Skill, before enhancing it with the strength of the Void. ¡°[Star Light]!¡± he said as the magic circle shone. And then it was ovee with a purple light. ¡°Devour.¡± All at once, the magic circle exploded with a pir of darkness. But it slowly formed the head of a serpent, reaching out to grab the former Lich King. Arthur unleashed a bolt of lightning at it,pletely destroying the oing attack. He was evidently stronger than Nichs. He knew that. And he also knew he wasn¡¯t nearly aspetent at fighting, so it didn¡¯t surprise him when he found the Noble Knight waiting behind him with a savage grin. Nichs swung up, shing across Arthur¡¯s back. The former Lich King flew forward, even as his back bled, before slowly healing. He spun around, trying to conjure up a flurry of ice spears. However, he was too slow. A volley of arrows shot towards him. They glinted with a purple glow, unleashed by Sienna herself. Her onught of attacks sent Arthur flying into the air as she raised her bow. His legs were blown apart from the impact, and he screamed in pain. He tried to fly out of the way as she aimed carefully at him. But before she could loose another arrow at him, Garron mmed into her back. He nicked her shoulders with his shortsword as she grunted, backing away. The Steel Tank huffed as he steadied himself, staring up at Sienna. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ forget¡­ about¡­ me¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t,¡± Kale answered as he stepped up next to Sienna. The fat man grinned, conjuring a purple fireball as Garron gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll be dealing with¡ª¡± And Arthur sent a st of lightningncing out towards Kale and Sienna. The two of them saw iting, dodging out of the way in time. The former Lich King hovered in the air as he regenerated his legs. But Nichs didn¡¯t let up, shing into existence next to him a momentter. The two were interlocked in battle in the middle of the air as Kale roared and charged at Garron without magic. Sienna clicked her tongue, turning to face Arthur with a frown. She raised her bow, clearly recognizing the former Lich King as a greater threat, and readied another arrow. And that was when Bucky joined the fray. The chicken leapt onto Sienna¡¯s face and began to pluck her eyes out. She screamed as she backed away, trying to pry the chicken off her. When she failed to do that, she loosed her arrow onto the ground, exploding both of them together. ¡ª-- And Noele looked on. She watched as her friends fought their best against the three S-ranks. However, they were clearly outmatched. Not only were Nichs, Sienna, and Kale at a higher level, they were also empowered by the Void. If this kept on, the blonde girl knew that her friends were going to die. She looked on as Arthur was cut down from the sky by Nichs once more. She winced as Garron was mmed to the ground by an angry Kale. She gritted her teeth as Bucky ran from Sienna¡¯s onught of explosive arrows. ¡°I need to save them¡­¡± the Noble Spellsword whispered to herself. And a glint caught her eye. A blue box waited for her right beside the image of the real world. ¡°But I can¡¯t.¡± She bit her lower lip, staring at the offer from the World System. If she epted this, she knew she would be beholdening herself even more to a power that wasn¡¯t hers. And it wasn¡¯t just the memory maniption that scared her. Her master¡ª Amelia¡ª had even rejected an offer to be a [Hero] from the World System. All to avoid envement. Noele didn¡¯t want to be a ve to the World System. However, she didn¡¯t want her friends to die either. She closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. ¡°I dyed making a choice because I was scared. Because I didn¡¯t know what to do. But I have to make a decision now.¡± She didn¡¯t know what was going to happen if she epted the ss. Maybe there would be no difference¡ª as Amelia said, the blonde girl had been reliant on the World System for a long time now. What difference could epting the ss of a [Champion] make? However, there was the possibility that she would sumb even further to the World System. There could be tricks that were yed on her mind. Like with how the blonde girl couldn¡¯t quite process what was wrong with¡­ Amelia¡¯s something. Even now, Noele struggled to ovee the World System¡¯s influence over her. But she remembered that there was an object in her master¡¯s possession that was iprehensible because of the World System. There was a chance that if the Noble Spellsword epted this ss advancement, she''d even forget Amelia entirely. A slim chance, of course. That was highly unlikely. But she feared that it was a possibility. She hoped that nothing would happen¡ª that nothing would change because of the World System. However, even if that were true, she didn¡¯t care. Because if she had to sacrifice her sanity to save her friends¡­ Noele would save her friends without any hesitation. [You have advanced your ss! You are now a [Champion Spellsword]! Skill Evolved: The Titan¡¯s Strength -> A Champion¡¯s Might! Skill Evolved: Noble sh¡ª Skill Gained: Healing¡­] Chapter 171 Chapter 171 It was slowlying back to Arthur. Not only did he feel the power surging through him, but the memories of the many battles he won in his past life poured through his mind. It was not easy to emte what he had done. However, he had no other choice. He had to fight. Arthur floated back into the sky as his body flickered with electricity. A gaping hole on his chest closed, healing slowly as the pain of the injury went away. He focused his gaze and looked down at Nichs. The Noble Knight was leaping through the air, jumping on magical symbols that glowed with the power of the Void. His rapier glinted with a dark light, and he moved fast, blurring with each step he took. Seeing this, Arthur began to conjure another bolt of Void Lightning. However, he paused when he caught a glimpse of Garron being beaten down by Kale down below. The Steel Tank struggled to get back to his feet, trying to protect himself with whatever defensive Skill he could. However, each time, these protective auras were ripped apart by Kale¡¯s magic. It seemed like Kale was intent on beating Garron to death with fists. And because of thetter¡¯s already-injured state from earlier, there was nothing he could do to fight back against the fat man. Arthur gritted his teeth, ncing between Kale¡¯s looming figure and the rapid ascent of Nichs. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he unleashed his Void Lightning down into the ground. Nichs paused for a split-second, watching as the purple st shot past him. It streaked straight towards Kale who was none-the-wiser. ¡°Kale, you idiot!¡± Nichs shouted. The fat man blinked, raising his head just in time to see the Void Lightning reach him. He tried to erect a barrier. And perhaps he got it off just in time. But it wasn¡¯t strong enough to deflect the attack. He screamed in pain as he was engulfed by a powerful explosion. Was it enough to kill him? Arthur highly doubted it. However, he knew it was enough to keep Kale down for at least long enough for Garron to recover. In the meantime¡ª ¡°I got you!¡± the Noble Knight snarled as he reached the former Lich King. Arthur cursed as he tried to fly out of the way. But he was too slow. Nichs shed him across the chest¡ª a deep gash that would soon close, so Arthur did his best to ignore it. Unfortunately, Nichs wasn¡¯t finished. The Noble Knight raised an open palm, shining with a spell circle. Arthur blinked, only to entangled by a dozen purple chains. They were heavy, restricting his movements. And with a whipping motion, Nichs sent the former Lich King flying straight down. Arthur¡¯s bones shattered as he impacted the ground. He wheezed in pain, feeling his ribs puncture his lungs. Blood sputtered out of his mouth, but before he could even regenerate in the slightest, Nichs whipped the chains again. The former Lich King was smashed into the ground again and again. Nichs simply stood on a glyph, hovering high in the air,ughing as Arthur¡¯s body was utterly broken. ¡°I¡ª¡± Arthur gasped, seeing the world spin around him. But he couldn¡¯t steel himself. All he felt was pain. He couldn¡¯t fight back against the Noble Knight, being beaten to the ground. Everything was a blur around him. He could barely even catch a glimpse of Kale emerging from a smoking crater, healing slowly and gradually from the earlier attack. Arthur¡¯s vision began to grow dark as he was repeatedly mmed against the ground. He would¡¯ve passed out there and then, but he heard a cluckinging from the side. The panicked cries of a familiar chicken. And the former Lich Lord saw, for the briefest of moments, Bucky backed up against a tree, cornered by Sienna. His eyes went wide as he knew what was going to happen next. He couldn¡¯t allow it. His mind shed with a vision¡ª a memory that he tried to repress and forget. But he still remembered it nevertheless. The day he tamed the Five Grand Revenants of Arelioth¡¯s Path. How he defeated them with only a single spell. He had been a Lich lord once. But more importantly, he was an [Archmage of Death]. His powers extended far beyond reanimating an army of corpses. He could conjure grand magic that even [Archmages] couldn¡¯tprehend. He could manipte all the elements, and he could even shatter all the bones in a body with the snap of a finger. He didn¡¯t need to fight the Five Grand Revenants. All he needed to do was control their movements. So that was what he strove to do now. Just because Arthur was now limited to the power of the Void, did not mean that he could not cast magic. So he drew the outpouring of the Void¡¯s essence from his soul, and he pooled it into the tip of his fingers. He took in a deep breath, focusing despite the pain¡ª ignoring his breaking bones. Instead, his mind drifted towards the solid bones of the three S-ranks. He felt their presence very clearly. And all he had to do was raise his hand out¡ª And snap. Arthur felt the chains holding him vanish all of a sudden. He heard the screams of pain echoing around him, and his broken body began to repair. He picked himself up as he saw a figure falling from the sky. Nichsnded with a heavy thud right next to the former Lich King. The Noble Knight was screaming in pain alongside his teammates. His neck was bent backwards, his head twisted out of shape. Arthur stared down at Nichs, before sweeping his gaze over to Kale and Sienna. All three of the S-ranks were crying in pain where theyy¡ª their necks having been snapped in an instant by the former Lich King. Their bones shattered from the mere flick of his wrist. Arthur wanted to finish them off, but he himself was still healing. He turned to Garron and Bucky and shouted at them. ¡°Grab Noele and run!¡± The chicken and the burly man both exchanged a nce for a second. However, before either of them could react, Arthur recoiled in pain. A rapier stuck out of the former Lich King¡¯s chest. He stumbled forward as his body rushed to heal his newest injury. But behind him, Nichs rose to his feet. ¡°I have had enough,¡± the Noble Knight snarled, eyes shing with the power of the Void. ¡ª-- Nichs was getting tired of this. It was simply bothersome¡ª an annoying obstacle that he couldn¡¯t ovee. But the most frustrating part was that he knew it was something he could easily deal with. After all, he was an S-ranked adventurer who had also been touched by the Void. He was certain that he could tackle even SS-ranked threats now. A B-ranked adventurer, a [Bartender], and a chicken should have been no match for him alone. And that was not to mention Sienna and Kale who were here helping him as well. Yet, somehow, both Sienna and Kale were lying on the ground with their necks broken. Nichs, too, had his head suddenly twisted by some powerful magic. But even with the pain running through his body, and the paralyzing feeling gripping him, he still managed to muster up the strength to hurl his rapier at Arthur. Now, the Noble Knight was back on his feet, healing from his broken neck. He cast his gaze towards the biggest source of his problems. Arthur. ¡°You¡ª¡± Nichs snarled, marching forward. The bartender wheezed, conjuring up a crackling bolt of lighting. But the Noble Knight saw iting and teleported forward with a sh of light. He mmed his foot down on Arthur¡¯s head with enough force to crush any ordinary skull. Somehow, Arthur managed to resist having his head exploded. He gritted his teeth, pushing against the metallic boots of the Noble Knight. Nichs grunted, grimacing in anger. He grabbed his rapier and sliced up, opening Arthur¡¯s stomach. That made the bartender recoil in pain, slumping back onto the ground. However, before Nichs could capitalize on this, he heard a loud cluckinging towards him. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Nichs looked up just in time to see a chicken leaping into his face. He stumbled back as he screamed, prying it off. However, Garron mmed into his side a momentter. That sent the three of them tumbling forward. They wrestled with each other¡ª Nichs against the chicken and the Steel Tank. It wasn¡¯t difficult, just especially annoying when he found his neck being snapped by Arthur¡¯s Void magic a momentter. The Noble Knight roared in pain before he cracked his neck back into ce. A pulse of his wisping purple aura exploded from him, sending both Garron and the chicken flying back. He rose to his feet and screamed as he pointed at the staggering Arthur. ¡°I will kill all of you!¡± Nichs unleashed an uncontrolled st of the Void¡¯s essence at the bartender. Arthur barely created an ice barrier in time to block the attack. Nichs drew forward, roaring in anger. ¡°I have had enough of this!¡± He marched forward and punched a hole through the ice barrier. Arthur¡¯s eyes went wide, and Nichs grabbed him by the neck. After a moment¡¯s struggle, the Noble Knight heard a crack. Arthur¡¯s body went limp, although it wouldn¡¯tst long. ¡°But it¡¯s long enough,¡± Nichs whispered, turning to Garron and the chicken. They were both picking themselves up from a group of fallen trees, still dazed from the earlier st. Nichs grinned savagely and started forward. ¡°I have to admit ,you are tenacious, surviving this long. But you should have yed dead,¡± he said as he was wreathed in the essence of the Void. He took another step forward, watching as the chicken ran back, but Garron failed to rise to his feet. ¡°Because now I¡¯m going to make you wish you were actually dead.¡± Nichs raised his rapier as he loomed over Garron. The chicken clucked in a panic, but could only watch. The Steel Tank gritted his teeth, staring up at the Noble Knight in defiance. ¡°Goodbye¡ª¡± Nichsughed, swinging down with his de. And there was a sh of a golden light. It was just for a split-second, but it was blindingly bright. It almost made Nichs wince. However, he pushed through the sudden glow and followed through with his attack. He blinked, watching as his rapier struck the empty ground. The earth ripped open, and the thickyer of sleet covering the forest floor was shattered. The impact from his attack would havepletely obliterated the Steel Tank. But Garron wasn¡¯t there. Nichs stared with a frown for a moment, before he heard a soft voice speak behind him. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Immediately, the Noble Knight spun around. He saw Garron lying on the ground a hundred feet away, looking up in confusion. And standing right next to him was¡ª ¡°What¡­?¡± Nichs froze. His eyes went wide as he stared at who it was. ¡°Noele?¡± And there she was. The Noble Spellsword stood there with her two swords sheathed at her side. She nodded at Garron with a smile on her face as he stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± the Steel Tank said. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken cheered from the side. Arthur raised his head from where hey, a small grin on his face as he eyed Noele standing there. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the blonde girl said reassuringly. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with these backstabbing bastards.¡± Nichs clicked his tongue. He sighed and shook his head as Kale and Sienna appeared at his side. ¡°I feel like this is bing a trend. Why won¡¯t any of you stay dead?¡± The Noble Knight raised his rapier, eyeing the Noble Spellsword. ¡°No matter, I shall make quick work of you.¡± He took a single step forward, and Noele¡¯s gaze snapped towards him. Suddenly, she vanished, carried by a golden light. Nichs paused, but it was toote. Noele was standing beside him with both her des already raised. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± she yelled, swinging down at him as he gaped in shock. ¡°Glorious Noble sh!¡± All at once, Nichs was engulfed by a brilliant golden st, screaming in pain as his body was ripped apart. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Sienna couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She had been certain that Noele was on the cusp of death¡ª that the Noble Spellsword wasn¡¯t going to survive her wounds even with a healing potion. A healing elixir or some other potion of regeneration was needed to heal that gaping hole in her chest at the very least. And yet, now Noele was standing once again. It wasn¡¯t even like what happened with the bartender, where he had regenerated thanks to the power of the Void. Sienna could understand that, because she herself was empowered by the same touch¡ª the same twisted magic she was still learning toprehend. No¡ª Noele was still injured. The healing potion had recovered some of the flesh from the hole in her chest, but it hadn¡¯t stopped the bleeding. And yet, somehow, she was moving unimpeded. Sienna knew of some S-ranks who had Skills that let them fight despite their injuries. Was this the same thing? But how did Noele go from on the brink of death to¡­ this? It made no sense. The Noble Spellsword cut down Nichs in an instant, before engulfing him with a golden st. He couldn¡¯t even scream. He was turned into a charred corpse in an instant. ¡°How¡­?¡± Kale blinked a few times. But Noele ignored him. She didn¡¯t pay attention to either of the other S-ranks, instead looking down at the burnt body of Nichs. Her shorter de was lit aze by a golden me, and she pointed down at the regenerating man. Sienna¡¯s eyes widened as she realized what was happening. Kale took a moment to process it, and she clicked her tongue at his ipetence. Quickly, she drew her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming for the Noble Spellsword. Noele¡¯s eyes flickered at Sienna as the arrow glinted with a purple aura. Spinning around, the Noble Spellsword¡¯s golden mes faded away and she braced herself for the attack. Sienna loosed the arrow, and it shot forward. A magical bolt, unleashed with the power of the Void. It would have killed Noele. The blonde girl should have leapt out of the way¡ª maybe teleport to the side. But for whatever reason, she stood her ground. ¡°[Nobleme Armor],¡± she whispered, raising her to des. Her both was wreathed in an aura of golden fire, before the mes spread up to her twin swords. Her eyes shed with a white light. ¡°And¡ª [Nobleme Fury]!¡± All at once, she unleashed a ze streak of fire out back towards the glinting arrow. The attack was unlike the previous golden aura de that ripped apart thendscape. Instead, it was like a wildfire¡ª an inferno that raged and destroyed everything it touched. It was like a flurry of shes that tore apart the earth, shattering the oing bolt. Sienna¡¯s eyes went wide as she backed up as the fiery st shot her way. But Kale grabbed her, pulling her to his side. ¡°Get back!¡± he bellowed as he mmed a fist to the ground. All at once, a giant rock wall shot up into the sky. It was shaped like a gate¡ª a solid archway with an intricate design of glowing runes etched into its surface. The symbols shone with the power of the Void, shing brightly for but a brief moment. A secondter, Noele¡¯s [Nobleme Fury] struck the magical barrier. Kale grunted as he stood his ground. His feet shifted under him, and the barrier cracked. The two powerful spells shed as Sienna looked on with round eyes. This was no longerprehensible. Perhaps the way she defeated Nichs with ease could have been exined away with the element of surprise earlier. But now, Noele¡¯s magic was matching Kale¡¯s own. He was not simply an S-ranked. He was an S-ranked who was touched by the Void. The flurry of golden mes slowly dissipated as Sienna turned to her partner. ¡°Kale¡ª¡± she started. But her eyes darted to the side when she saw a glinting from the frozen trees. Noele¡¯s shortsword spun through the air, curving around a bush, before flying straight at the two S-ranks. Sienna clicked her tongue and drew her dagger. She parried the flying weapon, before her eyes flickered to the side. There was a sh of light. Noele appeared there, right next to her de, carried by some kind of teleportation spell. She caught the shortsword and swung back at Kale before he could even react. He staggered away and screamed, shed across the chest. It took a moment for Sienna even to register what just happened. Her dagger glinted with a purple aura, and she stabbed at the Noble Spellsword. ¡°You bitch!¡± Sienna cursed. But Noele saw the attacking. She spun around and swung up with her longer de, moving faster. Sienna recoiled as her forearm was sliced open, forcing her to drop her dagger. Leaping back, Sienna barely avoided a follow-up sh from Noele. It was an ordinary swing¡ª an attack followed by no magical aura. And yet, when it struck the earth, the ground was smashed open. Shredded by an immense force. A column of dust shot into the air as Sienna just blinked. She stared at Noele who stepped away from the spraying dirt. ¡°What¡­ happened to you?¡± Sienna asked, wide-eyed. Noele straightened as she turned to face the [Archer]. The blonde girl¡¯s gaze was calm¡ª cold. And her voice was soft. ¡°I¡ª¡± Noele started. But Kale appeared behind her, raising his spell book. The ground beneath her feet cracked open as a bright red-purple light shone underneath her. ¡°[Molten¡­¡± Kale said, before his eyes shed with the power of the Void. ¡°Eruption!¡± Noele spun around just in time to be engulfed by a st of purpleva. Sienna jumped back as she was struck by an intense heat¡ª she wasn¡¯t in the st zone, however she could already feel the hair on her skin sizzling and smoking. Siennanded far back, looking on as the purpleva continued to pour into the air. Kale floated down next to her as he wiped the sweat off her brows. ¡°That was the best spell I¡¯ve got.¡± He shook his head and looked towards ground zero of the eruption. ¡°She should be dead.¡± ¡°Unless she teleported out of the way,¡± Sienna said simply, eyes narrowed. Kale harrumphed. ¡°Impossible. I know I got her dead-on. There is no way she could have survived¡­¡± His voice trailed off as his spell slowly came to an end. He looked on in horror as a figure waited there. Even Sienna couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Noele hadn¡¯t escaped from the st. She stood there and took it. A bubble of white light protected her¡ª scintiting and shimmering with a strange pattern that almost made it seem like a face with many eyes. She smirked as she stared at both the S-ranks. ¡°[The Guardian Angel¡¯s Shield].¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Kale said in disbelief. Sienna couldn¡¯t even muster up the right words to say. She just processed the situation she was in, ncing between Noele and herself. Slowly, she swept her gaze over her surroundings. Nichs was still regenerating from the damaged he sustained, and Kale was shaking in his boots. The bartender was standing to the right, and both the chicken and the Steel Tank were towards a clearing of trees behind Noele. Sienna assessed the predicament she was in, and came to a single conclusion. ¡°We¡¯re not winning this,¡± she whispered. Kale blinked. ¡°What?¡± But before he could even turn to face her, she ran. Sienna left the fat man behind. ¡ª-- [You have advanced your ss! You are now a [Champion Spellsword]! Skill Evolved: The Titan¡¯s Strength -> A Champion¡¯s Might! Skill Evolved: Noble sh -> Nobleme Fury! Skill Gained: Healing Factor! Skill Gained: Nobleme Glory! Skill Gained: Nobleme Teleportation! Skill Gained: The Guardian Angel¡¯s Shield! Skill Gained: The Guardian Angel¡¯s Lance! Skill Gained: Passive - Championship Match! Skill Gained: Passive - Near-Death Resiliency!] Noele saw the flurry of notifications from the corner of her eye. The blue boxes that told her she had undergone her ss advancement. Now, she was a [Champion Spellsword]. And with it, came a lot of upgrades to her old Skills as well as new Skills she could use. It was a lot to take in. It was evidently a big difference. She had thought that even with this new boost in strength, nothing would beparable to the power of a Glorious Noble sh. But now, she was certain. She was¡ª ¡°Stronger,¡± she whispered, looking down at the golden mes encasing her body. ¡°I¡¯m stronger in every way.¡± Noele looked back up as her [The Guardian Angel¡¯s Shield] began to copse. It reminded her of the barrier Z357 had erected back when she first met him in the restaurant. It was weaker, of course. However, there were simrities she couldn¡¯t ignore. As thest of the magical barrier faded away, she saw Kale standing there alone. He had been abandoned by his teammate. Sienna ran away, leaving him behind. Even though they were supposed to be partners, it didn¡¯t matter. They didn¡¯t care for each other at all. The fat man stumbled back, bumbling like an idiot as he held out an arm. ¡°Sienna! You bitch!¡± he called out. And Noele moved, ignoring his cries of outrage. The Noble Spellsword threw her shorter sword¡ª still burning with her magical noblemes¡ª straight at him, but he erected a barrier just in time. Sparks violently shot out as the wisping de struck the magical shield. Kale grunted as he held his ground. But he blinked when Noele appeared right next to him. ¡°What¡­?¡± He stared in horror as she grabbed her weapon. To him, it looked like she had teleported to her weapon. But in reality, the blonde girl was carried to her magical noblemes. It was intuitive to her. She knew that she could just pull herself to any golden me that belonged to her. Noele smirked as she swung down with an Elegant Noble sh, cutting open Kale¡¯s barrier. He screamed and pointed at her. A grand fireball exploded from the palm of his hand, engulfing the both of them in a fiery explosion. It was a powerful st. It exploded upwards, filling the sky with its intensity. The nearby trees were felled from the shockwave, and the ice melted over. The fat man staggered away from his own attack, bleeding and burning. ¡°D-did that get here?¡± Kale panted as he swept his gaze over his surroundings. But from the fire emerged a burning golden me. Noele stood there, still unscathed. No different than she was before. Her [Nobleme Armor] protected her, and she just grinned back at Kale. He began to regenerate, but his face grew pale. ¡°How am I supposed to win?¡± All he could do was stare at her. Noele shook her head as she took a single step forward. Both her des began to wisp wildly, engulfed by the same golden mes that were protecting her. ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± the Noble Spellsword replied simply. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to win.¡± And with that, she swung down with her twin des. A st of [Nobleme Fury] shot out, enveloping the fat man. He screamed as his body was slowly incinerated. His Void-given regeneration kicked in, however it wasn¡¯t enough to counter the deluge of golden mes. It only prolonged his death. Noele finally took a step back when he was gone. She was certain he was dead¡ª nothing remained of Kale but ashes. Shaking her head, she flicked her des back. And she spun around to look where Sienna had gone. ¡°Now that they are both dealt with¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed as she looked towards a small crater. Standing at the bottom was Nichs the Noble Knight. He was no longer a charred corpse, having fully regenerated back to full form. He wore a furious expression on his face as he raised his rapier and pointed at the blonde girl. He red at her as he spoke dangerously. ¡°I will make sure you regret doing that.¡± Noele smirked, raising her twin des. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try that.¡± And with that, the two noble adventurers teleported forward, shing with a sh of light. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Nichs teleported forward with a [Noble Step]. It was one of the best movement Skills in the world. An upgraded version of [sh Step]. He could teleport near-instantaneously over hundreds of feet, and there was barely a few seconds of cooldown between each use. However, somehow, Noele managed to keep up with his speed. His eyes flickered as the Noble Spellsword appeared behind him, shing down with her two des. A fiery golden aura enveloped her weapons, before being unleashed at him. He raised his rapier as a purple sphere engulfed him¡ª a barrier created from the Void. It should have been enough to stop even an S-ranked attack. And yet, Nichs watched as the golden mes ate through the purple barrier. He gritted his teeth, looking on as Noele¡¯s attack made its way towards him. As he began to feel the heat of the golden mes creeping its way across his skin, his [Noble Step] returned to him. He teleported out of the way as a powerful explosion rocked the forest. Nichsnded as he clicked his tongue. ¡°How¡­?¡± he whispered softly as he stared at the st. Behind him, there was a sh of blue light. He spun around just in time to see the Noble Spellsword nking him once more. This time, she stabbed him, but he parried the attack. She was relentless. With both her des, she unleashed an onught of strikes his way. At first, the Noble Knight managed to keep up with her pace. But then her two des shone with a golden light. He recognized what it was immediately¡ª an aura de. ¡°[Noble Aura de]!¡± Noele cried out, before shing for his head. He ducked out of the way, not even bothering to block the attack. He knew how aura des worked. Even he doubted whether his S-ranked Oricalcum Rapier could withstand the strike without shattering. The Noble Knight¡¯s eyes flickered as Noele¡¯s longer de barely whizzed by his head, before he caught a glimpse of the shorter de from the corner of his eye. He tried to back away, only to feel a searing pain erupt from his shoulder. Noele was too fast. She struck him with her shorter de, before shing him across the chest with her other sword. Nichs screamed, feeling the blood pouring out from both his wounds. He leapt back as he avoided another follow-up swing from the Noble Spellsword. His wounds began to close, but he still groaned in pain regardless. Even if the power of the Void let him heal from most of his wounds, he still felt his injuries. He was acutely aware that he had been sliced across the chest. Nichs gritted his teeth as he looked back up at Noele. She flicked his blood off her de as she pointed at him. ¡°Your regeneration is quite annoying, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said with an annoyed look on her face. ¡°Coming from you, that¡¯s rich.¡± The Noble Knight tried to muster up a smirk, only to grimace. He raised his rapier as a purple aura protected him like armor. ¡°You are supposed to be dead.¡± Noele shook her head, taking a step forward. ¡°Maybe if you weren¡¯t such an arrogant piece of shit, you¡¯d have finished the job. But unfortunately for you, you are.¡± And with that said, she dashed forward, thrusting for his head with her two des, still coated in the golden aura. He recoiled, ready to move out of the way. But she teleported at the veryst moment. He blinked, before he spun around. Once again, there was Noele, attacking him from behind. He expected it¡ª she was getting too predictable. In response, he teleported out of the way with his own [Noble Step]. He grinned as he flew up into the air, staring down at her. ¡°Did you really think that would work¡ª¡± he started as he pointed at her, conjuring a purple sphere. But Noele¡¯s body disappeared with a blue light. Once again, she teleported. This time, she appeared right in front of him. It happened so quickly, Nichs couldn¡¯t even use [Noble Step] again. He just stared at her as she raised her two des. ¡°With just a [sh Step]...?¡± he whispered in awe. And Noele screamed, swinging down at him. ¡°Glorious and Elegant Noble sh!¡± The golden light engulfed him as he braced himself, trying to block the attack. But it was too much. His Void armor began to rip apart, and his skin tore away. He closed his eyes as the explosion overtook him. ¡ª-- Sienna came to a halt as she saw the sh of lighting from behind her. Turning around, she watched as a powerful cross-like st shot into the sky, shining brighter than the sun. She covered her eyes for a brief moment, before shaking her head. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what happened. The Noble Spellsword had defeated the Noble Knight. Of course. Sienna didn¡¯t know what happened, but somehow, Noele was far stronger than any A-rank had any reason to be. In fact, Noele was stronger than most S-ranks Sienna had ever seen. It didn¡¯t make sense. But it didn¡¯t need to make sense for Sienna to make the most pragmatic decision and flee. Whatever was the cause didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was how Sienna responded to it. And unlike Kale and Nichs, she wasn¡¯t foolish enough to pursue an enemy she couldn¡¯t beat. After all, Kale was an idiot who didn¡¯t know when he had lost, and Nichs was too arrogant to ever admit defeat. Sienna was simply intelligent, so she ran away. Although¡­ she wished she escaped sooner. After all, there had been too many oddities with that group. A bartender that had been touched by the Void. A chicken with levels. A B-ranked adventurer who fought with the tenacity of any A-ranked adventurer. She should have realized something was amiss sooner. It was only her fault that she failed to notice this odd discrepancy as a problem earlier. Fortunately, she now knew her mistakes, and she extricated herself from the situation as quickly as she could. Now, she was safe. She was alive. Unlike Kale and Nichs. ¡°Idiots,¡± she whispered under her breath as she watched the golden light fade away. Spinning around, Sienna moved to leave Wolfwater behind. She would have to exin herself to Ammonter¡ª he would very likely be upset about their failure, but he wouldud her for having the intelligence to escape unlike his other apprentices. Silver linings, she told herself as she took a step forward. But then a glint caught her eye. From her peripheral vision, a speeding arrow shot towards her, moving faster than she could react. It struck her shoulder as she leapt back, narrowly avoiding a fatal wound, but unable to escape unscathed. Sienna gritted her teeth as she stumbled back, before she spotted more arrows whizzing through the forest around her. This time, she expected the attack. She quickly whipped out her bow and shot down each of the oing bolts. Or at least, that was what she thought. But somehow, the ground beneath her exploded into a giant, blossoming rose¡ª one that was covered in sharp thorns and tangled vines, threatening to trap her and rip her apart. She screamed as her legs were cut open, and she loosed an explosive bolt at her feet. Her own attack shredded the giant thorny rose, cutting her free. However, she also injured herself in the process. She leapt away from the explosion, covered in burn marks as she clenched her jaw. She swept her gaze over the empty surroundings as she called out. ¡°Show yourself, coward!¡± Sienna¡¯s voice echoed throughout the forest. In response, the vegetation surrounding her seemed to loom over her. Shadows crept across the underbrush, and it seemed like the canopy of trees had grown thicker than before. Her eyes flickered as she tried to pinpoint her assant. Finally, she saw a figure darting across the trees. Sienna smirked as she raised her bow, aiming for her target. ¡°There you are¡­¡± she started as she nocked an arrow coated with a purple aura. But before she could unleash her attack, she watched as the figure stopped moving, dispersing with the leaves. No¡ª like the leaves. ¡°A distraction?¡± Her eyes went wide as she saw the moving leaves settle. Her attention had been drawn by leaves? Sienna couldn¡¯t believe herself for making that mistake. She heard a shuffling behind her, and for a moment she thought it was another distraction. But she saw the glint light, so she spun around. And behind her stood a man with a bow aimed at her back. He had green hair, pointed ears, and a smug smile on his face. ¡°So you really have been touched by the Void. Although¡­ you can barely even use its power.¡± The elf snickered as Sienna¡¯s eyes went wide ¡°You are¡ª¡± She raised her bow. But the elf justughed and unleashed his own glinting arrow at her. ¡°[Superior Blooming Deathhowl].¡± She stared in shock as his arrow was engulfed by a scintiting aura. It seemed to grow in size, shooting forward towards her. In retaliation, she fired back with her nocked arrow¡ª empowered by the Void. It was her strongest attack. And yet, she watched helplessly as her purple bolt was consumed by the elf¡¯s attack. A giant st engulfed her, and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for oblivion. She waited for the pain. She waited for the all-consuming darkness. But there was none of that. Because a secondter, she felt nothing more. Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Noele watched as the golden light engulfed the sky. Herbined attack of Glorious Noble sh and Elegant Noble sh was as powerful as ever. It was what allowed her to defeat all of her strongest opponents who had been touched or blessed by the Void¡ª even their healing factors weren¡¯t enough to regenerate from the st. So she thought it would have been enough to wipe Nichs off the face of the earth. In fact, she was pretty certain it was more than enough. So she waited for the smoke to clear. She watched as the golden light faded away, lowering her twin des. But her attention was drawn away from the st as she heard an excited clucking from behind her. Noele spun around just in time to see a white blur shoot straight towards her. She blinked as Bucky crashed into her, knocking her off her feet. ¡°What¡­?¡± she sputtered. And the chicken eximed, ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± ¡°Bucky? Wait, I¡¯m in the middle of¡ª¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky ignored Noele¡¯s pleas. The blonde girl struggled for a moment longer. But then she felt the way the chicken tightly hugged her. Her eyes went wide when she saw the worry on Bucky¡¯s face. And that was when Noele paused. Slowly, she reached back and hugged the chicken with a small smile. ¡°Bawk bawk¡­¡± Bucky squeaked softly. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine too,¡± Noele said as she ran her fingers over the chicken¡¯s feathers. The twoy there, embracing each other for a long moment. It was a strange feeling to Noele¡ª she was used to recovering from small wounds thanks to the help of healing potions. And she had even recovered from some grievous injuries with higher quality regeneration elixirs. However, this was the first time she had ever¡­e back to life? No¡ª she had returned from the brink of death. But it was pretty much the same thing. After all, the Noble Spellsword knew she should have died there. She looked down at herself, staring at the scar on her chest. There was once a gaping hole there, right where her heart was. And yet, it had now closed shut. Not through the help of a healing potion, but thanks to her brand new Skill. [Healing Factor]. [Near-Death Resiliency]. Noele¡¯s eyes flickered as she saw the blue box floating before her, listing her brand new Skills. It was what saved her from dying. And she had gotten it thanks to advancing into a [Champion Spellsword]. But¡­ she didn¡¯t remember even epting the ss. Something had happened while she was on the verge of death. She couldn¡¯t quite remember what urred¡ª everything was a blur since she was stabbed through the chest. The most she remembered was seeing the option to advance, before everything became dark. Now, she felt like she missed something important. ¡°Noele!¡± a voice called out to her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Both the blonde girl and the chicken looked up. Arthur and Garron hobbled over¡ª the bartender was helping the Steel Tank stand. Noele blinked a few times, before getting to her feet. ¡°Garron¡­ are you ok?¡± She gaped as she saw the state the B-ranked adventurer was in. He was bruised, burnt, and cut all over. Noele didn¡¯t even know how he was standing¡ª he looked like he should be dead. But he was just smiling weakly as he looked her over. ¡°I should be the one asking you that question,¡± the Steel Tank chuckled, before breaking into a coughing fit. The blonde girl rushed to his side. She took him from Arthur who nodded at her. ¡°Garron should survive. But¡ª¡± The former Lich King hesitated. He bit his lower lip as he looked Noele up and down. ¡°How are you still alive, Noele?¡± Bucky clucked in agreement, looking up at the blonde girl in disbelief. Garron seemed to share the sentiment as he tried to steady himself. ¡°We thought we lost you, Noele. I thought¡­¡± He pursed his lips. And Noele scratched the back of her head. She would have liked to know the answer to that as well. But she didn¡¯t even know how to exin it to her friends. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡± she trailed off as they waited expectantly. But before she could continue, she heard a hard thud resound from behind her. She spun around as her brows snapped together. Arthur narrowed his eyes, and Bucky clucked in rm. They all watched as a burnt figurended in a small crater between a thicket of trees. It looked like a charred corpse at first. But Noele watched as it began to twist and turn, regrowing flesh. The vaguest semnce of a face formed there, and a sharp gasp echoed from it. Noele shook her head as she raised her des. ¡°Seriously?¡± It was Nichs to the Noble Knight. He was still alive. She almost couldn¡¯t believe it. Almost. She took a step forward as he continued to regenerate, and his pained voice grew more coherent. Bucky, Garron, and Arthur tried to join her, but she stopped them. Noele gave them a small nod. ¡°I can handle this.¡± She strode ahead as they paused. Garron opened his mouth to protest, but she met his gaze. ¡°Please. I need to deal with this.¡± ¡°...right.¡± The Steel Tank came to a halt. And Noele continued marching on towards Nichs. She only slowed for a moment to murmur to herself. ¡°I cannot believe he¡¯s still alive.¡± But she looked down at herself, before turning to Arthur. She saw the flicker of a purple aurae over him, and she looked back towards the regenerating Nichs. ¡°I guess this is how he felt though, huh?¡± she said as she raised a brow. Noele shook her head and finally reached her target. ¡ª- Nichs tried to scream. But all that left his lungs was a gargled, wheezing noise. He could barely even gasp. He couldn¡¯t breathe. He was in so much pain. This was the worst feeling he had ever endured. He wanted to die. He wanted his suffering to end. But¡­ His scrambling thoughts were overwhelmed by a strong emotion. A desire and anger that drowned out his desire to be put out of his misery. It was so intense, and it was focused entirely on a single target. Noele the Noble Spellsword. This couldn¡¯t be how he died. He refused to perish like this. Not to some peasant girl living on a farm. He was going to kill her if that was thest thing he did. Nichs had lived a long and noble life. And he didn¡¯t mean noble like what the peasantry thought¡ª no, he did all he could do to be strong. He sought glory, and he refused to let others drag him down. He did whatever he could to aplish his goals. That was what it meant to be noble. That was what made him great. Not that bullshit of saving lives and giving to others. That was weakness. That was to be ignoble. After all, nothing mattered more in life than oneself. Topromise his own status for the sake of some peasant-folk was to sacrifice his dignity and greatness. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡ª¡± the Noble Knight inhaled sharply as his voice left his lips. His lungs reformed, and he managed to find his words once again. He raised his head, watching as his hands grew back. He reached out as he looked up¡ª And a sword dug down into the palm of his right hand, pinning him to the ground. Nichs screamed in pain as he tried to pull back. But he couldn¡¯t escape. The de held him down as he squirmed where hey, still trying to regenerate. His lower body hadn¡¯t regrown yet, so he couldn¡¯t get back to his feet. He looked up and saw Noele looking down at him with a callous gaze. ¡°You¡ª¡± he yelled as he raised his other hand. But Noele swung down with her second de, slicing off his entire left shoulder. The Noble Knight¡¯s eyes darted to his side. He stared at the dismembered limb, pupils trembling in shock. The surprise of it numbed him for a moment. ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Nichs got the question out, before a sharp pain echoed throughout his body. He cried out in agony, rolling around where hey and iling with his head. All he had left was his right hand. But it was still pinned to the ground by Noele¡¯s de. Eventually, Nichs stopped moving as he just sobbed there. And Noele knelt next to him. He tried to look away, but she forced him to meet her gaze. ¡°You know, I really did respect you,¡± the Noble Spellsword said. ¡°You were the reason why my sister became an adventurer.¡± ¡°Fuck your sister,¡± Nichs spat back. She ignored his remark, shaking her head. ¡°What changed? What made you be¡­ like this? Or were you always this kind of a person?¡± It was a simple question. Nichs looked back at her, and he opened his mouth. He wanted to curse out the blonde girl. But he paused. He saw the look on her face. The hanging sadness that she wore. Was it disappointment? Or was it something else? Nichs didn¡¯t know. But he peered through that expression, staring deep into her eyes. And he saw something else. The Noble Knight was used to reading people. That was how he grew to be so good at ying them¡ª at using them as his tools. When he looked deep into Noele, he saw a glimmer of hope. He had seen it plenty of times before. A desire to believe that reality wasn¡¯t¡­ real. Nichs predated on that feeling. He used it against his targets. And now, he saw a chance to use it against Noele. All he had to do was convince her he was acting against his will, and then he could exact his revenge against her. So Nichs lowered his head as the blonde girl stared at him and waited for his answer. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± He closed his eyes, reaching for his [Noble Charms]. When he looked back up, his eyes were round and afraid, the purple glint in them gone. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where am I?¡± Noele blinked as he pretended to panic. He swept his gaze over his surroundings, before looking back up at the blonde girl. ¡°Thest thing I remember was¡­ hearing a voice. And then I¡ª¡± He caught himself. Nichs pretended to look down at himself in horror. ¡°What have I done?¡± Noele frowned as she stared at him. Behind her, Garron called out. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Noele?¡± He wore a confused look on his face. Arthur¡¯s brows furrowed together, and Bucky clucked quizzically. Noele didn¡¯t respond. She just stared at Nichs as he sputtered. ¡°You¡¯re Noele the Noble Spellsword, right? It wasn¡¯t me who attacked you! It was that voice in my head! It controlled me! I couldn¡¯t fight back against it! I¡­ I would never do something like this! You have to believe me!¡± ¡°He was being controlled just like me¡­¡± Arthur whispered from the side. Bucky nervously nced around as Garron stared at Noele. The Steel Tank opened his mouth, before pausing. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Good, Nichs thought as he could see the others falling for his lies. He turned back to Noele as she just studied him. ¡°I swear on my honor! I am not the monster you think I am!¡± ¡°...so you were being controlled?¡± Noele finally said as her gaze darkened. ¡°That¡¯s right! How could I possibly do such heinous things? I am Nichs the Noble Knight! I couldn¡¯t have possibly earned such a Title if I were this¡­ this¡­ this monster!¡± he eximed. ¡°And now you¡¯re back to yourself,¡± the blonde girl continued, speaking softly. Nichs nodded adamantly. ¡°Yes! By the Thrones, I assure you it was not me who attacked you!¡± Noele took in a deep breath as she rose to her feet. She reached for her sword, and Nichs hid his grin. He watched as she yanked her de up, unpinning him from the ground. That¡¯s right¡­ now I just have to bide my time¡­ He looked on as she took a step back. He shook his head, putting on his facade once again. ¡°Thank you! I promise you, I shall pay you back for what I have done here! Even though it was not me, I cannot apologize enough! I¡ª¡± And the Noble Spellsword ignored him, cutting him off. ¡°What was her name?¡± That made Nichs pause. He blinked a few times as he stared at her shadowed face. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°My sister,¡± Noele said as she raised her head. ¡°Since you¡¯re back to normal, you remember her, don¡¯t you? Ten years ago, when we met for the very first time¡ª in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Whiteridge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± His mouth hung open for a moment. ¡°So you don¡¯t remember her? A D-ranked adventurer, golden hair just like me?¡± The Noble Spellsword tilted her head curiously. ¡°You showed her around the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Does that not ring a bell?¡± ¡°It sounds kind of familiar,¡± Nichs said apprehensively. Truth be told, he couldn¡¯t even recall this. He spoke to plenty of D-rank women¡ª mostly to seduce them. But he never actually cared to remember any of their names or faces. Unfortunately, it seemed his response was not what the blonde girl wanted to hear. He stared at her, and he realized she didn¡¯t believe him. He wanted to curse, but he gathered his wits. ¡°I have met a lot of people, Noele! You can¡¯t possibly expect me to remember everyone I¡¯ve spoken to before!¡± But Noele shook her head. ¡°The Noble Knight I looked up to would not have forgotten.¡± Nichs blinked a few times in a panic. He tried to protest. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Noele! You can¡¯t condemn me for forgetting your sister!¡± ¡°But I can condemn you for all the lies you have told. I will not allow myself to believe another one of your facades.¡± Noele took a step back as she raised her two des to her chest. ¡°Goodbye, Nichs the Noble Knight. He watched with wide eyes as the sky darkened and dimmed. The eddying clouds above crackled with a golden light, and he clicked his tongue. Once again, his [Noble Charms] failed on her. So he did all that he could do now. He clenched a fist as a purple aura gathered around him once again. His eyes shone with the power of the Void. ¡°I will kill you!¡± he screamed as he raised a hand, pointing at her. But Noele just exhaled softly. ¡°[The Guardian Angel¡¯s Lance].¡± And a tiny spell circle shed in the sky, before expanding in size. All at once, a giant golden pir came crashing down from the sky, falling faster than lightning. It engulfed everything in a hundred feet¡¯s radius, consuming the Noble Knight. He tried to unleash his own attack back at Noele. But he watched as his purple magic was washed away by the falling golden light. And when the attack struck him, he found himself being forced into the ground. At first, that was all that happened. But then he felt a radiant heat begin to overwhelm him. His body started to burn, then twist and turn. He felt like his entire being was beingpressed into itself. He tried to scream, but he couldn¡¯t. His eardrums burst as an incredible roaring echoed around him. His skin melted away, and the rest of his charred flesh began to ke away. Nichs was crushed under this pir of golden light as he was submerged in an immense pressure. Until his mind copsed in pain. Until nothing was left. Until Nichs the Noble Knight was dead for good this time. Chapter 175 Chapter 175 ¡°Well, it seems like I got here a little bit toote,¡± Jax murmured as he watched the golden light fade away. He lowered his bow and shook his head. The overcast sky cleared, and all that remained was a crater where Nichs the Noble Knight oncey. The Forsaken Archer watched as Noele drew back from the rubble. She swept her gaze over her surroundings, searching for any trace of the Void-touched S-ranked adventurer. But he was gone. There was nothing of him left. Or at least, Jax did not sense a semnce of the Void left anywhere around Wolfwater. It was entirely possible he might not have been keen enough to detect it, but he highly doubted that. After all, neither Nichs nor Sienna were proficient in using the powers of the Void. At least,pared to those Jax had seen before. His eyes flickered as he remembered the battle he witnessed back at Mount Arkais. The overwhelming aura he sensed back then¡ª it was iparable to what he saw here. His Skills allowed him to gauge and estimate the rough levels of his opponents. He was certain that Sienna had been a low S-ranked, but she fought about as well as a mid S-ranked adventurer would thanks to the Void. However, that was a far cry from what kind of a boost it should have been able to give. They should have been able to grow to be as powerful as even Jax. Or perhaps even stronger. After all, Kallistus Kal was able to match Grat-ra¡¯zun in battle. The [Hero King] shouldn¡¯t have been stronger than Jax was as an S-rank, and yet, he was able to defeat an Elder Dragon. So that was how Jax surmised that these Void-touched S-ranks could be so much stronger. But they were so weak, even Noele could deal with them. ¡°Hardly a challenge,¡± he said as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t arrive in time. I would have been sorely disappointed. Although¡­¡± His eyes flickered as he eyed the Noble Spellsword from afar. He had sparred her a handful of times since he arrived in Wolfwater. She had hardly been a challenge each time, although he could admit that she was quite impressive for her level. Now, though? He grinned as he watched her draw back from the crater. ¡°She¡¯s grown even stronger now,¡± Jax said as he ced a hand on his chin. ¡°I wonder if she¡¯s strong enough to even be a challenge for me?¡± It was a question he didn¡¯t know the answer to, but he had seen her growth from Windrip to Wolfwater to now. At this rate, she could even surpass Jax one day. Especially as Amelia¡¯s apprentice. And that thought alone excited him. ¡°That is exciting¡­¡± he said as he turned around, stepping into the forest. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to sit around and let that happen either.¡± And with that, he strode on, searching for a challenge to grow even stronger. ¡ª-- This time, it was over. Nichs the Noble Knight was dead. He was not going toe back, saved by the Void. He had been obliterated into nothing¡ª and Noele was certain of it. Even the World System confirmed her victory. She watched as a pair of two blue boxes shed before her eyes. [You have leveled up! You are now Level 58!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 59!] Oddly enough, she didn¡¯t gain any new Skills for the levels she gained. Certainly, at the higher ranks, it was much harder to get a new Skill, although each new Skill was so much more impactful too. But she expected to be given at least one new Skill. Perhaps it was because she had just undergone a ss advancement¡ª the World System saw no reason to award her with any new Skills after she had just been given an abundance of them. ¡°That¡¯s probably it¡­¡± Noele muttered as she looked down at her twin des. She saw her reflection there on the bloodied metal. When she saw herself, she was almost unrecognizable. Normally, she¡¯d be coated in a wild, zing golden aura. But this time, it was like she was wearing translucent armor¡ª like she was a knight who had been fighting in battle. Not only that, she had just been able to defeat a group of S-ranks, and she wasn¡¯t even Level 60 yet. It was all thanks to her new ss. It was all thanks to bing a [Champion Spellsword]. And yet, victory felt bittersweet. It was not just because she learned the truth behind Nichs the Noble Knight. That definitely yed a part in this strange sense of emptiness she felt in defeating him. He was her sister¡¯s idol. He was an inspiration to her. Noele respected him as much as she respected Amelia. And yet, he proved himself to be¡­ to put it simply, a ¡®massive asshole¡¯. It was upsetting. However, Noele didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. She tried to distract herself by thinking about something else¡ª by thinking about how strong she had be. But she still felt off. Noele didn¡¯t know how to describe it. At best, she thought it felt like she had done something wrong. However, what could it possibly have been that she did that was so off-putting? Before she could prod the feeling any further, she heard a cluckinging from behind her. This time, she was prepared for what was toe. Bucky leapt forward, and she caught the chicken. ¡°Easy there,¡± Noele said with a chuckle, holding Bucky up. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± The chicken iled her wings as she nodded excitedly at the blonde girl. ¡°Bawk bawk?¡± Noele slowly lowered the chicken to the ground. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s over for real this time.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Garron asked from the side, able to walk on his own now. He hesitantly looked towards the crater. ¡°How do we know that Nichs is really¡­ dead?¡± ¡°He should be dead,¡± Arthur replied as he walked up to the crater. ¡°Nichs barely had any control over the Void. Which¡­ I know, is ironic,ing from me. But if he were alive right now, he¡¯d be regrowing from a piece of burnt meat somewhere over there.¡± ¡°And he isn¡¯t,¡± Noele said with a nod. Garron sighed as he copsed to the ground. He took a seat, massaging his temples. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky clucked in agreement. ¡°Oh, speaking of the power of the Void.¡± Noele drew back from the chicken and turned to Arthur. Her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. ¡°Since when were you able to do that?¡± The former Lich King blinked, before immediately tensing. He took a step back and raised his hands defensively. ¡°I¡ª I don¡¯t know! It just came to me at the moment! I didn¡¯t even know I could do that!¡± Noele raised a brow as she eyed him. He shrank back, clearly unsettled by his returning powers. The blonde girl took a step forward, and he flinched. But she just ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a kind smile. Arthur froze as she nodded reassuringly. He met her gaze, and she continued. ¡°For saving me.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment. The former Lich King looked down at himself, before closing his eyes. ¡°Right.¡± That was all he managed to muster up. Noele shook her head as she stepped away from him. She turned to Garron who was downing a healing potion. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked as she knelt down next to him. Garron nodded back as he lowered the potion. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive. But I¡¯m more concerned about you, Noele.¡± ¡°I told you, Garron.¡± The blonde girl waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The Steel Tank nced to the side. ¡°I mean¡ª why were they after you?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That made Noele blinked. She nced towards the crater where Nichs died. For a moment, she just stared at the clearing smoke. Then she pursed her lips as she spoke softly. ¡°I¡­ I have no idea,¡± she said, before shaking her head. ¡°But I think I¡¯m going to have to talk to Amelia about this when she gets back.¡± Garron stared at the blonde girl for a long moment. It looked like he had something to say, but he was debating whether to say it. Finally, it looked like he came to a decision. ¡°You do realize that Amelia probably won¡¯t be back for a few more days, right? She left just this morning.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Noele sighed. ¡°I know¡­¡± Chapter 176 Chapter 176 In Wolfwater, Noele the Noble Spellsword defeated Nichs the Noble Knight in a hard-fought battle. She nearly died, but she emerged triumphant in the end. And as she wondered about the mystery as to why these Void-empowered individuals wereing after her¡­ Amelia was cooking. ¡ª-- It was expected, really. I knew that the offer I had been given was too good to be true. But I took it, because I thought I could maybe bring back some help for Arthur and Han while expanding my business. However, I didn¡¯t expect that I would be dragged all the way to the Capital of the Astrad Kingdom to be brought into the war. I refused to partake in this mess. Sure, I was strong enough to put a halt to it¡ª Noele had criticized me for my inaction before. Perhaps she was right. The Kingdom of Kal was probably the one in the wrong for invading the Astrad Kingdom. But war was no simple matter. And if I was going to go out of my way to deal with this, then I had no excuse for neglecting¡­ everything else. After all, why only intervene in this war, and not the other wars that were happening all across Vacuos? And why stop only at intervening in wars between nations? Why didn¡¯t I stop [Bandits] from terrorizing cities? Why didn¡¯t I stop criminals and thieves from robbing houses? It was a slippery slope that could only be stopped by me. I was the only one who could set my boundaries. But I didn¡¯t want to act hypocritically, nor did I want to do things based on how I felt that day. So I had decided that I was only going to intervene with what I could see. And that was why I was ignoring King Jalen as he pleaded with me to help out. ¡°Please,¡± he begged as he banged on the doorway. But I could barely even hear his muffled voice. ¡°If you have any heart, you would¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t hear you over the fire!¡± I called back to him. I swept my gaze over the empty kitchen. I had kicked everyone else out. They tried to stop me. A few [Knights of the Astral Order] had tried to apprehend me. But I kicked them out with everyone else. Now, I was alone. And I continued to turn the wok over the stove as I made fried rice. I came here to Astral to cook. So that was what I was going to do. ¡ª-- Edlyn could barely process what just happened. She hadn¡¯t been working at the Astra Pce for long¡ª she had only just be a [Royal Chef] a year and a half ago. But she had never seen anything like this before. ¡­and she doubted anyone had ever seen anything like this before either. Firstly, she watched a random brown-haired girl storm into the kitchen. That was not unusual in itself. Random nobles would often get mad about their dinners, and they woulde into the kitchen screaming and demanding to reprimand the [Chef] who cooked for them. No¡ª what was unusual was what came next. King Jalen and the [Knights of the Astral Order] came rushing down the hallway, giving chase to the brown-haired girl. They pleaded with her. They begged for her to listen to them. They called out her name. But she ignored them. At first, Edlyn was impressed by the brown-haired girl. Even though the King of the Astrad Kingdom was shouting, ¡°Ms Amelia, please wait!¡±... Amelia didn¡¯t care. The [Royal Chef] admired the sheer audacity for doing such a thing. After all, that was King Jalen¡ª no one disobeyed him! But what Edlyn witnessed next immediately changed her opinions. Captain Jordan Cel of the [Knights of the Astral Order] moved to apprehend the brown-haired girl. He was infamous for his immense brute strength, despitecking the elegance his colleagues often had. He should have been able to grab Amelia with one finger and drag her out of the kitchen. And yet, she literally waved a hand dismissively in his direction, and a gust of wind sent him flying out! Edlyn couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She barely even processed what happened. It was like her mind refused to ept that was reality. But she was forced to believe it when a group of other [Knights] shouted in outrage and tried to seize her. They were dismissed just as easily as their Captain. After that, Amelia locked herself in the kitchen, leaving King Jalen, the [Knights of the Astral Order], and Edlyn utterly bbergasted. The only ones who didn¡¯t seem taken aback by what just happened were Sir Rond Donovan and Sir Wyn Stefard. They both just sighed and shook their heads, muttering under their breaths. Now, Edlyn was no longer amazed by the audacity of Amelia. In fact, she was more amazed by King Jalen¡¯s audacity for even still trying to get the brown-haired girl out of the kitchen after what just happened. But more than anything, the [Royal Chef] was terrified of what she witnessed. ¡°Just¡­ what was that power?¡± Edlyn asked as she trembled where she stood. She wanted to get out of there¡ª she wanted to run down the hallway and leave the Astra Pce for good. Unfortunately, she stood there indecisively debating whether it was worth running away before King Jalen turned to her. ¡°Edlyn!¡± he eximed, and she flinched. ¡°Y-yes?¡± the [Royal Chef] squeaked as she straightened, forgetting to address him by his Title. Not that it mattered, since no one seemed to notice it. They were all preupied with trying to find a way to break Amelia out of the kitchen. Jalen shook his head as he gestured at the lock door. ¡°Do you know if there are any side entrances into the kitchen? Any secret passages, perhaps?¡± ¡°Secret passages?¡± Edlyn blinked. She wanted to question why that would even be necessary. It was so ridiculous. But she stopped herself from quipping back at him because he was quite literally the King of the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t believe so, your majesty.¡± He clicked his tongue in response. Spinning around, he turned to Sir Rond Donovan who was standing off to the side. ¡°Sir Rond, do you believe you¡¯d be able to break through this doorway?¡± Jalen gestured at the entrance to the kitchen. It was a set of ornate stone doors. They were quite heavy to even close, so they were usually kept open. The [Knight]-Captain studied it before shaking his head. ¡°They are enchanted with quite a powerful protection spell. Perhaps I could break my way through¡­ but are you sure you want us to do that?¡± Rond raised a brow. King Jalen blinked. And it was Wyn who began to exin. ¡°We brought Amelia here to the Astra Pce because we believe she could be an asset to us in the war,¡± the [Knight]-lieutenant said, clearing his throat. He eyed Jordan Cel with a sidelong nce. ¡°I think it would be in our best interest to not act in a manner that could aggravate her any further.¡± ¡°That is¡­ true.¡± Jalen pursed his lips. And Wyn continued, ¡°Especially if we want to recruit her to our cause¡ª we should do our best to cate her. Appease her. And maybe she would listen to our request.¡± Jordan Cel rose to his feet, rubbing the side of his head. He scowled as he heard the [Knight]-lieutenant¡¯s request. It looked like he was about to protest, but Rond Donovan spoke first. ¡°I agree with your assessment, Sir Wyn,¡± the older [Knight]-Captain said, crossing his arms. ¡°Perhaps it may be quite hypocritical for us to say this¡ª considering that we deceived her intoing here¡ª but I believe that there is a far more tactful and graceful way to approach this. After all, we do not want to upset what could be the only SSS-ranked individual in the world.¡± SSS-ranked¡­? Edlyn¡¯s eyes crossed when she heard that. There was no way that was true. It was said that even in the times of old, when dragons still ruled the world, there were only a handful of individuals who ever reached such levels of power. And yet, somehow, this random brown-haired girl was allegedly at that level? It was inconceivable. But that was the only exnation for her immense power. Edlyn didn¡¯t want to believe it, however she could see it. Unfortunately, Jordan Cel was still skeptical. ¡°SSS-ranked? Ridiculous! You bring this random girl from some random vige back to our pce, and now you¡¯re telling us to cate her even though she hasmitted these heinous crimes against our King? Do you have no shame, Sir Rond, Sir Wyn?¡± ¡°I do very much have the dignity to admit when I am wrong,¡± Wyn replied sharply. ¡°I was dubious of Amelia¡¯s strength at first too. But after witnessing what she has done, I can only say that she is at least as strong as an Elder Dragon. After all, she defeated Jax the Forsaken Archer with only a single blow.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jordan¡¯s eyes went wide at that. A few of the listening [Knights] and guardsmen gasped. Some sputtered in outrage, while others backed away in fear. Edlyn¡¯s head just spun as she stood there. She didn¡¯t even want to run away anymore. She just wanted to lie down and fall asleep¡ª hope that this was all a strange dream. ¡°Are you absolutely certain of this, Sir Wyn, Sir Rond?¡± King Jalen finally spoke up, meeting the gazes of both [Knights]. The two of them exchanged a nce, before nodding at the same time. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± Jalen lowered his head and tapped a finger on his chin. ¡°I see.¡± For a moment, there was a long silence that hung over the room. Edlyn could only hear the muffled sound of cookinging from the kitchen. Finally, the King of the Astrad Kingdom took a stepped back and nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, my liege!¡± Captain Jordan Cel protested, eyes growing wide. But Jalen ignored him, instead turning to Wyn Stefard. ¡°What do you propose we do then? How do you suggest we convince Amelia to aid us in this war?¡± Wyn exchanged a nce with his Captain. They locked gazes, before nodding at each other. Edlyn watched as the [Knight]-lieutenant swept his gaze over the room and cleared his throat. ¡°There is only one thing we can do,¡± Wyn said in a low voice. King Jalen leant forward, listening intently to every word. Even Edlyn was drawn forward by curiosity, wondering what could such a monster be cated by. And the [Knight]-lieutenant finished. ¡°We eat her food.¡± That made everyone in the room pause. Jalen blinked, and Jordan tripped as he was getting back to his feet. Edlyn gaped in disbelief, barely even working her jaw. ¡°Uh, what?¡± she asked, utterly befuddled. But before either Wyn Stefard or Rond Donovan could exin themselves, the door to the kitchen flew open. A powerful aroma emerged from the double doorway, followed by a trail of gray smoke. All heads in the room turned to face the brown-haired girl as she stepped out. She was wearing an apron, and she was actually wearing Edlyn¡¯s spare [Royal Chef] hat that signified seniority amongst all the other [Chefs] in the kitchen. But Edlyn was not focused on that¡ª instead, her gaze was fixed on therge bowl Amelia was carrying, steaming and wafting with a delicious scent. ¡°What is that?¡± the [Royal Chef] asked, round-eyed. And Amelia just answered simply as she showed her cooking to the entire room. ¡°Here you go¡ª shrimp fried rice.¡± King Jalen, Sir Wyn, Sir Rond, Sir Jordan, and the rest of those gathered just stared at what she cooked for a long moment, taking it in. And slowly, Amelia drew back as she spoke tly, ¡°And please don¡¯t make any stupid jokes about how a shrimp managed to fry this rice. Now, let¡¯s eat.¡± Chapter 177 Chapter 177 What are we doing? Edlyn asked herself as she sat down in the grand dining hall of the Astra Pce. Normally, she was running around, serving her best dishes to the gathered guests. But today, she was sitting down as a guest herself. And why was this happening? Why was she taking a seat alongside Captain Rond Donovan of the [Knights of the Astral Order] and King Jalen at thisrge round table in the middle of the room? Why were there both [Chefs] and servants seated here with [Knights] and Dukes? It seemed utterly ridiculous to anyone who was from the outside peering in¡ª in fact, it seemed ridiculous to everyone who was involved¡ª and yet, they had no other choice but to partake in this insanity. After all, they were all doing this to appease a certain brown-haired girl. Edlyn looked up and watched as Amelia swept across the table, serving a bowl of steaming golden-brown rice to all those gathered. Shrimp fried rice¡ª that was what the dish was called. Even as a [Royal Chef], Edlyn had never heard of such a type of food before. But with her Skills, she could take one look at this so-called ¡®shrimp fried rice¡¯ and know that¡­ It¡¯s not great, Edlyn gulped as a bead of sweat ran down her neck. Certainly, it could be popr amongst the masses. It wasn¡¯t bad at all, and she could see what Amelia was trying to do. But Edlyn knew the nobles of the Astra Pce. She had learned what each individual one of their tastes were, and she had curated her cooking for each one of them. And yet, there were many times where even the meals her high-leveled [Chefs] had prepared weren¡¯t enough to satisfy these spoiled nobles. Edlyn¡¯s eyes flickered to a rather rotund man sitting just across from her. Baron Lyzon. He was one of the pickiest eaters she had ever met. At least once a month, she would have to deal with an incident caused by him. And it was always a big deal because of how massive of a tantrum he¡¯d throw when his meals weren¡¯t cooked to utmost perfection. Now, if Amelia was serving her shrimp fried rice to a handful of guards, the fact that her cooking wasn¡¯t the best wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. But considering that there were all these stuck-up nobles here, at least one of them would end up insulting their meals. ¡°And that is going to be a massive problem,¡± she whispered as she nced between Amelia and Baron Lyzon. ¡°He¡¯s going to spit in her face, and she¡¯s going to murder him¡­¡± ¡°Did you say something, [Chef] Edlyn?¡± a voice asked from the side. Edlyn blinked and faced the source. It was King Jalen himself who was sitting right next to her. He had asked her to be by his side to help him with her expertise. She didn¡¯t quite know what that meant, but she listened anyway. She shook her head as she replied, ¡°Apologies, your majesty. I was simply thinking aloud.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the King of the Astrad Kingdom said, cing a hand on his chin. He eyed Amelia as she continued serving her fried rice around the table. ¡°That is quite the interesting delicacy. Have you ever seen anything like that before, [Chef] Edlyn?¡± ¡°I cannot say I have, your majesty.¡± Edlyn shook her head. ¡°But it seems almost reminiscent of the cuisine you¡¯d find along the coastal cities.¡± Jalen raised a brow. ¡°So it¡¯s seafood, you say?¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t exactly call it that.¡± The [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce left no further remarks as Amelia approached. The brown-haired girl ced a few more tes down, before taking a step back. Now, everyone sitting at the dining hall had a te of shrimp fried rice before them. ¡°Alright,¡± Amelia said as she pped her hands together. ¡°It¡¯s time to dig in.¡± Everyone in the room exchanged an apprehensive nce. A soft susurration rose out for a moment, where servants and nobles alike murmured whether they should actually eat this food. But they saw the way the brown-haired girl tapped her feet on the ground expectantly. And slowly, they started to feast. Edlyn watched hesitantly as next to her, Sir Rond Donovan picked up a spoon and chowed down on a mouthful of the shrimp fried rice. She didn¡¯t really have to worry about the [Knights] because they were more used to ordinary food. But then she turned to the other side and looked on with wide eyes as the King of the Astrad Kingdom followed suit. This was going to be a disaster. Edlyn could already tell. There was no way someone wasn¡¯t going to run their mouth on Amelia. When that happened, King Jalen¡¯s ploy to recruit the brown-haired girl to the side of the Astrad Kingdom for the war against the Kingdom of Kal was going to fall apart. Edlyn gritted her teeth as she tightly held onto her spoon. She stared down at the golden-brown rice, poking it apprehensively. And that isn¡¯t even the worst-case scenario. Edlyn closed her eyes, imagining the bloodbath that could ur if Amelia was truly angered by one of the petty nobles. She would kill us all¡ª ¡°This is¡­!¡± a voice eximed, snapping the [Royal Chef] out of her thoughts. She recognized the source of the voice immediately. Her gaze shot up as she stared at the rotund man sitting across from her. All heads in the room turned to face the scene. Even King Jalen paused his eating to frown at what was going on. Baron Lyzon had leapt to his feet as he stared down at the shrimp fried rice with wide eyes. ¡°Oh no,¡± Edlyn gasped. She knew what was going to happen next. Just as she suspected, he was disgusted by Amelia¡¯s cooking. And the worst would befall them all. The rotund man narrowed his eyes as he slowly turned to face the brown-haired girl. ¡°You¡ª you made this?¡± Someone stop him! Edlyn pleaded mentally, but she was too afraid of what was going to happen next to move. Amelia just nodded tly. ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Baron Lyzon took in a deep breath, his gaze shadowing over. ¡°You¡­¡± Edlyn closed her eyes, bracing for the worst. She couldn¡¯t bear to watch what happened next. They were all going to die because of that stupid fat man¡ª ¡°You are amazing!¡± he eximed. And Edlyn blinked. ¡°What?¡± Baron Lyzon marched up to Amelia, eyes sparkling in excitement. ¡°I have never tasted something quite like this before in my entire life! This is an amazing recipe! How did youe up with this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uh, from my home,¡± the brown-haired girl replied as she backed away from him. ¡°Also¡ª too close. Please give me some personal space.¡± ¡°Oh, of course. My apologies.¡± The rotund man cleared his throat. He took a step back as he nodded back at his te. ¡°This dish you have brought to me¡ª it is the first time my taste buds have ever been so delightfully assaulted by anything in my entire life. And I fancy myself quite the gourmet¡­ if I may ask, what level of a [Chef] are you?¡± Amelia scratched the back of her head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ private?¡± ¡°I see¡ª then I must apologize for prying.¡± He shook his head, before gesturing back to the round table. ¡°And I am sorry for causing such a ruckus, but I had to express my appreciation for this wonderful dish. It is simply exquisite. I need to know where I can find more of this food.¡± ¡°Well, if you want to try more of my cooking, you can always visit me at Wolfwater,¡± Amelia said with a shrug. ¡°I run a restaurant there¡ª it¡¯s called Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant.¡± ¡°Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant in¡­ Wolfwater? I¡¯ve never heard of that city before¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not a city. It¡¯s a¡­ farming vige? Or a farming town? I¡¯m not exactly sure, honestly.¡± ¡°A vige? Surely you jest¡ª¡± ¡°No, I really am not¡­¡± Edlyn looked on,pletely dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. Baron Lyzon¡ª the most troublesome of the nobles she had to deal with¡ª actually liked this shrimp fried rice? Was it all just an act? Or was he actually being serious right now? She didn¡¯t think that King Jalen was able to inform all those here at this dinner about his n in time. So Baron Lyzon should have beenpletely clueless about Amelia¡¯s immense strength and potential as a military asset. That meant he was being genuine in his reaction. ¡°But how?¡± Edlyn asked no one in particr. And she got her answer a momentter as she heard a satisfied grunte from her left. She looked towards Sir Rond Donovan as he leant back in his seat, his te alreadypletely cleaned empty. ¡°As usual, Amelia¡¯s cooking cannot be topped.¡± He grinned, looking past Edlyn straight at the King of the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°Do you agree, my liege?¡± Jalen took a bite from the shrimp fried rice and nodded approvingly. ¡°This is indeed quite a unique dish. I wouldn¡¯t say it is the best dish I have had, but it is certainly quite delicious.¡± Edlyn nearly went cross-eyed. ¡°...what?¡± she repeated herself. But as she swept her gaze over the round table, she realized that it wasn¡¯t just Baron Lyzon, Sir Rond, or King Jalen who was impressed by the dish. It was everyone here. She watched as her [Chefs] gushed over the ingredients of the dish with the servants. She looked on as the normally snobby nobles eagerly whispered amongst each other and sang praises Amelia¡¯s way. Edlyn slowly lowered her head as she saw this. She stared down at the teid before her. This was what everyone was gushing about? It looked so unimpressive¡ª and it wasn¡¯t like she was ayperson judging it for its poor presentation. Did her Skills somehow fail her? Did she misjudge the quality of the food that had been presented to her? That had to be it. That was what Edlyn told herself as she dug her spoon into the te, before raising a spoonful of the shrimp fried rice to her mouth. She took in a deep breath and nodded at herself. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said, closing her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t judge it for how it looks. Judge it for what it is. And it is¡ª¡± Edlyn bit into her spoon, and her eyes snapped wide open. Her jaw dropped and hung open as she tasted the eclectic range of vors washing through her mouth. Slowly, she lowered her spoon as the realization sunk in¡­ It was very, very, very average. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Average. That was what it was. It wasn¡¯t horrible, nor was it even good. It was not bad. That was the most charitable description Edlyn could provide the shrimp fried rice. As a high-leveled [Chef]¡ª and the head [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce¡ª she could clearly see what Amelia was trying to do here. But there were still a lot of issues with how the dish was made. First of all, the presentation was absolutely horrible. The rice wasn¡¯t uniformly cooked into a glistening golden-brown. There were parts of it that were burnt ck, and other parts that were a dirty white due to ack of the seasoning and sauce. That was ignoring the fact that the entire dish looked like it was just thrown into arge pan and stirred without any delicacy or care. But that was expected from someone who was clearly not a [Chef], let alone a kind of [Fine Dining Chef]. However, Edlyn had met [Street Cooks] who were able to make some of the most delicious meals she had ever tried, whilst simultaneously looking like some of the worst meals she had ever seen. So she knew better than to be a snobby noble who judged food based purely on its aesthetics. After all, vor mattered the most. And¡­ that wasn¡¯t what was going on here either. Edlyn wrinkled her lips as she took another bite of the shrimp fried rice. It¡¯s just¡­ average. The thought crossed her mind as she stared at the te. Whatever spices Amelia added to the shrimp fried rice was too muted, overwhelmed by the sauce she used. It was like there was something missing. And more than that, the proportion of ingredients was off too. Too much shrimp and rice, too little vegetables to bnce the vor. And yet, despite this¡­ ¡°This is quite the extraordinary dish,¡± Baron Lyzon said as he sat back down in his seat. ¡°I must know the recipe.¡± He posed the question to Amelia who just shrugged in response. Next to them, a group of other nobles whispered excitedly amongst each other, forgetting their manners as they quickly scarfed down the food. ¡°The rich taste¡ª the vor! It feels like it has quenched a thirst I never knew I had my entire life!¡± a Lady eximed. ¡°I have never been quite the lover of seafood, but I think that has changed¡­¡± a Duke murmured as he wiped his mouth. And that was not all. Edlyn swept her gaze over the rest of the table. She watched as the [Chefs] under her retainer gushed over the unique mix of ingredients Amelia used for the shrimp fried rice. They had never once praised the [Royal Chef]¡¯s cooking, yet here they were, praising Amelia¡¯s cooking as they attempted to deconstruct it. The [Knights of the Astral Order], too, were impressed. Edlyn looked on as Wyn Stefard nodded approvingly, and even Jordan Cel¡ª the man who tried and failed to apprehend Amelia¡ª gave a begrudging grunt to show his satisfaction with his meal. ¡°It is as you said, Sir Rond,¡± King Jalen said as he leant back in his seat, eyeing the brown-haired woman from afar. ¡°In addition to being a force of nature, she is quite the terrific cook too.¡± ¡°Indeed, my liege.¡± The [Knight]-Captain nodded with a heartyugh. ¡°Her culinary skills are truly unique in this world.¡± King Jalen leant forward, propping up his elbows onto the table and resting his chin on his knuckles. ¡°I wonder, where is she from?¡± ¡°I am not sure¡ª¡± Edlyn tuned out of the conversation as she looked back towards her te. She felt like she was living in an alternate reality¡ª like she was the only sane person left in the room. But more than that, she felt almost¡­ insulted. It felt like all her effort and work for thest year and a half she¡¯d work here in the Astra Pce was utterly wasted. It wasn¡¯t the fact that they liked Amelia¡¯s cooking which sat wrong with the [Royal Chef]. It was the fact that Edlyn had incessantlybored day and night to provide the best meals she could for everyone, but she never once received any kind of reception quite like this. Edlyn gritted her teeth as she eyed her shrimp fried rice. ¡°This¡­¡± She opened her mouth, and a voice drew her attention from behind. ¡°Are you not going to finish that?¡± Immediately, Edlyn froze. She recognized the voice, even if it was mostly unfamiliar to her. But it was clear who had asked the question. Stiffly, the [Royal Chef] craned her neck to face Amelia. The brown-haired woman was standing there with her arms crossed and a brow raised. She ignored King Jalen and Sir Rond who were seated right there, instead focusing only on Edlyn. ¡°Do you not like it?¡± Amelia asked, tilting her head. She didn¡¯t sound offended. Her tone was just curious. But still, Edlyn backed up nervously, stumbling over her words. ¡°W-what? Me? I¡­ I¡­¡± the [Royal Chef] sputtered. And Amelia crossed her arms, speaking bluntly. ¡°You can be honest. I don¡¯t actually care that much if you hate it. I¡¯d just like to know the reason why. I mean, you¡¯re [Chef], right?¡± That didn¡¯t offer Edlyn any reassurance. She sank back into her seat, before looking towards King Jalen for help. But he didn¡¯t seem to take a hint, distractedly taking another bite of his shrimp fried rice. Amelia tapped her fingers expectantly, and Edlyn squeaked. ¡°I-I-I mean¡ª you kind of put too much¡­ sauce into it?¡± With each word that left the [Royal Chef]¡¯s mouth, she tried to back up even further away from Amelia, until it wasn¡¯t even possible any longer. ¡°And?¡± Amelia pressed on. Edlyn pursed her lips. Should she even continue? Was Amelia upset? The [Royal Chef] couldn¡¯t tell. But still, she was asked a question, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from running her lips as her instincts as a [Chef] took over. ¡°And it¡¯s missing¡­ something?¡± Edlyn said, losing some of her meekness from earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know what it¡¯s missing, but there¡¯s a key ingredient that needs to be added. And that¡¯s why I think it¡¯s very average¡ª¡± She immediately caught herself, covering mouth before she could continue. But the damage had been done. Edlyn sank even further in her seat, almost falling off. I¡¯m going to die, she thought as Amelia furrowed her brows. I¡¯ve doomed us all. Not that fucking idiot Baron Lyzon¡ª somehow he liked something for once. But me. I was the one who fucked up. And Edlyn flinched as Amelia raised her head. But contrary to what the [Royal Chef] expected, the entire pce wasn¡¯t blown to bits. Instead, the brown-haired girl just ced a hand on her chin. ¡°Missing something? Do you mean MSG?¡± she asked casually. ¡°M¡­ what?¡± Edlyn blinked a few times. ¡°It stands for¡ª oh, nevermind.¡± Amelia shook her head. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s like salt, but better. It adds a lot of vor, and it¡¯s honestly the most important ingredient when making fried rice. Unfortunately¡­¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­?¡± the [Royal Chef] repeated, still processing what was going on. Amelia sighed as her shoulders sagged. ¡°Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make MSG. I don¡¯t even know how to get MSG. So I had to do my best without it.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Edlyn hesitated. Somehow, she was still alive. She thought she¡¯d be dead by now. But Amelia didn¡¯t seem to be bothered at all by the critique. And that emboldened the [Royal Chef] a tiny bit enough for her to sit up and continue. ¡°But that¡¯s not all.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡± The brown-haired woman blinked. ¡°You needed to add more vegetables too. More green onions, more carrots, more peas¡­ and I think you need more sesame oil too?¡± Edlyn frowned, using [Recall Taste] as she licked her lips. ¡°Wait, you knew all that just from tasting my cooking?¡± Amelia stared at the [Royal Chef], her previous dull expression gone, reced by a look of amazement. ¡°Well¡­¡± Edlyn scratched the back of her head, avoiding eye contact for a moment. ¡°I am a Level 47 [Royal Chef], after all.¡± Amelia gave Edlyn an approving look. ¡°That¡¯s impressive. Isn¡¯t that pretty close to Xakor¡¯s level?¡± The [Royal Chef] flushed from thepliment. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think levels mean everything. But I would say that I might catch up to him soon¡­¡± Most of Edlyn''s anxiety was gone now. Somehow, Amelia¡ª the monster who was as strong as an Elder Dragon¡ª actually appreciated the [Royal Chef]¡¯s Skills. For the first time since Edlyn had started working here in the Astra Pce, someone had been impressed by her. And that seemed to calm her nerves. Maybe we¡¯re not all going to die, after all¡­ the thought crossed her mind as she eyed Amelia standing there. The brown-haired woman almost seemed harmless¡ª like she couldn¡¯t ughter everyone in the dining hall in an instant¡ª as she nodded to herself. She met Edlyn¡¯s gaze, and for once, the [Royal Chef] didn¡¯t look away. But perhaps she should have. Because when Amelia opened her mouth again, Edlyn couldn¡¯te up with a response. ¡°Do you,¡± Amelia said, ¡°want to work for me?¡± ¡°...what?¡± And Edlyn¡¯s eyes went wide. Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Edlyn stared at Amelia with wide eyes. It took a moment for the [Royal Chef] to process the words that had just been uttered. And when it finally clicked, she recoiled in shock. ¡°You want me to work for you?!¡± Edlyn eximed, her voice drawing the attention of the entire room. The dining hall went still. The cacophony of voices that had filled the table just a second ago went silent. Everyone that had been gathered here¡ª from the stuck-up nobles of the Astra Pce to the [Knights of the Astral Order]¡ª turned their heads to face this scene. King Jalen furrowed his brows, craning his neck to face Edlyn. Sir Rond wore an amused expression on his face as he leant back in his seat. The [Royal Chef] ignored all of them, instead staring round-eyed at the brown-haired woman. In response, Amelia replied tly, ¡°Yes, that is what I said¡ª do you want to work for me?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Edlyn blinked a few times. She was taken aback by the sheer audacity of that question. It was such a ridiculous proposal¡ª she was being asked to quit her job as the [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce, one of the most prestigious positions to hold in the entire country¡­ and for what? To work in some backwater vige most people had never heard about before? The answer was obvious. ¡°Of course n¡ª¡± she started. But a sudden tter of cutleries interrupted her. Edlyn looked up and watched as King Jalen hurriedly jolted to his feet. She stared at him for a moment, and he took a step forward. ¡°You wish to hire our head [Royal Chef]?¡± he asked Amelia with wide eyes. The brown-haired woman nodded in response. ¡°Yes, I literally just said that¡­ twice.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He wrinkled his lips. Edlyn thought that he was going to save her. She thought that he was going to protest Amelia¡¯s proposal. After all, he was the King of the Astrad Kingdom, and Edlyn was his head [Royal Chef]. Surely he was going to intervene, right? But that was not what he did. Instead, he grabbed Edlyn by the shoulders, helping her to her feet. She followed dumbly, not understanding what was going on as he ushered her away from Amelia. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the brown-haired woman asked, watching this scene unfold. ¡°I apologize, Ms Amelia,¡± King Jalen said from halfway across the room, bringing Edlyn in tow. ¡°But could I have a word with [Chef] Edlyn in private, please?¡± ¡°Sure¡­?¡± Amelia replied with narrowed eyes. ¡°W-what?¡± Edlyn broke out of her stupor. She nced between Amelia and Jalen,pletely befuddled. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± But the question fell on deaf¡¯s ears as the [Royal Chef] was led out of the dining hall. The King of the Astrad Kingdom closed the ornate double doors behind them, leaving the two of them alone in the gilded hallway outside. He leant against the door handle for a moment, then took in a deep breath. Edlyn stared at him as she pursed her lips. ¡°Your majesty?¡± she asked. And he sighed. King Jalen turned towards her, meeting her gaze as he said, ¡°You must ept Amelia¡¯s offer.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Edlyn seemed to say for the hundredth time today. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right? You want me to go with¡­ that monster?¡± The [Royal Chef] hesitated as she finished her sentence in a whisper. Jalen shook his head as he nced vaguely over his shoulder. He spoke in a low voice. ¡°The Astrad Kingdom is being overwhelmed from all sides. The Kingdom of Kal has us on the back foot, and all our best men are dying in battle to the [Hero King]. Just yesterday, I received a report that General Raymon and his forces werepletely wiped out at the edge of the Sofron River.¡± Edlyn¡¯s eyes snapped wide open. ¡°General Raymon? But he was¡ª how? I didn¡¯t hear about this¡­¡± ¡°This information will not be released to the public until next week,¡± King Jalen said as his gaze was shadowed over. He lowered his head as he whispered. ¡°I do not wish to admit this to anyone, but I have spoken with all my advisors, and I have onlye to one conclusion.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± Edlyn asked, gulping. She knew what the answer was, but for whatever reason, she felt the need to confirm it. The King of the Astrad Kingdom closed his eyes. ¡°At the rate the war is going¡­ we are not going to win.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That was all the [Royal Chef] could say. It took time for the realization to fully sink in. The Astrad Kingdom was going to lose this war. The Kingdom of Kal was going to be the victors. And that¡­ wasn¡¯t the most unexpected oue. Somewhere, deep inside of Edlyn, she knew that this was their fate from the very beginning. After all, they were up against the [Hero King]. This was a moment in history for the books¡ª a chapter that would discuss the rise and reign of the Kingdom of Kal for at least another hundred years. The Astrad Kingdom would have only been but a single page in that chapter. Then forgotten for the rest of time. But Edlyn had held hope. Even if it was irrational. Emotionally, she wanted the Astrad Kingdom toe out victorious, despite knowing that logically it only ever had a slim chance of happening. After all, they were a mostly peaceful country, having not waged a war in decades. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Kal had been relentless in their expansion, so with their hardened veteran armies, they already had a massive advantage. And now, to receive confirmation from the King of the Astrad Kingdom himself that her worst fears were going toe true¡­ Edlyn dropped to her knees. ¡°I¡­ what will happen to all of us?¡± she asked weakly. ¡°My family¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be safe,¡± King Jalen said reassuringly. He bent down to one knee, cing a hand on the [Royal Chef]¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If the tides of war do not turn by the end of the year, then I shall surrender my crown.¡± That made Edlyn jerk back. She looked up with a shocked expression on her face. It was not something she expected the King of the Astrad Kingdom to ever say. And yet, today was a day full of surprises where everything that happened was unexpected. ¡°But why?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯ll be killed¡ª if not, tortured and imprisoned!¡± ¡°I am very much aware of that, [Chef] Edlyn.¡± King Jalen smiled bitterly as he rose back to his feet. ¡°However, I¡¯d rather be the one to suffer if it means that my people can be spared.¡± Edlyn gritted her teeth. She saw the defeated look on his face, and she shook her head. ¡°We can¡¯t just surrender without trying.¡± He nodded slowly¡ª morosely. ¡°I know. That is why I am doing this. That is why I am turning to you for help.¡± ¡°To work for Amelia,¡± Edlyn said, eyes flickering towards the double doorway of the dining hall. ¡°So I can recruit her to our side.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the King of the Astrad Kingdom replied simply. The two of them remained there in silence for a moment. Edlyn took this in, her head spinning¡ª the world around her seemingly shaking. But she tried topose herself. She took in a deep breath, before exhaling as she looked up to meet King Jalen¡¯s gaze. ¡°Must I do this?¡± she asked, peering into his weary eyes. ¡°If I say no, will you fault me?¡± The King of the Astrad Kingdom shook his head. ¡°This decision is up to you, [Chef] Edlyn. I shall not punish you nor condemn you if you choose not to do this.¡± Edlyn closed her eyes. ¡°I see.¡± She didn¡¯t know why she was so hesitant to ept this offer. It was an ostensibly simple task. In fact, it sounded like a much more rxing job than working at the Astra Pce. And yet, this was everything she had ever worked for. Edlyn didn¡¯t grow up rich. She wasn¡¯t raised by a noble family at birth. So she never had much to her name. All she had to her was her cooking. Her family always praised her and encouraged her to pursue her passions even if they couldn¡¯t offer her much. Because of that, she wanted to be able to give back to them¡ª she wanted to make them proud. And for most of her life, she thought that the way to do this was to be the best [Chef] in the Astrad Kingdom, which meant bing the head [Royal Chef] for the Astra Pce. So that was what she had striven to do. That was what she had done. Now, she was being asked to give it all up. To abandon it all. And for what? ¡°For the sake of the Astrad Kingdom¡­¡± she whispered, answering her own question. Edlyn bit her lower lip. She could save millions of lives if she did this. All she had to do was work under Amelia. That was rtively easy enough, right? The [Royal Chef] sighed. She rose to her feet as her emotions warred within. But she saw the look on King Jalen¡¯s face. She thought of her friends and family back home. And even though she didn¡¯t want to¡ª even though she was afraid of what could happen if she messed up while working under Amelia¡ª she still made her decision. ¡°I ept,¡± Edlyn said. And King Jalen smiled. ¡°Thank you, [Chef] Edlyn. For you may have just saved our kingdom.¡± The two of them returned back to the dining hall with her decision. But as Edlyn strode through the room, seeing the staring faces looking back at her, before locking eyes with her new employer, she hoped, for the sake of her sanity and safety, that this was the right decision. She hoped that she would be able to save them all. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Edlyn had resolved herself. For the sake of her friends and her family and the entirety of the Astrad Kingdom, she needed to do this. She was going to be leaving the Astra Pce¡ª effectively temporarily resigning from one of the most prestigious positions in the world as the head [Royal Chef]¡ª and sacrificing herself to that monster. She looked up as she walked through the gilded halls of the Astra Pce. Up ahead, a tall archway led to an open courtyard. And there awaited her fate. Amelia. A woman with brown hair. Seemingly harmless at first, dressed in strange clothing and with an unassuming sword sheathed at her side. With the way she stood and carried herself, she looked like she barely even knew how to swing a sword. Such a casual demeanor. It looked like she¡¯d identally hurt herself if she drew her de. But Edlyn knew better now¡ª after hearing the stories that Rond Donovan and Wyn Stefard told. The fact that Amelia was able to defeat the [Knights of the Astral Order] with a flick of the wrist lent credence to their ims. There were still some doubters, of course. Particrly, Jordan Cel was the most vocal one. Even though he had been defeated by a gust of air, he still refused to admit he was wrong. He still imed that Rond Donovan had gone senile and imagined seeing Amelia beat Jax in a duel. However, Edlyn was not one of these doubters. She believed what she saw, and she believed what others saw. So she was nervous. She had taken a full day to prepare herself to leave for Wolfwater, but she couldn¡¯t fully get rid of her anxiousness. And now, as she stepped out of the halls of the Astra Pce into the vast courtyard, her trepidation only grew worse. It¡¯ll be fine, she tried to reassure herself with logic. As long as I don¡¯t do anything to upset Amelia, I¡¯ll be fine. King Jalen, Sir Rond, Sir Wyn, and a handful of the [Knights of the Astral Order] were waiting there, standing in an orderly line. Even Jordan Cel was present, although he looked more disgruntled than ever. ¡°What a farce¡­¡± he muttered under his breath as he gave a sidelong nce towards Amelia. ¡°Why are we doing anything to appease that fraud?¡± No one acknowledged his statement. Edlyn pursed her lips, before shaking her head. If Sir Jordan can get away with his snidements, then I¡¯ll survive. It wasn¡¯t going to be anywhere near as bad as she thought, right? She walked up to King Jalen as he nodded at her. ¡°Thank you, [Chef] Edlyn. If anything happens to you¡­ I shall ensure that your family will be able to live well for generations toe.¡± He ced a hand on her shoulder. That did nothing to reassure her. Edlyn just took in a deep breath. She turned to face her fate. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Amelia asked as she raised a brow. The [Royal Chef] wasn¡¯t ready at all. But still, she replied, ¡°I am.¡± ¡°You packed everything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You sure? Well, actually it doesn¡¯t really matter. We can alwayse back here if you forgot something.¡± Taking a step forward, Amelia proffered a hand. She waited expectantly as Edlyn blinked. Slowly, the [Royal Chef] epted the gesture. ¡°That¡¯s right. I can alwayse back¡­¡± Edlyn whispered, trying to steel her nerves. It was even better if she found an excuse for them to return to the Astra Pce. After all, then it would be easier to try and recruit Amelia into the war. So it was going to be fine. As long as the [Royal Chef] was smart, there was no reason for anything to go awry. All she had to do was befriend Amelia, and she was going to save her country. Everything was going to be fine¡ª ¡°By the way, make sure you hold on tight,¡± Amelia said. ¡°And don¡¯t scream too loud.¡± ¡°Wait, wha¡ª¡± Edlyn blinked. And suddenly, Amelia leapt into the air. Edlyn¡¯s eyes went wide as she found herself soaring up and above the Astra Pce. Beneath them, Jordan Cel and the [Knights of the Astral Order] recoiled in shock. King Jalen looked on with wide eyes. And Edlyn¡¯s resolve shattered as she screamed. ¡°¡ªAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH¡ª¡± ¡ª-- My trip to the Astra Pce took a whole day, but it ended up proving productive as I managed to get a brand new [Chef] for Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. I was a bit annoyed at first when I found out that Sir Rond and Sir Wyn both tricked me. But I decided to ignore their request and just brute-forced my way into the kitchen. Then I forced-served them a meal, which they all liked, much to my surprise. It was my first time making shrimp fried rice, too. Well¡ª my first time doing so in Vacuos. It was one of my favorite meals to cook back when I was on Earth. But I didn¡¯t exactly have all the proper ingredients to make the best shrimp fried rice I could make. I knew that. So I really appreciated Edlyn¡¯s criticism of my dish. There were plenty of [Chefs] in that room, but she was the only one who seemed to actually notice anything. That was why I offered to hire her. And I wasn¡¯t surprised that she said yes either. I wasn¡¯t an idiot¡ª I knew that King Jalen brought her out of the dining hall to convince her to work for me. I knew that this was a ploy to try and get me to side with the Astrad Kingdom against the Kingdom of Kal. I knew this would happen. In fact, I nned for it. And maybe this scheme of theirs could work in the end. Maybe Edlyn could tug on my heartstrings and get me involved in the war. But as long as I came out of this ordeal with a new employee, it was worth it to me. I looked down at Edlyn as I continued to carry her through the air. She had passed out a while ago. I had tried to take it slower than even when I was traveling with Garron. But the [Royal Chef] was an ordinary person¡ª for the most part. So it made sense that she couldn¡¯t quite handle this type of travel like high-leveled adventurers could. I felt a bit bad for her. However, I wasn¡¯t going to take a few days to get back to Wolfwater. So I continued on until I would arrive back at the farming vige. While my trip to the Astra Pce was short, it was actually quite exhausting. Normally, I¡¯d be at the back of my restaurant, just cooking away. I never really had to deal with my customers¡ª that was up to Han and Arthur. So being inundated with a flurry of questions from the nobles of the Astra Pce about my restaurantpletely exhausted me. Even the [Knights] tried to pester me, asking me how I got to my level. I waspletely honest when I said I didn¡¯t have any levels, but most of them seemed to think I was joking. And the [Chefs], too. They were the most bothersome bunch. They kept trying to poke and prod at me for how I got the recipe for the dish. Then when they heard I had worked with Xakor before, they tried to interrogate me on that too. So I couldn¡¯t wait to get back to Wolfwater so I could rx. I couldn¡¯t wait to y with Bucky again, and I couldn¡¯t wait to have a casual conversation with Nicole and Nn. My restaurant wasn¡¯t going to reopen until another day from now, so I had time to rest. Maybe I could even take some time to train Noele again. I hadn¡¯t done that in a while, and I felt bad about it. The only annoyance I would probably have to deal with back in Wolfwater was Jax. He was definitely going to challenge me to a duel again. Even though I told him that we weren¡¯t going to have another duel until he was SSS-ranked, he was persistent. Like a cockroach. Anyways, I would deal with him when I had to deal with him. For now, Inded back in Wolfwater in a good mood. I carried Edlyn on my back as I walked back to my restaurant, prepared to be greeted by the smiling faces of my friends¡ª ready to be pounced at by an excited Bucky. But instead, I saw¡­ Bucky sitting in the corner of the room with a broken wing. Garron being tended to by Arthur, covered in bandages and with an arm slung in a cast. And Noele slumped over a table, eyes-closed as her shirt was stained with blood. I stared at this scene for a long moment. And then I could only sputter out. ¡°What the fuck happened while I was gone?¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 I had only been gone for a day. I left Wolfwater for Astral literally yesterday morning. I didn¡¯t expect much to happen while I was gone¡ª in fact, my intention with this two-day break was to give my employees a brief reprieve. Arthur, Han, and even Noele¡ª not Jax¡ª had done a lot to help me over thest few weeks. I was grateful to them for all they did for me. They had been working overtime to help Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant seed. And Noele wasn¡¯t even my employee. She was my apprentice. But now, I swept my gaze over my restaurant with wide eyes. Bucky, Garron, and Noele were all injured to varying degrees. I didn¡¯t know what could have happened while I was gone. My first thought was that Jax had gone rogue¡ª that he had attacked them to provoke me for whatever reason. However, Arthur immediately exined what happened to me. I blinked a few times as he recounted what happened shortly after I left. I took a seat as I rubbed my temples when he finished. ¡°Nichs the Noble Knight, huh?¡± I muttered under my breath. ¡°Way to embody the literal opposite of your Title. What an asshole.¡± And that was an understatement. I shook my head as I looked Arthur up and down. ¡°So your powers returned,¡± I said simply. The former Lich King hesitated. He nced towards the kitchen¡ª Han wasn¡¯t here. So Arthur was free to talk as transparently as he wished. ¡°They¡­ did.¡± He nodded slowly. He looked incredibly ufortable knowing that. Averting his gaze, he asked, ¡°Should I¡ª¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be worried,¡± I cut him off, knowing what he was going to ask. ¡°The Voidgod isn¡¯t going to possess you again. Not after I already kicked your ass.¡± Arthur pursed his lips. ¡°R-right.¡± ¡°And with your powers, you were able to defeat Nichs and his goons?¡± I said with a raised brow. But the former Lich King shook his head. And it was Garron who spoke up. The Steel Tank was badly injured, covered in bandages, however he still rose to his feet as he spoke. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Arthur, nor was it me.¡± ¡°Was it Bucky?¡± I asked, looking towards the injured chicken. She piped up at her name. But then she shook her head when she saw my expectant look. ¡°Who was it then?¡± I frowned. Garron looked towards the back of the room. There,y Noele. ¡°It was her,¡± he said softly. And I blinked. I took a step forward as I saw the state she was in. Her eyes were closed, and she was slumped over a table. Her clothes were drenched in dried blood, but she didn¡¯t move. There was a hole in her shirt¡ª right where her heart was. I bit my lower lip as I inched closer towards her. ¡°Noele¡­?¡± I asked apprehensively. I nced towards Garron and Arthur. ¡°Is she¡ª¡± And the blonde girl jerked up, blinking a few times. ¡°Wha¡ª huh?¡± I watched as she wiped the drool from her cheeks. She rubbed her eyes, staring at me with a squint. ¡°Amelia? You¡¯re back?¡± she said drowsily. ¡°And you¡¯re alive,¡± I observed, raising a brow. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Noele took herself in. ¡°I was taking a nap.¡± ¡°I noticed,¡± I said tly. She scratched the back of her head as she rose to her feet. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re back. We¡¯ve all been waiting for you. We were attacked¡ª¡± ¡°I heard,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Three S-ranks attacked you. And they were all touched by the Void.¡± Noele took in a deep breath for a moment, like she was recalling something. But then she shook her head. ¡°Yeah. We were in trouble for a while. But we managed to pull through.¡± I stared at her. I looked at the state she was in. Then I nced towards Garron and Bucky. They all looked tired. Even Arthur, who wasn¡¯t injured, looked very exhausted. I gritted my teeth seeing how hurt my friends were. ¡°I¡¯m annoyed that I didn''t sense them. I should have noticed them. But¡­¡± I raised my head, taking in a deep breath. ¡°They must¡¯ve been so weak, I couldn¡¯t even sense them.¡± Noele rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t just insult all of us like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious,¡± I scoffed. ¡°And my ego is hurt,¡± she replied, shaking her head. I crossed my arms, but didn¡¯t argue any further. I nced back vaguely towards the exit of the restaurant. ¡°Did Jax not help out?¡± Noele shrugged. ¡°He arrived toote. But apparently, he took out Sienna while he was on the way to help out.¡± ¡°Sienna¡¯s the chick with the bow, right? That must¡¯ve been something¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t imagine how outssed she had to have been going up against Jax. He might¡¯ve been an annoying pest to me, but he was one of the strongest people in all of Vacuos. Even if she had been Void-blessed, I highly doubted that she could have been able to defeat him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d it was all resolved without anyone getting hurt¡ª¡± I caught myself as I stared at all my injured friends. They stared back at me tly. I corrected myself, ¡°...without anyone dying.¡± Noele sank back into her chair. ¡°We¡¯re all alive, somehow. But I think we need to be more vignt. We were unprepared for this, so we nearly died. Next time around, we can¡¯t let our guard down.¡± ¡°Who do you think is behind this attack anyways?¡± I asked as I pulled out a seat. ¡°Why were they even targeting you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I have my guesses.¡± She drew her lips into a thin line as she lowered her gaze. ¡°It was probably the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns.¡± ¡°Those assholes? Again? What makes you so sure?¡± I frowned. ¡°I already had a target painted on my back after killing Odell. That was why Zevya came after me, remember?¡± Noele sighed as she leant forward in her chair. ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation. Why else would three Void-touched individualse after me if not for what I¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I ced a hand on my chin, before my eyes narrowed. ¡°But that means even more of those assholes are going to keeping after you now.¡± The blonde girl nodded exasperatedly. ¡°They will, and I¡¯m not looking forward to that.¡± I gritted my teeth. That was going to be a pain in the ass to deal with. I didn¡¯t want any harm to befall Noele. She was my apprentice and my friend. I needed to find a way to ensure that something like this didn¡¯t happen again while I was gone. I could help Noele out with the Lich King because I was vaguely made aware of what was going on beforehand. Also¡ª the Lich king was magnitudes stronger than those three S-ranks. But for circumstances like these where those going after my friends were too weak for me to notice but strong enough to be a danger to them, I needed some safety measures in ce. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll figure that outter¡­¡± I murmured as I shook my head. ¡°For now, the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns won¡¯t be a problem since I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°That was how our day went,¡± Noele said with a shrug. She turned to me with a curious look. ¡°I hope your trip to Astral went better.¡± I nodded and took a step back. ¡°Oh, yeah. It went great. I managed to hire a new [Chef] for the restaurant.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Arthur blinked. ¡°Bawk bawk?¡± Bucky immediately perked up at that¡ª probably because of the allure of more people to serve her food. I gestured towards the woman I hadin in a chair at the front of the restaurant. ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª this is Edlyn, and she¡¯s a Level 47 [Royal Chef].¡± Noele stared as Garron pursed his lips. Everyone in the room exchanged a nce, before the blonde girl finally spoke up. ¡°Amelia¡­ thatdy is unconscious.¡± ¡°Oh, I know,¡± I replied simply. ¡°And her name is Edlyn.¡± In response, the blonde girl could only sigh. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Edlyn was still unconscious even an hour after wended back in Wolfwater. So I quickly found her a room and left her there so she wouldn¡¯t just be slumped over a table in my restaurant. It was the spare room in Noele parents¡¯ farm that I stayed in when I first came to the farming vige. Or was this ce a town now? I didn¡¯t really know. And in my brief time in the Astra Pce, I hade to determine that most people weren¡¯t sure either. Anyways, I returned to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant after dealing with the unconscious Edlyn. Noele and Garron waited there, still recovering from their fight. Arthur had gone out to find Han. I didn¡¯t know this, but apparently, Han liked to go fishing on his days off. So it was just Noele, Garron, and I in the main hall of the restaurant. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk¡­¡± Oh, and Bucky too. I looked towards the chicken as she crawled out of her little cage. She still looked hurt. I watched as she massaged her wings in pain, before sidling up towards me. I knelt down next to her and patted her on the head. ¡°Good job with what you did,¡± I said with a small smile. ¡°For saving Noele.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk,¡± she replied. I watched as she tilted her head back, before pointing at her mouth with her wings. I blinked a few times, then she rubbed her belly. That was when I realized what she wanted from me. ¡°You want me to feed you,¡± I pointed out tly. Bucky nodded eagerly, piping up. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± My gaze bore into her, and she shrank back. I stared at the chicken as she hesitated for a moment, before she gestured at her injured wing. ¡°Bawk bawk¡­?¡± she said apprehensively, looking at me with round eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been trying to guilt-trip me into feeding you more by ying up your injury?¡± I sighed as I got back to my feet. The chicken blinked a few times, then she waved both her wings in protest. She flinched when she raised her injured wing too violently. And I rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself. I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t going to cook you something nice.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk?¡± Bucky paused. She stared at me in shock, and I grinned back at her. ¡°You did do a good job,¡± I said as I drew back. ¡°So you deserve a nice treat.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± she eximed excitedly. I scoffed, watching as the chicken enthusiastically hopped up and down in glee. I shook my head, seemingly disapproving. But I was d to see that she was safe. And the same applied to everyone else. ¡°I¡¯ll make you two food too,¡± I said as I looked towards Garron and Noele. The two adventurers exchanged a nce, before nodding gratefully. ¡°How does curry sound?¡± ¡°It sounds great, Amelia. Thank you.¡± Noele smiled at me. Garron leant back in his seat, intrigued. ¡°I have not had your curry yet, but I¡¯ve been meaning to try it. ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded to myself as I started out the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to harvest some honey from the bastion bees and I¡¯ll be right¡ª¡± But I paused as suddenly Noele leapt to her feet. She mmed her hands on the table as her eyes went wide. ¡°Oh no.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I blinked, caught off-guard by her sudden movement. Bucky stared at the blonde girl, confused for a moment too. But slowly, it seemed a realization settled in as she clucked in a panic too. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s gotten into the both of you?¡± I narrowed my eyes as I looked between Noele and Bucky. ¡°The bastion bees¡­¡± Noele bit her lower lips. She closed her eyes, before slowly massaging her temples. ¡°I forgot about them.¡± I just frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡ª-- ¡°Oh.¡± I stared at the hive of the bastion bees¡ª the small rock fortress that they had constructed right behind my restaurant. It was like the size of another bedroom. It protruded from the back, giving the building a little bit of ir to its dull exterior. After all, I was the one who fixed up the ce, and I was certainly not an architect of any sorts. Anyways, there was a clear problem with the hive of bastion bees when I found it. Usually, it would be buzzing dangerously¡ª warning anyone who came close to it not to mess with what was within. I would usually be able to see shadows darting about inside. And when I got close to the hive, I¡¯d be greeted by one or two of the nursing bees. This time around, there was none of that. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even peer into the hive. Because the entire structure was encased by a magical ss-like dome. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the bastion bees have been trapped in here for a whole day,¡± I said, turning to Noele and Bucky. Both the chicken and the blonde girl flinched. They both nodded slowly, not saying a word. ¡°And somehow, you forgot this had happened?¡± I narrowed my eyes. The two of them exchanged a hesitant nce. It was Noele who spoke up, scratching her cheek apprehensively. ¡°Well¡­ a lot happened. And we kind of just¡ª¡± She bit her lower lip, cutting herself off. I sighed as I strode forward. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just hope the bastion bees had enough air to survive a day.¡± Being realistic, the sacred monsters were probably still alive. I didn¡¯t think that being cut off from oxygen in a rtively medium-sized enclosure for a day was enough to suffocate them. But I didn¡¯t know how much air they needed to breathe. So I never could be too certain. I tapped a finger on the magical barrier encasing the bastion bees in their hive, and it shattered like ss. Noele and Bucky flinched as the broken fractal shards copsed around me, before fading away. Immediately, I could feel a shift in the air around me. Like I had stepped into a hot and humid environment, before I was inundated by a morous buzzing. It red loudly¡ª an angry sound that nearly seemed to shake the ground. Noele and Bucky backed up instantly as I crossed my arms. ¡°Well, at least I know they¡¯re alive,¡± I remarked casually. And a momentter, I watched as a swarm of baby bastion bees shot out, followed by the dozen nursing bees that were charged with starting the new hive. I stared at them as their gazes bore down at me. They looked livid. More so than I had ever seen them before. Which was quite a feat, considering how they almost always seemed to be angry. I swept my gaze over them all¡ª the tiny bastion bees that were pping their small wings as they formed their swarm. There had to have been at least a hundred of them. Each one was rtively small¡ª about the size of the palm of my hand. But I remembered seeing them as soon as they hatched not too long ago. They had grown rtively quickly in size since then. But that was not all. I raised a brow as I whistled. ¡°You guys sure learned how to fly fast. Weren¡¯t you just wriggling around on the ground, unable to even crawl just a week ago?¡± I looked towards therger nursing bees that were tasked with taking care of the babies. ¡°You did a good job raising them.¡± I locked gazes with the usual nursing bee I spoke with. She was floating there in the middle of the swarm, not flying out to meet me as she normally did. She didn¡¯t seem to be angry like the rest. But she also seemed quite¡­ muted. I frowned at her as she just floated there, buzzing softly. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked the simple question, but she didn¡¯t reply. Instead, she just shifted back. I blinked and watched as she gave way for another bastion bee to take her ce. It wasn¡¯t a nursing bee¡ª it was a baby bastion bee like the others. But this one was different. It was slightly more rotund, and withrger wings than the rest. I stared at it for a moment, before I realized what it was. ¡°Are you¡­ the new queen?¡± I asked curiously. It didn¡¯t respond. Instead, I watched as its eyes shed. And all at once, the buzzing grew silent for a moment. Before all the gathered bastion bees charged my way. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 The bastion bees were livid. I could tell that they were angry, even before they swarmed out of their hive. There could have been a plethora of reasons as to why they were upset. For example, they could have been mad that I left them again. I was supposed to be the protector of their new hive. That was why they hade with me¡ª so they could expand safely, under my watchful eye. However, I had been absent quite a bit. More often than I would have liked. And that could have been one of the reasons why they were buzzing their wings in a cacophonous mor when I approached them. Another reason could have simply been the fact that they were enraged over being locked away in their hive for over a day. They might have had enough oxygen to survive, but it must have been terrifying for them, knowing that they couldn¡¯t escape even if they tried. Now, they were just directing their anger to their closest target. After all, these were baby bastion bees. They weren¡¯t that intelligent¡ª or at least, I assumed that they weren¡¯t born fully cognizant of their actions. I was presuming that they were acting purely on instinct, rather than any logic or reason. Now, the reason they were angry didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was that I had somehow managed to incur their wrath. And they were sacred monsters. There were over a hundred of them. They charged at me all at once, a ck and gold swarm that buzzed thunderously and consumed me like a hurricane. It was a terrifying sight. Like a tempest of rage was bearing down on me. One that would swallow anything in its path, leaving it bare and dead. And I just stood there, staring at the baby bastion bees as they attacked me. I remained unmoving for a long moment, before scratching the back of my head. ¡°Uh, are you guys done?¡± I asked simply. But the baby bastion bees continued their onught of attacks. Their tiny little stingers struck my skin¡ª and bounced off harmlessly as I didn¡¯t even budge. I looked past them, eyeing the nursing bee I knew that was waiting in the distance. ¡°You knew they were going to attack me, right?¡± She didn¡¯t respond. Her head was hung low, and her wings buzzed softly behind her. The other eleven adult bastion bees stayed back too, letting only the baby bastion bees unleash their onught on me. ¡°You should¡¯ve told them it wasn¡¯t going to work,¡± I sighed, shaking my head. ¡°They¡¯re going to hurt themselves, if anything.¡± I gestured at the baby bastion bees as they repeatedly mmed their stingers against my skin to no avail. The nursing bastion bee bobbed back and forth in the air like she was making a shrugging motion¡ª as if she was telling me that she already tried to advise her new queen against this. But I guess as a rtively new newborn, the baby bastion bee queen refused to listen to reason. I sighed as I stood there, continuously attacked by the swarm. ¡°What do I do now?¡± I asked, looking at the adult bastion bees for help. They offered me nothing. I turned back towards Noele and Bucky. The two of them were just looking on in shock. I raised a brow at them. ¡°What about you two? Got any ideas?¡± ¡°Uh, nope,¡± Noele said as she took a step back. ¡°Other than to just stand there far away from us? I have no other ideas for you, Amelia.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky clucked in agreement. I rolled my eyes, before looking back towards the swarm of baby bastion bees. They were still angry. They were still stinging me¡ª well, trying to sting me and failing. But I wasn¡¯t going to fight back. I didn¡¯t want to hurt them by ident. So I just sighed and sat down. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll wait for you guys to tire out.¡± And the swarm of baby bastion bees continued to assail me. Bucky and Noele exchanged a nce, before they both shrugged. They left me alone with the bastion bees as I just waited. But unfortunately for me, it seemed that the baby bastion bees had a lot more energy than I thought. So I continued waiting even as the sun began to set, until the next day arrived. ¡ª-- ¡°Ugh, that was a terrible dream¡­¡± Edlyn murmured as she rubbed at her eyes. The sun shone brightly, its golden rays leaking in through the slits of the window blinds. In the distance, a rooster crowed. Crickets chirped in the distance, and all sorts of little critters and insects crawled out of their sleep. Slowly, the world came alive. And Edlyn sat up in her bed. She was a rtively young woman¡ª in her mid 20s, with short ck hair that fell to her neck. While she¡¯d rather have longer hair, it often got in the way when she was cooking. As a [Chef], she had to make sacrifices to be as efficient as she could be so that she could be a [Royal Chef] in the Astra Pce. She yawned, before massaging her shoulders. ¡°It seemed so real too. But at least it¡¯s over now.¡± Edlyn did her morning stretches before groggily making her way out of her room. For some reason, itsyout looked a little bit different than she remembered, but she was still half-asleep so she brushed it off. She pushed the door open as she rubbed her temples. ¡°Mama,¡± she called out as she strode out of her room. A voice hummed down the hallway to the kitchen. ¡°I had the weirdest dream. I became the head [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce, then this weird woman showed¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± the voice eximed, and a head popped out from the end of the corridor. Edlyn blinked a few times, staring at the blondedy standing there with an apron. It took a moment for the [Chef] to gather her wits. ¡°Who the fuck are you? Where¡¯s my Mama?¡± Edlyn asked, taking a step back. She paused when she finally took in her unfamiliar surroundings. ¡°And where the fuck am I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Nicole,¡± the blondedy said as she strode out of the kitchen, untying her apron. Sheughed and proffered a hand to the [Chef]. ¡°And you¡¯re in my husband¡¯s farm in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°Wolfwater? That¡¯s¡ª¡± Edlyn¡¯s eyes snapped wide open. She remembered her dream. She recalled everything that happened. From leaving her family behind to pursue her goals in Astra, to bing the head [Chef] of the Astra Pce, to being kidnapped by a strange brown-haired woman¡­ Edlyn realized that it hadn¡¯t all been a dream. It hadn¡¯t been a nightmare. It was actually reality. It really did happen. The [Royal Chef] dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. ¡°Angel¡¯s breath, I am actually stuck here, aren¡¯t I?¡± For a moment, she knelt there, processing her predicament. She had been left with no other choice. It was either remain in the Astra Pce as a [Royal Chef] and let the Astrad Kingdom be defeated by the Kingdom of Kal, or go befriend Amelia and convince her to put an end to the war. While thetter oue seemed unreasonable, the only other oue was even more unreasonable. Edlyn had little reason to believe that she could convince Amelia to even leave Wolfwater, let alone partake in the war. But the [Royal Chef] believed she had to try. For the sake of her country. For the sake of her friends. And for the sake of her family. But now¡­ she was starting to regret her decision. ¡°I made a terrible choice¡­¡± she murmured as she faced the ground, hearing a soft set of footfalls approach her. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say you¡¯re stuck here,¡± Nicole said as she walked up to the [Royal Chef] with a warm smile. ¡°You¡¯re our guest here¡ª and you were out for a while. Soe, just rx.¡± Edlyn furrowed her brows as she was helped up and led out to the living room. ¡°I¡¯m your guest?¡± And she paused when she caught sight of a bowl of steaming stewid out next to a tter of bread on the table. Nicole nodded with a soft chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s right. You must be starving after sleeping for that long. Help yourself.¡± The sweet scent of the food reached Edlyn, and her stomach growled. Certainly, she was incredibly hungry. But she was still confused as to what was going on. Even as she took a seat and reached for a toasted loaf of bread. ¡°Why are you doing this for me? Are you friends with¡­ Amelia?¡± Edlyn asked hesitantly¡ª as if uttering that name was enough to summon that monster. Nicole nodded simply, taking a seat across from the [Royal Chef]. ¡°I am friends with Amelia, indeed. But if I met anyone who was ever in need or trouble, I would help them regardless if a friend of mine knew who they were.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± The [Royal Chef] pursed her lips. She looked down at the hot stew, before staring at the warm piece of bread. She felt like something was off about this situation. She felt like Nicole was too nice. Was this some kind of a test by Amelia? Was this a trap? Was Edlyn supposed to be able to critique the food she was given? She didn¡¯t know. And she didn¡¯t want to fail whatever this was, so she just stared at her loaf of bread for a minute. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nicole asked, tilting her head. ¡°You haven¡¯t touched your food.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Edlyn trailed off. She didn¡¯t know what to say. And Nicole pped her hands together and smiled. ¡°Oh, of course. You must be thirsty. Let me get you a ss of water.¡± She quickly hurried off and brought back some water for the [Royal Chef]. Edlyn bit her lower lip, before epting the cup. If this was a test, then the only way to pass was by eating what was given to her. So Edlyn swallowed away her apprehension and dipped the loaf of bread in the stew before taking a bite out of it. I can do this¡ª she started internally. And then she paused. Her eyes went wide as she chewed on the bread. ¡°This is¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the best cooking in the world. It was certainly not prepared by a high-leveled [Chef]. In fact, it probably wasn¡¯t even prepared by a [Chef] at all. It was a home-cooked meal. Iparable to what could be found in restaurants. And yet¡­ and yet¡­ Edlyn teared up as she slowly lowered the loaf of bread. ¡°It tastes just like Mama¡¯s cooking¡­¡± ¡°Did you say something?¡± Nicole asked, leaning forward. And Edlyn caught herself. ¡°O-oh¡­ I was just saying it¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Truth be told, I haven¡¯t really sat down and cooked anything in a while. So I was quite afraid you¡¯d dislike it and all, considering that you¡¯re such a high-leveled [Chef].¡± ¡°No¡ª absolutely not! I love it!¡± Edlyn protested, waving her hands in the air. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ delicious.¡± How long had it been? She¡¯d left her parents¡¯ home over ten years ago to make a better life for them in the city of Astra. And the [Royal Chef] had been so focused on achieving her goals, everything had be soplicated. She hadn¡¯t once stepped back to just enjoy herself¡ª to take in the simpler things in her life. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as she looked towards Nicole. ¡°For cooking this for me.¡± The blondedy just smiled back. ¡°Well, you are most wee. And I do hope that you¡¯ll enjoy the rest of your stay in Wolfwater as much as you enjoyed my cooking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Edlyn swept her gaze over her surroundings. She stared at the cozy living room¡ª she heard a kettle boiling from the kitchen. A golden glow came from the window, the ambience created by the morning sun. And outside, birds were chirping. Insects were buzzing. Arge field of grass and crops swayed with the blowing wind, and a few golden-brown leaves fell from the nearby trees. A handful of [Farmers] worked the faraway fields, and a soft susurration of voices came from the nearby town. It was quiet. But not too quiet. It was rxing. It was calming. It was unlike the chaos of the streets of Astral. It was unlike the bustle of the Astra Pce. It was familiar. Edlyn closed her eyes as she turned back to Nicole. ¡°I feel¡­ I feel like maybe I didn¡¯t make the worst choice of my life, after all.¡± And the blondedy just blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s nothing. I was just talking to myself, that''s all." Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Edlyn changed her mind. This was definitely the worst choice she had ever made in her life. She should not havee here to Wolfwater¡ª she shouldn¡¯t have cared about her family, her country, or her friends. In fact, she should have just told King Jalen to surrender himself over to the Kingdom of Kal there and then. Because now she had to deal with this abomination of a human being. ¡°d to see you¡¯re finally awake,¡± Amelia shouted over the moring in the room. Her hands were on her hips, and she stood not too far away from the [Royal Chef]. Yet, she was still shouting. But even more than that, Edlyn could barely even hear the brown-haired woman. The [Chef] was told toe to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant located in the corner of Wolfwater. After mustering up the courage needed to even leave the farm, Edlyn eventually found the restaurant and took a step in¡ª Only to be greeted by this scene of a cacophonous crowd gathered in the room. That made Edlyn stop in her tracks. It made her freeze where she stood, jaw hanging agape in shock. As a [Chef], she had worked in many restaurants in her life. She had seen many different crowds of people. So she knew what there was to expect. But she never expected¡­ this. Whatever this was. No¡ª Edlyn wasn¡¯t faced with arge crowd that could fill out even thergest ballrooms of the Astra Pce. She had seen plenty of such crowds before in her life. That was a normal sight to her considering that she was the most decorated [Royal Chef] in all of the Astrad Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t a small crowd either. Seeing an empty restaurant wasn¡¯t an unusual sight. Edlyn didn¡¯te out of the womb as a high-leveled [Chef]. She had to grind her way up to where she was now. And that meant she had worked in many restaurants, with many of them barely even attracting a crowd back when she was still an [Apprentice Chef]. Now, what Edlyn saw was something she had never seen before in her life. It shocked her more than seeing Amelia defeat the [Knights of the Astral Order] without even touching them. It seemed to be amon trend, but everything Edlyn witnessed since meeting Amelia had been almostpletely insane. And this was no different. Amelia stood there, in the center of the room, covered in giant buzzing bees. There had to have been at least a hundred of them¡ª each one the size of Edlyn¡¯s fist. And they were angrily stinging the brown-haired woman as she stood there without any care in the world. ¡°Yeah, the restaurant is empty today,¡± Amelia said as she gestured at the vacant room. ¡°We had a little bit of an incident, so we can¡¯t open back up just yet.¡± ¡°An incident?¡± Edlyn just blinked. And Amelia gestured vaguely around herself¡ª at the giant bees swarming her. ¡°This incident.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The [Royal Chef] just stared nkly back at the swarm attacking the brown-haired woman. It took a minute, but Edlyn gathered her wits about and asked the question in her mind. ¡°What are¡­ they?¡± ¡°They¡¯re bastion bees,¡± Amelia replied simply. ¡°Baby bastion bees, to be exact.¡± ¡°Bastion bees? As in¡ª the sacred monsters?¡± Edlyn wasn¡¯t even sure how to react anymore. Her head spun, and she didn¡¯t know if that was from the spinning swarm of the baby bastion bees or because of what Amelia just said. ¡°Yeah, they help me make honey for my curry,¡± the brown-haired woman said with a shrug. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± The [Royal Chef] certainly could see that. After all, she knew where honey came from. Although, she didn¡¯t exactly know what a curry was. But she shook her head as she dismissed the thought. There were other pressing matters to ask. Like for example¡ª ¡°And why are these bastion bees attacking you?¡± ¡°Hell if I know,¡± Amelia scoffed. ¡°Hell? What¡¯s¡ª¡± Edlyn started. ¡°All I know is that they¡¯re mad at me,¡± the brown-haired woman continued, ignoring the question. ¡°And I¡¯m waiting for them to calm down before I reopen the restaurant.¡± The [Royal Chef] frowned, looking Amelia up and down. ¡°And do you, uh, know when they¡¯ll calm down?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Edlyn pursed her lower lips at the answer. ¡°But they¡¯ve been at this for a day,¡± Amelia said optimistically. ¡°So surely they¡¯ll calm down soon, right?¡± Unbeknownst to her¡­ ¡ª--- Attack! Destroy the invader! the baby queen bastion bee sent the buzz ofmand throughout her swarm. They were winning. She was certain they were going to defeat this monstrous beast. It was a difficult battle¡ª especially after they had been assailed by the deadly environment around them just before that. So they were all fatigued, partially injured by the terrible heatwave that had swept across their home. But then their safety barrier had been breached just after that. Their imprable wall that protected them from the wretches of the outside world was taken down. That was when the baby queen bastion bee gathered her forces to repel this invader. While she didn¡¯t have a name quite yet, she wasn¡¯t too young to lead her people in battle. Her caretaker was against it. The baby queen bastion bee didn¡¯t get it, and she didn¡¯t care either. She was the one who was in charge. And she knew they were going toe out as victorious. After all, why else would she be growing even stronger with each passing moment she attacked the brown-haired monster? So she would persist. She would continue her onught of attacks. Even as she grew tired, she would never waver. She would not stop until she won. And for her bravery, she was greatly rewarded. [You have leveled up! You are now Level 7!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 8!] [You have leveled up! You are now Level 9!] ¡­ This was why she was able to keep going¡ª each time she faltered, these blue boxes woulde and save her, giving her the to continue this effort. Until the invader was dead. ¡ª-- ¡°They¡¯re going to run out of energy eventually,¡± Amelia said, nodding reassuringly to herself. Edlyn bit her lower lip. She wanted to argue against it, but she decided to remain quiet. Instead, she stood there quietly as Amelia shrugged. ¡°Anyways, while the restaurant is closed, you should take your time to familiarize yourself with the kitchen¡ª learn a few of the recipes. Maybe even introduce yourself to the other staff.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯m here to work, after all,¡± Edlyn said as she lowered her head. She was so focused on the task given to her by King Jalen, she almost forgot about the ostensible reason why she was here. So she nodded and started towards the kitchen, keeping a wide berth away from Amelia and the swarm of bastion bees in the process. ¡°I¡¯ll just make my way here¡ª¡± she excused herself. And Amelia waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Sure. And I¡¯ll be outside. If you need anything, call me really, really, really loudly. I can barely hear anything because of¡­ all this.¡± Edlyn just steeled herself as she stepped up to the bar. Behind her, her new employer exited the room. And the [Royal Chef] just stared at the doorway leading into the kitchen. She was dreading meeting her fellow employees here in Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. After all, whoever was working for Amelia probably had a few screws loose. At the very least, no sane person would willingly want to work in an establishment like this, where a swarm of baby bastion bees attacking the owner was considered the norm. It took her all her strength to even step foot into the kitchen. There, she immediately caught sight of three men gathered together at the back of the room. She shuffled her way up to them as she kept her head low. Calm down, she told herself. Nicole was very nice. Just because these people are working for Amelia, doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re crazy like her. ¡°Hey, are you the new [Chef]?¡± a young man called out. Edlyn looked up to face him. He had short brown hair, and his skin was rough and calloused. Like he had previously been either a [Warrior] or a [Farmer]. He proffered a hand to her as he smiled. ¡°My name is Han. I¡¯m the head server here. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m, uh, Edlyn,¡± she said as she shook his hand. Her eyes flickered up to meet his gaze for a moment, before she looked past him. A second man came forward as Han stepped to the side. He had long blond locks that fell past his shoulders, and he looked to be about a decade or so older than her. ¡°I¡¯m Arthur, the bartender. And I must apologize for what you had to witness earlier.¡± ¡°What I¡­?¡± Edlyn raised a brow. And Arthur chuckled, gesturing past the [Royal Chef]. ¡°What happened with Amelia. It was really surprising for all of us, and I¡¯m sure it must be quite the surreal sight for most normal people.¡± Edlyn frowned in return. ¡°Normal people?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it as an insult. I just meant that what happens around Amelia might seem quite insane from the perspective of someone who doesn¡¯t know her.¡± Arthur scratched the back of his head apologetically. ¡°I didn¡¯t take it as an insult,¡± the [Royal Chef] replied as she slowly raised her gaze. She looked between both Arthur and Han. ¡°I was just¡­ you both¡ª¡± They exchanged a nce. ¡°We?¡± They repeated after her. Edlyn sighed as her shoulders sagged. She didn¡¯t know how else to describe it, so she just out and said it, ¡°You both seem¡­ rtively normal.¡± Han blinked for a moment, before guffawing. He wrapped an arm around Arthur¡¯s shoulder as he shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s because we are just a couple of normal guys, right Arthur?¡± ¡°...right,¡± the bartender agreed not-too-enthusiastically. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it as an insult, either,¡± Edlyn quickly rified. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯re both normal.¡± She wanted to sigh in relief. By the Thrones, am I actually going to be working with ordinary individuals? Am I going to be spared from working with absolute lunatics? Edlyn shook her head and looked back up. There was still one more man standing here. She looked towards him as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°What about you?¡± she asked. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Han and Arthur stepped back as the third man drew forward to introduce himself. Immediately, Edlyn noticed that he had pointed ears¡ª that he was an elf. Which was slightly unusual. But she tried to ignore that little detail until he opened his mouth. ¡°I am Jax the Forsaken Archer,¡± the elf said as he crossed his arms. ¡°And I am a temporary waiter at this establishment. ¡°Jax the¡­?¡± Edlyn¡¯s eyes crossed. It seemed she was wrong¡ª she was still able to react to the insanity of Amelia and this restaurant. She stared at him for a long moment, before she dropped to the ground and closed her eyes. All three men stared at her in confusion as she muttered wildly to herself. ¡°I knew it was too good to be true¡­ I knew it¡­¡± And Jax just gestured at her, ncing towards Arthur and Han. ¡°Is this girl crazy? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± The two human men just shrugged in response. Chapter 185 Chapter 185 At this point, Edlyn wasn¡¯t sure if anything could even shock her anymore. The things she had seen over thest few days¡ª none of it seemed grounded by reality. She was waiting to wake up at any point from this strange dream, but she knew that was never going to happen. Because this was her life now. This was what she was going to have to deal with from now on. The daily insanities of Amelia and her restaurant¡ª Edlyn could already tell, it was going to be amon urrence. She closed her eyes as she sat at the corner of the kitchen. ¡°Jax the Forsaken Archer works here¡­¡± she whispered softly. ¡°How¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t expect to run into him while she was here in Wolfwater. The [Royal Chef] recalled a brief conversation where he was mentioned to have been present here. But she assumed that he was a customer¡ª or that he had just been passing through the vige. She never once imagined that he was actually working here as a ¡®temporary waiter¡¯ or whatever. That job title didn¡¯t even make sense to her. Was he just working here part-time? Was he recing a previous employee who quickly quit after witnessing Amelia¡¯s insanities? Edlyn was pretty sure it was thest option, if anything. And that didn¡¯t bode well for her. Sure, Arthur and Han seemed normal enough. However, it was very much possible that they were also secretly insane. She hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. But it could very much be true. Even Nicole could have been insane for all Edlyn knew. The [Royal Chef] hadn¡¯t been here in Wolfwater long enough to familiarize herself with anyone here. In fact, she barely even heard about the farming vige before yesterday. And she didn¡¯t even have time to do any research before she left the Astra Pce. So she waspletely in the dark here, not knowing anything or anyone in this ce. She wanted to cry. But she was too scared to even cry. Because she had heard about Jax¡¯s reputation, and she was pretty sure he would have killed her for making too much noise. ¡°I need to calm down¡­¡± Edlyn told herself as she raised her head. ¡°I need a smoke.¡± She reached for her pipe in her back pocket, producing it in her right hand. But when she searched for her lighter¡ª or any matches to light the pipe with¡ª she realized that she forgot to bring any from the Astra Pce. So she sat there, cursing as her pipe stuck stupidly out of her mouth. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!¡± Each time she swore, her voice grew more emphatic. More annoyed. She no longer felt like crying. She was just angry. Upset at her situation. She didn¡¯t know what she did to get pushed into this corner she was in. She took in a deep breath, ready to scream out of frustration. But a voice interrupted her, and she blinked. ¡°Here,¡± Han said as he stood over her, proffering her a metallic cylinder. ¡°This is a lighter. We use it for the kitchen. Well, Amelia uses it, but I found it for you.¡± Edlyn just stared at him for a moment, processing what he had said. She finally realized that he was giving her the lighter for her pipe. She epted it as she rose to her feet. ¡°O-oh, thank you.¡± She fumbled with it, then activated its magical enchantment as she lit the bowl ame. She took a puff of it. And she sighed in relief. ¡°Angel¡¯s breath¡­¡± she whispered, shaking her head. She handed the lighter back to the head server of the restaurant. ¡°I really appreciate it. Seriously, I mean it.¡± Han chuckled as he took a step back from her. ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all. And¡ª don¡¯t worry about Jax. He may have a bad reputation, but he¡¯s mostly harmless.¡± ¡°Mostly?¡± Edlyn narrowed her eyes as she took another puff from her pipe. Each puff she took eased her nerves even more. The head server shrugged. ¡°As long as you¡¯re not a monster, he¡¯ll leave you alone. Unless you¡¯re Amelia, but she¡¯s basically a monster too anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­¡± the [Royal Chef] scoffed. She didn¡¯t know if it was the pipe taking effect, or if it was because of Han¡¯s words. But she found it quiteforting to know that not everyone here viewed Amelia as a normal person. Edlyn was calmer now, and she was able to evaluate her circumstances in a much better state. Earlier, she was afraid that Han might not have been a normal person. But now that she could take a good look at him and the way he was acting, he seemed ordinary enough. Which was a relief to her. She ced a hand on her chest, before she caught a glimpse of her own reflection. She was a mess. Her face was red, and her hair was anything but tidy. She realized she was the one who looked like an insane woman. So she quickly cleared her throat as she tried to dust herself off. ¡°And I¡¯m, uh, sorry for my appearance. I just got here, and it¡¯s been¡­ a lot.¡± Han justughed, waving a hand off dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I was the same way when I first met Amelia. She is quite¡­ something.¡± ¡°Something is an understatement,¡± Edlyn muttered under her breath. She steeled herself and nodded at him. ¡°So I¡¯m not the only one who thinks Amelia is insane, huh?¡± ¡°Well, she certainly is crazy,¡± Han chuckled as he took a step back. ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much¡ª you¡¯ll get used to it eventually.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± The [Royal Chef] raised a brow. Somehow, she didn¡¯t believe him. For very good reasons. But he nodded at her reassuringly. ¡°Trust me. Amelia is a very kind person. I wouldn¡¯t even be here if not for her. She¡¯s the reason I managed to get my act together.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Edlyn was skeptical, but Han had no reason to lie. So she didn¡¯t question it further. Instead, she pped her face as she turned to the kitchen counter. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time for me to get my act together too and learn these recipes for tomorrow.¡± ¡°You should¡ª if you don¡¯t, Amelia¡¯s going to punish you like she did with thest [Chef],¡± Han said as he crossed his arms. That made the [Royal Chef] freeze where she stood. She turned to him with wide eyes, staring at him in horror. She nearly dropped her pipe. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding! I¡¯m kidding!¡± Han quickly said as he raised both his hands. ¡°Rx¡ª as I said, Amelia is nice.¡± Edlyn gritted her teeth, before shaking her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t make a joke like that again.¡± ¡°Alright. Sorry.¡± He scratched the back of his head, before nodding at her. ¡°But I¡¯m telling you, Amelia really isn¡¯t a bad person.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not being very convincing anymore¡­¡± Edlyn said simply. ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± ¡°Come on¡ª¡± And the two just chatted with each other as the [Royal Chef] began to cook, familiarizing herself with the menu of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Chapter 186 Chapter 186 As a high-leveled [Chef], Edlyn was able to replicate the recipe of nearly any food-item she saw as long as she had ess to the right ingredients. She didn¡¯t even need to taste it¡ª she could just take one quick nce, and she¡¯d already know what she needed to do. But that wasn¡¯t a Skill that was special to her. Every [Chef] above Level 30 could do just that. Edlyn would never have been made the head [Royal Chef] of the Astra Pce if that was all she was capable of doing. No¡ª at her level, she was able to not just replicate any food dish she saw, but she was also able to improve it too. She was able to refine any dish that wasn¡¯t already perfect. And from what she saw of Amelia¡¯s cooking, there were a lot of ws there. So Edlyn worked on improving the fried rice for now, experimenting with various different ingredients so it would taste better, especially since the restaurant had no shrimp or prawn or any seafood alternatives. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll have to use beef,¡± Edlyn muttered as she brought the te of fried rice out of the kitchen. ¡°Or maybe we¡¯ll use chicken¡ª¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk?¡± a squeak interrupted the [Royal Chef]¡¯s thoughts. She blinked and looked towards a figure sitting in the corner of the room. Edlyn¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw a chicken there, head perked up and staring directly at the te of fried rice. ¡°Why is there a chicken¡­?¡± Edlyn started. And the chicken squawked, before dashing forward straight at her. The [Royal Chef] recoiled as she backed away, nearly spilling the fried rice. But Han caught her from behind and steadied her as the chicken clucked and waved its wings. ¡°Are you alright?¡± the head server asked as Edlyn sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± She looked towards the chicken as it jumped at her feet. ¡°Why is it¡ª can it understand me?¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken eximed. That made Edlyn flinch. And Han nodded casually, trying to calm her down. ¡°That¡¯s Bucky¡ª she¡¯s our mascot. And she can understand you.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± The [Royal Chef] gaped at the hopping chicken. ¡°But how?¡± Han scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, as far as I can tell, Bucky¡¯s like Level 20 or 30. I¡¯m not exactly sure. But she¡¯s got some levels, which makes her more intelligent than the average chicken.¡± His words made the chicken puff up proudly. Edlyn¡¯s eyes felt like they were going to bulge out of their sockets. She thought she was desensitized to the insanities of everything surrounding Amelia. And perhaps, the [Royal Chef] was. Because she didn¡¯t feel like she was going to faint. She was more afraid of what could happen to her¡ª after what she said just earlier. ¡°Is¡­ is it mad about what I said?¡± Edlyn asked as she turned to Han. ¡°About adding chicken to fried rice?¡± ¡°Bucky?¡± Han blinked a few times, before chuckling. ¡°Bucky eats chicken. She literally doesn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°It¡ª I mean, she does?¡± The [Royal Chef] looked down in horror. And Bucky just nodded in confirmation, before clucking in outrage even more. ¡°Then why is she upset?¡± Edlyn asked apprehensively. Han rolled his eyes as he gestured at the te of fried rice. ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s hungry, of course.¡± Edlyn blinked, before looking down at the food she was carrying. ¡°Hungry? Are you saying I should give this to her?¡± ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t see why not?¡± Han shrugged. ¡°Bucky can be your first taste tester.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s a chicken!¡± Edlyn protested. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m supposed to give my cooking to a chicken? I¡¯m a [Royal Chef]!¡± ¡°And Bucky¡¯s hungry. She¡¯ll eat anything, so don¡¯t worry about your cooking being too highbrow for her taste buds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡ª¡± And Edlyn bit her lip, cutting herself off. She nced down at the chicken for a moment. She saw the pleading ck eyes staring back up at her, and she took in a deep breath. After deliberating over it for a minute, she acquiesced and scooped up a small bowl of rice for Bucky. ¡°Fine, here.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± Bucky clucked excitedly, waving her wings in the air. She immediately dug into the bowl of fried rice to devour it whole, then she paused. Her eyes went round as she backed away, and Han frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked as he knelt down to face the chicken. ¡°Are you alright, Bucky?¡± The chicken looked up at him for a moment, and then nodded excitedly. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± She quickly buried her head back in the bowl of fried rice, finishing it in moments. When she was done, she copsed to the ground with a full belly. She gave Edlyn a thumbs-up¡ª even though she didn¡¯t have any thumbs. Han leant back, blinking. ¡°I think¡­ I think Bucky likes it.¡± ¡°R-right,¡± Edlyn said, unsure how to react. ¡°Let me try some.¡± Han turned to face her and dug a spoon into the te of fried rice. The [Royal Chef] watched as he took a bite from the dish, before his eyes lit up. He turned to her as his jaw dropped, and he nearly dropped his spoon. ¡°This is¡­ amazing!¡± he eximed, taking a step forward. He grabbed her by the shoulders as he continued, ¡°Seriously, this is the best dish I¡¯ve ever had! It¡¯s better than even Amelia¡¯s cooking!¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Edlyn backed up as he drew closer. She scratched her cheek, unsure if thatst statement he made was an insult or apliment. ¡°Yes¡ª I didn¡¯t even think you could cook fried rice any differently! I thought that there was only one way to make it. But this is so different from how Amelia does it¡­ I love it!¡± The head server spoke as he stuffed his mouth with the fried rice. The [Royal Chef] smiled hesitantly, ncing between Han and Bucky. She was d to see that her first attempt at Amelia¡¯s fried rice went well. But now, Edlyn was worried¡ª afraid about what would happen if that monster heard about this. Would Amelia be upset? If she was, what would she do? Would she just fire Edlyn? Or worse, would she make the [Royal Chef] pay? That¡­ wasn¡¯t going to happen, right? Edlyn didn¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t want to find out either. She just shivered as she turned to Han. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Amelia that¡ª¡± But a voice cut off the [Royal Chef]. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what?¡± And that made Edlyn freeze where she stood. Slowly, she craned her neck to face a figure standing by the doorway. It was Amelia. She was still surrounded by the baby bastion bees, their cacophonous buzzing quickly filling the room. Amelia shook her head and turned to Han. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Oh, I was just praising Edlyn¡¯s cooking. She¡¯s seriously incredible.¡± He nodded at the [Royal Chef]. Edlyn closed her eyes when she heard that. Oh no¡­ But surprisingly, Amelia didn¡¯t react in shock or disdain. Instead, she was piqued by that, her eyes darting to the te of fried rice Edlyn had prepared. ¡°Oh, you made some fried rice. I didn¡¯t notice that with all these¡­¡± Amelia gestured vaguely at the swarm of baby bastion bees blocking her sight, trying to sting her. ¡°Anyways, can I try some?¡± ¡°S-sure,¡± Edlyn replied, too afraid to say no. She set the te of fried rice down and backed away as Amelia stepped forward. The swarm of baby bastion bees followed the brown-haired woman, of course. Which made everyone¡ª including Han and Bucky¡ª give her a wide berth. They all watched as she took a bite from the fried rice. And Edlyn pursed her lips, unsure what to expect. ¡°This is¡­ amazing!¡± Amelia eximed as her eyes went wide. ¡°It tastes literally like it does back home. As expected from a [Royal Chef].¡± She quickly downed the te of fried rice, leaving Edlyn to just stare in surprise. ¡°Y-you like it?¡± Edlyn eventually asked. ¡°Definitely better than my cooking,¡± Amelia said with a shrug. ¡°I knew hiring you was a good idea.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you.¡± The [Royal Chef] flushed, surprised by the praise. She didn¡¯t expect that. In fact, she didn¡¯t expect anyone to even say anything about her cooking. But she swept her gaze over the room, and she saw the satisfied smiles of Bucky, Han, and Amelia. Each and every one of them had praised her for her cooking. Even though it was a rtively simple meal, they all loved it. It almost reminded Edlyn of a simpler time. When was thest time anyone in the Astra Pce even thanked her for working tirelessly to provide them their meals? She could count the number of times it had happened in her hands. And she had worked there for years! Edlyn shook her head, breaking out of her stupor. She looked back up towards Amelia as she shuffled her feet ufortably. ¡°This was the only dish I¡¯ve had in your menu. I can¡¯t cook anything else because I haven¡¯t even seen them yet.¡± She tried to make eye contact with her new employer, but the swarm of baby bastion bees made it a bit difficult. ¡°I can teach you everything,¡± Amelia said as she took a step forward. But Edlyn recoiled¡ª not out of fear of the brown-haired woman. Instead, it was out of terror from all the baby bastion bees. Amelia realized that as she blinked down at herself. ¡°Oh, right. These little guys are a bit of a problem.¡± Amelia scratched the back of her head. ¡°I wonder when they¡¯ll tire out?¡± ¡ª-- Never give up! the baby queen bastion beemanded as she continued her onught of attacks against the invader. They were going to win soon. She was sure of it. She would not tire. No matter what happened. Not until they had imed victory¡ª [You have leveled up! You are now Level 10!] [Subracial Evolution Now Avable!] The baby queen bastion bee blinked when she saw the blue screen shing before her eyes. She knew her soldiers saw it too. And for a moment, she distractedly drew back from the invader and focused on what was said. Then she copsed, passing out. And following after her was the rest of the swarm. ¡ª-- ¡°...what just happened?¡± Edlyn gaped as the swarm of baby bastion bees just fell to the floor. She turned to Amelia in horror. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I don¡¯t even know what just happened.¡± Amelia narrowed her eyes. And the doorway burst open as a dozen adult bastion bees flew into the room. Edlyn couldn¡¯t even react to their sudden appearance. She just looked on as they slowly carried the baby bastion bees out of the restaurant. ¡°Well, I hope nothing bad happened to them,¡± Amelia said as she turned to Edlyn, the room substantially quieter now. ¡°But now I can show you all my recipes without a problem.¡± The brown-haired woman made her way to the kitchen, and the [Royal Chef] stared for a moment. ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°R-right!¡± Edlyn eximed, snapping back to reality. She hurried after her new employer as she took a quick nce back at Bucky and Han. The [Royal Chef] watched as both the chicken and the head server finished the leftover fried rice, her cooking truly appreciated for the first time in what felt like forever. They were bothughing, savoring the dish. They even called over Arthur who had just been sitting idly behind the bar to give it a try. Edlyn turned back to Amelia as they entered the kitchen. ¡°Most of our menu items are rtively simple. We have kebab, hummus, ffel¡ª¡± the brown-haired woman began listing out their dishes. A single thought crossed Edlyn¡¯s mind as she just stared, listening and nodding. Maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ working for Amelia isn¡¯t going to be so bad, after all. And the two women began to cook together, until eventually the sun set over the horizon, bringing about the first real day of work for the [Royal Chef] at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 It was the first official day of the reopening of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. It had only been a few days since it closed because of Amelia¡¯s absence, but it had felt like weeks had gone by. A lot had happened. Or at the very least, Noele experienced some drastic changes in just a few days. She had been betrayed by one of her first ever idols, then she was left in a near-death state for a prolonged period of time, before she finally underwent a ss advancement. Now, she was a [Champion Spellsword], and Nichs the Noble Knight was dead. It was a lot, to the blonde girl. She had recounted the entire situation to her master¡ª together, they had hypothesized that the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns was after the Noble Spellsword. And now, Amelia was trying to concoct some manner of a n to ensure that something like this never happened again. So Noele had exined everything. Except, she didn¡¯t. Because there was one crucial part of the story she had omitted. And it was the simple fact that she had epted her ss advancement. It didn¡¯t sound like such a big deal. In fact, it shouldn¡¯t have really mattered. Noele had already spoken to Amelia about bing a [Champion Spellsword] back when the option had first been presented to the blonde girl. But still, something felt off. For whatever reason, Noele felt like she had done something wrong. And she wasn¡¯t sure why she felt that way. That was why she was here at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant first thing in the morning. She had wanted to catch Amelia before arge crowd gathered there. But¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people,¡± the blonde girl whistled as she stared at the queue waiting outside of the restaurant. There were dozens of people already here, waiting for Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant to open. Many of them were familiar faces¡ª [Farmers] and [Traders] who lived in Wolfwater. But there were plenty others who looked like they were passing travelers or visitors who heard about the infamous restaurant. ¡°I guess Amelia¡¯s got a bigger reputation than I thought.¡± Noele shook her head, before getting in line behind the queue. As Amelia¡¯s apprentice, Noele knew she could just cut the line and enter the restaurant whenever she pleased. But she didn¡¯t want to do that. Because that would be rude. So she waited as the doors of the restaurant finally swung open, and a busy day at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant began. ¡ª-- Edlyn watched as the double doors swung open, and the crowd waiting outside of the restaurant began to shuffle in. Normally, a [Chef] working in a restaurant would never meet the customers other than in special circumstances. But this was a special circumstance. Amelia was introducing everyone who was entering the restaurant to the brand new [Chef] working here. And Edlyn was just nodding politely as she greeted each and every single customer. Most [Chefs] wouldn¡¯t really know how to react. But fortunately, Edlyn was a [Royal Chef], so she was used to talking to her diners. ¡°So you¡¯re Edlyn, huh? Mama has told me a lot about you.¡± A blonde girl strode up with a smile on her face. She proffered a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Noele the Noble Spellsword. A-ranked adventurer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an A-ranked adventurer?¡± Edlyn blinked, staring at Noele for a moment. ¡°And you¡¯re just casually dining here?¡± ¡°Well, I am Amelia¡¯s apprentice,¡± Noele said as she scratched the back of her head. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± The [Royal Chef] thought she¡¯d be more surprised upon hearing that. But she barely even visibly reacted, other than a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°Hopefully my cooking will live up to your master¡¯s standards.¡± The blonde girl just shrugged in response as she walked up to a chair. ¡°That won¡¯t be hard. Amelia¡¯s really not the best cook around.¡± ¡°Not the best¡­?¡± Edlyn flinched, hearing Noele insult Amelia just like that. The [Royal Chef] nced over to the side¡ª where Amelia was standing. Clearly, the brown-haired woman heard the insult. But all she did was snort in response. And Edlyn turned around and watched as Noele took a seat. For a moment, the [Royal Chef] just stared silently as more customers funneled in around her. Amelia¡­ really doesn¡¯t care, does she? Edlyn thought as she pursed her lips. She felt like she was starting to understand that monster now. It almost felt Amelia really didn¡¯t care about anything except for running her restaurant. A restaurant which attracted quite an eclectic group of people. So much so that Edlyn wasn¡¯t even phased by seeing an A-ranked adventurer here. Maybe Han is right, the [Royal Chef] thought as she closed her eyes. Maybe I really am starting to get desensitized to all this insanity. And that only meant one thing¡ª that Edlyn was starting to go insane too. ¡ª-- Edlyn was a good worker. As I expected, her cooking was far superior to my own. I spent all of yesterday teaching her the individual recipes of every item on the menu¡ª and she critiqued them all, giving me ways to improve on them. Well, that was a bit of an over exaggeration. There were some recipes she couldn¡¯t improve. But that was because those were the recipes Xakor had given me while he had been staying here. Particrly, for the savis cube and the other dishes he introduced to the restaurant. But as for everything I had brought over from Earth¡­ The [Royal Chef] was a lot milder in her criticisms at the start, before opening up towards the end, where she pretty much called me a terrible chef. She was still scared of me¡ª I could tell. But much of her fear of me had been assuaged just from us spending a whole day cooking together. There wasn¡¯t much else I could do to change her mind. I knew that even if I told her that I wasn¡¯t actually as terrifying as she thought, she wouldn¡¯t believe me. I just had to prove it through my actions. Anyways, once we greeted the morning crowd, both Edlyn and I returned to the kitchen to begin our work for the day. As I expected, we drew in more customers today than we have in months. Thest time we brought in such a crowd was when Xakor had still been here, using his fame to bring attention to my restaurant. But that crowd back then was mostly there for him. This time around, they were here for me. I almost smiled knowing that. It was nice to finally bear the fruits of mybor. I had spent months trying to build up this restaurant, and now, I could rx¡ª at least, a little bit. I didn¡¯t need to spend all my time cooking for the restaurant. I could actually take breaks, now that I had a [Chef] working with me. I also didn¡¯t need to work so hard on marketing my restaurant anymore. Of course, I still needed to go around pulling a few marketing stunts¡ª like hiring Jax for a little bit, or telling everyone that a [Royal Chef] was working here now. But otherwise, I didn¡¯t need to put in nearly as much effort as I did back when I first opened up this restaurant. The day went on, and Edlyn went on her early lunch break some time before noon. When she returned, it was my turn to take a break as she took over the cooking for the crowd of lunch-goers. I tried to reassure her that I could handle it, and she could take an extended break. But I guess the [Royal Chef] wanted to prove herself to me, because she insisted on handling the lunch shift. So I stepped outside of the restaurant, giving a wide berth from therge gathered crowd. Apparently, Han hadn¡¯t just been rxing and enjoying himself while I had been at Astral. He had gone out and bought a bunch more tables and chairs to set out outside of the restaurant to help us handle arger volume of customers than we were previously able to handle. So I had to step a few hundred feet away from my restaurant, hiding behind a tree so I wouldn¡¯t be bothered by any passersby or sidelong nces. I sat down and began to dig into my lunch. ¡°This is really good¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I munched on the bowl of pf. It was some of the leftovers of Edlyn¡¯s cooking. She was definitely a much better cook than me. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it was better than any pf I ever had back on Earth. So not only did she improve on my recipe, but she improved on the recipe as a whole. Which I was very much impressed by. I closed my eyes as I savored the food and the silence. It was nice¡ª being able to rx. But I had to wonder¡­ ¡°What happened to the bastion bees?¡± I asked no one in particr as I raised my head fractionally. ¡°They haven¡¯t bothered me since yesterday.¡± ¡ª-- And in the bastion bee hive, the baby queen bastion bee was celebrating. We won! Her thoughts were transmitted across her army of valiant soldiers. After what felt like an eternity of battle, defending her hive from that invader, they had emerged victorious. Or so she was told. The baby queen bastion bee had passed out because she had been given an option to evolve. She had managed to be something even more¡ª to be a [Lesser Bastion Bee] from a [Bastion Bee Larva]. But because of that, she wasn¡¯t able to witness the death of the invader. But her loyal advisor¡ª one of the nursing bees her mother had apparently assigned to her¡ª informed her that she was victorious. So the baby queen bastion bee celebrated. She threw a grand party inmemoration of her first ever battle and first every victory. All of her people feasted with her, stuffing themselves with their royal honey. And they would continue to celebrate, drunk in their victory. And watching from the side were the adult bastion bees. Each of them exchanged a nervous nce, unsure how long their lie was going to keep up¡ª unsure how to resolve this misunderstanding. But for now, at least they managed to dy the problem for a little bit longer. ¡ª- I sat there in the shade, my finished bowl of pf set to the side, and hearing the muffled voices andughter of the crowd in the distance. I was just resting¡ª rxing. It hadn¡¯t even been half an hour yet since I stepped out, so I still had time before my break ended. But as I leant against the tree, I heard a soft set of footsteps approach me. I looked up and spotted a shadow looming over me. I recognized who it was immediately. I cracked one eye closed as I rxed, lying back down casually. ¡°Do you need something, Noele?¡± I asked as I nced towards the blonde girl with only one eye open. ¡°I¡ª¡± She opened her mouth, then caught herself. She bit her lower lip as she shifted ufortably before me. She looked down at my empty bowl, before sighing. ¡°Are you busy right now?¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m busy?¡± I scoffed. Noele drew her lips into a thin line, not answering my question. I rolled my eyes as i got back to my feet. ¡°I¡¯m not busy, no,¡± I said simply. ¡°Right¡­¡± she trailed off. I raised a brow expectantly. But Noele didn¡¯t give an immediately answer. She just shook her head as she steeled herself, before meeting my gaze. ¡°Amelia,¡± she said softly. Her voice barely was a whisper. ¡°We need to talk.¡± And I just stared tly back at her. ¡°...alright? You don¡¯t need to be so dramatic. Just say it.¡± Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Noele closed her eyes as she stood before her master. A striking silence held the two of them¡ª neither said a word. Not the blonde girl, and not the brown-haired woman. They didn¡¯t speak. They just stood across from each other, listening to the muffled voices of the distant crowd. The silence would¡¯ve dragged for an eternity. Noele didn¡¯t know what to say. She didn¡¯t even know if there was anything to say. But Amelia was too impatient to wait for another minute longer. ¡°Well?¡± she scoffed. ¡°Spit it out, already.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Noele took in a deep breath as she tried to steel herself. Amelia won¡¯t get mad¡ª she said as much back when I first told her about my ss advancement. The blonde girl mentally reassured herself. She raised her head and opened her eyes. Slowly, she locked gazes with her master. ¡°I am now a [Champion Spellsword],¡± Noele finally said. She waited for a response before continuing¡ª bracing herself for whatever possible reaction there could be. And Amelia just stared nkly back at the blonde girl. ¡°...is that it?¡± Noele blinked. ¡°...I should have expected that reaction.¡± But she shook her head a momentter and took in a deep breath. She ced a hand on her chest as she exined the problem. ¡°Amelia, you taught me how to fight with my own strength, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± the brown-haired woman replied simply. ¡°You taught me not to rely on the World System¡ª to rely on what I am able to do on my own,¡± Noele continued in a soft voice. ¡°And yet, I gave in. When I should¡¯ve ovee my weakness and fought with my own strength, I relied on an outside power to defeat Nichs.¡± Amelia stared at the blonde girl for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Well, you almost died, didn¡¯t you? You were literally stabbed through the chest. So you didn¡¯t really have a choice. Personally, I don¡¯t really see a problem with that, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Noele pursed her lips. ¡°But I feel like¡­ something happened.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Amelia asked casually. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know,¡± the blonde girl sighed as her shoulders sagged. ¡°But I feel like something happened¡ª when I was on the brink of death. I¡¯m not sure what it was, but it feels¡­ off.¡± She looked down at herself as she uttered thest word. Her gaze was fixed on the palm of her hand. For a moment, she felt like she had no control over her fingers. Noele felt like her entire body went numb as she spoke. But she took in a deep breath and shook away the strange feeling. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Amelia. I am not sure if I made the right choice.¡± Noele turned to her master for guidance. And for once, the brown-haired woman didn¡¯t give an immediate reply. Instead, she ced a hand on her chin as she mulled over the question for a while. ¡°Arthur approached me a few weeks ago,¡± Amelia finally said as she raised her head. ¡°He brought up¡­ concerns. Concerns about his returning Void powers, which I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Noele blinked. She recalled the former Lich King unleashing his powers when he had saved her. It was a fraction of the strength he had shown back before he had be Arthur. But it was still a terrifying sight to witness for the blonde girl. She had been worried by it when she first saw it. But she managed to cate her concerns with logic and reason. After all, Arthur was not Ar¡¯elith. He was a different person to the Lich King. Or that was what she told herself. ¡°Right, I am aware,¡± the blonde girl said with a nod. ¡°But I don¡¯t see how that rtes to what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°Arthur was afraid of his powers, Noele,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head. ¡°He was afraid that he was going to cause harm to those he cared about. He was afraid that he was going to be who he once was again.¡± Noele pursed her lips, listening to her master¡¯s words. ¡°So I¡¯ll tell you what I told him¡ª it doesn¡¯t matter what¡¯s the source of his power or your power. All that matters is that you are stronger now. And with that power, you¡¯ll continue to do good. That¡¯s it, really.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m concerned about,¡± the blonde girl protested. ¡°If I go down this route¡­ won¡¯t I be overly-reliant on the World System?¡± ¡°I already told you this before, but that doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Amelia snorted as she crossed her arms. ¡°What do you mean it doesn¡¯t matter? Look at how strong you are! And you don¡¯t even have a ss!¡± Noele gestured emphatically at her master. But Amelia just waved a hand dismissively. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m not a [Chef] is because this stupid System won¡¯t let me be one. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The blonde girl bit her lower lip. Slowly, she looked back down at herself and ced a hand on her chest. ¡°What about relying on my own strength?¡± ¡°I told you this before, Noele. But you¡¯ve already been relying on the System for most of your life.¡± The brown-haired woman shrugged. ¡°Relying on it a little bit more now doesn¡¯t make that much of a difference. Especially if you just use it as a tool to improve, rather than a crutch.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Noele blinked. Amelia sighed and drew her rusty sword. She flipped it around, making the blonde girl flinch. But that wasn¡¯t an attack. Instead, she gestured at the t of her de. ¡°Look at this, Noele. What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uh, your sword?¡± the blonde girl said apprehensively. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s my sword. It¡¯s what I use to fight in battle.¡± Amelia nodded as she raised it to the sky, and its dull surface reflected the sun¡¯s light. ¡°But even though it¡¯s my weapon, I don¡¯t rely on it to fight. I use it, sure. I swing it around, stab a few bad guys. But it¡¯s only a tool.¡± Sheathing her de, the brown-haired woman turned to her apprentice. She thrust a finger at Noele¡¯s chest. ¡°That¡¯s the same thing with the System. Use it¡ª not as a crutch. Don¡¯t rely on it as your only weapon. But use it when it is needed, while working on your ws and weaknesses. So that, one day, you won¡¯t need to use it at all.¡± ¡°So that¡­ I won¡¯t need to use it at all?¡± Noele repeated after her master. She processed the words, and her head spun. While logically it made sense that that was the end goal, the blonde girl never once considered ever doing that. Or rather¡ª for some reason, she was surprised. She didn¡¯t even know why. It was strange. She gritted her teeth as she looked back up at Amelia. ¡°But I¡ª¡± Noele closed her mouth. She took in a deep breath, then shook her head. ¡°I still feel like that¡¯s wrong, Amelia. I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The brown-haired woman raised a brow. ¡°I am not sure how to exin it. It feels wrong to have epted this ss advancement, but it also feels like foregoing the World System entirely in the future isn¡¯t the right choice either. Even though I know you¡¯re right¡­ even though I know what you¡¯re saying makes perfect sense¡­¡± Noele trailed off as she clenched a fist. Amelia narrowed her eyes, listening to the blonde girl bber on. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this feeling. I just feel like something is off. But I also feel like what you¡¯re saying is wrong, even though I know it¡¯s right. It¡¯s paradoxical. It¡¯s weird. I feel like a crazy person right now. I know you don¡¯t really get what I mean. But I just feel¡­ confused.¡± The blonde girl lowered her head as she finished. Her master just stared at her for a long moment. Neither of them said a word. Once again, they were captured by a sharp silence. After a minute passed, Amelia finally took a step forward and ced a hand on Noele¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Noele,¡± Amelia said, drawing the blonde girl¡¯s gaze. ¡°Yes?¡± Noele asked softly. And Amelia sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯re lost right now. I understand you feel like you¡¯re at a crossroads. All your life, you¡¯ve been attuned to the System. But now, I¡¯m telling you to give it up. Sure, I¡¯m not telling you to leave it behind right now, but even knowing that you have to eventually move on from it must be hard for you to ept.¡± ¡°R-right,¡± the blonde girl agreed hesitantly, unsure where her master was going with this. ¡°But at the same time, you know you have to surpass the System. You know it¡¯s holding you back. That¡¯s why you feel this way. That¡¯s why you feel like you¡¯re at a crossroads¡ª that¡¯s why you feel like you don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Noele wasn¡¯t sure if that was exactly it, but what Amelia was saying made sense. To a certain extent. But the brown-haired woman wasn¡¯t done. She took in a deep breath, before ncing back towards the crowd in the distance. Amelia nodded at herself, making sure that there was no one within earshot of the pair¡¯s conversation. When she was certain they were alone, she turned back to the blonde girl. ¡°But what if I told you¡­¡± Amelia started as she held her apprentice¡¯s gaze. ¡°What if I told you the World System is actually evil?¡± And that made Noele freeze where she stood. ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 189 Chapter 189 ¡°The World System is¡­ evil?¡± Noele repeated after her master, her head spinning as she tried to process what was being said. But for some reason, her mind refused to ept it. The blonde girl couldn¡¯t believe this was true. It was like there was a mental block preventing her from digesting Amelia¡¯s words¡ª making Noele physically incapable ofprehending the very notion of the World System being anything but a benevolent entity utterly unfeasible. ¡°I¡ª that¡¯s not possible,¡± the blonde girl finally said. She shook her head as she gritted her teeth. Somethingpelled her to argue against her master. ¡°Why would the World System lend us its power if it were truly evil? Why would it protect us from the Void with its army of Angels if it were not a force of good?¡± Noele spoke as she lowered her head. Her gaze darkened, and her breathing quickened. She tried to steel herself¡ª she stopped herself from barraging Amelia with a million arguments against the idea that the World System was evil. Instead, she calmed down and opened her mouth once again. ¡°Amelia¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the brown-haired woman said, cutting off the blonde girl. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, I don¡¯t think the World System is evil either.¡± ¡°...what?¡± Noele paused, breaking out of her strange trance. She stared at her master with wide eyes as her jaw dropped. And she repeated herself, ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡ª-- It was a simple statement. Well¡ª more of a question, really. But it was a rhetorical one. And it was to just gauge the reaction of the blonde girl when I asked it. Because, truthfully, I had put this issue off for long enough. And now, with all of Noele¡¯s uncertainty, I decided to finally tackle this problem. Unfortunately for me, I was faced with a barrage of questions in response. Noele pointed usingly at me as she unleashed a verbal assault my way. ¡°What was the point of telling me that if you don¡¯t believe it? Like¡ª where did you even get that idea from?¡± I just shrugged dismissively as she stared at me in shock. ¡°Well, I certainly didn¡¯te up with it. That was just what the Voidgod told me.¡± I gave an honest answer. But that didn¡¯t cate the blonde girl. ¡°The Voidgod? You mean that thing that is literally the incarnation of all that is evil?¡± she eximed. I nodded simply. ¡°Yeah, that Voidgod. I was under the impression that there wasn¡¯t any other Voidgods out there.¡± ¡°Amelia¡­¡± Noele sighed as she rubbed her temples. ¡°You gave me a scare there. Of course the Voidgod isn¡¯t telling the truth.¡± ¡°And yet, the Voidgod has told me many things before that were true,¡±I countered as I shook my head. ¡°So what if this is true too? What if the System is actually evil?¡± Now that made the blonde girl pause. She narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°What? You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± ¡°But I am.¡± I crossed her arms. ¡°The Voidgod told me of an entity. That which it called its Enemy. The one that expelled it from Vacuos.¡± ¡°The World System,¡± Noele said, furrowing her brows. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about that. That at one point in time, long ago, a great evil consumed the entirety of Vacuos. But then¡ª¡± Before the blonde girl could finish, I continued for her, ¡°But then the System descended from the heavens, empowering each and every being in the world, before sending down an army of Angels to repel the Great Evil and expelling it from Vacuos. Is that correct?¡± Noele blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ correct. How do you know that? I barely even remember the details about it. It¡¯s just a bedtime story told to children.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s simple,¡± I sighed as I lowered my head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard this story before. Just from a different perspective.¡± ¡°Different perspective?¡± Noele stared quizzically at me. I closed my eyes, even the blonde girl¡¯s gaze bore into me. I remained silent for a moment. And I remembered a booming voice. I recalled a world of chaos. Where time meant nothing, and space was but an illusion. It was a distant memory. It felt like a dream. But it was real. And so were the images that I had been shown. ¡°Once upon a time, all of Vacuos was at peace. There was no war. There was no suffering. There were no tears, because there was no such thing as grief. There were no heartbreaks, because there was no such thing as love. It was a perfect world. It was paradise.¡± I whispered softly as Noele raised a brow. But I didn¡¯t pay attention to her. I just continued, hearing the words of the Voidgod echo in my head. ¡°But then, the Enemy appeared.¡± ¡°The World System,¡± Noele said in a low voice. I ignored her, simply recounting what I was told. ¡°At first, the Enemy¡¯s presence was weak. After all, it was intruding into an alien domain. But slowly, the Enemy sent its forces into Vacuos to expand its reaches¡ª it sent its Drones to sow chaos and death.¡± Noele ced a hand on her chin. ¡°The Drones are¡­ Angels?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded as I raised my head to face the blue sky above. The words continued to echo in my mind as I recited from memory. ¡°The Drones spread throughout the world, sowing the seeds for chaos, and in doing so, empowering the Enemy until all of Vacuos was infected by a terrible blight.¡± ¡°Blight? Do you mean¡­?¡± Noele narrowed her eyes, looking down at a blue screen which I couldn¡¯t see. I looked back down at her as I finished recounting the tale I had been told, ¡°And with the world now at its side, the Enemy banished the True God of Vacuos into an eternal prison, letting chaos and death rule the world.¡± Noele¡¯s eyes flickered as I finished. She stayed silent for a moment, and I closed my eyes. I heard the booming voice of the Voidgod echoing in my head, but now it was fainter than before. I saw shes of my memories of my time back there. I remembered a sense of dread¡ª a sense of hopelessness as I knelt there on those icy rocks, facing down an eternity of torture. And I remember being given an offer. One that I could not refuse. A chance at salvation. I shook my head, before looking up at the blonde girl. ¡°And that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the other side of the story you¡¯ve been told.¡± She remained silent for a long moment. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she took in a deep breath. I waited, until she finally spoke.. ¡°The Voidgod,¡± Noele whispered. She bit her lower lip, eyeing at me with a sharp gaze. ¡°How can you possibly call it the True God of Vacuos?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what it called itself,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°As I told you, I was simply telling you the story I heard.¡± ¡°But the Voidgod told you that story!¡± the blonde girl tried to protest as she took a step forward. ¡°Why would it ever tell you the truth about¡­ anything?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know the answer to that question?¡± I asked as I sighed. Noele blinked, and I locked eyes with her. ¡°Because I can tell you the truth, if you want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± She caught herself before giving an immediate answer. Slowly, she held my gaze and nodded. ¡°Please, tell me.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I sighed, expecting that. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± But if I was being honest, I was really hoping I didn¡¯t have to answer anything. It was hard for me to fully cope with, even now. Still, I did as I promised, lowering my head as I remembered the visions the Voidgod showed me. And I recalled the scenes of my memories from the Void. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 ¡°Give it up,¡± the voice thundered throughout the vast expanse of broken space. ¡°Cease your pointless struggle. You fight for a life that no longer exists. You are suffering for nothing.¡± Amelia heard the rumbling words as the icy rock beneath her feet quaked, cracked, then shattered. She raised her head and leapt away from the copsing asteroid, beforending on a nearby moon, crawling with purple twisted creatures¡ª crawling with voidlings. She didn¡¯t respond. For the sake of her sanity, she couldn¡¯t respond. So instead, she focused on her surroundings¡ª on her survival. The horde of voidlings charged at her, and she raised her rusty de. With a single swing of the sword, she wiped out the innumerable force. But she didn¡¯t have a spare moment to breathe as she heard a cacophony of shrieks. Looking up, Amelia saw three colossal creatures tearing their way through the expanse of empty space towards her. Each one of them took on a different shape and size¡ª one with many eyes, one with a single wing, and one with a dozen limbs¡ª but they all had one thing inmon: they could have crushed the girl in a single strike. She gritted her teeth, watching them approach as they burrowed through the nearby asteroids heading straight towards her without stopping. A weak white aura overcame her figure as she took on a wide stance. Exhaling slowly, she sheathed her sword and faced the approaching monsters. Amelia knew what they were. They were voidbeasts. The most dangerous creatures in this broken world. They couldn¡¯t be taken lightly, because a single mistake could cost her her life. And she jumped out of the way as the first voidbeast reached her. It crashed into the ground beneath her, splitting the moon in half as she eyed the second charging monster. In a single motion, she unsheathed her de and sliced off the second voidbeast¡¯s single wing. It roared in pain and crashed into the first as she dove straight towards the third. Amelia screamed and unleashed a flurry of strikes, slicing apart the many limbs of the third voidbeast as it tried to strike her now. She sprinted across its body as she dug her de down, trying to cut the colossal creature in half. But her eyes flickered as she saw a glinting from behind. She turned around just in time to see the first voidbeast unleashing a purple st her way. The attack would have struck the third voidbeast. But none of them cared about each other¡ª not in the slightest. The explosion engulfed Amelia and the third voidbeast. Her vision blurred as her world spun, before she came crashing down into the remains of an asteroid, inhaling a sharp breath. Her ears rang, and her body ached. She tried to rise to her feet, but her legs failed her. Amelia raised her head weakly as she saw a bright light just ahead of her. The first voidbeast was towering over her, its single eye staring into her soul as the ringing vanished, and the booming voice from before was all she heard. ¡°I truly do not understand you.¡± The first voidbeast screeched, before unleashing another purple beam straight down at Amelia. But she clenched a fist and smashed the ground beneath her feet, falling out of the way of the st just in time. As she rapidly fell towards the unending space beneath her, she looked up and heard the rumbling voice. ¡°As a child, your mother told you that only you held your life in the palm of your hands.¡± The three voidbeasts cast their gazes down towards the falling woman. They were injured and enraged, but Amelia was also hurt. She tightly gripped the hilt of her sword with both her hands as they leapt down at her. ¡°As a child, your father told you to chase your dreams¡ª that your future was only ever as bright as you believed.¡± Amelia shouted in defiance and swung up with a sh of light. Even from afar, her sh reached all three of the voidbeasts. And it was the third voidbeast, already delimbed and injured, that fell first. ¡°But now as you look, all that awaits you is darkness. Your life on Earth is ruined, and your future here is bleak. While you may me me for your misery, and you may believe me to be your tormentor, it is I who is your savior.¡± The second voidbeast descended upon Amelia¡ª its wing was ripped off, but its speed unhindered. It swiped down at her with a glinting w, and she barely parried the attack with her rusty de. Somehow, the metal held up against the sheer force of the strike. And as the world of broken space reverberated from the sh, the voice continued. ¡°You have realized it yourself, haven¡¯t you? Surely you must remember your veryst moment back on Earth¡ª that memory of the day I stole you from your world.¡± Amelia closed her eyes as an image shed in her mind. For a moment, she was thrust back into that moment. A moment she relived time and time again in her head. She heard the soft Christmas music ying from the car¡¯s radio, and she heard her mother¡¯sughter. She remembered the look on her father¡¯s face as her sister cracked a silly joke. It was supposed to be a family vacation. A holiday trip where they all got together for the first time in months. And then came the ring horn of a truck. Amelia remembered craning her neck back¡ª looking to the side as she saw the bright headlights approaching at extreme speed. But before she could process what happened, she was met with what felt like an eternity in darkness. Like she had been forced to sleep for days on end, until she was finally allowed to wake up. But when she regained her bearings, she was not in the car with her family. She was¡­ here. ¡°That day was the day you were fated to die. No one would survive that crash except for your sister. But I saved you. I have given you a chance at a new life. And yet¡ª¡± Amelia returned to reality as she looked back up to face the second voidbeast. It screeched, swinging down at her, and they briefly traded blows as they both fell endlessly in space. But with each sh of de and w, she moved faster, her strikes growing more precise. And after unleashing an onught of attacks onto the creature, it crumbled apart, dead. She turned to thest voidbeast as it hovered over her, its eyes glowing with a purple aura. ¡°You have rejected my grace. You have chosen to spit in the face of your savior. And why? Because you believe that you can return to your family? Because you believe that I am lying?¡± The final voidbeast unleashed another beam of purple energy at Amelia, sending her flying back as she blocked the attack. She crashed through a massive moon, before catching herself amidst a group of asteroids. She looked up as she panted tiredly, watching the colossal creature barrel its way towards her. ¡°Your mother is dead. Your father is dead. And your sister will never be able to walk again. There is nothing left for you except for me.¡± Amelia took in a shaky breath as the final voidbeast began to conjure up another beam¡ª purple particles already gathering just before its eye, forming a sphere. Her breathing slowed as she floated there, the white aura wisping off her threatening to fade away. She opened and closed her mouth for a moment, staring in silence. And for the first time since Amelia heard the voice of the Void, she finally spoke. ¡°You¡­¡± Her jaw worked slowly as the beam of purple energy shot out towards her. She lowered her de and clenched a fist. The white aura covering her body coalesced on that hand as she whispered softly. ¡°LIAR!¡± And Amelia swung out with her fist¡ª a powerful punch that dissipated the purple beam, before striking the final voidbeast even from afar, ripping the colossal creature apart. The nearby asteroids were blown apart from the impact as the entirety of the world of broken space shook from the strike. ¡°You¡­¡± the voice hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her show of force. But it boomed once again. ¡°How dare you use me of such petty tricks! I¡ª And Amelia interrupted the voice of the Void. ¡°I do not care what you say,¡± Amelia bellowed as she raised her rusty de, her cloak billowing behind her with the wind. ¡°I will return to my world¡ª I will see my family again. And I¡­¡± Her eyes shed with a white light as the white aura returned to her, stronger than before¡ª like a zing fire. The broken world around her trembled as she resolved herself. ¡°I will make you pay for what you¡¯ve done!¡± Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Noele blinked as she heard Amelia¡¯s storye to an end. The blonde girl was left at a loss for words. All she could do was just stare breathlessly at her master, listening to the tale that was told. Amelia rarely ever spoke of her past¡ª she sometimes talked to the blonde girl about her time back on Earth. However, Noele had scarcely ever heard about the time her master spent in the Void. Or the Fractured Realm. Whatever it was. But now, hearing this, Noele understood why Amelia never liked talking about that ce. The blonde girl closed her eyes and whispered. ¡°You¡¯ve escaped though,¡± she said as she raised her head. She took a step forward and looked up at her master. ¡°We just have to find a way for you to go back to your family! Then you can see them again!¡± ¡°Well, except I can¡¯t,¡± Amelia answered simply. And Noele shook her head. ¡°I know it¡¯s going to be difficult, but there has to be some way for you to be able to get back¡ª¡± But the brown-haired woman spoke up, cutting off the blonde girl. ¡°No, I mean I literally cannot do that. And it¡¯s not because I can¡¯t go back.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Noele frowned, eyeing her master quizzically. Amelia sighed as she lowered her head. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and she whispered. ¡°I have gone back, Noele.¡± That made the blonde girl pause. She froze where stood, staring at her master in utter disbelief. She almost refused to process what was said, but she finally broke out of her stupor. ¡°...what?¡± Noele managed to utter. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Amelia said as she raised her head. She locked gazes with the blonde girl and spoke softly. ¡°I have returned to my world before. And that¡¯s how I know¡­¡± Amelia sighed as she looked down at herself. She stared at the palm of her hand, and Noele¡¯s head just spun. ¡°That¡¯s how I know the Voidgod did not lie,¡± the brown-haired woman finished. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s¡ª¡± Noele caught herself. She tried to mouth the word ¡®impossible¡¯, but all she did was take in the expression on her master¡¯s face. Amelia closed her eyes as she clenched a fist. ¡°There is nothing left for me back on Earth, Noele. But that is not the point. What I am trying to tell you is that the Voidgod told me the truth. It has told me the truth time and time again, even though I have doubted it many times before.¡± ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re saying¡­¡± The blonde girl¡¯s brows snapped together. Her lips trembled, and she bit her lower lip. ¡°The Voidgod was not lying about the World System?¡± Noele apprehensively said those words as the pacing of her breathing quickened once again. Her mind refused to believe it, but she forced herself toprehend the idea¡ª to consider the possibility that the God that had been overlooking her entire world had been working against her from the very beginning. But Amelia just shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± And Noele blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I am saying that it¡¯s a possibility, not that it is reality,¡± Amelia rified as she crossed her arms. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± Noele bit her lower lip. She just stared at her master,pletely confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a plethora of other possibilities out there. For example, it is entirely possible that the Voidgod was only telling a half-truth. Or it¡¯s possible that the Voidgod was twisting the truth. Or maybe, that the Voidgod was lying outright. After all, just because it told me the truth a few times, doesn¡¯t mean it has told me the truth about everything.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Noele nodded, listening to her master¡¯s words. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°It is also entirely possible that the Voidgod was telling me the truth about everything. But I do not know that,¡± Amelia continued. ¡°I do not know which one of these possibilities it could be. All I know is that this is something you must consider.¡± ¡°Something I must consider?¡± the blonde girl repeated after Amelia¡¯s words. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the one who feels uneasy about the System, right?¡± the brown-haired woman said. ¡°Like, have you wondered why you feel that way? Beyond just my lessons, of course.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Noele opened her mouth to answer the question, but paused. She thought the answer would have been obvious, only to realize that she didn¡¯t know what to say. Finally, she admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Amelia just shrugged as she gestured vaguely at the blonde girl. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. I can¡¯t tell you why you feel this way. I can tell you that using the System from time to time probably isn¡¯t a bad thing for your growth. But if you really want to know whether using the System is bad in general¡­ well, you need to sit down with yourself and introspect for a while.¡± Noele stared at her master quietly. The blonde girl closed her eyes, before lowering her head. For a moment, she remained silent. And finally, she just nodded and smiled at Amelia. ¡°I see, thank you. I think that helps.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m d I was able to offer you some advice,¡± Amelia said, patting Noele on the shoulder. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to get back to my restaurant.¡± ¡°Right. Sorry for taking your time.¡± Noele stepped to the side and watched her master go. ¡ª-- Later that night, Noele was lying in bed, staring silently at the ceiling with her eyes wide open. She heard the crickets out in the fields of her father¡¯s farm, and she saw the leaking moonlight ssh across the wooden walls of her room. But her focus was not on any of that. She wasn¡¯t even trying to sleep. All she could focus on was her master¡¯s words¡ª on what the Voidgod had apparently said. ¡°Why do I feel this way?¡± Noele whispered, raising a hand up and sighing. ¡°Is it because the World System is evil? But that can¡¯t be the case, right?¡± No one was here to answer the blonde girl¡¯s questions. She was left to contemte on her own, listening to her thoughts. The World System couldn¡¯t possibly be evil. It was what gave a person strength. It was the lifeblood of all of Vacuos. It was God. But if that was the case, why was it that Noele grew even stronger without the help of the World System? A single thought crossed her mind to answer that question, and her blood ran cold. She bit her lower lip as stopped herself from dismissing the idea. Is it because the World System is limiting me? No¡ª limiting all of us? Noele didn¡¯t want to focus on that thought, but she forced herself to explore it even further. Blood threatened to leak from her lips as her teeth dug down even harder. That is the only exnation. If the World System wasn¡¯t evil, then why would it be holding us back? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. But¡­ if the World System was evil, why would it save me back then? The blonde girl¡¯s thoughts shed back to her near-death experience just a few days prior. When she had been backstabbed by Nichs the Noble Knight. She barely remembered what happened after, her memory a haze up until she advanced to a [Champion Spellsword]. But she knew one thing for certain¡ª that the World System had saved her life¡­ right? If not for being given her ss advancement, she would have died there. She would have been killed by Nichs, unable to be saved by even her friends. So if the World System saved her, why would it be evil? It couldn¡¯t possibly be evil. She couldn¡¯t really remember what happened while she was unconscious, but she knew that she was saved. That was what happened, right? No¡ª something felt wrong about that. There was something that was amiss about what happened, and yet, she couldn¡¯t remember it. Her brows wrinkled as she tried her hardest to recall what it was that she was forgetting. As she tried to understand what was wrong. And Noele¡¯s teeth sank into her lips, drawing blood as she flinched. Her eyes immediately snapped wide open as she suddenly saw a sh of memories, before she sat up. It was like her mind cleared for just a moment, and she received an epiphany. But it wasn¡¯t a divination from the World System, nor was it even a vision of something that was going to happen. It was a vision of something that happened. It was her memory of what had happened when she was on the brink of death. ¡°The World System¡­ tried to trick me?¡± Noele whispered, sitting there on her bed. She didn¡¯t want to believe it, but the repressed memory now flooded to the forefront of her mind, clear as day. When she had first been stabbed by Nichs and was ovee with shock, the World System had forced her to forget that Amelia ever existed¡ª the World System had tried to make the blonde girl forgo all her training, instead giving herself back to her ss. But she forgot about it all. And now, she recalled it. This was what she had felt so uneasy about for thest few days. This was the reason why she felt like something was amiss. Because the World System had tried to trick her. And now, she only had one question for herself. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Noele asked as a bolt of lightning crashed onto a tree near the farm. A heavy rain poured down from above¡ª the sky suddenly being turned overcast without the blonde girl even realizing it. And now, as she heard the patter of raindrops on her window, she considered the exnation given by the Voidgod. That the World System was actually evil. Chapter 192: (End of Book 3) Chapter 192: (End of Book 3) It had been a month now since Guardian Angel Z357 had perished to the [Hero King]¡¯s trap. And during this month, Kallistus Kal finally had full autonomy to delve deeper into the power of the Void. In the past, he had barely been able to hear the echoes of a voice¡ª he might have had a stronger sense of the full extent of the Void than the other members of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, including even the Archmage King. But ever since his brief encounter with the Fal-Deus in Mount Arkais and Windrip, his understanding of it had grown immensely. While the [Hero King] did notmunicate with the Fal-Deus, he had been gifted with a greater grasp of the power he had been blessed with. Now, he could summon an army of voidlings that could number in the tens of thousands, and he could create dozens of clones of himself¡ª each one nearly as capable and powerful as himself inbat. Such an ability was unheard of before in the current era of Vacuos. Perhaps in the times of old, when the Elder Dragons still ruled the world, the presence of nigh-perfect clones was possible, but it would still have been a rarity. As such, Kallistus Kal had sent off only a single clone out into the world to handle his matters for him. And that allowed him to handle matters that were truly important to the [Hero King]. He sat there in silence, beneath his Capital City, studying a rift into the Void. It was something he could now create, although it took quite some effort. It was a powerful tool¡ª it allowed him to further expand his understanding of the desires of the Fal-Deus, letting him grow immensely stronger with each passing day. Not only that, it was also how he had trapped and defeated Guardian Angel Z357. Because the creatures that were lurking in the Void were far too powerful for even him to ovee. Certainly, he sent clones into the depths of the darkness. However, they were never able to venture too far in, because they were always in by the terrible beasts lurking within. It was such a hellish ce. Kallistus Kal¡¯s gaze bore into the darkness, and he beheld its death and destruction. But that was not all he saw. In the Void, he saw a glimmer of hope. Hope that he had never seen before. Ever since he was summoned to this world, the [Hero King] had been fighting for one reason only¡ª to go back to his home. And yet, even as he dutifully did as he was told, he was never shown any possible route to return. Even the Fal-Deus which had spoken to him¡ª which had given him visions and made him promises¡ª didn¡¯t offer any semnce of hope. Kallistus Kal had been desperately fighting for what he believed to be a hopeless endeavor. After all, just because he was told he could see his family again, didn¡¯t actually mean it was possible. But now, seeing how he could tear these holes into space on his own into the Void, he could foresee a future where he would have enough strength to create a rift that was strong enough to return to his own world. Was it even something that actually could be done? Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t know. But he hoped that it was possible. For the sake of his sanity, he hoped he could see his family once again. Because if it were truly impossible¡­ if he could not go back to his world¡­ Kallistus Kal would ensure that all of Vacuos shall suffer¡ª he shall ensure that this world is destroyed¡ª for taking him from his own. End of Book 3
Author''s Notes: Short epilogue chapter. Well, Book 3 took longer toplete than expected. But I think this is a pretty good ending point for the book, especially with everything I want to cover for the next major arc. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this book, and as always, I''ll try to improve with my next book as well! PS: RoyalRoad won''t be updating for a few weeks, so now is the best time to subscribe to my Patreonas it is still updating!
Amelia Book 3 Download (Available for 5 days) Amelia Book 3 Download (Avable for 5 days) Amelia Book 3''s chapters will be removed for KU in five days. If you want to save those chapters, download the chapters now here: [Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Book 3 EPUB | Patreon [Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Book 3 EPUB | Patreon [Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Book 3 EPUB | Patreon Sorry, but I have to remove the chapters so quickly because of Amazon''s deadline. As always, thanks for reading. Amelia Book 3 is now out on Amazon KU! Amelia Book 3 is now out on Amazon KU! Jax in his full glory as the cover! Art by Kaimo, of course. Check out the book if you haven''t already! It''s a good one! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! + Small Update Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! + Small Update Today, I woke up sick for Christmas lmao. So sorry for the tiny bitte of an update. But as you all have noticed, Amelia hasn''t been posting on RoyalRoad at all, however it has been posting on Patreon, and that''s because I''ve been adding back to the reward chapters again. Currently, we''re up to 21 chapters ahead, but we should be at 25 chapters ahead by January. And that means Amelia will resume its public release on RoyalRoad starting the new year! Hope you guys are as excited for chapters to resume as I am :) Art wasmissioned by my good friend Azrie. Check out her novels here: : Azrie: books, biography,test update And preorder her uing book about an OP MC inspired by Amelia, Arc, here: : Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 1: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG eBook : Azrie: Kindle Store Also, this December officially marked my fourth year since I started writing for the first time. That is the length of a full bachelor''s degree in University, so it''s quite surreal to me to realize that. In total, I have written just under 3,500,000 words across all my stories, which is quite a decent amount. I also finally had my Salvosicunch this year after years of working on it, and I have an Ameliaicing out soon. But most of all, I think I''ve finally settled into a good work-life bnce where I''m no longer no-lifing chapters like I used to back in 2022 or 2021, so I''m quite happy with what I''ve aplished so far. As always, thank you all for reading, and I hope you guys have a wonderful new year. Chapter 193: (Start of Book 4) Chapter 193: (Start of Book 4) Memories. That was all they were. Fractured moments in time. Dreams and nightmares that haunted me. To remind me of the past. I never dwelled on it. Or at the very least, I tried to forget about it. I knew that remembering the time I spent in that living hell was pointless. After all, the memories blended together into a terrible recollection of killing and nearly dying. And yet, these memories seeped into my dreams. They¡¯d wake me up in the middle of night, guing my sleep. Even during the day, I¡¯d be in the middle of cooking when I suddenly recalled the reverberating voice of the Voidgod. It didn¡¯t upset me as much as it slightly irked me. It was like randomly recalling an embarrassing moment from middle school¡ª it was unsettling for a moment, but I always let it pass soon enough. However, for the first time ever, I had forced myself to remember the events of my time in the Fractured Realm. I had spoken with Noele, my apprentice and my friend, and I had regaled what had happened back then. It was only a sliver of a moment for me¡ª a fraction of the eternity I felt I had experienced fighting for my life in the Void. But it was one of the most impactful moments of my time there. After all, it was when I had finally spoken to the Voidgod for the first time. It was when I had opened myself up to its temptations, letting it peer into my vulnerabilities. Because I could not let myself ignore it any longer. Otherwise, I would have truly gone insane. Anyways, I told what I told to Noele, not because I could assuage her worries, but because I could not help her. She needed guidance, and I could give her none. All I could tell her was what the Voidgod had told me¡ª that it had said the World System was evil. Whether or not that was true? I did not know. However, as far as I was aware, the Voidgod had not lied to me just yet. And I told Noele as much. It shocked her, of course. I had told her in the past that I could not see my family again. And all this time, she believed that it was because I could not return to my world. But the truth was¡ª the life I had left behind was gone. I had gone back once before, and I found nothing there for me. That was why I hade here to Vacuos. To this world I did not know. That I saved. To leave my past life behind. To start my life anew. And as much as my memories haunted me, they couldn¡¯t harm me. My past life couldn¡¯t hold me down. While all I learned from the time in the Fractured Realm was fighting, that didn¡¯t define me. That was why I sought to live a normal life. That was why I had started Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. To escape that life of hell. And while it pursued me in my dreams, I was not dreaming. This was reality. I had seeded in carving out a normal life for myself. A life where I no longer had to fight to survive. A life that I was happy with. A life that freed me from my past. I had seeded in doing all that. ¡­right? ¡ª-- It was another normal day of working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. A peaceful, calm, and rxing day¡­ it was not. For a day at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant to be peaceful, calm, or rxing, it wasn¡¯t going to be a normal day at the restaurant. It would¡¯ve been a very unusual day¡ª a rare day. In most cases, a day off. Except, even in his days off, Han learned that something would still be happening. Like when Noele had apparently been randomly attacked by a group of S-ranked adventurers. The former guardsman didn¡¯t hear all the details of the encounter, but he had gotten the gist of it. However, despite the chaos that came with working here in this rather extraordinary restaurant, Han quite enjoyed working here. Even if it often put his life in danger, it was a drastically better living condition for him than before. For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged somewhere. He never felt this way before ever. Perhaps at one brief fleeting moment in time, when he had first be an adventurer a decade ago, he thought he belonged there. He thought that was the future he would live. But he quickly learned that the life of an adventurer was nowhere near as glorious as it seemed. Because of that, he had retired from adventuring and became a simple guardsman. He could at least put the skills he learned as an adventurer to use, while keeping himself out of danger. Or so he thought. But then the Miststorm Riders attacked the city of Whiteridge, and he soon learned that nowhere was safe. He wandered around at a loss of what to do, realizing that his future was bleak. At one point, he had been without a home andpletely broke. He would have been shunned and kicked out of Wolfwater, left with no ce to go. Until Amelia gave him a chance to start things anew in this farming town. So he was forever grateful to her for that. He was thankful for the opportunity he had been given, otherwise he would not be here. He might even be dead in a ditch right now if not for his employer. And because of that, he would never badmouth her, no matter how insane she might seem. Unfortunately, the same degree of gratitude was absent in the other employees of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Or at the very least, the newest [Chef] that had been hired seemed tock the same enthusiasm for Amelia as Han did. Arthur seemed to be fairly neutral. But Han didn¡¯t really know the bartender that well. For whatever reason, Arthur liked to keep to himself, even if he was amicable most of the time. And Jax was¡­ Jax. Han hoped that the elf would leave soon. However, knowing both Jax and Amelia, that wasn¡¯t going to happen, because of both their selfish desires to use each other for their own purposes. So Edlyn was the only one of Han¡¯s coworkers who was actually willing to open up to him. But she was still in her¡­ disbelief-phase, as Han would call it. ¡°Why must we do this?¡± Edlyn protested as she eyed the dank rock formation from afar. She hid behind Han, nearly knocking over the bucket at her feet. And he just scratched the back of his head. ¡°We¡¯re out of curry, and Amelia asked us to harvest some for today. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± ¡°But there are monsters in there!¡± the [Royal Chef] eximed, pointing into the bastion bee hive. ¡°And they¡¯re the ones who produce our curry,¡± Han said simply as he picked up the fallen bucket. He strode forward, and Edlyn gulped. She shifted ufortably as she eyed the dark entrance of the hive. ¡°Are you sure this is safe? Shouldn¡¯t we let Amelia handle this?¡± ¡°Come on, we can¡¯t let Amelia handle everything. She may be strong, but she is only human.¡± Han waved a hand off as he walked up to the hive. As he approached, he began to hear the faint cacophony of buzzinging from within. He hesitated for a second, but he continued on, having done this many times before. Edlyn pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, ¡°I mean¡­ that¡¯s debatable.¡± And Han probably would have agreed with that assessment. But his focus was fully drawn to the flickering red lighting from inside the hive. He had harvested the honey of the bastion bees in the past. He had even done so after the new queen had hatched. However, this was the first time he had ventured in after the swarm of baby bastion bees had attacked Amelia. So he was nervous. Even if he put on a brave face. He knew that it was entirely possible that they would be aggressive towards him too now. But he assumed that they had already calmed down after their brief rebellion against the brown-haired woman. And even if that wasn¡¯t the case, they had left him and everyone else alone back then, so perhaps they would leave him alone now too. His main sce was knowing that the baby bastion bees were probably too low-leveled to instantly kill him, unlike their higher-leveled adult counterparts. So the former guardsman took a step forward, entering the hive. And the buzzing stopped. Han blinked as he looked around in the darkness. He slowly reached down as he tried to scoop the honey into the bucket. ¡°I¡¯ll just be taking¡ª¡± But Han froze as a pair of beady balls of red light shed into existence before him. Crimson eyes. At first, just a single pair. But then more began to shine in the darkness. Hundreds more. And they surrounded the man as he just stared. ¡°Uh¡­ hello?¡± he mustered out as his blood ran cold. Han heard the buzzing return as a sinking realization began to settle in. While the baby bastion bees couldn¡¯t instantly kill him, they were still utterly terrifying. All at once, they swarmed out towards him, and he spun around and ran, screaming as he dropped his bucket. It was another normal day of working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Which meant that it was extraordinary, and even a little bit terrifying. And as Edlyn shouted for help, watching the former guardsman sprint his way across Wolfwater, being chased by the swarm of baby bastion bees, he knew he wouldn¡¯t want any other job than this. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 The first thing I heard when I rolled out of bed was screaming. That was not unusual. Every day, at least one person would scream when they saw Jax. Or maybe they¡¯d scream because they poked Bucky, and she attacked them in retaliation. I would have to get up and resolve these problems most of the time. But I always took my time. Because they weren¡¯t really that big of an issue. So I assumed today¡¯s problem was no different than that. However, when I heard even more screaminging from outside the restaurant, I sighed and pulled myself to my feet. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I looked out the window. And right as the words left my mouth, I spotted two figures sprinting their way past, screaming in terror. Following right after them was a buzzing ck mass that was all too familiar to me. I blinked a few times, realizing what was going on. ¡°What am I going to do about those damn bees?¡± I massaged my temples, before stepping out of the kitchen to resolve this problem. ¡ª-- Edlyn knew this was a terrible idea. But Han seemed to be the most level-headed of everyone in the restaurant. Which wasn¡¯t saying much, considering his only realpetition was Arthur. Jax and Amelia weren¡¯t even in the running¡ª they were both far too insane. So the [Royal Chef] decided to trust in Han¡¯s judgment. Even though she didn¡¯t want to go in and antagonize that swarm of baby bastion bees, she trusted him instead. And that proved to be a horrible choice. Because now they were both being chased down by the swarm of baby bastion bees. ¡°Somebody help!¡± Edlyn screamed, stumbling her way away from the restaurant. Behind her, Han sprinted at a faster pace, his Skills as a former guardsman proving to be useful in this predicament. Edlyn nearly tripped and fell, but he caught her and swooped her off her feet. She blinked, watching in shock as he carried her with ease. He ran from the swarm of baby bastion bees, heading straight for a group of houses. A few [Farmers] and [Traders] looked up to see the pair being chased, before they screamed and scattered. ¡°Everybody run!¡± Han shouted as Edlyn looked back. She saw the baby bastion bees draw closer. They might not have been as high-leveled as their adult counterparts, but they were still incredibly dangerous. Especially to nonbatants like herself. And in such arge swarm? Nobody here was safe. They needed to get help. Edlyn paced her breathing and looked through the ck and yellow swarm of sacred monsters. Through their thick mass was a rather mundane-looking building. The very same ce the two had just run from. In their panic, they had fled in a random direction, forgetting that the restaurant was actually the safest ce for them to be. After all, Amelia was there. She would save them. Or so Edlyn hoped. She shook her head and turned to Han. ¡°We need to go back!¡± Her voice drew his attention, making him turn to her for a moment. ¡°Wait, why?¡± ¡°If we can just get Amelia¡¯s¡ª¡± Edlyn started. And at that moment, Han stumbled and tripped on a rock. Edlyn¡¯s eyes went wide, and the former guardsman cursed. The two of them tumbled onto the ground as the loud buzzing of the baby bastion bees grew louder. Edlyn¡¯s head ached. Her ears rang for a moment, drowning on the ring cacophony of the approaching monsters. But she looked up when a dark shadow towered over her. She looked up in horror to see the swarm looming over her. Her legs grew numb. She couldn¡¯t get to her feet. Fear gripped her and tied her to the ground. Edlyn stared numbly as the baby bastion bees drew closer. She couldn¡¯t even flinch. Only a single thought crossed her mind. This is it¡­ She closed her eyes. And the buzzing grew louder as she waited for her impending demise. But it didn¡¯te. Edlyn blinked and looked back up to see a figure standing over her. Han was staring too, having barely gotten to his feet as the swarm of baby bastion bees surrounded them. However, they didn¡¯te any closer, choosing to stay back for some reason. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Edlyn asked as she stared at the back of the tall figure. At first, she had thought it was Amelia who hade to save them. But it was a man standing over the two of them. He was dressed in ragged clothing, raising a wooden branch in the air like it was some kind of a staff. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± he bellowed, and his voice reverberated in the air. The man waved his stick around as a gust of wind seemed to collect around him like the first vestiges of a cyclone. His words sent a ripple through the swarm of baby bastion bees, and even Edlyn found herself instinctively recoiling. But while the swarm of baby bastion bees seemed to give him a wide berth, one of them seemed determined to defy both the voice and the strong winds. It must have been the queen of the baby bastion bees. It charged forward, pushing through the rippling air and shooting straight for the man. Edlyn opened her mouth to warn him. However, before the queen baby bastion bee could reach him, he mmed his staff to the ground. A shockwave shot out, causing the swarm of baby bastion bees to disperse. It sent the queen flying back as the man red up. ¡°You have had your fun! Now it is time to return to your hive! Begone, children!¡± And his voice shook the wind once again. But this time, the baby bastion bees listened to him. They caught themselves, before flying back. Edlyn looked on as the swarm began to return to their hive. The queen was thest to go. It looked back at the man in disdain for a moment, before vanishing into the darkness of its home. Once he was certain they were gone, the man turned back to face Edlyn and Han. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± the man asked, shaking his head. ¡°Those damn bees are getting rather unruly, aren¡¯t they? Buzzing up a storm in this town¡­ what would their mother think?¡± ¡°Uh, what?¡± Edlyn looked at him quizzically. She wanted to thank him, but she was also confused about what he was saying. To add onto that, she also didn¡¯t even know who he was. But Han seemed to know. The former guardsman walked up to the man with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Dorien. You saved our lives.¡± Dorien waved a hand dismissively, turning to face the hive. ¡°Bah, don¡¯t thank me. I didn¡¯t do it for you. I did it for them. If they hurt even a single person here, they would no longer be wee in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°Well, you still saved our lives,¡± Han chuckled. ¡°How did you do it? How did you scare them off?¡± ¡°A little bit of intimidation and [Animal Speaking] will do the trick,¡± Dorien snorted. [Animal Speaking]? Edlyn narrowed her eyes. So he¡¯s a [Druid]? If he was a [Druid], he had to have been at least Level 30. The only other possible ss would be some kind of [Beast Tamer]-adjacent ss. And even then, [Animal Speaking] would be unlocked at Level 40 onwards. Why was there such a high-leveled [Druid] or [Beast Tamer] here in such a small town? And how did he know Han? Edlyn didn¡¯t know. It was not as ridiculous as Jax being here, but it was still surreal. Especially with how rare [Druid] was as a ss. Edlyn just knelt there, looking up at the two men as they nodded at each other. They turned to her curiously, and Han proffered a hand. ¡°Here, let me help you,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°O-oh, thank you.¡± Edlyn blinked and epted the gesture. She dusted herself off after getting to her feet, and that was when she heard a familiar voice calling out. ¡°So it¡¯s all over? Or are those baby bastion bees going to cause a ruckus again?¡± The three of them spun around to face a woman approaching from the restaurant. It was Amelia, and she walked casually with no sense of urgency at all. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Dorien started. ¡°I believe we¡¯ll have to¡ª¡± And Edlyn regained her voice. ¡°Amelia?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The brown-haired woman raised a brow,ing to a halt. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you¡­ save us?¡± Edlyn asked, just staring at her overpowered employer. ¡°Oh, I was going to save you guys,¡± Amelia replied simply. But then she nced towards the [Druid] and shrugged. ¡°But I saw Doriening to the rescue, and I decided it was better to let him handle things.¡± Edlyn didn¡¯t respond. But her piercing gaze continued to bore into the brown-haired woman. And Amelia crossed her arms. ¡°What? I¡¯m not lying, I swear.¡± Chapter 195 Chapter 195 It was really starting to be a big hassle for me to deal with. I didn¡¯t expect it to be troublesome¡ª when I agreed to take in the bastion bees so they could have another new colony near my restaurant. It had seemed like such a great deal to me back then. I was going to have a free supply of honey that could substitute as a kind of curry. Not only that, but they were sacred monsters. Intelligent ones at that. I could have probably used them as bodyguards or mascots for my restaurant too. That was what I thought. And certainly, that was what happened for a while. Until the eggs hatched. Since then, I had to deal with the swarm of baby bastion bees and their annoying newborn queen. Now, having them around seemed to cause more trouble than they were worth. After all, because of the incident that happened this morning¡­ ¡°No one is showing up,¡± I muttered, staring at the mostly empty dining hall of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. There were still some customers, of course. About a dozen folks were seated across various tables and chairs inside of the restaurant. But considering that this was the lunch hour, and the room would be at max capacity, with a long queue spilling out the front door¡­ this was empty, to me. I sighed, rubbing my temples as I leant against the bar. Arthur stood next to me as he wiped a ss clean. He looked at me apprehensively, but he didn¡¯t say a word. I didn¡¯t need to be in the kitchen for once, because there was nothing for me to cook. Even Edlyn was sitting at a table, chatting with Han as they both ate some fried rice. I shook my head and closed my eyes. ¡°I have no customers¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± a voice scoffed in reply, drawing my attention. I blinked my eyes open and looked up. I saw Dorien standing there with his arms crossed. He was one of the few customers that were dining at my restaurant right now, alongside Nn. The two of them hade here for lunch since Nicole was off to Whiteridge to conduct business. Noele wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. Not since yesterday. And I knew the reason why. For now, I focused my attention on what was in front of me. The [Druid] stared back at me with a frown. ¡°No one is going to dine at this establishment after what happened with those bastion bees.¡± ¡°And how is that my fault?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°The baby queen bastion bee has been acting up ever since it hatched. They literally attacked me for a full day straight.¡± Dorien nodded along with me, before pointing my way. ¡°Yes, yes, the newborn bastion bees are antagonistic and aggressive to anything that approaches their hive. Which is entirely your fault!¡± ¡°That literally makes no sense,¡± I said tly. ¡°But it does,¡± he countered. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Simply put¡ª¡± Dorien said in a lecturing tone as he wagged a finger at me. ¡°Bastion bees are territorial creatures. They will defend their hive by any means necessary from anything they consider a threat.¡± I frowned, crossing my arms. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s my fault. If anything, it¡¯s Quebi¡¯s fault for not hatching her babies herself then teaching them to not be a bunch of little assholes.¡± ¡°But you see, you abandoned them as soon as they were born,¡± the [Druid] continued, eyeing me usingly. ¡°When you should have been there for them. You should have been there to protect them from outside threats. However, you were absent when Nichs the Noble Knight appeared.¡± I just raised a brow as Dorien sighed, lowering his head. ¡°You spent all your days cooking in your kitchen, then you left for Astral when they were in most danger. And because they were threatened without anyone to protect them, their newborn queen was forced to prematurely take up the leadership role of her hive before she was ready.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why they¡¯re so aggressive?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Because the baby queen is too immature to be a ruler? That doesn¡¯t make sense¡ª isn¡¯t it a queen?¡± ¡°When a new queen bastion bee is born, her mother, the previous queen, is there to raise her until she is ready to form a new hive. She is not ready. Not in the slightest.¡± Dorien lowered his head, speaking in a low voice. I pursed my lips. ¡°Can¡¯t you talk to it? Or her? Or whatever you want to call the baby queen?¡± The queen bastion bee had been named Quebi. Which was a terrible name. Once this whole ordeal was over, I was going to make sure the baby queen would have a much better name. Like Eloise or Elizabeth. Those sounded like names fitting a queen. Unfortunately for me, the [Druid] shook his head. ¡°I cannot. Firstly, I have to earn her trust. And even if I do, you will have to earn her trust by yourself. So this is something you must do, not me.¡± ¡°That sounds like a massive pain in the ass,¡± I said, scowling. Dorien held my gaze. ¡°This is no simple matter. When you agreed to take in this new colony of bastion bees, you were promised to protect them. However, before you can even do that, you must prove yourself worthy to be their protector. It is a difficult undertaking, I am sure. However, if you didn¡¯t wish to bear this burden, you should not have agreed to it in the first ce. I am sure you agree with me, no?¡± I met the [Druid]¡¯s eyes. Despite his disheveled appearance, he did not wear a crazy look on his face. He peered at me with a wizened gaze, and he spoke words of wisdom. I knew what he said was true. There was a trade-off in any interaction. Every action had a consequence. I couldn¡¯t just have the bastion bee¡¯s honey for free. If I wanted to have easy ess to a continuously replenishing supply of their honey, I had to bear the responsibility of looking after their hive. I had to bear the responsibility as their protector. Unfortunately for me¡ª ¡°I fucking hate having responsibility,¡± I sighed. ¡°Nobody likes having responsibility,¡± Dorien replied with a scoff. He shook his head, taking a step back from the bar. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s what we must all suffer through if we want to live in this world.¡± ¡°...you¡¯re assuming a lot about me,¡± I murmured under my breath as I watched him go. He didn¡¯t catch what I said, having already returned to Nn to finish his drink. I just leant against the bar counter, sighing once again. ¡°What do I even do?¡± I asked, and no one answered. I craned my head back to face the man standing behind me. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Arthur. Do you have any ideas?¡± And Arthur blinked back at me, nearly dropping a mug. He quickly ced it down on the bar and straightened. He had been a Lich King once¡ª a powerful being who nearly took over the world, afraid of nothing at all. Now though, he was just my bartender who got startled easily when he was lost in his thoughts. ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to your conversation,¡± Arthur replied sheepishly, scratching his cheek. ¡°What do I do about the bastion bees? I have to prove myself as a protector or something to the baby bastion bees because they don¡¯t think I¡¯m reliable. That¡¯s why they¡¯re attacking everyone¡­¡± I trailed off, trying to think of a n of action. Arthur frowned and ced a hand on his chin. He thought about it for a moment, before giving me a nod of approval. ¡°Well, I think you¡¯re very reliable, Amelia,¡± he said as he patted me on the shoulder. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Thanks, but that doesn¡¯t really help. I¡¯m looking for solutions, not your praise.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°You used to be a ruler, right? How did you gain your people¡¯s trust as¡­ you know?¡± I gestured at Arthur. And he flinched at the thought of his previous life as the Lich King. He bit his lower lip, before taking in a deep breath to steel himself. He looked back up at me and gave me a helpless look. ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t¡­ that kind of a ruler,¡± Arthur said hesitantly. But after a moment¡¯s deliberation, he continued, ¡°However, many great rulers rose to power during my time because of the threat I posed to them, promising they¡¯d be the one to defeat me. So I think if you really want to gain the trust of the baby bastion bees, you just have to save them from a threat.¡± ¡°And how am I supposed to find a threat to them?¡± I folded my arms across my chest. ¡°Am I supposed to just find some monsters wandering Wolfwater with the intent of harming the hive?¡± ¡°You could manufacture it?¡± the former Lich King suggested with a shrug. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a real threat. As long as they perceive it as a threat, and you save them, I think that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I blinked. I slowly nodded as I grinned at my bartender. ¡°That¡¯s a very good n. I could just ask someone to attack the hive, then stop them, and we¡¯ll all be good. You deserve a raise for that n, Arthur. But¡ª¡± I swept my gaze over the room with a frown. ¡°How am I supposed to find someone stupid enough to volunteer themselves to get their ass kicked by me?¡± As soon as the words left my mouth, a man stepped out of the kitchen. He was glowering as he usually did, dressed in an ufortable uniform I made him wear while he was working here. His long and pointed ears twitched irritably as I looked up at him. I exchanged a nce with Arthur, the both of us realizing the same thing. Then I smirked as I turned back to the elf standing before the kitchen. ¡°Hey, Jax. I need your help.¡± And the Forsaken Archer just tilted his head. ¡°What?¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 It had only been a single day since Noele the Noble Spellsword learned the truth about the World System. She was still reeling from this newfound information. It was something her mind had refused to even consider before. But that was not because of apse in her judgment. It was because of the World System¡¯s maniption. That was right¡ª Noele was certain that her mind was altered to be reverently loyal to the so-called God of Vacuos. Any thought that ever crossed her mind that even questioned the sanctity of the World System was immediately purged, the memory then immediately forgotten. But now, she remembered it all. It was thanks to her talk with Amelia. While Noele¡¯s master didn¡¯t often drop much words of wisdom¡­ or rather, do much at all, what she regaled about the Voidgod had opened the blonde girl¡¯s eyes. Noele hadn¡¯t wanted to believe it at first. To even trust anything that the Voidgod said was ridiculous. And yet, when Amelia told the blonde girl that it imed that the World System was evil, something seemed to click. The Noble Spellsword had an epiphany. A revtion. As shey there, lost in her thoughts, she unlocked a memory that had been hidden away. No¡ª a memory that had been forcefully reced. It seemed so distant. It almost felt like a dream. But Noele knew it was a reality. She recalled that piece of memory¡ª when she had been floating in darkness, stabbed through the chest by Nichs the Noble Knight. And the World System appeared to her. It tried to trick her into epting her new ss as a [Champion Spellsword]. Unfortunately, Noele had been fully knocked unconscious when that happened. She only regained a semnce of consciousnesster thanks to thebined efforts of Garron, Arthur, and Bucky. That was when she willingly epted the advancement. But when she returned to reality, she had forgotten the entirety of what happened when she had been left alone in the darkness of her mind. She couldn¡¯t remember how the World System had tried to trick her. Because the memory had been suppressed. And that wasn¡¯t the only memory that she had forgotten. There were other times¡ª moments in her life where she briefly questioned the World System. A recent memory was of when she had been heading to Whiteridge, just before the attack of the Miststorm Riders. After she had started to learn how to fight with her own strength through Amelia¡¯s training. There were other times too. Noele could vaguely remember them. Her mind was still a mess, and she couldn¡¯t quite coherently gather her thoughts. However, she recalled tidbits of moments from her childhood. When she was still young and curious, she would ask many questions in her head. And some of those included questioning the World System. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. But before those thoughts could fully be explored in her mind, they were wiped and reced with something else. Noele understood now that she had been indoctrinated by the World System to rely on it since her birth. And all along, it wasn¡¯t helping her. Instead, it was holding her back. That was why she was able to ovee her limits and fight above her level thanks to Amelia¡¯s training. It was so much to process. But the blonde girl couldn¡¯t just forget it. She couldn¡¯t just ignore it. She had to figure out why. Why did the World System do all this? Was it truly because it was evil? Was the Voidgod telling Amelia the truth? Was the Voidgod really the True God of Vacuos? Noele needed answers. But she didn¡¯t know where she could get her answers from. Perhaps she could talk to a [Priest]¡ª maybe consult her fellow adventurers. But she knew that would all be a fruitless endeavor. After all, they would all still be brainwashed by the World System. So now, after much deliberation, she decided to seek out the only person who could help her. It was someone who wasn¡¯t influenced by the World System. It was someone who could share her perspective, and perhaps even speak more about the Voidgod. No¡ª it wasn¡¯t Amelia. While Noele¡¯s master was asionally helpful¡­ most of the time, she¡¯d just shrug and say, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Knowing that, Noele decided against interrogating Amelia even further. Still, the blonde girl headed to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Because the person she sought worked there. It was not Han, nor was it Edlyn. And it certainly wasn¡¯t Bucky. The person Noele sought was Arthur. He was once a [Priest]. A long time ago. And then he became a Lich King. Before, finally, he was made into a vessel of the Voidgod. He had experienced the indoctrination of the World System, the Voidgod, and now he was free. He no longer had a ss. So he had more experience than anyone else in all of Vacuos on the matters of the World System and the Voidgod. He might not have undergone Amelia¡¯s training, but he knew her very well, since he was her employee. Arthur was the only one who could offer Noele a perspective she hadn¡¯t considered yet. He was the only one who could help her. That was why she walked up to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, resolved to learn the truth. But when she got there, she was faced with quite the strange situation. ¡°...alright, so I¡¯m going to pretend I¡¯m just working at my restaurant, then you¡¯re going toe here and start shouting about exterminating the bastion bees.¡± ¡°And then I should pretend to attack the hive?¡± ¡°No, no. You want the threat to be real. So you should actually attack the hive. But make sure you hold back until Ie out.¡± ¡°Then we have our duel, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes, I will kick your ass once the bastion beese out.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Noele nced between Amelia and Jax as the two finished their conversation. The blonde girl just blinked a few times, before she managed to work her jaw. ¡°...what is going on?¡± ¡°Oh, hey Noele,¡± Amelia said casually as she nodded at the blonde girl. ¡°I¡¯m about to beat up Jax for attacking the bastion bees.¡± Noele just stared. ¡°That¡­ that exins nothing.¡± Chapter 197 Chapter 197 The baby queen bastion bee knew they were in danger. Her hive was surrounded by enemies by monsters that wanted to destroy them. She could feel their animosity bearing down on her people. She could sense their hate, even if she couldnt understand their words. And they were growing more bold in their attacks. Just today, a pair of giants had assailed her hive. She had to fend them off, but before she could finish the job, they had been saved by another giant. This one had been stronger than the others. It had actually been able to hurt her, and that made her retreat back into her hive. She knew that her enemies were going to be nning a counterattack now that they had the upper hand. So she had to prepare for their assault. Her entire hive buzzed warily, waiting for what was inevitably going toe. The only ones who werent tense or nervous about their current situation were the nursing bees. But the baby queen bastion bee knew that it was because they were senile. Their old age had probably gotten to them, and they couldnt recognize a threat even if it stung them in the face. That was why she ignored their advice. Instead, she had her colony stay on guard. And her caution paid off. Because the counterattack eventually came. She saw a shadow edging its way towards the hive. For whatever reason, it seemed to hesitate for a moment. Perhaps it was intimidated by her majestic presence. It shuffled its feet, turning back and calling out to a bush. And that seemed to help it regain itsposure as it started forward once again, before bellowing. What is this? I, Jax the Forsaken Archer, have stumbled upon this nest of terrible monsters? The baby queen bastion bee buzzed as she heard those echoing words. She didnt quiteprehend it, but she could sense the malintent behind what was being said. She nodded at her colony, and they looked up in response. Prepare for battle, she sent the thought across the swarm. And with that, she began to creep her way towards the exit of the hive. -- ...it appears that I have been left with no other choice. I must carry out my duty as an adventurer and exterminate this hive! Jax called out in a monotone voice. He wore a bored look on his face, and hezily raised his bow as he reached for an arrow. Noele watched the scene unfold from behind a bush. Amelia was crouched next to the blonde girl. Originally, the n was to have Amelia waiting in the kitchen of the restaurant before she intervened. But they all decided it was better for her to wait out here as she would have a better vantage point of what was going on. I still dont understand it, Noele said as she shook her head. Why are we doing this again? Amelia replied with a shrug, The baby bastion bees have been acting up. This is the only way we can calm them down. I mean, Ive noticed that. The blonde girl pursed her lips. She recalled how they immediately started acting up the moment Amelia had left Wolfwater. But how do you know this is the best solution to that problem? I have no idea, Amelia said simply. I just know I have to earn their trust. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Noele blinked. And how do you know that? Thats what Dorien told me. Hes the expert, not me. Im just hoping this works. Amelia leant back as her gaze remained fixed on Jax. The Forsaken Archer sighed as he nocked an arrow onto his bow. Im going to attack the hive any second now. My bow is nocked, and I shall loose it in three, two, one The arrow shot forward. It wasnt glinting with magic or empowered by any Skill. Jax sent an ordinary arrow weakly flying towards the hive. There was a thunk. Bits of rock and stone broke off from the entrance of the hive, before a cacophonous buzzing echoed out. Noele watched as the swarm of baby bastion bees emerged from their nest. Their red eyes were glinting, angrily ring down at the lone elf. He rolled his eyes at their attempt at intimidating him. Alright, and now that youre out of your hive Jax muttered to himself as he drew a glinting arrow from his bow. The baby queen bastion bee dove down at him, followed by her colony. Noele bit her lower lip. She wasnt worried about Jax. But she was worried about what came next. The elf shot the glinting arrow forward, but it wasnt aimed at any of the mass of bastion bees. In fact, with his precision, the arrow missed all of them, before it flickered with a bright light. All at once, a magical sprung out behind the arrow. The baby queen bastion bees eyes went wide. She tried to swerve out of the way, but it was toote. Her entire colony was captured by the magical. They all copsed onto the grassy ground, squirming and trying to escape. Unfortunately for them, they couldnt break free. Now then Jax walked forward as he drew another arrow from his quiver. The baby bastion bees buzzed angrily, but all they could do was tremble as he approached them. It is time to exterminate you from this world. -- The baby queen bastion bee couldnt believe it. They had fallen for a trap! This terrible pointy-eared giant had tricked them, and he had now caught them all in a massive web! This was a blunder on her part. Perhaps it was because of her inexperience, but she should have sent her army out in a wider formation. That way, they could have easily evaded this trap. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing she could do now. She justy there as she red back up at her enemy. The pointy-eared giant loomed over her, his bow raised as he sneered down at her. A green aura overcame his arrow, and suddenly a cold shiver swept over the baby queen bastion bee. Her wings stopped buzzing as her colony grew silent. She felt a strange sensation wash over her as she stared at the glowing projectile. Was this fear? The baby queen bastion bee had never felt anything like this before. But she was certain of what this was. She was afraid. She had never seen such overwhelming power ever in her life. No she never even thought such power was possible. And yet, here it was, being disyed in front of her. Was this her end? Was she going to die here? Was her colony going to fall because she was too weak? She wanted to rebuke these questions. But she knew that it was true. She couldnt protect them. She couldnt save them. It was over. Goodbye, the pointy-eared giant said in a cold voice. And he loosed the projectile at her. The baby queen bastion bee closed her eyes, unable to witness her own demise. She waited for her death. But it never came. Slowly, the baby queen bastion bee blinked her eyes open. She looked up as her vision returned to her, and she caught a glimpse of the green aura still looming over her. But the attack didnt reach, instead floating mid-air just before the. What? She stared in confusion. And that was when she saw the shadow standing over her. The baby queen bastion bee looked to the side and recognized who it was. It was the Invader? It was the first one who dared attack her hive. The brown-haired human who tried to massacre her people. But she had fended off this giant, defeating it to reach her first evolution. What was it doing here? I will not let you touch them, the Invader said in a booming voice. The baby queen bastion bee couldnt understand the words itself, but she felt the intentions of it reverberate through her body. Her wings buzzed for a moment, and she turned her gaze back to the glowing projectile. And that was when she realized the Invader was holding the glowing projectile with one hand. That was when the baby queen bastion bee realized that the Invader had saved her life. The baby queen bastion bee could only stare in shock as the realization settled in. Chapter 198 Chapter 198 The baby queen bastion bee couldnt believe it. She had been trapped defeated by the pointy-eared giant. It was a trick that had defeated her, but because of her failure, her entire colony was in danger. She was certain she would have died there and then, in by the overwhelming power of the green projectile. But she was rescued. And it wasnt just anyone who saved her. It wasnt the nursing bees who were just watching from the side. It was a giant. One of the many who dared to threaten her colony. No not just one of them. It was the Invader. The very first one who had dared intrude upon her hive. The baby queen bastion bee refused to believe her eyes. But it was true. The brown-haired human was the one who saved her. And now, it faced down the pointy-eared giant as it spoke in a dangerous voice, protecting the baby queen bastion bee and her colony. Your reign of terror ends here, Jax the Forsaken Archer -- ...that is why I will not allow you to harm these poor, defenseless animals any longer. That is why I shall stop you. I spoke simply as I crushed his [Superior Blooming Deathhowl] in one hand. I unsheathed my sword and pointed the de at the elf. We faced-off against each other for a long moment. And then he blinked a few times, before lowering his bow. ...whats with the long speech? Jax asked tly. I nced back fractionally, before turning back to him and whispering, Im trying to make it believable. I see. The elf wore an unamused look on his face. He reached for an arrow as he sighed, Can we duel now? I rolled my eyes. Yes. But Im going to hold back, alright? What? Jax said sharply as his brows snapped together. Yeah, Im going to go easy on you at first I started. But the elf immediately unleashed a flurry of arrows my way. I easily knocked them to the side as he leapt into the air, screaming angrily. You tricked me! You promised me youd go all out! That would end the fight too quickly, I said simply as hended on top of my restaurant. The Forsaken Archer snorted and produced a vial of water. I narrowed my eyes, recognizing this attack. He tossed the vial of water my way, before shooting at it, shattering the ss and raining water down all around me. It was an enchanted vial designed to hold more water than it seemed to carry. I just stood there as I was assailed by this wave, not even budging. Jax nocked a glinting arrow on his bow. Youve already tried this once, I sighed as I shook my head. I knew what was going to happen next. He was going to try to entangle me in some vines and stop me from moving. Its not going to [Undying Sprout Tempest]. He loosed the arrow. I blinked. Im pretty sure the Skill name was different The thought crossed my mind as the arrownded at my feet. And all at once, thousands of giant roots sprouted out to entangle me as I expected. I sighed and raised a sword, cutting straight through the vines and thorns. But even though that single sh had shredded through this snare, the roots didnt stop growing. No they didnt just continue growing. I watched as the torn roots regenerated and coiled around me. I swung up again, with enough force to dispel this encroaching entanglement. But it immediately restored itself and caught me once again. Interesting. I raised an impressed brow. So its stronger than before. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Thats not all thats new Jaxughed. I looked up at him quizzically, and a momentter, I realized what he was talking about. There was a sh of light. I watched as a crackle of electricity ran through the wet vines, before sting up at me like lightning. -- What is that power? the baby queen bastion bee stared at the st of lightning. It shot up to the sky, blinding her vision. She couldnt believe her eyes. Her colony looked away from the explosion, but she couldnt bring herself to peel away from the scene. Because even amidst the shing light, she saw the Invader standing there,pletely unscathed. But I defeated the Invader, the baby queen bastion bee thought. Together with her swarm, she had brought it down after a relentless battle. And yet, here it was, tanking an attack that could eradicate her colony a thousand times over. So the question crossed her mind. Did I actually defeat the Invader? And she just stared on as the Invader stood there amidst the sting lightning. -- I felt a tingling feeling run through my skin as I looked down at myself. Jax was just grinning, watching his new Skill st me ceaselessly. I nodded approvingly. I can see how this will be a problem for most people. But I stepped forward, breaking through this forest of roots. Jax watched as I casually walked out of his [Undying Sprout Tempest] without any effort. You know as well as I do that this wont stop me, I said as I walked up to the base of my restaurant. I looked up at the elf. He shook his head at me. Thats not all of my tricks [Sluggish Salvo]! Jax unleashed a familiar attack my way. But I easily knocked it out of the way. I continued walking up towards him, and he leapt over me. He flipped in the air, unleashing a trio of arrows down at me. [Triple Starbolts]! he shouted. The arrows sparkled as they curved down my way. I casually deflected the oing projectiles. Jaxnded across from me as heughed. Thats right, thats right! I have got you now! He loosed another [Superior Blooming Deathhowl] my way as I rolled my eyes. No, you really dont. And I just flicked the arrow out of the air. -- It was an intense battle. The baby queen bastion bee didnt know who was winning. But one thing was for sure. The Invader had be the Protector. She was sure of it. The Protector was fighting off the pointy-eared giant with all her might. Neither side was clearly winning. The tide of battle seemed to be locked in ce, with both sides refusing to budge. Their frustrations made quite clear with the words they spoke which the baby queen bastion bee couldnt quite understand. Stop holding back! No. Show me your full power. I said no. Why not? Because this battle will end too quickly. I told you, I need to make it convincing. If you wont show me your full power, I will make you The baby queen bastion bee truly couldntprehend their words. But in their epic unfolding battle, one thing was clear. The Protector was there to save her colony. Even after she had attacked the Protector. Even after she had unleashed a relentless onught against the Protector. The Protector didnt care. The Protector continued to protect them. And the baby queen bastion bee couldnt understand why the Protector was fighting for them. She couldnt understand it. But she could understand her own feelings. She could understand that she was grateful. Grateful for being saved. -- Alright, I muttered to myself as I nced back at the baby bastion bees. I saw the way they were staring back at me. Their angry gazes were gone. They barely even paid attention to Jax. They were simply looking my way, and I nodded to myself. Now that they trust me I spun around and dispelled a volley of oing arrows with a swing of my de. I looked at Jax who was standing right before a thicket of trees. He was panting evidently exhausted. But he wasnt hurt, and he wore a crazed smile on his face. He was enjoying this, even if he was annoyed that I was still holding back. I shook my head and called out, Hey, Jax you said you wanted me to go all out, right? The elf perked up. His ears twitched in excitement as he straightened. Thats right. I are you going to go all out for me? He looked at me with wide eyes. I spotted Noele looking up in shock as she hid behind a bush. Even Arthur, Edlyn, and Han, all of whom were waiting back at the restaurant, watching through the ss window, seemed to react at my words. I smirked as I gestured vaguely around us. Well, unfortunately, for the sake of everyone in Vacuos, Im not going to go all out. But Im just going to put in enough effort to defeat you in one hit. Jax paused. He stared at me for a long moment, processing my words. Then he took a step forward, enraged. How dare you trick he started. And I appeared behind him, knocking him across the back of the head. Jax copsed to the ground, unconscious. I dusted my hands off casually. Sorry, that was all I said. New Story: Kara - An OP MC Isekai LitRPG! New Story: Kara - An OP MC Isekai LitRPG! Sup y''all, I have a brand new story for you guys! There is currently already 50k words up on RoyalRoad, so if you''re interested, you should definitely check it out and give it a follow and a rating, especially if you enjoy my novels. Here''s the synopsis:
Kara is given a choice: die or be a god. Summoned to a world ruled by a game-like system, Kara is offered a power that lies beyond it. A power given by a dying dragon. A power that predates the system. A power wielded only by the gods. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. To be thest wielder of a dragonsoul.
Kara (An OP MC Isekai LitRPG) | Royal Road It has a mix of Salvos, Amelia, Ms, and Thera with how it''s written. So if you are a fan of any of my works, I guarantee you you''d enjoy Kara too. As always though, thanks for reading. Next Amelia chapter on Wednesday! Read Kara here: Kara (An OP MC Isekai LitRPG) | Royal Road Chapter 199 Chapter 199 The battle was over. It had been a long and hard-fought duel. The baby queen bastion bee had witnessed it. Her entire hive had been forced to watch from the side. And they had all been waiting intently, none of them even moved. Their wings held still, not a single one of them making a buzzing sound until a conclusion had been reached. When the battle finally concluded, they were all able to breathe a collective sigh in relief. Because The Protector had won. The pointy-eared giant had been defeated. And now, the brown-haired human was walking up to the trapped bastion bees. They buzzed excitedly, awaiting their freedom. But the baby queen bastion bee couldnt help but worry for a moment worry about what the brown-haired human was going to do. After all, not more than a day ago, this Protector of theirs had been the Invader. The very first human to have intruded on their colony and threatened their lives. So the baby queen bastion bee was afraid. Because she knew the Protector might not have had the best of intentions. While she wasnt exactly sure what the logic or reasoning couldve been behind saving them, it was possible the brown-haired human might have executed them now. The baby queen bastion bee waited in trepidation as the Protector drew closer. It drew its sword, and her eyes went wide. She buzzed her wings in a panic, fearing what came next. It really was a trap But before the thought could even finish forming in her mind, the Protector swung out with the de. And all at once, the trapping the colony of baby bastion bees was shredded open. The baby queen bastion bee blinked a few times. She stared up for a long moment. And the Protector smiled, taking a step back. Go on. Youre free now. Youre safe. The baby bastion bees held still. Their queeny atop the pile of her workers hearing those words. Once again, she didnt understand what these humans or elves were saying. However, she felt like she could at leastprehend the intentions behind what was said. And hearing that soft and gentle tone it drew the baby queen bastion bee up. Her wings instinctively buzzed behind her, carrying her into the air. She floated up slowly, and her colony followed. The Protector nodded and sheathed its de. The baby queen bastion bee apprehensively flew towards the brown-haired human. They stared at each other in silence. Before a louder buzzing sound attracted both their attention. A familiar bastion bee emerged from the hive. The baby queen bastion bee looked up, recognizing the old nursing bee that had raised her. The nursing bee flew forward andnded on the Protectors shoulder. I know you cant understand me, the Protector said, not breaking away from the baby queen bastion bees gaze. But surely you must understand this, right? The baby queen bastion bee stared quizzically. She didnt quite understand why the nursing bee was so calm around the Protector. She didnt understand why the other two were acting with such familiarity with each other. The Protector ced a hand on the nursing bees back, speaking softly. Your mother entrusted you with me. All of you. Your entire colony. Your hive. I was asked to protect you guard you all with my life. And thats what I am going to do. The baby queen bastion bee tilted her head, barely paying attention to what was being said. Instead, she focused on the way the Protector gently caressed the nursing bees back. She watched how the nursing bees wings fluttered calmly when on the Protectors shoulders. And finally, the baby queen bastion bee remembered what had happened when the Protector first entered their hive as the Invader. The nursing bees had tried to cate the baby queen bastion bee. But she brushed off their advice, under the impression that they were all senile. But the thought never crossed her mind to ask why were the nursing bees so calm? Why did they not fear the Invader back then? The answer revealed itself to the baby queen bastion bee now. It was because they must have known since the very beginning, they must have known that the Invader was never an invader at all. They must have known that the Invader was always a Protector. If youe across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. So you can trust me, the Protector finished, proffering a hand. You dont need to be afraid of me. The baby queen bastion bee stared at this gesture at the open palm. She closed her eyes, realizing the error of her ways. She understood that she had been mistaken. That she had been wrong. That she could trust the Protector. So she descended as her colony watched. She bowed her head, gently perching herself atop the Protectors open hand. The nursing bee looked up, and the Protector simply smiled. See? Im harmless And the baby queen bastion beey there, knowing that she was safe. She did not move, for she knew that no harm would ever befall her. How long would she lie there? She did not know. But even if an eternity came and went, she understood that there was no safer ce to be than here. -- My n worked. I finally calmed down the baby queen bastion bee. Even if I had to trick them, I had now earned their trust. I was d that they were able to rx now that they werent going to be so on edge. But I was even more d knowing that I could resume my restaurants operations as per normal. I smiled, looking down at the baby queen bastion bee as shey in my open hand. It had been a minute since shended there, and I was waiting for her to fly back to her colony any moment now. And I continued waiting as another minute passed. Then five minutes. Ten minutes passed, and the baby queen bastion bee hadnt moved. And I pursed my lips as I stared down at her. Uh, are you going to rest on my hand for long? I asked hesitantly, trying to to intimidate the baby queen bastion bee. Because I kinda need to go back to cooking soon Unfortunately for me, the baby queen bastion bee didnt respond. Her wings buzzed for a split-second, but she remained perched on the palm of my hand. I closed my eyes and sighed. I feel like I have a new problem now -- Noele, I need a bit of help here! Amelia called out in a hushed voice. She was clearly trying not to yell trying not to startle the baby bastion bees. What do I do? The blonde girl just stood from the side, rolling her eyes at her master. Certainly, Amelias n to cate the baby bastion bees had worked. But now, it had also backfired. Just as Noele had anticipated. Instead of answering her masters plight, Noele simply started away, heading for the entrance of Buckys Out of this World Restaurant. She passed by Jaxs unconscious body on the way there, and she picked him up. Come on, you can sleep inside, she muttered quietly. Noele entered the restaurant, before slumping Jaxs unconscious body onto a table. He groaned, but he was still not fully awake yet. She shook her head and swept her gaze over the mostly-empty room. There were only a handful of customers gathered today. They looked up briefly to stare, but they mostly ignored the unconscious elf. Which made sense, considering that only veteran customers woulde to the restaurant with all the hubbub about the bastion bees. They were, to put it simply, used to Amelias antics. Noele was too. Which was why she just went ahead to the restaurant alone, ignoring the newmotion that started outside after she left. She wasnt here to support her masters business. She wasnt even here to enjoy herself and eat a nice meal from Earth. She was here for one reason only to learn more about the World System and the Void. So she approached the only person who was able to give her answers. She walked up to the bar and took a seat. The bartender approached her with a smile, polishing a ss. Noele, its good to see you. I take it Amelia has resolved the bastion bee problem? Noele paused for a moment as she stared at the blond man standing inconspicuously before her. He looked like he was barely a decade older than her, and he seemed harmless. But in truth, he was one of the oldest beings and one of the most dangerous people in all of Vacuos. After all, he had once been Arelith the First Lich King. And he had also been a [Priest] before that, before bing a vessel of the Voidgod after his death. Knowing all this made the blonde girl hesitate around his presence. Even if he was no longer who he used to be. He might have worn a kind face now, but Noele still couldnt forget the immense power he once held. He tilted his head curiously at her and lowered the ss. Noele? Are you alright? Im Im fine, Noele finally said and shook her head. Amelias also fine mostly fine. Thats good to hear. Arthur nodded as he reached for a clean ss. It sounded like it was quite the headache. Do you need a drink to Arthur, the blonde girl cut him off. He blinked a few times as she took in a deep breath. She steeled herself, trying to calm her nerves. Right now, she was here seeking out his wisdom as an ally. He was not her enemy. And he was the only one who could give her answers. So Noele raised her head and met Arthurs gaze. I need your help, she said in a low voice. And the former Lich King paused, his eyes growing wide. After a moment passed, he scratched the back of his head. Uh, sure. I can help you out. But do you think it can wait until after Im done with my shift? Noele just stared at Arthur as he gestured vaguely at the room. And she massaged her temples. Sure. Why not? Chapter 200 Chapter 200 As the day progressed, Buckys Out of this World Restaurant began to attract more customers. There was no longer a problem with the bastion bees, so customers were slowly trickling back in for dinner. Fortunately, this turned out for the better, because Amelia couldnt return to the kitchen for the day. After all, she was too preupied. Noele stared at her masters predicament. The brown-haired woman was standing outside of the restaurant, surrounded by the baby bastion bees. This was a familiar sight. Exceptst time the blonde girl saw this scene, the baby bastion bees were constantly assaulting Amelia. This time around, they were clinging onto Amelia like she was their queen. So, uh, what are you going to do about that? Noele asked, trying to meet her masters gaze. It was very difficult, since the baby bastion bees were crawling all across the brown-haired woman, even covering her face and eyes. I have absolutely no idea, she said in a muffled voice. Amelia shook her head, brushing off some of the baby bastion bees. And then they clung onto her arm. Still, it gave her the opportunity to speak clearly. I think Im just going to chill in their hive until they fall asleep. Noele pursed her lips. And youre sure theyll leave you alone when they wake up tomorrow? Amelia just shrugged. Well, it looked like she was trying to shrug. Noele couldnt even see the gesture because of the swarm of baby bastion bees. Well see tomorrow, I guess, Amelia sighed. If its still a problem, Ill have to figure something else out. Alright Noele said, watching as her master vanished into the rocky hive of the bastion bees. She looked towards the horizon and saw the setting sun. It was evening now. Soon, the restaurant would close, after the dinner rush was over. That was when the blonde girl could finally have her conversation with Arthur. When she returned to the inside of the restaurant, there were about twenty or so customers gathered now. A few of them were lurking near the bar, so Noele didnt even have the opportunity to approach Arthur. Instead, she just waited with Bucky in the corner of the room. The chicken looked like it had eaten a ratherrge meal which wasnt an unusual sight so she was resting, trying to recover. Noele sat down next to Bucky and nodded. Hey. Bawk bawk. Bucky raised her head fractionally, but otherwise didnt give much acknowledgment to the blonde girls presence. Noele watched in a daze as the room blurred around her as customers and employees of the restaurant went about their days like everything was normal. And to them, everything was indeed normal. Their biggest worry was about the bastion bees, but that had been mostly resolved already. However, Noele had just received the biggest revtion of her life. It was another sickening betrayal, so soon after discovering that the man she looked up to as a child Nichs the Noble Knight was an ignoble member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Her head spun as she tried to process the fact that the World System was evil. No it wasnt evil. She didnt know anything for sure just yet. Just that it could be evil. After all, it had been manipting the blonde girl since her birth to ept it as her God. And now, she didnt know how to react. She didnt even know what to think. She closed her eyes and sighed. Bucky? she said, turning to face the chicken. What would you do if you learned your entire life was a lie? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences elsewhere. Bawk? Bucky perked up quizzically. What I mean is if I told you that the that the World System was evil. How would you react to that? Noele asked in a soft voice. She didnt know why, but she couldnt confide this information with anyone else. Not Garron. Not her parents. Only Arthur. And apparently, Bucky too. Everyone else? The blonde girl didnt feelfortable even alluding to what she learned. There was a moment of silence as Noele saw herself in the reflection of the chickens eyes. It looked like the wheels were turning in Buckys head, and she slowly processed what had been said. Finally, Bucky simply tilted her head back in response. Bawk bawk bawk? Bawk bawk bawk bawk. Noele blinked at that. Obviously, she didnt understand a single thing the chicken said. But she just saw the way Bucky gave such a simple response. It was like Bucky didnt even care. And the blonde girl couldntprehend the reason why. I see. Noele bit her lower lip. Was Buckys muted reaction because of the World Systems control? Or was it for another reason? Noele didnt know. And she also didnt know how to prod the chicken to figure it out. Fortunately for the blonde girl, she didnt need to mull over it for long, because a pair of footsteps approached her. She looked up to see Arthur standing over her with a smile on his face. Hey, I can talk now, he said with a nod. Noele blinked and got to her feet. She looked over his shoulder, but saw there were still a handful of customers there. Are you already done with work? She raised a brow. Arthur shook his head and gestured at Han across the room. There arent that many customers, so Im not really needed here. Han told me I could get off early, since you need to speak with me. Right, I see. Noele nodded and stepped past him. Thank you. Lets speak somewhere more private. Sure. The two of them headed out, leaving the chicken behind. Arthur just followed Noele until they were surrounded by trees, quite a distance away from Wolfwater. He looked a little bit confused as to why the blonde girl had led him there. He even asked her if she could borate a few times, but she kept silent. Only when she was certain they were alone, did she finally turn to him and speak up. Tell me, Arthur, what do you think of the World System? she asked, meeting his gaze. He blinked, taken aback by the abrupt question. He scratched the back of his head. Im not entirely sure what you mean by that question, Noele. What is there to even think about the World System? Noele shook her head and gestured at him. When you were possessed by the Voidgod, did it tell you anything about the World System? When I was? Arthurs eyes went wide. He looked down at himself for a moment, clearly ufortable with the question. He didnt like thinking back about his time as the Lich King. However, he steeled himself and shook his head. No. There was nothing. All I remember was the Voidgod telling me to destroy Amelia. I see. Noele nodded as she lowered her head. Arthur pursed his lips. And why are you asking What about when you were a [Priest]? she interrupted him. When I was a [Priest]? He cocked his head curiously. What did you think of the World System what did you think about the God of Vacuos? Noele asked, shaking her head. And what would you say if I told you it was evil? The blonde girl expected some sort of reaction from Arthur. She wasnt sure what it would be. But she expected him to have a visible change in his facial expression. However, all he did was ce a hand on his chin in thought. What would I think if you told me the World System is evil? I mean I feel like that would be quite weird, considering everything it does for Vacuos. And what does it do for Vacuos? Noele replied instantly. I guess it gives us our sses? Arthur said with a shrug. But as a [Priest], I would say that the most important thing it does for us is protect us from the Void. And what if I told you the Voidgod was the True God of Vacuos? the blonde girl countered. What if I told you that it was expelled into the Void by the World System? The former Lich King frowned. He furrowed his brows in silence for a moment, before looking back up. Then I guess I would like to see some evidence of that, he said simply. Noele shook her head. I dont have any evidence of that. But thats why I came to you. Because I know that the World System is not all it is made out to be. I know that there is something more to the World System. What makes you say that? Arthur asked curiously. And the blonde girl sighed, Because the World System has been lying to me. It has been manipting me. It has been manipting all of us, holding us all back. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 It was a bold statement to make. Noele knew that. Anyone else who heard what she said would immediately rebuke her for even daring to make the assertion. But Arthur wouldnt. Even if he was a former [Priest]. Simply because he had no ss, which freed him from the World Systems maniption. He stared at her, processing her words. He blinked a few times as he stood there in silence. He didnt wear a shocked look on his face, but he didnt seem skeptical either. He simply mulled over her words, evidently trying to let it sink in. I Arthur opened his mouth, before taking in a deep breath. And what made youe to this conclusion? He kept his cool, asking the question as he met the blonde girls gaze. She shook her head as he brought a hand to her chest. It came to mest night. I dont know how or why, but I remembered I recalled all the times my memory has been manipted by the World System. All the times I have questioned it, only to find myself forgetting what I was even thinking about. I was conditioned to believe in it, because it controlled my thoughts. Noele spoke as she raised her head. She looked into Arthurs eyes, speaking softly. Think about it think about all the times you have dared to question the authority of the World System. Think about all the times you have doubted its power. Can you remember them? No did you remember them back when they happened? Or are you only remembering them now? Arthur shuffled his feet as he lowered his head in thought. He closed his eyes, before replying, I I can remember them. But it is as you said, I can only think of these memories now. And thats because youre not under the control of the World System anymore, Noele said simply. He raised his head as he bit his lower lip. Because I no longer have a ss. Correct, the blonde girl answered. She gestured between the both of them as they stood alone in the forest, bathed by the moonlight. No one else in Vacuos has ever been freed from the World Systems power. No one has ever lost their ss. Only we have. Which is why only we can see through its deception. Arthur nodded slowly. It looked like he was still trying to process what she was saying. But it was a good sign that he wasnt sitting on the ground, rubbing his head in disbelief. It meant that this conversation could be productive. I see. So the World System has been manipting us Arthur muttered under his breath. That is evident enough. But I dont believe thats enough proof to say that the World System is malignant, nor that it has any ill intentions. Youre right. Noele nodded. We cant prove that we cant prove anything. But we know what the Voidgod has said. What the Fal-Deus said? Arthur raised a brow. That the World System invaded Vacuos, the blonde girl whispered. That it instilled its power over us to control us. Even saying it felt wrong to Noele. However, she was simply recalling what Amelia had told her. Whether it was true or not was yet to be seen. But I dont know whether the Voidgod was lying, but I know that the World System limits us. Just look at Amelia. Just look at me. Noele looked down at herself. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The fact of the matter was, Noeles greatest skills werent even ss Skills. Her variant Noble shes were something she learned and acquired thanks to Amelias training. And Amelias training essentially amounted to Noele having to learn to fight for herself. So she was actually being held back by the World System. Just as Amelia told her. Arthur heard her words. He stood there in silence as his gaze bore into the blonde girl. Finally, he closed his eyes. I I think I understand what youre saying. He opened his eyes as Noele stared back at him. He looked up and nodded slowly. Perhaps the World System is evil. We dont know for sure, of course. But maybe it is. Noele blinked, then deted. She wasnt sure what she expected when she approached Arthur. But she was hoping hed be able to shed new light on anything for her. Instead, he just epted her words. But Arthur opened his mouth. And the blonde girl paused. She tilted her head as he met her gaze. He spoke resolutely, his eyes faintly reflecting the moonlight. Just because the World System is evil, doesnt mean that the Fal-Deus is any better. In fact, if the World System is evil, then it must be a necessary evil. Because the Fal-Deus is the incarnation of all that is evil. ...what? Noeles eyes went wide when she heard the former Lich King say that. It wasnt that she didnt believe him. She just didnt understand where he wasing from. How do you know that? Arthur shook his head bitterly as he whispered. When I was possessed by the Voidgod by the Fal-Deus I had peered into the depths of the Void. And even if it was not for long, I can confidently say that it is worse than anything the World System could be. Noele narrowed her eyes. A shiver ran down her spine as she eyed the man standing before her curiously. She had never seen such a harrowed look on his face before even though he was once a Lich King that had witnessed andmitted many unimaginable atrocities, he looked truly afraid. What do you mean by that? she asked hesitantly. What did you see? Arthur took in a deep breath. When I was possessed by the Fal-Deus, we became one. Even if I had no control over anything. My mind could still see into the cracks of its heart. There, I saw its deepest desires. There, I saw an endless evil. There, I saw what it truly wanted. Noele pursed her lips as she leant closer. And what did you see, Arthur? She asked in a soft voice. Arthur opened his mouth, and she reeled at what he had to say. -- Kallistus Kal closed his eyes as he sat beneath his throne room. He was alone, shrouded by darkness. For a brief moment, this dark chamber had been illuminated by the surface. When Guardian Angel Z357 had attacked, it had shed light to his schemes. But the [Hero King] simply appointed the power of his personal followers to repair the damage because his hideout could be discovered by his people. And now, this was where hey in hiding. Or at the very least, this was where his real body waited. Up above, on the surface, his clone went about his kingdom, ruling in his stead. And here, in the darkness, he remained in silence. Perhaps he could have prepared an army of voidlings to overtake Vacuos. Maybe he could have even further researched into creating rifts, to find a way back home. But he did not do any of that. All he did was listen. Because he could hear an echoing voice. Because he could hear the Void. And because it was growing stronger. I shall grant you all that you desire His mind shed with memories of his previous life. The voice grew louder, invading his mind. But he didnt move. He stayed still. ...and in return, all you need to aplish is one simple task. Kallistus Kal took in a deep breath, and the voice of the Void spoke to him, showing him a world of oblivion. Destroy the Enemy. Destroy all of its creation. Burn it all bring all of Vacuos to ruin. And from its ashes, we shall build a new world. And the [Hero King]''s eyes snapped open. Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Kallistus Kal rose to his feet as the voice of the Void echoed in his mind. He could hear its words clearer than ever before. They were no longer just mere epithets that he came and went whenever there was a rift in space. No he found a way to explore the depths of the Void, sending in his clones to investigate the sealed chaos beneath Vacuos. None of them ever returned, of course. However, each time they went down there, he learned more about his powers. He understood more about the source of his strength. And most importantly He grew stronger. He raised his head as he heard the footfalls echoing from up ahead. A hooded figure entered the dark chamber, before dropping to his knees. He was Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer. One of the [Hero King]s loyal servants. A rare personal follower to Kallistus Kal, rather than the Kingdom of Kal. My King, your allies at the Sect of Abyssal Thorns are calling for you, Ammon said as he straightened by the exit. They demand your immediate presence. Kallistus clicked his tongue when he heard that. He knew what it was going to be about. He had tried to ignore their attempts to reach him because he had been busy. But now, he had no choice but to address it. Thank you, Ammon. I shall handle this annoyance. The [Hero King] shook his head as he strode forward. But as he walked past his loyal server, Ammon spoke up. And another matter, my King What is it? Kallistus asked, ncing back. The Arcane Archsorcerer cleared his throat. I have other news for you, my King. Do you recall the mission you gave me? To retrieve that girl. Noele the Noble Spellsword. The [Hero King] slowly nodded. Indeed, I recall that. Did you seed in retrieving her? If so, just kill her. I no longer have a use for her. That is the issue, my King, Ammon said as he pursed his lips. I sent a team of S-ranks personal pupils of mine who have been touched by the Void to retrieve Noele the Noble Spellsword. Unfortunately, they all seemed to have been killed. What? Kallistus Kals brows snapped together. Impossible if they had been Void-touched, that means they are far stronger than any other S-rank. And what rank is this Noele supposed to be again? ording to the Adventurers Guild, she is an A-ranked adventurer, Ammon replied. And yet, she was able to defeat your pupils Kallistus ced a hand on his chin, in thought. That should not have been possible, unless she was empowered by the Void herself. But if that were the case, Noele had to have been blessed by the Void. And that was impossible. Kallistus knew that he was the only one who knew how to reach a power beyond those who had been Void-touched. That was how he had also blessed his loyal servants like Ammon with the Void. This was an oddity. This news puzzled the [Hero King]. However, he didnt mull over it. Instead, he dismissed the thought as something to be addressedter. He shook his head as he turned away from the Arcane Archsorcerer. I shall deal with that issue when the timees. For now, there are other matters for me to attend to Yes, my King, Ammon said as he bowed. With that, Kallistus Kal exited the room, leaving it behind shrouded in darkness. He walked down the empty hallway for a minute, before he finally reached his destination. It was a small enclosed chamber a room with a spell circle already engraved on the ground. There was a faint aura of magic being emanated, but the spell was not fully activated just yet. This was simply a sign that there was a magical conference in ce, and his presence was wanted. If youe across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The [Hero King] closed his eyes as he waited right before the spell circle, not activating it just yet. He knew who it was waiting for him at the other side of the spell. And he knew what they wanted from him. However, he knew he wasnt going to give them what they wanted. He couldnt give them what they wanted. Because it would get in the way of what he wanted. After all, since the very beginning, his alliance with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns was merely one that was made out of necessity. Now, they were starting to be a burden. And he needed to find a way to put an end to their partnership. Kallistus Kal opened his eyes as he resolved himself. He raised his hand, and the spell circle shone brighter. All at once, the room shifted with a magical image. Hooded figures projections made from magic appeared around the fringes of the room. Dozens of members of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns were gathered for this meeting. And standing at the very center, was the Archmage King of Scholus. His name was Leonhard. But here, he went by the title of the Kyn-Leard. After all, he was the leader of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Kallistus Kal, Leonhard said as his voice boomed with a magical echo. The [Hero King] of the Kingdom of Kal. The Savior of Siby. The Destroyer of Deveral. Adventurer-turned-ruler. Pawn-turned-rebel. You are the newest member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, and you have yet to fully earn our trust. But here you are, foregoing your duties and defying our orders. It was an immediate usation. The Archmage King spared no time to question the [Hero King]. After all, it was clear that Kallistus Kal had been ignoring the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. However, he didnt give a response just yet. All he did was stand there as the shadowed figures surrounded him. Leonhard held the [Hero King]s gaze, continuing to speak. Your war efforts have stalled. The Kingdom of Kal should have overrun the Astrad Kingdom by now. We have offered you aid on every front. Your forces far outnumber theirs, and your veterans are far more deadly than even their [Astral Knights]. And yet, instead of capitalizing on your advantages, you choose to hide in your pce, wasting our time and our resources. Kallistus Kals eyes flickered. He saw through the eyes of his clone. Up there, in the pce of the Kingdom of Kal, his clone led the efforts to repair the city after the destruction wrought by Guardian Angel Z357s-wide assault. I have been busy, the [Hero King] made the excuse. My country has suffered greatly after the attack of the World Systems Angels. You should know the extent of the damages they dealt just as well as I do. He spoke with a glint in his eye. It was only a half-lie. But every member of the Sect of the Abyssal knew just how catastrophic that attack had been. When they had convened just after that swarm of shadows dissipated after Kallistus Kal had gotten rid of Guardian Angel Z357 in secret even the Archmage King had been shaken. They had realized that they were the ones who had been targeted by the shadows. And they had all deduced that those were Angels,ing down from the sky, sent by the World System. Little did they know that those were merely shadows summoned by a single Guardian Angel. Leonhard red back at Kallistus Kal for thatment. Indeed, we have all suffered greatly from the World Systems attack. But that is why we cannot risk wasting any more time, lest we will not be prepared when we incur its wrath once more. And that is not considering the fact that dozens of our members have already sacrificed themselves for you. Kallistus frowned. He had heard about what happened to the Miststorm Riders. But he wasnt aware of any other group under the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns that had been sent out to aid him only to be lost. The Archmage King continued. It is clear to us that you do not prioritize the goals of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns over your own lust for power. My people need my attention Kallistus started. Your people do not matter, Leonhard said harshly. Even though the [Hero King] was merely lying when he argued for the protection of his people, he was still taken aback by the Archmage Kings words. Leonhard shook his head as he spun around. His cloak billowed in the wind behind him, and the image of his figure trembled. They are merely pawns for you to use. The only thing that matters is bringing back the return of the Void. All that matters is usurping this world into the palm of our hands. I do not care if you must sacrifice millions to achieve this. Your main priority should not be to serve your people, but to serve the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Hearing that, the [Hero King] paused. All this time, Kallistus Kal had been using the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns to aid him in getting what he wanted. But now, he was at an impasse. He couldnt allow them to further their ns, otherwise his own ns would be in jeopardy. After all, his goal was to return to his world to return to his family. He closed his eyes as he recalled what the Fal-Deus had told him. The very same n that the Archmage King wished to carry out. To bring all of Vacuos to ruin. And the [Hero King] raised his head. He had only one response to that. I refuse. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 I refuse, Kallistus Kal said simply, facing down the rest of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. He couldnt see most of their faces. They were merely projections shadowed figures that were assembled around the room. But despite that, he saw the way they visibly reacted. They shifted back, hearing his rejection of their leader. The Archmage King was the only one who didnt wear a hood. His brows snapped together, and he narrowed his eyes. His piercing gaze bore into the [Hero King]. What did you say? Leonhard asked dangerously. He evidently wasnt simply asking Kallistus Kal to rify anything. The Archmage King was issuing a threat. If the [Hero King] repeated himself, it would officially mark him as an enemy of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Kallistus was being given one final chance to rescind his refusal he was given one final chance to pledge his loyalty back to the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. However, Kallistus Kal weighed his options, and his answer remained the same. I said, I refuse. And a susurration washed over the gathered group. The shadowed figures in the back grew restless. A few of them shouted in outrage, while others just exchanged confused nces. They couldnt believe it. They stared at Kallistus Kal in sheer disbelief. Is he crazy? one of them asked.Another one said, Has he lost his mind? Silence, Leonhard bellowed, cutting off the rest of them. They snapped to attention as Kallistus Kal raised a brow. The Archmage King stepped forward. Do you notprehend the consequences of your decision? It was a rhetorical question. Kallistus knew the answer to that. So he just nodded. I do. You will be making an enemy out of all of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, the Archmage King said. I am aware of that, the [Hero King] thought in response. And I do not care. For I no longer need you. I no longer need the help of your organization. Kallistus had joined them to learn more about the Void. But now, he had ascended to a power that none of them could ever reach. So there was no need for him to waste his time with them any longer. I do not care, he finally said as he turned around. Leonhards image flickered. His facial expression didnt change. He simply continued to stare into the [Hero King]s back. Until, finally Very well. But know this, [Hero King] the Kyn-Leard said in a warning voice. You will die for your betrayal. And with that, the spell circle casting the projections shed. The room dimmed as the members of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns vanished. All that remained now was Kallistus Kal standing there, craning his neck back fractionally. The [Hero King] heard that threat. But he shrugged it off as he walked away towards the exit of the room. There was nothing the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns could do to stop him from reaching his goals. After all What happens now? a voice asked. And Kallistus Kal looked up. He saw Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer standing down the hallway with wide eyes. He had overheard the entire discussion with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Will you put an end to the war against the Astrad Kingdom now that you are no longer associated with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns? Ammon asked, pursing his lips. The [Hero King] continued walking forward as he shook his head. No. There is no need. Ammon blinked, and Kallistus Kal exined. The war can continue to be a backdrop the Kingdom of Kal can remain a distraction. To me, it matters not what happens. Even if the Astrad Kingdom emerges victorious, or the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns razes my cities to the ground, the oue shall remain the same. This was the main difference between the [Hero King] and the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. They wanted to serve the Void, but he He closed his eyes, before raising a hand. Another rift began to tear open before him as a savage smile spread across his lips. I shall take control of the Void, and then nothing will ever stand in my way again. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition. But before Kallistus Kal could summon another clone to send into the Void, he paused. His eyes flickered as he sensed something appearing in the skies above his city. The smile briefly disappeared from his face, and he chuckled mirthlessly. Oh? So you have finally decided to show up? Ammon blinked, hearing the [Hero King]s words. What is it, my King? It is nothing, Ammon, Kallistus said, grinning as he took a step back. It simply appears that an old foe has decided to show up for a rematch. But this time I will not be needing your assistance. The Arcane Archsorcerer just raised a brow,pletely perplexed. And the [Hero King] continued to walk forward. -- And up in the sky, far above the clouds, a majestic beast soared high. Its crimson scales glittered under the sunlight. Its massive wings spread wide, showing its splendor and might. If anyone saw this sight, they would scream, then faint, then wake up, then faint again in sheer disbelief, in that exact order. After all, it was not an ordinary creature here that was taking the sky. It was no, he was He was an Elder Dragon. So this is Kalis, the Elder Dragon said, overlooking the Capital City of the Kingdom of Kal. His name was Grat-razun. He was the Great Rakaarzun. He was the Glorious Terror of Mount Arkais. He was Ignizs Arcane Champion. He was the King of the Crimson mes. And he was one of thest Elder Dragons left alive in all of Vacuos. It had been a long time since hest took the skies of this region of Laxo. Thest time he had been here, it had been the city of Siby standing beneath him the Capital City of the Morius Empire. But it had long since fallen, and now, it was thend where his enemyy. Grat-razun was here for one reason and one reason only for the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal. The Elder Dragon never forgot the day he had been ambushed by Kallistus and his minions. Each and every one of them had been blessed by the Void. And they had defeated him with theirbined power. The Elder Dragon would have died that day. Fortunately for him, he had been saved by a nearby SS-ranked elf adventurer. So he barely escaped with his life, and he was recovering with the elf for months. Until Guardian Angel Z357 revealed himself to them. After that, Grat-razun recovered, and Guardian Angel Z357 went off to y the [Hero King]. But even after months of waiting, Grat-razun never saw Guardian Angel Z357 return. That was why the Elder Dragon was here today. To investigate what had happened back then. His eyes shed with a blue light as his vision expanded beyond what he simply saw before his eyes. His gaze pierced through the veil of the white cloud beneath him, before arriving at the city of Kalis. He saw everything as if he was descending down there by himself, even if he hadnt moved. He swept over the sea of people, passing over all kinds of buildings from tall towers made of marble torge houses covered in flowers. Although, some of the many structures were damaged and under repairs for whatever reason Grat-razun focused on the pce up ahead. He saw heavily-armored [Knights] gathered there right at the courtyard. He saw the [Royal Guards] lining the ornate halls, and he saw the [Mages] studying in the libraries. But then his gaze went on ahead, until he arrived in the throne room. There, he saw Kallistus Kal sitting down, giving orders to an [Archmage] and a group of his advisors. It was as Grat-razun expected. The [Hero King] is still alive, he whispered as he watched this scene unfold from high above the clouds. His eyes flickered, letting the realization slowly set in. But that is the case, then that means Guardian Angel Z357 is dead, a voice replied. And the Elder Dragon blinked. He immediately exited the scrying spell, but it was toote. He couldnt react in time. A powerful strike dug into his back as he roared in pain. He looked back to see a familiar figure standing there, sword digging into his side. Kallistus Kal? But how? Grat-razun stared in horror at the [Hero King]. The Elder Dragon couldntprehend it. He had just seen Kallistus Kal down below, in the throne room at the city of Kalis. But now, the [Hero King] was here? Was it some kind of illusion? Some kind of trick? Grat-razun didnt have time to think about it. He felt the de of the [Hero King] dig deeper into his scales, and the Elder Dragon opened his mouth. BURN! he screamed, unleashing the full might of his dragonfire at his enemy. But even as his mes bathed the sky with their intensity, causing the clouds to evaporate, Kallistus Kal didnt move. The [Hero King] took the full force of the Elder Dragons ming breath without flinching. Grat-razun paused when he realized his attack had been wholly ineffective. His mes faded away, and he just gaped at Kallistus Kal. What? I have grown much stronger since west met, Kallistus said. You are now nothing but a pest to me. And the [Hero King] swung up once, shearing off one of the Elder Dragons wings. Grat-razun began to tumble from the sky as Kallistus Kal leapt back with a sadistic smile. The two of them fell next to each other as Grat-razun roared in pain. The world spun around him. Everything was a daze, and his back burned in pain, But still, he saw a sh of purple light through his minds haze. Kallistus Kal raised his sword, aiming the weapon at the Elder Dragon, ready to finish the job. Somehow, he was far stronger than before, and there was nothing Grat-razun could do to fight back. Which meant there was only one option for the Elder Dragon. He had prepared himself to make a quick escape even before he hade here. Because he had been afraid he would be overpowered by the [Hero King]s goons once more. And while the Elder Dragon didnt expect this situation to arise, he was still ready to escape. So he raised his w and bellowed, [Pre-Cast Spell: Greater Teleportation]! It was a Skill that let him prepare a spell any spell, even if it was a ritual before a battle. This time, he opted for a teleportation spell, which would bring him to a set location he had in mind. He hadnt wanted to go there, because his pride wouldnt let him ask for the help of others. But he knew when to run, and he knew when he had to abandon his pride. So his body shed. The [Hero King]s brows snapped together. He shouted something, before swinging down with his glowing sword. But it was toote. The Elder Dragon was gone. And Kallistus Kals attack struck nothing but the air. He continued to bumble down alone, before hended in the middle of a forest. He gritted his teeth as he dug his de to the ground, and he whispered to himself. Coward. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 The World System was evil. Well, maybe. Noele didnt know for sure. Even after consulting with Arthur, a former [Priest], a former Lich King, and a former Vessel of the Voidgod, she still had no answers. He couldnt help her no one could. After all, this was such a ridiculous assertion. No sane person would ever utter such a statement. The only ones who would believe such a thing were those who worshiped the Void. The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, was a contemporary example. Although, there were many such simr groups in the past. They believed that the World System was an oppressive power, and instead they chose to draw their strength from the Fal-Deus. They were the only ones the Noble Spellsword could turn to for answers. They could shed some light for her on the truth behind the World System. But there was only one problem with that. The Fal-Deus the entity which was the God of the Void and imed to be the True God of Vacuos was most definitely evil. ording to Arthur, he had seen its intentions. When it had possessed him, he had peered into its heart. And all he saw was darkness. All he saw was an unending rage. All he saw was a desire to destroy Vacuos. And Amelia could concur with that fact. After all, she had said that she saved Vacuos from the Voidgod. So the fact that it only wanted destruction was indisputable. There was no reliable source for Noele to learn more about the World System from. All she could do was specte based on what those who worshiped the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns knew. That was how she came to her decision today to leave Wolfwater. It was a decision she had made on her own. She hadnt told anyone else about it just yet. But she thought it would be appropriate to first confide with the person who brought her back here to her home. Noele sought out her mentor Amelia. It was early in the morning when the blonde girl stepped out of her papas farm. She made the short walk to the farming vige or rather, it was called a farming town now, considering its size. Noele took her time as she took in the sights all around her. When she first made her returned, she observed how Wolfwater had changed drastically since she was a child. The farming vige had grown significantlyrger after the first attack of the Miststorm Riders a decade ago. And those changes she noticed were still quite new to her. There were new buildings more houses and more farms. There was even arge inn for passing travelers, when there had been no proper ce to stay for those who were stopping by in the past. And there were even now a few taverns too, while there had only been a single one back then. However, ever since Noele returned to Wolfwater, she had seen even more changes develop firsthand. There was, obviously, Buckys Out of this World Restaurant which Amelia started with Xakor. But that was what spurred the sudden growth in the farming vige, that clearly made it into a town. Noele spotted a second inn that had just finished its construction out of the corner of her eye. It wasrger than the first inn, made to amodate the growing number of visitors who were attracted by the rumors of Buckys Out of this World Restaurant. There was also a new market street as they called it growing by the day. She wouldnt really define it as a street, by any definition of the word. But there was a section in Wolfwater full of tents where the visiting [Traders] and [Merchants]id out their goods to be sold. Andstly, Noele heard word of a sort of town guard being set up. Apparently, Lucas, who was the highest-leveled [Hunter] in Wolfwater, was organizing a few of his friends to protect the farming town from nearby monsters and enforcew and order amongst the visitors. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So Wolfwater was growing to be quite the hub for travelers, thanks to Amelia and Xakor. Noele would have loved to stay here to continue watching the town grow. Perhaps, one day, it could even be a city. Although Noele wasnt sure how feasible that idea was. But she didnt want to leave she wanted to continue witnessing this growth. And yet, she had to. She had already resolved herselfst night. She closed her eyes as she came to a halt right outside of Buckys Out of this World Restaurant. It was still early in the morning, so the restaurant wasnt open just yet. However, she could enter as she pleased. Still, she paused, trying to steel herself. This was something that needed to be done. No one else was capable of doing it. Because she was one of the few who were free from the World Systems influence. Alright lets do this Noele whispered as she pushed the doors open. She opened her mouth, looking up at her master standing in the middle of the room. Amelia And she paused as she heard a cacophonous buzzing thunder back at her. The blonde girl froze at the sight of what she saw. Arge shadow towered over the room. A mass of ck and yellow figures gathered around, practically swarming over a brown-haired woman standing there. Amelia looked up as she was covered from head-to-toe by the colony of the baby bastion bees. Oh, hey Noele. And the blonde girl just blinked. Uh, can we talk in private? Well thats going to be a little bit hard, Amelia said in response as the baby bastion bees continued swarming her. -- So, I see youre still having problems with the baby bastion bees, Noele said, looking me up and down. I could barely hear her words over the loud buzzing surrounding me. I looked down at myself. The baby queen bastion bee was clinging onto me, and the rest of her hive refused to leave her. So they surrounded me, following me wherever I went. This was almost a familiar sight. Except, thest time around this happened, the baby bastion bees were attacking me. It didnt hurt, of course. I waspletely unbothered by their weak stingers. However, it was a lot more annoying than this. This time around, they were just there. They didnt bother me, but they stuck close to me. Sometimes, theyd be flying around me in a swarm. Other times, they would just rest on me which was honestly more ufortable than dealing with their constant attacks. And considering that they werent doing anything other than following me, I didnt know what I could do. When they had been attacking me, I could just tire them out. But right now, they saw me as their protector. They associated me with their safety. I was their sanctuary. So I had no way to get rid of them. I tried talking to Dorien, I said as I gestured at the baby bastion bees. Their queen fluttered her wings when she realized I was looking down at her. She was resting on my shoulder like she was a bird or a butterfly. In reality, she was a terrifying-looking bee that was the size of my hand. He said that I am going to have to bond with them until they can understand me. Understand you? Noele blinked, looking at me curiously. Do you mean you have to learn an [Animal Speaking] Skill? I shook my head. Nope dont ask me how it works either. But apparently theyll be able to understand me in the same way Bucky understands us if I spend enough time with the baby bastion bees. I see. The blonde girl just furrowed her brows. She was as perplexed as I was. I didnt question it. Instead, I shook my head as I leant back against a table. Anyways, if you want privacy I cant really give you privacy, since these guys wont leave me alone. However, if you dont mind them, we can talk. She stared at the swarm of baby bastion bees as they circled around me. I watched as Noele chewed her lips for a moment, before she sighed. And what about Han or Edlyn? she asked, ncing towards the empty kitchen. Are they around? Nope I sent them out to stock up on our meat. But Arthur is in the back, getting ready for the day. I gestured vaguely towards where the bathroom was. It wasnt exactly a modern ce to shower, however it did its job just fine. Arthur isnt a problem, the blonde girl said as she nodded at me. Alright I guess I can tell you this now. But how do I even say it? I looked on as she shifted her feet ufortably, muttering to herself. I just crossed my arms and waited. Until, finally, Noele was ready to speak. She stood up straight and looked me in the eyes. And she said, I have decided I am leaving Wolfwater to hunt down the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Noele had to leave Wolfwater. She enjoyed her time back in her hometown, but she had growncent while she was back here. Her growth had slowed significantly, and she spent most of her days sparring without any real progress. It was nice. It was rxing. However, it was also holding her back. This was quite evident by how she had put off her ss advancement for so long. It was exemplified by how it took being nearly murdered by Nichs the Noble Knight and his team for her to actually grow stronger. And it was because she was not put in any situation with real danger. She hadnt pushed herself to her limits. So she couldnt grow in any meaningful manner. Noele understood this. That was one of the reasons why she decided to leave. However, that wasnt the main reason she made this decision. After all, there was no reason for her to strive so hard to get stronger, right? Except now she had a reason. Now, she knew that the World System itself might be evil. And she needed to know more. To uncover the truth behind this web of lies that had muddled history for tens of thousands of years. To do that, she needed to look further into the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. They were the only ones who were even aware that there was something wrong with the World System. They could shed some light to her. And not just that she needed to stop them. Because they were acting to carry out the will of the Void. Their goal was to bring about the destruction of all Vacuos. And someone needed to stop them. Perhaps Amelia could do something about it. But the brown-haired woman was too busy running her restaurant. Not only that she would also only ever intervene to protect the world if there was no other choice left in the matter. Noele knew her master. So that was why the blonde girl decided to act. To tackle two issues at once. Both the question of the World System, and the threat of the Void. I am leaving Wolfwater, she said as closed her eyes. I shall hunt down the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, and I will uncover the truth behind the World System. I will do what must be done.The Noble Spellsword raised her head, fully resolved to do whatever it took. She was prepared for her master to protest. After all, Amelia might have wanted Noele to stay and help with the restaurant. But instead of arguing about it Thats a good idea, Amelia said instantly. Itll be a good next step in your training. Noele blinked a few times as she stared at the brown-haired woman. Well it was a bit hard to see through the veil of a hundred giant bees. But still, the blonde girl just gaped in confusion. Youre not against me leaving Wolfwater? You know I wont be able to help out anymore, right? And wait training? What do you even mean by training? Amelia waved a hand dismissively as she took a step back. I have plenty of help now, with Jax and Arthur and Edlyn. So you dont need to worry about me. And what do you mean by what do I mean by training? Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Its exactly what it sounds like, Noele said as she shook her head. Im your mentor, remember? Amelia replied casually. The blonde girl just pursed her lips. That is true. But you havent really given me any actual training. What do you mean by that? Come on remember that time I, uh For a moment, Amelia hesitated, biting her lower lip. Noele continued to stare at her master. Amelia mulled over it for another second. And then she snapped her fingers as she looked up. Remember that time I dropped you in that cave full of giant centipedes? That was literally the only time you ever trained me. It was also the first time we met. It has been almost a year since then. Has it really been nearly a year? Amelia blinked, before whistling. Wow, time really flies when youre having fun. Amelia Noele gave her master a t stare. Amelia sighed then shrugged. Look, I know Im not the best mentor. But I do think this will be good for you. Thats why Im all for it. Just dont die, or whatever. Thanks, Ill try my best. The blonde girl rolled her eyes as she took a step back. Honestly, she should have expected this from her master by now. And the fact that Amelia seemed to be at least a little bit worried was nice to hear. Seriously, though, Amelia said as she spoke over the buzzing of the baby bastion bees. You have already painted quite arge target on your back, considering everything youve done. The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns definitely want you dead. You should be careful. Thats true. But Im already aware of that. Thats another reason why I should do this. Noele shook her head. Amelia raised a brow. So you can get back at them for all the times theyve attacked you? Partially that, sure, the blonde girl said with a nod. However, more importantly, Ill be away from Wolfwater. So the town will be safe and unaffected. I mean, Im here, Amelia said with a shrug. Im pretty sure the town is quite safe with me around to protect it. In response, Noele could only grimace. That made her master blink. What? You dont trust me? ...sorry to say, Amelia, but I dont really think youre that reliable, Noele finally said, trying to put it as lightly as possible. Ive saved your life, like, a dozen times, the brown-haired woman protested. And Noele replied usingly. After you endangered it just as many times! Well thats besides the point. Amelia shrank back and scratched the back of her head. Now, I wont be there to save if things go bad. But thats the point, Noele said as she looked down at herself. She ced a hand on her chest and met her masters gaze. How can I grow if I dont test myself? How can I grow if I dont push myself to my limits? How can I grow if youre always there to save me? Thats why I need to go. For myself, for those I love, and for the sake of the world. The brown-haired woman stared at her student for a long moment. The two remained locked in silence besides the buzzing of the bastion bees. Finally, Amelia casually remarked, Youre really quite the hero, arent you? Well, as I said at the start, I think this is a good idea. You should go ahead, although dont get yourself in too much trouble. And make sure you stop by from time to time, alright? Of course. Noele smiled in return, seeing the genuine care on her masters face. How can I resist returning to try more of your amazing cooking? Now youre just patronizing me. Amelia rolled her eyes, before giving a small smile. Noele was d this went over smoothly. But next up, she had to bid farewell to her parents. And that might y out a little bit more difficult. Chapter 206 Chapter 206 After speaking with Amelia, Noele said her goodbyes to both Bucky and Arthur. The chicken actually stopped eating to cuddle against the blonde girl¡¯s legs for a while. Arthur was less bothered about the news. The former Lich King wasn¡¯t that close to Noele. They were close acquaintances at best. And that was partly due to the blonde girl¡¯s fault. After all, she had been against sparing him at first, when Amelia had decided to give him a second¡­ or third, or fourth, or whatever chance at life. So Noele had been apprehensive to even approach Arthur when he started working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. It took her a while to warm up to him. In fact, she only began to actively talk to him after he had helped save her life against Nichs. But now she was already leaving. ¡°Good luck,¡± that was all he said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Noele waited for Han and Edlyn to return to say goodbye to them as well. The two of them were barely acquaintances with the blonde girl. However, Noele had saved Han¡¯s life a few times, and she knew he admired her. So the least she could have done was tell him she was leaving. They had a short conversation, before Noele took her leave. On her way out, she passed by Jax who wasing to clock in for her for the day. He had be a regr part-time employee at this point. And when Noele opened her mouth to tell him she was leaving, he interrupted her. ¡°I know. I heard everything you said.¡± The elf pointed at his ears.And Noele blinked, before giving him a small smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll miss our sparring sessions.¡± ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll be strong enough to give me a real challenge when you return,¡± Jax snorted in response. She also caught Dorien while she was leaving Wolfwater. He just waved at her, and she returned the gesture. She was used to not seeing the [Druid] for long periods of time, so they didn¡¯t need to give each other a long farewell. And with that, that was everyone Noele needed to speak to at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. So she then headed back for her Papa¡¯s farm to deal with a more difficult farewell. ¡ª-- ¡°This is a bit sudden, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nn asked as he settled down into a chair. He was still dressed in his working clothes, drenched in sweat with a towel slung over his shoulder. He rubbed his temples as he tried to process what Noele was saying. Nicole walked up to him from behind and ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s all grown up now, dear,¡± Nicole said as she looked up at her daughter. ¡°We can¡¯t tell her what to do, and she¡¯s already traveled all around Laxo on her own.¡± This tale has been uwfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Noele bit her lower lip as she saw her Papa¡¯s reaction to the news. Nn shook his head as he leant back in his chair. ¡°I understand that. But still¡ª shouldn¡¯t you give us more of a heads-up?¡± He looked towards his daughter. And the blonde girl shuffled her feet. ¡°Sorry, Papa. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, but I need to do this. For all of our sake.¡± Noele didn¡¯t borate any further. She knew her parents wouldn¡¯t question her that much. After all, she was a well-renowned adventurer. While not everything she dealt with was quite as grand of a scale as what she was setting off to do right now, they knew better than to press her over something she didn¡¯t want to share. As an adventurer, Noele had witnessed many terrible things throughout the years. Any adventurer like her woulde to understand that the world was not a kind ce. That was why so many adventurers quit in under a year, or simply kept to dealing with jobs around their city. Nn and Nicole both knew just how much stress it took to be an adventurer. So they didn¡¯t question their daughter. But still, they cared for her. They were worried about her. They had always been worried about her, even when she had run away from Wolfwater to pursue her dreams. ¡°I understand that you have a duty¡ª that you have responsibilities,¡± Nn finally said as he got back to his feet. ¡°But you should at least give us a day toe to terms with this. Thest time you left us¡­ you didn¡¯t return for years.¡± Noele pursed her lips when she heard that. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± She thought about how many times she had wanted toe back¡ª but she decided against it, wanting to only return after she had be an A-ranked adventurer. Even if she stayed inmunication with her parents. It still hurt her to be separated from them for so long. ¡°This time,¡± the blonde girl said as she raised her head. ¡°I promise you, I will return whenever I think about you. Whenever I start to feel like I miss you. I wille back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Nicole chuckled, taking a step forward. ¡°You¡¯re putting too much pressure on yourself. I know you have many important matters you need to address, so you can take your time, my sweet little pumpkin pie. As long as you do return.¡± ¡°Mama¡­¡± Noele flushed when she heard the nickname. Nn scowled as he crossed his arms. ¡°Why are you dissuading our daughter from visiting us more often? We hadn¡¯t seen her for years, and we¡¯ve only spent a few months back together.¡± ¡°And we will have plenty more time to spend with her once she¡¯s done with what she needs to do. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Nicole said, turning to the blonde girl. Noele paused for a moment, wondering if that was even possible if she failed. If she uncovered that the World System was evil, and she was killed for it. She would never see her parents ever again if that happened. Even if Amelia ultimately saved the world¡ª which was not even a given. Noele shook her head, dismissing the grim thoughts, before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s right, I will stay for longer when I return. But¡­ I think you¡¯re right too, Papa.¡± She turned to Nn, and he blinked. She held his gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t need to leave right now. Not yet, anyway. So I can stay for another day.¡± ¡°...are you sure?¡± Nn asked apprehensively, but his eyes lit up, betraying the tone of his voice. ¡°I am certain.¡± Noele nodded and walked up to her parents. ¡°It¡¯s just one extra day, right?¡± She smiled at the two of them. They exchanged a nce, before moving to hug the blonde girl. ¡°You¡¯ve really grown a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡± Nn said as he tightly clutched his daughter. ¡°Nora would be very proud to see how far you¡¯vee,¡± Nicole said with a kind smile. Noele closed her eyes as she embraced them. ¡°Thank you, Mama, Papa.¡± And while she was d that she resolved this. There was still someone else she needed to talk to. But she wasn¡¯t sure how to break it to him. Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Noele spent the rest of her day with her parents back at their farm. Nicole baked a delicious meat pie for dinner, and Nn popped his best bottles of wine. They gathered around and ate andughed until the sun began to set over the horizon. When it was dark, Noele stepped out of the house to take a breath of fresh air. She didn¡¯t invite Amelia or the others because she wanted to spend time with just her family. But the blonde girl knew that she still had the responsibility to inform one more person about her departure. And she didn¡¯t quite know how to break it to him. Unfortunately, she was left with no other choice when she saw his burly figure standing on the dirt path leading up to the house. ¡°Garron,¡± Noele whispered his name as she stared at him. There he was¡ª Garron the Steel Tank. A B-ranked adventurer. But considering his capabilities inbat, he was more than likely equivalent to any A-ranked adventurer. He had grown so much since Noele had met him. And she had grown so much thanks to him too. After all, they helped train each other. They were sparring partners, but more than that, they were partners inbat too. Theyplemented each others¡¯ strengths and weaknesses throughout many battles. So they had developed quite a close rtionship with each other. Garron had even been staying over at the guest bedroom for thest few months. But she had avoided him for all of today. And she did so with good reason. She didn¡¯t say another word once she greeted him, watching him slowly walk up to the house. He normally wore quite the fierce face¡ª like he was always scowling wherever he went. But when the blonde girl looked at the expression he wore right now, he simply looked worried. ¡°Noele¡­¡± He took in a deep breath, before ncing back in the direction of Wolfwater. ¡°I heard from the others. You want to leave this town.¡±Noele chewed her lower lip as she lowered her gaze. She felt guilty for not telling him about her decision sooner. But it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to tell him about it. ¡°Garron, I¡¯m sorry for not¡ª¡± she started. And he shook his head as he smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You do not have to apologize to me. It must have been a tough choice for you to make, so I understand why you took so long to tell me.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Noele shifted her feet ufortably, knowing that was the reason why she felt so apprehensive right now. ¡°But¡ª¡± Garron raised his head, wearing a resolved look on his face. ¡°I want to go with you.¡± And there it was. Noele closed her eyes, exhaling quietly as the Steel Tank continued. ¡°The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns is a dangerous organization, and we both know that they are after you. I understand that you want to protect those you care about by leaving Wolfwater, but then who is going to protect you? I know I may not be that strong just yet, but please¡ª let me help you.¡± Garron proffered an open hand, and Noele sighed. She looked up at the man standing before her. And she knew he wouldn¡¯t understand why she was doing this. He couldn¡¯t understand. Just like she couldn¡¯tprehend it until just a few days ago. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You can¡¯te with me, Garron,¡± she whispered as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a lot moreplicated than you think.¡± He blinked, then raised a brow. ¡°What makes it soplicated, Noele?¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t tell you about it,¡± Noele replied as she thought of all the times the World System manipted her memories. ¡°But I can¡¯t let youe with me. Not unless¡­¡± The blonde girl didn¡¯t borate. She didn¡¯t know how to exin it. She simply stood there in silence, her face shadowed over as the warm light of her house illuminated her from behind. Garron stepped forward as he spoke resolutely. ¡°I know you do not want to endanger my life¡ª¡± he started. ¡°It¡¯s not just about that, Garron,¡± Noele cut him off. And the Steel Tank paused. He narrowed his eyes as he looked the blonde girl up and down. She turned away from him as she gritted her teeth. ¡°Noele¡ª what is this about then?¡± Garron asked softly as he approached her from behind. ¡°I¡­¡± The blonde girl took in a deep breath, then shook her head. ¡°I am sorry, but I cannot tell you the reason.¡± And she meant it literally. Because she couldn¡¯t. Not because she didn¡¯t want to. But the Steel Tank didn¡¯t know that. He just thought she was acting stubbornly. He opened his mouth, then caught himself. He stared at Noele for a long moment as the two were wrapped in silence. FInally, Garron strode forward until he was standing in front of the blonde girl. She blinked as she caught a glimpse of his shadow looming over her. When she looked up, she saw a soft gaze staring down at her. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said as he looked into her eyes. ¡°I understand that you must have a good reason for keeping whatever this is to yourself. But I still want to go with you, Noele.¡± And that caught the blonde girl off-guard. She stared at him with round eyes as she tried to work her jaw. ¡°B-but¡­ it¡¯s dangerous,¡± she managed to muster out. Garron shook his head. ¡°I do not care if it is dangerous. The life of an adventurer is a dangerous life. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to be an adventurer all those years ago. And when I left Windrip, I did so to explore the world, not to be tied down to one farming town in the middle of the Astrad Kingdom.¡± He spoke insistently as Noele could only stare at him, seeing the determination in his gaze. She listened as he ced a hand on his chest. ¡°I do not need to know why you wish to hunt down the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Just let me go with you, so I can help you. This is a selfish request from me, Noele.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Noele¡¯s lips quivered when she heard that. Even still, she wanted to reject his request. She didn¡¯t want to bring him along with her. But why? Why didn¡¯t she want Garron to follow her? And that was when the Noble Spellsword realized she was being selfish¡ª that she didn¡¯t want him to get hurt. But he must have felt the same way. That was why he wanted toe with her. That was why he didn¡¯t want her to leave Wolfwater on her own. They were both being selfish. But only one of them could get what they wanted. And while Garron was steadfast in his resolve, Noele was¡­ less so. So the blonde girl closed her eyes, mulling over her thoughts for a moment, before relenting. ¡°...fine,¡± she acquiesced as she raised her head. ¡°I can¡¯t stop you, Garron. But you must promise me one thing.¡± ¡°What is it, Noele?¡± he asked, tilting his head curiously at her. ¡°When I tell you the truth, you won¡¯t doubt me. No matter how much you want to refuse to believe in what I have to say, you will listen to me. You will trust me. Even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± It was an unfair request to ask. But Noele had to ask it of the Steel Tank. He blinked, staring at her for a second, before he nodded. ¡°I understand,¡± Garron finally said. ¡°I will trust you, no matter what.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Noele smiled in response. Perhaps, one day, Garron would be able to find out about the truth. About why Noele was embarking on this quest. If he grew strong enough¡ª if he outgrew the World System. But for now, the blonde girl remained alone in bearing this burden, and setting out for the truth. Chapter 208 Chapter 208 And then the next day came. It was finally time for Noele to take her leave. It was a bittersweet day for her. The time she spent here back in her hometown had given birth to some of the most cherished memories of her life. All the moments she spent with her parents, with Amelia, and with her friends¡ª she held them close to her heart. As an adventurer, the Noble Spellsword never had much of a chance to form any kind of attachment with others. She always moved at her own pace, and most adventurers didn¡¯t want to take the risks she did. That was why she left them behind. That was why she never formed any permanent bond on her rise to be a B-ranked adventurer. And then she met Amelia who helped her rise to an A-ranked adventurer with the strength of an S-ranked adventurer. She met Garron who somehow managed to keep up with her despite being a full rank beneath her. She met Bucky, Xakor, Han, Jax, and even Arthur. A plethora of people who remained in her life for longer than a mere few weeks as she tried to finish a mission. Now, she was going to leave it all behind once again. Certainly, she was finally going to make progress as an adventurer again. She knew she had stagnated quite a bit sinceing back here. However, after being gone from her home for years¡­ it wasforting. So that made the blonde girl¡¯s departure feel mncholic to her. Even if she was looking forward to getting back on the road, she couldn¡¯t help but tear up as all her friends and family gathered by her farm to see her off at the break of dawn. Nn, Nicole, Amelia, Bucky, Han, Arthur, Dorien, and a handful of Noele¡¯s old family friends showed up. Even the bastion bees were there, buzzing off to the side, keeping a close distance to Amelia. Everyone that was gathered here had all already said their goodbyes yesterday, so there wasn¡¯t really any long sentimental moment when the blonde girl left. ¡°Good luck,¡± Amelia said as she nodded at her apprentice. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll be able to stop the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, and maybe figure out if the World System really is evil.¡± Noele bit her lower lip, hearing her master¡¯s words. She looked over her shoulder, but no one else seemed to have overheard them. Which was good.¡°Amelia¡­ you can¡¯t just say that out loud,¡± the blonde girl sighed. ¡°Say what out loud?¡± Amelia asked with a raised brow. Noele shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Amelia crossed her arms with a frown. ¡°Also, do you even know where to begin? Last I heard, the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns is quite elusive. Do you have a lead or anything?¡± ¡°Honestly? Not really,¡± Noele replied casually. ¡°But I¡¯m sure Garron and I will figure something out.¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Amelia said, shaking her head. ¡°Because if you guys fail, and the Voidgod returns, I¡¯ll be the one who has to deal with that mess.¡± Noele rolled her eyes in response. It sounded like a selfish statement at first, but she knew her master well enough to understand that that was a show of affection. Amelia was essentially telling the blonde girl to stay safe out there¡ª just in a roundabout way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Noele said as she drew back. ¡°We¡¯lle running back to you before that happens.¡± Amelia snorted, then smiled. Noele grinned as she swept her gaze over her hometown once again, then looked towards her parents. The blonde girl nodded back at them onest time. ¡°I¡¯ll visit, I promise,¡± she said, and with that she waved goodbye. Noele bid her farewells as she walked down the road, turning back to face her life in Wolfwater onest time. Then she joined Garron. The Steel Tank was waiting for her from the side. He wasn¡¯t really close with most of the people gathered here. He was only in this farming town because of Amelia, then he remained because of Noele. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Now, both Noele and Garron were going to leave Wolfwater behind together. The two of them trudged through the dirt road, passing by the flourishing farnds all around them. Much of the crops and greenery that had been burnt or destroyed by the Miststorm Riders had grown back thanks to thebined efforts of Dorien and the [Farmers] in the region. After a long moment of silence, Garron spoke up as he nced at her. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Noele asked as she looked towards her lonepanion. He nodded, and she came to a halt. She looked back towards Wolfwater, but it was now a long distance away. The crowd that hade to say goodbye to her was gone. It made her feel a sense of emptiness inside. She closed her eyes, then shrugged. ¡°I feel¡­ somber,¡± she said as she opened her eyes. But then she turned to Garron and felt at ease. ¡°But also¡ª d that you¡¯re here.¡± Garron blinked a few times, then he smiled back at her. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to be here.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Noele spoke simply, looking towards the distant horizon as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. It pained her, but she knew this was for the best. ¡°Because we¡¯ll be gone for a while.¡± ¡ª-- And with that, Noele was gone. It was strange, really. She had been the first person I truly got to know in Vacuos. While I met plenty of people before her¡ª from Brynn to Garron to Justyn¡­ to even Arthur, even if he was the Lich King at that point. But most of everyone else, I had gotten to know only briefly. They didn¡¯t do much else to help me. I was fine with that because I wanted to be left alone. And then I met Noele. She forced me to be her apprentice, and in return, she¡¯d pay me money. Now¡ª she didn¡¯t actually pay me the full amount. But I was fine with that, since I didn¡¯t actually teach her much either. So we both kind of lied to each other in a way. However, Noele had helped me out a lot¡ª she helped me figure out my way around this world. Because of her, I managed to gain my bearings while here in Vacuos, rather than stumbling around in the dark. So I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit sentimental when I saw her go. I knew she wasn¡¯t going to stick around forever, and she had gone off on her own adventures a handful of times. But usually, they were short stints, and I knew she¡¯d return soon enough. This time around, I didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d return. Maybe she¡¯d return in a few months, if things got really bad. Or maybe she¡¯d return in a few years. I knew she might drop by from time to time, but the question was¡ª when? I didn¡¯t know the answer to that. And that was why I felt this emotional about Noele¡¯s departure. Perhaps if there was a way for me to continuemunications with her while she was gone¡­ but no. Our [Message] Scroll was destroyed during the battle with the Vessel of the Voidgod. And acquiring a new one wasn¡¯t easy. Nicole had tried inquiring around Whiteridge whenever she went out of town, only to no avail. I closed my eyes as I stood outside of my restaurant, hearing the distant loud buzzing of the gathered bastion bees. They still stuck close by me, but they learned how to at least stay a few feet apart, rather than being literally on me. ¡°What now?¡± I asked myself in a whisper. I looked up as the sun made its way up the sky, marking the start of a new morning. I heard the front door of my restaurant swing open, and Han stepped out. He walked towards me, despite the swarm of baby bastion bees gathered around me. ¡°Hey, Amelia,¡± he called out. And I nced back at him. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Edlyn needs your help in the kitchen. We also need to get ready to open the restaurant soon, and¡­¡± Han nced at the swarm of baby bastion bees. ¡°They might scare away a few customers if anyone sees them out here.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t take too long. Or else you¡¯ll scare off the morning rush of customers.¡± He disappeared back into the restaurant as he waved a hand dismissively. I rolled my eyes, then looked back up at my restaurant. I stared at the life I had built here. What I had managed to aplish with Xakor¡¯s help, then proceeded to grow on my own. With Han, Arthur, Edlyn, and Jax working for me, and with Bucky and these baby bastion bees. It was what I always wanted. A normal life. Even if Noele was gone, I still had all these things around me. So I could still go back to my normal life now, not worrying too much about what came next. I turned around, smiling as I made my way back into the restaurant. I just hoped that nothing was going to show up all of a sudden andpletely derail my normal life. Chapter 209 Chapter 209 ¡°Here it is,¡± the man said as he saw the farming town in the distance. He was dressed in ragged garbs. His face was creased with wrinkles. He looked tired. Worn out from a long and dangerous journey. But there was an tion evident in his expression. A smile that tugged at his lips when he realized he had finally arrived at his destination. It was Wolfwater. A small farming vige, or so he was told. But by the looks of it, it looked more like a town. It was crowded, filled with life andughter. A makeshift wall was being constructed around the perimeter of the town, and a steady stream of travelers came and went from the gate. The man was d to see that it was not the barren vige that it had been made out to be. There was actually going to be a ce for him to recover when he arrived. Afortable bed to fall asleep. It was a soothing sight because he knew that a long rest awaited him here. But there was more to it than just that. There was a reason why he felt like he had reached salvation here beyond simple reprieve. He hade here for a specific reason. To fulfill a purpose he had been given. He had set out months ago, but it was only now he had arrived. And that was why he was so relieved. Sinking to his knees, he sighed softly. ¡°Finally, after so long, I have found you¡­¡± He whispered quietly to himself. His eyes fluttered shut, and he recalled a brown-haired girl. A familiar face. A bored face usually, apanied by an annoying tone of voice. He remembered her vividly, and he smiled. ¡°I have finally found you, Amelia.¡± ¡ª--It was another day working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Noele had left this morning, and it was a somber moment for me. But now that a few hours had passed, I managed to return to my routine of cooking, so I pushed my worries about her aside for now. After all, it was another busy day today with even more customers than before. Han rushed in and out of the kitchen as he served meals and took orders. ¡°Order for table 1¡ª and I¡¯ll be right with you shortly!¡± I could hear his muffled voice through the kitchen walls. Arthur manned the bar, preparing a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Even though he had no [Bartender] Skills, he had bought a book on bartending, and practiced quite a bit on his own, so now he had quite the knack for drink-making. From where I stood in the kitchen, I could hear the shaking of ice in metal cups, before seeing the light of the ming tricks he yed before finishing a cocktail as his audience cooed. Not all of my employees were enthusiastic workers, of course. When I poked my head out briefly into themon room of the restaurant, I spotted Jax ring at a table as he tightly gripped a pen and paper and waited to take an order from an indecisive customer. Edlyn wasn¡¯t as obviously upset about working here as the elf was. In fact, she seemed to have warmed up quite a bit here in this kitchenpared to when she first arrived. She prepared her dishes effortlessly, working up quite the sweat as she wore a small smile on her face. ¡°Order¡¯s up!¡± she called out, then handed a tter of steaming dishes to Han. She nodded at him, and he smiled back at her. They two exchanged quick conversation, before separating. And she returned to the kitchen station as I turned to her. ¡°Are you enjoying yourself?¡± I asked casually as I chopped up some vegetables. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition. The [Royal Chef] blinked, then sputtered, ¡°W-what? Me?¡± She backed up warily like I had just used her of murder. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t cking off! I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing!¡± Well, she¡¯s still nervous, but at least she¡¯s not on the verge of tears like when she first got here. I rolled my eyes back at her, before shaking my head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t using you of anything. Honestly, I¡¯m d that you managed to befriend Han. I was afraid you¡¯d be lonely here in Wolfwater.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Edlyn stared at me for a moment. ¡°Also, it¡¯s fine to enjoy yourself,¡± I said, waving a hand dismissively. Edlyn didn¡¯t respond. Her gaze was fixed on my waving hand. I looked down and realized I had been waving my knife hand. She stared at the knife for a long moment, and I lowered it with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t be so uptight, alright?¡± I tried to reassure the [Royal Chef]. In response, she stiffly nodded. She didn¡¯t look convinced, but I wasn¡¯t going to try to force her to believe that I wasn¡¯t as scary as she thought right now. I still had a long day ahead of me, so I just went back to cooking for now. Everything had been going swimmingly so far today. But that was because of one reason and one reason only. I looked up from a boiling pot as I heard a buzzing sound enter the room from the window. I bit my lower lip, and I nced to the side. ¡°Oh, good morning. So you¡¯re finally awake, huh?¡± I said as I stared at the round figure flying there. It was small and colorful¡ª with ck stripes and a pale golden chitin of a body. It had glowing red eyes, but it wasn¡¯t ring at me. It was a monster, except not really. She was the baby queen bastion bee, and she looked at me groggily. ¡°Bzzzt.¡± I pursed my lips, watching as she flitted over to me. After having clung to me for a few days, barely taking a nap whenever she was resting on the palm of my hand, I had finally gotten her to fall asleep back in her hive. Granted, I had to literally babysit her by waiting by her side until she passed out. However, after only six hours of sleep, she was already awake. It was troubling. I really hoped she would fall back to sleep before she reached me. However, shended on my shoulder, and I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Now, it wasn¡¯t that I disliked her or anything. But as a literal monster, she had brought quite a bit of trouble to my restaurant, mostly through terrifying both my customers and my help. And right now, there was someone else in the kitchen who was already antsy just being around me. Edlyn froze where she stood as she stared at the baby bastion bee lying on my shoulder. She looked like she wanted to scream, but she was too scared to make a noise to attract the sacred monster¡¯s attention. ¡°Calm down,¡± I said as I ced a hand on the baby queen bastion bee. ¡°I promise you, she won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Edlyn barely registered my words. I bit my lower lip, seeing the way she slowly backed away, still holding a spat in one hand and a filet of steak in the other hand. I looked back down at the baby bastion bee as she snuggled against my neck. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to be scared, it¡¯s only one of them¡ª¡± I started. And then I heard a buzzinging from the window. The rest of the baby bastion bees came swarming into the kitchen, searching for their queen. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I murmured under my breath. ¡°Spoke too soon.¡± Edlyn screamed, dropping the perfectly good piece of steak and the knife. She sprinted out of the kitchen as the baby bastion bees swarmed towards me. I closed my eyes as I heard amotion growing outside in themon room. Han rushed to the kitchen as the ruckus grew louder, and he turned to me. ¡°Amelia¡ª what¡¯s going¡­?¡± he asked, then stared at me, surrounded by the baby bastion bees. ¡°Oh.¡± That was all he said. I nodded back at him with a wry smile. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re really proving to be much more of a pain in the ass than you thought they¡¯d be, huh?¡± Han remarked as he crossed his arms. He didn¡¯t seem too worried being in such close proximity to the monsters. Not when he had seen much worse than this. I shook my head and looked down at the baby bastion bee. She stared back up at me with round eyes. ¡°It¡¯s annoying¡­ but also kind of endearing at the same time.¡± I brought a finger up and patted her on the head. ¡°I also need toe up with a name for you soon, don¡¯t I?¡± Han chuckled, and I lowered my head. ¡°But what do I do now?¡± I asked as I stared at the swarm of baby bastion bees gathered around me. All of them were wide away now, especially after hearing Edlyn¡¯s scream. Unfortunately for me, Han had no answer in return. Chapter 210 Chapter 210 For now, I stepped out of the kitchen and let Edlyn return to continue cooking. She was both a better and far more efficient cook than me, so that was why I chose to excuse myself. Now, it might have seemed cruel for me to go and take a break while forcing my employee to take on my workload. However, not only did she actually enjoy cooking and trying out my unique recipes, but I also would have preferred to continue working in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I had a far more important task¡ª a far more boring task. And that was to lead the baby bastion bees out of the kitchen. Now, while they were bees¡ª so they didn¡¯t feast on anything besides pollen and honey¡ª they could still contaminate the food here. I didn¡¯t want that. But I also couldn¡¯t reallymunicate with the baby bastion bees as of right now. Because of that, I had no other choice. I had to step out of the kitchen through the window and hide myself in their small stone fortress of a hive. The baby bastion bees followed their queen, and their queen followed me. And I wanted to keep them all out of view from my customers. That was why I excused myself to a ce where nobody else could see me. When I stepped inside, I saw the twelve nursing bees flitting about as they made walls and walls of honebs. I waved at them, then took a seat on the ground. ¡°Hey, how are you doing?¡± I asked casually. The main nursing bee flitted down to meet me. She looked down at me, then she looked at the swarm of baby bastion bees apanying me. The new queen was still resting on my shoulder, cuddling up to my neck as she made soft buzzing noises. ¡°Bzzzt¡­ bzzzzzt¡­¡± I eyed the rxed expression she wore on her face, then I looked back up. The nursing bee gave me an apologetic look. I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said as I leant back against the rock wall. ¡°I just have to figure this out somehow.¡±I stared at the swarm of baby bastion bees. They buzzed cacophonously all around me, echoing in the small cave-like chamber. ¡°...yeah, I¡¯m not getting any ideas.¡± I sighed as I closed my eyes. I massaged my temples for a moment, trying to figure out a solution¡ª a way to resolve this problem. Because I couldn¡¯t just babysit the baby bastion bees forever. I had a job¡­ a life I needed to get back to. While I understood that this was the obligation I had undertaken when I said I¡¯d help look after the baby bastion bees, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be this much of a hassle. An idle thought crossed my mind. That perhaps I should just send them back to their mother. However, I quickly dismissed it. That would be too cruel. After all, the baby bastion bees saw me as their protector right now. In a sense, I was like their mother. ¡°Then what do I do?¡± I muttered under my breath. This was the most difficult challenge I had faced ever since arriving here in Vacuos. No matter how hard I tried to think things through, I came up with no way out of this problem other than waiting for the baby bastion bees to grow up. And that wasn¡¯t a real solution¡­ ¡°I¡ª¡± I opened my mouth to wonder aloud idly to myself. But then I felt some soft and thin brushing against my face. I looked back down as my eyes blinked open and saw the baby queen bastion bee touching me with her feelers. She looked at me with a face of concern, clearly sensing my distress. And she was trying tofort me. I pursed my lips as the baby queen bastion bee stared at me with round eyes. ¡°...you¡¯re really quite cute when you¡¯re not attacking me,¡± I said, before patting her head with a finger. She tilted her head back at me, then I turned back to face the rest of the swarm. I was definitely not going to send them back to their mother now. Even if this was a lot to work through and quite some stress for me, I was not going to just give up. I had to take things slowly with them, step by step, so for starters¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I looked at the baby queen bastion bee as she looked at me happily, d that I am calmer now. ¡°I guess I coulde up with a name for you while I¡¯m waiting here,¡± I said, returning the smile. ¡ª-- Edlyn stared at the sizzling pot as she stood alone in the kitchen of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Thest few days had been nice and rxing. She had been starting to limate to working here in this crazy ce. She had befriended Han, and she had actually been enjoying cooking and learning the strange recipes being served here. It reminded her of back before she became a [Royal Chef]. Before she had to deal with the glitz and m of the nobles of Astra Pce. And while Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant seemed to always be at max or near-max capacity, Edlyn actually enjoyed the rush of it all. It was a thrill she liked¡ª hands-on cooking, very different from being the head [Chef] of a kitchen. So her opinion of Amelia and this insane restaurant had started to change. Just like Han had told her it would. But then today came, and it had been a terrible day,pletely reshifting her opinion back to what it once was. First of all, the swarm of giant bees started to cling onto Amelia¡­ again. This time around, they weren¡¯t attacking her. Instead, they were just hovering around her¡ª which was also incredibly strange. However, as long as they didn¡¯t get too close to Edlyn, the [Royal Chef] didn¡¯t really pay it any mind. Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what happened. The baby bastion bees had been put to sleep, and they shouldn¡¯t have been able to bother Amelia for the rest of the day. Or so was said. Then they came bursting into the kitchen, which made Edlyn scream and run out of fear. She almost refused to return to the kitchen, even after Han tried to reassure her that everything was fine. Because this incident wasn¡¯t all that shook her. Edlyn remembered just moments before the baby bastion bees came swarming in. Amelia had threatened me, Edlyn thought as she closed her eyes. Han tried to tell the [Royal Chef] that that wasn¡¯t the case. But Edlyn was certain it was true. This had all just been an intimidation tactic by Amelia. First, she waved around a knife and spoke warningly¡ª she said words of affirmation, but her bodynguage said all that needed to be said. She wasn¡¯t happy with Edlyn¡¯s performance. Amelia was upset that Edlyn had started cking off. And then, to punctuate this point, Amelia had summoned the baby bastion bees in droves¡ª to show that everyone and everything in this restaurant fully obeyed her. So it wasn¡¯t even Han¡¯s words that convinced Edlyn to return to cooking. It was the clear and immediate threat Amelia had made to the [Royal Chef]. That was why Edlyn dragged her feet back into the kitchen, even if she wanted to flee from this farming town. ¡°If I escape, Amelia will find me,¡± Edlyn whispered as the pot began to froth at the edges. She stared nkly for a moment longer, then shook her head. ¡°I have to stay¡­ for the sake of the kingdom¡­¡± She tried to find the resolve to continue working here in Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. As she did that, she moved the pot away from the burning fire, then began chopping up more fruits and vegetables. But even as she mindlessly prepared dish after dish¡ª a normally therapeutic act for her¡ª no matter what Edlyn told herself, she could barely convince herself to stay here any longer. ¡°If even one more insane thing happened¡ª¡± she started. And then there was a sh of lighting from outside the window. Edlyn blinked, then paused what she was doing. She stared out the window, but saw nothing there. However, she was pretty sure the light came from the side of the window. So she had to poke her head out to see what it was. ¡°...do I even want to know what it was?¡± Edlyn asked herself hesitantly. In response, she heard a loud crash. The ground shook, knocking over tes and pans from the kitchen counter. Edlyn caught herself, then took in a deep breath. She heard muffled shouts and screamsing from outside as amotion grew in themon room. ¡°I have to check what it is,¡± she told herself as she walked up to the window. She heard even more loud voices from outside, then she poked her head out of the window. ¡°I have seen¡­ a lot since I¡¯ve arrived here. It can¡¯t be that bad¡ª¡± And Edlyn froze at what she saw. A massive crimson figure was lying in a crater right outside of the restaurant. A small crowd had gathered by its side, whispering and pointing at it. It was a figure that Edlyn had never seen before in her entire life. But she took one look at those massive wings and those glistening scales, and she knew what it was lying there in an instant. It was a Dragon. Edlyn closed her eyes as she processed that sight. And then she fainted. Chapter 211 Chapter 211 I heard the loud thud, and then a small tremor washed over the ground. The walls of the stone hive shook, sending the baby bastion bees into a frenzy. I looked up with a frown as I heard the muffled sound of amotion from the outside. There were a few shouts. A handful of screams. I couldn¡¯t make out what was being said, but it sounded like people were panicking about something. I nced back at the queen baby bastion bee and nodded. ¡°Stay here,¡± I said as I rose to my feet. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Somehow, she understood me. She flitted off my shoulder, waiting back at the hive with the rest of her colony. The twelve nursing bees rushed protectively to her side as they all watched me go. And I stepped out of the hive to the panicked screams of the people of Wolfwater and saw a familiar figure. A ratherrge figure. His golden scales were glinting under the sun, and hey slumped over at the bottom of arge crater like he had fallen from the sky. He was a dragon. Specifically, an Elder Dragon. And he was someone I knew. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun¡­? What is he doing here?¡± I asked the question as I made my way to the back of the small crowd gathered around him. They gave him a wide berth, standing a few feet away from the crater in fear. And that was just the onlookers who remained. Most had fled the scene at the sight of the dragon. Before I could approach him to question what was going on, a voice shouted over the crowd.¡°Everyone get back!¡± I nced to the side and saw a group of men armed with crossbows make their way to the crater. They immediately formed a perimeter around the crater, keeping the crowd from getting too close. I recognized the man leading them as he stepped to the front and produced a badge. He was Lucas, Wolfwater¡¯s highest-leveled [Hunter]. And he was dressed in a strange uniform like he was a guardsman. ¡°Who are you?¡± an onlooker asked, staring at the group of armed men in confusion. ¡°Town watch,¡± Lucas said with a nod. ¡°We¡¯ll handle this from here!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s¡­ a dragon,¡± someone else pointed out A susurration swept over the crowd at that. It was pretty clear from a first nce that the creature lying in the crater was a dragon. However, to have that be said out loud seemed to stir up all those who were gathered. But Lucas wasn¡¯t phased. He shook his head and began to usher the crowd away. ¡°We don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a dragon. Just because it looks like a dragon doesn¡¯t mean it is one. For all we know, it could be a wyvern. But what matters the most is that everybody here clears the scene and lets us handle it.¡± I watched as the crowd began to disperse because of the town guard. They cordoned off the area, and I was prepared to be chased away too. However, Lucas turned to me with a knowing smile. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition. ¡°Amelia,¡± he said as he nodded my way. ¡°I won¡¯t ask any questions. I¡¯ll just let you handle this when everyone¡¯s gone.¡± I blinked a few times back at him, realizing that he was trying to help me. ¡°Wait, how do you know that I have something to do with this?¡± ¡°I mean, do you?¡± Lucas asked, tilting his head at me. I nced between him and Grat-ra¡¯zun. For a moment, I just shifted where I stood as I pursed my lips. And finally, I replied with a sigh. ¡°¡­probably.¡± ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun had no other choice. He didn¡¯t want to turn to her for help, but there was nothing else that could be done. He had prepared a teleportation spell to seek her out if he discovered that Guardian Angel Z357 was truly dead. Which was an outrageous possibility in and of itself. After all, how could the protector of Vacuos, assigned by the World System itself, that had repelled the Void over ten thousand years ago, have been defeated by a mere [Hero King]? The Elder Dragon found out the answer to that question soon enough. Even though he had just been there to investigate, not yet even nning on engaging in battle, he had been found out. Kallistus Kal had discovered Grat-ra¡¯zun before the Elder Dragon could even react. And in only a short few seconds, he had been maimed. Badly injured. One of his wings had been ripped off, and he would have been killed if he hadn¡¯t teleported away. That was quite the stark differencepared to thest time he had battled the [Hero King]. Back then, Kallistus Kal had to send a handful of his servants to ambush the Elder Dragon. And only when Grat-ra¡¯zun was injured, did the [Hero King] join the battle. Even then, it had been a tough and close fight. Grat-ra¡¯zun ultimately lost because he had been outnumbered and hurt. But he knew that in a fair fight, he would have emerged victorious. And that was not him speaking because of his dragon¡¯s pride. It was a fact which even Kallistus Kal knew, which was why he resorted to such dirty tactics. Either way, that hadpletely changed now. The Elder Dragon had been forced to flee and seek out help from a human. And it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary human. It was the most frustrating human he had ever had to deal with. He had been forced to escape to a small farming town in search of Amelia. Grat-ra¡¯zun groaned as he cracked his eyes open. He dreaded what he was going to have to do to convince Amelia to hear him out, which was why he had refused to move, even as he heard the multitude of voices resound around him. Most of the gathered crowd had already dispersed at this point, and now, there were only two figures standing by the edge of the crater. The first was the very same person he had been searching for. Amelia had her arms folded across her chest as she wore an apron over her shirt. Next to her, stood a [Druid] who was gesturing exasperatedly down at the Elder Dragon. ¡°I just need you to do me this one favor, Dorien. Come on, after everything I¡¯ve done for you?¡± ¡°And I am telling you, Amelia, that I cannot heal a dragon.¡± The two of them seemed to be arguing over Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s current state. Certainly, the Elder Dragon was injured during his brief battle with Kallistus Kal. But the biggest blow he had received was to his pride. ¡°Do you at least know if he is dying¡ª¡± Amelia started. And Grat-ra¡¯zun sighed, finally rising to his feet. Both Amelia and Dorien blinked and looked down at the crater as soon as the Elder Dragon¡¯s figure shifted. Grat-ra¡¯zun grimaced, struggling to stand. However, he forced himself to stand tall. Even from the bottom of the crater, he towered over the humans, looking down at them as he straightened. The [Druid] snorted and turned to Amelia. ¡°Does that answer your question?¡± ¡°Well, yeah,¡± she replied as she scratched the back of her head. She looked back to the Elder Dragon and raised her brow. ¡°So, uh, Grat-ra¡¯zun¡­ what brings you here to Wolfwater?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun nced between the two humans. He was bleeding and hurt. One of his wings was missing. And he was certain he couldn¡¯t heal from his wounds without receiving special treatment, just like thest time he had been injured in battle to the [Hero King]. However, nothing pained him more than what he was about to say here. ¡°Amelia of Earth¡ª I havee here seeking your help.¡± And Amelia closed her eyes. ¡°...of course you are.¡± Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Grat-ra¡¯zun knew that talking to Amelia was going to be difficult. He had experienced dealing with her before. She had quite literally stormed hisir, destroyed all his traps, and made him beg for his life¡ª all because of a misunderstanding. So when he sought her out, he had anticipated the problems that were going to arise. Especially since he knew how brusque she could be. That was why he had gone over the various ways this conversation with her could go. And he had prepared a surefire speech to convince her to help him. The Elder Dragon straightened as Amelia tilted her head. ¡°Your life is in danger, Amelia of Earth,¡± he started as he held her gaze. ¡°And so is the lives of every single person living in Vacuos. This is an existential threat. An apocalypse in the making. You must understand, but¡ª¡± ¡°Is this about the Void?¡± Amelia asked, cutting him off. And the Elder Dragon blinked, taken aback. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised, considering what she had shown him back in hisir. He remembered that moment so vividly. After all, she had¡­ Amelia had ripped a hole in space. She created a rift that peered into the Void. And when she did that, she imed to have destroyed an entity called the Voidgod. That had baffled Grat-ra¡¯zun. Not only had a human survived in the Void, but she had thrived within it. So it was expected that she had an inkling of an idea as to what the Elder Dragon was talking about. He had anticipated her to know what was going on to a certain extent. But it was the casual way which she broached the subject matter which had confuddled him. Still, he had readied himself to adapt to her odd personality. So he swiftly moved on to the next subject. ¡°While I understand you do not perceive the Void as an existential threat,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said, nodding his head. ¡°It has exceeded danger levels ever before seen in this world. Even Guardian Angel¡ª¡± ¡°Z is dead, yeah,¡± Amelia said, crossing her arms. ¡°I know that too.¡± And once again, the Elder Dragon paused. He stared at her for a moment. ¡°How do you know¡­? Nevermind.¡± He shook his head as she gave him a t stare and said, ¡°Look, I feel bad for Z, but he was just doing his duty. It¡¯s not my responsibility to fix his failures. Just because he didn¡¯t seed, doesn¡¯t mean I have to pick up where he left off.¡± Amelia spoke dismissively, and the Elder Dragon just stared. The [Druid] nced between the two of them, clearly not understanding what was going on. Grat-ra¡¯zun tried to take a step forward, but grimaced in pain. ¡°Amelia of Earth, this threat of the Void goes beyond endangering Vacuos. I understand that you hold no connection to the people of this world¡ª¡± ¡°Actually,¡± she interrupted him again, ¡°I have quite a lot of friends I do care about. And can you please stop calling me that?¡± The Elder Dragon blinked a few times. Everything he said, she always seemed to have a counter. How was he going to convince her to listen to him? He gritted his teeth as he tried to remain on his feet. ¡°...very well,¡± he sighed as he shook his head. ¡°But I must insist that you still hear me out, Amelia.¡± Amelia looked him up and down, seeing the resolve on his face. She closed her eyes, before she took a step back. ¡°Fine,¡± she said as she massaged her temples. ¡°But can we have this conversation somewhere else? Because I don¡¯t feelfortable talking about all this out here in public.¡± She gestured at their surroundings. Grat-ra¡¯zun looked up. While the previously gathered crowd had mostly been dispersed, and a perimeter of guards had formed around the area, the Elder Dragon was not a tiny figure. Even from the bottom of the crater, just by standing up straight, he towered over this farming vige. Stolen story; please report. Everyone within a mile from the crater could see his head poking up to the sky from inside their houses. Grat-ra¡¯zun nodded as he looked back down at the brown-haired human. ¡°Where do you propose we move this conversation to, Amelia?¡± he asked curiously. And she gestured at the building right next to them. ¡°We can talk in Bucky¡¯s Out Of this World Restaurant¡ª my restaurant.¡± ¡°Wait, you have a restaurant now?¡± The Elder Dragon frowned as he stared at the small building. ¡°...and how do you expect me to fit in there?¡± ¡°I dunno. Use your magic or something,¡± she replied tly. ¡ª-- As expected, an Elder Dragon¡¯s magic allowed him to manipte the fabric of space so that the dining hall grew in size tenfold to fit him within. From the outside, it looked like nothing had changed. But upon stepping into the room, the ceiling would seemingly rise up over a hundred feet, and the walls would recede back even further. Now, my restaurant looked like it could seat hundreds of customers inside. If I had to guess, it had enough space for about five hundred customers before it reached max capacity. But perhaps that might have been too cramped. I¡¯d have to take some measurementster. Even though the room was significantlyrger, Grat-ra¡¯zun still barely fit inside of it. He had to curl up into a ball to avoid hitting both the ceiling and the walls. Most of the customers had vacated earlier when he came crashing down from the sky. Those who remained, I offered a refund and politely asked them to leave, so that I could have some privacy. ¡°Hmph, I do not specialize in spatial magic,¡± the Elder Dragon huffed as he looked at the walls of the room. ¡°Perhaps if given more time, I could erge the room even further. But this will make due for now.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re any good at wood magic, could you do me a favor and make some extra tables and chairs for me too?¡± I said as I gestured at all the empty space. ¡°Just a few dozen works for now.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun gave me a sidelong nce, then scoffed and conjured up a handful of identical tables and chairs to the ones I currently had. He gave me an exasperated look as he met my gaze. ¡°Are you satisfied, Amelia?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± I said as I ced a hand on my chin. ¡°Maybe if you create a few more tables and chairs, and maybe give refurbish their design¡ª¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯m d to hear you are satisfied,¡± the Elder Dragon said, cutting me off. I stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Well, it was worth trying. So, what do you want me to do?¡± I asked as I leant back in a chair. Grat-ra¡¯zun sat across from me. But the table was so smallpared to his size, he was practically up in front of my face. He closed his eyes as he heard my question. ¡°It is not such a simple matter that I can answer your question with a single statement, Amelia.¡± ¡°I feel like by that you mean you don¡¯t think you can convince me to help you with a single statement,¡± I said as I raised a brow. ¡°That is also true,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun sighed. ¡°However, this issue isplex. For you see, while it involves the problem of the Void¡ª¡± ¡°Which I¡¯ve already dealt with once before, by the way,¡± I interjected, before pausing. I nced over my shoulder and saw Arthur, the former Lich King and former Vessel of the Voidgod, standing at the bar, looking wide-eyed at the Elder Dragon standing in the room. ¡°Actually, twice now.¡± And the Elder Dragon nodded. ¡°Indeed, and I appreciate your efforts. But it is exactly your past aplishments that led me here to you. For you are the only one who is capable of stopping what is toe.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I asked as I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Because the threat the Void poses to Vacuos today far surpasses the threat it posed even in the past. Ten thousand years ago, when rifts were opening across the world, spilling out with creatures that had never been seen before, Guardian Angel Z357 descended from the heavens and vanquished this threat to our existence. But now, he had been in. That is the gravity of the threat that we face here today, Amelia.¡± I shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°The World System sent down Z because of the Void, so it could send down another two or three of him at any point in time, can¡¯t it? Why must I be involved in this mess?¡± ¡°Because even if an Archangel is sent down by the World System, I do not know if they will be strong enough to put a halt to this threat.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun shook his head as he looked at me gravely. ¡°Not when this threat stems from only a single individual, and his power has grown exponentially over thest few months.¡± ¡°Oh? And who is this guy that¡¯s endangering Vacuos?¡± I asked as I peered at the Elder Dragon curiously. We locked eyes, and he lowered his head. His body seemed to tremble as his mouth moved. ¡°It is the [Hero King] Kallistus kal, Amelia,¡± he said softly. ¡°And he is after your life.¡± Chapter 213 Chapter 213 ¡°It is the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal, Amelia. And he is after your life.¡± The dragon¡¯s words echoed in the magically expandedmon room of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Arthur¡¯s brows snapped together when he heard what was said. The former Lich King was not well-versed with much of the political climate of the Laxo of today. The continent had changed by a substantial amount since he hadst walked this earth ten thousand years ago. But as a bartender, he overheard quite a lot of conversations between chatty merchants or tired adventurers. A few things of note that had changed was how there was no longer a Church of the World System. There was no central authority that proimed the gospels of the Angels or spread the various ss paths that could be chosen. Certainly, the Adventurer¡¯s Guildid out a handful of beginner guides on how to progress as a [Warrior] or a [Mage], and there were also a few manuals or encyclopedias written out there, but there was nothing as in-depth as what Arthur had studied back when he was a [Priest]. There were also a few monasteries and temples out there, however most of them were unrted to each other. Stand-alone ces of worship run by a single [Abbot] or a group of [Priests]. But the most peculiar thing he had learned was just how unified the continent waspared to before. While Arthur had managed to bring together most of Laxo info an alliance to defeat him, they had all been under dozens of different banners. After all, this was shortly after the fall of the Grand Nova Empire, so humankind was still basking in its newfound freedom. Meanwhile, in the present day, there were only two real nations that ruled Laxo. The first was the Astrad Kingdom which epassed about a third of the continent, and the second was the Kingdom of Kal which had conquered over half of the continent. And it was the Kingdom of Kal which the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal ruled. The very same one who was after Amelia¡¯s life. That piqued a lot of questions in Arthur¡¯s mind. For example, why was the [Hero King] after Amelia? But that wasn¡¯t even that important of a question, to Arthur.More importantly, he wondered how was Kallistus Kal supposed to be rted to the Void. Arthur knew he was not supposed to eavesdrop into this conversation. But he needed to know more. After all, if this was true, then why was the [Hero King] even affiliated with the Void? It didn¡¯t make sense to Arthur in a variety of different ways. First of all, [Heroes] were specifically chosen by the World System to carry out good. They were like [Pdins] or the like. Arthur knew just how morally righteous [Heroes] could be. After all, he had been defeated by one ten thousand years ago. But that wasn¡¯t just it. Ignoring the World System¡¯s bearings into the requirements to be a [Hero], Kallistus Kal was also said to be an otherworlder. He was someone who had been brought into Vacuos from another world. Why would he have any reason to side with the Void? It puzzled Arthur. Even more so than the fact that Kallistus Kal seemingly wanted Amelia dead. That wasn¡¯t nearly as confusing to the former Lich King. Amelia was a cause of many problems. It was expected that she would make enemies here and there. And whether or not it was true, the dragon used this fact to appeal to Amelia¡¯s emotions. To plead for her help. To get her to stop the Void. ¡°The [Hero King] is after your life, Amelia,¡± he said as he held the brown-haired woman¡¯s gaze. ¡°And if he isn¡¯t stopped, this life of yours that you have built¡ª everything all around you¡ª it may all be destroyed.¡± She went silent as she heard the dragon¡¯s words. For the first time since Arthur had met her, she looked contemtive. Her gaze darkened, and she lowered her head. This book''s true home is on another tform. Check it out there for the real experience. The Elder Dragon continued as his booming voice shook the room. ¡°I understand you are tired of fighting. You made as much clear to me when we first met. However, your life will be filled with even more battles that you do not want if you do not do something about the [Hero King].¡± Arthur chewed his lips, hearing this speech. He wondered what could have happened to lead a [Hero] down such a path. All he could think of when he heard of a [Hero] was a face that was burned into his memory, even from his past life as the Lich King. The great [Hero] Leon. Such a valiant man. A kind man. Someone who embodied everything that it meant to be a [Hero]. Meanwhile, Kallistus Kal had somehow¡­ be like Arthur. What went wrong? ¡°In time, he will be a vessel that can hold even the Fal-Deus,¡± the dragon continued in a low voice. ¡°When that happens, even all the Archangels of the heavens will not be able to stop him. And he wille after your head first and foremost.¡± Arthur¡¯s head reeled as he heard the dragon¡¯s speech. His heart ached, but he didn¡¯t understand why he felt this way. All he knew was that he felt like that something needed to be done. It touched the former Lich King. It reached for something within him, calling him to take action. Even though it wasn¡¯t directed his way. Meanwhile, as for how it affected Amelia? The Elder Dragon finished, ¡°That is why you must act now. That is why you must face him. That is why you must stop this resurgence of the Void.¡± And the brown-haired woman fell silent. She sat before the loomed shadow of the dragon, before she closed her eyes. Lowering her head, she shifted ufortably in her seat ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all nice and all¡­¡± Amelia said as she scratched the back of her head. ¡°But I already knew all that.¡± And the Elder Dragon just blinked. ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun went on a long rant telling me about how the [Hero King] was after me. And certainly, while I admired his effort in trying to convince me to do something about the war and the Void¡­ it was all for naught. After all, he didn¡¯t tell me anything I didn¡¯t already know. ¡°Kallistus Kal is after your life, Amelia!¡± the Elder Dragon eximed, rising above me with round eyes. ¡°You do not understand¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, I do understand,¡± I said in response as I raised a finger. ¡°I¡¯ve already been told this¡­ twice.¡± ¡°Twice?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun paused. ¡°But who could¡¯ve¡­?¡± ¡°Here is your tea, Ms Amelia,¡± a voice piped up from the side, cutting off the Elder Dragon. I turned to face the man standing next to the table. He was dressed like a butler in a fully-tailored suit, and he carried a tray with some biscuits and a teapot. He had pointed ears, green hair, along with a calm face,pletely unperturbed by the hulking dragon standing next to him. ¡°Thank you, Jax,¡± I said with a smile, and he set down the drinks and snacks. ¡°Indeed, thank you, Jax¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun nodded politely, then paused. His eyes snapped wide open as he stared at the Forsaken Archer. ¡°Wait¡­ Jax the Forsaken Archer? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I apologize, Mr Grat-ra¡¯zun, but I do not understand your question,¡± Jax replied formally as he adjusted his tie. ¡°I believe you were the one who told me to seek her out a few months ago.¡± The Elder Dragon blinked a few times. ¡°That¡­ that I did. But I didn¡¯t think you found her because you never returned. However, that doesn¡¯t exin anything. Why are you dressed like this? Why are you working here?¡± And Jax paused. His eyes flickered towards me, before he cleared his throat. ¡°Ms Amelia is paying me in duels to work here,¡± the elf said with a smug look on his face. ¡°One duel a month. A fair wage, I would say.¡± ¡°¡­I wouldn¡¯t really call it fair, but sure,¡± I muttered from the side. ¡°Anyways, Jax did a good job. He did find me. And he did warn me about the [Hero King]. But he wasn¡¯t the only one. A friend of mine back in Windrip told me the exact same thing.¡± ¡°And yet, you¡¯re doing nothing,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said, uprehending. ¡°No,¡± I corrected him, crossing my arms as I leant back in my seat. ¡°Kallistus Kal has done nothing to me. He hasn¡¯t even tried toe after me like you guys keep saying. So, if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m starting to doubt the validity of this whole story.¡± The Elder Dragon drew back, sputtering in shock. ¡°Are you using me of lying?¡± ¡°Look, I am not using you of intentionally lying. But, for the sake of argument, let¡¯s assume you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± I shook my head as I sat up in my seat. I locked eyes with the Elder Dragon, and I asked the simple question I asked Noele before, ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± And Grat-ra¡¯zun couldn¡¯t offer me a quick response. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 It was a simple question. So it seemed like there would be a simple answer to it. And yet, whenever I was given an answer, I could peel back theyers to reveal theplexity of my predicament. Because it was not so simple of an issue to unfurl. Still, I asked my question, and I waited for my answer. ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± I asked the Elder Dragon as I crossed my arms across my chest. ¡°Like, do you want me to go over to his pce or whatever with no questions asked and stab him in the chest?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked a few times, hearing my question. The scales on his face scrunched up like they were growing wrinkles, and he tapped a wed finger on his chin, pondering over what I had asked. After a few moments passed, he finally looked like he knew what to say. Lowering his head, he spoke dismissively, ¡°I believe you will need to stab the [Hero King] in the chest a few dozen times to defeat him. But yes, that is what you should do.¡± ¡°Alright, first of all, let¡¯s assume you are not lying to me. Let¡¯s assume Kallistus Kal is actually after my life.¡± I took in a deep breath as I shook my head. I gestured emphatically in the vague direction of the Kingdom of Kal. ¡°If I go there and kill him, then what happens next?¡± And now it was time for my follow-up question. It was one I had asked Noele once before. It was the same question that I had constantly asked in response to being bossed around and told to do something for someone all the time. Everyone demanded my action. They wanted my power for a short-term gain. However, no one wanted to deal with the consequences. No one considered who bore responsibility if something went wrong. ¡°What do you mean what happens next?¡± the Elder Dragon asked quizzically. He almost seemed to snort as he leant back. ¡°Kallistus Kal would be dead, and the Void will no longer have a vessel. When that happens, the world will be saved. All will be well.¡±¡°And I¡¯d be responsible for the fallout thates with the [Hero King]¡¯s death,¡± I continued, answering my own question. Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked in response. ¡°The fallout?¡± I sighed, closing my eyes. ¡°When a king dies, his kingdom will be left in shambles. Whether hisnds will fracture and erupt into a civil war resulting in the death of millions, or whether a new and more evil dictator seized control, I do not know. All I know is that I have to bear the responsibility of that. I can¡¯t just walk away once he is dead, if I were the one to kill him.¡± Upon hearing what I said, the Elder Dragon¡¯s brows snapped together. He huffed as he waved a wed hand off. ¡°That is a ridiculous train of thought,¡± he said as he rolled his eyes. ¡°You are assuming an oue that hasn¡¯t happened yet will happen. You cannot use that logic to justify your inaction.¡± ¡°Then in that same vein, you¡¯re assuming that no one will save the world if not for me, which may not be true,¡± I countered. ¡°And if that were the case, why can¡¯t I just wait around for someone¡ª maybe a few Angels toe down from the heavens¡ª to stop the [Hero King]?¡± There was a pause. Grat-ra¡¯zun frowned as he stared down at me. But I wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°Also, what happens if the Void just picks a new vessel for its will once Kallistus Kal is dead?¡± I asked simply. ¡°That¡¯s already happened before. And I am sure it has happened plenty of times¡ª will continue to happen plenty of times.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I nced back at Arthur who was still waiting by the bar. He flinched when he caught my gaze. I wasn¡¯t giving him an using look, and I certainly wasn¡¯t going to expose him to the Elder Dragon. I didn¡¯t know what Grat-ra¡¯zun would do to my bartender if it was discovered that I had hired the former Lich King and Vessel of the Voidgod to work for me. I turned away from Arthur as I waited expectantly. The Elder Dragon heard my words and considered them for a moment. Eventually, he shook his head. ¡°But nothing that you said discounts the good effected into this world by stopping the [Hero King] right now.¡± ¡°And what makes you think my actions are dictated based on what is morally right?¡± I asked, raising a brow. There was no hesitation between when he finished, and when I spoke up. And that made the Elder Dragon re at me with an overwhelming gaze. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you saying that you are evil?¡± he asked, huffing out a plume of smoke from his nostrils. He was getting frustrated by this conversation, I could tell. Jax, who was still standing by the side of the table, nced between the dragon and I. The elf slowly backed away, taking his leave from this conversation. Grat-ra¡¯zun clenched his teeth as I leant back and exined my reasoning casually. ¡°My actions are dictated only by my desires. The only good I care about is the goodness of my heart. And the goodness of my heart says I don¡¯t need to do anything about the [Hero King] just yet.¡± ¡°That is¡­ an incredibly narcissistic worldview,¡± the Elder Dragon said with wide eyes. ¡°So are you saying you do not care if the world is destroyed?¡± ¡°I do, quite evidently,¡± I snorted. ¡°That is why I said I¡¯d do something about the [Hero King] if there were no other choices left.¡± ¡°And what about the thousands who are suffering because of him now?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°Do you not care about their pain? Do you not care about what they are going through?¡± ¡°I feel terrible for them. It¡¯s definitely a shitty situation. And I would dly save them if you can answer this simple question for me¡ª¡± I leaned forward as my eyes glinted. ¡°Why should I save them first, before I save the thousands of those who are suffering in Drazyl? Or what about those suffering in Alius? And what about those suffering in Mare? If you can give me a valid reason as to why I should go and help those affected by the [Hero King] first and foremost, then I will take action right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± the Elder Dragon trailed off. But I didn¡¯t stop there. I folded my arms across my chest, continuing simply. ¡°And that still doesn¡¯t address my main point: what happens to the Kingdom of Kal after the [Hero King] is gone? If millions more die because of its copse, then I will be at fault. All are you going to absolve me of all me for those deaths?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun ground his teeth together, hearing what I had to say. ¡°I have heard of such moral quandaries before. I have debated many such philosophers in the Grand Nova Empire about such matters during my time. They have always posited such scenarios and hypotheticals to excuse their inaction. So I will tell you what I told them back then.¡± ¡°And what is it?¡± I asked, looking back at him curiously. He was definitely referencing the trolley problem¡ª or at the very least, this world¡¯s equivalent to the trolley problem. And while some of the issues I had posited was certainlyparable to the trolley problem, not all of them were applicable either. Still, I wanted to hear what Grat-ra¡¯zun had to say. So I leaned forward curiously as his jaws moved. ¡°That you are simply a coward,¡± the Elder Dragon snapped. He rose to his feet, his single wing pressing back against the expanded walls of the restaurant. His head touched the ceiling, and he paused for just a moment. The wooden nks creaked, stressed by the pressure he exerted against them. ¡°Talk will lead to nothing. It is only action that saves lives. And if you are so worried about someone taking responsibility for those who live in the Kingdom of Kal¡­¡± The Elder Dragon took in a deep breath, then pointed back at himself. ¡°Let me be the one to rule over them once Kallistus Kal has passed.¡± And my eyes flickered when he said that. I raised my head fractionally, piqued by what he said. He loomed over me threateningly as his eyes seemed to ze, glowing in the shadow of his gaze. ¡°But think about this carefully,¡± the Elder Dragon said, making his ultimatum clear. ¡°For I am giving you onest chance to do good, Amelia. To save the world.¡± Chapter 215 Chapter 215 ¡°But think about this carefully¡ª for I am giving you onest chance to do good, Amelia. To save the world.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun finished as his gaze bore into me. I heard him out. I listened to everything he had to say. And I could tell that this was an ultimatum. To him, this was the end of the discussion. To him, there was nothing else I could say in response. Either I made the right choice and saved the world, or I forsook everything. This was¡­ a ridiculous ultimatum, to me. I didn¡¯t understand why it had to be one or the other. I had already exined to the Elder Dragon that I was willing to intervene if things got out of hand. But I wasn¡¯t going to intervene now. And while Grat-ra¡¯zun thought it was morally irresponsible for me to do nothing, I felt like it would be even more irresponsible for me to act thoughtlessly and adhere to my fleeting feelings. If I did that, with the strength I held, I could reshape all of Vacuos in a moment, and whatever oue that emerged wasn¡¯t necessarily going to be for the greater good, even if my intentions had been pure. So while the conversation was closed and shut to him, to me, it was only just starting. After all¡ª ¡°You say that you¡¯ll take responsibility over the Kingdom of Kal for me. But what happens if you¡¯re a shit ruler?¡± I asked, refusing to back down. Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked. He was taken aback by that. Not just by the fact that I could even repudiate what he said, but also by my usation towards him. If anything, he had expected his plea to my emotions to work. But it failed, and I had turned it around back onto him. I crossed my arms across my chest as he stared at me quizzically. ¡°No offense,¡± I continued as I looked him up and down. ¡°But I know nothing about your qualifications as a leader. And to make matters worse, you¡¯ve been asleep for a long time. That isn¡¯t really what anyone would want from a king.¡± He huffed as he drew back, affronted. ¡°Do not cast aspersions against my good name. I will have you know that I was one of the Great Sages of the Grand Nova Empire. That meant I was one of the foremost and most trusted advisors to the Grand Elder Dragon Arrak¡¯tun.¡± I looked at the way he spoke proudly of himself. He raised his head slightly, looking like he was lost in his memories. I just sighed. ¡°And then you went to sleep for a few thousand years. Now where is the Grand Nova Empire?¡± I asked tly. That made Grat-ra¡¯zun pause. His brows snapped together as he red down at me. His mouth moved, but I spoke over him. ¡°Also, aren¡¯t you being a bit of a hypocrite right now?¡± I pointed out as I raised a brow at him. ¡°Here you are, criticizing me for my inaction. But you were literally sleeping when everything from the [Hero King] to the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns started to y out. So don¡¯t lecture me about saving the world. Unlike you, I already did my duty. I just want to rx now.¡± The Elder Dragon blinked a few times. He clearly didn¡¯t expect this response from me. It wasn¡¯t like he was stunned into silence by what I had to say. Rather, it was more like he had too many things he wanted to say, he didn¡¯t know which to start with. Finally, he blurted out, ¡°First of all, I was not asleep for a few thousand years. I periodically woke up to deal with any threats or participate in various societal customs¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Look, that¡¯s not my point,¡± I said as I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I was poking holes in your argument to prove that we can go about this for hours.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun frowned, his gaze peering into me. ¡°That I¡¯m not going to budge,¡± I finished. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of an ultimatum he gave me. My decision was final. Unless he said something that made the issue far more pressing and threatening than it currently was. Like when the Void-possessed Lich King had nearly blown up the entire. And considering that I didn¡¯t sense anything from anyone across all the continents with enough power to do that, I was still going to sit out of this mess. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to act,¡± the Elder Dragon said. ¡°Even if inaction is the morally wrong thing to do.¡± ¡°Well, that is debatable.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°But even if it¡¯s true, I have always said I¡¯m a pretty shit hero. That is why I turned down the [Hero] ss that the System or whatever offered me.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard that. ¡°Did you not say that the World System refused to give you a ss?¡± I tilted my head back as I pursed my lips. ¡°Right, I did lie about that. Sorry, but that¡¯s not true. I was offered a ss. A single ss. Just the [Hero] ss.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡± he asked as he stared at me. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said with a nod. I recalled the reason why I had initially sought out the Elder Dragon all those months ago. Right after I had firste to Vacuos. There had been a lot of things I was uncertain about, so I had kept a lot of my secrets close to my chest. And I didn¡¯t know how he would have reacted if he knew I was given a [Hero] ss but chose to reject it. Which was why I told him a half-truth. That I couldn¡¯t gain any ss. Which was true in the sense that I couldn¡¯t gain any ss that wasn¡¯t the [Hero] ss for whatever reason. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t offered any other ss ever,¡± I continued as I held the dragon¡¯s gaze. ¡°No matter what requirement I fulfilled. Even until now, the System refuses to ept me.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun raised his head as he heard what I had to say. He spoke softly to himself, his eyes fluttered shut. ¡°The [Hero] ss is only offered to those who are deserving of being called a [Hero]. Those who have aplished great feats and carried out acts of bravery. Those who have demonstrated heroism without fail.¡± ¡°And I do not embody any of those principles or values,¡± I said as I gestured at myself. ¡°Look at me, I am a coward orzy or whatever, right?¡± ¡°Then if it does not befit you,¡±¡ª the Elder Dragon shook his head¡ª ¡°then the World System deemed it necessary.¡± ¡°Deemed it necessary?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun sighed. He rubbed his temples as he leant back. ¡°It means the situation is more dire than I thought. It means that you need to take action, even if you do not want to.¡± He looked tired. Unlike before, where he tried to make himself look intimidating to me, I could clearly see the wrinkles on his scales. The exhaustion in his eyes. He looked defeated. Even though I hadn¡¯t even given him another verbal riposte to his arguments. It was like he realized something that I hadn¡¯t. And that realization drained him. It made him lower himself as he closed his eyes. ¡°It means that even if you are unfit to be called a hero, Amelia, that fact does not matter to the World System.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± I asked with a raised brow. ¡°Why does that even matter?¡± ¡°Because the World System is all-knowing,¡± the Elder Dragon said as he looked up to the ceiling. Like he was staring at the sky. ¡°The World System is all-present, and it is all-seeing. So it has already made this determination long ago.¡± Now, I was starting to get confused. I ced my hands on my hips as I stared at Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s less-imposing figure than before. ¡°What determination? What are you talking about? Exin.¡± ¡°What I am saying, Amelia, is that the World System has already foreseen these events with the [Hero King]. And that is why it offered you the [Hero] ss long before everything has yed out. Because it already knew the oue. It already knew what was going to happen. It already knew the end result.¡± The Elder Dragon spoke as his voice echoed throughout the magically-expanded chamber. Behind his bar, Arthur raised his head curiously, and Jax looked up from the kitchen. I narrowed my eyes as I waited for the answer. ¡°And what is going to happen?¡± I asked. And Grat-ra¡¯zun finished, ¡°The World System is not offering you the ss of a [Hero], but rather it is telling you that you are the only one in all of Vacuos who can take up the mantle of a hero¡ª that you are the only one who will be able to stop what is toe. That you are the only one who can save the world.¡± Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Arthur continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. Although, at this point, neither Amelia nor Grat-ra¡¯zun were trying that hard to hide the contents of their discussion. It was starting to get heated, with the former asionally raising his voice at the stubbornness of thetter. Having worked for Amelia for a while now, Arthur knew just how frustrating his boss could be. She was blunt, and when she made up her mind, she usually stuck to her decision. He was used to this behavior. However, he could also understand why Grat-ra¡¯zun was getting upset by it. After all, as an Elder Dragon, Grat-ra¡¯zun very likely never had any difficulty with getting anything he wanted. Most people¡ª be it humans or elves or even merfolk¡ª would naturally listen to him and his authority. Even today. No¡ª especially today. There might have been more animosity held towards dragons in the past due to the Grand Nova Empire. But now that dragons had be a rarity, they were looked back at more fondly than ever. So Grat-ra¡¯zun was likely ustomed to both the respect he had been treated with back during the height of the Grand Nova Empire, and the reverence he was treated with today. And to have someone like Amelia who was not only unintimidated by his power, but also apathetic to his status¡­ with all these factorsbined, it must have been incredibly infuriating. And that was before even considering the legitimacy of his arguments. While Arthur could certainly see where Amelia wasing from, he was still won over by what the Elder Dragon was saying. The logic made sense¡ª to a certain extent. The world was in danger, and it was up to Amelia to step up and save the day. Perhaps Arthur felt the urgency of this situation because of his experience as a former vessel of the Void. He had seen the depths of the evil within the Fal-Deus, and he knew that it would not stop until all of Vacuos was destroyed. So he wanted Amelia to intervene. He knew only Amelia could stop what was toe. And even Grat-ra¡¯zun wasing to that realization too now.¡°...you are the only one who can save the world.¡± The Elder Dragon whispered as Arthur closed his eyes. ¡°¡­or is she really the only one who could do anything?¡± the former Lich King asked himself that question as the conversation continued. ¡°Can I really not do something as well?¡± It was a question Arthur whispered to no one else. But even as he stood there lost in thought, hearing the continued discussion between Amelia and Grat-ra¡¯zun grow muffled, he heard an answer. An answer that he reached himself. That something could be done. That something had to be done. And his eyes flickered with electricity as he raised his head, knowing¡­ That he had the power to get something done. ¡ª-- I wanted to scoff when I heard what the Elder Dragon said. It was ridiculous. It was borderline fanatical dogma. No¡ª it was fanatical dogma. Grat-ra¡¯zun was no longer appealing to my emotions. He was no longer appealing to my pity. He wasn¡¯t even trying to argue logically against me any longer. Instead, he was appealing to authority. And what authority was he appealing to? The System. The World System. That which was supposedly the God of Vacuos. ¡°It has already been decreed by the World System as soon as you stepped foot into Vacuos,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said in a low voice. ¡°You are meant to be a [Hero], not because of any heroic qualities you exhibit, for you exhibit none¡ª¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I snorted at his remark. But he continued uncaringly. ¡°Rather, it is because you are the only one who has the power to stop what is toe. That is why you have been chosen to be a [Hero]. For you are the only one who is worthy.¡± ¡°...I see,¡± I said tly as he finished. He wore a serious look on his face. A grave expression that was wrinkled with worry for the future that was toe. It was a stark difference to what he looked like before, which had been a blend of frustration and desperation. Now, there was an air of eptance around him. Like he finally understood the situation. Even though I was still dubious and slightly confused. ¡°Look, the System may be your god, but it¡¯s certainly not mine.¡± I shook my head at the Elder Dragon. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it thinks that I¡¯m supposed to be the hero of this world. I will not intervene¡ª¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Unless absolutely necessary,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said knowingly. ¡°Indeed, and that means you will have to intervene. For it will be a necessity.¡± I blinked, then pursed my lips at that. The Elder Dragon bowed his head. ¡°I understand that you refuse to interfere for there will be consequences you do not wish to bear. However, your role in this story is already concluded. While I will still urge you to take action sooner thanter, it does not change the oue.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I shifted back when I heard his words. ¡°You¡¯re acting like this is all part of some prophetic destiny. That no one else can do a thing about the [Hero King]. But there are plenty of others out there who can stop him.¡± ¡°They will certainly try, however it will all prove fruitless in the end,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said simply as he drew back from me. I narrowed my eyes, watching him raise a wed hand to the ceiling. A spell circle shed there, and a portal opened up. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked with a frown. ¡°I shall rest and recover,¡± he answered, ncing my way. ¡°While I wish I could have convinced you to take immediate action, I have realized that I was wrong. I thought that there woulde a time when [Hero King] bes too powerful for you to ovee. However, the World System has already made the determination that such an oue shall note to fruition.¡± ¡°And why not? Because I have the power to stop it, so I will stop it?¡± I said, practically ring at the Elder Dragon. He looked back up at the portal, then shrugged. ¡°Whether or not you will take action¡ª I can only have faith. Faith in your words that you will act before it is toote, and faith that you have the strength the World System sees in you. Certainly, you have survived the full wrath of the Void before, but I can only pray that the rest of Vacuos shall survive this incursion with your help.¡± I blinked, then watched as he raised his single wing and flew up into the portal. I wanted to say something. I wanted to argue against his ridiculous statements. However, he was gone. The portal closed, and I had to bite my mouth shut. ¡°And he leaves, just like that¡­¡± I muttered under my breath. I stared at the magically-expanded ceiling. The Elder Dragon was gone. After a lengthy discussion, he came to a realization of his own. He didn¡¯t understand my perspective, however, he thought he saw something I couldn¡¯t. That the System or whatever saw something in my future. And while I was d that Grat-ra¡¯zun was no longer pestering me to take action, I was still unsettled by what he said. Because he was essentially saying that I was never going to be able to fully live this ordinary and peaceful life I sought. He was saying that I was always going to have to be a hero. No matter what. It unsettled me. Not because I thought what he was saying was true. Was it true? Maybe, or maybe not. I didn¡¯t know. But what I knew was that he was right about one thing¡ª that I was strong. And this was a fact from my world. That great power came with great responsibility. So even if I tried to distance myself from being a hero, I was always going to have a degree of responsibility over the fate of the world, because of my strength. I had always known this. But that was also why I wanted this world to grow its own heroes. So that my degree of responsibility could decrease eventually. However, being reminded about this fact by Grat-ra¡¯zun right now, when I had just been enjoying my time here in my restaurant¡­ it was vexing. I sighed as I swept my gaze around the vast room of my restaurant. ¡°At least his magic is still working,¡± I said, trying to look at the bright side. ¡°Now I¡¯ll be able to host more customers.¡± I rose to my feet as I began to start back towards the kitchen. Arthur was no longer standing at the bar. He must have disappeared to his room while waiting for the conversation to end. I opened my mouth to call out for Jax to clean up the mess Grat-ra¡¯zun left behind, but then the front door swung open, I paused, craning my neck to face a man as he exploded into the room. It took me a moment, but I recognized him. I saw the sses on his face, and I saw his ck hair. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat. He even bore some cuts and injuries from his travels. But I knew who he was. I remembered his name. I remembered his face. After all, he was one of the very first people I had met when I arrived in Vacuos. A [Receptionist] at Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and a rather grouchy young man. ¡°Justyn?¡± I stared at him in shock. ¡°Amelia¡ª listen to me!¡± he eximed, stumbling forward. He knocked over a handful of tables and chair as he rushed to my side, panting in a panic. He dropped to his knees right before me. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Are you alright? Do you need my help? Justyn shook his head, before looking up to meet my gaze. ¡°No¡ª I don¡¯t need your help. But I was told to warn you¡­¡± ¡°Warn me? About what?¡± My brows snapped together as I peered at him. I thought this was going to be another problem I had to deal with. I could already feel the annoyance building up within me, especially after hearing what the Elder Dragon had said. But Justyn finished, ¡°To warn you that Kallistus Kal¡ª the [Hero King]¡ª is after your life!¡± And I blinked a few times. I looked down at the [Receptionist] as he panted where he knelt. I saw his exhaustion¡ª I considered the long journey he must have to find me. I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him. ¡°Justyn¡­¡± I started, closing my eyes. ¡°Unfortunately for you, you¡¯re a little bit toote.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ what?¡± Justyn raised his head, his confusion evident. ¡°What are you talking about? How am I toote? Guildmaster Evan sacrificed himself to save me¡ª to get that message to you!¡± I didn¡¯t know how else to tell him about it, so I decided to just be blunt. ¡°I mean, you certainly delivered it before the [Hero King] got to me. But¡­ also, I kind of already know all that. And I kind of already saved Guildmaster Evan too.¡± And Justyn¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°...what? But¡ª but¡ª¡± He tried to work his jaw. He looked down at himself as I drew my lips into a thin line. ¡°I worked so hard to find you. I took so long to get here. And you¡¯re telling me¡­ it was all for nothing?¡± ¡°...yeah,¡± I said apprehensively. ¡°I mean, I am happy to see that you¡¯re alive?¡± I tried to cheer him up. Justyn looked up at me, then stared at the palm of his hand. He saw the dirt staining his skin. He saw the bruises he had suffered to get here. He closed his eyes. The wrinkles on his face seemed to vanish. And with that, he passed out where he knelt. Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Justyn had traveled long and far. He had traversed perilousndscapes filled with monsters and magical dangers. He survived it all, and it was to aplish a singr goal he had in mind. A goal that had been bestowed upon him by Guildmaster Evan. To find Amelia the Unranked Adventurer. Justyn hadn¡¯t even known where he could find her. All he knew was that she had left Windrip months ago to find a ce to settle and rx, which only meant that she was going to be incredibly hard to track. Knowing this, the [Receptionist] still set out on this journey anyway. Because he had to tell her two things. Firstly, he had to warn her of the [Hero King]¡¯s pursuit of her life. Kallistus Kal had burned down half of Windrip to find Amelia, so she was in danger. But more importantly, Justyn needed to get Amelia to save Evan and Windrip too. After all, the only reason Kallistus Kal had captured the Guildmaster and gone after the city was because of Amelia. And there was no telling what kind of torture a prisoner of the Kingdom of Kal would be forced to undergo. That was why Justyn had gone through all this effort to get to Amelia¡ª to track her down so he could deliver both these messages to her. And it wasn¡¯t easy to find her. She was hard to find because of the aforementioned reasons. But he did everything he could to get to her. He used all his connections he could. He spoke to everyone he knew. Other [Receptionists] and Guildmasters he had known from his past experiences and jobs. However, despite that, he still found very little of a trail to follow. There were only specks of breadcrumbs left behind by her. So he ventured to every past known location Amelia had visited. Justyn spoke to anyone who could have encountered her. And while this proved to provide better results, it was also far more dangerous. He nearly lost his life numerous times to the various beasts and monsters lurking in the wilderness between cities. He hired adventurers to escort him until he was out of coin; he hitchhiked on the back of the carriages of rich nobles and the wagons of humble merchants; he even once stole a horse because he needed to get to another city and he couldn¡¯t find any other method of transportation to get there, despite his best efforts.Justyn wasn¡¯t proud of everything he did. But he did it all to get to Amelia. When he finally found her, he felt an overwhelming wave of relief wash over him. It nearly knocked him off his feet. He had wanted to just copse and cry on the spot, knowing all his efforts were finally paying off. Unfortunately, after he delivered both his messages to her, she revealed to him that she was already aware of it all. Not only that, but she had gone out of her way to save Guildmaster Evan while Justyn was on his long trek to find her. Justyn¡­ wanted to cry. And this time, he wanted to cry because he realized all his efforts were for naught. He could hardly process it. None of it made sense to him. He didn¡¯t understand what was the point of everything he went through¡ª from stealing to bankrupting himself¡ª if Amelia already knew of Kallistus Kal¡¯s intentions to hunt her down, and Guildmaster Evan was already saved. Taking in this fact was too much for Justyn. So he just passed out. ¡ª-- I felt bad for Justyn. I really did. I could tell he went through quite a lot to get here¡ª to trace my journey out of Windrip and to Wolfwater. And it took him months to finally find me. But when he did, he was told he just wasted his time and energy. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So I couldn¡¯t help but empathize with his situation. Honestly, part of the reason why it took so long for him to get to me was because I didn¡¯t leave much of a trail behind. I could leap between cities with ease, so that was exactly what I did to get here. That didn¡¯t leave much of a clue for anyone who was attempting to track me down. And that was kind of the point. But Justyn wasn¡¯t here to bring me trouble¡­ well, maybe he was sort of bringing me trouble in a sense. However, it was all to help me and my friends. So I would¡¯ve been fine with excusing it if he arrived earlier. Unfortunately for him, Jax arrived first a long time ago, and everything was already resolved. So now there was no reason for Justyn to be here. And he passed out at my feet. While I certainly felt bad for him, I didn¡¯t know how to deal with this either. So I tossed him into Arthur¡¯s room and told the former Lich King to look after our now ¡®guest¡¯. ¡°Wait, what do I even do?¡± Arthur asked, staring at me with a raised brow. I shrugged back at him. ¡°Make sure Justyn gets whatever he wants until he¡¯s fully recovered? Although¡­ I don¡¯t even know what he¡¯s recovering from¡­¡± Arthur blinked, looking like he was about to protest. But then he caught himself. It looked like an idea crossed his mind, and he nodded to himself. ¡°Alright, I will do just that,¡± he said as he took a seat. I gave him a curious look, but didn¡¯t question him any further. Instead, I just closed the door behind me and left him to his own devices. For a moment, I sensed a small hint of Void essence permeating from the room, so I nced back through the crack of the door. And I saw Arthur sitting there, staring into the palm of his hand as a crackle of purple electricity passed over his fingertips. I saw this scene, then I turned around without a care. I already knew he was practicing his Void powers in secret. He might¡¯ve tried to keep it hidden from me, but I sensed what he was doing every single time. I didn¡¯t actually mind what he did outside of his work, as long as he did a good job as a bartender. I also had things I needed to do anyways. So I stepped out back into themon room and ced my hands on my hips. ¡°Well¡­¡± I said as I swept my gaze over the magically expanded hall. It was far more massive than before, but there was a distinctck of tables and chairs for more customers. I stretched my shoulder as I nodded to myself. ¡°I guess I better start redecorating before we reopen.¡± And with that, I raced out into the forest around Wolfwater, cutting down trees and turning them into furniture for more seating. ¡ª-- As Amelia got to work, refurnishing her newly-improved restaurant, she forgot about what of her most crucial duties she was responsible for. A colony of baby bastion bees waited in anticipation for her return after her sudden departure. They hid within the confines of their rocky hive¡¯s walls, buzzing their wings antsily as they stared out the exit. The baby queen bastion bee feared the worst might have happened. She didn¡¯t know what it was, but their Protector must have fallen. Otherwise, why was the hive left abandoned for so long? There was no other exnation to the baby queen bastion bee. She wanted to venture out and investigate what happened. However, each time she drew closer to the edge of the hive, the nursing bees stopped her, ushering her back into safety. The nursing bees tried to reassure the baby bastion bees¡ª however, these efforts were mostly in vain, because even the nursing bees seemed to be nervous about what was happening outside. So all of them waited for a sign that they coulde out. That whatever mess was going on outside was resolved. They waited and they waited and they¡¯re waited. Until¡ª The baby queen bastion bee perked up when she heard the soft echoing of footsteps approach the hive. At first, she thought this might have been the Protector, making a triumphant return. However, she quickly realized that the sounds of the footfalls were too soft. Like whatever it was that was approaching was far smaller than the Protector could have possibly been. So the bastion bees¡ª including the nursing bees¡ª looked up warily, waiting for whatever was approaching them to reach the entrance. And then it did, their wings red up like they were all ready for battle. Only for them all to freeze when they saw what was waiting for them outside their hive. ¡°Bawk?¡± A chicken tilted its head curious at them, and they stared back. And the baby queen bastion bee couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was the foul beast who was responsible for the Protector¡¯s disappearance¡ª who vanquished the Protector in battle. Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Edlyn woke up as she heard a loud banginging from outside her room. She raised her head with a groan, covering her ears. A throbbing headache assailed her, only to be exacerbated by the hammeringing from themon room of the restaurant. Her eyes mmed shut as she tried to drown out the noise. But it was all to no avail. Shey there, her head buried underneath her pillow as she waited for the banging to die down. What felt like an hour passed, and the banging continued, so she rose to her feet. ¡°What happened?¡± Edlyn asked as she rubbed her temples. She tried to recall the events of everything that happened before she passed out. Because she knew that she must have passed out. If she had been taking a nap, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have felt nearly this terrible. And considering that she was around Amelia, it was very likely that something ridiculous had happened, causing the [Royal Chef] to fall unconscious. ¡°Not that it¡¯d be the first time¡­¡± Edlyn muttered to herself. She closed her eyes. Even as the banging continued in the background. Edlyn focused on her thoughts. Thest thing she remembered was being frightened to near-death by the outpouring of baby bastion bees, but that shouldn¡¯t have been enough to shock her to unconsciousness. While she hated to admit it, she was starting to limate to Amelia¡¯s insane antics. The idea of such a thing happening never crossed Edlyn¡¯s mind when she first arrived in Wolfwater. To even suggest she might not be going insane from her time working for Amelia would have been asinine back then. But that was no longer true now. The [Royal Chef] had grown numb to the insanities¡ª the ridiculous feats were no longer as ridiculous after seeing them a few dozen times. And while she found herself being surprised whenever she encountered a famous or high-leveled individual hanging around the restaurant, it was no longer as big of a deal anymore. Knowing this, Edlyn understood something else must have happened. She rubbed her temples as she tried to recall what it was. ¡°The bastion bees had left¡­ and I resumed my cooking¡­¡± Her mind raced, showing brief shes of thoughts and memories to her. ¡°And then there was a loud sound, before I looked outside¡ª¡± She scrunched her brows, and deep lines of wrinkles formed on her forehead. The muffled sounds of hammering continued as she sat there in thought. And then her eyes snapped wide open. ¡°And there was a dragon¡­?¡± Edlyn couldn¡¯t even believe the words that were leaving her mouth. She almost thought that her memories were lying to her¡ª like she had been dreaming, and was conting reality with what she saw in her sleep. But that wasn¡¯t the case. It was real. She had truly seen a dragon right outside of the restaurant. Her fingers trembled, remembering the image she had seen before she passed out. ¡°I¡¯m not still dreaming, am I?¡± she asked as she pinched her cheeks. And as she was trying to wake herself up, the door to her room swung open. Edlyn blinked and saw Han standing there with a tray in his hands. The two of them stared at each other. The former was in the middle of pinching her cheeks, while thetter almost spilled the contents of the tray. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± Han asked as he steadied himself. ¡°Sorry if I am.¡± Edlyn quickly rose to her feet and raised her hands. ¡°Oh, no! Not at all! I was just¡­ uh¡ª¡± She was interrupted by another loud bang, which made her flinch. Even Han nced over his shoulder too at that. ¡°...I was just getting frustrated with the loud noise,¡± Edlyn finally said. And Han set the tray down as he shook his head apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s Amelia¡¯s doing. I told her to keep it down, but it¡¯s hard for her to be quiet with how fast she¡¯s getting things done.¡± ¡°Getting what done?¡± The [Royal Chef] raised a brow, before looking up at her co-worker. ¡°And why are you so¡­ calm? What happened to that dragon? Or did I dream that all up?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She asked thest question with a hint of hope in her voice. Truth be told, she didn¡¯t quite understand why she was so shaken by the appearance of a dragon. But it felt like it was almost too ridiculous to be true. After all, there wasn¡¯t supposed to be any dragons around anymore, as far as she knew. And the fact that one suddenly spontaneously appeared out of nowhere¡ª it was like her entire world was being flipped upside down even more than it was before. At this rate, she was going to be told that the World System was actually evil, or something as ridiculous as that. Han scratched his cheeks, hearing her question. ¡°Well, unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t a dream of yours. Unless I happen to be in one of your dreams. In which case, can you dream me up a few thousand gold coins?¡± He grinned at her, and she gave him a nk stare. Han quickly cleared his throat. ¡°Bad joke, right. Well, sorry to say, but that entire ordeal with the dragon did happen.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± Edlyn¡¯s shoulders sagged. She felt her headache begin to return as the banging continued. However, Han wasn¡¯t done. ¡°However, thanks to the dragon¡­ there have been a few changes to our restaurant that¡¯s going to make us a lot more busy now.¡± ¡°A few changes?¡± She narrowed her eyes, and he ushered her to follow him. He exited her room and led her towards themon room of the restaurant. Frowning, she followed after him as the hammering grew louder. They made their way through the kitchen until they reached the doorway leading out to the bar. ¡°Don¡¯t faint, please,¡± he said, ncing back at her pleadingly. Edlyn pursed her lips, certain that wasn¡¯t a good sign. But she braced herself for what it could be. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± She gave him an unconfident response. Han scratched the back of his head as he stepped out into themon room. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll catch you if you do,¡± he attempted another joke. This time, Edlyn gave him a small chuckle. Mostly because she was certain that she was going to pass out again by whatever it was out there, and she really needed him to catch her. ¡°Behold,¡± he said as she stepped forward. The banging grew louder, no longer muffled by the walls of the building. ¡°Our newly-expandedmon room, thanks to the dragon.¡± Edlyn¡¯s eyes grew wide at what she saw as she exited the kitchen. A hundred tables. Hundreds more chairs. A ceiling that rose up a hundred feet. Edlyn¡¯s head felt like spinning as she swept her gaze over the length of the room. It looked nothing like what she hadst seen. It was massive. It was like the size of a small stadium. And it was clearly the result of magic. And while she was left inplete shock by the sudden change to the restaurant, for the first time since she arrived in Wolfwater, she was also amazed. So she couldn¡¯t even suppress the gasp that left her mouth. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡ª-- Redecorating took more time than I thought it would take. But after a few hours, I was finished. Themon room of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was fully refurbished. I had added a lot of new tables and chairs¡ª although, the cost was rather evident for anyone who was looking for the nearby trees. Fortunately, I had already gotten permission from the town watch of Wolfwater to cut down all those trees, so if anyone was going to be missing them, they were going to have to lodge aint to Lucas, not me. While I was a little bit annoyed by that entire argument I had with Grat-ra¡¯zun, I was d it happened, because I wouldn¡¯t have been able to upgrade my restaurant without his help. Now, I was able to host more customers. I sighed as I ced my hands on my hips, pleased with the expandedmon room. But as I stared at this scene, I couldn¡¯t help but worry a little bit. I couldn¡¯t help but hear the Elder Dragon¡¯s words echoing in my mind. Was it fear of what Kallistus Kal would do? No¡ª I didn¡¯t think he would ever pose a threat to me or anyone I cared about. I also doubted that he was after my life, considering he had never once acted against me before. I was pretty sure both Grat-ra¡¯zun and Evan were misinformed in some way. Rather, I was afraid of something else. Something more personal to me. And it was the fact that the Elder Dragon said it was my destiny¡ª my fate¡ª to be a hero. Even if I didn¡¯t want to be a hero, even if I strove to be something else, I was still going to have to save the world. Just that thought alone sent a shudder down my spine. After all, it went against my very goal. The reason why I had decided to settle down in Vacuos was not to save it again, but to live a peaceful life. And while I had seeded so far, just thinking that I was going to have to be a hero again¡­ it frustrated me. Because I was going to have to be a hero again. And again. And again. And again. I was going to have to save the world an infinite number of times, for as long as I lived. And that was a condemnation, to me, as terrible as being thrust back into the Fractured Realm without my strength. It would mean that everything I did right now was meaningless. I gritted my teeth at the thought, before shaking my head. Whether or not what Grat-ra¡¯zun told me was ture¡­ I didn¡¯t know. But for now, I could still focus on building my restaurant. And that was what I was going to do. To live a peaceful life for myself, and no one else. ¡­or so I hoped. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 It took a few days before Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was reopened to the public. While Amelia was finished setting up the brand new tables and chairs, she wasn¡¯t done with redecorating just yet. There was a lot she needed to do to make sure the ce was notpletely in and bare. So she spent some time redecorating and adding quite a bit of ir to themon room. Meanwhile, the town guard needed to let the whole ordeal with the suddenly appearing Elder Dragon blow over. They tried to convince everyone that it was a wyvern, not a dragon, that fell from the sky. However, rumors spread anyway, and somehow, that benefitted Amelia¡¯s business even more. ¡°Is this the restaurant that a dragon came to visit?¡± ¡°Seriously? A dragon came here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I heard it was drawn here by the hummus mixed with savis cubes! They¡¯re delicious!¡± ¡°¡­but expensive.¡± ¡°And worth it.¡± Honestly, some of these rumors had to have been spread by Amelia herself. Maybe she asked Han to have start it, or maybe she recruited the help of some other folks in Wolfwater. Either way, when Bucky¡¯s Out of this World¡¯s Restaurant reopened, there was a deluge of customers¡ª both returning and brand new. So it was a busy day. There was a lot of work to be done. Especially for Han, Jax, and Edlyn. The three of them were going to have to struggle to amodate the new influx of customers, considering the increased capacity the restaurant had now. But Arthur¡¯s workload remained the same. The bar hadn¡¯t been expanded, and the amount of alcoholic drinks he needed to serve barely changed. So all the former Lich King needed to do was stand at his bar like he usually did, watching as the restaurant was assailed by a rush of unending customers. He stared at them nkly, his mind a daze. He could not focus on anything that was going on around. Even when a customer approached the bar and asked for a shot of whiskey. It took a minute for the bartender to break out of his stupor, before he profusely apologized. ¡°Sorry, here you go. It¡¯s on the house.¡± Arthur bowed his head as the customer epted it with a grumble. Sighing, the former Lich King leant against the bar as he closed his eyes. There was a reason why he wasn¡¯t able to concentrate. There was a reason why he was standing here in a daze. And it was because of the conversation he had overheard between Amelia and the Elder Dragon. Kallistus Kal the [Hero King] had be enthralled by the powers of the Void. And because of that, he had be the Heir of the Void. Such a development was going to lead to incredibly destructive consequences. All of Vacuos was going to suffer because of that. Especially considering the ongoing war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal. Arthur hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the politics of it all before, considering it seemed like a simple affair between two nations. But now that he knew the context behind it, he found it hard to ignore all the news surrounding it. He found it hard to pay attention to his work as he heard the whispers and rumorsing in about the war. ¡°So what do you think will happen to this restaurant when the Kingdom of Kal conquers Wolfwater?¡± ¡°Idiot¡ª don¡¯t say that! That¡¯s not going to happen! The war hasn¡¯t even gotten close to Whiteridge just yet¡­¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition. ¡°But I hear their counteroffensive has been very effective. Their armies are advancing in the north and the south. It¡¯s only a matter of time before theyunch an attack from the west too.¡± ¡°When that happens, the Knights of the Astral Order will repel them.¡± ¡°And how? Where have they been the entire war?¡± ¡°It sounds like to me you want the Kingdom of Kal to win!¡± ¡°No¡ª I¡¯m just being realistic! The [Hero King] has never lost a war since he has arrived in this world! In fact, he has never lost a battle either. And I heard he¡¯s reappeared once again in the front lines of the southern border.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± That made Arthur perk up. His brows furrowed together when realized the [Hero King] was going to rejoin the battlefield. The southern border¡­ that is far from here¡­ Arthur pursed his lips. That was far away. Too far. The former Lich King almost hoped that the [Hero King] was closer to the restaurant, so he could do something about it. Unfortunately, it was all far away. And Arthur could do nothing but bide his time and grow stronger. He looked down at his hand below the bar, glowing with a purple aura. The power of the Void that had been left within his body¡ª ingrained into his soul. Yet, he was still¡­ ¡°¡­so weak,¡± he whispered. He was trying to grow stronger. But he was growing stronger too slowly. He needed a way to grow stronger quicker. Faster. He needed better control over his powers. He gritted his teeth as the glow in the palm of his hand began to fade. And a voice drew his attention from his side. ¡°You¡¯re frustrated, aren¡¯t you?¡± Arthur blinked, looking up to see Jax standing right outside of the kitchen. He had a pile of dirty dishes in his hands, but he had stopped to stare at the bartender with a smirk. ¡°It is quite upsetting,¡± the elf said simply as he shook his head, ¡°to work so hard, but reap no reward.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Arthur hesitated, not sure what to say in response. Jax smirked and continued, ¡°I have been in your position before. For over a decade, I found myself unable to progress¡ª unable to grow stronger. Even though I sought power, I was never able to attain it. Because it was an amorphous goal. Until I met Amelia.¡± ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± Arthur asked as he narrowed his eyes. In the background, the restaurant continued bustling with customers. Han rushed around the room, working alone to deliver all the dishes to the waiting tables. ¡°I believe you need a goal to strive towards. And I don¡¯t mean an enemy that you want to defeat. But someone you can challenge and help you learn from your weaknesses.¡± Jax looked down at himself, before it looked like an idea popped into his head. Arthur just stood there uncertainly. But he didn¡¯t turn away even as a customer called for more drinks. Instead, he waited for the Forsaken Archer to finish. Jax looked up and grinned. ¡°What about a sparring match after work?¡± ¡°A sparring match¡­?¡± Arthur frowned. He considered this for a moment, then heard the customers calling for him again. And he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡ª-- The restaurant had been expanded. There were more customers than ever. It was the busiest day since Edlyn had gotten here. It should have been stressful. She should have been feeling exhaustion settling in. But she¡­ was at ease. And that was for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the bastion bees were no longer stirring up trouble for whatever reason. They weren¡¯t even bothering Amelia any longer. They had somehow been cated. Edlyn wasn¡¯t going to question what happened. She was simply grateful for it, and she didn¡¯t want to bring it up, because that was certainly going to make them stir trouble again for whatever reason. But more importantly, since the restaurant had been so busy with renovations and now the influx of customers, the [Royal Chef] hadn¡¯t needed to speak with Amelia that much over thest few days. That was why Edlyn was at ease. Because she could simply spend her time cooking and enjoying herself. It was nice. Especially with all the time she spent chatting with Han. But as the day slowly came to an end, Edlyn watched as Amelia approached her. The brown-haired woman wiped her hands on her apron, before nodding at the [Royal Chef]. ¡°Hey,¡± Amelia said as she smiled. ¡°Can we talk?¡± And that immediately made Edlyn freeze. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 The work day was over. It should have finally been time for Edlyn to wind down¡ª to rx after so muchborious cooking. While she was a [Royal Chef], and she certainly preferred cooking the food here at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant over the Astral Pce, she still found herself getting exhausted after preparing so many dishes. There had to be over thousands of customers that came and went today. While themon room could certainly hold hundreds of customers at once, they weren¡¯t going to fill it to full upancy, considering they didn¡¯t have enough staff to amodate them all. If Edlyn had maybe half a dozen employees¡ª other [Chefs] who were roughly Level 10 to 20¨C she was certain she could serve enough food for even a thousand customers at once. She was a [Royal Chef], and she was rather high-leveled, so she was certain in her own abilities. And while Amelia was helping out as a fellow cook in the kitchen, Edlyn couldn¡¯t see her employer as anything but a monster. Truth be told, Edlyn had started to feel better about Amelia, despite all the insanities that the former had witnessed carried out by thetter. But still, Edlyn didn¡¯t know how to act around Amelia. The two of them rarely talked. They had spoken a little bit when they first met at the Astral Pce. They also tended to interact a little bit when they were cooking together. However, they didn¡¯t speak much beyond that. So not only was Amelia just intimidating in general, Edlyn wasn¡¯t well-acquainted with her employer either. When they weren¡¯t talking about cooking, there wasn¡¯t much for them to talk about, because they didn¡¯t know each other. And that was another reason why Edlyn would¡¯ve preferred not to talk to Amelia. Edlyn would¡¯ve preferred to avoid any other kind of conversation. Unfortunately, today, that was not going to be possible. Because for whatever reason, Amelia had invited Edlyn out for dinner. Edlyn shifted ufortably as she sat across from Amelia. The two of them were seated in the middle of themon room of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. However, they weren¡¯t here as cooks, they were here customers.¡°Han, can we have some drinks, please,¡± Amelia called out, waving down the only waiter in the room. Arthur and Jax had disappeared. No one knew where they had gone. Or at least, Edlyn didn¡¯t know. But it was just her, Amelia, and Han present now. ¡°Of course!¡± Han said as he rushed into the kitchen. He went to find some drinks, leaving Amelia and Edlyn alone. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Please don¡¯t go, Edlyn mentally begged, eyeing Han pleadingly. Unfortunately, his back had already been turned from her, so he didn¡¯t notice her cries for help. Don¡¯t leave me with A¡ª Amelia leant forward and spoke simply. ¡°You¡¯ve been working very hard since you got here, Edlyn.¡± Edlyn blinked a few times, almost squeaking. But she caught herself and broke out of her stupor. ¡°M-me?¡± The [Royal Chef] took a moment to process thepliment she received. And then it took her another moment to find a proper response to it. ¡°Oh, uh, thank you?¡± Her words came out like she was asking a question, because she didn¡¯t know how she was supposed to feel about the praise. In fact, she couldn¡¯t ever read her employer, so she wasn¡¯t sure if that was meant to be a seriouspliment or not. ¡°Yeah, honestly,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve been needing help with the cooking ever since Xakor left. Especially since we¡¯ve gotten a lot more attention since then. There¡¯s way more customers nowpared to when we first started.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Edlyn nodded hesitantly. She didn¡¯t know where Amelia was going with this. But the [Royal Chef] wasn¡¯t going to question it. Instead, she just sat there silently and listened. Amelia shook her head as she nced towards the kitchen. ¡°While I think Han is great and reliable, he isn¡¯t the most skilled employee either. Jax does a better job¡ª when he¡¯s trying. But Han consistently does a good job.¡± Han emerged from the kitchen with the drinks and set them down onto the table. Amelia nodded at him with a smile. ¡°And I¡¯ve pre-prepared some food. Can you get them please?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said and swept back. He disappeared once again into the kitchen as Edlyn pursed her lips. ¡°Where are you¡­ going with this?¡± the [Royal Chef] asked apprehensively. She didn¡¯t know what to expect. And she certainly didn¡¯t expect what her employer said next. ¡°And while Arthur is great, he isn¡¯t really standout either,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s why I think you¡¯re my best employee right now.¡± That made Edlyn pause. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ your best employee?¡± Amelia chuckled as she leant back in her seat. ¡°Definitely. Thanks to you, my workload has lessened quite significantly. So I¡¯m grateful for that, and that¡¯s why I want to treat you to dinner too.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Edlyn nodded, slightly perplexed. Han returned with a full tray of dishes. Heid the food out before them as Amelia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to ask you¡ª what do you want?¡± she asked. And Edlyn frowned. ¡°What do I want? I, uh¡ª what does that mean?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯d like to reward you for your hard work.¡± Amelia waved a hand off dismissively. ¡°My hard work?¡± Edlyn blinked a few times, her confusion was evident. ¡°But¡­ why do you want to do that?¡± Ameliaughed as she shook her head. ¡°Because I¡¯m a good boss, you know? But seriously¡ª¡± She began listing things off. ¡°Do you want a raise? Do you want some time off? Or do you want something else?¡± Edlyn stared in shock as she heard what her boss was saying. She didn¡¯t know what was going on. But somehow, for whatever reason, it almost seemed like Amelia was possessed. And now, Amelia was offering the [Royal Chef]... a raise? Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Justyn blinked his eyes open as he groaned. His head hurt. His entire body ached. Everything was a dibobting mess to him. He felt his stomach twisted as the urge to throw up overcame him. But that sensation went away as hey, unmoving. What was he lying on? It felt like a soft mattress. But that couldn¡¯t be right. He had been sleeping on the hardwood wagon as he was heading to¡­ somewhere. Justyn couldn¡¯t remember where he was going. He couldn¡¯t even remember why he was going to this destination. All he knew was that it was because of something important. For a moment, he tried to recall everything that had happened so far. And then he set up as his eyes grew wide. He remembered the burning of Windrip. He remembered Kallistus Kal bringing Guildmaster Evan as a prisoner. But that was not all, Justyn remembered everything he had done to get to Amelia¡ª to warn her that the [Hero King] wasing for her, and to tell her to save Guildmaster Evan. With that goal in mind, the [Receptionist] had set out on a long and perilous journey to find the elusive Unranked Adventurer of Windrip. Justyn had trekked up dangerous mountains and traveled to distant snowynds. He had gathered every piece of information he could on where Amelia could have gone. It took him months of traveling. Even though he was a mere [Receptionist] who couldn¡¯t fight, he still pushed himself to his very limit to get here. And as soon as he arrived, he was rewarded with the discovery that his efforts were wasted. This entire journey was moot. Because Amelia had already been informed of all this¡ª she had already been warned about the [Hero King], before being told about the predicament Guildmaster Evan faced. And just like that, before Justyn even arrived, Amelia had rescued Evan.It was almost too ridiculous to believe. But more than just that, it made this entire journey the [Receptionist] underwent aplete and utter waste of time. He might as well have gone back to his home, taken time to unwind, and have a small vacation, instead of going through all this effort. Justyn understood that he should have been relieved to learn that Evan had been saved. And certainly, a small part of the [Receptionist] felt that way. However, his trials and tribtions burned in his mind, and he felt an intense anger buildup inside of him. Before it quickly dissipated. Sighing, he lowered his head. ¡°What was the point?¡± It was a question Justyn didn¡¯t know the answer to. There was no reason for him to be angry, because there was nothing for him to direct his rage towards. Amelia didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡ª she had only done what was right, saving Guildmaster Evan. And even if Justyn was upset at her, there was nothing he could do about it. The same logic applied to Kallistus Kal. The [Hero King] was a force of nature that Justyn could do nothing against. After all, he was only a [Receptionist]. So all he could do was sit down and let his emotions stew and cool. After what felt like an eternity of doing nothing, he wondered aloud, ¡°...what do I even do now?¡± Justyn couldn¡¯t just return to Windrip. It was still under the [Hero King]¡¯s rule. And even if it had been taken back, his life there was gone. He had to start anew. But was he really going to just stay here in this farming vige with nothing to do? He sighed as he rubbed his temples. And as he considered getting up and leaving his room, he heard a rapping on the door. Looking up, Justyn watched as a brown-haired man stepped in, carrying a steaming bowl. ¡°Hey,¡± the man said with a friendly smile. ¡°You¡¯re awake, huh? That¡¯s good. I was going to wake you up if you were still asleep. I mean, I know you probably need your rest. But that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone sleep for nearly two whole days.¡± Justyn blinked a few times, before rubbing his temples. ¡°I¡¯ve been out for two days? That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± But his stomach groaned in response, confirming what the brown-haired man was saying. ¡°Here, have some soup.¡± The man chuckled as he set down the bowl before Justyn. ¡°Thanks¡­?¡± Justyn gave an expectant look. The man grinned and proffered a hand. ¡°The name¡¯s Han. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Right, thanks Han,¡± Justyn said as he epted the gesture. ¡ª-- It had been a while now since I hired Edlyn to work at my restaurant. Thanks to her abilities as a [Royal Chef], my cooking workload had decreased significantly ever since she arrived. And I was grateful for it. I knew I couldn¡¯t pay as well as working in the Astra Pce did. However, I still felt bad for underpaying her for the services she provided for my restaurant. Especially after themon room was expanded to amodate even more customers than ever before. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition. It was something that I hadn¡¯t expected when I hired Edlyn. So this immense amount of workload had been thrust onto her against her will. Knowing this, and considering my increased ie from all the new customers, I decided to offer her a raise. Well, that was one of my reasons to offer Edlyn a raise. Another more important reason to me was that I needed to show her my goodwill. When I brought the [Royal Chef] here to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant, I had assumed that she would be able to limate to the environment here with ease. Like everyone else so far. Whether it was Noele, Garron, Nn, Nicole, Han, or even Bucky. Everyone that I had met eventually got used to the things I was capable of doing. But not Edlyn. She was the only exception. With every day that passed, I thought this would change. That she would finally wake up on a random morning and treat the things that happened around Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant like they were just an ordinary day. That never happened. I noticed it. But I wasn¡¯t the only one who did. Han had seen this too. And he was getting concerned for Edlyn. That was why he had spoken to me. He had voiced his concerns to me, and I thought maybe more exposure to me would help with the problem. But Han had exined to me that the problem was me. That Edlyn was terrified of me. ¡°Edlyn has spoken to me about it,¡± Han had saidst night. ¡°She thinks you¡¯re some kind of a monster. Which¡­ you kind of are. But you need to show to her that you have a good heart.¡± And that was what I was trying to do right now¡ª by offering Edlyn a raise. But the [Royal Chef] almost didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°You¡¯re offering me¡­ a raise?¡± I nodded as Edlyn repeated after me. ¡°That¡¯s right, do you want a raise?¡± ¡°Like, a raise? As in, morepensation?¡± Edlyn said, still staring at me in disbelief. ¡°Compensation for your work, yes,¡± I agreed. She pursed her lips. ¡°And thispensation doesn¡¯te with any additional work?¡± ¡°Nope, none at all.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s going to be marypensation, right? You¡¯re not going to pay me in¡­ bastion bees?¡± Edlyn nced around her shoulders nervously. This conversation was starting to grate on my nerves. I sighed as I brought a bag of coins and spilled the money on the table. Edlyn flinched at first, before watching with round eyes as the coins ttered to a stop before her. ¡°This is what I¡¯mpensating you with, yes,¡± I said tly. ¡°Do you not want more money?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Edlyn hesitated. ¡°And what¡¯s the catch? Must I whore out my body?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. Steeling myself, I tried to give the [Royal Chef] the kindest smile I could. I didn¡¯t want to scare her off by being upset. But I was also getting a little bit annoyed with this conversation. I looked her up and down as she eyed me suspiciously. Edlyn was practically squishing herself back into her seat. She didn¡¯t want to be here. She made her difort clear. And that was because she didn¡¯t trust me. But maybe she shouldn¡¯t have even trusted me. After all, I had ulterior motives. Just¡ª not the motives she thought I had. I took in a deep breath as I raised my head. If she was distrustful of me because I wasn¡¯t being genuine, then I just had to be truly transparent in my intentions. ¡°Look, Edlyn, I understand how you¡¯re feeling. Well, not really, honestly. But I know that you¡¯re antsy around me¡ª which is fair, I guess. And what I want is to reassure you that I¡¯m a nice person. Which is why I¡¯m offering you this raise.¡± The [Royal Chef] blinked a few times as I leant forward. I ced a hand on my chest as I continued. ¡°You¡¯re probably the most irreceable employee I have right now. And I don¡¯t want you to be driven to quitting¡ª or something worse. So please, what can I do for you to convince you that I¡¯m not a terrible person? What can I do for you to make your time working here better for your mental health?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if the concept of mental health even existed in this world. I was certain it didn¡¯t. But Edlyn seemed to understand the gist of what I meant anyways. ¡°I can¡¯t quit even if I¡­¡± Edlyn started in a hushed voice. And I raised a brow at that. But she quickly shook her head. ¡°I really appreciate the thought, Amelia. However, I don¡¯t know what you can offer me that¡¯ll really help ease my mind.¡± She chewed on her lower lip. I frowned as I saw the way she nervously shifted where she sat. ¡°But why not? Why are you doing all this work if you don¡¯t want to get paid more¡ª or even to get anything out of it?¡± Edlyn closed her eyes for a long moment. She looked like she was trying to find the right words to say. Or rather, she seemed like she was struggling to find what she could tell me without being too transparent. Until, finally, she raised her head and ced a hand on her chest. ¡°I am doing this for my family. That¡¯s why I am working here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I asked, befuddled by that. I had expected some other moreplex reason. But Edlyn simply nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she said. ¡°I care about my family more than anything in the world. I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today without them.¡± I paused as I heard that. I considered this fact¡ª that she was going through all this hardship and trauma for the sake of her loved ones. That must have meant that she was also working in the Astra Pce for her family too. But considering that she was the head chef back then, I doubted she ever had much free time. I tilted my head back. And I got an idea. A smile spread across my lips as I looked back down at the [Royal Chef]. ¡°Do you want to take the weekends off to visit your family?¡± Edlyn furrowed her brows at me. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± She was confused. And I didn¡¯t want to go through a whole song and dance to convince her of my idea. So I rose to my feet and proffered her a hand. ¡°How about this¡ª let me take you to your family right now.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± And Edlyn just stared at me in shock. Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Arthur didn¡¯t know Jax all that well. As a former Lich King who lived thousands of years ago, the bartender knew very little about the currentndscape of Vacuos. Certainly, he heard rumors¡ª hushed whispers being exchanged¡ª because of his job. When people drank too much, their lips grew loose, and they¡¯d often spill a secret or two. Especially [Traders]. So there were some things that Arthur knew about in some detail. Such as the progress of the war between the Astrad Kingdom and the Kingdom of Kal. Currently, things were in a tight deadlock between the two. But that hadn¡¯t been the case for most of the war. The Kingdom of Kal was winning. They had imed more than a quarter of the Astrad Kingdom¡¯snds, and they were cutting a line straight to the Capital City of Astral. Knowing this, the Astrad Kingdom had poured all their forces to halt the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s advance. And from what Arthur knew right now, it was temporarily working. But it seemed like that wouldn¡¯t be the case forever. That was why he wanted to intervene. That was why he wanted to be strong enough to be able to act. He knew exactly the dangers the Kallistus Kal posed to the world. The Astrad Kingdom was currently the only thing standing in the [Hero King]¡¯s path of destruction from spreading to the rest of Vacuos. After all, that was the Voidgod¡¯s will. It was the one desire of the Fal-Deus. Arthur had seen it himself. The loathing that the Voidgod felt towards Vacuos. And that was why the former Lich King wanted to stop it. That was why he wasn¡¯t sitting around to let it happen¡ª to let Amelia be the one to intervene and save the day. Because she wasn¡¯t going to do anything about the [Hero King]. She was tired of being a hero, and she wanted to simply rx and enjoy herself, running her restaurant without much trouble. While Arthur didn¡¯t me her, he wasn¡¯t going to let Kallistus Kal continue his path of destruction any longer either.After all, there was always the grim possibility¡ª the small chance that existed¡ª for Amelia to act toote. Or even worse, she could always fail to stop the [Hero King] once he was fully overtaken by the Voidgod. And Arthur wasn¡¯t going to take that chance. That was why he stood here, in the forest right outside of Wolfwater, standing before an elf. Arthur steeled himself as he faced the man opposite of him. The two of them were vaguely familiar with each other. They spoke from time to time, but it was mostly on matters rted to work. The other man¡¯s name was Jax¡ª Arthur knew that much¡ª and he was known as the Forsaken Archer. He was supposedly an S-ranked adventurer, but from what Arthur had seen, that couldn¡¯t have been the case. Even if what Arthur had seen of Jax typically wasn¡¯t much. Because most of the time, it had been Jax challenging Amelia to a duel on multiple asions¡ª despite always losing, showing the same tenacity as always. However, the speed Jax always disyed¡ª the power he imposed¡ª all of this made Arthur suspicious of the elf¡¯s true strength. That was why Arthur had epted this offer to spar. Because he was curious. He wanted to see if this was truly going to help him. While he no longer possessed the magicks he once did as a Lich King, he now had ess to the powers of the Void. He was still greatly inexperienced with it. But he knew he could be stronger. And perhaps Jax could give him the push he needed to fully master his newfound powers. Especially considering Jax¡¯s reputation¡­ Once again, as a bartender, Arthur heard lots of stories. Which meant he had heard the asional rumors about Jax. And apparently, the Forsaken Archer had built up quite the negative reputation throughout the years, carrying quite a lot of¡­ cruel acts, to say the least. But Arthur was prepared for this. He steeled himself as Jax raised a bow. The two of them stood across from each other in a clearing of trees. ¡°So I heard you¡¯re able to regenerate from most injuries, huh?¡± the elf asked, twiddling an arrow as he spoke. ¡°Because you¡¯ve been¡­ touched by the Void?¡± This novel is published on a different tform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Arthur scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly the case. But you are correct, I do have the power of the Void.¡± Jax raised a curious brow at that. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Because, you see, everyone I have run into so far who is able to harness the Void¡¯s essence has tried to kill me. Because they have all belonged to the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, and they¡¯ve found that I¡¯ve gotten in their way.¡± ¡°I can assure you, I have no malintent to anyone in Wolfwater or even Vacuos,¡± Arthur said catingly. He almost thought that the elf had called him out here because of a suspicion that he could be evil. But¡ª ¡°I know that,¡± Jax scoffed. ¡°I simply wish to know more about your origins. After all, it¡¯s quite mysterious how you suddenly were given this power, is it not?¡± ¡°Well¡­ perhaps I could exin it to you in more detail some other time. For now, how about we focus on the reason why you called me here.¡± Arthur shook his head as he took on a wide stance. He was prepared for a duel¡ª and he was ready for it to get bloody. He didn¡¯t think Jax would hold back. After all, why would the Forsaken Archer show kindness in a sparring session against someone who could regenerate from all their wounds? And the elf just smirked. ¡°You¡¯re too hasty. But fine, let us begin. I can¡¯t lie and say I¡¯m not excited either.¡± For a moment, neither of them moved. Arthur¡¯s eyes flickered, turning purple. Electricity crackled at his fingertips as he stared at his sparring partner. The elf took a step to the side as he ced his arrow on his bow. ¡°Don¡¯t forget¡ª don¡¯t hold back,¡± Jax said with a grin. ¡°Didn¡¯t n on it.¡± And Arthur pointed, unleashing a streak of purple lightning at the elf. Perhaps the former Lich King was being excessive. This was simply a sparring session between the two of them. There had been no reason for him to send such a powerful attack at the start of the fight. But he knew he was weak as he currently was, and he was trying to release some of his frustrations here. So he watched as the sky shed, sending down his attack at his opponent. The ground was ripped apart as the nearby trees were lit aze. Arthur raised a hand, watching as the st cleared, leaving behind a smoking crater that wasrger than a house. Blinking, he stared at where Jax had been standing, before looking a hundred feet to the right where Jax was now standing. ¡°Too slow,¡± the elf said. ¡°Try again.¡± Arthur gritted his teeth and raised both his hands. This time, his entire body crackled with electricity as his eyes glinted with a purple light. He rose to the sky as he pped, and several lightning bolts came crashing down to the elf. This time, for certain, Arthur was sure he struck his target. But as the smoke cleared, and he saw nothing waiting there, he heard a voiceing from behind him. ¡°Once again, too slow.¡± Arthur blinked and spun around. But the elf grabbed the former Lich King before mming him to the ground. Groaning, Arthury there as he stared at a glinting arrow aimed at his face. Jax grinned triumphantly, and Arthur expected the arrow to be loosed to finish the job. But Jax just drew back and lowered the bow. ¡°Nice try.¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Arthur looked up with round eyes, his confusion evident on his face. And the elf simply continued, ¡°Your attacks are powerful. But they are far too slow. They would never hit anypetent enemy in battle. What you have in strength, youck in experience.¡± Arthur rose to his feet as he stared at the elf in confusion. Many had said that Jax was a bloodthirsty psychopath who loved nothing more than the thrill of battle and seeing the blood of his enemies. And yet, Jax hadn¡¯t even harmed the former Lich King. The most damage Arthur received was from being mmed to the ground. He waspletely flummoxed by this. ¡°You¡¯re not going to win any battles from strength alone,¡± Jax said, not realizing the confusion that was going through Arthur¡¯s mind. ¡°If you wish to truly get stronger¡ª¡± But the elf couldn¡¯t finish as a distant voice echoed. Both men looked up into the sky, watching as a shadowed figure shot through the crowds, apanied by a terrified scream. ¡°...what was that?¡± Arthur rubbed his eyes, trying to make out what he was seeing. Jax furrowed his brows. ¡°That¡¯s Amelia. She¡¯s probably heading off to do something boring. Let¡¯s resume our sparring session.¡± ¡°But that was also¡­ Edlyn?¡± the former Lich King asked. In response, the elf shrugged. ¡°Who knows what they¡¯re doing. Come on, get back to your feet.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡ª-- It took some persuasion. But I managed to convince Edlyn to ept my offer¡ª to see her family again. She was hesitant. Apprehensive, even. Because she knew exactly how I was going to transport her to her hometown. I had to promise her that I would go slow. And I made that promise just about ten times before she finally agreed, her desire to see her family again winning out. But now, as I soared through the air with her¡­ I was pretty sure that she regretted her decision, because she passed out. Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Edlyn knew it was a bad idea. She told herself it was a horrible idea, right before she agreed to it. But she couldn¡¯t help herself. She had to ept Amelia¡¯s offer. And for the first time ever, her actions weren¡¯t driven out of fear. It simply had been so long since she hadst seen her family. And the idea of seeing them again was what drove her to ept Amelia¡¯s offer. So Edlyn gave Amelia the rough directions back to her hometown. It wasn¡¯t really a small vige¡ª in fact, it was bigger than the current size of Wolfwater, although that might change soon. The [Royal Chef] came from humble beginnings: a town called Eastshade. As its name suggested, it was located to the east of the Astrad Kingdom. Which, fortunately, meant that it had mostly escaped unscathed from the war thus far. However, it wasn¡¯t located at the far east, so it could be roped into the conflict at any moment. After all, that was exactly what happened to Windrip, even though it was supposed to be far from the border with the Kingdom of Kal. Regardless, Edlyn knew that her hometown was far from Wolfwater. So ordinarily, it would take half a month¡¯s trip at the very least to visit her family. Even from the Capital City of Astral, it would take a week to get there. So she never had much of an opportunity to see her parents again. Because she would need to take a whole month off just to visit them. And taking time off would have hampered her chances of bing the head [Royal Chef] when she first started working at the Astra Pce. Originally, she had thought that she¡¯d be able to see her family again once she achieved her dream position, sending her coins back to her hometown every month. However, she soon learned that once she became the head [Royal Chef], her workload only doubled. It became even more difficult for Edlyn to ever have time off¡ª to ever see her family. It had been years since shest saw anyone from her family. And that was because they had visited her, not because she had visited them. Perhaps there was no reason for her to even see them again right now. But she truly cared about her family. She cared about her parents who had supported her, helping her get to where she was¡ª so she could achieve her dreams. They were the reason why she had even epted this position to work in Amelia¡¯s restaurant. If it were up to Edlyn, she would¡¯ve remained working as the head [Royal Chef] for the Astra Pce for another year before quitting. But it wasn¡¯t up to her. King Jalen of the Astrad Kingdom himself had requested that Edlyn work for Amelia¡ª for the sake of their nation as a whole, to covertly win Amelia¡¯s trust and convince her to stop Kallistus Kal. It was no secret that Edlyn was terrified of Amelia. The [Royal Chef] never tried to be discreet about it. So she especially wouldn¡¯t have ever wanted to work at Amelia¡¯s restaurant. And yet, she chose to suck up to this suffering because of what King Jalen told her. That the Astrad Kingdom would be destroyed. There were other things that Jalen had offered Edlyn¡ª money, status, and power. But the mostpelling reason for Edlyn to have taken up this job was to protect her family. Because if the Astrad Kingdom was destroyed, then her family would suffer. Edlyn had essentially been sacrificing herself for the sake of her family by giving herself as an employee to Amelia. At the very least, if it wasn¡¯t considered to be a sacrifice, it wasn¡¯t a fun experience. There were many insane things that happened on a day-to-day basis that almost seemed to break the [Royal Chef]¡¯s mind¡ª like dragons falling from the sky, or monsters running wild. With each and every insane event that happened, Edlyn grew more convinced that there was something wrong with Amelia. That was why Edlyn was terrified of her employer. But now, Amelia was trying to convince the [Royal Chef] that there was nothing to be afraid of. That was why Amelia gave Edlyn this offer. It seemed like a nice offer. A generous chance to regrly see Edlyn¡¯s family again. And now, as Edlyn made her way back towards her hometown, flying through the sky, her opinion of Amelia¡ª If youe across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Remained exactly the same. Edlyn screamed as they flew through the air. She was certain that Amelia only gave Edlyn this opportunity just to traumatize her once again. ¡°Stop screaming already,¡± Amelia said as they leapt over the clouds. ¡°You¡¯ve woken up, screamed, and passed out like three times in a row now.¡± ¡°How can I stop myself from screaming?¡± Edlyn shouted, before closing her eyes. ¡°You said we¡¯d go slow¡ª¡± ¡°This is slow!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t¡­ urk!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t throw up on me!¡± And the two women continued to make their way through the Astrad Kingdom, heading for Eastshade. ¡ª-- Eventually, after Edlyn threw up three more times, and passed out once more, the two of them arrived at Eastshade. The [Royal Chef] jolted awake as she saw the sun rising overhead. As Amelia said, she was traveling slowly, so it took many long hours for them to finally make it here. Even still, the trip had been far too nauseating for Edlyn. But when she woke up and saw the illuminated outline of her hometown up ahead, she couldn¡¯t help but forget any feeling of sickness she previously felt. Her breath was caught in her throat, and she just stared at the familiar houses¡ª at the streets that were starting to fill with life. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Amelia said as she nced back at Edlyn. ¡°At least, I think this is the ce. I didn¡¯t go in the wrong direction, right?¡± Edlyn shook her head as they began to descend from above the clouds. ¡°No. This is it.¡± A small smile began to spread across the [Royal Chef]¡¯s lips. ¡°This is my home.¡± ¡ª-- I decided tond right outside of Easthaven so as to not draw any attention to either myself or Edlyn. From what I saw while I was still flying above the town, I knew that it was much bigger than Wolfwater¡ª at least twice the size and poption. But Easthaven was not a city. While there were quite a few travelers and merchants making their way into the town this early in the morning, it wasn¡¯t bustling with activity like Whiteridge of Windrip did as soon as the sun began to rise. But it was still quite crowded. So I had tond at a secluded spot, and set Edlyn down. The [Royal Chef] took a few minutes before she could stand on steady feet. When she did, we made our way towards the nearest road, then started walking into town. ¡°We¡¯re really here¡­¡± Edlyn whispered as we entered the town. Strangely enough, unlike most cities I have been to, there wasn¡¯t a retinue of guards surrounding the town. There weren¡¯t even walls protecting the settlement. It was built like a vige in that regard, except it was muchrger. I was assuming that the reason for theck of security was due to the location. The surroundingndscape seemed mostly safe¡ª no giant mountains or dense forests¡ª and there were plenty ofrger cities nearby. So there was no entrance fee or anything necessary for us to enter the town. We simply strode through the streets as Edlyn ogled at everything significant we passed by. ¡°Is that Mr Smith¡¯s Cafe? I remember working here part-time when I was twelve¡­ and that¡¯s Madam Wezley¡¯s Restaurant!¡± Edlyn gasped as she saw a fancy-looking shop. ¡°It¡¯s changed so much since I wasst here¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t me her for wanting to revisit all her old childhood spots. But considering that I had no context for anything she was talking about, I found it all pretty boring. Still, I saw the way her eyes lit up and smiled at her. ¡°So what do you think?¡± I said as I crossed my arms. Blinking, Edlyn turned to face me. ¡°What do I think about what?¡± ¡°About my offer.¡± I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯ll be able toe here whenever you want during the weekends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Edlyn pursed her lips. She knew that there was no catch to my offer. I was giving it to her to be nice, and she was aware of that. But she shook her head as she ced a hand on her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d like to go through that trip every single week¡­¡± I wanted to roll my eyes at that. But I stopped myself. Instead, I gestured at her to lead the way. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go see your family, then see how you feel.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Edlyn nodded. And the two of us continued to slowly make our way through Easthaven. Until¡ª We arrived at a pile of rubble. Edlyn¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the remains of what had once been a house lying at the side of the road. ¡°What¡ª¡± She dropped to her knees as I pursed my lips. ¡°What happened to my home?¡± Chapter 224 Chapter 224 It was all gone. Her house was no longer here. Edlyn couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. After so long, she had finally returned to her hometown. But it was all for naught. Because her house had been destroyed. ¡°Everything I had worked for¡­ everything I have done¡­¡± The [Royal Chef] whispered as she dropped to her knees. Her fingers trembled as she tightly gripped onto the seams of her shirt. She thought of everything she had been through¡ª all that she had done. It was all for the sake of her family. But now¡ª ¡°It¡¯s all gone.¡± Edlyn gritted her teeth, fighting back her tears. She couldn¡¯t believe it. But it was the truth. How did it happen? She didn¡¯t know. However, she knew what she saw before her eyes. Her house was destroyed¡­ And a voice piped up. ¡°Uh, are you sure they didn¡¯t just move houses?¡±Amelia asked as she scratched her cheek. Edlyn paused. Raising her head, the [Royal Chef] nced back at her employer. ¡°I¡­ what?¡± ¡°Like, why are you assuming the worst has happened? You do realize that your family could¡¯ve just moved houses, right?¡± Amelia continued with a shrug. Edlyn stared in disbelief for a long moment. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Edlyn tried to work her jaw. But before she could muster up her words, she spotted a shadowed figure approach from the side, carrying a box of tools. A vaguely familiar face looked her up and down, before he blinked. ¡°Edlyn, is that you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Jason?¡± Edlyn¡¯s eyes went wide when she finally recognized who he was. Amelia stared at him quizzically. ¡°Who is this, Edlyn?¡± ¡°He used to be one of my neighbors¡ª a childhood friend of mine. But that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Shaking her head, Edlyn rose to her feet. She approached the young man with a confused look. ¡°Jason, what happened to my home? Where are my parents?¡± ¡°Your ma and your pa?¡° Jason raised a brow as he lowered his box of tools. He had an ent which Edlyncked¡ª or rather, she lost after having worked at Astra for so long. And it wasn¡¯t that she intentionally got rid of it. Spending time around others who spoke differently naturally changed the way she spoke. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he answered casually. ¡°They¡¯re back at their ce. They¡¯re fine. Why the worried face?¡± ¡°Their ce? But isn¡¯t this supposed to be our house?¡± Edlyn asked as she gestured at the pile of rubble. Jason blinked a few times, before the realization settled in. He finally understood why she was so worried. ¡°Yeah, it was. But your ma and your pa decided they wanted to rebuild it from the ground up into their dream home. They actually hired me to help¡ª I¡¯m a [Builder] now. Not as impressive as you, since I¡¯m only Level 18. But I¡¯m helping out the best I can with my friends. Your ma and your pa are currently staying at a temporary house they bought a few blocks away though.¡± Edlyn¡¯s head spun as she tried to process everything Jason had said. She stared at him nkly, and he sheepishly scratched his cheek. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He looked like he had something else to say. But Amelia stepped forward and ced a hand on the [Royal Chef]¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Seems like your parents are fine. Let¡¯s go and see them now, shall we?¡± Amelia grinned. And Edlyn¡­ couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief. Nodding, she followed after Amelia and Jason as they led her to see her parents again after so long. ¡ª-- I knew that Edlyn was overreacting. First of all, she tended to overreact. Sure, some of her reactions to what I did was fair¡­ sometimes. But many times, she would construe what I was doing weirdly¡ª because she didn¡¯t trust me or whatever. However, there was certainly some level of anxiety or stress she experienced that probably needed to be addressed. Of course her family was fine¡ª I knew they were fine, and anyone withmon sense wouldn¡¯t have reacted the way she did. Even if her home had been torn down, there was no way their house would have suddenly been targeted and destroyed, while the surrounding buildings were left unscathed. Unless there was some criminal activity involved, like her parents owing a gang of thugs some money. But even then, I doubted any repercussions would be so severe to result in this. So the fact that it was simply renovations didn¡¯t surprise me. Or rather, they were doing aplete overhaul of their house. I did wonder what Edlyn¡¯s parents were like, considering how the [Royal Chef] was so often easily-disturbed. We followed Jason until we reached a small shack located at the edge of the town¡¯s market street. There, the young man nodded at Edlyn with a smile. ¡°Here it is. Your parents have been staying here for thest month. They will be here for at least the rest of the year¡­ me and my mates aren¡¯t the fastest [Builders], y¡¯know?¡± Jason chuckled as Edlyn stared at the house. He scratched the back of his head, before she faced him. ¡°Thank you, Jason,¡± she said as she bowed her head. ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other, and we should catch up too. But I want to speak with my parents first. ¡°Oh, uh, of course. We should catch up, for sure,¡± Jason agreed hastily, averting his gaze. He flushed as he stood there, shifting his feet. I could tell he liked her. But for whatever reason, she seemedpletely oblivious to it. ¡°You¡¯ve really grown a lot since west¡ª¡± he started. But Edlyn stepped forward as she pped her cheeks. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± And she left him behind as he lowered his hands. I gave him an apologetic look, before following after Edlyn. She reached the doorway and took in a deep breath. Raising a hand, she began to rap at the wooden door, but it immediately swung open as she backed up. ¡°Yes?¡± an old woman answered the door, blinking a few times. Edlyn¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Is that you¡­ mother?¡± The old woman paused as she squinted. Her ears almost twitched, and she leaned forward. ¡°You sound almost like my daughter. Wait, you look like my daughter!¡± She fumbled for a pair of sses slung around her neck, before putting on. Her eyes went round as she stared at Edlyn. ¡°Wait, you are my daughter!¡± ¡°Mother¡ª it¡¯s been so long¡­¡± Edlyn started. But her mother didn¡¯t stop to reminisce. Spinning around, the old woman called out to an elderly man sitting on a couch. ¡°Darling, look who has returned! It is our daughter!¡± And the elderly man raised his head as he frowned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Edlyn is back!¡± the old woman said excitedly. ¡°She¡¯s here to visit us!¡± But the elderly man just put a hand to his ears. ¡°What?!¡± he repeated himself. The old woman sighed and walked up to the elderly man. She grabbed him by the shoulders, before yelling into his ears. ¡°I SAID: EDLYN HAS RETURNED! NOW PUT ON YOUR DAMN HEARING-AIDS!¡± He recoiled, before rubbing his ears. Scowling, he grabbed what looked like a glowing pebble and ced it in his right ear. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯ll have to bring it to the [Enchanter] when it¡¯s out of mana¡­¡± But as he adjusted his hearing aid, his eyesnded on Edlyn who was standing by the doorway. And his jaw dropped in shock. ¡°Wait, you were being serious? Edlyn is back? But I thought she was still working in the capital¡­¡± Edlyn shuffled her feet when she heard that. But she quickly brushed off that remark as she strode forward. ¡°I¡¯m here, mother, father. And I¡¯m real.¡± A smile spread across her face as I watched from the side. It reminded me a bit of when Noele reunited with her parents. Except everyone was much older. Edlyn herself didn¡¯t look to be the youngest. Certainly, she looked older than Noele. I would say she was approaching her 30s. If not already in her 30s. However, her parents were definitely elders. They weren¡¯t just middle-aged like Nn or Nicole were. I could see the wrinkles on their faces, and their age catching up to them. If I had to guess, they were nearly in their 70s, which was unexpected. And Edlyn seemed to be surprised by their appearances too. The two of them hobbled over to her as her smile vanished. Looking at them, she couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips. When she opened her mouth, she hesitated. ¡°I¡­ you¡¯ve both grown so old since I¡¯vest seen you...¡± Edlyn whispered. And I watched as a dark shadow washed over her face¡ª the sudden regret and consequences of her actions bing evident. The realization that she had wasted all those years away from her parents, only for them to now be much older. I pursed my lips, wondering if I made the right decision to bring her here. Chapter 225 Chapter 225 The sun had long since set over the horizon. A crescent moon hung high overhead, the countless stars above speckling the night sky with their scintiting light. They illuminated the dark forest, casting a faint glow over the canopy of leaves. And standing in a clearing between the trees was a man with golden hair. He knelt on the ground as he panted, caked in mud and blood. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head. ¡°Again,¡± Arthur said as he stared at the figure standing right before him. It was a green-haired man¡ª an elf with a bow slung around his back. Jax shook his head and turned around. ¡°No, that¡¯s enough for today. You¡¯re tired.¡± Arthur closed his eyes. The two of them had been sparring for hours now. Except¡ª to call it a spar was a stretch. Each time they began, Jax thoroughly beat down the former Lich King. Because while Arthur had power, he didn¡¯t have thebat experience necessary to wield it. Oh, yes, he did have some of his memories of his conquest of Vacuos, over ten thousand years ago. However, that was no different than reading from a book or watching someone else in a duel. It did not constitute as actual experience. That was why Arthur wasn¡¯t satisfied just yet. He knew he needed experience. He knew he needed to learn how to use his powers. So he shook his head and faced the elf. ¡°No¡ª I said: again.¡± Hearing that, Jax halted. He nced back, seeing the wisping purple aura ke off Arthur¡¯s body. The elf¡¯s eyes grew wide when he saw the way the former Lich King stood straight with glowing eyes.¡°Don¡¯t hold back¡ª even when I¡¯m bleeding and at your feet, I want you to keep fighting me.¡± Arthur spoke as he spread his arms wide, his body crackling with electricity. And even Jax couldn¡¯t help but gape at the seeming madness that overcame the bartender. ¡°I will be stronger.¡± Jax heard this. He looked down at his bow, before his hands began to tremble. At first, Arthur thought he had gone too far¡ª that he had scared the elf with hismand. But then he saw the way Ajax¡¯s lips quivered. A savage smile spread across the Forsaken Archer¡¯s lips as he looked up at Arthur andughed. ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking mynguage¡ª I won¡¯t hold back! Let¡¯s do this.¡± And the two men grinned at each other, before they shed as the night went on. ¡ª-- Far away from Wolfwater, in the town of Eastshade, Edlyn sat down across from her parents in their home. While she should have been happy to finally be back, she was instead left in¡­ shock. Edlyn didn¡¯t know how to feel. Her mind was still reeling with everything she had experienced back in her hometown. Some things had stayed the same, but many things had changed. And the changes hadn¡¯t been all for the better. At least, for her. First she thought her home had been destroyed. But fortunately for her, she found out that it was just being renovated. However, now she saw the state her parents were in. Her mother could hardly see, and her father struggled to hear. And they both looked much older. Her father was practically balding, his widow¡¯s peak reaching to the top of his head. Meanwhile, her mother was covered in wrinkles, her back slightly hunched, although she seemed far more chipper than her husband. This novel is published on a different tform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Edlyn rubbed her eyes, in sheer disbelief at what she saw. Compared to how they had looked when shest saw them, they werepletely distinct. The [Royal Chef] still recognized her parents. It wasn¡¯t like they were different people. However, they had aged considerably. cing her hands on her face, Edlyn saw her reflection on the cup of tea that had been poured for her. She felt like she had barely aged, unlike her parents. But then she realized shest saw them when she had just turned twenty, and now, she was about to turn thirty. Perhaps Edlyn should have expected this. Her parents had always been rtively old¡ª having only had her when they reached their mid-thirties. But still, it was jarring to see them looking like this. ¡°...I need a smoke,¡± Edlyn whispered under her breath as she massaged her temples. But she didn¡¯t bring her pipe with her. Looking up, she saw her parents introducing themselves to Amelia. ¡°So our little Edlyn is working for you now?¡± Edlyn¡¯s mother said curiously. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, youngdy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too, Ms¡­?¡± Amelia replied, proffering a hand. ¡°You can just call me Cheryl. And this is my husband, Stephan.¡± Cheryl shook Amelia¡¯s hand. And Amelia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia. As I said, I¡¯m Edlyn¡¯s new employer, and I brought her here to meet with you today for her time off.¡± ¡°Time off, huh?¡± Cheryl raised a brow. ¡°That¡¯s surprising, Edlyn never has any time off when she was working at the Astra Pce.¡± ¡°Well, I do things differently. I¡¯d rather not work one of my best workers to death. So you¡¯ll be seeing Edlyn a lot more frequently now.¡± Amelia waved a hand off dismissively. Edlyn pursed her lips when she heard that. She still wasn¡¯t sure if she believed Amelia. And yet, seeing was believing. It was hard to deny reality¡ª to deny what the [Royal Chef] was seeing before her very eyes. Stephan, Edlyn¡¯s father, harrumphed and leant back in his seat. He raised a pipe to his mouth as he adjusted his hearing aids. ¡°All I want to know is if something happened to Edlyn¡¯s position at the Astra Pce¡ª that was her dream job. She didn¡¯t get fired, did she?¡± Stephan asked with a raised brow. He looked towards the [Royal Chef]. She winced at that. While she had been excited to meet her parents again after so long, she hadn¡¯t been prepared to exin the intricacies of what happened that led her to working in a farming vige far from the capital. However, Amelia seemed to have been prepared for any interrogation. The brown-haired woman cleared her throat and spoke up. ¡°Actually, Edlyn didn¡¯t get fired. This is just a temporary job¡ª the King of the Astrad Kingdom owed me a small favor, so I made a special request to have his [Royal Chef] work at my restaurant to train my staff. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be back at the Astra Pce in a few months.¡± Amelia gave Stephan a reassuring looks Edlyn blinked. Most of what had just been said had been apletely lie. And yet, it sounded real enough for it to be the truth. Cheryl blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d have a friend of the King as a guest today. If I knew that, I¡¯d have prepared some snacks!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Stephan practically eximed. ¡°I apologize if I was rude, mydy. I didn¡¯t realize you were a noble.¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not exactly a noble. So you don¡¯t have to worry about any formalities.¡± Amelia shook her head as she backed away slightly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d that you finally had the time to visit us,¡± Cheryl said as she turned to face Edlyn. ¡°Honestly, this must be a blessing in disguise.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Edlyn opened her mouth to protest. But she stopped herself. There was a lot she wanted to say in regards to working with Amelia¡ª most of it wereints, but the main issue being how the [Royal Chef] was no longer working her dream job, whilst simultaneously earning much less. However, there was the consideration that she would be rewarded greatly for what she was doing right now, working with Amelia. So Edlyn caught herself and took in a deep breath. ¡°What do you mean, mother?¡± Edlyn asked. And Cheryl replied simply, ¡°I have been wanting to see you for a while, Edlyn. Especially before my eyesights give out. Now that I can see you more frequently¡­ it¡¯s almost like the World System heard my prayer, and brought you here.¡± She chuckled as she leant back. Stephan nodded and harrumphed. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m tired of hearing your mother¡¯s constant yapping too. I¡¯d much rather hear your voice than her screechy voice.¡± He rubbed his ears. And Cheryl shot him a re, before rolling her eyes. Edlyn just stared at them, utterly befuddled at that. ¡°I¡­¡± But there was nothing she could say. Cheryl smiled as she nodded gratefully at Amelia. ¡°Thank you for bringing our little girl here. While we were proud of what she aplished, and we couldn¡¯t have all these luxuries without her¡­ what we wanted most for the longest is to have her back here with us. Hearing that, Edlyn couldn¡¯t help but break down into tears. Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Edlyn broke down into tears. And I just watched from the side, not sure how to react. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t feel bad for her. Certainly, I could understand how she felt. She hadn¡¯t seen her family in years. I could understand how she felt. My eyes flickered as I remembered a moment so long ago. When I first returned back to my world. And I found that everything had changed¡­ It was hard to believe¡ª hard to ept. I knew that when I was first shown that vision of what happened to my world since I had been gone, I refused to believe it was real. That I rejected the Voidgod¡¯s words. After all, why should I trust him? Even if he told me that my parents were long dead, and that decades had already passed in my world, so there was no reason for me to even strive to go back, I rebuked his words. I had called him a liar back then. And only after I had killed him¡ª after I had be strong enough to triumph against him¡ª had I been able to return to my world. When I did go back, I found that he was right. I found nothing waiting for me there. But even though I had been distraught to discover that my old life was gone, I didn¡¯t fall into despair. Perhaps it was because I had already been jaded, after having been forced to endure the torturous environment of the Fractured Realm for what felt like an eternity, but I managed to muster up the strength to leave and make a new life for myself here in Vacuos. And while Edlyn¡¯s circumstances weren¡¯t exactly the same as mine, I was afraid for her mental wellbeing. I wondered if she would have broken down at this moment, unable to continue working as a [Royal Chef]. After all, she had discovered that everything she had been through had only led to this. Her parents had aged significantly, and her hometown had changed. What was the point of everything she had done?I pursed my lips, unsure of what to say. But I knew I needed to say something to cheer her up. Especially if I didn¡¯t want to lose her as an employee. Sure, I cared about her as an individual as well. However, I was certain that she would find it to be quite therapeutic to remain here with her family after this revtion, so that wouldn¡¯t even be a terrible oue for her. I was torn on what to do. That was why I just stood to the side and watched her as she cried. But even if I didn¡¯t act or react, Edlyn¡¯s parents did. They saw the way she cried her heart out, and they exchanged a nce. Immediately, they huddled around the [Royal Chef] and cooed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Edlyn?¡± Cheryl asked. ¡°Did something happen to you while you were gone?¡± Even though Edlyn was a grown adult, her mother still treated her like a child. It was a sweet sight to see. And while her dad was gruffer, he was still caring for his daughter. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on? Is this rted to why you quit working at the Astra Pce? I always knew that that king was a no-good¡ª¡± Stephan started. But Edlyn quickly spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± And both Cheryl and Stephan blinked. Edlyn chewed on her lower lip as she wiped away her tears. ¡°I¡¯m crying because¡­¡± Edlyn hesitated as she looked up towards me. I blinked, and Stephan red my way. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition. ¡°It¡¯s thatdy¡¯s fault?¡± he asked, jumping to conclusions immediately once again. But Edlyn shook her head. ¡°No¡ª I should be grateful to her instead.¡± And that caught me off guard. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°I never would¡¯ve realized this if not for Ms Amelia¡­¡± Edlyn said as she looked down at herself. ¡°I have¡­ wasted my life away.¡± Her lips trembled as she whispered. She brought her hands up to her face, and she gritted her teeth. ¡°I always wanted to be a [Royal Chef]. I wanted to achieve my dreams. But what was it for? Even when I was working at the Astra Pce, I wasn¡¯t happy. And now, I missed a decade of my life with you. All that time we could¡¯ve spent together is gone¡­¡± Edlyn looked up and met the aging face of her parents. They exchanged a nce, and she began to break out into tears again. ¡°I-it was all for nothing.¡± There was a long pause as Edlyn cried. And she would have continued to cry for far longer. I almost regretted bringing her here. But at the very least, it seemed like I had helped her ovee her fear of me, considering that she just defended me. Finally, Cheryl spoke up once again. ¡°Oh, but my sweet little Edlyn,¡± Cheryl said as she ced a hand over her daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We have always understood and supported your dream. We knew that we wouldn¡¯t see you for a while and we prepared ourselves for it. So don¡¯t me yourself for this.¡± Stephan nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª we¡¯re just d you were able to fulfill your dream.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± Edlyn started. And Cheryl chuckled. ¡°Also, we¡¯re not that old yet. We still have a few decades in us. So if you really miss us that much, you shoulde see us more often.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Stephan scoffed, cing a hand on his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t know about your mother, but I definitely have quite a long life ahead of me, even still.¡± Cheryl shot him a re. But he snorted and continued. ¡°Also, we were able to afford all this thanks to you. So don¡¯t act like you have done nothing for us!¡± He gestured at the room around them. While it wasn¡¯t the most luxurious ce I had ever seen, it certainly wasn¡¯t a shoddy hut. Edlyn blinked a few times as she processed this, before she slowly raised her head. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± ¡°All your hard work wasn¡¯t for nothing, Edlyn,¡± Cheryl said as she smiled at her daughter. ¡°And we are d we were able to see you again after so long. Just don¡¯t take so long to visit us again next time.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Edlyn nodded as she wiped away thest of her tears. And I just smiled, d to see that she was feeling better already. ¡ª-- After speaking with her parents, Edlyn felt¡­ better. At the very least, she didn¡¯t regret her actions of going to work at the Astra Pce as much as she did before. But still, she resolved herself to spend more time with her family. So she spent the rest of the day catching up with Cheryl and Stephan. Amelia didn¡¯t seem to want to intrude too much, going around and exploring the town, only returning when it was night and time to go back. That was when Edlyn bade farewell to her parents with teary eyes. ¡°Visit us more often, alright?¡± Cheryl said with a kind smile. And Stephan snickered. ¡°But not too often either! These old bones need some time to rest after today¡­¡± Cheryl rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s just saying that so you don¡¯t feel guilted into giving up on your dreams.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving up on my dreams, mother, father,¡± Edlyn said as she nodded at them. ¡°I¡­ feel better now though, thanks to the both of you.¡± Cheryl held onto Stephan¡¯s hands and spoke softly. ¡°We¡¯re d to hear that.¡± Edlyn turned away and walked up to Amelia. The brown-haired woman raised an expectant brow. ¡°Well¡­ that went¡­ uh, alright?¡± Amelia said uncertainly. ¡°I think?¡± ¡°It certainly went, alright,¡± Edlyn countered. The two women slowly made their way out of the town. Finally, Amelia spoke up again. ¡°So, what do you think of my offer?¡± Amelia asked curiously. ¡°You can take time off to visit your parents every weekend.¡± Edlyn sighed, looking up at her employer. ¡°Of course I ept it. After seeing all that, I would be an idiot not to ept it.¡± ¡°Well, as long as it makes you feel better,¡± Amelia said with a shrug. They continued to walk on in silence. Normally, Edlyn would be quivering in her shoes with each step she took, even just being in close proximity to the brown-haired woman. But after seeing the passion in Amelia¡ª after how far Amelia had gone to prove herself¡ª there couldn¡¯t have been any malintent to it. And Edlyn was grateful now. ¡°Thank you, Amelia,¡± Edlyn finally said. ¡°For doing this for me.¡± Amelia just gave a small smile in return. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re my best employee, as I said. But just don¡¯t scream too much when we go back. Edlyn chuckled as she closed her eyes. ¡°Oh, I definitely will.¡± Chapter 227 Chapter 227 I was d that Edlyn felt better about me now. She didn¡¯t seem to hold the same fear as she did before. Although¡­ it was hard to convince her that I wasn¡¯t a monster. She had seen what I was capable of. And even Noele thought something simr of me. But fortunately, Edlyn no longer thought I was a terrifying monster. That was a key distinction, and that was what I wanted. I didn¡¯t want her to be so scared of me that she ran away and quit her job. I wanted her to continue working at Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant and be happy. And I seeded. Now, she was going to see her family every weekend. While that meant that the restaurant was going to be closed on those days, I didn¡¯t mind it that much. I was more than content with taking time off to rx and get another hobby. I was sure that Arthur and Han would have been enthused to hear about that too. Jax as well, but for other reasons. Because I knew he was going to pester me to spar with him on those days. I wondered how I was going to have to deal with that. For now, I focused on the good things. Like how Edlyn had passed out as we were heading back to Wolfwater, so I couldn¡¯t hear her screaming in my ears. She did scream for about five minutes. But she must have been so exhausted from this trip, she fell unconscious. So as the night went on, I eventually arrived at the farming town. But as I passed a section of a forest overhead, I spotted the signs of a battle. My eyes narrowed as I wondered what that was. At first, I had thought something had happened¡ª that something had attacked Wolfwater. But then I caught a glimpse of two figures, lying and panting in the middle of a deep crater.I recognized who they were immediately. The first was a green-haired elf. Jax the Forsaken Archer. I should have known he had something to do with this. But when I saw the man next to him, I stared in shock. ¡°Is that¡­ Arthur?¡± I asked nobody in particr. It was indeed my bartender. The former Lich King. And hey there, the skin on his face partially burned off, showing a hint of his skull. But his flesh was regenerating, growing back slowly as the seconds passed. I stared at the two of them as I flew under the moon. They were smiling, evidently exhausted as theyy next to each other. ¡°Uh, what happened to them?¡± I wondered aloud. But I decided not to question it as I finally arrived back in Wolfwater. After all, for now, most of my problems have been resolved. ¡­right? ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal sat on his throne as he heard the frantic voicesing from the outside hallway. Looking up, he saw the ornate double doors to his throne room swing open. A red-haired woman cursed at a guard, pushing him out of the way as she marched in. ¡°Get out of my way¡ª I need to speak with my liege.¡± ¡°But Archmage, you cannot just barge in in the middle of a meeting¡ª¡± one of the royal guards said. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. But Melissa didn¡¯t care. The [Hero King] watched as the fiery woman marched into the throne room. His advisors and generals nced at her quizzically, not expecting her sudden entrance. They faced her in confusion. One of the generals piped up with a frown. ¡°Archmage Melissa, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°What am I doing here?¡± Melissa snapped at him. She raised a piece of paper¡ª a missive of sorts. And she pointed at it emphatically. ¡°How about you read this and tell me!¡± The general¡ª his name was Kane, and he was in charge of the Third Army¡ª took the piece of parchment and read from it. His face immediately paled as he read what was written on it. Kallistus Kal raised a brow, intrigued by that reaction. ¡°What is it, Melissa?¡± he asked as he faced his archmage. She steeled herself with a deep breath and bowed. ¡°I-I apologize, my liege, for the sudden intrusion. But this is a message of utmost importance.¡± ¡°Tell me,¡± Kallistus said as he gestured for her to straighten. ¡°What is it?¡± Melissa¡¯s lips quivered as the letter was passed around the room. Every single advisor or general who read it looked on in shock, and a susurration swept over the room. Finally, the archmage spoke slowly as she met the [Hero King]¡¯s gaze. ¡°The Archmage King of Scholus has dered war on the Kingdom of Kal. Soon, the dwarven republics and democracies will join the war alongside him. This is no longer a war that is contained to Laxo. this is a war that will affect all of Vacuos.¡± And Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard that. He leant back in his throne room, a frown crossing his lips. ¡°I see.¡± But otherwise, he provided no reaction. Immediately, the room broke out into a panic. A myriad of voices spoke out, and the various advisors and generals there began to argue on what they should do. ¡°That is ridiculous!¡± ¡°How dare they involve themselves with our affairs!¡± ¡°We should recruit the aid of the fairies¡ª¡± But Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t speak. He just sat on his throne as Melissa eyed him. She faced him, looking for an answer. For a solution. Because she trusted him. He knew that she believed he would be the one to provide a way out of this mess. And he knew what to do. Kallistus Kal rose to his feet as he raised his longsword. ¡°Very well, if that is how they wish to y it¡­¡± He strode forward as the generals and advisors gathered in the room paused. They exchanged nces, before looking towards their king. Melissa stared at him hesitantly. ¡°What do you have nned, my liege?¡± ¡°Simply put, all we have to do is wipe out the Astrad Kingdom before they can intervene,¡± the [Hero King] said simply. ¡°And that is why I will lead the charge to their capital city. Myself.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Melissa gaped at him in shock. But he strode past her. The rest of the generals and advisors heard this. They processed this for a long moment. And then they began to protest, breaking out into a babble of voices. However, the [Hero King] continued on. ¡ª-- And deep beneath the pce, the real Kallistus Kal sat in a dark hall. He looked through the eyes of his clone, before turning to address the lone figure kneeling before him. ¡°Ammon,¡± he addressed his personal servant. ¡°Ensure that my city is protected while my clone deals with this business.¡± ¡°Yes, my King,¡± Ammon said as he drew back. Kallistus Kal shook his head as he spoke to himself in the darkness. ¡°So the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns wish to take action against me. They believe that they can destroy me with theirbined might. But they are gravely mistaken.¡± He rose to his feet and strode through the dark hall into an empty room. There, he saw a rift into the void. A portal to the Fractured Realm. And he peered into the infinite darkness it held within it. ¡°But I will not falter. I will not fail¡ª¡± he spoke. And as he did, a voice resounded in his head. The voice of the void that came from the rift. The Fal-Deus itself. Bring me to this world, and I will fulfill your greatest desires¡­ Kallistus Kal¡¯s gaze bore into the ckened world. The prison that held the True God of Vacuos. He listened to the voice as he fell silent. I will give your power unimaginable¡ª the strength which you possess even right now shall be greatly surpassed. Heed my words, and I will grant you salvation. And the [Hero King] closed his eyes, remembering his family back in his world. He took in a deep breath and began to reshape the rift. It grew bigger and bigger with each passing day, being molded into the vessel that would hail the return of the Fal-Deus. ¡°I will return to my world,¡± Kallistus whispered. ¡°And I will make the people of this world suffer.¡± As he resolved himself, his clone marched out towards the Astrad Kingdom, leading an army that could bring down the Astra Pce in a single day. Chapter 228 Chapter 228 And like lightning, followed by a resounding p of thunder, the [Hero King]¡¯s re-entry into the battlefield reverberated throughout the entirety of the Astrad Kingdom. When King Jalen heard the news, he sank to his knees in his room. He knew that all hope would be lost. Because the only reason why the war hade to a stand-still so far was because Kallistus Kal had abstained from fighting after the initial phases of the war. But even back then, when the [Hero King] took the battlefield, it was only victory after victory for the Kingdom of Kal. And now, as Jalen stared at the sprawl of parchments lying before him, he knew it was going to happen again. This time, it was even faster. Already, the Kingdom of Kal had prated deep into the Astrad Kingdom, heading straight for the capital city of Astral. Soon, the war would be over. In perhaps a month at most. Many dwarven states have decided to join the war, no longer remaining neutral, opting to side with the Astrad Kingdom. Even the magical city state of Scholus had chosen to side against the Kingdom of Kal. But they were toote. They wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene in time. And even if they could, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the [Hero King]. Jalen didn¡¯t know what happened. But something had changed. Kallistus Kal was different now. He was stronger. And the Astrad Kingdom would fall. ¡­unless¡ªJalen took in a deep breath as he raised his head. He didn¡¯t hold out hope for the Archmage King of Scholus, nor did he think the dwarven nations in Alius could make a difference, Instead, he remembered a strange girl who came to his pce. A brown-haired woman who was stronger than any of his [Knights of the Astral Order]. Someone who was thought to be as strong as an Elder Dragon. She was Jalen¡¯s only hope. But he didn¡¯t know if she would evene to save him. All Jalen could do was hope that Edlyn¡ª his [Royal Chef] which he sent to follow Amelia¡ª would be able to do her part and convince Amelia to partake in the war. Otherwise, with the [Hero King] conquering Laxo, he would set his sights on Alius next, then it would be the end of the world as anyone knew it. ¡ª-- I was finally back in Wolfwater after dealing with Edlyn¡ª convincing her that I was actually a good person, even if I was incredibly strong beyond herprehension. That took a lot more effort than I thought it would. But after bringing her to see her family, and having a long talk with her, she finally understood that I was just trying to run a business and keep her happy. Because she was my best employee. She was the reason why Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant could sustain the growth it did. And I was grateful to her. That was why I was offering her a free trip to see her parents every weekend to cate her. She was happy about it. Even if the trip itself almost killed her. And my other employees were quite happy about this arrangement¡ª especially Arthur and Jax. With the time off they got, they would train with each other, sparring and destroying thendscape nearby the restaurant. Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I reprimanded them for this after the second time they did it, and sent them to train somewhere else. I didn¡¯t want them to scare off any potential customers I could have. Two weeks passed as this routine continued. More and more customers showed up, wanting to enjoy the experience of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. They came from all around the Astrad Kingdom, and they stayed at the newly-constructed inn that was just next door. I wondered if I could have coborated with the [Innkeeper]¡ª offer some kind of catering service to his inn, in exchange for using some of his employees from time to time. But I put off that idea forter. For now, I was just d that things were progressing swimmingly without any interruptions. And I thought things would continue going this way for a bit. However, as I returned back to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant after another weekend at Edlyn¡¯s hometown, I found¡­ something rming. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± I whispered, seeing the swarm of buzzing figures surrounding my restaurant. My lips drew into a thin line when I recognized what they were. Fortunately for me, while Edlyn was with me, she was also still unconscious from the tfjo. So she couldn¡¯t panic at the sight. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to resolve this before she wakes up,¡± I muttered under my breath as I descended from the sky. Sure enough, when Inded, I heard the cacophonous buzzing. I saw the swarm of giant insects gathering around the wooden building. I set Edlyn down against a tree, a few hundred feet away from the scene. And then I moved to approach the baby bastion bees. They hadn¡¯t caused an incident in a while. And I thought there wasn¡¯t going to be any more problems with them. But as it turned out, I was too optimistic, and that wasn¡¯t going to be the case¡­ ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s up?¡± I asked as I approached them hesitantly. Immediately, their gazes snapped my way, and I pressed my lips thinly together. I was expecting them to be upset¡ª to be mad for whatever reason. Well, I could think of a few reasons as to why they weren¡¯t happy. They thought of me as their protector, even if I wasn¡¯t. After all, that whole scheme had been a ploy devised by me to convince them to gain my trust. And after Grat-ra¡¯zun showed up, I hadn¡¯t really returned to ¡®protect¡¯ them. Because of that, they must have been angry at me for not upholding my promise. They buzzed their wings as I approached them apprehensively. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, huh? I, uh, have been a little busy as ofte. I hope you guys aren¡¯t mad¡­¡± I spoke sheepishly. And I watched as a figure flew forward. The queen baby bastion bee. I still hadn¡¯te up with a name for her. But now wasn¡¯t the time for that. Because she darted straight at me, and I braced myself for an attack. Surprisingly, when she reached me, I wasn¡¯t attacked. Instead, shended on my face, clinging tightly onto my cheeks. Like she was hugging me. Blinking a few times, I removed her from my face, and stared at her as she fluttered her wings on the palm of my hand. She stared at me with round eyes as I raised a brow hesitantly. ¡°You¡¯re not mad at me?¡± I asked.. And the baby queen bastion bee tilted her head. She didn¡¯t look upset. I swept my gaze around as the swarm of baby bastion bees gathered around me. They all looked at me curiously. No¡ª not curiously. There was an expectant look to them. Like they wanted something from me. I just didn¡¯t know what. I narrowed my eyes as they buzzed their wings expectantly. I hoped it wasn¡¯t loud enough to wake up Edlyn. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked the baby bastion bees. They swarmed around me, continuing to buzz their wings expectantly. I pressed my lips into a thin line. I couldn¡¯t understand them. But it was clear they wanted something from me. So I thought about finding Dorien. He was the [Druid] who got me into taking these bastion bees under my care in the first ce. And he could even understand both animals and monsters. However, I didn¡¯t think he was currently in Wolfwater, so I had to seek him out in the Vox Forest. If he was even there. I¡¯d have to ask Nn or Nicole about where I could find Dorien. After all, they were close friends with the [Druid]. So they probably had an idea as to where I could find him. But before I could even begin to seek anyone out, I watched as a familiar figure emerged from between the mass of baby bastion bees. My eyes grew wide as I saw the winged creature¡ª I saw her feathers. And I stared at the chicken as she clucked at me, standing amongst the bastion bees. ¡°Bucky?¡± Now I really was confused. ¡°Just what is going on?¡± Chapter 229 Chapter 229 ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Bucky?¡± I asked as I stared at the chicken. All around me, the baby bastion bees buzzed. Their queen fluttered her wings, even as she sat on my shoulder. And Bucky¡¯s gaze just bore into me. It was almost like she was judging me. I pursed my lips and dropped down to one knee. I extended a hand to her. ¡°Are you alright¡ª¡± I started. And she began to cluck angrily, pecking at me. I blinked and drew back. ¡°Ouch, what are you doing? I don¡¯t even know why I said ouch, that didn¡¯t actually hurt. But¡ª what¡¯s going on?¡± Bucky continued clucking and pecking at my hand. I picked her up, and she squawked. It was evident that she was angry about something. However, she couldn¡¯t speak. So I just watched her as she waved her wings in the general direction of the baby bastion bees. ¡°You¡¯re angry because¡­ I¡¯ve been neglecting them?¡± I asked, tilting my head.Bucky nodded furiously at me. I pursed my lips, before cing a hand on the baby queen bastion bee. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, sorry about that. But I was busy with Edlyn¡­¡± I started. But Bucky red at me, not buying what I was saying. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°And I¡¯m back now? So I can make it up to them?¡± I suggested apprehensively. But Bucky just clucked louder. She pecked at me again, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s not the right option, what should I do?¡± I asked. Of course, I couldn¡¯t understand the chicken. All I could tell was that she was upset with me. She continued squawking as she pped her wings angrily. And then I heard a soft buzzing. Almost panicked. Looking down, I watched as the baby queen bastion bee flew up at Bucky, intercepting the chicken. Blinking, I just stood to the side as the two creatures seemed to argue. Bucky clucked, and the baby queen bastion bee buzzed. ¡°Is she¡­ defending me?¡± I stared in disbelief. Bucky hissed as she backed away from the baby bastion bee. I blinked a few times, then just stood in shock as the baby bastion bee flitted back to me. I didn¡¯t know what was going on. However, I knew it was aplicated situation. So I sighed. ¡°Alright, I guess it¡¯s time for me to pay Dorien a visit to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Bucky huffed as she turned away from me, hearing what I said. ¡ª-- After dropping off the unconscious Edlyn at her bed so she could rest somewhere that isn¡¯t behind a bush, I brought Bucky and the baby bastion bees with me to Nn¡¯s farm. There, I asked him about where I could find the only person who could help me resolve this problem¡ª the [Druid] who introduced me to the bastion bees in the first ce. Dorien. Unfortunately for me¡­ ¡°Dorien has returned to the Vox Forest,¡± Nn said as he shook his head. ¡°You can find him there, if you need his help.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± I sighed, and I drew back. ¡°Well, this is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass, huh?¡± I nced back towards the swarm of baby bastion bees who were waiting right outside of the farm. Bucky was there, standing guard over them. Like a glorious steed mounted by a knight in shining armor. I had them all wait outside as I talked with Nn. Finally, I returned to them as I shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go find him.¡± Bucky clucked frustratedly, and I gestured at her to follow. The swarm of baby bastion bees and the chicken trailed after me as I made my way away from Wolfwater. ¡ª-- After an hour of traveling, I realized this wasn¡¯t going to work. We were moving way too slow. By the time I reached the Vox Forest, it would be after a week of travel at the very least. The baby bastion bees simply couldn¡¯t travel as quickly as I could. That wawa why progress would be too slow. So I made my decision on how to deal with this issue. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re heading back!¡± I said as I spun around. Bucky clucked in confusion, and the baby queen bastion bee blinked at me. But I marched forward as I led them back towards my restaurant. It took two hours to bring them back to my hive, and when they arrived, I nodded at them reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back in an hour. Just stay put.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk¡ª¡± Bucky clucked protestingly. But then I took off into the distance, leaping into the sky as they watched me go. ¡ª- The astrid beetle. It was a rare species of monster that was known to be docile towards humans despite their carnivorous tendencies. The reason for their strange tendencies to avoid feasting on humans had eluded experts for as long as their species had been discovered. Depending on their stage of evolution, one could reach up to the size of an elephant. And there were many well-documented examples ofrge groups of Level 30 or 40 astrid beetlespletely ignoring a town of helpless humans during a time where food sources were scarce for all, but they never attacked. Dorien had been observing them for a month now, and he was starting to understand their behavioral pattern. Or so he thought. As a [Druid], he could understand animals and monsters to a certain extent. However, that didn¡¯t mean he was capable of understanding their deepest thoughts immediately. Especially if they didn¡¯tmunicate with them. That was why he knew he needed to build up his trust with them. And it was time for the barrier between being an observer and interacting with them broke. Striding forward, Dorien walked towards a group of astrid beetles as they were building a home out of dung. There were five of them in total, and they were each the size of a person, since they were of a lower-evolution. Dorien brought his hands up as he lowered his head. That way, he didn¡¯t intimidate them. ¡°Hello,¡± he started as he drew closer, and the astrid beetles tilted their heads at him curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t mean you any harm. You don¡¯t have to fear me¡ª¡± But before Dorien could finish, a shadow fell from the sky. It came crashing down right in between the [Druid] and the monsters. The ground was smashed open, and a plume of dust shot into the air. The astrid beatles went scattering in a panic¡ª in fear and shock at what just happened. Dorien stumbled back as he coughed, wondering what just happened. He looked up in rm, thinking aet or a monster had crashed before him. However, he paused at what he saw. ¡°Amelia?¡± Dorien blinked. ¡°What the fuck are you¡ª¡± But before he could finish, Amelia grabbed him and leapt into the air. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m kidnapping you for a bit.¡± ¡°Wait, no DON¡¯T¡ª¡± And Dorien screamed as he was lifted through the air into the horizon. Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Bucky watched as Amelia left. Again. That was annoying to see. This was precisely the problem that Bucky had seen happen time and time again. Even though most people thought that she was just a chicken who didn¡¯t know any better, sometimes she felt like she was the only person in the entirety of Wolfwater who had anymon sense. Just because she couldn¡¯t speak didn¡¯t mean she was an idiot. Bucky actually had empathy¡ª she actually understood others, even if they didn¡¯tmunicate their feelings. This was a trait that Amelia distinctlycked. Even if the human woman tried to be a good person¡­ sometimes. So that was why Bucky understood the issue of the frustration of the baby bastion bees. They thought Amelia was their protector¡­ only to be immediately abandoned by her. Time and time again, Amelia did the same thing. She made amitment to others, but she failed to live up to it. As far as Bucky knew, this was what happened with Noele¡ª in regards to her apprenticeship, orck thereof. This was what happened with Jax¡ª even if it was understandable that Amelia didn¡¯t want to keep up with her promise of dueling him every single day. This was what happened with Edlyn¡ª even though it was more recently resolved. And this was what happened with Arthur¡ª how he was seemingly so lost working as a bartender, doing nothing else. Thest part was something even Arthur himself hadn¡¯t realized was an issue yet, although he was starting to wake up to it now. Bucky noticed it herself long ago. Now, as Arthur spent more and more time training with Jax, his eyes were opening up to it. There was also the more recent problem of Justyn. He was recovering from his long journey and exhaustion after seeking out Amelia for so long. But she bore no responsibility for what happened to him. His frustrations¡ª his feelings of this situation. That everything he had done was wasted.Bucky didn¡¯t try to cheer him up because she couldn¡¯t speak to him. But it was also Amelia¡¯s duty to fix it. And before that, it was Amelia¡¯s duty to take care of the baby bastion bees. That was why Bucky had approached them, befriended them, and helped them through the woes they were facing right now. Because once again, Amelia had abandoned them, just like everyone else. She refused to take responsibility, except this time, they were literal children. And they needed someone to care for them. Looking up, Bucky saw the worried look on the baby queen bastion bee¡¯s face. Thetter was staring in the direction Amelia had vanished to, wings fluttering slowly and anxiously. She was a child. A recent newborn. And she was starting to gain even more sapience than before. This book''s true home is on another tform. Check it out there for the real experience. So she was starting to ask questions. Especially since she considered Amelia to be her protector¡ª to be the guardian of the hive. And it was hard to feel safe when Amelia was never around. But the baby bastion bees were too afraid to speak to¡ª to bring things up to Amelia. That was why Bucky had to convince the baby queen bastion bee to approach Amelia. That was how they got into this situation. And yet¡­ Bucky sighed as she lowered her head. Once again, Amelia was gone¡ª And right as the thought crossed Bucky¡¯s mind, she saw a figure crashing down from the sky. She blinked, before backing away in a panic, clucking and pping her wings. The baby bastion bees recoiled too at what they saw. Amelia right before her, carrying a familiar [Druid] over her shoulder. ¡°Alright,¡± Amelia said as she dropped the human man she was carrying to the ground, ¡°let¡¯s talk now.¡± And even Bucky had to admit¡­ that was fast. ¡ª-- I returned with Dorien as quickly as I could. Which, unfortunately, resulted in him passing out during the trip back. However, at the very least, I was back with the baby bastion bees, so they couldn¡¯t cause trouble while I was gone. I looked up as they swarmed around me, before turning to face Bucky. She was still irate, wearing an annoyed face. But she also looked a little bit impressed by how quickly I could find Dorien on my own. Which she shouldn¡¯t be. If I was left unimpeded, I could almost always get anything done by myself in the snap of a finger. But there was always someone else to consider, which got quite tiresome. The reason why I even took so long was because I had to ensure Dorien didn¡¯t die on the trip back. So I took my time to get here, traveling at a speed I knew Noele could survive, so I inferred that Dorien would survive. Even if he passed out. I gestured for the baby bastion bees to follow me away from the restaurant. ¡°Alright, guys. Now let¡¯s resolve this somewhere private¡­ whenever Dorien wakes up.¡± I added thest part as I looked down at the unconscious [Druid]. With a huff, Bucky nodded and trailed after the baby bastion bees, heading to their hive. I followed them as I picked up Dorien. I really couldn¡¯t wait to figure out what was going on now. ¡ª-- Justyn watched as Amelia disappeared to the side of the restaurant. Ever since arriving here, he had done nothing but spend all his days lying down and recovering from his weary travels. However, he thought that it was finally time to confront Amelia. About what? He didn¡¯t know. But he felt like he needed to speak with her. After all, the two of them hadn¡¯t even exchanged a single word ever since he passed out. He had been taken care of by Han, sure. However, Amelia had done nothing at all. And Justyn felt the need to speak up. So he stepped out of his room to confront Amelia. Only to be intercepted by Han. He seemed to have returned from the market, carrying a bag of groceries with him. He waved at the [Receptionist] with a smile. ¡°d to see you¡¯re up and doing well,¡± Han said casually. Justyn just grunted and lowered his head. ¡°That is an overstatement.¡± ¡°At the very least, you¡¯re able to walk now. Although¡­ you might want to sit down if you haven¡¯t already heard the news.¡± Han shook his head. ¡°What news?¡± Justyn tilted his head. ¡°Did you seriously not hear about it?¡± Han said as he drew his lips into a thin line. Justyn frowned. ¡°What about?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± And as Han exined, Justyn¡¯s eyes grew wide. Chapter 231 Chapter 231 ¡°You really couldn¡¯t have been a little gentler?¡± Dorien groaned when he woke up. I shrugged in response to him. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault. I was in a rush.¡± The two of us stood right outside of the bastion bee hive, adjacent to my restaurant. Inside, the baby bastion bees were waiting for us. I had brought the [Druid] out here to let him wake up, then recover, before we went to figure out what was going on. Bucky was waiting inside with the baby queen bastion bee. When I stepped inside the cavern-like room, dimly-illuminated by the glowing honey, I saw the swarm of baby bastion bees waiting there for me. The nursing bees were present too. They exchanged hesitant nces. That made me dread what was toe. I hoped it was nothing too major. After all, I was starting to get into my stride, especially having dealt with Edlyn¡¯s fear of me. For the most part, at least. Bucky and the baby queen bastion bee moved forward. Dorien raised a curious brow, before facing me. ¡°They look¡­ upset. What did you do?¡± he asked. ¡°Beats me,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought you here.¡±¡°Right.¡± The [Druid] went down on one knee, looking between the baby queen bastion bee and Bucky. The chicken started clucking angrily immediately. I watched as she waved her wings at me, squawking and hissing and making all sorts of noises that I didn¡¯t think chickens were supposed to make. Eventually, the baby queen bastion bee flitted forward, buzzing and interrupting Bucky. Dorien turned his attention to the baby queen bastion bee as she moved her mandibles like she was talking. I heard nothing but soft squeaks¡ª almost like chirps. And behind the baby queen bastion bee, Bucky harrumphed. I waited as both Bucky and the baby queen bastion bee took turns talking to Dorien. Well, it was more like the baby queen bastion bee was in the middle of telling Dorien something, then Bucky would interrupt angrily. But the anger wasn¡¯t directed at either the baby queen bastion bee or Dorien. I could sense the enmitying from the chicken, even from here. This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. This continued for five more minutes. It was almost cute to watch. Especially when Bucky eventually got tired and sat down, refusing to face me. And the baby queen bastion bee finished, before Dorien finally drew back from them. ¡°I¡­ I think I understand now,¡± the [Druid] sighed, rubbing his temples. I approached him with pursed lips. ¡°So what is it they want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a bit difficult to exin,¡± Dorien said, turning to me. ¡°But simply put¡ª they want you to be more responsible.¡± I paused, hearing that. I gave the [Druid] a t stare. ¡°I, uh, could tell that much.¡± ¡°Right, too simplistic of an exnation.¡± He rubbed his chin as he tilted his head back in thought. ¡°So¡­ basically¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, leaning forward. ¡°The baby bastion bees trust you, but they do not know if they can rely on you. They do not even know if you¡¯re dedicated to protecting them. They feel like you¡­ don¡¯t actually care about them. Like they¡¯re stuck with you, and you¡¯re only doing this because you have to, not because you want to.¡± Dorien shook his head, speaking in a low voice. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly wrong,¡± I admitted, remembering how I was forced to look after them because of their mother. And Bucky perked up, before clucking and pointing at me. Like I was proving her point. She turned to the baby queen bastion bee, who tried to shush the chicken. ¡°Not only that¡ª¡± Dorien said emphatically, shooting me a re. ¡°But the baby bastion bees do not want you to feel that way. They want you to understand that they do not desire to leave their nest. However, they do not know how to keep you there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be hard,¡± I said as I drew my lips into a thin line. ¡°Trust me, I feel the same way as they do. But things¡­ happen.¡± In the background, Bucky snorted. Like she was expecting that response from me. I rolled my eyes back at her as I crossed my arms. ¡°Come on, you know as well as I do that I attract trouble more than spilled food attracts you.¡± The chicken began to protest, before pausing. She lowered her head, acquiescing my point. I looked towards the baby bastion bees. They were gathered behind their queen. And unlike before, they looked small. It was clear they were babies right now. I started to feel bad. Unlike before, they seemed like monsters. Because they acted like monsters, attacking everything they saw. However, right now, they weren¡¯t acting in any way like they did before. They were acting like babies. And I sighed, ¡°Look, I can¡¯t make any promises about staying by their side at all times. But I know they¡¯d prefer to be closer to me, even when I¡¯m busy cooking. So¡­ I have an idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Dorien asked, tilting his head at me. Bucky also peered my way, curious about what I wanted to say. I shrugged as I threw out a random suggestion I came up with. ¡°What about moving their hive to the inside of the restaurant?¡± I said, ncing at the walls surrounding us. ¡°You want to¡­ what?¡± Dorien asked, eyes growing wide. ¡°Do you know how long that¡¯ll take? The bastion bees will have to disassemble and reassemble¡ª¡± ¡°I can do it in under a minute,¡± I cut him off. Dorien opened his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± I gave him a t stare. Bucky gave him a t stare. The nursing bees too, gave him a t stare. And the baby bastion bees, wanting to join in even if they didn¡¯t fully understand what was going on, gave the [Druid] a t stare. He blinked, then lowered his head. ¡°Point.¡± And I began to get to work. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 As I had said, it took me under a minute to finish relocating the hive of the baby bastion bees to the inside of Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant. Ever since Grat-ra¡¯zun had expanded the interior of the main dining room of the restaurant, there was a lot of excess space, since Edlyn and I couldn¡¯t possibly cook enough to serve so many people during rush hour. Because of that, much of the vast hall was never used. The seats left unfilled, except for the closest half towards the kitchen. I always thought that made the ce look rather dull. Which was why I also thought it was a good idea to bring the hive of the baby bastion bees in here, to spice up the decoration quite a bit. So I set up their brand new hive towards the center side of the main dining room. It had a direct view of the kitchen, which allowed the baby bastion bees to peek out and see what I was doing at any time. I dusted my hands off, admiring my work. I thought I really did a good job. But Dorien walked up next to me as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± he asked hesitantly. I nced back at him, then I looked towards the baby bastion bees and Bucky who were standing up ahead and inspecting the side of the rebuilt hive. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t this be a good idea?¡± I replied simply. Dorien shook his head. ¡°Won¡¯t your customers scare the baby bastion bees? And wouldn¡¯t they scare your customers? This seems like a recipe for disaster.¡± ¡°Fortunately for me, I am a chef. So I know a thing or two about recipes. Let me cook, alright?¡± I said, waving my hand off as I still eyed the baby bastion bees up ahead.My ne was simple, and twofold. Not only would I get the people of Wolfwater to limate to the baby bastion bees, thus turning them to another attraction for my restaurant¡ª I was also going to give the baby bastion bees some exposure therapy to other humans. Surely they would eventually limate to this environment, especially since they were still babies. So they could definitely get used to it over time. ¡­I hoped. And as my thoughts trailed off, the baby bastion bees approached me, led by their queen. I noticed Bucky trailing after them, looking annoyed as she clucked quietly to herself. It looks like they got into an argument. I wonder what about? Well, I didn¡¯t have to wonder much. It was probably about me. Which¡ª fair enough. Bucky might have been my mascot, however she didn¡¯t have the highest opinion of me either. And that was the intention on my end. I wasn¡¯t a hero or whatever. There was no reason for me to go out of my way to earn the respect of others. Even with the little responsibility I had, I tried my best to use it to my advantage. That way, I wasn¡¯t just being ¡®heroic¡¯. I eyed the baby queen bastion bee as she flitted forward up to me, and I raised my open palm. Shended there as her wings fluttered gently. Herrge bulbous eyes peered into me, and I could see the reflection of myself there. I tilted my head, seeing her twitch her antennae at me. It almost looked like she was trying to say something. I heard a soft clicking that came repetitively, but I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. However, Bucky and Dorien did. The chicken immediately started clucking, showing her dissatisfaction with what the baby queen bastion bee was saying. I looked towards the [Druid] for trantion, and he pursed his lips. ¡°She¡¯s asking you if she can trust you,¡± Dorien said. Then he looked down, facing Bucky who was clucking to the side. ¡°And the chicken is saying that you can¡¯t be trusted.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I rolled my eyes at Bucky, before looking towards the baby queen bastion bee. I opened my mouth. ¡°I¡ª¡± And I caught myself. The baby queen bastion bee cocked her head, staring at me intently as I remained in thought for a second. ¡°You know, I just realized I still haven¡¯t given you a name,¡± I whispered softly. The baby queen bastion bee stared at me curiously. Bucky paused when she heard that. And Dorien frowned. The swarm of buzzing bastion bees surrounded me, and I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can trust myself either. So I can¡¯t guarantee that you can trust me.¡± I spoke simply as I lowered my head. Hearing that, the baby queen bastion bee almost seemed to dete. ¡°However, your mother did trust me. And whether or not that trust in me was misced¡ª I do not know for certain. After all, I don¡¯t even know what she saw in me.¡± I closed my eyes as I spoke, and the swarm of bastion bees slowed. Bucky huffed when she heard that as Dorien bit his lower lip. Then I opened my eyes. ¡°But even if I can¡¯t be trusted, I will still try my best to help you. To look after you. Because that is my responsibility. And while I am no hero, I won¡¯t just forsake those around me that easily.¡± Raising my head, I met the gaze of the queen baby bastion bee. ¡°So I hope you can trust me as your mother did. And hopefully I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± The baby queen bastion bee stared at me as I finished. She shifted hesitantly, still in my hand. And I knew that she wasn¡¯t reassured by what I had to say. However, I answered as honestly as I could. Because I couldn¡¯t bring myself to lie over this. Even if I could lie about¡­ other things. After what felt like an eternity of deliberation, the baby queen bastion bee flew up. Slowly, she floated up until she was level with my gaze. I stared at her as her gaze bore into me. And she nodded. ¡°You¡­ trust me?¡± I asked, staring at her in slight disbelief. From the side, Dorien said, ¡°She does. Even if she is uncertain too. She believes she can trust you.¡± Bucky clucked unhappily when she heard that. But her disapproval was drowned out by the swarm of bastion bees began tond on me as I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being the best guardian for you. But I will keep trying to live up to your expectations. So thank you for trusting me.¡± The baby queen bastion beended on my shoulder again, and I ced a hand on her back. I closed my eyes, before shrugging. ¡°What about Melita?¡± I suggested. And the baby queen bastion bee peered at me quizzically. ¡°As a name¡ª what do you think of it?¡± The baby queen bastion bee lowered her head, then she gave me an approving look. I smiled at her. At Melita. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it. Nowe on, let¡¯s get you back inside your hive.¡± I began to usher the baby bastion bees forward as Bucky and Dorien watched from the side. However, their attentions were drawn back to a figure approaching from behind. Bucky and Dorien stepped aside, confused. Even the baby bastion bees began to part ways, sending the approaching figure. I nced back, looking away from Melita as she flitted up away from me. She stared at the man standing there, and I blinked. ¡°Justyn?¡± I looked at the former [Receptionist] of Windrip¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild as he stood there, staring at me. His gaze was hardened, his brows wrinkled. The look on his face was pale and almost hollow. I raised a brow at him curiously. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said as he took another step forward. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, even if he didn¡¯t give an immediate answer. He closed his eyes, trying to steel himself¡ª like he was unsure of what he was about to say. But the grim expression he wore made it abundantly clear that this was important. And he looked up to face me. Justyn sighed. ¡°The Kingdom of Kal¡¯s armies will arrive at Astral by the end of the week. When that happens, the Astrad Kingdom will fall.¡± Hearing that, everyone in the room froze. Chapter 233 Chapter 233 ¡°There it is,¡± Kallistus Kal whispered as he eyed the city in the distance. It was a sight that the [Hero King] had only seen once before. Back when he had first just formed the Kingdom of Kal¡ª when he had emerged victorious over the Crather Kingdom from the remnants of the Morius Empire that summoned him. At the time, Kallistus Kal had made many enemies, and most of the world thought that the Kingdom of Kal would fall. So nobody truly thought of his nation as a threat. And he took advantage of that. He would offer the greatest powers in the continent of Laxo great deals which benefited them in exchange for a non-aggression pact. A mutually beneficial alliance, as the [Hero King] had framed it. But the greedy leaders of these powerful countries thought it was only beneficial for them. After all, the Kingdom of Kal would soon fall. So they could just exploit the [Hero King]. Even the so-called benevolent King Jalen of the Astrad Kingdom seemed to think that way. He refused to ept a non-aggression pact until the terms proved to be favorable to him. Kallistus Kal remembered telling himself that he would make King Jalen pay for such arrogance and callousness. And the hatred boiled and stewed in the [Hero King]¡¯s heart for years. That was why he sallied forth now. ¡°Not for the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, and not for the Fal-Deus¡­¡± Kallistus Kal spoke softly under his breath. ¡°I am doing this for myself.¡± Once he was finished with the Astrad Kingdom, he would be granted even more power from the Void. When that happened, he would destroy the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns too. After that, he would finally leave this world.He would finally return to where he belonged. Behind the [Hero King], a voice spoke up. ¡°So this is the Dome Of The Sentinels.¡± ncing back, Kallistus Kal saw Melissa standing there. She was the highest-leveled [Mage] in the Kingdom of Kal. An [Archmage] that was over Level 60. One of the [Hero King]¡¯s most trusted subordinates. At the very least, within the Kingdom of Kal. Her long red hair whipped behind her back as she eyed the magical barrier protecting the city of Astral. And she shook her head. ¡°A grand spell that has existed for over a millennia, protecting the Astrad Kingdom from ever falling. ording to legends, it has even withstood the siege of No¡¯tika the Barbarian Lich King.¡± Melissa spoke almost in awe. And Kallistus Kal shook his head. Drawing back, he marched back to his army that was amassed right behind him. A million soldiers stood there, waiting for hismand. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°And yet, the Dome Of The Sentinels will fall by my hands,¡± the [Hero King] said dismissively. He turned to a group of nearby horsemen as he barked an order. ¡°We shall make camp for the night. And at dawn, we shall begin our siege and put an end to this war once and for all.¡± ¡ª-- ¡°The Astrad Kingdom will fall.¡± Justyn delivered the news as casually as he strode out of the kitchen. Everyone standing in themon room of the restaurant stared at him in silence. Nobody said a word. Not the [Druid], not the elf who was fiddling with some arrows in the corner of the room, not the bartender who was standing at the back, and not even the chicken made a sound. Amelia stood there as she processed what the former [Receptionist] had to say. The expression on her face was unreadable¡ª as per usual. Normally, it would be frustrating to see. But Justyn was used to it by now. Because he knew Amelia. He knew better than to be surprised by her. He had seen her feats and he knew what she was capable of. The only thing she did that had surprised him recently was finding out that Guildmaster Evan was saved. And even that wasn¡¯t that shocking. The part which actually struck the [Receptionist] was knowing that he wasted his time. That Justyn hadbored so hard for no reason. Back when he heard that, he passed out. But it wasn¡¯t just the whish of finding out his efforts were wasted. It was also partly because he had been so utterly exhausted, he just needed to rest. And since then, his days had been a daze. Until he heard the news from Han¡ª when he was told that the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal had finally arrived at the city of Astra. That soon, the Kingdom of Kal would fall. So Justyn sought out the only person who could put a halt to this. The only person in the world who broke logic enough times that it was possible for her to put an end to the war. Amelia the Unranked Adventurer. ¡°Only you can stop this, Amelia,¡± Justyn said as he met her gaze. ¡°If the Astrad Kingdom falls, then millions will suffer under the [Hero King]¡¯s rule. And it is not just that¡ª¡± The [Receptionist] started. But Amelia sighed as she drew back. ¡°Don¡¯t even start, Justyn,¡± she cut him off. Justyn blinked, before narrowing his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean that I am not going to do shit about the [Hero King]. Seriously, this is not the first time I¡¯ve been approached to deal with him. And my answer still remains the same.¡± Amelia shook her head as she nced around the room. ¡°That is¡­?¡± Justyn asked with a frown. ¡°No, I will not kill the [Hero King] or put an end to this war,¡± Amelia said simply. ¡°I am not concerned with this war, nor am I concerned with its oue.¡± Justyn¡¯s brows snapped together when he heard that. That was incredibly unreasonable. He nced around the room, looking for anyone to protest what she just said¡ª but all he found were averted gazes. Even Han, who was standing by the kitchen, looked away. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± Justyn said, gesturing at his surroundings. ¡°This war could impact you¡ª the [Hero King] is after your life, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, well, if he wants toe after me, he cane after me,¡± Amelia replied as she waved a hand dismissively. ¡°But until that happens, I don¡¯t care.¡± Justyn hesitated when he heard that. He didn¡¯t expect this conversation to y out this way. He thought that Amelia would save the day. Like she did with the Goblin Lord back in Windrip. However, Amelia didn¡¯t seem like she could be convinced in the slightest. And the [Receptionist] didn¡¯t know what to do. His shoulders sagged as he tried to find his voice. ¡°But¡­ if you won¡¯t stop the [Hero King]... then who will?¡± It was a question Justyn was asking nobody in particr. In fact, he was asking himself the question more than anyone else. Because the [Receptionist] always thought that if the worst came to worst, Amelia would intervene. But if she wouldn¡¯t¡­ what was going to happen now? And as Justyn stood there, dumbfounded, a figure stepped forward from behind. ¡°I can help,¡± Arthur said as he nodded seriously at the [Receptionist]. ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Edlyn had been having a nice nap¡ª until she heard themotion that was going on in themon room of the restaurant. It was loud. Mostly because of the cacophonous buzzing. And when the [Royal Chef] heard that at first, she almost leapt out of her bed in sheer terror. However, after a minute passed, she managed to calm herself down and steel herself. Everything is fine. Amelia will handle it. Even if the bastion bees are running wild¡ª Edlyn tried to reassure herself. Then she heard themotion go silent. The voices quietened, much to her confusion. Blinking a few times, she exited her room and peeked her head out of the kitchen, right behind Han who was standing there hesitantly. And that was when she heard¡­ ¡°The Astrad Kingdom will fall.¡± That made Edlyn freeze. Her heart skipped a beat as the realization as to what was going on crossed her mind. ¡­what? She just stared at the scene in shock, processing what was going on. And she heard everything. How the Capital City of Astral was going to fall. How Kallistus Kal was going to emerge victorious. How it was the end of the Astrad Kingdom. Of everything that Edlyn had known. This can¡¯t be real, right? Edlyn thought as she wobbled where she stood. She knew of the consequences that coulde from the victory of the Kingdom of Kal. Just like how the former nations under Kallistus Kal¡¯s rule were now suffering with widespread poverty and disease, the same fate would befall the Astrad Kingdom.Edlyn knew her parents would suffer¡ª and she would be out of a job! Well, actually now that she was working for Amelia, her job was secured. But still, she would never be able to return to being a [Royal Chef]. And even after all the hardships that she had been through working that job, she felt¡­ sad. Actually, sad didn¡¯t urately describe it. It was more like a lingering sense of mncholy knowing that she could never return to her dream job. A hollowness to know that everyone she knew back then was likely not going toe out of this ordeal alive. Edlyn¡¯s heart raced¡ª quickening as the realization that many of her colleagues and others she¡¯d even consider friends were going to die. And King Jalen too. Even though he had been so kind. He was now going to be executed by the [Hero King]. Someone has to do something, Edlyn thought as she raised her head. And then she remembered the task that was entrusted to her. Amelia needs to do something¡ª But right as the [Royal Chef] stepped forward, she heard what her employer had to say. Edlyn listened dejectedly as Amelia rejected taking any action against the [Hero King]. Which was¡­ almost expected. However, it was disappointing nheless. Edlyn lowered her head as a sense of powerlessness washed over her. Is this really it? Is this how it ends for the Astrad Kingdom? There was something she should have been able to do. But she felt like there was nothing at all that could be done. And as she stood there, dreading what was toe. A voice spoke up. This book is hosted on another tform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. One that surprised her. ¡°I can help.¡± Arthur, the bartender who worked for Amelia, spoke up and stepped forward. And Edlyn just stared at him in disbelief. ¡°...how?¡± ¡ª-- Arthur had been eavesdropping to the conversation the entire time. Even though he had been wiping a ss, acting inconspicuously, he had wanted to say something. Especially with what he knew of the [Hero King]. That was why Arthur had been training. That was why he had been sparring with Jax day after day, getting a better handle of his powers. Because the former Lich King had heard about the plight of the [Hero King] from Amelia¡¯s conversation with Grat-ra¡¯zun. And Arthur believed that that the predicament Kallistus Kal was currently in was simr to the bartender¡¯s own former predicament. As things stood right now, Kallistus Kal was merely a pawn for the Fal-Deus. A tool that was being manipted and controlled. Arthur wanted to save the [Hero King]. And this was hisst chance to act. So that was why he stepped forward. Even if everyone in the room just stared at him in confusion. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the bartender who works here, right?¡± Justyn said, looking at the former Lich King in disbelief. ¡°What are you going to do about the [Hero King]?¡± ¡°I will do what I can,¡± Arthur replied simply as he met Justyn¡¯s gaze. Arthur didn¡¯t really know the [Receptionist] beyond what Amelia told him. But it was evident that Justyn didn¡¯t know the truth behind the former Lich King. ¡°That makes no sense¡ª you¡¯re just going to get yourself killed,¡± Justyn continued, shaking his head. He nced back at Amelia. ¡°She¡¯s the only one who can do something about the [Hero King]. You don¡¯t know just how terrifying he can be¡­¡± The [Receptionist] shuddered as he spoke. He almost seemed to hug himself, recalling a memory. Arthur nodded when he heard that. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He closed his eyes, lowering his head. ¡°I know nothing about the [Hero King]. I have only heard about him from the customers thate here to my bar. So all I know about him are rumors and hearsay. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t act. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do anything here to stop him.¡± ¡°But how are you going to stop him?¡± a voice piped up from the side. That drew the attention from everyone in the room. Amelia blinked, seeing the woman standing in the doorway. ¡°Edlyn? You¡¯re awake?¡± Amelia raised a brow. ¡°I am¡­¡± Edlyn paused, before averting her gaze from Amelia. ¡°When did you¡ª¡± Amelia started. And Edlyn continued, ¡°You¡¯re a bartender, aren¡¯t you?¡± She stared at the former Lich King quizzically. Her hands were ced on her chest, and she stepped forward. There was clearly a dubious toneing from her voice. As she continued. ¡°How exactly is a bartender like you supposed to stop the [Hero King]?¡± she asked. But the dubiety in her tone did note from distrust. It was confusion¡ª and a hint of desperation. It was like Edlyn wanted to believe Arthur, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do that. Arthur hesitated as he scanned the room. A part of him wanted to reveal the truth. To tell everyone who exactly he was. But as his gaze went from Edlyn, to Justyn, to Dorien, then to Han¡­ the former Lich King realized it was pointless. There was no reason for him to reveal the truth to anyone here. After all, they knew him as Arthur. As a kindhearted bartender, and that was all he wanted to be. Not who he used to be. So he looked towards an elf who was sitting in the corner of the room. ¡°You do not have to believe me. You don¡¯t have to trust my words¡ª that I can do anything. But you can believe in¡­ Jax.¡± Arthur spoke as he eyed the Forsaken Archer. The SS-ranked adventurer. ¡°Oh?¡± The elf tilted his head back curiously. ¡°You want me to get involved?¡± ¡°You always say you¡¯re looking for a challenge, aren¡¯t you?¡± Arthur tried to goad Jax into action. But it was not even an obstacle. Jaxughed as he hopped out of his chair. ¡°I did not say no, did I? This is interesting. I would like to see how I fare against the [Hero King] now¡­¡± ¡°Jax is a strong adventurer,¡± Justyn said as he nodded at the elf. ¡°But the [Hero King] is stronger¡ª¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why we will not be alone,¡± Arthur cut off the [Receptionist]. Amelia frowned when she heard that, and the former Lich King nodded at her. ¡°We will seek out Grat-ra¡¯zun¡ª one of thest Elder Dragons in all of Vacuos. And together, with ourbined efforts, we will put a stop to the [Hero King].¡± Arthur spoke as he slowly turned to face Edlyn who was shifting her feet ufortably next to Han. The former Lich King met her gaze reassuringly. ¡°And that is why you do not have to worry. So please, do not be worried.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Edlyn opened her mouth, then paused. She closed her eyes, tightly gripping onto the seams of her apron. She took in a deep breath, before looking up gratefully at the former Lich King. ¡°Thank you. I will trust you.¡± Seeing the fear and worry that Edlyn felt, and despite that, she still put her faith in him, Arthur resolved himself. That no matter what means were necessary, he would put a halt to the [Hero King]. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Arthur had resolved himself. He knew what he was doing was right¡ª he knew what needed to be done, that was why he was going to do it. Even if he failed and died¡­ again, he would face the [Hero King]. The former Lich King couldn¡¯t lie and say that he wasn¡¯t afraid of that, just because he had experienced it before. After all, the current him was different from the old him who died and came back to life multiple times due to his necromancy. That had been Ar¡¯elith. The Lich King who had been responsible for millions of deaths. And while Arthur knew he was not the same person as before, he didn¡¯t shirk himself of the burden and the responsibility to make up for his past life¡¯s actions. So that was why Arthur readied himself to leave Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant¡ª to put a stop for the Fal-Deus¡¯s n and save all of Vacuos. He had already bid farewell to everyone. Han, Edlyn, Justyn, Dorien, Nn, and Nicole. They had all been incredulous when they heard he was going. Nobody except for Bucky and Jax knew what the former Lich King was truly capable of. And while Bucky wasn¡¯t going to be joining Arthur unlike Jax, she at least went to bid the bartender farewell as he stood outside of the restaurant, ready to leave. She clicked and pecked at his legs as heughed. Amelia was there too, shaking her head in mild annoyance. ¡°Two of my employees, both resigning on the same day. I¡¯m going to have to decrease upancy until I hire someone else to rece both of you.¡± It was almost a callous statement¡ª like she didn¡¯t care about what happened to Arthur. After all, he was going to be facing an individual even stronger than the Elder Dragon. However, Arthur also knew Amelia well enough to know that this was how she showed concern for others. She wasn¡¯t the most honest with her feelings most of the time.¡°I¡¯ll try to be back soon,¡± Arthur said with a nod. ¡°Don¡¯t rece me while I¡¯m gone.¡± Amelia rolled her eyes when she heard that. ¡°I will if I find a better [Bartender] than you. But don¡¯t worry, I can always use another waiter. Pretty much everyone in the world is more qualified at doing that job than Jax.¡± She shot a light re at the elf standing to the side. In response, Jax just snorted. ¡°When I return, I will not need to work for you, because I will be strong enough to defeat you.¡± ¡°Sure you will,¡± Amelia replied tly. Arthur chuckled as he watched the other two bicker. He then bent over and patted Bucky on the head with a smile on his face. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Make sure Amelia doesn¡¯t get into too much trouble while I¡¯m gone, alright?¡± he said, drawing Amelia¡¯s attention. Bucky nodded, and Amelia scoffed to the side. ¡°So what are you and Jax going to do? Are you just going to head straight over to Astral and face the [Hero King]?¡± the brown-haired woman asked curiously. ¡°First, I think we¡¯ll need to seek out help,¡± Arthur exined, looking towards Jax. ¡°From someone who has faced the [Hero King] in a true battle.¡± The Forsaken Archer nodded in agreement. Amelia raised a brow knowingly. ¡°Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± she guessed. And Jax answered, ¡°Correct. Because not only is he an Elder Dragon who can be a great ally in the battle against the [Hero King], he also knows what we are up against. And we can better prepare ourselves with his knowledge and experience.¡± Amelia tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°Makes sense. But that sounds like a pain in the ass¡ª I mean, how are you even going to find Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± ¡°In his hasty departure, Grat-ra¡¯zun did not mask the destination of his teleportation spell,¡± Jax said simply with a shrug. ¡°And as a master tracker, I simply traced his mana signature. Now I know he is hiding out just a hundred miles away in that direction.¡± The elf looked towards the north. Arthur didn¡¯t know if that was true, but he knew he could trust the elf. After all, the two of them had spent quite a lot of time together as ofte¡ª mostly sparring. But because of that, they had built a trusted bond with each other. ¡°I see,¡± Amelia said, before picking up Bucky and stepping back. ¡°Well, good luck, and don¡¯t die¡­ this is especially directed at you, Arthur.¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t help but smile at the joke. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you.¡± And with that, Arthur and Jax left Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant that day. ¡ª-- It was getting odd, seeing how many of my friends were now leaving my restaurant. First it was Xakor. But honestly, I had known that was going to leave soon, and he did leave quickly. So while I was sad to see him go, I was grateful for what he had done for me¡ª helping me set up my restaurant, while educating me more about this world. After that, Noele and Garron took off. Even though Noele was my apprentice, she made the decision to leave to grow on her own. And I understood her mindset behind that decision. I even encouraged it. But I didn¡¯t expect it. Because she had been by my side for almost the entire time I had been here in Vacuos. I was just d that Garron was with her. I believed in their ability to support each other. And now, it was Arthur and Jax. While I wasn¡¯t exactly sad to see Jax go, I had gotten along with Arthur quite well. He might have been the Lich King at one point, but the current him I knew was apletely different person. That was why he was going out to face the [Hero King] for a conflict he had no stake in regardless of the oue. However, I knew that Arthur was going to leave eventually. I just didn¡¯t think he would have left anytime soon. I just hoped that things worked out. Otherwise, I was going to have to intervene. And I did not want to do that. At all. ¡ª-- And as Edlyn watched Arthur and Jax go, her gaze turned to Amelia. The [Royal Chef] closed her eyes, remembering the task that was entrusted to her by King Jalen. Edlyn knew what needed to be done. So she resolved herself. ¡ª-- At the same time, as the sun rose over the horizon in the Capital City of Astral of the Astrad Kingdom, Kallistus Kal rode on horseback towards the city covered in a magical dome. It was time. For the [Hero King] to put an end to this war once and for all. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 It had only been half an hour since Arthur and Jax had left Wolfwater. Not a lot of time had passed, but it was not like they had a lot of time either. Both men realized this fact, and they voiced their worries clearly. ¡°At this rate, we¡¯re going to be toote,¡± Jax said as he nced around at their surroundings. ¡°The Astrad Kingdom will fall before we even reach Grat-ra¡¯zun.¡± Arthur pursed his lips, looking back. Wolfwater was no longer within view. Even though it had not been a lot of time, they left it far behind them, over a dozen miles away. But despite both their speed, they weren¡¯t Amelia. They couldn¡¯t just cross the continent in a second. ¡°What can we do?¡± The bartender shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re traveling as fast as we can, and I don¡¯t even know where we¡¯re going¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re traveling as fast as you can,¡± the Forsaken Archer corrected Arthur. ¡°I am simply matching your pace because you are so slow.¡± Arthur raised a brow at that. ¡°Wait, what do you mean I¡¯m slow?¡± Jax just scoffed. ¡°If it were up to me, I could swoop you up and carry you to our destination by the end of the hour.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Arthur said tly. ¡°Oh?¡± The elf grinned. ¡°Do you want me to prove it to you?¡±The former Lich King shrugged back in response. ¡°Sure, but there¡¯s nothing to¡ª¡± And as the words left his mouth, Jax grabbed Arthur and leapt into the air. The two of them went soaring high over the canopy of trees as the bartender blinked a few times. ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Arthur nced down, seeing the world around him expand. While they weren¡¯t elerating through the air nearly as fast as Amelia could, the speed was beyond what Arthur was capable of. And it certainly wasn¡¯t what he was expecting. Especially since he had dueled the elf numerous times and thought he had a good gauge on Jax¡¯s top speed. ¡°But how?¡± the bartender asked. Jax rolled his eyes. ¡°A Skill, of course. [Hurricane Jump]. I learned it from thest time I sparred with Amelia.¡± The two of themnded, before the elf took off jumping again. From their vantage point in the air, Wolfwater was barely in view. ncing back, Jax whispered. ¡°I may not be as strong or as fast as Amelia right now. But one day, I will catch up with her¡­¡± ¡ª-- Just as Jax had said, it took an hour for them to arrive at their destination. Not that Arthur knew where they were. It looked like any ordinary mountain range to him. But this was apparently where Grat-ra¡¯zun had fled to, and this was where the two men were going to recruit the Elder Dragon¡¯s help. ¡°And you¡¯re sure he¡¯s in here?¡± Arthur asked, peering into the cavernous entrance. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a 10,000 year old Lich King?¡± Jax snorted as he strode forward. ¡°Don¡¯t ask stupid questions¡ª where else would a dragon nest?¡± The bartender rolled his eyes, trailing after the Forsaken Archer. ¡°I already told you this before a million times, I am not Ar¡¯elith any longer. Now, I am Arthur.¡± ¡°Wrong,¡± Jax said with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re just an idiot.¡± Arthur only snorted in response. The two men had gotten to know each other quite well over the course of thest few weeks due to all their sparring sessions. So Arthur knew Jax¡¯s brusque personality was mostly just a front, and the insults the elf dealt out were just banter. Jax led the way as they navigated further into the darkness. But as they turned the corner down a rocky hallway, the elf¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Watch out!¡± Jax called out as he leapt back. But Arthur blinked, too slow to react as he stepped forward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡ª¡± And there was a sh of light. Arthur felt a sharp pain run through his body as a crimson aura washed over him. Jax watched with round eyes as the bartender¡¯s body stiffened. Then Arthur screamed as he began convulsing where he stood. His flesh melted, revealing his bones underneath as they began to turn to ash. Jax winced, looking away. And the screaming faded away. When the elf looked up again, all he saw was a pile of goo lying on the ground. But he didn¡¯t mourn the death of his friend. Because¡­ A sh of purple light overcame the puddle that was the remains of Arthur. And slowly, the former Lich King began to reform. He was still a partial skeleton when he forced himself back to his feet and coughed. ¡°How interesting,¡± Jax murmured, inspecting an invisible barrier that was blocking them from further entering the cavern. ¡°I have never quite seen a spell like this before.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You know, I would prefer it if you showed a little bit more concern when I am quite literally liquidated,¡± Arthur panted out. The elf waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You can regenerate, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± And while that was very much true, considering that Arthur was now back to his normal self, practically unhurt, he still found the experience of being turned to goo quite painful. ¡°To wonder what this is¡­¡± Jax continued inspecting the barrier. And Arthur stepped up next to the elf. ¡°It¡¯s a death barrier¡ª an incredibly powerful spell. It wasmonly used by Level 70 [Archwizards] back when I was a Lich King. It will kill anyone who so much as touches it.¡± ¡°Is there any way around it?¡± Jax asked curiously. Shaking his head, Arthur raised his hand. ¡°Around it? No. But through it?¡± A crackle of electricity ran through his fingertips. A savage grin crossed through his face, and a purple lightning bolt shot out, shattering the invisible barrier as the entirety of the cavern shook. The mountain rumbled for a moment, before Arthur faced Jax with glowing eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± the former Lich King replied as the death barrier copsed ahead of them. Jax stared at the destroyed barrier, before snorting. ¡°Show-off.¡± ¡ª-- Jax and Arthur both continued to make their way through the tunnel, but this time, they were both more wary of traps. Well, at the very least, the Forsaken Archer was on the lookout for traps. On the other hand, the immortal bartender just bumbled forward, almost stupidly running into trap after trap. ¡°Shit¡ª¡± Arthur cursed, caught in a ss-like prison that glowed with a dim light. Jax had easily avoided that trap by actually watching his step and staying back when he saw the spell circle interwoven onto the rock ground. Now, the elf looked on as hispanion was turned to ice. Only for Arthur to break free with a purple st a secondter. Landing with a shuddering breath, Arthur red up at Jax as the elf simply strode forward. ¡°You know, it would be a lot easier to avoid these traps if you bother to point them out maybe a second before I activate them.¡± Arthur dusted the bits of ice and frost coating his body, Jax shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s more entertaining this way.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Arthur narrowed his eyes, still shivering as he walked after the elf. ¡°You do realize we¡¯re in a rush, right? If we activate every trap on our way to meet Grat-ra¡¯zun, we¡¯re never going to make it to Astral in time¡ª¡± And right as the bartender spoke, he tripped over a rock, falling forward. Jax¡¯s eyes went wide as a spell circle shed right below Arthur. All at once, even more spell circles began to glow around the two men, surrounding them from every direction. ¡°Another trap? But this time¡­¡± Jax sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that he too was trapped. Arthur looked up as he opened his mouth. ¡°This is what i meant¡ª¡± And a bolt of acid shot out of the ground below him, immediately melting his face and interrupting him. No scream came out of his mouth because he didn¡¯t have a mouth any longer, let alone a face. Realizing that, Arthur iled on the ground as he touched his neck where his skin was still melting. Jax¡¯s eyes flickered, before he swept his gaze around at the spell circles surrounding him. He easily deduced that each spell circle was going to fire a bolt of acid at him¡ª perhaps even multiple at once. And considering there were thousands of these spell circles aimed at him from all directions, he would end up like Arthur if he just stood there and did nothing. But unlike Arthur, the elf could not regenerate. So the Jax raised his bow, cackling wildly as he reached for his quiver. ¡°Come on, do you think this is even a challenge for me? [Eternal Sting Of The Death Bees]!¡± And he leapt into the air as his bow shone gold. It was like an ethereal wing sprouted from the side of his bow. The wing buzzed like that of a bee, before thousands of arrows shot out with each passing second. At the same time, the omnidirectional hail of acid poured out at him, and he spun around, facing this deluge. His arrows intercepted the bolts of acid before they could reach him, and the cavern shed with a myriad of glowing colors as the projectiles shed. After what felt like an eternity had passed, the mana powering the trap dissipated, and the spell circles vanished. Jax copsed to the ground, panting with a satisfied smile on his face. He waspletely unscathed, aside from the perspiration pouring from his face. Next to him, Arthur began to regenerate from being torn to shreds. ¡°Come on,¡± Jax growled as he turned to the former Lich King. ¡°We still have a long way to go before we reached Grat-ra¡¯zun.¡± Arthur picked himself up with a sigh. ¡°Now are you finally getting my point? We can¡¯t run into any more traps. You could get yourself killed too, you know?¡± ¡°I know,¡± the elf replied, before ncing back with a crazed look in his eyes. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why we should keep activating the traps. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Arthur started. And he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°I almost forgot you were an insane masochist.¡± ¡ª-- Jax and Arthur continued tackling trap after trap after trap set up by the Elder Dragon. Whether it was a st of true lighting, a storm of particles, or a pit of ck fire. They managed to face it all until they approached the end of the tunnel. There, the cavern opened up to a massive chamber. Arthur almost thought that this was the end of all the obstacles in their path¡ª that they would finally reach Grat-ra¡¯zun. But then the cavern around them began to rumble. Like a powerful earthquake was shaking the entirety of the mountain. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arthur asked, taking a step back hesitantly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Jax said as he sneered and strode forward bravely. ¡°We activated another trap.¡± ¡°But this is¡ª¡± the former Lich King started. And he could sense the mana coalescing in the air around them. The immense buildup of mana that led to the creation of this spell was beyond anything he had ever seen in his past lives. Arthur¡¯s eyes went round, and he watched as chunks of rock began to crash into each other ahead of them, creating something out of thin air. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ Greater Earth Elemental,¡± Arthur realized as he stared at the golem made of stone rising to its feet ahead of the two of them. Jax¡¯s brows snapped together, and even the crazy elf paused for a moment. ¡°A Greater Earth Elemental? Are you being serious right now?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡ª¡± Arthur hesitated, seeing the spelle to an end. The golem now stood before the two of them, towering tall over both the elf and the bartender. ¡°What do we do? That¡¯s an SSS-ranked threat. We can¡¯t possibly defeat that.¡± And for once, Jax didn¡¯t know what to say. He nced between the former Lich King, then looked ahead at the Greater Earth Elemental. He opened his mouth, trying to formte a response as the golem took a lumbering step forward. But before either Arthur or Jax could react, they heard the beating of heavy wings approach them from above. Looking up, they saw a shadowed figure descend from above. A hulking crimson mass came crashing down before the two of them. A red dragon right next to the Greater Earth Elemental, scales glittering, smoke puffing from its maw. It spread its wings wide as it brought its head down until its gaze was level with both Arthur and Jax, staring at them with slit-like pupils and golden eyes. And it bellowed, ¡°WHO DARES WAKE ME FROM MY SLUMBER?¡± For a moment, Arthur cowered and Jax tensed. They almost forget the reason why they were here¡ª to seek the Elder Dragon¡¯s help. But then Grat-ra¡¯zun blinked a few times, before rubbing his eyes. And he frowned. ¡°Wait, you are¡ª¡± the Elder Dragon started. ¡°The Forsaken Archer¡­ and the First Lich King¡±? What are you two doing here? Grat-ra¡¯zun stared at them in confusion. Jax and Arthur exchanged a nce, before the two of them began to exin. Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Arthur blinked when he heard the Elder Dragon greet him as the First Lich King. That had surprised the bartender. It was not something he expected. After all, he had never met Grat-ra¡¯zun as¡­ Arthur. As Ar¡¯elith the Lich King, he had crossed paths with the Elder Dragon a handful of times. They had only shed once, and it ended quickly with the Lich King¡¯s hasty retreat. But beyond that, they were not antagonistic towards each other, nor were they on friendly terms. They had barely even known each other. So they were barely acquainted as Ar¡¯elith the Lich King, and as Arthur the bartender, they didn¡¯t even know each other. And yet, somehow, Grat-ra¡¯zun knew who Arthur was in his past life. ¡°...we could not convince Amelia to intervene to put a halt to the [Hero King]. That is why¡ª¡± Jax exined as the Elder Dragon listened. And Arthur spoke up, voicing out his confusion. ¡°Wait, how do you know who I am?¡± Blinking, Grat-ra¡¯zun broke his gaze away from the elf to face the former Lich King. ¡°It is simple, really. I can see the essence of your soul, and I recognize it. It has been a while. Even if your form has changed substantially since Ist saw you.¡± The dragon paused, tilting his head back. ¡°Or perhaps your form has reverted? Nevertheless, the oue remains the same. I have known who you are since I saw you working at Amelia¡¯s inn.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Arthur hesitated, shifting his feet ufortably. ¡°And you didn¡¯t stop to question why I was there?¡±Grat-ra¡¯zun scoffed. ¡°And why would I be surprised? It is Amelia we¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a point,¡± Jax added from the side. ¡°That¡¯s fair enough.¡± Arthur took a step back as he nodded. ¡°Anyway, I believe we should get back to the point as to why we¡¯re here,¡± the elf said, looking towards the Elder Dragon, then back at Arthur. ¡°Right, sorry, I got distracted.¡± The former Lich King nodded. ¡°The reason we¡¯re here is because Kallistus Kal hasunched his siege of Astral. And soon, the Astrad Kingdom will fall. We cannot let that happen, so we havee to you to ask for your help to put a stop to this.¡± ¡°Well, honestly, I don¡¯t really care about all of that,¡± Jax said with a shrug. ¡°I do want to see how I fare against the [Hero King] though.¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°Even still, we know we need your help¡ª after all, you have faced the [Hero King] before.¡± The former Lich King spoke as he held the Elder Dragon¡¯s gaze. Grat-ra¡¯zun considered what the two men had to say, his face being shadowed over. There was a long moment of silence as he did not respond. Opening his mouth, Arthur stepped forward. ¡°Please, the fate of the world is at stake¡ª¡± But before he could finish what he was saying, the Elder Dragon¡¯s voice rumbled, shaking the cavern. ¡°Unfortunately, if the siege of Astral has begun, we¡¯re already toote,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said simply. Arthur blinked a few times, before narrowing his eyes. He exchanged a nce with Jax who frowned. ¡°What does that mean?¡± the elf asked curiously. ¡°It means what it means,¡± the Elder Dragon exined as he lowered himself back to the ground. The proud dragon that had stood tall was now reduced to a hunched figure, clearly scared and afraid of action. ¡°Kallistus Kal is far stronger than anyone in all of Vacuos, except for Amelia. Even a Guardian Angel was no match for him.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s eyes flickered as he spoke resignedly. ¡°The Astrad Kingdom will fall within the hour. Our only hope now in halting the [Hero King]¡¯s path to world domination and the return of the Fal-Deus is waiting for Amelia to act¡­¡± ¡ª-- And the siege of Astral began. King Jalen watched from the tallest tower of his pce as the army amassed outside of his walls moved. It was an innumerable mass¡ª impossible to get an urate count on. But if he had to guess, the number of soldiers that were gathered there was equal to the total number of civilians and soldiers within the walls of Astralbined. At the very minimum. The King of the Astrad Kingdom sighed, before turning around. ¡°Rond, my friend,¡± Jalen greeted the [Knight] and his old friend with sorrowful eyes. ¡°Be honest with me, do you think that this is the end of the Astrad Kingdom?¡± The Captain of the Knights of the Astral Order simply bowed his head in response. ¡°In truth, I do not want to know the answer to that question myself. Nor do I believe you wish to know the answer to that question, my liege.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair enough,¡± Jalen chuckled as he drew back. ¡°But all hope is not lost,¡± Rond said, looking up at the spherical barrier protecting the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°Perhaps the barrier will hold off the Kingdom of Kal for long enough for Edlyn to seed.¡± Jalen¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard that. ¡°The [Royal Chef], huh? I almost forgot I sent her on that mission¡­¡± Certainly, if anyone could save the day, it would be Amelia. After all, she had even humbled an Elder Dragon before. And yet, Jalen remembered how adamantly against intervening she had been. Even with riches offered to her, she said no. ¡°Perhaps it is only a foolish optimism¡ª or maybe it is a misced hope¡­¡± The King of the Astrad Kingdom raised his head, smiling weakly. ¡°But I truly hope that Edlyn and Amelia will save us all¡ª¡± But right as the words left his mouth, there was a sh of light, followed by a deafening crack. It sounded like a thunderous p that echoed throughout the entirety of the city. A shockwave swept over the walls, rolling into the Astra Pce and nearly knocking Jalen off his feet. Rond caught him, calling out, ¡°My liege! Are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I am fine,¡± Jalen stammered as he steadied himself. ¡°But what was that¡­?¡± Looking up, he cast his gaze towards the magical dome that was encasing the city. And there, he saw a giant crack running through the middle. And slowly, a web of cracks continued to spread throughout the barrier. The King of the Astrad Kingdom tried to process this¡ª he tried to understand what was happening¡ª and that was when he heard a sting from the walls of the city. He looked down and saw an entire section of the wall copsing as screams and shouts echoed out from afar. And standing there, atop the smoldering rubble, was a familiar figure. A monster that had made his name known throughout all of Vacuos. Kallistus Kal the [Hero King] himself. He had his broadsword raised and aimed at the Astra Pce as his army poured into the roads of Astral all around him. And the realization settled in as to what was happening as Jalen¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°No¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°It is over.¡± Because in only a single strike, the [Hero King] had broken through the greatest barrier of the Astrad Kingdom that had protected the Capital City of Astral for over a thousand years. ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal stormed the Capital City of Astral, determined to put an end to this war once and for all. Even as he heard the screams of terror resounding all around him. Even as his men went to cut down the fleeing civilians of the city. None of it mattered to the [Hero King]. All he cared about was exacting his revenge. To this world that had wronged him¡ª that had taken him from his life. From his family. And his hatred was fueled from afar. The mes of revenge were fanned by the words that were spoken to his true body that was waiting beneath his pce. Of course, that was not his true self that was storming the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. Instead, his real self was molding a rift in space, under the instructions and the guidance of the Fal-Deus. A pathway to the Void. ¡°That is right¡­¡± The voice that had brought Kallistus Kal this far goaded him. It praised him and it told him what to do. ¡°Destroy.¡± As it spoke, the [Hero King] continued to reshape the rift, peering further into the Void. Beyond where even the Guardian Angel had been trapped. ¡°Burn it all down.¡± The voice rumbled, shaking the room¡ª affecting the world of Vacuos in ways it had never done so before. Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes shimmered as his body moved mechanically. Almost like he was acting against his own volition. And as the voice spoke, the [Hero King]¡¯s clone continued to tear his way through Astral, the words of the Fal-Deus driving him forward. ¡°Fulfill my will and bring destruction to this wretched world!¡± ¡°Your will shall be done,¡± Kallistus whispered softly as he moved. Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Kallistus Kal stood before the copsed walls of Astral. All it took was a single strike, and the barrier that had protected the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom for centuries was destroyed. Everyone¡ª from the Kingdom of Kal¡¯s forces to the citizens of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª could only gape in awe at the sheer might of the [Hero King]. And yet, it had been a simple task for him. This unmatched feat hadn¡¯t extracted even a small toll from him. Kallistus Kal knew that if he so desired, he could destroy the entirety of Astral with only a single swing of his de. In fact, he was more than certain he could destroy all of the Astrad Kingdom on his own with the powers bestowed upon him by the Fal-Deus. However, he withheld himself. He didn¡¯t choose to reveal his true strength right now. All he showed was but a mere fraction of what he was capable of. But it was enough to instill fear within the world itself. Because that was all he was doing. It was all for show. Kallistus Kal raised his head as the smoke and dust cleared. All around him, he saw the terrified faces of the citizens of the Astrad Kingdom. They screamed and fled in terror as ranks of their soldiers moved to intercept him. That¡¯s right, Kallistus Kal told himself as he stepped forward. This is just for show. Because his true motive¡ª as well as his true body¡ªid elsewhere. ¡ª--¡°That¡¯s exactly the reason why we need to intervene!¡± Arthur eximed as he stepped forward. He shook his head adamantly. ¡°Amelia will not do anything¡ª so we have to!¡± Jax nodded alongside the former Lich King in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. Amelia¡¯s too busy running her restaurant. Besides, we can¡¯t rely on her for everything.¡± But the Elder Dragon remained unphased, even when faced with the reality said by the two men. ¡°There is nothing that can be done. All we can do is wait and watch.¡± Arthur gritted his teeth when he heard that. He raised his head, ring at Grat-ra¡¯zun angrily. ¡°Are you seriously going to just stand by and do nothing as millions die?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun just shrugged in response. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal tore through the first ranks of the soldiers of the Astrad Kingdom with ease. Behind him, his troops rallied as he paved a path straight for the Astra Pce. He could hear Melissa¡¯s voice ring behind him, enhanced by magic for all to hear. ¡°People of the Astrad Kingdom:y down your arms and surrender! If you do, you will be spared!¡± Her voice reverberated throughout the entirety of the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom, even though she stood at the back rank of the army. As one of Kallistus Kal¡¯s most trusted archmages who had been with him since the very beginning, he did not want her to die here¡ª not during the final battle. Not when the [Hero King] was so close to his goal. While he cared very little about the people of this world, there were some who he did not resent. Those like Melissa, Amon, Rakash, and Si-Vus¡ª those who had been utmost loyal to Kallistus Kal. He did not wish them to suffer, even when he would return to his own world. Which would be soon. The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes flickered as he cut down soldier after soldier with his greatsword. Their sttering blood stained his shield and armor, but that was not what he noticed. He was used to seeing the faces of dead men by now. Instead, he looked up as he heard a voice calling out to him. ¡°Kallistus Kal of the Kingdom of Kal!¡± a [Knight] cried out, charging forward atop a winged steed. He cut down the hail of arrowsing his way, before swooping down and felling a dozen of the [Hero King]¡¯s soldiers in a single sh. He leapt off his pegasus andnded right before Kallistus himself, issuing a challenge. ¡°I am Jordan Cel! A Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order]! And you will die by my hands today!¡± Without another word, Jordan Cel charged forward as his de shed with a bright light. But the [Hero King] didn¡¯t even waste another moment on the [Knight]. Kallistus Kal casually swung up and decapitated Jordan Cel like he was any other soldier, before moving onto the next rank of soldiers, killing them with ease. After all, if he wanted to, he could already be at the Astra Pce, standing over the corpse of King Jalen. And yet, for the same reason as why he did not bring down the entire city, he withheld from doing this as well. Because this was a distraction. Not for the Astrad Kingdom, and not for the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Instead, it was a distraction for the Voidgod. And Kallistus Kal continued onward, cutting his way through the streets of Astral, leaving a coat of red on the cobbled road behind him. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡ª--- For the first time ever, Arthur felt like he understood Edlyn. He felt like he understood Noele. He felt like he understood Justyn. He felt like he understood literally anyone who ever had to deal with Amelia and her stubbornness. Because now, the former Lich King was dealing with the stubbornness of a dragon. ¡°Seriously?¡± Arthur gaped at Grat-ra¡¯zun in shock. ¡°You are fine with standing idly by as millions die?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the Elder Dragon replied. ¡°Yes,¡± Jax agreed, next to Arthur. The bartender blinked at hispanion. ¡°Wait, why are you siding with Grat-ra¡¯zun?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on your side,¡± the elf rified as he raised his hands. ¡°I want to fight Kallistus Kal. But I also would bepletely fine with standing by as millions die.¡± Arthur pursed his lips, ncing between the dragon and the elf. He wanted to argue against them. He wanted to approach this from a moral standpoint. But having heard all the same arguments used against Amelia, only to fall t, he knew he had to find another approach. His eyes flickered as he remembered something. A memory that was so distant, that it was not even truly his. And he got an idea. ¡°I¡ª you know what? I¡¯m not even going to argue with that. It¡¯s my fault for forgetting my audience. Jax, you¡¯re a psychopath, and you know that.¡± ¡°Alright, rude,¡± Jax scoffed. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s true. But that doesn¡¯t make it any less rude to say outloud.¡± ¡°And Grat-ra¡¯zun¡ª¡± Arthur continued, shooting a re at the Elder Dragon. ¡°I forgot you were a coward who couldn¡¯t care less if the world burned around you.¡± That made the Elder Dragon¡¯s brows snap together. ¡°I am not a coward¡ª¡± I mean, you didn¡¯t even act when I attempted my conquest of the world. You were too scared to face me in battle,¡± Arthur goaded Grat-ra¡¯zun even further. ¡°Now that is not even factually true!¡± the dragon eximed, smoke huffing out of his nose. ¡°I briefly battled you, and you were the one who fled! So you were the coward there!¡± ¡°That is not true,¡± the former Lich King argued with a glint in his eyes. ¡°I retreated strategically, because I knew that I could only face you when I grew my undead army even further.¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun shook his head, snorting. ¡°That is the definition of cowardice. There is no such thing as a strategic retreat either¡ª you refused to face me unless you had the battle tipped in your favor. And in fact, you never ended up facing me again in the end!¡± Hearing that, Arthur couldn¡¯t help but smirk. That was exactly what he was hoping to hear from the Elder Dragon. ¡°You know what?¡± Arthur said as he stepped back, crossing his arms. ¡°That¡¯s fair. I agree with you there, I was a coward for refusing to face you back then.¡± ¡°Good, as long as we are in agreement¡ª¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun started satisfactorily. And then Arthur cut him off with a smile on his face. ¡°But since we agree I was a coward back then, you must agree with me that you¡¯re a coward right now too, right?¡± ¡°...what?¡± The dragon paused, likely realizing his mistake. But it was toote. Arthur had already outsmarted the Elder Dragon. Even though he was a mere bartender. ¡°I mean, you did retreat¡ª whether it be strategically or not¡ª from the [Hero King] because the battle was not tipped in your favor, right?¡± Arthur spoke as Jax raised a brow from the side, evidently amused. ¡°And you don¡¯t n on facing him again. So by the same logic you used against me, you are a coward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun couldn¡¯t only grit his teeth together in frustration. Jax nodded in agreement to what Arthur was saying. ¡°You know, I have always thought that dragons were prideful creatures that showed no fear in the face of adversity. But it appears that isn¡¯t true.¡± ¡°Only a young and immature dragon ces his pride over his survival!¡± the Elder Dragon practically roared. ¡°I have only lived this long by choosing my battles wisely!¡± ¡°By being a coward, right,¡± Arthur said as he callously met Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s gaze. The dragon tried to open his mouth to speak, but the former Lich King shook his head. ¡°I may have been a coward in the past, but right now, I am not a coward. Because I want to face the [Hero King], even if I know I might not win. I will still try.¡± Stepping forward, Arthur clenched his fists and spoke resolutely. ¡°So I will not be a coward. And neither will Jax. Now the question is: what about you?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun clenched his jaw together as he eyed the two men. After a moment, he scoffed and turned away. ¡°If you think you can convince me to help you by attacking my pride, you are wrong¡ª¡± ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal reached the top of the steps leading up to the top of the Astra Pce, dragging his greatsword behind him. Behind himy the corpse of a hundred men in te armor. They had been the elite [Knights of the Astral Order] stationed to guard the entrance of the pce, famed for that high levels and their teamwork. And yet, they had all been felled like they were ordinary city guards. The [Hero King] strode forward casually as he nced back for a moment. His army was pouring towards the center of Astral quickly. Even though much of the soldiers of the Astrad Kingdom had stood strong against Melissa¡¯s intimidation tactics and refused to surrender, their defiance didn¡¯t matter against the sheer might of the forces of the Kingdom of Kal. ¡°Such pointless deaths¡­¡± Kallistus Kal whispered. ¡°But necessary nheless.¡± It was a contradiction. These deaths didn¡¯t need to happen. And yet, the [Hero King] had to sacrifice them for his own desires. Because he knew that this was what the Fal-Deus wanted. He knew that the Fa-Deus wished for him to bring destruction to Vacuos. To exact revenge. So that was what Kallistus Kal did. Albeit, he did it slowly. To give the appearance that that was all he was doing. Because this was not what he wanted. He only had a single desire, and that was to return home. ¡°And I will¡­ soon.¡± The [Hero King] shook his head as he faced a figure standing at the gate of the Astra Pce. A lone [Knight] stood there, standing on shaky feet as he faced down Kallistus Kal. It looked like he wanted to flee¡ª like he wanted to surrender. Kallistus Kal gestured at the ground. ¡°Throw down your arms if you want to live.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± the [Knight] started. But a voice interrupted him from behind. ¡°You should do as the [Hero King] says, Sir Wyn.¡± The [Knight]¡ª Wyn¡ª spun around with wide eyes when he heard that. He came face to face with an older [Knight] who walked out of the entrance of the pce casually. Wyn¡¯s eyes went wide as he stared at the older [Knight]. ¡°But Sir¡­¡± Wyn tried to protest. And the older [Knight] waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You are a good man, Sir Wyn. Young and with lots of potential. It would be a shame for you to waste your life here. Meanwhile, I am old, and if I lose my life today, it matters not.¡± As he spoke, he drew his weapon and faced Kallistus Kal, clearly prepared for battle. Wyn was trying to work his jaw. ¡°I know you,¡± the [Hero King] regarded his new opponent. ¡°You are Rond Donovan, [Knight of the Astral Order], and bodyguard to King Jalen himself.¡± ¡°I am honored.¡± Rond smiled as he held up his longsword to his chest. ¡°I did not think you would know my name, [Hero King].¡± But Kallistus Kal ignored thatment. ¡°If you are here, that means King Jalen is nearby. Lead me to him, and I will spare your life.¡± ¡°Unfortunately for you, I cannot do that. I swore an oath.¡± Rond grinned as he stepped forward. He took on abat stance as the [Hero King] sighed. ¡°Then you are no use to me,¡± Kallistus Kal said apathetically. He dashed forward, moving faster than either [Knight] could react. It happened in an instant. The [Hero King] was already swinging down with his broadsword and aiming for Rond''s neck. ¡°Die¡ª¡± he started. But before he could make contact with the [Knight], space rippled right before him. A rift opened up, revealing the shadowed maw of a dragon. Kallistus Kal blinked as both Wyn and Rond stared. And Grat-ra¡¯zun roared as he unleashed a powerful firest, engulfing the [Hero King] whole. ¡°BURN!¡± Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Wyn Stefard couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. One moment, he was facing down death alongside his [Knight]-Captain and leader Sir Rond Donovan, believing that his life was about toe to an end. And the next moment, a portal appeared, bringing with it the gaping maw of a dragon. But it was not any ordinary dragon. Even if Wyn had never seen a dragon before, he could tell by the glistening crimson scales and by the wizened wrinkles on its face that it was an Elder Dragon. A majestic being that hadn¡¯t been seen in all of Vacuos for over a thousand years. And it was here to save the day. ¡°BURN!¡± The dragon¡¯s voice echoed, reverberating throughout the pce. And all at once, a st of crimson mes shot out. The attack engulfed the [Hero King] in his entirety, stopping him in his tracks. It was a surprise attack. One that nobody could have foreseen. It was almost like a miracle that came down from the World System itself. To save the Astrad Kingdom from having to endure the tyranny of the Kingdom of Kal. Wyn Stefard stumbled back as he felt the intense heat emanating from the mes wash over him. The sweat that drenched his neck evaporated, and he watched with round eyes as a crimson pir rose up to the sky. It spread out like an expanding cone, growingrger andrger the higher it went. Until it nketed the blue dome overhead and dispersed even the furthest clouds. If this st struck the city, it would have destroyed everything in an instant. But the Elder Dragon angled it in a way so that it would only target the [Hero King]. That it would only incinerate him to ashes. And that was why Wyn Stefar could only look on in awe and wonder. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± he whispered as he saw the glistening mes vanish, leaving behind a smoldering cloud of smoke. This was what King Jalen, Rond Donovan, and Wyn Stefard himself had been praying for. An intervention from the heavens themselves¡ª a savior toe and rescue the Astrad Kingdom from its fall. Perhaps they had all thought their rescuer woulde as a young woman named Amelia. But instead, it was an Elder Dragon that was here to save them. Or so Wyn thought. ¡°No,¡± Rond said, interrupting the [Knight]-lieutenant¡¯s thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s not over.¡± ¡°What?¡± Wyn Stefard blinked as he nced at his leader. But Rond didn¡¯t lower his guard. He raised his de as he peered into the clearing smoke up ahead. Wyn himself narrowed his eyes, peering into the gray cloud of ash up ahead. And a figure emerged,pletely unscathed. Kallistus Kal stood there, not a scratch on his body. ¡°How¡­?¡± Wyn asked, and he got no response. ¡ª-- It did not work, just as Grat-ra¡¯zun thought. Even though it had been an ambush, with the Elder Dragon unleashing his most powerful mes¡ª the very same attack that had destroyed half of Mount Arkais¡ª it made no difference. The [Hero King] stood there with a shadow cast over his gaze. ¡°Tsk,¡± Grat-a¡¯zun clicked his tongue as he drew his face back into the portal. ¡°I knew this would happen.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. That was why he hadn¡¯t wanted to do this. He knew just how powerful the [Hero King] had be, all thanks to the power of the Fal-Deus. And that was not including how much more strength Kallistus Kal had gathered since theirst encounter with each other. Because Grat-ra¡¯zun knew that with the Void¡¯s involvement, the [Hero King]¡¯s strength would grow exponentially. ¡°The only difference is that this time around, I am the oneunching the surprise attack instead of him,¡± the Elder Dragon murmured. ¡°That¡¯s the only reason why I¡¯m even doing this¡ª because those two fools convinced me that I lost because I wasn¡¯t the one with the element of surprise.¡± Shaking his head, Grat-ra¡¯zun began to close the portal. He had tried once again. And once more he failed. He knew when to surrender¡ª when to admit defeat. So that was why he was retreating once again. Through the portal, Kallistus Kal could be seen emerging from the smoke, slowly striding forward. The [Hero King] moved without a rush in the world, and the Elder Dragon would seize this opportunity to withdraw. Or so Grat-ra¡¯zun thought. As he began to shut the portal, there was a sh of light. A purple ripple of light washed over the portal, seizing control of the magic over the Elder Dragon. His eyes went wide as he watched the portal open wider. ¡°What¡­?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun could only stare for a moment. He could sense the Void¡¯s essence emanating from the portal¡ª he recognized that power which overwhelmed his own magic. At first, the dragon thought that Kallistus Kal was the one who had overtaken the portal. But the [Hero King] came to a halt, eyeing the now purple portal curiously. ¡°Wait, if that was not him¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun started. Then the dragon¡¯s head swung to the side, facing a figure standing in the cavern with him. He stared at the source of the Void¡¯s essence. The former Lich King stood there with a hand raised, glowing with the same purple aura. It was Arthur who had seized control of the portal and was now keeping it open. ¡°You¡ª what are you doing?¡± the Elder Dragon asked in horror. Marching forward resolutely, Arthur nced back once. And he replied simply, before crossing through the portal into the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°Doing what¡¯s right.¡± ¡ª-- Arthur knew that Grat-ra¡¯zun¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t have been enough to put a stop to the [Hero King]. Even if the mes had reduced Kallistus Kal to ashes, the regeneration offered by the Fal-Deus would have brought him back to life with ease. Not that it was even necessary. Arthur knew what he saw¡ª the mes had barely burned the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal stood there, mostly unphased as only parts of his skin was singed. The fact that he could withstand such a powerful attack was only proof of just how formidable he was. The former Lich King gulped as he stepped through the portal. There was a sense of trepidation that clung onto him¡ª a fear that tried to hold him back. Perhaps he was who he was, he would be able to trudge forward without fear of who he was going to face as the Lich King. But right now, only as Arthur¡ª the bartender and the former [Priest]¡ª could he dare to battle Kallistus Kal to save the world. And that was why he didn¡¯t falter. That was why Arthur stepped forward to meet the [Hero King]. A familiar pair of [Knights] watched as the bartender came to a halt right across from the quizzical Kallistus Kal. ¡°Wait, is that¡ª¡± Wyn started. ¡°What is that bartender doing here?¡± Rond frowned. ¡°He needs to get out of here, right now.¡± The two of them stared at Arthur, evidently confused. Perhaps that was the only reason why the [Hero King] hadn¡¯t yetshed out¡ª because he, too, was confused. Or maybe it was because of the Void essence emanating off Arthur. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kallistus Kal asked, tilting his head. It was a gaze of curiosity, but it was not that of worry. ¡°Are you with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns?¡± Arthur shook his head simply. ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°Then why do you stand here, opposed to me?¡± the [Hero King] pressed further. Taking in a deep breath, the bartender raised his head. ¡°I am not your enemy, Kallistus Kal. I am someone who wants to help you.¡± Kallistus Kal raised a brow. ¡°And, pray tell, how can you possibly aid me?¡± ¡°Against the Fal-Deus,¡± Arthur said as he ced a hand on his chest. ¡°I have been in your position before, and I know you are being manipted by a power beyond your control. You may think that following the will of the Void is going to give you what you seek, however, that is not true.¡± That seemed to pique the [Hero King]¡¯s interest. He stood there as he mouthed an, ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I know it may be difficult for you to believe,¡± Arthur continued. ¡°But you are merely a pawn being used by the Fal-Deus. It has no intention of fulfilling its end of this bargain¡ª whatever bargain¡ª you have struck with it. So please, believe me when I say it is lying to you¡ª¡± ¡°I know,¡± the [Hero King] replied simply. He raised his head as Arthur paused. The bartender blinked a few times. ¡°...what?¡± Kallistus Kal just stepped forward as he smiled. ¡°I understand that. However, that is why I must¡ª¡± And his eyes flickered with a purple light as his voice boomed out. ¡°Dispose of you.¡± As he spoke, a st of purple mes shot out, engulfing Arthur in his entirety. Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Wyn Stefard recognized the bartender as soon as he stepped out of the portal. His name was Arthur, or so the [Knight] thought. In truth, they hardly even interacted with each other. The only reason why Wyn remembered Arthur¡¯s face was because much of the time he had spent at Amelia¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant was at the bar, and while he was there, his [Discerning Eyes] had told him that Arthur didn¡¯t have any levels as a [Bartender]. Back then, Wyn needed as much alcohol as he could sustain himself to get through the day, otherwise he was going to lose his mind seeing Amelia¡¯s antics. And right now, the [Knight]-lieutenant felt like he probably needed a shot or two to process what was going on. Because Arthur was conversing with Kallistus Kal, talking about something that could barely even beprehended. It was almost surprising the discussionsted as long as it did. After the dragon disappeared back into the portal, Wyn Stefard had resigned himself to death. That it was all over. But hearing Arthur speak to the [Hero King] gave the [Knight] a semnce of hope that things could be resolved without violence. That was¡ª until Kallistus Kal unleashed a st of purple mes that engulfed the bartender. Wyn Stefard stumbled back from the shockwave of the explosion as a bright light shed out. Covering his face, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the expected oue. ¡°As I thought, the [Hero King] cannot be reasoned with¡­¡± the [Knight] whispered as he looked up. But then he froze when he saw a shimmering purple barrier standing where Arthur had been. And inside the barrier, stood the bartender,pletely unphased. ¡°How¡­?¡± Wyn asked, blinking a few times.He tried to process what just happened. After all, Arthur should have been just like Amelia without any levels. And yet, it almost made sense to the [Knight]-lieutenant, precisely because Amelia had no levels too. ¡°Interesting,¡± Kallistus Kal said with a raised brow. ¡°So your control of the Void far surpasses that of any member of the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Even Leonhard pales inparison to you.¡± That made Rond who had been silently observing them this entire time click his tongue. ¡°So the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns is involved with the [Hero King], huh? And so is Leonhard the Archmage King. I should have known¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns a myth?¡± Wyn asked with a frown to the side. Rond shook his head. ¡°They are hardly a myth. They approached King Jalen with the opportunity to join forces with them years ago, but he denied them. That must be why the [Hero King] waged war on us.¡± Wyn just blinked quizzically. And Rond clenched a fist. ¡°That must mean this power that they are disying¡ª both of them¡ª is the power of the Void,¡± the [Knight]-Captain deduced. That¡¯s the power of the Void? Wyn stared at Arthur as his head spun. Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean Amelia¡¯s strengthes from the Void too¡­? It was a thought that barely crossed the [Knight]-lieutenant¡¯s mind before he was interrupted. ¡°You are quite astute, Rond Donovan,¡± Kallistus Kal said, drawing both [Knights] attention to him. He strode forward as he shook his head. ¡°However, while I was drawn to this war by the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. I no longer bear any allegiance to them.¡± The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes flickered towards Arthur who was stepping out of his barrier. The bartender¡¯s jaw was clenched, and he clenched a fist. ¡°And I highly doubt this man is affiliated with the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns either,¡± the [Hero King] said simply. ¡°Even if he wields the power of the Void. After all, they are mere childrenpared to him.¡± Arthur just nodded as he proffered a hand again. ¡°I do not wish to fight you. Please, I just want to help you.¡± There was a crackle of electricity alongside his fingertips that even Wyn noticed. So it was no surprise that the [Hero King] took note of that too. ¡°You do not have the demeanor of someone who has any intention of helping me,¡± Kallistus Kal said as he raised his broadsword. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I mean, you quite literally just sted me,¡± Arthur replied as he gritted his teeth. But the [Hero King] ignored what he had to say. ¡°And unfortunately for you, I cannot ept your help.¡± With that, Kallistus Kal dashed forward, shing out with his broadsword. Arthur cursed as Wyn¡¯s eyes went wide. The [Hero King] moved so fast, it was like he teleported. At least, to Wyn. But Arthur somehow managed to react in time, ducking under the sh and rolling to the side. The [Hero King] did not let up. He spun around and his de shone with a purple light, aiming for the bartender¡¯s neck. Or was Arthur ever even a bartender? Wyn didn¡¯t know. But what he knew was that if that attack connected, Arthur would be shredded to bits, and so would much of thendscape behind him. Arthur must have realized this too. So he raised both his hands and eximed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this¡­ but I will do what I must!¡± And as his voice boomed out, a st of lightning shot out from the palm of his hand, striking the [Hero King] directly. It was followed by a p of thunder that could be heard for miles, and a sh of light that briefly blinded both Wyn and Rond. When the light vanished, there was a crater where Kallistus Kal stood. However, just like before with the attack from the Elder Dragon, he remained unscathed. The [Hero King] grinned as he red up at Arthur. ¡°Weak.¡± ¡°Shit¡ª¡± Arthur cursed as he tried to step back. But this time, Kallistus Kal was faster, closing in the distance and slicing off the bartender¡¯s head. Wyn flinched when he saw that. It was almost a numbing sight. For a moment, he had a semnce of hope¡ª seeing how well Arthur fought against the [Hero King] for those few seconds. But it was immediately dashed as reality settled back in, seeing the sheer power of the monster that was the [Hero King]. ¡°Well, it was good while itsted¡­¡± Wyn said as he tried to steel himself. ¡°But I guess it¡¯s over.¡± He watched as Kallistus Kal craned his neck to face the two [Knights]. Rond shook his head. ¡°Not for you, Sir Wyn. You are young and you have much to live for. You must run.¡± The [Knight]-Captain spoke insistently as he stepped forward. ¡°But¡ª¡± Wyn started to protest. However, his words were cut short as he saw the decapitated body of Arthur begin to move. Looking on in horror, Wyn could only watch as the bartender rose to his feet behind the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes flickered as he spun around, sensing something was amiss. And Arthur pped his hands together, encasing the [Hero King] in a giant pir of ice. Stumbling forward, the bartender¡¯s head regrew on his body with a sh of purple light. ¡°...what is even going on anymore?¡± Wyn asked as he just stared in disbelief. A crack ran through the ice as Kallistus Kal moved within. And with a swing of his hand, he easily broke free from the momentary prison. ¡°You are weak. Far weaker than I. You im to understand the Fal-Deus, and yet, you have not even unlocked a mere fraction of its power.¡± The [Hero King] pointed his sword at Arthur. ¡°You¡¯re right, I am weak.¡± Arthur nodded as he held Kallistus Kal¡¯s gaze. ¡°At least,pared to you. And at least, the me of right now. But unlike you¡ª¡± And with a sh of light, an elf appeared behind the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal spun around as his eyes shed with recognition. ¡°You¡ª¡± But Jax didn¡¯t give the [Hero King] time to react, his bow already shining with a shimmering projectile that shone with iridescent colors. ¡°[Greater Blooming Deathhowl]!¡± the Forsaken Archer yelled, unleashing his attack point nk at the [Hero King]¡¯s face. However, that was not all. As the attack struck true, Arthur pointed down, and a pir of purple lightning descended from the sky,pounding with the elf¡¯s attack. ¡°I am not alone,¡± Arthur eximed. And both Wyn and Rond looked on. ¡ª-- It was abination of efforts from both the Forsaken Archer and the former Lich King. Grat-ra¡¯zun knew that Arthur had the full intention to negotiate¡ª to talk with the [Hero King]. However, neither Arthur nor Jax were foolish enough to think that it would work with absolute certainty. So Arthur would serve as a distraction if a fight were to break out. After all, they both knew they were outmatched. But the difference between Jax and Arthur was that if Jax were stabbed through the chest, he was probably going to die. Meanwhile, Arthur, with his rapid regeneration, could survive. That was why Jax waited for the right moment to strike. Was it a coward¡¯s tactic? Perhaps. But Jax never imed to pride himself in fighting battles head-on. And with this ambush, now both Arthur and Jax took turns sting the [Hero King] further into the ground with their attacks. ¡°This world has done no wrong to you!¡± ¡°[Eternal Sting of the Death Bees]!¡± ¡°I cannot let you destroy this world!¡± ¡°[Sluggish Salvo]!¡± ¡°You must fight back against the Fal-Deus¡ª¡± ¡°[Apocalyptic Pollen Shower]!¡± However, even as the various sts of magic and Void essence shone just ahead of the Elder Dragon, making it seem like the [Hero King] was on the verge of defeat¡­ Grat-ra¡¯zun knew better. ¡°All they are doing is dying the inevitable¡­¡± the Elder Dragon whispered closed his eyes as he drew back. Now that he could no longer close the portal himself, he had to flee. Otherwise, the [Hero King] would be able to reach him and finish the job. And yet, despite understanding this logical fact¡­ Grat-ra¡¯zun remained frozen in his cavern, watching through the portal as both Arthur and Jax shouted, raining their attacks down into Kallistus Kal. ¡ª-- And as both Jax and Arthur engaged in battle with the [Hero King] while Grat-ra¡¯zun watched, in a town far away, Amelia¡­ was cooking. Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Amelia was cooking. It was a simple meal¡ª nothing too extravagant or special. After all, there were very few customers at her restaurant today. Most stayed at home, hearing the news about the siege of Astral. It was like a day of mourning. Except, the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom had yet to fall. But everyone in Wolfwater had already resigned themselves to this fate¡ª to be nothing more than serfs of the Kingdom of Kal. So it made sense that there were very few customers who wereing to Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant today. And because of theck ofbor needed to serve the sparse customers that were there, Edlyn was given a day off by Amelia. Unfortunately, Edlyn didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to treat herself to a day out. So she just sat at the bar, taking a puff out of her pipe as she watched Justyn march past her into the kitchen. Han nced back from the table he was serving. It was Dorien who was being served there. The two men exchanged a nce, before sighing as they expected what came next. Edlyn knew it wasing too. She pursed her lips as she bit down onto her pipe. And a momentter, she heard the arguing voicesing out from the kitchen. ¡°¡ªhow could you just stand by and¡­¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you just let me cook?!¡±¡°Because¡ª¡± It was an argument between Amelia and Justyn. The thirteenth one that broke out today. And just like all the previous arguments, Justyn eventually stormed out of the kitchen, cursing under his breath. Edlyn closed her eyes as she heard his footsteps disappear, followed by the mming of the front double doors of the restaurant. Justyn would return. Maybe in ten minutes. Or an hour. It was contingent entirely on how long it would take him to cool down. However, unlike previous times, Amelia finally stepped out of the kitchen, clearly annoyed by all the interruptions she had received today. Untying her apron, she tossed it to the side and red at the front double doors of the restaurant. ¡°Can you believe the audacity of that guy? I gave him food, shelter, and even offered him a job. But all he ever does isin!¡± Amelia crossed her arms across her chest. Edlyn bit her lower lip when she heard that. Other than Dorien, the only other customers in the restaurant were Nicole, and another pair of regrs who had seen much of the insane antics that urred in the restaurant over thest few months. Nn had been here with his wife earlier, but had to leave to carry out some farm work. One of the two regrs raised a hand. ¡°To be fair, Justyn is right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us wants to live under Kallistus Kal¡¯s thumb.¡± The other regr nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t want to pay my taxes either,¡± Amelia snorted. ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t all get what we want.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not¡ª¡± the regrs protested. And Amelia red daggers their way. ¡°I¡¯m going to poison your food if you guys keepining.¡± They froze, before nodding stiffly. Edlyn just stared at this scene,pletely numb. Because the [Royal Chef] dared not to speak, even if she felt the urge to pipe up. However, someone else decided to speak up. And it wasn¡¯t who Edlyn expected to speak. It was Dorien¡ª the [Druid] who had no true affiliation with the Astrad Kingdom. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t really care about this whole war either. I¡¯m not a citizen of the Astrad Kingdom, and I actually hated their previous king quite a lot for destroying the natural habitat of many sacred monsters. But surely you must empathize with the plight of this country¡¯s people, right?¡± Dorien shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s why I left both Arthur and Jax to deal with it,¡± Amelia said dismissively. ¡°I understand Jax because he¡¯s a high-ranked adventurer,¡± Dorien said as he ced a hand on his chin. ¡°But isn¡¯t Arthur just a bartender?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m just a chef,¡± Amelia scoffed. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t stop anyone from bothering me about being a hero and saving the day.¡± Dorien paused when he heard that. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he acquiesced. With a heavy sigh, Amelia drew back into the kitchen, shaking her head. As she did, she mumbled under her breath. All the while, Edlyn just watched. ¡°Seriously, why can¡¯t you guys ever let me cook. Just let me cook¡­¡± And the [Royal Chef] knew she had to do something about this. ¡ª-- ¡°[Greater Blooming Deathhowl]!¡± Jax yelled, unleashing his most powerful Skill once again into the pit where Kallistus Kal had been standing. It was an even stronger version of the Forsaken Archer¡¯s [Superior Blooming Deathhowl] which he learned from training with Arthur. It was as powerful as any attack by an SSS-ranked threat. In fact, Jax liked to believe that it was even more powerful than that. A powerful explosion erupted. One that shook the Astra Pce. The st attracted the attention of all the soldiers from both sides fighting across the city. And even if they were all just watching from a distance, this sight shifted the tides of battle. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Because, together with Arthur, Jax had sted the [Hero King] repeatedly with their strongest attacks for thest half an hour. Seeing this, the soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal wavered, whilst the forces of the Astrad Kingdom rallied¡ª a sense of hope that victory was possible instilled amongst the defending troops. Even the two watching [Knights of the Astral Order] seemed hopeful for their chances of defeating the [Hero King] now. And it was not just them either. King Jalen himself stood atop the highest tower of his pce, praying quietly to the World System as he watched the battle unfold. But neither Jax nor Arthur were so foolish to think that this were enough. Right now, they were well aware that all they were doing was stalling Kallistus Kal. ¡°Arthur!¡± Jax called out. ¡°st him with everything you¡¯ve got!¡± The former Lich King was bent over, panting in exhaustion. But he caught himself when he heard the elf¡¯s voice. Looking up, Arthur steeled himself and stepped forward to the edge of the pit. ¡°Right¡ª¡± he started as electricity crackled on the top of his fingers. But before Arthur could unleash his next attack, Jax¡¯s eyes flickered. The elf exploded into the air as his [Battle Precognition]¡ª a Skill that warned him when his life was at threat¡ª screamed at him to move. ¡°[Hurricane Jump].¡± Jax was already a hundred feet in the air when he could finally turn around and watch as the ground beneath where he had been standing copsed. A st of purple light shot into the air as Kallistus Kal emerged from the ground. The [Hero King]¡¯s melted face was regenerating. But for a moment, his visage was nothing more than a skull ring up at the elf. We actually damaged him, Jax thought as a small smirk spread across his lips. However, it quickly vanished as Kallistus Kal looked up and raised a hand. ¡°Shit¡ª¡± the elf cursed, trying to move out of the way. But Arthur called out, interrupting the [Hero King] with a st of lightning. ¡°No!¡± There was a sh of light that briefly blinded Jax. However, as the smoke dissipated, Kallistus Kal remained standing, ignoring Arthur¡¯s attacks. Even as the former Lich King sent a flurry of ice spikes at the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal blocked the projectiles with the dull side of his broadsword as his gaze was fixed only on Jax as the elfnded atop one of the spires of the Astra Pce. Then raising his broadsword, Kallistus Kal conjured up tens of thousands of copies of his weapon. Each de shone with a purple light, hovering above him and filling the sky like stars. Jax¡¯s eyes grew wide when he saw the scintiting projectiles. Kallistus Kal was adamant about finishing off the elf. Which meant that the [Hero King] must have spent that time observing them both, and he must have concluded that dealing with the Forsaken Archer first would have been the optimal move. After all, once Jax died¡­ he couldn¡¯te back, unlike Arthur. That made a sense of exhration wash over the Forsaken Archer. A sense of terror, and yet an excitement too. He gritted his teeth as he raised his bow. ¡°[Forest Of Arrows]!¡± the elf shouted, unleashing hundreds of arrows with each passing second. At the same time, Kallistus Kalunched the volley of swords into the air. Jax watched as his arrows shed with the approaching swords. And his attack¡ª waspletely overwhelmed. A bead of sweat slid down the back of the elf¡¯s neck as the tens of thousands of des continued flying his way unimpeded. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be¡ª¡± Jax caught himself, before his gazended at the broken roots and branches lying on the ground behind the [Hero King] that had failed to apprehend him. [Nature Hike]. The elf focused, before immediately appearing behind Kallistus Kal as the volley of swords whizzed through the air and cleared the clouds above. It happened in an instant. It was a teleportation Skill that allowed the Forsaken Archer to move to any area with trees or bushes growing that he could see. However, the moment Jax appeared, the [Hero King] was already shing back for the elf¡¯s neck. But Arthur pped his hands, freezing Kallistus Kal for only a second. However, it was enough time for the Forsaken Archer to leap out of the way as the [Hero King] broke out and swung to the ground, cleaving the earth open. Then Kallistus Kal dashed forward, giving chase to Jax before he could create more distance between them. This time, the [Hero King] swung down with far more intensity than before, his de glowing purple as the impact struck down. Fortunately, Jax was able to narrowly avoid the attack as he could finally use [Hurricane Jump] again. But the shockwave from the st sent the elf flying back into and crashing through a group of houses. Even though all of Jax¡¯s Skills had improved since even thest time he dueled with Amelia, he was being utterly overwhelmed by the [Hero King]. The elf could hardly evenprehend it. He knew that this battle would be one-sided for Kallistus Kal. But Jax thought that it would have been a little bit¡­ closer. And yet, Jax felt no fear. He epted the challenge. Because he knew that if he couldn¡¯t even defeat Kallistus Kal here, he forever stood no chance against Amelia. This power¡­ it is nothingpared to what Amelia is capable of! he thought as his heart hammered wildly in his chest, embracing the overwhelming odds against him. There are far greater heights I will conquer! The Forsaken Archer¡¯s [Battle Precognition] immediately alerted him of the [Hero King]¡¯s pursuit. Looking up just in time, the elf spotted Kallistus Kal charging through the clearing smoke and dust. Raising his bow, Jax loosed an [Undying Sprout Tempest]. All at once, thousands of giant roots sprouted out to entangle the [Hero King], barely slowing him down as Jax tried to leap away again. But with a single swing of Kallistus Kal¡¯s broadsword, he broke through the regenerating trap, charging for the elf once again. ¡°Kallistus Kal!¡± a voice screamed as the [Hero King] didn¡¯t let up his pursuit. In the distance, Jax watched Arthur give chase to them. ¡°Face me, you coward!¡± A st of lightning shot out, barely fazing Kallistus Kal from behind. At the same time, the [Hero King] swung for Jax and missed once again, but the sheer force from the swing knocked Jax back again. The elf cursed as he used the momentum from being pushed away to continue running from his pursuer. It was an incessant chase¡ª with Kallistus Kal chasing Jax, and Arthur chasing the [Hero King]. But unfortunately for Jax, it was a chase where only if Jax made a mistake, he¡¯d lose his life. And as he tried to sprint away from the [Hero King] after dodging another flurry of shes, the elf made the mistake of overrelying on his [Battle Precognition] as Kallistus Kal reached out with a gauntleted fist. It was a simple grab. One that Jax couldn¡¯t seeing because his [Battle Precognition] didn¡¯t warn him of it as it was a non-lethal attack. The [Hero King] mmed Jax to the ground as the earth shook. The elf felt dozens of his bones shattering from the impact, before Kallistus Kal raised his sword. Jax¡¯s heart jumped as he saw the de swing down¡ª the realization that his life could finallye to an end washing over him. The elf shuddered violently, but he didn¡¯t turn away from his impending death. Because he knew that if he couldn¡¯t even ovee this, he didn¡¯t deserve to defeat Amelia. He didn¡¯t deserve to be the strongest in all of Vacuos. So he faced the descending broadsword with a defiant re¡ª Only to suddenly find himself standing atop some rubble with his heart racing. But his body was still intact. Blinking a few times, Jax watched as Kallistus Kal swung down at Arthur, decapitating the former Lich King. ¡°¡­what?¡° the elf tried to process what was going on. Even Kallistus Kal was puzzled by this, his head snapping up with a frown. ¡°What is this?¡± the [Hero King] asked as he narrowed his eyes. And a booming voice thundered from above as a colossal figure descended upon the elf. ¡°[Spatial Swap]. It allows me to swap the positions of two objects or person instantaneously.¡± Jax¡¯s eyes went wide as the [Hero King]¡¯s brows snapped together. ¡°You¡ª¡± Kallistus Kal started. Only for a massive stone arm to m into him and cut him off. A Greater Earth Elemental struck the [Hero King] from behind, sending him flying back. All the while, Jax just stared with a wild grin between the giant stone golem and the descending figure. ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally decided to join the fun, Grat-ra¡¯zun!¡± Jaxughed wildly as the Elder Dragonnded next to him. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 It was getting annoying¡ª being persistently nagged at by everyone to intervene at a war that had nothing to do with me. And it was all just because I was strong. But I was not a hero. I made it adamantly clear to everyone. Yet, nobody seemed to understand it. All I wanted to do was cook and live my life. I wanted to live in peace. I did what I had to do for Vacuos before I even had any affiliation with this world. I killed the Voidgod, sacrificing my past life I had on Earth for these strangers I didn¡¯t know. I saved the world. And I didn¡¯t ask for anything in return. All I wanted was my happily ever after after all my suffering. But I couldn¡¯t even get that. Because the Voidgod was making its return, and I was expected to do something about it again. Sure, most people didn¡¯t know about this; they didn¡¯t realize that Kallistus Kal was being used as a pawn by the Voidgod. However, they all thought he was evil anyway, and since I didn¡¯t want to get involved¡ª unless my involvement was truly necessary¡ª I was seen as the bad guy. It was truly grating on my nerves. Sighing, I untied my apron and tossed it to the side. ¡°Arthur already said he¡¯ll help handle it, so I don¡¯t understand why everyone keepsing to me¡­¡± I spoke under my breath as I decided to take a break for the day. It was not like I had that many customers rushing to my restaurant anyway. I strode out of the kitchen and headed back for my room. But on the way out, I paused as I spotted a figure waiting for me there. A tiny figure. Not a human. But a chicken.¡°Are you hungry, Bucky?¡± I asked as I raised a brow at her, and she stared back at me. I gestured at the general direction of the chicken. ¡°There are some leftovers if you want them. Help yourself, I won¡¯t stop you this time.¡± However, she only replied curtly, ¡°Bawk.¡± I frowned at her response. Normally, she¡¯d be rushing into the kitchen, feasting on the leftovers. But she simply squinted at me as I closed my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is about the whole [Hero King] situation again? I already told you, I don¡¯t want to get involved.¡± ¡°Bawk bawk bawk!¡± the chicken responded. I rolled my eyes at that, before pointing at her. ¡°Look, I am not going to argue about this with you again. Seriously, I¡¯m tired of this conversation.¡± I drew back as Bucky continued to cluck louder and louder. She shook her wings at me angrily, and I walked away. ¡°Bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk!¡± she called out. And I snorted as I nced back at her onest time. ¡°I¡¯m going to my room.¡± With that, I mmed the door behind my room shut, hearing her muffled clucks through the wooden walls. But after a minute of hearing her angry clucking, she gave up, and I was left with peace and quiet. ¡ª-- Grat-ra¡¯zun had been observing the battle for over half an hour now. For a majority of the span of the battle, both Jax and Arthur had the upper hand because of their ambush. However, it wasn¡¯t truly an advantage, as all they did was hold the [Hero King] back. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. They were doing no real damage. They couldn¡¯t possibly harm Kallistus Kal in any way. Because he was too strong. He was too powerful. He couldn¡¯t possibly be defeated. Or so that was what the Elder Dragon thought. That was why after both Jax and Arthur had begun to visibly exhaust themselves, Grat-ra¡¯zun intended to leave his cavern, so that he didn¡¯t have to watch either of them be ughtered. But when the [Hero King] emerged from that pit injured¡­ a realization dawned. Grat-ra¡¯zun realized that he was wrong. That Kallistus Kal was not as strong as the dragon thought. No¡ª that Arthur and Jax were stronger than Grat-ra¡¯zun thought. Because the [Hero King] had been hurt. He had been injured¡ª burned and bloodied. The barrage of attacks was actually causing him harm. Even if he could regenerate from And finally, that was when the Elder Dragon had decided to act. But he didn¡¯t make a boring entrance. He was a proud dragon, so he did what he could to have as grand an entrance as possible. All across the city of Astral, heads turned and voices gasped as they watched the Elder Dragon soar through the sky. As he did, he chanted under his breath, sending chunks of rocks and rubble across the battlefield flying up towards him. ¡°[...Golem Creation: Greater Earth Elemental], and [Spatial Swap].¡± And the Greater Earth Elemental came crashing down right as both Jax and Arthur swapped ces. Kallistus Kal blinked as he struck down the former Lich King, then looked up with wide eyes as a giant golem crashed into him. The Elder Dragonnded next to Jax as the elf eximed. ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally decided to join the fun, Grat-ra¡¯zun!¡± ¡°Do not let your guard down just yet, elf,¡± the dragon said as his eyes focused on the golem mming the [Hero King] into the ground. ¡°With my help and with my Greater Earth Elemental, there are four of us SSS-ranks in the battlefield. But that does not mean it will be enough to secure a victory. After all, even Guardian Angel Z357 was not powerful enough to defeat the [Hero King].¡± As Grat-ra¡¯zun spoke, Arthur regenerated from his injuries and rose to his feet. He turned towards the [Hero King] who was about to break free from the golem¡¯s grip, before yelling and charging into battle. He sent a wave of frost washing over Kallistus Kal, freezing him for a moment. Jax shook his head, turning away from this scene as he looked up at the dragon. ¡°Then what do you propose we do?¡± ¡°Give me some time, and I will be able to shift the odds further in our favor,¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun said simply as ced his ws on the ground. A magical circle began to form beneath him as Jax nodded. ¡°Easy,¡± the elf said, before leaping ahead and rejoining the fray. ¡ª- Kallistus Kal was sted encased in another pir of ice, before the Greater Earth Elemental kicked him, shattering the ice and sending him flying back into a nearby building. An explosion of dust and rubble erupted all around the [Hero King] as he picked himself up, mostly unharmed. Gritting his teeth, he looked up to see the golem charging at him again as Arthur rose to the air and crackled with electricity. Kallistus Kal raised his broadsword as he aimed at the Greater Earth Elemental. ¡°Enough!¡± he yelled as he swung down, and a purple sh shot out. The Greater Earth Elemental couldn¡¯t react to the attack in time, and its right arm was sliced right off from the attack that cleaved even the ground. However, Arthur took that opportunity to unleashed a st of lightning at the [Hero King]. And Kallistus Kal raised his broadsword to block the attack with the blunt side of his de. But the impact knocked him back, nearly throwing him off his feet. His eyes flickered as he looked up at Arthur. His attacks¡­ they¡¯re getting stronger? The [Hero King] narrowed his eyes as Arthur screamed and sent another st of lightning down from the sky. This time, Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t bother to block the attack. Instead, he dashed forward, closing the distance between him and the other man. But while the [Hero King] would¡¯ve previously easily decapitated Arthur, this time, he missed. There¡¯s no mistaking it, Kallistus Kal realized as Arthur leapt back. The [Hero King]¡¯s gaze focused on his opponent before him. He is growing stronger as the battle progresses. Arthur yelled as he brought both his hands up in the air. There was a sh of light. And two sts of lightning shot down, striking the [Hero King] before he could unleash a follow-up attack. Kallistus Kal cursed as he felt a searing pain burn his back. He wasn¡¯t able to dodge the counterattack, and he was burned because of it. But that was not all¡ª when he would have previously been able to brush aside such pitiful attacks, now he was actually being hurt. His flesh sizzled behind him, slowly regenerating as he raised his head. He looked up at Arthur whose eyes were shing with a purple light. And a single thought crossed the [Hero King]¡¯s mind. I need to end this soon. And Kallistus Kal charged once again as Arthur shouted. There was a sh of light as they shed, followed by the realization slowly settling into the [Hero King]¡¯s mind. Otherwise¡­ I will lose. Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Arthur unleashed another st of lightning as Kallistus Kal charged at him. Unlike before, where the attack barely grazed the [Hero King], it now burned through the firstyer of his skin while slowing his movements at the same time. So it was clear to the former Lich King that he was bing stronger. That he was once again tapping into the power of the Fal-Deus itself. Ob¡­ey¡­ The echo of a voice resounded in his mind. It didn¡¯t sound like it was directed towards him. And yet, Arthur could hear it anyway. Because he was grasping for the power. He was reaching for it. Even if he ignored what itpelled him to do. As expected, the [Hero King] emerged from the st of lightning, regenerating from his wounds. But before he could continue his charge, the Greater Earth Elemental leapt behind him, crushing him with its giant arms. Arthur watched as Kallistus Kal was pounded into the ground. And as the former Lich King watched, he raised his arms, frost wisping off his fingers. ¡°Kallistus Kal!¡± Arthur eximed as he watched the [Hero King] rise from the ground, lifting the golem off its feet. ¡°I know you have good in your heart! Please, hear my voice¡ª do what¡¯s right!¡± In response, Kallistus Kal said nothing, instead throwing the Greater Earth Elemental to the side. Then he snapped his gaze towards Arthur.He¡¯s not listening to me at all¡ª Arthur thought as heshed out, unleashing a wave of frost forward. The attack should have frozen the [Hero King], slowing down his advance. But Kallistus Kal must have seen it enough times to realize what wasing. That was how he knew to counter. He mmed his sword to the ground, and a surge of purple mes shot out towards Arthur. It burned a path straight through the wave of frost, and the former Lich King narrowly leapt to the side to dodge the attack. But Kallistus Kal took that opening to speed forward, reaching Arthur in an instant. And instead of shing out, the [Hero King] grabbed the former Lich King by the face. ¡°Let¡¯s see youe back from this¡ª¡± he started as his right hand shone with a dark purple libht. And Arthur felt a burning sensation ovee his body. Cracks began to form across his body as he screamed, struggling to break free. All the while, the [Hero King] just tightened his grip as the light grew brighter. Only for a hail of glowing arrows tond into Kallistus Kal¡¯s back, sending him flying back. The moment his grip was released from Arthur, the former Lich King felt a surge of relief wash over him. The purple lines that cracked over Arthur¡¯s body vanished as he panted. Looking up, he watched a hurricane of ethereal wasps swarm past him and crashed into the [Hero King]. And ncing in the direction it came from, Arthur watched as Jaxnded by a nearby rooftop. ¡°Jax, you¡¯re alive?¡± Arthur blinked a few times. ¡°Did you really think I¡¯d die that easily?¡± the Forsaken Archer cackled as he continued to unleash an onught of arrows at Kallistus Kal. ¡°Now get up and stop standing around like an idiot! We have a fight to win!¡± Steeling himself, Arthur rose to his feet and nodded. ¡°Right.¡± And in the distance, Kallistus Kal swung and destroyed the swarm of magical insects. He panted as he red up at Jax, only for the Greater Earth Elemental to swing at him from behind. This book''s true home is on another tform. Check it out there for the real experience. But the [Hero King] saw the ambushing this time around. So he swung up with his sword, and in an instant, the golem was split in half. It copsed behind him as Jax and Arthur pursed their lips. ¡°What¡¯s the n, Jax?¡± Arthur asked as Kallistus Kal strode forward. And the elf snickered as he took a step back. Then he made a break for it, continuing to fire arrows at the [Hero King]. ¡°We run,¡± the elf said simply as he moved. Arthur blinked, and Kallistus Kal exploded forward. Cursing, the bartender unleashed a bolt of electricity that narrowly missed the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal reached Arthur a momentter, swinging down with his de and slicing off one of the former Lich King¡¯s arms. Arthur screamed in pain, only to reach out with his other hand and grab the [Hero King] before he could dash away to finish off Jax. Kallistus Kal blinked, before he was mmed to the ground by the former Lich King. ¡°st us, Jax!¡± Arthur yelled as he froze the [Hero King] in a cube of ice for a second. Jax paused, before nodding. He bombarded both Arthur and Kallistus Kal with his arrows as they both screamed and their bodies were torn apart. But the [Hero King] couldn¡¯t escape this salvo because Arthur was there to stop him. Each time Kallistus Kal tried to break free, Arthur was there to grapple with him, freeze him, and electrocute him. Kallistus Kal screamed as he was overwhelmed by this flurry of attacks¡ª it lit up the battlefield, drawing the attention of everyone in the city. However, Arthur knew that this couldn¡¯t keep up forever. And it didn¡¯t. Eventually, the [Hero King] swung up with enough force to break through the ice and send the bartender flying out into the air. ¡°Enough!¡± Kallistus Kal mmed a fist into the ground, causing the ground to ripple as Jax narrowed his eyes. From the ground beneath the [Hero King], a pool of purple liquid formed. And emerging from within the liquid were voidlings. Creatures of the void¡ª creations of the Fal-Deus. Thousands of them. They swarmed out towards the Forsaken Archer as he cursed. Arthur picked himself back up as he gritted his teeth. He could sense the power of the twisted creatures, and while he knew they weren¡¯t that strong, they were incredibly numerous, spawning by the thousands with each passing moment. Even if Arthur knew that both he and Jax could easily deal with these voidlings, they still served as a distraction. And that would be more than enough to disrupt the former Lich King¡¯s teamwork with the Forsaken Archer. I can¡¯t let Jax die, Arthur thought as he brought a hand up, electricity sparkling off his fingertips. I need to be able to¡ª Obey! The same voice from earlier¡ª the voice of the Fal-Deus¡ª echoed louder than before as Arthur froze. He felt his heart ache as he stumbled forward, staring in a daze at Jax raining down arrows at the swarm of voidlings. And as Arthur was distracted by the Fal-Deus, Kallistus Kal seized this opportunity to leap up at Jax. Arthur broke out of his stupor a moment toote as the [Hero King] reached the elf. Raising a hand, the former Lich King screamed. ¡°No¡ª¡± But a st of crimson mes engulfed Kallistus Kal, sending him flying back. It was a familiar magical me. Immediately, Arthur¡¯s head snapped to the side. ¡°That was¡­?¡± However, it was not who he thought it would be. Grat-ra¡¯zun didn¡¯t hover there with his maw open, sting the [Hero King]. And as Kallistus Kal tried to pick himself up, he was immediately frozen into a pir of ice¡ª a magical ice that wasn¡¯t cast by Arthur. He blinked in confusion as a gust of sharp wind sliced the pir in half, decapitating the [Hero King] inside the ice. And slowly, the former Lich King spun around as Jax cackled in the background. ¡°About time!¡± the elf eximed. And Arthur watched as three other figures joined the battlefield. They each wore different shapes and were different sizes. One was a bird made out of wind, fifty feet wide, but the smallest of the three. Another was a giant amorphous pool of water that washed over the streets of Astral like a mudslide. And thest was a ming spirit that was the same size as the Greater Earth Elemental. Staring at them, a whisper left the former Lich King¡¯s mouth. ¡°Those are a Greater Fire Elemental, a Greater Air Elemental, and a Greater Water Elemental¡­.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes widened as he swept his gaze over his surroundings. And he paused as, from the side, the Greater Earth Elemental picked up its pieces, quickly rebuilding itself before it mmed a fist down at the decapitated [Hero King]. The ground quaked from the impact as Arthur steeled himself. And from above, a giant dragon descended into the battlefield and bellowed. ¡°Behold, fallen [Hero King]¡ª gaze upon my mighty creation and despair!¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun spoke, before unleashing his own wave of mes down at the swarm of voidlings, before redirecting his attack to Kallistus Kal. And the [Hero King] screamed as his flesh was burned off his body, his bones melting away¡ª his body disfiguring from thebination of attacks. Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Edlyn closed her eyes. She stood right outside of Amelia¡¯s room. Only just a few minutes ago had the brown-haired woman disappeared inside, leaving Bucky at the kitchen clucking angrily at nobody. And the [Royal Chef] had watched as the chicken stormed off and out of the restaurant angrily. Now, despite seeing that failed attempt at convincing Amelia to put a halt to the [Hero King], Edlyn was going to try where others failed. Was this a pointless endeavor? Perhaps. Edlyn could very much see Amelia rejecting anything that had to be said immediately. After all, Amelia had to be tired of all the pestering from everyone about the Kingdom of Kal at this point. But Edlyn at least had to try. It was her home that was at stake. It was her life that she had worked so hard to protect and provide for. So she raised a hand to knock on the doorway. Before she hesitated. ¡°...this is pointless,¡± Edlyn whispered to herself as her shoulders sagged. And a handnded on her shoulder, gently reassuring her. ¡°Do you think this is what¡¯s right?¡± a familiar voice asked. Blinking, Edlyn turned around to see Han standing there behind her. He had a warm smile on his face¡ª as usual¡ª and his gaze bore into hers.¡°Because if you believe that this is what you have to do, then you should do it, regardless of the oue,¡± Han continued as he nced towards Amelia¡¯s bedroom door. ¡°Besides, it doesn¡¯t hurt to try speaking with Amelia anyway.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Edlyn hesitated. For a moment, her past fears of Amelia returned. The dreading feeling that if the [Royal Chef] did anything to upset her employer, her life would be taken away. But then she balled her hands into fists, recalling how kind Amelia had been to her. And Edlyn nodded, resolving herself. ¡°You¡¯re right, Han. I¡¯m scared for nothing. I need to at least try something.¡± And Han smiled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be here with you too.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Edlyn nodded back at him, before she pushed the door open. ¡ª-- I just wanted to sleep at this point. While I could deal with monsters and gods, I hated being pressured into doing something I didn¡¯t want to do. Sure, that was what heroes did¡ª even if they didn¡¯t want to do something, they did it because it was what was right. However, I had already done that back when I was trapped in the Void. And I was sick and tired of it. I just wanted to do what I wanted to do. I just wanted people to respect my boundaries. So what if I had the capacity to save the world right now? So what if I could go back into the Void and face the Voidgod once more? That was not what I wanted to do. I wasn¡¯t going to continue babysitting this world¡ª protecting it as its hero. I was done with that. That was my past life. Now, I was a humble chef who had a small but popr restaurant which I was nning on franchising in the future to potentially be an incredibly wealthy business mogul. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡­that probably wasn¡¯t going to happen. But a girl could dream. But actually, I couldn¡¯t dream. Because even my alone time where I wanted to nap was interrupted as my door swung open. Looking up, I groaned as I saw Edlyn and Han standing at the doorway. Even before either of them spoke, I knew what they were going to say. So I just groaned. ¡°Alright, Edlyn I can understand. But you too, Han?¡± I asked him in a betrayed voice. Edlyn shifted back when she heard that. Han just scratched the back of his head. ¡°While I do agree with what everyone has had to say so far, I¡¯m not here to argue with you. I¡¯m just here to support Edlyn,¡± he exined himself. I rolled my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the same thing. I sat up and hopped off my bed. Dusting myself off, I faced the [Royal Chef] expectantly. ¡°Alright, so what do you have to say to me?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms. Edlyn hesitated. She looked like she didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment, before ncing at Han. He nodded at her, and she took in a deep breath. ¡°Please, Amelia,¡± she started as she took a step forward. ¡°I know you have heard this a million times already. But you need to do something about the [Hero King].¡± I scoffed at that. ¡°But why should I?¡± I strode forward as I waved a hand dismissively. Even before she could exin herself, I spoke tiredly. ¡°I¡¯m no hero. With great poweres great responsibility, they say. But that¡¯s not true. I don¡¯t have a duty or obligation to do anything unless I want to. Besides, everyone has the power to help at least one person, and most people don¡¯t even do that. So I have no reason to abide by these standards¡ª¡± But before I could finish, Edlyn cut me off. ¡°That¡¯s not what I came here to tell you,¡± she said, lowering her head as gritted her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I cocked my head curiously when I heard that. Edlyn sighed as she looked down at her own hands. ¡°It¡¯s not about justice. It¡¯s not about what¡¯s right. It¡¯s not even about dealing with the responsibility or the consequences of killing the [Hero King]. It¡¯s something¡­ more selfish than that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, frowning. Sighing, Edlyn closed her eyes. Her hands trembled as she unclenched them, before she took a step backwards. ¡°It¡¯s because my family lives here. In this nation. And I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to them, which I¡¯m scared will happen once the [Hero King] takes over Astral. That¡¯s all. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for your help.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I opened my mouth to say something. But I paused. This was the first time I heard anyone say anything like this to me. Usually, it was always an appeal to my morals¡ª to my sense of justice. Which I didn¡¯t have much of left anymore, anyways. However, right now, Edlyn was begging me to do something for her own sake and nobody else¡¯s. It was oddly refreshing. ¡°It¡¯s not for the sake of the world¡ª it¡¯s not even for the Astrad Kingdom.¡± The [Royal Chef] ced a hand on her chest. ¡°It¡¯s for me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t say another word as I stared at Edlyn. She was speaking honestly from her heart. There was only a fear there she felt for herself. For her loved ones. For her friends. And I didn¡¯t know what to say in response. Edlyn saw that. She watched me in silence for a long moment, before drawing back. ¡°That¡¯s all I came here to say. You should think about it, that¡¯s all I¡¯m saying. I know I can¡¯t force you. But I want you to at least consider it.¡± And with that, she left the room. Han blinked, seeing her go. It took him a moment to process what just happened¡ª he definitely didn¡¯t expect the conversation tost so short. I didn¡¯t expect it either. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it? Thanks for hearing us out,¡± Han quickly said, before chasing after Edlyn. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± And the door swung shut behind them as I blinked a few times. It also took me a moment to fullyprehend what had just happened. There was no argument¡ª no long and drawn out discussion like with Han. Edlyn wasn¡¯t even upset with me. She told me how she felt and that was it, because she already knew my stance. And now, I didn¡¯t even know how to feel¡ª whether I should actually do something about Kallistus Kal or not. Because on one hand, I did care about Edlyn, and I knew her family members, having met them a handful of times. But on the other hand¡­ I paused as I tilted my head back. ¡°On the other hand, what?¡± I asked myself the question. It was like there was something I wanted to add. A justification I wanted to make. However, any argument I could make didn¡¯t apply at all to what Edlyn said. So I had no response. And I didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. I pursed my lips as I stood there in silence for a minute. Then I shrugged off this feeling as I threw myself back into my bed. ¡°...anyways, it doesn¡¯t matter. Since Jax and Arthur has this handled, right?¡± Chapter 245 Chapter 245 There were four Greater Earth Elementals now in the battlefield. Wyn Stefard couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Well, he hadn¡¯t been able to believe his eyes for thest hour or so, ever since the Elder Dragon appeared out of the portal and sted Kallistus Kal with a mountain¡¯s worth of mes, before watching Amelia¡¯s bartender battle the [Hero King] on equal footing. And that was not to mention Jax¡¯s contribution too. But right now, more than before, the [Knight]-lieutenant was staring in sheer disbelief at the four gathered Greater Earth Elementals fighting alongside the Elder Dragon. Never before in Wyn¡¯s life had he ever thought he¡¯d see a dragon, let alone an Elder Dragon. After all, those were mythical creatures that existed during the times of the Grand Nova Empire¡ª that had ruled the world with a tyranny that was remembered even to this day over ten thousand yearster. However, the [Knight]-lieutenant had at least thought that there might be an Elder Dragon or to out there in hiding somewhere across the continents. But he never thought a Greater Elemental of any kind even existed in this day and age. They were an extinct species of monsters that had pervaded the world ten thousand years ago. And even back then, they were rarely seen, due to the nature of their existence. They were fabled to be SSS-ranked threats that rivaled even an Elder Dragon in strength, and thest recorded Greater Elemental in history was said to have brought a powerful empire to ruin in a single week. Yet somehow, right now, there were four of them converging on the [Hero King]¡¯s position, unleashing their magic on him. ¡°...but is it enough to win?¡± Wyn asked himself as he stared at Kallistus Kal standing amidst the magical attacks from all sides, glowing with a purple light. It was an inconceivable power to the [Knight]-lieutenant. Every single time the [Hero King] was knocked down or injured, he¡¯d recover from it like he had never even been harmed in the first ce. But supposedly, that was the power of the Void. A thing of myth and legend¡ª of religion and theology.While this was not a topic Wyn Stefard was too familiar with, he knew the basics of it, and he knew that the Void was a mysterious path to twisted powers that existed outside of the World System. So he didn¡¯t question anything he saw in regards to the [Hero King]¡¯s abilities. Anything was possible with the Void. And that was why the [Knight]-lieutenant refused to get his hopes up. But next to him, Rond Donovan strode up and ced a hand on his shoulder. Blinking, Wyn looked up at the [Knight]-Captain. ¡°I know it may seem like our chances of victory are slim,¡± Sir Rond said as he shook his head. ¡°But you have to believe. Because without hope, we have nothing left.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Wyn nodded slowly, before raising his head. Even as the battle raged on in the distance. ¡°I believe.¡± ¡ª-- The Elder Dragon joined the battle, turning the tides against the [Hero King]. This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Or at the very least, that was what appeared to be happening. King Jalen didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on from this high up in his pce. But he watched with bated breath anyway as the Forsaken Archer, the dragon, and that strange blond man all battled against Kallistus Kal together. Where did they evene from? How did they even get here? Jalen didn¡¯t know. When they had arrived, he had already felt that all hope was lost. He hadn¡¯t believed that there was a chance of turning the tide of battle. Even though he was supposed to be the King of the Astrad Kingdom who stood steadfast against all threats, he couldn¡¯t even convince himself that defeating Kallistus Kal was possible. Not after seeing Kallistus Kal tear a hole through Astral¡¯s barrier like it was nothing. So King Jalen had resigned himself to this fate. And now, his hope was returning as he watched the Elder Dragon spew its mes down at the [Hero King]. As he disbelievingly watched the Greater Elementals join the fray. His hands tightened around the railing of his balcony as he took in a deep breath. He couldn¡¯t get too excited. He had to steel himself. Even if he thought that victory was possible now, he couldn¡¯t get his hopes up. After all, the weight of disappointment would be even more crushing if he expected victory only for it to be snatched away from him. But even still, King Jalen couldn¡¯t help himself but hope¡ª for the sake of his nation and for the world¡ª for the Elder Dragon, the Greater Elementals, the adventurer, and the strange man to defeat the [Hero King]. ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal was crushed under an onught of magical sts. It was overwhelming. He felt his body beginning to break. First he was burned with fire, then he was frozen in ice, before being shattered by stone, and ripped apart by the wind. And he couldn¡¯t even rest after that. The moment his body began to regenerate, he was struck by a flurry of even more powerful magic¡ª cast directly by Grat-ra¡¯zun himself. ¡°Rot in the [Eternal Prison of Heat Death]! Behold my [Omnidirectional Acid Hail]! Burn in a [Pit of ck Fire]! Be torn apart in a [Particle Storm]! Be obliterated by [True Lightning]!¡± The [Hero King] could hardly even react in time to defend himself from these attacks. A wave of iridescent shes illuminated the battlefield as he was repeatedly ripped apart again and again. He couldn¡¯t even scream, despite the overwhelming pain he felt. Grat-ra¡¯zun flew back as his spells came to an end, giving a moment of reprieve to Kallistus Kal. But immediately after, an arrow struck the reforming chest of the [Hero King]. It immediately exploded into a thousand sts, stopping him from regenerating. His body was practically a pile of goo at this point, before a st of purple lightning struck him from above. The [Hero King] was overwhelmed with so much pain. So much agony. More than he had ever felt before. He knew he needed to break free. Because if this kept up, it¡¯d be all over for him. But before he could do anything, Grat-ra¡¯zun unleashed a deluge of crimson mes down at him, followed by a wave of magic from the four Greater Elementals. Jax and Arthur joined in with their own respective attacks as Kallistus Kal was torn apart. It¡¯s over, the [Hero King] thought as his vision began to grow dark. His regeneration¡¯s speed couldn¡¯t match the speed his body was being destroyed. I have lost this war. It didn¡¯t matter to Kallistus Kal. Not when this was a clone anyway. Even if he died and this battle was lost, it didn¡¯t matter. Or so he thought for a moment. Then a realization settled in But if I lost here¡­ then what about his subjects? What about his loyal followers? What about Melissa? For the first time ever, the thought of failing his country shed in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t allow that. He couldn¡¯t let them perish here because of his failures. While he did not care for this world, he felt a sense of duty and responsibility to them¡ª to at least win this war for them. Because they had followed him this far. And a surge of strength washed over him, even as his body was on the verge of copsing. A purple glow covered his body, shining brighter and brighter even amidst the flurry of sts engulfing him. Before the [Hero King]¡¯s body exploded, sending out a purple shockwave as he screamed. ¡°BEGONE MORTALS!¡± And his st dispersed the attack being unleashed upon him, overwhelming Grat-ra¡¯zun, Jax, Arthur, and the Greater Elementals as the city of Astral was covered by a blinding light. Chapter 246 Chapter 246 ¡°Edlyn¡ª¡± Han called out to the [Royal Chef] as she exited the kitchen. She paused, and he reached her a momentter. ¡°What was that about?¡± he pressed her. ¡°I thought you were going to try to convince Amelia to do something about the [Hero King].¡± Edlyn shook her head as she looked down at herself. She balled her hands into fists. ¡°I wanted to do that. But what¡¯s the point? It¡¯s up to Amelia whether she acts or not.¡± Sighing, the [Royal Chef]¡¯s shoulders sagged and she drew back. ¡°All that matters is I conveyed my feelings to Amelia. What happens next is up to her to decide.¡± Han blinked, before nodding slowly. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± He looked out a nearby window and whispered in agreement.¡°Right, it¡¯s all up to Amelia now.¡± ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal panted as he emerged from the crater he created. His body burned, the wounds that covered his skin were slowly healing. Much slower than before. He was still partially charred, and the stinging pain didn¡¯t go away. But it didn¡¯t matter. He had won this battle. What he had unleashed was a buildup of a majority of the Void Essence that coursed through his body. As a clone, he didn¡¯t have a direct connection with the Fal-Deus. No¡ª only his real body was supplied with an unlimited amount of Void Essence. So he knew that he could have died here if the onught of attacks kept up. That was why he forced himself to expend most of the Void essence he had left to win this battle with a final attack. And it was over. There was no way anyone could have survived the st. Already, Kallistus Kal was seeing the debris remains of the Greater Elementals scattered around him. A small smile tugged at his lips as he wanted to im his victory. As he knew that victory belonged to him. Then he saw a figure emerging from the rubble¡ª a man that held a hand up, glowing purple. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± the [Hero King] whispered as he stared at the bloodied figure up ahead. It was Arthur. He was regenerating from having nearly beenpletely obliterated by the st. And yet, he was alive. That only meant the Void Essence that coursed through his body must have been greater than even the [Hero King]¡¯s. Ridiculous. That couldn¡¯t possibly be the case, right? While the true body of Kallistus Kal had unlimited Void Essence due to a direct connection with the Fal-Deus, the amount in each clone was equal to what he would have without that connection. So if Arthur had more Void Essence than a clone, that meant he had the potential to be stronger than even the real Kallistus Kal without the Fal-Deus. And that idea alone made a bead of sweat trickle down the [Hero King]¡¯s neck. It was impossible. There had to be a reason for Arthur¡¯s exorbitant reserve of Void Essence. The Fal-Deus had to be involved somehow. Kallistus Kal clicked his tongue as he hefted his broadsword over his shoulder. It didn¡¯t matter. Worrying about this was pointless. All that mattered was winning. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Even if you survived my st, your friends are dead. You cannot expect to defeat me alone.¡± ¡°N-no,¡± Arthur panted as he lowered his hands. The purple glow faded from his palms, and he nced back. ¡°They¡¯re not dead.¡± Blinking, the [Hero King] nced to the side to see Grat-ra¡¯zun and Jax lying to the side. Their bodies were bloodied and burnt, chunks of ice copsing from their skin. But they were still alive. ¡°You saved them by encasing them in your ice.¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. Because they are in no state to fight. You are still alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Arthur said as he stumbled forward. He caught himself and raised his fists. ¡°But I¡¯m more than enough to defeat you.¡± Kallistus Kal stabbed his sword to the ground as his eyes shone purple. ¡°Perhaps you are right¡ª but I am not alone.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched a rift open up as a surge of twisted creatures began to pour forth again. He stepped back as he stared at the purple beings swarming forward. ¡°Voidlings?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the [Hero King]ughed as he spread his arms wide. ¡°You stand no chance of defeating me. Now die.¡± Arthur gritted his teeth as the swarm of voidlings charged at him. And Kallistus Kal watched as they shed¡ª as the voidlings were sted away by lightning and shredded apart by a hail of ice. The [Hero King] knew that this was not enough to win. However, what he needed right now was time. He needed to recover his lost Void Essence. He needed some time just to win. And the voidlings would be just enough to give him that. Or so Kallistus Kal thought. He blinked a few times as he saw a sh of purple light wash over the area. Then a cacophony of screeches echoed out, followed by hundreds of voidling copsing from something in an instant. Sweeping his gaze over the battlefield, the [Hero King] watched as strange creatures emerged from the ground and began ripping apart his voidlings. At a first nce, their purple skin and their twisted appendages made them look like voidlings. However, upon a closer inspection, it was evident that they were different. Their purple flesh was ripping apart, and many of them were missing various limbs or parts of their bodies. They looked like they were undead of sorts. And the realization settled in as Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes went round, his gaze facing Arthur who was running ahead. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ reviving the dead voidlings.¡± ¡ª-- Obey! Arthur heard the voice clearer than before. It was the same voice as before¡ª the same one that spoke to him as the Lich King. That had trapped and imprisoned him and took control of his body. He could almost feel its wing tendrils smothering his free will. And yet, the voice was not directed towards him. Because of that, he could ignore it. Even as he took advantage of its power. Even as he used it to revive the dead voidlings to fight for him. Arthur ran forward as all around him the voidlings and the undead voidlings battled. They tore each other apart, their screeches echoing through Astral. Heads turned and soldiers stopped their fighting to witness this horrible sight. Many from both sides of the war began to flee, thinking these abominations were here to ughter everything. And in a sense, that was true. That was what the Fal-Deus desired. That was what the [Hero King] was aiding it in doing. ¡°Kallistus Kal!¡± Arthur shouted as he leapt forward, reaching the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal swung up with his broadsword, but missed. And Arthurnded a punch directly on the [Hero King]¡¯s face. ¡°Give it up! You¡¯re just a pawn being used by the Fal-Deus!¡± Stumbling back, Kallistus Kal gritted his teeth and spat out some blood. ¡°You are also a pawn of the Fal-Deus¡ª you are but a hypocrite for lecturing me!¡± He mmed his de to the ground, sending a wave of purple energy out which knocked Arthur back. Even still, Arthur held his ground as his skin was ripped off. ¡°I am no hypocrite.¡± Arthur looked up as his body regenerated to normal. He stood tall as he met the [Hero King]¡¯s gaze. ¡°I am not using my powers for my own selfish gain. Not anymore.¡± Perhaps at one point, a long time ago, in a past life, that was the kind of man Arthur was. But right now, he was not that man anymore. For the sake of atonement and for the sake of justice, he was fighting here against the [Hero King]. Even if Arthur¡¯s entire body ached. Even if his skin was repeatedly being shredded apart again and again. Even if he was dying over and over again. Even if he did not want to do this. This was what he needed to do. And with that resolve, he threw himself forward at Kallistus Kal¡¯s attacks¡ª unwavering. ¡°I am using it to do what¡¯s right! That is why I will stop you!¡± Arthur charged as Kallistus Kal screamed, sending st after st out. ¡°And do you think this world has done me right?¡± the [Hero King] screamed as Arthur was blown apart. ¡°Robbing me from my life back on Earth? Stealing away my family which I loved? DO YOU CALL THAT JUSTICE?¡± ¡°No,¡± Arthur said as his body reformed and he reached Kallistus Kal. His fist shone with a purple light as he swung down. There was a bright sh as the [Hero King]¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But neither is what you¡¯re doing here justice,¡± the former Lich King finished. And with a single powerful punch, Arthur blew a hole through Kallistus Kal¡¯s chest. But this time, the [Hero King] wasn¡¯t going to rise again. This time, when he fell, he stayed down for good. Chapter 247 Chapter 247 When King Jalen saw the powerful explosion erupt from where Kallistus Kal had been standing, he had thought that it was over. That the [Hero King] had won. Even still, Jalen had held out hope that someone had survived. Whether it was the SS-ranked elf adventurer, the Elder Dragon, or the Greater Elementals. It didn¡¯t matter who. The King of the Astrad Kingdom hoped that someone would emerge from the st with enough strength to defeat Kallistus Kal. And someone did. But that someone turned out to be someone who Jalen didn¡¯t even know. The strange man who had appeared first out of that portal to face the [Hero King]. He looked like any ordinary man. He had blond hair, and a rough visage. Like he was a priest of sorts, even if he was dressed like he worked at a tavern. And yet, despite his appearance, he proved to be the strongest of them all. Even stronger than the SS-ranked elf, even stronger than the Elder Dragon, and even stronger than all the Greater Elementalsbined. Because that ordinary-looking man took on the [Hero King] alone and won. And now¡­ ¡°It¡¯s¡­ over?¡± King Jalen whispered as he stared at the copsed body of Kallistus Kal. For a moment, Jalen held his breath, uncertain whether it was truly over. But there was no regeneration. No return for the [Hero King].Kallistus Kaly there, broken. And the ordinary-looking man stood triumphantly next to the [Hero King]. This was a sight that was seen all throughout Astral. Their gazes had all been drawn towards the fighting¡ª realizing that the battle was reaching its climax. Now, they all stared at the oue in disbelief. In silence. At least, for a long moment. And then King Jalen snapped out of his stupor. He took a step forward as he stood atop the tallest tower in his pce and raised the g of his country, bellowing with [A King¡¯s Voice]. ¡°PEOPLE OF THE ASTRAD KINGDOM, WE HAVE WON! THE [HERO KING] IS DEAD!¡± His words swept across the city. Then all at once, the citizens of Astral broke out into cheers as the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kal began to throw down their weapons. ¡ª-- ¡°Seriously?¡± Wyn whispered as he eyed Arthur from afar. ¡°That bartender really did it. I can¡¯t believe this.¡± Rond stepped up next to the [Knight]-lieutenant, nodding approvingly. ¡°I told you, Sir Wyn. What matters most is to have faith.¡± Wyn didn¡¯t want to believe it, but he couldn¡¯t deny reality. The [Hero King] was truly defeated. So the [Knight]-lieutenant began to chuckle as he felt a sense of relief wash over him. Only for the echoes of a heavy set of footfalls to rush their way. The two [Knights] looked up in rm as a group of soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal made their way up to the pce steps. Wyn scrambled for his weapon, but Rond stepped forward and pointed down at the approaching soldiers. ¡°Give it up!¡± the [Knight]-Captain bellowed, and the approaching soldiers hesitated. ¡°Surrender now! Your [Hero King] is dead! There is no point in throwing away your life any longer!¡± Blinking, Wyn looked towards Rond. Even though Rond was unarmed, he still stood fearlessly against the dozen or so soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal. And it seemed like his confidence paid off. The soldiers paused as a few of them exchanged apprehensive nces. Their leader tried to urge them forward. ¡°What are you idiots doing?¡± their leader shouted as he pointed his spear at Rond. ¡°This is our victory!¡± But the soldiers that were with him backed away and shook their heads. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°With all due respect, sir, this is not our victory.¡± ¡°I never wanted to join this war in the first ce.¡± ¡°I was only doing this for the [Hero King], and he¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°You damn traitors!¡± their leader eximed, before shaking his head. He turned around to face Rond again. ¡°I will¡ª¡± And Rond stepped forward, punching their leader with enough force to send him flying. The [Knight]-Captain grinned as he faced the other soldiers. ¡°Throw down your arms,¡± Rond said simply. Slowly, the soldiers began to raise their hands and drop their weapons as Wyn just watched. ¡ª-- ¡°No¡­¡± Melissa whispered as she made her way through the streets of Astral. ¡°My liege¡ª you cannot be dead!¡± She shoved aside a group of her surrendering soldiers, before casting a spell that sent a group of celebrating Astrad Kingdom soldiers flying. But she didn¡¯t finish them off. Instead, she continued on her mad dash to where she hadst seen Kallistus Kal. ¡°You¡¯re still alive, right? Please¡ª¡± she started. But when the Archmage and the most loyal servant of the [Hero King] turned the corner, she could only freeze at what she saw. Kallistus Kaly on the ground, his body bleeding, and his figure slowly fading away. When Melissa saw this, she dropped to her knees as tears poured out of her eyes. It was impossible. It was a scene straight from a nightmare. And yet, it was true. Her king was dead. So Melissa could only weep at the scene. ¡ª-- ¡°I¡¯m sorry it had toe to this,¡± Arthur whispered as he stood over the dying body of the [Hero King]. Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t move. His eyes were barely open. The Void Essence that was holding him together faded away, and so did his body. Slowly, his skin ked into tiny purple motes that blew with the wind and vanished. Behind Arthur, Grat-ra¡¯zun and Jax picked themselves up. The elf and the dragon could barely walk. But they hobbled over next to the former Lich King. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t received a notification for the kill,¡± Jax said as he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think the [Hero King] is dead yet. ¡°Because he¡¯s almost dead,¡± Arthur replied. He stepped to the side as he looked down at the unmoving body of Kallistus Kal. ¡°But he will die.¡± Both the Elder Dragon and the SS-ranked adventurer exchanged a nce, then they sighed in relief. But Arthur didn¡¯t feel the same way as them. He pursed his lips as he continued talking, all the while the [Hero King] listened. ¡°I truly wanted to save you, Kallistus. I know the world was unfair towards you. I know you deserve happiness. But I had to do this¡ª to save the world.¡± Arthur shook his head as he gritted his teeth. Inside the former Lich King, an overbearing sense of guild weighed down on him. Especially when he looked down at the dying [Hero King]. It was almost a pitiful sight. The expression on Kallistus Kal¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. All he disyed was exhaustion¡ª mncholy. He couldn¡¯t even move. He didn¡¯t even blink. But it was evident he wanted to speak. His lower half of his body disappeared into the wind as his lips twitched. It was like he was mustering up all the strength he had left just to be able to speak. Like he had something he wanted to say. And so, Arthur leaned closer, giving Kallistus Kal a chance to speak hisst words. Only for the [Hero King] broke out into a maniacalughter. ¡°You fools,¡± his voice echoed, twisting the world around him. ¡°What?¡± Arthur leapt back, but the [Hero King] didn¡¯t move. Jax and Grat-ra¡¯zun tensed, readying themselves for battle once again. However, Arthur¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t lie. He knew Kallistus Kal was dying here. And even the [Hero King] knew that himself. Even still, he continued to cackle. ¡°Do you truly think you have won here? Even if I die, it matters not. My goals shall be achieved¡ª nay, they are on the precipice of being reached. For you see, I am but a clone of my true self.¡± ¡°A clone?¡± Arthur blinked a few times. And Jax cursed. ¡°Seriously? We struggled this much against a clone?!¡± ¡°So that was how he ambushed me back then¡­¡± Grat-ra¡¯zun breathed. Kallistus Kal continued tough as his voice boomed for all to hear. Whether it were the nearby passersby who came to see his death, or those like Melissa who came to mourn him. Even high up in his pce, King Jalen trembled as he listened to the dying voice of the [Hero King] being broadcasted. ¡°My true self is far away, hidden even from the gaze of the Fal-Deus itself!¡± Slowly, the wisping kes of Void Essence that flitted off the dying body of the clone began to twist the sky itself, forming a rift. At the same time, Kallistus Kal¡¯s voice distorted as he finished. ¡°And I shAlL seIzE tHe pOWeR oF ThE VoID TO TAKE BACK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!¡± And with those dying words, Kallistus Kal¡¯s body was pulled into the rift, before the rift closed shut. Then there was silence. At least for a second. Before a susurration washed the city of Astral. Everyone¡ª whether it was a follower of the Kingdom of Kal or a citizen of the Astrad Kingdom¡ª began to discuss what they heard and what they saw. Jax and Grat-ra¡¯zun both began to frantically discuss what to do next¡ª trying to locate where the true body of the [Hero King] was hiding. But Arthur didn¡¯t say a word. Instead, he dropped to his knees as his eyes fluttered shut. He heard the echoing voice of the Fal-Deus in the distance. He recalled the scene of the closing rift¡ª peering into it and sensing what was within. And the former Lich King knew¡­ Now, it was all up to Amelia. ¡ª-- And in Wolfwater, far from the battlefield where the clone of Kallistus Kal perished¡­ I sighed as I sat right outside of my restaurant, staring into distant horizon. I sensed what was going on. I knew the battle was far from over. And I closed my eyes as I muttered under my breath ¡°What should I do?¡± Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes flickered as he sat in the dark chamber. Before him, a purple rift in space continued to twist and turn. The amorphous outlines of tendrils tried to reach out from this broken world, however it stopped each time it reached the edge of the portal. A voice spoke to him as he stared at it for a moment. Obey my will¡ª give yourself to me and you shall be granted salvation. It was the Fal-Deus. It goaded him intopleting this rift. So that it could enter Vacuos through him. And he did as he was told. Or at least, that was what he had been doing until now. At the moment, he was distracted. His gaze was not focused on this portal to the Void. Instead, he slowly turned to the side as he looked through the eyes of another clone. ¡°¡­I see,¡± he whispered, witnessing the clone¡¯s death at Astral. And he rose to his feet as the Fal-Deus screeched within the portal. But he ignored it, looking towards a trio of figures who were standing behind him. Ammon the Arcane Archsorcerer. A young-looking human man who had been exiled from Scholus for his dabble in the dark arts.Si-Vus the Land Conqueror. A merman general who had been cast out of Mare for his failure to save the previous Merfolk Emperor. And Rakash the Tormentor of Alius. A troll who hadid waste to dozens of dwarven cities across the continent of Alius as revenge for what they had done to his people. They were his most loyal followers. Even more so than Melissa. After all, they were the only ones who knew of his involvement with the Void. They were outcasts, just like him. And they would do anything for him. Even sacrifice their own lives. ¡°What is it, my King?¡± Ammon asked as he bowed his head low. ¡°The ritual is almostplete,¡± Kallistus Kal replied as he shook his head. Then his eyes flickered to the memory his other clone had of the Elder Dragon, the Forsaken Archer, and Arthur¡ª that strange man who wielded the power of the Fal-Deus. ¡°However, I am certain there will be interlopers who wish to put a halt to what¡¯s happening here. Guard my body¡ª ensure that nobody enters my chambers before the end of the day.¡± ¡°As youmand, my King,¡± Ammon said and swept back. Both Si-Vus and Rakash followed after Ammon, leaving the room. When the massive double doors swung shut, the [Hero King] closed his eyes and nodded to himself. Kallistus Kal was d that they were gone. Or at the very least, he was d he had an excuse to dismiss them. While they would have obeyed him regardless of what he had to say, so theoretically he could have sent them away at any point in time, he still felt like he needed a valid reason to do so. After all, they had stuck with him throughout everything he had been through. So he was grateful for their assistance. And just like with Melissa, he did not want them to suffer. That was why he was d Arthur appeared. Even if he posed no real threat to stopping what was going to happen next. He at least served as a reasonable excuse. ¡°Because that strange man, even if he was sincere in his words, does not know my pain,¡± Kallistus Kal whispered as he turned back towards the rift. He heard the Fal-Deus call out to him, and he stretched a hand out. ¡°He does not know my suffering, nor does he know my motivation.¡± All the while, the echoing voice of the Fal-Deus grew louder. Yes¡ª submit! Give yourself to me! Free me from my prison! The [Hero King] ced his hand at the edge of the portal. The coiling tendrils of the Fal-Deus tried to touch him. And yet, they couldn¡¯t connect. Not without Kallistus Kal giving in to the Void entirely. He looked up as the rift grew wider¡ª as it expanded by his workings. As he gave more of himself to the Fal-Deus. Do not resist. Do not falter in your desires. I shall grant you all that you deserve. Perhaps a small part of Kallistus Kal sought for revenge against Vacuos. Maybe a part of him had the ambition to be a god. However, all other desires he had were like a candle against a storm of his true goal. To return back to his family. The rift twisted, opening wider as the Fal-Deus began to cross through into the real world for the first time¡ª as it began to merge into the body of the [Hero King]. This tale has been uwfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He smiled as he saw this. That was one thing which Arthur hadn¡¯t known about Kallistus Kal. It was possible that Arthur had been a pawn in the hands of the Void at one point¡ª that he had been used and manipted. But this was never going to be the case for the [Hero King]. And Kallistus Kal knew this for a fact. Not because he believed that the Fal-Deus wouldn¡¯t use him. Not because he believed that the Fal-Deus was telling him the truth. Rather, it was because¡­ Yes. Yes! YES! The Fal-Deus cackled as it continued to pull itself into the [Hero King]. He could sense its intentions¡ª its vile nature. And it began to pour into him, filling his entire being. FREE ME FROM MY PRISON, AND THE WORLD SHALL BE¡ª Kallistus Kal¡¯s body twisted as the Fal-Deusughed wildly. MINE! It made the deration as the [Hero King] began to scream. As he dropped to his knees, the color of his skin turned purple. Dozens of eyes began opening up across his chest. The tendrils of the Fal-Deus poured into his mouth as he let out a muffled scream. That was right. The Fal-Deus had been using him all along¡ª stringing him along as a pawn. But this was something he knew. That was why he had strung the Fal-Deus along as well. That was why he had been using and manipting the Voidgod too. Kallistus Kal began tough as his body broke. The Fal-Deus stopped itsughter as it continued to try to enter his body. However, he continued to copse. What is going on¡­? In response, the [Hero King] justughed as his face copsed¡ª as his arm covered in eyeballs began to melt away. ¡°Oh, God of the Void, do you really think I am such a fool?¡± Kallistus Kal said, but his voice came not from the crumbling body. ¡°I have been observing you, studying you, and understanding you all this time. And I learned that you are no God of the Void. You are a prisoner of the Void.¡± The many eyes of the Fal-Deus began to dart around the room, searching for where the voice wasing from. And it came not from within the room. But from inside the Void. Beyond the edges. Deep within, where the battle against Guardian Angel Z357 yed out. The true body of Kallistus Kal stood atop a broken moon with a savage smile on his face. And throughout the Void, his voice echoed as he dered triumphantly what he learned from having spent months in that broken space. ¡°This world which you have been trapped in is a prison, not your domain, so you know not what goes on within. That is how I knew I could hide my true self from you, tricking you to believe that that body that you¡¯re trying to possess is the real me. When it was, in fact, a clone.¡± And the Fal-Deus began to seep out of the copsing body of Kallistus Kal in Vacuos. The Fal-Deus slowly streamed back to the Void as its voice boomed. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN CHALLENGE MY POWER? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME IN A BATTLE? ONCE I RETURN TO THE VOID, I SHALL BECOME ALMIGHTY ONCE MORE! Kallistus Kal raised his hands to his chest, smiling as he began to create a rift. ¡°No, I do not believe I can win in a fight. But right now, while you are weakened, outside of the Void, I can trap you,¡± he said simply. And the rift opened up to a broken world within his chest. A mini-Void inside of his heart. The many eyes of the Fal-Deus blinked as its being twisted, before being suddenly sucked further into the Void¡ª into the mini-Void being held up by the [Hero King]. HOW DID YOU CREATE THAT? HOW DID YOU¡ª The Fal-Deus screamed as its being was pulled into Kallistus Kal. He just smirked. The time he had spent here in the Void was not a waste. He had studied the essence of everything around him, and now, he was replicating it to trap the Fal-Deus before it could regain its full power. It was a risky n. But it was working. The Fal-Deus continued to disappear into the [Hero King] as he ignored its screams. YOU TRAITOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR! And then when the Fal-Deus vanished within the mini-Void, the rift closed shut. Kallistus Kal stumbled back as his skin became empurpled. A single eye opened up in the middle of his forehead as he felt an immeasurable strength wash over him. ¡°This is my victory,¡± he whispered as his body shone brightly. And a pulse shot out of him, exploding out of the Void and washing over all of Vacuos. ¡ª-- All across the continents of Vacuos, a sense of dread was felt across every living being. Not everyone couldprehend the power that was rippling across the world. But a few recognized it. Arthur, Grat-ra¡¯zun, and Jax stood silently alone amidst the celebration in Astral as they realized that they had failed at stopping the [Hero King]. Leonhard the Archmage King of Scholus dropped to his knees in his throne room as he recognized the source of this unending power. And Noele paused right behind Garron atop a hill and looked in the general direction of the Kingdom of Kal. It was a familiar power to her. After all, she had seen it upfront with the possessed Lich King. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± Noele whispered. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡ª-- And in Wolfwater, I sensed it too. Right now, I sat alone on a wooden stool right outside of my restaurant. I had closed Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant for the day because of theck of customersing in. Also, because I didn¡¯t want to be continuously pestered by people to do something about the [Hero King]. But even I couldn¡¯t deny the power I sensed right now. ¡°Noele, Bucky, Dorien, Justyn, Han, Edlyn, and practically everyone I know keeps telling me to intervene,¡± I sighed as I rose to my feet. ¡°Do I really have to do something about this?¡± It was a question I asked nobody in particr. But in response, I heard a buzzing behind me. ncing back, I stared at a familiar bee that was the size of my head. She stared at me with round eyes as I pursed my lips. ¡°Melita? Not you too?¡± I stared usingly at her. But she didn¡¯t react. Instead, she just flew up to my shoulder and clung onto me. She didn¡¯t make a sound. All she did was hug me. And the realization settled in. ¡°Oh.¡± I looked at her as my head spun. I saw the same look from her which I saw in Edlyn¡¯s eyes. And I lowered my head. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to do anything. You¡¯re just scared, that¡¯s all.¡± It was never about justice. It was never about doing what was right. Everyone who turned to me¡ª they were just scared. And they looked towards the only person they thought could assuage their fears. ¡°I guess I should do something about it, huh?¡± I said as I rose to my feet. Melita flitted back at that, and I tossed aside my apron. Donning my cape, I drew my rusty sword as I shook my head.. ¡°Well then, I guess it¡¯s time to be a hero again.¡± And as the baby queen bastion bee tilted her head, I disappeared. Chapter 249 Chapter 249 ¡°Did you sense that?¡± Ammon asked as he nced back towards the Capital City of the Kingdom of Kal in the distance. Under Kallistus Kal¡¯s orders, Ammon had brought Rakash and Si-Vus with him to the outside of the city to keep guard of the area. But judging by what was happening, that was not going to be necessary any longer. The sky was overcast with dark clouds swirling overhead. The cacophonous p of thunder could be heard echoing in the distance as lightning cracked through the darkening dome. The three loyal servants of the [Hero King] nodded at each other as the realization crossed through all their minds. ¡°Our King did it,¡± Ammon whispered as a smile tugged at his lips. Rakash and Si-Vus didn¡¯t speak. They just bowed their heads reverently as Ammon eximed. ¡°The ritual isplete¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± a voice said from the side, cutting Ammon off. Ammon¡¯s eyes flickered as his gaze snapped to the front. He stared in shock at a figure who wasn¡¯t there before¡ª at a woman who was stepping forward casually from behind a thicket of trees. A brown-haired woman. She was dressed in strange garbs, with a cloak of impossible characteristics. And she carried with her a rusty sword that looked so brittle it seemed like it could break from the breeze.¡°Who are you?¡± Ammon asked with a frown. And how did she get here? Si-Vus and Rakash tensed at her presence. But she didn¡¯t even acknowledge them as she strode forward. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia, and I¡¯m going to have to ask you to move out of the way now.¡± ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal could only marvel at himself as kes of purple Void Essence wisped off his body. He sighed at the sight. He saw the ripple of the rift that sealed the Fal-Deus into his chest. It actually worked¡ª after all his hard work, he finally seeded. He smiled as he stepped out of the Void and back into Vacuos. His overwhelming presence alone threatened to copse the chamber all around him. He knew that with his current power, he was more than capable of destroying all four continents with the snap of a finger. And that was not all. The [Hero King] closed his eyes as he felt a pulse building up inside of him. ¡°I am still growing stronger with each passing moment,¡± he whispered. ¡°So this is the power of a True God.¡± However, even if there was a small desire for vengeance deep within the heart of Kallistus Kal, he ignored it. Instead, he sought out something else. All he wanted was to go home. So that was what he did. Raising a hand, the [Hero King] opened a rift in space that reached for beyond Vacuos¡ª for something that was not just the Void. He focused on the world he came from. He remembered the time he spent back on Earth with his family. He let his thoughts guide him through the vast and infinite multiverse And the rift¡ª which had been like the surface of ake just moments ago¡ª began to ripple. An image began to form there, showing a familiar scene. Except¡­ it was different somehow. Kallistus Kal narrowed his eyes as he stared at the vige he lived in all his life. It was bigger than he hadst seen it. It looked more like a town than a vige now, and it was bustling with life¡ª with activity. But the people that roamed the streets wore a strange kind of garb he had never seen before back in his world. It was almost like staring into an alien. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± he asked as he blinked. And before he could evenprehend what was going on, his chest ached. The mini-Void in his heart twisted as a single eye peered out of the darkness. The Fal-Deus resisted its imprisonment for a moment as itughed. YOU ARE A FOOL FOR DEFYING ME, KALLISTUS KAL! ¡°Silence!¡± the [Hero King] eximed as he focused on reinforcing the mini-Void. The darkness slowly began to encase the Fal-Deus once more. But it continued to cackle mockingly, booming in his head. THE WORLD YOU KNOW IS LONG GONE. ¡°You¡¯re lying¡ª¡± Kallistus Kal spoke through gritted teeth, struggling to contain the Fal-Deus. And it continued to mock him. YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD. YOUR FAMILY IS LONG DEAD. EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND CARE ABOUT IS DEAD. ¡°You¡¯re a liar,¡± the [Hero King] said as his eyes darted between the vanishing Fal-Deus and the rift. ¡°I have no reason to believe a word you say.¡± BUT I AM NO LIAR, the Fal-Deus said in a sneering tone. THE TIME THAT CROSSES BETWEEN THE WORLDS IS NOT LINEAR. DECADES HAVE PASSED SINCE YOU HAVE LEFT. DIANA HAS LONG SINCE PASSED, AND SO DID LILY SOON AFTER. YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT. ¡°I¡ª what?¡± Kallistus Kal blinked. And he looked towards the bustling town ahead of him. He saw the familiar name of his vige stered across a signpost, right before the town. Slowly, he began to realize that what he was being told was true. Then the Fal-Deus let out a terrible screech as it threatened to break free from its mini-Void. WE COULD HAVE REBUILT A NEW WORLD TOGETHER! A WORLD WHERE YOUR WIFE AND YOUR DAUGHTER ARE ALIVE! BUT NOW YOU WILL SUFFER! YOU WILL DIE¡ª Its tendrils shot out and wrapped around the [Hero King] as he was caught in his stupor. He clenched his jaw, before breaking free from its grasps. The Fal-Deus hissed as it let out a terrifying shriek. With all his strength, the [Hero King] suppressed it back into the mini-Void¡­ And Kallistus Kal was left panting there before the rift, processing what was said. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡ª-- Ammon wanted tough when he heard what Amelia said. The fact that she dared even threaten them when they had nearly brought down an Elder Dragon with theirbined strength was ridiculous. He didn¡¯t know who she was, but her casual appearance made it clear she was probably a low-leveled adventurer. That must have been the reason why he didn¡¯t sense her approach. Rakash¡¯s hands tightened on his obsidian axe as he menacingly stepped forward. Si-Vus twirled his trident behind his back, and Ammon chuckled. All around them, lightning shed and thunder resounded from the overwhelming amount of Void Essence that wasing from beneath the earth. ¡°Do you even know who you are talking to, girl?¡± Ammon asked as he shook his head dismissively. ¡°Leave now, or die.¡± ¡°Three rude idiots who don¡¯t have themon courtesy to move out of the way for ady when she asks them nicely?¡± Amelia replied as she tilted her head. ¡°Oh?¡± Ammon¡¯s eyes flickered. He could see the restlessness of Rakash who was twitching, already wanting to strike. So he sighed as he nodded at his trollpanion. ¡°Very well then, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Amelia just blinked at him. ¡°Hm?¡± And Rakash leapt forward silently. No war cry. No terrifying roar. And yet, somehow, this sight usually struck even more fear in his enemies. His massive figure reached her in an instant, and he swung down with his obsidian axe, striking her face as she stared up at him. Ammon was about to turn away dismissively as the ground shook when he heard her voice again. ¡°Oh, you meant you were going to attack me. I see.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Ammon¡¯s gaze snapped back up towards her. There she was, standing at the bottom of a small crater caused by the impact, with the axe pressing against her face. Si-Vus narrowed his eyes at what he saw. Even Rakash couldn¡¯t help but stare quizzically at her. She didn¡¯t even budge. It should have cleaved her in half, but it was blocked. Not by the rusty sword, or even by a hand. The obsidian axe was stopped by her face. Rakash immediately leapt back as he took on a defensive stance. Meanwhile, Ammon was still trying to process what was going on. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to step aside, I¡¯m just going to walk I guess,¡± Amelia said as she strode forward. Clicking his tongue, Ammon watched as she casually walked right up to him. He backed away, even though she didn¡¯t raise her de against him. From the side, Si-Vus cursed as he threw his trident straight at her, the weapon shing with a purple light. ¡°Multiply,¡± the merman whispered. And the trident immediately multiplied into tens of thousands of ethereal copies. It rained down on Amelia, filling the sky and tearing apart thendscape as Si-Vus, Rakash, and Ammon watched. But she just continued to walk through the storm of falling weapons, unfazed. Like she was strolling through the rain. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Si-Vus asked as hended back on the ground. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s magic, Ammon?¡± Rakash asked, ncing back at the Arcane Archsorcerer. Ammon pursed his lips. He didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t understand what this power was. It almost looked like it was pure brute strength that letting her survive these attacks. However, even if he was uncertain, he knew that all that mattered was that he had to stop her. ¡°If this is a Skill or if this is magic, I will be able to dispel it with my abilities. But you must hold her down so she cannot escape.¡± Ammon spoke as he raised both of his hands. A glow began to ovee his palms, and Si-Vus nodded. The merman pointed at Amelia as she continued her slow approach. And a purple shot out from his fingertips. ¡°Catch!¡± All at once, the covered Amelia as she blinked. It was an even more advanced version of Delmer¡¯s Snare that had been strong enough to hold down an Elder Dragon for a few minutes. Ammon knew that Si-Vus had been learning this ability ever since Delmer¡¯s death. Even just a touch from the should have paralyzed whoever was trapped in it. But that was not all. The strings of the weighed heavier than a mountain, and it was nigh unbreakable. Kallistus Kal had been impressed by Si-Vus¡¯s craftwork with his Catch, even remarking that it might have been able to hold down a Guardian Angel for a minute. But Amelia just shrugged, continuing to walk forward as the sparked and dragged on the ground. Ammon didn¡¯t waste a moment reacting to that. He had a part to y, and he knew what to do. Whatever Skill this was had to be dispelled. So the Arcane Archsorcerer pped his hands together as a pitch-ck bubble formed around her. ¡°Voiding!¡± he screamed, but that was not all. She looked up apathetically as he then pointed at her. ¡°Negation!¡± A flicker came over her as she looked down at herself. The expression on her face didn¡¯t change. But Ammon knew that Voiding was capable of dispelling any and all Skills, while Negation was able to stop all attacks of any kind. So Si-Vus, and Rakash knew it was time to strike. ¡°Now¡ª attack her!¡± Ammon screamed as both hispanions charged with a thunderous roar. ¡°Sunder!¡± the troll bellowed, swinging down at Amelia. It was an attack that would split the earth in half. The Capital City of the Kingdom of Kal would be affected. But it didn¡¯t matter. As long as this brown-haired girl was defeated. But Amelia¡¯s eyes flickered as she realized that. And before Rakash could strike her, she swung up with the back of her left hand despite the holding her down, smacking the troll back. And in an instant, Rakash¡¯s body exploded into a stter of blood. Ammon¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw hispanion die without as much of a scream. Si-Vus shouted from beside Amelia, opening his mouth as a purple glow shed from within. ¡°Bubble¡ª¡± he started. And Amelia shed her de up. Her attack didn¡¯t connect. The merman was too far away from her. But she sliced the holding her down apart as a gust of wind shot out. Ammon had seen plenty of wind-based attacks before. But this was the first time he had seen one that was carried out purely by brute force. And that was not all. Normally, such attacks cut apart enemies. But this particr gust of wind¡­ Itpletely obliterated Si-Vus from its sheer force. Up above, the clouds parted as lightning still continued to crackle down. The sh of light cast a shadow over Amelia for a brief moment, and she craned her neck towards Ammon. He was the only one left standing there, trembling where he stood. ¡°Are you still going to stand in my way?¡± Amelia asked, the inflection of her voice t. Rakash and Si-Vus had been blessed by the Void. They were likely equal to SSS-ranked beings at this point, and they were capable of regenerating from most wounds. And yet, they had been killed by this strange girl in an instant. For the first time in years, Ammon was afraid of losing his life. He realized the mortality of his existence, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to face his death just yet. A part of him screamed to run. To flee while he had the chance. But Ammon caught his breath, realizing his breathing was quickening. He steeled himself as he thought of everything he went through. From his exile from the Kingdom of Scholus to being saved by Kallistus Kal¡ª being shown kindness when the world had shunned him. And being granted a power that was unfathomable to the Arcane Archsorcerer. Ammon clenched his fists as he stood steadfast. He owed his King his life, and he was not going to falter now, even if he was afraid. Amelia noticed this as she closed her eyes. ¡°I see.¡± And Ammon raised both of his hands as he screamed. ¡°Void Lightning!¡± It was an ability that Ammon hadn¡¯t been able to master. That he had been trying to learn. He always failed. But right now, with the excess of Void Essence in the air, and the storm that was engulfing all four continents, he knew that this was the best chance of his sess. And it worked. A st of purple light shot down from the sky like a pir. It engulfed Amelia¡¯s figure in her entirety as the Arcane Archsorcerer had to look away from the blinding light. But as the light faded away, and the smoking crater cleared, Ammon couldn¡¯t help butugh at what he saw. As expected, hisst resort attack did nothing. Amelia stood there,pletely unbothered by the st. She shrugged it off as she walked straight at him. The two of them were approaching the gates of the city now. There was nowhere else to go except to run. But Ammon refused to run. He panted as he stumbled back, staring at the approaching girl. ¡°Just¡­ what exactly are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± She paused as she tilted her head back. There was a long moment of silence where she didn¡¯t say anything. He stared up at her, wondering what she was going to say. He wondered why she was even here in the first ce. But he knew he was not going to get an answer to any of his questions. So he just waited for her response. ¡°I am a hero,¡± Amelia finally answered. And thest thing Ammon saw was her de swinging down at him. Then nothing. ¡ª-- I never wanted to be a hero. I never wanted to be strong. All I ever wanted in my life was to be happy. Unfortunately, life had other ns. And I have had to live with this role that was imposed onto me. I sighed as I pushed open the heavy double doors to reveal a dimly-lit chamber up ahead. There, a figure knelt, wreathed in darkness, head bowed low. He didn¡¯t even look up as I entered the room. And while he looked different from how I imagined, I knew who he was. So I greeted him as I came to a halt right behind his kneeling figure. ¡°We finally meet, Kallistus Kal¡­¡± Chapter 250 Chapter 250 I hated being a hero. That was why I had always given excuses to avoid having to be a hero. But my arguments were always moralistic, philosophical, and selfish. So I hadpletely forgotten what it meant to be a hero. To be a hero was to protect those who were weak. To be a hero was to give hope to those who were afraid. To be a hero was to save those who were suffering. But most importantly, to be a hero was to do what was right, even if I didn¡¯t want to. And that was why, at the end of the day, I was a hero. I closed my eyes as I stood behind Kallistus Kal. The [Hero King] hadn¡¯t even so much as nced at me, despite my sudden arrival. However, he did acknowledge my presence.¡°I do not know you, girl,¡± he said, still not moving. ¡°But I must ask you to leave me alone for I am mourning.¡± I stared at him for a moment. I saw the kes of the Void Essence wisping off his body. I saw the slight bit of distortion through his back inside of his chest. ¡°My name is Amelia. And I see you have absorbed the power of the Voidgod.¡± Kallistus Kal twitched. It was evident he was wondering how I knew that. But he didn¡¯tment on that. Instead, he rose to his feet as he spoke somberly. ¡°Indeed,¡± the [Hero King] replied morosely as he brought a hand up. He still didn¡¯t face me, looking towards the empty air right in front of him. ¡°I havebored hard for all these years to do what I could to return home. No matter who was my enemy, and no matter who I had to use, I did it all just so I could see my wife¡ª my daughter¡ª again.¡± I watched as a distortion began to form before him. And a portal appeared¡ª one that led to another world. It was Earth. Except it was not Earth. At least, not the one I knew. When Ist saw my Earth, it had advanced to a point that flying cars existed. Skyscrapers that stood as tall as mountains littered thendscape, and rampant pollution coated the in a permanent fog of smoke. Meanwhile, this Earth that Kallistus Kal came from looked like it was in the middle of its industrial revolution¡ª it looked like that not long ago, it had still been in the medieval ages, with serfs and peasants tilling the fields for their lords. Kallistus Kal shook his head as he stared at this sight. ¡°Everything I did was for this one goal. I conquered all of Laxo, defeated a Guardian Angel, and even tricked the Fal-Deus. And yet¡­ and yet¡­¡± He brought a hand forward, and the portal closed. Slowly, he brought his hand down to his chest, clutching his heart. He made a pained face as he turned to me. Tears streamed down all three of his eyes as he whispered. ¡°It was all for naught.¡± ¡°I am sorry,¡± I said as I lowered my head. ¡°Diana¡­ Lily¡­ they were the reason for my existence,¡± Kallistus Kal continued as he met my gaze. He continued speaking in a mncholic tone. ¡°Everything I did was to see them again. But I cannot see them again. All because of this foolish world.¡± And the tone of his voice shifted. It became harsher¡ª angrier. I could see the rage in his eyes¡ª the hatred. But most importantly, I could see his suffering. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition. ¡°This world took everything away from me,¡± the [Hero King] said as his gaze hardened. His tears dried up, and he reached for his broadsword at his side. ¡°That is why I will destroy it. I could understand how he felt¡ª truly, I did. Even if I barely knew him, I had been in a simr situation as him. That was why I knew that no matter what I said, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him. I wouldn¡¯t be able to talk him out of this. ¡°You will destroy this world, just like the Voidgod wants,¡± I said simply. ¡°I do not care for the God of the Void or its ambitions,¡± Kallistus Kal snarled as raised his weapon. ¡°I have enved it, and now, its power is mine.¡± ¡°Your prison you created will not hold the Voidgod. It will break free, and when that happens, you will be nothing more than its vessel.¡± ¡°Then let me be its vessel after I reduce this world to ash,¡± the [Hero King] spoke calmly, the tone in his voice suddenly changing again. The purple aura covering his body began to shine brighter. I could sense his power growing with each passing moment. ¡°I do not care what happens to me after I have made them all pay for taking my family away from me.¡± ¡°What about your country? Your people? Your friends?¡± I asked, a white glow beginning to ovee my body. ¡°I will destroy them too,¡± Kallistus Kal said as he took a step forward. ¡°I do not care who it is. Ammon, Rakash, Si-Vus, Melissa. My country. My servants. My enemies. My allies. They will all pay as well.¡± The [Hero King]¡¯s de began to shine with a violent purple light as he continued to march up towards me. His rage hadpletely ovee him. Purple veins began to spread out from the third eye on his forehead, and he raised his de as he screamed, shaking the entire. ¡°I WILL DESTROY IT ALL¡ª¡± And I moved, grabbing him by the face as I leapt into the sky. Then the rumbling that shook the stopped. The overcast sky cleared. The storm vanished. And we were gone. ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal blinked. He hadn¡¯t known what just happened. One moment, he was about to destroy everything. And the next, he was now standing in the middle of an icy world, encased by a ck sky. He looked around in confusion as he scanned his surroundings. But all he saw was Amelia standing before him, uncaring. ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± he asked, staring at the endless space that spread out around him. ¡°Are we in the Void?¡± ¡°No,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head. A white glow still covered her body, and her cloak pped behind her back as she stepped forward. She raised her sword, pointing at a white ball of light that shone in the sky. It was tiny, but it was evidently the sun. ¡°We are on an uninhabited at the very edge of the sr system,¡± Amelia exined. ¡°I brought us here because our fighting would have destroyed the we were in and killed everyone I know.¡± ¡°The?¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s brows snapped together. ¡°You mean Vacuos.¡± ¡°Nope, we¡¯re still in Vacuos,¡± Amelia corrected him. The [Hero King] stared at her uprehendingly. For a moment, his anger was forgotten. He was still trying to understand his situation. ¡°What does that mean?¡± he asked. And Amelia sighed, ¡°It¡¯smon knowledge. Basic science.¡± Then she paused as she tilted her head back. She tapped a finger on her chin as the [Hero King] frowned. ¡°Well, I mean, I guess it makes sense that you didn¡¯t realize it, since youe from a medieval world. But Vacuos is not a single.¡± And Amelia gestured at the stars in the distance, before shrugging. ¡°It is an entire universe with literally trillions of gxies.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s head spun as he processed what she said. His confusion must have been evident on his face as Amelia sighed. She wagged a finger and spoke dismissively. ¡°In simple terms: the world is a lot bigger than you thought. A lot bigger. So you¡¯re going to need to be a lot stronger than you are right now if you¡¯re nning on destroying all of Vacuos. Because as of right now, you are still weak.¡± Kallistus Kal froze when he heard that. Even though he had already absorbed the Fal-Deus¡¯s power, she thought he was weak? No¡ª that was ridiculous. He felt his anger resurging from earlier as he drew more power from the Fal-Deus. The purple aura coating his body returned, this timerger than before. He knew what he wanted to do now. First, he was going to kill this strange woman. Then he was going to destroy the entire universe. He began to march forward as he raised his sword once more. Amelia pursed her lips when she watched him approach. ¡°Although, you are growing exponentially stronger with each passing second. So our fighting will eventually affect the people back in Wolfwater. We probably need to get even further away, huh?¡± Kallistus Kal leapt at her as he screamed. ¡°YOU¡ª¡± And Amelia appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the face again as his three eyes went wide. ¡°Let¡¯s get further away, shall we?¡± she said simply. Before she leapt into the sky once more, but this time, the force of her jump destroyed the uninhabited behind her, reducing it to rock and rubble. Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Tyze pped his hands together three times, before bowing his head. ¡°Please, do not destroy us this century¡± he whispered his prayer. And then he stepped back. He swept his gaze back to the mass of various-colored faces gathered behind him, waiting at the stairs leading up to the temple. The blue-skinned boy hurried out of the way as the crowd pushed past him for their turn to make a prayer. But as he descended back down the thousand steps of the temple, he paused to take in the view of the city skyline in the distance. There were hundreds of skyscrapers that rose up thousands of feet in the air to above the clouds clustered together there. And above it, another city floated in the air, connected by a space elevator. This was the first time Tyze had seen his city from afar. Normally, he would be down there, walking down its streets, unable to admire its majesty. But today was a special day, and the very first time he traveled to the Temple of Toth. It was the Festivities of the Reckoning that urred once every decade where every single race¡ª whether it be boranians, orfs, apsuns, or xycons¡ª came together to pray for their continued survival. Tyze turned around to regard the massive temple. It was an ancient constructionpared to the modern buildings in his city. It was built of brick and limestonepared to the neocarbon base for most structures these days.And this temple was built tomemorate a great being One that was said to be both a protector and a destroyer. An entity that had been sent down by the World System itself. Guardian Angel Azathep. Over ten thousand years ago, when there were dozens of races scattered across the world, Guardian Angel Azathep had descended down to their to purge all civilization, leaving behind only four races. And the reason for its actions was due to all the sinners who had strayed from the World System. Those who drew power from the Great Evil. The Fal-Deus. Shaking his head, Tyze turned away from the temple once again, heading back towards the megacity in the distance. As an orf, he was ashamed to say that most of his race had also been tempted by the Void. The only reason the orfs weren¡¯t eradicated was due to the fact that back then a number of them had also joined the resistance to fight against the sinners. There were supposedly other races that had chosen to remain neutral in that great war back then. But they had also been eradicated alongside the sinners due to their refusal to join the resistance. That was why Tyze was grateful to Guardian Angel Azathep for its generosity of not exterminating his people. Because of that, his people could make up for their past mistakes with helping the rapid advancement of civilization over thest ten thousand years. Tyze looked up towards the sky as he saw a spaceship descending from orbit. Their was called Lacraf¡ª supposedly, it was designated as 5V by the World System¡ª but it was not the only under the rule of their inteary empire. Although, it was certainly their home. Tyze had never visited any of the other fours in the sr system, but he wanted to visit them one day. In fact, as a Level 5 [Budding Astronomer], he was certain he would one day be a part of a space mission that helped expand their civilization outside of their sr system too. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition. A small smile tugged at the boy¡¯s lips as he imagined what it would be like to travel interster space. But then he paused as he caught a glimpse of something in the sky. He squinted as a susurration swept over the crowd around him, a few other folks noticing it too. A dim light¡ª like a star¡ª shone on the green-blue dome overhead. It began to glow brighter and brighter as Tyze frowned. ¡°What is¡ª¡± And from the sky, something crashed in the ground right before the temple. Or at least, Tyze thought it crashed. But as he blinked a few times, he saw that the ground at the crash site was practically unscathed. No dust or debris had even shot into the air. It was like nothing had happened¡ª like nothing had fallen from the sky. Except, a figure was standing there. Brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. She looked like a woman, but Tyze couldn¡¯t be certain. He had never seen a person like her before. She was definitely an alien. And lying at her feet was the charred remains of something. Was it also an alien? Tyze couldn¡¯t tell. But what he could see was that the charred thing was slowly regenerating. He stared in confusion as all around him people gasped and pointed, beginning to break out in a panic. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°Is that an alien?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to die!¡± Tyze just stood there, his head growing dizzy as he stared at the alien. And the ground beneath his feet began to shake. The crowd turned around in shock as even more voices broke out in a panic. They pointed at the Temple of Toth as the quaking grew more violent there. ¡°Guardian Angel Azathep is angry!¡± ¡°No¡ª it¡¯s going to save us from the alien!¡± ¡°Please protect us!¡± However, Tyze didn¡¯t pay attention to any of that. He was strangely drawn to the alien. And she must have noticed his staring because she looked directly at him. ¡°Sorry for the scare¡± she said as she nodded apologetically at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize this was an inhabited when I hopped here.¡± She picked up the regenerating charred figure, before Tyze raised a hand. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± he called out. But he was interrupted by a deafening screech. The Temple of Toth exploded as a giant monster emerged from within. The crowd went scattering and screaming as an anthropoid figure rose to its feet, standing at over a thousand feet tall. ¡°Guardian Angel Azathep has awakened!¡± a boranian cried out. ¡°It will save us¡ª¡± And Guardian Angel Azathep stepped down, crushing the boranian uncaringly. It strode forward with long steps, uncaring of the crowd surrounding it. It swept its gaze over its surroundings, the hundreds of tendrils growing out of its chin pointing in the direction of the alien. It reached out with a wed hand as it let out a screech that caused Tyze to copse in pain. But the alien just widened her stance. ¡°I¡¯m going to go now.¡± And right as Guardian Angel Azathep loomed over her, she leapt into the air, shooting straight through it. She shot straight through its hands, before exploding out of its head, disappearing into the sky. Tyze¡¯s gaze was fixed at sky as Guardian Angel Azathep dropped to the ground next to him. The earth shook onest time, before the monster¡¯s body began to evaporate into the air. As it did, even more people broke out into panicked screams. ¡°Guardian Angel Azathep is dead¡ª¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°World System please save us¡­¡± All the while, Tyze didn¡¯t look away once from the sky. His memory burned with the memory of the alien as thest of Guardian Angel Azathep faded away. ¡ª-- I leapt from to as I held Kallistus Kal up in front of me. I traveled across gxies in an instant, and his body was reduced to nothing¡ª not even atoms¡ª from the sheer force of my speed. However, each time, he regenerated back to his previous form even stronger. I must have traveled across a dozen different gxies at this point, before he finally smacked my hand away after he finished regenerating. I slowed down, floating before him in the middle of empty space as I blinked. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally strong enough to break free from my grip. Good job,¡± I praised him. But he snarled as he raised his sword in my direction. ¡°DO NOT MOCK ME, GIRL! I HAVE THE POWER OF THE FAL-DEUS ON MY SIDE!¡± ¡°And all you did was knock my hand aside,¡± I said simply. ¡°Try blocking this next.¡± ¡°What¡ª¡± The [Hero King]¡¯s eyes flickered. And I reached him in an instant, shing down with my de and sending him flying across the universe from the impact. ¡ª-- And as Amelia and Kallistus Kal¡¯s battle raged across the universe of Vacuos, something sensed the fighting. Many things, actually. Most of them moved to act, especially with the growing amount of Void Essence that was emanating off the battle. But something in specific woke up to put a halt to this. [Initializing Universal Defense Protocol¡­] Something that slept in the orbit of a supermassive ck hole. [Awaken: Principality Z1.] Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Principality Z1 opened her single eye as she floated in the orbit of the supermassive ckhole. She was a machine. A rarity amongst all angels. Anyone and anything in the collection of universes under the rule of the World System could be an Angel. But as it turned out, most beings that existed were made from organic matter, rather than metal like she. She knew very few Angels that were machine like her, even across dozens of universes. There was another Angel that was like her in Vacuos¡ª a machine that was in charge of safeguarding 16B. He was one of the greatest of the Guardian Angels, which was why he was designated at that location. After all, that was where thest of the Fal-Deus¡¯ resistance fell when the World System conquered this universe. And it seemed that the Fal-Deus was attempting another rebellion, which was why she was awakened. Principality Z1 regarded the World System¡¯s message, before scanning the universe of Vacuos. Her single eye widened as she realized what she detected moving rapidly between gxies. It was the Fal-Deus. No¡ª a vessel of the Fal-Deus. And the Void Essence it was carrying was rapidly approaching the threshold that could destroy the entire universe.But that was not all. The vessel of the Fal-Deus was locked in battle with a being of equal strength. Principality Z1 immediately shot forward as she realized the urgency of the situation. Whatever was happening needed to be contained immediately, before it destroyed all of Vacuos. And so, she focused for a moment, locating every single Guardian Angel located in Vacuos, sending them a single message. Awaken, Guardian Angels of Vacuos, and eliminate the threat to the World System. A handful of Guardian Angels that were within the vicinity of the fighting had already woken up and were currently mobilizing to exterminate the vessel of the Fal-Deus. However, now, across the universe, hundreds of Guardian Angels began to move all at once. They flew through gxies and out of superclusters, boosted by themanding blessing of Principality Z1. And together with her, they began to close in on the fighting that was flying across the universe. ¡ª-- I swung down at Kallistus Kal as he raised his de just in time to block it. I blinked, taken aback by that. ¡°Oh, good. You can actually block my attacks now,¡± I said. But there was nobody there. Because the impact from parrying my strike sent him flying into a star. ¡°Not that blocking it means much if you¡¯re not even strong enough to hold your ground.¡± I watched as the star erupted into a powerful supernova. The white aura coating my body flickered as the st washed over me like it was nothing more than a gust of wind. Kallistus Kal panted as he red at me from the remnants of the destroyed star. He raised his sword as space began to distort on the tip of his de. ¡°I TIRE OF YOUR MOCKERY!¡± he screamed as the distortion grewrger. ¡°Also, if you¡¯re wondering how we¡¯re speaking in the vacuum of space, the answer is¡ª¡± I started. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred tform. Support original creators! But the [Hero King] interrupted me. ¡°DIE!¡± He hurled a ck hole that was the same size as the destroyed star right at me. I watched as space and time twisted and bent around the sphere of nothingness¡ª the glowing retion disc that surrounded it shone purple, the only indication that the ck hole was even there. And I sliced the singrity in half as it reached me. Behind me, the ck hole evaporated into nothingness. I scoffed as I looked up towards Kallistus Kal. ¡°Come on, did you think that would be enough to kill me?¡± But he wasn¡¯t there. My eyes flickered as I nced to the side, and he was already nking me. He let out a guttural cry as he swung at my neck with his sword, glowing with a purple light. I brought up my rusty de and casually parried his swing. A shockwave shot out behind me from the impact of his attack. In the far distance, entire sr systems were obliterated from the sheer force of strike. He shed down with a follow-up attack which I easily blocked once again. The [Hero King] screamed with an unbridled rage, unleashing a flurry of strikes which didn¡¯t touch me once. However, as he let out this onught of attacks, I spotted something moving in the corner of my eye. My eyes flickered as I looked up, still blocking Kallistus Kal¡¯s attacks. His de was moving faster and faster with each passing second. But I instinctively parried them as I tracked the object moving across the vast expanse of space towards us. No¡ª it was not an object. It was a person. A lot of people, in fact. ¡°We¡¯re starting to attract a lot of onlookers, huh?¡± I muttered under my breath as I let out a short jab in-between the [Hero King]¡¯s shes. He flew back as he yelped in pain, before I crossed my arms. I saw hundreds of winged figures converging around me¡ª all of them varying in their appearance. Many of them looked familiar-ish. Or at least, whatever race or species they were was familiar to me. Some looked simr to humans, but with an eclectic array of different skin-tones. Others looked like orcs, but with four arms. And even more looked like a kind of animal or insect hybrid mix with a human. It was a wide variety of physiology. There were some that even looked like monsters. A sea serpent swam through space with tiny wings on its back, and a giant squid floated its way down from above me. All in all, there were at least a thousand of these beings surrounding Kallistus Kal and I from all angles. I swept my gaze around to take them in as I raised a brow. ¡°What are they?¡± I asked. And a voice came in response. ¡°Those are¡­¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s brows snapped together as he eyed the zipping figures surrounding us. Then a pulse shot out from his chest, and the mini-Void he created flickered. He groaned as he grabbed at his chest, the third eye on his forehead violently darting around in every direction. I frowned when I saw that. His ess to the Voidgod¡¯s power was only growing. But that also was starting to give the Voidgod more of a control over him. Still, he fought back as he straightened himself. ¡°Guardian Angels. They must be here to eliminate me.¡± ¡°Well, they can stay out of this,¡± I said simply as I crossed my arms. ¡°This is between you and me.¡± Kallistus Kal paused when he heard that. He peered at me quizzically. ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± But I didn¡¯t borate. Instead, my gaze snapped up to a figure descending from above. I blinked, seeing the way the other Guardian Angels seemed to look deferringly up towards it. And that was not all¡ª I also sensed the power disparity between it and the others. ¡°That¡¯s their leader?¡± I asked, seeing the figure raise a sword. It looked like a machine, unlike the other Angels. In fact, it bore a bit of a resemnce to Guardian Angel Z357. Except, it only had a single red eye, while taking on a more feminine figure. Kallistus Kal gritted his teeth. ¡°That is a Principality¡ª an Angel that is tasked with overseeing this universe.¡± Considering that he hadn¡¯t even known what a universe was not that long ago, I was going to guess he was getting this information from the Voidgod. I shook my head as I looked back at the [Hero King]. ¡°It¡¯s pretty strong. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s even stronger than you are right now. So I suggest you try to avoid it if it attacks. I don¡¯t want it to kill you, you know?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s brows scrunched up as he looked back my way. ¡°You heard what I said.¡± I shrugged back at him. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die yet.¡± ¡°Are you pitying me¡ª¡± he started. But then there was a sh of light. All the Angels came to a sudden halt, before raising their hands. Magical white lines shot out of their hands, forming a fractal pattern all around us. The span of this ostensible barrier covered millions of miles at once. ¡°What are they doing?¡± the [Hero King] asked as he blinked a few times. ¡°They¡¯re trying to trap us,¡± I observed. The Principality brought its sword down to the ss-like dome. And all at once, it shed with a brilliant blue light. And as the light faded away, so did the endless expanse of space all around us. Now, all we saw was a blue dome surrounding us from all sides. ¡°They¡¯re trying to recreate the Void,¡± I finished. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 ¡°They¡¯re recreating the Void?¡± Kallistus Kal¡¯s third eyes flickered, darting around the endless expanse of space. The Angels were nothing more than a speck from this distance. In fact, to the ordinary eye, they might as well have been invisible. After all, they were very likely billions of miles away. But with the [Hero King]¡¯s third eye, he could see them all clearly. And a growing hatred built up inside of him. Kill them¡ª SHOW THEM NO MERCY! The voice of the Fal-Deus resounded in the mini-Void in Kallistus Kal¡¯s heart. But he shrugged away themands uttered his way. It was irritating how he could so clearly hear the voice of the Fal-Deus again now. When he first absorbed it into the mini-Void, it had gonepletely silent. However, its words crept back to him as he slowly gained more of its power. First, in whispers. But now, he could hear its screams. Even still, he ignored the Fal-Deus as he focused on what Amelia said: that the Angels were recreating the Void. He swept his gaze all around him as space itself began to fade away. The figures of the Angels behind the translucent and crystalline sphere vanished, and so did all of Vacuos. The [Hero King] narrowed his eyes at the surface that was keeping them in, and he knew this Void was far more powerful than the mini-Void Kallistus Kal had created. ¡°There is no escape,¡± he whispered, before turning to his enemy. ¡°It seems they want us to kill each other in this space.¡±Even if he gained the full power of the Fal-Deus, escape was going to be impossible. This was his prison now. And while he thought he would havemented this predicament, for he could not get his revenge, his anger was currently only directed at the girl who opposed him. So he prepared himself for the continuation of their battle, but Amelia ignored him. ¡°I¡¯d rather not stay in this dreary ce,¡± Amelia said as she flew upwards. ¡°Just give me a second, and we¡¯ll continue our fighting, alright?¡± ¡°You overestimate your own power. Not even you can break through the Void,¡± the [Hero King] started. It was a ridiculous notion¡ª to think that anyone would be able to escape from this prison created by all of the Angels of Vacuos. Even if Kallistus Kal had been surprised by the powers disyed by Amelia, he knew that she had to have limits. And right now, she was pushing her own boundaries. Or so the [Hero King] thought. ¡°You may try to find another path of escape,¡± he said as he raised his broadsword, ready to strike Amelia. ¡°But I will kill you¡ª¡± However, he couldn¡¯t finish. Because Amelia shot away from him as he blinked. Her entire body shone with a brilliant white light, glowing brighter than the sun in the middle of the day. She soared through the expanse of this newly-formed Void before shing with its edge. For a moment, nothing happened. And the [Hero King] just scoffed. ¡°I told you so¡­¡± But then his eyes flickered as a spiderweb crack began to form throughout the Void. He stared with wide eyes as all around them reality began to copse. And the Void shattered with a single strike. ¡ª-- Principality Z1 knew that this prison was imprable. It had held back the Fal-Deus for tens of thousands of years. And while it was not easy to create a Void, with all the Guardian Angels of Vacuos gathered in one ce, their first attempt proved to be sessful. She flew back away from the empty space as she nodded at herself. Looking towards the other Angels zipping around her, she mentally ended her Technique, Rally To Me. The Guardian Angels immediately slowed down to a fraction of the speeds they had been traveling at just moments ago. They had been given a significant speed boost thanks to her, so they could arrive at this destination as soon as possible. But now, there was no longer a need for her to empower them any longer. After all, Rally To Me was a substantially taxing Technique. And it only worked when the other Guardian Angels were heading her way or within her vicinity. But Principality Z1 couldn¡¯t keep it up for long. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That was why she was just d that the vessel of the Fal-Deus and that strange human had epted their imprisonment without fighting back. Principality Z1 flew back, about to send a mentalmand telling all the other Guardian Angels to return to theirs. But then the empty space before her suddenly cracked. Her single eye flickered as she looked down, watching what seemed to be a part of the world itself copsing. However, it wasn¡¯t the world of Vacuos that was breaking apart. It was the Void that they had created. Impossible, she thought as the blue shell that had just been created revealed itself, before falling apart. How is this possible? I was certain it was a perfect Void. But there was no point in denying reality. The newly-created Void was destroyed from an attack from the inside. The surrounding Angels froze as they stared at the distorting space returning back to normal. Principality Z1 tried to process all possible exnations. It must have been imperfect somehow. I must have not noticed its imperfections, she tried to conclude. And as the shards of the broken prison faded away, the strange human sheathed her sword and turned back to the vessel of the Fal-Deus. ¡°Alright, we can continue our fighting now.¡± The strange human dusted her hands off. ¡°But first, let¡¯s get away from these annoying drones.¡± The vessel of the Fal-Deus stared at her. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± And she grabbed him, before throwing him far away, shooting past the Angels in an instant. She flew after him as Principality Z1 took a moment to realize what was going on. The Principality immediately spun around, seeing her two targets disappear into the distance. She raised her hands as she shot forward and gave chase to them. Rally To Me! Z1 called her Guardian Angels after her. And hundreds of Guardian Angels began flying through the expanse of space all at once. They tried their best to keep up with the Principality. But Z1 didn¡¯t slow down for them in the slightest. She could travel across the universe in only an hour in total. That was how she knew she was going to catch up with the strange human and the vessel of the Fal-Deus, despite their headstart. The two of them were already fighting again as they flew ahead in the vastness of space. They traded blows. Their des shed, sending ripples across all of Vacuos. The vessel of the Fal-Deus roared, swinging wildly. Meanwhile, the strange human easily parried his swings as she flew alongside him. Behind Z1, she could see her Guardian Angels slowly disappearing¡ª being left far behind by her and their targets. Hundreds of them became dozens, and dozens began a single one, and then there was none left except for the Principality. She activated every single one of her speed Techniques to catch up to the strange human and the vessel of the Fal-Deus. And yet, the distance between her and them didn¡¯t grow and closer. Even though they weren''t fleeing, but were instead fighting. They were actually getting further away. That¡¯s impossible. I am the Principality assigned to protect Vacuos. I cannot¡­ I cannot¡­ And the realization settled in as Z1 remembered the perfect Void being destroyed. She was too weak. It wasn¡¯t even aparison. There was no way she could keep up with them at all. Whoever that human was who was fighting the vessel of the Fal-Deus was far stronger than any Principality. In fact, Z1 was certain that that human was even more powerful than a Dominion. Perhaps only a Seraphim or a Throne could put a halt to this. But she didn¡¯t belong in this battle at all. Z1 slowed down to a halt, watching as her targets got away with ease. As they fought to the edge of the universe¡ª then further beyond. ¡ª-- Kallistus Kal and I soared through Vacuos as we traded blows. Not once had he been able tond a proper hit against me. But now, he was starting to get used to parrying my attacks¡ª even ones which I was striking at him at full-speed with. And that was not all. Now I actually had to actively avoid his attacks. Because if they didnd, they could have posed a small threat to me. I ducked under a sh aimed for my head, before countering with a thrust to his neck. He blocked it as he flew further back. And I gave chase. Even as we passed by ck holes and nebe¡ª as we exited gxies and superclusters. We zipped across the universe in a battle that threatened to destroy all of existence in Vacuos. It was impressive. His rate of growth was like nothing I had ever seen before. Just earlier, he had barely been strong enough to destroy a fews. However, right now, I was certain if he tried, he couldy waste to the entire universe. He was harnessing the full power of the Voidgod. That was his full potential. But that fact came with risks. ¡°You can¡¯t keep this up much longer, Kallistus Kal,¡± I said as I thrust my de forward, aiming for the [Hero King]¡¯s neck. ¡°You will lose your mind to the Voidgod.¡± ¡°You underestimate me, girl!¡± he screamed as he blocked another attack with his broadsword. ¡°My resolve is unwavering! I will absorb all of the Fal-Deus and destroy Vacuos!¡± He tried to counter with a swing for my neck, which I narrowly dodged. We continued dancing throughout the universe, making the starways the battleground of our duel. My eyes flickered as the [Hero King] swung down at me again. I dodged the attack, only to watch thousands of stars behind me be eradicated from the force of his swing. He was too powerful now. He was a danger to the innocents that were standing away from this fight. I sighed as I knew what I needed to do. ¡°Even if you fully absorb all of the Voidgod¡¯s power without losing your mind, that¡¯s not going to happen,¡± I exined as I kicked him back. He let out a scream of agony as he flew back. And I flew after him, speaking casually. ¡°You really don¡¯t understand, Kallistus Kal. Even if you have the full power of the Voidgod at your disposal, you cannot defeat me.¡± Kallistus Kal caught himself and let out a guttural cry that shook the universe. His de expanded into the size of a star, which he swung down at me. With a shout, I sliced through the sword, and the [Hero King] stared at me in shock. ¡°Because I have killed the Voidgod before,¡± I continued, beforending a punch on his face. He went flying back even further, tumbling straight for the edge of the universe. I shot after him as I continued speaking. ¡°But that¡¯s not all.¡± The [Hero King] tried to catch himself, only for me to reach him again. This time, he had no de. So he tried tond a punch on me, which I dodged. ¡°I haven¡¯t just killed the Voidgod. I have also killed the Voidgod thousands of times.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± He blinked. ¡°That¡¯s why I will end this now,¡± I cut him off. And I grabbed him by the face again, before shooting straight out of the universe of Vacuos with him in tow. Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Kallistus Kal didn¡¯t know what was going on. Even though his third eye could see everything, he couldn¡¯t see anything right now. Not even darkness. There was just nothingness all around him¡ª an unending sensation of nonexistence. Thest thing he remembered was Amelia grabbing him once again. But before he could fight her off, she took off with him, exiting the universe. And now, Kallistus Kal felt nothing. For what seemed like an eternity. Until suddenly, there was light. His three eyes snapped open as he found himself exiting a crack in space. He took in a sharp breath, watching the world whirl around him as he appeared in the air. Well¡­ it was a world. But it was not a world he had ever seen before. In the distance, far below on the ground, he saw tall buildings of ss and metal rise up to above the clouds. He saw strange vehicles riding alongside symmetrical roads on the ground. It was a city, but one that was distinct from the ones he was used to seeing. Kallistus Kal¡¯s attention was drawn back up to Amelia who was still holding onto him, looking down at the city in the distance. She spoke casually as the two of them slowly soared through the air, flying past the city. ¡°The first time I killed the Voidgod, I thought it was over. I thought I could return home. I did return home. But look at it, it was nothing like I remembered.¡± Her eyes fluttered shut as she stayed silent for a moment. Kallistus Kal gritted his teeth, before raising his hands to break free from her grip.¡°You¡ª¡± he started. And the [Hero King]¡¯s third eye snapped open. He felt a throbbing pain run through his chest as his connection to the Fal-Deus wavered. He looked down at himself in confusion, realizing that the mini-Void he created felt so distant. What is this¡­? he asked himself. What happened¡ª But before he could finish processing what was going on, Amelia suddenly sped up as the world around them began to shift. And then it was like ss was shattering all around him as he suddenly found himself under the lights of a different sky. A purple sky. One with a giant metal sphere descending from above. This was another world, and it was copsing¡ªing to its end. A giant craterid bare in the middle as everything began to crumble all around. Even still, Amelianded on the trembling earth as she held onto the [Hero King]. ¡°After realizing that everything I fought for was gone, I returned back to the Fractured Realm,¡± she continued as she looked up at the metal sphere. It glinted, before a beam of crimson light shot down into the giant crater up ahead. ¡°And there, I sought revenge.¡± Right as the crimson beam struck the ground, a powerful explosion erupted. It began to engulf everything. And Amelia picked up Kallistus Kal, before leaping into the air again, tearing through space. The [Hero King] blinked as he found himself suddenly deep underground. But it was bright here¡ª an all-epassing source of light shone ahead of them. It was another dying world. There was a wall of iridescent light that was approaching. But it was being held off by what seemed like two creatures straight from hell. Amelia shook her head. ¡°So I killed the Voidgod a second time. It was actually harder than the first time, if I¡¯m being honest. But I didn¡¯t feel any better afterwards. So I decided I wanted to kill it again.¡± She turned around with Kallistus Kal, away from this dying world everything rippled around them. Once again, with the sounds of shattering ss, they appeared in another ce. Another world. Except, this time, it was not a world. It was a white expanse. An infinite canvas of white. But in the far distance, a mannequin with golden hair stood. Amelia blinked as she spun around again. ¡°Whoops, didn¡¯t mean toe here, wherever this is.¡± And Kallistus Kal just blinked in confusion as he found himself in another world again. This time, he stood alongside Amelia atop a towering mountain inside of an abandoned temple. He looked around in confusion as he tried to understand what was going on. ¡°Why are you showing me all these worlds? What is the point of all this?¡± the [Hero King] asked as he felt his connection to the Fal-Deus grow even weaker. Amelia shrugged as she raised her head, seeing a storm gather far away. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just stalling while telling you a story. After all, the longer you are away from Vacuos, the weaker the Voidgod bes,¡± Amelia exined. The [Hero King]¡¯s brows snapped together. ¡°What does that mean? How does that work?¡± Amelia waved a hand dismissively as she stepped forward, bringing the [Hero King] with her to another world. Now, they were underground again, overlooking a pce that seemed melded into the roots of a giant tree. ¡°The point of my story is that revenge is not fulfilling. I killed the Voidgod ten times before I realized that.¡± Amelia spoke as she continued to stroll forward. Kallistus Kal followed her as the scene surrounding them continuously shifted. ¡°Then I killed the Voidgod a bunch more times after that to challenge myself¡ª I guess I was bored, and I wanted to see if I could kill him quicker than the first time around, because that was still my best timing.¡± The two of them strolled through an Earth overrun by aliens¡ª lizard people that could take the shape of humans. Then they crossed through a vast ocean filled with krakens and leviathans. They traversed the multiverse as Amelia continued speaking. ¡°Anyways, at a certain point, once killing the Voidgod became easy¡ª which took way too long, by the way¡ª I decided I wanted to kill the Voidgod for good. So that it could never harm anyone ever again.¡± Kallistus Kal no longer struggled to break away from her. He no longer tried to fight back. Just like he had rapidly grown stronger back in Vacuos with each passing moment, he was now slowly losing all his strength. And if he wasn¡¯t able to defeat her before. He knew there was no possible way he could win now. He just listened as Amelia regaled her tale. ¡°So I tried to kill the Voidgod in a thousand different ways. One of them that almost seemed like it would work was bringing it out of Vacuos like I am doing with you.¡± Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I see.¡± The [Hero King] lowered his head. He regarded his chest, and the power of the Fal-Deus there was fading away. Soon, Kallistus Kal would have no power left. And yet, he felt no sense of urgency. Just mncholy. Amelia sighed as she led him to another world with a sh of light. ¡°Of course, somehow, the Voidgod was reborn back in the Void. So that was pointless. We¡¯ve arrived, by the way.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Kallistus Kal looked up as an orange sky began to materialize above him. He came standing atop a grassy knoll, surrounded by small pirs of stone that spread out as far as he could see. ¡°Were you not just stalling for my death?¡± ¡°Oh, I actually had a destination in mind.¡± Amelia stepped to the side as she smiled back at the [Hero King]. ¡°Look.¡± She waited at the side of one of the small stone pirs as Kallistus Kal¡¯s eyes widened. He stared at the writing engraved on it, processing the words. ¡°Wee back to your world,¡± Amelia said as she lowered her head. ¡°I-I¡­ this is¡ª¡± the [Hero King] stuttered, before dropping to his knees. He read the words again and again as he clenched his fists. His two real eyes remained focused on the edifice, while his third eye darted usingly towards Amelia. ¡°Why would you bring me here? What is the meaning of this?!¡± He practically shouted. But he didn¡¯t attack her. He just stared at the small stone pir. Again and again and again, he read the words carved onto its surface. Because it said: Here lies Kallistus Kal A loving father A dutiful husband May his soul Rest in Peace Kallistus Kal¡¯s lips quivered as his vision blurred. Tears began to stream down all three of his eyes, and he red up at Amelia. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± he repeated himself. She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she swept her gaze around the graveyard like she was searching for something. Then her gaze slowly returned to the [Hero King]. He rose to his feet as he found his sadness bing that of anger. ¡°Do you just want me to suffer?!¡± Kallistus Kal screamed as he threw a punch. He didn¡¯t think his attack wouldnd. But Amelia didn¡¯t dodge it. She stood there, taking the brunt of the strike. It forced her to take a step back as her head snapped back. Then slowly, she looked towards the [Hero King], meeting his gaze. ¡°I do not want you to suffer, Kallistus. That¡¯s thest thing I want to do to you.¡± ¡°So why did you bring me here?¡± Kallistus Kal spat. He swung at Amelia again, and she just took it once more. ¡°Why would you torture me with my own grave?¡± ¡°Because I am not here to just show you this, Kallistus,¡± Amelia said as she shook her head. ¡°This is what I am here to show you.¡± And she looked towards the two gravesid on either side of the [Hero King]¡¯s grave. He craned his neck slowly, his eyes narrowing as he nced between Amelia and the two graves. Then he trudged forward to read the words inscribed on the first grave. Here lies Diana Kal Loving wife of Kallistus Kal Mother of Lily Kal May her soul Rest in Peace ¡°Diana¡­¡± Kallistus trailed off as his breathing quickened. More tears began to stream down his face, and he tried to wipe them away. But he was ovee by sadness¡ª by the memories that was all he had left of her. He remembered her amber eyes, glinting brightly even on the sunniest of days. He remembered her favorite flower. A lc. Purple and vibrant. Just like the sundress she used to wear. And most importantly, he remembered her voice. ¡°I love you, Kal,¡± she would say. And she would apany him always. Wherever he went, she would stay by his side. Her soothing words would always bring him back to the moment. So that he would never feel any stress or worry in his life. Kallistus Kal ground his teeth together as these memories were reced with regrets¡ª a deluge of regrets that inundated his mind. ¡°I am sorry for not being there for you. I am sorry¡­ I am¡­¡± But he couldn¡¯t muster up any more words as he broke down crying. He cried and cried and cried for what felt like an eternity. Until, finally, he forced himself back to his feet and whispered. ¡°I am sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry, Kallistus.¡± Amelia ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°No, I failed them.¡± The [Hero King] clenched his jaw. He shrugged Amelia¡¯s hand off, before he punched a fist on the ground. ¡°I am a failure of a father and a husband¡­¡± ¡°Are you, though?¡± Amelia asked as she raised a brow. ¡°Look at your daughter¡¯s grave, and you tell me.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The [Hero King] frowned. He looked towards the other gravestone¡ª it was a farrger and more ornate grave than the others in the graveyard. For a moment, he wondered why that was the case, and his eyes went wide as he read the etchings on the stone. Here lies Lily Kal Mayor of Greensbury Daughter May her soul Rest in Peace ¡°Mayor¡­?¡± Kallistus Kal rose to his feet as he stared at the words in shock. ¡°My daughter became the Mayor of Greensbury?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t fail them. In fact, it was thanks to your efforts when you were around, they were able to live when you were gone,¡± Amelia said. Kallistus Kal just stumbled up to the grave, before dropping to his knees. He ced a hand on the gravestone as his head spun. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­ I¡ª¡± ¡°They loved you, Kallistus,¡± Amelia continued as she walked up behind his back. ¡°She did everything she did for you, just like you did for her.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± The [Hero King] hesitated. He closed his eyes as he thought of Lily¡ª as he remembered the promises she made him when she was young. She had only been a child¡ª so young and bright. Not even a teenager yet. But she had always been smart. He remembered how much she enjoyed reading books. How discerning she was for someone her age. And she always enjoyed the stories he would regale her or share with her. Perhaps that was why she always had an ambitious mind. ¡°I want to be a knight!¡± she had said back then. But she also said, ¡°I want to be a farmer! I want to be a doctor! I want to be the mayor!¡± Diana and Kallistus bothughed when they heard her. After all, those were not women-jobs. And yet, they never chastised her. Instead, they let the little girl dream all she wanted. ¡°You can be anything you want, Lily,¡± Kallistus Kal had told her. ¡°Your father is right, Lily,¡± Diana agreed. ¡°You can be anything you want.¡± ¡°Then I will be everything I want!¡± Lily had eximed. And both the parents could only smile at the sight of their adorable child. It was a memory from long ago. One that made Kallistus Kal feel warm inside. Especially seeing what was written on the gravestone. A small smile spread across his lips as he nodded to himself. ¡°You really did it, huh?¡± Kallistus Kal felt a sense of pride washing over him¡ª the joy in knowing that his daughter seeded in achieving her dreams. He wanted to take credit for it. But he knew that he was barely in her life. That it was due to Diana that Lily turned out so well. Slowly, the [Hero King] looked back up towards Amelia as he nodded slowly at her. ¡°Thank you for bringing me here.¡± His eyes fluttered shut as he continued. ¡°For letting me see this.¡± It was truly a sight to behold. It was truly a dreame true, even if he wasn¡¯t there to experience it¡ª to see his daughter grow old and live out her dreams. To see his wife smiling as she witnessed their daughter growing older. To care for them and help them throughout their journeys. But at the very least, Kallistus Kal could see the results of their life. And he felt¡­ calm now. The anger he felt was gone. The rage he had directed to Vacuos and the Fal-Deus had faded away. Looking down at himself, Kallistus Kal watched as his blotched and purple skin began to turn into a paler color. His third eye sealed shut, beginning to merge back into his forehead. The connection he felt to the mini-Void waspletely gone. He was at peace. Then he thought of all the crimes he hadmitted back in Vacuos¡ª all the horrible things he did to get back to see his family again. And he felt the weight of his sins bear down on his shoulder. ¡°I realize now what I have done. I havemitted far too much evil to be let free. I have done too much wrong to be given another chance at life.¡± Amelia remained silent. She just nodded at him as he lowered his head. He bowed at the graves of his family as he whispered. ¡°Diana, Lily, I am sorry¡ª for the atrocities I havemitted in your name. What I have done is unforgivable. Your father¡­ failed you.¡± ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡± Amelia eventually asked as she unsheathed her sword. ¡°You can still have a chance to do good.¡± ¡°This is the only good I can do now,¡± Kallistus Kal said as he slowly raised his head. He faced the sky, looking towards the setting sun in the distance. ¡°To pay for my crimes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Amelia sighed as she raised her sword. ¡°Very well, if this is what you want.¡± And for a moment, she did nothing. Kallistus Kal just waited as he kept his eyes closed. He thought of his wife and his daughter waiting for him. And he mustered up a final smile. ¡°Diana, Lily. I hope that I will be worthy to see you again one day.¡± And Amelia whispered a final word, before swinging down. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Kallistus Kal braced himself. And then thest thing he saw was Diana and Lily waiting for him with smiles on their faces. Then nothing. Chapter 255: (End Of Book 4) Chapter 255: (End Of Book 4) And it was over The reign of terror of Kallistus Kal came to an end. It wasn¡¯t a climactic ending. It wasn¡¯t even exciting. After such an epic battle that raged across the multiverse, the former [Hero King] epted his death without a struggle. I stared at his corpse as the sun disappeared over the horizon. Not even the orange re of twilight remained. For a moment, all was silence. All was peace. Then slowly, his corpse began to rapidly dpose. His skin withered away, and his bones turned to dust. I looked on as a gust of wind swept up his remains and carried him into the air until nothing was left except for the flicker of purple that had once been the mini-Void he created. And as I heard the howling of the wind, I could also hear the faintest trace of a voice blowing alongside it. I will¡­ return¡­ I sighed, ¡°Of course.¡± It was the Voidgod. Even if it perished alongside Kallistus Kal, it would return. It always returned. It could not die, no matter how many times I killed it. That was why I had given up on trying to put a stop to it.That was why I wanted someone else to deal with it instead of me. Otherwise, I would be trapped in a never ending battle thatsted all of eternity. I shook my head as I drew back from Kallistus Kal¡¯s grave. I spared onest nce at it, before closing my eyes. Even though I had barely known the [Hero King], I realized now that we were more alike than I had thought. Perhaps if I had known this sooner, I might have intervened beforehand. After all, he experienced the same thing I did. To a lesser extent, of course. But he suffered just as I had. And I pitied him. I empathized with him. I gave him this death so that he would at least be at peace when he passed. But that was not all. That was not the only reason why I brought him back here to his world. There was a reason I hadn¡¯t divulged to him¡ª a reason why I hadn¡¯t just in him back in Vacuos. It was a simple reason, really. That which rted to kindness. Which was perhaps why I was a liar for saying that I was not a hero. Because I killed Kallistus Kal here in his world to save his soul. I opened my eyes as I swept my gaze over the graveyard. That was right. There was no salvation waiting for the [Hero King] if he had died in Vacuos. Every being born in every world across the multiverse had a soul. And their soul was granted to them by the world itself. Of course, every world had its own variation to it¡ª some worlds had gods that bestowed the souls, while others had a natural cycle for souls to be reborn. It didn¡¯t matter. Because at the end of the day, if an outsider to a world died in that world, their soul will forever be destroyed. Unlike if they perished in their own world. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. There were a few caveats to that¡ª there was always the possibility that a soul could be naturalized to another world. But that was definitely not the case for Kallistus Kal. So I knew that the only way to save his soul would be to bring him back to his world. Which was why I did what I did. ¡°I guess at the end of the day I really am a hero, huh?¡± I whispered, before I took a step back. And I opened a rift behind me, stepping through it to return back to my world. To Vacuos. ¡ª-- With the defeat of the Kingdom of Kal at Astral and the death of the [Hero King] Kallistus Kal, the incessant war that had embroiled Laxo for the better part of a decade was over. Everyone felt like they could collectively sigh in relief. Well, almost everyone. ¡°So the war is over,¡± a gruff voice said. It was a burly man who spoke. He crossed his arms as he stared at the newspaper stered against the wall. ¡°And Amelia didn¡¯t even have to intervene, huh?¡± A soft voice replied, ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard. I heard she had a part to y, although she didn¡¯t participate in the war itself.¡± ¡°I am surprised to hear about that. I didn¡¯t think she was someone who got involved in things like this.¡± The burly man ced a hand on his chin. And a blonde girl smiled next to him. She drew back, spinning around as he turned to face her. ¡°Well, Garron, you don¡¯t know Amelia like me. Because I always knew she would do something about Kallistus Kal.¡± ¡°You were that confident in Amelia, Noele?¡± Garron blinked back at the blonde girl. And she chuckled as she strode away from him. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s a reason why I chose Amelia as my master. Anyway, that¡¯s enough discussing this. We still have our own issues to deal with.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Garron nodded as he hurried after her. The two adventurers came to a halt right before a mine at the edge of the town. They made their way past a crowd of smaller figures¡ª of these rotund and stumpy people. Dwarves. They carried with them ores and pickaxes as they hurried to and from the center of the town. And finally, Noele and Garron came to a halt right before arge mine dug into the center of the town. ¡°Even if Kallistus Kal is gone, the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns remains,¡± Noele said as her gaze pierced the massive mine right ahead of them. ¡°Someone is going to have to deal with them. And that will be us.¡± Behind Noele, Garron nodded. And the two of them perked up as they caught a glimpse of a group of cloaked figures making their way into the mine. Noele took a step forward as she smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± And Garron followed after her. ¡°Right.¡± ¡ª-- Meanwhile, back in Wolfwater, I finally returned to my restaurant. But I didn¡¯t get back to work immediately. Instead, I kept Bucky¡¯s Out of this World Restaurant closed for a few weeks. Not to mourn, nor was it because I was truly upset over Kallistus Kal¡¯s death. But mostly because I didn¡¯t want to deal with anything right now. Grat-ra¡¯zun, Arthur, Jax, Justyn, Bucky, and Edlyn all tried to pester me about what happened¡ª what I did. Even though the official story was that the [Hero King] died to Grat-ra¡¯zun, Arthur, and Jax at Astral, they all knew I had gotten involved somehow. And I didn¡¯t want to tell them anything about what happened in my duel with the true Kallistus Kal. I just remained by myself, in my room, resting for now. But I wasn¡¯tpletely alone. After all¡­ I heard a buzzing as I looked up and out my window. I saw Melita there, and I smiled as I proffered her a hand to rest on. She came andnded right at the palm of my hand as I chuckled. ¡°At least you¡¯re here for me,¡± I whispered. And I closed my eyes, going to sleep. End of Book 4
Author''s Notes: And that''s the end of book 4! I will be stubbing 90% of chapters very soon, but I will keep the entire climax fight of the book up even when I stub. I will be taking a small hiatus from Amelia to focus mostly on Salvos, but I should resume Amelia in a few months time. Also, if you are a Salvos reader, check out my Kickstarter for Salvos Books 2-4 that is ending very soon! Salvos Books 2-4: Epic LitRPG Fantasy Novels by Merrick Books ¡ª Kickstarter Thank you all for reading!
Book 4 is now out on Amazon KU! Book 4 is now out on Amazon KU! Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4 is now out on Amazon KU! If you''d like to support me, check it out and download it on KU, maybe even leave a rating or a review too! Otherwise, thank you all for reading as usual! : Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle : Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle Store Support the author by searching for the original publication of this : Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle : Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle : Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle Store Amazon: Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle StoreAmazon: Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle StoreAmazon: Amelia the Level Zero Hero Book 4: A LitRPG Adventure eBook : Lewis, V.A., Delta, Ms: Kindle Store After nearly two years, the Amelia the Level Zero Hero Webtoon Original is finally out! Check it out After nearly two years, the Amelia the Level Zero Hero Webtoon Original is finally out! Check it out All it took was nearly a hundred thousand dors, self-producing it and taking on all the work on my own, and negotiating with a billion dor corporation, but finally Amelia the Level Zero is out on Webtoons as a Webtoon Original! Special thanks to my best friend Azrie for helping me adapt theic and script a bulk of the chapters intoic episodes. And it is a pleasure to work with Kisai Entertainment on this project. I''d truly appreciate it if you guys could check it out and support me for thisunch <> The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. New chapter soon Check it out, give it a follow, and give it a 10 star rating! Amelia the Level Zero Hero | WEBTOON ) The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!