《Infinite Mana In The Oasis》


 Chapter 1 Viktor Vladimir

    July 01, 3022. City-state of Ainazi. Latvia, Earth.


    "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu*k!"


    Someone''s cursing out loud.


    Winds howling nearby.


    The sound of sirens is added to the mix. Thete afternoon sun is nowhere to be found as the cloudy gray sky is masking its brilliance effectively.


    The day is gloomy with a chance of precipitation. But not uneventful.


    "Everything''s turned to shit since we took this job, Vik. This whole n was rigged from the moment we said yes to this suicide fest.


    Aargh! I want to chop off that baldy''s Little Guy if it''s thest thing I have to do before dying."


    Fernando Torres couldn''t stop cursing as he drove the truck that had only two passengers including him at breakneck speed. The expressway was wide open for him to drive carelessly¨C barren even. So he wasn''t worried about running the truck onto something.


    But what was at the back of the truck pursuing and closing in on them was an entirely different matter.


    <o>,m "Tory, don''t you fokin lose your shit now. Eyes on the road.</o>


    I''ll¡­ I''ll do something about the cops. Give me that M-16 you have."


    Viktormanded Fernando Torres, AKA Tory. He tried to calm his friend down even when he was feeling the pressureing from the relentless pursuit.


    The cops were almost breathing down their necks at this point. Their in-pursuit vehicles were a few meters away from the back of their truck.


    Four high-tech Jeeps were pursuing a heavy truck that was easily zipping through hundreds of meters of distance in the blink of an eye, despite itsrge size. The cops'' vehicles were right behind that truck monstrosity.


    The half-deafening sirens were ring off in the background. But thebination of opposing wind pressure and its resultant noise was so loud that it almost acoustically overshadowed everything.


    Almost!


    Both the stolen truck and four high-tech cop vehicles had no wheels. They were gliding over the earth at a fixed height without any contact with the surface. So the ride was smooth for both-- the perps and the cops.


    Vik had to admit. Tory was right. They shouldn''t have taken this job. It looked like a job entailing a simple hot-swap of a goods-carrying truck at first. But the "heat" they generated told them a different story.


    What''s more, they hadn''t even checked what was in the truck they were currently riding on. Neither did the party that assigned them the job tell them anything about what they were stealing.


    Maybe they should have done their recon better before executing this job. Maybe they shouldn''t have trusted the baldy that had acted as their mediator.


    But the pill of regret has to be swallowed no matter how bitter it tastes. They couldn''t do anything about something that they''d already messed up.


    Vik and Tory first thought it was someone backstabbing someone in an arms deal. The usual fiasco of some gang facing a mutiny from within. Or just local gang wars among non-Metas.


    Sure, it held a fair share of risks too. But it wasn''t something they hadn''t done before.


    But Vik and Tory knew the sheer number of police deployed on this chase meant the goods in the truck were extraordinary. And that same extraordinary aspect had created this situation for them.


    "M-16? Hahahaha. I carry that thing just for the show, Vik. That super ancient scrap won''t be able to get past the cops'' energy shield. We should¡­"


    "Shut your fuking mouth, Tory. Do what I say first. Your rants can wait."


    Vik couldn''t understand how Tory couldugh in situations like these. His co-called "cajones" that he often referred to whenever he did something brag-worthy were indeed... something.


    Vik looked at Tory with stoic expressions that borderlined on suppressed anger. Tory begrudgingly gave Vik the rifle he was keeping beside him and started cussing everything from Vik to cops to his entire life choices in a hushed voice. They both didn''t know what they were angry at.


    Vik heard Tory cursing some more in his fast-paced Spanish but paid it no heed.


    The M-16 Beason was an old-gen rifle. It shot bullets that were made ofpressed air. The gun was used by non-Metas a lot to handle their daily skirmishes in the past.


    But there''s a reason it belonged to the bygone era now.


    Vik knew it wasn''t enough in a frontal sh against the cops who were blessed with the most advanced equipment the city-state of Ainazi had to offer. He also suspected that there would be cops who were Metahumans, just waiting for the truck to stop so that they could apprehend the two ordinary perps swiftly.<sub> </sub>


    Plus, the cops were using advanced military-grade jeeps that had energy shields deployed in front of them, which protected them against harm. In a frontal sh, the both knew they stood no chance against the cops.


    But Vik wasn''t nning to shoot at them head-on anyway.


    He found a beer keg stocked in the backseat. The driver that was supposed to drive this truck was no fan of the "don''t drink and drive" philosophy it seemed.


    Vik wasn''t in the mood or ce to judge someone else''s driving choices. He was in a soup of his own now which he needed to deal with quickly. And in his current situation, he could only thank the guy for being so overenthusiastic about the booze.


    Vik knew he only had one shot at this. He took a deep breath before yelling loudly:


    "Tory.....


    Now!"


    Tory nodded at Vik and suddenly steered the wheel sharply. The truck took a sharp turn and was positioned parallel to iing cops'' jeeps.


    Vik just opened the window of the driver''s cabin and let the wind pressure generated due to their kic state do its job. He simply released that beer keg and let the wind carry it where he had intended it to. He had already aligned the release in such a way that the keg would crash directly onto the pursuing vehicles.


    Time seemed to have slowed down. The released beer keg was shot hard by Vik before it was about to crash onto one of the cops'' vehicles.


    The energy shield was deployed but it didn''t prevent the vehicles from getting affected by the keg''s impact.


    As it crashednded on one of the vehicles, the keg caught fire because of Vik''s shooting. But that was not all.


    When the keg hit the ground and the other vehicle was passing over it, its gyro stabilization malfunctioned. It lifted the vehicle and allowed Vik a wide, unprotected area to shoot at.


    Vik wasn''t one to let such opportunities pass him by. He had a wild idea to set the cops'' jeeps on fire. That n didn''t work since the wind pressure made it difficult for the beer to getbusted and spread the fire.


    Raise. Aim. Shoot.


    Thankfully, something favorable came to pass that had not been nned before. Vik took aim and fired at the exposed bottom of the vehicle which wasn''t protected by the energy shield.


    It only took a shot or two for the target to catch fire. And in the next moment, it was about to crashnd on the other police vehicle running alongside it.


    Vik was about to celebrate. But he had almost forgotten to look at what the police car in front of him was aiming for at the time.


    The cops had drawn their firearms as soon as they saw one of the perpetrators brandishing a weapon. Now, they had the right to draw weapons and fight the assants.


    The cops in the front jeep fired a volley ofser bullets at the stolen truck. The bullets whizzed past Vik who dodged them at a hair''s breadth by ducking down at the veryst moment. He then closed the window with the control panel near him and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Soon the car that Vik shot crashed into the leading car. The newly created, still-in-motion debris of the first two cars became an obstacle for the two vehicles behind them to ram straight into.


    Vik stretched his neck from his turtling position and watched his aplishment with his own eyes. He couldn''t help taking a long breath before rxing his posture that had been tense for a long time. They were getting farther away from the moving debris of four police vehicles.


    "Fu*k yeah. Tory, my man. We did it. We are in the clear¡­"


    Vik cut short his victory speech because there was nothing celebratory about the situation. Not when one had a clear look at Tory.


    The clothes around his chest looked red.


    Fernando Torres was critically injured!


    ===


    Author''s Note: Hello and wee. First of all, thank you for picking this book and giving it a try.


    The pilot immediately plunges you into an action-packed chase without worrying too much about other deets. The character designs and world background will slowly unfold as you progress further. It is suggested that we read first 50 chapters before deciding to hit pause on the novel.


    I have added the relevant tags for the story. Those elements would get added to the plotline over time. I''ll write a detailed review about this book once it has enough chapters under its belt. Till then, let''s just read this piece and see where it leads.


    I request readers to donate their power stones. Your small contribution now would help this book grow into something big in the future! ;)

 Chapter 2 Patching Up Tory

    Fernando Torres was critically injured!


    "Shit Tori, what do we do? Let''s take you¡­"


    Viktor started panicking after seeing Tori''s condition. He wanted him to take the truck to any medical facility while assuming that thetter was against it. But Tory shut him up before he could say so:


    "Viktor, we can''t afford to take me to any hospital or infirmary in our current situation. Maybe we should¡­"


    ...


    "Are you fucking crazy, Tori?"


    Viktor saw his friend''s blood spreading across his clothes and started getting desperate. As he hastily searched around for anything that might help him help Tory, he spoke up. Anything that he could use to stop the blood loss.


    "We can''t go to the ER you say? Do you want to die because of this botched-up job?"


    Vik then looked outside the window while trying to remember everything that had happened after the shit hit the fan. He took his time before continuing.


    "Listen to me, Tory. They don''t have anything on us. We''ve made sure of that. Just some circumstantial evidence, maybe?


    But so what? We''ll be back in no time. If we cooperate.."


    Vik looked like he was trying to grasp at straws. The panic had consumed his rational mind. Thankfully, the one who was injured was in a better mental state than the former.


    "Hijo de puta, Vik.


    Who said anything about dying? What do you think I am? A wuss?


    I''m saying we should head to my aunt''s ce. She is an ex-nurse. She''d fix me up in no time. Now give me that first-aid box from the back."


    Tory didn''t panic after seeing he was shot. Luckily, he was wearing an all-purpose Ker inside his clothes, which negated the major impact of theser bullet.


    But the injured area was close to the heart. And then there was the non-stop blood loss. He''d be dead before they reached his aunt Avril''s ce if they didn''t apply first aid.


    The duo unceremoniously took out the first aid kit that their "borrowed" truck''s cabin had and started temporarily patching Tory up.


    The first aid kit came with an ionizing light that Vik used to disinfect the wound. He then gave Tory a shot of syringed medicine to stabilize his condition.


    The kit also had an insta-synth skin generator that''d coat any wounded area with ayer of pseudo-polymerized skin.


    Tori''s condition was stabilized but he needed medical care. And for that, they had to drive for another two hours.


    Vik took the reins from Tory and told him to rest. Their crisis wasn''t over. The cops must have thought that dispatching four high-ss vehicles boarded by a bunch of Metas was enough to take care of them.


    However, they will send an aerial patrol once they learn about the condition of those vehicles. And it won''t be long before the chase resumes.


    Vik didn''t want to take part in a race with a flying machine he knew he''d lose. Therefore, he got off the expressway and chose a service road that would make their journey longer and yet rtively safer.


    The duo had already taken care of the geo-tagging system present in the truck. And they had also made sure that their faces weren''t revealed. They were using bot-controlled facial enhancement masks after all.


    Now they just need to hide the truck and hide underground for a while till the heat dies down. Aunt Avril''s ce was only going to be a temporary resting spot. They would have to travel much farther to go off the grid.


    ***


    "H, Fernando! Oh. Vik is also with you. What a pleasant surprise."


    The two guys who had set cops'' vehicles on fire not too long ago were weed by ady who seemed old and gracious. She opened her arms in a weing posture and addressed the two endearingly.


    "You should have¡­"


    When she saw Tory''s condition, her face turned pale. The guy''s shirt was red all over and his countenance told her he wasn''t doing any good at the time.<sub> </sub>


    Aaaah! Dios Mio (my god)... Nino.. what''s happened to you?"


    Aunt Avril was left aghast after seeing her troublemaker nephew closely. He was being supported by Vik as they stepped in.


    "Aunt Avril. I''ll exin things to youter. But you have to treat him first."


    Vik thought such an abrupt exnation from his friend would never work on an olddy. But he had obviously underestimated aunt Avril''s coping capabilities. She pped herself before responding.


    "You... you''d never stop being a troublesome nephew would you, Fernando Torres?


    Who am I asking? Forget it. Let''s take him inside to another room, Vik. I have a nursing bed there."


    Aunt Avril thought that her anxieties were going to shoot through the roof of her old house after realizing she was going to operate on her nephew. She had been treating minor ailments of patients these days. That too illegally and under the table, since she didn''t have a license to practice medicine anymore. Carrying a license to practice medicine meant paying the city-state an exuberant amount of tax. Something she wasn''t willing to indulge in.


    So treating her nephew with his severe injuries seemed quite overwhelming for her. But Tori''s assurance calmed her down.


    "Calm down, Tia (aunt). I''m fine. Just remove theser residue and treat my wounds. And give me something for the road. We can''t stay here for too long."


    It seemed that aunt Avril had seen her share of troubles in her life. After her initial episode of panic, she calmed down and took a deep breath before continuing.


    "Al¡­ alright!"


    ***


    "What should we do now, Vik? We can''t return to Ainazi. And we are totally in the opposite direction from our drop site. Do we risk heading there or do wey low?"


    Vik was driving the truck this time. And Tory was resting in the space behind the front seat. Aunt Avril had done a pretty good job patching her nephew. She had also administered him a shot of synth-blood to treat his blood loss.


    It won''t be long before the cops start questioning their rtives. Vik didn''t have any parents. And Fernando Torres only had aunt Avril listed as his next of kin.


    But she''d be fine as long as she didn''t leave any incriminating evidence of their presence behind. The woman was running an illegal infirmary. She was a pro at these things.


    Vik pondered for a bit before answering his friend.


    "Well.. we can''t turn back for sure. This whole thing reeks of a conspiracy. It was like they were waiting for us to make our move. And they jumped on us without us tripping any of their fail-safes.


    I will not ept that baldy had nothing to do with it.


    But first things first. We need to hide this truck and ourselves for the time being. Until we can make sense of things that are."


    Vik said that while taking a puff out of his cigarette. He passed it to his friend in the back and looked aimlessly in front of him while driving.


    "Where should we go then?"


    Tory asked Vik without a second thought while taking the smoke from his friend. He knew Vik was a better nner between them. So he just trusted Vik''s guts.


    Vik tapped onto the levitating control wheel he was in charge of and tapped it with his ever-restless fingers before answering.


    "Let''s not waste time contemting. We find an isted and abandoned house away from any of its neighbors. And make a nest there."


    Vik said and practically snatched the smoke away from Tory. Thetter cursed some more before adding up.


    "Hahahaha! Vik, things aren''t as simple as you make them out to be. How can we find such a convenient ce..."


    Tory was nning to diss Vik for being na?ve and unhealthily optimistic. Vik shut him up with a loud yell.


    "There it is!"

 Chapter 3 Old House Old Memories

    "There it is!"


    Tory cursed Vik again under his breath. The guy had erratic luck simr to a protagonist. Sometimes it made him reach for the stars. And other times, it''d force him to make his way through a sea of misery.


    And Tory was dragged in every one of those instances. Especially if they involved misery.


    The truck got close to a seemingly abandoned house, located near the end of a service road. It was a sophisticated, suburban, two-story house that looked simple at first nce. Like a house from a bygone era frozen in time.


    The house wasn''t visible from the main road. The aerial recon bot could not find it either as it was hidden under a giant tree that covered most of its presence.


    The only reason Vik could see this house was that he was driving through the same service road. He had found something he could count on when he wasn''t looking. One had to say Tory was onto something when he said Vik had the strangest luck.


    The duo liked the fact that there were no neighboring houses. Vik and Tory stopped the truck and walked around the house on foot to confirm that there was nobody inside.


    The duo then barged into the house without a second thought. They checked the entire house and found it to have a few items they could use while hiding here.


    Plus, the house had an underground garage for them to park the truck in. They first opened the garage door and parked the truck, which was their metaphorical smoking gun.


    "This ce reminds me of our first job that we did as a team, Vik. Haha! You were such a noob back then."


    Tori''s condition was stabilized by now. They had raided Aunt Avril''s cold storage and taken a pack of beers out before boarding the truck again.


    They both cracked open not-so-cold ones and conversed while taking sips. Tory was in the mood to tease Vik about his rookie mistakes in B&E. But thetter retorted with his go-to jab:


    "Says the guy who was punked by me the very first time we met."


    Fernando always became speechless after Vik reminded him how they met. The former couldn''t resist cursing his partner again for his taunt that he still had not found a valid response to.


    ***


    Tory and Vik didn''t start as friends at first. They were both hustlers. Thetter was more than 10 years younger than the former. But when it came to conning people and having street smartness, Vik had Tory beat fair and square.


    This was a story from five years ago. Fernando was selling a contraband item one day when he met a young boy who wanted to buy it off him. The former thought thetter to be too green to do shady business like this. So he quoted an unbelievable price.


    Of course, Vik was infuriated. He haggled with Fernando and reduced the price by half. Fernando showed displeasure from the outside while selling the item for the price they agreed upon. But he was all smiles from the inside. That''s because the price was still a lot more than what he had previously anticipated.


    Tory''s celebration, however, didn''tst long. Who knew that the money the kid used to buy the item from Fernando was even faker than the item itself? The scion of Torres lived through the exact range of emotions most of his customers were used to feeling that day.


    That was the very moment when Fernando finally got to experience the true meaning behind an ancient proverb that said: Karma is a bitch!


    But the thing Ferni was angry at most was the fact that he, a veteran con artist, was conned by a greenhorn. The kid''s forgery of encrypt-chip money was so convincing that he couldn''t find anything wrong with it until it was toote.


    The kid was about to leave the Ainazi city-state. But Fernando managed to get the wind of it and caught him.


    Of course, a serious fight ensued. In response to the spectators'' calls, police were called, and both of them were arrested for disturbing public order. The punishment was a month in jail for both offenders.


    Fernando was assigned to the same hole as the kid, which resulted in some fighting and cursing each other. Finally, when they were both beat up and couldn''t make it through another physical or verbal duel, they called it a truce.


    Now all they could do was stare at each other. And that got both the guys talking. Fernando realized the kid had a range of talents despite his small age.<sub> </sub>


    The budding hustler and Fernando had be good friends by the end of their sentences. Fernando invited him to his house on a whim. The young hustler didn''t have a ce to stay after all.


    And the kid too saw no reason to refuse. Fernando apanied him to his house for a day or two.


    But days turned into months and months turned into years. The duo ran various plots and schemes on people during this time. They were involved in a lot of close calls and that helped strengthen their bond.


    By now, Fernando considered the kid as a younger brother he never had. And the kid too thought of Fernando as someone he''d at least try to listen to. Vic would never say it outright, but Fernando knew that he saw him as his only family.


    That kid was none other than Viktor dimir. The five years they spent hustling together had strengthened their bond beyond the bond between blood brothers. And that had made them almost inseparable by now.


    It was Vik who started calling his partner Tory instead of any of his usual names. When Fernando Torres asked, he told him that Tory just bodes well with his Vik. As in Victory!


    Viktor was creative that way.


    ***


    "So what should we do now, Vik? Should I contact my guy to get some info on what''s happening now?"


    Tory asked Vik while sounding dubious about his idea. Unsurprisingly, it was immediately rejected by thetter.


    "Don''t. You''d fok everything up. By now they must''ve started tracing the calls of every known contact of ours no matter how isted they might seem from us.


    Calling any of our known contacts is akin to announcing our position. We need to manage things from our end without involving a third party."


    Vik said and sighed as he added.


    "We are on our own for a few days. And I''m serious about being off the grid. We won''t contact anybody till we are in this house. Not even those speed dial numbers you have with the names "Mamacita1, Mamacita2, and so on."


    Vik narrowed his eyes on Fernando after he dished out his warning. Thetter coughed and cleared his throat before responding.


    "*Cough. I know that. But I can''t just sit around without knowing what''s going on."


    Fernando said and looked around the house that seemed unupied for years on end. He then pped on his not-so-t tummy before addressing his major concern.


    "How about food and stuff for our stay here in this ghost vi? We need to get a few things here if¡­"


    Vik knew Tory would bring up the food issue. So it didn''t take long for him to reply.


    "We have fast food that willst us two days. We''ll figure something out after that."


    Victor dimir turned towards the truck monstrosity they had just parked before voicing his intentions.


    "More importantly, Tori, aren''t you curious about what''s in the truck?"


    Vik''s blue eyes seemed to shine brightly after saying that.

 Chapter 4 Oasis Online And O-Pods

    "Tory, aren''t you curious about what''s in the truck?"


    Vik''s blue eyes seemed to shine brightly after saying that.


    They had been through so much trouble for this truck. The least it could do was to give them something valuable in return.


    They both were excited about the contents they could find in the truck. Vik and Tory kept throwing guesses at each other as they made their way toward the truck located in an underground garage.


    ***


    Underground facilities had been amon thing for well-to-do houses. That''s because there were groups of bandit gangs and pirates who would pick up your vehicle by flying over it using their aerial pick-ups if you didn''t park it underground or in another secure facility.


    Finding an abandoned house was also not that umon at this age. There were a lot of abandoned houses that could be found in regions that were far from the city-states. The poption of all the nations became concentrated in the respective city-states within their regions.


    Sometimes a city-state would pop out of nowhere and would force the people living outside its vicinity to migrate there. And people had to pay the piper because in the city-statey all the opportunities.


    Homeowners scattered across the ungoverned areas would just leave their houses and relocate to a rtively safe city-state without looking back. They couldn''t sell their house because nobody would buy a house far away from any nearby city-state. And they didn''t want to destroy it because it would cost them money.


    In addition, the homeowners did not have to pay heavy taxes on an abandoned house since it was not in the city-state''s jurisdiction. So abandoned houses were not exactly a rare sight outside the city-states. That''s why Vik was so confident in finding one suitable for their needs if they looked hard enough.


    ***


    "Let''s open this bitch up."


    Vik entered the truck''s cabin. He had to open the only door at its back before doing that.


    The truck had a touchscreen interface. And the duo had already hot-swapped the vehicle with an electronic key. So it wasn''t difficult for Vik to find and select this option despite the truck''s heavy protection mechanism.


    The truck was more than 6m in length and 3m wide. It had ample interior space.


    When Vik and Tory walked in, they felt like they were exploring a spaceship. Many touchscreen and spectral interfaces acted as the three walls of the interior.


    And in the middle was a pair of advanced-looking Oasis pods.


    ***


    "Whaaa¡­ what the actual fu*k, Vik. We have done all this to steal Oasis pods? I took a bullet that pierced my chest for a pair of freaking, pretty-looking O-pods?


    I say we head out and catch that baldy. And beat him up to a pulp. I''ll start the truck¡­"


    Tory was enraged after seeing all his efforts almost wash down the drain. Vik tried to calm him down with words that he didn''t seem so sure about.


    "Calm the f*ck down, Tory. Let''s look at things from a brighter perspective. I believe this set of Oasis pods would be the yet-to-be-released or not-to-be-released versions of Oasis Online.


    We could probably sell both of them for a fortune?"


    Vik''s way of calming Tory down had the opposite effect. Thetter snorted before responding immediately.


    "No shit, Sherlock! I know that these are special Oasis pods. But at the end of the day, they are just pods. And we only have two products to sell.<sub> </sub>


    These things are stolen goods. That means we will have to settle on apromise. This job was not profitable at all for the work we did is what I''m saying."


    Vik had no counter to that argument. Tory always thought things through when it came to money. They had spent quite a lot of their winter funds to pull this heist off. Even if they were to seed in selling this stuff now, they wouldn''t necessarily make profits.


    ===


    Oasis Online was described as being a virtual world created by Oasis Corp, a global conglomerate, to establish its dominance for centuries toe. The virtual world was as big as the earth itself. A lotrger if one counts all the side dimensions one could visit as one enters the world. But the non-Metas were only restricted to essing the most basic features of Oasis Online-- Earth.


    Visually, the virtual world was as real as the real world itself. The physics of the metaverse was based on true-life physics. However, it did not have the traditional limitations.


    People could create and use their avatars to explore this ever-expanding meta world. Their avatars were created based on their real profiles at the time. Or they could choose something taken right from the fantastical settings.


    Oasis Online was more than just a space for friends and family to interact. Sure, it started that way. But slowly and surely, it turned into somethingrger than life.


    People seemed unaware of why Oasis Online was formed. But they didn''t care anymore.


    Almost all the remaining members of humanity could be found in the meta world now. The only difference was how much time they spent inside that world.


    And the most exciting part?


    Perception of time was skewed in Oasis Online. Three hours in the metaspace was akin to only an hour in the real world.


    That meant people could do more in the virtual world while spending less time in real life doing so. And it didn''t restrict what one could do inside, as long as they followed some obvious codes of conduct.


    Users were almost free to do whatever they wanted.


    Plus, non-Metas could go to almost anywhere in the Meta Earth dedicated to them after using the right channels. The giantpanies were able to discard their real-life offices and summon their employees in the metaspace, enabling them to sh costs drastically.


    Safe entry into the Oasis Online was made possible by the Oasis pods. Almost every household has at least one pod these days.


    People could enter the meta world while they were sleeping for 8 hours and spend an entire day there.


    Yes! They could enter Oasis Online while their real bodies rested. And they''d be free to spend even more if they wanted to. And thanks to these pods, there was almost no side-effect of doing this.


    In short, the O-pods were considered amonmodity.


    That''s why it was disappointing for the duo to find out their stolen goods consisted of two pods. No matter how rare they were in their variation, these things were what one referred to as collector''s editions.


    The buyers who could buy such items were limited in number. Frankly, even Vik was disappointed after seeing the contents hiding in the truck.


    "Haah! We might as well enter Oasis Online to have some fun before selling this sh*t at a reasonable price."


    Tory said that before approaching one of the Oasis pods. Vik on the other hand narrowed his eyes and looked at the other Metapod in contemtion.


    ''There must be something really special about the O-pods.''


    He couldn''t help but have this thought after running through the entire turn of events in his head.

 Chapter 5 Entering Oasis

    ''''There must be something really special about the pods.''


    Vik couldn''t help but have this thought after running through the entire turn of events in his head. He had a feeling that there was something more to the incident that wasn''t visible to them.


    "Wait, Tory. On second thought, let''s go see if there''s any news about the incident we created."


    Vik stopped Tory from getting inside the pod. He had an inkling that the pods themselves might be rigged or have geo-tags of their own that might get activated if they made use of them.


    Vik''s entire life up to this point had been filled with struggle. He had started hustling very early. From sneaky wallet swapping to making and delivering contraband. He had been taught this way of living by the streets.


    He was beaten to a pulp for his acts. He had spent a few months in jail. Yes, jail time with Tory wasn''t his first time in jail, nor was it hisst. But all those experiences culminated in Vik having an extra sense when it came to foreseeing traps in front of him.


    Vik''s predictions had saved the duo countless times by now. Even the jail time they had received was Vik diverting the cops'' attention from the major crime they had pulled off and only making them see the petty offenses.


    So when Vik raised his doubts regarding the pods, Tory listened withoutining.


    "But you said not to reach out to our known contacts."


    Tory said while raising his eyebrows. How were they supposed to get news about their actions without having to reach out to their contacts?


    "We''ll get the news. But not using thems. We''ll enter Oasis Online."


    Tory was baffled by Vik''s answer. Exasperated, he pointed at the pods beforementing.


    "Even more reason for us to enter the pods then."


    Vik shook his head in denial before saying slowly.


    "Not these pods, musclehead. We need to find different ones to log into Mesis."


    ***


    Vik had always been a cynic. He had lived in several city-states by now. And had seen life''s ugly face from a very young age.


    Living in the city-states was a dreame true for many inexperienced members of the various gypsy ns living on the wild ins. But not him. Because he had experienced life from both sides.


    A gypsy n was made of people with a wide range of backgrounds. They were united under the banner of a n leader who would choose and decide everything about the n and its members.


    There were several such gypsy ns active all over the world with their own rules and customs. Some were super strong with a massive member count behind them. And some were living off scraps, truly living the life of gypsies.


    But there was one thingmon among them. They all hated staying inside the city-states and getting ruled over by the privatepanies in charge of those city-states.<sub> </sub>


    Vik was a part of one such low-level gypsy n from his childhood. That''s because his parents were from the same n. But after the forced separation from his parents, he didn''t feel like staying in his gypsy n any longer was worth it. He left what was already alien to him only to find ces even more alienated than thest.


    With new ces and new people, he learned new things. His focus was on survival. So he only sharpened those skills which he needed to keep on surviving.


    But all that changed when he met Fernando Torres. For the first time since he left his n, he stopped acting like a gypsy. In Tory, he found his brother. In Tory, he found a ce to return to.


    After a long time since his parents were taken from him, Vik felt like he was living when he was with Tory. The guy''s extended family had also weed Vik with open arms. They each had their struggles to deal with. They were all surviving in this tough time. But that didn''t stop them from treating Vik like a family.


    Vik intended to return the favor done to him. He wanted Tory to seed in life. That''s why they took on this big job at rtively low risk to score well andunch a legit business. At least that''s what they thought and saw when this job was first pitched to them by their fixer Jim Belos, AKA, the baldy.


    But saying that things didn''t go as per Vik''s n was an understatement. If someone knew they were behind the whole incident, then getting locked up for life was the least of their worries.


    Thanks to Vik''s backup ns after backup ns, the duo had managed to get out of the mess for the time being. But Vik still thought that there was something that he wasn''t able to see clearly behind their botched-up operation.


    That''s why, after seeing these specialized pods, Vik''s OCD brain started craving some information. The gears inside his head started churning speedily and they screamed in unison that he shouldn''t limit his views with the limited information he had right now.


    This was the reason Vik wanted to enter Oasis Online, to gather information using avatars they hadn''t used before. But not by using the pods they currently had at their disposal.


    The duo found an old four-wheeler Teh in the underground garage. In this age, traditional cars were still used. They had modern spectral interfaces and auto-pilot modes among other must-have features.


    Plus, they ran on sr energy. Still, Metas and non-Metas would rarely use those. After all, the gyro vehicles were more affordable than the traditional ones.


    So the traditional cars were merely showpieces, yet easily disposable. The original owner must have thought the car was better left here than take it into the city-state and pay extra tax on it.


    It was alreadyte evening before Vik and Tory could find a pod cafe. They booked their respective pods for the night and had some light dinner afterward.


    Their tummies needed to be full for the whole 8 hours or so of Oasis Online''s login in real-time. Otherwise, the pod cafes would charge them extra for nutritional fluid. That is if something goes wrong and their body starts showing erratic vital signs.


    Vik and Tory were already running low on money. Not using nutritional fluids when entering the pod was something most people frowned upon these days. But the duo didn''t have the luxury of avoiding scornful nces that came their way after dering their intentions.


    Everything was set. Vik and Tory went inside their respective pods. They opened a private audio channel between them before logging into Oasis Online.


    "Catch you on the other side, Vik. Don''t get lost this time!"


    Tory''s voice cackled in Vik''s mind as their neural systems were getting in sync with Oasis Online.


    "Don''t lose thest brain cell you have oning up with taunts, Tory. Meet you at our usual ce. Over and out."


    Saying what they had to say, Vik and Tory entered Oasis Online.

 Chapter 6 MCP Chip

    Each pod had a capsule-like shape with sleeping space for one adult inside. A person who wants to get into Oasis would just getfortable on the cradle-like plush bed. Then a transparent ss would be drawn over the only opening, securing the person''s body safely inside.


    When Vik got inside the pod and the ss was drawn over him, he started wearing the mandatory face mask that''d regte the oxygen intake. And wirelessly connected the MCP chip nted inside his nape with the pod''s control.


    ***


    MCP chip. Also called the Eureka chip.


    The Eureka chip was a revolutionary invention. Every person would be nted with a Eureka chip as soon as they were born. And one had to pass through this procedure, no matter what. Otherwise, they need to be prepared to say bye-bye to civilization.


    The invention had opened the gateway to heaven and hell for all the human beings in the world. It was a multi-purpose AI chip meant to be connected to humans'' neural systems.


    The chip served as a universal ID card, wireless controller for a lot of devices these days, and entry pass for the Oasis among other things.


    The chip would also allow a spectral screen to be seen in front of its user. It would keep track of and disy user information to the user. To make the disy visible to others, users could change the privacy setting from private to public.


    In addition to disying spectral-like images, the spectral screen also acted as an interface to send and receive prompts from a variety of real-world interactions.


    Plus, the screen allowed for an effortless and immersive way ofmunication. People couldmunicate with each other using their Eureka chip as long as they had the digital signature of the person they were texting.


    They could also call someone using the Eureka chip, which was referred to as a holo-call. A holo-call would, like its name suggests, create a real-life replica of the person who is calling you along with their nearby surroundings and project the same in front of your eyes in the form of 3D spectral rendering.


    You were shown a semi-transparent 3D rendering of what was happening to the person or their surroundings as they were calling you. Therefore, all the other old-fashioned forms ofmunication have been kicked out of people''s lives ever since the Eureka chip was introduced.


    ***


    Coming back to the present. A prompt appeared in front of Vik''s eyes on the spectral screen that only he could see. It read:


    <Would you like to enter Oasis Online meant for non-Metahumans?


    Confirm: Yes / No >


    Vik took a deep breath inside his breathing mask and selected yes. His consciousness started fading immediately afterward before seemingly awakening from a deep slumber due to a blinding white light.


    When the illumination returned to normal, Vik found himself standing in the middle of an endless void. There were various sources of light located far away from him.


    These stars represented different worlds in Oasis Online. But Vik could not venture into any world. He wasn''t qualified to enter those worlds after all.


    Those worlds were reserved for the Metahumans after all. It was their battlefield. An ordinary human being and a non-Meta, he could only dream of exploring something as exciting as foreign worlds in Oasis.


    Vik quickly pulled himself out of those distracting thoughts and focused on the prompt seen in front of him.


    <Would you like to proceed with your current permanent avatar Vik_Lord_Of_69s?


    Confirm: Yes / No>


    <Would you like to proceed with a 24-hour temporary avatar?


    Confirm: Yes / No>


    ***<sub> </sub>


    Every time Vik saw the name of his Permavatar (permanent avatar), he''d feel an unprecedented cringe. The teenager-him was indeed an edge lord. He hade up with that name when he first created his Permavatar because he thought it was cool at the time.


    Vik rarely regretted his life choices. And yet, out of all his mistakes, the handle was something he wanted to get rid of the most.


    Vik obviously couldn''t select his go-to avatar for entering Oasis. If someone could keep tabs on their real-world activities, he was sure there''d be people doing the same on their avatars in Oasis as well.


    Vik decided to proceed with the second option. A temporary avatar.


    The temporary avatars would only stay active for 24 hours. They would not be essible after that period has passed.


    The temporary avatars were mostly used by people who wanted to stay in the dark while carrying out their deals in Oasis. The virtual world was known to provide a haven for establishments and criminal organizations alike. It was much more secure to conduct transactions they''d do in real life under the controlled environment of their choosing in Oasis.


    <You have selected to proceed further with the temporary avatar. Please note that a randomly configured avatar would be assigned to you. Your default world would be Earth.


    Please select the ce at which you want to spawn:


    North America


    Asia


    South America


    Africa


    ...


    Vik was presented with the usual choices in front of him. The ces represented real-life continents in Oasis. Each of those options would reflect its respective continent''s real-life culture, socioeconomic status, geography, and more in an exaggerated way.


    Vik selected the first choice, North America.


    The server of North America in Oasis was difficult to keep tabs on because of the sheer traffic it attracted every day. That''s why it was also a go-to choice for people like Vik who wanted to not draw attention by being part of the crowd.


    After selecting the server, Vik was again prompted to register his choice for the state and location he wanted to spawn in. He configured his choice:


    < The Republic of California. City-state of Crescent Moon Corp.


    Location: Any avable Spawn zone near Battery Point Bar.


    Confirm: Yes / No>


    Yes!


    Vik confirmed the option mentally before being blinded again by a sudden white light. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing over an open tform on which people kept appearing out of thin air.


    Vik was still a man.


    But he looked different from his usual self. The random avatar generator did him a solid this time. He appeared normal, or as normal as one could be in the virtual world.


    That''s right! Vik had entered the Meta Oasis.

 Chapter 7 Oshos

    Vik spawned in the spawn zone near a famous ce in the City-state of Crescent Moon Corp. Like him, many people spawned nearby and moved about their way quickly afterward. Nobody paid heed to him.


    The spawn zones were areas in the Oasis dedicated as gateway points for people to appear in the virtual world or travel from one gateway point to another. Some of the busiest spawn zones even stretched for miles on end to amodate the traffic.


    But this zone was not like that. The city was called a newbie zone for a reason. The City of Crescent Moon Corp in the virtual world was asid back of a ce as its real-life counterpart. It didn''t generate much traffic from around the world. But still, it was riddled with crime and corruptionmitted by the local popce.


    Soon Vik too started walking in a particr direction.


    He was currently wearing cargo pants and a denim shirt with a biker''s jacket on. He also had a golf cap on, which looked weirdpared to his outfit. But he kept it on anyway.


    Vik was heading to a ce known as Battery Point bar. This ce in Oasis Online was based on its real-life counterpart. And unsurprisingly, it was run by the same owner who was running the bar in real life.


    ***


    The ces in Oasis Online could be anything. They could be a replica of real-life variants. Or they could be something fantastical in nature.


    Some ces in the Oasis drew inspirations from real-world history and recreated themselves in a way that made them look like a fusion between illusion and reality. Some ces were exactly like their real-life variants. While some others were purely fantastical.


    The non-Metas also believed that the other worlds that they were used to seeing as stars before entering Oasis were also purely fantastical in nature. Although many said that humanity had traveled beyond stars and gained ess to the other worlds, both non-Metas, and Metas that lived outside Elysian city-states considered them to be rumors.


    There were even non-Metas that believed that the city on Moon was fake because the sky cars wouldn''t go beyond a fixed altitude. Some believed that humanity''s reach to the moon was a huge conspiracy.


    Elysian city-states were different from normal city-states. They were only rumored to have a Metahuman poption. Then again, nobody had met or talked with a citizen from one of those Elysian cities. Their Oasis worlds were different from the general poption after all.


    In short, Oasis Online was more massive than one could have imagined. And it had many facets to it. Vik and Tory entering Oasis to collect information was not a terrible idea per se.


    It was said that Battery Point bar once served as a lighthouse some centuries back. The old building was no longer there. It couldn''t withstand the sands of time after all.


    But the new owner of Battery Point Bar had constructed a simr-looking replica in real life. And they had kept the design almost the same in the Oasis as well with a few touches of fantastical lights.


    ***


    Coming back to Vik''s current situation.


    Vik was meeting Tory at the Battery Point bar. It was their standard ce to visit in the Oasis Online after all. But only they both knew about it. So there wasn''t any risk.


    There would be a few spawn zones that would be near the bar. Therefore, Vik and Tory couldn''t be sure if they would appear in the same zone.


    Vik and Tory would always meet at Battery Point in the Oasis before they engaged in any activity in the virtual world. They would first drink here. Decide on their ns. And then choose a spawn point one of them came from to travel to different regions instantly.


    It was their standard method. A routine.


    Vik started noticing people around him were gossiping about something that wasn''t entirely audible to him. From their hushed tones and surprised faces, he could guess that they had heard unbelievable news that they couldn''t fully trust yet.


    ''Everything would be clear once I reach the bar.''


    Vik decided to head to the bar first before anything else. He was still a few miles away from the location. That could take a while for him to get there on foot.


    Therefore, Vik summoned an Osho-run sky car from his interface. And soon a brand-new flying car approached him from the sky before stopping in front of him and opening its doors to him.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    An Osho referred to the virtual people found in the Oasis. They were considered the natives of the Oasis-- sort of virtual constructs with emotions.


    In old-gen games'' terms some centuries back, they could be what was referred to as NPCs. But unlike the in-game NPCs at that time, the Oshos were able to think for themselves.


    They were just like regr people and behaved like them too. If it was not for their publicly visible status window that was essible to the people of the real world, the Oshos would be mistaken for real people.


    The Oshos were strange creatures sometimes. They could talk to you about things that you both were interested in. And the conversation would feel natural. But if you asked anything about the intricacies of the virtual world, they''d be nk and stare at you before restarting the conversation again.


    So there was no point in asking an Osho about an insider''s information. They were simply incapable of telling people anything worthwhile unless they were allowed to do so.


    The Oshos followed the rules of the virtual world to a T. They had their jobs, things that they cared about, their likes and dislikes, and every other aspect of real-life people that made them real.


    That''s why the Oshos were treated like real people here. Metas and non-Metas would sometimes treat them with even more respect than regr people to gain their favor.


    ***


    Vik was dropped just outside the bar after a few minutes. It was nighttime by then. The ce was buzzing with people and Osis.


    He made his way through the crowd and reached the extreme left end of the bartender''s table. Someone had reserved a seat for him by cing a beer bottle over it.


    "Hehe! You took your time. Which ce did they send you to?"


    Tory was already there to greet Vik. The guy had started drinking unceremoniously. He tried his finest to keep things hidden, but Vik could tell his brother''s mood was foul for some reason.


    "Well, I had to take a cab.


    So, what did you find out so far?"


    Vik took the beer bottle and gulped the contents within it before taking his seat beside Tory. He had to use the real money saved in his ount and convert it into Opts to pay for the cab rent. Of course, his mood had also been affected by it.


    "Enough to shake you up. You were right all along Vik. That op was more than meets the eye.


    Saying that we havended ourselves in big trouble would be an understatement if you know what they are talking about."


    Vik could see Tory wasn''t fooling around when he said that. And behind that facade of calm, he could sense that thetter was scared.


    ===


    AN: Osho describes the digital constructs of Oasis Online. In loose terms, they can be referred to as NPCs. But let''s say that they are not limited by that word''s rigid definition.


    There''s another meaning of Osho that goes, "dissolving into the whole of human existence". This meaning will y a significant roleter on.


    Lastly, Battery Point Lighthouse is a real ce in Crescent City, California. The ce can be Googled. INFIO ns to integrate many interesting ces into Oasis Online. It''ll be fun to get immersed in those visual settings.

 Chapter 8 Bounty

    "Tory, my man, that serious face doesn''t look well on you. Tell me, what trouble we''vended ourselves into this time."


    Vik patted Tory''s shoulder before adding on.


    "Hehe! It wasn''t the first and it won''t be thest."


    Tory remained unresponsive to Vik''s attempts to lighten the mood.


    There was a loud techno-trance track ying in the background. People were dancing and drinking all around the two. And yet Tory wasn''t interested in any of those. It broke his usual image of being as carefree as carefree could get.


    "Don''t tell me you got one of your "Mamacitas" pregnant by ident."


    Vik chuckled before ordering a drink for himself at the counter. Tory got even more serious after listening to his remark before smiling mirthlessly:


    "Hehehe. I should have gotten them pregnant after all. All of them at the same time damn it.


    That op might as well be ourst, Vik. There hasn''t been any official news released to the public yet."


    Tory said and looked at his rum ss. He traced the rim of the ss with hir right index finger before adding the rest.


    "Maybe they are confirming something. Or they are waiting for someone to break the news. Either way. It''ll happen sooner thanter."


    Tory said and consumed the ss of rum given to him in one gulp. Even as a virtual drink, the stimtion provided to his nervous system was real. So the guy coughed a bit due to the potency of the on-the-rock rum before continuing.


    "I''m afraid we might not be able to get outside that haunted house once our real pictures start making the rounds in the news bulletins here and in reality.


    We are fucked, Vik. Six ways to Sunday."


    Vik wanted Tory to exin clearly instead of beating around the bush. But before he could demand such an exnation, he heard a spectral screen appearing right above the dance floor.


    "Attention to all themon denizens of the Oasis Online. The Oasis Corp''s chairperson Miss Raquel Roy requests your attendance."


    A gentle female voice was heard from seemingly everywhere and nowhere. The nk screen then showed a live feed of a woman that looked to be in her early 30s.


    She had lustrous ck hair and a tanned oliveplexion. Since the live feed was being projected on a big spectral screen with extra zoom on the woman''s face, people could see her light grey eyes were moist. As if she had just wiped her tears.


    Raquel Roy was a famous personality within the Oasismunity and outside it. She was the only daughter of Remington Roy, one of the founding families behind the Oasis Corp.


    Oasis Corp was established by a bunch of influential families some centuries back when the concepts of VR were still quite vague and suffocatingly limited. Thesepanies became the pir with which the virtual worldter built its foundation.


    As the founding families, these families had secured arge chunk of the corporation''s stakes for themselves. The corporation would have to act ording to the whims of these families if theye to a consensus on something particr.


    But the strong ties between these three families slowly deteriorated over time. They used to often fight each other both in Oasis as well as in real life.


    Remington Roy was a charismatic leader within the Roy faction. He was widely known for his Permavatar Lord Victorious in Oasis. And his achievements in the virtual world spanned over a century and a half.


    That''s right! Remington Roy was more than 175 years old. And he only married after turning 130.


    Raquel was conceived when Remington was 135 years old. So she too had seen her share of life in her 40-plus years.


    And currently, thisdy was using her family''s privilege and special status to make a global announcement. One could guess things she would talk about would be pretty serious.


    Raquel used a piece of tissue to wipe the seemingly real tears before finally speaking in a shaky voice:


    "Denizens of the Meta Oasis. I apologize for interrupting your activities. But I have a grim piece of news to share with you.


    My father, Remington Roy, has died.<sub> </sub>


    No. Let me correct that. He has been killed."


    The entire Battery Point bar seemed to have frozen in time when Raquel made that announcement. Everybody looked at each other with dismay. In addition to them, two people listened to this news with different emotions than the rest.


    Raquel took a moment to pause and clenched her fists as if trying to muster the courage to speak up. Her voice was heard soon after.


    "He... he was killed by two men and all their aplices."


    Vik had stress lines on his forehead after listening this far. He had a foreboding sense that told him that he wouldn''t like what Raquel was about to say next. But he listened to her words anyway.


    "The external hardware research and development department of Oasis Corp was something my father dedicated his whole life to. And he was finally about to have a big breakthrough.


    We all know that the sense of time in Oasis Online is far different from real life. The span of three hours here means only an hour in real life.


    This difference is what made Oasis a sess story all these years. It allows all of us to work hard for our goals and still have quality time with our families."


    Raquel stared nkly in front of her as if trying to imagine something majestic before continuing. Her voice was now coated with a dash of excitement.


    "But what if we could change that ratio from 1:3 to 1:6? What kind of revolution would it bring to the world of Oasis Online and our real world?


    My father worked on achieving this near-impossible goal for years on end. And he finally had a breakthrough.


    His team had seeded in making the beta versions of the metapods that would have such a capability."


    Raquel''s facial expressions changed from excitement to that pure anger. In her tone was the wrath she seemed to feel in her heart.


    "But it seems that our opponents didn''t like that our influence in Oasis Corp was bound to increase. Our secret research facility in Latvia was ransacked a few days after the beta hardware was tested for the first time.


    The beta metapods were stolen that day. The researchers involved in the project were killed along with the other staff. But those demons didn''t stop there.


    They also took advantage of my father being logged into the Mesis to kill him. He was an Awakened and a skilled warrior as you know him to be.


    He couldn''t have been killed by these lowly thugs had it been a fair fight. But they killed him when he was not in his senses. That''s how an aplished hero was in by the hands of petty thugs."


    ''Bitch, you better not...''


    Vik''s stressed expressions were reced with those that spelled impending doom. But his curses couldn''t stop Raquel from speaking further.


    "I believe the two men we are talking about were supported by my family''s enemies. Major help was provided to them so that they could aplish this almost impossible task with ease.


    I am also inclined to believe that they had some internal help from my family''s faction.


    Therefore, I''ve decided to clean the house. I will make sure that the people who killed my father and the people who were behind that killing get what they deserve sooner orter.


    I''ll start by hunting the two men whose involvement in this heinous incident is confirmed along with their identities. And I need your help to do that."


    Vik and Tory both looked at each other with the same expressions as they heard Raquel''s final words.


    "I''m offering bounty money for these two men. Their identities are¡­


    Fernando Torres.


    ? And...


    Viktor dimir."

 Chapter 9 Lifespan

    "Fernando Torres and Viktor dimir. I''m putting a bounty of 5 million New Earth Coins on each of them."


    Raquel Roy spoke with a voice coated in unmasked anger. The pictures of Vik and Tory were shown on the spectral screen along with their respective bounty amounts listed under the same.


    Raquel didn''t just stop there.


    "We''ve also found out their Permavatar names. Fernando Torres is known by the alias Chingada Madre 666.


    And this guy, Viktor dimir has a Permavatar named Vik Lord of..."


    ...


    "*cough cough cough!"


    Raquel found it difficult to pronounce Vik''s permavatar name. But she knew it had to be said. So she mustered even greater courage and took a long breath before speaking out loud.


    "His Permavatar name is Vik Lord of 69s."


    Vik would haveughed his ass off if it was any other asion of a woman saying his handle name out loud with a blush on her face. But he was too preupied with survival to joke about it. But that didn''t prevent Tory from producing a chuckle when he saw Raquel''s face while saying his friend''s name.


    Raquel looked like she was challenging anyone tough at her situation after saying that name. But she quickly readjusted her demeanor and carried on.


    "Please contact us if you find either of them on earth or in Oasis Online and we will take care of the rest. Of course, you will be provided with the appropriate bounty amount a few days after your im has been validated."


    Vik and Tory''s bounty pictures were dispersed as Raquel wrapped up her speech.


    "That''s it. I hope all the denizens of the Oasis cane together and help us serve justice to my father''s overt and covert killers. Thank you."


    Raquel Roy concluded her statement and looked dead in the eye of the levitating 360-degree holo camera that was shooting her. It was as if she was looking right at Vik and Tory at that moment.


    The news was too shocking for anybody to care about Raquel''s awkward situation when saying Vik''s Permavatar name. Remington Roy, a powerful awakened, sessful businessman, and veteran ranker in the Oasis had died. He was killed by two lowlifes who were just unranked humans.


    The news was difficult to digest for anyone. Including the ones who now had a huge bounty on their heads.


    Vik and Tory looked at each other with grim expressions on their faces. They both thought about the same thing. That they would have to kiss their life goodbye if they couldn''t get out of this mess soon. And yet, the only thing they COULD do at this point was to hide.


    But hide for how long?


    And was it possible to hide forever?


    Nobody could give answers to questions wreaking havoc in their heads. All they could do was think about survival.


    "Tory, let''s get outta here. Fast."


    Vik finally came to his senses and snapped Tory out of his thoughts. They both left the bar and chose a secure ce to exit out of the Oasis. They didn''t dally for long in the Podcafe. Thankfully, it was still nighttime. There was no manager at the ce. The cafe ran on AI after all.


    And the news about their involvement in Remington Roy''s killing has not been made public in the real world yet. But they both knew it wouldn''t be long before that happened.


    Vik and Tory returned the same way they came from and finally found themselves inside their temporary hideout. They needed to n something. Anything.


    A storm was heading their way.


    "Hermano, how many years are remaining in your lifespan?"


    Vik and Tory had started drinking for real this time. They both were silent and in thoughts of their own. But Tory couldn''t keep the facade of calm for long and asked his close friend.


    Vik knew Tory only called him hermano when he was extremely emotional. Therefore he didn''t try to make fun of him and answered honestly:<sub> </sub>


    "I''m 24 years old now. So 25 years and a few months give or take. What about you?"


    Vik said as he sipped from his beer bottle. Tory was a consumer of the same brand. He thought for a while as if to count before finally responding.


    "I only have 14 years, hehe! But even 14 years seems like a long time now.


    What do you think? Will we be able to survive the shitstorm heading our way? You are the brains of our team. You can think of something. You always did."


    Tory looked at Vik with false hope in his eyes. A me of pipedream he knew would be extinguished by the winds of reality. Vik''s answer wasn''t any different.


    "Honestly? I don''t know, Tory.


    They have our footage while we were in that facility. How the fuck did that happen?"


    Vik said and took some more gulps from his cold one before adding up.


    "I had made sure that all the surveince sensor signals were rerouted before starting our job. We also wore those synth-skin face masks. Still, they know our identities.


    Those signals had been looped to the baldy. So either that baldy has betrayed us or this is a much broader conspiracy than any of us involved can understand or see right now."


    Tory nodded at Vik''s analysis when he heard it. He wasn''t the brains behind the operation but he understood the nuances of the job just fine when Vik exined them to him.


    Vik then looked in a particr direction before speaking further.


    "Those pods hold the key to finding those answers. I''ll bet you anything they didn''t n to let us get away with those pods. If they are the real deal that is. If that''s the case we should check them out beforeing up with anything."


    Vik and Tory looked in the direction of the underground garage where the truck was parked in unison. They began walking in the same direction without wasting time.


    ***


    The MCP chips were apulsory imnt one had to wear from birth. And this was a global mandate. It came with a lot of facilities and functionalities that a person would need throughout all walks of life.


    But there was a catch.


    These MCP chips came with a counter that would activate from when the child was born. And every child was only allowed to live 50 years. There was almost no exception to the rule when it came to non-Metas.


    Upon reaching the age of 50, one would need to visit the government facilities in their various city-states. If they were lucky, they would have the opportunity to serve the region''s government or the city-state handling the matter. It would mean that their lifespans get extended by the MCP chip.


    Otherwise, they would die painlessly after 50 years.


    People choosing not to utilize these facilities will only backfire on them as they won''t be given a buffer time. They would just die off on their own.


    And nobody could tamper with the MCP chip or the counter running inside them either. And if they tried, they would be killed instantly by the chip itself.


    They said that the MCP chip limited the lifespan of people so that resources on earth could be better managed. The governments said that the world was once riddled with overpoption centuries ago so they had to take this decision.


    But Vik didn''t buy that bullshittery. This trap was made so that governments and city-states could control their popce better. And they had achieved remarkable results in achieving just that.


    But was there any other reason behind the 50-year lifespan limit? Vik often thought of questions like this when he was a child. His parents had separated from him for the same reason after all.


    The parents'' lifespan counter was running out. They had to travel to a nearby facility operated by an institution to see if their lifespan could be extended.


    Vik''s parents never returned from that facility.

 Chapter 10 The Botched-Up Op

    Vik and Tory looked in the direction of the underground garage where the truck was parked in unison. It didn''t take them long to start walking in the same direction.


    "What kind of botched-up operation did wend ourselves into, hermano. Do you really think the baldy was involved in all this?"


    Tory asked Vik as they headed to the underground garage. Thetter couldn''t help but shake his head in denial before replying:


    "I was also thinking of him getting involved in our setup. But now that I think about it, it all feels wrong. The guy is selfish and cautious.


    He didn''t have anything to gain from making us fall into a trap like that. At least not on this job. The job was too high-profile for his reach anyway.


    He''ll find himself in trouble if we get caught and his links to us are established."


    Vik said as he and Tory approached the truck. He scratched his chin before adding up.


    "It''s bigger than Baldy''s paygrade. Or any of our backend crew. I realized this after listening to that announcement.


    That trap... it wasn''t specifically meant for us."


    Vik narrowed his eyes as he started to make sense of his situation. He spat in anger and replied in a cold voice.


    "We were just at the wrong ce at the wrong time. To sum things up, the guys in the shadows don''t care whether it was us or some other crew who pulled this job off.


    They were ready to sacrifice anyone the moment the crew started operating. Burn everything rted to them forever."


    ***


    Vik and Tory were used to taking simple goods-smuggling jobs from their fence, Jim Belos. But suddenly their bald fence was all smiles when he told them that he had found an Op of a lifetime for them.


    The pay was huge. The risks were minimal. And there was no gun-y or metahumans involved. At least that''s what Jeff had said to them at the time.


    The job consisted of stealing a truck from a controlled research facility.


    Vik and Tory started their recon after learning about the job. They observed the surroundings of the facility and discovered that it had very scant security.


    Plus, there were a lot of loopholes too. Almost like it was tempting all the thieves in the world to loot the ce.


    Vik and Tory epted the Op after doing their recon. But Vik got ufortable. He had learned long ago that no heavenly pies werending in front of him out of the blue. His life had always taught him to take the positive things happening to him with a grain of salt.


    So Vik performed additional research. Not on the recon itself. But on the blueprints of the facility. He studied the tunneling system, architecture, and everything that could be learned about the facility through free and paid knowledge on the ck sites.


    Then Vik ced additional countermeasures in ce in case Op got even slightly wrong. He thought of every possibility. He imagined worse oues and came up with even more ways to deal with them.


    And all that precaution paid off. Because things started going wrong from the moment this Op was started.<sub> </sub>


    Vik and Tory had sessfully breached the facility''s security and gotten inside. And they had also rerouted the feed on the holo-camera to one of the tech guys in the baldy''s contact. Vik had paid close attention to the rerouting.


    Only when he confirmed that the holo-cameras would not be avable, did Vik allow himself and Tory to make a move.


    But that was not all. Vik had also gotten face-disorganizers for him and Tory. They were synth-skin face masks that ensured that their real faces were not revealed anywhere.


    Vik had taken multiple precautions of these kinds to ensure their anonymity in case the Op fails. And he had only told the n of action to Tory and the tech guy who was operating things for them from behind the scene.


    And yet, with all of Vik''s precautions, things started going wrong the moment they started their Op for real by stepping into the core of the facility. They got detected even without tripping any form of rm.


    And it looked like the guards knew exactly where the duo was and where it was heading. Vik quickly came to a decision and told Tory to disconnect hism connection with the tech guy.


    After that, Vik chose a different route to approach the truck that no one, even Tory, knew about. The paranoid person in him always liked to have multiple options for himself after all.


    To avoid being followed, Vik used IEDs. The st impact generated by these explosives would not be fatal to security guards wearing cutting-edge armor. But it was enough to slow the pursuers down.


    The duo finally reached the truck that was ced in the facility''s basement parking lot. There were other high-tech vehicles in the facility too. But that truck was eye-catching with itsrge size.


    Vik and Tory got to work immediately. The IEDs had already started going off. They knew they didn''t have much time.


    Vik first identified and removed all the trackers attached to the truck with the scanner he had purchased on the ck market in advance. He had kept this purchase a secret too.


    Only after ensuring that there was no way to track the vehicle did Vik allow Tory to start driving it. He then got inside the driver''spartment beside his partner in crime. By then, the guards had arrived.


    But it was toote. Vik''s thorough nning had ensured that they had enough time to pull off this heist without any casualties from either end.


    Throughout the Op, Vik had made sure that their identities were not leaked in any way. And yet Raquel had zeroed in on them. That meant Vik''s n had loopholes.


    There was also a possibility that Raquel had been tipped about their identities by someone who knew what they were doing.


    Or¡­


    She knew about the Op all along. Maybe it was her thatmissioned the Op in the first ce.


    Vik believed thest option was the right one. But why would she or her team sanction a raid on their own base?


    And what was that all about killing Remington Roy? Vik had so many questions spinning in his head that he stopped thinking for a while.


    He concentrated on the task at hand.


    He had to check out the most controversial Oasis pods ced in Oasis Corp''s precious truck.

 Chapter 11 Rationalizing Death

    "Should we dive right in?"


    Tory asked Vik. He was tracing the surface of one of the Oasis pods with the palm of his hands as he asked.


    Vik too was looking at the pods keenly. He had a determined expression on his face as he responded to his brother''s question.


    "Tory, we weren''t supposed to get out of their trap at the facility. But we still did. After facing so much heat for them, we deserve our reward."


    Vik walked close to the Oasis pods before adding up.


    "We will get inside. But we should load up these nutritional supplements in our respective pods first, just in case."


    Vik had found out there were plenty of nutritional supplements after getting back into the truck. They were kept in isted cold storage systems located on one side of the truck.


    They hadn''t checked the cold storage unit thest time. This was because they didn''t want to trip any backup sensor and send any proof of who the truck''s thieves were to the organization.


    But this time, they knew that their identities had already been leaked. So they explored the truck thoroughly and found some items they could use.


    Nutritional supplements were one such item. Using them right now was the most effective use of these stolen goods.


    Tory got a holo-call just when the duo was about to enter the pods. It was from his aunt Avril.


    He picked it up. Since only Vik was there with him, he picked the holo-call without setting it to private, allowing Vik to see what was going on with his friend''s aunt they had visited not a long ago.


    A semi-transparent, 3D rendering of live moments was unfolding in front of Vik and Tory''s eyes. The MCP chip was in sync with the smart band Tory was wearing. Aunt Avril and her surroundings were projected in front of the duo.


    Aunt Avril''s spectral self appeared to be in a panic. She started speaking as soon as the holo-call was picked up:


    "Son, what did you do? The cops are asking us to let them in the middle of the night. Their intentions¡­ don''t look good."


    Aunt Avril sounded stressed and fearful. She resumed after taking a long breath.


    "Is Vik still with you? I hope you are not alone. You must hide for the time being. I''ll contact¡­"


    Aunt Avril was about to finish her sentence when a loud bang was heard. She only looked behind and saw that her reinforced door had been breached and cops had gotten in.


    Aunt Avril had kept the holo-call on. But it was set to private mode. So the cops that had barged into her room couldn''t see Vik and Tory that were on the other side of the holo-call.


    Vik and Tory experienced aunt Avril''s current crisis with her. She was about to say something when the sound of a gunshot reverberated into the room.


    Suddenly, the holo-call''s visual was cut off. The audio was still ying though.


    Holo-calls worked on the MCP chip. If a person dies, it would affect the chip''s operation too.


    A deafening silence was spread. Silence of death.


    Tory tightened his fists. His eyes had gotten red. He looked like he was about to burst into a sprint and run his way to his aunt''s house.


    But he held on and listened in:


    "Sir, everything''s clear. There are no more survivors. Three confirmed hits."


    Vik and Tory heard an emotionless voice. They had already seen the team leader enter the room. The person who spoke just now must have been his underlining.


    "Good. Our orders are total wipeout. We need to torch this ce and say that it''s an arson setup by this deaddy to counter us."


    The team leader said to someone at the back before asking him toe forwards with the gesture of his index finger. A cold and calcting voice that belonged to the team leader was heard once more.


    "George, I''ll let you handle the press release. Come up with whatever bullshit that youe up with and paint a pretty picture for all of us. Got it?"


    The team leader said with unmasked authority in his voice. He took a small pause to look around before dishing out his order.


    "Let''s go. We have many tasks lined up ahead."


    Vic and Tory heard the steps of withdrawal following thatmand. Soon, everything became silent.


    Tory cut the holo-call off. He sat on the ground, hid his face behind his palms, and started crying.


    There was a storm of emotions brewing inside Tory''s head at the time. It howled with me directed at his soul.


    It was his fault that Tia was dead. He would have never involved himself in this botched-up Op had he known it''d lead to this.


    Vik sighed and walked up to Tory. He patted the guy''s shoulder before continuing.<sub> </sub>


    "I know it''s difficult. But try to get hold of yourself, brother. Aunt Avril was a kind person. She helped a lot of people.


    But she was never a rule follower."


    Vik said in a calming voice. He let his words get processed a bit by his friend and sighed before adding up.


    "Her 50 years lifespan was about to run out. I don''t think she would have preferred what any city-state told her to do."


    Vik tried to make sense of Aunt Avril''s death to calm Tory down. But it seemed to have backfired.


    "Vik, I know you mean well. But this time, shut the fu*k up."


    Tory said as he stared at Vik with red eyes. He spoke in a voice that wasced with sadness and anger.


    "Aunt Avril''s death was not part of the Op. Do you understand?"


    Vik was taken aback by Tory''s sudden burst of anger. But he didn''t say a word and let Tory express his emotions.


    Thetter took a long breath and controlled himself before speaking up.


    "You don''t have to dissect the scene in your big brain.


    Yes, her time was almost up. But I''m not crying because of her death. But because of how she died. And why she died."


    Tory got up and walked past Vik. His voice came from behind Vik this time.


    "We are responsible for her death, Vik. We had signed her death warrant the moment we took this Op. The moment we decided to knock on her door."


    Tory got his emotions under control soon after. His calm voice was different from the tone he had used just now.


    "Hermano, you need to stop rationalizing everything. It is not healthy. Will you rationalize my death when I die?


    It may help you in the short run. But bottling up your emotions like that will corrode you from inside."


    Vik was about to say something when he heard Tory''s question directed at him. But thetter knew what he was thinking and continued speaking.


    "I know what you are trying to say. I get that.


    I''m not stupid enough to rush to aunt Avril''s ce after hearing about her death. What''s done is done.


    I just hope that it all ends with her death though."


    Tory had a grim premonition before he stopped talking. He proceeded to grab the booze they had stored.


    ns to enter and inspect the pods that they had were abandoned. Today, he didn''t feel like doing anything but drowning his sorrows away in the drink. Drinking till the nagging voices in his head calmed down and brought him some peace.


    Vik didn''t stop him. The guy needed his alone time.


    ***


    Aunt Avril''s death didn''t affect Vik that much. Sure, she had treated him well when he was under her roof from time to time. But Vik still felt like an alien in a family setting.


    He would gel well with people. And his interactions with people would create the impression that he was the friendliest guy one could find in this time and age.


    But only Vik knew how lonely he was in the crowd. And yet, somehow that loneliness would just disappear into thin air when he was with Tory.


    Tory was opposite Vik. He would only hang out with a select group of people. But he was extremely close to those he spoke with.


    Tory''s interactions were often boisterous. He would often create friction with people he knew including his girlfriends. And yet, those frictions would only end up bringing him closer to the people he fought with.


    But Tory never fought with Vik. Opposites attract each other they say. It was like the guy knew Vik and could read him like an open book.


    Vik had to admit, that Tory was right. He always tried to rationalize everything happening around him. Maybe it was a form of defense mechanism to keep the feelings of rage, regret, frustration, and every other form of misery at bay.


    Maybe he was refusing to feel anything because it felt overwhelming to him.


    ''Would I try toe up with reasons to justify Tory''s death too?''


    As Vik stepped forward to join his brother in a sudden drinkingpetition, he had this thought. It was going to be a long night for both of them.

 Chapter 12 Kamikaze

    Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!


    Vik realized that he was getting a holo-call that was ringing inside his already-hurting head. The effects of a hangover had intensified as a result.


    Tory had been wide awake long before he got up. Or more precisely, he didn''t sleep. He was smoking a cigarette and staring into space.


    Vik shook his head hard before picking up the phone. It was from one of the n members of the gypsy n he once belonged to, JJ James AKA Jimmy.


    "Yo, Jimmy. What''s up?"


    Vicky answered casually. He pressed his forehead with his hands as he did that.


    "Vik, where are you? And are you okay? Did you manage to escape?"


    Jimmy''s voice was coated in an unmasked urgency and a dash of worry. But Vik was too buzzed to notice these subtle changes.


    "Escape? What do you mean? Are you talking about the announcement about us?"


    Vik thought that Jimmy was now aware that they had bounties on their heads. Thinking about this, Vik had a sudden urge to cut the call. What if Jimmy decides to hunt him for the bounty money?


    Anything was possible these days. Mothers would sell their own children for money. It wasn''t even that Vik and Jimmy were solid enough for Jimmy to think twice about making money off of Vik''s head.


    And yet, there was some part of Vik that wanted to know what his old pal was up to. He was also starting to realize that whatever Jimmy has to say might not be what he is thinking it to be.


    "What announcement?"


    Jimmy asked with his eyebrows raised. He soon got his reply in the form of another question by Vik.


    "Didn''t you visit Oasis? Haven''t you heard about us?"


    At this point, Jimmy and Vik both realized that they weren''t on the same page. So Jimmy cleared the air about his call.


    "No, Vik. What are you talking about? It''s been a few days since I stepped into Oasis. So I don''t know about any announcements.


    I''m exploring the Bands right now. Away from any city-state. That''s how I managed to survive I guess."


    Vik started pacing around the space while listening to Jimmy. He chuckled before responding to him.


    "Hehe! What did you do, Jimmy? Bet it certainly won''t be bigger than what we''ve done!"


    A loud band was heard from the other side of Vik. It was apparent that Jimmy had struck something with his fist after hearing Vik''s reply.


    "Have you gonepletely insane, Vik? Now is not the time to fool around. Do you even know what happened to our n?"


    Vik''s expression got grim and he looked at Tory after hearing what Jimmy just said. The former realized that their involvement in the Oasis pods heist had started affecting other people. People that weren''t even in the picture.


    Tory stopped smoking after seeing the look on Vik''s face. Tossing the cigarette to the ground, he stepped on it before nodding to the former. Hinting at putting the holo-call on the shared view.


    Vik obliged. Now they both could see a lone man driving a beat-up pullover, and zipping his way through what looked like an open road in the middle of a desert.


    Vik''s silence was an answer in itself for Jimmy. He spoke further.


    "So you really don''t know. Wow.


    Alright. Listen, Vik. Things are bad. I mean "bad" bad.


    Someone has attacked our n. Maybe it''s another n that wants to expand. Or the wraiths. Or some private army from those fu*king City-states.


    But they''ve killed most of our n members from our main camp. And I also heard from Pam who managed to escape the ambush that they are looking for survivors."


    Vik''s eyes opened wide when he heard Jimmy''s words. Now it was Tory who patted his friend''s shoulder and made him aware he was with him.


    Jimmy took a short pause and sighed before adding up.


    "They are hunting us down, Vik. Things are still unclear what caused this. But it''ll be a while before I can contact you again. If I can contact you again that is.


    Consider this as a heads-up, man. Haha! Now we are even, you know. I don''t owe you anything after this, aight? Stay safe and keep moving."


    Jimmy disconnected the call right after saying all that, leaving Vik and Tory to their devices. The duo looked at each other with a meaningful glint in their eyes.


    They both knew what, or more specifically, who had caused this.


    It was Raquel. She was using every means possible, legal or illegal, to target everyone that was linked with Vik and Tory. She wasn''t pulling punches.


    The multi-billionaire had put a kill order on all those people who once knew the duo. Vik didn''t know what to feel.


    Vik felt guilty that his n was getting targeted because of him. But that guilt wasn''t strong enough to make him take crazy steps likeunching a kamikaze attack on the Oasis Corp or Raquel''s faction.<sub> </sub>


    Most of his n members had died. And the survivors were now forced to run and hide. But so what? This was part of the deal in those days anyway when you were part of the gypsy n.


    His parents also suffered a lot because of someone else''s mistakes. They had lost many chances to get their lifespan expanded in the ck market just because someone fu*ked up in the Op.


    Various others had also killed a few of the n members while Vik was still part of the n. But he grew up watching those things not affecting the people responsible for those fu*k ups.


    As a result, Vik became immune to death and responsibilities. That''s why he hated the gypsy ns. Being in a gypsy n was more advantageous for people who liked to mess things up for themselves. Because the repercussions affect all n members.


    But those who had performed brilliantly in any job they''d been assigned to would at best get a pat on their back. But then those benefits would get shared with unworthy n members who had been nothing but a nuisance.


    Vik wanted to get what he deserved and keep that all to himself. Fair and square, he wanted the amount he earned. That''s why he never liked the n system.


    But that didn''t mean he hated his n members. Nor did he find satisfaction in knowing that some of the n members he knew who deserved to be hunted were on the run because of him.


    Raquel had overboard. She was working above and beyond to suppress what transpired at the facility at the time. But there was nothing that they could do apart from keeping tabs on the shitshow that was happening around them.


    Tory was frustrated after hearing this. And he was also worried about his girlfriend''s safety. He called her up and told her not to visit any cities from now on.


    Phiona had gone back to her gypsy n to meet some people. She was off the grid at the time. So she wasn''t in immediate danger. But Tory told her to move to a more secure location. Deep into the destends. So that she could hide there until the dust settled down.


    Phiona wanted Tory and Vik toe with her. But they both knew doing that would just put her in more danger. Therefore they refused.


    Tory only put the call down when he had made sure that Phiona followed all their suggestions to a T. The guy took a long breath after talking with his girlfriend.


    ''This might be thest time we talk, Pheebs!''


    Tory had this thought and lit up a freshly lit cigarette once again.


    ***


    "Please tell me you can find a way to get back at them, Vik. Because I can tell you one thing.


    I''m not into suicides. Despite that, I''m not one to go down without swinging."


    Tory said after Vik was done talking with Jimmy.


    "The way things are looking, it won''t be long before they get to us. The reaper is going toe for us one way or the other.


    That''s why I want to stop hiding now. I''d rather die spectacrly than die in vain."


    A visible expression of anger filled Tory''s face as he clenched his fists.


    "You know she''s nning to kill all those we know and put the me on us. Making us look like some kind of monster."


    His next words wereced with unwavering determination.


    We might as well be the monsters she has used us of if that''s the case."


    Vik knew Tory was being serious when he made that im. He sighed and had a monologue with himself. His thoughts slowly registered his helplessness.


    Maybe what Tory said was true. They could only hide for so long. And with the way Raquel was handling things, she wasn''t about to let this matter slide unless they got caught by her or killed by her minions.


    "I... I have a way."


    Vik smiled mirthlessly after saying that and looked at Tory. Thetter smiled for the first time in a while after hearing that.


    "A way to do what?"


    He asked eagerly. Expectations of revenge were evident in his speech.


    "A way to deal maximum damage to that bitch who thinks she can fuk us up from her high throne.


    Miss Princess would have been able to aplish her goals without any hups. But she just had to mess with the wrong dudes to act as her scapegoats.


    We''ll hit her where it''d hurt the most."


    Tory smiled for the first time since yesterday when he heard his brother speak. He had been gunning to do something ever since his aunt Avril was killed.


    Vik and Tory walked once again towards the truck. This time, they weren''t about to stop midway.


    Two brothers fist-bumped at each other before stepping inside the Oasis pods. They knew that their lives were either going to forfeit or change after this step.


    They just didn''t know by how much.

 Chapter 13 Axela

    "Wee to the world of Meta Oasis, user Vik Lord of 69s. How would you like to proceed?"


    Vik witnessed a known Oasis interface after he was logged into the Oasis pod. He was brought into the same void that he was used to seeing.


    But there were no stars here. The stars usually represented various worlds rendered in metaspace. But theck of stars made this segment of the meta spacepletely isted from its usual interface.


    The rest of the interface was the same. But Vik felt that the difference between the ordinary Oasis pods and the one he was in didn''t end at the wee space.


    The way with which Oasis ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) talked also felt a bit odd. An Oasis user would typically be presented with a bunch of prompts. The ASI would only interact when called upon.


    And that was not all. Vik felt that he was talking to a real person and not the ASI. He decided to test the hypothesis.


    "Hello, Ax. How are you doing today?"


    Vik questioned the ASI casually. Ax was the name of the Oasis''s ASI who was in charge of the whole meta ce. Her voice was that of a young girl. So people referred to her by feminine pronouns.


    He wanted to poke and see if his line of questioning breaks the set algorithm. s. He was about to be disappointed.


    "Hm? I''m fine. Dandy even. It''s not like you Vik Lord of 69s to ask me such questions. May I ask if everything is okay? Is there any way Oasis can assist you?"


    Ax answered the question with a question of her own. Like most humans. It was clear that her question was based on Vik''s user history. So thetter wasn''t surprised that his throw of oddball was effectively handled by someone like Ax.


    This line of questioning wasn''t effective. He needed to try something different.


    "Everything is fine. Tell me Ax, is there any restriction on my Permavatar in the Oasis right now?"


    Vik decided to ask Ax about something that couldn''t be included in her algorithm. Something that might have happened because of his current bounty on his head.


    It took a while for Ax to answer:


    "Hmm! It seems that you are a naughty boy, Vik. A chairperson in Oasis Corp has used their limited monthly rights to cklist your ount.


    Whatever ce you choose to go to in the Oasis, you''ll be transported to a fixed location in an isted region controlled by the Oasis Corp."


    Vik wasn''t surprised by the news. He was just taken aback by the fact that thepany could pull such stunts off on a tform that they imed was free of any external interference.


    Ax allowed Vik to process the information before continuing.


    "Hehe! You''ve pissed off someone really big in the Oasis Corp, haven''t you? Those old fogies and wretched witches can''t control me directly.


    But s! I have to listen to a few of their demands. And they''ve used plenty of the brownie points they had collected so far to ck-list you and bring you to their desired location.<sub> </sub>


    Now, tell me. What would you like to do?"


    Vik opened his eyes wide in surprise after hearing that. It was surprising because he had found that Ax could be influenced by those bigshots, even if ever so slightly.


    The biggest reason the Oasis was trusted by so many of the users was because of theck of external influence it brought to the table. But the meta ce didn''t seem to be able to break free of its parents'' influence. At least notpletely.


    But that was not all. There was something else that was bothering Vik now. He was a nobody against a chairperson of the Oasis Corp. And even they could only exert this much power on Ax. So whether he liked it or not, Vik had to believe that the corporation had somehow been prevented from interfering in the Oasis''s core too much.


    But then, why were his questions answered so honestly by Ax here? If they couldn''t influence Ax, how could he, a nobody, be treated with such privileges?


    ''These Oasis pods.''


    Asking the right questions was half the battle won, they said.


    As soon as a valid question was posed in the right direction, Vik had the answer. But he had to confirm his hunch:


    "Ax, what can you tell me about these unique variants of Oasis pods that I''ve used to log in?"


    Vik asked with various thoughts swirling in his head. His OCD brain started thinking about the possibilities he could make use of with the special pods he had used to log into Oasis. But before formting any n, he needed information.


    Ax didn''t take long to answer Vik''s testing-the-waters question.


    "Hehehe! So you are not stupid after all. I see that your friend is also using another Oasis pod of the same kind.


    These pods were constructed recently. Depending on how you use them, theiryout can be considered to be the very first generation of Oasis pods from centuries ago.


    And yes, theye with special user privileges. That''s why I can answer your questions."


    ''Special privileges!''


    Vik''s eyes seemed to have shined when he heard Ax confirm his hunch. He had never heard about Oasis pods giving special privileges to the user. At least that was the case for non-Metas living outside the Elysian cities.


    He concluded that the special privileges were the reason why Ax was able to share information with him. He took a deep breath before asking his next question.


    "Alright. Tell me this, Ax. What do you mean when you say that they can be used as the very first generation of Oasis pods from centuries ago?"


    Vik was puzzled about this information the most. He could understand the addition of updated, improved features. But why was a cutting-edge Oasis pod getting based on the centuries-old Oasis pod variant?


    This time, Ax seemed to be pondering over his question a bit. She finally answered aftering to an algorithm-driven conclusion.

 Chapter 14 Lazarus Pods

    "Hmm! Since you have a special privilege, Vik, you have ess to the information.


    The pod you are using right now is not meant for ordinary users. It is special hardware meant to be only employed with certain security sanctions by the top brass of the Oasis Corp."


    Vik had stressed lines on his face when he heard Ax speak up to this point. Even with special privileges, he wouldn''t be able to do much if the functions of these pods were locked. But he put his worries to rest when he heard the ASI''s further exnation.


    "Don''t worry though. The pods you are using would only need your consent to tap into their full functionality. We can say that they are stray variants.


    Pods like these don''t only use cutting-edge technologies. They rely on mana. But since you are a non-Meta, my exnations won''t be helpful to you. So let''s keep that aside for now.


    This series of pods isn''t freely avable. And only a few units are avable at any given time. The series is known as Lazarus.


    So what I meant by that statement was that you can use this Oasis pod to create an Osho persona of yourself and stay within the Oasis forever."


    Vik felt like a bomb had been detonated inside his head. His nk expressions and wide-opened eyes didn''t stop Ax from continuing her exnation.


    "It would be like your soul getting captured by the Oasis forever. But be warned, once you use this device to create an Osho of yourself, you will die in your real world. This would be the same as discarding your mortal shell forever.


    The first generation of meta-pods was used to make Oshos of loads of people in one go. That''s why I said these meta-pods are simr in functionality to the most primitive devices that were invented for Oasis."


    Vik was confused at first.


    Then realization dawned upon him.


    And then his eyes and mouth, already open in surprise, somehow managed to express the additional shock he felt. He also started piecing together why they were hunted to this degree by Raquel and her dogs.


    ''Fu*k my life! That''s why that bitch has started manhunting us. No wonder. No wonder.


    Shit. Shit Shit. Fucking baldy. What did you get us into? This is a global conspiracy. How are we still alive?''


    Vik spoke to himself as he started pacing around in a void space. In normal circumstances, he would remain suspended in the void. But Ax had allowed him to imitate the act of pacing around to relieve him of his apparent stress.


    Vik clenched his fists while having a variety of thoughts in his head.


    ''This will blow the Oasis Corp to smithereens if the news is leaked out. Wait. This is too big of a secret for the corporation alone to handle itself. Are there governments involved? Or at least the independent city-states? And how many?


    Shit! What a bunch of stupid fu*king sons of bitches Raquel and her cronies are. They could have used dummy Oasis pods if all they wanted to do was shift the me for Remington''s death on us in a supposed heist.


    Why did they use these top-secret Oasis pods as baits to lure small fishes like us? Something is wrong with their brains.


    Vik found relief in cursing Raquel and whoever her aplices were. But it wasn''t enough. So he cursed them some more before having another thought.


    ''Wait, Vik. They can''t be that stupid. I refuse to believe that they''d use these pods as baits and let their fish get away with it.


    That means there was something wrong for them in that operation as well. I just don''t know what that is.


    I guess those shadows who pulled us into this mess must be feeling like they''ve eaten turds instead of hot dogs after finding out we ran with their original goods. Hehe! Fucking bitches. Serves you right.''


    Vik felt proud of himself that his nning had outwitted the yers that had set a conspiracy of this level in motion. Then another realization dawned on him, making himment his luck.


    ''Having these Oasis pods is also the reason for our doom. Things wouldn''t have blown out of proportion if they were not in our possessions.''<sub> </sub>


    Vik sighed and his shoulders dropped. He looked up and sighed beforeing to his final line of thoughts.


    ''What''s done is done. I''ll see how I can make the right use of this Oasis pod with my special privilege active.


    This¡­ still feels unbelievable. So Oshos in the Oasis... they are real people. No, wait. That''s not right. They were real when they were alive. But not anymore.


    And I can make Osho of myself using these pods?


    Hehe! Frankly, the option doesn''t seem that terrible considering the kind of soup we''vended ourselves in.''


    Vik was used to getting lost in the spiral of his thoughts. Fortunately for him, someone else reminded him toe out of his active imagination.


    "Um¡­ Vik? Are you okay?"


    Vik''s thoughts were interrupted by Ax. And he was d she did. Because those thoughts had muddled his brain because of the sheer immensity of possibilities they foretold.


    Vik was scared and intrigued at the same time. He felt like he was standing in front of a divine beast who could devour him whole. Or a pit so deep that he would fall to eternity if and when he took one step forward.


    But at the other end of the step lies a way to escape their mess. It was a coward''s way. Vik did not deny that.


    Vik knew himself best. He wasn''t as expressive with his emotions as Tory was. He was just a man who was trying his best to survive in this shitty world.


    If being turned into an Osho could ensure his survival, if it could even be called survival in the first ce, then he was not averse to it. In fact, he would wee this change with open arms.


    However, Vik shook his head and concluded.


    ''No, Vik. You are thinking things in the wrong way. You''ve seen Oshos. They are free inside the Oasis. But they are notpletely free. They are still controlled by Ax, and in turn, the Oasis Corp, even if that control seems to be limited.


    That means we would be turned into their puppet without them having to do anything. Sooner orter, they''ll find out that we''ve been turned into Oshos. It would be easy for them to destroy us in the metaspace once that happens.


    No, I shouldn''t make things easy for them in my quest to find an easy way out. I need to follow my brother no matter how crazy our current n is.''


    Vik finally made up his mind. He would keep the option of being turned into an Osho as hisst resort. For now, he would enter the Oasis using his special privileges.


    It might look like Vik had taken his time ining to a decision. But in reality, it had only been a few moments since he had entered the wee space. His taming of such wild thoughts so early was quite impressive,ing from an OCD brain like his.


    "Ax, can you overwrite the trap they''ve set for me and my friend and teleport us somewhere else?"


    Vik asked with his voice coated in hope. Ax chuckled once again before answering his question.


    "Hehe! I think they weren''t expecting you to figure out the status of your special privileges thate with the Lazarus pods. Yes, I can overwrite your fixed transportation assigned to your avatar and send you to your desired location on earth''s rendition of the metaspace.


    Tell me, where do you want to go?"


    Vik smiled wickedly after confirming he and Tory could dodge the trap that was set for them. Tory had already been given the right to choose their destination to Vik.


    "Send us to the nearest spawn zone from the Battery Point Bar."


    Vik gave Ax his desired location. And the ASI obliged.

 Chapter 15 Meta Vs. Non-Metahuman

    In Oasis Online.


    Sounds of people shouting and yelling.


    A group of four non-Metas sitting quietly on the low-altitude benches. Two people among the non-Metas seemed to be talking with each other in hushed voices.


    "Vik, are you sure about this?"


    Tory asked while looking around him. They seemed to be in a room without any windows. There was only one exit, which was connected to a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was blinding white light. The noises of cheers and jeers wereing from the same direction as well.


    Vik sighed and looked at Tory who was a bit stressed. He didn''t want to do this either. But this was the most brutal form of retaliation he could think of at the time. Retaliation against Raquel. Retaliation against the odds ced against them.


    For that, he needed to win the match and make the organizers do what he wanted them to do. He was nning to turn the viewers of the show into his witnesses. All so that he could present his side to the popce.


    Vik and Tory didn''t care about justice. That option wasn''t avable to them without being seen as hypocrites. But for better or worse, their hustling targets were criminals like them. They hadn''t hurt or swindled any innocent people.


    Nevertheless, Raquel had crossed that line when she began killing people who were totally unrted to the incident. Therefore, instead of justice, this was vengeance. An eye for an eye.


    "Your time''s up. Let''s go."


    A cold and callus voice reverberated in the waiting room. The five non-Metas turned to the source of that voice at the same time and found out that it belonged to a muscr man who also had a beer belly.


    Vik and Tory looked at each other before looking at the participants beside them. They too had the same thoughts running through their heads. As if they were all going to face a shit ton of misery together.


    "Are you ready, Tory? There''s no turning back after this. If you want, I can do this alone, you know. You just need to..."


    Vik offered his friend thest resort. As he saw it, doing this thing was akin to pping Raquel in the face. She was bound to retaliate violently when shit hits the fan.


    And yet, Tory didn''t back down.


    "Hermano, don''t underestimate "cajones". Let''s go down in mes. Hahaha!"


    Vik smiled mirthlessly when he heard Tory''s response. A response he knew he was going to get from him.


    ***


    A battle ring was ced in the middle of arge stadium. It had a raised tform made of a foam-like material. The perimeter of the battle ring was secured by strings that were held by poles ced intermittently at a fixed distance.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is a special night. Do you know why? It''s because you won''t see any boring fights today.


    Hahaha. That''s right. We have the one and only Triple G in the house."<sub> </sub>


    Suddenly, a hooded man jumped from the crowd andnded in the middle of the battle ring. He had jumped so high that it brokemon sense. Or to be precise,mon sense ording to non-metahumans'' standards.


    This man had arms as thick as a young elephant''s limbs. His legs were also sturdy, muscr, and felt like boulders made from decent-sized trees.


    This muscr man in histe 30s looked like some brand ambassador for nutritional supplements. But that wasn''t the only thing that stood out about him. His bald head reflected the blinding lights that were focused on the battle ring. It was as if his ultimate form had required him to sacrifice his hair.


    That was not all. Triple G''s arms were on fire. A literal fire that seemed to raise its mes'' height whenever the man raised his hands to excite his audience.


    Triple G was a metahuman. And as a metahuman, he gained simr powers in Oasis Online as well.


    Tonight he was going to fight with five non-Metals at the same time. This was the typical crowd-puller match that required him to use his powers shily to add some spice.


    In Oasis Online, this was a popr series. Triple G was the series'' weekly-appearing Metahuman star. The fights would be broadcast on Oasis Online through various channels and screens ced everywhere, which was essible to the general poption.


    The announcer present in the ring in full formals kept on hyping Triple G''s achievements so far as he greeted his audience with vigor. The usual drama unfolded which was part and parcel of showbiz.


    Only after giving Triple G the attention he deserved did the announcer move on.


    "Dear viewers, now it''s time to meet a solid group of five challengers that will try their best to defeat Triple G. don''t underestimate them just because they are normal people like you and me.


    Each of them hase here with only one aim. This is to defeat Triple G and take home 2000 New World Coins each.


    To win this much money in just a few minutes, they will do anything in their power to break Triple G''s winning streaks. Only time will tell which side will emerge victorious in this Meta vs. non-Meta fight.


    So please wee, with a huge round of apuse, this week''s five contenders."


    People present in the stadium looked at the corridor that was supposed to provide entry to the contenders. Soon enough, a group of five people appeared with tensed expressions on their faces. It seemed that they were all newbies. Newbies in terms of appearances in the show. Because nobody in the audience could recognize them.


    The announcer didn''t waste any more time after he saw that the five non-Metas had entered the battle ring. He cleared his throat before speaking loudly.


    "The match begins at 3¡­ 2¡­. 1. Go."


    The five people attacked Triple G at the same time. They knew that Metahumans take time to manifest their powers. Thus, giving him idle time was detrimental to them.


    "Hahaha. A bunch of rats, thinking they can overwhelm a Meta just because they can act quickly. Let me show you the difference between those who are born to be ruled over and those who are born to rule.


    Here. Receive my Divine Punch."


    Vik had stress lines on his forehead when he heard the guy talk about his normal punch as some sort of named attack move. Then there was his trash talk about other participants being rats in front of him. The guy was a sellout for show business.

 Chapter 16 Insidious Attack

    Vik suddenly elerated his body and ducked under the punch that seemed to have been thrown randomly by Triple G. He then aimed for the guy''s left oblique.


    This wasn''t the first time Vik had seen a Meta in action. But this was his first time fighting one.


    For the most part, he had strayed away from Metas and never tried to swindle them. That''s because the assets they carried wouldn''t normally be worth the risk they posed.


    But this time, he had to win. At any cost. Even at the expense ofing across as a hopeful idiot or aplete psycho.


    So Vik boldly marched forward and led the charge. Something he shouldn''t have done without knowing about the extent of Metas'' powers.


    Vik had used the crowd of five people attacking Triple G wisely. He had also instructed Tory to move the way he wanted him to. And his reaction time to Meta''s punch was impable. The punch he threw at the guy''s oblique from ducking under his arm and moving to his side was also well connected. But that was just it.


    Vik felt like he had punched a solid wall that was made of limestone. Triple G didn''t have to defend. Because his enhanced body stats allowed him to withstand any mediocre punch thrown his way.


    Plus, Triple G had a thinyer of mana protecting him. Or the manayer that was rendered by Oasis Online. Thisyer of mana would protect Meta''s body from most normal attacks effectively.


    That was not all. Vik also realized that the back of his hand that connected with the guy''s oblique had caught fire. And the fire was different from a regr fire. It burned Vik''s hand with even greater speed than normal fire.


    "Aaaaargh. Fuck!"


    Vik couldn''t help cursing as he retreated to the background and allowed the other three participants to carry out their wild charge. He tried to rub the back of his hand over his thighs but the fire didn''t get extinguished. If he kept on making the same mistake, even his pants would catch fire.


    Triple Gughed at the time. It was apparent that he was only ying with the non-Metas because he needed to make sure the viewers stayed entertained for longer. He had allowed Vik to retreat and he was not actively trying to harm the participants.


    The guy would asionally throw a random fire punch. The fire would then leave his hands and get manifested into a flying fist beforending on one of the non-Metas he was surrounded by. Immediately that non-Meta would cry out in pain and retreat to the background.


    All five of them now had burnt wounds on various parts of their bodies. And none of them had managed to seriously injure Meta.


    Vik looked at Tory and gave him a stoic nod. Then he started running at full speed.


    Tory knew what that nod meant and looked at Triple with a cruel light. "Attack," he shouted and charged ahead with the other three rankers following him.


    Vik moved to the side before circling Triple G. His headstart had allowed him to match the timing with Tory''s time.


    Vik looked at Tory who was also charging at Triple G from the opposite side. He narrowed his eyes on the Meta he was tasked with taking down using any means. So that''s what he was going to do.


    Tory suddenly changed his pace and orientation when he was only a few meters away from triple G. He let the three rankers move past him before suddenly increasing speed once again.


    Bam.


    Tory used the force generated due to his charge to hit the participant back that was running ahead of him. He had hit him with his right shoulder. And the point of contact was the participant''s back just below the Lat muscles, AKA the middle back.<sub> </sub>


    Tory didn''t only stop these. He then effectively used his legs to kick the other participant that had just realized that something was wrong with their charge.


    Triple G saw what happened in front of him. And he was unable to react on time. Frankly, he wasn''t expecting that participants would fight with each other.


    And it took a moment or two more for the Meta to understand that this was no internal conflict. The participants that had been attacked had been used as decoys.


    The first participant that wasn''tpromised came to attack Triple G with all he had. It seemed that he was angered by Meta''s way of brushing him off like he was no big deal.


    By giving the man a round kick to the guts, Triple G proved once again that it was really no big deal for him. The man flew to the side at exceptional speed and hit the ground. He was ted to stay there till the end of the match.


    Triple G''s leg that he had used to execute the round kick was just about to touch the ground when he received another charge from the second participant. A charge that wasn''t in his control.


    Triple G''s instincts kicked in and he stopped caring about the limiters ced by the organizers. He executed his fire punch up close just as the second participant was about to crashnd on him with his entire body weight.


    It was now apparent that even if Triple G couldn''t manifest his powers at a moment''s notice, he could always prepare them and keep them ready when they were needed.


    Punch.


    The second ranker was lifted off the ground when the fire punch was connected to his abdomen from a low angle. The kic energy carried by that fire punch was enough to knock the guy in the air before he was ovee by pain. He flew away from the Meta while screaming in agony. His clothes also caught fire.


    Although the injuries in Oasis Online weren''t real, the pain receptors worked in the same manner as in real life. Plus, the body would mimic the effects of the pain unwittingly when the neuralwork was inplete sync with Oasis''s reality.


    Of course, that mimicry had its limits. But feeling pain and waking up with sore limbs wasn''t a pleasant idea for anyone.


    The Meta wasn''t ready for the second decoy. Or more precisely, he couldn''t because of the quick session of events. Only a few moments had passed since Vik had nodded to Tory about executing such a heartless move after all.


    Bam!


    The body that Tory had kicked crashednded on Triple G without any breaks. Thetter raised his arms in front of him and lifted off the iing body effortlessly. He was about to throw the third participant''s body he was holding when another force came through it while he was holding.


    Tory had kicked with both his legs on the back of the third participant that Triple G was holding with both his hands in fronf of him. The Metahuman''s posture was alreadypromised. As a result of these attacks, his body finally tipped to the other side, while the third participant''s body was still in his hands.


    Swish. Connect. Crush.


    A move that was usually considered taboo among men. Vik had swung his right leg upwards after cing his foot between Triple G''s legs from behind him.


    An insidious attack.

 Chapter 17 Whistleblowers P1

    The attack hadnded with the greatest force Vik could muster with his kick. And it hadnded right between Triple G''s legs. The timing with which it had been done made it seem like Vik had been doing this for a living.


    The crowd that was cheering for Triple G grew silent all of a sudden when they understood what had happened. It took a while for the men of all ages among the crowd to empathically process the pain triple G was about to feel.


    No matter how strong a Metahuman Triple G was, his groin was still his most delicate body part. In addition, he had prioritized maintaining his mana defenseyer on other parts of his body. The pain he felt at the time was only slightly reduced from what it could have been if he was a normal human.


    Triple G felt his balls being crushed by Vik''s merciless attack. He couldn''t shout. He couldn''t even breathe as he felt his pain receptors getting overloaded.


    All he needed to do at that point was to just drop the guy he was holding effortlessly to this point and bring his hands close to his already-attacked groin. He dropped to the ground and curled into a ball. Like an armadillo. A miserable armadillo.


    Triple G''s face was red and his expression was frightening. It wasn''t clear if they were due to him feeling the pain or being angered by Vik''s attack. But Vik wasn''t willing to wait to find out.


    Furthermore, due to Triple G''s chaotic mental state, he couldn''t maintain his mana defenseyer that would usually negate most of the impactsing from his non-Meta opponents.


    The time was ripe.


    "Tory, attack."


    Vik wasn''t willing to let this opportunity slide. He and Tory attacked the defenseless Triple G at the same time, on the same spot, over and over again. The crowd watched in absolute silence and horror as the series of events unfolded in front of them.


    People started booing Vik and Tory for their low-blow attacks. But the duo didn''t care. Since the guy was a metahuman, they knew he could take this much abuse without permanently suffering from the injuries.


    Plus, Vik and Tory had heard various legends regarding metahumans. They didn''t want the guy to make aeback using literal magic and whoop their asses for the insidious attack they had performed on him.


    Beat the man when he is down. And avoid a whole lot of trouble.


    ***


    "Errr¡­ young man, it was you who was the leader behind that bold n, wasn''t you?"


    The middle-aged announcer asked Vik with a curious look on his face and a voice coated in doubt and vignce. Vik merely nodded in answer.


    The middle-aged announcer sighed andmented.


    "When I had said "by any means", I could never have imagined that the term could be taken so literally by you. Anyway, here are your rewards. 2000 New World Coins."


    With the swipe gesture from the announcer''s right hand, arge screen appeared in front of him. This screen disyed a gold trophy as well as the price of 2000 NWC.<sub> </sub>


    The announcer selected the deposit rewards option that was getting highlighted with extra bright colors. The 2000 NWC on the screen immediately began backtracking until it eventually reached zero. When the zero was disyed on the big screen, Vik got a prompt on his spectral disy that he had received the money.


    Tory was given the same amount as Vik. The announcer then asked the duo if they would like to continue their wrestling career and they readily agreed.


    The announcer realized the timing was apt to create hype for Vik and Tory. In the showbiz, the dramatization of events and emotions was a key element.


    "Dear viewers. Don''t judge the two winners too harshly just because of their questionable moves. They did what they had to do to survive.


    You feel that they were unkind to Triple G. but do you know why they needed to win this money? We''ll show you why."


    Right above the battle ring appeared another spectral screen showing Vik and Tory''s struggle in a dramatic ck and white color scheme. It was basically them getting denied various job opportunities because of their circumstances.


    Then there was a story about their close ones suffering from illness. There was sad music in the background.


    Soon that background music was changed to the tune of the inspirational title track as the duo found out about the tournament the announcer was used to hosting. The next scenes were meant to show the duo training for this particr match.


    But suddenly, the scene on the spectral disy changed to something entirely different. It started ying security footage of two guys entering a secure facility guarded by armed guards.


    The spectral disy was ying the scenes of a real heist.


    At first, both the announcer and the spectators, as well as all the viewers watching from around the world, were confused. Then they became intrigued as they watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes. Some even started recording the show.


    The announcer was stupefied because of what was being disyed on the screen. He tried to contact the backend team using his hollo¨Ccall and ordered them to stop the broadcast. But his request was denied by the high authorities of the show because they saw that the show''s TRP was reaching a record high because of the footage.


    "That board and that sign¡­ isn''t that Oasis Corp? Someone stealing something from Oasis Corp?"


    A viewer in the crowdmented as he watched the video keenly. Another viewer listened to his statement and suddenly he connected the two seemingly random thoughts.


    "Heist¡­ is¡­ is it the heist that killed Remington Roy?"


    Several gasps were heard at the same time as they watched two non-Metas pull off a heist that was all the rage on and off Oasis Online these days.


    Vik and Tory had decided to be whistleblowers in retaliation.

 Chapter 18 Whistleblowers P2

    Vik and Tory had decided to be whistleblowers in retaliation.


    Vik had this video loop because he had rerouted the signal to his backend crew involved in the heist. But since he was Baldy''s guy, he didn''t trust himpletely. He had intercepted the signal before sending it to him and kept a copy of the footage on his private server in an encrypted format.


    Vik and Tory had participated in this contest so they could broadcast this clip worldwide without Raquel intercepting them beforehand. After meeting Tory at Battery Point Lighthouse, he exined his n to him.


    The duo then applied to be participants in the wrestling show. They were required to submit their background history reel on the show in case it needs to be used for various asions. An asion like this.


    Vik had injected a harmless coding script in the video that would y the footage of their heist in the middle when it gets yed for the second time. From the looks of things, his n had worked out wlessly.


    People watched the heist from start to finish from various angles and perspectives. When Vik and Tory exited the facility using the stolen truck, the heist''s footage ended. In the next segment of the video, Vik and Tory also showed themselves wearing the same masks that they had worn during the heist. And they removed them in front of the video they had shot to authenticate their identities.


    At the end of all this, Vik''s unmasked face was seen on the disy once again.


    The on-screen Vik was seen to be taking a long breath before speaking up.


    "Yo. I''m not good with formalities or opening speeches so I''ll just get to the point. By now, some of you may know me by my face because of the bounty that is ced on my head.


    I''m Viktor dimir and I showed you this video for a reason.


    I''m sorry for showing you something you weren''t prepared to see. But I had to do this since there was no option left for me. People of Oasis Online, listen to what I have to say.


    We did not kill Remington Roy. That usation is a coverup to me us."


    Vik narrowed his eyes as he spoke next.


    "I''m not telling you guys that we arepletely innocent. Or that we did notmit the heist. But we don''t want to be associated with something we didn''t do.


    This footage shall be our proof. I''m sure there would be experts decoding the video. So they''ll tell you how authentic the video is.


    If Remington Roy was inside the facility, we never saw him. We only stole the truck. We did not kill any guard or police sent after us."


    Saying this, Vik coughed and spoke in a low voice to downy his acts.


    "We only injured them a bit."


    Vik straightened his posture and spoke the next words with confidence.


    "Raquel Roy, if you think your crocodile tears are enough to fuck with us, think again. If you believe that your killing of innocents that were rted to us is going to get covered up because of your bullshit, think again.


    Lastly, if you think that maybe you should have chosen different scapegoats for your n, congrattions. You can bet your sweet ass that you''vee up with the right answer in this case.


    Over and out. You motherfokin bitch!"<sub> </sub>


    The original dramatic footage of Vik and Tory''s made-up background began ying. But nobody was interested in that anymore. A new storm was created in Oasis Online when Vik''s footage was seen by various rankers.


    The creators of the new storm had already left the premises when their clip started ying. s, it was still toote for them to escape.


    ? That''s because they soon found out that they couldn''t log off from Online Online no matter what they did. Without a way out, they were trapped inside the metaspace.


    ***


    Elysian city of Bristol, London. Earth.


    Inside arge andvish corporate-looking office was located on the top floor of a skyscraper.


    "What the fuck is this? How did these bunch of lowlives escape the trap we had set for them? Didn''t you guys assure me that the next time they login into Oasis, we''ll have them?"


    Raquel asked while sitting on afy chair that was behind arge table full of various study materials and reports. She stood up when there was no answering from seven of her subordinates standing in front of her with their heads down.


    Raquel hade to know that Vik and Tory had logged into Oasis using their temporary avatars that were still anonymous to her. She had no way of knowing where they had ended up. But the information about their login status was still essible to her because of the tracking on MCP chips.


    "Answer me damn it. They could do something crazy if left unchecked¡­"


    Bzzt. bzzt. Bzzt.


    Raquel received a holo call from someone just when she was about to lecture her immediate subordinates.


    Maybe Raquel jinxed herself when she said that. Because she received a holo-call from her manager. She said with a fearful voice that Raquel should tune into a particr pay-per-view video feed on Oasis that was known for disying Meta vs non-Metapetitions meant for regr audiences.


    Raquel had a terrible feeling when she heard the manager''s way of speaking to her. Her face darkened and she summoned a spectral screen in front of her and tuned into the feed.


    She and her subordinates watched as the scenes from the heist started ying on the disy. She had made various ims about the heist. But the footage was strong proof that Remington Roy was not harmed by the duo as she had imed to be.


    Raquel crashed onto her chair as she kept on watching the scene. She clenched her fists as she listened to Vik''s mockery of her. And she flipped therge study desk with her Awakened powers.


    In a feat of rage, she executed her wind-element spell that manifested a bunch of sharp wind des and obliterated the desk into smithereens.


    "Use any channel you can. Contact anyone you see fit. Use any right you deem possible and necessary over Oasis, at any cost.


    I only want one thing in return-- news of these bastards'' deaths getting released in a few hours."


    Raquel said in a cold voice as she got up from her seat and turned to face the gallery-like open space that was behind her. She started walking in the gallery''s direction, away from her subordinates. Her face had regained her earlier aloofness. Her eyes were serene.


    Her voice no longer contained any anger she had been carrying till now as she spoke her next words.

 Chapter 19 Full Circle

    Raquel''s voice no longer contained any anger she had been carrying till now as she spoke her next words.


    "Get those fucking rats. Kill them in broad daylight. I don''t care if House Roy''s image gets sullied in the eyes of the lowlifes. This is just one small part of Oasis anyway.


    I''m fine with pulling away from this small-time pond for a while. Do you understand what I mean?"


    Raquel''s voice was heard by all even when she spoke the words in a low voice. One of the subordinates who seemed to be the leader among them gulped an empty breath and only spoke one word.


    "Understood."


    Saying that the guy bowed in Raquel''s direction before leaving her office. The other subordinates followed his lead.


    Raquel was the only one left in her office. She looked at the city thaty below her like a chessboard with pawns on the ground running everywhere and couldn''t help but utter a few words to herself.


    "Since you called me a bitch, let me show you how bitchy I can get, Viktor dimir."


    Raquel had an evil smile on her face as she voiced her intentions.


    ***


    Somewhere outside the city-state of Crescent Moon. Oasis Online.


    Sounds of a series of explosions and rounds of machine-gun fire setting off.


    Two non-Metas were seen driving a bullet-ridden car that was releasing smoke from multiple points. A car that couldn''t fly but only glided over the earth.


    The thing that started with a chase was about to end in another chase.


    "Hermano, we really overyed our hand, didn''t we? I¡­ don''t think I can survive this time. Hahaha!"


    Tory chuckled when he saw the bullet wounds on his chest that were bleeding. Or to be a precise, rendition of blood. But there was something else happening to Tory''s body that made his situation worse.


    Vik was trying not to reply to Tory''s grim talks. But Tory''s dire condition was making it difficult for him to keep his emotions out of his current task.


    Tory could feel pain. He could feel that he would lose his consciousness any minute now. And normally, he wouldn''t have worried after getting injured in Oasis Online.


    Whatever happened in Oasis stayed in Oasis. Since the ce was virtual, the most it could do was force him to experience a bacsh in terms of muscle atrophy in real life. That would be the case if and when he woke up.


    But this was no ordinary wound. Vik and Tory could tell. Tory was also experiencing something else besides the bleeding of virtual blood.<sub> </sub>


    Tory''s body was disintegrating into multiple fragments. This was a never-seen-before phenomenon for both of the guys. When they saw what was happening to Tory, they knew that his death here would not be temporary.


    Vik wasn''t unharmed either. It was just that he was in better condition than Tory. But for how long?


    Vik had also been shot by those weird bullets that seemed to have magical properties to them. They defied thew of physics set by Oasis Online and hit him as well as Tory from odd angles. As if they were not bullets but controble projectiles.


    Vik pursed his lips as he looked in Tory''s direction. He was trying to keep himself together and concentrate on driving the car that was about to call it quits on them. His eyes were a bit wet. He knew they both were not meant to survive the event with the way things were going.


    The two had purchased a range of weapons and bombs when they found out they couldn''t log out of Oasis Online. They used their 2000 New World Coins that they had won through the match with Triple G for this.


    Then they bought this car and tried to create a distance from every spawn point they knew. But this attempt was futile. Where would they run off to when the meta space had turned into a trap for them?


    And yet, both of them wanted to fight to the bitter end. So that they would deal maximum damage to their enemies. It was a form of revenge. It was a form of drying with no regrets. And yet, they both could feel that there were still many regrets festering in their hearts as they watched their wounds ooze blood.


    Tory attacked guns zing as soon as their pursuers started appearing from behind them. He attacked without caring about anything or anyone. They were way beyond caring about any Oasis Online vitions at this point.


    As a result of Tory''s bold attack, he was also the one who was more injured between them. Vik wanted to call him a stupid fuck for letting his emotions get the better of him.


    "Fk!"


    Just likest time, someone cursed while in the driver''s seat. But this time, it was Vik who had said it. Things hade full circle in a way.


    "Tory. My brother. I¡­. I''m sorry."


    Vik finally uttered the words he had been meaning to say to Tory for quite some time now. They both knew he wasn''t talking about today''s decision. This kamikaze attack was nned and consented to by both of them. But there was something else that was eating away at Vik''s heart.


    It was Vik who had given a green light to this Op after Baldy had pitched it to them for the first time. Tory was thoroughly against the idea of dealing with Baldy in addition to regr jobs. That''s because Baldy wasn''t known for his honesty. Although he was a famous fence within theirmunity foring up with lucrative jobs, he was also known for backstabbing his allies.


    Yet, Vik had gotten overconfident. He had said to Tory that he would handle a fence like Baldy just fine. They just needed to be careful. Therefore, they epted the Op, which was ten times more dangerous than their normal smuggling job. All for the sake of earning something substantial.


    Vik thought that someone like Baldy could never outy him. After all, he had dealt with him on many Ops. And for the most part, he was right. But getting pulled into this conspiracy was something he couldn''t see no matter how vignt he stayed.


    Vik''s decision to handle Baldy his way hadnded them into this mess. Vik felt guilty about his failure to see the trap that had taken the lives of his known ones.


    The same trap was about to take their lives as well.

 Chapter 20 “I’ll Be The Architect Of My Own Destruction�

    Oasis Online.


    A fast-moving car was on fire. Releasing volumes of smoke as it zipped through the streets outside the city of Crescent moon.


    This about-to-be-totaled vehicle was getting chased by a bunch of high-tech ck cars. These cars weren''t normal. In the absence of Tory''s suicidal attacks, they would have caught up to the car they had been chasing by now.


    Right now they were keeping a distance. They knew full well that the car they were chasing was either going to stop working or go kaboom entirely along with its passengers sooner orter.


    Yet, they kept on firing at the car and at the people boarding it. They did it while using the mana bullets that weren''t supposed to be used in Oasis meant for non-Metas.


    Amid the high-speed chase, the sound of bullets, and spectators'' noises as they watched and recorded the event, a burst ofughter resounded in the car that was the center of the highlight.


    "Hahaha¡­ Aaaaargh fuck!"


    Tory''sughter caused him even more pain than he was feeling at the time when he listened to Vik saying sorry to him. He took a long breath and stabilized himself.


    As he looked down, Tory saw that the middle part of his chest that had been shot by those weird bullets was disintegrated. There was no flesh wound. His chest now had a clear hole in it.


    Tory was dying faster than Vik. But he wasn''t upset. He was also not angry over his partner in crime. He decided to use his final moments to calm his brother''s anger, so he adjusted himself in his position before speaking up.


    "Vik, stop acting like a wuss. If we are going to die, we die. There''s dignity to be found in death. And we have discovered ours by pulling a stunt like this. Wish I could see the bitch''s face when she finds out about what we did. Hahaha!"


    Tory''s speech seemed to have expedited his disintegration process. Yet he didn''t care. He coughed up blood and continued.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t me you. Sometimes in life, shit happens, my brother. So don''t be harsh on yourself.


    And stop being so arrogant to think that you could control everything around you with just that big brain of yours. Who the fuck do you think you are? A god among men?"


    Tory''s speech seemed to have lowered the burden Vik felt on his consciousness. He looked at his two bullet wounds that were destroying his flesh and skin. He knew that he would be joining Tory soon if things progressed in the same way.


    Yet, Tory was trying to put a smile on his friend''s face by saying his next words.


    "Who knows, Vik? Maybe, in our next life, we''ll be surrounded by hot Mamacitas around us. What do you say, brother? We''ll screw around like rabbits in heat in our next life. Deal?"


    Tory raised his hand to receive a fist bump from Vik only to find out that his arm was going to disintegrate soon. By now, Vik hade to terms with their eventuality.


    He chuckled after listening to his brother''s odd way of giving deathbed talk and fist-bumped him.


    "Hahaha. Alright."


    Vik assured his brother before deciding to finally do something he had been putting off for a while.


    "Ax, can you still hear me?"


    Vik used his MCP chip to ess the Oasis''s interface before asking the only entity that could help him and his brother at the time. Fortunately, someone answered back.<sub> </sub>


    ''Yeah. Your privilege can still be used so I can listen to you in case you wish to give me anypatiblemands. What do you need?"


    Vik looked at his brother who was soon about to disintegrate into multiple fragments and made up his mind.


    "Alright. Ax, pleaseunch the Lazarus sequence for my friend Fernando Torres right now. Also, keep my sequence on standby."


    Vik had stress lines on his forehead as he said that. He hoped things would proceed smoothly. He didn''t want to face any error of admin rights at this point.


    Tory didn''t know what Vik was talking about. Ax had only made things clear for Vik because he was the only one between the two who had asked her about them.


    So even though Tory had the right to know, he was unaware of the matter rted to Lazarus pods. Vik was busy nning too many things at once so he didn''t get the chance to tell him about these things either.


    Tory was about to ask what Vik was talking about as he started feeling like death was near him. But suddenly that feeling was reced with extreme agony as he felt like his entire body was on fire.


    "Lazarus sequence has been initiated for Fernando Torres.


    ETA for the process to bepleted: 3.3 seconds."


    Both Vik and Tory listened to Ax''s voice that was directly sent to their neuralwork. Vik understood what was happening. But Tory couldn''t. Neither did he care. He was too busy dealing with the overwhelming pain that pushed him beyond his normal ability to feel pain.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Vik¡­. Wh¡­ aaaaargh. What did you ¡­ aargh?"


    Tory''s disintegrating body stopped disintegrating. Instead, it was consumed by white fire. The white mes looked ethereal as they burned his body without a sound, smell, or smoke.


    Vik wiped the corner of his eyes as he watched his brother''s condition and said.


    "I''m sorry for putting you through this pain, my brother. If it is meant to be, we will see each other again. In this life. Or the next. Or somewhere in between.


    For now¡­ rest. I''ll handle things from here."


    Vick said to Tory, not sure if he had understood what he had just said. His eyes seemingly shined bright as he remembered the words his father used to tell him when he was small.


    ''A dimir is never scared of war. No matter who or how many stand against him.''


    Vik suddenly turned the car that he was driving 180 degrees and elerated it to its maximum. As a result of such a sudden maneuver, a lot of the car''s parts were dislocated in the process and traveled in the pre-turn direction. The car''s roof was among those parts.


    Tory''s body disappeared quickly after the white mes took hold of him. It instabusted his remains, leaving nothing behind.


    It was just Vik in the driver''s seat. Out in the open. Driving a roofless car that was about to blow away. elerating toward his enemies who wereing at him to take his life.


    "Let''s fokin wreck this shit up.


    I''ll be the architect of my own destruction."

 Chapter 21 Screech. Crash. Boom.

    Oasis Online


    "Fu*k, we missed again."


    As the guy in a ck suit reloaded his gun with his mana, another man in a ck suit in the ck car registered his dissatisfaction with him. They had been chasing their target for a while now. There were six more cars like the one they were driving.


    They all worked towards the same goal. Destroy the souls of Viktor dimir and Fernando Torres. Everything else, such as post-op PR, would be managed by the other team.


    Their job was to kill. No questions asked.


    "Do we really have to go this far for a normal human? Why make it so messy by doing it in front of so many people? In Oasis for fuck''s sake."


    The mercenary, who was sporting the mana gun in his hand, was busy shooting at Vik''s car when his partner whined some more. Each car had two men on board. One would drive. The other was tasked with shooting at their targets.


    This was a simple setup for killing two non-Metas in broad daylight. And yet, they were struggling to kill the lunatics. The lunatics in question wreaked havoc everywhere they drove with their crazy driving and relentless shooting.


    "You didn''t read the whole file, did you?"


    The shooter adjusted his gun and channeled his mana into it once again. Then he fired some more shots at Vik''s car before continuing.


    "We have been hired by someone who is closely connected to Oasis to enter this forsaken area and kill those idiots here. Maybe one of those big Houses? We don''t know."


    Winds howling. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Reload.


    "It seems they are still trying to locate them outside. So we are here, trying to take the lives of someone who isn''t living to their fullest anyway.


    But hey, the pay is quite decent. The targets are famous among these Bourgys because of the bounty that has been ced on them. So we might be able to include that in our reward as well. Hahaha."


    The shooter retreated into his seat and rxed a bit. These guys didn''t seem to be part of Oasis, which Vik, Tory, and the rest of the viewers of the whistleblowing act were. It seemed that belonged to the different strata of human society.


    Even though he was a metahuman, the shooter needed respites like these. He then looked at his partner and looked at him like he was some country bumpkin before adding.


    Next time, do your research right and read the whole file if you want to be paired up with me. Hmph!"


    The guy who was shooting at Vik''s car said in a condescending tone to his partner. Just when he was about to criticize him more, he saw Vik''s car that had been taking all the damage from their mana guns suddenly turning 180 degrees.


    "What in the world¡­"


    The shooter mumbled to himself as he watched Vik''s car closing in on them. First, he thought Vik had given up on his life. That''s why he wasmitting suicide like this. But then he saw Vik holding something in his hand.


    It looked like a mini-bazooka-like weapon with a series of transparent vials attached at its scope''s position. The vial had sparkling green liquid in it.


    It didn''t take long for the shooter to figure out what it was.


    ''That is mana liquid. A potion bomb.''


    As the man with the mana gun watched Vik with the odd weapon in his hand, he mumbled to himself. He also realized that the mana liquid in the device could be used by non-Meta users due to the way the whole setup was created.


    A mind races ahead while the bodygs. For the shooter, it looked like quite a time had passed. All his thoughts were processed in a fraction of a second.


    <o>,m The mercenary then realized that he had not said his realization out loud. His partner was still moving towards the iing Vik with a sigh on his face. As if he was pitying the lives of the victims he was going to take.<sub> </sub></o>


    The shooter looked at him and practically snatched the control panel of the levitating car before screaming in part panic and part more panic.


    "Fuuuuuu*ck. Why the fu*k are you still driving towards that maniac, you di*khead? Let me fokin turn this shit around¡­"


    It was already toote at that point.


    Thest thing the shooter and his partner remembered was a blinding light consuming them before creating a distinct noise in the background.


    In the surroundings, white noise resounded before turning into an ear-splitting explosion.


    A cluster of green lights shed in the middle of the road where the ck cars were congregating.


    The spectators watched with a mixture of absolute shock and excitement written on their faces as the cars and their upants were engulfed in a cloud of green mes.


    ***


    Vik and Tory had blown all their money on the arsenal when they found out they couldn''t log off from Oasis Online. They knew they were in mortal danger at that time. The duo was a part of the darkness that predominated in their era. They knew more about how the big Houses associated with Oasis Corp worked than any normal poption.


    Tory''s wish to go guns zing and Vik''s wish to retaliate against Raquel found a middle ground when they both received the dough of 4K New World Coins. The money wasn''t substantial enough to make them do whatever they wanted. But it was enough to buy the arsenals they needed. Therefore, they got the whole car full of it in one go.


    Things bought in Oasis didn''t necessarily have to stay virtual. Using the respective outlets, people would be able to render a real, physical model of the same using the models they purchased in Oasis with real money.


    These outlets could either be legal, illegal, or somewhere in between. So logically, every unique item that was bought in Oasis held a practical value.


    Yet, Vik and Tory knew that they wouldn''t be able to use any of these guns in real life. Which was sad. Because Vik liked what he was owning at this time.


    The arsenal Vik had bought was lethal to the average man, even when they were in Oasis Online. These items weren''t difficult to get. Killings in Oasis were a fairlymon urrence. Or at least asmon as it was in real life.


    It was the gear meant to be used on Metas that they had blown most of their rewards money on. The thing Vik had in his hand looked like a gun but it was actually a projectileuncher.


    Theuncher could be loaded with vials of potion bombs. This was the most expensive purchase Vik had in his possession, thanks to that reward money.


    When Vik turned his vehicle around abruptly, things happened in quick session. He first shot the potion bombs with hisuncher, targeting four of the six cars. He only had potion bombs in theuncher he could save at a time. That was his entire arsenal for Metas.


    A shooter had managed to aim at the potion bomb that wasing for his car in midair, detonating it right then and there. But the rest of the mercenaries weren''t so skilled. Their cars were hit by the potion bombs aimed at them and they were immersed in ever-expanding green mes soon after.


    The expansion of green mes was so rapid and potent that it also affected the car nearby that wasn''t targeted by the potion bomb. One didn''t need to be a genius to know what the result of such a mana-influenced explosion was going to be. With four potion bombs, Vik had taken care of 5 cars and all the mercenaries riding them.


    The detonation of the potion bomb in midair had also damaged Vik''s car. It was lifted off the track and sent to a different course in the direction of the car he couldn''t target with his potion bomb.


    Vik shed a wicked smile as he saw that the distance between his car and the assassins'' car was getting shortened at breakneck speed. For a short span, the assassin that was meant to shoot Vik forgot what his job was when he realized what Vik was up to.


    A crash between two cars running in opposite directions was imminent. It was toote for either side to change the course.


    Screech. Crash. Boom.


    ===


    AN: Bourgys means low-ss people in dystopian literature.

 Chapter 22 Seek And Ye Shall Find

    Vik was flying.


    His body was thrown into the sky because of the impact of the two cars. Immediately, the car he was driving exploded, as it was already on the verge of exploding. Fortunately or unfortunately, his car was without a roof. Hence. His current weightless-like state.


    His body was disintegrating. The mana bullets fired at him were already doing enough damage over time. It was inevitable that this disintegration would elerate when the sole mercenary survivor of the incident shot at Vik while he was helpless in the air.


    A streak of mana bullets was fired at Vik. Thetter only realized he was being shot at when the mana bullets started impacting his body.


    ''Ax, start¡­ fuck¡­ start the Lazarus sequence for me.''


    Vikmanded Ax when he saw the explosion that he had caused below him as he was still flying through the air. The explosion was still expanding. His body was getting riddled with more bullets as he watched the events of his own actions unfold in front of his eyes. His eyelids were slowly getting heavy.


    The onlookers of this whole incident were everywhere. They stared at this scene with curious eyes. This wasn''t an everyday event. But it also wasn''t that rare for them to see something like this. This was Oasis.


    Nobody saw a young man, the cause of this whole incident, flying in the air, away from the ident. He was flying towards a lone figure standing at a distance. Vik''s eyes were about to be closed. His body was covered in white mes.


    "Viktor dimir''s Lazarus sequence has begun.


    ETA for the process to bepleted: 3.3 seconds."


    A series of prompts appeared on the status screen meant to be seen by Vik. But he was too injured, too tired to keep tabs on his status. With his nearly-shut eyes and barely-there consciousness, he saw that he was going to crash on someone who was standing away from the crowd.


    "ETA for the process to bepleted: 2 seconds."


    The lone observer of this whole scene hade here, in this part of the Oasis, through a backdoor. He only wanted to explore the world of people who were called Bourgys by individuals from his part of the world.


    Vik could see that the person he was about to crash on had shoulder-length white hair with light blue highlights. He had blue eyes and a charming face. His glowing blue highlight was proof enough to tell the onlookers that he was a Metahuman. Human bodies were affected by the mana in peculiar ways depending upon the person and their element after all.


    This young man was busy observing the crash. So he didn''t notice Viking at him from the sky covered in white mes at first. And when he did, he was toote to dodge.


    "ETA for the process to bepleted: 0.89 seconds."


    Vik crashed onto this young man who seemed to have different origins than him. When Vik''s white mes touched this man, he felt that he had been thrown into the pit of agony with no way to return. Vik on the other hand was beyond the threshold of feeling pain. He had already closed his eyes.


    Now both Vik and the observer''s bodies were engulfed in white mes. These mes seemed highly transmissible and extremely mmable. They burned the observer''s body at a greater speed than Vik, resulting in his soul disappearing first. The next to follow suit was Vik.


    "ETA for the process to bepleted: 0 seconds.


    Lazarus sequencepleted.


    Result: Sess (Error)


    Result: Failure (Error)


    Status: Undermined."


    ***


    Vik found out that he was floating. Once again.<sub> </sub>


    This time, it wasn''t because he was thrown in the air due to some ident.


    He felt like he didn''t have a body for real. He was weightless. And formless. Only his subconscious chose a form for him, which was ced on the line dividing real and ethereal. His subconscious mind assumed that form for itself to make sense of his existence that he wasn''t sure was real or not anymore.


    Vik felt lightheaded and delirious. As if he was having the most enjoyable nap of his life while keeping tabs on everything that was happening around him.


    It was as if he was immersed in a pool of water. But there was no water nearby.


    This was a weird feeling for him. But not unweing.


    He found relief in this space. As if he was far away from all the troubles he had faced in his life so far. Away from all the miseries that had shaped him into a bitter, paranoid, cynic, and detached man he was. For the first time in a long while, he felt like stripping himself of all his emotions. And just stay there.


    Floating aimlessly.


    Without a care in the world.


    ''Hmm?''


    Vik felt like someone was trying to talk to him. Or more precisely,municate with him using an unknown medium. Unknown form.


    This form ofmunication was personal and direct. As if words weren''t needed formunication. Just having thoughts was enough.


    Seek and ye shall find!


    This is what Vik understood when some foreign thoughts entered his subconscious mind and tried to talk to him. They were asking him what he wanted at the time.


    ''What do I want?''


    Vik asked himself as the memories of the past began ying in his mind. He felt like this question was as difficult to answer as it seemed to ask.


    Vik let his thoughts wander endlessly as he sought to find the answer to that question. He felt that his current condition had allowed him to have a clear head even when it felt like he wasn''t inplete control of himself.


    Vik felt like his entire being had dissolved into space when he stretched his mind to find the answer to the question. His mind became aware of an infinite number of mysteries of the worlds that seemed to stretch far beyond his previous perceptions.


    The information he received from trying to find the answer to that question was so overwhelming that he stopped looking. He realized that he wasn''t ready to look for the answer to this question. His existence was not prepared for what was out there due to his fragile soul.


    Ask, and it shall be given you.


    Seek, and ye shall find.


    Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.


    The space, which seemed to condense down to a drop of water, echoed its thoughts in Vik''s mind once again. This time, these thoughts revealed more. This time, they demanded even more participation from him.


    Vik was terrified when the door of the infinity was opened for him.

 Chapter 23 Death-Like Slumber

    Vik was terrified when the door of the infinity was opened for him.


    Vik''s subconscious mind was scared by the possibilities that were presented to him. These possibilities clouded his already clouded and limited mind. He thought that he wasn''t ready to have options like these open to him.


    Perhaps the man''s limited knowledge kept him from going insane.


    Perhaps a man with limited resources could craft something he could be content with. With limited resources, he could find his happiness.


    Perhaps, in limited possibilities lies a man''s potential to make the most of them.


    Seek, and ye shall find.


    The thought rippled in Vik''s mind once again. This time, it seemed that he was going to dissolve into nothingness if he didn''t answer what was asked of him. As if his existence was going to be part of that drop of water that was this universe.


    This time, Vik didn''t try to look elsewhere for his answer. He turned inwards and found what he needed the most.


    ''What do I need?


    If this is the pantheon of infinite possibilities, the infinity I need is something I can handle with my existence and make the maximum use of using my abilities.''


    Seek and ye shall find.


    The thought entered Vik''s mind. As if a drop of ink had been dropped into a ss full of clear water. Yet, it didn''t hamper the water''s rity.


    By now, Vik was used to such interruptions that he now realized weren''t meant to interrupt his thoughts but strengthen his resolves. So he did just that, reciting those resolutions to himself.


    ''I now realize that my existence was criminally insignificantpared to the world that''s out there. So this time, I don''t want to limit myself because of my limited outlook.


    I want to be selfish and protect what''s mine at all costs. I want to be greedy and live my life to its fullest. And embrace everything that it has to offer to me.''


    Seek and ye shall find.


    I need power so I won''t stay at the bottom of the barrel, as I always have. I need the power to rise above my circumstances.


    If my enemies are infinite, I need infinite power to rule over them all. If my destinations are blocked by fate, I need endless ways to get to them.


    I need infinite power to have infinite dreams. Infinite goals. And infinite possibilities.''


    Seek and ye shall find. A thought that seemed like it was breathing.


    ''If my lone power is not enough to support my ambitions, I need powers that are integrated into the very existence of the universe to be at my beck and call.''


    Vik concluded his chain of thoughts to himself knowing full well the one who had asked this question was listening. In the next moment, he felt like his very existence was getting etched with various runes.


    He didn''t understand how he could feel something that wasn''t rted to any of his five senses. Yet, he knew that the runes he was etched with were bing part of his existence.


    Vik''s subconscious mind wasn''t exactly in the know of what was happening around him. Additionally, he had no idea to who those thoughts belonged. Or what was happening to him.


    But there was one thing that was clear to him. His demands were getting answered. He couldn''t describe the process or his conclusions about that process in words.


    His wishes were being heard and answered. For a purpose, he didn''t know. Unaware of the impact it would have on himself and the world he was about to enter.


    The inscription of runes on his soulpleted what felt like an eternity and a mere moment at the same time. These runes then dissolved into his existence and became part of him.


    As Vik''s subconsciousness grew hazy, thoughts of something unknown spoke in his mind once again. A departing message.


    Seek and ye shall find.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    Elysian City-state of Phoenix. Arizona, USA. Earth.


    Goldfield Ghost Town.


    What was once said to be a tourist attraction in the bygone era had be a township for the poorest people of the Elysian city-state. Poorest by an Elysian City''s standard that is.


    Yet, somehow the town still maintained the vintage, ghostly vibes it always had. The change of an era couldn''t take away the feeling that was woven into the ce''s very existence.


    This version of Goldfield Ghost Town did have a few changes to it though. First of all, it was bigger than before. It was at the very edge of the city-state of Phoenix. So it was trying its best to expandterally along the borders of the city-state.


    Although the homes looked vintage and old, they all had modern amenities. It was as if past and future had shaken hands with each other to create this space.


    A simple, two-story suburban house located at the far corner of the town. Away from the town''s hustle-bustle. At this point, this house had two people residing in it. One was sleeping. The other was sneaking up on them.


    "He hasn''t woken up yet?"


    Reece Green asked herself as she opened the door slightly and took a sneak peek inside. This was her usual routine. Stalking the person who was living under the same roof as her.


    She knew it was wrong to do so in her heart. But she always felt jittery when she tried to sneak up on this person. And she liked having them. So sneaking up on him became her hobby and passion.


    ''Well, he isn''t doing anything that I shouldn''t see him doing.''


    Reece thought as she opened the door wide and saw her stalking target sleeping soundlessly on his bed. He slept as if he had died.


    He always did that. Sleeping like a log. This habit of his had encouraged this young girl to follow this routine every day.


    Reece got close to her and observed the young man she liked. He was supposed to be her mother''s tenant. But he had been staying with them from a very young age.


    The young man''s parents were nowhere to be found. Regina''s mother heard the news and took the boy in. He was her friend''s child. Therefore, she had decided to look after him.


    Reece grew up with the guy from a very young age. And as she did, she developed feelings for him.


    Her crush had white hair and blue eyes that she could only barely see due to them being partially closed. He had blue highlights in his hair, attesting to the fact that he was no normal human. He was just a step away from bing a true Metahuman.


    ''How can he sleep like this when he is so behind schedule?


    Should I wake him?''


    Reece thought to herself as she kept on looking at the young man''s lowkey handsome face. He wasn''t anything too eye-catching. At least not in this city. But in Regina''s eyes, he had certain charms about him that were unique to him.


    ''I have to wake him up. Otherwise, we will bete to our jobs.''


    Reece nodded to herself before thinking of a wild idea.


    ''*Sigh. He is not waking up until I do something extreme.''


    Reece chuckled before thinking of something intrusive.


    ''Hehe. Maybe I can kiss him and he''ll wake up from his death-like slumber. Like those fairy tales. I''ll give it a shot. Strictly for his sake.''


    Reece was painting a fantastical picture for herself while giggling as she was bringing her lips closer to the guy''s lips. She just wanted to nt a harmless peck.


    Unaware that the one she was kissing was not going to be a knight in shining armor.

 Chapter 24 Waking Up

    Green eyes.


    That''s what Vik saw when he first opened his eyes.


    <o>,m He had been struggling to open them for some time now. He was also struggling to move. But it felt like he had been forced to sleep inside a trunk that was packed to the brim with stuff that didn''t belong to him.</o>


    He remembered bits and pieces of the conversation he had with an unknown entity that seemed all-epassing. It felt like a long time had passed since he had that unique experience. And yet, it also felt like now that he was at this new ce, not much time had passed. As if the passage of time had been skewed when he was having that surreal experience.


    Vik was slowly regaining his rity. And with it came control over his bodily functions.


    ''Hmm? My body? Did I manage to log out of Oasis?''


    Vik thought to himself as he tried his darndest to at least open his eyes and see the condition he was in. He wanted to prepare himself to flee the scene in case Raquel manages to track their location.


    ''Wait. Did Tory survive? Are we still in danger?''


    Vik finally managed to snap his eyes open due to his survival instinct kicking in. It was like taking control of something that wasn''t yours originally.


    Green eyes. Vik saw green eyes staring at him with surprise and a tinge of embarrassment reflected in them. In addition, he realized that they were too close for him to see anything else.


    And then he felt his lips being sealed by something soft and luscious. That proximity to someone scared the man who was already on edge because of the danger that he thought still existed for him.


    Push. p. Wake up.


    A pping noise was heard in a quiet room. Vik had pushed the girl away who technically was trying to take advantage of him, no matter how innocent her intentions were.


    And he also pped her with the back of his hand while waking up and sitting straight in his position. It was his instincts taking over his body, considering her as an enemy.


    Reece Green was pushed back by the p before shended on the ground with her plushy butts in front of Vik''s bed. It took a while for her to process what had happened.


    First, she was shocked. Then she felt embarrassed. And finally, her eyes started watering as she assumed the worst.


    ''He¡­ he doesn''t like me.''


    When she thought that, Reece began to cry. Crying without sobs. Crying without making any sound. Crying without any unnecessary tantrums.


    She stayed still but her tears didn''t follow her lead. They ran down her cheeks as her green glistened with sadness. She was more hurt mentally than physically.


    ''Where¡­ where the fuck am I? Was that all a dream? What was that ce?


    And am I still dreaming?''


    Vik had loads of questions swirling inside his head as he looked around him. But he could confirm by pinching himself hard on his arm that he wasn''t dreaming.


    Vik was sure he had never seen this ce before. And he was damn sure he hadn''t seen the girl who was supposedly trying to attack him.


    ''Never mind that weird dream. Where''s Tory? And most importantly, who can tell me what''s going on?''<sub> </sub>


    Vik questioned himself and his mind came up with a simple answer.


    ''That girl!''


    Only now did Vik think of checking on the girl he had just pped. She had almost disappeared from his vision when he had gotten up. That''s because she was sitting down on the ground near his head, by his feet.


    Vik dragged his body onto the bed that he had never slept on before, bent himself forward, and stretched his neck to check on something.


    ''There she is! And here I was wondering how she pulled a Houdini on me.''


    Vik observed the girl with a newfound interest. Reece Green was a beautiful girl.


    She had light orange hair thatplemented her green eyes well. Rosy skin. Light pink lips and a pretty nose. The lips she had kissed Vik with a few moments ago.


    She seemed to be of medium height. Rtively slim build. But she had curves in the right ces. She was a girl in herte teens after all. It was just that her cute facial features made her look younger. An energetic girl just like her name suggested.


    Vik saw Reece''s condition. Her tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. Then he reyed his memories and found out he was the reason. He had pped her.


    "Errr... I... I''m sorry."


    Vik managed to stutter his apology. However, he saw that the girl was not affected by it.


    Vik looked around some more to confirm that he was in no immediate danger. No matter what his current situation was, it was certainly better than what he had assumed.


    Vik breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his arms and shook his head to reboot himself. He waspletely awake by now.


    Vik got up from his bed and approached a girl who was sitting down with her legs crossed awkwardly. He didn''t know what to think at this point. Or what to do. He had so many questions to ask.


    For now, he chose to pacify this cute girl.


    The first thing Vik noticed after getting up was the fact that he felt a bit different. He also felt that his point of vision had been altered to have a lower altitude than before. As if somehow his stature had been reduced.


    Vik didn''t pay much attention to these things. There were cases of people feeling disoriented after staying logged into Oasis for an extended time. The cases were rare. And they were almost all harmless. So he just chucked it under the fact that he must have stayed logged into Oasis for a long time.


    Vik sat beside the girl. His eyes looked into hers. A vivacious green hue that was full of life and energy.


    "I said I''m sorry, alright? It was an ident."


    Vik wiped her tears with his palms. Her nk expression turned into a sad pout as she felt the young man showing her care he had never shown before. She pursed her lips as she looked at Vik with expressions that screamed "How could you?"


    Vik sighed and hugged the girl. He had to adjust his posture as he did that. Her spread legs were making it difficult to maintain the hug.


    So he sat properly with his legs folded, pulled her onto him, and patted her back. He had hurt her. So it was only natural that he soothed her. He didn''t care that the girl''s face was turning redder than a tomato.

 Chapter 25 Memories Flooding In

    Vik hugged Reece without thinking much about it of course. He was never good with girls. But he also didn''t have any inhibitions interacting with them.


    Vik had seen blood and gore, injured himself and others for the most mediocre of profits, and seen the not-so-pretty face of life. He wouldn''t be nervous around someone just because they happened to have something different between their legs than him.


    So Vik hugged her in a tonic way, tofort and soothe her. He caressed her back while staying silent. His hug was gentle andforting. His touch was non-intrusive. And his mind was thinking about various things at once while he did that.


    Reece wasn''t expecting something like this. All of a sudden, she found herself getting embraced by her crush and was stupefied because of it. She stopped crying and decided to prioritize processing the butterflies that started popping in her stomach. Her arms hugged him back involuntarily.


    "You calmed down now?"


    Vik caressed Reece''s back once more before asking her. He was starting to notice that the girl was wearing a pleasant floral perfume. It wasn''t too loud or too mellow. Just enough to get his attention when he hugged her.


    "Yes¡­ I''m sorry too. I¡­ I was¡­"


    Vik chuckled when he understood why the girl was saying sorry. He patted her back and broke their hug. He then made Reece look in the eyes before speaking up.


    "It''s fine. Next time¡­ just ask me."


    Vik didn''t know if this was a dream or not. Or whether this was an illusion in Oasis. But he could feel that the girl had no malice for him.


    Reece took some time to process Vik''s response. When she did, she opened her eyes wide in surprise before having another tinge of redness on her cheeks.


    This time, it was Reece who hugged him back. They were in extreme proximity to each other. So the hug came naturally and easily for her. Even more so because Vik had initiated it the first time.


    "I''m so d. Why¡­ Why were you acting so aloof to me all this time?"


    With a small voice that would have been unnoticed if Vik wasn''t hugging her, Reece spoke. Thetter didn''t understand. But he also felt that he did not need to speak this time.


    Vik felt that there was a missing piece of the puzzle he wasn''t aware of. So he asked to confirm.


    "We are not in Oasis, are we?"


    Reece got confused by Vik''s response. She didn''t know what to say except that it must have been due to his peculiar habits.


    "How many times did the captain tell you not to experiment within Oasis so much? It has messed up your mind.


    And why have you been talking in this subtle Russian ent ever since you woke up? What has gotten into you?"


    Vik didn''t understand Reece''s question at first. He then looked at Reece with a confused expression only to see that she was equally confused.


    Only now did he realize that he was speaking in English. His subconscious mind had chosen to speak thenguage after seeing the things around him. But his conscious mind was slow to catch up.


    Vik then looked into Reece''s green eyes as she was staring at him eagerly. In her eyes, he saw his reflection. Or what should have been his reflection? And yet again, there was something odd about it.


    Vik brought Reece closer and looked into her eyes keenly to watch his reflection. But he soon found out that this was not enough. He quickly pushed her a bit back and started observing his arms.<sub> </sub>


    ''This¡­ this is different.''


    Vikmented to himself before feeling his face with his palms. Reece''s confusion grew even further as she watched him observe his own body with a shocked expression.


    Vik quickly got up from the ground and looked around him. He began looking around the room for something. He finally found the mirror that was ced above the small wash basin in the corner.


    Vik quickly got there and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He shook his head in denial and pped himself before looking at the reflection once again.


    ? ''This¡­ this is the guy I saw at the time of the crash. What the fuck is happening? Why am I standing here looking like him?


    This¡­ is not Oasis.


    Did the attack fry my brain?''


    Vik''s mind was running haywire. His expressions told Reece that he was in dire need of something and he wasn''t sure where to look. She quickly got up and walked near him. She held him and hugged him from behind before asking him hurriedly.


    "Eren, what''s wrong? What''s bothering you? Tell me."


    Vik felt like the gravity had been turned upside down when he heard the name. Listening to that name had be the trigger for his brain to start ying strange memories in his mind.


    Vik''s eyes dted as he felt short of breath. He again felt like he was losing control of his body. As if his mind was going to implode due to all those memories flooding into it.


    Vik was losing his bnce. And he would have fallen to the ground if it wasn''t for Reece hugging her from behind him.


    "Eren¡­ Eren¡­ what''s wrong? Are you not feeling well?


    I''ll call in sick for both of us."


    Reece''s panicked voice could be heard behind Vik. But he wasn''t in his right mind to pay attention to it. He was in a misery of his own.


    Vik grabbed his head with both of his hands and let his entire body weight fall on Reece. If she wasn''t a Meta, she would have lost her footing with him by now.


    "Fuuuuuck. I¡­ I need to fucking lie down. He¡­ help me."


    Vik finally managed to stutter. Reece, who was getting antsy because of Vik''s condition, understood what Vik wanted and immediately got to it. She also observed that Vik was using a foulnguage he hadn''t used before. But now wasn''t the time to ask that. She supported his body easily with her enhanced body stats and guided him to his bed.


    "Eren¡­ Eren¡­ don''t worry. I''ll call someone to take a look at you, okay?"


    Reece said with part worry and part panic on her face. She was about to leave. But just then, she felt that there was a hand grabbing her by the writs. It was Vik''s. He was trying to prevent her from going anywhere.


    "No¡­ No, don''t call the cops. Don''t fucking call anyone. I¡­ I''m fine. Just let me rest a bit."


    Vik said and made Reece stop in her tracks. A hustler''s worst nightmare-- someone calling cops on them when they were incapacitated. Of course, he was unaware that there were no cops in Elysian cities.

 Chapter 26 Rankers

    About to implode.


    That''s what Vik thought would happen to his head when the memories first hit him. He had fallen into a deep sleep once again.


    Sleep was the only option avable to him at the time. While the memories were getting yed in his head, Vik felt like he was living a different life in pieces and fragments. It was in a way that didn''t make sense to him.


    This was the life of Eren Elijah Idril. The original owner of the body he was forced to reside in. He didn''t know when this virtual montage of memories would end. All he could do was watch and observe these memories.


    With this phenomenon in sight, Vik had concluded that something magical had happened to him. He was transmigrated into the body of the spectator of his ident. A spectator whose soul was nowhere to be found.


    Was it due to the Lazarus pods? Or was it a one-in-a-million chance of something that was uniquely offered to him?


    Vik started having more questions in his head as he kept on reliving fragments of memories. After some time, the man stopped thinking. Overthinking is never too healthy. And Vik knew that first hand because he was used to overthinking too.


    ''That ce was real. Those thoughts were real. And so was everything that happened to me.''


    Vik concluded to himself as Eren''s life unfolded before him like a movie. He couldn''t recall all of his experiences in that strange ce. But now he knew that it wasn''t in his head.


    ''This guy also died because of me. And I also took over his body and his memories.''


    Vik realized that and sighed. It wasn''t that he didn''t feel anything for Eren, to whom this new body of his belonged originally. It was just that he hadn''t done this deliberately. At this point, neither of them could do anything.


    Vik looked keenly at the memories of Eren''s past in his memories and spoke up as if he was addressing Eren.


    ''It would not make any difference if I said sorry to you at this point. So I''ll not say it. I don''t care what kind of person you were when you were alive. But for me, you are my savior. And I thank you for it.


    In return for the life you have given me, I''ll cherish it to its fullest. Instead of trying to regret things that had already happened, I''ll try to live for the both of us.''


    Vik thought to himself as he watched another mundane scene get yed in front of his eyes. Then he just closed his eyes and let these memories take him wherever they wanted to take him.


    ***


    Vik opened his eyes and saw the familiar bedroom. Eren''s bedroom. This time, he had sorted a bunch of Eren''s memories in his mind so he knew almost all the things and their origins that he was looking at.


    Since the only window of the room was covered with a drawn curtain, the room was dark and visibility waspromised. But he didn''t need it to know where things were.


    Some parts of Eren''s memories had gotten in perfect sync with Vik while some were a bit blurred for him. The unsynced memories still needed active concentration from him to remember them.


    Vik realized that he was tucked nicely under a nket with the room''s temperature set to a pleasant setting.


    The former hustler of the streets was still notpletely out of his sleep yet. Plus, he was trying to make sense of the new memories that Eren left behind. So he ignored the fact that there was someone else sleeping with him under the nket. With their heads near his chest, not visible from outside because of the nket.<sub> </sub>


    The most fascinating piece of memories Vik had found from Eren''s life was about Rankers. So he focused on those memories first.


    He looked at his hands and remembered bits and pieces from Eren''s memories. He then closed his eyes and focused. He was trying to sense something in his surroundings.


    ''I¡­ I feel it.


    This is a reality. I''m almost a Metahuman. Damn.''


    Vik opened his eyes in wide surprise when he felt the presence of mana around him using Eren''s memories as the reference point. The more he processed those memories, the more amazed he became.


    ''Fokin hell. Metahumans are just the first rank. There are other ranks as well.''


    Eren''s memories told Vik that Metahumans were the only Rankers who were in Rank 1. The beginners. A true ranking journey began when one became an Awakened Rank 2. There are other ranks as well that reach way past Rank 2.


    Vik concentrated while looking at his hand and channeled the mana that he felt in the area around his index finger''s tip. In the next moment, a few tongues of lightning appeared with a distinct chirping sound.


    ''This¡­ This is when I don''t have a rank yet?"


    Vik couldn''t help being fascinated by what he was seeing. Even though the previous Eren was called a loser for still failing to be a metahuman at his age, for Vik, Eren was a boy extraordinaire.


    He stopped channeling the mana from the surrounding atmosphere since he knew it was only a party trick and couldn''t be utilized as an attack in most cases. This wasn''t any spell or ability. It was just the manifestation of his elemental affinity.


    To be a proper Metahuman, he needed to go through mana core formation. Only those who had a mana core would be called Metahumans and their ranking journey would begin from there.


    ''One bes Metahuman when they attain Rank 1. They are called Awakened when they reach Rank 2. And Arch is the title given to rankers who reach Rank 3.''


    Rakers were people with the ability to harness mana for themselves. They considered those who couldn''t harness mana as mortals.


    Rakers had an extended lifespan than humans. They could cast spells, and perform superhuman feats. They could even go "outside" once they progressed enough in their ranks.


    Eren''s limited knowledge about rankers was limited to Rank 3. So Vik''s knowledge about them also stopped there. But he had gained so many memories that he needed to clear his mind for a while.


    ''First things first. I need to go to my job. Therein lies my quickest way to be a Metahuman.''


    Vik narrowed his eyes as he thought of something. His face could tell anyone that he was in a controlled rage.


    ''Heh! I was helpless before. But this gives me a kind of hope. Maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ I''ll be able to get back at the bitch for real with these powers.''


    He thought and clenched both of his hands, unaware of where his other hand was. It took him a while to realize that he was squeezing something soft and mushy with the other hand.

 Chapter 27 Digesting Memories P1

    "Umm."


    Vik heard a hushed moan near him from under his nket when he clenched his fists. In his excitement to know about Rankers, he had ignored the fact that Reece was sleeping beside him.


    Vik lifted his nket to see Reece sound asleep while hugging him tightly. Her head was right by his chest. But she had curled up a bit in an odd position-- as if trying to sleep while taking the lowest amount of space on the bed. And his right hand was on her plush buns.


    Reece was snoring a bit. She had uttered that moan in her sleep when his lightning mana tickled her sensitive spot. He had unconsciously channeled his lightning mana through both his hands after all.


    ''You took advantage of me when I was sleeping. So with this, we are even. Hehe.''


    He thought and lightly pped Reece''s buns. Since he had kept his hand over her mushy tush for hours on end while he was sleeping, there was no reason to ce it somewhere. He kneaded it some more while he was lost in his thoughts.


    It wasn''t even 6 in the morning yet. The guild that they both worked in was supposed to start at 9. They both had plenty of time to get up and get ready.


    ''So there are 9 stages in each rank.''


    Vik was still digging Eren''s memories about Rankers. Being a Metahuman was the first rank. It was just the beginning for all rankers. And yet, it was not easy to enter Rank 2 on the fly.


    A mana core had three phases it had to progress through to enter the next rank: vapor, liquid, and solid phases. Each of these three phases was conventionally divided into three stages¨C making each rank have 9 stages in total.


    A Rank 1 entity can only use Rank 1 mana in its surroundings. After reaching the very limits of the solid stage of the Meta Rank, the mana core would implode. It would then start harnessing the mana of the next rank in the vapor stage. The mana core needed to pass through three phases to achieve the next rank.


    A Rank 2 Ranker could make use of both Rank 1 and Rank 2 mana since his mana core had already reached that rank. But why would they use something low caliber to fuel their spells when they had a higher tier option avable?


    Simrly, a Meta Ranker could only make use of Rank 1 spells, artifacts, and potions. They weren''t able to cast higher-ranked spells because their bodies and their mana cores didn''t support them.


    Vik kept on kneading Reece''s mushy buns while having these thoughts. He was revising these details in his head to make himself understand everything about them.


    In his previous life as Viktor dimir, he had never envied Metahumans. That''s because he didn''t know anything about them other than the fact that they could use superhuman powers.<sub> </sub>


    But apart from that, they weren''t that different from regr humans. They could still bleed when injured at the right ces, using the right weapons. Vik''s fight with Triple G was a prime example of how Metas could be taken down by a bunch of mortals with rtive ease.


    But that was just it. Vik didn''t know that the Metas that he was used to seeing and the Metas here had a huge difference between them. Aspared to the Metas he had seen from Eren''s memories, the Metas where he lived were akin to country bumpkins.


    ''Why am I worrying about Metas and Awakened when I''m not even at the starting line? What do I need to do to enter Rank 1? That''s what I should be most concerned about.''


    Vik remembered his thoughts that he had spelled out to the unknown entity who was asking him about what he wanted in life. He had said that he wanted to live his life to the fullest. To do that, he needed power. He needed power to not have any regrets. And he also wanted the power to get back Raquel for the shit she had pulled him and his brother into.


    ''Tory, my brother, if your Lazarus sequence has not run haywire like mine, you must have been turned into an Osho. Just hang around for a while until I find you.


    I''ll also try to find a way for you to not just exist in Oasis. If it could happen once, it could happen again.''


    Vik narrowed his eyes as he kept on thinking about various thoughts. While doing this, he kept on squeezing and patting Reece''s derriere. Her right bun was getting the attention of its lifetime.


    ''There are a few steps before entering Rank 1. The first step is being able to sense mana in the surroundings. The second step is being able to pull that mana into one''s body and channel it. Finally, the third step ispleted when someone keeps on guiding the mana inside their body, turning the magical energy into the mana core.


    A person enters Rank 1 when the mana core forms under their navel inside their body for the first time. This is the gist of entering Rank 1. But it''s not one size fits all. Even among rankers, there aremoners and then there are prodigies. And Eren was no prodigy.''


    Vik sighed when he remembered the struggles Eren had to struggle through in this radically different form of society. This was in some waypletely different from where he was used to living. Yet it too was working on a few principles Vik knew all too well. Might make right. And vast wealth is a form of overwhelming might.


    Eren was 19 years old. And he hadn''t even reached the first stage of the Meta rank yet. This was a cause of concern when he was living inside the Elysian city.


    Even the girl that was sleeping beside him was 6 months younger than him. And yet, she was in the 6th stage of the Meta Rank. This blue-eyed guy was way too behind for the Elysian city''s standard.


    ''What is even more bizarre is the fact that these guys don''t have lifespan restrictions ced on them. So they can live well after 50 years and nobody would ask them jackshit. This¡­ this is unbelievable.''

 Chapter 28 Digesting Memories P2

    Through Eren''s memories, Vik realized that most of the people in Elysian cities like Phoenix were Rankers. There was hardly any mortal poption left in the Elysian cities. And this poption was on the decline.


    And none of the citizens of the Elysian cities had lifespan restrictions. They didn''t have MCP chips. In fact, none of them even heard about something called MCP chips.


    ''Thends that are not Elysian cities are called Wastnds by these guys. And the people living in Wastnds as Borgys.


    Fuck. What a bunch of pretentious, self-centered co*ksuckers.''


    Vik twitched his nose when he realized how the previous strata of society he belonged to were so looked down upon by citizens of Elysian cities.


    He also concluded that since the city-state of Phoenix didn''t have MCP chip restrictions ced on its citizens, other Elysian cities would also have the same thing in ce. That meant that the lifespan restriction was limited to people living on the so-called Wastnds alone.


    ''What the actual fu*k? Why are they only f*cking with us and letting these guys live however they want? That''s¡­ that''s not fair damn it.''


    Vik felt aggravated by the fact that only the so-called Borrgys had their lifespans restricted by the MCP chips. Then he thought that the talk of unfairness seemed strangeing from him who had taken over a young man''s body who was around 5 years younger than him.


    He sighed and stopped thinking on those terms. He was not a representative of the so-called Bourgys. In addition, he did not agree with the side the citizens of the Elysian cities belonged to either. He was on his own side.


    And yet, he couldn''t help but wonder why the human poption was divided like this, Elysian cities existing amid patches of Wastnds. The mortals'' city-states further divided the Wastnds. And finally, people living in tribes stayed away from all those social settings.


    Food shortage? Bullshit. The people in Elysian cities lived like kings and wasted more food than the people in the Wastnds would need. All they had to do was open the Elysian cities to the rest of the human poption outside them. Rankers, mortals, and Bourgys would all be able to fill their tummies with the food that is found aplenty here.


    ''There has to be some reason. I think Eren was researching this topic or something along that line. They are his most recent memories.


    And yet, I still find them difficult to recall. Fuck.''


    Saying that in his head, Vik tapped Reece''s tush while unconsciously channeling his lightning element through his fingers once again. A low, hushed, ecstatic moan could have been heard at this point. But Vik was too upied with his thoughts to notice.


    ''In any case, I''ll stick to the routine devised by my workce for me. Heh! Working diligently would feel awkward when my previous job experiences were in apletely different direction. But work is work.


    One has to pull their weight in the world.''


    Vik was always self-reliant. If possible, he wanted to move away from this house and get his own ce somewhere inside the Elysian city. No matter how small and shabby it might turn out to be.<sub> </sub>


    Then there was something else that he also needed to think about.


    ''I''ll have to look for the reason behind why people outside Elysian cities are kept away from such advanced societies and are also subjected to lifespan restrictions. If not for any benefit, then for my own peace of mind.


    Maybe Eren''s stuff at his workce would give me some hints on that research. One step at a time, Vik. One step at a time.''


    Then he chuckled before remembering the jobs he had pulled off with his brother.


    ''As Tory used to say, I shouldn''t try to control everything that''s happening around me. Especially if there are things beyond my control. It would only make me suffer mentally. Hehe. That dickhead sometimes makes sense.''


    Vik took a long breath after chuckling a bit. Frankly, he was just trying toe to terms with his changed reality. He always had a rational mind that enabled him to keep his emotions out of his thought process for the most part. But it had its limits.


    He had to sort through these thoughts and establish definite goals. He had to rebuild himself from scratch. His old ways of doing things won''t work. But he also couldn''t keep up with what Eren was doing. He needed to find his own path.


    Eren was a polite kid in his early childhood. He behaved cordially and was innocent and immature in a lot of things. But that all changed when his parents disappeared all of a sudden while they were on the guild''s mission. From the looks of things, they were as good as dead.


    Eren was their only kid. He was only in his early teens at the time when the news about his parents hit him. Suffice to say it broke him and turned him bitter. His personality was shaping up to be much like Vik, albeit in a milder way.


    Eren treated the people who took him in respectfully. He cared for Reece in a tonic way and he listened to Reece''s mother diligently, no matter how he acted outside. The guy had his head in the right ce when it came to these things.


    Eren knew that Reece was developing a crush on him. At first, he felt that it was wrong to take advantage of a little girl''s heart just because he was in proximity to her. He chucked it under the fact that them living under the same roof had more to do with Reece''s crush on him than her own feelings.


    But he could only ignore Reece''s obvious advances on him so much. He too had started to feel something in his cold heart just recently.


    And yet, there was something else that Eren felt that had prevented him from reciprocating Reece''s feelings just like that. She was a Metahuman while he wasn''t. This reality had given him an inferiorityplex.


    The guy was doing everything in his power to reach Meta rank faster. In fact, he even devised wild areas to speed up his progress. By using the Oshos. He just needed time.


    s, time ran out on him unexpectedly.

 Chapter 29 What It Feels Like To Feel P1

    Vik could onlyugh at Eren''s inhibitions after experiencing a literal death. He thought that Eren should have given Reece a chance. His acting aloof while feeling inferior had made her suffer more.


    Vik''s mindset had also changed a bit after experiencing death. He now believed people should chase after their dreams without caring about self-assumed inhibitions. Because most of the time, they are only in one''s mind.


    ''I''d rather ept her than turn away from her. This kind of unconditional affection is difficult to find no matter how it originated in the first ce.


    If I''m not suitable for her just because I''mgging, I''ll just catch up with her and ovee her progress.''


    Vik decided what he needed to do and chuckled while looking at the ceiling of his room. He could see that there were yooperlite stones attached to the ceiling that would absorb the surrounding mana and produce a faint light.


    These yooperlite stones were prevented from producing light due to an intricate circr pattern that also exuded a very faint luminescence. Vik understood it to be an array from Eren''s memories. This was why his room was dark despite there being a light arrangement set in his room that ran on mana.


    Elysian cities were known for their fusion of mana-based systems with technological wonders. Technology had reached new heights after they started using mana as their mainponent.


    Something that Vik was not used to seeing while staying in Wastnds. He wouldn''t approve of it. But he could now understand why citizens of Elysian cities were used to looking down on Borgys that they had only heard of.


    "Eren¡­ aaaah¡­ you¡­"


    Vik''s wild thoughts that were hopping from one topic of interest to another like a monkey on speed were put to rest when he heard Reece''s voice. He looked down and realized that his kneading had a partially unintentional effect on the young girl.


    She was looking at him with pent-up desires in her eyes.


    Vik smirked when he looked at Reece. He channels his mana and manifests lightning tongues at the tip of his fingers once again before using them to knead her buns while looking in her eyes boldly.


    Reece was jolted from her half-curling-up position. In the next moment, she was looking into his green eyes with her rosy cheeks indicating that she was turned on a bit. As she climbed over Vik, her groin was pressing against his Little Guy, who had woken from his slumber.


    Subtle sexual energy was summoned into the room that was slowly turning bright because of the morning sun. Vik was no virgin. He had already hooked up with a bunch of Mamacitas that his brother had set him on dates with.


    So he handled this energy with ease. Death teaches you many things. One of those is the eptance of sex as part and parcel of life. However, one need not necessarily have to die to ept this truth of life. They just had to be open to these feelings that were as natural as breathing.


    Vik was never shy. But he wasn''t involved with them the way Tory was. He couldn''t.


    He just couldn''t connect with the girls he had dated. The most he could do was enjoy theirpany a bit. But those feelings offort ceased to grow beyond that realm.


    Eren was not like Vik when it came to this. The guy was serious when it came to dealing with matters of the heart. He cared about Reece when he wasn''t trying to be with her. And he cared about her more when he started to develop feelings for her.<sub> </sub>


    So when Vik received Eren''s memories, he also processed his feelings. Those feelings echoed in his heart. He found himself sharing moments of proximity that could only be shared with two people who were involved with each other on a deeper level. One could say that Vik was using Eren''s blueprints to reciprocate with Reece.


    "What¡­ what were you doing?"


    Reece asked while looking into Vik''s eyes. Somehow the brave girl had found it in her to face his unabashed gaze¨C looking at him with the same intensity as he was.


    Vik was impressed. From Eren''s memories, Vik had found out that Reece was never bold with him like this. It only showed him how little people knew about each other even while living under the same roof.


    "Hm? I''m just doing what my heart wants to do, Reece. Let''s say that my story was about to end when I had a lot of regrets. So this time, with the brand-new story,es the brand-new me. Who just wants to do what his heart desires to do.


    Should I¡­ stop?"


    Reece furrowed her brows when she heard Vik''s weird speech. She was about to ask him to exin it to her. But her words couldn''t get out of her mouth when she felt that Vik''s fingers that were digging into her tush were now moving somewhere else. They were venturing into the valley between two peaks.


    "Eren¡­ I¡­"


    Despite not knowing what she was going to say, Reece was about to speak. But soon she found out that Vik''s other hand had been ced at the back of her head. Her bodynguage was sufficient to answer Vik''s question.


    Vik brought Reece''s face closer to his. He could feel that Reece had gotten wet at this point. His fingers that were exploring her valley from behind her could feel the moistness through her clothes.


    Warm breaths. Intimate eye contact. Body warmth.


    Vik kept Reece waiting a bit after he brought his face closer to his. While exciting her with his right hand that was doing its own thing down there, Vik observed Reece''s reactions up close and saw them turning her on even more.


    ''Is¡­ is this the same Eren?''


    Reece wondered as she felt her body getting warm. Her warm breaths pointed to the heat her body was generating at the time. And even she could tell that she had gotten drenched down there. She could also feel Vik''s Little Guy rubbing against herdy part.


    When the sexual tension between the pair was at its peak, Vik kissed her passionately. Even though Vik was experienced, he felt that this was the first kiss he had shared with a girl with emotions of affection. He had to admit that this kiss was more enjoyable than what he had experienced as just being Vik.


    ''So this is what life is all about. This is what it feels like to feel.''

 Chapter 30 What It Feels Like To Feel P2

    ''So this is what life is all about. This is what it feels like to feel.''


    Vikmented to himself as he relished the moment. Relished in thepany of someone who he thought he knew from childhood. It was as if he had lived his life as Eren and could finally do what he had been anticipating for a long time.


    At this very moment, Vik epted his other identity as Eren. He also felt that all his thoughts and emotions had been mixed into him, making him see himself as a reborn Vik with Eren''s emotions added to his psyche.


    There were various reasons for Vik to ept his other identity as Eren. One dominant reason was that he didn''t have a choice.


    But apart from that and various other reasons he could possiblye up with, there was one reason he hade to realize was as dominant as the first one. He liked the feeling that he could care for someone other than himself or Tory.


    All these thoughts were swirling inside Vik''s head and they felt like he was processing them in a near-stagnant world. But they were concluded within a moment in real-time, allowing him to respond to Reece''s advances.


    The young girl had taken matters into her own hands in the drunken-like haze of her desires. She pressed onto Eren''s body with hers while responding to his French kiss in a wild manner. It was clear that she was acting on her instincts.


    "Ummmm."


    Reece moaned while his lips were locked. Her tongue was wantonly dueling against Vik''s. Her moan reverberated into Eren''s ears with a bit of vibration, making him process it more clearly than what he could have only heard with his ears.


    Vik tasted Reece''s lips. He liked their vor on his tongue. He also found out that Reece had started manifesting her elemental affinity on her body subconsciously.


    Her body was on fire. Metaphorical and literal.


    Reece was wearing a white night top and white pants, her usual outfit for sleeping at home. Vik had only worn his ck sweatpants, leaving his torsopletely exposed. It was Reece who had removed his tee earlier while he was sleeping. To make himfortable. The guy was sweating because of his condition after all.


    When Vik saw that a green fire had been manifested on the exposed parts of her arms, he wasn''t surprised. He also felt that the mes weren''t harmful to him or their surroundings. The mes just burned silently, as if they were not real.


    Vik immediately understood that there was a difference between his elemental manifestation and Reece''s.


    His elemental manifestation was wild and could affect the surroundings even when he didn''t want to. That''s because he didn''t make the mana his own before manifesting it due to theck of a mana core. Basically, his body was just a conduit for the mana to manifest into his element.


    ''Theck of mana core is my biggest weakness at this point.''


    Vik didn''t stop thinking about his ns even while he was busy sharing an intimate moment with Reece. The Vik-part of him was allowed to think these thoughts as the Eren-part of him indulged in Reece''spany.


    The lust could be clearly seen in Reece''s eyes right now. The mini green mes on her exposed skin were getting brighter. She gripped Vik''s hand and guided it to where herdy part was between them. She kissed him passionately as she did that.


    Vik could onlyply with Reece''s advances. As his other hand pressed his partner''s buns more, he gave his fingers a workout.


    Explore. Rub. Press.<sub> </sub>


    Vik''s fingers worked like they were ying Moonlight Sonata on a piano that only had two keys. After a while, he could also notice a certain musky aroma lingering in the room.


    Vik realized that it was Reece. Her love juices were overflowing. He wasn''t surprised by that fact. What surprised me more was the fact that he could catch a whiff as if he was staring right at the source. Even as a false Rank 1, his body stats were above normal humans.


    Just when Vik thought he should take things to the next stage, Reece''s expressions changed and her body froze. She gulped and looked in the direction of the door before quickly jumping away from Vik''s bed.


    ''What the¡­''


    Vik was confused by Reece''s sudden actions. Just when he was about to ask her why she was giving me blue balls, he saw the reason for which Reece had done what she had done.


    Knock. Creak. Open.


    ***


    Morning 7 AM.


    "Reecy dear. Eren, I am sorry. I was just checking up on you. I didn''t know you guys were¡­"


    A young-looking mature woman was seen chatting with two teens at the breakfast table. The white-haired young man and the green-eyed girl seemed to be busy eating their fill as they concentrated on what was on their tter entirely. They seemed to be on the clock.


    But if one looked close enough they would find that the teens were trying to look away from the interrogative gazes of the woman who was sitting on the other side of the table, having the same breakfast as them¨C Waffles.


    "Mom, there''s no need to be sorry. We weren''t doing anything. I was just helping Vik stretch a bit before his morning routine exercise. Unlike you, I actually care about us. Hmph!"


    This attractive woman was Rumi Green. She was Reece''s mother. She was a very attractive brte with pretty facial features, a sharp jawline, and dark green eyes. She was taller than even Vik and her curves were prominent.


    Even when tied, her long hair reached her posterior. And she gave off a very caring aura. Yet Vik could feel that her existence was on a higher pedestal than him or even Reece who was Rank 1.


    Rumi chuckled when she heard her daughter''s answer. She focused her gaze on Reece beforementing in a taunting manner.


    "Oh yeah? You were conceived because of the same stretching exercise, sweetie. So make sure you take precautions. Hehe."


    Rumi couldn''t control herughter as she looked at both Reece and Vik. She then focused on Vik AKA Eren who didn''t utter a word the whole time.


    The guy looked at those waffles as if he had found something mysterious hidden in them. He was devouring them like this was hisst meal of life.

 Chapter 31 Stardust Guild

    Morning 7.30 AM.


    A car that had arrays underneath it instead of wheels zipped through the near-empty streets of suburban Phoenix.


    The ever-changing scenery he saw while in the car reminded a certain hustler of how ill-privileged the ce he lived in not so long ago used to be.


    The fusion of mana and technology was everywhere. There were mana-powered spectral disys that were disying various things about products Vik never heard of.


    Superfoods that increase body stats. Mana potions with various properties. Artifacts of various types and effects-- categorized by their elemental affinities. Array and runic scrolls, which could be used for a variety of purposes.


    These were some of the things Vik could understand because of Eren''s memories. He''d have to research others to find out more.


    Vik had a lot of things he needed to ask questions on. But there was one thing he thought he should ask first while he was witnessing the brilliance of an Elysian city from the shotgun seat. Reece was driving.


    "Reece, what rank is Aunt Rumi again?"


    Vik asked while keeping his attention on those spectral screens that were on either side of the road. He had felt that Rumi''s existence was more prominent than she had let on.


    Even though he wasn''t an official ranker, he could feel the difference in their level with the way he felt around Rumi. it was akin to being near a nuclear reactor without a protective suit on.


    Reece sighed when she heard Vik''s reaction. She too kept her eyes on the road while responding to Vik''s question.


    "Did you feel too? You have a very keen perception, even without the mana sense, Eren. That''s right. In herst expedition, Mom attained Arch rank.


    Her ridiculous progress is a bit frustrating for me. It feels like no matter how much I try to catch up to her, she just keeps on moving ahead."


    Vik raised his eyebrows when he heard the term Arch. This was the Rank 3 ranker''s title when they broke past the Awakened rank. He sorted his thoughts and chuckled before replying to Reece.


    "Hehe! I feel the same looking at you, Reece. It''s fine to feel these things. You just don''t let these feelings drag you down."


    This was the first time Reece had heard Erene clean to her regarding how he felt about his unranked status. She was a perceptive girl as well. She could tell that his unranked status was bothering Eren a bit. That''s why she was paying extra attention to him.


    Reece felt that all her efforts of reaching out to Eren had finally paid off. She smiled and was about to respond to Eren''sment when the guy spoke first.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not disheartened. At least not anymore. I can feel it. I''ll be an official ranker soon, Reece. Trust me."<sub> </sub>


    Vik said and assured Reece. Thattter also calmed down after hearing his positive outlook. It was as if Eren had been reborn with a newfound drive for his goals.


    Reece wanted to talk about something that happened between her and Eren today. But the guy seemed too upied with his thoughts. She was also hesitant to bring up the subject herself.


    So she let the matter go and focused on driving the mana-fueled car. The automated cars had more licensing procedures in Elysian cities. So people that didn''t like restrictions ced on them preferred to drive the car by themselves.


    Vik scratched the back of his head as he remembered something. He pursed his lips before saying out loud.


    Reece, I''m trying to reinvent myself through a mind training program. So I would appreciate it if you could call me Viktor sometimes. Or Vik, if you feel like it.


    I know how weird that sounds. But let''s consider this as part of the process that requires me to train my mind and envision myself as a new person."


    Reece looked at Vik funnily when Eren came up with a weird idea to call himself Vik out of the blue. But she looked at him and saw that he seemed serious. So she could only nod to him after mumbling a few things to herself about how she didn''t understand what boys thought about these days.


    Vik wanted to feel like himself even in his changed life. He didn''t want to lose his previous life and past experiencespletely. The guy''s roots and his struggles were an influential part of his persona. So he''d prefer if people that knew him also called him Vik. That way, he''d always get reminded of his past life.


    This was something very personal to Vik dimir that had the emotions and identity of Eren Elijah Idril. And he was d that Reece just epted his request without raising any questions.


    ***


    Weavers Needle, Elysian City-State of Phoenix.


    After around 45 minutes of driving from his supposed home, Vik found himself looking at a small, three-story building that screamed simplicity. The building was currently housing the Stardust guild. He was working at this ce for the time being. Or to be precise a ce where Eren used to work.


    Weavers'' Needle used to be a tourist attraction because of the 1,000-foot-high column of rock that formed a distinctive peak visible from miles around. And it was still there for everyone to see. But the area around it was notpletely barren and lifeless anymore.


    Constructions like Stardust''s guild building were present after a set distance from each other. It was apparent that the ce was a preferred spot for small guilds like Stardust.


    Eren worked as a non-ranker support staff here while Reece was the official member of the guild. The kind of job that was usually taken by mortals. This was the disparity that had given the previous Eren his inferiorityplex when hepared himself to Reece.


    Reece was busy parking the car in the parking lot. She had dropped Vik at the front gates. Thetter was about to enter the premises when he heard a familiar voice.


    "Yo, Eren. How is it going, my friend?"

 Chapter 32 Scare Tactics

    "Yo, Eren. How is it going, my friend?"


    Eren heard a voice from behind him just when he was waiting for Reece.


    This deep male voice seemed weing. But the New Eren knew that it was anything but. This was the person original Eren hated the most because of the torture he had put him through.


    Eren turned around and saw a young man in his early twentiese toward him with a gracious smile on his face. He suddenly disappeared from his position when his gaze met Eren''s and appeared right in front of him. In an attempt to scare the unranked loser that had just turned around.


    Eren blinked his eyelids and saw the guy''s face up close in the next moment. Ideally, it should have shocked him as well. But the Vik part of the new Eren knew how scare tactics worked. He was ustomed to implementing them himself. So he stared at the ck-eyed young man fearlessly before responding.


    "Listen punk. You may think that you are some bigshot in front of me because of your Rank 1 status. And maybe you are. But don''t get cocky with me. At least not the current me.


    I''ll yank your balls off, skewer them before roasting them over a campfire, and feed them to you along with your chopped dick as a side dish if you try to mess with me anymore.


    It would be one hell of a gourmet meal you''d ever have a chance to taste. Proceed if you find the opportunity tempting.


    Do you understand me, Stan Bigman?"


    ***


    There was only one reason Stan Bigman hated Eren Idril. He hated him for the attention Reece was used to giving him. What made him madder at Eren was the fact that Eren was a non-ranker.


    Life in Elysian cities was not as simple as it looked. It was different from the life Vik was used to seeing.


    In Elysian cities, an energy field was raised to prevent the popce of barrennds from entering. Elysian cities had the majority of their poption as rankers.


    Metahumans were at the lowest level of hierarchies. Mortals were even worse off.


    The denizens of Elysian cities didn''t know much about what happens in the barrennds or destends. For the most part, they were isted from what was happening outside their cities or the Elysian cities nearest to them.


    The denizens of Elysian cities were not allowed to visit barren or destends either. Basically, humanity was divided into various pockets of categories ording to the various statuses and positions they served in.


    People of Elysian cities had only heard a few things about mortals living in the destends. By now, these mortals had been stereotyped as backward and uncivilized.


    There were various reasons or hoaxes given for preventing people living in Elysian cities from entering barrennds. The first rumor was that the poption had been infected with a deadly virus. The second was that people living in Barrennds were so savage that they would eat a person whole if they found out that they belonged to the Elysian city.


    Being from one such ce, Vik knew that all the facts about "Bourgys" that were being sold to the normal populous of the Elysian cities were bullshittery. He had alsoe to realize why the governments of all the countries would do nothing to resolve these hoaxes. They even promoted it so that people wouldn''t ask to go into barrennds.<sub> </sub>


    The MCP chip.


    Vik had zeroed in on one possibility of keeping the poptions separated from each other. The secrecy regarding MCP chips might be one of the major reasons behind this setup.


    The world was filled with even more cruelty than during the previous era. It was designed to suppress the weak and support the strong in a much harsher way than before.


    There were unwritten rules about societal hierarchies in Elysian cities. Therefore, Stan was not the only one who was trying to mess with Eren. His closeness with Reece bothered a lot of guys who were officially members of the guild because of their ranking status.


    If that was the only source of envy, it would have been fine. But even captain Miranda Bloom treated him well. She allowed him to use various facilities meant for rankers for his benefit. He just had to do a few technical tasks for the guild in return, apart from his regr chores.


    Most teenagers in a society shaped by such rules were used to holding grudges for petty things. The raging hormones in their veins made them think from somewhere other than the brain. This effect was only multiplied further when they became rankers.


    Eren had been beaten in dark alleyways. He had been trashed when nobody was looking. He would be called names for his non-ranking status.


    Most rankers Eren met would tell him that he should stick to mingling with mortals. That''s because it became increasingly difficult to be a Metahuman as one got older. Even if they be Mtahumante in life, their potential to advance to the next rank would have been exhausted.


    With the way Vik was, he was bound to stay as a non-ranker even if he could sense mana around him.


    Even Eren knew that things would be a lot easier if he just gave up being a ranker and hung out with Mortals. But there was some part of him that refused to give up.


    ***


    "Do you understand me, Stan Bigman?"


    Stan was so shocked by hearing Eren''s response that he forgot to speak. This was the first time Eren had ever talked back to him. Most of the time he hadn''t even uttered a word when Stan had trashed and beaten him various times when Reece wasn''t looking.


    Plus, Stan could have never imagined that a mild-spoken guy like Eren would use such words to threaten him. This was the first time he had ever heard about a man skewering another man''s balls before serving them to the same person as a gourmet dish.


    For some reason, Stan felt like Eren was trying to convey that his own balls would be better than superfoods for him. And for some reason, he began to be afraid of this new Eren.


    Stan Bigman was livid when he finally processed the words that were said to him by Eren with cold eyes and nk expressions. He even hated himself for briefly being intimidated by a non-ranker.


    "Listen here you little shit¡­"

 Chapter 33 Miranda Bloom

    "Listen here, you little shit¡­"


    Stan was about to get into a physical altercation with Eren when he verbally defiled him to no end. But then thetter crashed on the ground himself and wailed in agony as if Stan had punched him in the guts.


    Stan was stupefied by the act. But Eren didn''t stop there. With both of his hands holding his seemingly injured stomach, he cried out to someone.


    "Aaaaagh! Reece¡­ help, Stan¡­ he is trying to kill me."


    Reece who wasing behind Stan heard Eren''s voice and executed her movement spell right away. Both of her legs were engulfed by green mes before she disappeared from her position. In the next moment, she appeared beside Eren, bent down, and embraced him in her arms.


    "Eren¡­ what¡­ what happened to you?"


    Reece seemed visibly panicked. She just heard Eren''s cry and rushed to the scene without hearing what Eren had to say. The hustler didn''t mind. He repeated the whole turn of events for her.


    "Reece did.. Aaah fuck. Did you remember you were asking about the wounds that I had received during my training? I lied to you. They were all inflicted by this guy and his rowdy group of friends."


    Eren spoke while his face still showed signs of pain and agony. He pressed his lips against one another as if trying to deal with the pangs of pain before speaking once again.


    "I don''t know what I have ever done to these guys, Reece. They just keep on harassing me physically and verbally for no reason. Even today, I was just waiting for you here. This guy jumped on me from nowhere and punched me."


    Eren stood up with Reece''s help as he said that. He even used the opportunity to slightly hug Reece in front of Stan while giving him an unnoticeable smirk. Once again, the expressions on his face were those of pain, as if he were wearing many masks at once.


    "If this keeps happening, I''m afraid I''ll die before breaking into Rank 1. Could you ask Captain Miranda to help me out in my current state?"


    Reece looked at Stan with a nk look on her face. But those who knew her well could tell she was extremely angry. She was about tounch her attack spell on the guy. But then Eren intervened.


    "No, Reece. Not like this. We are not Bourgys, are we? Let''s file an officialint against Stan and his lot. We''ll let her handle the rest."


    Reece was about to argue with Eren. But then she quieted down and nodded at him. She let him keep his arm over his shoulders and walked him as if he was unable to walk properly.


    The hustler had overacted his part. He had said that he was punched in his guts. But now he was walking as if his legs had been injured. He had to thank his lucky stars for overacting and still managing to find a buyer for it in Reece.


    This whole time Stan was silent.


    He didn''t know what had just happened here.<sub> </sub>


    ''I didn''t hit him, did I?''


    Stan thought to himself as he watched Reece and Eren enter the guild''srge wee hall. As he reyed the scenes of what just happened in his head, he got angrier than before.


    He was also confused and baffled by Eren''s transformation in his personality. The way he behaved and acted. Stan wanted to scream that he was the victim in this whole fiasco. At least this time, he was.


    ***


    "Stan, Jayce, and Ralph. You''d not participate in this week''s raid. I''ll request other team members from the guild master for this mission.


    Also, you''d have to pay 10 mana quartz each to Eren for all the damages you have done."


    Stan, Jayce, and Ralph were fined heavily for the torture they had put Eren into all of a sudden. The trio''s expressions were a cocktail of puzzlement, anger, and unbelief. Jayce and Ralph both looked at Stan who was supposed to be their leader. He just gestured to the duo to keep their mouths shut and meet him outside. Since they were not participating this week, there was no need to be here.


    It was Miranda Bloom who handed out this punishment to the trio. Reece and the trio were members of her team. Eren was assigned as support staff for the same team. So he called Miranda captain too.


    Miranda had lustrous golden-blonde hair and gray eyes. She had a sharp nose and naturally cherry-pink lips. Her rosy skin spelled unblemished perfection. Her bust size was prominent. And her waist was exceptionally slim. Her ample derriere gave her an hourss figure. Plus, her thighs were as shapely and gave her a fuller figure. Her feminine charm could make any man''s heart race, young or old.


    Yet, the most exceptional thing about her wasn''t her beauty. But her ranking status as a Meta in their 9th stage. She was a step away from breaking into the Awakened rank. And this was when she was technically a teen. Just a few days away from entering her 20s.


    Miranda always appreciated Eren for his behavior and for the work he did. She doubted that Stan and the rest were creating problems for him for some time now. But she couldn''t do anything until the guy came forward and asked for help.


    The punishment she had given to Stan and the rest could be considered the maximum punishment she could give the Metas for their transgression against a non-ranker. Things would have been different if Eren was a ranker as well. After all, societal and official rules were skewed toward benefiting rankers more than mortals and non-rankers.


    There were rules set for non-rankers'' and mortals'' safety and well-being. But they were more like guidelines for the ranker poption. When a ranker engaged with mortals too much, they were considered to be losing their footing. The other rankers would view them as kingfish in a small pond if they bullied weak mortals.


    It is unlikely that any mortal or non-ranked person would use these rules against any ranker regardless of how much of a need they might have. Rankers were known to hold grudges. The mortals liked to stay away from the repercussions that would follow if they got a ranker into any kind of trouble.


    Vik didn''t care about these self-assumed repercussions. There were negative consequences to not taking action as well.


    He''d rather face those repercussions head-on than let someone else walk all over him. At least, with this route, he could anticipate when they would being and take necessary measures ordingly.

 Chapter 34 Adjusting On-Job Routine

    "Eren, you finally spoke up. I was waiting for you to do that, you know."


    Miranda smiled at Eren as she said that. She knew Stan and the rest would try to harass the young man in front of her some more in the next week. So she had decided to keep an eye out for him in case they did that.


    Eren had earned a week''s breathing room with the stunt he had pulled off just now. He had also understood that his act alone was not enough. Miranda knew something about Eren''s torture by Stan and the rest. That''s why she had taken this action.


    "Thank you, captain. I owe you one."


    Eren spoke to Miranda while bowing a bit. She was a step away from entering the Awakened stage. Lower ranked employees showed respect for their superiors through this action.


    Miranda chuckled as she tucked her glossy blonde locks of hair behind her ears before speaking up.


    "Really? Then be an official ranker and be part of my team. I don''t think I''d be able to ask for a better teammate than you."


    Eren nodded at her stoically before responding.


    "Indeed, captain. Just listen to the few requests I have."


    Eren was requesting a change in his routine. This included getting the guild members ready for Oasis 21 codename Ghaan. It meant he had to check whether the bodies of official guild members were ready for the dive into Ghaan or not. He would also ensure that their gear was in order and their vitals were in sync when they were logged into Oasis.


    Eren also had topile the data of other guilds and their members. He would also work as backend support whenever needed. Plus, while the captain was logged into Ghan, he would serve as a point contact for her and the guild master.


    Apart from this, Eren also worked as an errand boy for the team. To earnmission from the guild members, he would serve them beverages and mana-influenced nutritional supplements whenever they got out.


    This was not all. The guild members would decide their ns in the morning and the dive into Gahan would begin in the afternoon. Till the n is worked out, Miranda will assign Eren a workout routine. He would be allowed to use the guild''s workout facility which would aid his ascent into official rank.


    Therefore, his daily routine included serving the guild members of his team with beverages. Afterward, he would take care of any requests they had in regards to the Giaahan that he could handle on his end.


    Once these roles were served, he would then start his training regime that included various arm, chest, back, and leg workouts. Of course, the work was nned while keeping Eren''s non-ranking status in mind. But it was still too overwhelming for him.


    The previous Eren would sneakily skip these workouts. It was too much for the previous Eren to handle the strict regime given to him by Miranda.


    He skipped leg exercises most often because they made him unable to walk for the rest of the day. That in turn, would prevent him from doing extra chores which were more lucrative for him. Therefore, cutting down on the gym routine was not only a choice born out of convenience but also out of his need for more money.


    After finishing the exercise, Eren would check up on his team once again and do more of what he was used to doing in the morning. The guild members would call it quits around 7 PM. This was the time Eren and Reece would get back home.<sub> </sub>


    For all this work, Eren would only get 1000 New World Coins per month. Or 1 mana quartz in rankers terms. This was why Eren was happy when he heard that he would receive 30 mana quartz in total from Stan and the rest. That was the equivalent of his sry for 30 months.


    If one says Eren worked too hard for too small a reward, they wouldn''t be wrong. But that was part and parcel of being a non-ranker in an Elysian city. He had to deal with what he got.


    Therefore, he was putting his efforts into too many things at once. To earn more. And to learn more. He was also focusing on the backend part of the Oasis more than actually diving into it.


    Of course, being a non-ranked entity, he didn''t have a choice but to enter a numbered Oasis. So all he did was see the world of Gihan through the eyes of Miranda''s team.


    He was also used to running various side projects because he wasn''t allowed to enter a numbered Oasis. His backdoor dive into Bourgeys'' Oasis was part of one such side project.


    Vik wanted to change Eren''s schedule a bit. Of course, he didn''t mind doing chores. He didn''t consider it demeaning for him to get paid for his services even though the job was usually handled by mortals. Work is work. No matter what it is. As long as he got paid for the job he did, it was all worth it.


    Furthermore, he earned the same amount as his basic sry through the tips he received from the members of Miranda''s team of fifteen Rank 1 rankers. Not all would be present every day. But there would need to be at least six to seven members for the raid to take ce.


    This Eren wouldn''t say no to such substantial tips. He wouldn''t even mind swindling the members into giving him more money if it could increase his profits. The hustler in him wanted to rob these rich rankers of their resources.


    It wasn''t that Eren and Vik werepletely different though. He just found it odd to work because he was beginning to like Reece romantically. Serving beverages to the same girl that he had a crush on was a bit off-putting for him.


    And yet, the previous Eren didn''t quit. He knew he was already being a burden on Aunt Rumi by staying in her house for the mediocre rent he offered her. He didn''t say a word about his torture of Miranda and the rest because of fear of losing his job which supported him in breaking into official rank.


    Despite the many differences Vik and Eren shared, they both had a few things inmon. Perseverance was one trait they both shared. Perseverance to carry one''s own weight. Perseverance to y with whatever cards they had been dealt with.


    Eren talked at length about his revised schedule to Miranda. Thetter listened to him patiently and suggested some changes. Thetter came up with a few alternatives and they finally settled on the revised regime. The hustler in him had a way with words. Miranda was all smiles when talking with him, forgetting her status as a quasi-Awakened.


    Reece had a frown on her face when her captain talked so sweetly with Eren from behind him. But she didn''t say anything.


    She found security in the fact that Eren was still a non-ranker. His being with a ranker like Miranda was as probable as someone winning a lottery. The girl then chided herself for trying to find security in Eren''s non-ranking status.


    ''Hm. I have a week.''


    Eren said to himself as he prepared himself to do work ording to his updated on-job routine.

 Chapter 35 Brush Up On The Basics P1

    ''Hm. I have a week.''


    Eren said to himself as he prepared himself to do work ording to his revised regime.


    The hustler knew that Stan would try to jump up on him after this incident. The asshole brute wouldn''t care that it was him who had started this mess. He could only remember this as him getting humiliated and swindled by a non-ranker.


    ''Gotta earn some money first.''


    Eren started serving official rankers drinks and beverages first. They discussed the progress they''d made so far in their respective ranking journeys and inside the Giaahan. He talked about how their muscles were peeking through the clothes they wore.


    When it came to girls, he talked about their progress while adding how gorgeous they were looking. In his defense, he didn''t have to lie much at this point. Breaking into an official rank provided a sort of reset for the rankers'' bodies.


    The rankers became an ideal version of themselves physically when they stopped being mortals. The mana would cleanse their bodies of impurities, providing them with younger-looking skin and toned muscles. This was the case with most rankers. And the effects of enhanced visual appeal were even more apparent when it came to women rankers.


    Due to the hustler''s glib tongue, he received an even better tip than usual. Of course, some jealous guys didn''t offer him anything for his services.


    Because of this uncalled-for behavior, the Vik part of him wanted to mixxatives into their drinks. If ordinaryxatives wouldn''t work on rankers, he might be able to find something on the ck market with his newfound wealth.


    But he held it in and let go of the petty acts of revenge. Now was not the time to mess with everyone. He already had his hands full with Stan.


    He couldn''t stop society or the whole world from doing injustice to him. He was no god. Eren doubted even gods could do that if they existed, teaching humanity about morals and making sure people understand that they should at least keep their problems to themselves. That they should also not bother other people if they couldn''t help them.


    Being weak was his fault. And he would have to correct that himself. If he can''t change the rules of the game that has been already established, he might as well make use of them to his advantage. This will enable him to rise above them.


    Eren then proceeded to check the gears of the rankers that were heading inside the Gahan. It was just a flimsy array inscribed on a metal sheet spread on a raised tform meant for rankers to lie on. This array was in sync with a spectral disy that was showing all kinds of information.


    Eren had the same array sheet under his bed at home. That''s how he was logged into Borguy''s Oasis when the events of Vik''s transmigration into his body unfolded.


    Unlike the pods which required people to get into tight-space boxes, this mana-driven sheet was much easier and more flexible to use. It didn''t restrict the users'' movements either as long as their bodies were resting on it. It was just that instead of a conventional energy source, it worked on mana quartz.


    Vik was surprised to find such a mana-based item in Elysian cities that was so different from its counterpart that he was familiar with. He had no idea that such things existed in the world. But since they were the routine part of Eren''s memories, he started to remember everything about them as soon as he started working and seeing familiar things.


    Eren''s memories were getting jogged as Vik kept on doing his work. It took him around 3 hours to find some free time. By now, everything about the morning routine was done by him.<sub> </sub>


    Usually, he would start working out in the guild''s facility meant for rankers and non-rankers. But he had made some changes to his routine. So instead of heading there, he headed to a small study room the guild had prepared for quiet reading.


    This space was akin to a library, except there were not many books present on the bookshelves. Almost all the books could be essed through the spectral screen ced in front of each seat by the desk.


    The room could amodate up to 12 people reading at the same time. But at this point, nobody was present in the room reserved for geeks.


    In his childhood, Vik liked reading books andics. He was a smart kid, the guy who liked to know more about everything he had seen. Reading had upied his mind the most because there were not many friends he had in his childhood he could connect with.


    He liked to study even when the schools were only avable for citizens living in the city-states. He did not have to give any exams. He did not have to meet any standards or work hard to get high grades. He studied just for the sake of studying. The online courses meant for children were avable on Oasis for free after all.


    He studied a few things to enjoy the process after his parents showed him the ropes in his childhood. But fantasy books were his favorite. He had read a lot of ounts of Metas pulling off some incredible feats against their enemies. So being a Meta was his dream at that time.


    But the reality of life struck him when his parents disappeared. So he stopped doing what he liked and started doing what needed to be done to survive.


    Now, after all these years, after almost losing his life and starting all over again with a different game, he was back to learning about Metas by being part of their worlds. Not the ones he had read inics. The real deals were much more powerful than what he learned fromics.


    Vik had brought with him a mana-infused energy drink meant to be used by non-rankers of lightning element affinity. He kept the drink on the study table and took a seat before tapping onto the table with his fingers.


    In the next moment, a spectral screen appeared in front of him that was up to 80% percent opaque. The screen was projected by an array that was made of runic symbols that didn''t make sense to him even with Eren''s memories.


    The screen disyed the logo of the Stardust guild which was a pentagon that was drawn in a circr array. Eren started to operate the disy by touching it with his fingers.


    Vik first browsed into the Basic section of various books avable to read to him and observed the titles that were listed. The guy wanted to understand what his new reality was. And he needed to understand it first hand, not just through someone else''s memories.


    He wanted to have a better understanding of terms and items rted to rankers. So he decided to start these things from the basics.


    Eren chuckled when he saw the first chapter of the book, Ranker 101. The book really meant it when it said that it contained basic information. He selected the first chapter and started reading.


    "Chapter 1: Introduction to Mana and Rankers."

 Chapter 36 Brush Up On The Basics P2

    "Chapter 1: Introduction to Mana and Rankers.


    Mana is an all-epassing, fundamentalponent of the universe that humans have be aware of rtively recently. It cannot be seen or felt by mortals but it exists everywhere.


    Those who can feel it but cannot make it their own by forming the mana core are called non-rankers. And those who can make it do their bidding by forming the mana core inside their bodies under their navel are called rankers.


    Mana is real as much as it seems ethereal. Mana can create, change, modify, and destroy elemental particles, seemingly defying thew of conservation and equivalent exchange. But mana too is bound by its own set of rules. Therefore, those who harness mana in their bodies are bound by the same rules.


    The rankers use mana to change or overwrite the ssicalws of physics. And the act of changing or overwriting suchws is called magic. The instructions and intricacies that are used to create magic are called spells.


    In a way, magic does not have any limitations. Nor should one form of magic be deemed superior to the other. There are a variety of factors that determine a ranker''s effectiveness in spell execution.


    A capable ranker can execute a simple spell in such a way that it would outss high-tier spells performed by a less-skilled ranker. Simrly, if a ranker has reached a high enough rank, they can use the mana itself to alter the rules ced on it. This will enable them to perform magic that won''t fall short of being regarded as a miracle."


    Eren kept on reading the things that were said about mana as he sipped on his energy drink. Normally, Eren of the past wouldn''t have wasted 20 New World Coins on the drink meant for rankers. But this Eren was different.


    This Eren wanted to break into official rank faster. So he didn''t mind spending money on it. One spends money on the things they are passionate about. And he was passionate about starting his new journey as a ranker. The conversation he had had with that unknown entity was still echoing in his head after all.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren mumbled to himself as he continued reading. He realized that all the other stuff about mana and magic were all conjectures drawn from experiences. So he quickly wrapped the first chapter and moved on to the next one.


    "Chapter 2: Rankers and Their Path to Power.


    When a ranker forms a mana core in their body, they are considered to have reached the Rank 1 stage called Metahuman.


    There are various ways a non-ranked person could break into the official rank. There are mana core awakening potions avable in the rankers'' market. Though they are sold for a steeper price so not everybody can afford them.


    Another way to break into an official rank is by practicing a ranking technique meant to be used by non-rankers. But ranking techniques have be almost inessible to the general popce because of the rules and restrictions put in ce by governments and establishments all over the world.


    Mana core formation could also be stimted in the body through Oasis. But non-rankers are only allowed to use a special section of Oasis meant for them. And ess to that part of the world would also end up costing someone a sizable amount.<sub> </sub>


    The most effective and easy-on-the-wallet way for non-rankers to enter the official rank is by putting their bodies through an intensive workout regime.


    A ranker who chooses this way to achieve their Metahuman rank gets higher body stat values than someone who uses other easier methods. Training and working out, therefore, are considered the foundation of being a ranker.


    After entering Rank 1, Rankers can choose various guilds to ess the numbered Oasis their guild is allowed to ess and progress in their rank. The details of which would be shared with rankers after they enter the official rank and join the guild."


    "Let me know what the fuck is up with numbered Oasis, damn it. These cocksu*king numbnuts¡­ bunch of¡­"


    Eren cursed loudly when he read that arge part of the information about how rankers progressed in their ranking journey was only when he sessfully joined a guild. After inspecting the surroundings, he restrained himself from exhibiting outbursts. This was technically a library. He shouldn''t disy how foul his mouth would get even if there were no listeners.


    Eren sighed and thought about his previous circumstances. It was already a miracle that he was able to gain this much knowledge about rankers. So he quickly brushed aside the disappointment he felt and continued reading.


    Eren could remember bits and pieces about Gahan and the numbered Oasis by working as support staff and listening to rankers'' conversations. To connect the dots, he needed to gather the right information.


    There were other books he could read as well. But they weren''t essible to him because of his non-ranker status. Only official rankers and above could ess information meant for rankers. Strict controls were put in ce all over the world, even inside the Elysian cities to keep the spread of information restricted to only rankers''munities.


    Eren didn''t mind the restriction on news at this point. Even the basics of the city, known to all residents since childhood, were a revtion to him. Reading those things assured him that the things he had in his head as original Eren''s memories weren''t his delusions.


    Eren finished his 2-hour reading session when Miranda called him on the same screen he was using to read. He quickly got up and started his main job, which was to tend to rankers and make them ready for the dive into the numbered Oasis.


    When everybody was logged into the numbered Oasis, an energy shield was raised around each of their bodies. This was to protect the rankers'' bodies from any mishap while they were exploring the terrains of Gilhaan.


    Vik predicted that the energy shield would get retracted on its own if and when the rankers'' consciousness returned to their bodies. That''s how Reece was able to nt a sneaky kiss on him just before the moments before his wakefulness into the new world.


    By the time Eren was done with his regr job, it was 7 PM. It was time to leave the guild and head home.


    Reece was surprised when Eren said no to her when the former came to pick him up.


    "You go ahead, Reecy. I''ll hit the gym now. Be homete."

 Chapter 37 Loving The Process

    Mana points. Mana pathways. And mana circuits.


    Eren needed to put his body through an intensive workout to stimte these meta organs present within his body.


    The rankers'' bodies featured these aspects that made them who they were¨C not mortals. Theseponents didn''t have a physical foundation. They existed between the boundaries of touchable and untouchable realities.


    And yet, these were the most critical aspects for a ranker. Without their existence and development, a non-ranker would not be able to enter the official rank or progress further than being a Meta.


    A ranker''s body contained small deposits of mana at specific intervals. These points had umted mana that only moved or expended when the ranker willingly or subconsciously made use of magic through spells. These were called mana points.


    The mana pathways connected mana points in various ways. These mana pathways created a web of mana veins that allowed umted mana in mana points to move or get dispelled in a certain way.


    The mana circuits were a select group of mana points and mana pathways that could be considered as a whole for certain spell execution situations. Spells are written with instructions on how to activate the rankers'' mana circuits, enabling the spell to have the desired effect.


    All the mana circuits were connected to the mana core that was located under the ranker''s navel. And by that definition, every mana point and mana pathway was connected with the mana core which was used as a primary energy source by most rankers.


    A spell would take into ount mana points, mana pathways, and mana circuits as a whole under the control of the ranker. It would tell the ranker which mana pathway and mana point one needs to control to execute a certain spell. The description of thisbination in depth was known as spell book or spell scroll.


    The rankers needed to study the spell, practice activating the mana circuits in their bodies as per the spell''s requirements, and memorize the process to remember it fully.


    Once they had practiced the spell enough, they could also tweak it to suit their desired output or needs. This could be done when the ranker had made the spellpletely theirs.


    A non-ranker had mana points and mana pathways. But they did not have functional mana circuits because the web of mana points and mana pathways in their bodies wasn''t dense enough. Plus, they were missing the power source to make use of this intricate system- the mana core. Therefore, they couldn''t cast any spells.


    Non-rankers'' mana points and mana pathways could be stimted through an intensive workout. This stimtion could enhance the density of mana in mana points and expand the mana veins until the creation of the mana core ispleted.


    Eren was wearing a skin-hugging, runic bodysuit while lifting weights. He was channeling his mana inside his body while doing these exercises. The runes on his gym wear would flicker with faint lights whenever he channeled his mana.


    The space in which he has also had a rtively higher concentration of mana, thanks to the arrayid on the ground. As an added effect, the mana-quartz-powered array had also tweaked the gravitational force within the isted environment, making it difficult for Eren toplete his sets.


    But that was the whole point of this workout anyway.


    "26¡­ 27¡­ 28¡­ 29¡­ 30!


    Fuuuuuuck!"


    Eren cursed after he ced the runic barbell onto its raised stand and crashed on the bench nearby. He was doing deadlifts with more than 600 pounds of weight. He barely reached 30 reps in the sets of 5 reps each before his legs started wobbling. And his hands started shaking.<sub> </sub>


    Eren controlled the shaking of his hands. He had mixed his training and had already done his arms workout. He knew that he had sucked in his first daypared to the standards set by Miranda. But then he shook his head and took a long breath before pondering over his situation. His start. And where he wanted to go.


    ''A 140-pound scrawny body lifting the weight of 600 pounds while under the effect of 1.8xG is already something way beyond mortal levels. This mana thing is freaking unbelievable. And this is when I''m not even qualified to call myself an official ranker.''


    Eren wiped the sweat off his forehead and arms as he thought. He nced around to find that he was the only one there. He felt a bit relieved by that loneliness.


    Nobody was there to see his struggles. Reece wanted to wait but he had forced her to leave. Because he wanted to sweat it out with the peace of mind that the quietness and loneliness had brought to him.


    Even while struggling to catch his breath, he couldn''t help but smile. As if he was enjoying the process of rebuilding himself. He was loving the process that he had started with this workout.


    ''This¡­ this is only the start.


    This poor guy didn''t do shit. And now I have to go through this ordeal by myself.


    Never mind. I''ll¡­ I''ll fokin make it work.''


    To do more exercise than he used to do, Eren self-hyped himself. Then he kept his right hand over his left chest and felt his increased-than-usual heartbeat.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    He spoke to himself as if self-hypnotizing himself into doing something he was running away from with every fiber of his being. The experience of death had opened his eyes to so many obvious truths of life. One of them was the fact that nothing worth having ever came easy in life. Not to most of them, at least.


    Eren had been working out for more than 45 minutes by this point. And he did it while keeping the intensity of the workout rtively higher. He started doing chin-ups while wearing a weight belt that could be adjusted to change its weight as per the user''s needs, thanks to the runic inscription etched onto it. Every piece of equipment in the gym was etched with these runes.


    Eren''s muscles were sore and exhausted. As sweat dripped from his head as if they whispered in his ears that enough work had been done. That this much was enough. And his uneven breaths were making it physically difficult to say his thoughts out loud.


    Eren''s skin, which normally appeared pale, was red all over at this point. It felt like he had an allergic reaction to something. This was partially due to the enhanced gravity effect his body was subjected to. And part of it was his own doing.


    Eren knew that putting his new body through so many intensive workouts all of a sudden would incapacitate him the next day. But that''s when he didn''t take any mana-rich supplements.


    He was depending on his newfound wealth to support his body to face the repercussions his sudden workout regime change would bring. Eren didn''t care about how much he was spending at this point even though he was frugal by nature.


    Eren spent another 30 minutes in the workout facility meant for non-rankers before deciding to call it quits. He was barely able to walk by the time he got out of the guild building.

 Chapter 38 A Divergent Way To Learn

    Eren was tired after working out so much.


    Even with the mana-infused drinks that he had drunk earlier, his body was telling him to get to bed as soon as possible. He could feel that not only his muscles, but his mana points and mana pathways were also on fire.


    He had taken a gyro cab to get home. The guy retired to his bedroom after having his dinner.


    Aunt Rumi had made a simple risotto for dinner. Rankers liked to indulge in mortal food often.


    Reece looked at him with keen interest. But she didn''t say anything to him after seeing that he was exhausted and in immediate need of rest. That and the fact that the guy seemed lost in his world.


    She also found it puzzling that Eren''s demeanor had suddenly changed so drastically. After he was gone from his table, Reece looked at her mom before asking her to confirm.


    "Mom¡­ did you see the change in Eren''s behavior? He sometimes gives me weird vibes. As if the person I''m talking to is not Eren. At least notpletely.


    What¡­ what do you think?"


    Reece asked while ying with thest lump of risotto with her spoon. Rumi looked at her daughter and narrowed her eyes before chuckling.


    "Hehe. Young love. So passionate and equally immature."


    Reece pouted at her mother''s words when she heard that. But this time, she didn''t say anything to contradict her mother''s statements. Rumi chuckled beforementing.


    "It''s fine, Reece. Men stay clueless when they don''t have a purpose in life. When they don''t have anything to be passionate about. But once they find it, their personalities change drastically.


    It''s their strongest asset and most fatal w.


    Of course, I''m generalizing here. But I can see that Eren has found his passion¨C the most primal of passions of them all.


    The pursuit of power that doesn''t need any other reason to exist.


    Power to control his destiny. Power to make his own decisions in this world that runs on the principle of "might makes right". And I can understand where this pursuites from."


    Rumi sighed while looking nkly at the empty void in front of her. She seemed to be lost in some memories. Then she looked at her daughter and pursed her lips before saying out loud.


    "I''ll not say that you should stay away from Eren, dear. But think hard about investing your emotions in him. When a man like him finds his passion, all the other things will always end up being his secondary priority.


    It''s not easy to be with a man who is looking at the horizon miles away from him, wanting to chase his ever-distanced dream. It''s not easy to chase after such a man who keeps up with him when his talent blooms and his diligent work starts paying off.


    And when the payoff arrives, it will drive him even madder to pursue his eternal goals. It''s like a tiger tasting its first human blood. It would only get worse with time."


    Rumi talked while finishing her dinner. She looked at her daughter once again only to find out that the girl still hadn''t taken herst bite. The Arch ranker smiled mirthlessly as she observed that her daughter had expressions of confusion written all over her face.<sub> </sub>


    "Hehe. don''t mind me, dear. I was just rambling. Forget my advice if you think it''s too confusing.


    Do what your heart wants you to do. A ranker needs to have all kinds of experiences in their ranking journey after all. So it''s fine. Whatever decision you and Vik take, I am sure it will be the right one for both of you.


    I''ll not always be around to watch over you. I have my own goals. My own passions. But I''d be there for you when you need me and call for me."


    Rumi said after walking toward her daughter with her te in her hand. She ruffled Reece''s hair with her other hand as she walked past her.


    "Also, you better finish your dinner, youngdy. You''d have it from me if you waste your food."


    Rumi added without looking back. That finally snapped Reece out of her chain of thoughts. She finished her te and gave a small cute burp. The girl knew her mother could be scary with things like this.


    ***


    Eren locked the door behind him as soon as he got into his bedroom. He knew Reece couldn''t sneak on him this time. Aunt Rumi was going to be here in the house for a few days before her next expedition. But he locked it in just in case she decides to be bold.


    Eren had remembered bits and pieces of memories that were rted to Eren''s side project. It seemed that these memories were most affected by the transmigration.


    It was thanks to the spectral system that was only avable to Eren at his workspace that he had found some clues rted to this project. And those clues had helped him remember what the previous Eren was doing just before the tragedy struck him.


    The guy was tinkering with the thing called Oshos in his free time.


    He had asked Captain Miranda about it. Because he wanted to get ess to study material and information that was only avable to her. So she kind of knew that he was gaining ess to Bourgys'' Oasis.


    Eren stated that he only wanted to learn about the Oasis and Bourgy culture from their Oasis because it was safe. But only he knew what he was up to.


    Eren had devised a n to digest the experiences and memories of Oshos. To reduce his learning time, he wanted to absorb the knowledge that was already inside Oasis, walking on its two legs.


    The Bourgys'' Oasis was like a backyard for him to carry out these illegal experiments. After studying a lot and reading through the restricted information about Oasis and rankers, Eren hade up with an injectable script for Oasis. This script could be used to convert the constructs into absorbable packets of information.


    Vik hade to realize firsthand that Eren wasn''t a talented ranker. But he was a genius when it came to thinking of a divergent path like this. He had decided that he would ovee his obstacles to power in his own way.


    The previous Eren wanted to devour the digital constructs of various personalities to gain their experiences before making them his own. And he had zeroed in on one particr target that was avable in Bourgys'' Oasis.


    An unheard name.


    The digital construct of someone named Bruce Lee.


    A construct that could be found in Bourgys'' Oasis-- hidden in in sight along with other digital constructs that belonged to the bygone era.

 Chapter 39 The Crane’s Nest

    Bourgys'' Oasis.


    Near Lake Tolowa. Outside the City-state of Crescent Moon.


    A young man in histe teens was seen wandering on empty streets. It seemed that he was looking for something.


    This young man had white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. His hair had blue strands that seemed to glow every so often.


    ''This exins what this poor guy was doing here. The crash happened not too far from here.''


    Eren remembered the crash that had resulted in him having a second lease on life. The crash site was not very far from where he was standing.


    ''What''s done is done. Thinking about my past won''t help me now.''


    Eren said to himself as he looked at the spectral screen only he could see. The geotag on the map he had essed through his spectral screen had a glitch it seemed. It was jumping across various ces in the vicinity.


    The previous Eren hade here to look for someone named Bruce Lee. he didn''t know who this person was. But it seemed that Eren had given him too much importance in his notes.


    It was an artificial construct, he had called it.


    Eren had realized that the previous Eren hade to find out the truth about how Oshos were created. His side projects had made him aware of a lot of things he wasn''t supposed to know.


    Eren still had difficulty remembering everything rted to this segment of memories from the previous owner of this body. However, he realized that the person he was seeking had not been created using those white mes.


    The digital construct was artificially created using memories and events described and recorded via various means. These memories were then given a human-like ego by Ax the ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). Eren had used a backdoor search method to find out about this unique construct.


    There was also the magical part at y here. It was just that the original Eren could not get ess to the information rted to that part when he was researching the topic. His reach and capabilities as a non-ranker were severely limited.


    ording to Eren''s memories, this digital construct contained refined knowledge about the bygone era''s martial arts. It had stored within itself the teachings and experiences rted to Judo, Karate, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Wushu, and Mixed Martial Arts.


    The ASI hadpiled the experiences of a range of martial experts from different schools and different backgrounds. Then it chose to create a digital construct containing all these experiences.


    Lastly, Ax gave it an AI-driven ego that was based on Bruce Lee''s personality and his experiences. The previous Eren had found footnotes when he was reading the source script of the digital construct. The footnotes exined what had been done to create an Osho named Bruce Lee.


    The unknown creator of these artificial constructs was a super genius. One couldn''t know what methods he had used tobine the martial arts and weapons techniques humans of bygone eras knew. Or how did he create the ego of Bruce Lee. Least to say, the previous Eren was impressed.


    Eren hade across clues about the creator while researching Oasis. The young man had found the creator''s digital signature hidden inside many backdoor scripts injected into Oasis, which were still working. That''s how he found out about Bruce Lee.


    Eren wondered if this Bruce person really existed in the past and how different he would be from his digital construct. He also needed to figure out how he was able to digest his experiences.


    If this digital construct was half as capable as the previous Eren had thought him to be, then interacting with this Bruce Lee guy was akin to ying with fire even when the construct was supposed to be a mortal. He might beat Eren for the silliest of excuses. At least that''s what Eren thought of him.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had decided toe here to elerate his personal growth. He had alsoe here to forget about the exhaustion his real body was in. He didn''t want to experience that in Oasis too.


    ''Hm? The geo-tag has stayed stable at this location?


    Eren found out that the geotag script that the previous Eren hade up with after studying Bourgys'' Oasis had gotten stable. Eren had a high chance of finding the digital construct he was looking for here.


    ***


    Cumbend Road. The Crane''s Nest.


    That''s what Eren read on the board hanging over the gates of a small white house. It had white perimeter walls. There was a one-story house waiting for its guests to arrive some 8 meters away from the gates.


    The Cumbend road had slightly different structures of houses and shops than the rest of the visual settings avable in Crescent City. If the normal city''s cultures were city-like, the constructions on the Cumbend road belonged to the countryside of the past.


    And rightly so. Because Eren had found out that Cumbend Road didn''t exist in Cresent city outside Oasis. That meant this part of the region had been altered to amodate the location near Lake Tolowa.


    Eren could get inside the Crane''s Nest just fine. That''s because it was also running a mini restaurant in its courtyard. There were no patrons though. Eren didn''t find it strange. Some Oshos in Oasis were famous. While others stayed away from the chaos, living their normal meta life.


    "Oh, a guest? That''s a rare find in my humble abode. How may I help you, young man?"


    Eren was startled when an Asian man in what looked to be in histe 30s sneaked up on him without his awareness. Eren didn''t think that sneaking up on him was his intention. Since he had been in tune with his surroundings, they had allowed his existence to blend with them. A perfect calm. A perfect storm.


    Eren gulped as he stared into that Asian man''s intense eyes. He didn''t make him feel threatened. But his instincts as a hustler were telling him that this Osho could make him cry like a little girl.


    "Are you, sir Bruce?"


    Eren asked the Asian man who was a bit shorter than him with trepidation. Then he criticized himself for being so scared of an Osho who was only a digital construct. An emotion-based program based on a personality that may or may not has existed in the past.


    "Yes, I am Bruce Lee. Were you looking for me?"


    Bruce narrowed his eyes and watched the white-haired young man with keen interest. He saw thetter finally snap out of something before replying to him confidently.


    "Yes. I heard that you make some really excellent Dan Dan noodles. Is your shop open?"


    Eren said while looking around him. There were a bunch of small round dining tables with three chairs assigned to each of them in the courtyard. There were canopies provided for each of the dining tables, making itfortable for the guests to eat even in the zing sun.


    The time in Oasis was around 5 PM when Eren arrived here. No sun. No guests. No noise. Just a calm evening with a calm evening breeze that carried the freshness of Lake Tolowa with it.


    Bruce chuckled before bowing a bit in front of Eren and weing him to take a seat. Eren observed the digital construct he wanted to digest with keen interest as well. He knew a conversation with this guy was going to be a unique experience.

 Chapter 40 An Easter Egg

    Bruce heard Eren talk about how he learned of this ce from someone else. And he couldn''t help but chuckle in response.


    "Haha. I don''t know where you heard my name from, young man. I have rarely seen customers since the shop opened. But I''m d you are here and that you know about me. The Crane''s Nest is always delighted to have customers.


    Please take a seat."


    Bruce said to Eren in a soft and weing voice. His demeanor had also changed from that of a calm storm to a friendly businessman in a matter of seconds. It was as if the guy''s nature was as fluid as water, taking any shape he wanted it to be.


    Bruce then reacted as if he remembered something. He straightened his back and scratched the cheek below his right ear with his index finger before saying out loud.


    "You must know this, young man. There''s no staff in my restaurant. All of the work is done by me. So your order might take a while for me to process. Are you fine with that? I wouldn''t want to waste your time if you are in a rush."


    Eren shook his head before replying.


    "It''s fine. You can take your time."


    Bruce nodded at Eren''s statement before replying.


    "Alright then. I''ll be right back with your order."


    Bruce said and left Eren to his devices. Thetter had found out that Bruce was ying a zither tune in the background for his entertainment. To make his wait more bearable. Music for those who want to unwind while doing nothing at all.


    ***


    Bruce had served Eren piping hot Dan Dan noodles in an ample-size white ceramic bowl. Out of consideration, Bruce had also provided Eren with a fork instead of chopsticks and a soup spoon.


    Eren was d for the fork. He didn''t like toplicate his eating by learning to eat with chopsticks. As he picked up the fork from the cutlery, he was about to eat.


    He watched Bruce walk away from him, intending to upy a table ced in the corner. On that table was a book with a bookmark. It seemed that Eren had interrupted Bruce''s quiet reading session.


    "Sir, there''s nobody here. Would you mind sitting opposite me? I just want to talk while I have my food."


    Eren said with his lips pursed. Bruce raised his eyebrows and had a mini staring contest with Eren before nodding at him affirmatively. He walked to his table, picked the book from the table, and walked back to Eren before grabbing a chair opposite him.


    "Tell me what you want to talk about. And I''d appreciate it if you start with your name."


    Bruce said while flipping a few pages of his book. The book was about some Tai Chi concepts. He had his eyes set on the book''s content. But Eren could feel that Bruce was listening to him.


    "My name is Vik¡­ Err¡­ Eren Idril, Sir Bruce."


    Eren corrected himself quickly and had his first bite of Dan Dan noodles. He had to admit that they were indeed full of vor and packed a spicy punch. Vik was used to eating spicy food because of Tory so he didn''t mind feeling a bit of burn inside his mouth.<sub> </sub>


    He savored a few more bites of his noodles before asking the owner of the restaurant, who appeared to be running the ce as a leisure activity.


    "Sir Bruce, do you feel different here from our usual self? As if you have been trapped in this world that may or may not be real."


    Eren asked while he observed Bruce''s reaction. This was amon mind-boggling type of question people used to ask Oshos. Most often, Oshos would freeze after processing the question and restart the conversation once again as if that question was never posed to them.


    But Bruce seemed different from normal Oshos. He had a mild smile on his face as he flipped another page of his book and kept on reading. He only replied after taking his time.


    "What is real in any world anyway? What''s so special about the ordinary concept of reality that we must cling onto it as if our life depends on it?"


    Eren was not expecting a nihilist answer from a construct like Bruce who seemed very positively grounded in reality. Bruce, however, seemed to understand what Eren was thinking and exined further.


    "Hehe. I''m not saying that one should stay delusional, Vik "Err" Eren. I''m saying the reality we think we live in and the reality we actually live in could be poles apart. It''s a rtive term, more than any of us can understand.


    For example, a broke person has a different value for money than a filthy rich person. Now they are both living in the same world. They both have the same money. And they are both born in the same era, living in the same socio-economic sphere. Yet, the value of the same amount of money would be different for these two people.


    Why is that?"


    Eren listened to Bruce''s interpretation and pondered a bit before answering him.


    "But they both value money, right? It''s just a matter of how much they value it. Their point of view wouldn''t be able to change the value of money for the rest of the poption. The value stays in the middle of two opposite poles.


    Same way, the world I live in and the world you live in are two opposite poles¨C real and not-so-real. Do you ever feel the need to step out of this world and enter mine? Look at my point of view of two worlds?"


    Eren said while drinking half a ss of water. His paleplexion had a tinge of red after eating something spicy like this. But he didn''t mind. Bruce had a mild smile on his face as he replied to Eren''s philosophical question that was meant to reboot him as an Osho.


    "Why should I look at things from your perspective?


    I''m not here to live up to your expectations, Eren. And you''re not in this world to live up to mine."


    Bruce said as he looked at Eren with his brown eyes. He sighed and put his book on the table before adding up.


    "I now understand what you are doing here, boy. I always knew there''de a day when I''d be tested for my Osho and non-Osho-like behavior.


    You want to absorb the experiences and the martial arts and weapon arts that are part of me, right? Hehe.


    Unlike the rest of the Oshos, I know who I am. My creator had called me an Easter egg¨C hiding in in sight, waiting to be imed. He has kept them just for explorers like you."

 Chapter 41 Siphoning Life Essence

    ? "Unlike the rest of the Oshos, I know who I am. My creator had called me an Easter egg¨C hiding in in sight, waiting to be imed. He has kept them just for explorers like you."


    An Osho that was aware of his true existence.


    Eren stopped eating when he heard Bruce''s statement. Watching the guy with his mouth open in surprise, Eren continued to listen to what he had to say.


    Bruce looked at Eren with keen eyes before asking.


    "Eren, how much do you know about Oasis?"


    Eren took a long breath after he was snapped out of his shock by Bruce''s question. Up until now, there was a part of him that still treated Bruce as an Osho¨C an NPC as people of the past would like to call it. But not anymore.


    This was no ASI-driven ego. This was consciousness. However natural or artificial it might be.


    Bruce smiled slightly as he listened to Eren''s exnations. The hustler didn''t try to hustle the man in front of him. He could feel that Bruce would be able to catch his lies. So he came clean and told him everything he knew about Oasis, which wasn''t much from the general popce.


    It was just that he had two perspectives on his side. One perspective belonged to his life as a so-called Bourgy. The other is rted to Eren''s experiences living as a citizen of Elysian cities.


    Bruce nodded at Eren after he heard thetter''s speech. He pursed his lips and pondered a bit. As if thinking about whether to tell Eren something or not. He then tapped his fingers over the surface of the table in a rhythmic manner before snapping his fingers.


    In the next moment, an energy shield was created around Eren and Bruce, isting them from their surroundings immediately. The ground beneath was now exuding runic lines that were part of the circr array the energy shield was built on.


    Eren was confused at first. Then he was surprised. Surprised that a normal Osho like Bruce could control Oasis'' environment this much. And this was Bourgy''s Oasis where all things rted to magic and mana were extremely restricted.


    Bruce stayed in his seat but he hunched forward and stared deep into Eren''s eyes before replying.


    "My creator had told me that I''d have full autonomy over who I allow digesting the experiences and memories that are part of me. But he had told me I should make that person aware of the real truth of Oasis.


    So that he could stay prepared and make the most of these Easter Eggs. Otherwise, these experiences would be a waste. Do you still wish to proceed?"


    Bruce asked with a stoic expression on his face. Eren didn''t take long to answer either.


    "Whatever it is just give it to me straight, sir Bruce. I want the experiences you can offer me. So I''m ready to listen."


    Bruce chuckled and patted Eren''s right arm in a friendly manner before getting up from his seat. He started walking in circles around the table as he spoke about Oasis.


    "Eren, the idea of Oasis is to find something humanity is in dire need of¨C a ce where it could feel secure. I mean we are safe now. But let''s just say we won''t stay safe forever.


    From your talks, it looks like you know a few things about Oasis from both sides of the coin. So let me just fill in the gaps."


    By now, Eren has straightened his posture after hearing Bruce''s words. Then he just nodded, waiting for Bruce to speak further.<sub> </sub>


    "You know why people living in Elysian cities are kept from entering Bourgys'' Oasis and vice versa?"


    This was the question Eren wanted to know the most. He didn''t know that meeting a digital construct, or an easter egg as Bruce said his creator had called him, would enable him to unravel the mystery.


    "That''s because people living in Bourgys'' Oasis had been chosen to remain here on this. They are not meant to travel through the warp gates humanity has opened to other worlds we call Numbered Oases."


    Bruce said and watched Eren''s reaction. Sure enough, the guy was stunned. He was so stunned that he forgot to reflect those emotions on his face.


    Bruce took a long breath as he walked around the dining table Eren was sitting on and continued forward.


    "The so-called Bourgys'' are not meant to fight for humanity. They are not meant to explore the numbered Oasis. They are just here to live their 50 years of rtively peaceful life before the rest of the lifespan gets robbed from them."


    Bruce said and paused. He then pulled up a nearby chair, ced it beside Eren, and said to him while sitting on it. Bruce had done it so fluidly that it looked like magic.


    "In a way, Bourgys are lucky. They don''t have to struggle in foreign worlds, away from this ce we call home. The only tax they have to pay is their lifespan tax. It is a tax that enables them to have a worry-free life inside or outside the Oasis.


    A tax to pay for a normal life. At least as normal as it could get these days. A tax that keeps the Numbered Oasis running in foreign worlds."


    Eren''s expressions of unbelief were more prominent this time. He looked at Bruce and wanted to ask him many things all at once. But ended up asking him something that was already a foregone conclusion at this point.


    "Sir Bruce, do you mean numbered Oasis work on the lifespan mortals are robbed of after they turn 50?"


    Bruce sighed and nodded affirmatively beforementing.


    "That''s right. But instead of lifespan, what gets robbed is mortals'' life essence. And robbing them of their life essence expedites their aging process until they finally die.


    They decided that the age of 50 is an ideal bnce between enabling Bourgys to live a peaceful life and their need to extract their life essence. This will ensure the survival of humanity. It will ensure a new generation of offspring that could be used to continue the cycle.


    Bourgys that turn 50 years old have to move to government facilities or die in a ditch. But their fate doesn''t change much even if they do visit the facilities. That is the case for most of them at least."


    Eren was slowlying to terms with the new information he was receiving. Then he thought about the cruelty of the world he had already faced.


    Human emotions and the range of their manifestations were too astounding to adequately summarize in a few words. Some humans would sacrifice themselves for others. Others would stop at nothing to cause massacres for the most mediocre of gains.


    Eren''s mental fortitude had taken a new leap after he had his death-like experience and talked with that unknown entity. As long as he kept that truth repeating itself in his mind like a broken record, he was able to remain calm.


    "How can life essence be extracted by a chip? Wasn''t that chip supposed to allow us to better interact with the hardware that was avable to them?"

 Chapter 42 Absolute Control Vs. Destructive Freedom

    "How can life essence be extracted by a chip? Wasn''t that chip supposed to allow us to better interact with the hardware that was avable to them?"


    Bruce chuckled artistically before responding.


    "The chip allows contactless and gesture-less interaction with a lot of cutting-edge hardware the world is seeing these days. But that''s not its main function.


    Despite what you may have thought, the chip doesn''t just rely on technology. It also has a runic inscription hidden deep underneath it. The kind that allows siphoning of life essence.


    And yet, that''s not the only thing the chip does."


    Bruce said and hunched back in his chair. It was as if he was trying to sort his thoughts as he said those things.


    "What other function does the chip have?"


    Bruce nodded at Eren after thetter asked the question calmly. This was the sign that Eren was ready to face reality for what it was. This was no game of emotional fools. This defunct world was on the brink of destruction after the introduction of mana and technology, which required a cold-blooded calmness to survive.


    Bruce took his time to answer Eren''s question. Snapping his fingers, he took care of the nearly finished Dan Dan noodles first. The food was dispersed in the thin air along with the cutlery. Then he snapped his fingers again to summon two cups of Li-Cha into existence. It was one of his favorite teas.


    He offered the first cup to Eren while he sipped from the other one. He only started talking about how he felt the taste of Li-Cha calming his mind.


    "Do you know why MCP chips are called MCP chips? The mortals not living in Elysian cities havee up with various pseudo terms for that abbreviation these days. But that abbreviation only had one meaning in the beginning when the chip was named for the first time.


    The chip was first named Mana Circuit Prevention Chip."


    Eren had stopped being surprised. But that revtion did make him want to leave this ce and wreck some shit up once again. But then that emotion gave way to curiosity shortly thereafter.


    "Sir Bruce, why would they do that if siphoning life essence was all they were after? I mean¡­ I''m not sure I got this right. But preventing mana circuits would mean that humans with the imnt would remain mortals.


    Even so, I have seen many Metas in non-Elysian cities. How can they exist if MCP chips are imnted in them?"


    Bruce shrugged his shoulders before replying.


    "Each human is different from the other. Sometimes the remedy for an ailment that works on one won''t work on the other with the same ailment.


    There can be many reasons for Bourgys to have Metahumans born within them. Although rare, the chip can malfunction. Or sometimes the chip alone isn''t enough to stop some humans from walking on the path of rankers. Their bodies can form mana circuits despite the restrictions ced by the chip.


    But even if there are Metas outside the Elysian cities, they don''t know the path ahead. Therefore, they remain in Meta their whole life, never stepping into Rank 2 or beyond. That is unless the establishments don''t approach them to live inside the Elysian cities after signing a mana-binding contract of confidentiality.


    Why do you think most Metas from the non-Elysian cities just up and disappear all of a sudden? They are givenpletely different identities in Elysian cities, a new life that is not like the mortal life they had previously."


    Bruce said and smirked before adding further.


    People who can create their mana circuits despite facing resistance from the chip imnts are considered incredibly talented. They can be exceptional warriors when they are made aware of these things and allowed to walk on the path of rankers.


    When such gifted rankers enter the Elysian cities, their MCP chips are removed from them. Of course, they are made to enter the numbered Oasis to prove their worth."


    "Numbered Oasis¡­" Eren mumbled to himself before raising another question he had.


    "Sir Bruce, why are they controlling the poption of rankers if they need such exceptional rankers?


    Wouldn''t it be better to allow humanity as a whole to pursue the path of rankers instead of it being limited to the citizens of the Elysian cities?"


    Bruce looked at Eren with yful expressions as if he was expecting a question from him. He scratched his beardless jawline before answering.<sub> </sub>


    "The uses of fire are many. Many of these uses are for the betterment of humanity. But the same fire can be used to burn down cities and cause havoc and mass genocide.


    Do you trust the entire humanity to make wise use of the power that can cause mass panic, mass destruction, and mass killings in a short time? Especially after looking at humanity''s history in the past?"


    Eren shook his head in denial before trying to make his point.


    "That''s not what I''m saying. What is it about citizens of Elysian cities that makes them more qualified to walk on the path of rankers than those outsides?


    As you have said, there could be exceptional rankers among the so-called Bourgys. Why kill their potential and restrict them to only live for 50 years?


    Plus, rankers have extended lifespans. Wouldn''t the extended lifespan mean more life essence? That should at least make the authorities reconsider the restrictions of 50 years of life they have put on mortals."


    p Bruce didn''t take long to answer.</anda>


    "Nobody is saying people living in Elysian cities are more qualified to walk on the path of rankers. It''s just the consequence of choice. Prioritizing the greater good of humanity at the expense of subjugating mortals to their mortal standards.


    The need to siphon the life essence of arge poption is one reason behind that choice. The need to keep therge poption from making ill use of their powers and causing mayhem everywhere is the other reason."


    Bruce then snapped his fingers again and summoned a spectral screen in front of Eren. Eren watched footage of ruined cities, dead and mutted bodies lying in the streets, and other such gory details that he couldn''t help but stare at without blinking.


    Bruce continued while looking at the video that looked to be shot a few centuries ago.


    "It''s not like this hadn''t happened before. A few centuries ago, all of humanity was aware of the rankers'' path. And it had sent humanity into a dark period of destruction, mayhem, and dissolution.


    Yes. Even more than what you are experiencing right now. This video is only a small teaser trailer of that period. A grim reminder of heartless humans can be when they are equipped with powers with no ountability."


    Bruce observed Eren''s expressionless face and felt that he was preaching to the right audience. He took some time before continuing.


    "Most people are benevolent individually. But they start turning into devils when they form groups. Mob mentality as they like to call it. Imagine what would happen when such mobs areced with supernatural powers that they don''t know or care to control?"


    Bruce had a sardonic chuckle and looked at Eren''s grim expressions before verbally marching forward.


    "That turbulent period a few centuries ago almost made humanity face dark times. Yet, I would say the scale of that event was still nothingpared to what had happened before that.


    Mortals had restarted civilization during another dark time due to the same reason-- exceptional individual power. We are talking millennium years. A different civilization existed at that time that was so advanced that mortals a few centuries ago couldn''tprehend their creations. Among them were the pyramids of bygone eras that no longer exist."


    Eren narrowed his eyes when he heard Bruce say that humanity had faced two cmities because of weilding of mana. He had heard about the dark time that hade to pass a few centuries ago.


    But he wasn''t aware of the cmity that had struck the previous civilization. He didn''t even know what pyramids were because they had not existed in his timeline.


    Bruce knew Eren didn''t know anything about the first cmity, pyramids, or anything that was rted to the previous civilization of humans. He decided to wrap things up.


    "We have learned that when given powers they cannot control, humans will inevitably cause destruction. Those sitting at the high tables would have to be very dense to forget what history has taught us time and time again.


    It is for this reason that establishments from all over the world created this n to create Elysian cities and imnt MCP chips into mortals living outside them. And they did everything they could to keep the two groups separate. This was to assure each group could serve its purpose well without derailing from the establishments'' objectives.


    The Elysian cities gave the establishments a steady flow of ranker poption that they could control. And the mandate and incorporation of chip imnts enabled them to not worry about arger poption of people they couldn''t control entirely.


    This was a win-win situation for establishments. And for the most part, these restrictions allowed the establishments to concentrate their efforts on the other worlds, where the real profitsy."

 Chapter 43 Walk The Rankers Path With Unwavering Grit

    "As for the siphoning of life essence from someone who has already be a ranker. There''s a severe problem with doing that."


    Bruce said and shook his head. His shoulders slumped and he had to take a long breath before continuing.


    "When people be rankers, their life essence is etched with their mana signature, making it unsuitable to be used as it is used. So mortals are the only source of life essence we can draw upon.


    This world is running on resources brought here from other worlds. Our economies are dependent on it. If and when you break into official rank and join a numbered Oasis, you''ll know what I''m talking about."


    Eren kept quiet after listening to those limitations too. He also suddenly felt odd that he had started calling the people he was raised with Bourgys just because now he was on the other side of the fence.


    ''Such is life.''


    Eren thought to himself before looking at Bruce. There was still one thing that he hadn''t addressed yet. Bruce smiled at him before answering hisst query.


    "If you think the authorities waste talents that are born outside Elysian cities, you got that wrong. An Elysian city is just an idea to bring all the ranker poption within that region under one roof. It''s not an exclusive club that only hosts rankers that are born in Elysian cities. Exceptional rankers from the mortal poptione into Elysian cities all the time, never going back to their mortal origins.


    I mean, those who are born in Elysian cities would certainly have an advantage over those who aren''t. There is, however, amon starting line for everyone after they break into official rank and enter an Elysian city.


    The establishments and big corporations that run city-states can''t afford to miss out on the opportunity to have elite rankers among the mortals. Otherwise, theirpetitors might im them.


    Creating soldiers en masse is the need of the hour.


    This is pure business.


    And you know how they do it? How do they select potentially exceptional rankers from the mortal populous? The MCP chip keeps tabs on their condition all the time.


    Sometimes, these mortals with exceptional potential as rankers are approached only when they be Metas. Sometimes, the chip observes the supernatural changes happening inside mortals and informs the establishments even when there are no visible signs of them stepping into the first rank.


    A talented ranker would always be sought after by many establishments and organizations, no matter their origins. That''s how it is for an official ranker when this game of life starts getting moreplex."


    Bruce got up from his seat and took a few steps forward. He patted Eren''s shoulder with his right hand before adding.


    "Hehe. Numbered Oases is only the beginning, young man. What''s the fun of seeing something that has already been witnessed by others who came before you?


    The real fun begins when a ranker bes Awakened. That''s the minimal requirement for traveling through the warp gates."


    Eren also took a long breath after hearing Bruce''s exnations. Almost all of his questions rted to MCP chips and life spans had been answered at this point. He would need to visit a Numbered Oasis and find out what and how the life essence is used to resolve the issues he did have.


    Eren got up from his seat as well before standing in front of Bruce.


    "Why did you tell me all this?" He asked. Bruce shrugged his shoulders before replying.


    "Because My creator told me to look for anomalies. I am notpletely sure what he means by that. But you being aware of both sides of humanity''s current state makes you an anomaly in my eyes.


    I have a question to ask of my own, Eren. Why didn''t you start your script as soon as you met me? You didn''t have to chat with me to start the script right?"


    Bruce smirked as he made Eren aware of the script he was keeping on standby on his spectral screen. Thetter smiled mirthlessly before replying.<sub> </sub>


    "That''s because I felt that I would be in a lot of pain and misery without gaining anything if I had tried to absorb the memories you have stored within you as soon as I met you. As immature as I am ining up with these backdoor scripts, I am not stupid enough to depend on them so much that I ignore my instincts."


    Bruce nodded when he heard Eren''s answer. He then raised his hand in front of him to offer a handshake to Eren. Thetter didn''t think twice and returned the gesture. He grabbed Bruce''s hand before adding.


    "Alright, Eren. My creator had told me to make the new owner of these memories aware of a few basic things. It is meant to enable you to see and understand the need to make the right use of this gift.


    You were right on the money with your instincts, you know. I would have never said anything to you or allowed you to absorb the memories that are part of my existence if you had started the script after meeting me.


    That shoddy script would not have been able to get the job done."


    Eren raised his eyebrows in surprise when Bruce could even sandbox his script in real-time and find out about its effectiveness. Bruce watched worry lines appearing on Eren''s forehead and chuckled before saying.


    "Don''t worry though. Even if your script doesn''t work, I''ll do it myself. I''m selecting you to be the sessor of my memories.


    Of course, my creator doesn''t demand anything in return. He only has one message for you. Listen well."


    Bruce said before his face morphed into a blur. The facial features that Bruce had started getting pixted as if they were taken straight from Japanese adult videos. Eren didn''t understand what was happening until that pixted voice started speaking in a new voice, different from Bruce''s.


    "Yo. So somebody finally used their brains and thought of using the Oshos to their advantage. Hehe. We think alike. I like that.


    These Easter Eggs were created by me a long time ago. Let''s say at the very beginning of Oasis. I was a menace back then. And let''s hope I still am. Hahaha."


    In a voice that didn''t belong to him anymore, Bruce with a pixted face spoke. But for some reason, Eren didn''t back away from this weird interaction and listened to the creator of Easter eggs keenly.


    "These are the memories I selected andpiled using a lot of sources. At that time, I had a sudden epiphany that a non-ranked person like you would be able to find a distinct path for yourself with these memories serving as the base.


    I don''t know if I''m right. But I''m d that you are here. So that I''d find out one way or the other.


    Hehehe. I had left the breadcrumbs in such a way that whoever follows the trail would meet Bruce first. He is my first and proudest creation. But he is not the only one. I hope you find and absorb the rest of the memory fragments as well and see an unprecedented rise as a ranker.


    Anyway, best of luck, my inheritor. Walk the rankers'' path with unwavering grit. Be willing to shed blood, whether it''s yours or your enemies''.


    Don''t get overwhelmed by the circumstances. Rise above them. And in the end, when you be strong enough,e and meet me. I''ll be waiting.


    Brace yourself and prepare to log out of Oasis. Here ites."


    The former Bruce said everything rapidly as if this message was set on a timer. Eren had already realized that whatever would follow was going to be extraordinary. So he did what he was told and kept the logout option on standby using the spectral screen.


    After that, Eren watched as his whole body started pixting and breaking apart. These pixels started disappearing into Eren''s body through the hand he had extended to Bruce.


    Eren felt like his head was going to explode from the sudden surge of random memories appearing in his head. He quickly logged off Oasis and found himself in his room once again.


    The hustler gripped his head with both his hands and bit his lips tightly to prevent himself from yelling out loud. This was going to be another long night for Eren.

 Chapter 44 Successful Warrior

    There was a room that was filled with nighttime darkness.


    Cold gusts of winds that were born from Nyx and tempered by moonlight were finding it difficult to enter a young man''s bedroom through almost shut windows.


    Even so, these untamed winds did not yield to their obstruction. They went through the slits of windows, creating lowkey howling sounds in the process.


    The only upant of the room seemed too upied with his current situation to care about the windy night. He was in a peculiar state¨C lying on his back with his eyes closed.


    His heartbeats were erratic. His breaths were uneven. And he seemed to be caught in some kind of Sleep Paralysis. Where he knew he was watching the dreams. Yet he couldn''t do anything to stop seeing them. He was unable to move a muscle as various thoughts and memories whirled around in his head like a giant typhoon.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Defeat is a state of mind. Nobody is ever defeated until defeat has been epted as the reality."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "The sessful warrior is an average man withser-like focus."


    Some memories could be put into words. Because they were verbal. Other memories were of martial arts and weapon arts that could only be described by actions.


    And not all of them belong to the ego known as Bruce Lee alone. Some of the memories were just ordinary mortals performing extraordinary feats. And some memories even belonged to the rankers who were practicing spells for the first time.


    One had to say the creator had predicted who would have ess to these memories. So he had onlypiled those memories which suited his inheritor. Memories that could be used by someone who was either a non-ranker or someone who had just broken through into official rank.


    Muscle memories.


    Sensory memories.


    Procedural memories.


    Semantic memories.


    Long-term memories.


    All kinds of memories were getting absorbed by Eren while he was suffering from Sleep Paralysis. A mark appeared over the back of his right hand as he was processing thependium of so many memories originating from various sources. The same one he had used to perform a handshake with Bruce.


    This was a mark of a golden egg. The creator of thispendium of memories seemed hell-bent on highlighting the term Easter Egg it seemed. The mark of the golden egg disappeared after some time, making one wonder if it was real or not.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    "Fuuuuuu*ck!"


    Eren cursed out aloud as he woke up from his bed. He massaged his temples with both his hands and thought about what had happened to himst night. He did it while still sleeping on his back.


    Only after confirming that he wouldn''t fall due to sudden nausea did he get up and sit upright on his bed. He wasn''t aware when he had drifted off to sleep after processing so many memories. But it shouldn''t have been more than a couple of hours.


    "Hm? Fuck. Duty calls."


    Eren looked at the clock and cursed out once again. It was near 7 AM. He needed to get back to his job.


    Eren got up and felt something had changed about him. But he couldn''t put a finger on what. He felt like he was in more control of his bodily movements than he ever was.


    He was still as weak as before. He did not appear to have enhanced muscle definitions. But he felt like he could draw the maximum amount of power from his muscles while remaining lean.


    It was a de that looked harmless because it waspletely sheathed under the facade of insignificant.


    ''Fu*k. The creator guy was crazy. He filled my brain with too much nonsense. Now I''m getting weird ideas in my head that are nowhere rted to the rankers'' path.''


    Eren said to himself as he started walking to take the shower. He did it while having a smile on his face. That''s because, amid those sparse references that he had termed useless, there were other experiences and memories that he could make full use of during his workout regime and training.


    There was also a memory of someone of his element and nature entering official rank. Eren had a few spells he could use if and when he had his mana core. Only if he had the mana core now, he could have tested these spells.


    How long would it take for Eren to enter official ranks though? The hustler could only hope it wouldn''t take too long. His patience was running out.


    ***


    Another day. Another grind.


    Eren had finished his workout session and was heading home alone. Just likest time, he had told Reec to go ahead. He had stayed for around an hour and a half in the gym, making sure his body waspletely exhausted before leaving the guild premises.


    Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.


    Eren drank another post-workout mana-induced drink as he walked on the barren streets. In the next moment, he felt the mana getting spurred in his body and his muscles getting rejuvenated from fatigue.


    ''Totally worth it.''


    Eren chuckled as he crushed the can of the mana-infused drink and felt its rejuvenating effects. He was almost back to his pre-workout state because of this drink.


    In this workout, Eren used a lot more tactics than thest. Instead of focusing on the exercises, he had started paying equal attention to a warm-up.


    After the warmup was over, Eren did more than he didst time. Then he started diversifying his workout instead of focusing on a single muscle group. This way, his entire body would feel the burn of his workout. He had dared to do this because of the mana-infused supplements he had.


    In Eren''s case, he wouldn''t have used the drink and would have let his body recover naturally. But now he wanted to run instead of taking a gyro cab home. He needed stamina and endurance to run for a long stretch like that.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.


    The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action.''


    While stretching his legs, Eren motivated himself. He was pumped up for the long run he was about to have. He needed to go for a long run to forget about his miseries. Apletely mindless exercise that would help one be mindful of many things.


    Too bad, his fate had other ns.


    Stan, Jayce, and Ralph were following him from a distance. Waiting for the right opportunity to get back at him for the stunt he had pulled on them.

 Chapter 45 Packing A Punch P1

    Grab. Swoosh. Punch.


    Three guys were beating a young man who seemed like he''d been dealt a lot of pain. The two guys were holding the guy straight from either side. The taller-than-the-rest guy who was throwing the punch found it enjoyable to use the beaten man as his punching bag.


    The ce where this was happening was as barren as it could be. Just in the middle of nowhere, where no human activity could be seen anywhere nearby. Away from the usual traffic. Away from the security arrays and watchdog drones that had a fixed route of surveince.


    This abandoned ce, surrounded by ruined structures, had no lights other than the full moon. And it was doing its job fine since there was plenty of visibility for three rankers and one non-ranker to understand what was happening around them.


    "Did you enjoy taking money from me, Eren? This is the interest on that money that you forgot to take. Enjoy it to your heart''s content."


    Stan said with the most gentle smile on his face. As he pounded Eren with his wild punches, the more graceful he looked. Even Jayce and Bryce who were holding Eren from either side were a bit creeped out by Stan''s odd behavior.


    "Did you enjoy making fun of me in front of Reece and the captain? I''m d I could be of service to you, you know. This is my way of showing gratitude."


    Another punchnded in Eren''s guts, forcing him to vomit the food he had eaten a few hours before. Stan was fast enough to avoid any of the nasty stuff Eren had puked directly. However, he couldn''t avoid all of the stray residue of the vomitnding on his pants and shoes.


    "Now look at what you did. I''m treating you so nicely and you are being so rude to me. That''s so mean of you, Eren Idril."


    Stan wiped his bloodied hands on his victim''s shirt as he spoke with a sad face. The same one whose blood it belonged to. Then he suddenlynded a swing kick on him with the same shoe leg that had been spoiled by Eren''s puke. A way of cleaning his shoes.


    Swing. Connect. Soar.


    This time Jayce and Bryce couldn''t keep Eren pinned down. The hustler got airborne all of a sudden beforending on the ground, tens of meters away from his original spot.


    ''He is trying to kill me.''


    Eren had a thought as he stayed down on the ground afternding. His injuries worsened after the force of the impact dragged him along the ground. A ground that was studded with pointy stones gave it an uneven texture, tearing his skin all over the body.


    And this was the case while he had tried to channel his mana through his body-- conjuring whatever mana defense he could deploy all over his body. If he was a mortal, he would have been long dead as soon as the beating had started. Stan wasn''t really pulling any punches.


    "Fuck¡­ Stan. Are you trying to kill him?"


    ? Jayce couldn''t help uttering these words after he saw the state Eren was in. At first, he had thought that Eren could be cracked under their pressure after they all ganged up on him. But the guy had greeted them with stone-cold eyes. The kind of eyes that had no value for the people they were seeing.


    Jayce could tell that this had upset Stan even more. Thetter was counting on seeing Eren beg him for mercy or cry. Jayce didn''t think Stan would have lessened the beating he had already given Eren. But he was sure that Stan would have let Eren go alive at least.


    Now he was not so sure. One had to say, Jayce was right on the mark with his guesswork.<sub> </sub>


    "Hm? Why should we let him go? This cunning rat tried to swindle us of our money and muddied our name in front of the captain. Doesn''t he deserve a fitting punishment for that?"


    Stan chuckled after he looked at Jayce and Ralph. It looked like Ralph was as shocked as Jayce was after he heard that Stan was nning to kill him. But he didn''t oppose or ask Stan for anything. He had seen and experienced a fair share of violence and death in Numbered Oasis. So he didn''t think dealing with death here on Earth would be any different.


    Jayce wanted to say something to Stan but then he saw Ralph nodding his head in denial and he understood. He realized that Stan wasn''t nning to change his mind regarding killing Eren off. After all, this was a perfect kill zone.


    Stan observed that both of his partners in crime were silent and shed a sophisticated grin. He pped his hands before speaking in a peaceful voice.


    "Look at this thing this way. Eren is a non-ranker. If he stays like this and doesn''t get employed anywhere working as a mortal, he''ll be thrown out of the Elysian city with restrictions ced on him. Restrictions that won''t let him say anything about the Elysian city to those lowlifes."


    Stan''s voice made him sound like he was an extremely empathetic person. His expressions were that of stress and worry.


    Stan started walking toward Eren with a slow stride. He stretched his fingers by weaving them together and made bone-cracking sounds. He then sighed before saying.


    "I doubt Bourgys would ept a hardass like him in their groups. And he won''t be able to connect with them either because he had lived here.


    With nobody to talk to and so many differences in the way of living, our poor boy Eren would get lonely and would soonmit suicide.


    So why not finish him here? Reece would be upset knowing that he is dead. But she would soon get over him. She is a ranker and would learn how to treat death as part and parcel of life.


    She will benefit more from his death if he dies sooner. It will temper her naive mind. I need to be a caring husband to her. I shouldn''t allow her progress to halt because of someone who keeps her vision clouded.


    Let me take care of this guy for both himself and Reece. Just a bit further, Eren. I''m sure it won''t hurt much after a certain point."


    Tap. Tap. Tap.


    Eren could hear Stan''s steps clearly because his right ear was practically glued to the ground. This allowed him to hear the steps with even more vivid details than his left ear.


    He blinked his eyes still showing that he wasn''t out of his mind. They shined with intelligence. His low breaths were blowing off the dust that was on the ground. Because of the blood, he had been coughing up, his mouth was painting his resting spot red.


    ''Fuuuuuu*ck.''


    Eren cursed in his mind as he saw Stan approaching him to finish what he had started. He cursed himself even more for naively believing that he had a week to prepare.

 Chapter 46 Packing A Punch P2

    Eren had thought that since Stand and the rest were told to not report to the guild for a week, they would do exactly that. They would go out to party like usual. There were various leisure activities created in the Elysian cities to cater to its ranker poption.


    Activities that would keep these guys busy for an entire week. At least that''s what Eren thought after learning the behaviors of Stan and the others from his memories that belonged to the previous Eren.


    It turned out that Eren had underestimated the mental damage and shock caused to Stan and the rest by fighting for himself. By standing up for himself and his well-being.


    ''It''s my mistake. I should have kept Reece closer until I was ready to face these bastards.''


    Despite how he felt physically, Eren had clear thoughts and a clear understanding of his situation. As if he could iste the feelings of pain while processing them so that they wouldn''t interfere with his thinking.


    But exceptional mental fortitude or admitting his mistake wasn''t going to be enough to get him out of his predicament.


    Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.


    A random thought popped into Eren''s mind as he started processing the time differently than usual. His vision was getting red because the wound he had received on his forehead was pouring blood into his open eyes. But he felt like he had better rity and better vision than before. It was as if what he was supposed to do was clear to him.


    The experiences he had received from the creator''s inheritance and his own experiences as Vik and Eren hade together to formte a n. These experiences hadid dormant in his psyche. But his survival instincts had allowed him to unearth them. So that he could do what he had put his heart and mind into.


    While Eren was being forced toe here by the trio or getting beaten up in thest few minutes, he did not speak a word. What could he say or do that would make Stan drop the idea of torturing him? Nothing. So he preferred to keep his mouth shut. That would at least not give Stan the satisfaction he wanted.


    But Eren spoke at this point as he started to get up from his position, his body warning him against acting because of his fractured ribs and his injuries.


    "Even when I have lost my life once, I don''t truly understand what death means. I am not afraid to die, Stan. But I am afraid to die like the pathetic cockroach I always have been.


    This is not my end. I refuse to ept this as my end. I thank you for teaching me so many valuable lessons today. For helping me digest my gains. For making me aware of what "he" meant when he said, "Don''t be afraid to spill the blood."


    Stan was lost in his own thoughts about being with Reece when Eren said that. The guy took a while to process that Eren had gotten up and said whatever the hell he had uttered.


    ? But before Stan, Jayce, or Ralph could react to his barely audible statement verbally, Eren almost disappeared from his position. In his ce were a few streaks of lightning dancing on the ground before disappearing into thin air.


    The next thing Stan knew, who was already closing in on Eren, a punch was being thrown at his sr plexus. By somebody who was not even a ranker. But he had applied whatever mana he had in a way that allowed him to use it like a movement spell. A pseudo movement spell that allowed Eren to move the way he did.<sub> </sub>


    Stan was an official ranker. He was surprised by Eren''s short burst of speed. But he wasn''t overwhelmed by it. Plus, he gainedbat experience due to time in the numbered Oasis.


    Verbalmunication was not necessary when things escted to this point. Stan quickly raised both of his arms in a defensive formation and almost blocked Eren''s attack.


    Almost.


    The sound of lightning crackled when Eren poured all of his remaining mana into his punch. His punch was coated with lightning as a result. It was his element, his elemental nature, and his digested experiences that allowed him to throw that punch beyond the limits of mortals.


    Stan wasn''t expecting such a level of explosiveness or ferocity from Eren. He had thought that the guy was a geek who liked to keep to himself. He would have never imagined that there was a monster hidden in him. A monster who could breach the limits set for non-rankers and be a threat to an official rank like him.


    Stan was first taken aback by Eren''s lightning mana that had manifested itself and caused him to close his eyes. Then he felt Eren''s lighting-coated fist connect with his Sr Plexus from an odd angle, from below the defensive X formation his arms had created for him. Eren had out-maneuvered his defense by suddenly changing his point of contact and attacking from a lower altitude than initially intended.


    Eren''s foreign mana invaded Stan''s body. The lightning mana was known for its stun effect. So Stan''s reaction time waspromised even further.


    All these things happened in a fraction of a second even when it felt like they were done over some time. Even Jayce and Bryce were not aware of what was happening between Stan and Eren.


    Due to his cocktail of emotions that were part surprise and part confusion, Stan could not use his fire-element mana on time. Plus, his natural mana defenseyer had also beenpromised because of his confused state.


    Swoosh. Connect. Boom.


    Jayce and Ralph saw Stan walking towards Eren. Then they saw the non-ranker get up and said something inaudible to them. Inaudible because of how far they were from Eren. In the next moment, they saw Stan flying in the air. He was flying towards them. With even greater momentum than Eren had.


    Jayce and Ralph both looked at each other in confusion as their de-facto leader flew over their heads andnded about 15 meters away from them. Stan''s body was coated in lightning mana. Foreign mana was causing havoc inside his body.


    Even as a no-ranker, Eren had ess to the same grade of mana as the official rankers in Rank 1. And the fact that foreign mana invasion had taken ce from a point of contact that was Stan''s sr plexus made things more difficult for the lowkey psychopath.


    With the experience gained from Bruce, the lightning-coated punch was thrown by Eren. This punch was a symbol of his retaliation against his circumstances.


    A low-key psychopath had been beaten in one punch by a high-functioning psychopath.

 Chapter 47 A Philosopher Of Bullshittery

    "Aaaaaaaargh!"


    Stan''s body caught fire as he screamed in pain. This fire burns with purple mes, indicating that it wasn''t normal. It was a mana-induced fire that was generated through a spell.


    Stan''s subconscious mind had reacted and started channeling mana through his body. Purple mes appeared as a result of the same.


    Stan started vomiting as well, as Eren''s foreign mana acted on his sr plexus. He felt like the world was spinning around him as he vomited blood mixed in his vomit.


    "Fuck. Stan, are you alright? What the fuck just¡­"


    Jayce was the first one to act. He executed his movement spell and quickly appeared near Stan. He held him by his arm and helped him sit up on the ground.


    Bryce on the other hand zeroed in on Eren who looked like he was about to fall. Bryce could see that their victim had overexerted himself innding that punch. He also started coughing blood and the epidermis over the knuckles with which he had punched looked to be missing. This was showing the underlying whiteyer that was slowly getting painted with red.


    Drip. Drip. Drip.


    Eren was about to create a small puddle of blood where he was standing with the way he was losing his blood. It was only his sheer willpower and exceptional mental fortitude that had allowed him to stay on his feet.


    Executing that punch was too much for his current, unranked body to handle. He could channel his mana through his body but he couldn''t make use of it as it was being used by official rankers.


    In addition, without a mana core, he could only use the mana that had umted naturally in his mana circuits. There was no way he could execute the same move multiple times.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren felt his heartbeat with his right hand and patted it while repeating this thought. Unbeknownst to him, that thought had be an integral part of his thought process.


    Stan kept on screaming in pain as his body worked to expel Eren''s foreign mana that had intruded on one of his weakest spots. Jayce looked after him with wondrous expressions while Ralph kept a safe distance from Eren.


    For some reason, the Eren that Ralph was seeing at this point was giving him dangerous vibes. As if the guy was hell-bent onunching a suicide strike on anybody who decides to mess with him. Then Ralph chided himself for being intimidated by a non-ranker.


    "Ralph, Jayce you fucking cowards. Kill Eren. What are you waiting for? Kill him right fucking now."


    Stan had lost his signature smile. His graceful appearance was nowhere to be found. There was only pain, hate, and fear that was seen on his face. Hemanded hisckeys to act as swiftly as they could. So that they would take care of Eren and allow his nightmare to end.


    Stan could never forgive himself for getting beaten to submission by Eren''s one punch. He wanted to beat Eren himself. But it would take a while for him to heal his internal injuries. That and the fact that getting close to Eren had scared him.<sub> </sub>


    Now all he wanted to do was take care of Eren for once and have some peace of mind. Otherwise¡­ Stan was lowkey scared to think what would happen to him if and when a ferocious man like Eren bes an official ranker andes for his head. Because the way he executed that pseudo movement spell almost assured Stan that Eren was going to enter the official rank sooner orter.


    He shook his head to rid himself of his confusion before shouting menacingly.


    "Kill him. Kill this wretched man and you''d be rewarded. I promise that you will be rewarded after you get this job done."


    Jayce and Ralph met each other''s eyes when they heard Stan''s offer. They knew Stan was loaded. They had killed plenty in Numbered Oasis. To them, killing Eren for gains wasn''t something totally out of the ordinary.


    This was an offer they couldn''t refuse.


    Jayce started walking towards where he once was and stood near Ralph. He sighed and looked at Eren''s sorry state beforementing.


    "Eren, we tortured you and made fun of you over these months. And you retaliated. We get that. At least I get that.


    But sometimes, we need to choose our opponents well. We need to think about the consequences of our retaliation."


    Ralph raised his eyebrows and looked at Jayce when he heard thetter speak. However, Ralph seemed to be a man of few words and more action. He didn''t stop Jayce either as he verbally marched on.


    "I don''t me you for retaliation, Eren. But I me you for choosing the wrong person to retaliate against. That too when you were not even an official ranker.


    You have run out of your time and regret is a bitter pill to swallow. This would be over quickly. I hope you forgive us as we relieve you of all your sufferings."


    p Jayce thought that whatever he said to Eren were sensible things, no matter how unfair they may seem to him. But instead of getting angry or agreeing with him, Eren startedughing on the spot. His bloody teeth were for everyone to see.</anda>


    "Hahahahahahaha!


    I didn''t know you were a philosopher, Jayce. A philosopher of bullshittery. If you want toe at me, you don''t need a rhyme or reason to justify your actions. The reward you''d get for being Stan''spdog should be a good motivator, right?


    That speech was for your mental satisfaction, not mine. Don''t think that you can understand my life, my choices, and my struggles from your point of view on life. It doesn''t work that way."


    Eren wiped the bloody mouth with the back of his left hand and spat a load of saliva mixed within the blood before continuing.


    "In order to taste my cup of water, you first need to empty your cup."

 Chapter 48 Formless

    "In order to taste my cup of water, you first need to empty your cup."


    Eren said before assuming a defensive stance his mind was telling him to do so.


    Jeet Kune Do.


    Eren ignored the pain he felting from every fiber of his body and put his right leg forward and his left leg backward. He raised his left hand in front of him near his chest while the right hand was pointing outward.


    Eren felt like he was turning into a masochist because he was finding this experience liberating. As if part of the humanity that he had which had kept him from killing anyone was being shed. It''s as if the only limiter he had set for himself consciously was blurring his vision from blood influence.


    Using no way as a way. Having no limitations as limitations.


    Wielding one''s instincts and feelings as a martial arts style. There was no limitation in JKD. No set pattern. No set response. Just a simple way to execute direct and nonplex movements.


    ''Forget about winning and losing. Forget about pride and pain.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s mind as he assumed the stance that felt mostfortable to him in his current state. In the next moment, he felt like a lot of pain in his body had vanished.


    He also felt like there was a storm of mana brewing inside his body. He felt that something was pulling on his belly. It was like a cosmic star was being born there. Or a ck hole that had no limits.


    But at this instant, he isted those feelings from his awareness. He was so focused on his surroundings that he started hearing his enemies'' heartbeats that were standing quite a distance away from him.


    A distinct mana pulse originated from Eren at that time.


    Jayce and Ralph noticed the sudden change in Eren. they shot off their mana sense in his direction and understood what was happening with him.


    They were not the only ones.


    "This¡­ this bastard is entering official rank. Jayce, Ralph we don''t want anyplications. Just kill him before¡­"


    Jayce, for the first time in his life, raised his voice and cut Stan off. His voice sounded a bit irritated.


    "Stan, we know what the fuck is happening. You don''t need to tell us what we should do. Because we will do that anyway."


    Saying that Jayce disappeared from his position and appeared right next to Eren using his movement spell. He had already coated his fists in his earth-element mana that was turning his skin stone-like.


    Jayce had decided to use a spell against a non-ranker. This was considered a huge taboo among the rankers''munities. But at this point, Jayce didn''t care.


    With his hand reinforced by his go-to spell, Jayce threw a punch at Eren''s face with all his might.


    Everything happened too quickly after that.


    ''Empty your mind. Be formless.''<sub> </sub>


    Eren said to himself as he saw Jayce''s punch closing in on his face with vivid rity. Time seemed to have slowed down for him as he observed Jayce''s skin turning more and more like a stone surface.


    Eren entered the fabled state of epiphany. This state had allowed him to process the time differently than usual. A flow of time that was so slow that he could count to 100 and Jayce''s punch would still notnd on him.


    Eren wasn''t sure what was happening to him. But he didn''t care. His only objective right now was to outmaneuver Jayce and Ralph who were about to attack him from behind.


    ''Formless. Shapeless. Like water.''


    Eren''s monologue made him realize that he didn''t have to attack or defend against the iing attacks. He just needed to let them hit a different target. He just needed to act like water. Not getting stagnant in one ce for a long time. Eternally flowing.


    Ralph had his feet catch on fire after he had executed his movement spell. His arms were on fire too as he approached Eren from behind him. He could see that Eren was busy facing Jayce''s frontal attack. It was obvious he would have an easy time attacking his victim, which was akin to a lost sheep.


    Ralph also had fire elemental affinity. But the fire that coated his fists had dark orange mes. It was clear that the inherent nature of these mes was different from Stan''s.


    Ralph had utter cold-bloodedness when he threw that punch at Eren. He knew what he was doing wasn''t right. But being a ranker and seeing the bloodshed in the Numbered Oasis had jaded his mind.


    He had stopped caring about right or wrong. He only cared about his gains and losses at this point. And it was rewarding for him to get rid of a non-ranker. So that''s what he was going to do.


    Ralph was going to strike at Eren''s back where his heart was located. His fire mana would do its job directly into Eren''s heart, thanks to Eren not having a proper mana defenseyer.


    A less messy, less gory way for Eren to die. Ralph thought he was being merciful.


    Jayce and Ralph both had Eren in their eyes. They also had their mana sense focused on him, keeping track of the minutest of his moments. They felt secure when their respective fists were only a few inches away from their intended target.


    Bzzt¨C A bolt of lightning.


    POW - A muffled acoustic sound created by flesh impacting against flesh.


    Crackle - The sound of bones being broken by sudden impact.


    First to bloom was the lightning. Eren then almost disappeared from his ce like a ghost, allowing both of his attackers to see each other''s iing attacks and their surprised faces. It took a moment for Jayce and Ralph both to realize that Eren had used Jayce''s body as adder to climb onto his shoulders.


    Eren used Jayce''s folded leg that he had kept forward as a stand. He then used the arm that he had raised to punch him as a foothold beforending on his shoulders. He didn''t just stop there. He spun around, tilted on the other side as if about to jump, and kicked Jayce''s shoulders with both his legs coated in lightning to make him move forward.


    This was an unthinkable maneuver for both Jayce and Ralph who knew Eren was still a non-ranker and inexperienced inbat when he did what he did. And the result of that sudden and seamless maneuver was exactly as one could imagine.


    Jayce had been forced to punch Ralph in the face while thetter ended up attacking the former''s left shoulder. Their moves had been turned into friendly fire.


    ''Be water, my friend.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s mind as hended a few meters away from his previous position.

 Chapter 49 Countdown

    Blinding stars and aching pain.


    That''s what Ralph and Jayce felt and processed.


    Ralph was hit by Jayce''s stone-covered fist so hard that Ralph''s vision gotpromised and he started seeing white lights that weren''t there. Jayce on the other hand was punched by Ralph''s me fist that had been mana-enhanced to pack more strength behind them.


    Both were hit by each other''s attacks and were pushed in the same direction they came from.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    "Fuuuuuck!"


    The agony was real. Even more devastating for both of them was that they were hit by each other''s attacks. And a non-ranked rat had gotten away from their two-pronged approach scot-free.


    Did he go scot-free though?


    Eren puked more blood from his mouth as the internal injuries he sustained got more severe because of the stunt he had pulled. And yet, the hustler had a smile on his face.


    Even he wasn''t aware that he had performed a move like that. He had just let his instincts take over based on the principles of Jeet Kune Do. He had also realized that this type of martial arts was a double edge sword.


    When following this creed, the individual was not inplete control of his actions. He needed more practice and finer control of his instincts that would allow him to make the maximum use of the martial arts while keeping its foundation intact.


    Again a distinct mana pulse was felt from Eren at this point.


    "How¡­ how the fuck can he cast the movement spell? Did he visit the Numbered Oasis?"


    Ralph spat blood that was umting in his mouth as he said that. He got up from his position and asked seemingly nobody as he stared at his opponent.


    "Aaaaargh. Fuck this!"


    Snap.


    Jayce snapped his dislocated shoulder and deployed more mana defenseyers in the region to keep it safe from any more attacks. He had a bone fracture. However, as an official ranker, he had his own remedies to deal with the pain for the time being.


    Jayce, Ralph, and Stan both looked at one another and came to realize something at that point. Eren was dangerous. It''s almost like he invented the spell himself with the way he is executing it with just the feeble mana he has in his mana circuits.


    Even Stan got up from his position and stood a few meters away from Eren. Now Eren was surrounded by three official rankers who were gearing up for abined attack.


    Stan took a long breath and channeled his mana throughout his body to calm that chaos that was happening within his body. He then started casting spells that made his arms and legs catch fire. Jayce and Ralph were doing the same.


    Stan looked at Eren with narrowed eyes and said what he was thinking at the time. Almost like a confession to the man who was about to die.<sub> </sub>


    "We admit that we underestimated you, Eren. No more. It''s not like I was nning to kill you from the very beginning. But you have changed. You have changed a lot.


    The more I beat you tonight the more I realized this. It didn''t take me long toe to a decision that you had to die. Not because of Reece. But because you have greater potential as a ranker than us. We can only imagine what you''d do to us if you entered official rank."


    Stan smirked after he said that. His smirk had regained the gracefulness that he was used to faking.


    "Hehe. That and the fact that I don''t want to see the guy that I was used to calling a loser seed more as a ranker than me. What would that make me? A far uglier loser, right?


    So, I''ll just nip the problem in the bud. Guys¡­ 3¡­"


    Eren wasn''t listening to any of Stan''s ramblings. He could tell that casting spells weren''t as easy for them as it was for him even with no mana core. The guy was trying to buy time to cast spells.


    Eren had to give credit to the memories and experiences stored within the creator''s Easter Egg. he would have been long dead if he didn''t have those memories to bank upon.


    "2¡­"


    Eren took a long breath and controlled his breath. Breathing was one of the most fundamental parts of martial arts. One had to haveplete control over their breaths to make maximum use of their strength, no matter what type of conditions they were in.


    Eren then stretched his legs. He kept his right leg forward while keeping his left leg at its position. He stood on his toes and made his body feel as light as possible. He was at his limits. And yet he still wanted to face his fate head-on. He had no choice.


    "1¡­"


    A distinct mana pulse was felt from Eren once again and for a moment Stan forgot to count. That''s because he felt the invisible mana in the surroundings converge around Eren in the form of a storm.


    Eren felt like a micro bomb had been detonated under his navel as the mana core in a gaseous state formed inside his body.


    Eren had reached the official rank. He had be a Metahuman at this point. Immediately after the mana core was created, it began spinning and drew huge amounts of mana into itself from Eren''s surroundings. The first breakthrough into official rank had allowed him to make full use of his Rank 1 mana core.


    Being a non-ranker, Eren couldn''t feel much of his mana circuits at first. But that changed when the mana core was formed within him and started diffusing mana into his body through the use of mana circuits.


    His mana points and mana veins got activated and he felt like he was in more control of his body than ever before. His wounds stopped bleeding any further as the mana defenseyer that was the sign of an official ranker was naturally activated by his body.


    "0¡­"


    The countdown was finished. But it wasn''t Stan or his friends who finished it.


    Eren had said that part and disappeared from his ce. Leaving streaks of lightning dancing on the ground in his wake.

 Chapter 50 Breakthrough Into Official Rank

    "0¡­"


    Eren mumbled to himself before executing the movement spell that he had received from being the inheritor of the Maniac Creator. He had used this spell earlier when attacking Stan and dodging the dual-pronged attack. It was cast in its limited capability those times because Eren didn''t have a mana core.


    But at this time, he had both mana core and experience. So he did not shy away from using the spell.


    This lightning-element movement spell had been given a very simple name.


    Blitz Steps.


    Eren''s legs were coated in the tongues of lightning when he cast this spell effortlessly. While his opponents were struggling to cast each spell, the one who had just broken into the official rank was using their movement spell like it was no big deal. Like he had used it countless times.


    Swish. Aim. Punch.


    Stan felt a brutal impact on his chest while he was looking at Eren''s previous position with a baffled expression. As he went airborne, he saw the guy standing not too far away from where he was just now. With his hands coated in streaks of lightning.


    Stan watched with the same baffled expressions as Eren seemingly disappeared from his ce once again. His next target was going to be either Jayce or Ralph. But he couldn''t be sure or find it in him to care enough about it. That''s because he was in no condition to worry about the others.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Stan''s voice was heard by Jayce just when Eren reached him. Jayce had already cast his stone skin spell almost all over his body by that point.


    Swoosh. Bang. Crack.


    Eren executed his fist arts on the same shoulder as Jayce that had gotten injured because of Ralph''s attack. The injured shoulder had been fortified with earth-element mana acting as the stone skin for the guy. Yet it couldn''tpletely negate the force with which Eren had executed his punch on the injured part.


    Jayce was going to get thrown from his position too because of the extreme vector force acting on his body. As Eren gripped the guy''s arm with his left hand, he adjusted himself to punch at the guy''s Adam''s apple. In Jeet Kune Do, no sensitive part was forbidden to be attacked.


    Jayce felt like somebody had first attacked his shoulders with a hammer. And then they used the same hammer to attack his neck. He couldn''t even yell because the attack on his neck had affected his windpipe. One could be sure that Jayce had been seriously injured if he wasn''t one of the earth-element rankers known for their exceptional defense.


    And yet, Jayce wasn''t the only one who had suffered damage in this brief mano-e-mano showdown.


    Lightning had badpatibility with earth element defense spells. Eren couldn''t stun Jayce with his lightning attacks on the same level as Stan. Therefore, Jayce''s reaction time was notpromised.


    Eren''s knuckles had started bleeding some more despite the mana defenseyer deployed. Breaking Jayce''s shoulder and effectively making his left hand useless had its price to pay.


    But that was not all. Jayce had also strengthened his legs with his earth-element mana. He had kicked Eren on his right leg which had been put in front of him because of his stance.


    Eren''s femur bone had been fractured because of the Jayce attack that he had executed in retaliation. Eren felt like shouting at the top of his voice to relieve some of the pain. But he held it in and moved in the direction of where Ralph was only to see an iing punch.<sub> </sub>


    Bang.


    Eren''s body was thrown in the opposite direction as he received that punch straight in his face. He felt the foreign mana invasion for the first time as Ralph''s fire mana started to enter his system.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    Eren couldn''t control his agony this time and screamed his heart out. He felt like somebody was injecting moltenva in his mana veins that were near his face.


    Eren quickly channeled his mana throughout his body and concentrated especially on his face region. He did a better job in expelling foreign mana than the official rankers in front of him could ever do.


    Ralph watched with a surprised expression as the mes that had covered Eren''s face had been doused as soon as they were inflicted on Eren by him.


    ''This¡­ this guy is a prodigy-- even more reason to kill him.''


    Ralph thought and followed his attack with another punch and leg work after approaching Eren. His n was simple. Not allowing Eren even a moment of breathing room.


    Jayce and Stan also joined him with their spells after they recovered from their initial shock and pain. The three worked in unison to attack Eren without any limiters ced on them. Unlike before, this was a fight between two wides of rankers. The stakes had gotten higher than before.


    The fight continued for a few minutes. And each side used the spells at their disposal to attack the other side. The problem with Eren was that he only had himself on his side while the other side had three.


    Add to the fact that Eren had no offensive spell he could use right away. Lightning-element fists were not spells but manifestations of his lightning mana that he pumped to the max to give his martial-arts-driven fist attacks an edge. It couldn''t be categorized as a spell that tapped into mana circuits and mana points systematically.


    Eren could only use his movement spell the way it should have been used. He tried using other spells that were moreplicated and failed hugely. He also suffered spell bacsh because of failed spell castings while he was being hammered by his three opponents.


    There was only one more spell Eren could use after he had tried and tested it mid-battle. That was a healing spell. But the lightning element wasn''t known for its healing properties. So the effects it produced were nothing substantial for the mana it consumed.


    Eren soon gave up on casting healing spells on his body while he was battling with three opponents. If he kept on using the healing spell, he would run out of his new mana core sooner than anticipated.


    Eren fought the fight with exceptional perseverance. The more he fought the worse his injuries became. He had made use of every move he could use and injured his opponents with his precise attacks.


    There was strength in numbers. And Eren couldn''t ovee that strength with his powers, no matter how effectively he applied the digested memories.


    Being an official ranker wasn''t enough for Eren to ovee this life-threatening situation. He needed another miracle. A kind of miracle that wasn''t granted to anybody in humans'' known history.


    What would the miracle be?

 Chapter 51 I’ll Begin My Journey In Infinity. In Infinity, My Journey Shall End

    Eren tried all he knew to block, dodge, divert, and attack as best he could. But there was only so much he could do when he was fighting against three official rankers. Soon his mana core was about to be depleted because of his reckless use of mana.


    Bam.


    Eren was brought to his knees by Stan''s attack from behind him while he was busy tackling both Jayce and Ralph. Eren released a haywire version of the AoE spell he knew, forcing the two to distance themselves from him.


    Blitz Storm.


    The spell was supposed to create a mini lightning field with the caster acting as its center. The domain was supposed to have a radius of about 5 meters. But what Eren had cast could only be called a shoddy attempt at an AoE. Its radius was shorter than 3 meters and it didn''t cover all the area around him.


    Still, it was enough to make Stan and the rest who were already on edge back off. The guy had outperformed their wildest imaginations by fighting with three full-fledged rankers while starting as a non-ranker in the battle. He would have beaten them without any doubt had they attacked him individually.


    Stan had a wild look on his face as he drew a runic sword from who knows where. This runic sword''s runes lit up when Stan imbued his mana into it.


    "Stan. Fucking don''t. You know the rules, dammit. They arepletely against rankers using their artifacts inside the cities. Those artifacts will leave behind mana signatures no matter what we do."


    Jayce looked at Stand angrily when he said that. ''This rich bastard has lost it.'' he thought to himself while trying to make Stan realize what he was doing.


    Ralph agreed with Jayce too. The former looked at Stan before saying in a serious tone.


    "Don''t do it, Stan. We''ll be apprehended and made to sign the strictest of contracts that are nothing but very. All for what? Taking care of a guy like Eren?


    I''ll be honest here. I''m fine if we can get away with what we''re doing. Nobody cares about a lowlife among us. However, we shouldn''tpromise our careers for blindsided revenge that has no basis. Reece isn''t about to say yes to you just because you killed him, you know."


    Stan shrugged his shoulders and shed a cunning grin when he heard his friends trying to talk him out of using an artifact. It seemed he wasn''t interested in any of their talks.


    Jayce decided to give Stan a reality check while keeping an eye on Eren''s movements who seemed to have given up.


    "I''m all for that go-getter attitude, Stan. I also believe some things should be taken into one''s own hands instead of relying on luck.


    But you need to understand that the situation is about to get a lot uglier before it gets any better. You can kill the guy, I am fine with it. Just don''t use the artifact.


    He is already taking hisst breaths. Just needs a bit of push from us."


    Jayce said and made Stan look at Eren carefully instead of looking at him through a lens of unfounded revenge. Eren was seen mumbling something as blood dripped from various parts of his body.


    Eren wasn''t aware of what the trio was discussing. He had cut off almost all of his senses and concentrated on himself. His inner mind, the experiences that were swirling inside his head.


    The palm of his right hand was ced over his heart and he felt his heartbeat gradually dimming.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    He said to himself and took a long breath. He felt like he was again brought back to the pantheon of infinities. He felt that he was the only one present without any of his mortal senses or even the rankers'' mana sense.


    It was as if the past and present Eren had been summoned into space at the same time. He was experiencing the abstract form of him repeating the same thought he had recited previously.<sub> </sub>


    ''I need power so I won''t stay at the bottom of the barrel, as I always have. I need the power to rise above my circumstances.


    If my enemies are infinite, I need infinite power to rule over them all. If my destinations are blocked by fate, I need endless ways to get to them.


    I need infinite power to have infinite dreams. Infinite goals. And infinite possibilities.''


    Eren was unaware that he was mumbling his thoughts out loud in both the real world and the ethereal realm. Unbeknownst to him, voicing them had an unknown effect on his surroundings. It was as if an unknown chant had been passed down to only him.


    Eren''s faint voice was serving as the key to activating the runes ced on his soul by that unknown ce, an unknown entity. However, the person who was saying the chant was only focused onpleting it without realizing what he was doing.


    ''If my lone power is not enough to support my ambitions, I need powers that are integrated into the very existence of the universe to be at my beck and call.


    Infinite!


    "I''ll begin my journey in infinity. And in infinity, my journey shall end."


    Eren continued to look down as he said thest part with a crystal clear voice that didn''tpletely sound his own. He had a smile on his face as he felt something cold touch the back of his neck.


    Stan had ignored his friend''s warnings and decided to chop Eren''s head off with his Rank 1 artifact. He observed Eren''s condition for a while and had decided that the time was ripe for him to take action.


    Swoosh. Touch. Boom.


    Stan''s mana-powered runic sword had just made contact with Eren''s neck. Thetter''s mana defenseyer was effortlessly breached by the artifact. The de drew a line of blood on Eren''s neck as well.


    But in the next moment, something unimaginable happened. Stan''s body was thrown in the air as it was pushed by a very intense mana pulse. The kic force behind this mana pulse was so strong that Stan felt like his body had been hit by a truck. As a result of the force''s repulsing effect, he became airborne.


    Coincidentally, lightning crackled in the sky when the mana pulse was set off. Eren''s body was also sunk a bit into the ground as the area around him was depressed by the mana pulse.


    The winds started flowing in the region, creating windy noises by rushing through abandoned buildings. The dark ck sky was briefly painted with a multitude of colors. It was as if the whole world had gotten active for some reason or someone.


    A mana storm broke out, with Eren acting as the eye of that storm. Stan was almost made to lose his consciousness because of that intense mana pulse. So he couldn''t process what was happening to Eren.


    But two more spectators watched Eren with expressions of shock and dread as they understood what was going on. Eren was breaking into official rank once again. With even more intensity than before.


    A second mana core.


    A second mana core that drank the mana around Eren like a bottomless pit. It was as if Eren didn''t have to do anything. Additionally, it didn''t require any ranking technique to fill it up immediately.


    All it was doing was spinning around itself continuously. When Eren felt the mana core with his newly gained mana sense, he felt like he could draw endless mana from it without it ever going empty.


    An infinite mana core.

 Chapter 52 Infinite Mana Core

    An infinite mana core.


    Eren immediately recognized the nature of his second mana core which was located in the same ethereal space as his first mana core. For some reason, he felt more connected to the infinite mana core than the first one.


    While his first mana core had an affinity to lightning, his second mana core didn''t seem to have any elemental affinity. As per Eren''s knowledge, this had to be impossible because every mana core was born with its wielder''s affinity.


    This mana core was the same size as his first one. It was also made of Rank 1 mana and was in a gaseous state like the first one. The infinite mana core was like a copy of his first mana core except for the fact that it always kept spinning, never reducing its rotation speed.


    ''This¡­''


    Eren had realized that this was the answer to all the demands the pantheon of infinities had granted him. If he were to consider that the first mana core originally belonged to the previous Eren, then this mana core was something that waspletely his.


    Infinite mana core responded to Eren''s will. It pumped so much mana into his mana circuits that he felt overwhelmed by it. His tongue had the taste of coconut because he was so full of mana all of a sudden.


    p Jayce and Ralph had thought that Eren had run out of miracles when he was on his knees and about to die. They had already started to think about how to dispose of the body and cover the incident. This is so that their usage of the artifact doesn''t get noticed by the Elysian city''s authorities.</anda>


    But it seemed that Eren still had some tricks up his sleeve. The duo watched with incredulous expressions as Stan was sent into the air a second time because of Eren.


    They then observed that Eren had a second breakthrough in the same rank. They both looked at each other with puzzled expressions as if asking if what they were seeing and feeling was true or a dream.


    This time, nobody between them offered to take care of Stan who was thrown a few meters away from them. Because they saw that Eren was covered in lightning that was even more intense than their previous appearance.


    ''Wasn''t¡­ wasn''t he out of mana just now? Did he consume a potion or something?''


    As Jayce watched Eren with vignt eyes, he suspected the involvement of some potion. Ralph had the same doubt.


    "Jayce, if it''s one artifact or many, it won''t matter. So we might as well draw our weapons and take care of this problem from its roots."


    Ralph said hoarsely. He didn''t wait for his friend''s answer though. He clenched his fists hard before summoning his spear. Jayce followed his cue without saying a word¨C drawing a runic hammer.


    The first thing Eren did after he tapped into the infinite mana core was cast healing spells that he had stopped casting because of their inefficiency. This time, he didn''t care about how much mana the spell consumed and was all out.


    The tongues of lightning that Jayce and Ralph were seeing dancing on Eren''s body with such shy details were the effects of the healing spell.


    Blitz Heal.


    This was the spell''s name Eren had received from his digested memories. He could cast it effortlessly because the spell was lessplex than the movement spell.


    The lightning-element healing spell repaired Eren''s fractures. First, it stopped the bleeding from his wounds as the lightning streaks danced around them. The new skin and epidermis started appearing over the wounds as if a clip from one of those timepse videos yed at super-speed.<sub> </sub>


    One had to know that Blitz Heal was not as effective as this. It was only because Eren provided the spell with no limits that it had been running in overdrive.


    Crack. Crack. Crack.


    Eren''s bones started making noises as their fractures healed, enabling him to stand up once again. All the while, he was looking down. So he took a long breath and looked at his weapon-equipped opponents.


    Jayce and Ralph saw Eren looking at them with a very peculiar smile on his face. His eyes looked at them like they were the ideal targets for his experiments.


    Blitz Steps.


    Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.


    Instead of waiting for his opponents to make a move, Eren had decided to take things into his own hands. He cast his movement spell that he felt he must have cast a thousand times now. He had started to understand the nuances behind the spell the more he was using it. And he had started to tweak the spell as per his needs.


    Eren had learned from his past mistakes. Instead of focusing on Jayce who had an earth-element affinity, he approached Ralph first. The guy was prepared for Eren''s attack, if only barely. But he was still taken off guard because of how Eren had used his movement spell.


    Eren simply enhanced his movement spell by increasing its mana consumption- not caring about the efficiency. Normally, movement spells are among the most mana-efficient spells because they need to be maintained for a long time. But Eren had stopped caring about the mana expenditure as soon as he was made aware of what was avable to him.


    Grab. Twist. Snatch.


    Erne first caught Ralph''s arm by his wrist and twisted it with all his might. He had also employed his mana to invade his victim''s body. The guy received the stun effect of the lightning mana after experiencing severe pain in his wrist.


    Before he could retaliate, Eren had already snatched his weapon from him. The weapon was bound to Ralph because of the runes. So he couldn''t imbue it with his mana yet. But that didn''t stop him from using the weapon in brute style.


    "Aaaaaaargh!"


    Ralph''s eyes turned red in the next moment as he felt a sharp pain in his right leg. He looked down to see his weapon had been driven between his right leg. Eren had lodged the spear de straight through his fib and tibia bone.


    Before Ralph could shout some more to relieve his pain, a lightning-powered fist kissed his chin from below with tremendous kic force. Due to that force, he closed his jaw abruptly, causing him to cut off his tongue cleanly.


    Ralph''s teeth shattered before poking through his cheeks as his jaw closed with tremendous force. It was as if the fragments of his teeth had suddenly decided to show off by being out in the open.


    Suffice to say Ralph was done for.


    ===


    AN: Fib and tibia bones are the two separately identified bones of the human legs that are below the knee.

 Chapter 53 Spell Stacking

    Ralph''s body crashed to the ground with a distinct thud. The guy almost lost his consciousness because of such a brutal attack on his brain. It was only through the sheer will that he was keeping his eyes open, if only barely.


    Eren was about to manhandle him some more. But s, he didn''t have time. Jayce had decided to intervene. With his earth-element spell that turned his skin stone-like, he didn''t have to worry too much about the repercussions of Eren''s lightning spells.


    Jayce swung his hammer with all his might and aimed the impact at Eren''s leg. The kneecap region to be precise.


    Blitz Steps.


    Eren used his movement spell to coat his legs with lightning element mana before using the mana-generated momentum to jump as high as he could. The hammer missed Eren''s leg barely as he jumped in the air.


    Blitz Storm.


    Eren cast his AoE spell, this time with more effectiveness than before because he was just above Jayce''s head. The spell''s lightning streaks had the victim within their reach.


    Jayce was stillpleting his hammer swing when a shower of sparks of lightning rained down on him from above. The guy was bathed in lightning as his hammer swing waspleted.


    Eren didn''t stop after casting the AoE spell. He knew the spell would have a reduced effect on Jayce. So he chose to overload Jayce''s contact with lightning.


    Nothing was really impervious to lightning. It was only a matter of lower or higher resistance. All things had their breaking point. And Eren was about to test Jayce''s by overloading him with his lightning.


    Blitz Steps.


    Eren gripped Jayce''s head by sandwiching it between both his feet before casting his movement spell. The spell was cast not to move away from Jayce but to make him experience the lightning hell Eren was intending to subject him to.


    No matter how tough and resilient Jayce''s skin was, it couldn''t do anything when an electric eel incarnate like ranker detonated his lightning spells so close to his brain. As a result, his body froze and he experienced the stun effect.


    Jayce felt his body be numb as he felt Eren''s shock treatment. He would have sumbed to the treatment and fallen unconscious if it wasn''t for his earth-element mana that was fighting against the foreign mana invasion.


    Blitz Storm


    Blitz Storm x2


    Blitz Storm x3


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Steps x2


    Blitz Steps x3


    Eren poured more and more mana into all of his spells at the same time. Usually, an official ranker who was only in the first stage of the Meta rank didn''t have the spell casting proficiency that was needed to cast multiple spells at once.


    Stan, Jayce, and Ralph also had their limits. Plus, they also had limitations on spell stacking. It means to cast the same spell multiple times to increase its potency. Various factors such as proficiency in casting spells, mana core, elemental attainment, mana circuits, etc determined these limits.<sub> </sub>


    But Eren had almost removed all his restrictions because of his digested memories and his infinite mana core. He was stacking his lightning spells like crazy.


    In a few more seconds, Jayce was brought to his knees before losing control over his body. He fell t on his face as his body was pushed forward by Eren''s jump at the veryst moment.


    Only then did Eren breathe a sigh of relief and canceled all his spells. He too had been reaching his limit. Not in terms of his mana expenditure. But he felt like his mana circuits would be fried if he continued using the spells the way he was using them.


    ''Not invincible, huh! Kind of a bummer. But never mind. I respect what I have been given but I''d strive to have more.''


    Eren thought to himself and chuckled.


    ''Be happy. But never be satisfied.''


    A thought rippled in his mind from his digested memories.


    He still had blood on his clothes and skin. But it was all dried up. The Blitz Hel spell had done its job well. Now he only had bruises and some minor internal injuries that he could heal over time. For now, his pulsating mana circuits needed a short break.


    Eren took a long breath and looked around him. He had taken care of all his opponents. Stan was lying on the ground with expressions of disbelief painted on his face. He was still wide awake. And yet, he was the most out of his mind of the trio.


    Ralph was whining and crying like an injured dog about to sumb to its injuries. And Jayce had passed out. Now that he had lost his consciousness, his stone-skin spell was no longer effective. He was as vulnerable as he could get.


    Eren looked above him and stared into the sky as he contemted what had just happened to him. There were so many things he needed to do in this life that he had stopped thinking about them. But now, with his infinite mana powers added into the equation, he needed to broaden his horizons. His goals.


    ''Raquel!''


    Eren immediately thought of a name. But he immediately shook his head in denial, saying ''too soon'' to himself in his head.


    ''First things first. I need to sort this mess out.''


    Eren thought and started walking in Stan''s direction with calm and collected footsteps. Thetter was snapped back into reality when he felt someone approach him with his mana sense.


    Stay away from me. Don''t you fokin daree near me."


    Stan said as he dragged his body backward with his hands. He wanted to create a distance between himself and Eren, a job he was miserably failing at because of thetter''s unhindered stride.


    Eren chuckled when he saw Stan''s condition. The usual beautiful smile that he used to greet people with was no more. It was reced with expressions of horror and dread. These negative emotions were injected into his restless psyche by the same person who he had called a lowlife.


    "Let me borrow your lines, Stan. I''ll let you know my way of showing gratitude."


    Eren said with the same graceful smile Stan used to have on his face.

 Chapter 54 “Look What You Made Me Do�

    "Let me borrow your lines, Stan. I''ll let you know my way of showing gratitude."


    Eren said with the same graceful smile Stan used to have on his face. The fake smile he wore was also bound to bring certain doom to its recipients.


    "Eren¡­Two breakthroughs into the same rank?"


    Stan knew that his survival was at stake at this point. So he decided to make Eren engage in his conversation so he could buy time. So that his friends would recover from their predicament ande to help him.


    Stan hade to realize that this Eren wasn''t someone he could handle on his own. Even though he was in the second stage of the Meta rank, he could see that Eren was in apletely different league. Especially experience-wise.


    "Listen Eren. Fights between rankers are strictly prohibited by Elysian cityws. Perhaps you are not aware. But you''d need to use proper channels to have a duel with another ranker, under a controlled environment. With the proper procedure, even mortalbat is allowed.


    You were a non-ranker before so I could dare to mess with you. But now that you are an official ranker, I can''t do shit to you and you can''t do shit to me. At least not like this."


    Eren had to admit that Stan had ovee his fear quickly. His survival instincts were making him say all the right things to the wrong person.


    Eren seemed to not care when he heard Stan''s speech. So thetter decided to use something different.


    "Eren¡­ you have a second mana core in your body, don''t you? Even with my mana sense, I cannot sense it. If I hadn''t seen that phenomenon, I wouldn''t have believed it myself either if I wasn''t a first-hand witness to it myself.


    You know what that means, don''t you?"


    Stan said and managed to elicit a chuckle. He only continued when he was sure that there were a few changes in Eren''s facial expressions. Stan''s nning was working. At least that''s what he had thought.


    He chuckled some more before continuing.


    "Rankers, especially high ranking entities, will pay endless riches for a power like this."


    Stan said before forming an evil smile.


    "This also makes you vulnerable. You''d be experimented on by them if your powerse to light for everybody. Do you know how it would proceed though?


    Stan kept on rambling while looking at Eren.


    "Hahaha! That''s right. We would be investigated for our disappearance if you don''t back away now and kill us. Your secrets would be out soon enough. You''d end up bing ab rat for the rest of your foreseeable life.


    However, if you spare us, we are ready to sign a mana-binding contract to keep your secrets safe. The choice is yours."


    Eren pursed his lips as he heard Stan''s desperate attempts to save his life. He then started walking in another direction away from Stan.


    Stan was overjoyed when he saw that Eren had yielded to his exnation. After all, whatever he had said was true. Because he spoke just now to buy time, his conjectures won''t be invalid.


    ''Naive. This asshat is way too naive. That second mana core is wasted on him. What can you expect from a lowlife who doesn''t understand how the world works?''


    Stan thought to himself, but he did not speak now. He was sure that he would be able to swindle Eren just fine when it came to mana-binding contracts.


    Stan looked at his friends and spread his mana sense in their direction. He could sense that Jayce was about to have a rude awakening while Ralph had removed the weapon lodged between his two leg bones.


    ''Ralphy, I can only count on you. Drink your mana potion while I engage with this buffoon.''<sub> </sub>


    Stan''s voice was heard by Ralph in his head due to an advanced mode ofmunication only avable to rankers. Thetter nodded slightly at Stan and waited for the right opportunity.


    "That''s right, Eren. Walk. You can walk away calmly and slowly. Nobody has to kill or be killed here. I''m d I could talk some sense into you."


    Stan said to himself¨C his signature smile returning on his face. Eren didn''t pay attention to Stan or his words and kept on walking in a particr direction.


    It took a while for Ralph and Stan to realize what Eren was trying to do. He was walking towards Stan''s weapon that had been hurled a bit away from ground zero because Stan losing his grip in midair.


    They watched with their eyes wide open as the guy almost disappeared from his ce only to appear a few meters away from his previous position. One had to say Eren had gotten extremely used to casting his movement spell in such a short time. It was as if the spell was meant for this body from the very beginning.


    Blitz Steps x2


    Eren took a long breath and cast his movement spell all of a sudden, despite the difort he was feeling because of his mana circuits sending him warning signs. He quickly grabbed Stan''s sword that was ced on the ground and wielded it with his right hand.


    Kendo.


    Eren grabbed the sword by its hilt and processed the digested memories in his mind regarding the way of the sword. He closed his eyes and swung the sword around slowly like a stream of flowing water dancing around him.


    Eren felt like singing a song in his mind as he indulged in the feeling of kendo practice. Too bad he didn''t know any. He then increased his speed all of a sudden and started swinging the sword like a veteran swordsman.


    He forcefully imbued his overabundant mana into the weapon as he swung the sword around him while cutting through the wind. As a result, the sword''s runic inscriptions started to creak.


    Stan and Ralph had ominous feelings seeing Eren leisurely practicing the weapon that didn''t belong to him. Stan reached out to his only able-bodied friend in a gloomy tone.


    "Ralphy¡­ we better use our potions¡­"


    Blitz Steps x4


    Laido.


    Swoosh. Chop. Drop.


    Ralph had his head separated from his torso before Stan couldplete speaking to him over themunication channel. The head dropped near Ralph''s body because his torsoy t on the ground on the back.


    The head would have stayed in the same ce if Ralph''s body would have stayed still. It meant that Eren had chopped his head off with just the right force, angle, and speed. Eren swung his sword once more before abruptly stopping it to get rid of the blood on the sword. These series of actions were so seamless that they looked like one move.


    No wasted movement. No excessive force necessary.


    ''My first kill.''


    Eren had a mixed range of emotions as he processed what had just happened. But he controlled them and decided to me it on the one guy who was frightened by the sudden change of events.


    "Look what you made me do."


    He said to the original owner of the sword. His face and his eyes carried the deathly silence he had just inflicted on his very first kill.

 Chapter 55 Take No Prisoners

    "Look what you made me do."


    Stan heard Eren''s voice loud and clear even when he spoke it casually. He understood what was about to happen to him if he was defenseless.


    Stan got up from his position and channeled his almost-empty mana. His mana core started getting damaged because of the overdraw of mana. But he didn''t care at this point.


    Stan was about to cast forbidden spells. They would affect or destroy the ranker''s potential to break into the next rank at the expense of giving them a chance at survival if faced with dire circumstances.


    Too bad, Eren wasn''t interested in letting his opponents power up before him just like that.


    Blitz Steps x4


    Stan had his left leg cut off at the knee, forcing him to lose his bnce. The pan was so severe that it overloaded all of Stan''s senses, forcing him to dispel his spells abruptly. The spell bacsh made things even more difficult for the original sword owner as his mana circuits were fried by the mana''s reverse flow.


    "Aaaa¡ª"


    The wailing sound was cut abruptly as Eren shed Stan''s neck, severing his windpipe and his voice box in one blow. He couldn''tpletely cut the neck clean off of his torso. The neck bone was an obstruction he couldn''t get past this time.


    Stan couldn''t shout. He couldn''t cast spells in his current condition. He couldn''t even get up to perform a kamikaze strike on Eren. He just dropped to the ground on his back while holding his almost cut neck with both his hands. As if that would make his thighs any better for him.


    ''I created a monster.''


    Stan thought to himself as he watched his killer looking at him with deadpan expressions. The sword that originally belonged to him had been cleaned once again. The weapon artifact cracked as Eren''s infinite mana overloaded it too.


    The weapon and its owner were about to end their journeys at the same time.


    ''Or maybe I was the monster. And this thing just became a medium to give what wasing to me.''


    Stan had a moment of rity just before he took hisst breath. He couldn''t help beaming a grin on his face as he convinced himself that whatever had killed him wasn''t human. Therefore, he did not need to worry about his inferiority to him anymore.


    When Eren dropped the sword he had been holding until now, it crumbled into many pieces. It had perished along with its original master.


    When Eren saw that Stan was also dead for good, his hands began to shake. He could have never thought that things would escte to this point. To the point where he had to take another person''s life.


    Eren spat in anger near Stan''s body. Blood clots were more prevalent in his spit than in his saliva. He didn''t me himself for his actions. He wasn''t naive enough to let these guys go after what they had done to him. Especially after hearing Stan''s words. But that didn''t mean he wouldn''t feel the jitters.


    Eren knew about mana-binding contracts from the memories he borrowed. But he also knew that there could be many loopholes present in the contract. He didn''t trust himself or his current knowledge enough to rely on them.


    However, even if he could rely on the mana binding contracts, he did not trust the party who signed the contract with him. Eren would have been too criminally dumb to trust Stan with things like this. He would kill all three rankers anyway.


    His infinite mana core is too logic-defying for him to take any risks. He didn''t want to serve as anyone''sb rat after all.<sub> </sub>


    ''So I need to keep it a secret.''


    Eren thought to himself as he walked towards thest guy who was starting to wake up. He had to finish this thing for good.


    Take no prisoners.


    ***


    Jayce had a killer headache when he woke up from his forced slumber. It took a while for him to readjust his blurred vision and make sense of what he was seeing.


    "Where the fuck am I.."


    Jayce pressed his head with both his hands and tried to get up. He felt like there was still residual mana of a foreign nature wreaking havoc inside his internal organs. Most of his skin had gone numb because of the lightning mana he was subjected to not too long ago.


    Jayce then looked around him and saw that there was nobody he could see in the vicinity. Well, not nobody technically. There was one person who was walking toward him with a spear in his right hand.


    "I don''t me you for retaliation, Jayce. But I me you for choosing the wrong person to retaliate against."


    Jayce heard the lone spearman''s words while he was still a bit delirious. He realized that the words this iing person was speaking sounded familiar. It took him a while to realize that they were his own words that he had spoken for someone else. The metaphorical fog over his mind was slowly diminishing its effect.


    "Eren¡­"


    Jayce recognized the spearman who casually walked toward him. Before he could make sense of the scene, he heard Eren speak again. His voice is as serene as calm water.


    "You have run out of your time and regret is a bitter pill to swallow. This would be over quickly. I hope you forgive me as I relieve you of all your sufferings."


    Throw. Swoosh. Pierce.


    A spear was thrown from near a spot where someone was lying on the floor. The lightning-d weapon lodged itself straight in Jayce''s chest. His lungs were pierced because of it.


    Confusion. Stun. Lack of pain.


    The lightning mana, which had been fed to the weapon without regard to its affinity, infected Jayce''s body. It met up with the residual lightning mana already present inside his system and shut off all his pain receptors. As a result, Jayce, who was already acting like he was high on the wildest mushrooms, didn''t feel any ounce of pain.


    But that didn''t stop Jayce from understanding his situation. He recognized Ralph''s body first. Then he looked down and saw his spear that was lodged inside his chest. He finally used his mana sense and found out that Stan had also been dead.


    "This¡­"


    Jayce couldn''tplete his sentence or chain of thoughts as he stopped breathing. The earth-element ranker had died listening to his own words.

 Chapter 56 Confide

    The next day. Around 6.45 AM.


    Green Household.


    "Moooooooooom, Eren broke into official rank. Wooo!"


    Reece shouted at the top of her voice while greeting Eren with a bear hug. He had juste home and was standing by the door when Reece hugged him. He smiled and patted her back while using his mana sense to scan the house.


    His mana sense was immediately overwhelmed by a different mana sense that was more powerful than him and overwhelmed his sense.


    "Hehe. Young man, congrattions. I''m d that you finally became a ranker."


    Rumi said as she walked toward where Eren and Reece were with a smile on her face. She looked at him thoughtfully before adding further.


    "Don''t misuse your mana sense, however. Especially when there aredy rankers in the vicinity. They won''t like your rude way of checking up on them."


    Rumi Green chuckled as she spoke aftering out of her room. It was her that had intercepted Eren''s mana sense.


    Reece''s yell had surprised her. She was surprised further by the fact that Eren had broken into official rank. She had toe out and look at the young man herself.


    Eren was in different clothes than before. It looked like he had already taken a shower somewhere. The white Tee and blue jeans must have been picked up from a cheap shop since they looked nothing special.


    Yet, Eren looked in his element even with these simple clothes. At least he knew what to pick up at a thrift store that suited him.


    "Thanks, Aunt Rumi, Reece."


    Eren said before admitting his mistake.


    "Um¡­. Sorry about that, Aunt Rumi. I didn''t have mana sense, so I just used it without worrying about it. It won''t happen again."


    Eren said while smiling mirthlessly and scratching his eyebrows. Neither the blood fromst night nor his killer vibes were visible on him. It was as if he had just taken a walk outside and came back after bing a Rank 1 entity.


    Yet he couldn''tpletely hide his stirred mental state from a ranker like Rumi who had started to pay close attention to him and his fluctuating mana signature.


    "Reece, you crazy girl, let him in first and close the door behind. Go fix us breakfast. I''ll talk with Eren."


    "Rumi said and pulled her daughter away from Eren''s frame like a ko embracing a tree trunk. She would have treated this as sibling energy. But she knew Reece''s feelings towards Eren and couldn''t help having stress lines on her forehead because of her.


    "Oh¡­ um. Sure. We need to celebrate your breakthrough, Eren. Maybe we can order something. What would you like to have?"


    Reece said after she was forced to break her hug.


    ? Rumi''s stress increased when Reece opted to order something instead of cooking it herself. But she let the matter drop when she saw Eren''s smiling face that was hiding something deep.


    Eren didn''t feel like eating after he had killed three people and seen blood and gore. He still had the jitters fromst night.


    It wasn''t that he was upset or anything. But seeing the blood and organs spilled had pretty much killed his appetite and shaken his mindset.


    Only now did he understand what the creator of the Easter eggs had meant when he had said those things to him.


    ''Walk the rankers'' path with unwavering grit. Be willing to shed blood, whether it''s yours or your enemies.''


    Eren remembered the creator''s message and decided to follow up on it. He took a long breath before answering.


    "A pizza of your choice will do, Reece. I''d also like it if there was a mana-infused drink to pair with it."


    Eren said casually. Reece replied immediately and rushed inside the house to ce an order.


    Rumi gestured to Eren to follow her to the backyard. There was an open dining table and chairs. She sat on one side and waited for Eren to sit on the other.


    "What happened?"


    Rumi asked seriously. Eren smiled when he heard Rumi''s question. He couldn''t hide anything from the senses of an Awakened ranker like her.


    If he couldn''t hide thingspletely, he just needed to reveal enough and take Rumi onboard. He knew he couldn''t do everything alone. Especially with his caliber. So he decided to trust Aunt Rumi who had taken care of him all these years.<sub> </sub>


    "I killed three people."


    Eren said with stoic expressions. He had decided toe clean about some stuff. That way, Aunt Rumi could guide him in the right direction while his core secrets stayed with him.


    The guy was surprised that Aunt Rumi didn''t look that surprised.


    "Your breakthrough is rted to those killings?"


    Rumi asked while cing her chin on a cradle made of her palms with her folded arms. Eren raised his eyebrows and replied to her question with a question of his own.


    "You don''t find it odd that I killed three peoplest night?"


    Rumi chuckled before answering.


    "I don''t see youmitting something like that without a valid reason. I have seen you grow, Eren. I trust you. Why would I let a maniac live under my roof with my daughter otherwise?"


    Rumi smiled before taking Eren''s hands in his and pressing them firmly. She looked him in the eyes and continued.


    "And it seems like you trust me enough to confide your life-changing event in me. I''ll do my best to keep you safe.


    Tell me what happened. Every detail. I''ll handle things from my end after that."


    Rumi''s caring gesture assured Eren. He kept the things about his infinite mana core and his digested memories out. And told her the rest. He had lowered Stan and the rest''s battle potentialpared to what they had disyed, making them seem like country clowns.


    Yet, he couldn''t prevent Rumi from being surprised by his feat.


    "I¡­ I thought you killed mortals or non-rankers."


    Rumi said in a low voice before looking at Eren with a newfound surprise.


    "You mean to say you took care of three official rankers after you just broke through?"


    Rumi didn''t ask the third question. Her baffled face cried out anyway- How?


    Eren smiled mirthlessly but didn''t say anything. All rankers had secrets to keep. And Rumi understood that Eren was no exception to that rule either.


    "What did you do with the bodies?"


    "Buried," Eren replied quickly.


    "Not enough," Rumi said and sighed. She pondered a bit before speaking up.


    "Don''t worry. Leave it to me. Just tell me the ce where it all happened and I''ll manage things from there."


    Rumi said with a serious expression. In the next moment, her expression changed into a motherly frown as she saw her daughtering towards where they were.


    "Reece, I hope you didn''t order shrimp pizza for us. I''ll smack your bums if you do that again."


    Reece froze in her tracks when she heard Rumi''s warnings. She smiled awkwardly before retracing the steps she hade from.


    "Umm... I''ll... I''ll just make a quick holo-call," she said before disappearing from the spot using her movement spell.


    Rumi smiled before looking at Vik. She knew what he was thinking and asking with that curious gaze of his. Therefore, she shook her head in denial beforementing.


    "No. Don''t tell her. Reece is way too naive to understand this." She looked in the direction her daughter had taken while saying further.


    "Let her maintain her innocence for as long as she can."


    Eren respected Rumi''s way to handle her daughter''s life and nodded. Next, the trio had a simple celebration tomemorate Eren''s breakthrough into official rank.


    Things were only going to get more interesting for Eren Elijah Idril.

 Chapter 57 Grind Is Real

    Three months after the Eren vs. Team Stan showdown.


    Stardust guild.


    Gravity-altering gym facility.


    "95¡­ 96¡­ 97¡­"


    A young man with white hair was seen doing weighted pushups with extreme difficulty. He had blue highlights in his hair that were even more prominent than before after his breakthrough into official ranker.


    ? This white-haired teen was gasping for breath when he performed his routine. Not because he was closing in on his 100th push-up. But it was because he was closing in on 100th pushups while being subjected to almost thrice the Earth''s gravity.


    His normally pale skin had be red due to the rigorous activity. The enhanced gravity also had its effects on his Rank 1 caliber body. And yet, he didn''t want to stop.


    "98¡­ 99¡­"


    Eren took a long breath and pressed his lips against each other harder before making his shaky arms push him against the ground one more time.


    "100!"


    Eren imbued his mana into the vest and it came off quickly. He then rolled on his back and started taking long breaths. He had been sweating it out in the gym for thest 2 hours now. He did push-ups as part of his post-workout exercises.


    ''I¡­ I finally did 100!''


    This was a personal best for Eren in thest three months as an official ranker. He couldn''t help chuckling while huffing and puffing, which induced a choking effect.


    Cough. Cough. Cough.


    Eren stillughed when he felt the bun his workout brought all over his body. It was as if someone had lit fire all around him. In some way, this burn made him feel better and in control.


    Reece and Miranda have been watching Eren''s workout for thest few minutes now. The guy was totally beat and he was still going at it. Miranda had puzzled expressions on her face. She couldn''t help asking the one girl who was supposed to know more about Eren than anyone in the Stardust guild.


    "It''s been three months since he broke into official rank, Reece. Why is he still working out like non-rankers?"


    Reece was helpless when she was asked a question like this. She shrugged her shoulders before replying in a downcast tone.


    "I¡­ I don''t know. He says exercising gives him peace of mind. He jogs for miles on end without saying anything to anyone. Being an official ranker has changed him for the worse. He doesn''t give me enough time anymore."


    Reece said while pouting. She hmphed to nobody in particr before adding on.


    "Umm. He also said that the grind is real. I don''t know what that means. When I asked, he said it was just something stuck in his head from old memories."


    Miranda chuckled when she heard Reece had started considering Eren''s lifestyle change to be her inconvenience. She patted her shoulders before saying.


    "Hehe. From the looks of it, he is just enjoying being high on serotonin.


    Don''t worry. Three months are already over. He has already signed a binding contract with the Stardust guild. He''ll have to spend plenty of time with us in the Gahan."


    Reece''s eyes sparkled when she heard the captain remind her that Eren would be joining the team soon. Miranda has taken him into her team. And the guild master didn''t see any reason not to give her the new recruit, since her team had had a vacancy of two.<sub> </sub>


    "Captain, go easy on him, would you? He only had a month to practice all his spells."


    Reece said to Miranda with puppy eyes while thetter got herself busy watching Eren''s stretching routine. He was going toe out of the ss-for-walls facility soon.


    "Reece, you know I can''t do that. We have to know where Eren stands to give him a role that suits him in Gahan. Otherwise, he''d face even more difficulties there."


    Miranda said sternly. She wouldn''tpromise her work ethic to allow Eren to be part of her team just like that. He had to earn his rightful spot.


    The runes on the ss walls dimmed when the gravity inside the gym facility was brought back to normal by Eren. He then stepped out in his regr gym outfit.


    Miranda and Reece got a bit intimidated by Eren when he walked out of the facility and approached them. The guy didn''t care about his looks. He only had his sweatpants on. His bare torso was stillden with sweat. His shoulder-length white hair glistened with some more sweat. And he was a bit red all over because of the workout.


    Eren had started looking drastically different from his 3-month-old self. The scrawny teen was no more. He was still slim and his muscles weren''t bulging. But one could tell that his body was like a sheathed weapon.


    He had shapely arms that would swell when he was working hard on the runic weights. The progressive overload of weighted workouts had made his arms treat ordinary weights as worth a fart.


    Eren''s cor bone, chest, abs, and shoulder muscles also gained prominent definitions. This was the work of three months that he had put into his body. His workout also consisted of martial arts practice that he was mostly used to doing away from both the guild and his house. Therefore, Eren looked normal and part of the crowd, while gaining enhanced strength, agility, and responsiveness even for someone of his ranking status.


    Eren was still working like he used to even after bing an official ranker-- serving the official rankers mana-infused beverages and assuring their sync rates were optimal. He wouldn''t say no to extra money just because he broke into official rank. He didn''t have the slightest bit of shame in serving other Metas.


    But all that would all change soon. Eren wouldn''t have to do jobs meant for non-rankers once he bes an official member of Team Miranda. Why would he do menial jobs when he could earn even more by being part of the team?


    Eren stopped when he was just about a meter away from Reece and Miranda before asking yfully.


    "Hello,dies. Do you like what you see?"


    Eren said and chuckled as he observed Reece and Miranda both looking at his body with unflinching gazes. Eren''s question pulled them out of their reverie and made them see a smirk on his face.


    "Cough. Today is supposed to be your test day, Eren. Are you ready? We can reschedule if you want more time."


    Miranda was the first to get her wits back together. Hearing her suggestion, Eren shook his head in denial¨C the sweat drops in his hair falling off of it in the process¨C before responding.


    "No need. I''m used to my spells now. I''m ready when you are."


    Eren replied and used his white towel to wipe the sweat off of his face. Miranda pursed her lips before scanning him from head to toe.


    "Not before you hit the shower though."


    Eren stopped wiping his face when he heard that. He assumed that wiping the sweat off would be enough to carry on with his daily activities. That''s what he had been doing these three months.


    "Dueling is up close and personal. I''d prefer breathing when we start our test if you don''t mind."


    Miranda provided her exnation, which made Eren feel like he was getting dumb in guessing what the other person was thinking. He was still thinking about his workout and his spells even aftering out of the gym.


    "Alright. Give me 5."

 Chapter 58 Rookie’s Test

    "Alright. Give me 5."


    Eren said casually. Miranda scrunched her nose before saying.


    "Take 20. Take a long hot bath. Come to the guild''s duel arena when you are done."


    Miranda said and added with a smirk.


    "Working out and dueling as a ranker are two different things, Eren. Let''s see how much potential you bring out in a serious duel. I''ll not go easy on you, you know."


    Eren shed a cunning smile but didn''t say anything to her in return. She didn''t know that hisst life-and-death duel had allowed him to advance into the official rank and imed three lives in the process. For the most part, he wasn''t even an official ranker during that incident.


    Rumi had done her job well in keeping Eren out of harm''s way. Stan and his friends were justbeled as missing after a while without any rms getting raised.


    After that, Rumi left for her expedition. Leaving Eren to find his own way as a Meta and finding his own ranking path.


    Eren wouldn''t be spoonfed everything. He had to earn everything from now on. Especially after bing a ranker. Ranking resources were not cheap. Even his mana-infused drink cost too much. And that wasn''t even considered a ranking resource.


    Therefore, joining Miranda''s team was Eren''s priority. But words alone weren''t convincing enough. He''d rather show her the improvement in his actions than brag about his progress.


    Miranda walked away from Reece and Eren turned in the opposite direction, leaving the speechless Reece alone. She hadn''t said anything to him and neither did he say anything to her.


    For a brief second, Reece thought Eren was going away from her mentally. But in the next moment, something covered her entire face while she was still dazed looking at Eren''s departing figure and his exposed back.


    "What in the world¡­"


    Reece lifted the thing with a pinch as if she were picking up a dead mouse by its tail. It took her a while to realize that it was the same cloth Eren had just used to wipe off his sweat. He had thrown it in Reece''s face while she was still dazed looking at his body.


    "That scoundrel¡­"


    Reece red her nose when she realized how Eren had chosen to interact with her. She was about to throw the towel away. But then she looked around and found herself alone in the corridor.


    Reece had a blush on her face as she brought the cloth closer to her nose and inhaled it. A known scent. A known connection.


    The woman smiled and put the white towel in her storage before adjusting the back of her hair for no reason whatsoever. Then she followed in her captain''s direction while whistling an unknown tune.


    Eren''s odd way of showing affection convinced Reece that her worries were groundless. She then criticized herself for thinking too much. Eren was changing while keeping the core characteristics that made him who he was the same.


    ***


    Arge and spacious battle ring is located at the back of the Stardust guild''s building. The afternoon sun was making its presence known. The day seemed hot and ideal for the two rankers to have their duel.


    "Eren, tell me when you feel like you can''t take it and we''ll stop, alright? After entering the official rank, you must wait a minimum of three months. But there''s no cut-off period within which you have to pass the test to go to the Numbered Oasis."<sub> </sub>


    Miranda said to Eren in her mana-imbued voice. They were both standing at a safe distance from each other.


    The duel arena also had an audience booth that was raised higher than the ring, allowing for a better view. There were only a few rankers there at this time of the hour. All belonged to Miranda''s team.


    "You think he''dst for three minutes?"


    A dusty blonde tall young man asked someone who was sitting beside him. His stature measured well above 6 feet, and he was very handsome. He had dark gray eyes and a sharp jawline.


    He was a Rank 1 Meta. But unlike Eren who was in his first stage of Rank 1, he was in the fourth stage of the same rank. Meaning his core was in a liquid state.


    As a Meta ranker, this dusty blonde bloke had a fit and muscr body even without doing anything excessive like Eren. The rankers didn''t need to work out to get in shape. The mana they harnessed would purify their bodies and give them an ideal shape. This was true for most rankers.


    So unless there were special circumstances or any other factor at y, all rankers had the most desirable version of their physical appearance. This was why Miranda and Reece didn''t understand Eren''s workout regime that he had continued even after entering the official rank.


    "Sure, if the captain is generous, sure. But she was never known for her generosity on the battlefield, Ekay. So I think our rookie is going to fold his hand in about a minute. Hehe."


    Ekay Mayne adjusted his shoulder-length dusty blonde hair with his hands and pursed his lips at the young girl''s prediction. He would have agreed with her. But there was something about Eren that Ekay couldn''t quite put a finger on.


    "I don''t know Rhea. I think Eren is about to surprise us."


    Ekay scratched his neck and concluded. Rh¨¦a thought it was interesting that Ekay had begun measuring Eren to such a high standard. Frankly, Rhea didn''t have any hope or respect for Eren. The guy was used to serving rankers like a well-trained waiter. Everybody on captain Miranda''s team knew and saw him as such.


    However, Ekay was known for betting on winning horses. Meaning his decisions were often right.


    Rhea yed with her orange-gem studded earrings and tucked her ck hair behind her ears. She shed a subtle smile beforeing up with a n to break Ekay''s winning streak.


    "I bet 50 Mana quartz on our rookie losing within 3 minutes. In or out?"


    Ekay was taken aback by Rhea''s sudden gambling bet. He wasn''t surprised that she had ced a bet. Betting was the norm for duels like these. But he was surprised by her stakes.


    Ekay was nning to reject Rhea''s bet. 50 Mana quartz was not something he was willing to bet on a rookie ranker who had not even advanced to the second stage.


    Plus, it''s barely been a month since Eren had gotten ess to his elemental spells, post signing the mana binding contract with the Stardust guild. Even prodigies would find it difficult to master all the basic spells within a month.


    Ekay Mayne was about to tell Rhea to drop the idea. But then he saw Eren manifest his lightning mana around him and the words froze in his mouth.


    Ekay''s eyes shone with cunning and he smiled broadly at Rhea before speaking a simple word.


    "In."

 Chapter 59 Battlemage

    A few minutes before Eren and Miranda began their fight.


    "There''s no cut-off period within which you have to pass the test to go to the Numbered Oasis. So you can take the test again even if you fail today.


    You don''t have to defeat me. The test isn''t time bound either. I''m just checking your reflexes and seeing the extent of your battle potential. If you pass the bare minimum threshold, you''d be onboard as an official member of Team Miranda.


    Anything you want to ask?"


    Miranda exined everything to Eren before asking him. Thattter took a long breath before pondering to himself.


    ''How much should I show my hand?''


    Eren scratched his almost non-existent white beard before looking at the audience booth. A few rankers were sitting there from Miranda''s team. Eren recognized Rhea and Ekay right away.


    Eren knew that Miranda''s team underestimated him because of his start. He understood that he shouldn''t disclose all of his powers here. He had to be especially careful with his core secrets. Therefore, he was going to use his regr mana core in the battle.


    But something told Eren that he''d never be appreciated for his efforts if he always yed the underdog. That in turn would be detrimental to his growth as it would affect the opportunities he receives.


    He needed to find a bnce. He needed to put on a show that would amaze his spectators and examiners alike. At the same time, the show had to be believable and within the realm of "it was great but nothing I had never seen before."


    ''About half. I''ll show about half my cards.''


    Eren thought to himself and made a decision. Only a few seconds had passed since Miranda had asked the question. He answered her after considering all things.


    "Only one question, captain. Which ss do you have?"


    ***


    Eren asked while fixing his eyes on Miranda. Ever since he had signed a contract with the Stardust guild, he hade to know a lot of things rted to rankers that were previously unknown to him.


    All rankers who were affiliated with authorized guilds had to sign these binding contracts to keep the information confidential from the general public. It was supposed to curb the misuse of spells and knowledge by the masses, which may lead to carnage and mayhem like the previous cmities.


    A ranker would only be provided with the information of their rank. This was true for most rankers like Eren who had humble beginnings.


    A ranker''s ss was one such crucial piece of information. The ss of a ranker determined their path on their ranking journey. Therefore, rankers liked to take their time deciding on a path for themselves.


    A particr ss would have a specific set of spells. The efficiency of spells would decrease if a ranker that has decided to focus on a particr ss changes his mind and decides to add a spell belonging to apletely different ss in their repertoire.


    For example, if a ranker selects ranger to be his ss and selects ranger-specific spells, his mana circuits would change over time to adapt to those spells and thus that ss. The elemental attainment they would gain from advancing in their ranking journey would also be rted to that ss. Slowly and surely, the ranker''s existence would align with that ss.


    There was also something called a ranking technique involved that was supposed to shape a ranker''s mana circuits ording to the ss the technique belonged to. But the existence of Numbered Oasis had removed that need for Meta rankers.


    Now all they needed to do was select a ss before getting into Numbered Oasis. Their bodies would adapt with their ss as they progressed in their ranking journeys through the use of Numbered Oasis.


    Numbered Oasis had be mass factories for foot soldiers to quickly get trained. As a result, Meta rankers were able to focus on spell execution after selecting aplete set for their rank. Spending time in Numbered Oasis was akin to practicing a ranking technique for Metas. So that''s what they did.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    Miranda nodded at Eren''s question after realizing for which reason he was asking it. Every ss had its advantages and disadvantages. Knowing your opponent''s ss would allow the rankers to take necessary countermeasures.


    "Knight."


    Miranda said and chuckled before adding up.


    "It seems you bit off more than you could chew, didn''t you? Told you that you shouldn''t have gone to that ss. Jack of all trades is master of none they say, Eren."


    Eren smirked. "Still better than master of one," he responded.


    Miranda had a small pout on her face when her advice was still ignored.


    "You won''t understand with words it seems. I''ll have to beat you well to make you realize the ss you have chosen for yourself is not suited for rookies.


    Plus, you could havee back to this ss after breaking into the Awakened rank. Your struggles to take this ss in your current rank would mostly go wasted because of your choice."


    Eren didn''t reply to her this time. He did not ask her any questions. Even with his basic knowledge of sses and their selection pattern, he understood that the ss he had chosen for himself was not an easy choice.


    But it was the ss he had chosen after considering his biggest advantage that nobody was aware of. Infinite mana core.


    Eren opened the palm of his right hand and concentrated. In the next moment, a circle-shaped runic tattoo appeared over his palm. This was called the Identity Rune¨C or I-Rune.


    I-Rune had multiple uses for rankers. It featured various runes as a packet. And spatial rune was one of them. Therefore, it offered up to 10 cubic meters of storage space for rankers that had it.


    I-Rune also had amunication rune rankers could use to contact each other. It also served as a ranker''s unique identity card. Ranking contracts often included a runic imprint of the ranker''s I-Rune.


    Of course, themunication range for I-Rune was limited. Arrays or artifacts were needed to extend its range. But for closemunication, I-Rune was a go-to choice for all rankers acting as a team.


    This was how Team Stan was able tomunicate with others or draw their weapons from thin air. By sending his mana sense into the void space the I-Rune had, Eren tapped into it and pulled out his weapon.


    A long Tachi de with a lightning-element runic inscription.


    Eren had chosen a ss that could incorporate a wide range of weapons and spells at the cost of decreased mana expenditure efficiency. A ss that was supposed to be attractive only in theory.


    Battlemage.


    Eren had chosen battlemage for his ss.


    Now he needed to try different spells, weapons, artifacts, and martial arts to create his own battle style. And that''s what he was aiming to do in his fight against Miranda as well.

 Chapter 60 Experimenting

    Miranda saw that Eren had retrieved his Tachi from his storage and knew the guy was not interested in talking anymore. She drew her water-element spear and swung it at her a few more times before assuming a natural state.


    "Come."


    She said to Eren while being surrounded by waves of water circling her like a controlled typhoon. And in response, the position where Eren produced the chirping sounds of blue lightning.


    Blitz Steps.


    Eren used his movement spell and left tongues of lightning dancing around in his previous position. He approached Miranda at breakneck speeds while gripping his sword.


    Blitz Wave.


    The rookie imbued his mana into his Tachi and cast his weapon spell. He swung the de in front of him and the runic inscriptions on the de''s inscriptions lit up before sending a crescent-moon-shaped flying de attack in the direction of Miranda.


    He then changed his position midway using his movement spell and attacked her using the same move before repeating the same process. All this happened within a few seconds of Eren drawing his katana. He wanted to overwhelm the knight with the speed that his element had granted him.


    Plus, he had a natural advantage over someone with water-element affinity. Or so he thought.


    Miranda had a mild smile on her face as she kept track of Eren''s movement using all her senses. She raised her hands and started casting her spells.


    First, a wall of water was created around her that was shaped at the same height as her. The defensive spell was just finished getting cast when Eren''s flying de attack zeroed in on her. The water wall effectively took care of the lightning-element mana by sending it to the ground.


    The water element rankers usually find it difficult to battle against someone with lightning elements because the spells of the two elements just bode well with each other. But the lightning was more destructive while the water acted as its ideal conductor.


    The defensive spells created using water elements were unable topletely stop lightning-element spells. Especially if the attacks were based on apressed form of lightning, instead of its wild streaks-like form.


    And yet, Miranda had almost nullified all of Eren''s attacks effectively. The lightning-element mana did make it past the ultra-responsive wall that was covering her from seemingly all sides when it needed to. The wild mana that waspressed into the de attack expanded, and Miranda''s water spell lost a significant volume of water.


    Miranda was surprised when she observed Eren had mastered his weapon spell so much in such a short time. The mastery of his movement spell wasn''t something to be scoffed at either.


    However, Miranda was close to the rank of Awakened. This much firepower wasn''t enough to make her reconsider her stance. She zeroed in on Eren with keen interest as he approached her fearlessly.


    Eren''s visage was surrounded by tongues of blue lightning as he found himself a few meters away from Miranda. Before he could close the distance anymore, a spear sh was aimed in his path.


    Miranda swung her spear around her in an artistic manner. She cast her weapon spell while she was at it. From each swing, spears made from the water element mana were released. These spears were of the same size and shape as her weapon. They would each assume a different position around her that was respected to the position of her Rank 1 artifact when she was swinging it around her.


    Eren cast his weapon spells around him as well to counter the iing spears that were closing in on him. One had to say his in-battle presence was top-notch considering he was a novice to the whole thing.


    Swish. Swish. Boom.


    The water element spears and lightning element flying des met with each other all around Eren and the mana in them was detonated by their casters. The lightning dispersed and the water was just disced. Some of the water was zapped away by lightning as steam. Despite this, arge amount of water remained and was once again able to make spears around Eren.


    ''This¡­''


    Eren could feel that what Miranda had pulled off wasn''t a spell but something her elemental attainment had granted her. The ability to control her element even after the spell was cast and destroyed.


    Eren didn''t have much time to think about it and changed his strategy. Miranda was difficult to approach since so much water swirled around her, ready to take the shape of spears before attacking him at any moment.


    Battlemage wasn''t supposed to purely stick to closebat fights though. The ss also supported the incorporation of mid-range spells.<sub> </sub>


    Eren put his sword into his storage and took out another weapon. A runic crossbow is meant to be used by lightning element rankers.


    ''This guy is going to water his potential as a closebat expert at this point.''


    Miranda sighed as she watched Eren retrieve a crossbow. She had told him that he was proficient at close range so he should stick to the ss of closebat experts. But he wouldn''t listen.


    Eren gripped his crossbow before imbuing it with his mana. Three lightning-shaped arrows were formed right where the loading bay was. They were ready to let loose at the trigger''s behest.


    Aim. Shoot. Bzzt.


    Eren shot a series of arrows at Miranda before jumping high in the air using his movement spell. As he felt weightless in the sky, he adjusted himself and took a shot at Miranda from a new altitude.


    Eren smiled wickedly before retrieving the Rank 1 artifact that he had received from the guild on credit. He then used his mana circuits to cast a different spell for himself.


    A bolt of lightning appeared in front of him that buzzed with tongues of wild electric current. This blue bolt of lightning did not consume as much mana as his flying de attack. But what itcked in density, it made up for in speed.


    As Eren grabbed the lightning bolt with his bare hands, he tightened his grip around it, feeling that it was semi-solid. He then took another aim at Miranda before hurling the spell toward her.


    Solid Spark.


    Eren felt that the spell''s name was misleading since it wasn''t as solid as he thought it to be. But that didn''t stop him from checking out the effects of his spell that zeroed in on Miranda following the series of arrows that were about to collide with her near-impregnable defensive spell.


    This time, Miranda was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attacks aimed at her. She was astounded at Eren''sbat style, which essentially said "fuck you" to the usual rankers'' norm of keeping mana consumption in check.


    He acted like there was infinite mana to back him up and sustain his reckless use of spells. Her defensive spell couldn''t keep up with Eren''s attack. She managed to block the arrows.


    However, Solid Spark prated her defensive spell and came out of the other side before hitting her in the right shoulder.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Miranda was pushed back from her stance as her body was invaded by Eren''s lightning mana. Her mana defense had been breached from the Solid Spark''s point of contact with her body, enabling Eren''s spell to inflict damage on her.


    A first direct hit.


    The captain had to send her mana circuits into hyperdrive to prevent Eren''s mana from doing any more damage to her. As a result, her rosy skin had turned red and her expressions told onlookers that she was annoyed.


    Miranda was only ying defensive at this point. The spears she had aimed at Eren when he had gotten close were only meant to warn him against the idea of engaging in closebat with her.


    However, now that Eren had rubbed Miranda the wrong way, she had decided to respond in kind. At this point, his test was already cleared. Even with his reckless use of spells that didn''t work with each other, the guy had immense raw battle talent.


    Miranda hade to realize that Eren was also experimenting at this point. He was trying to use her as a litmus paper to test variousbos he had in his mind. He''d get better as he refined his battle style.


    Passing the test didn''t mean the end of the duel though. Miranda needed to make sure Eren understood who was the captain of the team. She geared up to overwhelm him with her potent offensive spells.


    Unbeknownst to Eren, there was someone else in the audience booth who was rooting for him to hold his ground for two more minutes.


    psed time since the battle started¨C 1 minute.

 Chapter 61 To Hell With Circumstances. I Create Opportunities

    psed time since the battle started¨C 1 minute.


    While in battle, rankers could enhance their perception with mana. Therefore, the fast-paced battle felt like it had been carrying on for a while for both the rankers involved in the duel.


    ? "If this is how you want to y it, so be it."


    Miranda said to Eren before raising her hands in the air. A distinct mana pulse was felt by Eren and the audience as they saw therge volume of water around Miranda get divided into multiple water spheres. These floating water spheres then grew spikes before starting rotating around their respective axes.


    Eren gulped as he understood what wasing for him. He was able to see that there were more than 40 spiked water spheres around Miranda. Additionally, 6 of them seem to be more active than the others.


    Miranda knew that sending all 40 of the mana spheres to the target could be seen as overkill. She wanted to test his limits, not brutally assault a rookie like him. Plus, controlling all 40 of the water spheres at the same time using her mana sense would also be taxing for her. So she chose to send six water-element spheres to close in on Eren.


    Eren retrieved his Tachi and imbued it with his lightning element mana. The sword started buzzing and vibrating when it was coated with sparks of electricity.


    ''Mana barely enough to sustain another 2-3 minutes. Damn. I must have overdid it.''


    Eren felt the mana storage of his regr mana core and sighed. For these three months, he had been practicing all alone using his infinite mana core.


    At that time, the only limit ced on his body and spells came from his mana circuits. As a result, he had never experienced being tapped out of mana so soon.


    ''A quality martial artist is always ready for any move.''


    Eren decided to reveal the tip of the ice iceberg that was his infinite mana core as he saw the six spiked water spheres encircling him.


    ''To hell with circumstances. I create opportunities.''


    Another thought rippled in Eren''s head as he executed his movement spell.


    Miranda felt Eren''s presence trying to escape from her trap using her mana sense. It was difficult to keep track of him using normal vision. But she had a good sense of mana, so she didn''tpletely rely on it.


    A ranker''s mana sense was akin to a sixth sense. Itbined the feedback of all the five senses and offered a 360-degree perception for rankers. The mana sense was faster and better in most cases than any of the five senses. It offered aprehensive understanding of the real-time world to rankers when they spread it around themselves.


    The mana sense had its limitations. Its field was limited to a radius of some 30 meters around the ranker in the Meta rank. Some exceptions and prodigies could breach that limit. Also, rankers could use artifacts and potions to temporarily boost their range perception.


    The mana sense would grow along with the ranker''s advancement in the ranking journey. Its range and the level of detail it provided would also increase as the ranker kept on breaking through their ranks.


    Mana sense was also seen as intrusive in non-battle scenarios. Therefore, rankers had some written and unwritten norms for using it outside of battle. The use of a mana sense could create a conflict between two rankers who thought that the other was trying to breach their personal space.


    That''s why Aunt Rumi had warned Eren against using the mana sense carelessly.<sub> </sub>


    Miranda''s mana sense was better than Eren''s because of her higher ranking status. She also knew how to tweak it so that it would only provide her with the information she needed.


    Therefore, she smiled when she understood Eren''s intention. She waved her hands and sent another six spiked water spheres to block Eren''s way.


    Eren was trying to outrun the spheres that were targeting him before trying his luck in a closebat fight with Miranda once again. But it seemed that Miranda had already figured out his n and blocked his way ofing towards her with six additional spheres.


    "This.. this is cheating. You are kind of cheating here, cap!"


    Miranda chuckled but didn''t say anything.


    Eren stopped in his tracks before speeding up at 3 O''clock. But he was set for a rude awakening as 2 more spheres hade out of nowhere to block him once again.


    ''Two? I can deal with two.''


    Eren said and gripped the hilt of his sword with both his hands before executing Blitz Wave. He did not release the Blitz spell from the sword. It gave the artifact the ability to ovee Miranda''s mana within the sphere, which had made it as durable as a metallic sphere. Maybe more.


    Swoosh.


    Eren chopped the two spheres in half. He was about to celebrate his victory when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Miranda had adjusted the spikes'' length so it wouldn''t prate deep inside Eren. Still, the damage that was inflicted on him at that time was enough to get a wailing response from him.


    "Aaaaargh fuck!"


    Eren pursed his lips and executed his movement spell quickly before he could face any more of Miranda''s attacks. He felt the wound that was inflicted on him with his free hand and experienced something warm and weting from his body.


    Blood.


    With a shocked expression on his face, Eren looked at Miranda''s stoic face. She didn''t flinch when he decreased his speed and looked her in the eyes.


    ''Be prepared to shed blood indeed.''


    Eren thought to himself before his eyes started showing the cruelty he was hiding within him. He stopped caring about the retaliation from Miranda and approached her with newfound determination.


    This time, Eren was ready to receive a blow so that he couldnd a bigger blow on his opponent. Unbeknownst to both the rankers, the match had stopped being a test and started to look like an actual life-and-death battle.


    Rankers were emotional creatures. Their emotions would also get heightened when using mana for battles. As such, Eren and Miranda both started treating each other as real opponents after finding out that they had underestimated their opponents.


    psed time since the battle started¨C 2 minutes.

 Chapter 62 Surpassing Expectations

    psed time since the battle started¨C 2 minutes.


    Miranda saw Erenunching another closebat campaign against her. With spiked water spheres and a wall of defense, the captain weed him with open arms.


    Eren decided to tap into his infinite mana core this time. He was about to stack his spells to increase their potency.


    Blitz Steps x2


    Blitz Wave x2


    Although mana expenditure or intelligence stat was not a problem, Eren''s mana circuits had a limit. They couldn''t support infinite spell stacking. Especially when the situation involved the spell-stacking of different spells at the same time.


    Eren had found out that this was an ideal spell-stacking scenario for him in his current condition. He had been trying various methods for thest three months. But he had realized that practicing alone and dueling with a veteran ranker were two different things.


    This fight with Miranda was making him understand more than what he had been learning in semi-istion for three months.


    Miranda''s mana sense suddenly couldn''t keep up with Eren''s presence. She looked around her and found out that the hustler had been missing.


    ''Up!''


    Miranda thought and looked up. She also readjusted her spells and made the spiked spheres change direction. This was as she watched Erening at her with his sword in front of him like aet trying to break into Earth''s surface.


    ng.


    Miranda''s spells couldn''t keep up with Eren''s sudden change of pace. She had to use her spear de to sh with Eren''s Tachi.


    A mana pulse was released in the area when the two weapons collided. Miranda had to expend quite a lot of mana into her weapon to deflect Eren''s attack.


    Erennded just a meter away from Miranda and swung his sword around to create flying lightning des around him that destroyed the iing water spheres.


    Blitz Steps x2


    Blitz Wave x2


    Zoom. Swoosh. Cut.


    A sword wound had been inflicted on Miranda''s torso, from her right shoulder to her left side waist. Lightning mana prated her natural mana defenseyer and cut her clothes before dispersing.


    However, she didn''t have time to worry about those as she got busy handling Eren''s charge with her weapon arts.


    Eren mixed Jeet Kune Do with mortal weapon arts to sh head-on against his captain. The sparks flew and the mana pulses sted off around both of them as they operated on their weapons and countered each other''s moves.


    Both rankers now had some minor flesh wounds from the sh. The cuts were just enough to draw blood. But not enough to make them give up the fights.


    ***


    "Unbelievable."<sub> </sub>


    Rhea spoke with her mouth wide open as she saw Eren''s way of handling his weapon. Even she could tell that the guy was going to be apetent closebat expert shortly if he kept improving his skills.


    Although Eren hadn''tpletely overwhelmed Miranda, fighting this long with such ferocity was already enough. She then had a doubt and asked Ekay.


    "Can the battlemage ss support such a reckless use of mana given the fact that it is already notorious for its inefficient mana expenditure, Ekay?"


    Ekay chuckled before answering.


    ? "No. It can''t. But the battlemage ss has ways to counter the negative effects. Eren has already taken the potion imprint from his credit limit. It should allow him to fight until the mana potions he has stored in his potion imprint tap out."


    Ekay said andughed. Rhea looked at Ekay angrily before replying.


    "You knew about this, didn''t you? That''s why you agreed to our bet."


    Ekay shrugged his shoulders before answering.


    "I just like to keep tabs on the person who is about to join our team. And I wasn''t the one who came up with the bet or its time limit. It was all you."


    The imprint of a potion was simr to that of I-Rune in its storage functions. The only difference was that it was only used to store potions in its spatial pocket. Activating the potion imprint would allow the rankers to consume the potions stored in them.


    A huge amount of credit had been spent on Eren''s purchase of the potion imprint. And he did it without any care. This imprint could be used as his cover for using the infinite mana core to a certain extent.


    Of course, the consumption of potions itself had limits. A ranker couldn''t keep themselves fighting forever after drinking a mana recovery potion or all-stats recovery potion. The body would develop tolerance with each use in a short period. It would give diminishing returns with each use until there was no effect.


    Therefore, the use of potion imprints also had its natural limit. Yet, it was an ideal tool for Eren to use his infinite mana core in a pinch without raising suspicions.


    Because of this, the potion imprint served as Eren''s cover during the fight. There was no potion saved in Eren''s potion imprint of course. The potion imprint would be Eren''s smokescreen to use his infinite mana for a short time in front of everybody.


    Ekay narrowed his eyes on the battle that was going on in front of him with keen interest. Eventually, he smiled and spoke up in a yful voice.


    "Time''s up, Rhea. Pay up."


    Ekay said and smiled. Three oversized, spiky water spheres struck Eren at once, forcing him to go airborne and away from his initial position.


    ***


    Eren had surpassed Miranda''s expectations by a long margin by the time he was thrown into the air by her sphere spells. When hended on his two legs not too far from her with his wounded body, she looked at him.


    The difference between Eren''s martial arts-infused weapon arts and Miranda''s genuine weapon arts made for rankers lies in the fact that her weapon arts rely on mana points. In contrast, the martial arts digested, relearned and adapted by Eren utilized only brute strength.


    Therefore, while he had serious and bloody injuries, injuries on Miranda''s body were rtively minor and could be mended with a drink of a normal health potion.


    "You¡­ you did great, Eren."


    Miranda said to Eren and walked toward him, wondering why Eren was looking at her chest with such fascination.

 Chapter 63 Realizing Shortcomings

    Eren had lost.


    However, he had lost with grace. He could have made the battle more interesting by keeping on stacking the spells at the cost of burdening his mana circuits. But he chose not to. Because such an expenditure of mana would have raised suspicions even if he had a mana imprint.


    ''How can a broke ranker like him afford to spend mana potions casually on himself for a test match?'' Questions like these getting raised in his onlookers'' heads weren''t something he wanted.


    ''My weapon arts. I need mana-points-based weapon art I can use along with Jeet Kune Do.''


    Eren also started to realize his shorings after fighting with a ranker like Miranda. He was used to fighting with Reece in their spare time. But she''s always pulling her punches, never allowing him to take the fight seriously.


    However, Miranda was different. Her temperament as a ranker was also different. She would usually act like a normal, mortal teenage girl. But herbat presence was cold-blooded and determined. He could see why the Stardust guild master made her the captain.


    Eren sighed after he had these thoughts while standing up on his feet. He then kept his weapon in his storage and took a long breath.


    ''I''m sure Miranda was being lenient but damn. Look at my state. Tory''s aunt would have had a field day patching me.''


    Eren was brought back into time when he was still struggling in a world much different from this. His way of life had improved aftering here. But so were his struggles. The only difference this time was the fact that he felt more in control of his struggles and their oue.


    While Eren was busy sorting through his thoughts and processing his shorings, Miranda closed the distance between them. Eren turned his gaze from the void and smiled at his captain. He was sure that he had passed the test.


    But then he looked at her chest and his thoughts froze. For some reason, he couldn''t think of anything else.


    The surprise attack he had pulled on Miranda had done its job. Eren hadn''t noticed it till now but Miranda''s top had been torn open and her brassiere was showing. That along with a thin red line that ran from her right shoulder to her left hip.


    ''Hm. She doesn''t look like she''s packing this much. Looks are deceptive indeed.''


    Eren thought to himself while staring at a very pleasing-to-the-eyes sight. He had forgotten the teachings of Tory that said look at a girl''s breasts as if you are gazing at the zing sun. Stare for a bit before looking away in the next moment.


    Miranda finally realized what Eren was staring at when she looked down. She had a red tinge on her cheeks. But as a veteran ranker, she didn''t lose her calm. She asked Eren the same question he had asked her before the fight.


    "Like what you see?"


    "Indeed."


    Eren didn''t even take a moment to answer her question while staring at the jugs. Miranda snorted her nose in displeasure before summoning a small spikeless water sphere over her palm.


    Swoosh. Throw. Impact.


    Eren was hit hard by the non-lethal spell on his right shoulder, causing him to take a few steps backward. He rubbed the point of impact with his hand before looking at his official captain with a mirthless smile on his face.


    "Hey¡­ they are pretty. The truth shall set me free."<sub> </sub>


    Eren said and smirked. His carefree and bold attitude finally eased the lowkey awkward moment Miranda was assuming for herself and she also chuckled.


    Miranda summoned a leather jacket for herself and wore it just as quickly to prevent Eren from having any more free passes to her private collection. She adjusted her hair and coughed before saying.


    "Hmm. Eren, you have performed well. Although your battle style is erratic and doesn''t make full use of your talents, I''m sure you''d find your path soon enough.


    We can begin your entrance into the Numbered Oasis tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, you''d earn what rankers are used to earning. So I don''t think you''ll have to do jobs meant for non-rankers starting tomorrow."


    Miranda smiled and started walking toward the exit of the battle ring. The energy shield that had been raised over the battle ring was dispersed and Miranda walked out.


    After Miranda''s departure, Eren used his mana imprint to consume a recovery potion, which healed his most serious wounds in no time. Rankers had elerated regenerationpared to mortals. So the non-serious wounds he had on his body would recover on their own in a few hours.


    Eren didn''t want to waste any more flesh recovery potion on himself for minor injuries that were going to get mended for free. He was about to follow Miranda''s footsteps and leave the battle ring when he sensed a presence approaching from behind him.


    "You made me lose 50 mana quartz, you know that?"


    Rhea greeted Eren in aining voice as soon as he turned around. Ekay was walking behind Rhea while looking at Eren with a smile on his face.


    "Hm? How did I do that?"


    Eren asked with puzzled expressions. Rhea was busy showing displeasure on her face so Ekay had to step up.


    "Hahaha. She lost the bet with me, Eren. she had believed that you wouldn''tst 3 minutes against our captain. But you did. Guess how much she had put as a wager for this bet?"


    Eren finally understood as he looked at Rhea with an incredulous expression.


    "How¡­ how can you afford to put that much amount on a silly game, Rhea?"


    Rhea''s frown vanished as she noticed Eren''s question. She chuckled and looked at Ekay before answering.


    "Hehe. You need to stop thinking like a non-ranker, Eren. Although the amount seems big, it is not something you wouldn''t recover in a few days from working in Gahan.


    I was kidding earlier of course. However, you surprised us with your performance. How did you learn to fight like a ranker within just three months without any proper experience?"


    Although Rhea had underestimated Eren and was treating him as a non-ranker all this time, she didn''t dislike him. And now that he had be a ranker and fought excellently with their captain, her views of Eren had changed once again.


    Eren shed a grin listening to Rhea''s question before replying with a simple answer.


    "Practice."

 Chapter 64 Entering Gilaahan

    Eren opened his eyes to the world of Gilhaan for the first time.


    He didn''t feel like his consciousness was pulled into a different body than the one back on Earth. Yet he knew that was not the case.


    He was sleeping on a plush bed that was levitating above the ground. The ground on which the bed was floating motionless had a runic array.


    The runic inscriptions on the array slowly lost their luminescence when Eren woke up. As if the array had done its job and now it entered the idle mode.


    ''Hmm. So far the information provided to me checks out.'' Eren said to himself before getting up from his lying position.


    He looked around and found himself to be in a small room that was well-lit and neat. He could see the basic amenities ced in the room along with a spectral interface at one end of the wall that was constantly getting updated with various notifications.


    Eren looked down at his body and realized that he waspletely naked. He then looked at his arms and legs and moved them a bit.


    ''Just like my current body back on Earth. This is unbelievable.''


    Eren thought to himself while raising his eyebrows. He got up from his bed and walked around the house a bit. On the table was an ensemble of his choice. The spatial array on the table had been used to send him his attire and gear.


    Gahan was a new world far far away from Earth''s reach. It could only be reached through the use of warp gates. But that option was only avable for rankers above Awakened status and up.


    Meta rankers like him had another option. The option to create a synth body.


    This synth body was just like the real body of the ranker. It shared the same appearance and ranking status as the real bodies of the rankers. To the point that even the ranker themselves wouldn''t be able to recognize the difference.


    Eren then inhaled deeply and realized the difference in the air for the first time. Compared to earth''s air, this air was fresh and wild. There were other minor differences in the air, atmospheric pressure, and gravitational force of the earth. But they were nothing substantial.


    ''So this is where the siphoned lifespan of mortals gets consumed. To create bodies like these.''


    Eren had a serious expression on his face as he connected the dots immediately aftering to Ghaan. The mortals had to pay the price for the rankers'' expeditions.


    Eren didn''t feel sorry for mortals. Nor did he feel any joy at being able to live in the outside world at their expense.


    He was not strong enough to fight with the High Table. And even if he could, he wouldn''t risk his life for something that wasn''t part of his goals anymore. He was unwilling to fall back to being a mortal or non-ranker after experiencing the power he felt from wielding mana.


    Eren suddenly froze in his tracks and remembered something. He quickly checked up on himself and immediately felt relieved by the realization.


    Both his mana cores had made it here in Gahan. Eren breathed a sigh of relief when he channeled his mana and felt the feedback from both his mana cores.


    Eren also realized one more thing after channeling his mana. One was that his mana circuits had been altered a bit. His primary mana pathways had been altered and extended. The mana points in his body along with their numbers and positions had also been changed, making the circuits a bit moreplex than before.


    The alteration of mana circuits was because he had selected battlemage as his ss when entering Gahan. The changes would eventually get replicated into his real body as he progressed here in Gahan.


    ''Hm. The purity and density of mana here on Gahan are also different. I dare say that it is better than back on earth.''


    Eren concluded as he felt the mana around it with his mana sense. He understood why so many rankers joined the guild and signed restrictive contracts with them to get to ces like these.


    This was why Gahan and other Numbered Oasis were so significant for Meta rankers all over the world. The progression here was faster than on earth. And it will eventually make its way back home.


    Eren now only had one more thing to check before he wore his clothes and explored outside. He concentrated on his I-Rune that was magically tattooed on his right hand''s palm and activated a special rune incorporated into it.


    ***


    Status:<sub> </sub>


    Name- Eren Elijah Idril


    Organization: Stardust Guild


    I-Rune Imprint: * (verified)


    Ranking Status: Rank 1 Meta Ranker (Gaseous state mana core: Stage 1)


    ss- Battlemage


    Ranking Technique- Default


    p Credit paid: 0/8000 Mana Quartz</anda>


    Base Stats:


    HP- 3.7/3.7


    MP- 4.7???/ 4.7??? (I-Rune error)


    STR- 3.2


    AGI- 3.1


    INT- 2.2


    BTP~ 14


    F-Rank Spells: Solid Spark, Blitz Steps, Blitz Wave, Blitz Storm, Blitz Heal, Blitz Arrow, Blitz Shield (Sync iplete), Blitz Shard (Sync iplete), Blitz Whip (Sync iplete)


    ***


    Eren could read the details about himself on a spectral screen only he was able to see. It was something that was generated by interfering with his optical signals in real-time, rather than something visible from the outside.


    This was another function of I-Rune only avable to rankers who had entered the Numbered Oasis. It allowed every rank to keep track of their progress.


    The details and stats disyed on the spectral screen were very personal to rankers. Unless the rankers wanted to show off their stats by showing off their spectral disys using the I-Rune out in the open, they would always remain private. Nobody would be able to see them no matter what.


    The ranker''s physical attributes would get quantified by I-Rune before they get disyed as Base Stats. They were quantified using an average mortal''s stats as the foundation. It meant that the average base stat points in mortals for every segment would be one unit.


    It was obvious that rankers'' base stats points exceeded those of mortals, showing their superiority over them.


    HP meant health stats that would denote the health and endurance status of a ranker. MP would indicate the amount of mana stored. The strength was quantified using STR while agility was used to indicate how agile a ranker waspared to mortals.


    Finally, the INT stat showed how much more a ranker was capable of than a mortal in terms of their brain processing powers. It had more to do with the spell control and parallel spell activation a ranker could exert on their spells than their wisdom level against mortals.


    The BTP was an acronym for Base Total Points. It tallied all the base stats points.


    Eren pondered a bit as he looked at his base points before closing the spectral screen. It was now time to explore the world of Gahan.

 Chapter 65 City Of Ludan

    The city of Ladun. Shaikai kingdom. Gahan.


    This was one of the most bustling cities in the Shaikai kingdom. It housed various guilds and denizens from different worlds.


    Humans weren''t the only known race in the Gahan. Many races resembled some of the early human fantasy entries. Then there were some that humans were yet to include in their old fantasy stories.


    Of course, these races were called different than what humans used to know them as. However, after centuries of cohabitation with humans, the other races hade to familiarize themselves with humans'' way of addressing them.


    Gahan was like amon world for many races located across the gxies. These races had traveled to Gilhaan using the same means as humans¨C warp gates or present via synth bodies. Humans were the ones that had joined the partyte.


    <o>,m The city of Ladun was as active as it used to be. This was the time of the summer here. The world of Gilhaan had all kinds of weather and weather patterns after all. Some were tamer than the Earth. Others not so much.</o>


    The current dwellers of Gahan couldn''t agree on who was the original resident of the world. Some said it was their race. The other imed that they were here before anyone else.


    All the races stopped fighting with each other eventually when they understood that the world of Ghaan was too big to be had by any single race. There were resources to collect. Mana beasts to y. And ces to explore. The conflict immediately died down and eventually a more harmonious ecosystem was created.


    The world of Gilhaahan could house so many races and still had resources to spare because of its giant size. It was up to 300 times more massive than the earth.


    Such a baffling size was still nothing in the grand scheme of things that existed in the universe. After all, Gahan was a world considered to be reserved mostly for Meta and Awakened rankers. It was one of the worlds that each race''s foot soldiers used to visit.


    Still, the world was a lucrative source of ie for Meta and Awakened rankers. Something that wasn''t eyed by high-ranking entities didn''t make it less valuable for low-ranking existences.


    Arge poption of humans and a few other races used synth bodies to reach this world. The rest hade here with their natal bodies. The synth bodies weren''t distinguishable from natal bodies in any way so it didn''t matter how one was present here. All that mattered was what one was doing here.


    The city of Ladun featured many guilds as well as other organizations. It was governed by a newly emerged elf nobility. The Shikai kingdom was also governed by arge Elf n, the members of which were sent to many cities as governors.


    The city had a Victorian-era vibe reminiscent of Earth''s past. Yet, it still had many mana-powered technological wonders integrated into its lifestyle. A ssic setting that was sprinkled with modern ways of living.


    This Numbered Oasis followed the same logic atrge, with just a few minor differences depending upon who was ruling a particr region of the kingdom.


    The world of Gahaan had an officialnguage called Giclee. Each race was expected to use thisnguage whenmunicating in Ghaan, no matter which ce, kingdom, or the original world they belonged to.


    The three months incubation period humans observed was to prepare Meta rankers fornguage and various other cultural studies observed in the worlds they were about to enter. With their enhanced intelligence, learning anguage was no big deal for rankers.<sub> </sub>


    Sunrise. Hustle Bustle. Noises of unknown origin.


    The city of Ladun woke up when the first ray of light broke into the horizon. The adventurers started leaving the city using various mana beast mounts and mana-powered tforms.


    The Stardust guild was a guild like any other in the city of Ladun. It was set up in the same main building as its earth counterpart with a few minor changes.


    The guild had all the facilities and arrangements it had back on earth. Plus, it featured various other buildings meant for activities rted to the world of Gahan. For example, there was a guild''s storage facility added to the guild premises, which wasn''t avable on Earth.


    Furthermore, the Stardust guild also had a guild-members-only lodging facility that was used to house the synth bodies of their members. It was a simple 4 story building that had beenterally expanded to house more and more guild members'' apartments.


    One of the lodge room''s doors creaked and a white-haired young man stepped outside his apartment and into the world of Gahan for the first time.


    He had worn a white t-shirt inside a brown leather jacket. There was a basic wind-element rune etched on the inside of the jacket that allowed for enhanced breathability. There was an imprint of a red Oni with tusks sticking out from either side of its mouth on the jacket''s back. This added extra appeal to its otherwisemon look.


    The jacket didn''t have any protective properties though. Resources like that had to be earned and not given for free.


    The white-haired man''s brown leather pants paired well with his jacket. It was a simple outfit that didn''t stand out much. Particrly here in Gahan where every kind of outfit and wearable artifact was considered the norm.


    The footwear this young man wore was special. It was a Rank 1 artifact set that looked like typical shoes. Except, it had lightning-element runes to support and enhance the white-haired young man''s movement spell. Of course, he had taken the artifact on credit from his guild.


    He needed to start grinding in the world of Gihan to clear the debt on his head. Because the interest rates weren''t in his favor.


    The man opened the door and saw a young girl waiting for him. It looked like she was trying to spy on him because she had ced her ears over the door before it was unlocked. So when the man opened the door, she was caught unaware.


    This young girl had pretty hair, an even prettier face, and attention-grabbing green eyes. Coincidentally, she had the word ''green'' in her name as well.


    It looked like spying on this young man was nothing new for this girl. It seemed that it was her daily routine that she had maintained even in Gahan. After being caught in apromising situation, she immediately straightened herself up, adjusted her silky let-loose hair for no reason, and coughed.


    "*Cough. You finally came out? What were you doing there for so long?"

 Chapter 66 Death And Taxes

    Reece was the first person to greet Eren outside his apartment. She was going to be his guide here.


    "You want to know? Why don''t youe inside and let me show you?"


    Eren smirked and punched Reece''s shoulder up in a friendly manner before keeping his right arm across her shoulders. The girl was used to his behavior and was tempted to take him up on his offer. However, she remembered her mother''s words that told her "give the man what he wants easily and he''ll never cherish it as much as he should."


    Reece had a frown on her face as she adjusted her stance while being burdened with Eren''s body weight. However, she did nothing to stand away from Eren and started guiding him towards another building where the guild''s main lobby was.


    "How are you feeling? The synth body shouldn''t have any problems. But let me know if you feel something odd here."


    Reece told Eren while checking her schedule for the day on her spectral screen.


    "I''m fine, Reecy. It''s just that I''m hungry. Do we have anything to eat here?"


    ''Eat me.'' Reece answered Eren''s question in her mind and chuckled. She then readjusted her stance as a well-mannered girl as her mother wanted her to be before answering Eren''s question.


    "We do. I''ll take you there in a while. But first, you need to meet with the captain."


    "Alright," Eren said and let Reece guide him about.


    ***


    This was the guild''s main lobby. It featured a giant hall that was enhanced with runic details for luminescence and air venttion. There was a counter at one corner of the hall, serving as the ce to register for solo or group missions.


    There were various spectral disys ced at different corners of the guild hall. They had details about various ongoing andpleted missions as well as current news about the city of Ladun and the Shaikai kingdom as a whole.


    Various guilds were assigned these missions by the local authorities of the city as well as the Shikai administration if and when they were kingdom-level missions. Guilds could be issued the same kind of missions by the local and kingdom administrations with quality, quantity, and other variables varying.


    I-Rune was used by all the denizens of Gahan. It was used to keep track of the guild members active on the missions. The data was shared with the local authorities as well as the kingdom''s administration if and when there was a need.


    By now, every process rted to the mission''s nning, processing, andpletion had been streamlined. Even the raw products and resources collected in the missions could be used, sold, or stored in various ways, in an individual or guild''s capacity.


    The Stardust guild also had non-human guild members in Gahan. It was just that they were rare since most races liked to stick with their bunch. It was only in arge guild that there was a huge diversity of races. That''s because adventurers would join such guilds because of the mary benefits they offered.


    A guild''s potential in Gahan could be easily understood by how many stars it had in the kingdom''s official database. The 1-star guilds were the most basic and considered start-ups. Whereas, two-star guilds were start-ups that had tasted some sess.<sub> </sub>


    The three-star guilds were known organizations in their sphere of influence whereas the four-star guilds were considered elites. The kingdoms like Shaikai only gave five-star ratings to one guild at a time.


    The stardust guild was registered as a two-star guild that was considered as close to achieving 3-stars if and when they contributed enough for the city of Ludan and the Shaikai kingdom.


    A guild''s rating determines its ess to resource-rich areas. With better ess came more lucrative missions and greater rewards. There were other perks to having a three-star or higher rating as well.


    For example, three-star and above guilds had better,rger databases of spells they could give out to their guild members for a specific price. Of course, the city and kingdom administrations would take their cuts from transactions like these, enabling a smooth-functioning economy.


    With a variety of spells to choose from, the guild members would be able to find the spells and techniques that better suited them. As a result, the guild''s individual as well as group prowess would increase.


    Another passive effect of having a better spell and technique database was that the adventurers would likely be part of a guild that had a higher star rating. The guilds would then have more capable rankers to hire from a huge pool of adventurers.


    As such, like every other guild, the Stardust guild aspired to have a better rating than its existing one. It was on the cusp of having a three-star rating. It just needed another kingdom-level mission to take part in and seed at.


    ***


    "Here begins your life as an adventurer, Eren Elijah Idril. Excited?"


    Eren was greeted by someone with their usual friendly smile when he entered the guild''s lobby. When he heard a familiar voice, he was still looking everywhere while being led by Reece. He looked at 9 O''clock to find a lustrous-golden-blond-haired girl with gray eyes staring at him keenly.


    "And a good morning to you too, cap!"


    Eren smiled slightly at Miranda before heading her way with his arm still on Reece''s shoulder. At this point, he was cing half of his body weight on her, making his stride nty. One had to admit that there was still wild and untamed behavior left in Eren from his days as a street thug.


    "Excited? I am indeed excited. I have to be if I want to pay my bills."


    Eren added and smiled mirthlessly. Miranda chuckled before responding with a jab.


    "Hehehe. That''s better. We can''t have you die too early if we want to at least take back our loan amount."


    "Death and taxes!" Eren snorted his nose and said.


    "Death and taxes." Miranda pursed her lips in a smile and nodded.

 Chapter 67 Possible Solution?

    "Can we do that though?"


    Eren asked while observing adventurersing into and leaving the hall. He had observed that they were wearing all kinds of armor and gear. Some looked archaic while others looked like they had been industrially manufactured.


    And they all seemed to be in their element. Like it was normal for everyone to wear any outfit or gear. He was thoroughly undressedpared to them.


    "Do what?"


    Miranda asked. Reece had left the duo alone and had moved ahead to check up on a few things disyed on a spectral screen that was floating in the air. She was selecting a mission for Eren. Against her wishes, he had decided tomemorate his entrance into Ghaan by embarking on a mission.


    "You know¡­ die. Can we die here?"


    Eren asked and stopped looking around. This question''s answer would determine how to behave in the Numbered Oasis.


    "Didn''t you read the information that was given to you?" Miranda asked.


    "I did. But that was quite ambiguous. I want to hear it from you."


    Miranda sighed when she heard Eren''s question and replied.


    "I''m afraid my answer won''t be any different. The synth bodies we use are not our real bodies even though they feel like it. So dying here shouldn''t affect our main body and ultimately us for that matter."


    Eren narrowed his eyes and replied, "I''m sensing a "but"ing."


    Miranda nodded before responding soon after.


    "In normal circumstances, dying here would mean your soul would find its way back to your main body eventually. Your body would be in a vegetative state till that happens. This state canst from a few minutes to days or weeks. The time varies ording to the ranker''s circumstances."


    Eren was taken aback a bit when Miranda said it might take weeks for a ranker to wake up in his natal body after his synth body perished here.


    He wondered if any of those who had taken weeks to wake up experienced something simr to him.


    "Did those who died here find themselves in a different ce they couldn''t describe or meet with some thought that they couldn''t visualize?"


    Miranda looked at Eren funnily and chuckled before saying.


    "No, silly. They just feel like they have been woken from a short nap. They don''t experience anything or dream of anything.


    It''s like they close their eyes and die here. The next thing they know, they are back on their. They don''t experience the passage of time their bodies or those who look after their bodies do."


    Eren concluded that what had happened to him waspletely different from dying in Gahan. He was wondering if he could bring back Tory with synth bodies. But it looked like things weren''t going to be as easy as he was making them out to be in his head.


    <o>,m Eren dropped the subject of finding a synth-body option for Tory for now. It was indeed a viable option if he added those mysterious Lazarus pods into the equation. However, he needed much more information and experience to think about this project.</o>


    Plus, he needed to get his hands on those pods first before thinking about anything else. For that, he needed to travel to Latvia where the Lazarus pods were. For a ranker living in the Elysian city on another continent, this task was going to be difficult.


    Even if he gets his hands on the Lazarus pods somehow, how was he nning to smuggle them back into the Phoenix without raising rms? And this was assuming Raquel didn''t get her hands on them first.


    Eren believed that a huge part of the reason Raquel had decided to sabotage herb and had the Lazarus pods stolen was that they could make synth bodies a permanent solution for those who she deemed fit. If these Lazarus pods were one of a kind like he thought they were, she wouldn''t stop looking for them even now.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had multiple roadblocks in his path to bringing Tory back to life. He didn''t even know where he was supposed to find him as an Osho in Bourgy''s Oasis. For now, he decided to focus on what was in his hands.


    After settling the storm of thoughts in his head with his head down, Eren looked at Miranda once again before asking her another question.


    "You said normal circumstances. What are the abnormal ones?"


    Miranda was expecting Eren to raise the question. So she replied soon after.


    "There are certain things here in Gahan that can kill you and make your body back on your real stop breathing for real. Artifacts and potions that can affect souls are present here. Ruins and dungeons that can trap your souls.


    Array traps that can harm your soul after destroying your body are also dangerous. Mana beasts that have special powers. Even some restricted zones can replicate the damage you receive here on your main body.


    Although these products are banned in almost every kingdom and illegal to use. Things like these do exist in Gahan, thanks to the various ck markets."


    Eren raised his eyes and gulped when he heard Miranda''s words. He was d that he didn''t just stick to official information and asked her about this.


    Miranda watched Eren''s expressions and found some relief. She didn''t want him to treat the physical death here as something very casual. Most of all, she didn''t want a suicidal team member in her team who would jeopardize their missions because of his unfounded bravery.


    She smiled mirthlessly before adding up.


    "In short, dying is uneptable here. It''s bad for business. Regardless of the circumstances of your death. You were not given the synth body for free. The guild has paid a price for it, which it won''t do next time.


    You''d have to bear the cost of destroying your synth body and getting a recement. Trust me, you don''t want to hear the price for it with your current financial condition."


    Eren felt like there was mockery hidden somewhere in Miranda''s statement about his status as a broke ranker. But her expressions soon told him that was not the case. The price was going to be expensive even by a veteran Meta Ranker''s standards.


    Miranda allowed Eren to process what she had said to him for a bit before continuing in a serious tone.


    "Furthermore, you can''t just die and hope to have a new body every time just because you are rich. Synchronization with the synth body would continue to deteriorate until you would not be able to walk.


    What''s more? You are not spared from the pain just because it is your synth body. We call them synth bodies, but are they any different from our real ones? For me, it''s as real as your natal one if not more.


    I guess when the synth body dies, some part of you dies with it."


    Miranda paused and took a deep breath before concluding.


    "So¡­ destroying your synth body here is bad. Like really bad. Understood?"


    "Understood," Eren replied simply.


    Miranda smiled and thought that she wasn''t supposed to paint such a grim picture of Gahan for a newbie. As she walked toward Reece, she gestured with her eyes that Eren follows her.


    "As long as you''re careful and don''t act like you are immortal, there''s plenty of riches to be had in Gahan. Just waiting for you to im them.


    Come. Let''s get you your first mission."

 Chapter 68 First Mission

    [Active mission #3245: Required a set of six tusks and six trunks from Rank 1 Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth.


    Ideal Region: Steelfield prairie. 250 miles from the City of Ludan.


    Completion timeframe: 2 days.


    Mission difficulty: 1-star]


    Eren studied the mission details that were disyed on his spectral screen. Apart from the main details, the disy also had descriptions of the mana beast known as Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth and ways with which a ranker could y or capture them.


    He was currently traveling on a colt with Reece and one other ranker from his guild.


    ? He had selected this mission from a long list of 1-star missions nearby to the city of Ludan. Reece and Miranda had helped him narrow down this mission after considering all the options.


    "Eren, shouldn''t you have waited to take a mission? Maybe watch how the captain fights and deals with her mission before deciding on anything?"


    Reece enquired while riding on her colt effortlessly. The other ranker was right behind her. It was Eren and his colt that were making things a bit difficult for the group by going off the path every once in a while.


    The guy couldn''t be med. He had never ridden a horse in his whole life. He had thought that they had gone extinct back on earth.


    However, the colts here in Gahan were different. They were mana beasts who were more powerful and capable than their mortal counterparts.


    "The problem with that is I''ll remain on the sidelines, Reece. I havee to observe that I learn well and fast when I''m under pressure."


    Eren said and smiled after looking at Reece''s face.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not some sort of adrenaline junkie. I know my limits. However, I''ll only be doing minimum group missions that are expected from me. I n to go on solo missions when I get enough experience with Gahan.


    That''s why I don''t want to depend too much on captain Miranda or you for that matter."


    Eren said and readjusted his mana beast to follow the duo once more after veering off the road once again.


    The mana beasts the trio was riding on were collectively called Noble Feet. This was the most used mana beast in all the rankers here. It had a mild temperament and exceptional speed. It could carry rankers for hours on end without getting tired.


    Plus, it was used to eating grass and leaves that were practically everywhere outside Gahan''s cities. So there was no need to worry about the beast''s well-being. These beasts were well adapted to Gahan''s environment. Sometimes the rankers that had been on missions would be missing but the colts they had rented would find their way back to the cities.


    The mana beast also progressed from Rank 1 and upwards on Gahan. Some were extremely ferocious while some can be tamed and used, like the Noble Feet.


    The mana beast looked like a horse on steroids. It had very prominent muscle definitions, enabling it to traverse any uneven terrain with ease. The earth-element nature of the beast also made it aware of iing dangers by sensing the vibrationsing from the ground.


    Each city had colt rental services the rankers could use to reach their mission sites. The services would charge a fixed amount price for rental depending upon the mana beast, the number of days it was being rented for, and so on.


    The world of Gahan had various local currencies depending upon the kingdom as well as one uniform currency that was mana quartz. That meant the mana quartz that is earned here could be used back on earth.<sub> </sub>


    "That¡­ that also makes sense, I guess."


    Reece sounded disheartened by the fact that Eren was nning to take up solo missions more. She had thought that he would spend more time with her Gahan. But it looked like the guy had his ns.


    Eren needed to use his infinite mana core to its fullest in the world of Gahan. He could only do that when he was alone on missions. He was nning to keep the use of his infinite mana core to a minimum while participating in group missions.


    Eren heard Reece''s voice and knew what she was thinking. By this point, he had gotten used to handling the beast. Or the beast had gotten used to being with him. Now it had stopped following his instructions and started following his peers that were running ahead.


    The Noble Feet sensed his rider''s intentions and ran beside Reece''s beast, enabling him to address her better.


    "It''s fine Reece. I won''t be doing solo missions all the time. After all, we have all the time in Gahan. We can use that time to duel and practice. I don''t want you to stay stagnant while I overtake you. That won''t be fun. Hahaha."


    The world of Gahan processed the passage of time differently than back on Earth. About 7 days would pass in Gahan when the rankers'' natal bodies observed the time in hours.


    As a result, every day the rankers were inside Gahan, it was like spending seven days in Gahan. Almost all the Numbered Oasis worlds observed different passages of time than Earth. Some worked in Rankers'' favor, some against them.


    Reece smiled when she heard Eren''s words. In the next moment, her mood was uplifted as she spoke.


    "Heh! You just entered Meta rank and are already thinking of overtaking me? I''ll be breaking into the fourth stage soon, you know."


    Reece guided her demon beast at a quicker pace than Eren, a gesture that showed how she would leave him behind if he didn''t catch up.


    "Go follow her, you stupid beast."


    Eren said to his colt with a frown when he saw Reece pulling away from him. However, Eren almost fell over the mana beast when it suddenly stopped. The beast snorted loudly and did not move a muscle from the spot.


    Eren was made aware earlier that the Noble Feet could roughly decipher rankers'' emotions and thoughts based on the fluctuations of their mana signatures. These fluctuations were naturally generated by rankers'' bodies. Something told him the beast didn''t like being called stupid.


    ''Noble indeed.''


    Eren said to himself and sighed before addressing his mana beast.


    "I¡­ I am sorry, bud. Please follow that girl to the best of your abilities."


    The mana beast snorted once again before increasing its speed all of a sudden. It seemed that it also had an inherent spell at its disposal. It covered its limbs with earth element mana and started gaining on Reece with incredible speed.


    Eren had to strengthen his natural mana defense to fight off the wind pressure and stay straight onto the beast''s back. Reece and the other ranker who was with them saw Eren''s condition andughed.


    They both sped up their colts as well, adding more misery to Eren''s existing condition. Thanks to this sudden speeding up, the trio was on course to reach their mission site earlier than predicted.

 Chapter 69 Mia Silver

    Mia Silver headed for the Steelfield prairie with two other rankers from her guild. She was basically asked to babysit by captain Miranda because she had been tasked with a different mission and couldn''t do it herself.


    Mia was a beautiful elf with a ranger ss. She had a cute nose and brte hair that boded well with her mesmerizing light brown eyes. Her heart-shaped lips and her elf-like ears added extra appeal to her charms.


    Silver was one of the few permanent residents of Gilhaan to join the Stardust guild some three years back. She was 30 years old, which was young by elf standards.


    Mia was in the 9th stage of Rank 1, a step away from her ranking breakthrough. However, she didn''t have a team to lead like Miranda. The elf preferred solo missions more.


    Her mission was still in the same direction as Eren''s and Reece''s. So she decided to make Miranda owe her one by apanying a newbie.


    "Miss Mia, what do you think? Should we stop here?"


    Reece asked Mia as they drew extremely close to the prairie. The veteran elf nodded before answering.


    "Heh! You don''t take up many missions and stay inside the guild looking after its administrative work. So I thought that you didn''t know how to handle these not-so-team-like missions."


    Mia said and smiled and added up.


    "I guess I judged a book by its cover. Please forgive me, Reece."


    Mia said this as she stopped her colt. The duo followed her lead and got down from their beasts'' backs.


    "Reece''s decision is kind of paranoid. We could have ventured a bit further into the open field. However, being paranoid is not always a bad thing. Especially in Giaahan."


    Mia looked at Eren and narrowed her eyes before speaking further.


    "Those big beasts are very protective of their territories and would attack anyone who got into their territory. We need to tread carefully from here. Traverse on foot.


    We can leave our colts here and get them after we are done with our mission. For now, follow me."


    Mia said and started walking through the prairie.


    The field was an ideal habitat for Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth because of its peculiarity. It featured an enormous stretch of t grasnd with a few sparse trees in between. The de length of the grasnd was just above an average adult''s waist, offering long-distance visibility to rankers while allowing them to hide if and when needed to. That was provided they were not riding on their colts.


    Eren and Reece followed Mia''s lead and ventured into the field. They also consciously made efforts to keep their mana signatures to their lowest and try not to attract attention with any of their actions.


    While following Mia, Eren observed that Reece was a bit downcast when she heard Mia speak about herck of involvement in missions thesest few months. She wasn''t always like this.


    Reece had been doing very well when she had first started as a Meta and came to Gahan. She amazed everyone in her team with her talents. Since a mission''s failure, however, she felt jittery whenever she was out on missions.<sub> </sub>


    It is for that reason she has reduced her mission''s involvement over the past few months. Despite her jitters, she decided to guide Eren on his first mission.


    Eren could somehow guess what must have happened to Reece. She had not talked to him about the mission that had affected her psychologically. Maybe it was because the previous Eren wasn''t a ranker when this must have happened. Or maybe she didn''t feelfortable talking about it with anybody.


    Eren knew a thing or two about getting jitters. At the time, he had his first kill right after bing a ranker. It was akin to him offering a sacrifice of blood and bones for his advancement to official rank.


    He had dealt with his jitters by keeping himself busy with his life. His workouts were his way to calm his nerves. And they did a good job. However, he also knew that the same remedy wouldn''t work for everybody.


    Everyone needed to find their fix, their own solution to fix what was broken inside them.


    ''Reecy, I don''t know what problems you faced before. And I don''t want you to tell me about them either. Sometimes speaking up about problems helps. In some cases, sharing them only makes it moreplicated.


    However, we must not sacrifice our present for the things we did in the past.''


    Eren nced up at the clear, blue sky. He sighed and added up.


    ''If you love life, don''t waste time. Time is what life is made of.


    I may not be able to help you deal with the mess in your head. But I can make you realize that it''s a mess that will get solved one day.


    Only a few things are infinite in this universe. And fortunately, the mess in your head is not one of them.''


    Eren said to Reece over the voicemunication channel that was avable through the use of Identity Rune. He refrained from openly discussing it so that Reece wouldn''t feel ufortable talking about it in Mia''s presence.


    Reece heard Eren''s words and repeated them in her mind over and over again until they started resonating with her. She couldn''t help shing a smile of gratitude at him.


    ''Thanks, Eren.'' Reece said and decided to tell Eren what had been bothering her anyway. Eren smiled mirthlessly but uttered nothing to oppose her decision. He followed Mia''s lead while listening to what Reece was saying on their voicemunication channel.


    Reece had been doing team missions with Miranda, Stan, Ralph, Jayce, and the rest ever since she had gotten into Gahan for the first time. Reece felt that she was doing well since all her missions were a sess.


    Reece''s elemental affinity was special. It was a hybrid elemental affinity that was based on fire and space¨C a spatial fire that allowed for pyroportation.


    This was a unique elemental affinity that seldom appeared. As such, there were not a lot of ways to counter someone who used spells rted to the same.


    Reece had no match for her level, thanks to her affinity. Her dependency on her spell grew with time. And that became the root cause of her mental roadblock after a certain mission turned haywire.

 Chapter 70 Dokkaebi

    There were five great elements¨C earth, water, fire, wind, and aether. All the other elements that were not these five elements were called hybrid elements. The hybrid elements were obtained by fusing the elemental affinities of two or more great elements.


    Rankers who had an elemental affinity with only one or two great elements without any hybrid elemental affinity were mostmon among the lot. Those with hybrid affinity were considered rare.


    The rankers who had hybrid affinity could make use of the elements their hybrid element is made of, a huge advantage over someone with only great elemental affinities. However, it was difficult for hybrid element rankers to rank up.


    Each elemental affinity had its advantages and disadvantages of course. No elemental affinity or elemental nature could be considered superior to the rest.


    It all depends on the ranker and how they wanted to carve their path with the elemental affinities and nature they had. A ranker with a seemingly mediocre element or nature would be able to win over those who had been supposedly blessed with exceptional elemental affinity and nature. That is if the former had chosen their ss and their path right.


    The nature of the elemental affinities defined how the elements would ideally manifest in rankers. Two rankers having the same elemental affinities but different elemental natures would bepatible with two separate schools of spells. Thus, they would walk on totally different ranking journeys than each other even when they had the same elemental affinity.


    Eren''s lightning was a hybrid element. It was derived from the great elements of wind, water, and fire. Thus, he could technically master the spells of the great elements as he progressed further.


    Apart from the ranking status, there was also another parameter of the ranker''s talent. That was elemental attainment. However, the majority of Rank 1 entities did not put much focus on their way of using elements because it didn''t create any bottleneck for them.


    ***


    The spatial fire affinity. Something that allows the ranker to effectively use a group of spells meant for pyroportation.


    Reece had a very unique hybrid element. It was derived from ether and fire. The green mes she manifested while with Eren also spoke about her elemental nature which was different from normal natures associated with the element of fire.


    Her green mes not only burned the bodies of her opponents but also destroyed their life essence. She could then refine the essence and use it to heal her injuries.


    If she made full use of her spatial fire, she could send her weapon into one me that she had manifested around her. The thrown weapon woulde out of the other me that was located at a different ce.


    Pyportation also had other uses. And with sufficient mastery and her raking progressions, she could spatially travel through her mes herself. However, as a Meta ranker that only belonged to a two-star guild, she had her limits in terms of her elemental attainment and the ranking resources she could get her hands on.


    In response to the city administration''s orders, Reece''s team was sent on a mission to purge a group of traffickers. The group wasprised of Rank 1 dokkaebi who lived in Gahan with their natal bodies.


    Dokkaebi were also called goblins by most rankers because of how simr they looked. However, these entities referred to themselves as dokkaebi.


    Gahan was home to many races, which would be registered as monsters by humans. Yet, they had their own culture here. These races had been epted as the citizens of almost all of the independent city-states and kingdoms. Some races even had entire kingdoms for themselves were other races also lived.


    And yet, Dokkaebi usually had a somewhat negative reputation attached to them. They dealt with illegal ves and trafficking rackets. The local authorities of the region would dispatch city guard forces to deal with any mess caused by them if the matter was serious. However, most kingdoms usually employed adventurers to purge such groups if they found them to be active and emboldened.<sub> </sub>


    The city of Ludan was no different.


    Miranda''s team had found the dokkaebi gang that they were supposed to purge and sessfully boxed them in using the arrays. The goblins began their fight for survival without caring about their unranked, mortal hostages.


    Reece was tasked with dealing with a Rank 1 caliber goblin that had wood element affinity. The young girl had disyed her mastery over spells and overwhelmed him immediately. However, she was hesitant tond a finishing blow.


    Reece steel her heart when she saw that the goblin was running towards a bunch of human and elf hostages standing in the distance away from the mayhem. She used her spell to generate a green me in the direction the goblin was running to. She then coated her throwing dagger in her green mes before throwing it in the same direction, which would have injured the escaping goblin''s back.


    Reece''s green-me coated dagger vanished when she activated her pyroportation-rted spell, emerging out of the me that was in front of the goblin.


    Things happened in quick session after that. By this point, the goblin hade to understand how Reece''s spells worked. He anticipated the iing attack and cast his spell.


    The escaping goblin managed to pull a small human girl out of the hostage bunch with his vine spell used as asso. He then used her as a shield for the iing weapon.


    Two desperate cries were heard at this point. One was from the girl''s mother. The other was from a ranker who had juste to realize the reality of life.


    Reece watched in horror as her dagger imed an innocent life.


    Despite her shock and trauma, she had tried to prevent the goblin from escaping or iming any more lives. However, the istion array''s effects ran dry by this point. And he managed to get away.


    Reece wouldn''t have been mentally affected to this extent by the mission''s oue had the perpetrator not escaped. She would have had someone to me in that case. However, the dokkaebi sessfully managing to flee the scene made her subconsciously think that it was all her fault.


    Miranda, Stan, and the rest tried to console Reece. Despite all his ws, Stan liked Reece and his feelings toward her were genuine. He had tried to make her realize that seeing the death of someone was part of being a ranker. And in response, all he got from her were a few nods at his statements.


    Stan''s intention to kill Eren was also his way of showing Reece that death was asmon as it could get. It wasn''t just restricted to the world of Gahan.


    However, from that mission onwards, Reece refused toe to purging missions like these. Gradually she pulled away from the active on-field missions and focused more on the guild''s administrative work.


    Miranda also tried to make Reece understand that thetter had exceptional potential as a ranker because of her unique elemental affinity. And all she heard from him was that he needed some time.


    Thanks to her connections, Rumi had alsoe to know what had happened to Reece during her mission. However, she had decided to let her daughter figure it out for herself. The process of finding their own way and their own path makes for better rankers after all.


    The incident happened a few months ago. This was the first time in a while that Reece hade out toplete a mission like this.

 Chapter 71 The Mammoth Hunt P1

    ''So that was the reason I paused taking any missions, Eren.''


    Reece said and took a long breath before saying. Her eyes were looking at Mia.


    ''I know it''s ridiculous to be stuck on a path that wasn''t in my control. Trust me, I know that. And I don''t want to let my emotions cloud my path as a ranker. However, some moments in one''s life just shake one up to the core. This is the one for me.


    I just need some time to get back on my track.''


    Reece finished what she had to say to Eren on the voice channel while they were following Mia''s lead. He had been listening to her quietly without any interruptions.


    Reece''s voice sounded serene and calm in Eren''s head. However, it wasced with sadness and disappointment. He could guess that she was disappointed in herself the most.


    Eren took his time to reply.


    ''Reece, I know what you mean when you say some moments just get stuck in your head and affect you badly. Trust me, I do. More than you can ever imagine.


    But your approach to dealing with these things is wrong. You don''t wait for these moments to be forgotten or wait for yourself to get over them. You start doing something and eventually, it reces the unpleasant memories you have.''


    Eren felt a subtle mana signature in the surroundings after he finished what he had to say. He looked at Mia and found out that she had changed her direction and started moving at 3 o''clock instead of moving ahead.


    Their target was near. Eren narrowed his eyes and followed Mia while discussing the matter with Reece.


    ''There''s an old saying, Reece.


    If you want to learn how to swim, just jump into the water. No frame of mind is going to help you on drynd.


    Don''t wait for things to get better.


    Now run!''


    Eren''s response soothed her mind. Or to put it another way, it soothed his mind because the words came from him. Otherwise, she had been told the same thing in different ways by many rankers already.


    However, hisst words confused Reece who was looking at his back following him. In the next moment, she saw him executing his movement spell before seemingly disappearing from his spot.


    She had lost track of where he was or what Mia was doing. Still, she subconsciously realized why Eren must have used his spell and followed his steps immediately afterward.


    Roar.


    Kreee!


    Two distinct beastly cries sounded in the surroundings as a beast was seen running away from another beast in the Steelfield prairie. While the bear roared to show his aggression, the elephant-like giant mana beasts made a trumpet sound to convey the wrath they felt.


    Eren, Mia, and Reece had be witnesses to a chase in their search for some tusks.


    A Rank 1 Ironskin Bear was being chased by three Iron Trunk Honey Mammoths. His hands were covered in a thick, honey-like substance that shined with golden brilliance.


    The honey the bear''s hands were drenched in was special for the mammoths. It was rich in the earth element mana, making it an ideal diet choice for mammoths.<sub> </sub>


    The bear had somehow managed to get his hands on the honey metaphorically and literally. From the looks of it, he wasn''t ashamed of what was happening to him even after being stuck by the bees and chased by the three mammoths.


    The bear was a crafty beast. It had sensed that there were other intruders in the mammoths'' territory. Thus, it ran in their direction, to make them part of the conflict and lessen the burden on him.


    The bear''s strategy worked. Even when Eren and the rest managed to get away from the iing bear''s path, they had been forced to execute their spells. Their mana signatures were then made apparent, allowing the mammoths to detect them.


    Kreee!


    Two of the mammoths ran towards the trio while the remaining one pursued the bear. The bear and the mammoths in question were earth-element beasts that had their own inherent spells. They used these spells to the extent of their abilities to tackle the situation they were in.


    "This fokin Ironskin bear is always up to no good. The damn beast isn''t afraid to cause a ruckus, no matter where he goes.


    His name should be changed to Thick Skinned Bear."


    Miained aloud as she cast her wind-element movement spell. The element of wind was an ideal element for the movement-type spells. As such, she was a lot faster than the two. Yet, she had moderated her speed so that the duo didn''t get left behind.


    Two mammoths were chasing them. The prairie stretched for miles in all directions. There was no ce to hide. All they could do wase up with a different n while they were running before executing it swiftly.


    Despite theirrge size, these mana beasts were very nimble on their feet. As the earth-element beasts, they could cast gravity-reducing spells on their bodies. As such, both the bear and the mammoth could run as fast as rankers using their movement spells.


    Mia''s initial n was to find a lone mammoth and iste it using the istion array scroll. That way, Eren and Reece would get some real-life experience while being assured of their safety. She would only step in when things be difficult for the two.


    Life happens when you are busy making ns.


    Mia''s ns ended up down the drain when the trio was forced toe out in the open. The istion array scroll needed preparation. Something they couldn''t do at this point.


    "Eren, Reece, we need to split up. I''ll head out at 10 o''clock from here while you guys go ahead. I''ll handle one of the beasts chasing us while you''d have to deal with the other.


    Understood? Go!"


    Mia said and retrieved her Rank 1 bow artifact from her storage. She then separated from the duo and executed her movement spell to its fullest ability.


    Kreee! Kreee!


    Behind Eren and Reece, who looked tense, ran a series of trumpet sounds. Just as Mia had predicted, the mammoths decided to split as well.


    "You talked about learning to swim by jumping right into the water. Looks like we both have to do just that."


    Reece said to Eren and chuckled nervously. Thetter also smiled mirthlessly before drawing his Tachi from his storage.


    ''How difficult can a mammoth hunt be anyway?''


    Eren said to himself and stopped in his tracks. He turned around and narrowed his eyes on the beast who had also decided that the ce was going to be their battleground.


    Lightning. Swoosh. Connect.

 Chapter 72 The Mammoth Hunt P2

    Lightning. Swoosh. Connect.


    Eren executed Blitz Steps and approached the mammoth. He jumped 5 meters in the air before sending a flying sword attack in the mammoth''s way.


    Meanwhile, Reece retrieved her flying daggers and cast her fire-element spell. She also used her movement spell to get behind the beat in the next moment before trapping the beast in her circle of green mes.


    Kree!


    The beast seemed more than ready to take on the two puny humans who had dared to intrude on his territory. Using his trunk as a whip, he extended it with his spell to attack the biggest threat he considered in the fight.


    Swoosh.


    The flying attack connected with the approaching trunk and stunned the beast''s trunk for a while. But all it could do was stun. The trunk reflected the afternoon brilliance¨C indicating that it had been coated with iron-element mana.


    The beast was called Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth for a reason. They could use their trunks like an iron whip.


    The mammoth didn''t need to coat his body in an iron-skin-like spell because he had something way better. Eren saw that his attack had be ineffective. He wanted to change his position right away while he was in midair. However, the beast''s stunned trunk moved surprisingly fast with exceptional agility and flexibility, catching his right leg within a fraction of a second.


    The trunktched onto the right leg''s ankle like a tight knot. Eren felt his vision change rapidly as the beast swung his trunk and sent him flying towards Reece who had just sent her flying daggers towards the beast.


    Reece had sent her flying daggers in another direction. The me circle was her go-to spell for near-omnidirectional attacks. The attack coulde in any direction Reece wanted as long as she had fine control over her pyroportation skills.


    Kree!


    The beast was indeed caught off guard when the flying daggers that had been sent away from him ended up targeting him from the opposite direction. However, the attack couldn''t do much.


    The flying daggers were sent flying before they could touch the beast''s skin. That''s because the beast could create a gravitational field around himself, preventing any attack to close in on him. Using his gravitational abilities, he made himself lighter and chased the intruders nimbly.


    Reece saw a lightning streaking her way and was about to change her direction using her movement spell. But it turned out she didn''t have to. Eren used his Tachi as an emergency brake and drove it into the ground while covering it with his lightning mana.


    Screech.


    The de created a distinct line on the ground as it was dragged by the vector force acting on its wielder body. Eren felt like the ground was a bottomless pit that would absorb all his lightning if he didn''t stop supplying his lightning mana to it.


    Infinite Mana Core.


    Eren tapped into his infinite mana core and felt that his body had been rejuvenated by the unlimited supply of mana it was given. His senses were sharpened. His movements and his reaction time enhanced as he did a flip turn and stood on the weapon''s hilt.


    ''This beast is almost untouchable with his gravitational force. He is fast on his feet while chasing us. But for some reason, he is standing still on his feet.''


    Eren narrowed his eyes as he told Reece something.


    "Reece, it''s time to yeet."


    Eren said and jumped from his de while pulling the weapon out with both his feet. He cast his spell immediately before running in Reece''s direction.


    Reece didn''t understand anything but followed his direction anyway. She cleared the path for her and Eren, allowing the duo to pass through the me circle.<sub> </sub>


    Kreee!


    The beast cried out in part anger and part panic as he saw his intruders were running away. He felt a subtle mana pulseing from the beast''s body as he adjusted the gravitational field around him, making himself lighter in the process. It was like the beast''s version of a gyro vehicle, except that the beast could treat his body as a vehicle.


    Eren was keeping tabs on the mana beast using his mana sense. He sensed the mana fluctuation that the beast gave away and started to believe his hunch. There were various inherent spells avable for each species.


    So the guild''s database always kept on updating. The ability this beast had seemed unrecorded in the database. Nevertheless, the database had helped hime up with this hunch. As such, it was helpful anyway.


    While running away, Eren told Reece to start executing her me spells. She was supposed to leave a trail of mes in her wake as she kept on running. Which she immediately did with her movement spell.


    Eren then told Reece to send her flying daggers in the beast''s direction as he was chasing them. He wanted to see what would happen with the weapon now that the beast was in motion.


    Pichook!


    The flying dagger disappeared from the me closest to the duo and appeared out of the stray me nearest to the beast. It closed in on the beast before he could react and lodged itself deep into the beast''s right hind leg.


    Kreee!


    Eren shed an evil smile when he understood how the beast''s gravitational field worked. It could only concentrate on certain parts of his body. And he had used its powers to make himself lighter than he was. Hence, he couldn''t deflect the weapon that was closing on him.


    ''This hunt needs to be done on the move.''


    Eren thought to himself as he crafted a n to y the beast eventually. The hunt was going to test their endurance.


    First, Eren used Reece as a distraction to injure the beast with each of his timely attacks. However, she was almost tapped out of her mana reserve when the huntsted for more than 20 minutes. Plus, her jitters didn''t allow her to approach the beast head-on, forcing Eren to do all the grunt work.


    The beast also had a few more attacking spells in his arsenal. He could use his trunk to shoot iron shards at the duo. These shards were only half an inch in length and were like needles. Yet they had injured the two rankers just as much as the beast was injured by them.


    Reece''s mana storage was drying up. Their chase had taken them away from Mia who was dealing with her mammoth on her own.


    Eren and Reece both would be in a lot of trouble if another beast from the mammoth horde joins the fray. And at this point, Reece was like a dead weight. So Eren immediately decided to take the hunt away from her.


    Reece wanted to stay with Eren despite her condition. However, she stopped speaking when she heard Eren''s next words.


    "Reece, if you can''t help, don''t be a burden!"


    Eren said to Reece without caring about how his statement would affect her. He then attacked the beast again with his flying de attacks and pulled his aggro on him.


    The beast and Eren headed their separate ways, leaving Reece flying aimlessly in another direction. She watched Eren''s departing figure with a bit of moistness in her eyes as she repeated Eren''s words in her head.


    ''Don''t be a burden.''


    Reece repeated these words to herself and clenched her feet. As a result, her jitters dissipated, and rity returned. This one incident had brought her back on track. Unfortunately, shecked the mana to show her resolve to Eren.


    Eren on the other hand felt that this was just the right scenario to test his infinite mana and his on-field performance. He was about to lead the beast to his doom.

 Chapter 73 Karma

    An Iron Trunk Honey mammoth was seen chasing a human through the Steelfied expanse.


    The beast was 3 meters in height and around 4 meters in length. It had a flexible trunk that was coated with iron-like scales. It also had tworge tusks that were about 1 and a half meters in length.


    The beast also had an exoskeleton around his eyes. It had given the beast horn-like growth above its crown.


    This beast had an unusually long tongue and tail. The tongue was used for drinking the honey from the huge honebs made by Iron Andreana bees, which were part of the ecosystem in the Steelfield prairie.


    This beast and the ranker had fought multiple times by now. While continuing their act, they would fight intermittently. It looked like the beast would have a higher chance of winning the battle in his favor because it had higher mana reserves than the ranker. However, only the ranker that was being chased knew this was not the case.


    ''He is getting tired.''


    Eren smiled to himself after checking up on the beast behind him. He waspletely fine despite there being a few injuries. He had been using his healing spell to reduce his injuries while simultaneously causing the beast to umte injuries.


    ''Time to finish¡­. Hm?''


    Eren was about tounch another serious strike at the beast when he sensed a familiar mana signature ahead of him. As he adjusted his eyes, he saw a bear strolling somewhere.


    The bear-type mana beast was half the size of the mammoth. But it didn''t mean that it was any weaker. What hecked in size, he made up with it using his cunning and ferocity.


    This bear had just gotten rid of his pursuer with his wits. He had also tasted the honey cultivated under the protection of the Iron trunk honey Mammoth. Plus he had ess to an inherent storage spell of his own, enabling him to steal the honebs of the mammoths.


    The bear seemed happy and was walking on all fours, his ass shaking to some unknown beastly tune only he knew what. He didn''t know at the time that karma was going to bite him soon.


    Eren was suddenly reminded of Uno Reverse from his absorbed memories when he saw the Ironskin bear. He shed a cunning smile and ran towards him instead of handling the beast himself. Although he knew he could take care of the mammoth in due course, why work hard when you could work smart?


    Kree!


    The bear stopped in his tracks and turned around when he sensed two distinct mana pulses approaching him. He snorted his nose and turned around with what could only be described as grim expressions. He saw a human rushing at him at full speed with the Mammoth on his tail.


    Roar!


    The bear stood up on his hind legs and roared, trying to warn Eren against approaching him. s, thetter wasn''t afraid of the bear. He approached the bear a bit further before using his movement spell to jump about 6 meters into the air.<sub> </sub>


    Once he saw the wretched bear, Mammoth remembered why he started the chase. He changed the target of his anger from Eren to the Ironskin bastard that had robbed his herd of all the honebs they had been safeguarding for so long.


    Eren watched below him as he was passed over the bear''s head. He saw the mammoth''s mana sense that had been on him for so long change its target to the bear and knew that his borrowed strategy had seeded.


    He quickly recast his movement spell and approached a stone tform made of a fewrge stones getting stacked upon each other. He climbed the tform and watched with keen interest the battle that unfolded in front of him.


    The bear and mammoth fought with their inherent spells and injured each other heavily in the process. Eren found out that the bear was only about two inches shorter than the mammoth''s stature. This was when he stood up on both hind legs.


    The Ironskin bear had grown an iron-like exoskeleton on his body using his inherent spell when he was fighting the mammoth. He had also enhanced his long nails by coating them in his iron-element mana, using them along with his AoE spell tounch a multi-front attack on the mammoth.


    The bear had an iron spike spell at his disposal which he had used to attack his enemy from multiple fronts all at once. The spell was simple and easy to use. It would manifest a bunch of iron spikes under and around the mammoth''s huge body, attacking him with multiple angels all at once.


    Only now did Eren realize that he had been fighting with the mammoth beast wrongly the entire time.


    The mammoth could have been overwhelmed by opening multiple fronts of attack at the same time. His gravitational force field wouldn''t be able to keep up with every attack and some of the attacks would be able to breach through his defenses.


    The battle between the two beasts taught Eren a lot of things that weren''t obvious to him even when he was street smart. It taught him that there was not only one way to solve a problem.


    It was likely a deviant kind of Iron Trunk Honey mammoth. However, the hunt was still one-star rated for a reason. The beast didn''t have many natural offensive spells at his disposal. Reece and Eren could have easily dealt with him under Mia''s guidance had he been locked inside the istion array with them.


    Kree!


    The Iron Skin Honey Mammoth gave out a drying shrill as it crashed on the ground with a loud thud. The bear also roared in victory and started panting heavily near the mammoth''s body. The fight had been going on for more than 20 minutes at this point. The two beasts had created a battleground in the middle of the prairie with their respective spells and movements.


    The bear growled and looked in the distance where Eren was. He could see him standing on a raised stone tform, as though watching a show that he had subscribed to at the bear''s expense.


    "Roar!"


    The bear roared at Eren, indicating not to approach him. Unfortunately, Eren knew that it was all a facade. The bear was heavily injured in his fight against the mammoth.


    The beast was just asking to get hunted with his current condition as far as Eren was concerned.

 Chapter 74 Multi-Stage Breakthroughs

    Lightning. Swoosh. Pierce.


    Eren lodged his de into the bear''s heart from behind him. The back of his exoskeleton had been damaged by the Mammoth''s trunk attack in the previous fight. Eren had a rtively easier timebating the beast up to this point.


    Roar.


    The beast roared and got on all fours again. Despite his heart being pierced and his body being invaded by Eren''s lightning mana, the beast''s sheer tenacity allowed him to fight until hisst breath.


    The beast turned fiercer after it was clear to him that he wouldn''t survive the fight. Eren had to make use of his infinite mana reserves to take care of the beast.


    Thud!


    Eren had managed to kill the bear after about 15 minutes of battle. He was made aware of many of his shorings during this battle. He didn''t have a steady rhythm in his attacks. As if he was missing the spells or skills that could connect all his moves seamlessly into one precise strike.


    However, in the end, he was happy. Because now he had two dead mana beast bodies as his reward for the fight he had fought. That was not all. He also started feeling some activity in his mana circuits that had gotten activated on their own.


    Eren''s experience of so many close calls in this battle stimted his potential. His usage of the infinite mana core had put pressure on the mana circuits, enabling them to expand and get more refined in the process.


    This expansion of mana paths and activation of mana points then made way for elerated mana flow throughout his body. He had maintained the same state for so long under pressure to survive. Therefore, it was only natural that his dormant potential to be a ranker responded to his efforts by offering back-to-back stage breakthroughs.


    Eren took a long breath and stood straight while he experienced his breakthrough. It was like his mind was connected to a higher consciousness that couldn''t be exined with words.


    As Eren indulged in his breakthrough, a Rank 1 mana cloud gathered around him. A ranker''s mana circuits would be refined during this painful yet enjoyable process.


    ***


    The universalws would rearrange the rankers'' mana circuits anew with every stage breakthrough. With a rank breakthrough, the same process would happen over and over again until a fully functioning mana circuit system had been created from scratch. This was the reason ranking breakthroughs had more severe bottlenecks than stage breakthroughs.


    Mana cores would undergo a phase change as a result of the breakthroughs. They would also create new mana points and mana pathways, modify the existing ones or destroy them. In the end, they would also restructure them ording to the ranker''s personal choices reflected through his ss, preferred spells, and other personal choices.


    The Mana circuit would be in its preliminary stages at the start of Rank 1. It would get more refined than thest time with each stage and ranking breakthrough. What might seem like a night sky with endless stars would slowly develop a pattern of constetions that suited the ranker''s personal choice and ss.<sub> </sub>


    Eren''s ss was that of a battlemage. There were no specific ways his mana circuits would be defined since the battlemages were just like what Miranda had described them to be. Jack of all trades.


    Therefore, it was particrly difficult for a battlemage to advance into their ranks and achieve breakthroughs. Their mana circuits would have more intricate details than the rest of their peers who had chosen a fixed path for themselves.


    The difficulty for battlemages would only increase the higher they climbed the rankingdder. Therefore, only rich rankers and rankers who were blessed with good fortune through being guided by high-ranking entities could walk steadfastly along their path to bing battlemages.


    The trade-off for this difficulty was being able to use a wide range of spells from almost any ss. A skilled battlemage would effortlessly shift between his roles to suit his needs at the time.


    It was not that only battlemages would be able to pull something off like that. Even normal rankers with rigid paths could use rankpatible spells of any element. The only difference is that they would have reduced spell output except for the element they specialized in.


    This cross-element elementpatibility could be used to its fullest when the rankers had a hybrid affinity and chose the battlemage ss. Theirplex mana circuits would allow them to use any of the great element spells their hybrid element waspatible with along with the hybrid element itself as if they were born with those affinities.


    The effectiveness of spells mattered a lot when it came to casting spells. For example, someone with fire element affinity could use 10 percent of their mana for casting a fireball spell that would deal 100 units of damage over time.


    Whereas, someone with the same rank but reduced fire elementpatibility would have to spend 30 percent or more of their mana storage to achieve the same damage output. The percentage would depend on how far they were from having true affinity to the element.


    As a result of hybrid elementpatibility and the battlemage ss, rankers could cast spells in the hybrid element as well as the great element from which the hybrid element was derived with ease and efficiency. Even then, the hybrid element was the most effective. However, other elemental affinities weren''t far behind for battlemages with hybrid elements.


    The battlemage ss allowed one to be flexible about any role they wished to take in a team. They could be rangers, closebat experts, berserkers, mages, or even healers if they had the experience, practice, spells, and gears to pull off the job.


    Since Eren had selected a battlemage ss for himself, his circuits expanded and became even moreplex than they were. During the breakthrough, Eren smiled mirthlessly as he contemted the possibilities he held with his ss. Sometimes having many possibilities onlyplicates the matter after all.


    Still, he didn''t regret choosing a battlemage ss. It was the only ss that could allow him to make full use of his advantage. And that''s what he was nning to do. Now he just needed to be sure that he found his own style that could make use of his ss and infinite mana core to his fullest.


    ***


    Eren''s recent battle became the trigger point for him to achieve multi-stage breakthroughs. He was able to enter the fourth rank straight away because of his umted experiences, his diligent routines, and his infinite mana core.


    Both of Eren''s mana cores had changed their phase. They were in their liquid phase right now, spinning around themselves silently when Eren was done with his breakthrough.

 Chapter 75 State Of Epiphany

    State of epiphany.


    This was the state Eren was in right now after his breakthrough. In this state, he was connected to something that was known as higher consciousness.


    Every question rankers had about their path could be answered in this mysterious state by the higher consciousness that was supposed to be all-knowing. A conversation with such consciousness was something that was sought-after by all the rankers.


    This mysterious state of being wasn''t something one could enter willingly under normal circumstances. It would only happen rarely. ording to most rankers, epiphanies can ur when one is in desperate circumstances, undergoing breakthroughs, or practicing deep and secluded ranking techniques.


    However, it was not a hard and fast rule. Sometimes rankers achieve the state of epiphany by doing mundane things.


    The harnessers of mana could all enter the state of epiphany regardless of their gender, race, or inclinations. The higher consciousness was known to be impartial towards all those who could manage to make a connection with it.


    This wondrous state was the reason behind many ranking inventions. It was the core reason behind the sess of many well-established rankers.


    Those who could enter this state were considered geniuses, prodigies, or just in lucky depending upon how they made use of the instructions and guidance they had received in the state talking to higher consciousness.


    The conversation with that omniscient consciousness was as mysterious as the fantastical state itself. There were no verbal exchanges. This was the transfer of pure thoughts.


    Hence, the rankers who were in that state often didn''t haveplete control over themselves. They couldn''t prioritize one doubt over the other, often resulting in them feeling dejected after they were kicked out of that state.


    Only a few could keep their minds in check while they were in that state. Only a few could prioritize their questions and get the answers they were looking for from the higher consciousness.


    Eren had been pulled into this state when he broke through into three stages at once, allowing him to enter the fourth stage of Meta rank. His two liquid mana cores were spinning about their axis while he felt a calming and serene sense wash over him.


    Fortunately for him, the two beasts were long dead. And there were no predators in the vicinity, enabling him to indulge in this state without any interruptions. His subconscious mind could understand that he was put into a mysterious state and decided to make full use of it.


    Unlike most rankers, Eren had better control of his faculties. His soul had visited the pantheon of infinities, enabling him to keep his logic and reasoning in check for the most part while finding his way into endlessness.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren was met with a familiar thought. A known voice. It felt more distant to him than before, as if the connection with the pantheon of infinities was being interrupted by something.


    He felt like he did not have enough time to maintain a channel ofmunication with this being that was nothing more than a thought based on his limited perception. As if the higher consciousness had only facilitated hismunication with the pantheon of infinities.


    Eren felt like he was drunk. Although his mind was working in the right direction, he felt like he couldn''t articte what he wanted to say or ask with proper words. Even so, his condition was better than most entities that were even more sloshed when conversing with the higher consciousness.<sub> </sub>


    ''I¡­ I want you to show me how I can make the most use of the gift I''ve been bestowed with. I want you to guide me on the path I have chosen for myself.''


    Eren said to the being that was still lingering in the same ethereal space he was summoned to. He somehow was able to convey his next set of thoughts that he had conceptualized after remembering thest conversation he had with the pantheon of infinities.


    ''I¡­ I don''t want to see infinite answers. At least not now. I want to learn about only limited ways in which I could make use of my gift and walk steadfastly on my path.


    I shall have infinite possibilities with limited knowledge.


    In limited ways, my infinite progress shall be revealed.


    In limited answers, my infinite questions shall be answered.''


    Eren said to himself, hoping his intentions reach the pantheon of infinities just the way he wanted them to. For a moment, everything was quiet. He also felt as if he was pulling away from this ethereal state without receiving any answers to his questions.


    Just when he thought that there were no gains to be had in the conversation, he started receiving an array of thoughts that overloaded his consciousness in a jiffy. They were so many that Eren would have to read through them for weeks on end and they wouldn''t be finished.


    Yet, they were not infinite. They were the core answers Eren was looking for. They were the answers that didn''t freeze his mind or make him feel helpless.


    Fragments of memories rted to unknown entities that were, are or would be part of this world or infinite other worlds. Knowledge about mysterious ways in which mana could be harnessed. Some known paths. A wide range of unknown and strange points of view that did not always make sense.


    When Eren was pulling away from his epiphany, he processed all those thoughts and only held on to a few that he could remember. Thoughts that he had found useful. Memories that he judged to make more sense for the current him.


    He held onto those thoughts with all his mental fortitude. And managed to take them away with him as his consciousness returned to the world of Gahan.


    Eren opened his eyes slowly and looked around. He spread his mana sense around him to check his surroundings. Everything was just the way it was. It was as if he was in the mysterious state for only a few seconds before it all got over.


    Eren took a deep breath and checked himself out. He was still the same. Yet, he could feel that his body stats had been enhanced and one of his mana cores held more mana reserves than previously.


    When Eren recalled some of the thoughts he had received during his epiphanic state, he couldn''t help but smile.


    ''Artifact smithing, huh!''


    Eren mumbled to himself as he revised some of the concepts about artifacts smithing in his head. This was the answer he had found most suited for himself out of the possibilities he was made aware of.

 Chapter 76 Artifact Smithing

    Artifact smithing!


    Eren picked up thoughts and knowledge rted to artifact smithing the most out of all the answers made avable to him. He decided that it would bridge the gap between his path and his gift.


    Eren''s path was a path of many skills and many specializations. It was believed that the path of a battlemage was more profound than the rest. This is because it held the essence of almost all the paths known to all the rankers.


    Since the path required him to be proficient at multiple things at once, he couldn''t focus on one path or style that would suit him. He needed to focus on them all and use them to his advantage whichever suited his needs the most.


    However, how could one person be proficient at multiple things? Or, how could they be proficient at many things and still find time for themselves to progress steadily in their ranking journey?


    The path of a battlemage was a conundrum. It forced most rankers to restrict their choices as they advanced in their ss and improved their ranking status. In doing so, they ended up losing the advantage the battlemage path had offered to them.


    Could they be med though? Sooner orter, everyone would prefer divergent progress over a near-eternal teau. Thus, the path of a battlemage was not chosen by many.


    The bottlenecks received by the previous generation of battlemages had be examples forter generations, discouraging them from looking at the path in a positive light. Miranda only had good intentions in her mind when she wanted to prevent Eren from choosing this path.


    Know thyself!


    Eren had developed certain confidence about himself ever since he had those unique experiences in his life. The Viktor dimir part of him was still there. The previous Eren was still there. And their memories had concocted a unique existence that was the current Eren.


    This Eren Idril had decided that he wouldn''t limit his path because the possibility of infinity seemed scary. He had promised himself that his journey would begin in infinity and it would end in infinity. His ss as a battlemage was only the beginning of the infinite possibilities he had in his mind.


    The fear was there. The panic of getting lost was there. Yet, he couldn''t help feeling excited. The hustler kept his right hand over his heart. It had be a way for him to soothe himself. To calm erratic heartbeats.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren said to himself and smiled. He hade to realize that the path of battlemage and the path of artifact smithing needed to bebined. Thisbination was to serve as his solution for the infinite possibilities he was embarking on.


    Artifacts and weapon sets.


    He needed to create a set of artifacts for himself to amodate various battle styles without getting lost in the process. Without getting overwhelmed by the efforts and options.


    These artifact sets would serve as a medium. It would bring out the full potential of his ss as a battlemage while staying equallypatible with the rest of them. Since the weapon sets could be many, his options could be many. Despite that, he would remain a battlemage at his core, unencumbered by any specialization.


    Eren had many ideas and many concepts in his head. He felt like he needed to jot them down in case he forgets them. However, these thoughts and pieces of knowledge had missing links.


    Most of all, he didn''t know where to start because the knowledge he had gained was too profound to be called something elementary. He needed to brush up on the basics of artifact smithing, study the subject of runes and carving methods, and all the other nitty-gritty rted to the subject.<sub> </sub>


    Only after filling in the nks and understanding the subject of artifact smithing at its roots could he make use of his ideas obtained through the state of epiphany. It was bound to cost him a lot of money to gain ess to the information that was restricted.


    Money for knowledge was one thing. He would need money to get his hands on resources that were required to make his knowledge about artifact smithinge to reality. He needed to brace himself for wasting a substantial amount of those resources he had paid just to get his basics down.


    ''Hehe. The answer to every problem in life is money.


    At this point, I''m ready to believe that any civilization in any part of the world in every world works on the concept of pay-to-win.''


    Eren said to himself and smiled sarcastically. There was already a loan on his head. He was as poor as poor can be. He had no ce to call his own. Even his biological parents who had been missing hadn''t left him anything.


    Just like the gypsy n he once belonged to as Viktor dimir, the current Eren Idril was still a nomad. With zero background and almost no support from anyone except for the semnce of it from Rumi and Reece.


    Eren was grateful for the support that was given to him despite everything. However, he couldn''t count on it forever. He needed to pay his dues before finding his own way. The path of infinity was not something he could tread upon while indulging in a picturesque life.


    Like most rankers, Eren had decided that he would leave Earth and settle in one of the numbered Oasis when he breaks into Awakened rank. Despite all the dangers Gahan posed, it was an ideal ce for rankers to grow at tremendous speed.


    The Numbered Oasis had many ranking resources that he could get his hands on with rtive ease. Earth may or may not have those. And even if it does, he was sure that he''d have to pay extra while gettingmitted to an organization.


    For unhindered and uninterrupted growth, Eren needed to leave the Earth when it was time for him to do so. And yet, he could see that it was going to take a while.


    He had heard the experiences of rankers that were senior to him. What happened to him wasn''t ordinary. No ordinary ranker skips three stages of Meta rank while still being a newbie.


    He knew his infinite mana core had a hand in it. However, could he base his ns only on something that may or may not happen to him the second time?


    ''I need money.


    Not for the sake of having it. Not as a status symbol. And not to live an aimless life.


    I need money so that I can use it as a tool to broaden my path. I need the damn money because that''s how the world works.''


    Eren finished his thoughts while storing the corpses of the two beasts in his storage. He was just about to leave the area and look for Reece and Mia when a thought came to his mind.


    ''Hm? Where was this wretched bear heading to?''

 Chapter 77 Explore More Expect Least

    ''Hm? Where was this wretched bear heading to?''


    Eren reflected on this as he looked at the ground where the Ironskin Bear''s corpse had previously been. He had clearly remembered the bear running in a different direction from where he stood at the time. The fact that it was here without the mammoth on its tail told him something significant.


    First, the bear had taken care of the mammoth in some way, either injuring him or shaking him off his track. And second, the direction he had run in was a diversion.


    The bear didn''t want the mammoths to chase him in this region which was not too far away from their territory.


    ''There''s air of this beast somewhere.''


    Eren concluded as he pondered while looking down. He then jumped 5 meters in the air and started looking all around him. To see if there was something he could check on.


    After a bunch of jumps in different directions, Eren had a few spots in his mind he could check out. However, the closest among them was the stone tform he had climbed on earlier.


    ''Let''s check it out.''


    Eren thought to himself and retraced his steps. He started walking in a circle around the tform to see if he could see anything.


    He then cast his mana sense and found out that therge stone''s unique mana-conducting properties were not letting him scan the area the way it should have been scanned by him.


    ''Maybe that''s why that wretched bear chose this ce.''


    Eren reflected on this as he used his mana sense patiently in the surroundings, ignoring the disturbance the stone tform was causing in his mind. He soon got his reward for perseverance.


    ''There it is.''


    The stone tform had a length of 100 meters and a breadth of 40 meters with its height measuring around 3 meters on one side and around 1 meter on the other. So it looked like a stone ramp in the middle of the prairie.


    There was an underground space under the stone ramp that Eren couldn''t ess. The bear must have been using his earth-element spells to get in and out of the underground space. He obviously couldn''t do that since he didn''t have any earth-element spell in his arsenal.


    However, there was a way around it.


    There was a small entrance to the underground space. It was at the top of the ramp that Eren had previously overlooked. It was serving as the vent for that ce, ensuring the bear had breathable air even with all the entrances sealed.


    Eren quickly climbed onto the stone tform and looked at the entrance. There was just enough room for him to get down. He only hoped that the vent wouldn''t get narrower towards the end. Otherwise, he''d be stuck in a very awkward situation.


    ''Explore more. Expect the least.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s head as he decided to check the ce out. Getting into the duct, he slid his way towards the underground area. The vent wasrge enough to ensure seamless entry into the underground space.


    Light!<sub> </sub>


    As Eren was being dropped on the ground from the duct that was 3 meters above the ground, this was the first thing that entered his mind. He found himself to be standing at the corner of the underground space.


    The sealing of the underground space was studded with yooperlite stones, which were exuding a faint white and yellow luminescence. They allowed for clear and re-free visibility.


    The space was one giant underground hall with various runes on the three walls making their presence known with faint breathing lights. It was the same size and structure as the stone ramp above it, making one wonder if the stone ramp was carved out from this ce before flipping it upside down to be used as the carved-out space''s ceiling and protection.


    Eren hade to realize that this was not a naturally urring underground cave he was in.


    This ce had been constructed by someone or something with a particr intention in their mind. Nobody would build such a ce just so that a bear would live inside it one day with all his stolen merch.


    Eren''s eyes shone with greed as he sensed the bear''s stash located on the other side of the corner. This was near the wall that didn''t look as if it was solid. The bear must be using the earth-element spell on that side, allowing him to enter and exit the ce at ease.


    Eren almost disappeared from his ce and appeared at the pile of bear''s stash he had been looting from various ces off of everyone he could loot.


    The Ironskin Bear had a lot of things in his stash. Some of them looked scrappy and unusable. However, scrap wasn''t the only thing in that pile.


    There were skeletons of five adventurers inside it too with one or two of their limbs missing. They didn''t look like they were killed by the bear because some of them still had the weapons that killed them stuck in their respective ribcage and neckbones.


    ''Damn. That bear was a scavenger.''


    Eren thought to himself as he started looking through the items of fortune he had found for himself. Even the grim sight of the skeletal remains of adventurers did not deter him from iming these fortunes as his.


    There was still a rtively fresh corpse lying in that pile of corpses. It was the corpse of an adventurer that looked to be in histe 40s. He had ck hair and a muscr physique. He had worn heavy armor that made him look even bulkier than he already was. Eren could sense that he still had his Identity-Rune intact on him.


    This human male was a Meta ranker. As such, his body wouldn''t decay like mortals. There was no deathly stench either. The rotting process would be dyed in Meta rankers'' bodies.


    If Eren were to ignore the ranker''s pale skin, no life sign, and residual mana signature, the dead ranker looked like he was taking a nap there with his arm missing. Still, Eren believed that the man must have died a month ago.


    Before searching through the bear''s scraps, Eren decided to check out the things the man might have stored in his storage. Eren used his mana sense to remove the mana signature associated with I-Rune.


    Since the guy was dead with no consciousness left in his body and no mana signature getting supplied to his I-Rune, it was obvious that it had been a while since the corpse was deteriorating.


    I-Rune storage could only remain on the ranker for a limited period after their deaths. The runic imprint over the rankers'' bodies would disperse as the bodies kept on rotting and the spatial space inside it would copse eventually.


    Eren wanted to check the man''s storage space without removing anything, fearing any movement might make the I-Rune tattoo unsteady.


    "What do we have here?"

 Chapter 78 The Bare Necessities

    "What do we have here?"


    Eren stamped his mana signature onto the imprint and spoke with a hint of curiosity in his tone. It took him some time but it got the job done. The imprint epted his mana signature, and he could use his mana sense to ess space storage.


    Eren didn''t waste time and took out everything that the dead ranker had in his storage.


    "Hmmm¡­"


    Eren could sense that the dead ranker was close to breaking into Awakened rank. As such, he had plenty of resources on him.


    "Potion vials, spell scrolls and spell books, istion scrolls, a Rank 1 metal shield, a Rank 1 crossbow, and some more scrolls. Damn! This guy was loaded. At least loaded from my standards that is."


    Eren chuckled mirthlessly before checking the rest of the stuff the ranker had.


    "And what is this? A coin?"


    The dead ranker had a unique coin in his possession. It was not an official currency of the kingdom. It looked to be made of some sort of copper alloy with graphical images on either side along with intricate inscriptions around the rims of both faces.


    The coin also radiated a faint mana pulse. As if it was more than just a normal coin.


    Eren lifted the coin first among all the items the dead ranker was carrying. When he bent down to pick him up, a faint deathly stench hit him that wasn''t noticeable before. It made him almost vomit.


    However, he controlled his gag reflexes and picked the coin up to observe it. One side of the coin disyed a big X along with some runic characters around it etched at the perimeter of the coin, which Eren couldn''t recognize.


    The other side of the coin had a face of a fierce bear that had its mouth open. The image was also surrounded by various runic characters. However, Eren could recognize the characters that were just below the bear imprint. It seemed they had been etched rtively recently by someone else who wasn''t part of the coin manufacturing.


    Thenguage used to write these newly minted characters was the officialnguage of Gahan. Hence, Eren managed to read them with some difficulty.


    "The Bear''s Creed!"


    Eren had puzzled expressions on his face as he read what was inscribed on the coin. He then quickly searched through his memories and concluded that he had never heard of this term before in the data given to him by his guild about Giaahan.


    ''Hmm. I should keep this coin and research it until I can make sense of it.''


    Eren then moved on to check the potion vials. There were at least 50 potion vials in the dead ranker''s possession. Some of them he could identify while others he couldn''t recognize.


    Eren recognized that 30 of the vials were rted to mana recovery, stamina recovery, strengthening enhancement, and agility enhancement. The other 20 vials looked to be of a special kind as they gave off a different mana pulse when he coated them in his mana.<sub> </sub>


    Then there were spell scrolls and some spell books. They described how the mana points and mana pathways had to be activated in a specific sequence to cast spells.


    The spell books contained detailed versions of the spells as well as variations of those spells. Ideally, spell books had more value than their scroll counterparts because of the additional information they contained.


    s, this was an earth element ranker which Eren didn''t have any affinity for. Thus, all his spell scrolls and spell books contained earth-element spells.


    Eren would have kept scrolls and books with him if they contained spells of the water, fire, or wind element. The great elements from which his hybrid element was derived were these. That way, they could have been more useful to him if and when he decides to start wielding those elements in the future.


    Eren didn''t get discouraged nheless. This was free stuff he had got his hands on. Plus, it wasn''t like they couldn''t be useful to him at all. He immediately decided to sell all the spell books and spell scrolls and get new ones that are suitable for him from the ck market.


    Eren decided to keep all the stuff in the dead ranker''s possession and immediately took them all into his storage. He then turned his focus to other stuff that was scavenged by the Ironskin bear.


    The beast had dipped his hands in more than honey, it seemed. Eren found a lot of rare resources, including elemental stones, rare herbs, and various chunks of rare metal ores.


    Ores came in a variety of forms and types. Some ore chunks were like small nuggets that could be kept in the palm of one''s hand. The other chunks were akin to rocks with a diameter of half a meter.


    Eren also found a sealed pouch in the junk. Out of curiosity he lifted it and opened it to find at least 70 mana quartz in it.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw there was at least six Rank 2 mana quartz inside the pouch. Each of this mana quartz was individually more valuable than the rest of Rank 1 mana quartz.


    ***


    Mana quartz was themon currency among all mana-harnessing entities, among almost all Numbered Oases. They were crystallized forms of untainted mana that were devoid of any elemental influence, mana signature, or mana pulse¨C mana at its most basic form.


    Mana quartz was used in a variety of ways, including artifact smithing, potion concoctions, array constructions, and more. As such, mana quartz was critical for all the mana-harnessing entities.


    Just like mana-harnessing entities and mana itself, the mana quartz also had ranks starting from Rank 1. Therefore a Rank 2 mana quartz was more potent and more expensive than a Rank 1 mana quartz. The same would be the case between Rank 2 and Rank 3 mana quartz and so on.


    The exchange rates between Rank 1 and 2 mana quartz varied ording to the local market, kingdom, and demand. However, most people need to spend 100 Rank Mana Quartz to get their hands on a Rank 2 Mana Quartz.


    ***


    "I should have killed that bear gently."


    Eren thought to himself and sighed. He then chuckled when he realized that his luck had taken a turn for the better. It was like the bear had gathered bare necessities for him in a nice package.

 Chapter 79 If It Doesn’t Open, It’s Not Your Door Yet

    "What else is here?"


    Eren said to himself as he looked around the underground hall lit up by yooperlite stones. He then zeroed in on a set of metal doors that seemed to be embedded in one side of the hall.


    The two giant doors were tightly shut and would have gone unnoticed if the hall wasn''t well lit. These doors were made up of mystic wood framed with strange metal alloys that Eren couldn''t recognize.


    There were two pirs on either side of these two doors. There were various patterns on the surface of the doors that looked oddly like rudimentary runic designs.


    Eren observed the doors with keen interest before approaching them carelessly. He found out that there were a few two depressions or slots embedded in each door, which looked like they were supposed to amodate something.


    "Hm? Wait a minute. Isn''t this¡­.?"


    He took out the bear coin he had just tucked away in his storage and thought out loud. As he ced the coin in the right door''s slot, the runes on the door glowed and a distinct mana pulse spread throughout the room.


    However, the runes dimmed in the next moment as the left side of the door that had the corresponding series of runes became inactive. Eren raised his eyebrows as he understood what had just happened.


    The coin was part of the puzzle that could open these gates. From the very beginning, the dead ranker sought out this ce. It was just that he was killed by someone or something in the process. In the end, his corpse was brought here by the bear.


    The dead ranker could have never thought that he''d reach the ce he was looking for after his death. Eren thought that the wretched bear must have done this one thing that wasmendable-- making someone else''s wishese true after their death.


    ''What the fuck is this ce?''


    Eren would be made aware of his foul mouth whenever things turned a bit mystic for his OCD-like, always-looking-for-answers brain. This time it was no different. He took the coin out of its slot and ced it again. He then tried to open the doors using his lightning-coated kicks. The guy just wanted to be sure.


    Bang!


    The doors didn''t even budge from their position. After a few more kicks and changing the cement of the coin, Eren''s trials concluded with a conclusion that the door won''t open unless he finds the thing or item that is needed to be ced at the left door.


    Eren started looking through the dead ranker''s storage to find the item that was shaped like the clot found on the left door. The coin he had was palm-sized and had a diameter of 5cm. The depression on the left door looked to be meant for a runestone of a particr kind. It too had a diameter of 5cm.


    The dead ranker didn''t have any item on him that resembled the slot''s depression. Eren then started looking through the bear-scavenged stuff again only to be met with disappointment.


    Eren spent quite a bit of time inside the underground hall in search of the item required for the left door. Ultimately, he concluded that the runestone was not there. At that point, he stopped his search and gave up.


    ''If it doesn''t open, it''s not your door yet.''


    Eren thought to himself and shrugged his shoulders. There was no point in hanging around in the underground hall anymore. So he decided to study everything he could about the Bear''s Creed beforeing back here.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    A Steelforest mountain range. A bit away from the prairie.


    A random mountain cave hosted three rankers as its dwellers for the night.


    "Where were you?"


    Seeing Eren in thete evening, Reece asked in a shaky voice. The sun was about to set after painting the sky with its golden red colors. Mia was with them. She had decided to postpone her mission after the morning''s debacle.


    Eren understood that Reece was worried the entire time he was inside the underground hall. The ce was such that it interfered with voicemunication. Eren should have contacted Reece before entering the space, which he hadn''t done.


    Reece started worrying about Eren didn''t reply to her over the voicemunication. She found Mia after some time and they both looked for him for hours on end without any luck. Just when they thought of involving Miranda in their serac, Reece was contacted by Eren.


    Mia gave Eren the coordinates to meet up. And that''s how they ended up staying in the cave for the night. Prairie was a dangerous ce to be in at night. Steelfield mountain range had known risks and was nearby. Choosing to stay in this cave that Mia knew about was an obvious choice for the three rankers.


    Eren smiled mirthlessly before hugging Reece in answer to her question. In his defense, he didn''t know that the search for the runestone would keep him so busy that he''d forget to check the time.


    "I''m sorry Reece. Let''s just say that it won''t happen again."


    Eren patted Reece''s back while he hugged her. Then he pursed his lips and continued.


    "And I¡­ I''m sorry for how I said what I said in the morning."


    Eren said and took a step back. He then greeted Mia with a nod before deciding to set up a campfire inside the cave.


    The entrance to the cave had already been secured by an istion-array scroll. This allowed them to see what was outside the cave while the energy barrier camouged the cave''s entrance. So they could light the campfire without attracting attention.


    Reece processed Eren''s words and smiled at him. Then she repeated them in her head before speaking it to him with a frown on her face as she asked him.


    "What does that even mean?"


    Eren chuckled before replying. "You know exactly what I mean."


    Reece smiled and shook her head when she heard Eren''s response. She could only admit her mistake at this point.


    "You were right all along, Eren. I needed to hear that to snap out of my jitters. Weakness has no value in the rankers'' world. It can only burden you and those who are close to you."

 Chapter 80 Hexers

    "You are right, Eren. I needed to hear that to snap out of my jitters. Weakness has no value in the rankers'' world. It can only burden you and those who are close to you."


    Eren listened to Reece''s statements while he was setting wood to burn in the middle of the cave. It could fit 4 to 5 Iron Trunk mammoths easily. So the trio had ample space to crash here for the night.


    Eren sat on the ground after he was done setting up the wood he had collected whileing here. In the next moment, Mia conjured a fire arrow with her spell and lit the wood on fire. She was sitting near the entrance of the cave where the energy shield was. She was nning to keep the first watch for the night.


    Eren gave Reece time to process her emotions. She kept staring at the crackling fire that had just been lit up and was in her thoughts. It took her a while to speak again.


    "Death is just another side of life. As rankers, we see it all around us even more than mortals. I knew this was the way the world worked for all of us. Yet, it took today''s events for me to understand it.


    You don''t need to apologize for anything, Eren. Because those words were the ones who helped me get over my slump."


    Reece''s cute face glowed in orange light as the fire picked up more wood to burn. The trio had caught a few rabbits that they were grilling over the fire.


    The smell of wood burning was permeating the air. It was thenplemented by the aroma of smoked meat, giving the wild cave homely vibes it was missing.


    Eren smiled when he realized that Reece had gotten over her mental block. He nodded at her before speaking up.


    p "I know. I''d never be sorry about speaking something like that to someone I care about. It''s just that I could have said it in a better way. Then again, I was never a great talker, to begin with."</anda>


    Eren wrapped his arms around the folded legs he had brought close to his chest. He stared at the dancing mes too before adding up.


    "I''m d my words helped you, Reece. I really do.


    However, don''t depend on anybody to solve your problems for you. If they do it, great. If they don''t, you carry on.


    I am not saying don''t count on me. I''m saying you should start giving more credit to yourself as a ranker and find the growth that''s within you."


    Eren said and looked at Reece, who then nodded and smiled.


    "Understood. And you say you are not good with words. Hehe.


    By the way, do you ever want to tell me what happened to you after that mammoth kept chasing you? And how did you end up achieving multiple stage breakthroughs?"


    Mia stopped looking outside and looked at Eren too when Reece asked that question. She was paying attention to the duo''s conversation.


    Eren smiled before describing his version of the events. He told Reece and Mia that he had achieved a forced breakthrough while fighting with the mammoth, which was true. Essentially, he avoided anything rted to the bear or hisir.


    A forced breakthrough was something the rankers achieved while in desperate situations. Meta rankers from earth didn''t really practice ranking techniques, so they relied heavily on forced breakthroughs. Their synth bodies were supposed to help them in the process after all.<sub> </sub>


    The ranking journey would get tougher the higher one climbed the rankingdder. As a result, even high-ranking entities would attempt forced breakthroughs by putting themselves in dangerous positions.


    Mia spoke up after Eren exined.


    "It''s called Gahan''s blessing. Most rankers who are from different worlds find it easy to achieve breakthroughs here. Although it''s notmon, multi-stage breakthroughs are not that rare either. Especially for someone who had to face a situation like yours."


    Eren chuckled when he found a way to justify his multi-stage breakthroughs from Mia. he also wondered if the reason behind him progressing in his ranking journey was indeed Gahan''s blessing and not his infinite mana core.


    Unaware of what he was thinking, Mia looked at Eren with curiosity filled in her eyes. She sighed before speaking up.


    "Finding a deviant beast in your first mission. And then achieving breakthroughs. Hehe. I don''t know what to call your luck, Eren."


    Eren smiled mirthlessly as he remembered his friend. Tory was used to saying the same thing to him, albeit with a lot of curse words involved.


    Mia, Eren, and Reece then talked a bit before finalizing their tasks for tomorrow. Mia had decided she would not leave the duo alone, lest something strange happen to them again. She would just observe the two as they hunted the mammoths and guide them whenever necessary.


    The trio talked some more while having rabbit meat for dinner sprinkled with some herbs and spices. Eren concluded that Mia was someone he could trust to a certain degree. So he fetched the coin from his storage and threw it to her before asking.


    "Mia, what can you tell me about this coin?"


    Mia wasn''t ready for Eren''s coin or his question. She caught the coin effortlessly with a puzzled expression on her face before looking at it keenly. A realization dawned on her face as she threw the coin back to Eren before saying.


    "Looks like you found something out in the prairie."


    Mia looked at Eren with interest and smiled cunningly before saying it to him.


    "No need to tell me. Rankers have their own secrets to keep. A ranker that''s an open book only dies quickly when his enemies read them like one."


    Mia pursed her lips as she looked at the coin Eren was tossing like a circus act before adding it up.


    "These kinds of coins are used by a very special group of rankers in Gahan. We can find them as adventurers and hunters working for normal guilds. However, most of those who are from this group are often involved in underworld activities.


    Hence, these rankers tend to have a bad reputation. Even as adventurers, they don''t like to get along well with the rest of the rankers.


    They are called various names by various people and kingdoms.


    However, most people know them as Hexers."

 Chapter 81 The Hexers Creeds P1

    "Most people know them as Hexers."


    Eren raised his eyebrows as he processed the information Mia had provided him. He frowned and looked at the coin he was tossing before clenching it in his fist. Mia saw Eren''s expressions and added up.


    "Don''t get me wrong, Eren. Hexers are not weak per se. They once held the same position as the elite rankers in the past when various kingdoms used them to serve their cause during their wars.


    But they are not as strong as they used to be in the past. Or the legend about them was hyped up from the start.


    Of course, these rankers are very tight-lipped about everything they do. So they won''t tell you about themselves even if you meet them. In addition, kingdoms like to keep certain details about their origins a secret. Information about the founding members and their previous history is bing more difficult to get. The majority of which are hoaxes.


    Still, if you want to learn more, I''m sure you can find the general information about them stored in the guild''s library. It shouldn''t cost you much either."


    Mia concluded and gave Eren a direction to follow when looking for answers rted to the coin. Eren thanked Mia for the same before continuing to eat his roasted rabbit. Mia smiled at him and nodded before keeping her night watch while having her dinner as well.


    The trio got up early the next morning and started systematically hunting mammoths. They targeted lone mammoths that were away from their hordes and isted them before initiating their hunt.


    Reece was finally able to perform the way she was supposed to. She surprised Eren with her battle awareness and performance. Then he remembered that she had been a ranker for a longer time than him. The temporary slump didn''t define her as a ranker.


    ***


    "How was your first mission, Eren?"


    Miranda asked after she saw him with Reece at the guild''s counter. They had just deposited the mission-rted drop at the guild''s facilities and had been paid 10 Rank 1 Mana Quartz each for their mission.


    Miranda was busy reading a scroll when they met. She was leaving for another mission, and her regr team was waiting for her not far away.


    "I had some difficulties. But I managed."


    Eren said while greeting Miranda with a nod and smile. He thought for a moment and looked around before asking her about voicemunication.


    ''Captain, do you know any ce where I can sell off the stuff not rted to the mission?''


    Miranda was shocked a bit before nodding at him.


    ''I do. ck markets. I''ll give you the location.''


    Every ranker had their secrets to keep. They couldn''t allow themselves to be exploited by the system all the time. Every ranker had to deal with ck markets in one way or another. So she wasn''t taken aback by the question itself. It was just that she wasn''t expecting Eren to deal with ck markets within just two days of entering Gahan.


    Eren had asked the same question to Reece as well. However, she didn''t know anything about it. He figured Miranda was his next safe bet to ask this question<sub> </sub>


    Eren got the location of the guy Miranda trusted and decided to visit himter on. He needed to sell off some of the stuff he had on him from the underground space. However, at this point, he had more significant things to learn.


    "Cap, where can I get ess to the guild''s library?"


    Miranda chuckled a bit before replying to him.


    "The library is the third building to the left from here. You can visit that ce to either read the book there or you can ask them to give you screen ess.


    Just get library ess from the counter and they''ll add a necessary rune to your Identity tattoo. Then select the topic or books from the counter''s menu you want to read about. Pay the appropriate price for the material. And et vo. You can ess the book anytime, anywhere"


    Miranda said while reading through some information in the scroll she had stretched in front of her with both her hands. She then closed the scroll and kept it in her storage before adding up.


    "Eren, I''ll wait another week for you to get used to Gahaan. I''m talking about a week on Earth. By then you''d have plenty of experience under your belt.


    I''ll then have to ask you toplete your mandatory team missions with us as per the contract. Don''t worry. They won''t be anything dangerous. However, I''d like you to prepare in advance."


    Eren replied simply, "I understand," before bidding her goodbye. He then followed her directions and found the library.


    "Hello. I''d like to use the library facility on my spectral screen."


    Eren addressed ady ranker in her 40s sitting by the library''s desk. Thetter just nodded and asked him to ce his hand with an Identity tattoo on a portable stone tform with runic signs on it. As a result, another rune was added to the intricate design of the Identity tattoo.


    "ess your spectral screen and select the topic of your choice."


    Eren soon found a general-purpose book that had the information he was looking for. It cost him 40 RANK 1 Mana Quartz, which was expensive even by his newly defined standards.


    Eren sighed and paid the price. It was better to obtain some information from kingdom-sanctioned channels. This was one of them.


    Eren decided to use the guild''s lodging facility. Of course, he''d have to pay for that too. However, it was rtively cheaper than staying at an inn¨C 1 Mana Quartz per day. Meaning he could live for 10 days straight with his first missionpletion award alone.


    Eren could use the same room he had woken up into after he paid the price. Gahan did not experience amodation problems like back on Earth. The room he was assigned would remain his room until his arrangement with the guild changed. He just had to pay the price for using it.


    Reece apanied Miranda since she had all the experience she needed to take on the missions. Plus, she was eager to get back on track. Eren had already reached the fourth stage of the Meta ranking.


    Reece needed to step up her game.

 Chapter 82 The Hexers Creeds P2

    The next day.


    Eren took a nice bath after finishing up his workout session. The guild had the same workout facility here in Gahan as well. He had decided to read up on Hexers and know any other information about them he could get from other sources.


    He would then locate the merchant Miranda had told him about to get rid of stuff and obtain money and other resources for them in return.


    Eren visited the guild''s canteen ced at the back of the premise and ordered a simple Rank 1 beast''s beef stew for himself along with some mortal cuisines. The canteen was mostly empty with only a few rankers he didn''t know upying tables away from each other.


    Eren followed the pattern and sat on a lone table ced in the corner as he waited for the order. He then essed his spectral screen to ess the material that he had brought from the guild''s library.


    Eren started reading while ignoring the ambient disturbance around him.


    ''Hexers.


    Hexers are a special type of rankers who prefer unconventionally using mana. They use normal forms of magic and spells only as a supplementary addition to their usual way of employing the mana.


    Hexers use various spells and gears that are not kingdom-sanctioned or kingdom-controlled. Hence, they are looked at suspiciously by everyone. Some Hexers are still active openly as adventurers and rankers while the others work in the shadows and underworld of Gahan.''


    Eren read till here and was reminded of Mia''s point of view on Hexers. His attention was divided further when he saw that his food had arrived.


    Eren only started reading ahead when he was half-finished with his rankers-only beef stew.


    ''It is imperative that we understand what Hex is before understanding any more about Hexers.


    Hex is magic that doesn''t use conventional spell casting. It uses or prefers using various other mediums to cast spells that don''t involve the employment of mana circuits. Or it employs mana circuits to their minimum while basing the execution of spellsrgely on other mediums.


    These mediums can include spectral arrays, scroll-release spells, potions that act as the container of spells, runic signs, and other such mediums. Hex can also be used bybining multiple such mediums¨C making Hex magic moreplicated and stronger than conventional magic.


    A Hexer only uses his mana core to power up the Hex. Their usage of mana circuits is mostly restricted to movement spells and weapon arts. Although they can use normal spells and techniques, the usage of such spells is kept to a minimum.


    Since their mana circuits are not burdened with spell castings, their weapon arts be deadlier than the rest of the rankers. They also be good at using their respective movement spells, which may or may not include mana circuits.''


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he read this part about Hexers. As far as he understood, Hexers were a select group of people that preferred other mediums to cast their spells over normal means. This was the main difference that set them apart from normal rankers who were more dependent on their mana circuits than any external influences.


    Eren finished his meal and started walking out of the guild''s premises while he pondered over many things. He hired a colt from colt service located at the city gate.


    His destination was the City of Dafur which was located 6 hours of colt ride away from the city of Ludan. He already had coordinates on his spectral screen.


    Eren resumed his reading session as he rode on his colt at a medium pace.


    ''There are various long-forgotten legends about Hexers that describe them to be superior rankers than the normal popce. Some legends tell that they could fight rankers way ahead of their ranking status, thanks to their use of unconventional mediums. Other legends paint them as heretics who would use death and sacrifices as a way to progress ahead in their ranking journey.<sub> </sub>


    Hexers are very secretive about how they operate. They are mana contract bound not to share any information with the rankers who are not Hexers. This code of conduct has turned them more as a secret society than being seen as normal rankers.''


    At this point, Eren had considered the guy whose body had been found by him to be a Hexer. The gear he had worn on him fit the bill of it being a Hex.


    Finders keepers. Of course, he had taken the gear from the guy. However, he would only use it after ensuring he read through everything there is to know about Hexers.


    Eren continued riding his colt and sorted his thoughts before resuming reading the rest of the book.


    ''There are various creeds of Hexers that define their way of approaching alternate forms of magic. The creed also defines their battle styles and ways of life. Each of these creeds has a distinct method they use to train rankers into bing Hexers.


    Each creed has its code of conduct that is simr for all the Hexers for certain points. It can also differ based on the respective creeds.


    However, there is onemon thing about almost all the Hexers. They use their gears and artifacts to make themselvespatible with their respective Hexes.''


    Eren''s eyes shined when he learned that Hexers were dependent on their gears and artifacts. He couldn''t help smiling when he realized that his problem could be solved by studying Hexers.


    He hurriedly read the next block of text.


    ''There are seven known creeds of Hexers whose members are currently active in various capacities. They are as follows:


    The Crane''s Creed


    The Cat''s Creed


    The Eagle''s Creed


    The Bear''s Creed


    The Snake''s Creed


    The Scorpio''s creed


    The Wolf''s Creed


    These creeds define the Hexers as individuals. What is interesting about them is the fact that¡­''


    Eren didn''t read the following after he read the particr item in the list of creeds Hexers had. He took the coin he had out from his storage before murmuring to himself.


    ''The Bear''s Creed, huh?

 Chapter 83 Malcolm Merlot

    The city of Dafur.


    Eren found himself in a store for rankers. It seemed to disy anything and everything a ranker might and might not need.


    From rare spell scrolls to vials of potions, from runestones to elemental gems, from mana-superconductive metals to various weapon-type and non-weapon-type artifacts, it had everything. The shop was so full of stuff that the patrons barely had space to walk around.


    It took Eren some time to reach the ce. Then he got held up at the entrance to the city because of the long queue. By the time he reached the ce, the rune-powered streetmps had lit up the streets. It was around 8 PM when he managed to find the shop.


    "Anybody in here?"


    Eren asked as he furrowed his brows, seeing an unmanned shop on a seemingly busy street. Apparently, the shopkeeper was pretty trusting of their potential customers.


    "Hm? Give me a minute."


    Someone called from the back of the shop where a closed door was located. There was some noise about stuff getting moved elsewhere as if a big trunk was being pulled from one side to another. In the next moment, the door opened up and a man came out.


    Meow!


    It seemed the man was not alone. There was a domestic cat in there with him. It purred at Eren before heading in a different direction. The pet was soon lost amid loads of stuff arranged in an untidy manner by the shopkeeper.


    The shopkeeper himself was a bald man with unbelievably muscr arms. He had a veryrge nose with the tip of his nose turned red as if he had been punched. He had a square-shaped jawline and a belly that didn''t quite fit the image his muscr arms were trying to create.


    He measured up to be 5.10 ft, around the same height as Eren. However, his baggy clothes made him look short and stout.


    "How can I help you, dear customer?"


    The man greeted Eren with a merchant-like smile. Something Eren was very familiar with from his life in Latvia dealing with shopkeepers who dealt with counterfeits. Eren smiled back and responded.


    "Am I talking to Sir Malcolm Merlot?"


    Eren asked and received a nod from the shopkeeper immediately. Malcolm managed to find two chairs from his messy shop and sat on one chair before offering the other one for Eren to sit on.


    "You can call me Mal. What''s your name, boy?"


    "Eren. Miranda Bloom referred you to me."


    Eren said while taking a seat. Malcolm pursed his lips and nodded at Eren before pping his hands. In the next moment, the shop''s door was shut, and the ss windows turned opaque.


    "What do you want to sell?"


    Malcolm immediately got to business. Eren was impressed that the shopkeeper understood his intentions well. He was about to ask him. But it looked like he didn''t have to. Malcolm provided him with the reason all the same.<sub> </sub>


    "You must havee here from the city of Ludan if you were referred to by that little girl Miranda. It''s a long way with no teleportation points in between. You won''t travel here just to get the same goods you''d get from a reputed shop in the city of Ludan.


    So you must be here to offer me something you''d rather not sell openly. So tell me, boy, what do you want to sell?"


    Malcolm said and pped again. The table beside him had a teapot that soon started releasing steam from its spout. Malcolm took two cups from his storage and ced them over the table before pouring hot tea for himself and Eren.


    Eren took the tea but didn''t drink it. Seeing this, Malcolm chuckled and took a sip of his tea first. Eren smiled before disying one of the items he had got from the underground space¨C an old Rank 1 sword that looked old and rustic.


    "How much for this?"


    Malcolm didn''t even look at the sword andmented.


    "Don''t try to test the waters, boy. If I want to drown you, nobody in the city of Darfur can stop me from doing it. At least not the forces on the surface.


    Now out with the whole thing."


    Eren was slightly taken aback when he heard Malcolm''s bold statement. But his instincts as a hustler told him that this was the guy who knew how the business worked. So he sighed before looking around him.


    "This ce is too tight. We need something more spacious."


    This time, it was Malcolm''s turn to get shocked. He shed a wolfish grin at Eren before pping his hands once again. The shop''s ground lit up and the stuff that Eren was seeing disappeared into a different space. The shop immediately got empty. It was as if this wasn''t the shop Eren had seen just a few moments ago.


    Eren shrugged his shoulders before taking most of the stuff from the underground space that he wanted to sell. Some of the stuff he had found in the underground space was indeed rustic. But the other stuff seemed more crucial. Because Malcolm scanned it with his mana sense and immediately got excited.


    "This¡­ this is good. You want to sell everything or just want to inquire about the price?''


    Eren pondered a bit before replying.


    "Sell everything. Whatever you think is right, give that to me."


    When Malcolm activated his mana sense, Eren came to know that he was an Awakened ranker. Even when he didn''t intend to use the mana sense on him, the fact that he mixed his mana signature with it, and the fact that he was very close to Malcolm when he used his mana sense, told him that he was not just a simple man.


    Malcolmughed when he saw the change in Eren''s behavior.


    "Respect born out of fear for senior rankers. And an ability to change your approach as per the situation. Most rankers of your caliber and age are always full of themselves, not understanding the reality of the world.


    You are alright, Eren. I''ll try to give you a fair deal. Hahaha."

 Chapter 84 Battlemage 101

    "You are alright, Eren. I''ll try to give you a fair deal. Hahaha."


    Malcolm finished his tea and made the cup disappear. He then got up from his chair and started observing the stuff Eren had unloaded in the middle of the shop in a huge pile. He started picking things up and looking at them closely. It didn''t take too long for him toe up with a number.


    Eren thought of something and added on.


    "Sir Malcolm, I also had something I wanted to get your opinion on. I''ll sell it to you if it''s worthless to me."


    Malcolm nodded seriously at Eren. Eren took another sip from his honey and ginger vored tea before taking out the dead ranker''s ger set. It consisted of one Beskar sword and one Brightsteel sword, one runic crossbow, one heavy armor with the runic print of a bear, runic boots, and pants and gauntlets made of some Rank 1 beast''s hide.


    This was aplete set Eren had found on the dead ranker. He had worn the wearable gear while the rest of the stuff had been found in his storage.


    Eren took out all of the dead man''s gear and carefully studied Malcolm''s expressions. He didn''t want to ask or show this stuff to anybody. A shady man like Malcolm who knew about business ethics even when he was doing shady things was his best bet.


    Up till now, Malcolm hadn''t asked Eren the source of his sudden fortune. He hadn''t tried to intrude on his personal information or his fortuitous encounters to im them as his own. Eren could understand why Miranda could trust this bald businessman. He had done with enough shady clients.


    Malcolm observed the gear set with a stoic face before replying.


    "Aplete Rank 1 gear set of the Bear''s Creed. Did you find a dead Hexer lying somewhere?"


    Eren simply nodded, causing Malcolm tough loudly. The shopkeeper calmed down quickly after like it was not a big deal. He scratched his bald head lightly before asking him.


    "Are you thinking of using it?"


    Eren pursed his lips before replying.


    "I... I''m not sure. I mean I tried using it. But the runes on the gears don''t react to my mana. So it''s like wearing heavy gear with no usable properties."


    Malcolm shook his head in denial and smiled lightly before speaking up.


    "That''s because the gear belongs to the dead ranker,d. The Hexers use different forms of magic. Their gears are very special and stay unused by most normal rankers because of the binding even after their deaths."


    Eren pondered a bit before shrugging his shoulders once again.


    "If it has no use to me, I guess I''ll just sell it."


    Mae caressed his head with another palm and rubbed it over the head as if massaging it before looking at Eren with keen interest.


    "You know, Eren. On a normal day, I would have told you to sell it. But seeing that you are genuinely interested in using the gear, I can offer you a counter deal. I could alter the hex runes for you so that you can use them.<sub> </sub>


    It''ll cost a lot, mind you. But the cost would be cheaper than buying the whole thing that''s already rare."


    Eren''s eyes lit up when Malcolm offered him a way to use the gear. However, a doubt surfaced in his mind.


    "Sir Malcolm, you are not a Hexer, are you?"


    Malcolm chuckled before answering him.


    "You won''t find Hexers opening shops and settling down, boy. But I know a bit about them because of my links to the ck markets.


    Let me tell you one thing. The gear set works most efficiently when it is used by a Hexer. Normal rankers won''t be able to tap into their true potential with their normal way of using magic. The gear would still be better than most ordinary sets that are out there."


    Malcolm started walking around the gear with his hands behind his back while staring keenly at the gear. He pondered for a moment before adding further.


    "Also, the gear is supposed to be worn by a defense specialist. Your mana signature tells me you are on the path to bing a battlemage.


    Hmm. You are thinking of using the Hex gears as a way to take advantage of the variation your ss is focused on."


    Eren was taken aback a bit when he realized Malcolm had read him like an open book. Thetter saw the expressions on his patron''s face andughed before responding.


    "Hahaha. Boy, did you think you were some unique battlemage who conceived of using special gears as a way to bnce your ss? You thought the battlemages who were before you were all idiots?"


    Eren didn''t know what to say. He had learned about this way of handling his ss through his state of epiphany. Nobody had told him about anything. So he didn''t think about how other battlemages managed to realize their true potential.


    "I entered Gahan just yesterday, sir Malcolm. I just didn''t know any better. Please tell me all that you know about battlemages.


    Even though I''ve decided to stick with artifact smithing, I''d like to know about the other ways that are avable for battlemages."


    Eren bowed to Malcolm after he said that. This was the respect Malcolm had earned just by being a senior ranker than him. Malcolm nodded before responding immediately.


    "Alright. Alright. Although I only know the basics, I guess it should be of interest to you. Maybe I judged you too quickly based on your behavior since you walked into the shop. You are just a newbie it seems.


    Anyway. There are a lot of ways a battlemage can use to be the "jack of all trades".


    Job-bound potions that boost specific attributes in a specific way temporarily. Array scrolls that can modify the output of your spells after you cast them. Some battlemages even use spirit beast spells to give themselves the variation they need.


    Then there are runic tattoos, body-altering spells, and then some alternate magic shit. You can evenbine any of those methods in variousbinations to create a unique blend of battlemage."

 Chapter 85 Investment

    Eren listened to Malcolm''s speech with keen interest. He was relearning the ways that were avable to the battlemages.


    He could barely remember the vestiges of memories that were offered to him under the effects of the state of epiphany. They had offered him choices Malcolm talked about. It was just that he picked artifact smithing to focus on keeping those memories relevant in his mind.


    Malcolm offered Eren some time to process these things before adding up.


    "I''m not saying that it is right or wrong but most rankers including some high-ranked battlemages think your ss is the absence of having ss. With no ss-specific mana circuits added into the picture, your ss doesn''t normally allow anyone to excel in a particr field."


    "I see. Thanks, Sir¡­"


    "Just call me Mal. I''m not interested in you following any ranking hierarchies and codes of conduct. At this point, you are my customer and I''m simply a shopkeeper. This should be enough for both of us."


    Malcolm interrupted Eren''s way of formally addressing him. And thetter smiled before nodding his head.


    "Alright. Thanks, Mal. I know nothing is offered for free in Gahan. Everything has a price. Even the information you consider basic knowledge should have a price. Tell me what it is."


    Malcolm smiled wolfishly when he heard Eren speak. He took out another book and opened it up to navigate to a particr page.


    "I need a battlemage that has just started their path for the experiment. We can also include experiments rted to you using Hex gears. I''m also interested in Hex gears and want to, let''s say, draw inspiration from them.


    Here is an opportunity for you to determine if you are indeed traveling in the correct direction on your path or not. I''ll also not charge you for giving you any information I have on Hexers. Win-win for both of us. Am I right or am I right? Hahaha."


    Malcolmughed and was about to write Eren''s name in his diary when he heard thetter''s words.


    "I''m sorry, Mal. I am not interested in any experiments. It''s fine if you charge me. Just tell me the price beforehand."


    Malcolm raised his eyebrows while the hand that was holding a pen in his hand froze in its ce. He pointed the pen at Eren and was about to say something. But then it looked like he had run out of words. He could only ept the fact that Eren wasn''t interested in his endeavor to craft something revolutionary and lucrative.


    Eren didn''t like to be part of the experiments while they are performed under the gaze of an Awakened ranker. He didn''t want him to find out about his infinite mana core.


    Malcolm sighed and took his diary and pen back into his storage. He then shrugged his shoulders and responded.


    "Alright, Eren. 50 Mana Quartz for the information provided so far. And you''d have to pay more if you want detailed information about each of Hexer''s Creeds."<sub> </sub>


    Eren nodded, hunting the shopkeeper to produce another old book. He sent it levitating at Eren before speaking up.


    "100 Mana Quartz. A special discount since you''d already be paying for the information covered in that book."


    Eren appreciated Malcolm a bit more as he lifted his book and started reading a few blocks of texts that were written inside. Once he knew that he had what he was looking for, Eren closed the book.


    "Mal, how can you be so honest as a businessman?"


    Eren asked while looking at the shopkeeper with a curious gaze. Thetter was taken aback a bit by Eren''s sudden question. However, he adjusted his stance and replied while shing a mild smile.


    "Hehe. I''m still thinking about my interests, Eren. if that''s what you are asking. It''s just that I''m ying the long game instead of profiting from something that might only happen once per customer.


    A lot of young businessmen burn their hands by acting on short-term gains. They don''t understand that each ranker is a walking cash bank. The money is bound toe to them sooner orter. And we''d want these cash banks to arrive at our doorsteps time and again to empty some of their fortunes."


    Malcolm took a final look at Eren''s stuff, Malcolm said. He looked at Eren questionably, getting a nod from him in return. The shopkeeper then pped his hands and all of Eren''s stuff that he had put on the ground disappeared.


    Eren then asked Malcolm about any paid information he had on Hexers as well as their creeds. He also asked Malcolm about lightning, wind, and fire element spells in exchange for the spell scrolls and spell books he had from the underground space.


    These scrolls and books were meant to be used as an exchange. So he hadn''t brought them out earlier. Eren also cast one Awakened rank spell.


    Eren had thought about copying these spells and spell books manually. A few pages of the books or parts of the scroll would have 3D mana circuit renderings, thanks to the etched runes. This was not something Eren could replicate at his current level as a ranker.


    So all he could do now was to buy and sell these spells. He didn''t splurge on his spending. A spell for each of the three elements of lighting, wind, and fire. These spells were enough for him to base his current battle style on.


    p Then Eren and Malcolm discussed the price for making the dead ranker''s gear suitable for him. After a long debate, they both settled on a price. Turned out Eren had to pay the difference that was between the amount that he was entitled to receive for all his gains and the amount that he owed to Malcolm for the spells, information, and gear alteration.</anda>


    Eren and Malcolm talked for a bit after their transaction was over. It waste in the night when he left Malcolm''s shop. He only had 40 Mana Quartz in his pockets aftering out of the shop. His newfound wealth had diminished quite a lot.


    The money was used for his growth, however. And he was happy about it.

 Chapter 86 The Wolf’s Creed

    Eren''s room. Stardust guild dorm. Morning 9 AM.


    Scrunch!


    Eren took a bite out of a fruit that looked like an apple with some runic patterns naturally formed on it. With each bite, he could feel his fire-element mana getting stimted in his mana circuits.


    Eren had 11 more fire-element apples like these. They were called Ifrit fruits by the local popce. These fruits were amon Rank 1 resource avable in Gahan. He had brought those fruits from Malcolm.


    Eren had spent thest day practicing the new spells he had received from Malcolm. The fire-element fruits he was eating were supposed to assist him in casting fire-element spells by helping his circuits get used to converting his normalized mana into fire-element mana. The fruits also helped rankers increase their affinity for fire.


    Eren was nning to read up on some more information about rankers'' creeds that he had paid for on this day. He''d practice his new spells and the spells he hasn''tpletely masteredter that day.


    Scrunch!


    Eren took another bite out of the ifrit fruits and started reading from the old book he had got from Malcolm.


    "The Hexers'' creeds.


    So much is being talked about them and so many conspiracies. This article of mine will focus on any of those and will instead discuss what the core concepts of each of the Creeds are."


    Eren skipped the part where the author had given a basic summary of the book. Having turned the page, he began reading the first chapter of the book.


    The more he read, the clearer the basic structure of the Hexers'' creeds started unraveling in front of him. After about an hour of reading the book and almost finishing it, he started forming ideas in his head.


    ''Hm. The Bear''s Creed.


    It is focused on Hexers that are defense specialists. They give up developing their agility and focus solely on making their defenses stronger and imprable. That''s why their armors are well-detailed and central to their battle styles.


    Rather than attacking, these Hexers believe in sustaining the attack and thenunching a counterattack when their opponent would be most vulnerable.''


    Eren summarized the Bear''s Creed in his way and started pondering. He immediately realized that he could only use the armor set after ensuring that there was something else to make use of his lightning-element-based speed.


    The Bear''s Creed armor set was only going to be used when he was in a dire situation of using one.


    ''Speed. If I want speed, the Cat''s Creed is my preferred option. But their other attributes make them exceptionally weak in a frontal sh.''


    Scrunch!<sub> </sub>


    Eren thought to himself as he had another fruit. The Cat''s Creed was the opposite of the Bear''s Creed. It primarily focused on the agility aspect of the Hexers, allowing them to be faster than normal rankers. However, they were weaker than their counterparts in every other department.


    If one catches a Cat''s Creed''s Hexer with traps or somehow prevents them from using their exceptional agility and movement spells to their advantage, they''d immediately be put into a vulnerable position.


    If the Bear''s Creed turned Hexers and rankers who were using Hexer gears into defense specialists, the ranking entities focusing on the Cat''s Creeds were assassins. They didn''t engage in frontbat. They wouldn''t be seen handling the mana beasts.


    Because of their specialization, Cat''s Creed users were often involved in underground activities. Most Hexers and a few rankers that were part of the Cat''s Creed were well-known assassins.


    Eren scratched his chin as hey on his back on the levitating bed. He looked at the ceiling but his eyes were not focused on it. He was thinking about various things at once before shaking his head in denial.


    ''These two are extreme approaches for extreme measures. I can use them when I''m in dire situations that require me to use these gears. But I''d need a stable way to handle most situations that don''t make me vulnerable to traps and counterattacks.''


    Eren concluded that the Bear''s Creed and the Cat''s Creed weren''t something he could use while on the regr missions that required him to be nimble on his feet. He also couldn''t be a paper tiger if and when he was being attacked by opponents.


    ''The Wolf''s Creed.''


    Eren''s eyes seemingly shined when he started thinking about the Wolf''s Creed. This was the most bnced Creed among all of them ording to him. Something he could use and benefit from the most, in most situations.


    Technically, the Wolf''s Creed was just like his battlemage ss. It wasn''t focused on anything. Yet, it couldbine the strengths of both the Bear and Cat''s Creeds.


    Wolf''s Creed followers were fast when they needed to be. And could protect themselves from normal attacks using means avable to them. However, their effectiveness and efficiency in doing those things did not match their specialized creeds. But that couldn''t be considered a negative point.


    The Wolf''s Creed gear set was the most amodating for Jeet Kune Do. It could also incorporate most weapon arts. It meant that Eren would have a steady foundation to build his battle style around if he had the gear set of the Wolf''s Creed.


    The Hexers rted to the Wolf''s Creed were either very famous or very ill-famous. However, they had left a distinct mark on history and people''s minds. Their bnced battle style allowed them to dominate almost any battlefield with ease.


    Eren had decided that he would get his hands on the Wolf''s Creed as soon as possible. After reading the information provided in the book. But they weren''t something he could count on.


    ''The testing grounds for the Bear''s Creed!''


    Eren learned that the underground space he had discovered was called the Hexer''s Creeds testing grounds. Even though he preferred having Wolf''s gear, it wouldn''t hurt to try his luck on the test grounds.


    Eren had discovered what was required to open the testing ground''s doors, thanks to the information provided by Malcolm.

 Chapter 87 Back To Earth

    Elysian City-state of Phoenix. Earth.


    Eren opened his eyes.


    He could feel that his environment had changed. The light that his eyes immediately started adjusting to seemed different. They held a special warmth that didn''t belong to Gahan. The warmth one feels when returning home.


    It didn''t take long for Eren to gain control of all his faculties back again. This was the world he belonged to. Earth. About a week had passed in Gahan. However, back on earth, it was only a few hours since his first entrance into the new world.


    It was like working a day shift. And like all working-ss people, it felt longer than it was.


    Before Eren could understand what and why clouds of Rank 1 mana started gathering around him. His natal body was still in the first stage of Meta rank. And now that his soul was back, it prompted the body to proceed with the breakthrough that was due.


    Swoosh!


    Everyone in the area felt a distinct mana pulse. The mana pulse of someone achieving multi-stage breakthroughs.


    Eren had barely gotten up from his lying position when he had achieved his breakthroughs. It surprised him and also made him happy. Happy that there was such a quick way to progress through the ranks.


    "You are a fast learner, Eren."


    Miranda greeted Eren as soon as he got up and achieved his breakthrough. The breakthrough was seamless since it was a stage breakthrough and he had already passed the hurdles in Gahan. It didn''t bother or freeze Eren in his tracks.


    "Hehe. It''s all thanks to you. I have a capable captain."


    Eren replied with a smile on his face. Miranda''s other team members also formally congratted him on his breakthrough. Ekay Mayne and Rhea Reavers also had brief talks with him.


    Eren had left his synth body in the guild''s dorm room. Laying on the same bed he had first found himself onto. The array beneath the bed was meant to look after his body as it was put into a vegetative state.


    Eren would be able to use his synth-body like normal when he dives into Gahan tomorrow. Eren didn''t need to stay in the guild''s dorm. It was convenient for him that he could keep his synth body there while keeping the cost of maintenance low.


    The world of Gahan housed many races from different worlds, using various means to reach the world. Therefore, all residential ces and dormitories across almost all kingdoms would allow rankers to protect their synth bodies by offering a variety of facilities.


    There were various ways to extend one''s stay in Gahan or end it abruptly. However, using a secured facility that would keep your synth body safe until your return was something that needed to be observed by everyone.


    Eren then proceeded to the storage facility of the guild and booked an isted chamber for himself. This was the chamber he could use to bring back anything that he had found in Gahan. This was also the way he could send whatever he had on Earth sent to Gahan.


    He found himself in a room that only had arge table, measuring about 7 meters long and 5 meters wide. The table had a spatial array imprinted on it. The table had another small tform with depression for keeping one''s hands inside.


    <o>,m Eren kept his right hand over the tform and activated his Identity tattoo. In the next moment, the runes inside the arrays on the table lit up. All the stuff that he had selected to bring back to Earth had been brought back in the next moment as the spatial fabric rippled.<sub> </sub></o>


    Eren had been already informed that the usage of artifacts, especially weapon artifacts, was banned back on Earth unless it was for defense purposes. Nobody had prevented him from carrying those weapons here.


    Apparently, the city government did not trust all rankers to follow its rules. So it allowed rankers to find a loophole for protecting themselves against such people.


    Eren took his belongings back to his storage space and left the isted chamber. These chambers were meant to be used by rankers to have their resources close to them at all times. The chambers allowed rankers to keep their belongings away from prying eyes.


    Eren doubted that the guild would have some kind of idea of what their guild members had imported from another world. But for the most part, it wouldn''t care unless it''s a measure of security concern for the Elysian cities.


    ''30 Mana Quartz!''


    Eren couldn''t believe that he''d be able to have 30 Mana Quartz on his first day of diving into Gahan. He had risked his life and was paid handsomely for it. No wonder rankers were richer than mortals.


    ***


    Ate evening with a bright moon. Neon-lights-like signs. A gyro car speeding across the empty roads of the Elysian city-state.


    ''Even with my current speed, it''ll take several months to pay back my loan to the Stardust guild. I need more money.''


    Eren was lost in his own thoughts when he heard some distant voice, which sounded less distant the more he focused on it.


    "Eren? Eren? Eren! Are you sleeping with your eyes open?"


    Reece was calling him from her driver''s seat. She was taking them back to their home. She was trying to talk about various things to Eren. but for thest couple of minutes, he had observed silence. So she yelled his name a couple of times to get his attention.


    "Hm? What?"


    Eren asked as he stopped all his thoughts and looked at Reece. She was smiling at him as if expecting him to be speechless about his experiences in Gahan. She took a seamless 90 degrees turn and processed to zip the gyro car across almost empty streets before asking him.


    "How do you see it, Eren? I was trying to ask you how you see Gahan and Earth now that you have experienced both worlds. It was a life-changing event for me. I want to know how significant it was for you."


    Eren smiled at Reece before nodding at her. He used the door''s window ledge to support his arm and felt the wind pressure outside by leaning outside beforementing.


    "Reece¡­ it was indeed a life-changing event. I don''t know where I belong anymore. I don''t have the right words to describe my feelings yet.


    But now¡­ I can''t wait to break into the Awakened rank."

 Chapter 88 Underground Fights

    "I can''t wait to break into the Awakened rank."


    Eren said as he felt the winds brushing past his face. His body was missing the feel of something it technically never had. He could feel that Gahan was more suitable for ranking progression than here.


    It was as if Earth was still in its budding phase as a world. Or a world that had emerged from its ashes. Compared to Earth, Gahan felt freer and more inviting.


    Reece chuckled and sighed before responding.


    "All rankers feel that. That''s why most rankers relocate to Numbered Oases of their preferences when they break into Awakened rank. And that''s why you won''t find anyone other than Rank 1 entities on Earth."


    Eren smiled and added up.


    "I can see why. Even if we ignore the feeling of being freer in Gahan, the advantages of relocating to different worlds are many. First of all, you don''t have to return to your natal body every once in a while."


    "That''s right," Reece said and pondered a bit before adding up.


    "Furthermore, the native rankers of the world have an advantage over us in terms of signing contracts with guilds. They don''t have to use the guild''s teleportation arrays to bring their resources from one ce to another.


    And some spells like the Spirit beast spells can only be most effectively used when the rankers have their natal bodies."


    Eren wouldn''t have to teleport his resources back to earth if he was native to the world. He could always leave his resources inside the personal space that was bound to his synth body. But he won''t be able to use them here in a pinch. And most rankers liked to keep their most valuable resources with them.


    "Yeah. You are not free here on Earth. I think most rankers leave the Earth because they like the freedom that''s offered to them while in Numbered Oases.


    The height of freedom is, in fact, chaos. But that won''t stop humans from aspiring for their own unfettered liberation- their own chaos. I''m not different from that lot."


    Reeceughed before responding with a "me too." Eren felt a bit weird hearing the term. He just couldn''t exin why.


    Eren and Reece ate the meal thetter had prepared for them. Eren helped with the dishes before heading out. Reece wanted to talk with Eren some more. However, it turned out that for the first time in a while, Eren had made friends. It was a rare social event for him, so she didn''t want to stop him.


    ***


    The sky that seemed starless was hosting schools of gray clouds. Their grayness had a silver lining thanks to the full moon night.


    "Yo!"


    A handsome blonde guy greeted Eren with a smile when he saw Reece''s car pulling up next to him. They were from the same guild after all.


    "Ekay."


    Eren greeted Ekay casually after getting out of the borrowed car. This was yet another Barran spot Ekay had asked toe and meet him.


    Ekay smiled and shook hands with Eren before gilding him in a particr direction. In the distance, there was an abandoned factory. Eren guessed it was their destination.


    "How are we able to make money here, Ekay? There''s nobody here except us."<sub> </sub>


    Eren raised his eyebrows as he scanned the area with his mana sense. Ekay smirked before responding.


    "Eren, what do you know about underground fights?"


    Eren narrowed his eyes and looked at Mayne curiously. He then shrugged his shoulders before deciding toe clean.


    "I used to deal with arranging such duels between fighters, let''s say in a past life. But I never really participated in them myself.


    Hehe. Only maniacs who want to let off steam participate in those matches. Pay is never as good as the injuries you receive. Why experience pain and suffering when there''s nothing substantial to gain from it?"


    Ekay was surprised that a guy like Eren was involved in arranging shady fights. Of course, Eren was talking about arranging underground fights between mortals when he was in Latvia as Viktor. He had just said that to Ekay so that he wouldn''t take him for aplete amateur.


    "Hehe. today was your first day in Gahan so of course, you''d say that. Rankers deal with pain and suffering all the time. The more you spend time in Gahan, the more you''d realize this."


    Ekay said and chuckled before adding up.


    "And yeah. The stakes and gains are not as low as you make them out to be, Eren. At least not where I''m taking you.


    A single fight only requires you to pay 10 Mana Quartz. If you win, your gain would be 20 Mana quartz plus some bonus depending upon how the betting ys out.


    You can ask your opponent to raise the wager or bet on yourself if you are confident in winning. That would give you even more of a profit margin for your investment.


    A 30 minutes duel. Double or nothing. Simple as that.


    Not bad right?"


    Ekay asked Eren with a smirk on his face that he would not normally disy. Rankers were prohibited from fighting one another openly without using official channels. However, that doesn''t stop some of them from organizing such events in the dark.


    Ekay knew that Eren needed money. He also realized his potential when he achieved multi-stage breakthroughs. So he decided to introduce Eren to such events that would help him earn a lot in a short time.


    Eren immediately agreed to Ekay''s offer when he pitched it to him before they left the guild. He was already used to dealing with mortals'' shady businesses as Viktor. He just needed to use that experience in this life as well. All so that he could achieve his goals faster.


    "Here. Use this."


    Ekay offered Eren a face mask to hide his identity. Unlike the synth-skin masks, these were Rank 1 artifacts that looked to be made of very ductile metal. They had runic patterns etched over them that exuded faint lights when Eren imbued his mana into the mask.


    "Did you decide your stage name?"


    Ekay asked, lookingpletely different from the previous him. Eren looked at Ekay''s changed appearance and chuckled before deciding to follow his lead.


    "Yeah. Let''s keep things simple. I choose... Viktor."


    Eren ced the mask on his face and spoke.

 Chapter 89 Eren Vs. Tegan

    An abandoned factory somewhere outside the residential region of the Elysian city-state of Phoenix.


    This was arge factory shed, measuring about 300 meters in length and 40 meters wide. There were six pits dug in the ground that served as the battle rings for the underground matches.


    Each pit was at a set distance from the other. The audience was allowed to stand around the pits for real-life action. There were also spectral screens getting projected right over the pits that depicted the fights that were unfolding below them.


    The abandoned factory was isted from the rest of the world. To the people who didn''t know what the factory was, it would look barren and lifeless. Only after passing through the barrier would one be able to see what was happening inside.


    The fights had already started. There was a huge crowd of a wide variety of people. Rankers and mortals both were invited. The ones with money would always be invited anywhere.


    There was a cacophony of noises that could be heard once one passed through the mirage-like barrier. Each pit had its own referee and announcer. The audience surrounding each pit was busy talking among themselves and cing bets.


    A mixture of smoke, cigars and barbecued food was lingering in the air. There were various neon and mana-powered light sources that created a unique atmosphere inside the abandoned factory. An atmosphere that was as lively as it was brutal and bloodthirsty because of the ongoing fights.


    The third pit was soon going to start with its 7th scheduled match for the night. This would be the secondst match of the night. After that, the underground fights would stay closed for about a week before restarting with new participants.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the battle between Keith and Golem has ended with Keish scoring the victory. Hahaha. Keith is moving forward and challenging bigger rankers with much higher stakes. I''m sure all his regr fans would be proud.


    Now let''s move on to our next match. It''s a battle between two rookie rankers who would make their debut here. Please wee them with a round of apuse.


    Viktor and Tegan."


    p The announcer dered the start of the match, and two young rankers jumped into the pit at the same time. The audience burst into cheers and the betting window opened after the two rankers made themselves known to the public.</anda>


    Tegan had donned a helmet-like head protector with wrist guards. His torso was fully exposed, letting people know his prominent muscle definitions. He was wearing sturdy forearm guards. He wore dark brown pants that seemed to be made of a processed Rank 1 beast hide.


    Tegan summoned his small ax and started swinging it around his body before stopping abruptly. He then kept quiet and looked at his opponent to gauge his chances of winning the match.


    Viktor looked to be a ck-haired young man in his 20s. He still had the same blue eyes. But his facial structure was modified due to the mask he wore that didn''t look like a mask at all.


    He had worn a basic, ck Rank 1 leather armor for protection over a simple white tee underneath. He had worn blue jeans that also didn''t look like it was ranked apparel.


    Some keen people could feel that there was something wrong with Viktor''s appearance. Even his mana sense felt a bit strange. But that wasn''t something novel here. Half of the people present wore masks to conceal their identities. So Viktor''s use of hiding his real identity wasn''t surprising.


    Despite both of them being in their fourth Meta rank stage, many people immediately understood why the two fighters were called rookies. They were both poor and in dire need of money. Otherwise, they would have been able to put more resources into their gears and artifacts.<sub> </sub>


    People started cheering and calling their names, telling them what they needed to do to beat their opponents. But ignoring all that, Tegan looked at his opponent one more time before opening his mouth to speak.


    "How many days have you spent in the Numbered Oasis?"


    Viktor had retrieved his Tachi from his storage. He ran his left hand''s finger over the surface of his de and looked at the reflection of his changed image in it before answering.


    "About six or seven. You?"


    Tegan was taken aback by Viktor''s answer. He looked at the sword in his hands for a bit before responding.


    "About a month. I wanted to know this because¡­"


    "You want topare yourself and your progression speed with the rest of your generation. I get it. Let''s start the fight so we can get right on it."


    Eren spoke while taking a stance. The pit was about 30 meters in radius. It gave them plenty of room to use their spells but not enough to maintain distance from each other for long.


    The reason for that was simple. The audience hade here to watch duels and not two rankers chasing each other for 30 minutes. They were also prevented from using any excessive defensive artifacts.


    Tegan swung his ax with a short staff around him and assumed a battle-ready stance. He then channeled his mana and got ready to cast his spells. As a result, his wind-element mana started creating mini gusts around him that flowed away from him.


    Viktor was seen channeling his mana as well. His feet were covered in lightning before vanishing from his position. In the next moment, a distinct metallic sound was heard as Tegan used his short ax to defend against something.


    It was revealed to be Viktor''s Tachi that he had drawn earlier. But before the spectators could get a clear look, he vanished from his position and appeared behind Tegan.


    Blitz Steps.


    Blitz Wave.


    Tegan''s eyes widened as he felt a distinct mana pulseing from behind him. He knew his opponent hadunched a series of attacks on two different fronts using his exceptional control over his movement spell.


    ''Is this¡­ still a rookie?''

 Chapter 90 High Profit Margin

    ''Is this¡­ still a rookie?''


    Tegar had thought that he was one of the top rankers of his generation. He had only taken about a month to progress into the 4th stage of the Meta rank after all. He had been fighting longer than his opponent.


    The difference should have been big enough to allow Tegan to easily dominate the battlefield. Turns out, dominance on the battlefield didn''t necessarily corrte with the number of days one had spent in the Oasis.


    Wind Wall.


    Tegan cast his spell and blocked the lightning-element weapon spell from harming him just in time. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he was once again attacked with the same speed and decisiveness by his opponent.


    Wind de.


    Tegan met Viktor''s weapon spell with a spell of his own. But before the spells could sh with each other, Viktor had changed his position once again.


    Duck. Throw. Punch.


    A swordsman uses a punch by throwing his weapon. This was an absurd event even for a rookie match. Yet, Viktor had decided to use Jeet Kune Do when nobody had expected him to.


    Viktor''s punch struck Tegan''s right shoulder before a depression appeared. Vik followed that punch with an elbow attack by folding the same arm and stepping dangerously close to the opponent''s striking range. Before he could do anything, Vik used the same folded arm to connect with Tegan''s chin using his lightning-coated mana.


    A punch to the heart followed by an elbow attack on one''s sr plexus. Then use the same arm tounch an uppercut. The series of actions werepleted seamlessly, making them look like a single move.


    Swoosh.


    Tegan flew in the air beforending outside the battle ring. The guy didn''t even have time to register his pain as his consciousness faded.


    The cheering crowd suddenly quieted down when they saw only one opponent in the pit. They looked at the body that had justnded outside and recognized it to be Tegan.


    Dueling between two rookies was over in a few seconds as one of the opponents was thrown out of the ring and lost consciousness.


    People started murmuring as they watched the referee checking up on Tegan as a formality. They were eyeing Viktor with curiosity in their eyes,pletely ignoring Tegan who they didn''t know about previously.


    "This¡­. Victor? Have you heard his name? Is this guy still a rookie?"


    "I guess.


    A lightning-element ranker that has exceptional control over their movement spell. Abandoning swordy and opting for martial arts.


    I would have remembered someone like him."


    Several rankers discussed Viktor''s performance. One of them looked at the distant figure of Keith who had just flown against his opponent before voicing his thoughts.<sub> </sub>


    "I wonder who would win between two lightning-element rankers. Keith and this newbie."


    The other ranker heard his friend''s statement and chuckled before answering him.


    "Heh. We will find out soon enough if the rookie decides to y next week. It''s interesting to see a promising rookie getting squashed by a veteran. Hehehe."


    ***


    The organizers were a bit suspicious of Eren when he was introduced to them by Ekay in the former''s updated avatar. That''s why they had paired him up with Tegan who was also a newbie. However, they would start treating him seriously now that he had surprised them with his unusual battle style.


    Ekay had also taken part in the battle in a different pit. Therefore, he was shocked when he found Eren waiting for him. Ekay mirthlessly smiled when he came to realize that Eren was surprisinglyfortable with the underground setup.


    Ekat and Eren drove off in their respective cars after getting out of the abandoned factory. Eren will be informed about the next event by Ekay once he learns of it.


    Ekay had also warned Eren that his performance was just too surprising for the event organizers. So they had decided to pit him against Keith who was one of their star performers.


    "Will there be bigger pay for fighting with a famous star?"


    Eren asked while he was on a halo-call with Ekay while driving. Thetter chuckled before giving him the news he wanted to hear.


    "Of course, Eren. I couldn''t believe it when you managed to win 120 Mana Quartz on your first try by just investing 10. But that was against a rookie. So you could manage to take that risk.


    Hahaha. You did good, Eren. If I had known that you would win so decisively, I would have put my own money on you as well.


    Still, I suggest you take it easy on your next match and don''t bet this high on yourself. Keith is not your average Joe who would let you win this easily.


    See you at the guild tomorrow, man. Over and out."


    Ekay cut his call, allowing Eren to be left alone with his thoughts as he drove. He couldn''t help smiling to himself as he thought of all the money he had gained just by being in the ring for a few seconds.


    ''Kieth? I don''t give a fuck about any Keith or Kin. If there''s money to be made, I''ll beat him ten times over.''


    Eren narrowed his eyes as he started crafting his ns. The next underground match was within a week. The stakes would be even higher. The profits he would earn at that time would be even more significant.


    He just needed to win. He was not conceited enough to assume that he would manage to beat anyone like Keith without any effort. He could also understand that what had happened tonight was a one-off thing. Something that the organizers weren''t expecting him to do. But now that they knew his style, they would only pair him up with strong opponents.


    Keith was just the first from their lineup.


    ''Heh. I can always depend on the progress made on Gahan to pull this off. After all, I''ll have more than a month in the numbered Oasis to prepare for the fight.''

 Chapter 91 Rog Bandalwild And Jacob Jenkins

    Stardust guild lobby. The city of Ludan. Gahan.


    8 AM.


    There were various rankers in various armors and gearsing into and out of the guild. The day was as busy as ever. People were busy discussing strategies and recreating past events with their words as they made their way to their destinations.


    The same was the case for two young human rankers who seemed to have a certain chemistry with each other. One of them was a white-haired man with blue highlights. The other was a girl with sparkling green eyes.


    "Eren, which mission should we take?"


    Reece asked, looking through numerous missions disyed on a spectral screen that was near to her. Eren was standing beside her looking through the same stuff.


    "Just pick something with a high reward ratio against the number of days it takes toplete it. It''s just the two of us today. So we should stick to¡­"


    "I''m sorry Eren. but you''d have to manage things on your own this time. I''m going to need Reece for something else."


    Just when Eren was about to finish his statement, he heard a voice from behind him. Miranda pulled Reece away from him with her gentle yet firm tug and smiled at him before adding up.


    "Our target is special this time, Eren. Reece would be a huge help for us. Why don''t you find solo missions this time?"


    Miranda''s team has a peculiar target for their mission. It was rted to a school of leopard-like mana beasts who used their spatial abilities to send their w attacks at us by breaching most defenses we could mount against them. Therefore, they were called void leopards.


    Void leopards could be handled better when a team had someone with spatial abilities as well. Their control over the space would allow them to predict and even restrict void leopards from using their sneaky attacks. Taking Reece on the mission was a no-brainer option for Miranda.


    Eren didn''t mind. But Reece had a pout on her face. The former smiled and messed her hair a bit beforementing.


    "We do what we have to do. It''s fine. We''ll take on another mission when we are both free."


    Reece shed a smile in understanding upon hearing this. She waved him goodbye before following Miranda''s lead. Eren had also understood that the mission was not the only reason Miranda had taken Reece away from him. She was trying to test his performance on solo missions¨C shaking him out of hisfort zone of having someone to count on the mission.


    ''Heh. I always wanted to do solo missions anyway.''


    Upon discovering he would be going on a solo mission, Eren began looking through a different list on the spectral screen before him. He quickly zeroed in on one mission and was about to close the screen and head to the site. His attention was drawn to another mission that was below the desired mission.


    This was a solo mission in which he was supposed to help someone track someone else. The region mentioned in the mission was not very far from the Steelfield prairie. That''s why it caught Eren''s attention.


    The mission required him to find the whereabouts of a Hexer named Jacob Jenkins. Eren''s curiosity was sparked when he heard the word Jacob in it. He kept reading about the mission until he came across a picture that shocked him.


    ''This is¡­''<sub> </sub>


    The picture he saw on the spectral screen was that of the dead ranker he had seen inside the underground space. Apanion was needed to find out where the dead ranker was. The one who posted the mission wanted to know where the ranker whose corpse Eren had already looted was.


    Whereabouts of the person who Eren knew to be dead already.


    Eren read the whole mission details once again before deciding to contact the one who had posted the mission. It was someone named Rog Bandalwild.


    ****


    The northern city-gates of Ludan.


    The colt-hire service was used as a meeting ce by many rankers who were used to being on the move. It was no different this time as well.


    "Name''s Rog Bandalwild. Nice to meet you. You are?"


    A middle-aged man who looked to be in histe 20s greeted Eren cordially. The armor he wore waspletely ck and stealth-friendly. His head was covered in a hood but his red eyes seemed to be gleaming from the shadow created by his hood.


    The man seemed to be a dual sword wielder. His light armor told Eren that the guy must be light on his feet.


    The man gave off friendly vibes. But for some reason, Eren felt a bit weird in his presence. His instincts were telling him the guy had his fingers dipped in a lot of shady pies. However, that didn''t stop him from shaking hands with the guy.


    "Eren Idril. From the Stardust guild. We are looking for Jacob Jenkins, right? Is he your friend?"


    Eren asked with a smile on his face¨C his eyes fixed on Rog''s face to try to read through his micro-expressions. Sadly, Rog''s face said nothing as he spoke casually.


    "That''s right. My friend Jacob is missing. And there might be a few predator beasts in the area where we are heading. I don''t want to get overwhelmed by them.


    So I enlisted your help. Should we discuss the rest of the mission along the way?"


    Rog pointed at the colt service counter with his other hand and Eren nodded in response. Before long, the two rankers were seen making their way towards the Steelfield prairie¨C riding on Noble Feet.


    The two kept talking about the mission and creating strategies to counter the two beasts usually seen in the area¨C Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth and Ironskin bear. Then Eren started asking Rog missions-rted questions about Jacob who Rog had called his friend.


    The more he asked, the more Eren became sure of one thing. Rog was no friend of Jacob. He didn''t know anything about Jacob except for his features and his battle style.


    The two kept up a steady conversation before Eren concluded something in his head.


    ''This guy¡­ is trying to hide something from me.''

 Chapter 92 Leading Rog By The Nose

    ''This guy¡­ is trying to hide something from me.''


    Eren thought to himself as he rode his colt and followed Rog''s lead. It wasn''t long before they reached their destination.


    Eren could understand why Rog had asked for apany while searching for Jacob in the area. The Ironskin bears were a huge pain in the ass, to begin with, because of their relentless endurance.


    Sometimes, the hordes of Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth would run wild in the area. So going on solo missions here was not the ideal choice for most rankers.


    Eren was taken to a patch ofnd inside the prairie that looked to be a battleground that might have involved many rankers. This ce was quite a distance away from the underground space. Not too far away for the bear not to consider hauling a body to his base.


    "Hm? You told me you were on your way to the city of Gasha. What were you doing here? And what happened here?"


    Eren asked while spreading his mana sense into the area. The guy sighed before responding with a valid reason.


    "Well, we were checking up on a few ranking resources that could be found in the region before heading to the city of Gasha. That''s when we were attacked by a group of bandits.


    Jacob and I ran in different directions after seeing that the bandits had a number advantage. That''s how we got separated. I just want to find out if my friend is okay. Or give himst rites if he is found to be dead."


    When he made hisst statement, Rog sounded dejected and lonely. He sounded pretty convincing but Eren knew better.


    Eren nced around and saw that there was nobody around. He chuckled before deciding to "help" the man.


    Rog and Eren started looking for clues. Thetter had various inspection scrolls at his disposal. Eren just needed to make sure that the duo was not getting targeted by the wild beasts usually found in the surroundings.


    The inspection scrolls were disposable ranked items made by rune inscription masters using an array of different methods. Upon activation, they would pick up various mana residues found in the surroundings and give out clues.


    The clues could take the form of vague spectral scenes, text, or signs showing the rankers which way to go. The rity of the clues depended upon what type of inspection scroll was being used. It also depended on how many days had passed since the mana residue had been present in the area.


    Inspection scrolls were amon item for rankers in tracking their prey and targets. However, one couldn''tpletely rely on them. Often, inspection scrolls picked up something wrong and led rankers to their deaths.


    Still, there were tell-tale signs that the inspection scroll was leading the rankers where it was not supposed to. Therefore, it wasn''t that unreliable when used by a veteran ranker.


    Rog''s inspection scroll wasn''t anything special. It would only draw an arrow over the scroll''s rune-inscribed paper, giving him the general direction of where he should head out.


    Sometimes it wouldn''t give him clear clues¨C painting two or three arrows pointing in different directions. That''s where Eren decided to help Rog. Rog was slowly and surely being guided towards the location of the underground space using the inspection scroll from their current location.


    Eren didn''t have to do much. Soon, Rog started picking up strong clues regarding Jacob. It wasn''t long before Eren got to see a familiar sight.


    "The clues end here. But¡­"<sub> </sub>


    p Rog extended his mana sense and searched everywhere in the surrounding area, but found nothing of significance. He then started tob the area in a systematic search for his "friend".</anda>


    Eren miraculously found the underground space by climbing over the stone tform. Thetter was surprised when he realized that the underground space might be where he would find Jacob.


    "Listen, Eren. I''m not sure what I would find down there."


    ''I do,'' Eren said in his head but maintained a stoic expression to listen to what Rog had to say.


    "I''m guessing it''s Ironskin bear''sir where he hibernates from time to time. I know the mission was only about helping me find Jacob. But why don''t you stay a bit longer?


    If one of the Ironskin boars is down there, I can minimize my risk of being overwhelmed by their attacks this way. And you''d get extra money for this extra work. What do you say?"


    Rog asked with expectant eyes. Eren pondered a bit before nodding his head in affirmation.


    "Sure. I''ll not say no to more money. Count me in."


    Rog smiled and shook Eren''s hands once again before jumping into the air duct that led to the underground space. Eren followed in his footsteps shortly after.


    Soon, both rankers were in the underground area. Eren hadn''t left anything of value when he was done looting the ce. So there were just some scraps he had no use for.


    Still, Rog was mesmerized by looking at the runic walls and pirs of the space. He started looking around the ce frantically with a bit of madness in his eyes. Although it wasn''t visible outright, Eren could also see a smile form on his seemingly expressionless face.


    Eren had not destroyed Jacob''s corpse thinking that the ce was pretty secure. And that nobody would find it. Plus, he might have another use for the corpse after learning more about Hexers.


    Jacob''s corpse was still lying there. However, it had lost its armor. Jacob''s stripe underpants were out for everyone to see. The dead didn''t need more clothes anyway. So Eren didn''t venture out of his way to cover the corpse with some clothes.


    Rog soon reached where Jacob''s corpse was and his eyes lit up. He didn''t care that he was almost naked. He quickly squatted beside the corpse and opened his right hand''s palm to check up on Jacob''s Identity Rune.


    Eren watched with a subtle smile on his face as Rog hurriedly sent his mana signature into the storage space of the dead ranker. He found it to be inessible. The space had already copsed after being used by a different ranker a few days ago.


    Rog''s expression turned into a frown as he started to study Jacob''s corpse. He started connecting the dots in his head as he did that.


    Underground space that served as the Ironskin bear''sir. An armor-less corpse with no ess to his storage space. No activity in the region for a few days. No sign of the bear. It could only mean that there was someone else who had stolen things from the corpse.


    "Someone got to it first. Damn it."


    Rog said loudly. Unaware of the fact that the one who had received the lot was standing behind him.

 Chapter 93 Believe In The Dead To Keep A Secret

    "Someone got to it first. Damn it."


    Rog said loudly. Unaware of the fact that the one who had received the lot was standing behind him. He sighed before speaking up.


    "Seems like you found the friend you were looking for. My mission is over. It''s about time we settled our deal so I can be on my way."


    Rog heard Eren''s voice from behind him and realized that he wasn''t alone inside the underground space. His eyes shined with cold light while forming a gentle smile on his face.


    "Of course my friend."


    Rog said while getting up from his position. He withdrew a pouch that supposedly contained Eren''smission he was promised for the mission plus some bonus.


    As he continued to speak, Rog walked toward Eren with a mncholy smile on his face.


    "Death is eternal silence, Eren. That''s why the dead can''t ask for the things they might need. Jacob is no different."


    Eren raised his eyebrows and wore a confused expression on his face. His shoulders were rxed and his posture was casual, letting Rog know that the young man in front of him still wasn''t aware of his intentions.


    "Maybe Jacob needs somepany on his journey to the afterlife. The testing ground would be very lonely if my "friend" didn''t have anyone with him to apany him.


    So you''d have to forgive me¡­"


    Jacob didn''tplete his sentence and vanished from his spot. He had the element of mist and his ss as an assassin had allowed him to take full advantage of his element.


    In the next moment, Rog was seen piercing his knife through Eren''s heart with a wild smile on his face. But his smile soon turned to surprise when he found out that the heart he had pierced belonged to an afterimage of its owner. This afterimage dissipated in the air with a few lightning streaks lingering around.


    Rog was shocked when he turned around only to find out that Eren was approaching him from behind him. He quickly sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive to tackle Eren''s attacks who he considered his victim just a moment before.


    ng!


    Rog''s mist-coated daggers shed violently with Eren''s Tachi before he was pushed back. The assassin used that momentum to create a distance from Eren along with his movement spell before stopping at a safe ce away from him.


    "Oh? I thought you were just a normal brat who didn''t know shit about Gahan. What gave me away? My acting?"


    ? Rog wasn''t stressed that Eren had managed to save himself from his assassination attempt. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeves to finish the young man off. Instead, he decided to have a casual conversation before knowing about his next victim. A courtesy he extended to only a few before their deaths.


    "None of those. I''ll tell you more about that in a while. Can you tell me why you are attacking me for a few Mana Quartz? You could''ve just said you are broke and we would have opted for some other solution."<sub> </sub>


    "Hahahaha!"


    Rog startedughing after pping his free hand on his thigh when he heard Eren''s words. It was as if he had heard the joke of the day. He maintained his defensive stance, controlled hisughter somehow, and looked at Eren interestingly before responding.


    "Haha. it''s not about the money, boy. Do you even know where we are standing? Look around you. This ce is one of Hexers'' test grounds. And from the looks of it, it hasn''t been explored by anyone."


    "So?" Eren''s expressions remained stoic as he expressed his apparent confusion. He wanted to know all that Rog knew about the test ground and Jacob before taking any further action.


    Fortunately, his ruse was working on Rog as he thought he was the one driving Eren into a corner. His delusion of control was not letting him see that Eren was leading him by his nose.


    Rog chuckled and looked at Eren with a look of pity before adding up.


    "So? The unexplored test ground presents loads of opportunities for an explorer like me. Why would I let someone else know about its existence when I can finish them off here and keep it a secret only known to me?


    Do you understand your circumstances, Eren? Gahan is not the dreand you thought it was.


    You are in the fourth stage of Meta rank while I''m close to breaking into my seventh stage. The environment here suits my ss in every way. I have more experience under my belt. And there''s nobody here who can help you.


    I suggest you give up and lower your weapon. Let me give you a swift death. Why make it difficult for both of us when we both know what the result of our duel is going to be in the end?"


    Rog said while smiling at Eren cunningly. He had absolute confidence in finishing Eren off in one way or another. He was just trying to mess with Eren''s head and see if the newbie ranker breaks under pressure and makes his job of killing him any easier.


    Eren looked at Rog with a bemused look on his face. As if he was angry at him for the things he had said to him. He spoke quickly, his voiceced with suppressed anger.


    "I don''t understand when did this mission be about silencing me from finding out about your friend? Didn''t you want to perform thest rights for your friend over there? Why should I care about some test grounds?"


    Rog pursed his lips this time and sighed. He looked at Eren and shook his head in denial before responding to his queries.


    "You really are a newbie, aren''t you? The Hexers'' test grounds are a treasure trove for all rankers, be they Hexers or normal rankers like us. The rewards for the first few explorers are always higher than for the rest of the visitors whoe afterward.


    Of course, I wouldn''t want this testing ground to be found by other rankers. And no. Your assurance to not tell anyone about it won''t work either.


    I believe in the dead to keep a secret. And speaking of the dead¡­"

 Chapter 94 Blitz Shard

    "I only trust the dead to keep a secret. And speaking of the dead¡­"


    Rog looked at Jacob''s corpse and chuckled. He pointed at it with his ck-colored dagger before saying further.


    "You think that guy was my friend? Several days ago, people from both my side and his side fought with each other.


    I knew his identity as a Hexer. I also knew that he and his buddy had keys to an unknown and unexplored Hexers'' test ground in their possessions."


    Rog licked his lips with his long tongue when he thought about the battle he had fought with Jacob and his friend. He couldn''t help smiling crookedly as he verbally marched on.


    "I killed Jacob''s friend and managed to get his version of the key. However, Jacob managed to get away from me when we both were seriously injured. He ran away with his key without telling me anything about the location of the testing ground he had found."


    Eren tried his best not to sh a smile when he heard Rog speak about another key. And the fact that it was in his possession. From Malcolm''s notes, he knew that it was a special runestone found in the possession of every Hexer of the Bear''s Creed.


    Eren was thinking about how he would obtain the runestone for a few days after learning about it. He couldn''t have imagined that it woulde looking for him on its terms with Rog as its medium.


    Rog was unaware of Eren''s excitement. He felt like killing Eren and finding the other key was only a matter of time for him. He already knew about the testing ground. All he needed to do was find the other missing piece of the puzzle. He could im the rewards that were awaiting him behind the big door he could see from his position.


    He pursed his lips and looked at Jacob''s corpse once again before adding up.


    "So after recovering, I thought of restarting my hunt. The guy from my side was also dead. I had disposed of their bodies before retreating from our battleground.


    But now I needed a man to watch over my back as I tracked down Jacob. To be honest, I wasn''t nning to kill you at first. I was nning to find Jacob and take the other key from his corpse before giving you your promisedmission."


    Rog said before looking around him. He then spread his arms wide and looked at Eren in his eyes before resuming the conversation.


    "But who would have thought that Jacob would die here, on the very test ground I was supposed to find after getting my hands on the key? Your luck is to me here, Eren.


    I don''t know who looted his corpse after following a dead man in his tracks. But I can find that out and finish them off just as easily. I just need to keep a close eye on this ce and await my chance to strike."


    Rog seemed to be pondering over something after he said that. He nodded to nobody in particr before addressing Eren once again.


    "I''m sure they must have wanted to keep this ce a secret too since there''s no buzz of any kind regarding a new test ground getting discovered. Otherwise, there would be some sign of activity in this region.


    Hehe. I''ll just have to wait and eventually everything will fall into my hands. I just need to make sure that you don''t have to spill any details about this ce until I do that.<sub> </sub>


    I think I have already exined enough. Consider this to be your farewell gift. Now die."


    Eren''s senses suddenly sent him warning signs as he saw Rog''s image getting blurred in front of him. It was as if his image was just a mirage that thinned itself in the air after saying what it wanted to say.


    ng! ng! sh!


    Eren sessfully parried two of Rog''s attacks after he approached him inplete stealth. But his third attack managed to outmaneuver his defenses and inflict a sh wound on his left forearm.


    Eren had already activated his movement spell by then. He quickly kicked Rog''s chest with one of his legs and jumped away from him before spinning in the air. When hended a few meters away from him, he cast his movement spell to his full potential before creating more distance from him.


    He also cast the newest spell he had learned to master a few days ago.


    Blitz Shard!


    A swarm of tiny shes of lightning appeared in a fraction of a second. They then made their way towards Rog who was trying to close the distance between him and Eren. These tiny shards caught the assassin off guard and attacked him all at once.


    Their tiny lightning shards were like mini triangles made of lightning element mana. Their size was half that of a person''s palm, and they sparkled with a blue hue. They made a crackling noise as they traveled through the air.


    The most impressive thing about them was the fact that they could be cast quickly while keeping the mana consumption in check. However, individually these shards were not strong enough to break someone''s mana defenseyer in a single hit.


    The Blitz Shard worked best when the opponent was caught off guard. The sheer quantity of shards hitting the same spot multiple times in quick session would allow some of them to affect their target. This would allow them to breach through the mana defenseyer.


    "Aargh!"


    Rog cried out and backed away when he was caught in a swarm of lightning shards. He created a safe distance between himself and the swarm of lightning shards that disappeared instantly before taking a look at his body.


    Rog was bleeding from multiple ces. Eren''s lightning mana buzzed all over his body as it was trying to invade his system. The assassin gritted his teeth before channeling his mana vigorously throughout his system to get rid of Eren''s mana.


    "You useless shit. I was trying to give you an easy death and this is how you repay me. No more painless goodbyes for you.


    I wonder how long youst before running out of mana with such an extravagant use. Hehe."

 Chapter 95 Spirit Beast Spell

    "I wonder how long youst before running out of mana with such an extravagant use. Hehe."


    Rogmented and licked his lips with his longer-than-usual tongue. He had concluded that Eren had used a lot more mana than he should have just to stack the spell and increase its potency. Hebeled the battlemage as an inexperienced greenhorn who didn''t know any better.


    "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."


    Eren said to himself and chuckled before using the same trick again.


    Blitz Shard!


    Eren stacked the spell many times and created a swarm of lightning shards around him. They surrounded him like bees buzzing around their honebs. Ironically, they made the same type of sounds as the bees.


    Eren raised his hand and guided some of the shards toward Rog while he retained arge portion of them to bolster his defense.


    ''Is this guy an idiot? Does he want to just die faster?''


    Rog pondered this as he disappeared into thin air before the lightning shards could hit him. He created a safe distance from his opponent once again before casting another spell.


    "Hehe. finish him off, Killer!"


    Rog had ess to the spirit beast spell. Killer was his spirit beast''s name, which was a mountain cat with sharp ws and fangs. This mana beast was also known for its speed and mist element. It preferred to take its victim off guard by blending in with the environment the same way Rog was used to handling his kills.


    Killer, the mountain-cat-type beast created a hissing-like noise toward Eren before approaching him silently at exceptional speeds. Eren could feel that something dangerous was approaching him even though he could not see it clearly with his eyes.


    He just spread his Blitz Shard outward and attacked his iing enemy in all directions. Another hissing voice followed him when he did that. He turned his back to see that the mountain cat had almost reached the back of his neck. This is when the beast was attacked by loads of Blitz Shards all at once.


    Hiss!


    The spirit beast hissed and started to manifest clearly in front of Eren. In response, he cast more Blitz Shards around himself to reinforce his defenses before observing what was in front of him.


    Rog''s spirit beast looked like a normal cat except for the fact that it was three to four times the size. It had three tails that seemed to be six every time it moved them from left to right in a rhythmic fashion.


    The beast had white spots all over his body. Its golden eyes shone brightly in the mellow environment of the underground space. Its dark blue fur was already making it difficult for Eren to see it clearly because of its elusive mist element properties.


    "What are you looking at, Human?"


    The spirit beast named Killer asked Eren, which surprised HIM. The beast''s voice was human-like, but it also had a beastly side attached to it. The voice also had a facet of emotion that told him that the spirit beast was dead serious when talking to him.


    Eren knew about the spirit beast spell. And the fact that he needed his natal body to have it in his arsenal. However, he wasn''t aware that the beast tamed by the spirit beast spell would be able to talk in the human tongue as if it was speaking it from its childhood.<sub> </sub>


    Rog looked at Eren''s expressions and found them to be amusing. He canceled his invisibility spell and spoke up.


    "You really are a greenhorn. Haha. I guess you don''t have a spirit beast of your own. That makes my job easier."


    Rog said and chuckled to himself before sighing as if he was deeply saddened by something.


    "Killer is a special spirit beast that I obtained after eradicating the merchant caravan that was transporting it. He kills all my prey within a few moments of his appearance.


    That''s why I rarely let him out. He is the mood killer for my hunting games. Thus, I named him Killer.


    Maybe I got too excited by your reckless performance and let the beast out. Your lightning-based attacks won''t be too effective on him because of his mana body.


    Why not just give up and let me kill¡­"


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Rog wanted to say more. However, he observed that Eren had made his move. He drew his crossbow from his storage and fired a series of lightning arrows at him. Rog chuckled before changing his position yet again.


    Eren kept shooting at Rog while trying to cast his defensive spell. He didn''t want to ignore the assassin-like beast while trying to kill the assassin that was his owner.


    Blitz Shield


    Eren failed to cast the spell this time, and he found out that it was not synchronized properly. Blitz Shard and Blitz Shield were the only spells that had their sync rates notplete a few days ago. He had managed to master Blitz Shard well. However, it seemed that his defensive spell still needed a bit of practice.


    Eren felt a sharp pain in his right leg when he recovered from his bacsh. The Killer had attacked his right leg with its sharp paws. His mana body had also suffered attacks from his Blitz Shard in the process but he didn''t seem to mind them much.


    Eren gritted his teeth to deal with the pain before casting his movement spell. It had been cast to cover his legs in lightning. Killer had already changed his position after sessfullyunching his attack with his right front w that was now coated in Eren''s blood.


    "Hahaha. See? I told you resistance is futile. You might as well.."


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Eren fired three more lightning arrows at Rog. This was not to hurt him but to shut him up. For an assassin, the guy sure liked to talk a lot.


    Eren cast another swarm of Blitz Shards all around him to increase the density while he was busy shooting Rog. Thetter couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw Eren casting the same spell to counter his spirit beast.


    In its current state, the spell was not effective against Killer. So Eren waspensating for it using quantity.

 Chapter 96 Real Knowledge Is To Know The Extent Of Your Ignorance

    Hiss!


    Killer the wild mountain cat hissed at Eren once again when it was practically bombarded with lightning shards. Even if the shards were less effective against his mana body, Eren''s strategy of spamming his spell to make up for it had eventually worked.


    "Aargh!"


    Killer screamed in pain like a half beast and half human. He created distance from Eren once again and licked the wound beforementing.


    "Master, your attempt at maintaining a distance from the target isn''t going to work. You need to attack him too. Only ourbined attacks can take care of THAT."


    Killer stood on his two legs just like a mountain cat would and pointed at the swarm of lightning shards hovering around Eren. It had been some minutes since Killer had made his debut in the duel. And yet he had failed to register a kill. The mountain cat had taken that very seriously.


    "Don''t try to lecture me. Do what you are told to do. You anyway have a mana body that can be generated over and over again as long as I am here.


    Just ignore all your pain and attack him as hard as you can. What is there to think about?"


    Roger appeared once again a few meters away from Killer and Eren, this time in a different direction, and said. It wasn''t like he hadn''t tried to approach Eren. But he could see that the guy had be insane by using his Blitz Shard spell in the manner he was using it. The swarm of shards had created typhoon-like protection around him that was constantly spinning.


    Unlike Killer, Rog had a normal body. He would have to deal with the aftermath the most if their attack fails and Eren gets the chance tounch a counterattack with those shards.


    "Hm? Wait a minute. Why haven''t you run out of mana yet? I haven''t seen¡­"


    Rog started looking carefully at Eren before finding out what he was looking for.


    "A potion consumption tattoo. Not bad. But how long¡­"


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Eren fired at Rog once again before he could finish his obvious remarks. Thetter started to feel some rage build up inside his chest as he saw those arrows flying toward him.


    Rog gritted his teeth and dodged all the arrows with his movement spell. He could neither approach him. Nor could he pair up with his spirit beast without burning his hands in the process.


    Rog recovered another mana recovery potion from his storage and emptied it into his mouth. He had decided to y the long game. Eren''s mana expenditure to tackle both him and Killer was huge. He was sure that Eren would run out of mana soon with the way things were progressing.


    2 minutes.


    5 minutes.


    10 minutes.


    20 minutes.


    Rog was baffled when Eren stayed on top of his game even with all the reckless mana consumption. He refused to believe that the potions in his tattoo were all he needed to pull this off.<sub> </sub>


    "You¡­ Do you have some kind of hidden artifact? How are you able to still cast spells?"


    Eren smiled before a thought rippled in his mind.


    "Real knowledge is to know the extent of your ignorance. By this logic, you are bing smarter, Rog. if Rog is indeed your real name."


    Eren replied before casting more Blitz Shards. He watched in surprise as Eren kept on spamming his spells to create two hands made of lightning shards.


    Eren made a grabbing motion towards a faint shadow that was trying to run around him circrly, trying to find the appropriate angle to approach and attack him. By this point, Killer body''s mana body was in a poor state.


    Rog himself was running out of mana. He couldn''t sustain replenishing Killer''s mana expenditure with his limited mana storage. As a result, Killer didn''t have the mana needed to regenerate his body even though he could technically do so.


    "Hiss! Aargh! Master¡­"


    The wild mountain cat cried in agony as it was suddenly grabbed by another hand made out of lightning shards. He had dodged the first hand just fine but Eren had used it as a diversion to catch the agile beast. This was thanks to his creative use of the seemingly mediocre spell.


    Eren didn''t care about the spirit beast''s screams. With his giant hands, he lifted Killer''s mana body and crushed it in his palms. The wild mountain cat''s mana body was destroyed as a result. Killer''s soul returned to his master''s body when that happened.


    Eren hadn''t approached the assassin on his own because he knew that thetter could be a troublesome opponent once he got into a closebat fight with him. His mist element spell was too troublesome. It had made his attacks elusive and difficult to track with his mana sense.


    So he decided to opt for the battle of protraction, knowing full well that Rog would go for the same option as well after seeing his mana expenditure. An assassin won''t make daring moves unless he was either sure about his kill or he didn''t have any other choice.


    As long as the illusion of choice was in front of Rog, he would always choose the illusion over any daring stunt. Killer''s decision of going all out against Eren was therefore ignored by Rog.


    Rog couldn''t cast his spirit beast spell anymore. He simply didn''t have enough mana to cast a new mana body for his spirit beast to upy. He had started to regret not listening to Killer when he had the chance. He could now see there was more than meets the eye when it came to Eren.


    After another 5 minutes.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Two of the three arrows Eren had sent towards Rog had found their mark. Eren wasn''t a skilled shooter. But he was consistent in improving his aim. He had finally been rewarded for his consistency and patience.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Rog''s right thigh and left arm were pierced by lightning arrows. Eren''s mana also infiltrated Rog''s body. Rog had a better movement spell than Eren. Yet, he couldn''t deal with the fatigue that had set in after all that running while Eren just stood there shooting arrows at him.


    Eren didn''t want Rog to deal with the pain. He was injured so it was the right time for him to approach him.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.

 Chapter 97 Float Like A Butterfly Sting Like A Bee

    "Aaaargh!"


    Rog cried in sheer agony as his left arm was chopped off of him by Eren''s sudden attack. His leg was injured so he couldn''t get away from him even if he knew his opponent wasing for him.


    Eren''s weapon arts had improved over time. He could handle his de better. His lightning-coated mana had taken its lethality to apletely different level.


    The assassin was not proficient in frontbat. His movement spell was his most effective advantage. And that had beenpromised. So all he could do was defend himself to the extent of his abilities while holding his ground.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren exchanged a few moves with Rog before deciding to apply Jeet Kune Do in a free-flow manner. He saw that his attack had pushed the assassin''s only arm back. Eren saw his chance and he took it.


    Eren''s legs made sudden movements. They first propelled him forward before pulling him away from his forward momentum in quick session. Eren Tachi disappeared and he became weaponless all of a sudden.


    His feet shuffled back and forth. They also moved side to side and forward and back. Erenbined those peculiar movements with his movement spell, giving his stride a touch of elusiveness.


    Even while processing the pain and setback, Rog was inplete control of his faculties. However, he failed to see what Eren was doing at this point when he saw him taking his weapon out of the equation.


    Before Rog could figure out what Eren was doing, he felt something hit his jaw with tremendous speed. The assassin''s vision changed as his legs suddenly became limp. It was as if he had suddenly lost control over his motor functions because of suffering through the punch''s impact.


    ''Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can''t hit what the eyes can''t see.''


    A ripple of thought entered Eren''s mind as he sessfully finished his maneuver. He was about to finish Rog for good when he felt a certain invisible force acting on his body. His body was repelled away from the assassin, forcing him to create a distance from his target.


    "Aaaaargh!"


    Rog suddenly activated the artifact that he had worn as a ring. A dome of energy shield was created with some of thest embers of his mana. The dome first repelled Eren in the air before making sure that Rog was safe inside it.


    Rog had dislocated his jaw after he took Eren''s sudden punch in his face. He quickly recovered an all-stats recovery potion from his storage before gulping it down. He also executed his healing spell, which coated his body in a mist.


    Crack!


    Rog adjusted his jaw with his hand while cursing Eren''s seven generations for the pain he felt. He quickly focused his healing spell on his face and took a long breath. The assassin observed that he was safe inside the energy shield his artifact had created for himself and decided to stand up.


    "You¡­ you are hiding something. You are not as much of a rookie as I first thought you were."


    Rog said while looking intently at Eren. Thetter just shrugged his shoulders before responding.


    "Your small talk to buy time isn''t going to save you from your current predicament, Rog."<sub> </sub>


    Rog narrowed his eyes on Eren as he felt exposed by his statement. His surprise soon turned into amusement, and he continued speaking.


    "Hahaha. Eren, you are good. I won''t underestimate you again.


    Heh! You have earned my respect, man. Listen, you can''t kill me and I can''t kill you. We both have our treasures to depend on after all.


    Why not call it quits and join forces? An unexplored testing ground awaits us. Why not share the benefits it has to offer?"


    Rod said with a serious tone and a mild smile on his face. He knew he was saying all the right things no matter what his intentions were. Eren looked rational enough to get what he was saying. At least he thought that was the case.


    Eren looked at Rog and chuckled before responding.


    "I don''t trust you to honor your words, Rog? Plus, I want to keep this site a secret as well. And what was that saying? Oh yeah¡­ I only truth the dead to keep a secret."


    Rog became livid when he heard Eren throwing his words back at him like a boomerang. He showed his ring to him by raising the back of his hand in front of him and pointing at it.


    "Do you see this? You won''t be able to hurt me as long as this shield is active. I still have two more uses for this artifact. No matter what kind of treasure¡­"


    He believed Eren was also using a unique artifact, as he was, to support his extravagant spell casting. However, just like his artifact, every artifact had its limits. He was sure that Eren wouldn''t be able to keep up with his monstrous mana consumption eventually.


    Rog didn''t want to take chances. He had already recognized Eren to be a threat to his life. It was better to call a truce for the time being and figure out the rest of the n to keep Eren''s mouth shut.


    But Rog wasn''t expecting Eren to reject his logic-driven suggestion.


    "No can do, Mr assassin. Truce can only happen when both sides have the same magnitude of disadvantage in continuing the fight. You''re in hot waters. I am not."


    Eren said and summoned the lightning shards that were behind him toe forward once again. He again arranged them to form two giant hands. The shard-based hands over his head started mimicking his real hands'' movements.


    Eren raised his two fists in a defensive formation in front of him and chuckled before speaking further.


    "Jacob needs somepany on his journey to the afterlife. It would be very lonely for our poor Jacob if he did not have his "friend" to apany him.


    So you''d have to forgive me¡­"


    Eren''s words stung Rog''s psyche once again. Those were the words he spoke to Eren. Before he could verbally retaliate against Eren''s words however he saw one of the fists made of lightning shard travel towards him with exceptional speed.


    Eren was trying to forcefully break Rog''s artifact-granted barrier.

 Chapter 98 One Ring To Repel Them All

    Boom!


    The first was made of lightning shards connected with the energy dome and all the shards it contained blew off upon contact. Rog watched with a slight expression of horror on his face as his energy shield showed signs of a crack.


    ? "You¡­!"


    Boom!


    Another lightning shard connected at the same spot and the energy dome showed even more cracks. The dome finally gave in when the third punchnded at the same spot.


    ''This¡­ this is insane.''


    With the energy shield destroyed, Rog was forced to run. His leg injury couldn''t be healed that quickly. But the assassin could now manage to run with his injured leg. His left arm was amputated right from his shoulder. To stop the bleeding, he focused his mana defense on the amputation injury.


    Eren drew his Tachi once again before deciding to follow the assassin. Thetter had an unfair artifact on him, which made the fight drag on. However, he knew he had even more unfair something on him that allowed him to look past Rog''s artifact-granted defenses.


    The chase continued for a while before Rog was forced to use his defense artifact for the second time. Eren broke through the defense once again eventually. It took Rog his third and final energy dome to realize that Eren wasn''t using any artifact.


    Eren bested Killer one more time when he was summoned once again by his master Rog. After the former dealt such severe blows to the beast, its soul was damaged, so it couldn''t be summoned to attack Eren like usual.


    Rog watched in horror as Eren cast his Blitz Shards Spell again to conjure enough lightning shards. With time, Eren''s spell magnitude and his spell stacking only increased.


    Eren had started to sweat heavily and he was a bit out of breath. His skin had also turned a bit red. But Rog could tell that Eren was fine overall. Plus, there was still no sign of any artifact usage or any external mana signature.


    The realization finally dawned on the assassin as he asked with a voiceced in part astonishment and part horror.


    "You¡­ you are no human, are you? How can you have so much mana?"


    Eren pursed his lips and shook his head in disappointment before responding.


    "Have you ever thought that the person who robbed Jacob''s corpse might be the same one who had led you here?"


    Eren spoke and his disappointment turned into a smirk seamlessly. Rog didn''t get what Eren was saying at first. But his brain soon connected the dots and he was taken aback by his revtion quite literally.


    Eren used Rog''s shaken mental disposition tond another powerful punch on his almost transparent, dome-shaped energy shield. The punch impacted the top of the dome and it cracked the shield easily this time.


    Boom.


    Another shard hand was immediately sent Rogs'' way and Eren used it to lift him into the air-- about a meter away from the ground. He tightened his grip around Rog''s body, not allowing him to run away or use any other spell.


    Rog had spoken with a rare bout of honesty when he had said that his defense artifact only had three charges left. He couldn''t generate another defense shield around him. Also, he had run out of mana.<sub> </sub>


    "Eren¡­ we can talk about this¡­"


    Rog was about to say something. But Eren wasn''t interested anymore. He maintained his distance before clenching the Shard Hand into a fist that was lifting Rog in the air. Various lightning shards detonated all around the assassin.


    Rog''s lifeless body crashed onto the floor when the Shard Fist disappeared. Eren quickly approached the body and chopped the head of the assassin clean off with his Tachi. He wasn''t going to let the assassin make an unexpectedeback.


    Rog''s head stayed at its position on the ground. However, his headless torso, lying on its back, began bathing his chopped head in blood as it gushed out of the fatal wound. A stench of blood filled the air.


    Rog was officially dead.


    Eren breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw Rog''s headless corpse. After swinging his Tachi and removing the blood from its de, he ced it in his storage.


    Hiss!


    Eren was about to reach Rog''s body when Killer appeared over his chest. The spirit beast now had a semi-transparent body. And Eren could feel that he was getting weaker by the moment.


    ''This spirit beast spell is really something.''


    Eren thought as he saw Killer protecting his master''s body even with his own drying form. Eren knew he didn''t have to do anything. He just needed to let Killer meet his eventual fate as his master''s body started getting colder.


    "You¡­ you are even more conniving than my master ever was. And that''s saying a lot."


    Killer said before his mana body disappeared into thin air. Eren was finally free to take the treasure off of Rog''s body.


    Eren first took out the defense artifact that was Rog''s ring and erased his residual mana signature off of him. Unlike the Hexers'' artifact, he could start using it right away after binding it to himself.


    Eren closed his eyes and wrapped his mana sense around the ring to understand its features. He opened his eyes in the next moment before mumbling to himself.


    Eren had to admit that Rog''s ring was a magnificent Rank 1 artifact. It was made of a mana-conducting metal alloy. It featured a small blue sapphire that was exuding a faint light.


    The ring needed to be exposed under the moonlight for the entire night to have three charges of energy shield stored in it. Upon activation, the ring would only use a small portion of the user''s mana to conjure the dome-shaped energy shield around them. It would stay active for about 10 minutes if and when there was no external interference on it.


    It meant that, in the event of a pinch, the ring could protect for up to 30 minutes against other Meta rankers. The ring could also be charged via the ranker''s mana. However, it would consume a lot of mana for the ranker to charge it by themselves.


    Therefore, Rog preferred to restore the ring''s functions to their fullest after every usage by letting it automatically charge itself over the night. Eren couldn''t help chuckling when he thought of how he could maximize the ring''s use with his infinite mana core.


    ''One ring to repel them all.''

 Chapter 99 Benefiting From The Dead

    Eren shed a wicked smile when he realized that the artifact was a better fit for him than he had initially thought. This artifact alone had made Rog''s death worth it for Eren. However, he needed to find something else about him.


    "The runestone."


    Eren said to himself as he opened Rog''s right palm with his hand before forcefully essing his storage space. In the next moment, all of Rog''s possessions had been taken out in front of Eren.


    Eren quickly looked through all of Rog''s stuff and found what he was looking for right away. He quickly picked up the azure-colored stone in his hand and stared at it carefully.


    <o>,m This azure-colored stone had some runic markings etched on it. When Eren imbued it with his mana sense and wrapped it inside his mana, it sent out a peculiar mana pulse. The act had also erased Rog''s residual mana signature from it, making the stonepletely Eren''s.</o>


    Eren quickly realized that this was the other piece of the puzzle he needed to open the door of the Bear''s Creed testing ground. The same door that was located not far from where he was currently.


    Eren wanted to explore the testing grounds right away. But he knew that now was not the right time. He needed to prepare thoroughly and master some of his old and new spells beforehand.


    ''I''ll just keep this stone for now. Saved me the trouble of looking elsewhere.


    Eren thought to himself before making the runestone disappear into thin air. He then looked at the rest of the things Rog had.


    ''Hm. These daggers are nice. Too bad they are designed for someone with a mist element. I won''t be able to unlock their full potential.''


    Eren really liked Rog''s daggers. He kept them inside his storage anyway since they could always be exchanged for daggers featuring the elemental runes he was familiar with. He was sure that Malcolm would find some use for them anyway.


    Eren then found some more potion vials on Rog that he could use. Plus, there were some mist-element spell scrolls and spell books he could sell to Malcolm as well.


    Eren also found a spell book that was not bound by any particr element. It was an unelementalized spell meant to be used by all the rankers.


    Spirit beast spell.


    The book contained the procedure to cast the spirit beast spell. Unlike most spells, it takes a lot of preparation to cast. Only now did Eren realize why he needed his natal body to do the spell.<sub> </sub>


    This was a blood ritual spell that bound a mana beast of the ranker''s choosing with them. The spell required the ranker to first subdue the beast they were looking to bind with before killing them inside the spirit beast spell array.


    The mana beast would be forced to discard their bodies as a result of dying inside the array. However, their souls would be prevented from dissipating. The rankers then needed to follow the rest of the procedure described in the book to bind the beast''s soul with them.


    A ranker''s soul needed to be split and fused with the beast''s soul after binding. This allowed the mana beast to gain consciousness. It also made it easy for the beast''s soul to treat the rankers as their masters, obeying their everymand.


    The mana beasts would gain the ability to speak, thanks to the portion of the ranker''s soul getting added into their consciousness. They would possess almost all the knowledge a ranker had at the time of the splitting of the soul, making them gain the same level ofprehension as rankers.


    It was necessary to use the natal bodies for thisplicated procedure. Otherwise, there was a chance something could go haywire. In addition, even if one managed to bind mana beasts to synth bodies, they would restrict the beast from being bound only to that body.


    In short, rankers won''t be able to use the spirit beast spell with their natal bodies if they had bound the mana beast using their synth bodies. No ranker would want to lose a portion of their soul like this with such a disadvantage.


    ''Hmm? The spell says the beast''s soul binds with the ranker''s mana core?''


    Eren kept on reading further into the book to learn more about the spirit beast spell. He hade to know that the spirit beast spell had some limitations when it came to binding with multiple beasts.


    Usually, rankers preferred binding with one spirit beast because it was less problematic that way. The splitting of souls that turned mana beasts into spirit beasts was no simple matter. A ranker''s soul was stronger than a mortal soul. However, a Meta ranker''s soul could only endure so much. It would take years for the soul to recover from such a procedure.


    Plus, after the spirit beast''s soul gets bound with the rankers through their mana core, the difficulty in progressing through the ranking journey would increase. After all, it was now the master''s responsibility to see that their tamed beast ranked up with them.


    Adding more spirit beasts would not only strain the rankers'' souls but also make their ranking progress stagnate because of the burden their mana cores would be in. so most rankers, irrespective of their rank, would usually stick to having one Spirit beast if they decide to have any that is.


    The spirit beast spell was an investment and a long-termmitment. It was not something the rankers could do on their whim. They also needed to make sure that the beast they bind with ispatible with their element and nature. The disparity between the ranker and their potential spirit beast would only mean that rankers would face an even more extreme burden to progress through their ranks.


    The process of casting the Spirit Beast spell wasplicated and expensive. That''s why most Meta rankers would choose to avoid the spell. Only madds like Rog would start using the spell when they were in the Meta rank.


    Eren also found out that he was missing the array scroll that came with the book. He concluded that Rog must have used the scroll to bind with Killer.

 Chapter 100 Alfem

    ''Heh! No need to worry about the missing scroll. I can always get it from Malcolm.''


    Eren thought to himself as he continued to read the book''s description. Owning this book had cut down the cost of the spirit beast spell in half for Eren.


    Eren was very interested in the spell after he found out what it could do. It seemed to be so much more than just summoning a beast to fight with you. For starters, if there was sufficientpatibility between the beast and the ranker, thetter would be able to gain the former''s inherent spells for themselves.


    Having a spirit beast was akin to having a permanent partner one could count on. The inherited spells from the spirit beast were a bonus. In addition, these spells would be part of the ranker''s existence. As such, they would get upgraded automatically to the next tier if and when the ranker and their spirit beasts broke into the next rank.


    Eren also remembered that Malcolm had said that some battlemages used this spell to bring variations they needed to utilize in their ss. They would take the risks involved with two or even three spirit beasts in their arsenals to gain their inherited spells.


    These battlemages would choose their spirit beasts ording to their various requirements. Battlemages preferred inherited spells over normal ones because they were more efficient.


    Adding more spirit beasts than they could afford halted rankers'' journeys for longer than usual. So battlemages who traded on this path were not many.


    Still, Eren was especially tempted to try this spell despite knowing the disadvantages. That''s because he had two mana cores. He concluded that the path of artifact smithing was a long-term project. And taming spirit beasts could offer him some respite until he got on with the program.


    Eren needed to find a beast suitable for him as well as get the array scroll that was part of the spirit beast spell. He also needed to enter the Awakened rank and travel here with his natal body for the spell to work as intended.


    ''Overall, a sessful haul.''


    Eren sighed before taking everything Rog had to offer to him. He then looked at the assassin''s headless corpse stoically.


    When he was alive, Rog was his enemy. Nevertheless, the assassin helped him greatly in his quest after his death. Thus, he bowed to the headless corpse before half emptying a vial of potion on it.


    Rog''s body and his head caught on fire as soon as they made contact with the potion. The vial that Eren had emptied on the corpse was a potion bomb. The potion bomb''s vial was supposed to be thrown at the opponent for it to generate a st.


    Eren watched Rog''s corpse getting burnt in mes. He thought for a while before approaching Jacob''s corpse. He emptied the rest of the potion bomb''s vial on the corpse and lit it up on fire as well.


    When the potion bomb concoction was used in this way, both corpses were incinerated in a matter of moments. Eren had decided to offer thesest rites to both of his benefactors, who had helped him in one way or another.


    Killer had called Eren conniving. And that was indeed true. However, Eren had not led Rog here to kill him when they first met. He just wanted to get information out of him through the mission.


    Why Rog would lie about his rtionship with Jacob had nothing to do with Eren. That''s why he had asked the assassin to pay his dues so that he could be on his way. Fortunately or unfortunately, Rog chose to silence Eren by killing him. That''s when he decided to return the favor.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had various thoughts swirling inside his head as he watched the two corpses disappear into nothingness in front of his eyes. Before long, there was only Eren in the underground space¨C standing alone and looking at the void with an unflinching gaze.


    For some reason, Eren felt upset that the world of Gahan was so brutal. Then he felt weird about himself. Because he knew that the feelings he was currently feeling weren''t enough to stop him from advancing further.


    ''People die.


    We all have an expiration date written somewhere for us. I had to die to respect life and all that it has to offer.


    So I understand a few things more clearly than anyone else I havee across with. No matter the circumstances, being alive isn''t a sin. There''s no crime in living for oneself.''


    Eren mumbled to himself before walking in the direction of the underground space''s exit. He had decided to practice his spells more and prepare more for his eventual exploration of the testing grounds of the Bear''s Creed.


    ***


    Eren found himself in an isted chamber that was nothing but an empty hall of about 40 meters in length and breath. This was the spell testing facility Stardust guild had for its members to use.


    Members had to reserve the facility in advance and pay the required fees. The chamber''s walls were strengthened by the runes, making it durable enough to handle any spell he executes inside it.


    Miranda was on the other side of the hall, waiting for Eren to cast his spell. He needed a target to see the spell''s effect after all. He also needed to test the spell''s viability in actualbat. Miranda was an apt sparring partner to test that.


    "Ready when you are."


    Miranda said while spinning her ice-element spear around. She could see that Eren''s mood was a bit gloomy ever since he reported that thest spell he took was a scam. And that the ranker who had posted it ran away before paying him.


    Eren ignored Miranda''s inquisitive gaze and cast the spell he had bought from Malcolm thest time he had met him. He had practiced the same spell on his own for two days straight after he got out of the underground space.


    Eren narrowed his eyes and activated his mana circuits. He raised his hands and spread his mana sense in Miranda''s direction before mumbling the spell''s name to himself.


    "Alfem!"

 Chapter 101 Demonic Rankers

    The time flew since Eren was first introduced to the world of Gahan. It had already been a month on Earth. Today in Gahan, he was gearing up for his first mandatory team mission.


    The open space outside the southern gates of the City of Ludan. A group of rankers was seen waiting for something or someone to arrive.


    "Team missions are nothing like solo adventures, Eren. It''s all chaos and mayhem on the field.


    We do have people to watch our backs. But there''s only so much your teammates can do when they are dealing with the problems at hand. You need to keep this in mind."


    As she looked ahead, Rhea Reaver said to Eren. Thetter was standing amid a group that was waiting for their captain to arrive. Miranda had sessfully entered the Awakened rank within these days, giving her more power over her team. Her status in the guild had also increased.


    The members of the group were busy talking with each other. It was a group of 30 rankers. Eren could recognize some of the rankers that he had seen on Earth. But he couldn''t recognize most of them since half of them were native to the world of Gahan.


    Rhea Reaver was the same girl who had bet against Eren in his first mock duel with Miranda. She had lost what Eren had thought to be a significant amount at that time.


    Ekay Mayne and Rhea Reaver became close with Eren with time. They would often spar with each other. Eren was already close with Reece. So Eren was surrounded by his mini squad within the team.


    Eren listened to Rhea''s warning with a smile on his face. He chuckled before responding.


    "Heh! You won''t care for my well-being, Rhea. How much did you bet with Ekay?"


    Reeceughed when she heard Eren''s statement. She kept her eyes on Miranda who had juste out to address the team while adding up.


    "Eren, they were betting whether or not you''d call it quits and fall back from the frontline when the battle starts. Ekay voted in your favor saying you''d perform well on the battlefield while Rhea voted for the option of you falling back."


    Eren raised his eyebrows and looked at Rhea when he heard Reece''s words. Rhea pursed her lips and smiled mirthlessly before exining her point.


    "Hey! This is your first team mission, Eren. And a mission like this is not going to be an ordinary one.


    I don''t want to underestimate you. But you would realize what I''m talking about when the mission starts. Even though you think you have seen everything right now, Gahan has a way of surprising everybody."


    Rhea said while shrugging her shoulders. She then recalled the first team mission she was part of and thought that she had ced her money on the right side of the bet.


    Before Eren could criticize Rhea for always betting against him, Ekay appeared behind Eren. The blonde hunk adjusted his hair and warned the group against discussing things casually any further.


    "You might want to keep things to yourself for now. The captain is about to speak."<sub> </sub>


    Eren could see that Miranda was with another Awakened ranker as she came forward in front of the group. He realized that the other ranker was also an Awakened.


    Miranda stared intently at the crowd before speaking up.


    "I hope you are all well prepared for this task. We have been given a kingdom-level mission to tackle. That''s why I and Kiara have joined forces and created abined team."


    Only now did Eren understand why he couldn''t recognize most of the rankers in the team he was about to join. He looked at the Awakened ranker who was used to leading the majority of team members who were part of the current joint team.


    Kiara Croft was a fire-element mage. She had vermilion hair and emerald eyes. Her clear skin had a tinge of red that made her look like she had just taken a hot bath. With an ample bust and a shapely posterior, it could be said that her feminine features were prominent and eye-catching.


    She had worn a very seductive attire that was not very mage-like. Her vermillion-colored armor only covered the most intimate regions of her breasts, leaving them almost entirely exposed to the elements.


    Kiara was wearing arm guards the same color as her hair with intricate golden markings serving as the runic details. The armor she was wearing changed into a dress with frills below her waist. The golden runic details were ced at crucial ces over her attire, giving it a unique visual appeal.


    ''This mage is... fine!''


    Eren couldn''t help butment on Kiara''s beauty in his mind. He then focused on what Miranda was saying.


    "This mission is rted to demonic rankers. They are a bloodthirsty and crazy group of rankers. So we are told there will be no survivors. So remember to finish your opponents for good when you sh with them."


    ''Demonic rankers! That''s why Rhea was betting against me.''


    Eren had another eureka moment when he heard his captain''s words. He had heard about demonic rankers by scrolling through the missions. But it would be his first time going on such a huge mission with them.


    The demonic rankers were indeed a crazy bunch of rankers that participated in all types of heinous crimes. They were often linked with blood and gore rituals that would sometimes take ce in various parts of the kingdom.


    Demonic rankers knew no bounds. To continue their ranking journeys, they did not care what rules they would have to break or how many lives they would have to sacrifice. Their ranking techniques required them to kill and plunder ordinary rankers and mortals.


    The demonic rankers were not a particr kingdom''s problem. They were the dark side of Gahan which could be found in every corner of the world.


    The kingdoms would often use the forces at their disposal as well as the guilds within their territories to fight off the demonic rankers. However, the demonic rankers were known for their strike-and-hide tactics. As such, it was almost impossible for any kingdom topletely eradicate the demonic rankers'' presence from within their territories.

 Chapter 102 Flesh Golems

    Demonic rankers did not refer to any particr kind.


    Each ranker that practiced unconventional ranking techniques, spells, techniques, artifacts, etc that required them to kill anyone was called a demonic ranker. Demonic rankers could therefore be anyone or of any race.


    Thews against demonic rankers and demon practices were strict. Kingdoms and empires used every means at their disposal to get rid of them. That''s because the demonic rankers would often bring death and destruction to the regions they were active.


    The most notorious demonic rankers had bounties ced on their heads. The bounty hunting missions were avable to all rankers, whether they were part of any guild or not.


    Some rankers made a living hunting demonic rankers. Just like the notorious demonic rankers, the bounty hunters who yed them would alsoe in limelight from time to time.


    There were some bounty hunter-specific guilds as well. These guilds concentrated on capturing the demonic hunters in well-nned traps. They would then torture them to get more information from their peers before targeting the connected demonic rankers and their organizations.


    Demonic rankers often liked to work alone. But it wasn''t that they didn''t have a system in ce. Various demonic organizations were created to counter kingdom forces and other forces hunting them.


    The various guilds yed a significant role in countering the demonic organizations and unfettered demonic rankers. Receiving purging missions rted to demonic rankers was often a test for guilds like Stardust guilds. If done well, the kingdoms would usually allow such guilds to have more liberty in their respective regions.


    Eren''s chain of thought was broken when Kiara took over from Miranda and spoke up.


    "Our target this time is Bl Blood. He is an Awakened human on the verge of breaking into the Arch rank. Kingdom officials have been informed that he ns to perform a demonic blood ritual to achieve rank up.


    The bastard has a bounty of 3000 Mana Quartz on his head. Those of us who manage to kill him will get to im the bounty amount.


    Plus, the Stardust guild will be paid independently for the mission. The amount will depend on various factors. But it should be at least 5000 Mana Quartz.


    We also have a reason to believe that he is apanied by other lower-ranked demonic rankers. Minimum five to a maximum number 8 aplices are expected."


    Eren was a bit taken aback by hearing the reward amount for the mission. He did quick math and found out that if each member within the team gets handed an average amount, each of them would end up with more than 150 Mana Quartz.


    He then looked at all the 30 members of the team. He suddenly realized that the number exceeded the capacity of a group of 10 or so demonic rankers.


    Kiara felt something and paused. She looked at the rankers in front of her and narrowed her eyes on Eren before adding up.


    "Don''t underestimate the might of demonic rankers. They have to kill a lot and practice various rituals and weird practices. But in exchange, they gain an edge over normal rankers.


    Bl Blood is one such kind of monster. He is a necromancer and his specialty is flesh golems. For all we know, he might be expecting us and thus prepared to wee us with his group of flesh golems."<sub> </sub>


    ''Can she read minds?''


    Eren thought to himself seriously when Kiara finished saying what she had to say. Mirana took over from her and spoke up before Eren could dwell any more in his thoughts.


    "We will leave shortly for Pointlet Town and should reach the ce in about three days. We''d then have to scour the Pointlet forest and look for signs rted to Bl Blood.


    We will discuss everything rted to the on-site actions when we reach Pointlet town. For now, let''s prepare to move."


    Miranda said before starting to walk towards her colt. She had already briefed Ekay, Rhea, and a few other of her team members regarding the mission beforehand. Eren was out on a different solo mission at that time. She was sure that those who didn''t know anything about the mission from her team would now be briefed about it.


    Kiara got busy with her original team. This team was formed bybining select members of the two teams. Thus, there were various unofficial squads present within this joint force. Kiara had considered this scenario well in advance. So she was making ns with such squads in mind.


    "Flesh golems, huh! What the fuck are those?"


    Eren asked Ekay when they were prepping their colts. Eren would be given the same Noble Feet which had apanied him in most of his missions. So by now, it was easier for him to handle his ride.


    Ekay was busy checking his colt''s harness when he heard Eren''s question. He scrunched his nose in disgust before answering him.


    "A walking stink bomb that would do everything in its power to eat you. Don''t just chop their heads or limbs if you encounter one of these flesh golems. Even piercing their hearts won''t do you any good because they don''t have any.


    The golem cores are ced somewhere in their bodies. That''s what you want to target before taking a breath of relief. Otherwise, those dastardly things won''t die."


    Rhea looked at Eren and chuckled before adding further.


    "And, Eren. It is very difficult to find these golem cores within their bodies. You''d have to dance with them a lot before pinpointing it. Till then, they just keep oning at you."


    Eren made a gulping sound when he heard Ekay''s exnation. He had first thought that there were too many members in their team, which decreased the potential reward per head.


    But now he thought differently. He looked at the joint force that was getting ready for their mission and couldn''t help thinking.


    ''My first mandatory team mission and it is already this dangerous. They should have assigned more numbers damn it.


    For once, I''m thinking of letting Rhea win the bet.''

 Chapter 103 Somethings Off

    Pointlet Town. Evening 7 PM.


    The sun had just set. The evening sky was painted in red hues. A cloud of dust had just settled outside a certain city''s city gates.


    A seemingly inconspicuous town was weing 30 new faces this day. The guards appointed by the kingdom looked relieved when they appeared.


    Eren was waiting outside the town''s giant north gate while the team''s two leads were busy talking with the guards manning the city walls. The two team leaders rode their horses while leading the entire team. Eren and the rest of the team were behind them. Standing over the city walls, the city guards spoke to them.


    Eren looked around himself and understood what the guards were thinking.


    They were scared of being attacked by Bl Blood who was preparing for a sacrifice ritual. The guards unit only had a single Awakened rank captain. He was a newbie among the Awakened rankers because his mana core was only in gaseous form.


    The rest of the guards seemed to be Metas. Although some of them seemed close to breaking into Awakened rank, they knew it wouldn''t make a lot of difference if someone like Bl attacked them with his flesh golems.


    "Captain Rnd, I think we need to continue the rest of the talk somewhere else. Why don''t you let my team get into the town in the meantime? Some of us liked to take a rest before starting our mission."


    Kiara said while looking at Rnd''s tense face. He looked hesitant at first to reply to any of Kiara and Miranda''s demands. It was as if there was something he was hesitant about.


    "Miss Kiara, are you sure that it is all your guild members within your team? Is there any outsider or a bounty hunter you have included in your midst?"


    Kiara and Miranda looked at each other questioningly before fixing their puzzled gazes on Rnd. Before making his stance clear, the guard adjusted the sword attached to his waistband nervously.


    I assure you that my hesitancy is legitimate, Miss Kiara, Miss Miranda. The town has various missing person incidents. In addition, there are followers of that man who appear in the town under the guise of adventurers.


    They are using every tactic in their arsenal to create a panic here. We have already lost 6 guards to these demonic rankers. We don''t want to be caught off guard and get attacked from inside while we are focusing our attention outward. Especially not when it''s nighttime."


    Rnd said and looked at the crowd that was behind Kiara and Miranda with vignce in his eyes. Kiara was very irritated by the guard''s attitude. She climbed down from her colt and jumped above.


    Her legs were coated in fire element mana as she jumped high. The town walls were only 6 meters in height. She didn''t have any trouble scaling the wall in one jump.


    The guards were scared by Kiara''s sudden jump. Some of them drew their weapons while the others ran to a particr ce to activate the wall''s defense measures.


    "Stand down!"


    Rnd yelled and controlled his guards'' behavior. He was nervous himself. But that didn''t prevent him from understanding that Kiara was not their enemy. At least not now.<sub> </sub>


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Kiara walked toward the guard captain with a casual stride. She paused when she was only a meter away from Rnd before speaking up.


    "Look here, captain Rnd, we don''t have any external force with us that may or may not harm you or the townspeople inside. All of us are rankers from the same guild.


    A guild that was assigned with this very mission of eliminating the threat of Bl Blood forever from this region now that we have confirmed his presence here.


    Why don''t you do us a favor and open the gates? We don''t want to scare the townspeople anymore than they already are by fighting among ourselves. Especially when we are fighting on the same side."


    Kiara said with stoic expressions. She had canceled her movement spell. But for some reason, the mes coating her legs were still there. As if she was ready for a battle anytime.


    Kiara Croft was just like Bl Blood in the way that she was also close to achieving Awakened rank. Naturally, her presence overshadowed Rndpletely.


    Rnd gulped empty air and looked at his subordinates. They also seemed anxious and some of them were preventing others from doing anything unnecessary.


    Rnd thought for a while before making up his mind. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter before releasing it all at once. Then he looked at Stardust guild''s joint task force one more time and ordered his subordinates.


    "Shut off the protective runes and open the gates. Also, arrange food and ces Miss Kiara''s team could use to relieve themselves of their fatigue."


    The Meta-ranked city guards looked at each other before fixing their gazes on Rnd. Kiara found it odd that these guards were overthinking something so trivial. She could understand the panic that was spreading in the town. But who would the normal people look up to when the guards themselves were so antsy about demonic rankers?


    Creak! Creak! Creak!


    The 4-meter tall gates creaked and opened on their own via the use of magic. The array of runes etched over them faded as they weed Eren''s team to the town''s sight.


    Kiara thanked Rnd and jumped down from the wall. She then guided her colt inside while the rest of the team followed her.


    Eren was riding his colt while being in proximity to Reece, Ekay Mayne, Rhea Reaver, and Mia Silver. Thest member had joined them on short notice, just in time before they left the city of Ludan.


    As Eren led his colt inside the town, he could see there was a subtle tension in the air. The townspeople were looking at them strangely. As if they were afraid of something.


    Eren also found that some of them carried pity in their gazes, enabling him to feel that something was off.

 Chapter 104 Uninvited

    Mia looked around herself and sighed before addressing Eren.


    "This is amon behavior when demonic rankers are involved, Eren. Those bastards have various means at their disposal to assume various identities. That''s what the Awakened guard must be worrying about.


    Extreme measures need to be taken to deal with demonic rankers. Plus, those who fight with them often face severe injuries because of the normal-than-usual battle potential of the demonic rankers. There are even cases of people dying from kamikaze attacks by those lunatics.


    So those who are assigned to battle demonic rankers are often looked at with vignce. As if there''s something wrong with their heads too. Hehe. It''s funny and kinda not funny if you think about it."


    Eren nodded at Mia for providing him with a perspective. He then looked at her curiously before asking her.


    "Mia, you always focused on solo missions, didn''t you? Why did you apply to join us on this mission?"


    The rest of the members of Eren''s squad were also keen on Mia''s answer. They had always seen Mia as a maverick. Mia''s presence on this big team mission seemed strange to them.


    Mia chuckled and looked at Eren curiously before answering him.


    "Hehe. I am interested in seeing someone''s potential so I came here."


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he received Mia''s vague answer. And for some reason, he could see that Reece had a frown on her face when the beautiful elf said that. But before they could discuss it further, Mia spoke some more.


    "Besides, I''mgging behind Miranda, Eren. She is already an Awakened ranker while I''m still stuck in thest stage of the Meta rank. Participating on missions like these is a sure-fire way to achieve a forced breakthrough while battling with demonic rankers."


    Mia looked at Miranda in the distance who appeared to be discussing some more stuff with Kiara and the guard captain. For some reason, Mia felt that the distance between her and Miranda was more than what others perceived.


    Eren and the rest of the team were amodated in a city hall built for various events and purposes inside the city. It had minimal furniture and a raised tform at one end of the hall.


    The hall was around 50 meters long and 30 meters wide. The ceiling of the hall was about 5 meters from the ground. The ceiling of the hall was studded with luminescent stones that exuded ample light.


    The rankers already had their roway beds with them. They just chose a random ce to crash while maintaining sufficient distance from each other.


    Soon the team members were served an army-style dinner by the guards. Dry bread with mashed potatoes with spicy garlic added to the mix.


    Pointlet was not a very famous town. It only had one inn, which couldn''t amodate 30 rankers in one go. Staying at the city hall was apromise Kiara''s team members had to make.


    Eren immediately set up his roway bed near his squad. The group was busy eating and chatting with each other when Eren heard Kiara''s mana-imbued voice. She was addressing everybody.


    "Listen up, guys. We will now tell you guys about the n we are nning to use to scour the Pointlet forest that is not too far away from this town."<sub> </sub>


    Kiara didn''t seem interested in having dinner. Miranda was beside her, coordinating things with Rnd.


    Kiara started discussing the details with the entire team. She allowed her team to split into squads. It was never a wise choice to face demonic rankers alone. So Eren was grouped with Reece, Ekay, Mia, and Rhea. The rest of the squads were also decided at this point.


    Eren and the rest of his team finished their dinner while finalizing their roles in their squads. Everything was set. The illuminating stones were dimmed to allow rankers to get some sleep before they headed out for their mission.


    Around 2 AM.


    Eren was still staring at the moon that was visible to him through therge windows that were ced 2 meters away from the ground. There was something about the way the townspeople looked at him and the rest of the team that was still bothering him.


    Mia had cleared his doubts for the most part. But his instincts as a hustler and street thug were telling him things were not as simple as they might seem.


    ''Something''s off. This whole town feels off.''


    Eren started recalling the sight he saw after entering the town. It was reported that at least 4000 people were living inside the town. The number seemed way off considering the scarcity of people he had seen outside their homes and shops.


    Even if he were to consider that the nighttime had reduced the traffic, it didn''t exin why some of the people he did see didn''t look like ordinary townspeople. He felt like he was looking at scam artists who were trying to put on a show.


    In the next moment, Eren''s senses were shaken to the core as he felt dangering from every direction. He sprang from his bed and drew his Tachi while surveying the surroundings around him.


    People were still sleeping. Most of them hadn''t discovered anything. But just like him, there were a few rankers who had risen from their rxed positions.


    "Something ising!"


    Reece and the rest of the people were woken up by Eren''s words. The lights in the hall were bright. Just then Eren felt a distinct pulse of mana all around him.


    Boom!


    Therge doors of the city halls were blown away and some people entered inside. In the next moment, a shield of energy appeared, covering the entire hall. Somebody had used an istion array to trap people inside.


    Ten demonic rankers had entered the city hall uninvited.


    This was a wild bunch of rankers who looked vile and bloodthirsty. They had worn a range of armors and attires that lookedpletely different from the usual ones.


    "Hahahaha! Our sacrifice was delivered right to our doorsteps. Lord Bl would be very happy."

 Chapter 105 Roland’s Compromise

    A broad space over the town''s protective walls.


    "Rnd, what is the meaning of this?"


    Kiara asked with suppressed anger. She and Miranda had been locked on their spots by the security array etched over the walls. This was the town''s protective measure to defend against external threats.


    Kiara and Miranda were first bewildered and confused when Rnd activated the wall''s defensive measures on them. But they soon understood this was his n all along. Why else would he lead the two Awakened rankers out of the city hall they were going to crash in?


    Rnd had asked the two rankers to follow him so that he could exin the town''s defensive measures that had been put in ce. The mission the Stardust guild has been assigned might turn into a prolonged fight depending upon the situation in the forest.


    So it was a wise choice for the two rankers to know a bit about the town''s defenses. At least that''s what Rnd had said when he led the twodies serving as team leaders away from their teams.


    Kiara and Miranda had been away from the group since they briefed the members about their ns tomorrow. Rnd had kept them busy in some way or another well past midnight.


    Only now did they understand that it was his way of buying time. Buying time for something that was bound to spell doom for them and their team.


    Rnd sighed and shook his head in disappointment. He then pulled up his sleeves to show the two Awakened something horrible.


    The flesh of Rnd''s arms was rotting. The skin now had a red and bluish tinge that didn''t look healthy. It had turned wrinkly and there was some form of liquiding off of various pores. These pores were the size of a long grain for now. But it looked like they were only going to get bigger with time.


    "This is what that bastard has done to most of us soldiers, Miss Kiara, Miss Miranda. Not just that, he is even holding the majority of the townspeople and some of my soldiers hostage."


    Kiara and Miranda looked at each other with grim looks on their faces. Things weren''t looking bright for them as well as their entire team with the way Rnd was describing things.


    Just when Kiara was about to ask what Rnd was nning to do to them, she felt a strong mana pulseing from the direction of the city hall. Since she was over the protective walls of the town, she could see the city hall in the distance somewhat clearly, thanks to the bright moonlight.


    In the next moment, a bright white light surrounded the entirety of city hall before mana surged all around it. The fire broke out inside the energy barrier that had just been created, entrapping Kiara''s team members who had been sleeping there.


    "Rnd¡­ what the fuck did you do? Are you fucking crazy? Are you teaming up with demonic rankers to turn on us who havee to help you?"


    Miranda spoke while being livid. She tried to move from her spot. But the runs that had climbed on her were making it difficult for her to move, much less any of her limbs.<sub> </sub>


    She and Kiara were also having trouble essing their mana because of the runes. Runes covered their bodies like snakes, preventing them from essing their own mana.


    These runes were connected to the security array that was etched onto the walls. Therefore, the runes were attached to the ground beneath them in such a way that they were able to trap two Awakened rankers in their grasp with ease.


    Rnd clenched his fists when he heard Miranda''s words. He felt angry by the usation, which he knew to be true in some sense. However, he wanted to put his own side forward.


    "This is not something I wanted to do on my own initiative, Miss Miranda. I''m as helpless as you. Look at the soldiers'' condition. Our flesh will just liquidate in a few hours if we don''t get the antidote.


    What am I supposed to do when the townspeople I''m protecting and the soldiers I''m protecting them with are all being held hostage by that man?


    ording to the contract, if you chose to live in this town, I would have to do all of this. I tried to give you hints that you should not enter this town. But you wouldn''t listen. This was the only loophole I could find in the contract that would have prevented all this. But now¡­"


    Rnd said this with a stoic expression. Miranda could see that the guard captain was under tremendous stress. Clearly, he was forced into all of this by the demonic rankers. But that realization didn''t help the two Awakened rankers in their current predicament.


    Their team members'' lives were on the line. They had been caught off guard¨C in the most vulnerable position possible. Plus, they didn''t know how many demonic rankers had been trapped inside the town from the beginning.


    "Hehehehe!"


    Kiara startedughing when she heard Rnd''s statement. However, herugh was anything but joyful at the moment. She looked at Rn and other soldiers who were surrounding them with weary eyes and conflicting emotions before speaking up.


    "You naive men. Do you even know how demonic rankers operate? How can you count on them to give you guys the antidote and release the hostages just because you have signed a mana binding contract with them?"


    Rnd felt even more agitated by Kiara''s words. Demonic rankers had a reputation for messing up contracts so that they would face the least consequences of breaking the terms. This meant that only the other party would have to honor its obligations. Otherwise, they would have to face the negative effects of breaking the contract.


    Demonic rankers had various crafty and bloody ways to pull this off. So no ranker in their right mind would choose to sign mana binding contracts with them, irrespective of the situation they were in.


    Clearly, Rnd was an exception.

 Chapter 106 Collecting Raw Ingredients

    "Even if I can''t count on them to honor the contract, it''s the only option I have."


    He nced in the direction of the now-burning city hall that was locked away under the istion array. He then looked at the two Awakened rankers with a look of resolution in his eyes before replying.


    "I''m not justifying what I have done. I know what I''m doing is a punishable offense by the kingdom. A death sentence would be a light punishment. But I can''t just let my soldiers and the townspeople die for nothing.


    Besides, now that I have done exactly what the contract had told me to do, the other party is liable to honor their end of the deal. At least that''s what I''m hoping for."


    Rnd said and grabbed the hilt of his strapped-by-the-waist sword. He then started walking past the two Awakened rankers and looked in the direction of the burning city hall beforementing.


    "Don''t worry. If my guess is right, Bl''s henchmen won''t immediately kill your team members. They would want them for the demonic blood ritual, I reckon. We still have some time to save them if we y this right.


    Once I get what I want, I''ll immediatelyunch a recovery operation for your team members with the soldiers who are willing toe with me. I''ll then run away from the kingdom to seek shelter somewhere else.


    I don''t want to harm any of you. That''s why I''m keeping you locked up without harming you. So I''d appreciate it if you didn''t force me to do something I don''t want to do."


    Rnd said and let loose his own Awakened rank aura. It was clear that the guards'' captain had thought things through before taking steps. It was just that what he hade up with wasn''t a solution but a way out.


    ***


    "Something''sing. Wake the fuck up."


    Eren''s mana-imbued voice woke everybody up. Reece and his squad were among the first to open their eyes.


    Some of them were still sleeping. And some of them were delirious and still half asleep. But some rankers had drawn their weapons, sensing something dangerousing for them.


    Boom!


    The tworge doors of the city hall were blown away. The hall was coated in fire-element mana that was part of another intrinsic array paired up with an istion array.


    This was to prevent any movement spell specialist from running away from them. That is if they had the means to break the istion array instantly.


    "Hahahaha! Our sacrifice was delivered right to our doorsteps. Lord Bl would be very happy."


    With big smiles on their faces, the demonic rankers entered the scene. They enjoyed the fact that their prey had all been caught under one roof without them having to battle them all over the town or inside the forest.


    The one who spoke first among the demonic rankers was a tall and burly man. He was holding two axes in each hand. His torso was bare. And he was wearing brown pants with brown long boots.<sub> </sub>


    <o>,m The most peculiar thing about this man was that he had almost no facial features. The skin on his face had dried, making his face look like it was just his skull with a minimal amount of skin over it. He did not have lips, and he didn''t seem to have any nose.</o>


    This man also had two horns growing from above his head that had been skewed erratically. The man''s voice was deep and full of malice. His mana signature was different from normal rankers, making him stand out as the demonic ranker.


    The other nine demonic rankers who were with him had their own peculiarities that would make them stand out from the crowd of normal rankers. And they had alle here to fulfill one objective their leader had given them. They aimed to capture guild rankers who had arrived in Pointlet town tounch a campaign against their leader Bl.


    ***


    Bl was very cunning. Instead of fighting the battle in the forest where he might or might not have the advantage depending upon the counter strategies used by his opponent, he had chosen to strike first and create his own battlefield in which he would have maximum control.


    Bl had managed to affect the soldiers with his spell and imprison some of them along with a portion of the townspeople. All so that he could strike at his opponents when they would be least expecting it.


    There was one more reason for Bl to act this way. The quality of the demonic blood ritual varied depending upon the raw materials used in the process. Raw materials were sacrificed in the form of rankers and mortals.


    Stardust guild rankers had a higher value as raw materials than mortals and rankers who were nearing the end of their potential. Better raw materials would then mean better results out of the demonic blood ritual.


    So Bl came up with this n to not only take care of his opponents but also use them to advance into the Arch rank. Killing two birds with one stone.


    One could say that the kingdom and even the Stardust Guild underestimated him and his tactics.


    ***


    "Don''t be afraid, my poormbs. You shall be cut with my Lord''s de and used as his nourishment. In doing so, you would find freedom from all your miseries. The apex of your life is to aid my Lord into breaking into his next rank.


    Now sleep. Sleep and let us take you to your final destination."


    Jario¨C the ax-wielding leader of the demonic rankers spoke and spread his arms around. In the next moment, with him as the center, voluminous clouds of miasma spread in the surroundings.


    Green in color, this miasma was so dense that it severely hindered visibility. Even mana sense could not help anyone that was trapped inside the miasma due to its mana-sense-interfering properties.


    The demonic rankers had note here to fight. They were here to collect the quality raw ingredients needed for the demonic blood ritual.


    The miasma spread with incredulous speed and soon covered the entire city hall. In the next moment, the sounds of bodies dropping on the floor could be heard from every direction.

 Chapter 107 Eren Vs. Jario P1

    "Hahaha!"


    Another source of loudughter echoed in the city hall.


    "Lord Bl has given us a sick gem, this miasma pearl. Thembs are falling unconscious like bugs."


    A demonic ranker spoke up. He was a skinny man who looked to be in his 60s. He had receding hair with a bald patch in the middle. Some of his teeth were missing. And his attire made him look like a homeless person who was on the verge of attacking everyone just because they told him he smelled funny.


    The green miasma was supposed to shut off the ranker''s ability to cast spells by interfering with their mana circuits. Then the miasma would affect the central nervous system of those who had inhaled it, making them lose consciousness.


    By this point, the miasma had spread all around the city hall. Those who had cast the miasma were only immune to its paralyzing effects and spellcasting prevention. However, they couldn''t ovee the miasma''s other properties. Meaning they also had their vision and mana sensepromised in the environment.


    The demonic rankers had executed their n so well that there was no room for error. That''s why they didn''t think they''d need to be extra careful in the city hall even with poor eyesight and handicapped mana sense.


    The miasma was slowly starting to disappear with time. It was vanishing into thin air without spreading further. It was as if the miasma wasn''t something that would get dissipated into the air as itsposition was not normal.


    "Let''s collect the bodies. We need to¡­"


    Swoosh. Pierce. Thud.


    Just now, the demon ranker who was speaking was unable to speak any further. He looked down to find out that his Adam''s apple had been pierced with a silver arrow.


    The other demonic rankers who were walking in separate directions found it odd that one of their people just stopped his sentence midway. They all turned back to see his corpse was nowid on the ground, with his neck pierced with an arrow made of the silver-element arrow that was dissipating in the air.


    "Who the fu¡­. Aaaargh!"


    Anotherdy demonic ranker who had donned worn-out armor was shot with an arrow in her ankle. It was the same silver arrow that had imed a life earlier. As soon as the demonic rankers put themselves on defense, a series of silver arrows appeared from the same direction that the first two came from.


    "Don''t get cocky you bastards!"


    Jario could feel that there were now multiple rankers in front of him that had somehow managed to survive the miasma. He didn''t know how these Meta rankers had achieved something like this. However, he was assured by his Lord that just one whiff of the miasma by his victims was enough to incapacitate thempletely.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    One of the rankers was almost exhausted from casting the long-range spells with silver element arrows. And it paid well for them. Because they had managed to im two more lives and injured three more demonic rankers with their sneak attack.<sub> </sub>


    Jario didn''t have the luxury of making assumptions after witnessing this sight. His team was suddenly faced with a long-range attack out of the blue when they were least expecting it. So it was his time to step up.


    Jario stepped up and cast a spell in front of him. A huge typhoon of fire erupted that changed the direction of the iing silver arrows, making them miss their mark.


    The de facto leader of the current demonic rankers who had entered the city hall couldn''t see who had attacked them or how many rankers had survived. The miasma was still impairing the sense of vision and mana.


    But at this point, he knew that the rankers could ovee the effects of the miasma by employing various tactics. First and foremost, they need to strengthen their mana defenseyer consciously. The second was to keep the miasma at bay with the use of spells.


    This was the reason why miasma attacks worked best when they were used as surprise attacks. Jario couldn''t believe that someone had the power and capability to counter the miasma at a moment''s notice like this.


    "Fucking show yourself!"


    Jario yelled at the rankers who were on the other side of the still-wearing-out miasma. He also charged his two axes with his fire element mana and told his buddies to prepare forbat.


    p When the mana miasma almost dissipated, Jario found out that four rankers were standing in front of him with their swords drawn. Now that the miasma was removed, he could also use his mana sense somewhat.</anda>


    Jario saw that someone was casting a wind element spell to repel the remaining miasma away from their group. This was achieved with a simple 360-degree wind-element repel spell.


    Jario could also see the elf with the bow who had cast the long-range spell that had dealt casualty to his side. Then there was a young man with Tachi standing in front of the ranger and the tank, who was maintaining the wind-element spell.


    There was another swordswoman beside the Tachi-wielding ranker. She had shoulder-length hair and a yful look on her face.


    Jario noticed there was another mana signatureing off from a distance. He was, however, too upied with his current enemies.


    "We wanted to let you have an easy time before you assume your roles as raw ingredients for my Lord''s ritual. But it seems like some blood needs to be spilled even here to make you realize your inevitable fate."


    Jario wasn''t discouraged by the fact that a few rankers had managed to ovee the effects of mana somehow. The number of survivors was still only four or five. Even with his three killed demonic rankers, Jario still held the number advantage.


    Eren, who was standing in front of the group with his Tachi drawn, listened to Jario''s words and smirked. When his opponent attempted to buy time to assess the situation, Eren decided to strike first and answerter.


    With his free hand, Eren cast his spell and gripped the spell-generated lightning arc firmly. He threw the Solid Spark right at Jario before disappearing from his position.


    Solid Spark!

 Chapter 108 Eren Vs Jario P2

    Solid Spark!


    Jario found himself face to face with an exceptionally threatening spell approaching him at breakneck speeds. In response to his provocative words, his Tachi-wielding enemy responded non-verbally.


    "Ugggh!"


    Jario was pushed back when the Solid Spark managed to hit him right over his left shoulder and pierce it. It lodged itself into his shoulder while diffusing foreign mana of the lightning element into his system.


    ''This bastard!''


    Jario had managed to hold back his pain-induced shrill in response to the severe injury he had sustained. But that in turn made him angrier towards Eren who wasing at him without any fear in the world.


    "Attack!"


    Jario yelled before running ahead in front of him to meet with Eren''s charge. He gripped his axes harder and set them aze. He also coated his entire body with his fire element mana and set his mana circuits into overdrive to expel the foreign mana invasion. As a result, Eren''s Solid Spark stopped affecting the demonic ranker before disappearing just as he shed with Eren.


    ng! Swing!


    Jario used his left hand and the ax he was holding with it to sh with Eren''s Tachi. He then used his right hand''s ax tounch anotherteral attack on him.


    Eren stepped forward and used his Tachi to deflect Jario''s left ax. He ducked under his left arm, missing the attack the demonic ranker hadunched on him by a hair''s breadth. He then cast another of his spells now that he was near his opponent.


    Blitz Shard!


    A series of tiny lightning-element shards were conjured in front of Eren''s free hand before they were hurled toward Jario. Thetter cast his defensive spell to counter Eren''s attack while adjusting his posture to attack him with his ax. He did it by spinning on his right toe while raising the ax and using it as ateral chop.


    Eren felt a threatening sensationing toward him. He knew he wouldn''t be able to dodge or deflect the attack in time due to the speed at which it wasunched.


    So he used his defensive spell Lightning Sheild to coat his body in a lightning-element cloak. He didn''t stop there. He also used some of the Blitz Shards to coat the region that was about to receive the impact of Jario''s ax.


    Eren''s vision changed as he was knocked from his position by Jario''s heavy-handed attack. The guy had charged the ax with his spinning momentum for it to act so prominently on Eren''s body. As a result, Eren''s body was dragged along the ground until he was about 20 meters away from where he previously stood.


    Eren grunted in pain before quickly getting up. He could feel that there was now a bloody wound on his body. But it was shallow and non-threatening, thanks to the effective use of his defensive spell along with Blitz Shard.


    Eren realized that Jario''s axes were special. They allowed him to increase the speed of his attack by self-propelling themselves using the fire-element mana. A vector force would be generated for every prominent attack using the holder''s mana, giving the weapons exceptional prating power.


    The two axes suited Jario''s wild and reckless style perfectly. They gave him the powers to overwhelm any of his opponents of the same rank. He just needed to choose wisely which of his moves needed extra force. Otherwise, he''d waste the weapons'' potential.<sub> </sub>


    After using such weapons, Jario would show a weakness in his defensive stance. His weapons would sometimes generate excessive force, making them harder to control. That''s why the guy would spin in his position to kill the additional momentum generated by the weapons after each of the weapon spells was used.


    One couldn''t call it a w. As Jario would only use the weapon spell when he was certain his attacks wouldn''t miss. Even a speed-focused ranker like Eren had to face the weapons'' sudden eleration and bear their attacks even when he was very agile and highly responsive to his opponent''s iing spells.


    Even Jario was surprised that Eren could stand up after taking the full brunt of one of his weapons right over his back. And it looked like Eren was heavily injured from their recent exchange.


    Dario smiled wickedly when he saw Eren getting up and raising his Tachi in front of him in a defensive formation. In the next moment, Jarios'' legs were set aze and he vanished from his position.


    ng!


    "Hahahaha! You¡­ you are lively. My Lord would benefit from you. You should surrender yourself and ept your fate."


    Right after Eren got up, he shed with Jario. Thetter tried to intimidate him some more with his words. However, Eren preferred to keep his cool and just focus on the battle at hand.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren and Jario kept on exchanging moves while keeping track of their surroundings. Eren was careful not to approach the demonic ranker too close. He maintained a safe distance from him while using his weapon''s flying shes to counter the enemy''s.


    Both sides had turned the city hall into a battlefield. Eren''s team members were busy fighting their own battles. But someone else was busy doing something entirely different.


    "Hm?"


    Jario finally realized what Reece had been doing all this time using the remnant of the miasma as a cover. She had been waking up those rankers who had been put under the forced slumber by the miasma.


    "You!"


    Jario tried to charge at Reece who by this point had woken up right rankers from their forced slumber. Thetter chuckled before coating her limbs in green mes. However, it looked like she didn''t have to do anything. Eren was fixated on taking down Jario.


    Eren cast a dense cloud of Blitz Shards at this point. He sent it towards the space that was in the middle of Jario and Reece to intercept his attack while he was still maintaining his distance from him.


    Meanwhile, he sent his mana circuits to hyperdrive to cast another spell on him. A healing spell to heal his injury: Blitz Heal.


    Contact. Spark. Boom.


    Jario suddenly found that he was charging at Eren''s attack in the form of a tiny lightning shard that looked like the scales of some reptilian creature. At this point, the sh was inevitable, so he charged his weapons and braced himself.

 Chapter 109 Baited

    "Aaaargh!"


    Jario''s body was surrounded by the cloud of lightning shards before they started crashing onto him like fireflies to me. As a result of this, Jario''s body was subjected to a dense amount of electrical discharge that overpowered him.


    Jario was unable to move his body. The small explosions that had urred over his body due to his mana defenseyer colliding with the lightning shards caused some burn marks on his skin.


    Eren was already charging toward Jario. He swung his de in front of him and sent a flying sh toward his opponent while gripping the hilt of his weapon with both his hands.


    Jario saw Erening at him at full speed. He realized that the flying sh he had sent ahead would hurt him if he didn''t take action. The look on his face suggested that he was in a panic.


    The flying sh of lightning struck Jario''s stunned body. As a result, his body was sent further back from its original position. The sh had changed its orientation mid-air and crashed onto his body diagonally. As a result, there was a gaping wound on the demonic ranker''s body that ran from his left shoulder to his right waist side.


    "Aaaaaaargh!"


    Driven by pain, Jarico yelled loudly while gripping his weapons hard. He saw that Eren had stopped maintaining his safe distance from him. Now that he was severely injured, the lightning-element ranker charged at him without any fear.


    When Eren got close to Jario from behind him, Jario''s anxious and stressed expression changed into a devious smile. It was apparent that Jario had baited Eren intoing close to him.


    "Hahaha!"


    Jario''s body started regenerating lost flesh at a crazy speed, which didn''t look like the work of a normal healing spell. The demonic rankers had the means to pull off stunts like that.


    ng!


    Eren shed with Jario using his weapon. Now that he was within range, running away from Jario would only make him attack even more fiercely. So he decided to sh with Jario knowing full well it was a setup at this point.


    "Hahaha! Little fish, hope you survive this."


    Jarioughed as he shed with Eren''s Tachi using his left ax. He charged his right ax and performed the same move with even more ferocity and speed than before. He spun on his toe while raising his ax to Eren''s lower ribcage.


    Eren smiled wickedly when he saw Jario performing the same move. As it turned out, even he was prepared to face the demonic ranker. He sent his mana to the ring he was wearing and activated his defense properties. The same ring he had received from Rog.


    A semi-transparent protectiveyer surrounded Eren''s body like a tight bodysuit. The dome-shaped energy barrier could be used this way too if the user wished for it.


    ng! Boom!<sub> </sub>


    Jario''s charged ax made contact with Eren''s upper abdomen from his left side. Since Eren had braced for the impact, he wasn''t pushed far away by the impact like thest time.


    Jario felt something was wrong as soon as his ax shed with Eren''s body. He didn''t feel the feedback of cleaving the flesh of his opponent anywhere. Moreover, even the impact he had made seemed to be wiped out.


    Jario didn''t give up. He knew his attack had pushed Eren some distance away from him. So he charged his axes some more and sent a series of flying shes of his own while he was spinning. As a result, the flying shes that were sent in pairs had a kind of non-linear path with which they were closing on Eren.


    Eren stood in his ce and spread his hand. He also let the energy barrier take the shape of a dome to counter Jario''s attacks. Meanwhile, he cast some more Blitz Shards behind him outside the energy barrier to prepare for an attack of his own.


    Jaio stopped spinning when he realized that he hadunched several attacks on Eren. He quickly adjusted his position and gripped his hands while fixing his gaze on his opponent who was standing only about 7 meters away from him.


    The demonic ranker was shocked by what he saw.


    All his attacks were negated by Eren''s energy barrier. It had a few cracks here and there. Nevertheless, the shield was still able to withstand a lot more of his attacks. The guy that was inside the energy dome did fine as well. In fact, he was preparing for his next attack.


    "This¡­. Adelman''s ring? Or is it counterfeit? Where the fuck did you get it?"


    Jario asked Eren with stupefied expressions. He now understood how he along with other team members had countered the effects of miasma.


    Eren had taken Reece, Mia, Ekay, and Rhea under the protection of the energy barrier cast by his ring. They were all near him and within the range of the energy barrier. It kept them safe from the miasma''s effects, enabling them tounch a counterattack when the time was right.


    From the way Jario spoke, Eren concluded that the ring he had "borrowed" from Rog was special. But he didn''t have time or interest to ask the enemy that was trying to kill him. He decided to finish the guy first before focusing on other things.


    It was not Jario but Eren who had persuaded the former to use the same move. He had observedst time that the demonic ranker would show a defect in his stance after using the attack. So now was the time to make full use of it.


    Blitz Steps!


    Eren cast his spell and disappeared from his ce. In the next moment, Jario found out that his body had suddenly be unstable and he was about to copse on his face.


    Eren had chopped Jario''s right leg off from its knee, dealing a fatal blow to the demonic ranker who was his opponent. The right leg from the knee down stood on its own while Jario''s body fell to the ground. A fountain of blood erupted from the severed head that was still standing on the ground firmly like it had been nted as a decorative item for Halloween.


    "A¡­."


    Jario''s scream was abruptly cut when his head was separated from his body. The ax-wielding warrior who was supposed to be the de facto leader of the demonic rankers was killed by someone who was five stages below him in the Meta rank.

 Chapter 110 Gilaahan’s Blessing Once Again?

    Eren was panting.


    He had sent his mana circuits on overdrive to achieve this kill. Something he only learned recently.


    One could amplify their spell''s effect or boost their body''s stats temporarily by sending their mana circuits on overdrive. It meant closing the mana points that were not useful and directing thepressed mana flow towards the mana points that were in use.


    The spells would receive enhanced mana because of this, resulting in their effects getting amplified. If one did this while keeping a particr muscle group in their mind, then that muscle group would deliver more power and performance than usual as well.


    The rankers who had sufficient control over their mana circuits could make use of this technique to provide an extra edge to their most potent attacks. Or to simply get out of a pinch.


    The overdrive provided a boost to the spell and body stats. There was one more level of the same act that could provide an even greater boost. It was known as the hyperdrive technique.


    The hyperdrive technique would put a greater strain on one''s mana circuits as well as mana points at the same time. Interfering with the natural workings of mana circuits was not easy. One needed extreme mastery over their mana circuits to pull this off.


    Using the mana circuit hyperdrive, however, was even more harmful. It negatively affects one''s constitution. It could make them unable to fight after using the technique. Therefore, even those who knew how to employ the hyperdrive technique would only employ it as ast resort.


    Even overdrive had its downsides. It would put a substantial strain on one''s constitution. However, the fatigue and strain one feels after using the overdrive technique could be easily handled when the ranker was given some time to recover.


    Eren was breathing heavily because his internal organs and his mana circuits were feeling the burn of using the technique. His face had turned red, indicating that his blood flow and blood pressure had been altered.


    Eren''s breaths were warmer than usual. His eyes felt hot as if he was having a fever. And his heartbeats were erratic. But it was all worth it. Because he had taken care of someone who was just a step away from entering the Awakened rank.


    Blood started spilling out as Jario''s body pumped out all that it had outward. His odd-looking skull shrank and turned into a regr human shape when it was separated from his body. There were no horns over his head anymore.


    "You bastard! I''ll kill you."


    Someone shouted from behind Eren. With turning back, he spread his mana sense and found out that it was Ekay''s opponent who was trying to get close to him after seeing he had killed Jario. He was currently in a vulnerable position.


    Thankfully, Eren didn''t need to do much.


    "My man, don''t ignore me like that. It hurts when you do that, you know."


    Ekay said while sounding really upset. He intercepted his opponent and prevented him from approaching Eren. Eren''s other team members did the same.


    By this point, a lot of rankers who had been put to forced slumber had been woken up by Reece. As her own mana is inserted into the rankers'' bodies, their natural defenses kick in, forcing them to wake up.<sub> </sub>


    Only Ekay and Eren had decided to fight alone. The rest were fighting in pairs. Mia was not a frontline fighter anyway. She had already overexerted herself by spell spamming her long-range attacks to kill and injure demonic rankers in the surprise attack. As a result, some rankers were assigned to protect her.


    The ongoing battles were under control. Nobody had tried to get close to Eren and Jario''s fight though. The guy was scary and gave off an extremely dominant aura. Plus, he was close to achieving an Awakened rank. Only Eren was confident enough to fight him.


    Even Eren would not have taken Jario on by himself if he did not have his ring to rely on. And he could only take the demonic ranker down because he had set a multiyered trap for him. Otherwise, things would have gotten much more serious.


    Eren''s fight with Jario onlysted a few minutes. Despite this, it was the most strenuous battle in the city hall.


    Eren was still out of breath as he took Jario''s corpse and his two axes into his storage. He would take a look at his spoils of warter on. At this point, he had a more crucial thing to do.


    Eren was going through a multi-stage breakthrough once again.


    His battle with Jario and his use of the overdrive technique had helped him dig up his dormant potential. A cloud of Rank 1 mana surrounded him as his two mana cores spun around in their positions. They started absorbing the mana that was surrounding Eren at rapid space while transitioning from sparse to dense liquid state at the same time.


    Eren felt a pleasant sensation wash over him as his fatigue from using the overdrive technique was relieved. The wound on his back started healing as well. He was fed with newfound power and stamina as his body naturally strengthened.


    Eren''s mana pathways expanded as well. Their connections with various mana points became moreplex as new mana pathways kept being created while the existing ones were getting strengthened.


    Just like the previous time, Eren''s infinite mana core kept on feeding itself with more mana like an endless pit. The cloud of Rank 1 mana kept on getting generated as a result. This in turn allowed his body to experience multi-stage breakthroughs.


    An event that was supposed to be rare happened again to Eren. Regardless of what it looked like, he was sure it was not Gahan''s Blessing.


    Eren''s team members and demonic rankers were keeping an eye on Eren, who was almost in the middle of city hall. They were all shocked when Eren''s ranking status changed from the fourth to the sixth stage of the Meta Rank. Both of his mana cores had reached the solid state of Rank 1.


    Eren''s mana cores were stabilized after entering the solid stage. He smiled to himself when he processed all his gains. A life-threatening duel with Jario had profited him in more ways than one.


    "Now¡­ where were we?"


    As Eren gripped his Tachi, he said. He looked around himself and pondered who needed his help the most. Then he disappeared from his position, leaving the sparks of lightning behind him.


    A dying shrill was heard in the next instant.

 Chapter 111 Forbidden Technique

    ''Damn it. It is very difficult to get rid of these runic bindings.''


    Miranda said frustratingly.


    ''What are we supposed to do here, Kiara? If we don''t do something¡­''


    Miranda spoke to Kiara telepathically while trying to free herself from the runic bindings that were part of the town''s protective array. Desperation could be seen on her face, especially in her eyes as a burning city hall was reflected in them.


    Miranda and Kiara both felt the effects of the miasma when it was used. They couldn''t keep tabs on what was happening inside the city hall anymore. The istion array had already made it difficult for them to keep track of what was happening inside.


    Both of them understood that some underhanded tactics were being used inside the city hall by the demonic rankers. Otherwise, there would have been clear signs of fighting.


    Unlike Miranda, Kiara was seen with her eyes closed. Struggling in this manner did not solve anything. Now was the time to get desperate and try to break free using drastic measures avable at their disposal.


    Kiara kept her calm and looked in the direction of the city hall. She pondered for a bit and made up her mind before responding to Miranda.


    ''Mir, I''m nning to use a forbidden spell that can allow me to break free of these bindings. I''ll get to the wall''s control unit and free you after taking care of this Rnd bastard and his subordinates.


    But that''d probably be it. I won''t be able to do anything else. Using this technique is going to cause me to regress into my ranking journey, even if I don''t die. And I''ll stop being useful for quite some time. So you''ll have to handle the mission afterward.''


    Kiara said with a straight face. Miranda, who was still struggling to get free of her bindings, suddenly stopped and repeated what Kiara had said in her mind. She couldn''t believe Kiara was nning to take it this far. She also wondered if she should follow her lead.


    ***


    The forbidden techniques were what came after hyperdrive techniques. They were what their name implied- forbidden. In addition to harming the ranker''s body and mana circuits, they also damage the mana cores.


    Some forbidden techniques were so powerful that they could allow their caster to bridge a dividing gap between two ranks. That is if their bodies and mana circuits were capable of doing so.


    The spells cast while under the effects of the forbidden technique were called forbidden spells. As a result, these spells were way more powerful than their normal variants. So powerful in fact that they would allow the rankers to cast spells beyond the spell output set for their ranks.


    However, a coin always has two sides to it. Everything in the worldes with a price tag in some form or the other. Those who used the forbidden techniques were walking on thin ropes. One wrong move and their mana cores would implode, resulting in them dying instantly.


    Even if one managed to survive the effects of the forbidden spell, one would be incapacitated for a month or two. The possibility of regressing into ranking status was also present.


    Only the veteran rankers who had practiced enough would be able to send their mana circuits into overdrive. Only a few of them could master the hyperdrive techniques. The forbidden technique followed the same logic in that those who would master it were even fewer.<sub> </sub>


    Kiara''s somewhat confident im that she might not die from using the forbidden technique was what surprised Miranda the most. It meant that the Awakened ranker was pretty confident at using the forbidden technique.


    ***


    ''No Kiara! Wait. We need to think this through. What would happen if you get incapacitated like that?


    You are our best bet against Bl Blood. Even if I manage to contact the guild now, the backup team would not be able to reach there in time. Everything will be ruined. I¡­ I''ll try using the forbidden¡­''


    Kiara didn''t let Miranda finish. She cut her off right away by adding further.


    ''This is not a child''s game, Miranda. Although I don''t look like it, I''m 20 years older than you. Do you think the experience I''ve gained is something you''d be able to match up with just with your talent alone?


    You''d die trying to use the forbidden technique. You are not ready yet. Let¡­''


    Kiara was about to say something to Miranda. But suddenly she stopped and looked at Rnd''s changed expressions. The guy was confused and worried. It was as if things hadn''t worked out the way he was expecting them to.


    ? Kiara stopped executing the forbidden technique and followed Rnd''s gaze. In the next moment, the istion array surrounding the city hall was broken and the mes that had embraced the entire building burst outward.


    Something unexpected had happened. Rnd''s expressions turned grim as he addressed his subordinates.


    "My men, prepare to move. We don''t want to help the bastards. But we have to check what is going on."


    Rnd was about to head to the city hall along with a bunch of soldiers when he sensed somethinging toward him. He gripped his sword and turned in the direction from which he sensed a distinct mana signatureing at him.


    The next thing Rnd knew, there were a few shadows that had climbed the town wall by leaping onto it using their movement spells. He was just beginning to identify them but his attention was divided when one of them threw something toward him.


    Rnd was too stunned to fall back at this point. The object that was thrown seemed to be some kind of alchemy bomb designed to harm him and his subordinates. He drew his sword and prepared himself for the impact.


    But he and all of his subordinates were shocked when they identified what the object was. It was the severed head of someone who they all knew too well.


    "Jario!"


    Rnd yelled in utter disbelief when he carefully looked at the head that was lying not too far away from his feet. Someone had cut his head as a symbol to show what must have happened inside the city hall.

 Chapter 112 Bulal Blood

    "Free them.


    Now!"


    Rnd heard someone speak in a grim tone to him. It was the same shadow that had thrown the severed head of Jario toward him.


    This white-haired young man had a mysterious air around him now that he had freed himself from the burning building. It was as if he was still not satisfied with the number of killings he had performed inside the city hall. He wanted more.


    This blue-eyed man was looking for an excuse to cause more mayhem now that it hade to it. His annoyance and anger were influencing his mana signature. A few streaks of lightning sparked and made their presence known all over his body.


    Rnd also observed that the man was just in his 6th stage of the Meta rank. Being an Awakened ranker himself, the guards'' captain didn''t have any reason to obey the orders of someone like him.


    And yet, for some reason, he waspelled to do so. The young man''s presence was too domineering for him not to.


    "Release Miss Miranda and Miss Kiara."


    Rnd sheathed his sword and sighed before ordering his subordinates. Hearing this, the soldiers looked at each other with doubts on their faces. One of them couldn''t help blurting out to his captain.


    "But captain... our binding contract with..."


    Rnd looked at the source of the objection with dissatisfaction before speaking up.


    "The contract is no more. For us to be bound by the contract, they needed to take these rankers with them. Now hurry up and do as I say."


    Whatever their fates might be, Rnd understood that he, his subordinates, and the people who had been taken hostage couldn''t depend on Bl''s side anymore. The only option they did have now was to cooperate with the rankers who hade here toplete the mission.


    Eren was really angry. The first team mission he was part of ended up being almost sabotaged by the team''s allies. He could hear Tory''sughter in his head, taunting his luck for what it was.


    Reece, Mia, Ekay, and Rhea were behind Eren. They had also been joined by all the other rankers. Thankfully, there was no casualty from Eren''s side. The demonic rankers had relied on the miasma too much. As such, they were immediately overwhelmed when Reec kept waking up the members of her team.


    "Eren...!"


    Miranda mumbled Eren''s name under her breath when she saw him. He had broken into the sixth stage of the Meta rank, which caught her off guard. It was as if the guy was gliding through his stages.


    Kiara and Miranda both got free from their bindings. In the next moment, Rnd was punched in his face by someone with a fist coated in dark orange mes.


    The soldiers who were standing around the scene like spectators raised their weapons when their captain was viciously attacked by an angry-looking Kiara. But they were stopped in their tracks by Rnd''s nextmand.


    "Stop! Don''t do anything stupid."


    Rnd said while getting up from his position. His body had been flung a few meters away from his position after he received the punch in his face. He was close to falling on his back but managed to stay on his feet.<sub> </sub>


    Rnd wiped the blood that wasing from one of his nostrils and adjusted his nose. He looked at the wiped blood on his finger and smiled bitterly before speaking up.


    "Alright. I guess I deserved that. But can we talk about how we are nning to take care of the mess we have found ourselves in?"


    Rnd said while looking at Kiara''s hands, which were still engulfed in mes. Even Eren could feel the warmth of those mes even when he was standing at a sufficient distance away from her. It was clear that Kiara didn''t pull anything back when attacking the guards'' captain in front of his own guards.


    Kiara wanted to continue attacking Rnd to vent her anger on him. But she knew he had a point. Still, she looked at her team and Miranda for confirmation. Only after nobody voiced their objection did Kiara extinguish her mes.


    "What is there to talk about? Nobody has got any sleep anyway. Let''sunch this blood mission now that it hase to this."


    Kiara said and looked at the soldiers surrounding her with nonchnce. However, her aura told them that she was more than eager to cause more pain to them if any of them voiced their objection.


    ***


    Pointlet forest.


    In the middle of the dense vegetation was a tribal ground. It featured various huts and wooden houses. The shabby construction of these houses would tell the spectators that they were just recently built.


    There was a two-story stone construction in the middle of these wooden houses that stood out from the rest. The stone walls appeared to have been built with earth-element spells.


    This stone house had various rooms on the top floor. The ground floor of the house was a giant hall that served as the meeting room as well as the space for conducting blood rituals.


    Bl Blood was pondering over something while sitting on a giant chair that oddly looked like a defunct throne. The chair was located at one side of the hall on a raised tform that offered Bl an elevated view of his audience.


    There was a bunch of demonic rankers standing with their hands behind their backs. They were like his small army, ready to attack any opponent upon hismand.


    Bl Blood was an old-looking man with a long gray beard. His shoulder-length white hair was cascading from his aged, cruel face. He had long white eyebrows and sunken eyes that were not overly visible.


    Bl had pale skin. But his hands were surprisingly red as if he had just dipped them into the pool of blood.


    Bl had donned a long coat that looked worn out. Inside the coat, he was sporting a knight-like armor that didn''t bode well with his image. Tapping his finger, he looked outside the open hall.


    "Hm. Why hasn''t Jario contacted me yet?"


    Saying this to himself, Bl frowned. In the next moment, he sensed some mana disturbance not too far away from him and his tribal ground. He stood from his seat and looked around as if trying to gauge the situation.


    Bl Blood knew that the tribal ground he was at was surrounded at this point.

 Chapter 113 Elevated Stats

    Eren wanted to know how much progress he had made.


    So he essed his I-Rune and saw his status screen appear in front of him.


    Name- Eren Elijah Idril


    Organization: Stardust Guild


    I-Rune Imprint: * (verified)


    Ranking Status: Rank 1 Meta Ranker (Liquid state mana core: Stage 6)


    ss- Battlemage


    Ranking Technique- Default


    Credit paid: 100/8000 Mana Quartz


    Base Stats:


    HP- 11.3/11.3


    MP- 15.2 ?/16.2 ?


    STR- 9.9


    AGI- 11.5


    INT- 8.7


    BTP- 57.6


    Rank 1 Spells: Solid Spark, Blitz Steps, Blitz Wave, Blitz Storm, Blitz Heal, Blitz Arrow, Blitz Shield, Blitz Shard, Blitz Whip, Alfem, Taranbiest (sync iplete)


    [Active mission #KL-644: Subjugation of demonic ranker Bl Blood and all his allies.


    Mission site: Pointlet Forest and nearby region.]


    This was a significant boost from his earlier stats. He couldn''t help smiling when he processed the progress that was in front of him.


    Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Clip-clop!


    There were a bunch of colts galloping through the night forest. Eren was one of the riders. He was busy seeing his progress when he heard a simple question hurled at him.


    <o>,m "How?"</o>


    While the entire team was riding their colts toward the Pointlet forest, Miranda asked Eren a question. Riding at midnight was a terrible idea. But Rnd had told them he knew a safe route to the forest which was devoid of any aggressive mana beasts.


    "I just did, you know. It was a do-or-die situation. And I pushed myself to perform. And the next thing I knew I was in the 6th stage of the Meta rank."


    Eren said honestly. By this point, he knew that tant lies would not get him anywhere. So he chose the path of telling iplete truths.


    Eren''s team members who were close to him had the same questions. All except Reece who was just happy that the guy had surpassed her. She was also in Rank 1''s fifth stage.<sub> </sub>


    But now Eren was a step ahead of her. She just wanted to catch up to him at this point, using the same method he had applied to achieve a forced breakthrough. Mia Silver was thinking along the same lines. Her case was a bit different because it was a bottleneck between the two ranks.


    The stage breakthroughs were rtively easy to achieve. Especially for those with synth bodies. But rank breakthroughs required a lot more from rankers than simply pushing themselves to the extreme.


    A ranking breakthrough would require a ranker to have a set level of elemental attainment of their element. Without it, a ranking breakthrough was a tall task to achieve.


    This was why Minrada was called a genius. She had no problem advancing into the Awakened rank because her elemental attainment was already high, to begin with.


    "Come on man. Tell us your secret already. You know I did you a solid, right? Now it''s time to return."


    Ekay spoke while riding beside Eren and Miranda. Obviously, he was talking about him introducing Eren to underground fights to make more money. Eren smiled mirthlessly before looking at Ekay. He pondered a bit before replying.


    "Well¡­ I think I benefited from doing regr workouts. A lot of rankers avoid doing workouts thinking their mana would take care of their muscles. And that''s all true. But sometimes, you need to put yourself under stress to see how much you can take.


    It''s also a way of coping with the mental burden we might face in our jobs."


    Eren paused and took a deep breath before concluding.


    "Worry about elemental attainmentter on. Meta rank is just the beginning. Why not have a routine for yourself that you can adhere to for as long as you can? It''s worth a shot. Look at me."


    ***


    Eren said and sped up his colt to match up with Miranda and Reece. Ekay, Reece, and Rhea looked at each other after Eren said what he had to say. All of their eyes were indicating that they were seriously considering following in Eren''s footsteps.


    Even Reece was listening. She too had decided to work out with Eren. Thetter was doing progressive overload in terms of gravitational force these days in any facility he could find. He was now working out while under the effects of 3.1 times the gravitational force of Earth.


    The rankers who knew about it had called it a waste of time. But now they were not so sure.


    Eren had used his workout as an excuse to cover the existence of his infinite mana core. But he didn''t know that the other rankers who were listening to his advice were seriously nning to follow his tip. He was also not aware that his tip was going to end up causing a cebo effect for a lot of rankers in the future.


    ***


    A team from the Stardust guild and Pointlet town''s guards led by Miranda, Kiara, and Rnd stopped at the border of the Pointlet forest. They were going to divide the teams into multiple squads to approach the possible location of Bl Blood.


    Eren had found a bunch of antidotes on the dead demonic rankers they had killed in the city hall. It wasn''t clear if the demonic rankers were nning to hand the vials of antidote to the soldiers or not. The contract at least ensured they had the antidotes with them.


    The immediate threat to the guards'' lives was over. But they had done a punishable offense by aiding the demonic rankers, even if they had done it unwillingly.


    Kiara had told Rnd and his soldiers that she would judge the performance of the soldiers in this raid. And that she would present the final report to her guild only after they were done with the mission.


    She had also told them that those who performed well in the mission would be highlighted in her report. And since it was a kingdom-level mission, it could work wonders for the soldiers who were employed by the kingdom.


    Kiara''s intentions were clear. She wanted the soldiers to perform above and beyond what was expected of them to clear their names. Nobody would prefer a renegade''s life. Now that they had been free of the ticking time bomb that was their dying bodies, they could give it all during this mission.


    Rnd hade to realize that Kiara was very crafty. She had applied a stick and carrot approach to rile up his soldiers. Yet he did not say a word against it. He hade to realize that the sooner he got on with the program, the better it would be for him and his soldiers.


    Soon an entire lot of rankers and soldiers were divided into squads. There were two types of squads. Those who ventured into the forest. And those who secured the area.


    The venturing squads were tasked with finding and confronting the enemies. Squads assigned as perimeter details were expected to provide cover at the right time after ensuring there were no fleeting enemies.


    After all, this was a purge. They weren''t taking any prisoners.

 Chapter 114 Bulal’s Uninvited Guests

    Eren''s squad was one of the venturing squads.


    It had him, Reece, Rhea, Ekay, and Mia in it. A full moon night made things a bit easier for them as they moved cautiously into the forest in the middle of the night.


    Eren had killed two demonic rankers in total while he was at city hall. It had given him the corpses of two demonic rankers he could loot from.


    The rankers had found various clues on the corpses of the demonic rankers that made their search in the forest a bit easy. They just needed to find out the markers mentioned in the clues to figure out where they were and where they needed to go.


    Soon, the rankers found what they were looking for. A tribe-like town was in front of them with shabby constructions serving as houses for demonic rankers.


    The attack squads let the perimeter security squads man their positions first. They took a while to arrange an istion array strong enough to even trap an Awakened ranker who was close to achieving Arch rank for a while.


    Zinn!


    The istion barrier of formless energy sprang up that only allowed one-way entry¨C inside. Since this was a special array for the Awakened ranker, even rankers from their side wouldn''t be able to freely get in and out of it.


    Kiara, Miranda, and Rnd were standing in front. Three Awakened rankers used their mana sense to judge the situation. It was Kiara who engulfed her fists into orange mes before speaking out.


    "As heartless as it might sound, we will worry about the hostagester. Our priority is to subjugate and kill Bl Blood and all the demonic rankers who are with him.


    Failing to do the task would only mean that there would be more incidents like these. Remember this, sometimes you have to be the beast to kill a beast."


    Kiara said seriously. She knew how gory the battle was going to be because of the simple fact that Bl Blood would be their opponent. He was a heartless man who was willing to extend to any lengths to achieve his goals.


    She took a long breath and looked at the raiders before speaking.


    "Let''s go."


    ***


    "My men, prepare to wee our uninvited guests."


    Bl told his subordinates when he noticed an istion barrier had been raised to cover the entire tribal area he controlled. However, he wasn''t afraid or angry. He startedughing like a hyena before saying out loud.


    "Hew hew hew hew hew hew hew! I shall use the blood of these younglings to advance to Arch rank."


    Bl said whileughing inhumanly. Theughter soon turned into a severe cough, letting his audience know that the guy was as old as he looked. Breaking into the Arch rank was his only hope to get a new lease on life. And he was doing everything in his power to achieve just that.<sub> </sub>


    JBl had realized something at this point. Jario had failed miserably in bringing the rankers into a sacrifice-ready condition. This was even though Jario was equipped with the miasma pearl crafted by him to easily achieve this feat.


    But the old man didn''t mind. If his old age had taught him anything, it was that not everything would turn out ording to one''s ns. One needed to adapt to their circumstances instead of trying to find what they could have done in the past and criticizing their past selves.


    "Aaaaaaaa!"


    The demonic rankers that were below the raised tform Bl were standing on released a battle cry when they saw the rankers entering their tribal ground.


    The demonic rankers used their movement techniques and approached their enemies in one go. Two distinct clusters of forces could be seen from the air approaching each other, about to sh with one another.


    Various spells were cast at the same time by all the rankers and demons involved in the sh. Clouds of dust soon engulfed the battlefield, reducing visibility, which was already low due to the nighttime.


    Swoosh. Kirr. sh.


    A lightning streak illuminated the area that was upied by Eren and his new enemy. He had already exchanged a few moves with the female demonic ranker.


    The woman looked ravishing in her sultry clothes. She had arge bust and shapely legs. Her dark ck hair and her rosy skin made her appear gorgeous under the moonlight. She didn''t look like a demonic ranker at all. Except for the fact that she had a deviant mana signature.


    This woman had two Bichuas in her hands that she handled effortlessly. It looked like she had a hybrid element.


    This woman was wearing a tight blouse and short-skirt-like apparel made of animal fur. Her body-hugging wear made her look as wild as the forest she was living inside.


    However, Eren had seen why the woman wasn''t afraid of wearing unranked clothes in battle. His weapon''s mana-coated attack wasn''t enough to leave a bruise on her left arm''s skin. This was unnatural. This was especially true since she was only in the 7th stage of the Meta rank.


    The demonic rankers always had weird tricks up their sleeve. So Eren wasn''t that surprised when he saw his opponent unharmed. Nevertheless, his job became more difficult.


    Reece and others were battling with other demonic rankers around him. Each had their hands full from both sides. The powerhouses from both sides had their own battleground that was at a distance from the mayhem the Meta rankers were causing among themselves.


    Eren was busy keeping track of everything around him when he heard his opponent''s seductive voice.


    "Hehe. You¡­ You seem like a feisty guy. What do you say we do to get away from this noisy crowd and find somece to get cozy with each other?"


    The woman''s voice was almost hypnotizing. So much so that it messed with Eren''s perception of time for a fraction of a second. And yet, it was enough for the demonic ranker tounch a decisive attack on Eren.

 Chapter 115 Undying Cockroach Vs Ariadne

    "Aaaargh!"


    Blitz Steps!


    Eren quickly got away from the female demonic ranker after he was stabbed in his guts by her. The pain had helped him get control of himself. He activated his healing spell while trying to maintain a safe distance from her.


    "You are quick on your feet, aren''t you? I just hope you are not this quick in everything you do. Hehehe!"


    She tried flirting with Eren with her cute gestures and pretty face some more. But this time, Eren could sense what was going on.


    He immediately shifted his focus to her shadow instead of directly looking at her. He could sense that looking at this demonic ranker directly was the reason behind him getting trapped in an illusory spell.


    The demon ranker was shocked by how quickly Eren figured out her spell. The ensemble she had worn, the essories in the forms of rings and earrings she had on her as well as her seductive talk were meant to enhance the effects of her illusory spell.


    However, that was not the only thing she could do. She was also proficient with her two curved daggers¨C Bichuas. She yed with them in her hands like some juggling act before speaking to Eren.


    "You know, boy. I had taken you for some immature ranker who hade here to die. But it turns out that you are not half bad. Still, the fact that you''d die here won''t change. Hehe.


    A shame really. I liked you. At least know the name of someone who''d put you to sleep for good. It''s Ariadne."


    Ariadne disappeared from her position after saying this. The next thing Eren knew, she had almost closed the distance between them.


    Eren activated his spell again and tried to create a distance between him and his opponent. But there was only so much space he could use to maintain the distance.


    Ariadne''s cuteughter rang in Eren''s ears once again. And suddenly, he came face to face with her while she was ying with her daggers.


    Eren saw Ariadne using her left arm tounch an attack on him in the form of a mana-imbued sh. So he tried to defend it using his Tachi. But the next thing he knew he was stabbed in his right thigh.


    Ariadne''s left arm which she had used tounch an attack disappeared from its position. Her left arm was still in the defensive position. It was her right arm she had used to attack Eren. And that right arm appeared in its real position only after her attack found its target.


    Ariadne was nning to continue her attacks. Eren activated his defensive artifact, his ring, and prevented her from injuring him any longer.


    ''This bitch!''


    Eren looked at Ariadne''s shadow while cursing her in his head. Ariadne retraced her steps and created a safe distance from her opponent after she saw an almost transparent energy dome protecting him.


    Ariadne didn''t have the power to brute force her way through the defenseyer to get to Eren. Her skillsy in making use of her illusory spells. And she was doing a fantastic jobnding multiple blows on Eren without him being able to deflect any of them.<sub> </sub>


    So all she could do was wait for Eren to run out of patience or for the shield''s limitations to kick in. She was also surprised that an insignificant-looking man had such a precious and life-saving artifact on him.


    She looked at Eren''s ring with keen interest. But then she shook her head before replying.


    "Boy, you won''t be able to attack me as long as your defense artifact is active. It''s not really helpful if your allies are scattered all over the ce. I''ll just attack them instead of focusing on you. Hehe."


    Ariadne said and smirked. She then charged in Rhea''s direction with exceptional speed. In the next moment, she sensed somethinging toward her¨C an attack. It made her smile from ear to ear, knowing that her strategy had worked.


    Eren dispelled his shield as soon as he saw that Ariadne was charging at Rhea. Everyone was engaged in a fierce battle with their opponents. Ariadne joining Rhea''s opponent at a crucial time would only put Rhea in harm''s way.


    It could lead to a disastrous oue for him and the rest of his team. So Eren decided to dispel his shield. Technically, he had used the shield twice tonight. He only had one usage left before needing a recharge.


    However, Eren started using his infinite mana core to charge the defensive artifact. The artifact still had its limits in allowing Eren to use it multiple times. But Eren knew he could use the artifact two more times in a row if he was given ample time to charge it.


    The problem this time was not the defense. But how could Erennd a blow on Ariadne without being hurt in the process?


    Eren hade to know that Ariadne didn''t only use illusory spells to hide her real actions and the actual position of her body. She could also use them to make her actions slower or faster than they are, throwing off Eren''s perception of countering them effectively.


    Eren gritted his teeth and endured all the injuries he had sustained in his fight with Ariadne. He had also tried his martial arts on her. But since his perception of her attacks and stance was off, he couldn''tnd any decent attack on her.


    Eren also tried casting his offensive spells on her. But the result wasn''t much different. Ariadne would use the spell''s effect as a diversion to appear from a different direction andunch an attack on him instead.


    All Eren could do was guard his vital points against her while keeping her busy with him. Using his infinite mana to constantly heal himself so as not to be incapacitated by his injuries.


    He was spamming healing spells and trying to ovee his injuries and his opponent like an undying cockroach.


    ''I am the best there is for what I do. But what I do isn''t very nice.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s mind. But he ignored it and kept fighting.


    Ariadne and Eren fought for some time. And the demonic ranker was getting tired. Her mana reserve was not infinite like her opponent.


    Ariadne was still a long way from being exhausted. But she could see that Eren was still keeping up with her even after sustaining many injuries in the process.


    ''How could this be?''

 Chapter 116 Using Fire Element

    ''How could this be?''


    Ariadne thought to herself as she saw Eren''s healing spell healing his injuries that she had inflicted recently. She couldn''t believe a non-healer ss was so effective at using a healing spell.


    ''This guy is a problem.''


    Ariadne readied herself for apletely different approach. She channeled her movement spell which blurred her legs and made it appear as if she only had a torso. In the next moment, she disappeared from her position only to appear right behind Eren.


    Eren sensed his opponent from behind him and swung his Tachi at her. For the first time, thedy demon didn''t try to counter it with her curved daggers. She let the Tachi make contact with her neck with a smirk on her face.


    Eren felt something was amiss. But that didn''t stop him frompleting his action.


    Stuck!


    Eren''s weapon was stuck halfway into chopping Ariadne''s head clean off. Her image started getting blurred the next moment. But at this point, Eren felt another presence from 3 meters above him.


    As soon as Ariadne got behind Eren, shepletely obscured her presence. To confuse Eren, she had left her illusory shadow behind her. And with her unique spell, she managed to make Eren''s weapon unavable for his next attack.


    "Hehe. You are mine."


    Ariadne said with a light smile on her face. She licked her lips while saying it. The spellbo she had used just now wasn''t something she could cast lightly. She expended a great deal of mana on it. So she had to make the instance count.


    The demondy was aiming for the head.


    "Shit."


    Eren let go of his Tachi when he saw he couldn''t pull it off of Ariadne''s illusory shadow. He was trying to get away from his position with his movement spell. However, he suddenly found out that he was facing another psychic attack from Ariadne that made him unable to cast any spell.


    Ariadne''s dark blue eyes lost their shine when the psychic attack waspleted. She had made Erenpletely defenseless against her iing attack.


    Or so she thought.


    ng!


    Sparks flew and the mana signatures shed with each other.


    Ariadne''s curved daggers were met with two axes wielded by Eren. She wasn''t a stranger to these axes. They were the same axes that Jario was using. Before his death that is.


    Eren snapped out of his spell paralysis and cast his movement spell. Not to run away but to imbue his feet with an absurd amount of lightning mana. He was tired of putting up a show when his life was on the line.<sub> </sub>


    Eren let the infinite mana run through his mana circuits and every fiber in his body and becamepletely d in lightning energy. He then put all his bnce on one leg and used the other leg to kick the woman in her guts that were trying to adjust her posture midair.


    "Aaaaaaaah!"


    Ariadne cried in a sharp voice as she felt the pain generated by Eren''s kick. She was flung away from her positiona€¡° creating a parabolic trajectory in the air before crashing on the ground about 10 meters away from her previous position.


    She had coughed blood when she tried to stand up from her condition. It was clear that her internal organs were damaged. Her exposed tummy had a clear footprint of Eren''s shoes because the lightning mana had burned the skin which had made direct contact with it.


    "You... why do you have those axes?"


    Ariadne asked Eren as she got up and wiped the blood off of her lips. She gulped the blood that was trying toe out while she did that and ran her healing spell. Her mana storage was almost depleted. And although she had a mana-replenishing potion in her storage, she didn''t think that a guy like Eren would allow her to consume it in peace.


    Eren had just gotten his leg, which he had used to kick Ariadne with, down in its usual position when he heard Ariadne''s question. He looked at the axes he was holding with a genuine interest on his face as he replied. More to himself than to Ariadne.


    "These are pretty cool, aren''t they? d I killed that Jario guy to get these babies for myself."


    Eren said and smirked before imbuing the weapons with his fire mana. He had already gotten rid of Jario''s residual mana signature on the weapons, making thempletely his.


    Eren''s hybrid elemental affinity had granted him ess to the primary great elements it was derived from. He had been practicing a lot with Reece and Miranda during his free time to make himself get used to using fire-element mana and the only fire-element spell he had.


    Eren had found it difficult to channel fire and lightning element mana at the same time at first. Using fire-element mana would disturb his ongoing lightning element spells because of hisck of proficiency. But with time, he was getting ustomed to using the fire element mana in conjunction with his go-to spells.


    And now that he was wielding fire-element axes in his hands, it was time to test just how proficient he had be in using a fire-element spell in real-time.


    Blitz Steps!


    Eren used his movement spell and approached Ariadne with caution in his mind. He also charged his weapons with fire-element mana and tapped into their weapon spells.


    Swing!


    To Eren''s surprise, one of his weapons flew out of his hand as soon as its weapon spell was used. He wasn''t ready for the weapon to build momentum by itself strong enough to escape his grip.


    The remaining weapon in his right hand flew towards Ariadne in a rapid forward motion like a bullet, cutting through the air with its sheer velocity and cartwheel-like momentum. The next thing Ariadne knew, her arm was almost chopped away from her shoulder by its joint.


    A fountain of blood gushed from the serious injury Eren''s newfound weapon had caused to Ariadne. The orange-glowing head of the weapon had only inflicted the wound before spinning one more time and getting away from the initial contact. The weapon had only half-chopped Ariadne''s arm before making its merry way behind her while spinning in the air, doing cartwheels.


    Eren stopped a few meters away from her when he suddenly lost his weapons. He and Ariadne both looked at each other in surprise and horror as they processed how his weapons had gone haywire.

 Chapter 117 Homing

    "You... you are even more immature than I thought you were in the beginning!"


    Ariadne looked at Eren angrily and said out loud. She cast her healing spell on her body while getting ready for his next attack. She looked visibly upset that her seemingly-delicate body had to suffer through so much trouble.


    Only now did Eren understand why Jario was used to spinning around himself like a goofball. He was trying to kill the momentum generated by his axes while still holding onto them.


    It was his fault for trying to make use of someone else''s artifacts without even testing them first. But in his defense, he had no other choice but to do so. Eren smartly decided to retrace his steps instead of advancing and returned to his previous position. At this point, Ariadne''s illusory double had been nothing but a blurred mass of mana.


    Ariadne''s hybrid element was derived from ether and water, which allowed her to cast various types of spells. The illusory double spell made use of water-element mana as well as ether element, enabling her to pull off what she did.


    But since the spell was no longer active, Eren was able to recover his Tachi by pulling it off from its stuck position. In the next moment, Ariadne''s clone lost its shape and form and became water before dispersing into thin air.


    Ariadne was surprised Eren had kept his cool and decided to retreat. She had a surprise nned for him just in case he decided to press on with the advantage. Even so, his retreat was notpletely detrimental to her.


    She retrieved vials of all-stats recovery as well as wound recovery potions before gulping them down in one go. She then looked at Eren with a stressed expression on her face.


    Ariadne decided on something at this point. There was no point sticking around in this ce. Especially when someone like Bl Blood was here. Dying in front of that crazy guy was thest thing a ranker would want to do in this situation.


    Ariadne had onlye here to get resources. She would only fight the battles that she knew she could win. Battling with Eren had made her realize that she would be hard-pressed to survive the next round.


    Eren on the other hand was thinking of many things at once. He was also keeping track of his team members. A lot of them had already done what Ariadne had done, drinking potions to sustain their long fights.


    ''I need to recover those axes!''


    Eren knew he wouldn''t be able to control the axes in a short time. But he wanted to try a different approach.


    Ariadne and Eren both looked at each other in the next moment before activating their movement spells at the same time. After disappearing from their positions, they shed in the middle of the battlefield.


    Another round of battle ensued at this point. This time, Eren had not focused on attacking Ariadne. Instead, he focused on defense, tiring her out with her relentless assault. As a result, he faced fewer repercussions than before. The injuries he received this time were also minor.


    Eren would also use the concepts of Jeet Kune Do once in a while whenever he got the chance to do so. He would convert the momentum Ariadne had generated with her attacks and turn it against her. He would find a chink in her defense before striking her with his free hand while defending against her curved dagger with his Tachi.<sub> </sub>


    Ariadne found herself getting stuck with Eren. She hade to realize that even if she wanted to flee the scene, Eren would treat it as if she were aiming for his team members'' heads. He won''t allow her to leave on her own.


    Just when she thought she couldnd a serious blow to Eren, she heard him mumble.


    "Found you!"


    Eren said softly to himself before casting the spell that he had not tried in real battles yet.


    Blitz Whip!


    A lightning whip was conjured into existence in the next moment. Its one end was grabbed by Eren in his free hand while the other end extended towards something that had been resting on the ground for a while.


    Eren tugged on the lightning whip as soon as its other end hooked onto the object. An object that he had identally thrown. The fire-element ax came flying towards Eren at incredible speed.


    Ariadne realized what was going on and she decided to cut the whip with her Bichuas. The lightning whip wasn''t something she couldn''t get rid of. After thinking for a moment, she decided to retreat.


    Ariadne had sensed that Eren had also used his other hand to cast the lightning whip. It was apparent he was able to recover his fire-element weapons this way without breaking his stance and generating defects in his defense.


    Her quick thinking enabled her to create a safe distance from Eren. She didn''t want to be around the guy when he operated on his axes. He was a danger to himself as well as to others around him.


    Eren was holding both his axes in both hands once again. He pumped his fire-element mana into them and charged at them. He still had his stacked Blitz Whip spell. The lightning whips were still attached to the weapons despite their reduced size.


    Lightning-element whips couldn''tplement the weapons'' fire-element runes. But they were enough to keep the weapons in check and under Eren''s control.


    ''Hm. I thought that spell was useless ever since I used it because it did not have as much damage output as I wanted it to have. I had learned it as a support spell for something else. Turns out, I was justcking creativity and the right weapons.''


    Eren thought to himself before using both his fire and lightning mana at the same time. He had also decided that he would get a fire-element variant of the Blitz Whip from Malcolm in the future. But for now, he wanted to test what he had juste up with.


    He was now in possession of homing weapons afterbining the inscribed spells on the weapons with his support spell.

 Chapter 118 Escape

    Bzzt. Swoosh. Pull.


    Eren tapped the weapon spells of his two axes and let them fly away from his grip willingly. He had adjusted his release in such a way that they would fly toward his opponent at the time.


    When the weapons flew past Ariadne, Eren tugged at them by pulling the lightning whips they were attached to. He forced them to change their direction and approach Ariadne from two separate directions.


    Eren adjusted the length and force behind his lightning whips in real time as he approached Ariadne from the front. It allowed him to change the direction of his weapons and make them cover arge area with their changing orientation and direction. As a result, a three-pronged attack had been initiated against the demonic ranker.


    Eren had digested the memories of various martial arts and weapon arts. He employed those memories in the y as well, giving his newly devised strategy a deadly edge.


    He was also able to replenish the axes with his unelementalized mana sent through the lightning whips. He wouldter transform it into fire-element mana using the control of his mana sense. Thus, the axes were always charged and had their own momentum as they flew about in the surroundings.


    Things would have been much easier and faster if Eren had a fire-element spell instead of Blitz Whip. That way, he would have been directly able to supply the weapons with his fire-element mana, avoiding mana conflict and making both the spells more effective than they were at this point.


    However, the battle strategy he hade up with against Ariadne worked just as well for him anyway. That''s because he was able to keep a distance from her while attacking her in a way she couldn''tpletely predict or be prepared against.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    The two axes whizzed around the two rankers at breakneck speeds. They were still attached to the lightning whips by their knobs. But since the lightning whips would be semi-transparent or formless from time to time, it looked like the axes had minds of their own as they flew about around the two rankers.


    Ariadne''s survival insects were screaming warning signs from all around her. She had sent her mana circuits into overdrive and was using her movement spell to her fullest now that her life was on the line.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Cut.


    The axes were grazing past her delicate skin, cutting her up from multiple points of contact. However, the cuts were shallow. The axes hadn''t managed tond a decisive blow on her. But she knew she wouldn''t be able to handle the pressure for much longer.


    Swoosh. Pull. Swoosh.


    Eren was quickly bing used to handling the two flying axes as if they were extensions of his limbs. Jario had thought of spinning around to control the two axes. It was Eren who had applied a different approach, directing the axes that were only interested in cutting through the air.


    In a way, Eren refined Jario''s approach and made the ax attacks more lethal as well as unpredictable. It looked like the axes were dancing to his tunes. They won''t always dance the way he wanted them to. But they were getting used to his instructions as well.


    Swoosh. Cut. Cleave.


    Ariadne was seen losing her left arm when the two axes attacked at the same spot from different directions. They had attacked her one after the other without a pause, catching her off guard.<sub> </sub>


    "Aaaaaaah!"


    Ariadne cried in pain as she saw her severed arm leaking plenty of blood right where it had fallen on the ground. Her torso was doing the same, but she was too busy still dodging the weapons homing on her to care about the pain of blood loss.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Cleave.


    Ariadne''s left leg was severed from its knee joint. At this point, she had be a target of many flying ax moves that were constantly getting unleashed on her.


    Eren showed no mercy towards his opponent now that he had the power to overwhelm her. He controlled his two axes and sent them toward Ariadne one more time to im her life.


    The axes whistled as they cut through the air at breakneck speeds before attacking Ariadne''s battered visage. One of the axes chopped her head clean off while the other lodged itself into her chest¨C targeting her heart.


    Eren tugged at his weapons using his lightning whips and recovered his weapons. He was mentally exhausted by using his mana sense so intensively like that. He felt like he had a headache and his face was red.


    Eren grabbed hold of his two weapons and saw Ariadne falling to the ground with a distinct thud. The wounds of her missing limbs released even more blood now that there was no mana defenseyer to control the blood loss.


    Eren wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with the sleeves of his arm and looked at his two weapons. They allowed him to extend his range of attacks while giving him the freedom he needed to approach the opponent.


    Eren knew there was so much room for improvement in the new battle style he had found for himself. And it would get enhanced further when he paired up with the right Hex gear. However, it would take time and experience. For now, he was happy with the result he had received.


    Eren was about to move on to helping his team members when something started bugging him. He observed the blood on the bits of the axes he held.


    ''Hm? This blood¡­!''


    The blood the weapons'' bits had on them looked ck and old. As if Ariadne had died a long time ago and he had only chopped off a dead body.


    He looked at fallen Ariadne and was shocked to see that there was someone else lying in her ce. He looked around himself and saw that Ariadne was nowhere to be found.


    The beauty-with-brains demonic ranker had cast an illusory spell on a dead body. She had stored it in her storage and recovered it just in time to act as Eren''s punching bag at the veryst moment.


    Ariadne had escaped from the scene without anyone being the wiser.

 Chapter 119 Purpose Behind Guards Infection

    Eren was shocked when he realized the kind of stunt Ariadne had pulled on him.


    He also understood that he shouldn''t underestimate the tricks the demonic rankers had up their sleeves just because they were of lower ranking status than him. Their unique spells seemed more potent than most spells used by normal rankers.


    Eren saw the corpse of an unknown person lying in front of him. She was a normal mortal woman who seemed to be from the nearby region judging from her clothes.


    Eren was about to destroy her body into nothingness with his spell to give her thest rites when something grabbed his attention. The corpse had the same signs of rot that the guards of Pointlet town had developed before the antidote was given to them.


    ''This is¡­''


    Eren had a grim premonition all of a sudden.


    He quickly cast the Blitz Shards spell and covered the corpse with lightning shards all over it. He created a distance between himself and the corpse before detonating the shards, resulting in a distinct lightning surge blooming in the middle of the battleground.


    "Skreeeeee!"


    The corpse released a sharp voice as lightning tongues danced all over its body. The worn-out clothes it was wearing disappeared and it started writhing as if it was feeling ufortable by the treatment Eren had subjected it to.


    "Skreeeee!"


    "Skreeeee!"


    "Skreeeee!"


    Eren looked around himself with absolute shock when he heard multiple sources of high-pitched voicesing from various directions. He soon realized that Ariadne was not the only one who had pulled a corpse out of her storage.


    The demonic rankers had multiple corpses stored in their storage space. They started pulling these corpses out of their storage at the same time after Ariadne started the whole thing.


    These corpses were moving their limbs and writhing in unknown agony as they came back to life at the same time. In contrast with Ariadne, the demonic rankers who had pulled these corpses from their storage stayed to protect these abominations from being attacked by rankers.


    "Hahahahahaha!"


    Bl''s Blood''sughter was heard from a distance when he executed the spell he was known for. Miranda, Kiara, and Rnd also stopped fighting Bl and his forces when they sensed an anomaly happening in the surroundings.


    Flesh golems!


    Bl had started creating flesh golems out of the corpses that the rankers had taken out. The corpses grew in size and stature as the death-like mana was injected into them.


    The flesh golems started losing the earlier visage they had and started turning into hideous creatures. These hideous creatures grew extra sets of arms and limbs. Some even grew multiple heads while others developed tails and long nails.<sub> </sub>


    Some of the flesh golems had multiple eyes on their face while the others had some other horrible features. All flesh golems looked different from each other. But they had one thing inmon. They were giving off a threatening sensation.


    All the flesh golems had festering muscle fibers that seemed to suddenly multiply in numbers. The muscle fibers were so dense and overwhelming that they had ripped off the deathly pale skin of the corpses.


    The flesh golems didn''t seem to be the harnessers of mana as their mana cores were destroyed in the transformation. That is if the corpses belonged to rankers before their death in the first ce.


    However, all the flesh golems seemed to have exceptional body stats values. Plus, they seemed to be resistant to mana-based elemental attacks.


    The flesh golem transformation prevented the creatures from using their mana. But in return, they had gained tremendous raw power and physical strength.


    Eren could see that the flesh golems wouldn''t be able to sustain their existence for long. Their bodies would crumble in a few hours even if left to their own devices. But in the meantime, they had the power to cause huge damage to the rankers if they did not deal with them swiftly.


    "Those signs of rot¡­"


    Rnd mumbled to himself when he saw what kind of signs the flesh golems showed before their activation. He then looked at his own arms that had those signs not too long ago.


    The guards had already recognized some of the corpses that had turned into flesh golems. They were the same mortal townspeople and ranker guards that Bl Blood had kidnapped a few days back.


    Rnd''s eyes turned red in wrath and anguish. He hade to realize that Bl Blood had no ns to release the prisoners he had captured.


    It looked like he was nning to subject the people who had been infected with the rot to the same fate the prisoners were currently suffering through¨C being turned into flesh golems.


    Rnd and his guards that were currently alive and present on the battlefield were spared from the same fate, thanks to Eren retrieving the antidote. The guards'' captain would have turned into a flesh golem himself had he counted on Bl to honor his end of the deal.


    "This fucking asshole! I''ll kill him. I''ll kill him no matter what. Aargh!"


    Rnd was about to charge at Bl Blood recklessly without worrying about the consequences. The demonic rankers'' head was standing at a distance from him, chuckling at Rnd, Miranda, and Kiara to mock them.


    But suddenly, Rnd''s face was met with a sudden water ball that was conjured right in front of his eyes. This attack that wasunched at him didn''t contain any ill will. It was only supposed to stop him from taking any reckless action.


    "Get a hold of yourself. You are the guards'' captain. Now, if you falter and lose yourself in your anger, your soldiers would follow you.


    Tell me what would suit you the most now. Would you rather be turned into a flesh golem and let Bl Blood escape? Or keep a calm head and deal with him once and for all?


    Especially now when you and your town have paid such a heavy price."


    As she looked at Bl Blood and his two Awakened-rankedpanions with grim expressions, Miranda said to Rnd.

 Chapter 120 Flesh Golems Appear

    Eren''s preemptive attack had caused a great deal of damage to the flesh golem.


    It had lost its skin. And the Blitz Shards had destroyed the corpse''s muscle fibers that had gotten exposed because of no epidermis as well.


    The flesh golem transformation, however, seems to have allowed the creatures to heal some of the wounds and injuries they suffered beforehand. The flesh golem Eren was confronted with also managed to recover some of its strength by regenerating the flesh that was destroyed by his spell.


    Of course, Eren''s attack wasn''tpletely useless. The flesh golem didn''t seem that threatening to him whenpared to other flesh golems his team members were currently facing. It was as if recovering the charred muscles had made the flesh golem transformation less threatening.


    It looked like someone had extracted all the water content from the flesh golem Eren was seeing in front of him. The process resulted in the flesh golem being an inferior variant to what it could have been.


    "Screeee!"


    Some of the flesh golems were going to attack the demonic rankers that had protected them while they were being transformed. It seemed that the flesh golems did not have any basic understanding of who their friends or foes were. They just wanted to attack everyone and everything in their path to self-destruction.


    "Easy, my children!"


    Bl Blood''s red-stained hands glowed with a distinct light as he raised and spread them. A distinct red-mana pulse was released with him as the center. This mana pulse managed to calm the flesh golems, preventing them from attacking the demonic rankers who were on Bl''s side.


    This was the reason why Ariadne left after recovering the corpse from her storage. The flesh golems could only be controlled by Bl. And she didn''t want to put her safety in his hands.


    "Be careful. If you die in this sick bastard''s presence, you''d turn into flesh golems too."


    Kiara said after observing the changes happening to the dead bodies of three demonic rankers and a soldier. They were alive not too long ago. After their deaths, they had been turned into flesh golems without even showing symptoms of rot on their bodies before dying.


    Kiara''s mana-imbued voice spread in the surroundings, making everyone realize how dire a situation they were in. They couldn''t even die peacefully in Bl Blood''s presence. Upon their death, the Awakened demonic ranker would turn them into one of his minions.


    Kiara coated her hands in her mes and narrowed her eyes on Bl Blood and his twopanions before giving out her final orders.


    "Remember, the fire element works best on flesh golems followed by the lightning element. This is the case even with the reduced elemental damage the golems receive.


    Spells, potions, scrolls, and artifacts rted to those elements can be used to the fullest on flesh golems by those with the means to do so.


    Otherwise, maintain a safe distance from the flesh golems and find ways to hurt them using physical damage. These meatballs are stupid. They don''t know how to coordinate their attacks in a chain. Something you can do with ease.


    Always stay active on your feet and attack only when necessary.


    These flesh golems would have golem cores developed somewhere in their bodies. If you could find them, destroy them and they''d be done with. Or destroy their bodiespletely, preventing them from regenerating at all. That''s how you deal with flesh golems.


    Attack!"<sub> </sub>


    Kiara said herst words beforeunching her assault.


    Bl Blood was being handled by Kiara before his flesh golems made an appearance. He transformed his body into a semi-flesh golem state to fight her.


    This body gave Bll Blood enhanced stats and instant recovery from any minor wounds. This was how he was surviving against Kiara who was using her sword and her fire spells to perfection.


    Still, it was clear that Bl Blood was not someone who could take on the frontal sh when put against someone like Kiara. Thus, he removed two corpses from his storage as soon as he decided to use his trump card.


    It seemed that there were certain limitations ced on Bl Blood. Most rankers theorized that the limitations came from the number of flesh golems he could make and control at any particr time.


    A new round of battling began on the battlefield. Previously, Eren''s side had the numbers advantage and the demonic rankers were ying defensively. But at this point, the situation had been reversed.


    "Screeeee!"


    The flesh golem released another half-deafening shrill before approaching him with crazy speed. It didn''t make use of mana. However, its raw physical strength allowed the flesh golem to approach Eren with great speed nheless.


    ''Fire-element spells, Huh!''


    Eren thought to himself as he dodged the flesh golem easily. Although it was fast, it did not have the cunning of a living, breathing ranker. The creature approached him in a straight line while screeching wildly.


    The flesh golem''s twisted legs gave it an abnormal stride. Thus, it was not that difficult for Eren to maintain a distance from it using his movement spell.


    Eren imagined that other rankers wouldn''t have it as easy as him. Because although the flesh golems were easy to dodge, they were more numerous than the rankers themselves. The addition of demonic rankers to the equation made battling Bl''s side even more difficult.


    Eren wouldn''t be in hisfort zone for a long time either. He needed to quickly destroy the flesh golem for good before moving on to his next target.


    ''Good time as any to test my fire-element spell, I guess.''


    Eren thought to himself and smiled. For some reason, he wasn''t as downcast as the rest of the rankers. In addition, he was not as emotionally invested as the soldiers. Every battle was teaching him many things at once. Each fight was giving him valuable experience.


    ''People never really learn anything by being told. They have to find out for themselves.''


    A thought rippled in his mind as he activated his mana circuits to cast his fire-element spell. With these battles, Eren was incorporating all those memories he had taken from Bruce into himself.


    The fire-element mana surged around Eren under the guidance of his mana sense. At the next moment, a me appeared in front of him before taking the shape of a firebird.


    "Alfem!"

 Chapter 121 Escaping Traitors

    "Chirp!"


    Eren stacked his fire-element spell and created a bunch of firebirds around him. They looked like sparrows.


    These firebirds were about two feet long and had twice the wingspan. Their bodies were made of mes that burned with a distinct sound, making one feel that they were chirping.


    Eren used his mana sense to guide these firebirds into attacking his flesh golem opponent en masse. Birds made of mes flew through the air, chirping louder as they flew.


    Boom!


    The firebirds attacked the flesh golem from all angles, trapping it inside a growing cloud of orange mes. In the next moment, the me cloud started disintegrating into various firebirds, revealing the current state of the flesh golem who had been forced to stop in its tracks.


    The flesh golem''s skin had been charred and it had clear signs of being impacted by the firebirds from all angles. The firebirds were made of a dense mass of fire-element mana, giving them the mass necessary to create such an impact upon collision even though they were ethereal in their foundation.


    "Screee!"


    When its body started burning from the mes caused by the firebirds, the flesh golem screamed in pain and agony. Its enemies were circling all around him in the air, trying to find an appropriate moment to strike.


    Alfem was a very well-known fire-element spell. It was just that it wouldn''t be used by most fire-element rankers because of the amount of density it required of fire-element mana. Most rankers would find it taxing on their mana reserves to cast such a spell.


    Alfem was a summoning-type spell that required a ranker to summon the fragment of higher consciousness that was linked with the world''s will. The higher consciousness was supposed to be connected with the thoughts of every being that had existed in Gahan since its time of inception.


    Therefore, the higher consciousness would mimic the behaviors of every creature that was part of the Gahan in the past or present. A summoning-type spell taps into this aspect of higher consciousness.


    The summoning-type spells needed mana bodies for the fragment of higher consciousness to temporarily reside in. As such, the mana density required to conjure the mana body was not something that could be cast casually. Especially when it was the Rank 1 mana that was getting used.


    Therefore, the summoning-type spells were usually reserved for summoners in the Awakened rank and beyond. Because it was easier to conjure the mana body from the Rank 2 mana since it was a grade higher.


    Alfem, however, was made especially for the Meta rankers who were bold enough to use it. It was designed in such a way that the mes that would be invoked and spread around by the firebirds could be used to conjure their mana bodies once again. In doing so, the spell would be less taxing on the rankers belonging to the Meta rank.


    "Scree!"


    The flesh golem tried to attack Eren once again after it was freed from the firebirds only for it to be struck by them once again. The fire sparrows were fearless and attacked the flesh golems mercilessly. A vector force acting on the body from various angles at the same time would halt the movements of the flesh golem.<sub> </sub>


    Eren didn''t know where the golem''s core was. He couldn''t find it even after using his mana sense. And he wasn''t interested in poking the flesh golem to check where it was. So he decided to just incinerate its body altogether.


    Eren achieved what he intended to do shortly after. The flesh golem''s body was destroyed by his constant use of Alfem. Only the golem''s white bones remain in the aftermath. Soon those bones turned into dust before dispersing into nothing as well.


    "Screee!"


    Eren found out that three more flesh golems had charged at him right after he was done with the first. It looked like Bl Blood was keeping track of everything that was happening on the battlefield. He recognized Eren as a threat because of his use of Alfem. So he sent three of his flesh golems his way to overwhelm him with numbers.


    Eren just stacked Alfem in response to countering three flesh golems at once. Firebirds'' regenerative powers were really helpful to Eren because they allowed him to redirect the mes immediately after their attacks.


    Eren kept on killing more and more flesh golems. And as a result, his team members found it easy to deal with the flesh golems and demonic rankers they were facing. Soon, Bl''s side started getting overwhelmed.


    The demonic rankers saw their fallen brethren turning into flesh golems right in front of their eyes. Some of them didn''t want to subject themselves to the same fate. So they started getting away from the battlefield.


    "Traitors won''t be shown mercy. Hahahaha!"


    Bl''s sinister voice andughter echoed in the surroundings as he sensed some of the demonic rankers trying to run away from the battlefield. They were immediately attacked by flesh golems nearer to them. Plus, their bodies started rotting while they were still alive.


    It looked like Bl had already infected the demonic rankers. He just hadn''t activated the rotting process that would show the signs. When he deemed them as traitors, he elerated the infection, turning them into flesh golems in a few moments.


    "Scree!"


    The rankers were faced with a fresh batch of flesh golems that were more powerful than their previous counterparts. However, it was apparent which side would win the battle at this point.


    Kiara had shown her true battle potential in fighting against Bl. She had dished out a thorough beating to Bl while he was busy controlling his flesh golems in one hand.


    Bl was injured and he couldn''t regenerate his flesh anymore even with his golem magic. Kiara''s fire-element mana had seeped into his system and was wreaking havoc inside him.


    The demonic rankers were forced to fight at this point. Rankers would soon overwhelm them, even if he used that sinister spell to deter them.


    However, when Bl thought that his death was inevitable if he stayed in the ce any longer, he decided to make his exit without any hesitation. This was even though the old man had reacted so violently to the betrayal of some of the demonic rankers under him not too long ago.

 Chapter 122 Red Runic Array

    Eren was battling with another demonic ranker at this point.


    His battle had been shifted to the inside of Bl''s main base. He and a few other rankers forced their way inside the giant hall he was used to conducting his blood rituals in.


    The rankers were sent to see if there were any survivors among the people Bl had kidnapped from Pointlet Town. Since they were winning, Kiara decided to secure the kidnapped mortals and ranked guards if she could help them.


    The demonic ranker Eren was battling with seemed more interested in finding his way inside the giant hall than engaging with his opponent as well. He soon found what he was looking for.


    There was a red runic array at one corner of the hall. The array would usually remain inactive and invisible. But someone had used it not too long ago when the chaos was just starting to unfold.


    Still, it was not overly noticeable considering the ambiance of the hall. The array had its mana signature masked on top of it. So no ranker was aware of the array being there. To locate the array inside the giant hall, one must know where it is and what they are looking for.


    "Hahahaha. Found it! I''ll just get the fuck out of here."


    Having sensed the array with his mana sense, the demonic ranker couldn''t help but shout what he had in mind. Eren raised his eyebrows as he heard his opponent''s words. He sent his mana circuits into overdrive and approached the demonic ranker at full speed.


    "Where are you heading exactly?"


    Eren suddenly appeared in front of the demonic ranker before throwing his ax at him. The demonic ranker dodged the attack by jumping three meters in the air only to find out that another ax was heading his way.


    The other ax lodged itself in the demonic ranker''s right thigh, making his release a painful cry. Eren just pulled both axes towards him using his lightning whips to finish the demonic ranker once and for all.


    The demonic ranker was pulled toward Eren. But instead of being scared, he seemed excited. Because Eren was standing inside the red runic array as well.


    Among Bl''s followers, only a handful of demonic rankers had ess to and authority over this array. The demonic ranker Eren was battling with was one of them. As his body got pulled towards Eren, he activated the red runic array and startedughing.


    "Hm?"


    Eren felt a distinct mana pulse spread around him and the red runic array was activated. He looked around to see that he was standing inside the array. He thought of changing his position. However, he suddenly felt a heavy mana signature overwhelm him.


    An Awakened ranker was approaching Eren''s position at a rapid pace. Thetter didn''t need to turn in his direction to know who it was.


    "Scoundrel! Don''t use the array without me."


    Bl yelled as he approached the array. He stretched his hands in Eren''s direction while activating his spell to get rid of him before the array gets activated.<sub> </sub>


    ''Fuck!''


    Eren eximed to himself as he saw Bl suddenly target him. He and other rankers had counted on Kiara to keep Bl in check before approaching the giant hall. But it turns out, she failed to do her job.


    Kiara had protected the rankers who were in Bl''s path by creating me walls. She was right behind him, chasing him with visible anger on her face.


    The fire-element ranker had been caught off guard when one of Bl''s flesh golems detonated its golem core while she was in the vicinity fighting it earlier. As a result, she was injured and covered in blood and gore.


    Bl could escape from his predicament after detonating a bunch of golems at the same time. The rankers battling them had gotten severely injured by the sheer contaminated mana pulse that was released from golem detonation as well as the bodies'' bones acting as shrapnels.


    It was clear that Bl had given up on both the rankers and the people who were fighting by his side. He wanted to escape from the battle, and the red runic array was his only escape route.


    Eren was in a dire state. He could see that Kiara was behind Bl Blood. But he knew she wouldn''t make it in time. In a matter of moments, the demonic ranker would be finished with him.


    The demonic ranker who was getting pulled towards Eren suddenly found that his body''s orientation was changing. Instead of being pulled straight toward Eren, there was a tug that forced his body to move midair in a curve.


    Bl''s spell activated on his reddish hands. But they suddenly found a new target instead of Eren. The demonic ranker with his right thigh pierced by the ax suddenly found himself getting subjected to the spell that was quickly turning his body into a flesh golem.


    The flesh golem this time wasn''t someone who could fight his master''s battle for him. Bl only meant to destroy Eren when he saw him inside the array. As such, the spell was supposed to inte his body unconditionally until it imploded like a balloon. And that''s what it did.


    Bl effortlessly tossed the demonic ranker''s inting body in the air after his spell signed a death warrant for one of his men. He didn''t care about him anyway. He just approached Eren to get rid of him. However, at this point, the array got activated.


    The blood rune array was part of the teleportationwork that linked the region near Pointlet town. Bl''s array helped him capture so many townspeople for his rituals.


    This was also the array Ariadne had used earlier to get away from the battle before things started turning dangerous for Bl and hispanions. The istion array cast by the rankers'' team was still active. However, it couldn''t do anything against a teleportation array.


    Bl knew he wouldn''t be able to get rid of the istion array quickly. Kiara would be there to stop him from destroying the istion array. However, he could always count on his own teleportation array to escape.


    The newly created flesh golem flew into the air when the array got activated. The two people who were inside the array vanished all of a sudden before the flesh golem imploded in the air, spreading blood and gore all around it.


    Eren and Bl Blood had been teleported to a different location together.

 Chapter 123 No Gall No Glory

    "You!"


    An injured Bl Blood eximed as he saw the Meta ranker he wanted to kill right in front of him after he got teleported with him. The ce they both got teleported to was still in the Pointlet forest. However, it was tens of miles away from Bl''s base.


    Eren knew he was in trouble as soon as he found himself alone with Bl Blood. While holding both of his axes, he executed his movement spell to the fullest extent he could to flee.


    Ern knew that it would be difficult for Kiara and others to follow Bl through the teleportation array. They didn''t have the right to operate it. And it would be a while for the istion array to wear out. It meant that Eren was going to be Bl''s only opponent for a long time.


    He cursed his luck once again. Cursing, however, could not help him. So he just bolted.


    <o>,m ''If you can''t solve your problems, run away from them.''</o>


    Eren thought to himself as he zipped past the dense vegetation surrounding him. Bl Blood wasn''t someone he could mess with.


    The demonic ranker was stunned by the sudden action taken by a puny Meta ranker. He cursed his luck as well because his ns for his rank-up were foiled by Kiara''s raid.


    A bnced team would be sent to purge him once he made his kidnapping activities obvious. But he did not have a choice. He needed to break into the Arch rank or sumb to old age for good.


    He had set a trap for the rankers in Pointlet town for this reason. In addition to providing him with worthy sacrifices for his ritual, it would also solve his potential problem. Too bad, the trap didn''t spring.


    Still, Bl was d that he could escape from the battle using his own men as disposable pawns. He still had his ns to continue the ritual. That''s because he had already collected a substantial amount of sacrificial energy.


    Bl was thinking all these thoughts when he saw Eren escaping from his view. He felt enraged that a puny Meta ranker dared to escape from his grasp now that they were the only two people.


    Bl wanted to vent his anger on Eren. So he activated his movement spell and tried to chase after Eren.


    "Aaargh!"


    Bl forgot in his excitement and blindsided emotions that his body was damaged by Kiara. He was not in danger of sumbing to his injuries. But he was far away from his peak.


    The wounds on Bl''s legs spewed blood when he tried to approach Eren using his movement spell. He had quickly covered the distance between Eren and him due to his higher rank and higher grade spell. But his injuries prevented him from going any further.


    "Run, you scurrying rat. Run. and don''t let me see you ever again. Otherwise, I''d chop you into a thousand pieces before making flesh golems out of each one of them."


    Bla imbued his voice with his mana and spoke up. Eren felt like his ears would bleed and his mind would be nk when he heard the voice. The voice wasn''t loud but it was very sinister as it contained Bl''s Awakened rank aura.<sub> </sub>


    Eren stopped moving when he realized that Bl Blood was giving up chasing him. He felt weird that an Awakened demonic ranker like Bl would be so forgiving. He stopped his movement spell and looked back.


    Eren maintained his distance and observed Bl''s condition. He still had tricks in his sleeves to get away from Bl using his potion bombs and array of traps he had bought. Those should give him enough time to distance himself from Bl if and when in a pinch.


    Thus, Eren decided to take the risk and see what Bl was up to. To his surprise, he found out that the old man was heading in a different direction.


    As Bl disappeared from his position, Eren appeared at the same spot and saw blood drops on the dry leaves. The moonlight on the blood-drenched leaves was especially reflective. It didn''t give away the color of the blood¨C making it look more like a ck liquid than anything. But the stench of blood could not be masked.


    ''That old man is severely injured.''


    Eren had a pleasant smile on his face as he realized Bl''s condition. If he wanted to im the price on Bl''s head all to himself, this was his chance.


    ''Take the risk or lose the chance.''


    As Eren gripped his two axes, he decided to act on his resolve. Running away from the Awakened ranker was the sanest thing a Meta ranker like him could do. But sanity wasn''t always helpful in a ranker''s life.


    Sanity teaches one to avoid risks. But one won''t get anywhere in life without taking risks. This was especially true for any ranker of any faction or belief.


    To get away from Pointlet, Bl followed a different route to a distant location that could be used as his new base. He thought that the coast was clear for him to march forward without any restrictions.


    But suddenly, the demonic ranker sensed something. He turned back to find out that a flock of fire sparrows was approaching him at a critical speed. One of the birds struck him right in his face before bursting into mes.


    Eren had cast his summoning spell that could be cast at a distance. He kept on stacking the spell using his infinite mana core, which created arge flock of firebirds.


    These firebirds kept performing their kamikaze attacks on the Awakened ranker all at once. Eren didn''t bother using the ignited mes to create firebirds out of them this time. He was using his infinite mana core and he had more than enough of his mana to spare.


    "Aaargh!"


    Bl''s cry was heard in the silent surroundings. He stayed in his ce not because he was incapacitated. But he was so angry that he forgot to move. A mere Metahuman had attacked him while he was trying to run away from him.


    "You little rat¡­ I''ll kill you!"


    Bl yelled and charged at Eren.

 Chapter 124 Patience Is The Art Of Concealing Your Impatience

    Hit and run.


    This was the strategy Eren was implementing at this point over and over again. Bl was behind him, yelling and cursing at him to his heart''s content.


    The old demon was angry that he was being yed by a small-time punk. His injured state had made things more difficult for him. He tried to get out of the Pointlet forest as soon as he could. But every time he tried to do that, he would receive Eren''s attacks from behind.


    Bl had decided that he would take care of Eren first before even thinking about finding his way out of the forest. Because from the looks of things, Eren didn''t n on stopping.


    Bl was also surprised that a Meta ranker could fight him till this long aftering out of another fight. He should have run out of mana a long time ago after casting so many attacks to overwhelm him with.


    The biggest weakness of Bl at this point was theck of people or corpses he could use to make flesh golems out of. He had used all his flesh golems on the battlefield when he was battling against Kiara. So he didn''t have many means avable to him to take care of Eren in his current condition.


    "You cowards rat, stop running and face me if you dare."


    Bl yelled as he strained his legs to chase after Eren. Thetter chuckled before answering him.


    "I don''t dare. That''s the whole point of me running away from you."


    Bl was livid when he heard Eren''s answer. He decided to ignore his injuries for the time being and used one of his flesh-altering spells.


    In the next moment, Bl''s leg muscles pumped up. As the muscle definitions on his legs became more prominent, the wounds on his legs stopped spilling blood.


    Bl executed his movement spell after altering his body. In the next moment, he was right in front of Eren, who was fleeing with all he had.


    Eren realized at this point that the sh was inevitable.


    "I had enough of you trying to meddle in my business, you worthless worm. I''ll fucking kill you and be done with you for good."


    Bl dered before coating his hands in red mana. He was about to use the same spell on him as the one he had used on one of his men right before the teleportation array got active.


    Eren stared intently at Bl as he approached. He already knew there were risks in confronting an Awakened ranker despite the fact that he was severely injured. However, he had still decided to march on.


    No pain, no palm.


    No thorns, no throne.


    No gall, no glory.


    No cross, no crown.


    Eren gripped his axes and charged ahead to meet the Awakened ranker head-on. His senses worked overtime as he got closer to him.


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Shield


    Blitz Shards


    Blitz Storm


    Alfem


    Blitz Heal


    Eren sent his mana circuits into overdrive and cast the maximum number of spells he could. He cast a defensive spell before surrounding his body. Then he strengthened its defensive properties further with all the lightning shards he had already created.<sub> </sub>


    The lightning shards that were swarming around him like a swarm of bees suddenly started tond on his body like pieces of a puzzle. These shards made Eren look like he had scales covering his entire body made of lightning. He then cast his AoE spell that surrounded his body with lightning bolts over his defensive spells.


    Finally, his healing spell was cast in anticipation.


    "Die! Kekekeke!"


    Bl Bloodughed maniacally as he touched Eren with his bare hands. He tried to inject his Awakened-grade red mana into his body to trigger the flesh golem transformation. With his other hand, he tried to punch the Meta ranker in the guts with his enhanced strength achieved by flesh-altering.


    Eren felt like his muscles were about to burst after some of the red mana breached his fortified defense and entered his body. The foreign mana invasion caused his muscles to tear up, which was the beginning of the flesh golem transformation.


    He then felt that Bl''s punch was going to create a hole in his stomach. The old demon hadn''t held back anything in that punch.


    "Aaaaaaaaaah!"


    Eren cried in pain. His eyes were bloodshot, his facial expression spoke volumes about his current situation. And his eyes had gotten watery due to his sensors processing nothing but pain and more pain.


    Despite his pitiful expressions, Eren held on. All his experiences culminated in him making this decision. And he wanted to prove to himself that those experiences weren''t in vain.


    While Bl was busy battling mano-a-mano with Eren, he didn''t pay attention to anything that was happening around him. If he had paid attention, he would have seen a huge swarm of fire sparrows about to appear all around him from thin air.


    Eren gritted his teeth and looked in Bl''s eyes which were reflecting nothing but unmasked cruelty and revenge-driven satisfaction. The old man was holding Eren by his neck as he injected his mana into his body.


    But Bl''s eyes, which were used to the moonlight and twilight darkness, suddenly needed to readjust themselves. They needed to be readjusted because there were multiple sources of fire that had appeared all around him.


    The fire sparrows looked like fireballs with wings. They all started burning brighter as they pped their wings and opened their beaks in intimidation. In the next moment, they all attacked Bl''s body at the same time.


    Since the fire-sparrows had Eren''s mana signature, the fire generated by them wasn''t harmful to him. But he did feel the impact of the sts that would get generated after the fire sparrows imploded post-collision.


    Eren held on as he listened to Bl''s cries. He gripped his axes so tight that his fingernails started leaking blood. After that, he began attacking the Awakened ranker with his two weapons while using their enhanced momentum to make his attacks more effective.


    This was the test of patience. Who breaks first? A demonic ranker with his Awakened ranking status or someone who had his infinite mana and unwavering resolve to face his opponent?


    The fire sparrows continued to attack Bl while Eren attacked him with his weapons. At first, his attacks weren''t useful because the old man''s natural mana defenseyer was way too strong for him to hurt him.


    But slowly and surely, that defense was chipped away because of the continuous assault of the firebirds. Eren and Bl kept on engaging in closebat as the firebirds were detonating all around them. Both of them wanted to settle the score for the moment at this point.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Alfem was very effective against flesh-altering spells. Just when Eren thought he couldn''t endure any more of his suffering, his ax struck the old man''s chest and drew blood. It gushed out of him like a blood fountain, making him believe that each of his attacks was working.


    "You... You are the real demon! Aaaargh!"


    Bl couldn''t help saying that to Eren as he saw his cold-blooded eyes staring at him intently. He was equally shocked by his opponent''s continuous use of the spell. It was as if the guy had infinite mana to spare.


    ''Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.''


    Eren thought to himself as he saw his ax lodging itself in Bl''s chest near to his heart. He gripped the weapon once again and imbued it with his mana before activating the weapon spell.


    This time, Eren didn''t try to control the weapon and let it go wherever it wanted to, on its own. As a result, the weapon broke through everything that was trying to hold it down and came out from the other side of Bl''s chesta€¡° through his back.


    Eren had basically killed the demonic ranker known as Bl Blood. His reign of terror was officially over.

 Chapter 125 Gains

    "Aaaargh!"


    Bl Blood cried as even his flesh-altering spell couldn''t do anything about the gaping hole in his chest anymore. He stopped using his own spell, enabling Eren to get a hold of himself and create a distance from him.


    Bl Blood was trying to stop the excessive bleeding with both of his hands as he kept crying in pain. For some reason, he believed that his efforts would pay off.


    s, the reality was quite different.


    "Alfem!"


    Eren ignored his own body and continued his attacks on Bl Blood. He knew that his job was almost over. He just needed to hammer the final nail in the coffin, lest it opens up.


    Bl Blood was showered with a new swarm of firebirds while he was trying to salvage the situation with his flesh-altering spell. Thus, his spell was broken, resulting in him receiving a bacsh.


    "Aaargh!


    How can you keep on casting these spells? Aaaargh! Devil¡­ you are a devil in human skin."


    The old demon continued to ramble. He then shifted to making Eren let go of him in exchange for riches and precious ranking resources.


    Too bad, Eren didn''t listen to any of his talks. The demon ranker just kept getting attacked with Alfem and Blitz Shards.


    Thud!


    Eren finally heard the sound of what he wanted to hear. A lifeless body fell to the ground with a distinct thud. He startedughing while crashing to the ground himself.


    "Hahaha! I did it. I fuckin did it."


    Eren couldn''t control hisughter which soon turned into a severe cough as he was lying on his back. He had finally secured a huge sum for himself by killing Bl.


    Eren''s condition wasn''t anything he couldugh about. His flesh had been ruptured in various ces. He had an odd depression on his stomach where Bl had punched him.


    But Eren knew he''d eventually get back on his feet with his healing spell that he had kept active throughout the battle. As he recovered his injuries one step at a time, he was expelling the foreign mana he had inside.


    Eren clenched his fists with a smile on his face before closing his eyes. He would focus on recovering his condition before making any moves.


    Eren took some time to get back on his feet. His injuries weren''tpletely eradicated. But he could move without any difficulties at this point.


    "Let''s check out my gains!"


    Eren dusted off his butt and walked back to Bl''s corpse. First, he confirmed that the old demon really was dead and not luring him into a trap.<sub> </sub>


    Only after making sure that the coast was clear did Eren decide to benefit from the dead. He quickly removed Bl''s mana signature on his I-Rune before forcefully essing his storage space.


    "Heh! Not bad."


    Eren said as he saw loads of mana quartz lying in front of him. They sparkled with a distinct shine as they reflected the moonlight, which made Eren notice them first.


    Eren then moved on to other things Bl had in store for him. He picked up a worn-out scroll that looked like it was junk. He opened it up and gave it a brief read.


    "Hm? This is¡­ A flesh-altering spell!"


    Eren raised his eyebrows and looked at Bl''s corpse before looking at the worn-out scroll once again. This was one of the old demon''s signature spells.


    The flesh-altering spell needed something that was defined as a life essence. It would tap into the life essence reserves to temporarily boost the functions of certain parts of the ranker''s muscles. It was a support type spell that could give its users a varied range of results depending upon how they used them.


    Of course, there were negative side effects of using the flesh-altering spell for more than one''s body could handle at a time. It would overwork a ranker''s muscles and make them sore. The more the spell was used, the more severe the side effects.


    Bl had found a way around the spell''s side effects using his flesh golem spells. He would extract life essence from his flesh golems and store it inside his life essence harnessing ring. In doing so, he would use the life essence stored inside the ring and avoid the spell''s side effects.


    Eren found out the details about the flesh-altering spell and its intricacies. He also found out Bl''s modifications to the spell as well as his way of extracting the life essence of other rankers.


    The most fascinating thing about the spell was that it covered the variants from Meta to Arch rank. It meant that Eren could use the spell well into his Arch rank should he decide to use it.


    The spell was of non-elemental type. So there were nopatibility issues with the elements.


    The spell couldn''t be called a demonic spell per se. But Bl''s modifications made it deviant.


    Eren pondered a bit before deciding to keep the spell with him along with Bl''s modifications. He also took out the old demon''s ring that was used to store the life essence of other rankers.


    Eren wouldn''t mind using the life essence extraction on his opponents. Of course, he knew he needed to be discreet about casting the spell. Otherwise, he would be frowned upon for using the spells.


    "And what do we have here?"


    Eren held a stone with runic engravings in his hand. The runic engravings would asionally shine with blood-red energy, giving off a distinct vibe.


    It took a while for Eren to realize what it was. The stone was used as a medium to store the sacrificial energy Bl had collected so far. The old demon was just steps away from meeting the required levels to go through the breakthrough attempt.


    As such, the stone contained enough energy for Eren to advance well into the Awakened rank. The only question was how he was supposed to use it. And how could he avoid mana deviations that might be caused by using a demonic ritual?

 Chapter 126 Securing The Bounty Reward

    It was a pure massacre.


    Kiara''s team had managed to purge all the demonic rankers thoroughly. The only casualties on their side were the guards who had gone overboard to clear their names.


    However, the guards'' overzealousness allowed Kiara''s side to gain momentum and build pressure on the demonic rankers. Without them, the rankers would have casualties in their hands.


    Roald realized that this was what Kiara had wanted to achieve all along. She had used the guards'' involvement with the demonic rankers as leverage to have no casualty on her team.


    Rnd wasn''t in a position toin about how Kiara had handled things anyway. If anything, he admired her for putting personal vengeance aside and using the guards to her advantage. This was the quality of a true leader. Something he always wished for.


    The rankers started wrapping things up on site. The ce started getting thoroughly searched for any kidnapped townspeople that had miraculously survived the event.


    Bl''s base didn''t have any resource of value that rankers could seize for themselves. So the operation was carried out easily without any conflict. They managed to find and rescue fifteen townspeople.


    "Captain Miranda¡­"


    Reece approached Miranda with stressed expressions. Thetter knew what the green-eyed girl was thinking about. She shook her head and sighed before responding.


    "I know Reece. But we can''t do anything until the istion array gets dispersed. We''d have to trust in Eren surviving by fleeing from Bl Blood till then."


    At this point, everyone knew about Eren''s misfortune. They could only me his luck for being present at the wrong ce at the wrong time.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll personally lead the effort to locate Eren and that bastard. We wouldn''t be able to call this mission a sess if we didn''t get rid of Bl Blood for good."


    Kiara approached the two rankers from behind and announced. She wanted to end the mission on good terms after all. Kill Bl Blood without any casualties. This would be an apt conclusion to the kingdom-level mission.


    This type of result would assure that Stardust guild gets a three-star rating. It would also make Kiara and Miranda a valuable asset to the guild, giving them additional perks.


    The istion array was dispersed after some time. Just when Kiara was about tounch her search operation, it ended abruptly as the target of the search was seen approaching the site.


    "Eren!"


    Reece quickly approached Eren before embracing him in her bear hug. If Eren hadn''t anticipated the scene beforehand, he would have thrown off his bnce because of the sheer force of the impact.


    "Hehe. I survived."


    Eren chuckled before caressing Reece''s back. He then separated himself from her before looking at the rankers who had surrounded him at this point.


    Miranda and Kiara were standing in front of Eren. The fire-element ranker smiled at Eren before speaking up.


    "It''s fortunate that you managed to survive, Eren. I have targeted that old demon''s legs the most during our battle.


    Thus, I was confident that you would be able to run away from Bl."


    Eren smiled cunningly at Kiara''s words. He stepped forward before removing something from his storage.


    In the next moment, Kiara saw the decapitated head of someone lying in front of her. She and others around her took a while to realize who it was.<sub> </sub>


    "Bl Blood!"


    Rnd eximed in utter shock as he identified the decapitated head. The demonic ranker that had terrorized his town was no more. That realization put an unmasked smile on his face.


    However, he couldn''t believe that a Meta Ranker had managed to kill someone of Bl''s caliber. An old demon who was close to achieving an Arch rank.


    "How?"


    Kiara asked Eren with an incredulous expression. This was the question that upied everyone''s mind. Eren had the answer ready in his mind.


    "It''s all thanks to you. The injuries you gave Bl were too severe for him to just brush them off."


    Eren said and described the events between him and Bl after they were sent to a different location by the red runic array. He mixed a bit of truth in his lies to concoct a believable story.


    It was indeed true that Bl had sustained severe injuries in his battle against Kiara. But what had killed him was Eren''s seemingly inexhaustible barrage of spells.


    Kiara found Eren''s story believable. However, she was still amazed that a Meta Ranker had dared to try his luck against the old demon.


    "So will I get a reward for killing Bl?"


    Eren asked while scratching the back of his head with an innocent smile on his face. The other Meta rankers couldn''t believe that someone like them was nning to im arge sum of bounty for dealing a final blow to their mission''s main target.


    One of the Meta rankers who originally belonged to Kiara''s team couldn''t ept this. He came forward from the crowd and pointed a finger at Eren before speaking up.


    "Captain Kiara, I don''t think this guy deserves a reward for something you have worked and fought hard for.


    Bl was already a goner when he¡­"


    Kiara interrupted the guy''s words before he could finish them.


    "Hector, that''s enough. Bounty rewards aren''t based on effort or involvement in the hunt. The only requirement it has is someone killing the person who has a bounty on their heads.


    Eren, you will have the bounty reward for killing Bl Blood all to yourself. I assure you."


    Kiara said with a frown on her face while looking at Hector. It seemed she didn''t like a Meta Ranker lobbying for her to oppose someone who had managed to kill Bl.


    g wasn''t happy that he was made to shut up by Kiara. He directed his anger at Eren, looking at him with clear signs of suppressed fury. Eren just ignored the guy who he thought was too much of a bother to engage with.


    Miranda was also happy that someone from her team had managed to kill Bl. She looked at the decapitated head before asking what she had in mind.


    "By the way, Eren. Where is the rest of Bl?"


    Eren pursed his lips a bit before answering casually.


    "I shall destroy everything that tries to destroy me."

 Chapter 127 A Place To Return P1

    Morning 7 AM. Earth.


    A humble one-story, small house right on the borders of Goldfield Ghost town. The Elysian city-state of Phoenix.


    Eren opened his eyes and felt puzzled.


    Something was amiss. He felt puzzled because this was not his room. He felt like he had been brought to an unknown ce.


    ''Was I drunkst night?''


    Eren shook his head and sat upright on the bed.


    ''Naah. The hangover would have been much worse than just a sore back.''


    Eren thought to himself as he stretched his arms. The bed he had slept onst night was as stiff as a rock. However, his strained back could be fixed by channeling his mana throughout his body. So it wasn''t something to mull over.


    Eren looked around himself. He had slept on an oddly ced bed in the middle of an oddly shaped room. There were a bunch of unpacked boxes lying around the bed.


    The ce reeked of old people and custard pies. It wasn''t dusty per se. But it needed a thorough cleaning.


    This room was a bit smaller than Eren''s usual room. Yet, the windows wererger, letting plenty of sunlight enter his room.


    There were no expensive gadgets in the room. It was as basic as basic could get. Just some wooden furniture that wouldn''t be missed if it just went and disappeared in the next moment.


    The ce gave off a feeling of destion. As if someone had just left the house to be upied by someone who didn''t seem that interested in renovating.


    This was not the Green household he hade to associate himself with during his childhood. This was as if¡­


    ''Oh!''


    Eren was reminded why the room felt different. This was his room. This was his own house. He had bought the cest night.


    Eren smiled bitterly as he looked around the room with newfound realization. The guy couldn''t be med. It was as if he had been living two lives ever since he was introduced to the world of Gahan.


    A worthless buy.


    This was what Reece had called the ce after she learned that Eren was buying this house that was just a block away from her own house. It had been bought by him from an old mortal couple who were happy to sell it to him for the price he paid.<sub> </sub>


    Reece had tried to tell Eren that he didn''t need to buy any property back on Earth. This is because just like her, he had also nned to move to Gahan when he reached Awakened rank. That and the fact that he was always wee in the Green household.


    Reece had also tried to tell Eren that her mother Rumi would have also objected to him buying the house instead of spending his newfound wealth on ranking resources. The most infuriating thing for Reece was the fact that Eren had agreed with her logic.


    "I know this would be seen as a worthless purchase, Reece. But I want to buy the ce nheless.


    My reason is simple. Before starting my journey, I want a ce that I can call home. A ce to return to. A ce that beckons me toe when I am out and about.''


    Eren had tried to reason his buy with Reece. The girl just didn''t know where his talk of ''needing a ce to return'' came from. She had thought that her house served that purpose well.


    But Eren managed to sweet-talk Reece into following along with his wishes. She had alsoe to understand that this was more of an emotional decision than something that was based on practicality.


    Eren also made Reece see that his house was only a minute away from her house on foot. As such, nothing really changed in their routine. This realization soothed Reece up. She then helped him pack his things and move them to his new ce.


    The old couple had kept the house in pretty decent condition. So Eren decided to not add or rece anything to it. After moving his stuff into boxes, he slept on the bed he had purchased in the sale.


    ''Buying things on sale is never a good idea.''


    He said to himself and shook his head in disappointment.


    Eren didn''t have much stuff, to begin with. Plus, his storage space came in handy. He didn''t have to struggle like the mortal couple.


    Eren couldn''t tell Reece that the original Vik in him was still alive. He had lived his entire life on the run¨C always moving. He had lived a nomadic life in a true sense until he died.


    As such, now that he had been given a second chance, Eren wanted to change that part about him. He might be more nomadic in the future because of the existence of Numbered Oases. Weeks, months, or even years would go by before he would be able to enjoy his time back on earth and back to his house.


    Plus, buying a house was not a one-time expenditure. He would have to pay the taxes. Taxes in the Elysian city-states weren''t something to beughed at.


    But Eren didn''t care. He knew he could always get more money as long as he was active in the Numbered Oases. After all, he was able to buy the ce afterpleting just one kingdom-level mission.


    Bl Blood''s bounty reward had given Eren the confidence to buy the ce. He still had about 100 Mana Quartz remaining on him even after buying the ce. To the previous Eren, this amount would have been enough tost for months on end.


    Reece had suggested Eren should pay his loan instead of buying the house on Earth. But Eren begged to differ. The loan amount was still too high for him to be done with it even after he spent all the money he had earned.


    He might as well buy the ce and worry about the loan amountter. He wasn''t thinking of breaking away from the Stardust guild just yet. It had just received a three-star rating. It was bound to rise to new heights. Eren wanted to make use of the guild''s sess to further his ranking journey as well.

 Chapter 128 A Place To Return P2

    Eren got up from his bed and stretched his body. He had also reached the sixth stage of Meta rank with his real body. Eren felt like his body was filled to the brim with energy.


    Drizzle. Bath. Beyond.


    Eren quickly took a shower in his newly-purchased house for the first time. The rity that had been brought by spending some time under the shower gave him a new perspective. He decided to at least paint the house anew. He could always ask Reece for help.


    Eren decided to not unpack his things just yet. If he was nning to paint the house, unpacking his stuff seemed counterproductive. Just as he was about to head out to buy paint for his house, someone rang the bell.


    "Reece!"


    Eren knew who it was even before he checked up on his guest. He opened the door and found his guess to be right on the mark.


    "Where are you going when I just got breakfast for both of us?"


    Reece asked and pushed him aside before entering Eren''s house. It was clear that she treated Eren''s ce as her own. The guy couldn''t me her after living under her roof for years.


    Eren smiled bitterly before closing the door. He then had stressed expressions on his face as he asked Reece.


    "Don''t tell me you made it yourself."


    Reece was heading to the kitchen where the Turners had left him a dining table. She frowned and turned back when she heard Eren''s question.


    "Yes. Do you have any problem with that?"


    Eren shook his head in denial before answering dishonestly.


    "Nope. No problem. I was feeling peckish anyway. Let''s see what you got."


    In his mind, Eren prayed for food to at least be gulp-worthy and said some silent prayers. Reece had all the qualities of being an exceptional ranker. But being able to cook delicious food was not one of them.


    "Sd! I''ll have a sd!"


    When Reece retrieved the breakfast from her storage, the sd was the first thing Eren noticed and immediatelytched on to. He felt a bit relieved that he could always fall back on a sd if any of Reece''s other food turns out to be not-so-consumable.


    Reece had a frown on her face. And she said some things under her breath. But she didn''t say anything out loud.


    Reece didn''t act like she didn''t know where Eren''s apprehension about her cooking came from. She knew she was a bad cook in the past. But things change with time. At least she hoped they did.


    Reece retrieved all the food and presented it to Eren. She had also brought utensils from home because she knew Eren didn''t have any.


    "Well, dig in. I''m not waiting for you."


    Reece said she was taking her share of the te. Despite what she said, she kept one eye on Eren to see his reaction.<sub> </sub>


    The table was set with a loaf of bread chopped into slices, cold meat, and cubes of cheese sprinkled with some green herbs and ck spice. There was a basket full of French toast.


    For a change, Reece had also brought fried eggs from a Rank 1 mana beast. Eren knew the fried eggs alone would have cost Reece upwards of 50 Mana quartz.


    Simple stuff.


    Reece had stuck with simple recipes that were difficult to mess up. And that choice seemed to have paid off for her. The food looked simple but tempting. Eren had to admit that sd was the least interesting thing on the menu now that he saw the full course.


    Reece had already sat down on the chair. She was already eating things. Or at least she made it look like she was eating. But she kept checking Eren''s reactions from time to time.


    Eren decided to give the food a shot. For some reason, he felt more apprehensive approaching the food than he had felt approaching Bl Blood. If the food had looked terrible, he wouldn''t have felt this way. But it actually looked tempting. That made his expectations rise.


    Eren didn''t want to make Reece disappointed by saying that the food was terrible. He knew she would know if he lied to her about it.


    Eren gulped as he started taking a bit of everything. He then sat in front of Reece at the other end of the dining table and took the first bite of the french toast.


    ? "This¡­"


    Eren had incredulous expressions on his face as he took the first bite of the french toast. He looked more shocked than when he first learned that a world like Gahan existed.


    Reece looked at Eren with stressed expressions as well even though she tried to mask them with a forced frown on her face.


    "This¡­ "this" what?"


    Reece asked with a voice coated in anger and apprehension. Eren looked at her with wide-opened eyes beforepleting his response.


    "This is surprisingly good. Did¡­ did you really make this yourself?"


    A french toast was thrown in his face in response. Itnded right on his nose before falling right on his ce. Eren didn''t try to dodge the consumable object. His shocked expression changed to one of joy as he startedughing.


    "This is terrific. Throw some more food. More for me that way. Haha"


    Eren said before he began eating for real. Reece also broke into a smile before eating alongside him. Even she was surprised that the food tasted this good.


    Eren and Reece started talking as they had their breakfast. Eren told her he wanted to paint the house, and she immediately agreed with his decision. She also started suggesting colors for each wall and corner.


    He told her he wanted to paint his house a monochrome white from the inside out. Reece just told him to shut up.


    After a lot of discussions and many suggestions, they decided topromise and stick with Reece''s choice of minimal colors. Eren just managed to shrink down the number of colors.


    The breakfast that Reece had cooked and brought to Eren''s house was no more. Eren had wolfed down everything that Reece had left behind. The girl was just happy that the mark of a terrible cook was no longer on her.

 Chapter 129 Straight Face

    Makeover.


    That''s what Eren''s newly bought house had received.


    Eren and Reece worked for hours on end without any breaks to achieve this. By the time the sun had started to set, they were done with their work.


    The duo was currently in therge living room. There was an unmasked smell of wet paint inside the house. But rankers could tweak their senses to a certain level. So Eren and Reece had no problem staying inside.


    Eren''s house featured a color scheme of white and azure shades from the outside. The interior of the house boasted a range of colorbinations. Both of them were satisfied with the result.


    "Not bad, Reece.


    I can get used to this."


    Eren said while looking around. Reece smiled before responding.


    "Indeed. And a certain someone was saying he preferred monochrome white..."


    Reece giggled and made fun of Eren''s initial n. Thetter smiled bitterly before deciding to change the subject. It was about time he celebrated this achievement.


    Eren retrieved a runic bottle of ale from his storage and ced it on the table near him. He also brought out two tiny sses for shots before calling out to Reece.


    "Reece, you know what this is?"


    Reece was also intrigued by Eren''s words. She walked toward him before picking up the bottle.


    Reece immediately realized the booze inside was different from ordinary ones. Even its container featured runic engraving to retain its effects, highlighting how special it was.


    "Looks expensive to me. I don''t think I''ve tried it. What is it?"


    Reece asked while wrapping the bottle up with her mana sense. Eren chucked before answering.


    "This is something I got from Malcolm. It''s a Rank 1 dwarf ale that tastes like Vodka. They say that the ale aids us in getting rid of any anomalies in our mana circuits.


    I haven''t tried it myself. But Malcolm says it''s pretty strong."


    Eren sat in the chair and held the remaining ss. He had decided to share this expensive booze with Reece as a way of saying thanks. Thetter decided to take Eren up on his offer.


    ***


    Evening 9 PM.


    A chilly night. The eastbound winds carried the salty freshness of the distant sea.


    Eren and Reece were ying a drinking game. They were already halfway into the game and looked to be having quite a fun time.


    They were bothughing like it was something they had to get out of their system. Then all of a sudden, they both got quiet. It was time to y the game.


    Eren poured the booze into the tiny vodka sses to the brim for both of them. He then put the bottle aside.<sub> </sub>


    As a result of the runes on the bottle, it contained ten times more ale than its size indicated. The pair had already gulped down one and a half bottles'' worth of dwarven ale. But the bottle was nowhere near empty.


    It wasn''t that the pair had decided to get sloshed. They had a report for the guild tomorrow. But at this point, they didn''t want to call it quits just yet.


    Eren wore a serious expression on his face. And Reece tried to mimic him. However, one could tell she was having difficulty maintaining a serious look for too long.


    "Alright. Here''s something that should make you die ofughter."


    Eren said and pped the surface of the table with his open palms. This was something Tory had said to him a long time ago. He decided to use the pun to crack Reece up and make her drink her shot.


    Up till now, both Eren and Reece had drunk equal amounts of booze. Reece was surprisingly talented at puns. This was something Eren was not aware of. At least the current Eren wasn''t.


    "There was a magician who said he''d disappear on the count of three. You know what he did next, Reece?"


    Eren said while narrowing his eyes on Reece. Thetter pursed her lips like she was dependent on them before taking a long breath. She met his gaze before responding.


    "What DID he do?"


    Eren leaned forward and said to Reece in a low voice.


    "He said Uno, Dos, and poof. The bastard vanished without a Tres."


    Eren delivered his punch line and stared at Reece. He raised and lowered his eyebrows rhythmically to make his post-pun effect more impactful.


    Reece had managed to hold out herughter for the first two seconds. But Eren''s funny gestures finally cracked her up. She broke her straight face and startedughing.


    They both knew the pun wasn''t that funny. But what made it funny was the atmosphere they created around them. Since Reece had lost, Eren didn''t have to maintain his straight face anymore. He startedughing with her too.


    Reece chugged the contents of her vodka ss when theughter subsided. The residual effects of the pun were still there. But the duo quickly got ready for the next round.


    It was Reece''s turn next.


    "Okay. Eren, answer this one. What did the buffalo dad say to his son before leaving for work?"


    Eren shrugged his shoulders beforeing clean.


    "I have no fucking clue."


    Reece was just about to break her face. But she quickly pressed her palm against her lips and controlled herughter. Since using hands to control wasn''t allowed, Eren looked at her displeasingly. But Reece ignored him before answering her own question.


    "Bison!"


    Eren''s eyes immediately started twitching when he heard Reece''s pun. That twitch soon turned into a burst ofughter as the pun''s effects kicked in. The dwarven ale had managed to loosen them both up.


    The two kept ying the game until they were both tipsy. Reece had a bit of pink in her cheeks. Eren''s pale skin had also gotten a bit of red on it, as the blood had finally decided to show its existence.


    Eren and Reece decided to quit the game and do something else when they both ran out of puns to make.

 Chapter 130 Picking Up From Where They Had Left Off

    There was a simple array disk that served as the source of slow music.


    A non-vocal track was ying in the background. This was well past midnight.


    Eren and Reece were slow dancing to the tune of the song. It was mostly Reece leading and Eren following. The guy tried his best. But it was obvious that Reece was a better dancer than them.


    But that didn''t matter. The pair was busy enjoying each other''spany. The unpacked boxes of stuff could still be seen lying in the corners of the living room. The paint was still wet. And the housecked many things that made it home.


    Then again, did the pair really need a clean and tidy ambiance to enjoy the moment?


    "I had a good time today, Eren. It''s a nice change from the work we usually do. I really enjoyed it."


    While looking into Eren''s eyes, Reece said. Her voice was clear. But Eren could tell Reece was not her usual self. The troublemaker and loudmouth of a girl were nowhere to be found. It was as if those traits were all a facade to hide what was in front of him.


    p Eren smiled at Reece''s words before verbalizing his response.</anda>


    "Yeah. Only I know how much I needed to change to cope with my changed reality. I''m still a work in progress, Reece. So I struggle. I put the work in as much as I can.


    But it''s nice to have these moments as well. They made me grateful for the things I had achieved. They allowed me to look back and understand how far I havee."


    Eren said to Reece while stroking her hair. He tucked the bangs behind her ears with his hand as he followed her lead.


    Reece was d that Eren had be more approachable tonight. She decided to ask him a question she had in mind for a long time.


    "Eren, why didn''t we venture any further than where we stopped that day?"


    Reece asked, the blush on her face intensifying by the moment. Eren knew what she was talking about. He chuckled before answering.


    "I don''t know, Reece. Maybe we should have. Or maybe it''s better that we didn''t continue at that time."


    Eren said while allowing Reece to spin around herself before taking her in his arms once again, the fingers of their hands weaving into locks. Eren waited for the right time to speak again.


    "To be honest, Reece. I needed a roof over my head that I could call my own. It felt like I was doing Aunt Rumi injustice when I was living with you at your home."


    Eren said honestly. Reece seemed like she wanted to ask him something. But Eren verbally marched on.


    "I know aunt Rumi would have been fine with us getting involved with each other. It''s just that I didn''t want to risk creating a conflict with people who I''m blessed to have in this life."


    "This life?" Reece repeated Eren''sst words with puzzled expressions. Thetter smiled bitterly beforeing up with an exnation.


    "I mean the life I had when my parents were here. And the new lease on life I was given when I was taken in by aunt Rumi.<sub> </sub>


    Plus, I was an unranked mortal back then while you were already set on the right track. I had to get my act together.


    It doesn''t really make sense, I know. But I often do things that I see as right. Buying this house was one such example."


    Reece couldn''t help smiling when she heard Eren''s words. She derived another meaning from his act of buying the house.


    "Hehe. You mean to say you bought the house so we could pick up where we left off that night?"


    Eren was about to say something in denial. But then he stopped himself from doing that. He looked Reece in the eyes before speaking up boldly.


    "Absolutely. This is my house now. We can do whatever we want to do here."


    Eren said and pulled Reece into his embrace even further than she already was before tightening his hold on her. The girl stopped dancing and wrapped her arms around his neck before speaking up.


    "What are we waiting for then? This is your damn house."


    Reece said, borrowing courage from her slightly tipsy state. She then tiptoed and brought her face in front of Eren''s. She also led Eren''s head near her and stopped just when Eren''s lips were only a centimeter or two away from hers.


    The pair could feel each other''s warm breaths on their skins. They both felt like they needed this warmth to survive the night.


    As if the entire world had been embraced by the world of snow at this point. And their partner''s body was the only source of heat avable to them. As if without this warmth, they might die.


    Eren effortlessly lifted Reece with his grip on her hips. He then moved forward and nted his lips on hers. At first, Reece was too stunned to respond. She just let Eren''s lips touch hers while closing her eyes and thinking of so many things at once.


    Reece couldn''t put into words what she was thinking. Her thoughts were noisy, intense, and incoherent. Eren didn''t rush. He just brought her body close to hers and waited for her to respond. He could feel that her body was heating up.


    Reece finally opened her lips with shaky movements and turned Eren''s kiss into a smooch. Then all of a sudden, an overwhelming impulse took over her body. She started kissing Eren as if it was the only source of oxygen avable to her, which she was in dire need of.


    As their restless hands touched each other, the distance between their bodies decreased to zero. Reece concentrated on her ongoing task by holding Eren''s face from either side with both her hands.


    The smooch turned into a series of sloppy kisses soon after. Tongues met and sparred with each other. It didn''t take long for the atmosphere to turn sultry.


    Eren knew what he had to do. He quickly lifted Reece into a princess carry before heading to his bedroom. Reece still has her arms wrapped around his neck. She was looking at him with a tinge of shyness and boldness blended.


    Eren looked down before whispering his words to Reece.


    "One way or the other, I''m painting the interior in monochrome white, Reece."


    Despite it being thest lousy pun for the night, Eren managed to make it sound intriguing for Reece.

 Chapter 131 Coffee And Cuddles

    The morning after. 6.50 AM.


    The sun was beginning to make its presence known in the sky. The night''s chill was fading away. The warmth of morning rays was taking its ce.


    Eren was busy reading through a scroll by the window. He was in his sweatpants. His bare torso spelled masculine perfection with its defined cuts.


    He was having a cup of hot beverage that was made from Red Fire Rubiaceae, which was a Rank 1 ingredient. It tasted bitter and stimted the mana circuits. Most rankers call it red coffee.


    Eren did not like to add any sweetener to his red coffee. The bitter taste was just right for him. He would just boil the Red Fire Rubiaceae beans in water before fixing himself a hot cup.


    Eren had just taken another sip of his red coffee while reading the scroll in hand when he felt that someone had embraced him from behind. He smiled when he felt that hug before putting the cup on the window ledge.


    "You could have let me know you have woken up, Reece. I would have poured you a hot cup as well."


    Eren said to Reece before turning 180 in her embrace. She was wearing a loose-fitting red silk robe that kept her prominent feminine curves hidden beneath it.


    And yet, Eren could still see their presence in his vision due to thest night''s memories still fresh in his mind. His imagination was activelypensating for things that were wrapped underneath the red silk robe.


    Reece ced her head on his chest and rested her palm over it, feeling his heartbeat. She found herself at peace listening to his heartbeats and feeling his presence so close around her.


    "It''s fine. I can just use yours."


    After saying this and pinching his tummy, Reece lifted the cup ced on the ledge. She drank red coffee from Eren''s mug before speaking further. The taste was too bitter for her. But she didn''t mind.


    "It tastes a lot better because it''s yours."


    Eren chuckled listening to Reece. He made her ce the cup where it was before kissing her on her lips.


    Eren took the scroll back into his storage. He then groped Reece''s mushy buns from behind her while he smooched her to his heart''s content. The couple was going to get engulfed in the mes of passion once again. They had kept the me burning well past midnight.


    Reece left her maidenhood behind yesterday. And she felt a lot different and emotional because of it. Thankfully, Eren had handled her first experience very well. He had made sure that thest night was a pleasurable experience for her.


    Reece felt her butt getting the morning massage she didn''t know her body was craving. She was getting in the mood again when the massage stopped. He broke the liplock with her before speaking up.


    "Don''t you have to go to the guild today? Captain Miranda would be waiting for you."


    Eren said while running his fingers through Reece''s hair. Last night was a memorable experience for him as well. He was now closer to Reece than he was previously. Unlike his previous experiences, he didn''t feel like pulling away from this bond.


    Reece sighed when she heard Eren''s words. She scrunched her nose before answering his question with a question of her own.


    "Don''t tell me you are noting. If I entered Ghan, it would be a week before I''ll see you again. It''s your fault for making me addicted to you, Eren. You''d have to do something about it."<sub> </sub>


    Reece said while pouting. Eren chuckled before pulling her cheeks with his hands. He reached for the cup and sipped the red coffee before adding more.


    "Think of it this way. This is your chance to catch up with me. The days I''m not in Gahan are seven extra days you can put in more work than I do.


    As far as I know you, you wouldn''t like being left behind, would you?"


    Eren said provocatively while smirking at Reece. He then brought the cup closer to her lips and made her drink some more red coffee. Reece eventually held the cup in both her hands, breaking her embrace.


    Reece drank some more red coffee on her own and felt energized. Eren''s words also started to have their intended effects on her. She looked at him angrily before tucking her hair behind her ears.


    "Tch. I sometimes hate it when you be so level-headed."


    Reece''s fake anger was converted into a smile when she saw Erene closer to her again and kiss her on her right cheek.


    "What are you nning to do here anyway?"


    Eren looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 7 AM. He needed to drive for a few hours to reach a special ce.


    p Mana quartz from the Bl Blood''s bounty and the reward he earned frompeting at the kingdom level was almost consumed by Eren. They were spent faster than he earned them.</anda>


    Eren couldn''t rely on his earnings from Gahanpletely. The underground fights provided a viable alternative source of ie.


    There was a fight scheduled for Eren today against Keith. The opponent was tough and the stakes were high. Since Eren wanted to keep Reece away from underground fights like these, he preferred not to say anything about her.


    "Just some work that I had to do. Nothing too special."


    Eren answered Reece before starting to knead her buns once again. He then paused a bit before whispering something in her ears with his warm breaths.


    "You know, we could take a shower together. Would save us some time."


    Said Eren, his intentions were clearer than ever. A quickie before they headed off on their separate ways. Reece couldn''t help smiling when she heard Eren''s proposal.


    "Hehe. I''m all for saving time, Eren. And we''ll also save water, you know."


    Eren chuckled after listening to Reece''s reply. He gripped her hand and walked towards the spacious bathroom Eren had in his new house. His response reached Reece''s ears as she followed behind him.


    "Let''s care for the environment together."

 Chapter 132 Viktor Vs. Keith

    An isted arena somewhere in the Elysian city-state of Pheonix.


    This dome-shaped arena had a giant amphitheater-like setting inside. The construction surrounded arge rectangr space that was divided into six circle-shaped battle rings.


    The construction that was built around it served as an audience booth for the crowd. Currently, it was packed full of people of all kinds of backgrounds.


    There was a cacophony of noises from every angle of the arena. People were cheering for their favorite fighters and dissing their opponents at the same time. A typical affair for an event like this.


    "My dear rankers and mortals, today is going to be a special day."


    As usual, the announcer for the event was in good spirits. He was addressing therge crowd that was present inside the arena as well as the audience that was watching the event over their spectral screens.


    This underground battle event seemed even more boisterous than thest time. It had attracted more people to it. As a result, everyone who would fight in this event was an exceptional fighter. No average Joe would be allowed to fight in this monthly event.


    "Haha. Special how you ask?"


    The announcer''s excited voice managed to keep all of his audience intrigued. Building up the hype, the announcer only started speaking when the crowd''s noise reached its peak.


    "Today is a special day for all our fighters because they stand a chance to get recruited by prominent houses, which are well-known names in the Oasis. I won''t name the houses for obvious reasons. But know this. The opportunity we have provided for our participants is genuine.


    This is the beauty of being a participant in an event like this. Not only that, the winners of each round will have their earnings doubled, thanks to these houses serving as our sponsors."


    The crowd''s noise levels shot through the roof when they heard the announcer speak about their yers getting recruited by the well-established Houses in Oasis Corp. of course, most of them didn''t know what the information meant. But they were excited for their yers anyway. As if the audience itself was going to take advantage of this opportunity.


    The announcer kept talking about the perks of being recruited by such organizations. Additionally, he did not omit to mention that those who are recruited will be given special ranking resources by the Houses to which they are subordinated.


    The apuse kept oning. And the announcer kept on announcing the participants'' names. Soon, all six of the battle rings were upied by two people each. These fights would serve as an opening act for the event.


    The announcer announced the names of the participants as indicated by the battle rings. When his narration moved to the third battle ring in order, he couldn''t stopughing.


    "Jehahaha! Who do we have here? This is our famous rookie killer Keith. He is out to battle with another rookie once again!"


    The announcerughed as he praised Kieth. It seemed that Keith already had built up a decent reputation in the audience. Some of his fans were chanting his name like they had practiced the stuff beforehand.


    "Keith''s opponent today is a man named Viktor. He is also a lightning element ranker. Let''s give him a round of apuse as well and hope that he breaks Keith''s winning streak."


    The announcer gave some more descriptions about Viktor without being overly specific. The audience needed to know a bit about the participants after all.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    "Heh! They send anyone to fight with me these days, huh? Who the fuck are you?"


    Keith asked Eren loudly using his mana-imbued voice.


    Keith was a red-haired man with a stature of about 6.4 feet. He carried a haughty expression on his face as if nothing could make him smile. He had prominent muscle definitions, making his appearance even more intimidating than his expressions.


    Keith was wearing leather armor made from the skin of a rank 1 mana beast. He had a broadsword behind his back that looked heavy and prone to severe damage to the opponents as well the surroundings.


    Kieth was a lightning-element berserker. Close and mid-rangebats were his forte. So he was gearing up to close the distance between him and Eren as soon as the match starts by stretching his legs.


    "Didn''t you hear my introduction?"


    Eren asked, keeping his voice calm andposed. He was wearing the runic metal mask that Ekay had given him. He was wearing minimal armor that didn''t hinder his movements much while providing him with decent protection.


    He had his Tachi out. Eren didn''t want Kieth to be prepared for any ax attacks. He had kept his two Rank 1 weapons hidden, not revealing them to anyone.


    "Hm? Who even listens to the announcement? We are here to fight. Not listen to some nobody makingments about us like they know everything about us and how the game is going to y out."


    Keith said and gripped the hilt of his broadsword before swinging it with his right hand. A powerful gale was generated by his sudden movement. The winds had some electrical discharge mixed within them.


    Eren was impressed by Keith''s mindset. But he didn''t say anything. He knew the guy was just trying to pass his time by talking to him. It was as if his match with Eren was a foregone conclusion for him.


    "At least tell me your name. So that I know who I beat today."


    Keith said while gripping his broadsword with both his hands. When his arms were flexed, they looked even more massive than before. The announcer was saying something about the battle in the third battle ring getting started with the countdown.


    Eren narrowed his eyes on Keith before responding in a calm voice.


    "It looks like you are only interested in knowing the names of your opponents who are likely to lose to you. I don''t have to tell you my name in that case."


    In the next moment, both rankers heard the announcer''s voice.


    "And three! Let the match begin."

 Chapter 133 The Ax Effect

    p Bang!</anda>


    As Keith shed with Eren using his broadsword, Eren felt like a hammer had hit his sword. The next thing he felt was the damage caused by his lightning wave.


    Eren''s body was dragged back as the impact force acting on his body showed its effects. Instead of fighting against the vector force, he decided to use it to his advantage to create a distance between him and his opponent.


    "What happened? Weren''t you sure that you''d win? Why are you running away from me now?"


    Keith asked as he saw Eren pulling away from him. He was a lightning-element ranker. And speed was his forte. So he immediately tried to cut the distance between him and Eren using his movement spell.


    Swoosh!


    Kiethunched his weapon attack toward Eren when he was only a few meters away from him. He also coated the fist of his free hand in lightning-element mana before executing his unique spell.


    In the next moment, the lightning mana that coated Keith''s clenched fist started changing shape. It turned into a lion head, which then opened its eyes and attacked Eren on its own from a different angle.


    Keith uniquely used the summoning spell. Instead of conjuring the whole body of the lion, he had decided to be easy on his mana reserves and only conjure its head. He used it to enhance the effects and range of his Fist Arts.


    ''Hm?''


    Keith felt something was off just a moment before both his attacks hit Eren. the flying sh released by the broadsword passed through Eren while the lion''s head bit his shoulder.


    However, Eren''s image soon turned semi-transparent before dispersing. Keith looked around to see that Eren was approaching him from his Three O''clock position.


    Eren had not used his movement spell to its fullest, giving Kieth the impression that he was slower than the berserker. He had created a window of opportunity for himself by catching Keith off guard.


    Blitz Wave!


    Eren released his weapon spell from his Tachi before storing it in his space. He returned his two axes at the same time before charging them with his fire element mana.


    Blitz Whip!


    Having been filled to the brim with fire-element mana, Eren let his two axes fly off on their own. He then cast his lightning element attack to guide them to their intended destination.


    Keith opened his mouth in surprise when he saw Eren suddenly attacking him with such ferocity. He swung his broadsword and shed with the Blitz Wave that Eren had sent first using his Tachi.


    With his broadsword, Keith easily overpowered the flying shing at him. But in doing so, he was unable to put up a serious fight against the rapidly approaching axes from either side.<sub> </sub>


    Keith made his Lion Fist collide with one of the axes by retracting it. But he could only raise his arm in defense to block the iing ax from the other side. To protect himself from the lightning element, he strengthened his arm with a defense spell that he would soon cover his entire body with. s, the defense spell was cast toote.


    Eren tugged at the ax that was about to attack Keith and made it swing around the defensive stance Keith had raised against it. The weapon spell on the ax made the de turn orange-red just before it came into contact with Keith''s back. In the next moment, a distinct mana pulse was released as Keith felt something strike his back.


    "Aaargh!"


    The ax had managed to breach the defenses set by Keith. The de managed to prate about 2 inches into his back. The area around Keith''s left shoulder suffered a severe injury all of a sudden.


    The audience couldn''t believe what was happening. Keith had been outmaneuvered by a debutant. What surprised them, even more, was the fact that Keith was only a step away from entering the Awakened rank. And yet, he was outyed by someone in the 6th stage of the Meta rank.


    "You bastard¡­ hiding your weapons like this! I''ll fucking kill you."


    Keith was livid as he felt the pain and anger coursing through his body. He temporarily stopped the bleeding from his severe injury by strengthening his natural mana defense. He then gripped his sword and charged at the approaching Eren.


    Alfem!


    Eren had already cast his next spell when Keith was busy dealing with pain and foreign mana invasion. He had already retrieved his two axes using Blitz Whip.


    Eren jumped up using his movement spell and guided the flock of firebirds down and towards his opponent. He then flipped midair and gripped his two axes before charging them once again.


    Keith was already stunned by the way Eren was just assuming what moves he was about to take and taking preemptive actions. The berserker potion would soon be used against him.


    Keith was fast despite hisrge physique. But thatpared to other ordinary rankers who didn''t have lightning-element mana working for them. Eren on the other hand seemed to have mastered his use of the lightning element movement spell, giving him exceptional agility.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Keith was about to retrieve his Berserker potion when he was hit by a bunch of firebirds in session from all angles. It forced him to concentrate on defense once again, not allowing him to retaliate. This was something he was used to doing against his opponents.


    Keith''s troubles weren''t over just yet. Just when he had thought that the barrage of firebirds shing on him was over, he felt a threatening sensation from behind him. Something was approaching him at breakneck speed from a higher altitude.


    Impact. Boom. Cleave.


    Eren was getting used to using axes more and more in his battles. He was now tweaking the speed of axes midair with their charge and the preemptive tugs of his Blitz Whips, making them have an unpredictable orientation and momentum.


    As a result, the two axes managed to inflict cleaving wounds on Keith''s shoulders once again. Their unpredictable approach led to thetter failing to dodge the two attacks.

 Chapter 134 Besting Keith

    Bleeding.


    Both of Keith''s shoulders had been injured by Eren''s attack. His left shoulder was in a more serious condition because of its previous injury.


    Keith roared in anger and pain. He took out his berserker potion vial and was about to drink it when he felt the tug Eren''s Blitz Whip had exerted on the two axes.


    Keith was about to get rid of the two weapons that had been lodged in his shoulders. But he felt that the tug he felt this time was different from the previous instance.


    Instead of pulling the weapons out, Eren had used his two axes as anchors, dragging himself towards them while he was mid-air. He straightened himself up as he was getting pulled and executed his next set of spells.


    Eren''s axes were freed from their lodged state just when he was only inches away from Keith. The axes flew past Eren and he let them pass. That''s because he was holding two lightning bolts in either hand.


    Solid Spark.


    The blood sttered when the two axes were pulled away. Keith''s body was pulled back because the axes suddenly got yanked out of their lodged state. As a result, his bnce was broken.


    The berserker was about to fall t on his back but right then he received another impact and his situation worsened. Solid Sparks had pierced the wounds left behind by the axes. They dug deeper and released Eren''s mana into the berserker''s system in abundance.


    A lightning-element ranker was getting electrified. Eren used Keith''s shoulders as a foothold tounch himself in the air once again before pulling his flying axes his way. He thennded a few meters away from him and started casting his next set of spells.


    Kieth had raised a 7-meter tall, round wall made of lightning mana around him to prevent Eren from approaching him carelessly when he was at his most vulnerable. He had gritted his teeth, not allowing himself to be consumed by pain. However, his face was twisted and his eyes were red, indicating the miserable state he was in.


    This happened only a couple of minutes into the fight. The fast-paced battle saw both opponents exchange several moves in a short time. And Eren hade out on top during these confrontational interactions, thanks to making the right use of his trump cards at the right time.


    Kieth used the lightning walls to protect himself against Eren''s sudden attack. He hade to realize that he had underestimated Eren. A fighter like him wouldn''t make the same mistake twice.


    Kieth knew his injuries were severe. He had tried to mend them using his healing spell. But Eren''s mana was preventing them from recovering anytime soon.


    Even when both the rankers were lightning-element users, they weren''t impervious to each other''s attacks. Their attacks contained their mana signatures, which created a conflict and affected the bodies that didn''t have the same signature. This was regardless of whether they were lightning element users or not.


    Keith didn''t waste any time. He quickly took out the vial of his berserker potion and drank from it before crushing it with his clenched fist. Keith''s body turned red under the effects of the potion.


    A berserker potion was something mostly used by berserker ss rankers. It would temporarily boost the functionalities of the mana points and mana pathways, making each of the caster''s spells amplify.<sub> </sub>


    The berserker potions would be able to bring out more than 100% percent of the spell''s potential. Since the berserker ss focused on making the rankers'' mana points and mana pathways stronger than the average rankers, the berserker potions would allow them to make use of the characteristics to their fullest while suffering rtively minimal disadvantages.


    Of course, the berserker potions would produce side effects after use. They would have to face exhaustion, excessive mana depletion, and severely affected mana points, which could be considered one of the mostmon side effects.


    "You really did a number on me, you bastard. Serves me right for being overly cocky. Hahaha!"


    Keithughed while the berserker potion was showing its effects on him. The tongues of lightning that were dancing on his body were getting wilder by the moment. The mana pulse generated by him was also getting stronger.


    Keith''s muscr body flexed a bit more, making the veins on his masculine form pop up even more. His limbs got more buffed up all of a sudden and the lightning mana coating them got more intense.


    "I''ll take you seriously from now on. So that I won''t have any excuses in case I do end up losing against you."


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Keith''s words. The guy was not as dense as he was making himself out to be. He had admitted the fact that he might lose in the match.


    Eren thought that the ability to perceive what was happening made Keith more dangerous now than he was before. Not every ranker was blessed withmon sense after all.


    ''Or... the haughty attitude he had shown earlier was just for the show. I guess he needs to have an overwhelming presence in the ring to gain poprity. The guy''s a showman first and a rankerter.''


    Eren thought to himself before voicing his challenge.


    "Heh! Come at me then."


    Eren smiled and beckoned him to charge with his index finger. For some reason, he also liked fighting with mature rankers who knew their shit. His skills would truly get tested against them. There was no fun in bulldozing over the dense brats. At least not always.


    Another round of battle unfolded in front of the audience. The spectators cheered and roared as they saw two lightning element rankers battling against each other with everything they had.


    The spectral screen above the battle rings would show the highlights of the match in real-time, sometimes in slow motion for mortal viewers. Keith and Eren were seen battling against each other while disying exceptional control over their spells and weapon arts.


    However, what Keith feared hade to pass. The guy had to eventually leave the battlefield due to his injuries. He dered his defeat himself before being subjected to the barrage of Eren''s Alfem once again.


    Eren had won the duel rtively easily. He had managed to score a huge win with minimal injuries. And since he had put up quite a show, the name Viktor had be famous in the arena.

 Chapter 135 Unexpected Invitation

    Eren won two more fights after securing his win over Keith.


    He decided to not participate in any more fights because he knew he was going to lose in his next fight. He had decided to quit gambling while he was ahead.


    The name Viktor lingered in the audience''s mind for a few minutes before it was overshadowed by the next contestants. However, he had done what he hade here to do.


    Eren decided to head home and rest afterpleting the formalities and receiving the rewards. Since the Houses in the Oasis Corp had been involved on an unofficial level, the prize money he was supposed to receive had been doubled. He dly epted the reward.


    Aside from the reward, Eren had wagered all his remaining Mana quartz. He had also borrowed some money from Ekay, who seemed busy with something else at the time.


    Eren had earned about 600 Mana Quartz as pure profit in this session. He was very happy when he was about to leave the venue.


    "You are Viktor, right?"


    Eren was about to step outside when he heard a voice from behind him. He looked back to see the ck-haired man staring at him.


    This ck-haired man was about as tall as Eren. he had typical ck eyes. He had a light stubble on his face that made him look mature.


    This man was wearing ck leather armor over a white top. He had a strap that ran from his left shoulder to his right waistline, serving as the holster for three knives.


    He had asked the question because Eren was not wearing the runic meal mask anymore. Eren pondered for a bit before answering.


    "Yeah. Have we met?"


    p Eren greeted the man by nodding at him. The man smiled before responding.</anda>


    "No. But I saw your fights and decided to approach you.


    Name''s Van Strabane. Can we talk in private?"


    Eren raised his eyebrows before nodding affirmatively at Van. The announcer''s speech came to his mind. Eren concluded that Van must be a representative of one of Oasis Corp''s houses. He decided to talk to the man before deciding on anything.


    Eren and Van soon found a quiet ce outside the arena. It was an open, deserted ce that had cactus nts growing.


    The introduction of mana changed the ecosystem of Earth. Thus, these cactus nts evolved after bing harnessers of mana. They had grown to exaggerated levels, making themselves muchrger than average trees.


    "We are here. And I''m listening. What can I help you with, Van?"


    Eren asked Van casually as he nced around. Thetter was an Awakened ranker. He had just broken into the Awakened rank from the looks of it.


    Van retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his storage. He took out smoke for himself that looked quite exquisite and different from the ones Eren used to see back in Latvia. He then offered one to Eren.


    "What are these?"<sub> </sub>


    Eren asked while picking the smoke from the pack. Van chuckled before responding.


    "Sativa Sticks. They are made from ranked raw ingredients, packing quite a punch for rankers. They also have some beneficial effects on our mana circuits.


    But we are not here to discuss these things, are we?


    Eren, what do you know about House Roy?"


    Eren tried to control his facial muscles. But they couldn''t help showing utter shock when he heard the name of the House which had decided to approach him.


    ''Raquel Roy!''


    Eren had gotten involved in a conspiracy surrounding Remington Roy''s death out of the blue. His entire life had changed after the conspiracy ended up taking his life. It''d be difficult to say Eren knew about the House. But he couldn''t forget its name no matter what.


    Van thought that Eren was surprised by the fact that he was approached by one of the most prominent houses involved in Oasis Corp. He felt that his job had gotten a bit easier. Thus, he allowed Eren to process his thoughts.


    "I have heard about it."


    Eren controlled various thoughts swirling inside his mind and admitted knowing about the name. Van lit up his smoke by conjuring a bright yellow me on his fingertips. He did the same for Eren before continuing.


    "House Roy is currently looking for recruits. Rankers who can get the job done. Before I tell you more about anything, let me ask to confirm.


    Are you interested in working under House Roy?"


    Eren''s leashed thoughts were agitated in their confinements when he heard Roy''s question. He wasn''t sure what to answer the guy with at first.


    Eren wanted to get back at Raquel for using him and Tory in her conspiracy as her disposable pawns. But after being given a second chance at life, he hade to realize that his determination could only bebeled as wishful thinking at his current level.


    Eren neither possessed the individual prowess nor the support of any big organization to take his revenge on Raquel. And it''ll be a while before he can muster any of those for himself.


    House Roy was bigger than many organizations like Stardust guilds put together. He only realized this after learning about rankers in his second life.


    He had so many things to do at this point. Gain personal strength by advancing in his ranking journey. Find a way to make Torye to life. Enter Gahan with the real body for more opportunities. He had too many things to do that took priority.


    So he could only put his ns of revenge on the back burner. He didn''t have any solid ns regarding House Roy at this point. But neither of his ns that he coulde up with would involve joining House Roy as one of its subordinates.


    So it was only natural that he became speechless when Van posed him the question. However, he came to a quick decision before responding with simple words.


    "I''m looking forward to what you guys have in store for me."

 Chapter 136 Trying Hex Gear Set

    "Hehehe!"


    Malcolm couldn''t help chuckling when he saw a certain white-haired ranker approach him. He rubbed his palms together before adding up.


    "It''s always a pleasure to see my most cherished customer get back to me. Come. I''ll put up a sign before we discuss business."


    Malcolm said and activated the array system under the shop''s ground. All the items he had on disy disappeared. The shopkeeper and the customer who came to visit him would buy or sell unique things, which might or might not be what he wanted to be seen dealing in. So he put a close sign on the shop before allowing him to talk.


    Eren smiled bitterly when Malcolm gave him special treatment. But he also couldn''t me the guy. The items he sold him belonged to two dead rankers who were exceptional in their own right. The belongings they carried had fetched him a high price.


    At this point, Malcolm and he had developed a symbiotic rtionship. He was like a drug dealer he knew on a personal level.


    "I''m here to get my Hex armor set."


    Eren replied nonchntly. Malcolm looked at him suspiciously beforementing.


    "Boy, you do know that I don''t believe in handing over my mercs for free or on loan, right?"


    Eren chuckled before answering his question with a question of his own.


    "How about me buying the whole thing upfront? Do you believe in hard cash or Nah?"


    Malcolm snorted his nose beforementing.


    "You are as shady as me, if not more. Show me the money first. Then we can talk."


    Eren sighed before raising his hand in front of him. He took out all the Mana Quartz he had on him at the time before taking it back and taking the sweep in his hand. The mana quartz appeared and disappeared within a fraction of a second. But that was all Malcolm needed anyway.


    He rubbed his palms over his bald head before shing the most generous smile.


    "Hehe. I knew you were solid, boy. I was just yanking your chains a bit."


    This time, it was Eren''s turn to show displeasure. But Malcolm ignored his facial expressions and continued.


    "Let me take care of what you need right away. Hehe! I''m sure you''d be pleased."


    Malcolm said and activated his array once again, making the entire Bear armor set appear between them. The armor set was kept on a stand that disyed the set perfectly.


    "Everything''s been taken care of?"


    Eren asked, looking at the set carefully. Malcolm patted his chest hard before replying in an assuring voice.<sub> </sub>


    "I made nopromises when it came to handlining the set. Everything you asked for and everything you didn''t know how to ask for. This gear is ready for you and all your shady adventures."


    Eren had stress lines on his forehead when he heard Malcolm treat him like some killer who was out for killing and plundering people. It didn''t help that he suddenly had so much money on him. In the end, he decided to bind the gear and test it himself.


    Eren followed Malcolm''s instructions in binding the bear armor set. It disappeared right after he bound it. There appeared to be a small bear tattoo on his left chest.


    Hex gear did not have to be stored inside the I-Rune or worn manually. It would bind with the user''s mana signature. Upon activation, the gear can get absorbed by the user''s body in the form of a tattoo.


    The user can then make the gear set appear on him anytime he wants by activating the tattoo. They could also retract it within a fraction of a second, making it ideal to be used during the right situations.


    Eren took a long breath before activating the tattoo. In the next moment, he was wearing the same gear set in its entirety.


    "This... this is surprisingly lightweight for how it looks!"


    Erenmented after getting the feel of the bear set. He was wearing aplete armor set at this point so he was expecting it to weigh him down. However, the gear was rtively lightweight for its looks.


    Malcolmughed when he heard Eren''s response. He tapped his fingers on his bald head beforementing.


    "Of course, my boy. I made them add a lightweight rune inscription on each of its parts. It decreased its defense just a bit. But the trade-off is worth it.


    I also made itpatible with you. Try your spells while you are at it."


    Malcolm suggested and Eren followed. He activated his Blitz Steps to see how much of a moveability the armor was going to hamper.


    Eren moved quickly within the confines of the empty shop and discovered the results to be more than satisfactory. He just needed to test the gear''s defensive properties.


    Malcolm knew what Eren was thinking. So he conjured a mini fireball on his right palm. The shopkeeper was an Awakened ranker but still had ess to Rank 1 mana. The fireball he conjured could be cast by someone proficient in the fire element, who was in thest stage of Meta rank.


    Malcolm didn''t worry about the safety of his shop and threw the fireball toward Eren before he had a chance to say yes or no. This was his wild idea of testing the armor on a live target.


    In the next moment, Eren was hit by the fireball spell before he was able to dodge it. As a result, he was thrown to the opposite side of the shop''s wall.


    The runes on the wall lit up and negated Eren''s impact force. But that didn''t stop Eren from feeling the pain he was feeling in his chest.


    Eren shed a cunning smile when he realized what just happened, despite the slight difort he was feeling at the moment. He was basically immune to any normal attacks in the Meta rank as long as he had the armor on.


    Eren and Malcolm both startedughing after looking at each other seriously for quite some time. It seemed that they both were happy with the deal they were about to strike with each other.

 Chapter 137 Entering The Hexers’ Testing Grounds

    Eren was inside the underground space again.


    It was the same space where he had fought Rog the assassin.


    This time, he hade prepared to enter the testing ground meant to be used by the Hexers of the Bear''s Creed. He quickly ced the two keys in their ce and waited for the door to open.


    Creek!


    The runes of the two giant doors lit up when Eren ced the keys of the door in their respective slots. He heard a distinct sound as the doors creaked open.


    A seemingly dark and gloomy passageway opened its maw in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Eren entered the belly of the beast, hoping that he''d be able toe back out alive from the so-called testing grounds.


    Tap tap tap


    Eren began walking towards the other side of the passageway. He had conjured a me on his hands with his fire-element mana. But all he could see at this point was a passageway made from old limestones.


    Finally, after a few more minutes of walking aimlessly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.


    Eren didn''t rush and spread his mana in front of him before walking toward the light.


    "Oh? A challenger has finally appeared. Hehehe!


    Just perfect. I was getting bored anyway."


    A voice sounded in Eren''s ears when he stepped into arge hall that had nothing but two passageways connected to it. The hall was illuminated by the illuminating stones ced at various ces.


    One of the passageways was where Eren hade from. The other was the passageway that was connected to the other side of therge hall.


    The hall was about 300 meters in length, 100 meters in width, and about 20 meters in height. It offered plenty of space for battles.


    "Hello. I believe a formal introduction is due."


    Eren said to the voice while ncing around. He had read from the books he had bought that the testing grounds would often have caretakers assigned to them. They could be anything and anyone, alive or artificial.


    "Hehe. That is indeed true. But what if you die in the first test? You need to earn the introduction you want by winning the first test."


    The feminine voice resounded in the hall once again. Eren had failed to detect the source of the voice. So he could only give up before epting the proposal.


    "Alright. What do I need to do?"


    The feminine voice didn''t take long to answer.


    "Survive the onught of your opponents for 30 minutes and you''d win the first test. The more enemies you destroy, the greater your rewards for clearing the first test.


    Simple isn''t it? Should we get the party started?"<sub> </sub>


    Eren nodded without a second''s dy. He hade prepared to face everything and anything that gets thrown his way. This was why he had taken his time to enter the ce. Thus, he had nothing else to think about.


    "Hehe. Such a fierce determination. I like you. You are the first challenger of this site. So I don''t have any reference topare your performance with the other rankers.


    Therefore, I''ll start with the default setting first before gradually increasing the level of difficulty. Of course, you can tell me if things get too much for you. But remember, the more you perform, the better your rewards will be."


    The voice said to Eren in a yful tone. He understood that the first test demanded that he knew about his own limits.


    Clear the level using default settings and the rewards won''t be impressive. On the other hand, if he increases the difficulty too much, he risks his life.


    The challengers could contact the voice in real time if they found out that the current level is not right for them. But the caretaker would only be able to raise the level one-sidedly before the end of the test. It will not be possible for her to lower the level once it has been raised by the challenger himself.


    Eren understood the rules of the test and told the voice to start the first test. He retrieved his Tachi sword and prepared himself to face his opponents, whoever or whatever they might be.


    Arge array lit up on the ground and a bunch of shadows was conjured in the hall. Eren focused his gaze and locked his mana sense on his newly summoned opponents as soon as they appeared.


    "Puppets!"


    Eren blurted out as he saw his opponents. They were seven puppets holding various weapons in their hands.


    These puppets were made of a strange material that looked like it was a fusion between wood and stic. They were all shorter than Eren, measuring up to 5 feet. But they all had prominent mana signatures, cing their power somewhere on his level.


    The puppets were dressed in long ck and brown cloaks. They had featureless faces and their limbs looked like they were too rigid to move freely. The joints in the puppets'' limbs also looked strange, as if they would not have the normal stride humans take.


    "Your battle begins in about five seconds. Try to not eat more than you can chew. Hehe!


    All the best, Eren!"


    After saying this, the voice stopped speaking. Eren gripped his Tachi hard before bracing himself for the multi-opponent fight. He expected that since he was fighting with puppets, they wouldn''t be able to coordinate as a team.


    And that he would be able to pass the test without much difficulty.


    Eren was right. But only partially.


    He soon found out that another array had appeared on the ground the puppets had stood on. It didn''t do anything to the puppets. Furthermore, it did not summon more puppet warriors. It just released a dense cloud of green gas that started to spread all around the hall.


    Eren frowned when he saw the green gas getting released. But at this time the countdown turned to zero and the puppets'' eyes glowed red.


    The test had started.


    Swoosh. Attack. Boom.

 Chapter 138 Puppets

    Swoosh. Attack. Boom.


    Before Eren could react, he was struck with the hammer straight over his heart by one of the puppets. The puppet had swung his hammer with such ferocity and speed that Eren''s body was thrown into the air with a breakneck momentum.


    "Aargh!"


    Eren cried in pain as he felt his ribs being shattered. The vector force acting on his body has saved him from suffering a severe injury. If he had stayed in his ce while facing the full brunt of the attack, he would have received a fatal injury as soon as the fight had started.


    In a split second, Eren understood that it was a foolish idea to start the test without the Bear Creed''s armor. He had also underestimated the difficulty of the test as well as the opponents he was facing.


    The puppets walked with strange, nonlinear strides because of their misshaped limbs and deformed joints. But contrary to his expectations, they were the puppets'' strengths and not weaknesses.


    Those oddly shaped limbs and disfigured limb joints allowed them to move with exceptional speed. They even made their attacks unpredictable with the way the puppets moved.


    Eren quickly activated the bear tattoo on his chest and formed the bear armor on him while he was flying away from his previous position in mid-air. When he crashnded on the ground before getting dragged away by the vector force, the summoned armor protected him from having any more injuries.


    Eren got up and finally saw the puppet that had attacked him. It was wielding a giant hammer that looked bigger than its entire body. The puppet had two heads and six arms. It had six legs like that of spiders.


    Cree!


    The puppet produced a strange sound and its ruby-like eyes glowed red when it saw the target wearing bear armor. Three more puppets joined him as they attempted to zero in on Eren with their incredible speeds.


    "This is crazy!"


    Three puppets approached Eren with their weapons slung around their bodies using their multi-limb abilities. It was difficult tost for 3 minutes if all the puppets attacked him at the same time. Lasting for 30 minutes is borderline impossible.


    But that was when he wasn''t wearing the Bear Creed''s armor.


    Eren activated the runes on the bear armor and it started humming. The runes on the entire hex armor set glowed as they produced a white light that surrounded Eren''s entire body before disappearing.


    It looked like Eren''s face, his limb joints and his hands were not covered by the armor. But those bodies were being protected by an invisible energy barrier that worked in conjunction with Eren''s natural mana defense to protect his exposed body parts.


    Meanwhile, the green gas was getting dense in the hall. Eren couldn''t identify the effects of the green gas at this point. To continue fighting, he had to keep on his toes against the gas.


    The puppets screeched as they surrounded Eren from three different directions before closing in on him. Eren had decided that his conventional fighting style wouldn''t work on puppets. They didn''t share the same vulnerability as the live opponents.


    A Bear''s Creed challenge was all about heavy attacks and impregnable defense. His movement spell won''t help him much. His agility won''t help him much. He needed to stick to his ce instead of moving around much, holding his ground while fighting off his opponents.<sub> </sub>


    Eren quickly recalled his Tachi back into his storage before retrieving the Brightsteel broadsword. This was one of the weapons that were part of the Bear Creed''s hex gear set. Of course, Malcolm had modified the runes to make thempatible with Eren''s mana.


    The Brightsteel broadsword was a dual-element artifact. It supported the elementalized mana of both lightning and fire elements. It would produce lightning and fire element flying shes depending upon which element it was imbued with at any given time.


    This was one of the unique things about Hex gear. It supported multi-elementpatibility, which was not found in usual non-Hexer artifacts. The specialty alone provided Eren with enough confidence that he was walking on the right path regarding his artifact smithing and battlemage ss.


    Eren gripped his broadsword with both his hands before swinging it around him in one quick swoop. Then he released a bunch of lightning-powered flying shes while he was at it. He then spun in the opposite direction before swinging his weapon again. This time he released fire element shes that focused in a different direction.


    Swoosh. Bzzt. Connect.


    Eren had attacked the three iing puppets using his flying shes before preparing himself to face off the hammer-wielding puppet which had more threatening vibes around it. He gripped his sword and prepared to attack the damn puppet which had almost copsed his rib cage on his heart.


    Cree!


    The three puppets stopped approaching Eren when they saw a bunch of flying shes approaching them at breakneck speeds. As a result, the hammer-wielding puppy was the only one who hade to face off with Eren.


    The puppy seemed to have nothing to fear. It swung the hammer all around him in an artistic style that spelled juggling finesse. Then the puppet deviated from its stride easily before approaching Eren at 4 O''clock.


    ng!


    The sword''s de collided with the puppet''s hammer. Eren had managed to parry his opponent''s attack. But the puppet didn''t seem too happy about that. It screeched before retrieving a bunch of knives.


    The puppet juggled three knives in its five free hands before using the weapons to attack Eren''s torso. His hands were currently busy holding the sword. Thus, he couldn''t do much about the puppet''s attack.


    ng! ng! ng!


    The bear armor held on as it deflected the knife attacks dished out at Eren from various angles in quick session. Meanwhile, Eren cast his lightning element spell to attack the puppet.


    Blitz Shards.


    A swarm of lightning shards appeared all around Eren and the hammer-wielding puppet. They all zeroed in on the puppet before it could retract.


    Bzzt. Light. Boom.

 Chapter 139 Alfem And Blitz Shards Combo

    The lightning shards covered the bodies of the puppets like the secondyer of skin. Soon they exuded a bright blueish purple light as Eren activated them all at once.


    Meanwhile, he pushed against the puppet''s hammer using his sword. And he used the recoil to move away from the puppet.


    Boom!


    The lightning shards were detonated all at once on the puppet before it could even try to get rid of them. A cluster of lightning bloomed where the hammer-wielding puppet stood.


    When the lightning cluster cleared up, Eren saw that the hammer the puppet was holding was still intact. Its wielder''s body was fractured from various angles after being struck by lightning shards.


    The hammer-wielding puppet''s ruby-red eyes stopped glowing as it kept on looking at Eren. In the next moment, it crashed to the ground.


    Eren had managed to take care of one of the puppets just a minute into the fight.


    Meanwhile, the puppets he had kept busy with his flying shes got ready to attack him once again after sessfully defending themselves. They screeched as they approached Eren using all their might.


    Eren was about to move away from his position using his movement spell when he suddenly realized that he was getting dizzy. As if he had an extreme need to sleep.


    ''That green gas!''


    ? Eren clicked his tongue when he realized what was happening. His responses were getting dulled because of the green gas. So much so that he felt like he hadn''t slept in weeks.


    Not only that. Eren also felt like his mana flow had beenpromised, not allowing him to cast spells the way he wanted to. His casting time as well as the spell''s effects had been affected because of it.


    "This... this is the first stage?"


    Eren couldn''t believe the difficulty at which the testing grounds were conducting tests for him. The debuff he had been subjected to was enough for any normal ranker to rethink their decision toe to this ce.


    Blitz Heal


    Alfem


    Eren first cast the healing spell to relieve himself of the debuff. Since the debuff didn''t really harm his health, he knew the spell wouldn''t be as effective on him.


    The spell could only expel the gas and its residue that had entered his system. But it could not get rid of the effect that his body was already subjected to.


    Still, the effects of using the healing spell weren''t all in vain. Furthermore, it was not like Eren had to worry about running out of mana.


    He followed his healing spell with his fire-element spell, casting two firebirds by his sides that soared in the sky before attacking the approaching puppets.


    Boom!


    The firebirds blew themselves up as soon as they made contact with their targets. The puppets who had been surrounded by mes tried to get their bearings. But s, Eren just cast more firebirds and attacked them persistently.


    He only stopped when he was sure with his mana sense that the puppets were beyond any repair. Their puppet bodies were destroyed only a few meters away from him.


    "Not bad, not bad."


    The feminine voice spoke up. In the next moment, the remaining four puppets started approaching Eren. Thetter has stress lines on his face as he prepares himself to face his new opponents.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren shed with two of the puppets carrying a sword and spear. Meanwhile, he used a swarm of firebirds to handle the two remaining puppets. He kept them engaged while he dealt with the sword and spear-wielding puppets.


    Eren released his flying shes up close before charging up his gauntlets with his fire-element mana. He parried the attack that was initiated by the sword-wielding puppet before kicking it on his chest, forcing him to get away from him for the time being. He then approached the spear-wielding puppet and closed his distance with it.


    The green gas had made it difficult for Eren to take advantage of his speed and agility. As a result, it took another few exchanges of weapon moves for Eren to breach the puppet''s defenses.


    Eren generated force with his footwork and his guts to deliver an impactful punch. It was also charged with lightning-element mana. The runes on his Hex gauntlets lit up and allowed him to manifest the punch outward.


    Alight. Swoosh. Punch.


    The lightning-element punch was delivered to the puppet with a loud bang. The punch also manifested as a semi-transparent blue fist that stayed on the impacted region even after Eren had retracted his arms.


    The punch did not allow the puppet to fly. It was forced to stay at its location and endure the full force of its attack. The attack quickly showed its effects.<sub> </sub>


    The puppet''s chest was opened to reveal a gaping hole in his body. Something was shining inside the puppet''s body where his heart was.


    Eren quickly understood what the shining yellow gem-looking thing was. This was the puppet core that was used to power and control the puppets.


    He quickly inserted the hand he had punched the puppet with while it was stunning and yanked the puppet core out of its body. As a result, the puppet lost the light in its eyes and fell to the floor with a thud.


    ''Don''t punch the target. Punch through the Target.''


    Eren was reminded of another stray thought.


    He took a long breath before casting a swarm of firebirds and lightning shards. He thenbined the two by allowing the lightning shards to stick to the firebirds'' bodies.


    He was nning to try abo of Alfem and Blitz Shards. Firebirds flying around Eren suddenly got a makeover. Their fiery bodies were covered in lightning shards. It was as if the firebirds had suddenly grown lightning-element scales all over their bodies.


    ''Three more.''


    Eren said to himself as he controlled the swarm of firebirds all around him. In the next moment, his stackedbo spells attacked the remaining puppets all at once.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The three puppet bodies crashed on the ground when the firebirds were done colliding against them. The bodies disintegrated next before dispersing into thin air like the rest of the puppets.


    Erne had cleared up the first stage of the test rtively easily.


    Or so he thought.


    "Excellent."


    The voice spoke to Eren once again. She seemed to be in a yful mood. Eren listened intently as she spoke her next words.


    "So the starter is over. I see that you are not using the bear armor the way it was designed to. You are not a Hexer, are you?"


    The voice asked with curiosity. But before Eren could answer, it verbally marched on.


    "Hehe. Never mind. It''s not like this test is exclusively for Hexers anyway. The true test begins henceforth. I hope you are ready, Eren. Because this one''s going to hurt."


    The voice said and chuckled. Eren had a frown on his face but he didn''t reply with words. He just prepared himself for his next opponent.


    Another array lit up on the ground not too far away from Eren and his new opponents appeared in front of him. There were only three puppets this time.


    However, they were all mini giants. Boasting a stature of about 14 feet, the three puppets had humanoid shapes. Their limbs were not oddly shaped like the previous puppets. Also, they gave off more prominent mana signatures than thest puppets.


    These puppets looked like real people. One of them was an elvendy with a crossbow in her hand. Shecked facial details. But she had prominent feminine features. She was also dressed in an adventurer''s outfit.


    The second puppet was a man with a muscr frame and firm build. He had impressive biceps and a tattoo of a bear on his chest. He was carrying a big ax on his shoulders.


    The third puppet was also a man who looked to be in his early 40s. He was carrying a heavy staff in one hand. And with the other hand, he was carrying a stopwatch.


    These puppets had keen gazes in their eyes even when they shared the same eyes as the previous puppets. They looked at Eren menacingly as they waited for something or someone to send them orders.


    Eren immediately knew that each of the three puppets was more powerful than the previous puppets put together. Their size had already made it difficult for Eren to think of a strategy to fight with them. It didn''t help that they looked more lively than the previous puppets.


    ''Damn it. I hope they don''te at me altogether.''


    Eren retrieved his two axes from his storage. It was time to get serious. He didn''t have room to y around anymore.


    "Brace yourself. They are going to attack you at once."


    When Eren heard that voice, he lost all hope of getting some breathing space. He spat in anger before tightening his grip around the two weapons.


    "Don''t me me if I wreck them beyond repair."


    Eren looked at the puppets menacingly before casting his movement spell. In the next moment, the three puppets and Eren disappeared from their positions.

 Chapter 140 Flesh-Altering Spell And Taranbiest

    Eren was fighting with three mini giants at once.


    Flesh-altering spell!


    Eren was using the spell he had learned from Bl Blood for the first time. He used it on his arms and retrieved the Beskar sword.


    The Beskar sword was a heavy sword that was part of the Hex gear set. It was more than 50 pounds in weight and wasn''t easy to use. So Eren had never used it.


    However, Bl''s flesh-altering spell made his biceps abnormallyrge. The spell allowed him to carry and swing the sword with ease.


    Blitz Steps


    Eren cast his movement spell and disappeared from his ce, leaving the trail of lightning behind him. Usually, his stride wouldn''t leave a trail. But since the sword he was carrying was so heavy, it affected his movements. His steps had be more prominent, cracking the ground beneath them every time he used the movement spell to spring forth.


    Swoosh!


    Eren barely managed to dodge the water-element arrow aiming for his head. It was shot at him by the elvendy who was the only one trying to maintain her distance from him.


    The mini giant puppets were intimidating. But thankfully, they were also a bit slow. Their strides were predictable. And their attacks were easy to dodge for a guy like Eren who was exceptionally skilled at using his movement spell.


    However, what theycked in agility they made up for with the spells they had. These mini giant puppets worked in tandem. They moved like a party of three adventurers trying to take down a small monster.


    These mini giant puppets made sure their attacks would sync. The ax-wielding puppet and the mage puppet prevented Eren from interacting with the elf puppet who was targeting him intermittently with her long-range attacks.


    Eren focused on getting rid of the elf puppet first. Her attacks were too unpredictable. Plus, her arrows had the potential to change direction in midair, making them difficult to dodge. Of course, they had their limits while cutting through the air. But that limit wasn''t something to celebrate.


    Eren would defend himself against the ax-wielding puppet''s frontal attacks using his heavy sword. He would then use the flesh-altering spell on his legs and get away from his position, lest the mage attacks him with his fire-element spells.


    Eren couldn''t use the flesh-altering spell on all four of his limbs. He would have to cancel the spell''s effects on his two limbs to make the spell work for his other two. Thus, he would retrieve the sword from his storage before disappearing from the scene.


    It had only been a minute. But Eren had exchanged many blows with the ax-wielding puppet. Almost got caught in the me flowers that the mage was making bloom right underneath the ground he was standing on. Next, he would do his best to avoid the water-element arrows aimed at his vital points.


    The cycle kept repeating itself. And Eren wasn''t making any progress despite using the flesh-altering spell in the most effective way possible at the time.


    ''Why the fuck is this test so damn difficult?''


    Eren thought to himself as he fought with the mini-giants. He had forgotten that the test was specifically designed for the Hexers, who have their own style of casting spells. Meanwhile, he was just brute-forcing his way into the test.


    The stalemate was frustrating for him. So he decided to use another trump card he had in his arsenal.


    Taranbiest!


    Eren cast his lightning-element summoning spell. Unlike Alfem, it wasn''t as easy to cast. And it consumed an enormous amount of mana.


    Eren tapped into his infinite mana core and let the spell consume as much mana as it could afford to consume without getting destabilized. As a result, the spell was cast fast and it manifested instantly.


    A lightning-element creature appeared in the testing hall while Eren was busy battling with the three puppets. This creature had a thin, hound-like physique without any tail. Its limbs were thin.


    The lightning-element summoned this creature with red eyes that shone with intelligence. A strange creature with a bird''s face and a bird''s beak for its mouth had appeared on the scene.


    This hound-like beast was about 5 feet in height and 8 feet in length. Because its body wasposed of lightning elements, lightning streaks danced all over it.


    Kiyeeh!


    Taranbiest screeched as it attacked the mage that was about to attack Eren using his fire-element spell. Eren was about to have a giant fire lotus bloom around him. But in the next moment, the spell was dispersed as his summoned beast approached the mage.<sub> </sub>


    The beast''s intentions were clear. It wanted to blow itself up to get rid of the mage. But in the next moment, the beast was almost stopped in its tracks all of a sudden by a strange power.


    The beast started approaching the mage at a very slow speed. It looked like some formless force was acting on its body.


    The mage puppet had used his stopwatch-like time-element artifact on the approaching summoned beast. By using the artifact, the mage was able to alter the passage of time for the target. This allowed him to deal with it almost as easily as if it was still.


    Eren cursed his luck when he saw the effects the mage''s artifact had on his summoned beast. He felt that the testing ground was a sham. Because nobody of his level would be able to clear the test if this was the standard norm.


    Eren had tried to limit himself in using his infinite mana core, thinking that the one presiding over the test wouldn''t like that. They would kick him out of the testing ground for tantly cheating.


    However, he decided to stop acting goody-two-shoes when the mage used his artifact. Just like the real deal, this puppet mage was also a ss canon. Meaning it was easy to deal with once Eren was left to deal with it for a good minute. s, the ax-wielding puppet made things difficult for Eren.


    "This ursed mage and that elf wench. I''ll just bombard you with my spells and see what sticks."


    Eren snorted his nose before casting all of his summoning spells at once. A swarm of firebirds started flying in the air. The lightning-element hounds started appearing on the ground.


    The 30 firebirds and 12 lightning hounds were cast at the same time by Eren stacking his spells and sending his mana circuits on overdrive. Meanwhile, he kept his distance from the ax-wielding puppet while attacking him intermittently.


    He gave up approaching the elf puppet or attacking the mage. He would focus on defending against the ax-wielding puppet''s heavy-handed attacks using his heavy sword. Meanwhile, he would stay on his toes and let his summoned beasts take care of the other two puppets for him.


    About 18 firebirds and five lightning hounds attacked the elf puppet. The remaining summoned beast attacked the mage puppet.


    The weakness of the mage puppet was obvious. It did not have exceptional movement speed, agility, a closebat weapon or weapon arts, or any closebat spell. As with the real mage, it had tried to ovee its weakness with the means avable to it.


    For the time being, the mage puppet did not use the time-element artifact. It seemed that the artifact had a usage limit.


    The mage puppet tried to cast a lotus flower around itself, intending to use an offensive spell as a defense. It kept using the lotus me spell to strengthen the mes all around it.


    The two Taranbiest had tried to enter the circle of mes the mage was in. However, their bodies started to be destroyed because of the invasion of the fire-element mana in their mana bodies.


    Despite this, one Taranbiest managed to close the distance between itself and the mage puppet. However, the mage activated the time-element artifact just when it was about to attack it.


    It looked like the mage puppet had managed to defend itself against the attack of the Taranbiest. But in the next moment, it turned its head towards the still-trapped Taanbiest in his me flowers.


    The Taranbiest which had been waiting outside the me lotus made guttural sounds before taking a few steps back. Then they ran toward the me lotus beforeunching themselves inside the circle of mes.


    The lightning hounds used the bodies stuck in the earlier beasts as footholds tounch themselves in the air once again. Theynded safely inside the center of the me lotus before attacking the mage puppet in one go.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Two distinct lightning clusters bloomed in two distinct ces inside the forest stage of the testing grounds. The lightning-element hounds had first attacked the limbs of the mini-giant puppets by biting on them.


    The two puppets had all their limbs bitten by at least one lightning hound. In the next moment, all the lightning beasts blew themselves up. The dense cluster of lightning covered both mini-giant puppets.


    This was not all. The firebirdsunched themselves on their targets as a follow-up. me clouds engulfed the lightning element cluster, trapping the puppets within their range.


    Eren had his attention on the two puppets while he was trying to defend himself against the ax-wielding puppet. But eventually, he heard the sound of something dropping on the ground in quick session.


    Thud! Thud!


    The puppets'' bodies were dropped to the ground. Eren''s spell spamming had eliminated two of his opponents for him. His fight with the ax-wielding opponent needed to bepleted using the same strategy.

 Chapter 141 The Bear Trap

    Taranbiest.


    Bitz Shards.


    The spellbo showed its effects on the ax-wielding puppet. The animal lost its left leg after being bitten by two lightning hounds.


    Eren wasn''t exhausted because of the constant use of his infinite mana core. But mentally, he was stressed because of the kind of fight the ax-wielding puppet had put up against him.


    It''s already been more than ten minutes since Eren had gotten rid of the elf and mage puppets. He had been fighting with the ax-wielding puppet continuously since then. And yet, it kept on fighting even after being bombarded with Eren''s spell-spamming instances.


    Eren had realized that the ax-wielding puppet was special. It wasn''t as rigid as the other two puppets. And it had fewer chinks in his defensive stance. Eren felt like he was in a fight with a real ranker.


    The attack was Eren''s first big breakthrough. He felt relieved that the hounds had finally managed to handicap the puppet. Even this was enough for Eren to concentrate all his attacks on the puppet.


    Or so he thought.


    The bear tattoo on the puppet activated when it was critically injured. The tattoo sent mana pulses throughout the room, making Eren feel as if a real bear had been summoned.


    A red glow emanated from the bear tattoo on the puppet''s chest. In the next moment, its body started transforming.


    The ax-wielding puppet''s arms and legs puffed up even more. This was as if it was using flesh-altering spells. Only that the effects seem more prominent. The puppet''s mana signature also changed as a result of the activation of the tattoo.


    Something unimaginable started happening to the ax-wielding puppet. It started changing into a bear-like humanoid that still retained its human-like features to some degree.


    The puppet''s missing leg grew and was covered in bear fur. His other limbs also followed suit shortly after. The puppet''s featureless face suddenly had a bear-like mouth. Its red ruby eyes glowed from red to bright red.


    No puppet had ever made a sound before this. But all changed when the ax-wielding puppetpleted its transformation.


    Breee!


    A bear-like war cry was released from the puppet''s mouth as it gripped its ax harder. It then focused its gaze on Eren who was watching the puppet from a distance while maintaining vignce.


    "Fuuuuuuck!"


    Eren gulped empty air as it saw the puppet''s transformation. For some reason, his spell spamming attacks hadn''t worked on this damned puppet. And Eren came to realize why.


    Like living and breathing beings that harness and use mana, the puppet had a mana defenseyer. And its mana defenseyer was much stronger than usual. The transformation had made theyer visible so only at this point Eren hade to know about it.


    Swoosh!


    Boom!


    The ax-wielding puppetunched its attack. The ax cleaved the ground Eren was standing on just a moment ago as it swung vertically. The ground cracked and the crack expanded to a few meters in both directions.


    Eren had already jumped away from his position using his movement spell. He could see the destruction that was caused by the enhanced puppet with just a single move.<sub> </sub>


    "Other contestants would have been long dead at this point."


    Eren said loudly while changing his position once again afternding on the ground a few meters away. He needed to buy time for himself to cast more summoning spells.


    Breeee!


    Eren had grim expressions on his face as he heard the half-bear puppet cry right behind him. Thanks to the boost in physical stats it had received due to the bear-like transformation, its speed had increased to another level.


    Eren''s agility and his speed were still superior to the puppet''s. It was just that the difference wasn''t big enough for him to have breathing room.


    Eren retrieved a scroll from his storage and imbued it with his mana before throwing it on the ground. He then jumped up and turned back. He saw the bear-like puppet who was trying to trace his stepse near the scroll he had just thrown.


    Eren used his mana sense to operate on the scroll. This was one of the array traps he had bought from Malcolm. Originally, he had nned on using these resources when he was in the final phase of clearing the testing grounds. But he had never imagined that he would be forced to employ the array trap in the first round.


    The array trap expanded on the ground within a fraction of a second. Incidentally, it changed into a bear trap made of iron-element mana that snapped at the puppet''s leg.


    This was the same leg Eren had destroyed using Taranbiest. It got trapped in the bear trap, preventing the bear from approaching Eren.


    Erennded on the ground after confirming that his array trap had sprung correctly. He had already started casting spells in midair. So when hended on the ground, there was a swarm of firebirds surrounding him.


    Eren retrieved his crossbow from his storage and cast his spell on it before aiming. Meanwhile, he sent the firebirds forward to attack the puppet head-on and keep it busy.


    Blitz Arrow x6


    Release!


    Blitz Arrow x6


    Release!


    Blitz Arrow x6


    Release!


    The crossbow allowed Eren to release six lightning arrows at once. Eren stacked the spells and released the first batch of arrows on the bear''s trapped leg. He then followed up with his next batch of attacks.


    Eren had been practicing with his crossbow during his training. It was just that he was not skilled enough in using it while his targets were moving. But now that the puppet had been forced to stay on the same spot due to the bear trap, Eren could use it as his target practice. It would also allow him to keep a safe distance from the bear.


    Breee!


    Eren kept on attacking the bear with various spells while the bear trap was active. He used his axes in conjunction with the Blitz Whips. He used his Tachi to send his flying shes at him. Finally, he threw an explosive potion at the puppet.


    All his efforts finally paid off when Eren heard the sought-after third thud. It was the sound of all his problems dropping motionless on the ground.

 Chapter 142 Kino

    "Do you still want more?"


    Eren heard a yful voice in his surroundings. It asked if he wanted to continue fighting more opponents. After all, it had said that it would adjust the difficulty level as per Eren''s preference in case he wanted to gain better rewards.


    He had fought with four more mini giant puppets after taking care of the ax-wielding puppet. He had gone above and beyond in clearing the first phase of the testing grounds. As a result, he was breathing heavily.


    ? Taking care of the ax-wielding puppet was the bare minimum requirement to clear the first stage of the testing grounds. But since Eren had been using his infinite mana core extensively, he was able to deal with four more opponents of the same caliber as him. These four opponents hade to fight with him two at a time, increasing the difficulty level even further.


    Eren''s mana circuits as well as his muscles felt sore. He had expended a tremendous amount of mana to achieve this result.


    At this point, he firmly believed that nobody at his level would be able to clear this stage without the infinite mana core backing them up. Either that or they would have cleared the stage as a party of four or five rankers.


    Eren looked around himself warily when he heard the question. He had two axes in his hands. His Blitz Whips spell was active as well, wrapping the weapons'' handles.


    "How¡­ how many are still left?"


    Eren asked while being a bit out of breath. He had decided that if the enemies were more than three, he would rather quit.


    The voice giggled before answering.


    "I was just messing with you. You have cleared the first stage with a 100 percent clearance rate. Congrattions."


    The voice said. However, Eren could feel that the voice he heard this time didn''te from every direction. It came directly from behind him. So he turned around to see who was speaking.


    Eren saw a girl with orange hair and rosy skin. She seemed to have a bit of freckle on her nose and cheeks. Yet, she still seemed beautiful despite her imperfections.


    This orange-haired girl had a medium build. She was a few inches shorter than Eren. she carried a staff in her left hand that had a huge green orb attached to its one end.


    The most eye-catching things about this girl were her semi-transparent wings that looked to be made of wind-element mana. These light green wings pped as she stayed in the air, just about 2 inches away from touching the ground with her feet.


    Wearing a green dress that boded well with her moderately feminine figure, this girl looked elegant. Her green eyes looked at Eren with keen interest as she spoke up.


    "Nice to meet you, Eren. I''m the caretaker of these testing grounds. Name''s Kinowa. You can call me Kino."


    Kino introduced herself to Eren. Thetter wasn''t sure whether he should check Kino out using his mana sense or not. But the girl didn''t feel like she was a ranker. And yet, she was able to use magic.


    Eren was a bit puzzled by what he was seeing. But he didn''t let that derail him from getting some answers from Kino.


    "I''m d you decided to show up, Kino. Pardon me, but what the fuck was this test? This is what you call the first stage of the test. How will I survive in the next stage? How many stages are there in the first ce?<sub> </sub>


    I have heard that the Hexers'' testing grounds are tough to clear. But¡­ this is just beyond insane. I refuse to believe this is the norm on other known testing grounds. People wouldn''t have survived the challenges if the tests were this tough right from the get-go."


    Eren said while looking a bit disturbed. Kino looked at him with puzzled expressions before responding.


    "Let me get this straight, Eren. You knew that this ce was reserved for Hexers. You knew that the testing grounds for Hexers have a high difficulty attached to them.


    And yet, you still decided to have an easy time here by using normal magic? Why didn''t you use Hexes if you were in a pinch?


    You have Bear''s Creed gear on you. Why didn''t you make use of it in the right way?"


    This time it was Eren''s turn to feel stumped. He wasn''t sure how to reply to Kino''s rebuttal. In the end, he just coughed before speaking up.


    "Um¡­ I don''t know how to use Hex magic."


    Kino looked at Eren with a grim expression. But in the next moment, she startedughing. She had tried to hold her tears off by keeping both her hands on her mouth. But she failed miserably at that task.


    "It''s helpful that you have some kind of transcendent-grade artifact on you that allows you to power up your spells for this long. Otherwise, you have been a goner without knowing why you died.


    It would have been funny if the first challenger this first received ended up dying because he didn''t know how to use Hex magic."


    Eren looked at theughing Kino with a nk expression. But from the inside, he hade to realize that he had dived into these strange waters without knowing anything about them. It would have cost him a lot if he didn''t have his infinite mana core to back him up.


    Eren also realized that Kino had associated his spell spamming with a transcendent-grade artifact. He just let that slide off and didn''t correct her.


    "Well then¡­ it was my bad. Sorry for my rude words earlier. I was a bit frustrated. Can you tell me what Hex magic is?"


    Eren said with a serious tone. He took a long breath before adding up.


    "To be honest, I had tried to study about Hexers as much as I can beforeing here. But the only things I learned, in the end, were vague concepts and blurred pieces of news.


    I can''t get more details on Hexers and Hex magic with my current reach. So it would be very helpful if you were to guide me about these things.


    And if possible, let me know how to use my current gear."


    Eren looked at Kino with eyes that told her he wanted to know. She stoppedughing andnded on the ground before answering.

 Chapter 143 Mediocrity Is The Final Enemy Of Prosperity

    Kinonded on the ground and the semi-transparent wings behind her disappeared. Her green eyes were fixed on Eren before she spoke.


    "Hm. I don''t mind telling you how to use your Hex gear, Eren. But you should know what Hex magic is before you use your armor."


    Kino said and started walking in circles around Eren. She pondered for a bit before continuing.


    "I know you have something extraordinary about you. A transcendent-grade treasure? Or something even more profound? I''m not sure."


    As Eren heard Kino''s words, he had a tense expression on his face. He was about to say something in rification when the caretaker of the testing ground spoke up suddenly.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t try to probe you for your secrets. Everyone has secrets they want to keep to themselves. What I wanted to say was that you could be an ideal candidate for being a Hex user due to your peculiarity."


    When Eren listened carefully to Kino''s words, he understood that she was considering his spell spamming abilities as something that could be useful when casting the Hex magic. As a result, he was intrigued by the Hex magic even more than before.


    Kino saw Eren''s curiosity in his eyes and chuckled before speaking further.


    "There''s a core difference between working with normal magic and Hex. Normal magic depends too much on using mana circuits. The rules and restrictions of using normal magic are set and predefined. And the most you can do to the standard spell is get familiarized enough with it so that you can tweak its output.


    But is using normal magic all that fun? Especially when you can use a different branch of magic that is so liberating?"


    Eren had to agree with Kino that the spells he had learned so far were too rigid in their execution. Even a minor difference in activating the mana circuits or changing the flow of the mana would result in spell deformity or spell bacsh.


    Thus, Eren needed to invest time in practicing spells when he had managed to obtain them. Before casting them in battle, he had to get acquainted with the pneumonics and algorithms recorded in the spell.


    Eren was intrigued by Kino''s words because they indicated that there was a way to cut down on the trial time. This would make casting his spells a more liberating experience for him. As a result, he had to ask her about the same.


    "Do you mean to say that Hex magic doesn''t require the Hexers to learn the mnemonics of their spells?"


    Kino shook her head andughed before answering Eren''s query.


    "Nothing worth havinges easy in any world, silly. The Hexes are more liberating because they build up your foundation to cast spells as a high-ranked entity. As a result, you need to solve the problems faced by the higher ranked entities themselves."


    Eren shrugged his shoulders beforeing clean.


    "I don''t know the difficulties faced by the higher-ranked entities. So why should I care now? Let me first get to know them. Only then can I tell you if Hex magic is for me or not."


    Kino smirked when she heard Eren''s answer. However, she also found that it was reasonable. So she continued.<sub> </sub>


    "Alright. I''ll try to exin it in simple terms, Eren. so be sure to listen carefully.


    Normal magic doesn''t require you to imbue your will into spells. To grant your spells the intended effect, it uses the restrictions and rules of mana and the world''s will. It''s like filling out an application form.


    You don''t have to defy or erase the World''s Will, which is integrated into worldws. You don''t have to change anything about the mana you use. You don''t have to expend your will to cast magic.


    When one considers that one doesn''t have to imbue the spells with their will, normal spells are still easy to learn and use. Normal magic is for everybody.


    However, mediocrity is the final enemy of prosperity.


    You won''t make much progress through the ranking journey if you stick to mediocrity. If you truly want to prosper as a ranker, if you truly want to stay liberated no matter which world you are in, Hex magic is one of the sought-after answers you should look for."


    Kino said and raised her palm in front of her. In the next moment, a me appeared on her palm. The me stretched to 30 meters in height as soon as it appeared before it shrunk down to only an inch. During this period, Eren did not notice any mana fluctuations that could tell him that Kino had tried to control the spell.


    The me appeared to have a will of its own that made it stretch for 30 meters before bing as tiny as the me found in themps.


    "This is a Hex spell in its most simple form. As you can see and feel, I didn''t need to modify the spell externally to tweak its appearance, operation, or area of effect.


    Hex spells do not use mana sense externally. Do you understand what it means?"


    Kino asked while looking at Eren with an intriguing expression. Thetter scratched his chin and pondered for a while beforeing up with a response.


    "So the Hex spells rely on a ranker''s will, or something else, to cast them. In doing so, we can operate on the spells more freely.


    The ability to imbue your will into the spella€¡° is the key to using Hex spells. And that''s what sets it apart from normal magic."


    Kino nodded her head immediately and smiled at Eren before adding up.


    "Good. You are a quick learner. That makes things a bit easier for me."


    After dispersing the me on her palm, she added up.


    "A sessful Hexer doesn''t have to follow the rules set by the world''s will. They can override the World''s Will that is integrated into the very core of the world to make the most of their spells.


    Thus, we can say that the Hexes cast by Hexers be more Hex-like when the caster can exert their will onto the mana efficiently."

 Chapter 144 Hexers And Freedom

    "Thus, we can say that the Hexes cast by Hexers be more Hex-like when the caster can exert their will onto the mana effectively."


    As she said this, Kino flew in the air using her fairy-like wings. She flew in circles around Eren while looking at him. As if giving him a demo of another one of her Hex spells.


    "Once a Hexer''s will is added to the mana, they won''t have to follow the conventional form for spells. They would be able to cast Hexes that suit them without any conventional restrictions.


    Hexers don''t have to change the algorithm of mana point activations or make changes in the mana flow traveling through the mana pathways to tweak or transform their spells. They can simply change the will that is integrated into them to have the intended effect.


    This is the true freedom a Hexer achieves. Hehe. What''s more? Hexers begin to understand mana and magic on a deeper level than normal rankers. They start digging deeper into the very secrets of the universe''s existence.


    p Now, these secrets are not one-shoe-fits-all. They are not the same for everybody. Meaning every mana harnessing entity will find its own version of the universe''s secrets. As a result, the Hexes they would be able to cast would be different from the others.</anda>


    There''s only one way to deal with an unfree world. That is to be so free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. This is the principle of using Hex magic."


    Kino''s words struck a chord in Eren''s psyche. It made him remember the restrictions he was under in his previous life. Being a ranker had freed him from some of them. Nheless, his life was shackled by severe restrictions that were imposed on every ranker.


    Kino saw the peculiar state Eren was in. She smiled at him before continuing.


    "Hexers can bring out 150% of a spell''s potential by imbuing it with stronger wills. As a result, their spells are superior whenpared to normal rankers of their ranks.


    If a Hexer and Ranker who are of the same ranking status fight off with each other, a Hexer winning that fight is almost a certain oue. Normal rankers can''t make their spells perform beyond their limits.


    They can''t pour more mana into their spells in the hopes that they would get more out of their spells. They can''t keep on tweaking their spells to achieve the desired result. The limitations ced on normal spells are many. So it''s no wonder that Hexers almost always have a better chance of winning against their opponents.


    There''s a deeper reason why you should start focusing on casting Hex magic from the very foundation of your rank which is Rank 1. But for now, let''s skip that since you won''t profit from that knowledge."


    Kino allowed Eren to process all the things she had said for a while. She waited for him to speak up, which he did after some time.


    "So Hexers are superior to normal rankers because they integrate their wills into the spells. Their Hexes are superior to normal spells because they don''t have conventional limits binding them. And Hex magic would eventually be useful for Hexers if and when they be high-ranking entities.


    Haha. This sounds like a sales pitch to me. Tell me what''s the catch because I know there has to be at least one. Why are the Hexers not weed by the establishments if they are so superior to normal rankers?


    You had said in the beginning that nothing worth having everes for free in any world. What do I have to sacrifice to be a Hexer?"<sub> </sub>


    Kino started chuckling when she heard Eren''s words. She gave him an affirmative nod before answering his inquiry.


    Hexers are an uncontroble force for establishments. Since they start learning about mana and the very fundamentals of the world''sws in a deeper way, they usually start developing their own spells very early.


    You know what that means for establishments?"


    Eren started pondering Kino''s question. At first, he didn''t see any downside to the establishments. The various organizations would get Hexers as their superior variants of rankers. What problem would they have in acquiring them?


    Kino saw that Eren was still puzzled. So she gave him one more hint.


    "The problem doesn''t stem from organizations employing Hexers. The problem stems from whether the Hexers want to be employed by them or not.


    Hexers don''t really need ranking resources like normal rankers. They start developing their own spells and their own ranking techniques. And ites easily to them.


    A capable Hexer just needs to find a way to make his will capable enough to withstand a higher grade of mana using the foundation of the same spell. And et vo. They would have a higher-ranked spell using the same spell foundation.


    As a result, Hexers don''t need to keep on buying newer spells or newer ranking techniques. As a result, they do not need to sign restrictive contracts. At least the mana contracts they do end up signing aren''t as restrictive as those made for normal rankers.


    Which force would like someone who is so empowered? Which kingdom or force would like someone who is not bound by the restrictions?


    You ask me why Hexers are not weed by normal rankers. Tell me, would you like to interact with someone who has wings when you are shackled to the ground?


    Of course, there''s a higher purpose to the Hexers'' existence. Hexers are also treated differently by establishments for a deeper reason. But that doesn''t concern you at your current level.


    What you should be concerned about is whether or not you like to turn yourself into a Hexer or not? The Hex magic needsmitment. Someone with weaker will is better off casting normal magic."


    Kino said beforending straight in front of Eren. She looked up and looked him in the eyes before asking her next question to him.


    "Tell me, Eren. Do you want to be a Hexer?"

 Chapter 145 Downsides P1

    "Tell me, Eren. Do you want to be a Hexer?"


    Kino asked Eren with a look of expectation in her eyes. Thetter wanted to say yes. But he still had some doubts. He didn''t want tomit to a different school of magic just because it had many advantages over normal magic.


    There had to be another reason why Hex magic was not a preferred choice for many rankers. After all, if what Kino said about Hex magic was true, there had to be a lot more Hexers than their current numbers. Hex magic''s advantages were tempting to him, so they must have been to others as well.


    Eren wasn''t sure if he was overthinking things due to his OCD nature. But he decided to voice his doubts anyway.


    "Kino, you said a strong will is necessary to cast Hexes. The thing about a person''s will is that it is not always at its lowest or highest. You can''t be a person that''s always cheerful.


    You also said that a weak-willed person is better off casting normal magic. What did you mean by that?"


    Kino wasn''t expecting Eren to still want to dig deeper. She thought the advantages she had listed were enough to convince him to get on board with Hex magic right away. She realized that she had misunderstood his nature.


    Still, it was not like she didn''t want to answer. She pursed her lips and pondered a bit before opening her mouth to speak.


    "I see that you want to know about the disadvantages one has to face when using Hex magic. I''ll try to exin as clearly as I can.


    A weak-willed person won''t receive that much of a boost from using Hex magic, Eren. As a result, he would almost be wasting his time training for Hex magic.


    After all, he could use the same time to practice different normal spells and get higher benefits through variation. The time dedicated to training will not be worth it if the Hexer''s will does not allow him to excel beyond conventional standards.


    I wouldn''t have told you about these things if I had found that you have a weak will. The fact that you cleared the first stage with 100 percent clearance tells me a lot about the kind of will you possess. But then again, the choice is yours."


    Kino said and shrugged her shoulders. She then folded her hands and straightened up her stance before adding further.


    "As for the will, it fluctuates. The will of a ranker can sometimes dip to the depths of hell, but can also rise to the heavens at other times. I think you must have guessed the oue.


    The Hexes be more or less powerful than normal spells depending upon the will the Hexer adds to them. Therefore, integrating a low will into a spell is likely to have subpar results.


    At the same time, Hexers who are emotionally driven by certain situations have had their names recorded in the annals of history for pulling off something extraordinary."


    Said Kino and sighed. Every coin has two sides. Hex magic wasn''t any different either.<sub> </sub>


    Eren understood that Hex magic traded the reliability of spells for exceptionality. He also started thinking about the repercussions it would bring to Hexers and the Hex magic they cast.


    Kino knew what Eren was thinking. So she decided to voice his thoughts.


    "That''s right. Hex magic can be unreliable for certain Hexers. The unreliability might grow as their ranks grow and they get ess to spells of their rank.


    A lot of Hexers with weak wills had failed to do the job they were assigned to do. This was because they were overwhelmed with feelings of rage, fear, grief, and more. Since they were unable to control their emotions and wills, they couldn''t bring out their true potential and ended up costing more to the team they were part of.


    I guess this is why Hexers are not easily epted into parties. They work solo. Hexers act like lone wolves because they can be a danger to their party with the risks they bring to the table with the addition of unstable wills."


    Eren smirked when he realized it was not his paranoia or OCD nature that was sending him the wrong signals. Hex magic would make him a loner just like the rest of the Hexers. He still had another doubt when he heard Kino''s exnation.


    "Kino, can''t Hexers switch between normal magic and Hex magic? If they know that they are not emotionally stable at the point of casting spells or their will is not strong enough to cast the intended effect of a certain spell, they can just use the normal spells, right?


    What is stopping Hexers from bing normal rankers when they figure out that it is not the right time to cast Hex spells?"


    Kino gave Eren another appreciative smile. She didn''t care whether Eren would end up choosing Hex magic or not anymore. That''s because she hade to realize that if the guy bes a Hexer despite knowing everything about it, he would end up bing one of the greatest Hexers of his generation.


    After all, wanting to find everything there is to know about a certain topic was also a form of strong will. Committing to a task after learning everything there is to know about it was a sign of solid determination. Alternatively, it paved the way for a strong will.


    Kino chuckled before responding to Eren''s question.


    "Eren, you know how you tap into the state of epiphany, right? The higher consciousness is integrated into the very core of the world. Or the World''s Will that is also part of the same higher consciousness.


    You enter the state of epiphany when you establish contact with this all-epassing consciousness. They guide you and aid you in your ranking journey when you enter the state of epiphany.


    But what happens when you try to exert your will and drive out the existing will that is integrated into the core of mana? Keep in mind that the higher consciousness keeps track of every being that is living under its domain.


    This higher consciousness has its own goals and decision-making powers. What will it do if you try to defy its will?"

 Chapter 146 Downsides P2

    "This higher consciousness has its own goals and decision-making powers. What will it do if you try to defy its will?"


    Kino looked at Eren with expressions of intrigue. She hade to know that the guy was used to drawing his own conclusions from the data he had so far. It was as if he treated everything as a puzzle before trying toe up with his own answers.


    Eren took a long breath and looked into the void beforeing up with his own theory.


    "Alright. Let''s assume that the higher consciousness is a monarch who has set his rules for his subjects. What will he do if the subjects decide to rebel against his orders?


    He''ll either have them executed or get them out of his kingdom, I guess. Depends upon how benevolent he is at the time towards the people who arebeled as rule breakers."


    Kino chuckled when Eren tried to simplify such a profound subject in a few words. Genius is makingplex ideas simple and not simple ideasplex. She


    Pursed her lips and thought for a while before opening her mouth to speak.


    "You are partially right, Eren. If the higher consciousness was as in control as you are making out to be, things would have gotten a lot more difficult for Hexers than they already are.


    Treat higher consciousness as an eternally sleeping entity. It knows what it needs to do to make everything make sense for everybody.


    As a result, it is impartial toward everyone, giving no one what they want for free. But sometimes it slips and breaks its own rules, giving birth to geniuses that redefine the standards set for their generation."


    Kino scanned the area around her as if she was trying to find the all-epassing existence she was talking about at the time. She then looked Eren in the eyes before adding up.


    "The control the higher consciousness has over all that it epasses is stretched thin because of the sheer immenseness of the domain it has in its rule. As a result, it doesn''t outright ban the Hexers from casting normal spells.


    When it identifies that the rankers are adding their own wishes to the spells, it starts creating obstacles for them to use the normal spells. Roadblocks that are not easy to get around."


    Eren nodded in understanding when he heard Alephee''s exnation. At this point, he only wanted to ask her why she didn''t let him know about these things upfront.


    Eren could sense that Kino had no ill intentions toward him. Still, failing to inform him about the limiting factors of being a Hexer put her in a bad light.


    Kino could tell what Eren was thinking by looking into his eyes. So she smiled and verbally marched forward.


    "Once you establish yourself as a Hexer in the higher consciousness'' vision, your ability to cast normal spells is liable to suffer. For most Hexers, it degrades over time the more proficient they be at casting Hex.


    A Hexer''s normal spells are going to be less effective than their Hex spells as a result. You can''t have the best of both worlds, Eren. Not in this case. But if you think about it, a strong-willed Hexer doesn''t need to worry about these things.


    I can say with certainty that you would turn out to be apetent Hexer. You don''t have to worry about such repercussions. At least not as much as you might be picturing right now.<sub> </sub>


    That''s why I didn''t want to say these things to you when I saw you fight. You have all that it takes to be a true Hexer.


    Why would I try to take that potential away from you or let it get affected? Because saying those things is liable to affect your will, which is a keyponent of bing a Hexer."


    Kino put her stance forward before taking a long breath. She concluded with the following words.


    "Then again, the choice is yours. If you think that Hex magic is really not worth it because of the disadvantages it has, then I won''t mind if you decide to stay as a normal ranker. I won''t try to discredit your choice either.


    This is why I said being a Hexer is not for weak-willed people. You need utmostmitment. After all, mediocrity is not necessarily a terrible thing. It''s a way of life that has its own advantages and disadvantages.


    ept the choice in its entirety, favorable to you and otherwise. ept it with all its consequences because you won''t be able to avoid them anyway, whether you like them or not.


    And try not to have any regrets. That''s what I would want you to have."


    Kino remained silent after she was done speaking. She allowed Eren to process everything she had said so far.


    For some reason, the more she talked with him, the more she wanted him to choose the path of Hexers. Maybe, subconsciously that feeling had taken hold of her. That was also the reason why she didn''t want to create doubt in Eren''s head about the Hexer''s school of casting magic.


    But when asked, Kino was nothing but honest to Eren about everything she had said. If Eren decides to be a Hexer despite knowing everything about it, she was sure that he would be a damn capable one.


    Eren started pacing around with his hands behind his back as he thought of many things at once. He carefully sorted out his thoughts and weighed the pros and cons of using normal and Hex magic.


    ''I will use my infinite mana core to its full extent when my spell has the potential to surpass conventional limits. Plus, my path as a battlemage is broad. So I would benefit a lot from using different spells.


    To hell with mediocrity. I died in that ditch not too long ago. I don''t want to end up in the same ce again at the end of this life.''


    Eren stopped pacing around when he made up his mind.


    ''A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often simply means something to aim at.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s mind as he looked at Kino before voicing his decision.


    "How do I be one, Kino?


    A Hexer!"

 Chapter 147 Hex Spell: One Up

    Kino shed a graceful smile when she heard Eren''s confirmation. She didn''t take long to respond.


    "Since you have said yes after learning almost every aspect of being a Hexer, Imend you for your decision. The path toward bing a full-fledged Hexer is not easy.


    You won''t be able to truly use Hex spells until you are an Arch rank. However, setting the foundation early is apt to help you a lot."


    Eren was about to sh a smile in return for Alephee''s apuse. But then he heard her words about not being able to use Hex spells for real until he was in the Arch rank. He couldn''t help frowning at that thought.


    Kino looked at Eren''s face and cleared some air around her earlier statement.


    "Don''t worry, Eren. What I mean is that Arch rank would allow you to cast Hex spells easily without any tools. But you''d have ess to these tools in your Meta and Awakened rank.


    The Hex gears!


    The Hex gear set is specially made for Hexers in the Meta and Awakened rankers. It allows them to integrate their wills into their spells using the gears as the conduit.


    This is the reason why Hex gear can not simply be used by other rankers. The gear set acts as the conduit for the user''s will. As such, they are dependent on their owners.


    To make it usable for them, the core runes on the Hex gear set would need to be changed. As such, Hex gears are rarely passed down from a ranker to ranker."


    Another of Eren''s puzzles got sorted at this point. He wondered why the Hex gear sets would not ept him, even after removing the remnant mana signature of the previous user.


    Eren could take care of the residual mana signature. But he couldn''t get rid of the residual will that was part of the Hex gear set. As such, Malcolm had to erase the runic details containing the previous owner''s will.


    The crafty shopkeeper then used Eren''s will to craft him a revamped Hex gear set. Eren nodded his head in understanding before asking his next question.


    "So the Hex gear sets allow the Hexers to start walking on the path of Hexes. In Meta and Awakened ranks, they are clutches one can use to start walking instead of merely crawling.


    Now all that remains is for you to teach me how to use my current Hex equipment."


    Alephee gave Eren a nod before starting to guide him step by step. She told him which tattooed inscriptions on the Hex Gear he needed to focus his mana sense on.


    Hexer or not, the mana sense isbined with the ranker''s will. It was their will that was reflected in the aura they manifested when using their mana sense and natural mana defenseyer.


    As such, the mana sense was used uniquely in Hex spells. A normal ranker uses their mana sense to guide the effects of their spells and to control the output to some extent.


    However, the Hexers would not use mana sense externally to control the Hex spells they would cast. When mana sense is integrated into the foundation of spells, they will be executed instantly.


    In addition, this integration would make the spells more stable, allowing them to increase their output by injecting more mana into them while ensuring that no spell deviation urs.


    There was another way to use Hex gears instead of using them in conjunction with the mana sense. Eren learned that there was something other than mana sense that could really make the Hex spells bloom to their fullest potential.


    Soul sense.


    Soul sense could be integrated with Hex spells using the Hex gears as a medium. The effects this type of integration would produce would be far superior to what one would get using the mana sense.


    However, soul sense was not something every ranker could have. Only one in millions would be able to use this higher-tier power for themselves.


    These chosen ones needed to have a soul sense awakening for them to be able to use the soul sense. Only then would they be able to integrate their soul sense into their Hex spells.<sub> </sub>


    Kino said that Eren had a higher chance of awakening his soul sense. However, that would take a long time. This was not something he could train or practice in.


    Soul sense could only be acquired naturally. It wasn''t rted to how much a person trains in their weapons arts or ranking techniques. Despite a lifetime of diligent work, a ranker might not be able to awaken their soul sense. On the other hand, a ranker who progressed casually through their ranking journey might end up awakening their soul sense.


    As such, Eren didn''t need to worry about integrating the soul sense into his Hex spells. He needed to focus on what he had at his disposal at the time.


    Eren listened to Kino''s exnations and understood the basics of operating the Hex gear. She also made him use his gear as instructed. This gave him a live demo of what it feels like to operate the Hex gear the way it is supposed to be used.


    The exnations and demonstrations carried on for hours on end. Eren was d that Kino was there to help understand the Hex gears. He wouldn''t have been able to figure this stuff out anytime soon if it wasn''t for her.


    Eren also came to realize that he needed to practice casting Hex spells using the Hex gears to be proficient at them. It wasn''t something he could do right away after learning about the basics from Kino.


    Eren felt conflicted about something in the end when he tested his Hex gears. Kino chuckled before giving him much-needed relief.


    "You guessed it right. There are two more stages. Of course, the difficulty level for these two remaining levels would be a lot more than what you faced in the first stage.


    However, you have cleared the first stage with a 100 percent clearance rate. It grants you a special perk that would not be offered to the other challengers.


    Should you choose to, you can leave the testing grounds ande backter to start from where you had left off. If you decide to hit pause now, you would only receive half the rewards for clearing the first stage. The other half will be given to you after you clear all the stages.


    Thest two stages need to be taken together. You can''t quit midway even if you pass the second stage with a 100 percent clearance rate. As such, the rewards for clearing all three stages would only be offered to you when you clear the testing grounds entirely."


    A sense of relief washed over Eren as he heard Kino''s words. He knew that he had been trying to clear the testing grounds wrongly. Brute force had its limits. His infinite mana core wouldn''t be enough to save his hide in the second or third stage unless he masters Hex spells.


    And for that, Eren needed practice and time. If he had entered into the second stage at this point, he would have been in a dire situation. Even if he could clear the second stage somehow, there was no assurance the third stage would give him favorable results either. He did not even know he would survive trying to clear the third stage.


    Therefore, using his perk was the obvious choice for Eren. He quickly made his intentions known to Kino before asking her something in a voice coated in excitement.


    "So what are the rewards for clearing the first stage, Kino? Even if I only receive half the stuff, it should still be something worthwhile. At least I hope it is."


    Kino smirked as he saw his share of rewards appear in front of him. Eren''s eyes shone as he saw the chunk of Mana quartz waiting for him to im it.


    1000 Mana Quartz!


    This was Eren''s reward for clearing the first stage of the testing grounds. This reward alone was enough for Eren to invest heavily in his foundation as a ranker.


    Eren couldn''t help shing a smile as he stored the chunk of Mana Quartz in his storage. He thought that the Mana Quartz was all there was to the rewards. After all, he was only supposed to get half of it.


    However, before Eren could thank Kino for granting him the huge reward, she handed him a scroll. This scroll was neither too old nor too new. He opened it and started reading from it to understand what it was.


    The more he read the more fascinated he became. He felt like Kino had given him this scroll after taking into ount the kind of show he had put up in front of her.


    The scroll contained a unique spell. This support-type spell would allow him to pump more mana into his existing spells until the spell''s mana grade increased.


    The spell''s name was One Up.


    It would basically allow him to cast Awakened rank or beyond while being a lower-ranked entity. This Hex spellbined with Eren''s infinite mana core would produce fearsome results.

 Chapter 148 Slaadi

    A region near Kishnoi Swamps, which is four days away from the city of Ludan.


    Shaikai kingdom. Gahan.


    A rtively barren region with sparse vegetation. An expanse of small hills and patches of water bodies in between.


    The dry air and afternoon sun were making their presence known. The heat haze from the ground was turning the scenery in front a bit blurry. The region didn''t appear to be suitable for habitation by mortals.


    "Thanks foring here with me, Eren."


    Mia Silver said this while riding her colt alongside Eren''s. Even under the zing sun, the rankers could adjust their body temperatures ordingly. Their natural mana defenseyers would also provide them with additional protection.


    As such the ce that was supposed to be a hellhole for mortals was a minor nuisance for rankers. The only rankers visible in these barrennds were Eren and Mia Silver riding their colts.


    "I know that you have been a bit busytely. However, the monsters in question pose some difficulties for me alone. So I had to ask someone like you."


    While adjusting her hair, Mia said. She then took a nce at Eren who shed a smile before responding.


    "It''s fine. I was getting bored practicing by myself anyway. And the pay for this mission is quitemendable. I can always use more Mana Quartz."


    Eren said casually. He then scanned the mission details on his spectral screen once again before raising his question.


    "What do you know about these adi?"


    Mia knew Eren was asking for insider information not covered in mission details. So she adjusted her colt''s stride to Eren''s before answering.


    "A ad is a frog-like creature that usually doesn''t have a fully developed consciousness. These monsters are not like the usual ones with an advanced culture.


    The adi are best described as creatures of chaos. They are mostly dependent on their mana-enhanced physical capabilities. But some of these monsters can use a huge range of spells."


    Mia said and took another nce at Eren. For some reason, she liked hispany. Adjusting her hair, she continued.


    "The adi often fight with each other for the smallest of grievances and can act viciously with their own children. Their tribes have a lot of infighting, which is abnormal even by monster standards."


    Eren nodded at her before smiling bitterly. He had to address the one issue he had read about adi.


    "These adi are usually resistant to acid, cold, lightning, and fire element spells. They are immune to sonic attacks as well.


    As such, I might not be the most suitable person to fight with them. The spells I havee from either the fire or lightning element."


    Mia clicked her tongue when she realized that in her search for Eren''spany she had forgotten to consider his elemental affinity. But it was toote at this point. He had already traveled for days with her to get here. That meant that he wasn''t hesitating to fight with adi.


    "Um... my bad, Eren. My mind was preupied with a few things. But you could have made me realize these things before we left the city of Ludan, you know. I wouldn''t want you to struggle to fight these monsters."


    Eren gave a hearty chuckle to Mia''s damage control. He looked at her with eyes that said "it''s okay" before verbalizing his thoughts.


    "Afort zone is indeed a beautiful ce. But nothing worthwhile ever grows there.


    It''s fine. I wanted to try some stuff anyway. These monsters would serve as effective target practice."


    Mia''s guilt was curbed by Eren''s understanding tone. Thetter nodded at him before reciting the mission''s objective. Her way of changing the subject.


    "All we have to do is kill these creatures and get our hands on at least 6 ad gemstones. Many of these gemstones are embedded in their skulls in the shape and size of a human child''s fist.


    This naturally produced organic growth looks like a gem that shares its color with the ad. This jewel is hidden beneath ayer of their skin. So we might get our hands a bit dirty to get them."


    The ad gemstones were used for a range of purposes including array designs, alchemy, weapon strengthening, potioning, and more. The missions rted to ad gemstones were highly lucrative.


    Plus, the rankers who could y these monsters could also save some of the ad gemstones for themselves. The gemstones could be used as raw materials for their custom armor order.<sub> </sub>


    The adi had resilient skin. The hides and armor constructed from their skin would also gain elemental resistance. As such their bodies were treated as precious resources by rankers.


    Eren had said yes to Mia''s invitation considering all these points. He also meant it when he said he didn''t want to stay in hisfort zone all the time. The Hex testing grounds were waiting for him. He needed to gain a wide range of experiences to clear the second and third stages with flying colors.


    Eren had high hopes for the testing ground''s reward. He had already been lucky enough to pass the first stage. And that was supposed to be half of his reward. That meant the second and third stages of the test were going to be extremely difficult to clear. Likewise, their rewards will be exponentially better as well.


    ***


    It''s been almost a month since Eren escaped the hex ground meant for Hexers belonging to the Creed of Bear. He had mostly focused on honing Hex spells after that. He would rarely take missions. The only missions he did with diligence were the mandatory missions with Miranda.


    Eren hadn''t cut his workout time either. But he had new workout partners these days. So his peaceful workout sessions stopped being peaceful and became a team activity.


    Reece, Ekay, and Rhea were now training alongside Eren in an altered gravity force. Eren''s progressive overload would always turn brutal the more time they spent with him in the gym. But they held on.


    Reece, Ekay, and Rhea were already stating that they were feeling the burn from their workouts which was helping them get over their minor roadblocks. Eren would look at them doubtfully whenever they said that to him, wondering if the cebo effect was working.


    ***


    "We are near Eren. We need to ditch our colts."


    The thoughts swirling in Eren''s head were interrupted when Mia made him aware of his surroundings. He followed her lead and prepared himself for the battle.


    ***


    The shore of an unnamed swamp. The sun had just reduced its intensity, painting the sky in evening colors.


    Due to the magical nature of the habitat, the region would stay dry even with a lot of water bodies present within it. But these dry winds would feel less bothersome to mortals now that the evening had arrived.


    "Daryaaaao!"


    Two adi were fighting with each other when they were suddenly ambushed by someone. As a result, they both stopped fighting and called it a truce. They needed to settle the external threat first before dealing with the conflict even though they weren''tpletely sure of it.


    One of these monsters was a blue-skinned ad with a huge muscr torso. He measured up to 8 feet in height. His arms and legs were both elongated. Plus, he had the facial features of a frog.


    There were two white exoskeleton ws attached to the Ulna and Radius of this blue-skinned ad. These ws looked like they had been produced at a moment''s notice by rupturing the blue-skin ad''s skin at the back of his hand. He also had a long tongue that stayed out of his mouth.


    The blue-skin ad also had a series of fin-like growth on his back. He also had a bunch of warts all over his skin. His yellow eyes and his noseless face made him look malevolent.


    Then there was a green-skin ad who was fighting with the Blue-skin ad not too long ago. He was only 6 feet tall. But this monster had more muscle definitions than the blue-skin one.


    The green-skin ad didn''t have exoskeleton-like ws. Instead, he had sharp ck nails that were coated with blue-skin monster''s blue blood. He also had frog-like facial features. But there was no fin-shaped growth on his back. Instead, his back was covered with natural runic patterns.


    Both these monsters had worn loincloths that barely covered their genitals. It looked like these monsters had some form of intelligence after all.


    "Draaaaw!"


    The blue-skin ad informed his green-skin brethren that two humans were trying to attack them when he adjusted his yellow eyes to look at their approaching enemy.


    Mia had attacked the two monsters from a distance using her elemental arrows. However, she had underestimated the resilience of the monsters'' skin. Even when she had aimed their eyes, all the monsters needed to do was close their eyes. The elemental arrows were bounced off their eyes before dispersing into thin air.


    Eren was the only one approaching both monsters with his movement spell, and it was toote to turn back. He was counting on Mia''s support spells.


    But luck has always been a fickle mistress for him.


    "Damn it. This one''s gonna hurt."

 Chapter 149 “Success For Me Is To Go Out There And Dominate�

    Bear''s Creed armor!


    Swish. Zoom. Bang.


    Just when Eren was finished manifesting his Hex gear set, he found out that his body had been cutting through the air. He could see his previous position was being upied by the green-skin ad.


    This ad still maintained his attacking stance when Eren was flying through the air. His fist was still coated in orange mes. At this point, Eren looked at his punched fist and then at his gut.


    Crash. Drag. Boom.


    Eren crashednded on the ground, some 20 meters away from his previous position. He had flown in the opposite direction to Mia who seemed just as surprised after witnessing the ad''s vicious attack on Eren all of a sudden.


    "Ugh!"


    Eren spat blood when he processed the pain he was feeling in his guts. He banged both his closed fists on the ground to lessen the amount of pain he was feeling. The ground that was hit by his fist cracked now that he was in Hex armor, generating streaks of lightning and haze.


    Blits Heal


    Eren quickly cast his healing spell while getting up from his position. The dust was still settling around him due to his crashnding. Thus, his vision was blurred. So he had to depend on his mana sense.


    The green-skin ad had managed to punch him when he was still in the process of manifesting his Hex armor. As a result, the damage he had sustained due to the sudden attack was on another level.


    ? Eren was sure that if he hadn''t strengthened his mana defenseyer around his abdomen, the green-skinned ad would have managed to punch through his guts.


    ''Chaos! One deadly element indeed.''


    The adi were called creatures of chaos because most of them possessed a unique elemental affinity. The element of chaos was supposed to be the basic building block for all the elements. As such, those who were born with this elemental affinity would be able to wield almost any element with equal efficiency.


    The elemental spells rted to chaos were also something that would manifest differently depending upon the mood and situation of the user. The chaos element would allow these users to switch between multiple elements while keeping the spell format the same, producing different results every time.


    It was said that the chaos element was not really an element but ack of one. It could mold into any element provided the wielder was capable of molding it.


    The element was also the reason behind the monsters gaining too many elemental resistances. The chaos element had the potential to stay immune to the effects of other elements if used the right way.


    Since most adi were born with the elemental affinity for Chaos, they were all unpredictable and difficult to target. Even the adi themselves weren''t inplete control of their element. It would manifest on its own depending upon the emotions they felt at the time, enhancing or decreasing the power of inherent spells they were born with.


    The green-skin ad that had attacked Eren managed to cast a wind-element movement spell. He then strengthened his fist using earth-element mana, giving it a solid rigidity.


    Lastly, the green-skin ad coated his fist in the fire-elemental mana on top. Due to the chaos element, the fire element mana was converted into kic energy without any spell mechanism in ce.


    The punchunched on Eren by this chaos-element wielder monster was therefore more deadly than it looked. And it looked like the monster hadn''t given much thought about how to go about attacking Eren.


    The green-skin monster just wished he could punch Eren with every fiber of his body. His emotions were added to the monster''s elemental attainment of chaos and thebination took care of the rest for him.


    "Draaaw!"


    Eren looked shocked at the way the green-skinned ad attacked him. He looked at his blue-skin buddy standing behind him andughed, showing his small saw-like teeth and his long tongue.


    The green-skin ad hammered his chest with his fists like a gori before charging at him. As Eren and Mia watched the green-skin monster engage his bud next, they both looked at each other from a distance.


    ''The fuck. He just punched me in the guts so hard, that I puked blood. And now he is leaving me high and dry here.''


    Eren cursed the monster for underestimating him. However, he didn''t dare to break their fight. The more they fought with each other the better.


    Mia felt odd about Eren''s choice of words. She ignored it and responded over voicemunication.


    ''I¡­ I just don''t know what to feel fighting these monsters. This is not my first time fighting with them, Eren. That''s why I brought you here.


    I didn''t think much about the elemental resistance they are known to have because of this damn chaos element. They can gain resistance to any element if they wished to, making the norms set for them invalid for any ranker with¡­."


    Eren smiled bitterly before finishing Mia''s sentence.


    ''For any ranker with bad luck.''


    Eren said and took a long breath before spitting some coagted blood. The healing spell had finally started to show its effects, making it easy for Eren to stand up on his two feet. He didn''t feel like curling into a ball anymore. That was a huge win for him at this point.


    "Daryaaw!"<sub> </sub>


    The blue-skin ad croaked like a frog in his mana-imbued voice before pping his green-skin kin who wanted nothing more than to end him.


    The p appeared to have worked. The green-skinned ad stopped trying to punch the blue-skinned ad. He then listened to something the blue-skin ad was saying before nodding at him.


    "Daryaaw!"


    The blue-skin monster started approaching Mia while the green-skin monster started zeroing in on Eren after releasing their battle cries. Eren pursed his lips before taking out two weapons from either hand.


    The fire-element axes.


    As Eren cast his spells, he hurled his two weapons at the approaching monster.


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Whip


    Alfem


    Taranbiest


    Blitz Sheild


    Blitz Shard


    Eren approached the monster with the movement spell. He then controlled the weapons using his lightning elementsso before directing them to approach the monster from behind him.


    There was a swarm of firebirds manifesting behind Eren. Beside him were two lightning clusters that were turning into lightning hounds.


    Lastly, Blitz Shard was being cast on Eren''s weapons and the lightning cloak that he used as a defensive spell.


    Eren had cast all these spells instantly, thanks to his will embedded into them. He has used his Hex armor to integrate his will into these spells, turning his existing spells into Hex spells for instant activation.


    Bzzt. Daraayav. Boom.


    ***


    What Eren had found out while practicing the Hex way of casting spells was the fact that he was not like normal Hexers. He could cast normal and Hex spells without any conflict.


    There was no higher consciousness opposing him just because he had started integrating his will into the spells. And there was no trouble for him using his Hex gear as a medium to cast Hex spells.


    Casting Hex spells came naturally to Eren. as if he was meant to cast the spells this way. Plus, there was no known spell deviancy he had observed so far in his training sessions.


    It meant that Eren could remain a normal ranker despite using Hex spells. For some reason, he got the best of both worlds. The only exnation he coulde up with was his unique infinite mana core, which had zero-conflict with anything thrown at it.


    Therefore, Eren''s spell casting had be almost instantaneous if and when he used his Hex gear to use Hex spells. But since he was still practicing the Hex way of casting spells and had not be skilled in it, he hadn''t really managed to increase the output of his spell. All he could do was cast the spells at a moment''s notice.


    So that''s what he did when he saw the green-skin monster approaching him. He had sent his mana circuits into overdrive without any hesitation to cast so many spells all at once. This was an emergency. Plus, things had gotten personal.


    Eren felt like dominating the green-skin monster with all that he could muster after receiving such a brutal punch from him. After all, this was one of the reasons he hade toplete the mission despite knowing the difficulty¨C to test his progress in Hex spells.


    ***


    Bzzt. Daraayav. Boom.


    The green-skin monster would often have a hazy presence of mind whenever he used his chaos element. So when his mind returned to normalcy, the first thing he heard was his own cry.


    Eren''s two axes had been lodged into the monster''s upper and lower back, injecting the former''s fire-element mana into his system. Lightning streaks were also seen around the wound- the effects of Blitz Shards on the weapons'' des.


    When the green-skin monster turned around to look at his opponent, his vision was filled with a moving cluster of lightning. One of the Taranbiest had jumped right in the green-skin monster''s face while the other had bit his left leg.


    Before the monster could shout in pain again, the firebirds coated in Blitz Shards attacked. Eren turned back and watched his remaining spells consume the monster entirely.


    Breathing heavily, Eren couldn''t help smiling as he saw the cloud of mes spreading all around the green-skin monster.


    ''Sess for me is to go out there and dominate.''

 Chapter 150 Twin-Star Arts And Igni Series Spells

    The blue-skin ad was a brute. He would use his physical prowess to his fullest to attack his opponents.


    This monster wasn''t that attuned to the chaos element. So there were no surprises behind his attacks. However, due to theck of chaos, he also had a clear state of mind.


    This blue-skin monster could n his attacks well, hide counterattacks in his defensive actions, and use his mana-enhanced strength to his advantage.


    Mia also had dagger arts for close ranger opponents. She knew she couldn''t run away from the monster this time to take advantage of her ranger ss. That''s because there was no assurance that the blue-skin ad would allow her to kite him. The adi were simply too unpredictable, attuned to chaos or not.


    If the blue-skin ad teams up with the green-skin one, things would be twice as dangerous for Eren. Thus, she decided to stay and fight.


    She was at a considerable distance away from Eren, unaware of the fact that he had taken revenge against his opponent.


    ***


    Eren watched his attacks change the surroundings around the green-skin ad. The fire cloud and the cluster of lightning manifesting at the same time had created a depression in the ground with a radius of about 10 meters.


    "Daryaaaav!"


    Eren narrowed his eyes when he heard the monster''s wail. It hade from the middle of the mana storm created by his fire and lightning element attacks.


    "Daryaav!"


    The monster yelled again before using his long legs to take a frog-like long jump. When hended outside the fire and lightning element domain, his body looked like it had been cooked to perfection.


    "Daryaaav!"


    The monster''s crazy-looking eyes that he had fixated on Eren turned red as he got on all fours. In the next moment, a distinct mana pulse was felt as the burnt skin around him started to shed only to be reced by newer, healthier skin colored pink.


    The pink skin eventually started to have green pigments before turning into the monster''s green-colored epidermis. The green-skin ad looked like he had achieved rebirth after exiting Eren''s fire and lightning element faux domain. Except, his muscr definitions had shrunk, giving him a slim build that he didn''t have previously.


    The monster recovered within a few moments. It appeared that monsters could also influence the execution of their spells with their will, especially if they were in a dire situation.


    "Why am I not surprised!"


    Eren spat in anger after seeing the monster transform this way. He felt like he had ended up with a short straw when it came to having ad as an opponent.


    "Let''s dance, then."


    Eren said to the green-skinned monster before vanishing. He had decided to attack the monster instead of waiting for his condition to stabilize.


    Eren had decided to try out the newest addition of spells to his addition that he had bought from Malcolm. He had spent half of his fortune on these spells to bring out the variation he needed for his battlemage ss.


    "Daryaav!"


    The green-skin monster sensed danger was heading his way so he cast his own spells, creating circles of earth-element walls around him. He knew that he wasn''t prepared for Eren after his transformation. His condition needed to be stabilized before he could move freely.


    Eren saw the walls of earth-element mana were getting erected at a rapid pace all around his target. He smirked before drawing his crossbow from storage.


    Igni Bolt st!


    In the next moment, an arrow made of fire-element mana was created over the crossbow''s loading bay. This fire-element arrow had a sphere-shaped arrowhead, giving it a distinctive appearance.


    The arrow''s manifestation became semi-solid as various runes started appearing over it. Eren used his will through Hex gear to expedite the process.


    Aim. Release. Boom.


    The fire-element arrow detonated upon contact like a firebomb, dispersing the earth-element mana, which was being used to cast the protective walls. The first arrow was followed by five more of its kind. They lodged themselves in the newly created walls. Three arrowheads were detonated all at once, leaving two benign arrowheads behind.


    A path was opened for Eren when he used his fire-element spell. The next spell he cast was also a fire-element spell.


    Igni Chains!<sub> </sub>


    The two benign arrowheads that Eren had shot previously bloomed like flowers before sprouting chains made of fire-element mana. They zeroed in on the monster as soon as they were born into existence, leaving the monster no chance to dodge them.


    These fire-element chainstched onto the green-skin monster''s right leg and left hand, restricting him in an awkward position. The skin which hade in contact with these orange-red chains started releasing smoke as it burned the mana defenseyer of the monster before burning the newly regenerated epidermis itself.


    "Draaaaaa¡­. Hu¡­ Human¡­. I kill¡­"


    The green-skin monster finally bothered to speak in Gahan''s official tongue when he was put through so much pain by the human that had appeared out of nowhere. It was as if yelling in his mother tongue was not enough. He wanted to convey the implications the human would have to face for making him suffer to this level.


    The green-skin monster wanted to free himself from the chains he was pinned to his current position with. So he cast his next spell. He created a water-element sword using his chaos element before using it on the chains and honing it with his free hand.


    Sizzle!


    A dense amount of steam was generated as the fire-element chains were cut by a water-element sword that barely looked like one. The monster felt elevated when he managed to free himself of his bindings.


    However, this was all the time Eren needed to approach the monster who acted like an undying warlord. His hands gripped his axes beforeunching his dual-weapon attacks.


    ***


    A lot of Eren''s previous ns wereing to fruition over time. He had invested a sufficient amount of hours in practicing his Jeet Kune Do. He then used it as a foundation for his mana-based martial arts.


    Twin Star Arts!


    This was the name of the mana-based martial arts Eren had spent his time learning for quite some time. The martial arts would dictate which mana points and parts of mana circuits needed to get activated to unleash the true potential of the artifacts he was wielding.


    The Twin Star Arts worked best with swords. But it could also be used with axes and other weapons. Eren just needed to tweak the instructions for the martial arts a bit as per the weapons he was wielding at the time.


    Eren didn''t spend more money to buy a new sword. He figured his two axes would work until he managed to break into the Awakened rank. Thus, he practiced the Twin Star Arts with his axes, enabling him to wield these borrowed weapons with confidence he never had before.


    Eren juggled his weapons in both hands as he got within striking distance of the green-skin monster. He unleashed Twin Star Arts to the fullest while preparing to cast his movement spell in quick session.


    The green-skin monster saw that Eren was approaching him with his zing axes by the time he freed himself from the fire-element chains. He cast another water-element sword in his free hand and bolstered the sword he was holding with more water-element mana.


    "Daraaayv! I kill¡­"


    Eren heard the monster dere as he approached him from his side. It looked like the ad in question had lost any semnce of reason. He straightforwardly approached Eren without even trying to dodge any potential attacks heading his way.


    This was all Eren needed from a monster when he saw him approaching him with a look of pure madness. No more surprises, no more strange spells. He just wanted the monster to act like he was supposed to act- a dunce who could be used like a litmus paper to test his spells.


    The monster only saw a series of blurred lines manifesting around Eren as he handled his weapons with the weapon arts. The blurred, orange-red lines didn''t produce or repel winds even when the weapons that caused them were swung with exceptional agility.


    Zoom. Swoosh. Cleave.


    The monster''s stretched and wrinkly fingers with which he was holding the left sword were first to get cut off. The right hand was severed from its wrist joint in the next moment.


    Before the monster could process the pain and his body could react in panic, Eren had delivered some more weapon damage onto his torso. Surprisingly, the weapons didn''t make any noise when he did that.


    "Dar¡­"


    The monster''s shriek was cut short when his neck was cleaved from his torso in one swift motion. The fatal wound was immediately cauterized because of the sheer amount ofpressed fire-element mana acting on it.


    Igni Wave!


    Eren had used another of his Igni-series spells he had bought from Malcolm, which bode well with his two axes.


    The head of the monster flew a few meters away from him. Likewise, the cauterization did not spill blood since it sealed off the woundpletely like an invisible fire that burnt flesh too quickly for it to appear in the open.


    Eren liked these spells even more after he saw their effects in real-life target practice. They allowed for more harm and less mess. Something his OCD brain could findfort in.

 Chapter 151 Igni Lotus

    The battle between blue-skin ad and Mia was at a stalemate.


    On one end, Mia had superior agility to her opponent, which allowed her to dodge or divert most of his attacks. On the other hand, shecked the heavy-damage attack at close range to inflict serious damage to the monster.


    The blue-skin ad''s instant regeneration was even faster than his peer. That''s because he could focus and control the effects of his inherent healing spell, enhancing its effects at the cost of higher mana consumption.


    This ad didn''t have versatile spells anyway. All his attacks and defensive moves were predictable. But that didn''t mean Mia would have an easier time battling with him.


    The blue-skinned ad used his exoskeleton ws tounch attacks on Mia. She used her movement spell to get away from the ws in the nick of time, preventing a serious injury.


    Mia was just about to close the distance between the Blue-skin ad and begin a counterattack on him using her daggers. Suddenly, it looked like she heard or felt somethinging in her direction.


    Mia coated her two daggers in her wind-element mana before throwing them toward the blue-skin monster using her dagger arts. She had basically discarded her weapons for close range, which was something seemingly unthinkable.


    The weapons cut through the air and flew straight toward the blue-skin monster at crazy speeds. The blue ad was able to dodge one of them but in doing so he made himself prone to the second dagger''s attack.


    The second dagger, which was coated with Mia''s wind element mana, pierced the blue ad''s right thigh. Thepressed wind-element mana expanded after the sh, extending the length of the de and making ite out from the other side of the monster''s thigh.


    "Daraayav!"


    The blue ad cried in pain when he felt Mia''s dagger pierce his right thigh. She had managed to make him stay where he was, even if it was only for a short time. His exaggerated healing and regenerative powers would soon kick in and render the wound futile.


    Mia wasn''t waiting for her attack''s effects to show themselves. She fled the scene as soon as sheunched her self-sabotage-like attack. There was no way for her to confront the monster in close range without her daggers. Luckily, she didn''t have to.


    That''s because Eren had asked her to serve as a support for him.


    There was no sound of an arrow flying. It just cut through the air without making noise beforending straight on the monster''s exposed back.


    p "Daryaav!"</anda>


    The blue ad shrieked in pain when the Igni Bolt st was detonated right over his back. The mes it generated were then quickly turned into me chains beforetching onto the monster''s body like coiling snakes.


    Eren appeared right in front of the Blue monster by the time thetter''s vision was cleared of mes all around him. The monster sensed a huge danger after feeling Eren''s presence so close to him. His eyes turned red as he entered the same berserk-like state as the green ad had.


    The blue ad''s power-up was effortless. He just got bigger and bulkier, snapping the me chains that were trying to restrain his exaggerated growth.


    The blue ad soon turned into a 14 feet tall hulking monster that seemed to have been consumed by his rage. His frenzied eyes fixed on Eren as he pounded his chest vigorously.<sub> </sub>


    Eren was busy casting spells and imbuing his will into the spell. Unlike most of his instant spells, this Hex spell still took some time for him to cast. The advantage of the near-instantaneous casting of Hex spells was nowhere to be seen for this particr spell.


    So Eren just stood there watching the blue monster transform into a mini giant in front of him. Meanwhile, Mia had secured a vantage point from which she could support Eren''s moves. Her attention was focused on his signal and action.


    Eren looked at the monster and made an "I''m impressed" face beforementing.


    "If you hit me, I''ll go to sleep. But that is IF you are fast enough to catch me."


    Eren said, borrowing his words from one of the memories he had received from Bruce. He then opened his arms wide before letting his body get consumed by lightning streaks.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Bzzt.


    The blue monster approached Eren like he had been teleported to the ce. He clenched his fist before directing it towards Eren''s face. But by then, Eren''s body had been consumed by lightning streaks.


    When the monster punched Eren''s face, he didn''t feel like he had hit anything but empty air. It was apparent that Eren had disappeared from his position, leaving only a shadow of himself in his stead.


    The blue monster immediately looked up and located Eren who had been looking down on him from mid-air. He had retreated into aerial space using a movement-spell-powered jump that had sent him 15 meters away from the ground.


    "Daryaav!"


    The blue monster''s voice had also been jacked up with his body. His mana-imbued war cry made Eren''s skin tingle while he was in the air. However, he wasn''t afraid of the monster''s attacks.


    Eren knew he was already faster than him in the first ce. And the monster''s transformation had made him rtively less agile even though he seemed to have been moving faster.


    "Keep him busy, Mia. Don''t let him get away."


    Eren spoke out loud to Mia without using voicemunication. The elf woman let a barrage of arrows fly in response, attacking the monster with all she had.


    A rain of wind-element arrows started falling on the blue monster before he could leap and approach Eren in midair. Eren knew the monster''s attack would have been devastating for him if he had stayed near him. That''s why he had retreated into the air.


    Eren and Mia both knew the rain of wind-element arrows wasn''t enough to take care of the Blue monster for long. But the attack gave Eren some respite. This was all the time Eren needed to finally finish casting his most expensive Igni spell from the lot.


    "Igni Lotus!"

 Chapter 152 A True Fire Domain

    "Igni Lotus!"


    Eren cast his spell, powering it with his infinite mana core.


    This was the true-domain spell that had made Eren fork out loads of Mana Quartz. This kind of spell was beyond Malcolm''s selling reach.


    ***


    Eren had bought this spell from his guild. The kingdom''s approval came a few days after the Bl Blood''s missionpletion. It had turned Stardust guild into a three-star organization, granting it enhanced rights and new resource allocations.


    The guild''s existing members were now allowed to make use of the guild''s three-star status. They were given ess to better resources by the kingdom.


    Thus, all the rankers who had money bought higher-tier spells of their element that they weren''t allowed to have ess to. Some of the spells fell into the restricted category.


    It meant that the restricted spell usage in question would be illegal for the rankers if they were seen using it. Unless they had bought the spell legally, paying the kingdom a hefty tax for it.


    This was the reason behind Eren paying almost the same amount of money for this one spell as he had paid for the rest of the Igni spellsbined, which he had bought from Malcolm.


    ***


    The blue monster faced the wind-element arrows that rained on him using his arms as his shield. His fortified mana defense also allowed him to fight off the stray arrows. But some of the arrows had managed to lodge themselves into his body.


    The repeat collision of arrows on the same spot had allowed them to breach the blue monster''s natural mana defenseyer. But these arrows weren''t enough to make the monster give up fighting with the wretched humans.


    The rain of wind-element arrows eventually started to subside. Eren had also hit his maximum height of the jump by this point, starting his descent at terminal velocity. The monster seemed to have smirked when he saw a falling Eren approach him.


    "Daryaav!"


    The monster had various wounds on his body due to facing a barrage of wind-element arrows. However, he seemed stoked, attacking his prey that was soon going to get delivered to him, thanks to gravity.


    However, just when the blue ad thought he wouldunch an attack on Eren he felt a sense of danger all around him. He warily looked around him to identify the source of the danger, only to find out that it was everywhere.


    Zhmmm!


    A strong and intense mana pulse was released as the area all around the monster was taken over by the domain of fire. mes erupted from the ground and thin air, covering the monster from all sides and making him disappear within them.


    This domain of fire soon took the shape of an orange-yellow me lotus. Each of its petals was made from fire-element petals. The pistil or central part of this me lotus had entrapped the blue monster, isting him from the surroundings.


    "Daryaav!"


    The blue monster released a cry of pain and agony as his body started to burn in the fire''s domain. After fortifying his mana defenseyer, he sprinted out of the area regardless of the injuries he had suffered on his legs.


    However, he soon found out that exiting the domain spell was not as easy as he thought it to be. By the time he had reached the edge of the me lotus''s pestle, the runic since options could be seen appearing on the petals as well as all over the mana-manifested flower.<sub> </sub>


    These fire-element runes represented the way of fire. As such, they prevented the blue monster from getting outside the domain by generating a repelling effect. Following this repelling effect, intense mes prevented the monster from continuing to attack the domain''s barrier.


    The blue monster needed tounch a strong and precise attack on the barrier that would break the fire-element runes first. Only then would he have a chance to exit from the barrier.


    Eren could see the appearance of his domain from above as he was descending. He had to say that the name of the spell was apt as it really looked like a me lotus spanning about 15 meters in diameter had appeared on the ground that was zing with orange-yellow mes.


    "Here Ie, diving deep. Drowning willingly."


    Eren entered his own domain with excited expressions. To be honest, it was his first sessful casting of the spell. His spell castings were never this sessful when he was trying it out. Sometimes the stress of a real fight was necessary to bring out the true potential of rankers and their spells.


    The runic restrictions of the me domain didn''t prevent its caster from entering the domain. The mes carried his mana signature and thus did not damage him.


    Eren felt like he had entered a hot sauna made especially for him when hended on the ground with a loud thud. He was not attacked by the monster who was trapped in the same domain. He was too busy trying to get the hell away from the hellish inferno to care about Eren.


    "Yo, big guy! I''m right here.!"


    The mes all around Eren obscured his vision. Yet, his mana sense wasn''t hindered by the spell''s mana pulse, unlike the monster''s. Thus, he willingly chose to sh with the monster.


    The domain spell had given Eren newfound confidence to face off with a monster like blue ad. The monster tried his hardest to maintain his mana defenseyer while trying tounch a barrage of attacks on the barrier.


    The monster''s exoskeleton ws which were the monster''s most lethal weapon had be useless in the situation he had suddenly found himself in. He retracted his ws and focused his gaze on the voice that came from behind him.


    "Daryaav!"


    The blue monster was able to locate Eren due to thetter''s heads-up. He charged toward Eren with all that he could muster because his life depended on it. He knew his mana defenseyer wasn''t strong enough to hold up in the me domain for much longer.


    Eren smiled when he heard the monster charging towards him with loud thuds of footsteps. The ground was quaking a bit because of the 14-foot-tall monster''s charge.


    Eren raised his right hand towards the iing opponent before casting a volley of fire-element spells using the fire-element mana that was present all around him.


    Igni Chains


    Alfem


    Igni Chains


    Alfem


    Igni Chains


    Al...

 Chapter 153 Being Followed

    Eren was inside the fiery realm he had created by himself.


    Therefore, the fire-element spells were easiest to cast inside the domain. Their casting time had been already cut short by a lot due to Eren casting them like Hex spells. However, they received a significant boost in their output due to the fire-element mana present all around them.


    While approaching the monster, Eren started spamming spells at it. The fire-element chains sprouted from nearly everywhere and bound the blue monster once again. This time, he couldn''t get away from them even with his enhanced physique.


    "Daryaaav!"


    The monster was hurting at this point. His mana defenseyer had been breached by mes at multiple points. The breached zones exposed his skin to the mes, which cooked it like it was monster meat barbeque day.


    Eren retrieved his axes from his storage and charged them up with his fire-element mana. He gripped them hard before using another spell on them.


    Igni Chains


    The fire-element chains came into existence from the thin air andtched onto the handles of his axes. The chains then merged, turning the two weapons into a chained weapon set.


    Eren threw his weapons into the air before gripping the chain with both his hands. He tugged at the chains and made the two axes move on his whims based on the principles of Jeet Kune Do.


    Eren was handling his two axes as if he was practicing the nunchaku. They moved around him with breakneck speed, turning into a blur when the mana-based martial arts were added into the mix.


    The reach of the two axes could be adjusted as per Eren''s will, thanks to the control he had over his Hex spells. As a result, he was able tounch his attack on the blue monster while still keeping his distance from him.


    Eren wasn''t afraid of the blue monster after he was trapped inside his fire domain. However, OCD-him didn''t like taking risks. Plus, he didn''t want to open himself to more injuries even if he knew he could take care of the blue monster all the same. That''s because he and Mia hadn''t scoped the entire area. There might be another bunch of adi waiting for them.


    The Blue monster was already chained with the fire-element spells and receiving flesh damage due to being attacked by so many fire-element attacks. His part wrathful and part fearful expressions suddenly changed to a grim look because of the iing weapon attacks Eren hadunched on him.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    The two axes cut through the sea of fire and attacked the ad from almost all angles at once. The monster''s already stretched thin mana defenseyer was breached for good when these weapon attacksnded on him.


    "Daryaaav!"


    The monster''s limbs were first to get chopped off in various ways before his torso started getting butchered. The two axes cleaved and cut the monster''s flesh like a hot knife cutting through the b of butter.


    The monster''s dark blue blood was sprayed everywhere before it started to evaporate due to the presence of mana fire all around. It wasn''t long before the monster took hisst breath.


    Eren tucked his weapons into his storage and dispersed the fire domain before falling to his knees. Almost all by himself, he had killed two adi.


    Eren could have dealt with the blue monster using a slow and steady approach with Mia''s help. That way he wouldn''t feel so burned out despite using the infinite mana core.


    However, he had decided to field test a lot of his spells including his first domain spell. He knew that it carried a lot of potential usages when paired with his infinite mana core. Thus, he needed to get familiarized with the spell as soon as he could.


    The Igni Lotus spell was way more expensive than normal spells not just because of its potency. One of the reasons it was this Mana Quartz demanding was because it was supposed to be cast by multiple fire-element rankers using an arrayyout.


    Eren had basically redefined the standards set for Meta rankers by casting the spell all by himself in a real battle. There would be very few rankers who could pull off the stunt Eren had performed at this point.


    "Are¡­ are you alright, Eren"


    Mia appeared near Eren after making sure that no monsters were approaching them. They needed to move from this ce since there were signs of battle and residual mana signatures in the surroundings. They needed to avoid being surrounded by adi hordes who mighte here after sensing these signs.


    Ere was breathing loudly when he heard Mia''s voice. Since he was on his knees, when he looked in front, all he could see were her legs.<sub> </sub>


    Eren''s vision turned blurry in the next moment. A sudden weakness washed over Eren as he arched forward and grabbed hold of Mia''s legs. He rested his head between her thighs as he took long breaths.


    "I¡­ I am alright. I need a few moments to recover."


    Eren replied, still out of breath. The elf ranger didn''t know how to respond when she was caught in this predicament. At first, her body''s first response was to get away from Eren and allow him the space and respite he needed to get back on his feet. After all, it was her fault for standing too close to him.


    However, her body started reacting differently as she felt Eren''s warm breath on her thighs. She was wearing cargo pants at the time. But the ranker''s enhanced senses allowed her to experience these sensations as if there was no fabric present between Eren''s face and her thighs.


    Eren wasn''t aware of what he was doing at first. He only wanted to make his agitated mana circuits get back to normal. The sudden fatigue he felt was also a form of bacsh he had received because of fighting with two opponents consecutively and trying all his experimental spells on them.


    Nobody would have dared to try so many experimental spells on the field at the same time. Only Eren could think of such moves, counting on his infinite mana core. However, he couldn''t anticipate the consequences of using spells this way.


    His pale white skin had gotten red all over. His eyes were red too. He felt parched for some reason. His forehead had beads of sweat. And his heartbeats were erratic. They were beating loudly and he could hear them loud and clear as if his ears were glued to the heart.


    Eren''s nk state of mind and his hazy vision soon started to return to normalcy. He felt like his head had been ced on the mostfort-delivering plush pillow that was warm and smelled really pleasant.


    Eren adjusted himself with his hands. In doing so, he grouped onto something even plushier.


    "Hmm? The adi¡­ are they¡­"


    Eren started looking around him after lifting his head from his previous position. With a clear and almost clear vision and his mana sense, he concluded that there was no further danger approaching him or anywhere in the vicinity. Only then did he focus on his current situation.


    "Hm! That felt GOOD. But what in the¡­"


    Eren was stunned for a moment when he realized his face was resting on Mia''sp while she was standing so close in front of him. The next thing he noticed was the position of his hands. They had been kneading the elf''s butt cheeks.


    Eren looked up to see an angry-looking Mia looking back at him. Her eyes red at him and her lips were pursed.


    There was a red tinge on her cheeks because of his actions. What surprised her, even more, was the fact that he did not want to stop these actions even after recovering from his previously delirious state.


    "Will you cut it out, Eren?"


    Mia said in a part angry and part something-else voice. The vibrations in her voice reflected the precarious state she was in. Thetter chuckled and kneaded her buns some more before giving them firm pats.


    Eren retrieved his hands and got up from his position. He looked at his palm before looking at the scornful elf in front of her eyes.


    "Muscle memory, Mia. I can''t help it. Hehehe."


    Erenughed and shrugged his shoulders. He then took a long breath to fill his lungs with fresh air and added.


    "We should move away from this ce. Staying here is dangerous."


    Mia knew Eren had used the obvious choice as a way to divert her attention from his recent actions. But she couldn''t help following him without uttering a word.


    After all, she knew the dangers of staying at the same ce after a huge battle. Especially when they were tired. Eren more so than her.


    Soon the two Stardust guild members vanished from their positions. They were unaware that a bunch of rankers was following them from a distance.

 Chapter 154 Retrospection

    A forest surrounding the region of Kishnoi Swamps.


    Night time around 10 PM.


    The dark blue night sky was adorned with sparkling stars. The two moons of Gahan cast bright moonlight on their domain, allowing forplete visibility even when night had imed half the world for itself.


    Eren stared nkly at the fire as he thought of many things at once.


    He was alone by the campfire. He and Mia had set up their temporary base for the night in the Kishnoi forest. The area was safe and away from the hot zones created by monsters and mana beasts.


    Still, Mia had proceeded to scour the area and secure it with perimeter arrays and traps. Her ranger-specific skills and knowledge made her an ideal candidate for this role.


    Eren had kept the pot of meat stew over the campfire as he reyed his recent encounter with the adi in his head. He was retrospecting his performance.


    Eren concluded that he was very content with the execution of his Hex spells and their on-filed usability. Igni series spellsplemented each other, allowing him greater flexibility than his current lightning spells.


    He was very content with the progress of his mana-based martial arts and its fusion with Jeet Kune Do. There were a lot of aspects of the fusion that he knew he could improve on. But at this point, he knew he needed to start walking steadily first before he could think of sprinting.


    However, Eren was feeling he was missing something. And that feeling made him less than happy with his progress.


    He was still unable to use the Bear armor the way it was supposed to. The only thing he could use it for was to incorporate it into his spells and convert them into Hex spells.


    Bear armor served as a conduit for his will. But it wasn''t its sole purpose for existence. It was supposed to provide him with exceptional defense. And it did deliver on that assumption. It was he that had failed to incorporate it into his battle style.


    Bear armor was capable of reflecting most spells in the Meta rank, rendering them ineffective against their wearer. But it could only render one spell useless at a time when it was being used passively. Also, the passive use of the armor did not negate the direct physical attacks his enemiesunched at him. It would only reduce its intensity to some degree, allowing for reduced damage.


    Eren needed to use the Bear armor to its fullest for his defensive usage if he wanted to get the most out of it. But it was something easier said than done.


    The runes on the bear armor allowed Eren''s will that seeped into his mana sense to integrate with his spells. But it didn''t have a specific set of rules for being used as defensive armor.


    Kino had told him the Hex gear offered unmatched flexibility to Hexers with a strong will. These gears didn''te with a specific set of rules or usage. It yed on the strengths of Hexers'' will and allowed them to use it however they wished.


    It meant that two Hexers wearing the same Hex gear could derive different usage from it. The will they would imbue to use their gears would manifest as Hex spells through the Hex runes. And the intentions mixed into that will dictate the spell and its effects.


    This was the true freedom offered by the He gear set. It molded itself as per the Hexer''s will, enabling them to use spells that yed on the gear''s strengths.<sub> </sub>


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren patted his heart as he considered how to use the Bear armor. He thought of how to mold the Hex runes so that they give him ess to some unique spells or effects.


    For Eren to find what he was looking for, his act of seeking needed to be firm and unwavering. But how can one remain unwavering when there are so many options to choose from?


    Eren thought about his experience when his consciousness was pulled into the mystic ce after his first death. He remembered his conversation with that all-epassing existence and the words it had said to him.


    Ask, and it shall be given you.


    Seek, and ye shall find.


    Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.


    Eren smiled mirthlessly when he thought of a different way of looking at these lines. Earlier, he had thought that the lines could only be interpreted as blessings. But now he knew better.


    These lines could also be interpreted as curses. If the possibility of gaining what he asked for was assured, what should he ask for first and foremost? No matter what he chooses, there''lle a time when he''ll feel that there was something better he could have wished for. The regret born out of his own choices will leave a permanent mark on his psyche.


    "Seek and ye shall find!"


    Eren mumbled to himself as he looked at the stars above. He watched small clusters of dark clouds traveling through the sky from nowhere to nowhere as he sorted out his thoughts.


    ''I don''t know what I''m looking for because I''m trying to find something that is shrouded in the darkness of infinity. Infinity is boundless and thus can not be used for something that gets narrowed down through my choice.


    If this is the case, I need to start looking for something that is already out therea€¡° illuminated by the light of choices. Choices are not boundless. Therefore, they could be used for the current me that is finite.''


    Eren came up with his own logic to get himself out of his current predicament. If he didn''t know what he was looking for, he''d just copy what he had seen so far and mold it into his style.


    Eren started reying all his fights and encounters in his head. He then used the theory of elimination to narrow down his choice.


    The flesh-altering spell. The bear-like transformation Eren had seen the ax-wielding puppet do in front of him. And his current capabilities as a Meta ranker. Eren fused all his pointers.


    He shed a smile to nobody in particr as he came up with a way and will to use his current Bear''s Creed Hex gear set.

 Chapter 155 Spied On

    "Why are you smiling?"


    Mia asked Eren with a look of suspicion. She had appeared a few steps away from him, keeping a safe distance from a seemingly clueless chance-grabber. Her casual presence indicated that she had secured the area and there were no signs of danger.


    Eren smiling to himself was one thing. Mia also saw him clenching his fist as if he was trying to grab something. At least that''s what she interpreted his actions as.


    Eren, who was lost in thought, was a bit startled when he heard Mia''s voice. He looked at her and saw her looking at him funny. He returned her gaze with puzzled expressions before responding.


    "Can''t I smile about something?"


    After hearing Eren, Mia stared with suspicion in her eyes and scrunched her nose. She took a seat in front of him on the wooden log set around the campfire before raising another question.


    "Alright, Mr. Smarty Pants. Let me rephrase that. What were you smiling about?"


    Mia asked as she inhaled the aroma of the pot stew Eren was cooking for both of them. She hade to realize that his minimal approach to cooking had made him a better cook than her.


    Eren didn''t understand why Mia was grilling him so much about something so trivial. But since he was not an airhead, he soon connected the dots and figured out what Mia thought he thought about.


    Eren chuckled and decided to y along.


    "Oh, I was thinking about how I was able to take advantage of a rare opportunity. It was truly a life-changing experience for me."


    Eren tried to maintain a straight face while he said what he said. But his yful eyes gave him away. Mia knew he was trying to pull her legs. Her part suspicious and part angry expressions melted into a burst ofughter before shemented.


    "I see that you liked what you grabbed. Do you want to have that experience again? Hold onto it with everything you got?"


    Mia asked with a yful voice and a smirk on her face. He didn''t expect the lowkey timid elf to pull a 180-degree turn on him and meet his verbal trap head-on. As such, he was caught off guard for a moment.


    ''Ask and ye shall be given you. Is that it?''


    Eren thought to himself before answering, "yes! Why not? I''d like me some elf buns."


    In the next moment, he regretted answering honestly instead of ying around with words. A wind-element dagger was thrown his way that could have grazed his right cheek if he didn''t have his mana defense.


    "Hmph! You haven''t earned that opportunity yet. You''d have to work hard to get it back."


    Mia stuck out her tongue and looked keenly at Eren. Both of them looked at each other for a bit before bursting out into a peal ofughter at the same time.


    Eren and Mia started talking like normal after that. They had already killed two more adi after their first encounter with them. They just needed a few more kills before this mission became more lucrative than just the mission reward.<sub> </sub>


    Mia had asked how Eren was able to pull off such feats despite it was her who had more experience than him as a ranker. Eren''s performance in this mission was miles apart from the previous mission they were part of.


    Mia had seen Eren trying to kite a single Iron Trunk Honey Iron Mammoth with all that he had. She had thought that the guy was impressive for showing such a performance on his first mission. But apparently, she had still underestimated him and his growth potential.


    Eren smiled before giving Mia some generic answers. Thetter knew when to stop digging and changed the subject.


    Eren and Mia both found it easy to talk to each other. Contrary to what his first impressions of Mia were, she wasn''t shy or an introvert who liked to embark on solo missions.


    It was just that she preferred a closely knit group that always stayed together. She didn''t like being part of a huge party that may or may not stay the same depending upon the next mission its leader took.


    The talks carried on for a while until the aroma that eventually wafted through the air told them that dinner was ready. Eren then got up from his seat and held the ming hot pot with his bare hands.


    The battlemage approached the ranger''s position before cing the pot onto the wooden log she was seated on. He ced it beside her before sitting on the log with his legs to either side as if he were riding a colt.


    Mia followed Eren''s lead and adjusted herself in the same manner. The stew pot was now ced right between both of them. Eren took out two big spoons from his storage before offering one to his elf teammate.


    "Dig in, miss mushy butt."


    Eren said while removing the lid over the pot. As both rankers gazed at each other, the hot steam blurred their vision. The stew''s aroma hit their nostrils, making them salivate.


    Mia was stumped for a bit when she heard Eren''s way of addressing her. The rascal had made it a point to let her know that he really liked his unintentional advances on her. He now wanted to turn them into intentional advances.


    Mia couldn''t say she didn''t like where things were heading between her and Eren. She just wished he wouldn''t call her that when they were on their missions or in public.


    As such, she pinched Eren''s left hand that was holding the lead, invoking a sudden and sharp yelp from him. After seeing Eren''s "I''ve been wronged" expression, she dipped the spoon in the pot with a giggle apanying her actions.


    "Ummm! This is really good, Eren!"


    Mia said after having a spoonful of the stew. Eren was used to using spices and herbs thanks to the habits he picked up from Tory. Now, they were helping him close the distance between himself and the otherworldly elf.


    ***


    "When should we attack, vice-captain?"


    One of the shadows asked another in a deep voice. These shadows were outside the perimeter set by Mia. They were seeing Eren and Mia interacting with each other on a spectral screen projected by an array disk, which was a spying device.

 Chapter 156 House Of Spiders P1

    Eren and Mia looked like a couple on a camping date under the stars. There were unseen sparks of jealousy in the eyes of one of the shadows that looked at the scene.


    A shadow filled with feelings of jealousy and other negative emotions looked at the pair hatefully before speaking up.


    "Fuck! That whore Mia said no to me and is now romancing with this brat."


    The shadow spat on the ground in disgust before answering the question directed at it.


    "We will attack when these lovebirds let their guard down. These bloody Stardust guild members. We''ll teach them a lesson, damn it."


    ***


    Eren had a taste of the stew he made himself and felt impressed with himself.


    "Hot damn! I could have won MasterChef Australia with this kind of culinary performance."


    Eren was suddenly reminded of a random program from his digested memories of Bruce. It took him a while to realize that he had applied some of the culinary techniques he had digested on a subconscious level while making the stew.


    The digested memories were not limited to martial arts and battle experiences. They covered a wide range of subjects. They had be an integral part of Eren''s day-to-day life without him realizing his subtle impact. Eren was d that the integration of memories was so seamless.


    Mia couldn''t understand what Eren was talking about. But she chuckled a bit and looked at him with intrigued expressions as she ate and talked with Eren.


    "Um¡­ there''s this bit of¡­"


    Eren saw that Mia had a bit of stew dripping down the corner of her lips without realizing it. With his thumb, he wiped the residue from her pretty face.


    Mia was a bit shocked when she felt Eren''s touch on her lips. Her actions froze for a bit and she was about to say something to ease the sexual tension. But she stopped herself from saying anything as she sensed Eren''s suddenly changed countenance.


    "Mia¡­ are you sure¡­"


    Just then, Mia felt the perimeter barrier she had created around the area getting breached. Someone had entered the region. In a hostile manner, at that.


    "Let''s get the hell¡­"


    Eren was about to suggest fleeing from the scene when he felt a dangerous sensation approaching him. In an instant, the projectiles aimed at them approached the scene before they could get away.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    A bunch of darts targeted them at once. Eren and Mia managed to dodge some of them but some of them ended up hitting them.


    "This¡­"


    His mana circuits suddenly dried up after the darts hit him. He immediately looked at Mia to see that she too had been hit by a couple of darts.


    Eren felt sudden fatigue overwhelm him. His muscles felt like they had been put under a lot of stress. As if he had done the most brutal workout of the week for hours on end and came out only when he was about to crash onto the ground.<sub> </sub>


    Eren quickly understood that these were the effects of the darts. He quickly stimted his mana core and executed his movement spell with difficulty. He approached Mia who was about to fall due to the effects of the dart.


    "Hahaha. It''s useless. You both are going to die here."


    Eren had just held Mia by her arm when he heard the mocking voice. The shadows were approaching them from a distance.


    Both the members of the Stardust guild were in trouble. Mia looked at him with a tired expression as she blurted out some words with difficulty.


    "This¡­ Eren, I don''t know¡­ how¡­"


    Eren calmed Mia''s panicked and guilty feeling with his firm voice.


    "I know. It''s not your fault. There''s a way around everything, Mia. Forget about that. Focus on our current predicament."


    Eren said while trying to stay vignt despite the dart-induced exhaustion he was feeling. He really meant it when he consoled Mia with his words. The first rule of Gilhaan was to expect the unexpected after all.


    He was aware that the precautions most rankers used to take in the wild could bepromised. It would just take a bit of effort from the opponent''s side. It all depended on how motivated the opponents were.


    Eren saw the approaching figures and narrowed down his eyes. They were approaching them slowly to let the drug take its effect.


    Eren took out an all-stats recovery vial from his storage and yanked off the lead by pulling it away with his teeth. He poured the contents of the vial into Mia''s mouth.


    Eren knew the effects of the drug wouldn''t be easy to rid of with just an all-stats recovery potion. But it could work as a temporary fix.


    The groggy expressions on Mia''s face softened as the potion''s effects kicked in. She stood up straight on her own and drew out her runic bow.


    Eren was about to drink the same potion for himself when the vial was shot down by the dart. Instead of trying for another vial, he took out his two Axes and braced himself for his new enemies.


    The uninvited guests eventually showed themselves when they knew their prey wouldn''t be moving anywhere. Eren and Mia observed them with vignce in their eyes as they prepared forunching their attacks.


    Seven rankers had approached them from various directions. They were all ranked Meta and included two Meta rankers in the ninth stage.


    Eren wasn''t intimidated by his new opponent''s ranking statuses. But he was intimidated by their numbers. This was his first time seeing himself so thoroughly outnumbered.


    There were two humans and five Wesen, also known as beastkin, surrounding them. They had worn typical adventurer outfits with various gears. It looked like Eren and Mia were about to face off with aplete party.


    The human male in the party seemed to be the leader of the group. Beside him was a goat-type beastkin in his Woge form. He was carrying the long blowpipe in his right hand, indicating that it was he who had shot the darts.


    The human male had short brown hair, a trimmed beard, and a square-shaped face. He was wearing leather armor that highlighted his medium-sized but muscr build. He seemed to be a gauntlet user with the artifacts he was wearing on him.


    "We were told to be extra careful in taking down Stardust guild members. But you love birds don''t seem much of a challenge to me."

 Chapter 157 House Of Spiders P2

    "We were told to be extra careful in taking down Stardust guild members. But you love birds don''t seem much of a challenge to me."


    With a raspy voice and a gloating face, the human male spoke. In response, Erenunched his attack. He didn''t like talking with opponents who were trying to kill him anyway.


    Igni Wave!


    Twopressed forms of fire-element mana shes cut through the air and approached the human male out of the blue. Thetter was taken aback by Eren''s aggression, rendering him stunned at the face of the attack.


    It was the lizard-type beastkin who defended the attack by creating a water shield. He was the team''s tank.


    "Vice-captain Geer, stop checking out the elf. I hope you aren''t nning to force your way on her. Our orders are clear."


    The lizard-like beastkin spoke while staring at Eren and Mia. The vice-captain of the party who was their de facto leaderughed out loud when he heard his team member admonish him,


    "Hahaha. What''s wrong with trying the good before discarding it for good?"


    Geer spoke before checking on Mia from a distance. It was apparent that he was targeting Mia for a different purpose than killing.


    There were three females inside the enemy party. One was a human and the other two were Beastkins in their Woge forms. They didn''t like the vice-captain''s way of handling things.


    Even when they were trying to kill the enemy guild''s members, there were certain lines rankers weren''t supposed to cross. Yet, it wasn''t like they would stand against their superiors for an enemy just because they happened to share the same gender. Gahan wasn''t a pretty ce like that.


    Geer was known to have weird kinks and fetishes. Plus, he knew Mia personally. So he was identified by the only member of Eren''s team eventually.


    "You¡­ Geer!


    Eren, we are being attacked by the House of Spiders."


    ***


    It took Mia a while to figure out Geer''s identity due to the dart''s effects that had affected her long-term memories. She shed hateful expressions at him when she finally identified him.


    Eren immediately understood why they were being attacked after hearing the name House of Spiders. It was the organization the Stardust guild had a dispute with over many of the resource-richnds near the city of Ludan.


    Both guilds were two-star organizations in the past. But everything changed when the Stardust guild received a three-star rating from the Shaikai kingdom. It allowed Eren''s guild to im and take away multiple of these resource-richnds from the House of Spiders'' grasp for the better.


    The two guilds were always in conflict, to begin with even before the Stardust guild received three-star ratings. As a result of House of Spiders'' aggressive nature, things were only going to get grimmer.<sub> </sub>


    The guild was only a few steps away from dering a full-fledged war on the Stardust guild. And from the looks of things, it wouldn''t take long for it to do so.


    Conflicts between guilds weremon. These conflicts would often rise when one of the prominent guilds in the region received higher-tier ratings.


    The kingdoms yed the roles of bystanders in these conflicts for the most part. They normally wouldn''t get themselves involved in such matters as long as the guilds kept their conflicts outside of the cities and urban settlements.


    Of course, there were exceptions to every norm. Some kingdoms would purposely create conflicts between two guilds to keep them in check. They didn''t like it when the guilds started bing too powerful without their blessings. So the kingdom''s dark forces would often use guild wars as a smokescreen to control the influence of the guilds.


    However, these power ys from the kingdoms were mostly reserved for prominent guilds who mostly had four-star ratings. The conflict between Stardust and House of Spiders was up and personal.


    Eren only had a surface-level understanding of House of Spiders and their aggression. But he didn''t think he would be targeted by one of their parties one day.


    The battlemage was too busy dealing with his affairs to deal with the guild''s problems. He had heard that various members of the two sides had already started shing. But he didn''t want anything to do with this conflict.


    Eren''s idea of spending time in Gahan was simple. Wake up¨C workout¨C practice¨C repeat. Even with all his recent expenditures, he still had a sufficient amount of money in his wallet to sustain him for a month or two in Gahan.


    Eren had decided to dedicate this period to his training. The Igni series spells were the fruits of that training. But in doing so, he had isted himself from a lot of people.


    He only knew about House of Spiders because Mia had told him about the guild when they were approaching the mission site. It looked like the Spiders were ordered to target specific members of the Stardust guild and Mia was one of them.


    ***


    "Hahaha. I''m d that you remember me, wench. I see that you are trying to get close to this young duckling.


    Let me tell you there''s no greater tragedy for a woman to get herself involved with an immature whose balls have yet toe out in his sack.


    Haha. Be with a real man, bitch. Let me rail you. I''ll be sure to let you go if you say yes and do exactly what I tell you to do.


    In fact, I''m willing to sign a binding contract for this condition, Mia. What do you say?"


    Geer looked ecstatic that Mia had remembered him. They had only met each other once while on separate missions. He had tried to force his way onto her even back then. But he quickly backed away when the Stardust''s core members showed up at the scene. Mia had let things slide because things like these were not that umon in Gahan.


    Plus, forcing your way onto others worked both ways. There were demonic female rankers who were known to abduct men for their rituals.


    Behind the Gahaan''s resource-rich backgroundy these dark things that would show their heads from time to time.

 Chapter 158 Prince Charming

    Mia had stoic expressions on her face when she heard Geer''s words. She didn''t feel scared or helpless. A ranker was supposed to face all sorts of dangers in their life. This was one of them.


    She still had a way to take care of Geer despite her dart-induced debuff on her¨C forbidden spell. But using such spells was akin to giving up the im on life. At best, she would survive and be a mortal.


    The most likely scenario of Mia using the forbidden spell was that she''d die.


    Mia could also make use of some of the trump cards she had saved to inflict maximum damage to her opponents in a time of pinch. But they wouldn''t be enough to take care of seven Meta rankers. Especially those who were close to breaking into Awakened rank like her.


    With a lot of thoughts swirling inside her head like a typhoon, Mia tightened her grip on her weapon before looking at Eren. She couldn''t help feeling guilty that she had made hime with her to a faraway ce only to face a life-threatening situation with her.


    Eren could guess what Mia was thinking at the time by the way she was looking at him. He smiled at her before speaking up through voicemunication so that their opponents wouldn''t hear him.


    ''Don''t do anything crazy. Things are still in control. Just do what I say.''


    Eren said confidently to Mia and resumed looking in front of him¨C eyes on his enemies. She didn''t know when a ranker who was below her in terms of ranking status had be her senior so he could issue such orders. She could onlyugh at the absurdity inside her head.


    Mia understood that their chances of survival weren''t too bright against so many Spiders surrounding them. They hadn''t attacked because Geer hadn''t given them orders yet. The man was too busy striking an absurd deal with Mia under the assumption that she would take it.


    Eren understood that Mia was getting targeted because of her potential. She was ted to attain Awakened rank soon.


    The House of Spiders didn''t want another Awakened ranker added to the enemy guild that could turn into one of its most valuable assets in the uing guild war. So it had started to hunt rankers like Mia before they became a serious threat.


    This was a very significant period for both the House of Spiders and Stardust. That''s because they both had a chance to gain more than they currently had in their possession.


    The Stardust guild had just been recently turned into a three-star guild. It was still in the transition period. The guild still had the collective might of a two-star organization as things were just settling in for it. It hadn''t generated the clout that was expected from a full-fledged three-star guild.


    This was a do-or-die situation for the House of Spiders. If the Spiders don''t do anything about the Stardust guild and let it grow unchecked, their guild will end up finished because it was getting in the way.


    It''s not like the Stardust guild only had a score to settle with the House of Spiders. The Spiders held some of the most significant resourcends near the city of Ludan. The Stardust guild was bound to target suchnds and assets to support its demand for growth facilitated by the three-star rating.


    It was more than just a rivalry between two guilds.


    It was business.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    ''Don''t do anything crazy. Things are still in control. Just do what I say.''


    Eren said to Mia before looking at Geer with narrowed eyes. Normally, both sides should have attacked by now. But at this point, both sides were waiting for something.


    Eren and Mia were waiting to see if they could find an opening to get away from the trap they had suddenly found themselves in. Geer''s party on the other hand was waiting for the dart''s effects to kick in.


    Even Geer could guess that a veteran adventurer like Mia would have some trump cards stored at her disposal. Taking her down wouldn''t be impossible with their current situation. But there was a possibility one or more of his team members would be seriously injured in the process. A casualty on their side was also a grim possibility.


    ''This stare-down will get us nowhere, Mia. The wait is only liable to make matters more difficult for both of us.''


    Eren spoke in Mia''s head through voicemunication. Thetter agreed with him but she felt helpless.


    ''I know. But what else can we do? Launching an attack is not logical.


    The debuff caused by the bloody dart is pretty damn serious. It liberates our mana from our control by erasing the mana signature we have on it. The more mana we summon into our mana circuits, the more adverse our conditions will be.


    At this rate, we''d only be able to cast one-tenth of our spells before we ran out of all our reserves.''


    Eren smiled cruelly at Geer before responding to Mia.


    ''Let me worry about that. I have my own way of dealing with this problem. But I''d need some alone time with these assholes. I can''t be worrying about you while I deal with them.


    What I want from you is simple. Do you get what I am saying?''


    Mia stopped staring at her opponents and turned her head to look at Eren when she heard his words. It looked like she wanted to say something to him. She almost opened her lips to speak. But in the end, she tightened the grip on her bow and resumed staring at her opponents.


    Mia didn''t get emotional at a time like this. Plus, she could see that Eren was not simply trying to y the hero. And she wasn''t a damsel either who would try to be with him andplicate things for him even further.


    Even with her higher ranking status, Mia knew that Eren had higher battle prowess than her thanks to his Igni series spells. Plus, her ranger ss wasn''t really designed for close-quarters confrontations.


    She knew she was only adding to his burden if she chose to stay here. This was his polite way of saying she should empty the stage for his solo y.


    ''Alright, Eren. I believe in you. Give them hell for me.''

 Chapter 159 Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me Had Better Start Running

    Mia came to a decision. She would split from Eren and try to make a run.


    It would be great if she gets pursued by a few of Geer''s teammates. That way, Eren''s burden would be reduced. If nobody follows her, she could lead a stray group of adi to this ce and cause mayhem that might let Eren off the hook.


    This n was based on the assumption that Eren survives on his own for that long after being attacked by so many of Geer''s party members. All while experiencing the debuff effects of the dart.


    ''I won''t try to be an emotional fool here, Eren. But you have to survive or I''ll kill you. I don''t want that kind of burden ced on my consciousness forever.''


    Eren smiled bitterly when he heard Mia''s words. He couldn''t help speaking up.


    ''You are just being selfish here, Mia. Can''t you just appreciate the fact that your Prince Charming is trying to save you by putting his life on the line? Why must you think about what''s in such a selfless act?''


    Mia chuckled when she heard Eren''s words. She felt touched by them and her adoration for him also increased exponentially. As a result, she fought the urge to give in to her emotions and just stay with him till the bitter end. She then spoke up in an emotional voice inside Eren''s head.


    ''I am thankful, Eren. But I won''t express my gratitude right now. I''d only express them when you meet me prim and proper the next time.''


    Mia said before taking a long breath. Her moist eyes cleared up when she blinked hard. Expressions of determination painted her face as she spoke further.


    ''I''d need an opening.''


    ***


    Eren felt relieved when Mia agreed to his terms. He couldn''t fight his opponents who were trying to kill him while holding something back. He needed to give it his all.


    Eren needed to unleash the same carnage he had unleashed back on Earth at the time of his infinite mana core awakening. A part of him couldn''t help getting excited thinking about it.


    He wouldn''t want to admit it. But there was a part of him that liked dominating his opponents with brute force. There was a part of him that truly liked using his infinite mana core for the most destructive of reasons.


    Eren was afraid of that feeling. He hade to recognize over time how addictive it could be. This kind of mental state would make him more of a demonic ranker than a normal one.


    However, he needed that part of him to embark on a rampage. He needed to reveal all his cards. And he couldn''t do that while Mia was with him.


    When Eren had decided that he would fight all out against Geer''s party, he had signed their death warrants for them in his head. He wouldn''t let any of them survive and live to tell the tale.


    ***


    The time it took for Eren and Mia toe to a decision was hardly half a minute. The duo seemed ready for action when Mia asked Eren to create an opening for her.


    ''Opening, huh? Give me a minute.''


    Eren said and looked all around him.


    ''Seek and ye shall find!''<sub> </sub>


    Eren patted his heart with his right hand while holding the ax. A sudden calmness washed over him when he did that. As if whatever he was about to do next was just something he had to do to find what he was looking for.


    ''Whatever doesn''t kill me had better start running.''


    Eren took a deep breath and prepared his stance.


    There was a subtle shift in Eren''s personality and presence when he had his inner monologue. This shift was observed by everyone in the surrounding area including Mia who was standing closest to him.


    Eren stepped up, prompting Geer and his party members to clench their weapons tighter and readjust their stances. They all felt stupid when they did that at the same time, feeling jittery by a single opponent''s simple actions.


    But subconsciously, they had started to process the danger Eren posed to them when he looked at them with eyes devoid of fear. His blue eyes, white hair, and pale whiteplexionbined with his changed bodynguage made him look like a ghost under the moonlight cast by the dual moons of Gahan.


    They also felt that Eren''s mana signature had started producing fluctuations. As if he was trying to change into someone who wouldn''t make his appearance out in the open.


    A broad smile spread across Eren''s face when he saw Geer''s team getting over conscious as a result of his simple actions. He liked the face they were showing him at this point.


    They didn''t look afraid. But that was only because their real intentions were hidden underneath the mask of bravery.


    "Geer, right?"


    Eren asked the man in front of him casually. He didn''t wait for his affirmation before continuing.


    "I''d tell you I don''t share that much bond with my guild. I''m only loyal to it because I have signed the binding contract with it."


    ''What the fuck are you saying, Eren?''


    Mia opened her eyes wide when she heard Eren''s words. But he ignored her and continued.


    "I''d also tell you that the conflict between our two guilds has nothing to do with me. I''m just a regr ranker trying to move up my rankingdder in peace.


    Nevertheless, I know and understand that your ego, greed, loyalty, or whatever restriction is acting on your mind right now will not allow you to find a reason within my statements.


    So I won''t say those things.


    Instead, I''ll say this."


    Eren started charging his axes with his fire-element mana after saying these words. The two ax des started exuding an orange-red hue in the dark as a result.


    His legs started getting coated in lightning streaks. His body was covered in a lightning cloak. His weapons started humming.


    "If you ain''t taking me out, you are going to get taken out."

 Chapter 160 Bigger Threat

    Things happened quickly after Eren disappeared from his position.


    Geer sensed that Eren was gunning for him. So he quickly raised his broadsword and ced it in front of him. The action was made just in time, enabling Geer to parry it effectively.


    Swish. Bzzt. Boom.


    Geer felt a tingle run through both his hands that were holding his broadsword when it shed against Eren''s axes. Eren deflected Geer''s force all at once and made it swing above him as he ducked under the swing. He kicked Geer''s hand that was holding the broadsword and directed the swing.


    Using that kick, Eren controlled the swing''s orientation, trajectory, and speed so that it confronted the iing water sh.


    The broadsword that had been coated in light blue mes at this point instantly evaporated the flying water shunched by the lizard Wesen who was the team''s tank and mid-range fighter.


    Eren had used Geer''s attack to fend off the attackunched on him by another opponent. He knew that he wouldn''t be left alone fighting with Geer. The Spiders wouldn''t just be around. They would target Eren while he was busy dealing with Geer.


    Geer, the dart shooter, and the tank were ced close to each other. The four out of seven Spiders were a bit away from where Geer and Ereren had just shed. They watched as Eren disappeared from his position only to attack their leader out of the blue.


    The three Spiders, therefore, decided to neutralize Mia while the fourth Spider decided to join the fray that was dealing with Eren.


    Eren wasn''t aware that he would soon have to fight three members at once. He was busy dealing with three rankers who were trying to attack him from multiple directions after initially getting startled by him.


    <o>,m The ranger who shot darts at Eren and Mia was a goat-like Wesen or beastkin named Tohir. To shoot the dart urately and with homing effects, he used wind element spells.</o>


    The ranger was around 5.7 in stature with a lean build, making him light on his feet. he had decided to maintain his distance from Eren instead of fighting head-on.


    Eren battled Broadsword user Geer and the water element tank along with the beastkin Shar, who kept on shooting darts at him with various debuffs.


    Eren exchanged multiple blows with Geer and Shar at the same time. The tank Shar had a water-element shield artifact that he would use to defend against Eren''s lightning-element attacks. As a result, the shield was not effective against Eren.


    Eren would scatter the water-element walls created by Shar in an instant with his fire and lightning element attacks. Geer would then get closer to him so that he couldnd a decisive blow on him.


    But that''s where Geer woulde in. The de facto leader of the Spiders wasn''t too proficient with his movement spell. And his weapon mastery was subpar at its finest. But he could coordinate well with his team.


    He timed his attacks well and waited for Eren tounch a counter against Shar. he would thenunch an attack on Eren while he was about to initiate his offensive, disrupting his flow time and again.


    Shar also followed the same pattern. He, Tohir, and Geer tag-teamed to handle Eren. They would soon be joined by another member of their team.


    Eren''s movement spell wasn''t to be scoffed at. He made excellent use of the agility his element had blessed him with. Even among lightning users, he was outperforming most of his generation.


    Eren''s dual-weapon moves were too precise and difficult to counter. Driven by mana-based martial arts, they would have allowed him to dominate each of thempletely if he was fighting them one on one.


    However, team y was superior to individual prowess most of the time if the rankers involved in the conflict were of the same rank. At least that''s what Eren had them believe for the time being.


    ***


    Only 15 seconds after the fight started, the gloomy forest was suddenly thrown into chaos in the middle of the night. The mana in the surroundings surged as the two-person team shed against a party of seven.


    The remaining party members of Geer''s team approached Mia while Eren was battling with the three. The fourth would join the ranks soon to get rid of Eren for good.


    There are two Wesen in a three-person team attacking Mia named Shifa and Vinah. both were the snake-like beastkin. They were apanied by a human mage Lagartha.


    Lagartha was only a few meters away from a serious-looking Mia waiting for them to close in on them when she sensed a distinct mana fluctuation in the surroundings.


    Someone was stacking spells andbining them like crazy. As if they didn''t care what happens to them after their mana reserves run dry post the execution.


    "Shifa! Vinah!


    Fall back, damn it."


    Lagartha said while suddenly changing her direction. Since the threedies were approaching Mia from different directions, they could see each other''s faces.<sub> </sub>


    Shifa and Vinah saw the panic in Lagartha''s eyes. They immediately understood something was wrong. Unlike the mage, these two Wesen girls werepletely focused on killing Mia. As such, they subconsciously ignored the mana fluctuations.


    Alfem!


    Taranbiest!


    Blitz Shard!


    A horde of lightning hounds appeared on the ground surrounding the threedies. Their red eyes looked at the threedies menacingly as they started growling. The lightning streaks dance around their lightning-element bodies.


    A swarm of firebirds appeared in the sky, casting away the darkness with their bright fire-element bodies that would have made them look like fireflies if they weren''t flying so close to the ground.


    Soon, all of the summoned beasts started getting covered in Blitz Shards, giving them more destructive power than before as well as changing their appearance. All these beasts looked like they were covered in lightning scales on their bodies.


    "What in the world¡­"


    The mage sensed the mana signature used in the spells and immediately understood it didn''t belong to Mia¨C their elf target. She looked at the man who was fighting with the rest of her team members with horrified expressions.


    Eren was waiting for the moment Mia gets approached by Geer''s party members.


    When both sides were at a standstill, he had already begun the spell-spamming process. And he manifested all his spells at once when he confirmed that Mia was being attacked.


    Bzzt!


    Shifa was the first to get hit by a bunch of firebirds crashing onto her body from multiple angles with their kamikaze attacks. The snake-type Wesen''s scaly skin immediately caught on fire when she was subjected to this much fire-element mana.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Shifa screamed in pain and agony. She was a y-element user. So she immediately tried to cast a y armor spell on her body despite being overwhelmed by the overload on her pain receptors. However, she felt that her left leg was bitten by something just when she was about to cast the defensive spell.


    One of the lightning hounds zeroed in on her while she stayed in her position to deal with the pain. It bit her leg with its canines and released a torrent of lightning-mana inside her body.


    Shifa''s central nervous system waspromised when she was exposed to such a sudden amount of lightning mana while she was dealing with another threat to her life. As a result, her spell execution failed and she received a bacsh on top of everything.


    Cough! Cough! Cough!


    Shifa coughed blood when the spell bacsh affected her mana circuits and damaged her internal organs. And this is because she was a beastkin who was usually known for their higher body stat values. She would have been in a much more dire condition had she been a human ranker.


    Shifra kicked the lightning hound that was biting her after casting a partial y armor on her bitten leg. She then crashed to the ground when her legs gave up on her.


    Vihah, who was approaching Mia from a different direction, was also subjected to the same fate. She had been bit by two lightning hounds on both her legs. So she had it much worse than her sister Shifa.


    All this happened within a few moments of Shifa, Vinah, and Lagertha zeroing in on Mia. one had to say Eren had timed the execution of the spell just right.


    If he had executed the spellste, Mia would have been in a serious situation. If he had executed the spells too early, the trio would have just tried to maintain their distance from her and would have attacked him instead.


    Even while trying to save her, Eren had used Mia as bait first. It was the same as paying a tax for leaving the battlefield early.


    The other firebirds were gearing up for the dive to follow up on the attack. They screeched at the trio with their orange-red beaks open. Their eyes were as menacing as the lightning hounds if not more.


    But before the snake sisters could get cooked to perfection in Eren''s attacks, Lagartha retreated to a sufficient distance and executed her spells. She was aiming to pull the two beastkins of her party out of harm''s way.


    Lagartha gulped empty air as she looked at the man who had set such a detailed trap for them. She was certain that the report they received was bullshit.


    If potential danger was to be considered as a parameter for the hit-list, Eren was a ten times bigger threat than Mia Silver.

 Chapter 161 Mia Escapes

    Lagartha was a wood-element user. She manifested thick, green nt vines that sprouted from the ground.


    These green vines acted like pythons and approached the snake sisters. The vines wrapped themselves around the snake sisters before pulling them away from their positions, just in time to dodge Eren''s attack.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Eren''s summoned beasts detonated themselves and lighted up the night like some festival of light and fire. The mana fluctuations they caused spread along with the light tremors their detonations had caused, creating clouds of dust all over the terrain.


    Shifa and Vihah would have been in a critical situation if they had stayed at their positions only to get bombarded by Eren''s attacks. That''s because Eren had used all his summoned beast for that one attack, which also served as a smokescreen for Mia.


    Lagartha ced them beside her on either side by controlling the green vines before focusing her gaze on Mia.


    But Mia was nowhere to be found. She had used the opening created by Eren to get away from the battlefield. She had focused all her attention on her movement spell despite the debuff she was facing at the time. She had made excellent use of the opening and smokescreen created by Eren for her.


    "She¡­ she ran away. Our target ran away. What do we do now?"


    Shifa looked at her dusty surroundings and asked no one in particr. In response, Lagartha just looked in Eren''s direction and narrowed her eyes.


    ***


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The four rankers from Geer''s team fighting with Eren halted their steps and caused a stalemate when they heard the noise and felt the mana fluctuations. They turned their heads in the direction of the source and found out that it was not too far away from them.


    Geer''s face was painted orange by Eren''s spells, leaving him with a stoic expression. He had received Lagartha''s report shortly after.


    "Mia escaped."


    Geermented and looked at Eren. The others followed their gaze and looked at Eren with shocked expressions on their faces. They hade to realize that the man was controlling his summoned spells while still fighting with them.


    This kind of control over one''s mana circuits was rare. What was even more unbelievable was the fact that Eren had pulled off this stunt while suffering from a very serious debuff that had yet to wear out.


    Lagartha immediately reported Mia''s status as well as the danger Eren posed to the entire House of Spiders. She had told Geer that she would join the fight in taking down Eren right after she stabilizes the snake sisters'' condition.


    One of the reasons Eren had detonated all his spells at once instead of controlling them and using them strategically was because he couldn''t control them for too long while fighting off four Spiders all by himself. By detonating all his spells, he had freed his faculties for casting new spells. He could also focus on the four rankers more now that he didn''t need to manage additional spells or look after Mia.


    On any other day, Geer would have tried recruiting Eren for the House of Spiders. There were a bunch of illegal ways to get rid of the bidding contract. Of course, one would face repercussions for doing so. But he knew that his guild would havepensated Eren for his troubles.


    This was especially true when Geer found out that Eren had no real bonds with the guild he was under. It was just a means to an end for him. Guys like these were willing to switch sides for more profits.


    However, Geer didn''t offer anything to Eren. the broadsword user was sure that he had sabotaged his ns to recruit Eren by starting on the wrong foot. Now the only thing he could do was to get rid of Eren.


    "Attack! Attack with all you got."<sub> </sub>


    Geer passed a simple message to all his team members before disappearing from his position. He was approaching Eren who was seen catching his breath.


    The stalemate had served Eren well. Now it was time to really let loose.


    The lightning struck the ground Eren was standing on, leaving the streaks of lighting-mana residue behind. The ground cracked and the air smelled of ozone as Eren cast his spells.


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Storm


    Blitz Shield


    Blitz Shard


    Igni Shards


    Igni Chains


    Geer and Eren shed in the middle of the battlefield all of a sudden. Their weapons shed against each other, creating mana fluctuations. But the next moment, Geer''s expressions darkened as he sensed Eren was once again being overboard with his spell execution.


    ''How the fuck can this guy cast so ma¡­''


    Geer was bombarded with a range of spells before he couldplete his chain of thoughts. The first thing he noticed was Eren''s agility and his fierceness had shot up. He couldn''t keep up with his weapon handling anymore. He was hiding his strength to be used when the time was right.


    Zoom. Swoosh. ng.


    Eren parried Geer''s broadsword with one of his axes. But in the next moment, Eren spun around and deflected the attack while tightening his grip on his other ax. He spun around so fast that Geer''s eyes couldn''t follow.


    Before Geer knew what Eren was up to, his chest was hit with something with massive momentum. It was Eren''s free ax that he had thrust onto his chest.


    Geer had subconsciously fortified the mana defenseyer he had on that region of his body. Still, the ax had managed to cut through it and damage his chest. The de of the ax was cleaved two inches deep right in the middle of Geer''s test.


    The momentum of that attack would have been enough to push Geer for up to 30 meters without any signs of stopping. However, Eren prevented Geer to get away from him. He dropped the ax he had used to parry Geer''s broadsword and used his now-free hand to grip his broadsword-holding hand.


    Eren was unable to give Geer respite because of that hold. Thetter knew he was not able to spend this much time alone with the leader of the Spiders. The other members were closing in on them with their spells ready to be deployed. Eren needed to wrap things up quickly with Geer. And for good.


    p Twin Star Arts</anda>


    Jeet Kune Do


    Bzzt. Screech. Zoom.

 Chapter 162 Dual Kill

    Bzzt. Screech. Zoom.


    Eren''s other hand along with the ax he was holding disappeared when he used his mana-based martial arts. The next thing Geer knew, his broadsword-holding arm had been chopped off from his torso right at the shoulder joint.


    Eren''s disappeared hands reappeared when the attack was finished. He was seen holding Geer''s chopped arm by its wrist. The hand was still holding the broadsword as if it had retained its muscle memory. Something that was about to happen.


    But Eren didn''t wait for Geer''s hand to drop the broadsword he was holding. He spun around and threw the amputated arm at the approaching Shar, who had a confused and horrified expression on his face.


    Eren had coated the hand with the Blitz Shards and Igni Shards. That way, the arm was bound to explode in a few moments before it hit the ground.


    Geer was still trying to process what had happened to him. Eren had chopped off Geer''s arm with seamless perfection. His previous attack on the guy''s chest was to trick his body and his subconscious mind into believing that his chest needed an extra form of protection.


    As a result, Geer subconsciously fortified his mana defenseyer around his chest. However doing so, he weakened the defenseyer around the other parts of his body. Especially the region that was closest to the attack''s impact.


    Eren had used that small window very well. He chose to disy his true agility at the right time, taking Geer by surprise. When the lecher Spider realized what had happened to his arm, it was already toote.


    "Aaaaaaaargh!"


    Geer cried in pain and agony. The veins around his neck and face popped up and showed their presence when he did that, indicating how much pain he had suddenly found himself in.


    Eren knew Shar was taken care of for the time being. But two more potential dangers were approaching him from two separate directions. And they were sure to attack him right away once he got in their striking zone. The only reason they hadn''t used long-range spells was that he stood too close to Geer.


    However, he didn''t want to lose Geer now that he was wide open. The guy was so overwhelmed by the pain that he had forgotten to keep his emotions in check during the battle.


    Eren wondered how an unqualified guy like Geer could be vice-captain of any party. Killing Geer had suddenly be too easy. Not something Eren would let slide.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    Eren retrieved his axes from the Igni Chains and used them as chained weapons. When he used them with his martial arts a second time, Geer''s remaining arm was chopped off before it flew into the air.


    The blood and gore spilled everywhere when Eren''s attacksnded right on Geer. thetter never stopped shouting after Eren had chopped off his first hand. But he lost his voice when his remaining attacksnded on him. It seemed that Geer''s vocal cords had given up on him due to excessive pressure on them to overperform.


    Eren sensed a dangerous sensationing from right behind him as he was about to finish off Geer with hisst attack. But that wasn''t enough to make him retreat his attack.


    Something flickered all around Eren''s body as he concentrated all his attention on Geer. when Tohir and Yako closed the distance between themselves and Eren andnded their attack right on Eren''s back, they felt a strong resistance.<sub> </sub>


    Eren didn''t even turn around as he lifted Geer by his neck. Tohir and Yako realized that their precise attacks had been rendered null by something impregnable.


    The Bear''s Creed Armor set.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Shar finally realized that the thing that was zeroing in on him at breakneck speed was his vice-captain''s arms. And since it was coated with fire and shards of lightning, it had retained its form, not allowing the broadsword to get dropped off in the process.


    "Un fucking be..."


    Star stopped his movement spell abruptly, causing him to dig the ground with his feet. He then raised both his arms and deployed a water-element shield just in time to sh with the iing heavy projectile.


    Swoosh. Crash. Boom.


    The water-element shield was partially obliterated when the lightning and fire-element shards started detonating. They also sted off the skin on Geer''s amputated arm along with it, causing the water-element shield to get mixed with the red color.


    When the lightning shards detonated, a few wild lightning tongues formed which climbed over the water shield due to its inherent conductivity and dispersed the water. Foreign mana was injected into Shar''s spell manifestation, forcing it to break down from its basic building block.


    Eren''s attacks were so powerful because of the momentum they had gained. That throw itself had incredible power contained within it, courtesy of the mana-based martial arts Eren had used to throw it with.


    The upper portion of the Shar''s deployed mana shield vanished as soon as the sh took ce. This was enough window for the broadsword the arm was holding to pass through it.


    Swish!


    Driven by the state of momentum acting on it that hadn''t beenpletely killed off, the broadsword passed through the shield while spinning around horizontally. The next thing it did was aim for Shar''s neck which was right in its path.


    "Fuuuu....aaaaaagh!"


    Shar realized that he had underestimated the iing attackunched on him. He was too busy to realize that the weapon could somehow break through its shield like it was nothing. While it breached the shield, the broadsword that was still being empowered by the explosions of lightning and fire shards behind it also gained momentum.


    All these things happened in a fraction of a second. But by the time Shar could realize what had happened, his head was chopped off of his torso which was still raising its hand and controlling the almost-gone water-element shield in front of it.


    Eren had killed off two of the Spiders at the same time. One''s head was chopped off while the other''s neck was squashed to death.

 Chapter 163 Let This Rain Wash Away All My Pain Of Yesterday

    Eren squashed Geer''s neck with bare hands once he figured out his mana defenseyer had gottenpromised. As a result, his dead body started to bleed from various orifices.


    Geer''s eyes had bulged. The blue and dark red veins on his face were distinctly visible as his flesh was subjected to such a brutal form of attack. The blood poured from his nose, eyes, and ears.


    Geer''s mouth had painted Eren red with blood. The vocal cords and other muscles that were part of his neck had spilled out of his mouth too because Eren had clutched the guy''s neck so hard.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Tohir, the dart shooter finally managed to get hold of Eren while he was busy killing Geer. He shot a bunch of darts toward him. He was still not aware that his leader had died because Eren''s back was blocking his view and he still tried to maintain a safe distance.


    Yako was the fourth party member that was assigned to handle Eren. The guy was approaching Eren from a different direction. He was a gori-like Wesen with close-range expertise. So he closed in on Eren without any fear.


    Yako was nning to use Tohir''s attack as an opening salvo for his attack. That''s why he watched the darts approach Eren while he followed behind them. Both Yako and Tohir were yet to know about their team members'' conditions as they were busy coordinating their own attacks.


    Eren knew that he wouldn''t be able to dodge the darts in time now that he had stopped to kill Geer. Thus, he counted on his bear armor''s defensive properties to perform magic.


    ng! ng! ng!


    The darts shed with the heavy armor and bounced off as Eren managed to manifest the armor set in the nick of time. He had also managed to generate a thin manayer around him using the armor, rendering the attackpletely null.


    Yako, the gori-type Wesen, got within striking range as soon as the darts bounced off. He could see that the darts did not affect Eren due to the sudden emergence of his armor. But at this point, it was toote for him to retreat. He continued his attack by enhancing his punch with earth-element mana.


    Zoom. Swoosh. Boom.


    Yako had a smile on his face as he felt the feedback of his punch. It looked like his idea to target the back of Eren''s head had paid off. Because he felt that his punch had managed to hit the flesh before pulverizing it into smithereens.


    Yako was a gori-type Wesen. So his punches already had exceptional power when he was in his Woge form. The Woge form meant that the beastkin was disying some characteristics of their beastly lineage.


    Yoko had a bit of gori-like facial features. His arm was covered in ck fur when he hadnded his punch. As a result, a huge amount of blood that was released due to heavy blunt forcended on his ck fur and made it stick to his skin underneath.


    "Hahaha. I killed¡­"<sub> </sub>


    Yoko was about to say ''our target''. But then he saw what was in front of him and that had him confused for a bit. It took him a while to realize what he had punched.


    Eren was waiting for Yoko''s attack. He turned around just in time to receive his punch. And he let itnd on Geer''s head. He only dropped Geer''s body when it became headless due to Yoko''s brutal punch. He was bathed in blood, which made his bloody visage even grimmer to look at.


    "This fucking ba¡­"


    Yako was shocked to the core when he realized what had just happened. He couldn''t believe that Geer would die by his punch. But before he could fully process and verbalize his thoughts, he was attacked by two axes getting swung at him at breakneck speeds.


    Yako''s liver was cleaved when one of the axesnded under his rib cage from the side. One had to say Eren had used Yako''s utter shock that he was feeling against him. Due to his unstable mental state, he couldn''t control his mana defenseyer properly. As a result, Eren''s ax received the least amount of resistance when it attacked Yako at an odd angle.


    Igni Wave.


    Eren let out a flying attack when the ax was still inside Yako''s body. Tounch the spell more quickly, he used it as a Hex spell. The force of his swing was still acting on Yako''s body. The spell''s effect was added to that force and lifted Yako''s body from the ground.


    Only a second or two after he had reached Eren, Yako flew up to 5 meters away from the ground. The Igni Wave that was still active inside the beastkin''s body reached a critical point before making a part of his torso explode.


    Yako had lost a significant chunk of his abdomen after Igni Wave was detonated right inside his body. When that happened, blood and flesh sttered everywhere. Some of it fell on Eren like it was raining blood and flesh.


    ''Let this rain wash away all my pain of yesterday.''


    A thought rippled in Eren''s mind as he looked up to see the effects of his attack take ce in the air. Igni Wave had lit up the sky, engulfing Yako''s silhouette in brilliant light.


    Yako''s half-dead body cut through the air while it was being subjected to the Igni Wave. The bright orange-red light that was Yako approached Tohir who was stationary not too far from where Eren was.


    I was shocked by the entire chain of events that had happened in a short period. He was too stunned to say anything. He was too scared to move away from his current position. And he was too confused to cast a defensive spell.


    Zoom. "Oh, my g¡­!". Boom.


    Yako''s body crashed onto Tohir at a meteoric speed. This could only blurt out two and a half words before he was dragged behind by sheer force acting on Yako''s body.

 Chapter 164 Bloodfest

    "Get off of me you fucking go...!"


    Tohir couldn''t see what had happened to Yako because of the Igni Wave that had hidden his condition in ayer of fire-element brilliance. As a result, he thought that Tohir was simplyunched into the air by Eren''s attack before dragging him back with him.


    Tohir was about 24 meters away from his previous position. Yako''s slightly moving body was on top of him. So when the vector force finally stopped acting on both of them, Tohir tried to get Yako off of him while cursing him for his ipetence.


    However, he soon realized that Yako looked at him with a horrified expression. There were tears in his eyes that reflected the two moons shining in the sky. His mouth opened and closed in session as if he wanted to say something.


    Tohir was too afraid at this point. He felt something warm drench his pants. He followed Yako''s gaze and looked at Yako''s half-missing abdomen.


    The blood, intestines, and other muscles of the abdomen had already been either evaporated or sttered everywhere by the Igni Wave. But Yako''s body still managed to drench Tohir''s pants with blood.


    "I...."


    Yako was about to say something. But his body gave up on him before he could express his thoughts to his party members. Since Igni Wave had been detonated inside his body, the pain receptors were too overloaded for Yako to feel any pain. One could say that he died rtively at peace.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaah!"


    Tohir threw Yako''s body away as if it was a time bomb. He had tried to get up earlier. But his legs had suddenly lost all the strength they had within them.


    Tohir had been into a fair share of brutal fights at this point in his life. He had seen a fair share of blood and gore. But he had never seen a bloodfest unfolding in front of him. All done by a single man who was approaching him one step at a time.


    Eren had already killed three opponents using every trick on his sleeve. He had sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive to achieve enhanced output for his Hex spells. And thatbination had paid off well. However, he was a bit out of breath and his mana circuits had been affected.


    But Eren knew it was all worth it. A dragged-on fight would have been detrimental to him when he was supposed to deal with seven enemies at once. He couldn''t let his enemy surround and attack him from every angle by joining forces.


    Thus, Eren cranked up his offensive at the expense of feeling burnout. Long-winded, he retrieved an all-stats recovery potion and gulped it down as he continued walking toward the dart shooter ranger.


    "No... stay... stay the fuck away from me... you devil!"


    Tohir started panicking when he saw Eren walk towards him with his bloody visage. He then looked at the bodies of his party members and felt a shiver run down his spine.


    Eren''s attack was too brutal and unpredictable as a result of the Jeet Kune Do and mana-based martial arts. As a result, Eren developed a distinct form of battle style that was scary to look at for his enemies. It was only natural that his spectators stopped considering him human.


    Eren spat in contempt when he heard Tohir call him a devil. However, he didn''t see the need to reply to him. The ranger-in-distress spread his mana sense and waited for help to arrive.<sub> </sub>


    Two presences soon surrounded Eren between 4 o''clock and 8 o''clock. Another person approached Tohir as he was trying to get away from Eren while still sitting on the ground.


    "Lagartha!


    Oh, Lagartha. Oh my goodness, you are still alive!"


    Tohir recognized the touch he felt on his shoulder and looked back. He saw Lagartha staring at him with a concerned gaze. The guy couldn''t help feeling some sort offort after seeing a familiar face.


    Tohir felt like he was meeting Lagartha after a long long time. It was as if Tohir had been processing the nightmare unfolding in front of him with an altered perception of time.


    "Killed!


    That devil killed everybody.


    Not even their souls would remain intact after being killed like this."


    Tohir said to a grim-looking Lagartha in a shaky voice. In response, she pped him to bring him back to reality.


    p! p! p!


    Lagartha pped her team''s ranger a few more times before she saw the light of intelligence return to his eyes. Tohir finally started looking at her with his teary eyes as if he was finally seeing her for who she was.


    It was hardly a minute after Mia had managed to escape from Spiders'' grasp. A minute before, Eren was having a hard time dealing with his four opponents at the same time. His battle prowess was unleashed after the explosion caused by spell spamming, however. It meant that he hade up with a strategy at a moment''s notice and executed it to perfection.


    The battle was almost over before Lagartha could catch a breath and join her party members in killing Eren. Lagartha wasn''t a newbie to being overwhelmed by the carnage unleashed right in front of her eyes by a single man. She hade to know how devious he was in using the spells in the way he had used them. He really was as devilish as Tohir was painting him to be.


    However, Eren was a lot more than his devilish personality and gory image. Lagartha had taken into ount everything that had happened so far and concluded that there was something off about him.


    The guy was supposed to be suffering from a debuff that would make him run on fumes after the execution of a few spells in a limited capacity. Eren had used his spells in a way that didn''t concern him with mana consumption.


    It was as if he didn''t give a damn about running out of mana right in the middle of the battle.


    "You... you have some huge secret on you, don''t you?"

 Chapter 165 Green Prison

    "You¡­ you have a huge secret on you, don''t you?"


    Lagartha stood straight and looked at Eren with grim expressions as she asked. She refused to look at her party members'' bodies after sending them nearby with her mana sense.


    Eren chuckled when he heard Lagartha''s question. He dropped his axes and pped his hands to apud Lagartha for her ability to think straight on the battlefield. He stared at her beforementing.


    "The secret to sess is not to let anyone else in on the secret."


    Erenughed as he looked at Lagertha amusingly. His smiling face looked haunting under the bright moonlight because of the blood and gore it was painted with.


    Lagartha understood what Eren was trying to say right away. To avoid escting the conflict, she wanted to ask him if he could let them go. She would offer him all the resources she has on her and other Spiders aspensation.


    However, Eren''s statement told her something. The guy was more interested in killing all of them for a while. There was no negotiating with this devil who appeared unflinching even when surrounded by three more rankers.


    Eren wanted to cast Igni Lotus at this point and be done with all of his remaining enemies. But he knew that the rankers were more sensitive to the mana fluctuations than some half-brain-dead ad. He wouldn''t be able to cast the spell peacefully if they were to guess that he was using Igni Lotus. Instead, it would invite retaliation while putting him in a vulnerable position.


    ''Hm. I don''t need to mobilize a tank to beat someone with a knife.''


    Eren said to himself as he casually stretched his legs and arms. The all-stats recovery potion that he had drunk before the three new opponents showed up kicked in and extinguished the stress on his muscles and mana circuits.


    "Ready when you are."


    Eren said as he stretched. The four rankers who were surrounding him with serious looks suddenly had their faces painted with aggravation. It seemed they were busy crafting a strategy to deal with him.


    "Let''s go."


    As Lagartha said, she disappeared from her position. It looked like her legs had turned into green vines when she used her movement spell. Shifa and Vinah followed behind her.


    Eren smiled when he felt three presences closing in on him from three different directions. He kicked the hilts of the axes he had dropped near him and made them fly. Igni Chains appeared totch onto weapons'' handles.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Lagartha, Shifah, and Vinah moved in coordination as they attacked Eren together. His weapons were used against the weapons held by the three enemies.


    Lagartha had a long spear in her hand. The spear hadplicated runic inscriptions that made it look like a precious artifact in the Meta rank.


    The trio exchanged dozens of moves with the devil in a short span of a minute. Still, no side had managed tond a lethal blow on the other.


    ''Hm. I wonder how many Mana Quartz I''ll get if I sell this spear to Malcolm.''


    Eren thought to himself as he battled with three rankers at once. He was at ease fighting with threedies. He would not admit it in front of capable female rankers, but dealing with most female rankers was an easy task in general.


    Shifa and Vihah were holding daggers in both of their hands. All four daggers were identical and looked lethal. After adding Lagartha''s weapon, Eren was fighting against five weapons simultaneously using his mana-based martial arts and Jeet Kune Do.


    ''Hm? Why aren''t my attacks connecting?''


    Eren felt puzzled by the way things were progressing. The threedies easily deflected all of his attacks, as if they could predict them. That''s because they were using a non-elemental spell named Sense Sharing, which allowed thedies to enhance their senses.


    ''Faster and faster until the thrill of speed ovees the speed of death.''


    Eren chuckled as he had a random thought while ying the game of life and death with threedies. He sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive once again without worrying about the repercussions.


    "Aaaaah!"


    Shifa was the first to get by Eren''s ax he increased his weapon handling agility all of a sudden. She was hit by Eren''s reverse swing that she couldn''t guard against. As a result, the back of his ax hit under her chin, sending her flying with the sheer force it had generated.<sub> </sub>


    Sense Sharing spell''s effect was halved because Shifa was kicked out from battling Eren. Thetter suddenly found it easier to strike his opponents. He wasn''t the one who''d let a chance like this go to waste.


    Igni Wave


    Eren charged his two axes with fire-element mana before casting his flying shes. Lagartha managed to parry the spell directed at her using her wood element mana''s resistive properties against fire.


    p She surrounded herself with green wines before the flying sh hit her. Despite being dragged away by the force of the sh, she was safe inside theyer of green vines.</anda>


    Vinah had an earth-element defensive spell at her disposal. She could create ayer of earth-element mana skin all over her body that had exceptional defensive properties irrespective of how thin and insignificant it looked. It would look like the snake-type Wesen had shed a skin whenever she dispersed the defensive spell.


    However, Eren''s weapon handling was too fast for her to handle. The attack came at her before she could guard against it using her defensive spell. The next thing she knew, both her legs were cut off at the knees.


    "Aaaaaaaah!"


    Vihah had lost her legs as she flew away from a still-spinning Eren. Her frail and sharp screech conveys her current state the most effectively.


    The two axes were still moving rapidly around Eren as he continued to work on them. It started looking like he was juggling his weapons for a circus show. The guy was still handling his weapons like he was getting into the groove of handling multiple enemies at once.


    ''The bastard''s ying with us.''


    Lagartha ignored Vihah''s screech and Shifa''s panicked voice and focused on Eren. She knew approaching the devil was dangerous. But she had to do it to cast her spell effectively.


    "Green Prison!"


    Eren was suddenly surrounded by green vines that sprouted from the ground and shot for the sky. They eventually interlocked in the air, creating a dome-shaped prison that trapped Eren inside it.


    The thick, green vines served as prion bars that had radiant runic inscriptions on them. It was obvious that these weren''t the vines one could just hope to cut with sharp weapons. Just like Eren''s Igni Lotus, Green Prison was meant to keep the caster''s enemies inside its domain.


    Eren fired Igni Lotus at the vines. But as expected, they did a little damage to the vines which were recovered shortly after. Moreover, vines sprouted to fortify the area that was under attack from Eren''s spells.


    ''Hm. Now, this is how I need to cast Igni Lotus. I need to learn how she did it.''


    Lagartha had managed to cast her spell without letting Eren counter it by just moving away. This was something he wanted for his Igni Lotus. The battle would have been over by now if he could cast Igni Lotus this way.


    ''One can learn so much from their enemies.''


    Eren wasn''t worried even when he found himself getting trapped by Lagartha''s spell. It was like he was in a world of his own. For some reason, he found the act of getting trapped intriguing. Because now he could celebrate his freedom when he gets out.


    "Tohir, you are up!"


    Lagartha said afternding safely a few meters away from Eren. She then immediately approached Vihah who was in critical condition because of her half-chopped legs. Her sister Shifa was already trying to stop the bleeding by coating her open wounds with her mana.


    Tohir was kept in the background during the whole ordeal because he had been mentally broken by Eren in a previous fight. Plus, he wasn''t a close-range fighter, to begin with. That''s why the guy had always kept his distance from Eren when they were fighting four vs. one. And that''s why he stayed alive.


    Lagartha had decided to keep Tohir on the backfoot until her Green Prison was sessfully cast. She deployed the team''s ranger as soon as she made sure Eren was unable to break free from the cage she had put him in.


    "Hahaha! You are done for, you crafty devil."


    Tohir found newfound courage in him to face Eren when he saw him behind the green bars. The shakes he was feeling looking at Eren were gone. He didn''t care that one of his party members had her legs chopped off and was currently struggling to stabilize her condition.


    The ranger found too much joy in seeing a caged devil care about anything else.

 Chapter 166 Extreme Fear Can Neither Fight Nor Fly

    "Aaaaaargh!"


    Vihah couldn''t stop screaming as she was suffering through the pain of amputated legs. Igni Wave had injected fire-element mana into the girl''s system. The foreign mana invasion also cauterized the wound before wreaking havoc inside her body.


    Shifa was trying to stabilize her sister''s condition. But she was upset because her sister had lost her legs.


    "Hold her down!"


    Shifa heard Lagartha''s voice from behind her. Thetter was approaching the duo while holding Vinah''s chopped legs.


    Lagartha quickly closed in on the sisters before cing the chopped legs close to their still-intact parts. The wood-element ranker first forcefully injected her own mana into Vinah''s system and got rid of Eren''s fire-element mana. She then used a rare element-wood spell to reunite the amputated parts of her legs.


    The chopped parts and the intact limbs had several green vines growing out of them before they started interlocking with each other. In about half a minute, both of Vinah''s legs were joined using the green vines between them as a medium.


    Vinah was mentally shaken because of losing her legs as much as she was in physical pain. But seeing her legs stitched back together by Lagartha''s spell gave her the relief she was craving.


    "Try to get up."


    Lagartha offered Vinah a hand as she spoke in a grim voice. She wasn''t too happy even after recovering her party member''s lost limbs. That''s because she knew everything would be over if Eren managed toe out of his current predicament.


    Lagartha needed all hands on the deck. Vinah was one of the key yers in trying to bring Eren down for good.


    ***


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Tohir shot his darts through the space between therge vines, which served as prison bars. Lagartha had allowed Tohir''s spells to reach Eren but prevented Eren from attacking him.


    Eren didn''t need to dodge the darts because he had his Bear armor on. The darts would just bounce off the armor before dispersing into thin air as they were manifested by Tohir''s spell.


    "Heh! Sooner orter you''d run out of mana and be unable to support that armor of yours. We''ll see how you save yourself when that happens."


    Thor said and smirked. He wasn''t flustered when he saw his darts were unable to hit Eren anymore. He had too much time on his hands. And Eren wasn''t heading anywhere.


    Eren was trying to figure out a way to break Lagartha''s spell by attacking it with various spells from various angles. However, both his lightning and fire element spells were not that effective against a wood-element spell.


    Plus, it had high regeneration properties that would fix the damage done to the vines by Eren''s spells. It prevented Eren from breaking the cage by umting the damage at a particr ce.


    He hade to realize that the spell the enemy used was a bit different from his Igni Lotus. She had used an artifact in conjunction with her spell to achieve these effects.


    ''Hm. Guess now''s the time to call forth a tank.''


    Eren didn''t see his prison as a life-threatening challenge for him. Because the three female rankers were ignoring him. He was unable to be affected by the only ranger on the enemy team using spells with enhanced debuff effects but low pration power.<sub> </sub>


    His axe attacks on the prison were suddenly stopped and he turned around. He saw the three female rankers approaching him with do-or-die looks on their faces.


    "Lagartha I tried to attack the bastard but his armor¡­"


    Tohir tried to put his side forward after seeing his party members approach him. But Lagartha ignored him and looked at Eren before speaking up.


    "I had prepared this artifact and spellbo for a girl named Miranda from the Stardust guild. However, that bitch managed to reach the Awakened rank andpletely ruined my efforts. But I''m d I invested in them. Otherwise, we would have been in a serious pinch against you."


    Eren raised his eyebrows as he heard Lagartha''s words. Chuckling, he responded.


    "It seems you are too confident in this prison of yours. It''s pretty solid. I''ll give you that. Sorry to break it to you though. It won''t be able to hold me."


    Igni Wave


    Flesh-altering spell


    Eren said, gripping his hand before sending a pair of Igni Waves towards his enemies. Hepressed more fire-element mana into the attack and used a flesh-altering spell to enhance the vector force behind it.


    Tohir almost shat his pants when he saw that Eren''s new spellbo had almost cut through the green vines. The snake sisters felt a bit upset when that happened.


    However, Lagartha operated on the artifact that she had buried underground as soon as she saw Eren''s spells attacking the vines. She strengthened the prison at the expense of further deteriorating the artifacts. She didn''t care what happened to the array of artifacts after the fight. So she was okay with it.


    Regenerative properties kicked in and strengthened the near-snapped vines. However, Erenunching that attack made Lagartha realize something. Eren would break the prison with hardly any effort if she decides to run away and not maintain her spell. They would all die in that case.


    Tohir, who was preparing to run away from the scene, stopped in his tracks when he saw that Lagartha''s spell could still hold on. Laughing, he gloated at Eren some more.


    "Hahaha! This¡­ I wanted to see this. Lagartha, Shifa, Vinah! We must take revenge for all our fallenrades.


    Hahaha! This caged rat has lost all his teeth and nails. He is as harmless as an earthworm."


    Tohir pulled his hair as heughed. His eyes widened when he said that.


    Lagartha looked at Tohir and felt upset about the way he was behaving. The guy had his personality twisted after seeing Eren''s carnage. His coping mechanism was making him appear out of his element. And he was trying topensate for hisck of confidence byughing at things whereughter wasn''t needed.


    She didn''t know what kind of turmoil Tohir had felt up close by being in the vicinity of Eren while he was killing his opponents. But she could imagine Eren''s presence had affected him a lot.


    "Extreme fear can neither fight nor fly."


    Eren smiled as he spoke to Lagertha. As if he could tell what she was thinking about.

 Chapter 167 There Is No True Genius Without Some Touch Of Madness

    "Do it."


    Lagartha said to both Shifa and Vihah who were on either side of her. As for Lagartha, she focused on strengthening the Green Prison. She was also preparing to restrain Eren from inside the prison.


    The beastkins had a few difficulties casting their spells when they were in the Meta rank. Hence they wouldrgely depend on their enhanced physical traits to battle with their opponents. However, given enough time and safety, their spells would prove more effective than normal ones.


    Vinah and Shifa both concentrated as they prepared themselves to cast their spells. It helped that Eren was not allowed to leave the prison.


    Eren felt mana fluctuations inside the prison. He knew something was up. He prepared himself to fight any iing attack.


    However, before he could realize or do anything about it, Eren was wrapped in a weird feeling. It was as if the space around him had diluted and be porous. The next thing he knew, his armor set was taken away from him. It was lying on the ground outside the prison, in front of Vinah.


    Vinah was a space-element user. Her spell allowed her to manipte space to a limited degree. However, she needed her sister''s assistance to pull the spell off.


    Eren was stunned when he saw his Hex armor being taken away from him. He tried to recall his armor by using his connection with it. But it turned out, Shifa was creating spatial distance to prevent Eren from summoning his armor back to him.


    "He.... He is a Hexer!"


    Lagartha opened her eyes wide in shock when she wrapped her mana sense around Eren''s armor set and observed it keenly. She had tried to erase Eren''s mana signature off of it but was unsessful. That made her realize that Eren was a Hexer and he was using Hex gear.


    "How? All your spells were a bit overpowered but they felt normal to me.


    How the fuck are you a Hexer? What kind of abomination are you?"


    Lagartha couldn''t make heads or tails out of Eren as she realized the mystery around him was only getting darker. She hade across a few Hexers and they were challenging to fight.


    But they also had their limitations. They didn''t have much freedom when it came to spell variation. But Eren was able to cast all his spells as Hex spells. Being a Hexer was as natural to him as swimming in the water was for the fish. As such, he did not exhibit the anomalies in spell casting the Hexers were associated with.


    Plus, the guy didn''t look like he was overly emotional or devoid of emotions. This was not a characteristic most Meta-ranked Hexers were associated with.


    "I don''t give a fuck who or what he is. As long as he doesn''t have the armor on, I''ll take care of him. Hahaha!"


    The almost-insane Tohir was the first among the sane party members toe up with a logical n. He didn''t care that Eren had too many secrets about him. He just wanted the guy dead to lessen his potential nightmares. And in doing so, he had outssed his sanepanions.


    ''There is no true genius without some touch of madness.''


    Eren gave Tohir an ''I''m impressed'' look as he had a random thought. He then chuckled before calling forth his tank-like spell.


    Igni Lotus!<sub> </sub>


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    The darts were shot through at breakneck speeds when Eren became armorless. It seemed like Tohir was in a hurry. He didn''t want to take any chances with the caged beast anymore.


    Eren was about to cast his movement spell to get away from the iing darts. But he suddenly found himself unable to move because of the suddenly sprouted green vines that hadtched onto his legs like pythons. The space around him also applied a distinct pressure against his movements, making him unable to move even an inch.


    The darts finally found their mark. A bunch of darts hit Eren before dispersing. But not before applying the debuff on him. All four Spiders were witnesses to the event. They had made sure that Eren got hit with the darts with theirbined efforts. And they were relieved when that happened.


    "The thing about Tohir''s darts is that his debuff effect can stack. No matter what kind of artifact you have on you, it would soon be rendered useless."


    Lagartha said with a serious tone in her voice. Although she was happy that Tohir''s dart had found its mark, there was some part of her that was screaming that it wasn''t enough. As if her instincts were telling her this was a terrible idea. Therefore she dered Tohir''s spell special so that Eren would give up fighting his fate.


    A task she was bound to fail.


    Eren didn''t have any problem casting his spell even after being hit by Tohir''s stacked debuff. That''s because he had stopped using his regr mana core against the guy a long time ago after Mia left.


    Eren''s infinite mana core and the mana that was supplied by it stayed unaffected by Tohir''s debuff. It allowed him to cast spells normally as if nothing had happened.


    ''This fiend is casting an AoE!''


    Lagartha could feel a weird mana fluctuation in the surroundings and immediately came to know that Eren was casting his spell. However, Eren losing his armor set had given her the confidence she needed.


    "Tohir... more. Hit him with more darts. Don''t stop!"


    Eren simply smiled when he saw even a stone-cold ranker like Lagartha panicking a bit. He stopped ying pretend. He stopped running. He stopped fighting the restrictions that were binding him. Instead, he focused on his fire-element spell.


    "Something''s wrong. He is not stopping his spell. Run... run away!"


    Lagartha remarked with a shaky voice. She decided to finally make a run for it. Even if she couldn''t maintain her Green Prison, she just needed to run faster than all her party members to have a chance at survival.


    At least that''s what she had thought. But her hopes were crushed when she heard Eren''s voice.


    "Too fuckingte!


    Igni Lotus!"

 Chapter 168 No Greater Danger Than Underestimating Your Opponent

    Hummmm!


    A humming sound. A cloud of brilliance. And a distinct shape of a flower.


    A fire lotus bloomed in the middle of the night.


    This fire lotus was so brilliant that it drew away the darkness encroaching on the nearby areapletely. It started burning the very air it came in contact with, creating waves of haze in the surroundings.


    "Aaaaaaargh!"


    The snake sisters and Tohir screamed in unison when they suddenly found themselves getting engulfed by mes. The fire-element mana they had been surrounded with was aggressive and invasive at the same time. It tried to melt their skin the moment it came in contact.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    The green vines sprouted from the ground andtched onto these three rankers like octopus legs. They pulled them away from their previous positions and brought them onto a ground covered in green vines.


    The green vines then interlocked and created a dome-shaped prison with four Spiders inside. The Green Prison spell that had been used to cage Eren was being used once more to save her and her party members from Eren''s devouring mes.


    It looked like a mini green ind had been formed inside the fire world. The green vines fought off the fire-element mana inside the Igni Lotus.


    "How¡­ how the fuck can a Meta ranker cast a spell like this? This is beyond a normal human''s capabilities."


    Vinah spoke up after seeing the mes of destruction all around her. Eren''s mes were starting to affect the ground too. They were evaporating the moisture in the earth and were creating patches ofnd that looked like it had been subjected to drought.


    Eren freed himself easily when he found out that the green vines that were trying to hold him down did not have the strength behind them anymore. Lagartha''s concentration on her mana supply had been divided into caging Eren and saving herself and her party members. Thus, she couldn''t hold Eren down with the same ferocity as before.


    Igni Chains


    Igni Wave


    Igni Shards


    Eren cast his fire-element spells one after the other and destroyed the cage that was surrounding him in a few strikes. His fire-element spells had a natural advantage inside the domain of fire created by him. They all received a natural buff.


    Eren stretched his arms when he came out of his cage. He then raised his arms and controlled the mes inside his fire domain. He wanted to see the faces of his enemies after all.


    The vision cleared for both Eren and his opponents when the mes disappeared from the middle of the battle zone. It was as if a small air bubble had been created inside a sea of fire.


    ''This fiend¡­!''<sub> </sub>


    Lagartha and her party members were riddled with trepidation and fear as they watched their opponent approach them one step at a time. He had his two axes drawn. Since he wasn''t affected by his mes, the red blood on his body was still a bit wet. It was shining due to him being surrounded by so much orange-red brilliance.


    Lagartha was just about to pass out from exhaustion when she saw Eren approaching him. She had carried out two Green Prison spells back to back. Thus, she found it difficult to digest that a single man was able to sustain so many spells to this extent.


    "Listen here, Spiders. Stop thinking about survival. It''s a do-or-die situation. You know what that means, right?"


    Lagartha said and took out a potion vial. The content inside shined with a sinister green hue and gave off a distinct mana signature. This was a forbidden remedy that could only be used in emergencies.


    Its name was Core Turmoil.


    The working of the potion was simple. It would agitate the user''s mana core and make it unstable. In exchange, the user would get enhanced body stats as well as spell boosts for a limited amount of time.


    Core Turmoil was one of the well-known potions among rankers for its impressive boost post-consumption. Of course, the potion had its side effects attached to it. The user''s mana core would be unstable the longer they tried to retain the potion''s effects.


    Some users of the forbidden spell would find out that their ranking status had regressed after getting out of the boost the potion provided. Still, they could be said to have it easy. Most users of the potion would find out that their mana cores had been damaged.


    Some rankers even had their mana cores turn benign, making them no different than mortals. There were many cases of users of the potion getting their mana core destroyed by imploding.


    Such cases ended in death.


    That''s why consumption of the potion wasn''t a light matter. The rankers would think things through before consuming forbidden potions like this.


    However, Lagartha hade to realize that there was no better use of the potion for her and her party members than fighting Eren.


    Eren had stoic expressions when he saw his opponents trying to pull off something else against him. He had it this time. It didn''t matter how much control he had over the current situation, he wasn''t nning to let his enemies gain ground on him willingly.


    All four Spiders retrieved their potion vials and were about to drink them. But suddenly, the Igni Chains sprouted from this air before snatching their vials from their hands. The spell''s speed and execution were so wless that the Spiders couldn''t offer any resistance to their vials getting snatched.


    ''There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.''


    Eren saw the dismayed faces of the Spiders and chuckled to himself. Their faces were screaming injustice. As if it were his duty to give them onest chance at survival.


    "Let''s end this charade."


    Eren left his position after saying that. Inside his fire domain, he felt like he was inplete control. Although the fire domain didn''t truly provide a boost to his lightning-element movement spell, the feeling of having control allowed him to tap into the true potential of the spell all the same.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.

 Chapter 169 Choices And Consequences

    Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.


    Igni Wave


    Eren appeared amidst four Spiders like a lightning ghost. He had entered the Green Prison Lagertha had created for herself using the same void his Igni Chains and Igni Shards had created to snatch the forbidden potions.


    In the next moment, Vihah had her legs cut from the same joints. Lagartha''s green vine stitches couldn''t provide any resistance to Eren''s ax swings.


    Shifa had her heart cleaved by Eren''s second ax. Eren kicked over the ax''s de to make it dig deeper into his opponent''s chest before executing another Igni Wave.


    The ax de had pierced Shifa''s heart when Eren let loose another Igni Wave. The Snake-type Wesen''s heart burst inside. Since Eren had kicked the de with a full swing of his kick, the vector force acting on Shifa''s body dragged it away from her previous position. This was while the Igni Wave was beginning to cause its damage.


    Shifa''s body imploded from within in the next moment when her body couldn''t contain the Igni Wave inside it. As the flesh and bones were scattered all around, the ax fell to the ground.


    Lagartha and Tohir moved away from their ces when they found Eren was right in the middle of their group. They knew that they all were going to die if things kept moving the way they were. But they were betting on the off chance that Eren runs out of his mana after executing his spells.


    Lagartha tried to restrict Eren''s movements some more with her green vines that were all around the ground. But it was of no use.


    Eren''s fire-element spells were omnipotent inside the fire domain. They would sprout and get executed from anywhere, from any angle. They would annihte everything they touched, leaving nothing but dust behind.


    "Aaaaaaah! You will pay for¡­


    Uhhhhhh! Uhhhhh!"


    Eren stepped over Vihah''s face as she was screaming and cursing him at the same time for chopping her legs once again. He found it ironic that the Spiders were calling him devil, fiend, and whatnot when it was them who had tried to kill him in the first ce.


    ''Am I getting criticized for the way I kill and not why I kill?''


    Eren thought to himself as he saw Lagartha and Tohir look at him like he was some sort of abomination. He then looked at his foot that was stepping over Vinah''s face and preventing her from screaming and cursing.


    "Let me relieve you of your misery. There''s benevolence in granting death to your mortal enemies."


    Eren said to Vinah before casting Blitz Steps over her face. His legs immediately became covered in lightning streaks again.


    Eren increased the pressure on Vinah''s face by standing over it with his single leg. He then cast his movement spell to its fullest.


    Vinah''s brain stopped working when it was subjected to so much lightning mana so close to it. The stun effect of the lightning seeped into her nervous system and stopped her struggle.<sub> </sub>


    The foreign mana invasion of lightning mana destroyed Vinah''s muscles on a cellr level. She was kicked out of her Woge form, turning into a normal-looking human girl. But before one could see what she looked like without any beastly features, her face was sttered by Eren''s feet.


    Eren had used his movement spell to attack Vinah. The snake-type beastkin died not long after her sister did. Eren had killed two more Spiders in mere 10 seconds after the appearance of the Core Turmoil potion.


    Eren wanted to take his time dealing with the remaining enemies. He had a few more spells to try on them. They could have served as pretty effective live dummies for him. Unfortunately or fortunately, Lagartha tried to outy him using the forbidden potion. That rubbed Eren the wrong way, prompting him to get rid of the threat right away.


    Eren disappeared from his position while his movement spell was still active. Both of his axes were a bit distant from him. But he didn''t bother to retrieve them. He didn''t need them after all.


    Tohir was still trying to stick to Lagartha as he watched Eren brutally kill another two party members. The fear that was taking over his mind and heart was so overwhelming that he couldn''t think straight.


    He couldn''t cast his spells or use any of his stored artifacts. He ran towards Lagartha like a mortal, his hands stretched towards her. He was calling her name while he did that. It was as if he had regressed into being a baby and he was seeing his mother in Lagertha.


    The female ranker had lost all hope in Tohir. She also didn''t try to save her party members anymore. She let them all get killed by her opponent so that she would be thest person standing with him.


    That way, she could concentrate on dealing with Eren with everything she had. She was sure that she would not survive fighting with Eren. However, the fighter in her wanted to do maximum damage to him before she was forced to call it quits.


    "Lagertha¡­ help¡­ help me!"


    Tohir was only 12 meters away from Lagartha when Eren appeared behind him. He kicked the guy''s leg joint from behind, making him lose his bnce. The ranger was brought to his knees.


    Eren could see Lagartha in front of her. While staring her in the eye, he stood right behind the kneeling ranger before cing his right head over his head.


    Solid Spark!


    Tohir''s mana defense had beenpromised because of his emotional state. It couldn''t offer any resistance to the Solid Spark spell that split his head and a significant portion of his torso vertically.


    Solid Spark waspressed lightning-mana manifested into a bolt-like solid form. Usually, the spell was meant to be used for long-range attacks. However, Eren had again tried to experiment with the spell on live subjects, squeezing thest bit of use from them.


    Lightning worked so well on the ranger that no blood spilled out. As if it faced minimum resistance while doing its job. Most of the blood had been evaporated by the intense heat generated by lightning. The split edges of Tohir''s vertically split body turned coal-like. Only a few drops of ck blood started dripping on the green vines that served as the ground.


    Eren had killed Tohir while staring at Lagertha. For the first time in a while, thedy felt fear. Only after his death could she start to understand why he was gripped by fear so much when facing Eren.


    Eren observed Lagartha''s face and could guess what she was thinking about as she watched herst party member''s body hit the ground lifeless. He narrowed his eyes on her before speaking up.


    "When we make a choice, we also choose the consequence thates with it."

 Chapter 170 Aspect Fusion

    A green-haired woman was trapped inside the Lotus-shaped fire domain that had been created in the middle of the forest.


    This young woman had a pretty face and cherry-red lips. Her eyes were as pitch ck as the moonless and star-less night skies and her skin was supple and snow-like. She had a pink hue on her cheeks, indicating that this ranker was full of vitality.


    This young woman had the right curves in the right ces. Her prominent feminine features made her look more mature than her age.


    Her wood element nature was apparent by the soothing and nature-like vibes she would exude. Yet, at this time, those vibes were nowhere to be found. Anxiety, worry, fear, survival instincts, and other extreme emotions had put this striking woman on edge.


    Eren quickly closed in on Lagertha after he had taken care of Tohir. At this point, he wanted to get rid of her as soon as he could.


    Eren charged at Lagertha without any weapons in hand. He had simply coated his hands in Blitz Bolt that he would release as soon as he got within the striking zone.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Boom!


    Eren was surprised when Agatha cast an armor spell on herself just before meeting Eren''s fist with hers. The first to get wrapped into wood-element armor was the hand she had used as a fist to meet Eren''s.


    Her entire body was encased in wood-element scales and vines in the next moment. Unlike her usual wood element manifestation, the armor waspletely wooden. Also, the vines of the armor were a bit dry, showing that the armor was more focused on durability than flexibility.


    Lagartha didn''t stop there. She fortified her wood-element armor with green vines that were all over the ground. This way, the armor would be resistant to both fire and lightning attack.


    Eren''s Blitz Bolt was released as soon as contact was made. Lightning cracked and started to turn the wood that came into contact with it ck and charcoal-like, generating white smoke as well.


    However, the lightning failed to affect Lagartha because of her wood-element fortified armor. Since the lightning was not able to prate the insting armor, the wood-element ranker stayed safe.


    ''This is what they call Aspect fusion, right?


    Impressive!''


    Eren had a thought in his head as he exchanged some more moves with Lagartha. He had heard about elemental aspects and aspect fusions. But this was the first time he saw it getting applied. And that too by a Meta ranker.


    ''This girl is a prodigy. That stupid Geer should have let her lead the team.''


    Eren criticized the way Spiders handled things for no apparent reason. It was as if he was criticising kids for misbehaving. Only, the punishments he had dealt to so-called kids were extreme to say the least.


    ***


    Eren had to say the girl in front of him was a genius. A prodigy among a bunch of prodigies. She should have been the leader of the party and not some random nobody like Geer.


    Every element that gets adopted by a ranker would have an aspect attached to it. The elemental aspect of the ranker is what determines how that element manifests. Two rankers could have the same element but different elemental aspects to them, making them employ apletely different set of spells.


    In the beginning, a Meta ranker would only have one aspect of an element. Their elemental attainment would also be restricted to that one aspect.


    The elemental aspect would also dictate how the same spell can have varying outputs. The purple-colored lightning element was purely focused on speed, while the red-colored lightning element was focused on its destructive nature. Furthermore, the blue lightning element would be focused on the burning, causing objects to char instantly.


    In other words, when a lightning element ranker who possessed the speed aspect of lightning used their lightning-based spells, the manifestation of lightning would be purple. Plus, they would receive the biggest boost to their movement spell because the aspect of lightning they had awoken first would be morepatible with it.


    Simrly, when a ranker awoke to the incineration aspect of the lightning, their spells would generate more heat, and their spells would generate incinerating effects as well.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had a blue lightning aspect that was associated with incineration. That''s why most of his attacks would leave an incineration mark on his opponents. The Solid Spark he had executed on Tohir was one such example.


    The Blitz Shards he created would also explode and incinerate when used with Igni Shards. That''s why he would often use both the spells inbo ever since he had gotten his hands on the Igni series spells.


    Eren''s fire-element and his fire-element spells were highlypatible with his lightning-element spells for this reason. Thebo spells of both elements would give him greater results than the individual summation of the two.


    That was not to say Eren had difficulty executing his movement spell or other spells. It was just that lightning spells without a focus on heat or explosion would not be boosted by the first aspect he awoke.


    One had to say that Eren was already very agile and nimble using his movement spell even when his blue lightning didn''t reallyplement his movement spell. Incessantly, he wondered what kind of agility he would be able to unlock when he achieved lightning''s speed aspect.


    The reason why Eren referred to Lagartha as a prodigy was because not only had she unlocked two aspects of her elements, but she had also managed tobine both her aspects to fortify her spells.


    Unlocking two or more aspects of the element was already considered a rare event. However, spell fusion was rarer to the point of being non-existent when it came to Meta rankers.


    Aspect fusion not only allowed the user to fortify their spells but also made them go easy on mana consumption. The aspect fusion was the result of in-depth elemental attainment that would normally take a long time for a ranker to achieve.


    Such elemental attainment was akin to nature helping you do your bidding. Therefore, those with multiple elemental aspects or aspect fusion which were the result of higher elemental attainment could sustain their spells for longer.


    Eren could guess that Lagartha was not very proficient at Aspect fusion even though it looked like it was not her first time doing it. She could only tap into it when her life was in mortal peril. Otherwise, she would have made use of it from the beginning to gain an advantage.


    Still, Lagartha achieving what she had achieved at such a young age was not something to be scoffed at. She was only a step away from attaining the rank of Awakened. Eren could guess that her Rank promotion would have brought even greater gifts for her.


    Too bad, she wouldn''t survive the fight. At least that''s what Eren was confident about, thanks to the fire-element domain he was in.


    ***


    Lagartha had injected an all-stats recovery potion into her system just before Eren killed Tohir. She had used that time to prepare herself for the fight ahead. She had earlier nned to fight Eren using the forbidden potion. However, the all-stats potion was the next logical thing.


    It seemed that Lagartha knew a bit of mana-based martial arts too. She only focused on diverting the opponent''s attacks instead of striking. As a result, she would defend more and attack less. However, Eren became more impressed with her level of expertise.


    Eren kicked Lagartha under her left rib cage and sent her away from her previous position. He then used the kick''s recoil as a force to create more distance from her.


    Eren knew he couldn''t beat Aspect Fusion with his rtively ordinary spells. The only thing he could do was overwhelm her with his abundance of mana.


    "Alright. Fun time is over. There is no use for you anymore."


    Eren was done using Spiders as live dummies. He could have killed them all by burning them at the same time when the Igni Lotus was activated. He only got up and personal to vent some of his frustration. After all, he was interrupted right when things were blossoming between him and Mia.


    It was about time he killed thest Spider and called Mia back. He will be aptly rewarded for his valor and heroism by the elf.


    A momentter, mes from inside the fire domain started filling the void they had left behind. Soon, the entire space inside the fire domain would turn into a furnace, burning almost everything except Eren.


    No matter how potent Lagartha''s armor spell was that was based on her aspect fusion, it was bound to bow down in front of Eren''s infinite mana. It was only a matter of time.


    "Wait... spare... spare me. Please. I have something to tell you."

 Chapter 171 Contract Bound

    "Wait... spare... spare me. Please. I have something to tell you."


    Lagartha had pleading expressions on her face as she watched the mes closing in on her. Her wood-element green vines were also catching fire when they got exposed to so much fire-element mana.


    After all, a drenched-in-water green wood was only resistant to fire and lightning. But no element waspletely immune to other elements. It was only a matter of quantity.


    Eren shook his head when he heard Lagartha''s plea. He didn''t stop his Igni Lotus from assuming his intended state. After looking at her in disappointment, he replied in a neutral tone.


    "I told you.


    When we make a choice, we also choose the consequence thates with it. You were nning to kill me and Mia when you first started for a bullshit reason. Would you have spared me if roles were reversed?"


    Seer! Seer! Seer!


    The mes had almost consumed the two. However, for some reason, Lagartha refused to call it quits. She clenched her grip on her wooden staff and bowed her head down in front of Eren before replying.


    "No. I would not have spared you. But I want you to spare me, anyway.


    I must live because there is something I must do at any cost.


    I''m ready to pay any price for it."


    Eren narrowed his eyes when he heard Lagartha''s words. He appreciated the honesty she had disyed to him. But he didn''t like leaving loose ends behind. Especially a prodigy like her. So he burned all the green vines that were trying to protect her beforementing.


    "I am not interested in your body."


    Eren said, looking at Lagertha suspiciously. Thetter stopped shaking when she heard Eren''s words. She stopped bowing and looked at Eren angrily before speaking up.


    "Bastard, I am talking about signing a binding contract in exchange for sharing vital information."


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Lagertha''s proposal. She wanted both of them to sign a binding contract with the hope that they would be able to trust each other. That way, Eren would be sure of the information he''d receive from the Spider. She would be sure he would let her go once he received it.


    "What kind of information do you have?"


    Eren asked, looking slightly interested.


    "Rted to uing guild wars," Lagertha replied promptly.


    Eren didn''t want to get involved in matters rted to the guilds. But he liked keeping himself safe. It would be better if he was made aware of the traps beforehand so that he could avoid them.


    Still, it wasn''t enough of a deal maker for Eren. He could always y it safe and select missions that are closer to the city of Ludan to avoid ambushes like these. Therefore, he replied shortly.


    "Not enough. Bye..."


    "Wait!"


    Eren discarded Lagartha''s offer right away. But just as he was about to continue his attack, thetter tried to halt him again. It had to be said that he hadn''t expected Lagartha to be this desperate to live.


    The wood-element ranker had basically scratched off her party members when they became a burden to her. She had tried to save them only because she wanted to use them against him. However, their deaths didn''t make her upset on a personal level. It just brought her morale down to fight with Eren, resulting in her begging for her survival.


    "Spit it out. And fast. I don''t have all night."


    Eren''s eyes were filled with impatience as he said what he did. Lagartha could understand where Eren wasing from. So she didn''t create any suspense and said what she had in mind right away.


    "You are a Hexer, aren''t you? You guys have your testing grounds that are only suitable for you to visit.


    I have information about one of these Hexers'' testing grounds. I can give you that along with the information on my guild if you spare my life."


    Eren was shocked when he heard Lagartha''s words. He observed her face keenly and judged her with the acute senses he had developed from his hustling days to see if she was lying. But it looked like she was telling the truth.


    The Bear''s armor set was a helpful addition to Eren''s arsenal. But itcked the explosiveness with which he was used to fighting. If possible, he wanted Hex gear sets from other schools of Hexers. Obtaining a new Hex gear set would give him the variation he needed.


    Therefore, Eren was especially interested in this info. He spoke after pondering a bit.<sub> </sub>


    "Hmm. Sounds interesting. But we won''t be signing a binding contract."


    As Eren drew the mes closer to Lagertha, he said. Thattter knew what he was doinga€¡° trying to create mental pressure on her. However, they both knew it was working and there was no way to fight it off even if she knew it was a tactic.


    "What do you suggest then? Trust each other?"


    Lagartha said and hmphed. She could understand Eren a bit at this point. She wouldn''t count on him to spare him just because she told him everything. Moreover, she was unsure if she would provide real information to him if the restrictions of a legally binding contract weren''t present.


    Eren chuckled before retrieving a scroll from his storage. This was one of the only two Rank-2 items he had bought from Malcolm. At that time Malcolm had told him to carry these things on him while taking missions inside Gahan. And he could understand why the bald merchant had given him the advice.


    "Do you know what it is?"


    Eren asked Lagartha while showing the scroll in his hand. Eren let her scan it with her mana sense.


    "A consumable scroll for Awakened rankers. Doesn''t seem that much different to me than a binding... wait a minute."


    Eren nodded his head before Lagartha could confirm the scroll. He smirked before adding further.


    "It''s a ve contract. I can only trust you and whatever you say if you sign a ve contract with me. You''d only be able to break free from the ve contract if you exceed the Awakened rank and enter the Arch rank.


    I would only spare you if you can assure me by signing this contract."


    Lagartha was shocked and aghast when she saw the scroll in Eren''s hands. She couldn''t believe that such an expensive item could be owned by someone like Eren who was considered one of the small fries in the Stardust guild.


    A ve contract was even more restrictive than a binding contract. However, one side was more restricted than the other. Unlike the binding contract which could have many loopholes, the ve contract almost had none. It couldn''t be broken by any means avable to the average ranker.


    One could say that a ve contract was the more extreme version of a binding contract. Where binding contracts were used by organizations to employ rankers into their fold, ve contracts were used to restrict their freedom.


    Unlike binding contracts, ve contracts were frowned upon by many kingdoms. The demonic rankers used these contracts a lot more than they used binding contracts.


    However, Eren was adamant about using this contract because it assured him greater safety. And that''s what mattered to him the most.


    "Who... who even keeps a ve contract handy in their storage space? What... what kind of sick bastard are you?"


    Lagartha started looking at Eren with some wariness in her eyes. Thetter coughed before answering.


    "*cough. It''s not what you think. I don''t use it on women to make them my ves. If you want to me someone, me my fencer.


    As I said, I don''t want to take sexual advantage of you. I''ll not tell you to do something you don''t want either. This contract is only there for my safety. Other than that, you are free to draw your own conclusions.


    Sign the contract because your will to live is greater than my will to kill you at this point. Or don''t sign the contract and die for it.


    These are the choices you have right now. This is your choice, not mine. So choose wisely.


    If you say no to this, I can only proceed to... you know..."


    Eren let his mes convey the message to Lagartha for him. A bunch of Igni Chains sprouted from thin air and approached Lagartha before dispersing. A warning was issued to the female ranker doing this, prompting her to take quick decisions.


    Lagartha looked Eren in the eyes and didn''t react to the mes touching her wooden armor. She wanted to live. As a price, however, she did not want to be someone''s toy or ything.


    Her womanly instincts soon told her Eren wasn''t that kind of predator when she stared into his eyes. She took a long breath before answering.


    "Al... alright. I''m ready to sign the contract with you."


    Lagartha spoke in a serious tone. No matter how tough she acted in the moment, Eren could see the woman was fighting the urge to say no and get burned in his mes.


    ''I am not heartless. I have just learned to use my heart less.''


    A random thought popped into Eren''s mind as he proceeded to sign the ve contract with the wood-element ranker.

 Chapter 172 Awakening Potion

    The ve contract was formed without any glitches.


    It offered Erenplete security from Lagartha. She couldn''t lie to him or deceive him without him not knowing about it. She couldn''t willingly, subconsciously, or follow someone''s orders to hurt him.


    Eren could control Lagartha''s actions to arge extent. But he wasn''t able to dictate her will or her emotions. However, the control he had over her was enough to trust her.


    Only after confirming his connection with Lagartha did Eren take a breath of relief. He didn''t show it. But he was on the edge dealing with seven Spiders all by himself as well. He didn''t think he was in mortal peril. But he could never be too sure about what his enemies could have in store for him.


    "I hope you don''t ask of me something I find difficult to provide."


    Lagartha said to Eren while gulping down another vial. She was really exhausted fighting with Eren. Mentally more so than physically.


    Eren massaged his temples with his right hand before responding.


    "You know, I can just kill you after knowing about everything. You should be more worried about that possibility than the possibility of me taking an advantage of you."


    Lagartha was too stunned to speak when she heard Eren''s life-threatening words. She had only said what she said to irritate him. Usually, men would try to exin themselves when they were being called out for having uncalled-for thoughts towards women. But she could have never thought that it would backfire on her.


    Eren chuckled when he saw the face Lagartha was making.


    "I''m messing with you. You are more useful to me alive than dead. In fact, I''ll send you to Spiders to act as my mole. I can''t rely on the safety and instructions provided by my guild alone. It''s much better to keep tabs on the enemies."


    Lagartha scrunched her nose at the thought of being used as a mole. She didn''t have any emotional investment in her current guild or her team. Being in the guild provided her with many opportunities. It allowed her to progress rapidly in her ranking journey.


    She was contract bound by her guild to serve it anyway. A contract she needed to break soon. She already had a way nned. It was just that signing a ve contract with Eren hadplicated a few things for her.


    "I¡­ I don''t have a problem betraying my guild. I can certainly provide you with the information you need in theing weeks. But what would happen to me when the guild war officially begins? I''ll be attacked from both sides eventually."


    Lagartha said and got up from her seated position. She dispersed her wooden armor spell and surrounded herself with loads of green vines. Eren wondered what his "trusted aid" was doing. But he got his answer soon.


    When the green vines were dispersed, a gorgeous-looking Lagartha appeared in front of him in a new set of clothes. The girl didn''t like the fact that there were signs of battle all over her. So she got rid of them the first chance she got.


    Eren looked at Lagartha keenly and thought that maybe he was too fast inmitting to a narrative. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders for no apparent reason before answering the question directed at him.


    "When shit hits the fan, you can change sides at the right time ande to me. I''ll make necessary arrangements with my guild by that time."


    Lagartha shook her head before replying.


    "If possible, I don''t want to join your guild. As a Spider, I have shed with a bunch of rankers from your guild. They won''t be too happy seeing me."


    Eren snorted his nose before responding.


    "I don''t care about any of that. You and I are not here to make friends. The guild gives us missions and we get rewarded for them. That much transactional rtionship is enough. In short, nothing would change for you. You need to behave just the way you behaved in House of Spiders."


    ''This guy¡­''


    Lagartha thought that she was too cold-hearted and cynical. But Eren was on another levelpared to her. Before she could register any more of herints, Eren pped his hands before continuing.


    "Okay. Now that we are both on the same page, you can tell me everything that you know."


    As Eren rotated his wrists to relieve any pent-up stress in them, he said to Lagartha. The fire domain was about to be dispersed. However, he waved his hands to shrink it to its bare minimum.


    The domain served as an instor for him and Lagartha. He didn''t want a third party to know about the things he was about to hear from his aid. After all, nting a mole would only work when people didn''t know about the mole''s existence.<sub> </sub>


    Lagartha shook her head before responding.


    "At the moment, I can''t do that. I need to be promoted to Awakened rank before I tell you anything. Otherwise, the binding contract I have with Spiders would affect and cripple me."


    Eren felt like he had another headacheing at him. He then criticized himself for not anticipating something so obvious.


    Lagartha had signed a binding contract with her guild that kept her loyal to it. Knowing about the guild''s activities would be considered a breach of the contract.


    A breach of the binding contract couldn''t be scoffed at. Especially when it was signed with a well-established guild. A breach of contract could result in regressing in rank, damage to the mana core, or even death. It was dependent on how critical the breach was to the guild.


    Eren could read Lagartha''s mind to some extent thanks to the soul make that was ced on her due to the contract. He could tell that she was indeed speaking the truth about the breach of contract. That was obvious. But he was also sensing that she was trying her best not to think about a particr solution.


    "What''s so special about this Awakening potion?"


    Eren asked and narrowed his eyes. He got the potion''s name from Lagartha''s subconscious. The more she tried not to think about the potion, the more she highlighted it for him.


    Lagartha looked at Eren with slight irritation. She stomped her feet on the ground before replying. She couldn''t lie to him. But she had hoped she could keep things hidden from him. She could only get lowkey infuriated in her head after realizing that it was wishful thinking.


    "*Sigh. It''s a rtively stable potion to be used by the Meta rankers who are only a step away from breaking into the Awakened rank. It kind of pushes the user towards their breakthrough at the cost of hurting their mana core."


    "Do it. Right now."


    As soon as Eren heard what the potion could do, he said without a second thought. He had nothing to fear even if Lagartha breaks into the Awakened rank since the ve scroll he had purchased belonged to the Awakened rank. It could only be used by Eren and Lagartha because Malcolm had added additional runes to it to be used by Meta rankers.


    Getting rid of Lagartha''s binding restrictions was equally beneficial for him as it was for her. Severing her connection from her previous organization was the equivalent ofmitting only to him.


    Of course, she would eventually have to sign a new contract with the House of Spiders when she breaks into Awakened rank. But she could always dy the binding process by taking nonsensitive missions. She could bide her time while still serving in Spiders.


    Of course, not signing the contract with Spiders after she breaks into Awakened rank would affect her intelligence-gathering capabilities. But this was apromise Eren was willing to make.


    "Hmph! Drinking the potion is not as simple as you think. There''s usually an Awakened-rank stabilizing array that could be used in conjunction with the potion. It could lessen the side effects of using a potion to attain Awakened rank.


    I had bought the potion thinking I would be able to use it with the array when the right timees. But I don''t have the array scroll on me. It means I would have to face the consequences of breaking into the Awakened rank."


    Eren snorted his nose when he heard another excuseing from Lagartha''s mouth. He spoke in a grim voice.


    "I don''t give a shit about what kind of consequences you have to face. Particrly after taking into ount the not-so-obvious implications of you carrying that potion with you.


    You will reach Awakened rank, and that will be the end of it."


    Eren disappeared from his ce after he said this. Lighting sparked and he appeared right in front of Lagartha. He gripped her jawline and brought her face closer to his.


    Lagartha was taken aback by Eren''s sudden burst of movement. She could see his blue eyes that were devoid of any sympathy a normal person would have after seeing a damsel in distress.


    Lagartha pursed her lips when she was only an inch away from Eren. She was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness. A strong smell of blood and flesh on him caused her to stop breathing.


    What made her stomach churn was the fact that the blood and flesh belonged to her former team members. Even though she wasn''t emotionally loyal to them, she couldn''t help feeling some sympathy for them because of the way they had all died.


    Eren mentally ordered Lagartha to look him in the eyes. He looked deep into her eyes before speaking up in a low and sinister voice.


    "Lagartha, my darling. Don''t think I haven''t figured out what you were trying to do earlier."

 Chapter 173 Breakthroughs P1

    "Lagartha, my darling. Don''t think I haven''t figured out what you were trying to do."


    Eren spoke in a sinister voice close to Lagartha''s right ear


    "You had first offered to sign a binding contract with me. And you already had this potion in your storage.


    That means my binding contract with you would have gotten broken as well when you broke into Awakened rank.


    You would have used the same excuse not to tell me anything. You were nning to use the potion anyway after getting away from me under the guise of having signed the binding contract with me. You would have gotten rid of me then and cleared the mess on your end by sneaking up on me.


    After all, it is much better to deal with the Spiders who you know for so long than count on me, a nobody in your eyes."


    A gracious smile spread across Eren''s bloody face. He released his grip on Lagartha and took a step back. He spat on the ground in contempt before concluding.


    "I may not look old. But you are 100 years too early to swindle me."


    Eren said and folded his hands under his chest. His impatient stance was telling Lagartha she needed to hurry up.


    Lagartha didn''t say anything to Eren. She just nodded at him, indicating that she was ready to follow his orders.


    She had indeed nned to trick Eren into signing a binding contract. She could then ensure her safety. The binding contract wouldn''t have been as restrictive as the ve contract was on her. Her consciousness couldn''t have been read by Eren, enabling her to keep her secrets to herself.


    Eren''s ve contract changed everything for her. It allowed Eren to learn about the Awakening potion. She could only give in and ept her fate at this point.


    Lagartha sat cross-legged and took out the vial of Awakening potion. It was a unique, seashell-shaped vial that had intricate runes carved over it. The vial exuded a warm azure glow with a breathing effect, making Eren realize that it was highly potent.


    Lagartha looked at Eren carefully before proceeding with the Awakening rank promotion. Thetter pursed his lips before nodding at her.


    "Yeah. don''t worry. I''ll stay on guard and look after you till you break into Awakened rank."


    ''Who would protect me from you in case you decide to kill me?''


    Lagartha said to herself and chuckled, knowing full well Eren could read some of her thoughts. But before he could say something, the wood-element ranker uncorked the vial and gulped the content down in one go.<sub> </sub>


    Lagartha was a native of Gahan. Therefore, she had a ranking technique she could practice to digest the contents of the potion. She closed her eyes and focused on circting the mana flow in her mana circuits as per the instructions provided in her ranking technique.


    A surreal atmosphere was created inside the fire domain when Lagartha started digesting the potion. Eren could feel that there was a change in mana and mana density in the surrounding.


    Eren paid close attention to Lagartha''s breakthrough. He wanted to know how difficult it was for a ranker to break into the next rank. He watched as Lagartha started developing stress lines over her forehead.


    Lagartha felt like she had been thrown into the deepest parts of the forest with there being nothing but her and the purest form of wood-element mana. The concoction had helped her establish a connection with higher consciousness. This connection would allow her to surpass the Awakened rank.


    However, maintaining a potion-induced connection with the higher consciousness wasn''t as easy as one made it out to be. Since it wasn''t a natural breakthrough or mid-battle breakthrough, the enlightenment Lagartha received during the active connection wasn''t much.


    A cloud of Awakened rank mana was formed all around Lagertha as she started progressing in her ranking journey. Her body stats kept on increasing at a substantial rate and her mana core started churning.


    Her consciousness and her mana circuits were under tremendous pressure because of the potion-induced breakthrough. Even her muscles and bones were getting refined because of being subjected to higher-grade mana.


    The Rank-2 mana cloud that was generated by the breakthrough and epiphany started getting absorbed by Lagartha. She could only manage to handle the pressure she was put under because she was pulled into a state of epiphany.


    Eren still had his fire domain intact as he watched Lagartha go through with her Awakened rank breakthrough. For some reason, his infinite mana core started churning more than usual as he felt something inside his body.


    Eren looked everywhere around him and felt a strange sense offort and harmony around him. He sat cross-legged not too far away from Lagartha as well, trying to process the mysterious state he was being summoned to.


    Eren was working through his own stage breakthrough as he watched and experienced Lagartha going through her ranking breakthrough. He didn''t care that he had promised Lagartha to watch over her. He just kept his fire domain active while he progressed through his stage breakthrough.


    Unlike Lagartha, Eren was surrounded by feelings offort and serenity as he was experiencing his breakthrough. He felt like he was surrounded by clouds of fire and lightning that did nothing to harm him. They got absorbed into his abstract being and became part of him.


    Eren summoned clouds of Rank 1 mana all around him and started absorbing them at a rapid rate. His infinite mana core churned and digested everything before demanding more.


    The bottomless pit that was Eren''s infinite mana core demanded more and more mana from the connection Eren had established with higher consciousness. And for some reason, it listened to its demands and provided plenty of mana.


    Eren''s hair grew a bit as he pressed his breakthrough. His beard grew as if someone were watching the video of him in timepse. His body stat values increased as his body absorbed more Meta rank mana and made it a part of its system.


    Eren didn''t know how much time had passed. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Lagatha looking at him with part surprised and part angry expressions.

 Chapter 174 Breakthroughs P2

    "How did you achieve a breakthrough all of a sudden? Did you have a potion on you as well?"


    Lagartha asked Eren as she saw him get up. The fire-element domain was about to be dispersed when Eren was pulled into the state of epiphany. Eren strengthened the spell as soon as he opened his eyes, making itst for a while longer.


    Ren dusted off his butt after getting up and channeled his mana through his entire body. The lightning mana produced a tongue of lightning all around him while his fire element mana made his bare skin catch fire at various ces.


    Eren got rid of all the blood and flesh residue on him by calling his mana throughout his body. Although his clothes still looked a bit haggard, they were devoid of any bloody marks.


    Eren opened and closed his fists by putting his hands in front of him. He felt the newfound energy inside his body beforementing to himself.


    "Hm. Thest stage of the Meta Rank. Not bad."


    Eren mumbled to himself as he noticed the state both of his mana cores were in. The unthinkable had happened again. This time, Eren wasn''t surprised by the fact that he had again achieved multi-stage breakthroughs.


    Before the breakthrough, he was in the sixth stage of the Meta Rank. And now he was in the ninth stage, which should have taken him a considerable time to reach under normal circumstances.


    However, he wasn''t normal.


    ''My infinite mana core doesn''t stop processing the mana until it hits the phase bottleneck. That''s why I can achieve multi-stage breakthroughs.''


    Since it had happened three times in a row, Eren could deduce the reason behind his peculiar breakthrough phenomenon. He was sure that others in the Stardust guild would have had their jaw dropped on the floor if they were here witnessing the scene.


    Eren chuckled and shook his head before answering Lagartha''s question.


    "Call it a sympathy breakthrough. I only wanted to give youpany and ended up receiving a reward for being a distinguished gentleman."


    Lagartha looked at him as if saying "that was not funny." Erenughed at her look before asking the question he wanted to ask her.


    "Are the restrictions lifted?"


    Eren could feel that Lagartha was a rank ahead of him. She had safely entered the ranks of the Awakened. For some reason, since Eren started having his breakthrough, the environment around him helped her stabilize her breakthrough as well. As a result, she could process her potion-induced epiphany faster and safer than she had anticipated.


    Lagartha''s looks had been changed after entering the Awakened rank. She somehow started looking more beautiful and full of life than she already was. Thanks to the Awakened rank breakthrough, her skin appeared more youthful. Her green hair gained more shine and looked more voluminous.


    Her feminine features had also be more prominent than before. She felt like all her current clothes needed to be reced withrger sizes.


    Lagartha ignored Eren''s gaze on her body and continued.<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. The restrictions were lifted as soon as I reached the Awakened rank. We can talk now."


    "Excellent. Let''s wrap this up quickly before Mia returns."


    Eren pped his hands and ordered Lagartha to tell him everything. Thetter nodded at him before she started telling him everything she knew about what the House of Spiders was up to.


    Since the guild''s restrictions no longer controlled her and she was bound to betray it anyway, Lagartha had decided to take it all out. She provided Eren with all the information he needed.


    Eren knew that he had never been on the Spiders'' radar. But things would change when it starts investing in the disappearance of its entire party.


    "The way you are saying it, it seems unlikely that you will return to the guild anytime soon. Are you not joining the Spiders right away?"


    Eren asked when Lagartha gave him all the crucial information. She shook her beforementing.


    "You had asked me why Geer was made the vice-captain of the team instead of that position being assigned to me, right? The reason is simple.


    Geer is the younger brother of my team''s captain. His name is Gian. He was the one who chose to make Geer the team''s vice-captain.


    Gian is bound to cause a ruckus when he learns about his brother''s death. Me being there in front of him as the only survivor of the team might put me in his crosshairs. The guy is crazy that way.


    I could always say that I was thoroughly injured in battle and chose to remain in istion before using the Awakening potion. I''d just stay underground until the dust settles. I''d only surface when his hate is directed at someone else."


    "You mean Mia and me?"


    Eren said and shook his head. The wood-element ranker he had put under hismand was a cunning vixen. He couldn''t hate her for not putting herself in the face of danger willingly.


    Lagartha then proceeded to tell Eren about everything rted to Gian. he knew it was only a matter of time before the guy came looking for him.


    Gian was an Awakened rank berserker who was in thest stage of the liquid phase. Eren had fought with Bl Blood at one point. So he wasn''t really scared of someone like Gian. He would prefer if his potential enemy did not jump on him because he was unprepared.


    Lagartha then told Eren about the lead she had regarding the Hexers'' testing grounds. After she finished speaking, Eren dispersed the fire domain and weed the rays of dawn onto his body.


    Lagartha and Eren nodded at each other before the former disappeared from her position. She didn''t want to be seen with Eren now that they hade to an arrangement.


    Of course, the duo would stay in touch with the mental connection they had established through Eren''s soul mark. Eren had decided that he would keep his connection with Lagartha a secret until the guild wars. That way, hie mole''s cover wouldn''t be jeopardized.

 Chapter 175 Encashing Kills

    Eren rotated his neck from side to side as well as up and down, producing bone creaking sounds. He then stretched his arms and looked around.


    The bodies of Spiders had all been burnt to ashes before dispersing into the ground because of the fire domain that had epassed them. Thankfully, Eren had absolute control over the mes inside his domain. He had only left the hands of his victims intact. The same hands that had I-Rune tattoos.


    After all, it would be a waste of resources if Eren let the resources on his victims'' bodies fall to waste. As their opponent, he had a rightful im over their resources.


    ''Time to check my rewards.''


    Eren rubbed his hands together as he walked towards the hand that was nearest to him.


    ***


    "What¡­ what happened to them?"


    Mia asked as soon as she found Eren in a safe condition. Unlike Eren, the effects of debuff were a serious issue for the elf. She could only recover from it after a few hours. By the time she decided to go back to ground zero, she was contacted by Eren toe to a different ce.


    Eren contacted Mia using voicemunication after he was done collecting rewards for his kills. Although the ce was still safe, he decided to change the venue of their rendezvous just to be safe.


    "They all died except one. She ran away."


    Eren decided to tell Mia the blurred truth. He didn''t want to intimidate the elf with his bloody visage. So he changed his clothes before meeting her.


    Eren downyed things a lot to keep his usage of infinite mana core a secret. He made up a lie that he used array traps to get rid of the enemies one by one. Otherwise, things wouldn''t have added up.


    Mia listened to Eren''s report with the utmost attention. She felt that Eren''s way of handling things was proper. She also liked the fact that he had decided to prioritize his safety instead of chasing after the escaped one.


    Mia was most surprised about Eren''s breakthrough. He had again climbed the rankingdder and was almost as close to the Awakened rank as her. The life-and-death situations really worked wonders for Eren.


    This was Mia''s third time watching Eren grow at a rapid pace. In all three cases, she was involved in the scene directly or indirectly.


    "Maybe Gahan''s Will likes you too much. You should consider moving here with your real body when you break into Awakened rank."


    Mia said while shing a smile at Eren. Not only had he managed to defeat their opponents by himself, but he had also benefited from the incident.


    "I am indeed considering moving here. I am only hesitant because of Gahan''s elf poption."


    Eren patted his Noble Feet as he spoke. The duo had found their colts while discussing things with each other.


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    Mia asked in a puzzled tone as she climbed the back of her colt. Eren followed her lead and chuckled before answering.<sub> </sub>


    "Well, I am hesitant because I don''t know if elfdies remember the promise they make."


    Mia was confused for a second or two when Eren said those words. She chuckled when she realized what he was talking about after remembering thest words she had said to him before escaping from the ambush.


    "Hehe. Pick a time and ce. We''ll go on a date. And if sparks fly, we''ll let them fly. Sounds good?"


    Mia asked, looking at Eren. Thetter smiled and nodded at her beforemanding his colt to pick up speed. They needed to return to the city of Ludan and report the incident that had happened to them.


    From the looks of things, the Spiders had attacked many top-rankers from the Stardust guild who were active on the field. Mia was just one of their targets for them.


    Gian, who was an Awakened, wasn''t with his team because he had been asked to deal with someone else from the Stardust guild all by himself.


    "Oh! Eren, do you want to keep your killings a secret? You won''t be targeted by the Spiders if you do that. But you''d be missing out on collecting the bounty money on Spiders'' heads that will get dered eventually."


    Mia asked Eren something of importance. Thetter didn''t understand what she was talking about. So he asked for an exnation.


    "What do you mean?"


    Mia controlled the reins of her colt and made it run at the same speed as Eren''s beforementing.


    "Guild wars are seldom a one-sided matter. Where only one guild bullies and the other gets bullied. Since House of Spiders wants to be aggressive, the Stardust guild will respond in kind.


    Rankers are rankers no matter which organization they belong to. They have their pride and their personal interests. And nobody likes being targeted.


    The Stardust guild will follow a bounty system for rankers who are willing to take the fight to the Spiders. For us, attacking is the most effective defense. An internal bounty system will be released to all the rankers of the Stardust guild when this gets officially dered. Soon, we''ll be the ones setting an ambush for them.


    If youe clean and im your kills, you will be rewarded by the Stardust guild. Otherwise, you can choose safety and remain in the dark."


    Eren pondered a bit before asking the most pertinent question.


    "How much money are we talking about?"


    Mia looked ahead at the void, she took her time to reply.


    "My guess? Your reward for killing these many Spiders would be more than 80 Mana quartz per head. But ultimately, it would all depend upon how the guild perceives the threat leveling from the rankers you killed.


    I suggest youe clean with your kills, Eren. That''s because the Spiders are a weird bunch. They''d target you anyway if you tried to stay away from them. You might as well get benefited from killing them."


    Eren smiled mildly when he heard Mia talk. It made him realize how cruel the world of rankers was. That killing could be quantified in terms of Mana Quartz.

 Chapter 176 In Spontaneity Lies The True Beauty Of Life

    Thanked Ferret Inn. Keld Town. Evening 6.30 PM.


    Eren and Mia were just a day away from the city of Ludan.


    He was continuing his journey while having thoughts of his own. He was still thinking about the carnage he had to unleash on strangers just because they thought that it was okay to do so.


    Eren had thought that only demonic rankers were a cruel bunch and that the rankers were supposed to be the good guys. It turned out that things weren''t as ck and white as he had thought they would be. Rankers could be equally greedy and cruel when there were benefits to be gained.


    Guild wars were just another side of the game that was yed by almost every living being in Gahan. A game that was based on only one principle: survival of the fittest.


    "Don''t get lost on me like that. Here. Drink this. I got it for both of us."


    Mia''s voice made Erene out of his storm of thoughts. He followed her gaze and saw that there was a ranked ale waiting for him in arge mug. He looked around and realized they were on top of a three-story building.


    Eren and Mia were not the only diners at the rooftop restaurant. There were other tables like the one they had upied. A few rankers were upying those tables. Most were either on their way to a mission or returning from one.


    Mia and Eren were staying in an inn called Thanked Ferret. It was a well-known ce to lodge for adventurers in Keld town. The duo had stayed in the same town when they were on their way to the mission site.


    Eren realized that he had been spacing out on Mia for a while. He said sorry to her with his hand gestures before picking up the mug.


    Mia looked at Eren endearingly before picking up her mug as well. After raising her mug and shing it with Eren''s, she drank it all up.


    "We should be careful from now on while taking missions, Eren. But don''t worry too much either. The Spiders caught us by surprise that day.


    Hehe. Ours is not a goody-two-shoes guild either. We''ll get back at them with even more ferocity than them."


    Eren realized that Mia was concerned that the incident had affected Eren psychologically. And it had. But not in the way she was thinking.


    He wasn''t intimidated by the whole scene. Instead, he was getting fiercer to the point that he thought that he enjoyed killing the Spiders. Completely dominating them in their own game.


    He liked using his infinite mana core to its fullest. Normally, he felt he had to nerf himself a lot to deal with his opponents. But whenever there was no one around and he was free to deal with his opponents however he wanted, then he tasted the true freedom of being a ranker.


    Thus, Eren would often think about the moral aspect of him turning into a veteran ranker. He would do that to keep in touch with his humanity.


    "Haha. It''s not what you think. You should have seen the other guys."


    Eren chuckled and took a sip from his ranked ale. He noticed that Mia had remembered what he liked in his beverage. The ranked ale she had ordered was derived from a Rank-1, fire-element raw ingredient. It was a bit bitter and fizzy, the way he liked it.


    Eren thanked Mia for the drink with his eyes before continuing.


    "Don''t worry Mia. I''ll be the one taking the most bounty missions to kill some more Spiders if the pay is right."<sub> </sub>


    Mia liked that Eren had returned to his element after she snapped him back to reality. She also enjoyed the moon over her head that was peeking through the dark blue clouds. She was savoring the evening breeze that caressed her skin and her silky hair. And most of all, she was enjoying thepany she had.


    "You know, you look especially beautiful today. Like some charming elf we often used to read about in our fantasies."


    Eren said out of the blue as Mia looked at him. The opportunist in him thought that this was the right time topliment her. And e was right on the mark.


    "I told you¡­ pick a time and ce."


    Eren smirked and took hold of her free hand with his before responding.


    "This time. This ce. This is as good as any.''


    Mia smiled when Eren took her hand in his. She responded by interlocking her fingers in his before speaking up. Her eyes reflected the yfulness she had in her heart.


    "Well, what are your ns?"


    Eren had no ns at the moment. But he didn''t care. He kept on talking with Mia before leading her outside the inn they were staying in. Keld town wasn''t much of a tourist attraction. But it had its rankers'' markets and ranker-specific ces of attraction.


    Eren simply decided to explore the city with Mia with no definite n in mind. And everything started connecting between the two.


    Mia sampled some of the street food offered by vendors. She watched a street y. And participated in a small aim-and-shoot targetpetition, which was usually organized for mortals. She won thepetition but the organizers refused to give her any prize after learning that she was a ranger.


    Eren had to steer her away from bullying the mortals anymore. From then on, they nned to follow the street and see for themselves all that it had to offer. By the time they were done with the exploration, the midnight moon was upon them.


    Mia found out that Eren was a lot like her. He would be open to having extended conversations with people he knew well. But unlike her, he was very skilled at expressing himself.


    "You know Eren, if you had told me you had nned this evening, I would have believed you."


    Mia said she would stay close to Eren. Thetter had his arm across her shoulders. He chuckled when he heard Mia''s words.


    Eren smiled mildly before bringing his face closer to Mia, distancing them both from their walk. He touched her right cheek with the tip of his rose and rubbed it before whispering into her ear.


    "ns can be wless. But in spontaneity lies the true beauty of life."


    Eren said to Mia before turning her head to align with him. He looked her in the eyes before nting his lips on her. The two kissed on an almost empty street.


    ''This is¡­ indeed spontaneous.''


    Mia thought to herself before melting into Eren''s embrace.

 Chapter 177 Wild Forest Wind Trapped Inside Four Walls*

    Midnight. Moonlight.


    The night''s silence grips the town of Keld.


    But this silence was only meant to highlight the words spoken by nightcrawlers. The nightly darkness was only meant to be used as a canvas for their colorful nightlife.


    A spacious room on the third floor of the Thanked Ferret Inn was waiting for its upants to arrive. It had a spacious living space with minimal furniture.


    The room had nightmps and regrmps ced in each corner. It had illumination arrays that could provide optimal lighting.


    However, at this point, only nightmps were being used. The yooperlite stones that were studded on the ceiling exuded a mellow and easy-on-the-eyes light.


    The room also had a veryrge window. The silvery blue moonlight was making its presence known inside the room through the window. Although it had white curtains, they did little to prevent the moonlight and nightly entering the room.


    There were no additional rooms inside. It was just one giant space that covered every type of amenity. The inn was designed to meet the needs of adventurers after all.


    Sparks of lightning and a gust of wind appeared inside the empty room all of a sudden. The room was no longer empty.


    A young couple had upied the room. Thedy was an elf with very beautiful features. She was wearing a slim-fit, cocktail dress that highlighted her prominent feminine curves. A stark contrast to her usual ranger attire.


    Her shoulder-length, dark brown hair cascaded over her attractive face. Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked at her man.


    As usual, the young man in front of the elf was dressed in a different outfit than his battlemage armor. He was wearing a full-sleeve, regr-fit shirt. It was white with turquoise stripes thatplemented his azure blue eyes and white hair. He was wearing light blue trousers and dark blue shoes.


    Eren and Mia were the young couples in question. They had changed into their attires at the start of the evening after entering the town to rest and recuperate from a long journey. However, their clothes were a bit messed up at this point. It was as if someone was trying to get rid of their clothes.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. m.


    Eren mmed the door behind him as he and Mia entered the inn''s room. He activated the istion and security array inside the room he had been granted ess to and prevented any mana sense from keeping track of them.


    Smooch!


    Eren, d in his lightning mana, approached Mia before kissing her once again. Subconsciously, he was manifesting his elemental attainment around him.


    "Aaaah!"


    Mia pushed Eren when his lightning tickled her. She chuckled when she saw the uncontroble passion in his eyes.


    "Easy there, tiger. We have all night for us."


    Eren took a long breath to calm himself down when Mia''s words gave him a reality check. He thought that something was wrong. His elemental attainment shouldn''t have manifested around him without his consent. He also felt a bit weird that he let his emotions take over him.<sub> </sub>


    ''The Hex spells!''


    Eren finally realized that his being a Hexer might have something to do with his agitated state. Since Hex spells and his existence as a Hexer depended upon how strong his will was, it was natural that some of it would leak out and start doing its own thing.


    Eren had been subconsciously training to make his will stronger by practicing Hex spells for weeks. As a result, his feelings of violence and passion had also been cranked up.


    Eren spacing out on Mia was also because of this phenomenon of being a Hexer.


    ''Hm. I need to find something topletely control my will and my emotions.''


    Eren weighed the repercussions of having a strong will and quickly reached that conclusion. He realized that having a stronger will was only one aspect of being a ranker. The other way was to make it more powerful while controlling it the way he wanted.


    "Well, I can only me you for being so adorable and charming."


    Eren said and chuckled. He had reverted to his previous state. Mia smirked after she received Eren''spliment. In the next moment, she disappeared from her position and appeared right in front of Eren.


    She reached with both her hands and ced them at the back of Eren''s head. Grabbing it by his white hair, she pulled his face towards her before initiating a lip lock.


    "Hmmm!"


    A moan escaped her mouth when Eren responded to Mia''s kiss. He embraced her and put his tongue inside her mouth. He touched Mia''s half-exposed back with both his hands as he intensified his liplock.


    Mia felt like her entire body was lit on fire because of Eren''s sought-after intrusive touch. She felt his hands reach for her butt cheeks and inadvertently jutted them out by changing her stance a bit.


    "You¡­ you smell so pleasant, Mia. Like the wild forest wind trapped inside four walls."


    Eren broke the liplock and spoke in Mia''s ears. He then licked her long elf ears before biting on her earlobes.


    "And you¡­ you smell like ozone."


    Mia managed to utter a few words as she felt Eren''s wide back. She then felt his chest and abs, tracing her fingers on his muscle definitions.


    Eren picked Mia up effortlessly before crashing onto the bed near them. Getting on top, he resumed his kiss while allowing his hands to explore the unknown terrain that was Mia''s body.


    A feeling of ecstasy and passion gripped Mia. Her body wanted more and even more of Eren. She satiated those cravings bytching onto him with her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.


    Eren looked into the elf''s eyes and smirked. In the next moment, he controlled his elemental manifestation and touched her cocktail dress with his fire-coated hands.


    In the next moment, Mia''s dress spontaneously burst into thin air. Even her innerwear was not prone to the fire-element haze Eren had created at the moment.

 Chapter 178 Unspoken Competition*

    "Aaaaaaaah!"


    A seductive moan was heard in the dimly lit room.


    On the bed writhing in waves of ecstasy was a gorgeous-looking elf being devoured by a white-haired young man.


    Eren had kissed his way towards Mia''s DD-shaped breasts that had pinkish buds. He immediately nibbled and sucked on her right nipple while tending to her left bud with his left hand.


    Hir right hand was busy caressing the back of her thighs. He made the ranger lift her leg a bit so that he could proceed to explore her sensitive region.


    "Yessssss!"


    Mia arched her back before lifting herself slightly, only to fall on her back the next moment. Eren''s hand had made it to her pussy from behind, his fingers barely touching the inner folds.


    The first touch was always the most sensitive.


    Mia thought of taking charge. That''s because she thought Eren''s hand wasn''t exploring her wet hole the way she wanted it to. She grabbed onto Eren''s head and generated a gust of wind to seamlessly shift their position by rolling to the side.


    Before Eren knew it, he was lying on the bed with his back. With Mia''s tit still in his mouth. He smiled in his head when that happened. He liked the elf taking charge of the situation.


    Mia spread her legs on either side of Eren before grinding her groin over his. She pressed the back of his head with one hand while grabbing his hair. And with the other hand, she grabbed Eren''s right wrist and guided it to where she wanted it to be touched.


    By cing his hand between the two, Eren was able to reach Mia''sher region. He then touched her puffed-up clitty with the tip of his index finger. His other fingers started exploring her slimy inner fold that was starting to ooze out more and more love nectar.


    Mia could feel Eren''s dick in his trousers. As her lips rubbed against his stiff member, they made his trousers wet. She felt that the man under her was allowed too much privilege by still getting to be in his clothes while she was butt naked.


    The wind-element ranker decided to change that part about Eren. She sat straight on his groin and rubbed against his dick some more before smirking at him. She flipped her hair and tied them in a knot over her head.


    Eren thought that she looked even sexier doing it. But before he could indulge in the scenery in front of him anymore, he was surrounded by a distinct mana signature of a spell getting deployed. Due to some reason, he did not feel threatened by his surroundings.


    Tear! Tear! Tear!


    Eren''s clothes were ripped apart by dozens of wind des that suddenly appeared around him. He scrunched his nose when that happened.


    "That was my favorite casual outfit, you know."


    Eren said in aining voice, leaving Mia speechless. She looked at him angrily. Then she brought his attention to her own naked body, as if telling him her clothes were equally as valuable to her.<sub> </sub>


    Eren chuckled when he left Mia lowkey fuming about his remarks. Her pout had an undertone of being wronged. Eren pulled her up near him and made hery t on his body before kissing her to relieve her mood.


    Now that there were no more clothes, Eren''s erect and proud member started exploring Mia''s parted lower lips with its tip. He lifted his hips a bit to increase the friction down below.


    Meanwhile, Eren inserted his tongue into Mia''s mouth and grabbed both her butt cheeks with his hands. He pressed and patted them before giving them a firm squeeze.


    Eren broke his kick and continued to nibble on Mia''s ears some more. For some reason, he liked licking her ears with the tip of his tongue.


    Eren kept onplimenting Mia through his whispers while he was nibbling on her earlobes. He told her he liked the way she smelled and tasted. He also told her she looked beautiful in every type of action she did and performed on him.


    Everypliment mattered. The sweet nothing had a purpose of its own. They worked like a charm on Mia, inspiring her to please the man she was with to her fullest.


    Mia grabbed hold of Eren''s dick with her tight hand and started stroking it while she rubbed her groin over its tip by lifting it with her folded legs. She started kissing his neck as she felt her clit being excited by his fingers.


    Eren decided to open two fronts on Mia''s wet hole. He reached for the pussy hole from behind her while the hand between them worked on her clit and the better part of thebia.


    "Aaaaaaah. Yes!"


    Mia''s body shook a bit when she felt Eren breach her pussy tunnel with his finger. He also increased the pace at which he massaged her clit at the exact moment of pration.


    Eren didn''t stop at that. He also generated a tiny streak of lightning on the fingers of both his hands, giving the elf a choke in a literal and metaphorical sense.


    "Oooof! Rasssscal!"


    Mia buried her face in a plush pillow next to Eren when she felt the lightning mana excite her groin like nothing she had ever experienced before. She wasn''t ready for such an attack initiated by her man.


    Eren felt his inserted finger getting squeezed by Mia''s pussy walls. He felt like he had dipped his fingers in a small pool of liquidva. Chuckling, Eren generated some more sparks with the same dipped finger. And the next thing he knew, his groin and his thighs were drenched in Mia''s pussy juices.


    Mia started breathing heavily when she was getting fingered. She lifted her head and looked at Eren with a cocktail of emotions reflecting in her eyes.


    "What?"


    Eren asked, his smile mixed with the puzzlement he felt. Mia pursed her lips before admitting honestly.


    "You kind of cheated, Eren. But... Damn.. that was indeed good."

 Chapter 179 Ready Or Not*

    "You kind of cheated, Eren. But... Damn.. that was indeed good."


    Erenughed when he heard Mia''s words. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head before responding.


    "I didn''t know we were having apetition of Who Comes First? I would have made conscious efforts to win it otherwise."


    Mia opened her mouth in an O shape¨C expressions of disbelief written all over her face.


    "You mean what I am doing is not good enough for you toe naturally?"


    Erenughed when he heard Mia infer a different meaning from his statement. He pped her butts and gave them a firm press before responding.


    "That''s not what I was saying, Mia darling. I meant I would have just let myself go and came in the first few seconds after seeing you naked under me."


    Mia looked at Eren suspiciously when she heard another ninjapliment him. She only relented when she heard his next words.


    "As my first ever elf partner, I adore everything about you, Mia. And for that, you''d always have a special ce in my callous heart."


    Eren booped Mia''s nose before pinching its tip. But in doing so, he gave Mia another frown on her face. That''s because since he had used the same fingers that were deep inside her pussy, she got to smell her pussy juices.


    "Hey¡­."


    Mia rubbed her wet nose with her open palms and got rid of the slimy liquid. For some reason, she didn''t feelfortable being marked by her pussy juices.


    She then bent and rubbed her nose on his chest. She inhaled his manly scent once again and licked her way towards his lips. She rubbed the tip of her nose over him before biting his lower lip.


    Mia kissed and licked all over Eren''s face and neck. She started going down on him while feeling his torso with her open palms.


    "What do we have here?"


    Mia shifted herself a bit and brought her face closer to Eren''s erect member. She started stroking it with her right hand and cupped his balls with her left hand.


    She brought her fist down to make the penial head pop out of its enclosed foreskin. She touched it with the tip of her tongue before taking it inside her mouth.


    "Looks like you want to even out our score. Not that I mind."


    Eren chuckled as he watched Mia''s actions. She maintained eye contact with him while she started giving him a blowjob, which made it all the more immersive for Eren.


    He gripped her with both his hands from the sides before slightly lifting his hips. He started slowly driving his dick inside Mia''s mouth while enjoying the sensation of her tongue ying across its length.


    Eren was careful not to choke the elf with his dick. He didn''t try to hit the back of her throat. But instead focused on making it a pleasant experience for both of them.<sub> </sub>


    Slowly but surely, Mia also got used to Eren''s rhythm. She started countering Eren''s thrusts with her own. Because Eren was ready, she didn''t gag when Eren''s dick hit the back of her throat.


    "This¡­ this is good."


    As Eren watched Mia excel at the task she took on out of her initiative, he murmured to himself. He took another minute before bursting inside her mouth. He sent his load deep into her throat, sending it straight down her pipe.


    Mia kept on sucking Eren''s dick even after his burst. She didn''t have to take much effort gulping his load because of the way he shot it deep inside her throat. Still, she couldn''t help having watery eyes. The exercise of this kind was bound to hurt her jaw and irritate her tear ducts.


    "Hehe. I suggest you stop sucking now, Mia darling. Nothing''s gonnae out anytime soon."


    p Eren chuckled beforementing. He wasn''t exhausted or anything. But he still needed some recovery time to get it back up.</anda>


    "Now¡­ now we are even."


    Mia said as she straightened herself. She wiped the corners of her lips with her hands before looking at Eren seductively. She reached for her pussy using her other hand and started rubbing it, indicating that herher region needed his attention too.


    The lightning tongues illuminated the dimly lit room all of a sudden and Mia found herselfying on her back with her legs stretched apart. She lifted her shapely legs and weed the foreign presence between them that was Eren''s face.


    Eren stroked the patch of pubic hair and inhaled the musky scent Mia had down there. He licked the pink button that was peeking through her vaginal lips, sending shivers down Mia''s spine.


    Mia clutched onto Eren''s hair and pressed his face against her pussy lips his tongue was working on. As she enjoyed the exploration done by his free fingers, she arched her back before copsing onto the bed.


    "Errrrrren¡­. Yesssss!"


    Mia started taking Eren''s name repeatedly as she felt the waves of ecstasy hit her with newfound vigor. Her pussy started producing a new batch of pussy juices that trickled down her inner folds and onto the sheets.


    Eren smiled as he realized how thoroughly Mia was enjoying his tongue storm. He decided to crank things up a notch. His left hand''s index finger was already driving in and out of her wet hole.


    Eren dipped his right hand''s middle finger in Mia''s pussy juices and made it knock on the entrance of her rear canal. Mia quickly puckered her entrance and almost crushed his head by sandwiching his face with her thighs when she felt her anal opening getting breached.


    "Eren¡­ not there!"


    Mia looked down and pleaded with Eren with her puppy eyes. Thetter chuckled before lifting both his hands as if dropping the idea.


    "Alright. We have this entire night to ourselves. Tell me when you are ready."


    Eren said before resuming the task he was being given. He was very confident about his skills and knew his elf partner woulde around eventually.

 Chapter 180 All Yours*

    A sultry scent lingers inside the room upied by the pair.


    The night breeze enhanced its permeability and caused it to circle all around the room.


    "Erreeeeeen¡­.I¡­. yessss!"


    Another batch of love nectar came out of Mia''s thoroughly licked and pampered wet hole. She couldn''t help spreading her legs wide and raising her hips while making sure Eren''s face was there to receive it with all its glory.


    The elf only let go of Eren''s head that she had been gripping with both her hands when she felt her legs be numb. She felt like all her energy had left her body for the time being.


    Eren sat straight between Mia''s legs and wiped his face with his hands. He chuckled before rubbing his face against her snowy thighs, using it as a wiper. It sufficed to say that Mia had thoroughly marked him by bathing his face in her nectar.


    "Two on one in my favor."


    Eren said while resting his chin over Mia''s knee. Thetter was still breathing a bit heavily when she heard Eren''sment.


    "Who¡­ who''s keeping score now?"


    Mia looked at Eren with a bit of mischief in her eyes. The battlemage pointed his finger usingly at her beforementing.


    "Don''t me me. You started it."


    Eren said before retrieving two vials of all-stats potion from his storage. He handed one to Mia before uncorking the other with his teeth. He gulped the contents quickly, indicating he was ready for more.


    Mia found it a bit wasteful to use multi-purpose all-stats potions like these. She would store them for emergencies and not use them for their pleasure. What she didn''t know was the fact that Eren had received multiple unused vials of all-stats potion from histest opponents.


    Eren did not let his opponents use potions against him. He had killed most of them efficiently without letting them make aeback by drinking these potions. As a result, their unused potions were imed by him.


    When she saw Eren do what he did, Mia immediately drank the contents. She didn''t want to fall behind him. They both channeled the mana through their mana circuits and got refreshed.


    Eren and Mia both looked at each other when they were done consuming the potion. The elf smiled at Eren before inviting him over with her weing embrace.


    Eren quickly got on top of Mia and started kissing her vigorously. He also started rubbing his now-erect dick over Mia''s pussy, making herdy hole crave its insertion.


    Eren used lightning mana from time to time to tingle Mia''s skin. His lightning streaks would strike her shapely body, exciting her already sensitive regions.


    Mia found herself in a newnd of bliss and pleasure. She would turn her face from side to side to deal with the waves of ecstasy she was feeling all over her body. Hugging Eren tightly, she dug her nails into his back as she felt his weight over her body.


    "I¡­ want it."


    Mia managed to utter a few words in Eren''s ears as she felt his presence overwhelming her. Eren was enjoying Mia''s warmth as well. He nibbled on her earlobe some more before whispering back.<sub> </sub>


    "Well¡­ it''s all yours. Grab it and shove it in."


    Mia''s body treated this as amand and she reached between them to grab hold of Eren''s dick. She stroked it a bit before cing its tip at her pussy''s entrance. She looked into Eren''s eyes as she slowly guided his little member inside her.


    Mia pursed her lips as Eren smiled. She closed her eyes before releasing a pent-up breath inside her. He hadn''t moved much after entering her. But he decided to change that after finding out Mia was starting to get used to his length.


    Eren got his stiff rod out of Mia''s slimy canal before shoving it back inside with one deep stroke. He adjusted his position and ced a pillow under Mia''s hips. He rammed his dick inside once again after finding the optimal angle.


    "Oooooh!"


    Mia spread her arms and clutched onto the bed sheets as she weed Eren''s dick inside her wet pussy. She couldn''t seal her lips anymore and started moaning in a seductive voice, inspiring Eren to ravage her some more.


    Mia''s wet hole started making watery noises when it started oozing more pussy juices. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was already ringing in the pair''s ears. Mia''s moans against this backdrop were like a symphony for Eren.


    He increased his speed and kept increasing it while kissing and smooching Mia wherever he could. ying with her nipples, pressing her tits, and kneading her buns to perfection, he pleased her. He flipped to his side and got the elf on top of him and encouraged her to control the rhythm.


    Eren spread her butt cheeks while he was ramming his dick inside. Mia fell t on him while raising her groin just enough to receive his stiff member inside her. She just enjoyed getting railed without thinking about anything else.


    Eren thought that this was as good a time as any. He dipped his left middle finger in her pussy juices before sending it inside her rear entrance all of a sudden.


    "Aaaaaaaaaa!"


    Mia sang the final verse of her song when she couldn''t take it anymore.


    A flood of Mia''s pent-up juices was released on Eren''s still inside member as if it was being showered with an appreciation for all its diligent work. With a few deep strokes, he released all his load inside her as well.


    "You rascal¡­ you told me to tell you when I was ready."


    Eren removed his middle finger from Mia''s ass and decoupled hisid cock from her pussy, allowing for his load to find its way outside. He rolled once again and made Mia sleep beside him before responding.


    "Your body told me it was ready. I just listened to its orders."


    Eren said and chuckled, prompting Mia to have another pout on her face. It wasn''t long before she startedughing too.


    "Hehe. We still have a few hours before we hit the road. Let''s take it all the way, Eren."


    Mia said before pulling her man on top of him. Thetter knew they would have to use one more round of potions with the way they were progressing.

 Chapter 181 Incredible And Unbelievable

    A week after Eren killed Geer along with five of his party members.


    Stardust Guild''s lobby.


    Eren was discussing stuff with threedies. Reece, Miranda, and Mia. he was just about to leave on his solo mission when he was surrounded by a bunch of rankers.


    A muscr man who was taller than Eren came out of the group surrounding him and stood in front. He had paler skin than Eren. With sharp features, his shoulder-length red hair cascaded down his face. He hadpletely red eyes with no sclera. And his ears were a bit prominent.


    The man had all the characteristics of a human. But Eren could tell he was notpletely human by the way his presence felt to him.


    "So you killed six out of seven Spiders that had ambushed you? And that too when you were debuffed by the opponent''s dart?


    Were you tussling with six kids by any chance who hadn''t stopped drinking from their mamas'' tits? Call me crazy but I find it a bit difficult to believe someone like you could survive the ambush of six Spiders all by yourself."


    Faim was the one who voiced his opinions about Eren. But he could tell some of the Stardust guild members were also thinking along these lines.


    Eren had reported his kill to the Stardust guild, receiving a total amount of 850 Mana Quartz as a reward for all his kills. The reward he had received was so much bigger than Mia had initially thought.


    Compared to that, the reward he received frompleting the mission and selling the corpses of adi was abysmally low. It was natural that Eren would target Spiders from now on.


    At this point, Stardust and House of Spiders were in open hostility with each other. Neither cared if their mission revenues were affected or if the rankers under their control were targeted. Both guilds wanted the otherpletely eradicated.


    Neither guild could directly attack the other without the kingdoms imposing sanctions on them. So the rankers from both sides were given some basic dos and don''ts.


    First and foremost, they should never cause a conflict within the city. No matter what kind of city or even town it was, since it would be backed by the kingdom''s forces, any conflict inside the habitat area would result in serious repercussions from the kingdom.


    The second priority for both guilds was to secure the resource-richnds they both already owned. That''s because thesends would be the first to get targeted by the opposing force if left vulnerable.


    Both guilds had three Arch rankers. They couldn''t be used to deal with lower rankers as both served as deterrents against each other. Plus, the unwritten rankers'' code of conduct wouldn''t allow them to attack their juniors anyway. Not unless they wanted their reputation tarnished.


    Both guilds had assigned their key assets to the resource-rich areas under their control to guard them against their enemy. As such, the ones who were truly battling it out were the rtively small fries who didn''t hold sufficient ranking status.<sub> </sub>


    Mia had attained Awakened rank in the morning after her first intimate night with Eren. She was teased a lot by him because he said it was his ''efforts'' that elevated her to Awaneked rank.


    Eren and Mia''s return was a hot topic in the discussions conducted by Stardust guild members. Mia breaking into Awakened rank and bing the guild''s valuable asset was one thing. The other was the fact that some random guy had managed to solo 6 Spiders all by himself.


    Eren had never fought with the Spiders before this. But others did. Some of them were aware of how Spiders operated. The members of their enemy guild weren''t easy to deal with. Most of all, their doctrine was to always use ambush and debuffs to their advantage.


    The Spiders had a lot of debuff experts. Their ambush was on point and very effective. Plus, their teams were always bnced.


    Thus, some of the Stardust guild members who had fought with Spiders before found it really hard to believe that someone like Eren could solo kill 6 of them.


    But when they heard the kill amount Eren had received from the guild, they were even more shocked. Because that amount told them that Eren couldn''t just kill anyone from Spiders. But he had yed some of the most powerful rankers within their ss.


    It was natural that Eren would receive such a bacsh from his own guild members. He just found it stupid that the idiots were busy fighting with each other when an enemy was targetting them.


    "Yes. they were all kids. Because they called me daddy before I killed them.


    You will call me daddy too if you don''t get the fuck away from blocking my view."


    Eren said casually with a poker face. He knew that his will was getting exerted into everything he said and did ever since he had started using Hex spells. As a result, his primal feelings would easily surface.


    However, Eren was already doing his darnedest to keep his emotions in check. He didn''t want to escte the situation. But the way Faim said those things to him didn''t help him stick to his previous n of keeping quiet.


    Of course, he had realized that he needed to visit the Hexers'' testing grounds and meet Kino. she could help him get his emotions and feelings in check. It was not worth losing his cool-headedness for a dominant will. That''d be counterintuitive for him.


    However, Eren knew that he was not ready to face the remaining two stages of the Hexers'' testing grounds Kino had in store for him. He needed to master a certain spell before getting back in there.


    The rankers surrounding Eren were a bit shocked when they heard Eren''s witty reply. They then looked at Faim and saw his tongue-tied expressions. Therefore, they couldn''t help looking at each other. Their target of mockery seemed to be Faim.


    "Bastard, who do you think you are..."

 Chapter 182 Walk A Mile To Avoid A Fight

    "Bastard, who do you think you are..."


    Faim was about to continue giving his threat to Eren when he felt a strong presence pressuring him to keep his mouth shut. He looked behind Eren to see Mia looking at him with expressions of anger written on her face.


    And from the looks of it, Miranda was about to do the same as well. Reece looked at Faim like he was some lowlife that didn''t need to breathe the same air as her and her dear Eren.


    ''Aaargh! I hate this man even more now. Bastard''s screwing with three beauties at once. And I''m struggling to find one for myself. How unfair life''s about to get to me.''


    Faim''s jealousy over Eren intensified instead of decreasing when Mia thought of intervening. But before he could say anything more against Eren, the elf ranger shut him up as well as other rankers surrounding her with her words.


    "I was there. Eren has indeed killed Six Spiders. Do you also doubt the report I submitted, Faim?"


    Mia asked in a cold tone while increasing the pressure on Faim. The guy was about to lose his footing after being subjected to the aura of an Awakened rank. Mia dispelled the pressure just as he was about to give up.


    "I... I never would do something like that, miss Mia. It''s just that he may be lying to you and everyone else about the incident.


    I''ve found out from somewhere that you weren''t present at the scene when the guy took care of six Spiders. Maybe he just struck a deal with them and pretended to kill them."


    Eren startedughing with a hint of anger in it when he heard Faim''s excuse to mess with him. He looked him in the eye before asking him.


    "You think I''m Spiders'' mole?"


    Eren drew out his two axes from his storage and pointed at the exit with one of them.


    "I heard that your team was ambushed by Spiders and you lost one of your team members. Now I understand that grief can be expressed in many ways.


    But don''t dump your emotional baggage on me, Faim. My kills weren''t to belittle the tragedy that happened to your team."


    Eren said and stepped towards Faim. Faim was about 6 inches taller than him. So Eren had to look up to look him in the eyes. And yet, Faim felt like his vantage point didn''t make him superior when the one who was staring back was Eren.


    "You can mask your emotions under the guise of gossip, mockery, and narcissism. But I certainly won''t let it fly by when someone tries to mess with me just to feel better about themselves.


    I''ll walk a mile to avoid a fight. But when one is forced on me, I''ll not back down an inch.


    You want to see how I fight, right?"


    <o>,m Eren looked outside the guild''s exit before continuing.</o>


    "Come. I''ll show you. But let me warn you. I''ve stopped sparring with Meta rankers sincest week. That''s because I can''t guarantee their safety anymore.<sub> </sub>


    Prepare to lose a limb or two if not your life. That''s the kind of conviction you need to have if you want to spar with me. Tell me, are you in?"


    ***


    The people in the surrounding area felt a heavy bloodlusting from Eren. The Hex casting had allowed him to integrate his mana sense into his spells. However, it had also subconsciously taught him to pour his emotions into his mana sense. A power that usually belonged to the Awakened rankers.


    One of the reasons why Rank-2 rankers were called the Awakened was because they could experience a distinct form of rity in their consciousness. Harnessing the power of the mana brought a certain kind of rity. It enhanced the Awakened ranker''s elemental attainment and made them exceptionally stronger than Meta rankers.


    This rity allowed them to interact with even more depth with the surrounding mana than before. As a result of their breakthroughs, their consciousness and sense of mana were tempered. Thus, an Awakened ranker''s aura manifestation and their distinct presence couldn''t be ignored.


    However, a Meta ranker could use his aura to suppress another Meta ranker. This was a rare phenomenon not often seen by even the natives of Gilhaahan.


    ''What... What kind of farce is this? First Mia. And now this guy is trying to bully me too.''


    Eren''s bloodlust and the pressure that he exerted on Faim were notparable to Mia''s, who had received the blessings of the higher rank. Yet, for some reason, Faim thought Eren was more dangerous than the elf ranger.


    Just as Eren had said, Faim was experiencing his negative emotions of grief, cowardliness, and defeat. He had to deal with them after his party was ambushed by the Spiders.


    He had only managed to get away from the ambush because of the trump cards he had secured beforehand. And yet, all he could do was run away from Spiders while sacrificing one of their injured team members while escaping.


    It was obvious that Faim was not having it easy. He was only a step away from reaching the Awakened rank. He was the Stardust guild''s potential premium asset. As such he was given the responsibility of leading a team for the first time.


    Faim''s first mission ended in total failure and him losing a member because of the Spiders'' intervention. But as soon as he returned to the guild defeated and battered, he heard about Eren''s battle with the Spiders.


    The most frustrating thing to Faim was the fact that he was leading a party of seven members and the Spiders attacking him were seven people strong. He was forced to retreat even when they were in equal numbers with the Spiders. Whereas Eren had managed to kill six out of seven Spiders.


    The only Spider he was not able to kill was the one that managed to escape. The battlemage''s feat was so incredible for his rank that people found it downright impossible.


    Thus, acknowledging Eren''s strength for Faim was highlighting his own incapability. Something Faim found trouble epting.


    Faim had been wanting to confront Eren for a long while. But the guy was rarely around. So when he saw Eren chatting idly with threedies, he couldn''t control himself. He wanted to show to the other team members that he was not a weak rankerpared to someone like Eren. it was just that his circumstances were different. Because his opponents were different.


    Andstly, Faim wanted to convince himself.


    ***


    "We''ll see who loses their limb to whom. Lead the way."

 Chapter 183 Seeing The Tip Of Something Dreadful And Evil

    "We''ll see who loses their limb to whom. Lead the way."


    Faim snorted and epted Eren''s challenge. Thetter smiled wolfishly before swinging his axes around him.


    "Remember. You asked for it."


    The crowd watched as the two Meta rankers headed toward the guild''s practice arena. Since this was the start of the day, rankers would usually be busy reading through the mission list and heading toward their respective fields. As a result, the arena would remain unupied for most of the time.


    "What''s happening? Why is there so much rush here all of a sudden?"


    Reece, Miranda, and Mia were about to follow the crowd that was going to be the audience of the spar. But they heard the question thrown their way and looked back to see Rhea Reaver and Ekay Mayne approaching them from behind.


    Reece looked at Miranda and Mia before pitching forward to exin the situation. She hadn''t seen Eren agitated by such a simplement like this. Previous Eren would have let Faim''sment slide off. However, she started to notice the changes in Eren''s presence more and more.


    Reece had multiple thoughts running through her mind as she exined the recent turn of events.


    Rhea Reaver looked at Ekay with a stressed expression beforementing.


    "I think we should stop this fight. Eren might kill the guy by ident."


    As Rhea said, she cast her movement spell to disappear. She was trying to make Faim back down. An endeavor she knew she was most likely to fail in.


    "Why is Rhea so jittery about this spar? The arena has a dedicated healer present at all times. I''m sure Eren and Faim both would be fine."


    Ekay shook his head when he heard Miranda''s words. He observed Eren''s almost blurred figure before speaking up.


    "You don''t understand. I, Litho, and Rhea fought with Eren after he got back from his mission with Mia. He wanted to recalibrate his moves with his enhanced body stats. So we volunteered.


    Ekay looked at the threedies and ran his fingers through his long golden hair as if remembering what had happened a week back.


    "The guy has be a killing machine. It''s like he had been practicing those moves for decades.


    The kind of weapon handling and agility he disyed were in leagues of their own. It was almost like his movements were restricted by his low-ranking status all this time. And the more he rose in his rank, the more he was able to truly tap into his potential.


    And how he moves on the battlefield is also very peculiar. He is less dependent on his movement spell and more on his body''s flexibility and muscle control. Like one we typically find within mortal martial arts.


    If he adds his mana-based martial arts to the mix, then... Let''s say he bes apletely different ranker. One you''d have a hard time defending against.


    After seeing what he can do, I wouldn''t want to get anywhere near him for a spar unless I have my defense down pat. Even then... I''d talk myself out of fighting with him.


    It''s like he learned these things before bing a ranker. And that bloodlust he sometimes gives off is not normal either. It''s like we are only seeing the tip of something much... dreadful."


    ''And vile.''


    Ekay thought thest word to himself before looking at Reece with curiosity.


    "Reece, was Eren ever trained in mortal martial arts before being a ranker? Was he ever involved in a life-and-death situation before? Because I have heard mana manifests differently for some people who have felt extreme emotions. Especially when they were mortals."


    Ekay asked Reece, knowing that she knew him the closest because they had been living together for so long. However, Reece could only shake her head in denial.


    "No. Never. Eren was very lowkey and mostly kept to himself when he was mortal. He would often study the Oasis and its algorithm. Often, he would do light exercises prescribed by captain Miranda to boost his chances of bing a ranker. But that was it."


    Ekay didn''t say anything for some time when he heard Reece''s response. He then chuckled when he realized Reece''s worrisome tone. He waved his hands to make her at ease before speaking up.


    "Haah! Don''t worry. Maybe we are just creating a mountain out of a mole. It''d be fine. Let''s just go and see what he''s up to."


    Ekay said and led thedies to the practice arena. He had thoughts of his own as he continued walking.


    ''Eren almost killed me and Litho that day when we were sparring. Even he understood that he was way out of line for a sparring session.


    The bastard had told us he wouldn''t spar with Meta rankers anymore. Why is he making an ass out of that poor man?''<sub> </sub>


    ***


    Rhea''s warnings to Faim had fallen on deaf ears.


    A spacious sparring arena that was six meters below the normal ground level. A dome-shaped, almost-transparent istion barrier was raised over it to keep the effects of the fights inside the arena.


    A bunch of rankers from Stardust guild surrounded the arena. All of them were looking down at the only two opponents who had upied the sparring space.


    "Ready when you are."


    Eren said casually, dropping his axes to either side, near his feet. He then stretched his neck and made a few bone-cracking sounds. He looked at the pensive-looking Faim and had a thought.


    ''Should I stop using the axes so as not to kill this goofball by ident? Or should I train my will and control over my consciousness using him as a dummy?''


    "Today, I''ll expose your lies to all of the rankers in the audience. Killing six Spiders? Heh! I''ll believe you at least killed three before running away from them like a scared chicken if you can stay in the arena with me for five minutes straight."


    Eren looked at Faim before deciding something in his head.


    ''Second option it is. I''ll treat him as my live dummy.''


    A series of distinct mana pulses were felt by the audience as they watched the two rankers deploy their spells at the same time.


    The lightning cracked and Eren appeared right in front of Faim. His axes that had stayed in their previous position were pulled all of a sudden when the Igni Chains manifested andtched onto them.


    Zoom. Swoosh. Boom.


    The axes crashed onto the shield artifact Faim had drawn in the nick of time. His real defensive spell took a while to kick in. it was about to coat all his skin in ck scales. But before the defensive spell showed its effect, the guy''s body was flung back by the force behind the two axes'' impact on his shield.


    Kinnnnn!


    Faim''s ears buzzed a bit when he tried to hold onto his shield despite the vibrations it was generating. The axes had lodged themselves on his long shield. They would have cleaved it in many pieces had it not been fortified by the defensive runes over it.


    However, Faim did not have time to worry about his shield. Because Eren had appeared over his head while his shield was in front of him.


    Solid Spark


    Blitz Shard


    Lightning-element mana began to congregate before solidifying into two distinct rod-like shapes. These lighting rods had tongues of lightning trying to break away from their shapes.


    Eren let go of the Igni Chains he was holding and manifested two Solid Sparks near him. He grabbed them while he was upside down in the air. He spun around and threw the lightning rods at his opponents at breakneck speeds. He used the throwing action''s recoil to straighten himself up in the air.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Kaboom.


    The lightning rods were coated with Blitz Shard just before they hit their target. As a result, the Solid Sparks were detonated as soon as they hit the target which was Faim''s back while he was brought to his knees.


    Erennded on the ground at the same time detonation took ce. Once again, Igni Chains fell onto his hands. He tugged at them to get inside the mana cloud of lightning and fire.


    Faim realized that he had bitten more than he could chew only a second after the battle started. But it was toote to regret his decisions. Finally, his defensive spell was cast just before the lightning rods struck his exposed back.


    Faim was a snake beastkin. He had a bloodline of a very powerful mana beast. The defensive spell he had deployed over his skin was an inherent spell passed through his bloodline. As a result, it was much better than normal spells.


    The beastly bloodline also gave him ess to the ice element in addition to his earth-elementpatibility. As a result, he could use spells of multiple elements. Faim was counting on his spells'' versatility when he epted sparring with Eren.


    The ck snake scales shined as they coated Faim''s entire body. Since they were cast with his earth-element mana, they had high resistance toward Eren''s lightning-based attacks.


    However, something told Faim that it wasn''t enough to defend himself against Eren. He was half considering calling it quits when he felt a dangerous sensationing from behind him.

 Chapter 184 Violence Is Not The Answer

    Faim had just gotten back on his feet when he sensed dangering from behind him. He also felt that the axes lodged in his shield were pulled away by some external force acting on them.


    Faim knew what was going to happen. Instead of confronting Eren, he drove the long shield into the ground and jumped over it to make it to the other side. Even he knew the ck snake scales that had just formed were not enough to deal with Eren''s crazy momentum. His scales needed time to manifest the way he wanted them to.


    Bzzt. Bang. Swoosh.


    Faim had just made it to the other side of the shield when he received a tremendous force acting on his body through the shield. He had attacked the shield with his two axes, over the same dent they had inflicted from the other side.


    Eren attacked the shield multiple times within a fraction of a second. He finished off his attack with a round kick.


    Faim''s defensive artifact could not stand up to such an assault and invasion of mana from two opposing sides. A major upper portion of the long shield was chipped off from its original body and flew in a northwest direction. The broken shield itself moved in the northeast direction. Faim flew straight into the air.


    Barely 15 seconds had passed since Eren and Faim had started sparring. And the former had managed to break thetter''s defensive artifact he had been counting on for the majority of his fights.


    Faim saw Eren bringing his feet down and looking at him with narrowed eyes. He then tugged at his axes using his Igni Chains before holding them firmly in his hands.


    Faim was looking at Eren while he was being carried in the air in the opposite direction from him. Eren''s lightning mana was trying to injure him by dancing all around his body in the form of lightning streaks.


    Kinnn!


    The white noise in Faim''s ears was intensifying. He was too shocked and out of his element to even feel the emotions of fear and frustration. He felt he was naked in front of Eren even with his ck snake scales protecting him from most harm.


    Faim summoned his earth-element snakes that manifested on his body by wrapping themselves around his limbs. He took out his broadsword when he knew he was about to crashnd.


    Faim blinked his eyes when he was about tond on his feet. But when he opened his eyes, Eren''s eyes were staring right at him. He had gotten within striking distance of Faim in the blink of an eye.


    ng! ng ng!


    Faim could only tackle Eren''s reckless dual-weapon assault for a few seconds using the most proficient swordsmanship he could muster at the moment. However, it couldn''t hold on for longer. He was getting wounds all over his body.


    Faim had also assigned the summoned snakes on his body to attack Eren using their icy breaths. However, Eren simply used his fire-element mana through his axes to chop the snakes'' heads off.


    Zoom. Zoom. Zoom.


    Faim could only hear Eren''s axes cutting through the air all around him and inflicting him with injuries. Then he cast his inherent spell.


    ng! ng! ng!


    The audience watched as the fight started getting one-sided only 20 seconds into the spar. Eren was pushing Faim back while chipping away his ck scales and injuring him.


    Pieces of flesh fell on the ground with ck scales still on them. Those ck scales would disperse in thin air, leaving behind only a freshly cut chunk of skin and meat.


    Eren had again stepped overboard after falsely assuming Faim''s ck scales could withstand his assault. Subconsciously, he put more of his will into his attacks, and Faim''s flesh started getting carved out of his body.


    The healer on standby was also caught off guard by Eren''s sudden erratic attack pattern. The guy was swinging his axes around him with such precision and agility that he apuded Faim for defending against Eren. Even Faim losing a chunk of flesh was not a serious loss considering the damage that could happen if the attacksnded on him.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren looked at Faim as thetter defended himself against his attacks with a desperate expression on his face. His will to dominate his opponent took over Eren and his attacks got even more frantic.


    A distinct mana pulse was released by Eren as his attacks blurred.


    "Damn it. It happened again! Stop the fucking fight!"


    Ekay shouted while imbuing his mana into his voice. But it was already toote.


    Faim''s arms flew off in the air like they had wings. The gushing bloodwork painted a dreadful picture in the air as the chopped limbs flew in opposite directions.<sub> </sub>


    It looked as if the pouring blood itself was propelling the snake-scaled arms forward in their respective directions.


    "Aaaaaaaaaa....uuugh!"


    Swoosh. Grip. Boom.


    Eren was about to chop Faim''s head clean off after taking care of his arms. However, the Awakened ranker healer finally intervened when one of his axes had gotten an inch deep into his neck. He held Eren''s ax by its handle and pushed it just before it could cut Faim''s jugr vein.


    He also punched Eren in his chest and sent him flying. What shocked the healer was the fact that Eren had managed to injure his punched fist with his other ax just before he was sent flying.


    The healer could understand that Eren hadn''t nned to attack him. It was just his body''s natural reaction. It had been trained to tackle any attack at any time. If the healer wasn''t an Awakened ranker himself, he would have lost the better part of his arm that he had used to punch Eren with.


    ''It seems I overdid it once again.''


    Eren had this thought as he was sent flying. He deployed Alfem right under his feet as he was flying and detonated the firebirds to change the direction of his momentum. The impact of the detonation changed the vector force acting on his body, allowing him to stabilize himself in the air beforending safely on the ground.


    The healer had already covered Faim in his water-element healing spell. A dense coating of water had climbed over his skin and healed multiple injuries inflicted by Eren at the same time.


    The Awakened ranker had also used a whip-like spell to retrieve Faim''s chopped hands. For the moment, he was trying to heal them with his spell. Of course, this was just first aid. Faim needed to be moved into an intensive care unit with the right set of healing arrays and a panel of healers.


    Faim won''t be the same ranker as he used to be for quite some time. The chopped arms won''t function as they used to for quite a while. Plus, he''d have to serve the Stardust guild for longer because of the medical expenses he''d be charged after the surgery.


    While giving first aid to Faim, the healer looked at Eren as he deployed his fire-element spell to stabilize himself in midair. He was impressed with the way the guy could move and control his trajectory. It was as if he hadplete control over himself and wouldn''t be at a clear disadvantage even against an Awakened ranker.


    The fight between Faim and Eren was over in less than a minute. People started remembering what the former had said to thetter. That Eren needed to stay in the same ring fighting for at least five minutes for him to prove that he killed three Spiders all by himself.


    Eren shook his head a bit and adjusted his shoulder-length white hair cascading his face. His blue eyes seemed to glow as he looked at the audience before speaking up.


    "Anyone else want to find out if my kills are legit or not?"


    Eren rotated his wrists while holding his two axes and asked the entire audience. He didn''t care what happened to Faim. He wouldn''t have cared if the guy had died or not. After all, he had given him a fair warning before.


    Eren didn''t mean to hurt Faim so severely. But now that he had, he felt it was for the better. Otherwise, the cowards who had nothing better to do would have circted more rumors about him just to make themselves feel good about themselves.


    ''Violence is not the answer. But use it enough and use it well, and it''d prevent a whole lot of questions from arising.''


    Eren snorted in contempt as he watched the audience quietly staring at him with nobody in the Meta rank bold enough to take him on. This is the effect he wanted on the mediocre rankers from his spar.


    The healer witnessed Eren''s bold challenge and pursed his lips. It was not his job to tell Eren that he had pushed too far in his sparring match. Preventing Eren from killing Faim was already the right thing to do for Faim. So he carried Faim on his shoulder and vanished into thin air.


    Eren''s performance against Faim was so overwhelming that people stopped doubting his kills. The audience quickly started thinning out, leaving only a few rankers behind.


    "This... when did Eren turn into something like.... THAT?"


    Reece couldn''t help asking the question to her group as she saw Erening out of the arena from the other side. He had taken a solo mission for himself and was moving out of the city to reach the mission site.


    Ekay, Rhea, Miranda, Mia, and a few other rankers were stunned watching Eren''s performance as well. Mia was especially shocked. That''s because other rankers hadn''t considered something at this point even when they convinced themselves that Eren had killed the six Spiders.


    When Eren encountered the Spiders'' ambush, he was in the sixth stage of the Meta rank. His ranking status back then was one of the main reasons people doubted his kills after all.


    The fight between Eren and Faim was also watched by another group. One of the rankers from that group spoke up as they watched Eren leave.


    "Didn''t I tell you, Raina? He is an ideal addition to our party."

 Chapter 185 Baiting A Wolfpack

    Mowry Woods. Shikai kingdom. Gahan. Well past midnight.


    Eren was out hunting Rank-1 Copper Tail Fire wolves.


    He had hung the Alpha of the pack along with a bunch of other wolf cubs to a giant tree. They were hung by their limbs, their necks, and even by one of their four limbs.


    Of course, some of the hung wolves had died of asphyxiation. And some were on the verge of dying. These Rank-1 mana beasts had their mouths sealed with the elemental ropes as well, which didn''t let them howl or whimper.


    The Igni Chains and Blitz Whip had been used as ropes to tame these cruel mana beasts. This would have been tagged as animal abuse by mortals back on earth. However, Eren wasn''t doing this to torture his targets. He was using the Alpha and a few other wolves as bait to lure an entire pack.


    "Awooooo!"


    A variety of wolves'' howls sounded from various angles, waking up Eren. He was trying to take a nap on the same giant tree to which the mana beasts were tied. He stretched his arms as he saw the moonlit darkness surrounding him suddenly wasn''t indistinguishable anymore. There were loads of shining eyes that surrounded him.


    "Perfect timing."


    Eren said to nobody in particr before taking out his set of crossbows. He then summoned his Bear armor to act as a conduit for his Hex spells.


    Eren had upgraded his arsenal once again, granting him the serious long-range versatility he needed. He had been fighting close and mid-range so far. However, a battlemage must be equally adept as a long-range fighter.


    Both crossbows were dualpatible with his fire and lightning elements. It meant that both artifacts could be used for firing either lightning or fire element spells.


    The dual-element artifacts were rarer than their normal counterparts. As such, they were more expensive and not easily avable.


    Malcolm had asked Eren not to spend money on Rank-1 artifacts anymore since he was going to enter the Awakened rank soon. However, Eren had the confidence that he could always make more money to get what he wanted. As such, he preferred polishing his long-range skills now that he could afford to do so.


    Igni Bolt st


    Blitz Arrow


    Blitz Quadro Bolt


    The battlemage climbed higher on the tree and stood on the tallest branch before firing his spells through his runic bolts. The mana-solidified arrows and bolts cut through the air and approached the targets before they could run away from them.


    The approaching wolves half-hiding in the grasnds were suddenly bombarded with spells by Eren. One of the wolves had his eye pierced by Blitz Arrow. It died before the lightning-element mana started acting on its body.


    Several Copper Tail wolves were obliterated by a single Igni Bolt st detonated in the middle. The amount of mana that had been packed into these spells was so dense that it allowed them to exert 120% of their capped potential.


    Since Eren was using Hex spells, they allowed him to pour more mana into them without destabilizing them. As a result, these spells wreaked havoc on the iing wolf pack.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had killed around 30 Copper Tails wolves by attacking them with his long-range attacks. But there were still quite a few beasts left, which approached him with maniacal bodynguage and angered expressions.


    The mana beasts had a higher level of intelligence and emotional spectrum than mortal ones. They started hating Eren to the core for appearing in their pack and abducting the Alpha wolf along with a lot of cubs.


    Even Eren knew that abducting the Alpha might not bring the pack to follow him. Other wolves vying for that position might make the best use of the Alpha''s absence and im the pack for himself.


    However, he had sealed the deal by abducting the wolf cubs. He knew he would be ambushed by the pack in the middle of the night and was prepared for it. After all, he wanted to test the effectiveness of his two new spells.


    Blitz Arrow


    Lightning Seed


    Lightning Tree


    Eren held both his crossbows, carrying both of them in either arm. The pair of crossbows was raised and five Blitz Arrows appeared on their loading bays. However, this time the Blitz Arrow had something different going on at its tip.


    Each tip of the Blitz Arrow was now carrying a tiny,pressed ball of mana. Since Eren could fire off 10 Blitz Arrows at a time using both his crossbows, he was also able to manifest 10 Lightning Seeds.


    Raise. Aim. Shoot.


    The lightning arrows were shot forth in all directions. Unlike thest time, they didn''t connect with any approaching wolf. Instead, theynded in the middle of a group of wolves.


    The Lightning Seed and Lightning Tree were a form ofbo spells that needed to be performed together. The first spell would pave the way for casting the second spell.


    These types ofbo spells were often called chain spells. What made chain spells different from other forms ofbo spells was the fact they had a set order of deployment. The chain spells won''t work the way they are supposed to if the order of the spells is not right.


    The Lightning Seed burst open before it could hit the ground. It stayed levitating just an inch above the ground and allowed Eren to cast his next chain spell.


    A bunch of lightning rods appeared all over the grasnd surrounding Eren. These lightning rods were up to three meters high and bluish-purple. They started developing lightning branches of their own after their forms were stabilized.


    These lightning rods with their lightning element branches looked like dry trees that had no leaves on them. Hence the namea€¡° Lightning Tree.


    These crooked lightning branches attacked the wolves that surrounded them mercilessly. The wolves were electrocuted so badly that their bodies started releasing white smoke. They were cooked to perfection by lightning mana.


    Eren kept on firing his spells using his infinite mana core. 30 seconds after waking up from his nap, he had almost finished an entire wolf pack on his own.

 Chapter 186 A Bit Of Progress Each Day Adds Up To Big Results

    Zoom. Swoosh. Bind.


    Igni Chains sprouted from the air and bound the only three wolves that had managed to survive Eren''s relentless spell spamming. However, all three of them were wounded. And as such, it became easy for Eren to tie them with his Igni Chains once they got close to him.


    Two axes appeared in Eren''s hands as they jumped down from the tree. When he stood on the back of one of the three Copper Tail wolves, its head was already severed from its torso. The other two also shared the same fate soon enough.


    The three fell to the ground in near unison. A secondter, their bodies fell to the ground, resulting in much of their blood being sprayed on the ground.


    Igni Wave


    Eren cauterized the chopped torsos of the wolves he had just killed because the bodies that were more intact in their natural state would fetch him a greater price. He didn''t have even a drop of blood or sweat on him even after killing so many mana beasts together.


    Eren swung his axes around him and looked at the violence he had caused all around him. He took a fresh breath in his lung which was nowced with the smell of blood.


    Eren had cut down on his missionpletion time by hunting like this. He remembered taking mana beasts from their packs to hunt them when he had first started as a ranker.


    He still remembered his first mission with Reece and Mia which saw him fighting with a stray Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth. He couldn''t have imagined hunting an entire horde at that time. But now, it was no big deal for him.


    "A bit of progress each day adds up to big results."


    Eren smiled to himself and essed his Status Window to look at his body stats values once again.


    Name- Eren Elijah Idril


    Organization: Stardust Guild


    I-Rune Imprint: * (verified)


    Ranking Status: Rank 1 Meta Ranker (Solid state mana core: Stage 9)


    ss- Battlemage


    Ranking Technique- Default


    Martial Arts (mortal)- Jeet Kune Do


    Martial Arts (mana-based)- Twin Star Arts


    Credit paid: 3000/8000 Mana Quartz


    Base Stats:


    HP- 18.2 / 18.2


    MP- 22.9 (?) / 22.9 (?)


    STR- 17.5


    AGI- 18.2


    INT- 20.6


    BTP- 97.4


    Rank 1 Lightning Spells: Solid Spark, Blitz Steps, Blitz Wave, Blitz Storm, Blitz Heal, Blitz Arrow, Blitz Shield, Blitz Shard, Blitz Whip, Taranbiest, Lightning Seed, Lightning Tree


    Rank 1 Fire Spell: Alfem, Igni Wave, Igni Lotus, Igni Chains, Igni Shards, Igni Bolt st


    Rank 1 Misceneous Spell: One Up (sync iplete)


    [Active mission #JP-543: Subjugation of Copper Tail Fire Wolves.<sub> </sub>


    Active mission #JP-544: Retrieval of the Copper Tail Fire Wolves'' bodies.


    Mission site: Mowry Woods.]


    Eren dispersed the spectral screen and smiled. He was happy with the progress he had made so far. Although he was still far away from his ranking breakthrough, the fact that he had reached his current stage in such a short time was remarkable.


    ''As always, my normal mana core is one with the maximum base stat. My infinite mana core is also influencing it with its constant activity. My intelligence value shot through the roofpared to thest time. It means I can cast moreplex spells at once without destabilizing them.


    My way of casting Hex spells might have something to do with my INT value getting raised so much. Not that I''mining.''


    Eren self-diagnosed himself based on his stats values and felt content about his analysis. He was about to start collecting the corpses of the Copper Tail wolves when he felt a strange feelinging from behind him. As if he was being watched.


    Suddenly, Eren narrowed his eyes and cast his spells.


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Shield


    Igni Wave


    <o>,m Zoom. ng. Boom.</o>


    Eren suddenly attacked someone out of nowhere. A spear attack at him was parried by his two axes. He cast his movement spell to stabilize himself and make use of his exceptional agility. He followed the spell by shielding himself before the attack.


    A coating of lightning mana had manifested around him. With this, he had prepared himself for the unthinkable. Only after ensuring that he was protected by his defensive spell did he invest in casting the attack spells.


    He gripped his two axes and cast his fire-element spell. However, he didn''t release the spell and retained its effects to give an extra edge to his weapons and the force behind them.


    All of Eren''s movements werepleted in a second before the flying attack came from behind him. The next second, he deflected the attack, forcing him to be dragged away from his original position.


    ''Spiders?''


    This was Eren''s first guess as he stopped himself from getting pushed back. He used his two axes as anchors to kill the force before looking at his new enemy.


    Eren looked ahead at the figure who had just attacked him. Studying and practicing Hex spells had made him more aware of his surroundings. That''s how he was able to predict and read the attack initiated by an Awakened ranker.


    This was a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s. She had brown hair that had been tied back in a ponytail. She had light green eyes and a bit of tanned skin. Her nose and lips were small and gave her a very youthful look.


    This woman was wearing leather-like armor over a crop top. She had worn cargo pants and leather shoes that were etched with elemental runes. It was clear that she had used her artifact in conjunction with her Awakened-rank movement spell tounch a sudden attack on Eren that almost took him by surprise.


    This female ranker was wielding a golden spear in her hand. She swung her weapon around herself and made it retract in size. This was the weapon she had attacked Eren with. The weapon would have struck him in the back if he hadn''t deflected it using his two axes.


    This spear-wielding woman had attractive curves and a pretty face. Her aura oozed with the vibrancy she had within her.


    Even after carrying out such a brutal attack, Eren was unable to determine whether the female ranker had hostile intentions. But that didn''t mean shit to him. Intentions didn''t decide a lot of things in the world of rankers.


    Eren stood straight up from his position and gripped his two axes. He wasn''t afraid of an Awakened ranker anymore. Worst case scenario, he was confident of running away. As a result, he looked straight into the female ranker''s eyes without showing any signs of shock or injustice.


    "Aren''t you going to ask me who I am?"


    In a yful tone, the female ranker asked. She was looking at Eren keenly too as if hoping he recognized her. Eren smirked in contempt before responding.


    "Why should I? I''ll find that soon enough. When I look through your stuff¡­ after killing you."


    Said Eren, and cast his movement spell. Lightning sparked and the battlemage disappeared from his position.


    ''Err¡­ maybe I shouldn''t have met up with this crazy man in this way.''

 Chapter 187 Yana Shiran And Raina Regan

    ng! ng! ng!


    Yana Shiran defended against Eren''s attack with stiff expressions. She didn''t want to show how shocked she was fighting it out with Eren.


    ''I watched him from afar and thought he was exceptional. But fighting him up close is downright terrifying.''


    Yana thought to herself as she parried Eren''s ax attacks with her shape-changing spear. She knew that she could only keep up with him because of her enhanced stats and her unique artifact. She''d be in a lot of trouble now if she had been fighting with Eren when she was in the same rank as him.


    "Will you cut it out already?"


    Yana tried to round-kick Eren on his chest after dodging his counterattack. However, she found that Eren was standing effortlessly on her leather shoes. She looked at him while her position waspromised. Eren could haveunched another attack on her. But decided not to.


    He used Yana''s raised toe as a foothold to jump away. He flipped in the air andnded at a safe distance away from her.


    "You started this. Don''t me me for talking with you in anguage you understand."


    Eren continued to strike verbally, not letting go of his aggressive stance. Yana had creases on her forehead when she heard Eren. In the end, she sighed before responding.


    "I¡­ I am sorry. I just wanted to prove my point that you were a capable fighter by attacking you out of the blue."


    "Hm? To whom?" Puzzled, Eren asked.


    "To me."


    Another ranker appeared out of nowhere beside Yin. This time, it was Eren''s turn to have creases on his forehead. That''s because another Awakened ranker had appeared in front of him. There was no doubt that the neer, who was Awakened, was in a solid state of her rank.


    This new ranker was a night elf. She had light blue skin and distinct red eyes. Her eyes glowed under the hood she was wearing.


    The night elf had worn breastte armor that entuated her already prominent bust. She had a slim waist and round hips and was a bit taller than Yana. Her shapely long legs added extra oomph to her appeal.


    Her shoulder-length white hair made its presence known even with the night elf''s hood still on. Her long ears were poking out of her hood''s slits. Eren couldn''tpletely discern her facial features, but he could bet that they would be as attractive as her body.


    Eren didn''t feel the need to ask the question to two random strangers who had appeared on his kill site on their own. He figured they would introduce themselves soon without his asking.


    Yana realized that Eren would just keep staring at them, especially at the female ranker beside her, if she didn''t make introductions. So she coughed awkwardly before speaking up.


    "Eren, we are also from the Stardust Guild. My name is Yana Shiran. You haven''t recognized me, have you?"


    Only when Yana asked him a question did he stop looking at the night elf and fix his gaze on Yana''s face. He could tell that her face indeed looked familiar. But he couldn''t remember beyond that.<sub> </sub>


    Eren shook his head in denial after looking through his memory. Yana wasn''t too happy about Eren forgetting her. She pouted and folded her arms under her bosom beforementing.


    "I was part of Kiara''s team when we set out to subjugate Bl Blood. You had saved us from that burning city hall by killing Jaario. We even talked for a while before the night''s raid.


    I see that you have started using that demonic ranker''s axes. Maybe you only remember your opponents and not your allies. Hmph!"


    Eren raised his eyebrows in surprise when he realized where he had seen Yana. She was one of the rankers who were dispatched on a kingdom-level mission with him. He remembered even briefly talking to her after he had killed Jaario and freed captain Kiara and Miranda.


    "Haha. You can''t me me or Jaario for that, Yana. He gave me two artifacts to remember him. You should have given me something too as a token to remember you."


    Eren said and chuckled, finally giving a casual reply. She intended to continue arguing with him. However, she noticed a subtle mana fluctuation beside her. Thus, she decided to finally move on with what they hade here to do.


    "This is captain Raina Regan, Eren. We havee to meet you because we think you can join us for a few special missions.


    I joined the hunt for Bl Blood under captain Raina''s orders. But I don''t usually work under her.


    We¡­ Let''s say we are one of the specialized parties in the guild. The pay is quite good, but the missions are kinda shady and there''s a lot of risks involved.


    Are you in?"


    Yana posed a question to Eren, hoping he would say yes after looking at his record so far. The guy was willing to take any mission as long as he was paid well. Even tonight''s wolf subjugation mission was marked as dangerous for individual rankers. And it waspleted seamlessly by him without using anyone for backup.


    Eren scratched his jawline and looked at Yana and Raina keenly before answering.


    "Shady, you say? What kind of missions are we talking about?"


    Yana was about to reply to Eren''s question. But Raina beat her to it by answering in a in and emotionless voice.


    "Assassination, ambush, open but targeted killings, and the like. On rankers belonging to an enemy guild. The kind of missions that are not approved by the kingdom. The Stardust guild won''t try to associate its name with them either.


    So these are the kind of missions that would not give you fame because you won''t be allowed to tell anyone about them. But I can assure you that you won''tin about them when you see the reward given to you for your efforts.


    You seem to have what we are looking for for my next mission. But if you are not okay with the kind of missions we undertake, we will leave you alone."


    Eren was a bit taken aback when he realized Raina''s offer. She was trying to get him into her party of assassins. He pursed his lips and nodded before putting his axes in his storage.


    "You had me at ''quite good pay.'' What''s our mission?"

 Chapter 188 Profit Is The Ignition System Of Any Economic Engine

    Mowry Woods.


    A temporary campsite had been created using an earth-element array artifact. It consisted of three tent-like units made of earth element spells.


    The bonfire that was lit at a distance from these tents was releasing clouds of smoke. It blurred Eren''s vision while he was looking at the two moons of Gahan located not far from each other.


    He stopped looking at the two moons when he heard Raina''s voice addressing him.


    "So this is one of the big Spiders we have been assigned to kill. His name is Bam Dorian."


    Raina used her I-Rune tattoo to project a spectral rendition of Bem Dorian. He was a mean-looking man who appeared to be in his early 50s. This silvery gray-haired man''s pro-testosterone physique spoke volumes about his ssa€¡° a berserker.


    There was a short description of Bam and his battle style. Eren read through the information briefly before asking the question he wanted to ask since the beginning.


    "Yeah. I''m down with whatever task you assign me, Raina. But I thought the kingdom-certified guilds didn''tunch assassinations on other rankers from different guilds."


    Raina canceled the spectral representation of Bem along with the spectral disy containing the information. She looked at the dancing mes of the bonfire before speaking up.


    "The guild wars in Gahan are not good guys vs bad guys, Eren. This is bad guys vs bad guys. Do you think the Stardust guild will let it slide that its members are getting targeted and killed?


    At this point, who initiated the aggression is not that significant. What matters is whopletely eliminates the other. We are fine with the Spiders disbanding their guild and seeking shelter elsewhere. What we are not fine with is the fact that they are iming the resourcends we have and possessing thends that we want.


    The winner takes all. Loser''s name disappears from Shaikai kingdom''s history."


    Eren ate the roasted wolf meat as he listened to Raina''s words. And it made sense to him.


    It meant that Spiders had a head start in hunting Stardust guild members. The sh was going to take ce anyway because of the resources both guilds had in their possession.


    The Stardust guild would have initiated aggression through political means anyway when the time was ripe. The guild would have snubbed the Spiders with the three-star organizational rights it possessed. Seeing this, the House of Spiders decided to retaliate violently.


    Who attacked whom first wasn''t important when both parties wanted to fight. Those watching and witnessing the showdown from an observer''s perspective might want to pass judgment on who was right and who was wrong in their heads. However, these perspectives didn''t matter to the participants.


    ''Heh! No matter which world, profit is the ignition system of any economic engine.''


    Eren thought to himself and shook his head. He then pulled out another skewered piece of roasted wolf leg away from the embrace of mes and offered it to Yana.


    "Here. Have this."<sub> </sub>


    Eren said as he ate the other roasted leg with his other hand. Yana looked at the leg with a troubled expression before speaking up.


    "You know Eren, I used to have a puppy when I was very young. I don''t think I''ll be able to eat this."


    Yana looked at the leg with conflicting emotions as she said it. Anyone could tell that she was hungry but was preventing herself from having wolf meat.


    "That doesn''t even make sense, Yana. But whatever."


    Eren threw the roasted leg to Raina who was sitting on the other side of the bonfire. The night elf caught the leg effortlessly and elegantly took a bite. She looked at Eren appreciatively before continuing from where she had left off.


    "The Spiders know that they won''t be able to handle the heat Stardust guild can rain down on it. So they yed smart. They struck first and killed or injured as many rankers as they could.


    Even captain Kiara Kroft whom you had worked with on the Bl Blood mission is critically injured and half her teammates were killed.


    You know how meticulous Kiara can be. It is no small feat to injure and wipe out half of her party members. The Spiders knew what they were doing."


    ? Yana threw rocks at Eren''s feet for ignoring her. She was under the impression that he would try to convince her into eating wolf meat by saying things like ''your pet is different and the wolf I just killed is different.'' However, Eren''s I-don''t-give-a-fuck-ness was now starving her. She had a dry ration on her. But who would want to eat something like that when the smell of roasted meat was assaulting their nostrils?


    Eren ignored Yana''s attention-grabbing tactics and pondered a bit. He knew how Kiara operated. She was not only a strong fire-element ranker but she was also sharp and cunning. Plus, the conflict between the two guilds was not hidden.


    Dealing with such injuries to Kiara could only mean that she couldn''t predict something the Spiders pulled on her and her team.


    "What is it?"


    Eren asked, taking another bite out of his roasted leg. He then threw the half-finished leg at Yana, subtly telling her to eat it. The spear-wielding maiden was very angry that Eren had given her something that he had taken a bite of. She was about to throw the roasted leg on the ground when she heard his words.


    "You throw that leg away and I''ll not let you have any. Finish that first before asking for another. I''ll not waste an entire roasted leg on your whims."


    A serious-looking Raina startedughing when she saw the bratty Yana freeze in her actions. She looked at Eren and cursed him in her head before starting to eat from his half-finished leg.


    She calmed herself and adjusted her demeanor before replying.


    "The Spiders don''t want to y by the books anymore. They have epted that they would be disbanded sooner orter so they have decided to cause us maximum harm before that happens.


    They have resorted to hiring demonic rankers to target us."

 Chapter 189 Bad Guys Vs Bad Guys P1

    "They have resorted to hiring demonic rankers to target us."


    Finished eating her roasted wolf leg, Raina said after she finished eating her roasted wolf leg. Eren pondered a bit beforementing.


    "I''m guessing then that the kingdom will look the other way when we blur some lines and kill the Spiders."


    Raina nodded at Eren and replied promptly.


    "Precisely. The kingdom''s forces are already stretched as they are. They''d rather have a three-star organization like Stardust guild take care of the mess any way they can.


    We''d still have to do things on the sly. That means not targeting the Spiders when they are inside the city. Ambushing them in isted spaces. Pretty much what the Spiders did to our guild members.


    Unlike the spiders, who have nothing to lose, we need to be extra careful. That means we''d have to make sure we kill everybody in the Spiders'' party when we strike. No witnesses."


    Eren got up from the log that served as his seat and dusted off his posterior. He then walked up to Raina and made her hold a shot ss. Yana appeared beside Raina as well, asking for her shot ss.


    Eren sighed before taking another shot ss from his storage. He then took out the ranked booze that he had gotten from Malcolm. He liked its blend because it reminded him of the Latvian vodka he used to have when he was with Tory.


    Eren poured a shot ss for himself and gulped it down instantly. Raina did the same and liked Eren''s taste in booze. However, Yana struggled to gulp down the booze after feeling the burn it was causing down her throat.


    Eren chuckled at Yana when she couldn''t finish the shot ss of ranked liquor. She was an Awakened ranked entity who shouldn''t have a problem with a concoction made for Meta rankers.


    Yana took offense when she read a bit of mockery in Eren''s gaze. She drank the booze angrily just to prove to him that she wasn''t the wuss he thought she was.


    Eren powered one more shot ss for himself and drank from it before asking another question he wanted to ask.


    "I still don''t understand why we can''tunch an all-out war against the Spiders. Seems counterintuitive to me if the opponent is not ying by the rules and we insist on sticking to them."


    This time, even Yana was curious. Raina looked at both Eren and Yana for a while before answering.


    "We don''t want other rankers and the general popce to know about a three-star guild ruling over the region with an iron fist even if we are like that. It''s irritating that we''d have to think so much about our actions now that we have be a three-star guild. Especially when we are doing the same thing Spiders did.


    You can bend the system a bit using the right levers. But you can''t break it as long as you are part of it. I guess that''s what it is all about."


    Raina licked her lips with her tongue and brought her shot ss in front of Eren, indicating he poured her another one. She quickly emptied the contents before continuing.


    "It''s not like the showdown won''t take ce. When we kill enough Spiders and they start using the demonic rankers more, the kingdom will dere the House of Spiders as a rogue organization. This will ce bounties on their most prominent members, allowing us to legitimately target them.


    We''d be free to hunt them down when that happens. As part of the process, the kingdom is also observing our actions. This can be considered one of their tests. They would be keeping tabs on us-- to see how we tackle the problems rted to being a three-star organization."


    Eren nodded his head before speaking up.<sub> </sub>


    "Alright. It''s not like I mind doing things on the sly. An assassination or killing of a demonic ranker. It doesn''t make a difference to me. Both are cut from the same cloth if you ask me.


    Tell me when and where and give me a few days to prepare.


    I don''t have any assassination skills or spells. My presence is not lowkey and my battle style is as wild as it can get. So I think you should also be aware that I can only serve as a decoy for the most part. Otherwise, I''m afraid I''ll be detrimental to your assassination jobs.


    That''s about it. Now, if you two prettydies don''t mind, I''d like to take some rest."


    Eren said and started walking towards his tent. He let the twodies decide who would keep the first watch.


    ***


    "Boy, have you got ess to some sort of ranker-specific steroids? What kind of crazy improvement is this?"


    Malcolm greeted Eren with a look of surprise on his face. The bald shopkeeper was surprised that Eren had managed to break into the final stage of the Meta rank so soon.


    "Did you find out about the lead I gave you?"


    Eren ignored Malcolm''s question and asked him the question he wanted to ask instead. Malcolm had been assigned the task of checking on the lead rted to the Hexers'' testing ground. The one Lagartha had informed him about.


    "*Sigh. Acting so mysterious just because it looks cool. The youngsters these days have no respect for their elders."


    Malcolm said with fake sadness on his face before admitting


    "I did. Here''s the information you are looking for."


    Malcolm handed Eren the information written inside a sealed scroll. Eren''s main signatures were needed to read the contents within it.


    "How much?"


    "Mere 300 Mana Quartz."


    Eren stared at the smiling and weing Malcolm straight in the eye. He didn''t say anything or tell him to lower the price. He just stared at him quietly and waited for him to budge.


    "Alright. Alright. 100 Mana Quartz. But I''ll not take anything less than that. Information gathering costs money, you thankless brat."


    Eren''s stoic expressions softened and he smiled when Malcolm gave him a reasonable price. He then started buying more things and spells from the bald merchant. After all, he had plenty of Mana Quartz in his storage.

 Chapter 190 Bad Guys Vs Bad Guys P2

    Caerni forest. A region about five days away from the city of Ludan. Gahan.


    ''On my mark.''


    Eren received voicemunication from Raina and clutched his axes in both his hands. He was standing atop a giant tree''s branch, waiting for instructions that had just reached him. He was standing inside a small runic array that hid his presence.


    Eren and a few more rankers from Raina''s team were going to attack a team of Spiders led by Bam Dorian. The Awakened ranker Spider wasn''t Eren''s target. He was supposed to be handled by Raina and her assassination squad.


    Bam Dorian was leading a big party of Spiders through the dense and untamed vegetation of the Caerni forest. The kingdom of Ludan had asked him toplete a difficult mission rted to a demonic rankers'' hideout. Even though the House of Spiders had rebelled against the system, it still needed to perform a few duties. Otherwise, they''d give a legal excuse to the kingdom to unleash its wrath on them.


    It was clear to Bam that the Stardust guild''s influence in the kingdom''s internal affairs was increasing. The mission he was assigned was no coincidence. It wanted the Spiders to leave the safe zone and be vulnerable to attacks. Thus, he and his team were very aware of their surroundings, as if expecting an ambush.


    However, ambushes worked best when people had been expecting them and started getting stressed over them. Knowing about these things can sometimes make one mentally exhausted and less prepared.


    ''Go.''


    Raina''s voice was heard by all the Stardust guild members assigned to the mission. Everyone in the surrounding area who had hidden using various means suddenly started working like clockwork.


    Yana led the frontal assault that was supposed to act as a decoy. They were nning to use the divide-and-conquer strategy.


    Blitz Steps


    Igni Chains


    Igni Wave


    Eren followed her lead and jumped from his position,tching the Igni Chains around the branches of trees that were in the way to guide his fall. The branches would catch fire behind him.


    "Watch out. We are under¡­"


    One of the Spiders at the front of his party couldn''t finish his words. Eren chopped off the head of the vanguards that Yana left for him as she moved ahead. Eren and five rankers stayed behind to handle the Spiders at the front of their group.


    "You bloody Stardust bi¡­"


    Eren used his axe to cut the healer''s throat before she could curse him. For some reason, he yanked off therynx of his victim and handed it to her before disappearing from his position.


    Yana and the other Stardust rankers who were with Eren suddenly felt a chill down their spine as they watched Eren reap the lives of his enemies. However, they unanimously decided to ignore Eren''s kills because they had to deal with their own targets.


    Eren appeared like lightning in front of his enemies. And he disappeared like a ghost, leaving the now-lifeless bodies of his victim to fall to the ground.<sub> </sub>


    Eren was too fast and wild for his enemies. He had targeted all the rankers with a lower rank than him. By the time 10 seconds had passed, he had killed 5 Spiders in quick session. That was one kill per two seconds.


    "Aaaaaaaaaa! I''ll kill you, you Stardust worms. Spiders! In formation."


    Bam screamed with his mana-imbued voice from behind. By this time, the easy kills had already been done. Nobody killed as much as Eren.


    Various noises started appearing from various directions at the same time. There were several mana pulses scattered in the surroundings, indicating that the Spiders and Stardust members were fighting up close.


    ''I guess that''s about it. Hehe. This is indeed bad guys vs. bad guys.''


    Eren took a long breath when he finished his quick kills. The Awakened ranker''s scream tingled his skin even from a considerable distance. He then looked in front of him and around him.


    "Hehehe. Guys, the revenge feast is about to start. All the best."


    Yana said andughed ominously before disappearing from the ground. A bunch of Spiders left with her against their wishes. Rankers from other Stardust guilds and Spiders experienced the same phenomenon one after the other.


    Eren looked at the runic imprint that had appeared on his right forearm and looked ahead. One space-element Awakened ranker had imprinted the Stardust members with his runic imprint, which was part of a spatial arrayid far from the current battlefield.


    The spatial arrays were also made to work in conjunction with isted arrays. The Stardust members used the runic imprints as keys to enter the isted spatial arrays and forced Spiders to follow them inside.


    He had then started tagging the Spiders with his runic imprint using his elemental array artifact. The tagging was done at random.


    The Stardust guild members would get teleported to the isted arrays along with the opponents that had been tagged with the same runic imprint rted to a particr spatial array.


    The Stardust guild members were supposed to handle the Spiders in a group. However, Eren wished that he was given free hand in handling his opponents his way without anyone from the Stardust guild members disturbing him. Hence, Eren would be alone with the opponents that would get teleported with him.


    Of course, some Stardust guild members didn''t like Eren''s proposal. He was telling them that was a nuisance and would only get in his way. However, nobody came forward and objected to it after being subjected to Eren''s cold stare.


    However, Eren''s workload didn''t lessen because he was fighting with the Spider alone. That''s because there were only a few runic imprint keys that could be generated per teleportation arrays. And the number of Spiders that were supposed to get teleported was already decided.


    The Spiders and Stardust members started disappearing in chunks, leaving Bam and his main party alone. Before Eren disappeared from his position along with a bunch of Spiders assigned to him, he vaguely saw Raina appear behind an enraged-looking Bam.


    The battlemage was sure that the night elf had a smile on her face as her assassin squad made its appearance.


    However, Eren couldn''t keep track of what was about to unfold between Bam''s main party and the Stardust guild''s main force. He was supposed to act as a side character in the fight by ensuring the enemy side characters are taken care of.

 Chapter 191 Meeting Ariadne Again

    Cairn forest. Evening 5 PM.


    "Where the fuck are we?"


    One of the Spiders couldn''t help asking the question to his guild members after they were all teleported inside the isted array.


    The istion array covered an area of about 300 meters in radius. It was isted by a thin but strongyer of mana in a honeb pattern. The sky and the area outside the isted array looked blurred because of the pattern.


    The dome-shaped istingyer had a maximum height of about 70 meters from the ground. It meant that the isted space had plenty of room for two sides to duke it out.


    There were nine members from Bam''s party that had been teleported inside the isted array. The one who had asked the question was a short and stout dwarf ranker.


    Five of them were regr Spiders whereas four of them were newly joined members who had only joined the House of Spiders recently. They were demonic rankers hired by the guild to fight with the Stardust guild just as Raina had said.


    These nine old and new Spiders were wearing their gear. They consisted of humans and beastkin mostly. There was a dwarf and an elf ranger as well.


    "Stop asking stupid questions, Halder. We were teleported by some runic imprint. These Stardust shits think they can finish us by dividing us. I say whoever we are put up against is in for a rude awakening."


    A giant man named Kazak said in a deep voice to Haldur the dwarf while staring at him. He had blood-red hair and a square-shaped jawline. Fang-like teeth protruded from either side of his lower lips, indicating that he was a beastkin. He had various tattoos on his arms and was wearing heavy armor.


    Halder was irritated by the way Kazak told him off. He was about to argue with thetter when he noticed a presence had appeared in front of them.


    The nine Spiders watched with keen interest who their opponents were. But they looked ahead and then looked around confused. That''s because only one ranker had appeared in front of them.


    The ranker that had appeared in front of them wasn''t even an Awakened ranker for him to act so boldly in front of nine Spiders. He had shoulder-length white hair, a bit of pale skin, and blue eyes.


    He looked at the nine Spiders casually. As if he wasn''t afraid of their numbers. As if he was fully confident in taking them all on at the same time.


    "Boy, I don''t mind if you want to fight us considering our situation. But I''d rather have a head-on sh than you guys trying to sneak on us.


    This is an istion array and we are not getting out of it anytime soon. So you might as well do us a favor and fight with us fair and square."


    The one who spoke was a man who had worn full-body, knightly armor. He even had his head protected by a helmet that only had a slit for his eyes. As a result, his features couldn''t be discerned.


    But one could tell judging by the expensive armor he was wearing, his mana signature, and his demeanor that he was a powerful fighter.


    Eren turned towards the man who had just spoken and studied him. In response, he started to study each spider in detail before stopping to look at someone familiar.


    "You¡­ I have seen you somewhere."


    Eren ignored the knight''s question thrown at him and pointed his ax at the ranker standing beside the knight. It took him a second to recognize the face.


    This familiar female ranker had an attractive body. She was wearing light armor that revealed her cleavage and entuated her bust. Her slim and curvy waistline was exposed. She wore ck leather pants that provided a snug fit and disyed her shapely posterior.


    Her voluminous ck hair reached below her butt and was let loose. Her green eyes looked as enchanting as Eren remembered them to be.


    "Ariadne!"


    Eren finally remembered the name of the demonic ranker who had managed to get away from him when he was on the Bl Blood subjugation mission. She was an illusionist who had deceived him by leaving him with a corpse to attack at the veryst moment of their fight.


    "Eren!"


    Ariadne recognized Eren at the same time he recognized her. She wore a surprised expression on her face as she looked at the white-haired Stardust member in front of her. She bit her tongue after realizing the manic hade to fight with her once again.


    "Do you know this pale-ass punk, Ariadne?"<sub> </sub>


    Halder asked. He didn''t like that Aridane knew a man from the opposing force. Especially because the dwarf had been trying his luck with the illusionist ever since she had joined Spiders.


    Ariadne looked at Eren with a nk expression. But there was a storm brewing inside her head. That''s because she knew how dangerous Eren was as a ranker. The nine Spiders present inside the istion array were confident that they could handle a single Meta ranker easily.


    After all, even an Awakened ranker in the early stage would have a hard time fighting against nine gear-equipped, veteran rankers in thete stage of the Meta rank.


    However, Ariadne knew better because she had direct contact with Eren. And judging by the mana signature he was exuding, he must have improved a lot since thest time she had seen him.


    It was not like Ariadne was stagnant in her ranking journey. Her life had improved a lot since she had split from her previous organization which wasposed of demonic rankers. As a demonic ranker, she would do whatever needed to be done to survive in the world.


    Ariadne joined House of Spiders because they had started mass recruiting without checking on the rankers'' backgrounds. This was basically a guild screaming out that it was open to hiring demonic rankers.


    The Spiders were offering significant benefits for those who joined them as well. Thus, there was no reason for Ariadne not to join them. She only recently learned that the House of Spiders had a beef with the Stardust guild and the Spiders wereunching ambushes on the other guild''s members.


    Ariadne was aware that it was the Stardust guild that had taken care of Bl Blood''s entire team. She was the only lucky person who had managed to escape the kingdom-sanctioned massacre. As such, she got stressed when the Spider started shing with the Stardust members overtly and covertly.


    Ariadne was a survivor. As the feud between the two guilds dragged on, she realized that her survival would be threatened. Thus, she was nning to pull another "Houdini" on Spiders as well.


    ''Fuck¡­ was it toote?''


    While looking at Eren, Ariadne thought to herself with a stressed expression. She bit her lower lip and looked down¨C her eyes darting from nowhere to nowhere. She quickly cast her movement spell and disappeared from her position, approaching Eren.


    The other Spiders were too stunned by Ariadne''s sudden move to react on time. They watched with part shocked and part curious expressions as one of them boldly zeroed in on their opponent.


    Eren smirked at Ariadne when he was approaching him using her movement spell. Two axes appeared in his hand all of a sudden and they started humming as they were charged with fire-element mana.


    "Wait¡­ wait a damn minute, Eren!"


    Igni Wave!


    Eren didn''t listen to Ariadne''s request. He fired a series of flying attacks at her while changing his position.


    The Igni Waves hit Ariadne''s approaching body and burst into water drops and white smoke. She had used one of her illusion spells to act as her double. Meanwhile, she had disappeared from the scene. Her vital signs and her mana signature couldn''t be tracked with normal vision of mana sense.


    Eren wasn''t surprised by Ariadne''s stunt. This was not his first rodeo with her. He clenched his axes and poured more fire-element mana into them.


    He also activated his movement spell and coated his legs in blue lightning tongues¨C ready to strike his opponent whenever she shows herself.


    "Boy, I told you to wait. At least hear me out before fighting me. I am not using my illusory spells against you this time, am I? You should have a bit of patience before you resort to violence."


    Ariadne said before sounding an "Oooof!"


    Eren heard Ariadne''s voice at Three O'' clock from his position. He was about tounch another attack on her. But something she saidst caught his attention. She indeed had not resorted to using her hypnotizing voice on him. She had also refrained from using her illusion spells to attack him.


    In the end, Eren lowered his weapons and looked at Ariadne. He stared at her intently before shaking his head a bit to adjust his shoulder-length hair.


    ''I need to cut my hair, it seems.''


    The battlemage had a random thought as he looked at the stunning beauty. His mana sense was fixated on the other eight Spiders who for some reason decided not to move.


    ===


    AN: Ariadne was mentioned in chapter 115.

 Chapter 192 Talk Between Two Survival Specialists

    Unlike the Spiders who had been forcefully teleported inside the istion array, Eren could still ess his runic imprint to teleport to any ce inside the array. He could do it a bunch of times before the runic imprint stopped working.


    This was why the Stardust guild members were confident in taking down the Spiders inside the array even when they were short in numbers. They could use their runic imprints strategically to get away from any threatening situation. They could also use teleportation inside the isted space tounch a surprise attack on Spiders.


    Thus, it was no wonder that Yana had called these isted arrays the Spider-trapping spiderwebs.


    Eventually, one of the eight Spiders got over his surprise and asked in a cold voice.


    "Ariadne¡­ what the fuck are you doing?"


    Ariadne ignored Halder''s question and looked at Eren before sending him her I-Rune imprint with her mana sense. Eren raised his eyebrows before responding to her imprint with a smile.


    ''I''d rather not fight with you, Eren. Is there any way you can let me off the hook in exchange for additional information about the Spiders?''


    Eren snorted when he heard Ariadne''s proposal through voicemunication. He replied without even looking at her.


    ''No thanks. I already got that covered. And I''d be a fool to trust someone like you.''


    Ariadne looked like she had taken offense to Eren''s opinions about her. She clenched her fists and almost stomped her foot before speaking up.


    ''What do you mean by ''someone like me?'' Listen to me, Eren. Just because I love myself more than the sinking ships I often find myself on doesn''t mean that I like abandoning the sides I''m on.


    What would you have done if you were in my shoes? Would you sacrifice yourself for some nonsensical cause or ego?''


    Eren was left speechless when Ariadne put things into perspective for him. He had to admit to himself that he would have opted for the same option as Ariadne if Stardust guild was on the verge of utterly destroying itself.


    Eren broke his stare with the rest of the Spiders and finally looked at the negotiator. His empty gaze and silence spoke volumes about what he wanted to convey.


    Ariadne conjured a light smirk before continuing.


    ''I can recognize a fellow survival specialist when I see one. It''s fine if you don''t want any information. Tell me what I can do to make it up to you?''


    Ariadne looked meaningfully at Eren. She adjusted her shoulders and made her bust look even more prominent than it was. She put both of her hands on her curvy waist.


    Eren sighed before replying.


    ''You are indeed pretty. I''ll give you that. But¡­''


    Eren stopped his speech and disappeared from his position all of a sudden. That''s because Haler had appeared at his position and almost got him. He swung his broadaxe at Eren, only for him to disappear at the veryst moment.


    "Aaaargh. Bastard''s using the array to get away from us. Kill him"


    Eren was attacked by another Spider as soon as he appeared at a distance from his previous position. He again used the array to get away from the second attack. Then the third attack wasunched at him by another Spider. Then fourth.


    ? When the seventh consecutive attack on him failed, the Spiders realized that they had no way of attacking Eren unless he chose to stay and fight with them. Of course, they had figured out that Eren could only teleport for a fixed number of times inside the array. But they didn''t want to burn their hands in trying to test that limit.


    Eren appeared right beside Ariadne when the rest of the Spiders were scattered all across the isted space. He still had his casual expression on his face.


    Ariadne was surprised and stressed that Eren had appeared beside her. But he would have attacked her already if he treated her as one of his enemies. That meant he was up for a discussion. And that''s what she wanted. So she looked to her side and waited for him to finish what he had been meaning to say.


    ''But¡­ my balls are empty. So your big hooters magic won''t work on me. At least not this time. What you can do instead is¡­''


    Eren looked into Ariadne''s green eyes as he spoke his next words without using voicemunication.


    "Help me kill these pests. And I''ll think about sparing you. Hey! I have already done this once. Doing it for the second time isn''t enough to hurt me."


    Eren was talking about Lagartha of course. Unlike Ariadne who was a hired help, she was a genuine member of the House of Spiders. She hadn''t made her presence known since she was separated from him. However, Eren knew she would only rejoin the Spiders when the dust from killing the entire squad settled down.


    Ariadne didn''t like that Eren had spoken things out loud. It kind of made what she was discussing with Eren apparent for the Spiders. In this way, Eren had already created distrust between her and her supposed teammates.


    "I guess ''I''ll think about it'' is the closest thing to a favorable response I''m gonna get from you."<sub> </sub>


    Ariadne looked at him scornfully before finallymitting.


    "Fine."


    Eren shed a wolfish sign when he got Ariadne''s answer. He just added onest subtext to his proposal.


    "Don''t try to run on me or turn on me. I''m not one of those sinking ships you often abandon. But if I ever be one, I''ll make sure to take you with me. It''s for your own good that you don''t let me sink in the first ce."


    Bzzzzt.


    The lightning streaks buzzed not too far away from Ariadne and Eren disappeared from his position. This time, he used his movement spell. Ariadne pursed her lips and blinked before drawing her Bichaus out. She disappeared from her position as well, aiming to fight with the lowest-ranked member of the Spiders first.


    Blitz Steps


    Alfem


    Igni Shards


    Taranbiest


    Eren summoned a huge number of firebirds with his infinite mana core. He then equipped the firebirds with Igni Shards. They were supposed to fight off and keep the rest of the Spiders busy while he dealt them one at a time.


    The battlemage knew Alfem wasn''t enough for him to keep all the Spiders busy. They wouldunch a sneak attack on him while he was busy fighting with one of the Spiders. The demonic rankers might evenunch an indiscriminate attack on him and the Spider he was fighting with just to catch him by surprise.


    Thus, he also summoned a bunch of lightning-element hounds around him. They would create a safe zone for him to battle with the Spiders one at a time.


    A cacophony of noises sounded in Eren''s surroundings as his firebirds and lightning hounds engaged with his enemies. Their sheer number and abundance of mana meant that the Spiders would have had their hands full with them. This is before they even consider dealing with Eren together.


    "THAT BITCH! SHE''S ATTACKING US INSTEAD OF THAT PALE-ASS BRAT?


    I¡­. I''LL FUCKING KILL THAT BACKTABBING WHORE!"


    Halder was enraged when Ariadne started attacking one of the Spiders using all her might. His red face and his red eyes showed how livid he was. More than being abandoned by Ariadne, he was angry that she agreed to team up with Eren at a moment''s notice.


    Of course, he thought that it was his charms that she had fallen for.


    ''I fucking hate all fuckboys. Why must they win in every walk of life? I''ll kill this pale bastard right in front of that bitch to let her know who the real man is.''


    The dwarf said to himself as he clenched his broadaxe. He then used an earth-element spell to secure his body inside a golem. Suddenly, a 2-meter tall and 5-meter-long spider golem appeared in the isted space. Its head served as the cockpit for Halder as he controlled the Spider through the extension of his arms and legs.


    Eren didn''t know what Halder was thinking about. But he had already started approaching him. So he thought of destroying him first before moving on to his next target.


    Igni Chains


    Igni Wave


    Eren charged up his two axes and let them rip through the air like they had a mind of their own. Meanwhile, he approached the giant spider golem with two Solid Sparks in his hand.


    Swoosh


    Swoosh


    Swoosh


    The two axes attacked one of the Spider''s legs and they were met with a shell-like earth-armor surface that had just been created over the Spider''s body, serving as its exoskeleton.


    The Igni Chains appeared attached to the axes'' hilts. The other end of the Igni Chains was gripped by the firebirds'' ws that had just appeared out of thin air. They pulled onto the weapons using their flight before charging them up with the fire-element mana they had in their mana bodies.

 Chapter 193 Destroying Spider Golem

    The second set of attacksunched by the sparkling-crimson axes was even more brutal than the first one. Eren disappeared from his position and appeared behind the spider golem before attacking its exposed upper abdomen that was shining with the exoskeleton.


    Screeeeeeeeee


    ? New firebirds appeared in the surroundings andunched themselves at the golem spider''s head. Some of the lightning hounds from the pack that was acting as the perimeter detail also attacked the spider golem.


    Bzzt. Swoosh Boom.


    Eren''s multi-front attack rained down on spider golem and Halder by proxy at the same time. It became destabilized as a result. It lost three out of its 8 limbs and was almost about to topple. But then the earth-element mana converged and limbs were recovered over time as Eren kept fighting with the giant spider golem.


    However, one could see that the spider golem wouldn''t be able to keep up with Eren''s barrage of attacks. The recovery speed of the golem was slower than the damage-over-time Eren was dishing out on it.


    "Unbelievably sturdy, aren''t we? Never mind. I''ll break this toy soon."


    He smirked before summoning the Bear armor. He then started casting his Hex spells. A new form of control and rity was brought to Eren when he started casting his Hex spells. He felt like he had much better control over what he was doing.


    ''Damn. This high I feel¡­ this control¡­ this power¡­ is addicting.''


    Eren thought to himself before disappearing from his position. The lightning streaks that struck the spider golem''s exoskeleton-protected abdomen at Eren''s previous ce cracked the surface and created a cloud of smoke.


    ''This pale-pass bastard has gotten faster than before.''


    Halder realized as he tackled Eren''s increased attacks with his fine golem control. He started losing more of the golem''s body parts after Eren started attacking it from various angles at once.


    Boom. Boom. Boom.


    The other Spiders decided to take a closer look at where the constant explosions wereing from. They were shocked to find out Eren was soloing Halder''s spider golem all by himself using so many attacks at once.


    "How¡­ how the fuck is that guy powering so many spells?"


    Shima asked Rollo who was fighting beside her against the barrage of firebirds and lightning hounds. Every time they tried to approach Eren who was fighting on the other side of the isted space from them, the firebirds and lightning hounds surrounding them would go into suicidal mode.


    "Must be this wretched array we''ve found ourselves in. It is providing the boy with a constant supply of mana through another runic imprint. His mana core is liable to get affected by doing something like this but I guess he doesn''t care."


    Rollo conjectured while separating himself from the firebirds and lightning houndsing at him. He was a metal element ranker with knight ss. But he couldn''t make full use of his ss.


    That''s because every time he cut the Alfem or Taranbiest with his summoned swords, they would just destroy themselves. The newly summoned creatures will soon take their ce. After some more instances like these, Rollo kept wondering if Eren was a summoner instead of a battlemage.


    Now all Rollo could do was depend on Shima and her water element spells to offset his disadvantage while he guarded her.


    "Hm. That makes sense. But we are just wasting our time fighting with summoned creatures like this. That bastard¡­"


    Shima was interrupted in her speech because she was attacked by firebirds. She created another water wall around herself and Rollo before attacking the firebirds with her water spikes. The approaching Taranbiests were handled by Rollo''s less effective but persistent summoned-sword attacks.<sub> </sub>


    Shima looked around herself and was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of summoned creatures she and Rollo were surrounded by. Their persistent attacks had given them some breathing room.


    She took a deep breath before saying what she wanted to say.


    "That white-haired bastard separated us by making us attack him at various ces beforeunching his offense. We thought that we were attacking him. But he was just ying with us. This distances us from each other.


    Now we need to congregate. Half of us can establish a joint defense line against these summoned nuisances, and the other half can attack him. The way things are progressing, it won''t be long before Halder¡­."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Just when Shima was talking about Halder and beginning to look in his direction, she heard the sound of a huge detonationing from the same direction. She had her eyes opened wide when she saw what had taken ce where Eren and Halder were duking it out.


    Eren simply overwhelmed the spider golem with his summoned creatures.


    The non-stop attacks from Alfem and Eren''s axes destroyed Halder''s spider golem. The dwarf was using a golem array in conjunction with his spell. Eren''s consistent attacks simply broke the array and made it impossible for Halder to keep the spell on.


    "You finally came out!"


    Eren said, taking a long breath. He looked unperturbed by the number of efforts he had to put in to destroy the dwarf''s spider golem. His mana circuits were indeed stressing themselves. But he was fine overall.


    "You fucking¡­"


    Blitz Steps


    Twin Star Arts


    Igni Wave


    ng! ng! ng!


    Halder found himself defending against Eren''s ax attacks before he could finish cursing him.


    ng. Swoosh. Skitch.


    Before Halder knew it, he had multiple wounds on his body. Even with his mana-based Ax-wielding martial arts, he could barely defend himself against Eren''s erratic attacks.


    Jeet Kune Do was seamlessly merged with Twin Star Arts. Eren only had the orange and red blur of weapons surrounding him as he fought with Halder. The sparks of metal meeting metal flew around both the rankers as they started using their mana-based martial arts against each other.


    They used their movement spells to stay on their feet and give an edge to their attacks. But one could tell that Eren had Halder''s beat when it came to speed and agility. It was only Halder''s premium-grade armor and his runic broadaxe that were keeping him alive at this point.

 Chapter 194 We Can Live With Dignity; We Can’t Die With It

    ''Finally!''


    Eren''s eyes shone with delight when he finally found someone he could do martial arts with. Most rankers depended on spells and artifacts and paid less attention to their movements and agility. If Halder was anything like those rankers, he would have lost his head by now. Eren''s ax attacks were too wild for any normal ranker to parry or dodge.


    Eren had a light smile on his face as he exchanged moves with the dwarf. He found out that Halder was veryfortable with his short stature and stout build. He used them to his advantage in his martial arts, making them part of his strength.


    Halder could generate more momentum for his swings, courtesy of his mana-based martial arts and his strong arms. His footwork was also equally impressive, not letting Eren catch him off guard with his attacks.


    Halder''s biggest problem was Eren''s airtight defense. He couldn''t inflict anysting damage on his opponent.


    Eren''s bear armor would repel most of his attacks. Even when Halder concentrated consecutive attacks at the same spot, the damage Eren received was insignificant. Eren''s Jeet Kune allowed him to dodge or parry most attacks aimed at him effortlessly.


    The attacks that didnd on him were treated fairly quickly by his lightning-element healing spell. It looked like the more Halder fought with Eren, the more he was getting injured. And the more he got injured the more brutal Eren''s attacks got.


    "Aaah!"


    Halder''s thumb was chopped by one of Eren''s wild attacks. He lost the grip he had on the weapon as a result. Eren used this chance tounch a barrage of ax swings at him. Only Halder''s torso, which was protected by the armor, had remained safe. But his limbs lost chunks of flesh from various angles.


    Halder''s broadaxe had a huge de that was attached to the weapon''s handle by a runic metal bridge serving as its joint. This joint was struck by one of Eren''s ax strikes. He followed that with another strikeunched by his second ax beforeunching Hex Igni Wave.


    Swoosh. ng. Break.


    Halder''s broadaxe was finally broken by Eren''s attacks. And he had a happy smile on his face while doing that. The mage had sweat beads on his forehead. To the observers, it appeared that he had done a fruitful workout rather than having been involved in a serious conflict.


    "Stop¡­ stop fucking ying with me, you pale-ass bastard. If you want to kill me, kill me with honor. Come at me with everything you got."


    Halder threw away the de-less handle of the ax he was holding and expressed his frustration to Eren. He could see Eren''s face stered with a smile while dealing with him. It was apparent that the battlemage was using him more like a warm-up than his real life-and-death foe.


    Halder considered Eren''s act of conducting himself on the battlefield as disrespecting his opponent. However, Eren only had to enjoy a battle with fellow martial artists in his mind.


    "A ranker can die but his honor as a warrior cannot be trifled with."


    Eren stopped in his tracks when he heard Halder''s words. He realized what he was doing with the dwarf and could understand what he was trying to imply.


    "Personally, I''m against dying, no matter what it takes. But I understand your point and will respect it."<sub> </sub>


    Eren said and lightning struck in his ce. A red-orange flying attack was summoned out of the blue. It cut through the air and produced a wave of haze in the vicinity. In the next moment, Halder''s head was chopped off clean while his body was still standing steady.


    "Rest in peace."


    Eren mumbled to nobody in particr as he appeared behind him just when thetter''s chopped head dropped to the ground. The battlemage swung his axe around him to get rid of the blood before looking around.


    Shaking his head, he adjusted his hair as his eyes narrowed.


    "Hm. One down. Where should I go next?"


    ***


    Only two minutes into the conflict, Eren had taken care of one of the most capable fighters in the Spiders'' group. The rest of the Spiders were keeping tabs on the fight from beginning to end with their mana sense. As a result, they were made aware of Eren''s battle potential. All of them couldn''t help having grim lines on their faces when Halder lost his life fighting with Eren.


    There was one Spider, or to be precise, ex-Spider, who was d of the recent turn of events. Ariadne felt her instincts had hit the bull''s eye when she observed Halder had lost his head.


    ''Sigh. We can live with dignity; we can''t die with it. Not that the poor imp had any better choice when he thought of facing off against that man.''


    Ariadne said to herself as she processed Halder''sst words. She was battling with a demonic ranker who had been hired as a Spider member by the guild just like her. She had decided to attack a fellow demonic ranker like herself after choosing mutiny.


    The illusionist had a bit of a soft spot for Halder because he had tried to approach her many times using various tricks and gifts. Of course, she had epted his gifts upon his insistence but rejected his advances. So she would be lying if she said that she felt nothing about Halder''s death.


    ? However, she was d to have changed sides. She could never jeopardize her safety for her emotions.


    "You know a lot about him, don''t you, bitch?"


    Ariadne''s opponent asked while looking at her hatefully. They had both stopped their movements to take a breather. The illusionist chuckled before answering carelessly.


    "Hehe. Yeah, you can say that. Particrly after the Spiders learned about Geer''s incident. Reading about that case was an eye-opener for me."


    Ariadne said and chuckled. Despite receiving the leaked report from the Stardust guild, the Spiders were guessing that Mia was the one who had subjugated Geer''s entire team using some artifact.


    But seeing her and Eren''s picture in the report made Ariadne realize that things weren''t as simple as the Spiders were making it out to be. Eren was still not on the Spiders'' radar. However, he was on Ariadne''s. And she had decided not to fight with him because she had realized what he was capable of.

 Chapter 195 Dread

    Eren''s mana sense sent him warning signs just when he was about to change the battlefield. A projectile was being aimed at him from a distance.


    Blitz Steps


    Eren disappeared from his position just when the projectile was about to hit him. But he soon found out that it was a homing type and could follow him.


    Eren looked back as the projectile pursued him relentlessly. He soon found out that it was a sound-element arrow that was gaining on him at breakneck speeds.


    Eren was about to use his limited teleportation runic imprint to get away from the arrow''s trajectory. But it was too fast for him to dodge it. And since it was a homing-type, it was unclear if he would have been safe even after using the teleport.


    Swoosh. Boom. Ohm!


    "Aaaargh!"


    Eren''s mana circuits went haywire when the sound element arrow hit him. The impact created high-frequency sound waves that were almost enough to knock him out. The sound-element mana also entered his system, wreaking havoc inside him by rupturing his tissues.


    ''Got him! Go.''


    Viyu spoke to Shima through voicemunication while dealing with her share of summoned creatures. Viyu was one of the Spiders'' rangers. She was an elf with an affinity for the sound element.


    Viyu was a tall and slim elf who had stoic expressions on her face when she hit the bull''s eye against Eren from a rtivelyrge distance. She was happy that she could target Eren. But something about the way Eren was using his spells felt weird to her. And for some reason, she didn''t look too excited about engaging with him.


    The elves were known to be more sensitive toward the subtle intricacies of mana fluctuations. As such, she could feel that Eren wasn''t using the array to support his powerful spells.


    One had to note that Viyu was using the sound-element runes stored in her scroll to make her sound-element arrows homing-type and make them more lethal than they already were. She only had two more runes stored in her scroll. It meant that she could fire the arrows she had just used on Eren two more times.


    The Spiders were congregating towards each other. They hade to realize that no matter how many times they fought with the summoned creatures and killed them, more were ready to take their ce. As if Eren was constantly supplying his spells with an abundance of mana.


    Thus, the Spiders could open a joint front against the summoned creatures while some of them focused on the root cause behind their current suffering. Shima was able to break free from her siege of summoned creatures because of the team efforts done by other Spiders. Viyu was also able to target Eren because she could have breathing room provided by her team members.


    Shima was a lizard-type beastkin who had a water-element affinity. She was an assassin by profession. That''s because she could camouge herself with her surroundings and turn invisible. Even her mana signatures would almost disappear whenever she turned invisible.


    Shima hadn''t used this bloodline power in the current conflict because she didn''t want Eren to know about it beforehand. But when she saw that Viyu''s sound element had affected Eren so much that he was brought to his knees, she decided that now was the right time for her to use her bloodline powers.


    Eren''s condition was not too rosy after suffering from such an intense invasion of foreign mana in his system. His ears were still buzzing. He had a nosebleed from both his nostrils. And even his tear ducts had been affected, making him shed tears unintentionally.


    The battlemage''s muscle coordination had also been affected because the sound waves had done a number on his central nervous system. His vision waspromised. And he felt like he had eaten iron because internal bleeding of his internal organs had made him have blood in his mouth.


    He recognized immediately that the sound-element ranger he had zeroed in on was the most dangerous of all the Spiders for him. If she hits him with that projectile one more time, it would be game over for him. While he might have dodged the arrows, he didn''t know the extent to which the ranger could control her projectiles or what her shooting limits were.


    Eren did not underestimate the ranger because despite wearing bear armor, she was able to affect him. It couldn''t provide viable protection against something as intangible as the sound element. It only reduced its impact and lowered the amount of foreign mana invasion he had to face to some degree. Eren could only me the ranger''s element as the bane of his armor.


    As such, Eren knew that he was prone to attacks in his current situation. He forced his mana circuits to perform and cast his AoE spell. He had to split a mouthful of blood because of the stress his internal organs were feeling.


    "Aaaaaargh! I''ll fucking kill everyone here!"


    Eren screamed in pain and agony as he tried tounch his Area of Effect spell that he hadn''t used for a long time. A dreadful atmosphere was created within the isted space as his mana-infused voice mixed with his will.


    Shima had just reached Eren from behind. She was about tounch a mortal strike on him by driving a knife through the bone cavity between his jaw and his neck joint. But just then Eren screamed and she was hit with the most intense form of dread and vilenessing from him.


    Shima was brought to her knees when she felt Eren''s sinister aura wash over her. She couldn''t believe that a Meta ranker like her could have such a sinister presence. As if he had killed countless numbers of people without batting an eye.<sub> </sub>


    ''This man is¡­ bad news. Forget fighting with him. We should run away from him as soon as we can.


    There''s no fighting with this devil.


    Shima had to sit on the ground to stabilize her condition. Or to be more precise, her legs had given up on her. And she was d they did. Otherwise, she would have lost control over her dder and bowel movements after getting so close to the source of the dread.


    ''Run¡­ Shima. Run away from him.''


    Shima tried to self-motivate herself while somehow maintaining her camouge spell. A task she was failing consistently.


    Eren was on his knees not too far away from Shima. He had his hands clutching his ears. He had his eyes closed.


    Eren was still screaming to deal with the excess amount of pain he was being subjected to by the sound-element rune Viyu had used on him. His mind was not entirely under his control. His instincts had taken over him and his will had seeped into all his active spells.


    Every person present in the isted space felt gripped by dread. Nobody was spared from feeling the need to question the life choices that had led them here.


    ***


    Eren''s summoned creatures stopped attacking the Spiders when Eren screamed in pain. But they didn''t disperse. Instead, they started morphing into something more sinister.


    The firebirds grew in size and started growing horns on their foreheads. Their previously indiscernible eyes started elongating and it looked like the firebirds had been injected with a breath of life.


    The firebirds'' bodies started changing as well. Apart from growing big, they began disying fire-element runes on their bodies. Their beaks were elongated as well. Furthermore, they started exuding more sinister vibes.


    The lightning hounds had even more drastic transformations than the creatures of Alfem. Their bodies became evenrger and more solid-like. One could see the muscr definitions on their mana bodies as the lightning streaks danced all around them.


    Lightning hounds'' heads looked nothing like those of hounds. Instead, it turned more wolf-like with lightning fangs jutting out of their mouths. They also started disying sawtooth-like dentures.


    Their limbs became fuller and lightning cracked on each of their feet. Their tails grew as well and it looked like they had turned into lightning whips.


    ''What¡­ What in the world is happening? Why am I feeling shakes like these?''


    Roko, who was a former demonic ranker, was shaking after feeling the dreadful aura generated by Eren. He hadn''t felt anything like what he had just experienced.


    Roko had dealt with or met up with his share of some of the evilest demonic rankers of their generation. But he could tell that Eren''s aura was the vilest evil presence he had felt in his lifetime.


    The Spiders started looking at each other with horrified expressions as they watched the summoned creatures proceed with their sinister transformation. They hade to realize that they had greatly underestimated the situation they were in.


    Eren was still clutching his head while releasing the dreadful aura around him. The pain he felt was too unbearable for him. As such, he couldn''t speak or even form coherent words.


    However, the Spiders in the surroundings suddenly heard a deep voice in their minds that prompted them to give up on fighting with Eren.


    ''As their dried and dead blood


    Paint my skin merlot


    My calluses are chipped away


    And liberated are my thoughts¡­''

 Chapter 196 No Power Is Worth Losing Self Control Over

    "What kind of magic is this?"


    Rollo couldn''t help asking himself as he heard the voice in his head as he watched the summoned creatures surrounding him and others respond to it by bing docile. At the same time, his instincts told him to be docile as well.


    "This can''t be done. This man is probably cursed or something by some demonic ritual or spell. We can''t be sitting ducks in this cage.


    Roko, lead the newly recruited Spiders and help us make our way out of this isted area. Use this."


    Kazak said to Rollo before giving him an array disk. The Spiders had taken advantage of the summoned creatures not attacking them and getting together.


    The array disk was a space-element device that had spell-collection and spell-release functions. Spell effects could be stored inside the array as long as they could manifest in the surrounding environment.


    One could load a series of spells in each of the array disk''s space fractals. And they could release all the spells at once when the need arises. One could only get three uses out of the array disk and Rollo had used it twice.


    Of course, Rollo had paid a hefty amount to get his hands on the array disk. That''s because his Summoning Weapons spells could be easily stored inside the device. They could be used to overwhelm his opponents when he was in a dire pinch.


    However, Rollo decided to not use the spell for himself. This was no time to be selfish. This was no time to fight. Rollo would lose his trump card in the fight, but all the Spiders would escape the maniac.


    Kazak was on a different tangent when Eren was working through his predicament. He looked at Eren carefully beforemanding Shima, who he knew from Viyu, had gotten close to Eren and was still in disguise.


    "I think you guys are freaking out for no reason."


    Kazak spoke in a deep voice with a serious look on his face. Roko snorted before responding.


    "You almost shat your pants with us, Kazak."


    Kazak furrowed his eyebrows before correcting himself.


    "Alright. Fair point. WE are freaking out for no reason. Look at the guy. He suffers because of Viyu''s timely attack on him. He is incapable of fighting.


    The summoned creatures around us had gotten stronger. But they have lost their will to fight with us. Probably because their summoner is out of his mind and doesn''t know what he is doing anymore.


    This is the time to strike."


    Kazak says while looking at the rest of the Spiders beside him. Rollo pondered a bit before adding up.


    "But the way he¡­"


    Kazak shook his head and interrupted Rollo before he could continue.


    "You don''t get it. I''m not saying we shouldn''t try escaping. But that can''t be the only thing we need to be doing at this point. We also need to attack the guy when he is down.


    I get that he is stronger than we had thought. But we don''t have a choice but to fight him."


    Kazak was acting as the de facto leader of the Spiders as hemanded them.


    "Roko would lead the new Spiders and try to break the istion array. But we won''t remain idle.


    Rest of you guys, await mymands and follow my lead."


    Kazak''s demeanor changed when he gave those orders to his teammates. They subconsciously preferred him being the leader because they really wanted to be led.


    Roko led the ex-demonic-rankers and approached the barrier with Rollo''s array disk in his hand. The rest of the Spiders were now awaiting Kazak''s instructions.


    Kazak looked in Eren''s direction. He could feel that Eren''s predicament was settling down. His aura was getting stabilized. ncing around Eren, he used his voicemunication channel.


    ''Shima, don''t lose courage now. We count on you. Assassinate the guy and free us from this situation.''


    Shima, who was trying to run away from her position, was startled by hearing Kazak''s voice. Her invisibility was still maintained. But not for an assassination attempt on Eren. She just didn''t want to intimidate him.


    ''Kazak¡­ I can''t do¡­''


    ''Nobody would be able to do this if you backed down from your task, Shima. This is not a question of what we can or can''t do. This is the question of what we HAVE to do if we want to survive the ordeal.<sub> </sub>


    You willunch a strike on my go. Prepare yourself.''


    Kazak said and gave Shima a few seconds to prepare. He then contacted Viyu without looking at her. This was a personal voice channel instead of the group voicemunication the Spiders were using.


    ''Shima''s strike will probably fail. I hate to say it but you''d have to use her as a decoy tounch your second attack of the same caliber on the monster.''


    Viyu opened her eyes wide and couldn''t help looking at Kazak with a shocked expression.


    ''The effect the rune generates doesn''t let me discriminate, Kazak. Those sound-element waves won''t differentiate between a friend and a foe when Shima is in the vicinity of the attack. They''ll both die¨C Shima sooner than that man because of her weaker constitution.''


    Kazak narrowed his eyes at Eren before speaking up.


    ''A sacrifice is necessary if we want to get away from this farce. I don''t want to agitate the others before the attack. That''s why I only contacted you. However, I will be responsible for making you do this if your attacknds on the target.


    If we are safe, I''ll bear the consequences. If we are not, hehe, then at least we tried our darnedest.''


    Viyu had conflicting emotions when she heard Kazak''s n. She wanted to say that she could just shoot Eren when he is down without Shima attacking him. Despite his predicament, Eren would still be most sensitive to her lethal arrows.


    He could use teleportation to evade her attacks. And just as Eren didn''t know the extent of Viyu''s attack capabilities, she didn''t know the number of times he could teleport. Using Shima''s attack and Shima by proxy as a decoy was a heartless but logical choice.


    Viyu and Kazak didn''t want to let the weapon of subjugating Eren be put to waste. They only had two of them remaining after all.


    Viyu also understood the necessity of Kazak''s n. The rational person in her could see the necessity behind Kakar''s n. However, she was having a hard time effectively sending Shima to her death.


    Kazak didn''t let the twodies think about how he would defeat Eren with his cunning strategy. He drew out his halberd and gripped it tightly beforemanding Shima.


    ''Shima, it''s time. Go. Don''t worry, we''ll support you.''


    Kazak said and contacted Viyu.


    "Raise and aim, Viyu. Show me what you got.''


    ***


    It took a while for Eren toe to his senses. The first thing he did after getting control over himself was to retract the bear armor he was wearing.


    The Hex gear set was meant to be used as a conduit between his spells and his will. However, it was now clear to Eren that his will had been marked with something really sinister. It did not try to harm him. But its mere presence was affecting his spells and his consciousness.


    As a result, Eren retracted his Hex gear so that his will would not manifest itself in uncontroble ways. When the conduit was no longer there, the will that was hiding deep within him gradually stopped affecting the surroundings as well as the summoned creatures.


    Eren got his focus back after his Hex gear was retracted. He had decided that he wouldn''t use his Hex gear casually anymore. Not until he resolved the issue with his will by consulting with Kino.


    Eren knew that his Hex spells were only beginning to get stronger. They were breaking the limits even most Hex users had defined for their ranks. However, no power was worth losing control over. Only when he was in control could he dictate his actions and the consequences thate with them.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    The battlemage felt the rity in his head return to him. His stacked summoning spell was broken and all his vicious-looking summoned creatures were dispersed into thin air all of a sudden. Arge portion of the burden on mana circuits that had been strained suddenly disappeared.


    However, just as he was about to get up from his position, Eren sensed another threatening attack aimed at him. After clearing his subconscious, he realized that he would not be able to dodge itpletely.


    "Aaaaargh."


    Eren was subjected to another round of pain when he found his left shoulder getting pierced by Shima''s daggers. He had changed his position at thest second and used his own shoulder as a roadblock to prevent her from getting his jugr. He had made sure that the dagger would pierce his shoulder by directing it with his right hand.


    Shima understood what had happened only a moment after it had taken ce. She yanked off her dagger from Eren''s grip and made him lose a sizable chunk of flesh over his right palm and his shoulder.


    Eren was severely injured by Shima''s attack. But that was not a positive thing for Shima and her team members because the attack was nowhere near fatal.


    "Aaaah! I missed it. Kazak!"

 Chapter 197 Adelmans Ring

    "Aaaah! I missed it. Kazak!"


    Eren''s reflexes had allowed him to react to Shima''s attack at the veryst moment, preventing the lizard-type beastkin from fatally wounding him. Shima retreated as soon as she could after she saw that her attack had missed the mark.


    Shima couldn''t maintain her camouge after attacking Eren. She asked for Kazak''s intervention in the hopes that she would be provided with cover for her retreat. After all, she wasn''t a closebat fighter and her body stats were not meant for frontalbat against someone like Eren.


    Shima had only created a bit of distance between herself and Eren when she felt something cut a strand of her hair. A sound-element arrow had been shot in the direction of her retreat. Instead of being provided with a cover, Shima realized that her retreat was being used as a decoy to attack Eren.


    "You motherfu¡­."


    Kinnnnnnnn!


    The sound element arrow was detonated abruptly when it was closing on Eren. A cloud of mana storm was created as the arrow detonated, blurring the vision of everybody like it was some kind of smokeless haze.


    Shima was about to curse Kazak and Viyu for their insidious way of using her. The arrow detonated near her, and she was caught in its effects. Therefore, she felt the effects immediately on her body. She couldn''t evenplete her cursings as she lost control over her body''s functions and nervous system.


    In the next moment, Shima was dropped to the ground with her eyes and her nostrils bleeding. Her ear canals started dripping blood as well. The beastkin died right after spitting blood from her mouth. Her heart just gave up on her after being subjected to a heavy foreign mana invasion.


    "Viyu, what the fuck did you do? Are you backstabbing us too?"


    Rollo yelled at Viyu before charging at her with his sword drawn. It was uneptable to him that another Spider had seemingly betrayed them. However, Kazak used his movement spell to intercept Rollo and caught him by his shoulder.


    "Wait, Rollo. Viyu did that under my suggestion. I was responsible for using Shima as a decoy to get to that bastard."


    Viyu was too stunned to realize that Kazak had really stood by his word and taken responsibility. She kept on looking at Shima''s lifeless body that was lying on the ground with her moist eyes.


    ''You¡­ you are not at fault Viyu. It''s the circumstances. They forced you to take this action. I¡­ I am sorry Shima. I really didn''t want to hurt you like this."


    The ranger had tears running down her cheeks as Rollo and Kazak argued. She didn''t pay attention to what they were yelling.


    The elf closed her eyes and looked up to deal with the conflicting emotions she was feeling at the time. When she opened her eyes, she saw the same pixtedyer of the barrier that prevented her from looking at the sky clearly.


    She was about to look at her team members and try to break the ongoing fight between Kazak and Rollo. But then she felt something was wrong after looking at the barrier.


    ''The barrier is still active. If that monster was the array eye operator of this isted space, shouldn''t it be dispersed after his dea¡­''


    A wave of dread washed over Viyu as she came to a possibility of why the isted space was still working. The sound-element haze still obscured the Spiders'' vision and mana sense as she looked in Eren''s direction.


    Viyu opened her eyes in horror when she could see a blurred shadow standing amid the haze. She quickly identified who that shadow belonged to. The elf''s lips started quivering and her eyes started shedding more tears.


    Instead of getting scared by the shadow, she was angry at it for surviving her attacks. An attack that killed one of her team members. Because it was now clear to the ranger that Shima had died in vain.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! He¡­ he is still alive¡­"


    Viyu cried out of anger and injustice. She felt that it was Eren''s moral duty to die with Shima because only that way she could make sense of her team member''s death.


    Rollo and Kazak stopped fighting when they heard their ranger''s cry. They both froze from punching each other in the face and looked in Viyu''s direction only to follow her gaze.


    "How¡­ how the fuck did he survive?"


    Kazak was most shocked and guilt-ridden by the recent developments of events. He had thought that Eren was a done deal with the way he had set a trap for him using Shima and Viyu both. He was lowkey proud of himself for saving both his and his teammates'' lives.


    Roko and the team of Spiders he was leading were also stunned by the recent turn of events. They had reached one corner of the isted space where the barrier touched the ground.<sub> </sub>


    They were in the process of filing the array disk with their various spells. The ex-demonic rankers, however, were also keeping a close eye on Eren''s condition with their mana senses.


    "Fill up the array disk faster, guys. We don''t have much time.


    That monster''s still kicking. We may have to ditch these idiots and the House of Spiders as well after escaping from this wretched ce."


    In a grim voice, Roko addressed his team members. The rest of the group looked in Eren''s direction and saw a blurred shadow. But their mana senses were telling them that he was in pretty good shape.


    Roko wanted to use the entire team of Spiders as their rear guard to escape from their current predicament. Just like Kazak used Shima as a decoy. Only there was no camaraderie involved when it came to the ex-demonic rankers. They only wanted to do this for their own survival.


    Roko and the ex-demonic rankers quickly started filling up the array disks with their respective spells. They were now eager to drop the "ex" behind their reference and embrace the demonic life once again.


    ***


    Raise. Aim. Swoosh.


    "Die¡­ you monster¡­ just die."


    Another runic arrow was fired at Eren by the emotionally agitated Viyu. This was herst rune-empowered arrow that she could shoot at Eren. She followed the lethal strike with a barrage of her normal long-range attacks, giving everything she had to get rid of the blurred monster standing in the now-fading sound-element haze.


    Only now were the Spiders able to see that Eren had deployed a semi-transparent barrier around him. It had to be an artifact-generated protective shell because the Spiders hadn''t sensed Eren casting a defensive spell of his own.


    The sound-element arrow was repelled away by the barrier. He was safe inside the barrier while the aftermath of the runic arrow''s detonation wreaked havoc around the surroundings once again.


    The Spiders realized how Eren had stayed alive after facing the insidious attack on him concocted by Kazak and Viyu. He had deployed the barrier when he realized he couldn''t dodge or divert the arrow.


    "This ring really came in handy."


    They heard Eren''s casual voice from the blurred haze created by the sound waves congregating in one ce. He couldn''t move while the barrier was active. So all he could do now was wait until the sound-element mana dispersed from his surroundings.


    Eren looked at the ring he was wearing and shed a smile. This was the ring he had received from Rog the assassin. He would rarely use this artifact on his missions because he didn''t find himself in a really life-threatening situation until now.


    However, Eren knew that those rune-empowered sound-element arrows were no joke. He had to admit to himself that he was lowkey scared of them. They could rob him of his movements and his ability to cast spells. The mortifying pain they inflicted on him was a different matter altogether.


    There was one more reason Eren didn''t like using the ring. It would keep him in one ce after the barrier had been deployed. His battle style was centered around his Blitz Steps. As a result, its use would create a conflict in his style.


    This w in the ring''s usage was shown to him by none other than Ariadne. She was the one who had effectively used the ring''s properties against him and made him disperse its barrier mid-fight.


    However, Eren realized how critical the defensive aspect was in a ranker''s life at this point. Sometimes waiting around wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. Especially when one was already surrounded by multiple opponents.


    Eren would have been in a critical situation if not outright dead if he didn''t have this ring with him. For that, he was thankful for the ring and its effects.


    "This¡­ Adelman''s ring!"


    Roko yelled in surprise as he saw Eren''s barrier from a distance. The battlemage looked in the ex-demonic ranker''s direction and couldn''t help thinking to himself.


    ''Hmm. Adelman''s ring, huh? First Jario and now this guy. The demonic rankers seem very familiar with this ring. I need to find out more about this artifact.''


    ===


    AN: Eren obtains Adelman''s ring in chapter 98. Its name was first mentioned by Jario in chapter 109.

 Chapter 198 No Hard Feelings

    ''Hmm. Adelman''s ring, huh? First Jario and now this guy. Demonic rankers seem to be very familiar with this ring. I need to find out more about this artifact.''


    Eren adjusted the ring on his finger with his other hand and thought to himself.


    He had deployed his lightning-element healing spell while he was waiting inside the barrier. He was regrowing his flesh at a visible rate as lightning streaks danced all around his body.


    The ring still had one charge remaining to cast another defensive barrier around him. But Eren figured out that was not required anymore since the sound element arrows that were shing against his currently deployed barrier were not rune-empowered.


    "Ran out of trump cards, did we?"


    Eren''s cold voice was heard by Viyu as she kept on firing her long-range spells at him. She had panicked and sorrowful expressions on her face. Hearing Eren''s voice added a facet of anger to it. Because it told her Eren waspletely fine inside.


    "Die¡­ you bas¡­ Aaaaaaaah!"


    Viyu was still shooting at Eren with her runic bow when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked down to see a Bichua had pierced her heart from behind. It looked like somebody was even better at camouging than Shima. And they had done their job very well.


    "You!"


    Viyu turned back and saw the face of her former team member attacking her. Ariadne had made use of Viyu''s shaken mental state and the fact that everyone was concentrating on Eren.


    She had turned invisible with her illusion spells when she saw that Eren had crashed on the ground, screaming. She didn''t like the odds of her fighting against so many Spiders when he was down.


    She didn''t want to betray someone like Eren. But she also didn''t want to aggravate the Spiders more than they already had been. So the survival specialist decided to wait and watch by killing the first opponent she had and disappearing along with his body.


    Eren''s breakdown, Viyu''s sabotage of Shima, and in the end, the fight between Kazak and Rollo had kept the Spiders busy in their heads. They did not have time or energy to spare and keep track of Ariadne who was less threatening between Eren and her.


    "No hard feelings, Viyu."


    Ariadne said and pursed her lips before twisting her Bichua inside Viyu''s heart. She then pulled it out and released the grip on her victim''s shoulders. Viyu dropped to the ground with her eyes wide and disbelief was written on her face.


    She couldn''t have guessed that Eren wouldn''t have to lift a finger to kill her. Death came knocking on her doors when she was least expecting it.


    ''Shima must have cursed me pretty badly before dying. As you sow, so shall you reap.''


    Viyu had those thoughts running through her head when she took herst breath. The whole thing happened so fast that the Spiders only started looking at Viyu when she was dropped on the ground.


    "Bitch¡­. I''ll fucking kill you."


    This time it was Kazak who charged Ariadne when he realized what she had done to Viyu. Using a runic halberd with a giant de, the berserker sent a flying attack at her while approaching her with his berserker-empowered spells.


    Zoom. Swoosh. Cut.


    Ariadne had a stunned expression on her face as she was chopped vertically by Kazak''s flying acid sh. Her vertically split body started producing smoke as it was being corroded by the acid.


    Kazak approached Ariadne and continued to attack her. He was very angry and frustrated by the whole turn of events when Viyu died. So he wanted to vent his emotions on the one enemy he could afford to vent them on.


    Acid Whip


    Acid Spikes


    Acid des


    Kazak rained down several mid-range spells on Ariadne whose vertically split body started getting corroded by the berserker''s spell. However, he found that something was up when the body started changing its looks.


    By the time Kazak reached Viyu''s side, she had already died. And when he looked at her killer''s body, it turned out to be another Spider that Ariadne had killed beforehand.


    "Aaaaaaargh¡­ that backstabbing whore!"


    Kazak was about to get out of control after he realized that Ariadne had pulled another trick on him. She wasn''t a strong fighter. But one had to say that she had made effective use of her illusion spells.


    Ariadne had vanished into thin air. Waiting for her next kill in the shadows. By this point, she had confirmed that Eren was bound to win this struggle for survival. So it was in her best interest to do her job and aid him however she could.<sub> </sub>


    Rollo hadn''t followed Kazak after he watched Viyu die in front of him. He didn''t feel any sympathy for her after she had killed Shima for whatever reason. He felt that it was her Karma that had led the ranger to her end.


    Another Spider had sumbed to circumstances just like that.


    Eren looked at the remaining Spiders one by one and took a long breath. He was impressed with the way Ariadne had yed her role in the situation. She struck just at the right time and left him to do the heavy lifting once again.


    ''Alright. My wounds are all healed. Let me put an end to this whole thing.''


    Eren thought to himself before dispersing the barrier. He didn''t need the summoned creatures to take care of two opponents.


    Rollo and Kazak both looked at each other before nodding their heads. It was time to bury the hatchet and deal with theirmon enemy first. The one who had just escaped his self-imposed prison.


    Various spell fluctuations were observed in the vicinity all at once. The three rankers disappeared from their positions and shed in the middle of the battlefield.


    The sparks flew and the sounds of weapons shing against each other could be heard in quick session when Eren started dealing with two rankers all by himself. His mastery over the Twin Star Arts as well as the Jeet Kune Do was put to a test.


    Eren had to maintain Blitz Heal along with his regr spells because of Kazak''s acid-element spells that kept on damaging his skin. He would often use the Blitz Storm spell to catch both opponents off guard andunch a powerful attack at them using his exceptional weapon control.


    The orange and red lines produced by the Igni Wave zed around Eren as they repelled the attacks thrown at him by the two rankers. Both Spiders sustained multiple serious injuries before long.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Cut.


    The battlemage cut off Kazak''s scalp when he tried to duck under Eren''s almost unpredictable axe attack. He had managed to save his neck but ended up losing his epidermis over his head. His red hair was separated from his head along with the scalp.


    "Aaaaargh!"


    A serious injury to the top of the berserker''s head caused him to cry in pain. Rollo came to his rescue and attacked Eren with all he had, offering him a breather.


    Rollo led Eren a bit away from Kazak as he gritted his teeth and prevented his hands from touching the open wound that almost exposed his white cranium. He took out a healing potion from his storage.


    "Hang on, Rollo. I''m¡­"


    Kitching!


    The vial in Rollo''s hand was destroyed by Eren''s Igni Bolt st. He had managed to draw his crossbow and take aim at the guy while he was busy fighting with Rollo.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    Kazak found himself at the receiving end of three more Igni Bolt st shots fired at him one after the other. They all detonated on his body and surrounded him with a cloud of fire-element mana.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    Kazak couldn''t power up the way he wanted to after Eren managed to stop him even while he was busy with the other opponent. It wasn''t that Rollo was any weaker than the berserker. Using his summoned swords and weapon mastery, the knight attempted to hold Eren at bay.


    However, Eren had managed to overpower Rollo even without employing the Hex spells. He was only alive because of his heavy armor set. Otherwise, he would have his limbs or his head chopped by the battlemage. Maybe both.


    But the heavy armor the knight-ss Spider was wearing could only sustain Eren''s barrage of targeted attacks for so long. It began to send increasing numbers of injuries through its protectiveyer to its wearer.


    Kazak managed to get himself out of the cloud of fire-element mana. His exposed skin had been burnt a bit by the intense mes he was surrounded with not too long ago.


    But before he could look around and join Rollo in his duel with Eren, he noticed something hurling itself at him. At first, he wanted to change positions or duck thinking it was another Igni Bolt st. However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the object that fell on the ground just beside his feet.


    Rollo''s chopped heady on the ground. His shocked and fearful eyes were now staring at Kazak. This was the first time the berserker had seen the knight''s face because thetter had always kept his headgear on him till now.


    Rollo''s eyes lost life in them only when he looked into Kazak''s. The torso-less head was trying to say something to him but there was no voice since the needed vocal cords were no longer there. However, Kazak managed to understand Rollo just fine by lip-reading.


    ''It''s no use.''

 Chapter 199 Plans To Form A Merc Team

    "Aaaa¡­ck!"


    Kazak''s yell and charge were interrupted by Eren''s ax swings as he operated on him. He died the same way Rollo did- his head getting severed from his body.


    Eren didn''t even allow the berserker to enter the berserk mode. After suffering those sound-element arrows, he had stepped up his offensive. One could say that he was venting his frustration.


    Eren wiped the blood that had been sprayed on his face with his palms. He watched in unflinching gaze as the headless berserker''s body ran for a few steps before falling to the ground. The battlemage spat another mouthful of blood and blew his nose to get rid of the coagted blood. Only then did he decide to look for other enemies.


    "Those ex-demonic rankers are still around, you know. I tried attacking them but they know me too well and have already taken precautions against me."


    Ariadne stood beside Eren and spoke in a serious voice. She made him follow her gaze and looked at the distance where several spells were getting released all at once against the barrier.


    The battlemage narrowed his eyes and saw that the team led by Roko was almost done breaking free from the istion barrier using the array disk provided by Rollo. Incidentally, the one who hade up with the n didn''t survive to see his n almoste to fruition.


    "They won''t be heading anywhere. That''s for sure."


    Eren said in a grim voice before taking out an array disk of his own. This was the custom artifact Erenmissioned Malcolm to make for him.


    The battlemage would learn a lot from his enemies. He would take note of things he found peculiar about their battle styles. He would then try to incorporate them on his own if he thought he could use them more effectively.


    Of course, Malcolm would have a hard time dealing with Eren. The Hexer''s requests would be a headache for him to fulfill. However, he was getting paid handsomely by Eren, so he couldn''tin.


    Eren was very inspired by Lagartha''s AoE spell usage. She had selected the array disk that waspatible with her wood-element spell to enhance its effect and reduce its casting time.


    Eren wanted Malcolm toe up with a simr artifact that could be used in conjunction with his most potent AoE¨C Igni Lotus. That''s because it had a long casting time.


    Eren dashed away from his position and charged at the ex-demonic rankers. Ariadne followed right behind him. She didn''t know what Eren was up to. But she didn''t want to give him any reason to attack her.


    ''This should be enough.''


    Eren thought to himself and dropped the array disk he was holding on the ground and stepped on it. He charged the array disk with his mana while executing his fire-element spell. With his infinite mana core at work, he could be as reckless as he wanted to be in feeding the array disk his mana.


    Ariadne detected a change in mana in the surroundings and knew Eren was up to something big.


    ''Looks like I don''t have to fight anymore.''


    She thought to herself as the Igni Lotus bloomed, taking everyone under its domain.


    The team led by Roko had a joyful look on their faces as they watched the istion barrier getting frailer by the second under the constant and amplified attacks sent its way by Rollo''s array disk.


    The istion barrier finally gave in. A sizable hole was created in the barrier that was starting to fix itself once again. But the recovery rate of the barrier was not enough to repair the damage done to it anytime soon. The barrier''s recovery would probably take a minute. But by then, the demonic rankers would have gone their way.


    "Hahaha. Finally! We are free from this hell. My men, quick. Let''s get the fuck away from¡­"


    Roko stopped his victory-like speech midway as he saw the breached istion barrier get masked by another barrier made of fire-element mana. It was evident that the barrier had not been built using the arrayid out beforehand. Barrier''s effects and its execution, however, were too quick to qualify as a mere spell.


    "How the fuck¡­"


    Roko and the rankers that were with him turned back to see Eren staring at them. This was thest clear scene they saw before the clouds of orange and red mes epassed their vision.


    ***


    The Spiders were no more. The only person who survived was an illusionist who stopped referring to herself as a Spider when it was detrimental to her.


    Eren looted the bodies of the rankers he had killed. He had to say that robbing fresh corpses was one of the quickest ways to make money in Gahan. It beats the lucrativeness of mission rewards by a long shot.


    Eren quickly cleaned after himself and got fresh. Following that, he destroyed the corpses and removed the istion barrier.


    The battlemage allowed the illusionist to keep the rewards from her solo kills.<sub> </sub>


    "What are you nning to do with me?"


    Ariadne asked, not afraid to look Eren in the eyes. She knew that if he wanted to kill her, he would have already done that. She was expecting a different answer from him.


    Eren scratched his lightly grown white stubble and looked at Ariadne intently before responding.


    "You know, I would have done the same thing with you as I had done with someone else before¨C make you sign a ve contract. But¡­ you¡­"


    Eren took a long pause and pursed his lips before speaking up.


    "But you don''t look like the person who would keep to herself after signing the contract. You''d somehow find some loopholes in them and make them work against me."


    Ariadne opened her mouth to object to Eren''s words. But he continued to speak without allowing the illusionist to interrupt him.


    "Don''t get me wrong, Ariadne.


    There was this term that you had used. Yes! I remember.


    From one survival specialist to another¨C I can understand why you would want to do that. You like your freedom. You cherish your safety. And you want to keep on improving your ranking status under any circumstances. That''s because you know the value of individual power in this world.


    But circumstances force you to serve someone or some organization. So you have to y by the rules until you find a way to rig the game.


    If I sign a binding contract with you, that''s another restriction ced on you. Something that you would eventually dislike. Not because I treated you unjustly. But because that''s how you see the restrictions ced on you."


    Ariadne didn''t know what to do or say to Eren at this point. Her instincts were telling her to object to Eren''s statements just for objection''s sake. That way, he wouldn''t think ofmitting extreme measures like silencing her the same way he did to the rest of the Spiders.


    However, there was a certain calm Ariadne felt after someone else saw her for who she really was. She had been adopting a lot of personalities throughout her life to gel well with the people she was with. But deep down, she knew she couldn''tmit herself to a cause like the rest of the rankers or demonic rankers.


    Ariadne felt relieved when somebody understood her after only meeting her for the second time. Thus, she didn''t say anything to deny Eren''s im even at the cost of putting her life at risk.


    Eren chuckled when he saw what Ariadne was thinking about. He shook his head before speaking up in a casual tone.


    "Rx. I am not thinking of getting rid of you. And signing a binding contract with you is off the table as well. So how about this? An alliance for mutual benefits. An alliance between two survival specialists."


    Aria raised her eyebrows before asking promptly.


    "What kind of alliance are we talking about?"


    Eren looked at the sky and had a pensive look on his face. He took his time to reply this time.


    "To be frank, the guild system is great for steady growth. But it still offers mediocre growth potential for most rankers. I don''t have the talent for ying by the rules either.


    I don''t want to be a demonic ranker either. Speedy growth is not worth it if one attracts unwanted heat."


    Ariadne stared at Eren with a puzzled expression before asking up.


    "Then what do you want to do exactly?"


    Eren stopped looking at the darkening sky and looked in Ariadne''s direction. Her seductive figure seemed more attractive under the moonlight cast over her by Gahan''s two moons.


    The battlemage kept the axes in his storage and walked towards Ariadne. He stopped only when he was less than an arm''s distance away from her. He looked her in the eyes before speaking up.


    "I am thinking of forming a mercenary team in the future when I break into the Awakened rank, Ariadne. My personal project can give me the growth I want as a ranker. It will note under any organization''s umbre. And it will operate on its own terms.


    Are you interested in bing its first member?"

 Chapter 200 Same Brand Of Delusional

    Eren hade to realize something after he snapped out of his peculiar state induced by the sound-element arrow. He was going to be a liability if he doesn''t fix the problem he has using the Hex spells.


    And he had a feeling that even if he gains the needed control over his Hex spells without his dormant will taking over everything, he wouldn''t be the same person he was back on Earth. Eventually, he would start bing more of who he already was.


    Something about him was bound to change as he kept on using the Hex spells. A tamed monster only became tamed after it had been put on a leash. But it won''t change the monster itself.


    Thus, as he grows and progresses further in his ranking journey, he won''t work in the same capacity as the rest of the rankers in his guild. Plus, the Hex spells'' usage was bound to spur his growth as a ranker. The resources he obtains through the guild won''t be enough for him in the future.


    He hadn''t made any tangible progress toward getting back at Raquel Ray. For that, he needed to prove his worth to House Ray even though he had been invited into its inner circle by Van Straban. Then there was his goal to resurrect Tory the way he was resurrected.


    Eren needed to grow strong at an unbelievable rate if he wanted to achieve these things. Dying them would only make them more difficult to achieve for him.


    Therefore, Eren concluded that he needed a side hustle to meet his needs of having an exceptional growth spurt. Something that would allow him to earn money and other ranking resources without being bound by the restrictions. The same restrictions the guilds would ce on their rankers.


    Forming a mercenary team was the answer he hade up with while fighting the Spiders. The Spiders had also taught him something very useful. He couldn''t just depend on the guild to advance further in his ranking journey. Sometimes being too dependent on the guild could lead to the guild bing too dependent on them to aplish certain tasks.


    A guild''s membership served the rankers well until it didn''t. It was all dependent on the guild''s circumstances at that point.


    The merc teams were handled by the mercenary guilds. But the mercenary guilds were different from the normal guilds in a way that they didn''t have many official guild members. Their role was merely to act as a conduit between the mercenaries and the kingdoms or influential figures.


    Mercenaries could also take up missions from the normal guilds if the respective organizations allowed them. However, since they weren''t bound by the same rules and regtions set by the guild, the mercenaries imed no responsibility for their actions. As such, the normal guilds would hardly assign anything to the mercenaries.


    Additionally, mercenary guilds received challenging or shady missions because both parties weren''t bound by the same textbook rules. There were some things only mercenaries could do better than the guild members of a legit guild.


    However, increased risks carry bigger rewards. Mercenaries were paid handsomely to take and carry out such off-the-books missions.


    Everything in life has a price. Even freedom came at a cost one would often ignore.


    ***


    "Are you interested in bing its first member?"


    Eren asked, looking Ariadne in the eyes. He looked at him with a surprised expression before asking.


    "Are you nning to leave your guild after bing an Awakened?"


    Eren pursed his lips and shook his head before responding.


    "No. At least not anytime soon. I don''t want topletely exit the guild system and deprive myself of the steady supply of resources it offers. Not unless I assure myself that I can survive and thrive without it."


    Eren said this and took a long breath. As if he could already see the struggle thaty ahead of him. He adjusted his hair bybing his finger through it and continued.


    "So I''ll have to bnce my roles as a guild member and the head of my mercenary unit. And I can surely use someone who thinks like me and acts like me to serve as my proxy whenever it is needed. Someone who knows how this wretched world really works and does not operate merely on emotions.


    I want someone who has lived their life in both light and shadow. Someone who can be resourceful with whatever jobs we may end up taking."


    When Eren said those things to Ariadne, he really meant them. She could be the right person for him to control and manage the mercenary team he is trying to build. She was smart and adaptable. And had a mind of her own that could see through the possible dangers thaty ahead.


    Eren wasn''t sure of her leadership qualities. But it was not like he had any experience in that field himself. Of course, he wasn''t too optimistic about turning a foe into a friend. But he wanted to give it a shot because things would fall into the right ce for him if it did work by some chance.


    "Alright. That answers where I fit in your goals. But what is in it for me?"<sub> </sub>


    Asked Ariadne while having thoughts of her own swirling inside her head. The battlemage didn''t take long to answer.


    "My offer to you is simple, Ariadne. Be the first member of my merc team. You get to keep your freedom. Plus, you''d be entitled to a considerable sum of profits we make as a team.


    There''s no binding contract restricting our actions. And since our interests are tied, we won''t have to worry about backstabbing each other. As I said earlier, an alliance of mutual benefits."


    Erenid out his n in front of a stranger he had only met twice. And both of those instances were when they were both set against each other. As open-minded as he was, he could see how that could bebeled as something insane.


    "Why do you trust me so much?"


    Ariadne asked seriously. There was a part of her that wanted to say yes to his offer while she was here. Get away from him and never see his face. After all, since he wasn''t forcing her to sign any type of binding contract, she was free to ditch him anytime she wanted.


    However, this was the first time in a long while that Ariadne was trusted to this extent. That too by his enemy who knew how she operated. Who could see for what she truly was?


    Eren chuckled before answering.


    "That''s the thing. I don''t trust you. And I''m sure you don''t trust me either. So this is as much of a leap of faith for me as it is for you. But I don''t mind gambling at this point.


    What''s the worst that could happen? I''ll never see you again after you trick me. Or you say yes now, stick with me until we start profiteering and end up backstabbing me.


    Either way, I''m prepared for those oues."


    Ariadne replied immediately.


    "You can''t just assume something so negative about¡­"


    Eren put his index finger on his lips and told her to keep quiet. He gestured to her that he wanted to borate on his thoughts.


    "I don''t mind you walking out of my proposal, Ariadne. I''ll not stop you or try to hunt you unless you stay in the House of Spiders after this. I''ll appreciate your honesty, however small a portion of it you have within you.


    But you should think things through if you want to say yes to my n. As I said before, I''ll be thest ship you''ll ever have to board. If it sinks, you''ll sink with me. I''ll make sure of that."


    Eren said casually. However, Ariadne could tell the warnings he had given to her were no joke.


    The illusionist processed everything Eren had said to her so far and pondered for a bit while looking down. It took a while to look back at Eren and respond. Her voice was coated in determination.


    "I don''t know why I am trusting you, Eren. Even though you talk about a big game, you have practically nothing in your name. The n I believe you just finalized assumes that too many things will work in your favor. Most of all, you are counting on me to be your support."


    Ariadne clenched her fists as if making her mind on something. She looked at Eren intently before speaking up.


    "Then again¡­ one would have to be a bit delusional to set an ambitious goal for themselves. I''m the same brand of delusional as you."


    Ariadnemented and raised her hand, "count me in," she said finally.


    Eren smirked when he listened to Ariadne''s words. He shook her hand before pulling her into his embrace in a friendly way.


    The ex-demonic ranker was taken aback by Eren''s bold actions a bit. However, she understood the intentions behind those actions and hugged him in return. A smile appeared on her face when she did that.

 Chapter 201 Aiming For Spiders’ Loot

    Eren stepped back and nodded before adding more.


    "This is going to be a long project that we need to start from scratch. I hope you don''t try to weasel your way out of doing the work. Because it will keep you in the grind all the time."


    <o>,m Ariadne adjusted her hair and replied to Eren''sment in a confident tone.</o>


    "Hmph! Worry about yourself, Eren. Lone wolves like me aren''t strangers to hard work."


    Eren smiled at Ariadne''s statement and added further.


    "We''d need a lot of money before we think about creating a merc team. We need capital to buy the resources we require to attract capable members."


    There were various types of mercenaries in Gahan. Some worked part-time. Many of them mixed themselves up with multiple open-hiring teams. But the most sessful teams were those that had a fixed set of team members.


    Eren wanted to have a ster start for his mercenary band from the get-go. For that, he needed people he could count on for a long time. And such people won''te to him unless he offers them the benefits they need.


    In Gahan, only eternal benefits could preserve personal bonds. These bonds flourished under such beneficial circumstances for all the parties involved.


    Ariadne thought a bit beforeing up with something.


    "Eren, there''s this n I have to rob the Spiders of their resources. It carries substantial risk. But seeing your battle potential and the rewards we can obtain from the n makes me want to give it a try."


    Eren was about to leave Ariadne to her devices and check up on his team. They had already shared their contact information with I-Rune, allowing them to remain in touch. But he was stopped by Ariadne''s offer. His interest was piqued as he replied.


    "Always thinking of making quick gains, aren''t we? Not that I mind. Tell me. I''m all ears."


    Ariadne smirked before continuing.


    "We need to do this by tonight if we want to have a shot at this. With Stardust members breathing down their necks, Spiders are stretched thin. Your ambush was a sess for the most part.


    I don''t know about the rest of the Awakened rankers in the Spiders'' group. But don''t think that Bam Dorian would be killed by your sneak attacks. The guy has too many trump cards in his sleeves."


    Eren pursed his lips and scratched his chin. He believed that Raina Regan was perfectly capable of taking care of Bem Dorian. Yana Shiran was also a capable fighter. But that was his first impression after seeing Bam Dorian from a distance.


    He could tell that Raina was pretty confident in taking down Bam and the rest of the Awakened rankers she had targeted. He had seen the confident aura she gave off before being teleported inside the isted barrier.


    However, Eren didn''t want to discard Ariadne''s prediction. That''s because she had a knack for seeing the bigger picture in any situation.


    Ariadne let Eren process what she was trying to say beforementing further.


    "Even this raid team that isid by Bem Dorian was originally supposed to have five Awakened rankers in its midst. But since other Awakened rankers were assigned to different jobs, Bem and the two other Awakened rankers with him had to lead a huge number of Spiders for the same mission.<sub> </sub>


    However, Bem is a capable leader and a superior ranker. He managed to use the manpower given to him well and effectively took care of the enemy boss by himself.


    The loot that has been obtained after clearing the cultist hideout is big. And I don''t think Spiders have bothered to report it to the kingdom since they are already at odds with it."


    Eren smiled mirthlessly as he finally realized what Ariadne was cooking in her head.


    "The loot from the cultist hideout is with Bam. And you are banking on the fact that he gets away from Raina and other Stardust members. All so that we can target him when he would be at his most vulnerable.


    I imagine you have a way to find him if and when he separates from the rest of the Spiders."


    Ariadne nodded.


    "Yes. Bam had already guessed that there was going to be an ambush nned by the Stardust guild members during their return trip to the city of Ludan. Our orders were to scatter in all directions when that happened.


    We were supposed to go to Bam after things settled down. We had been given a tracker rune so we could find him, which could have allowed the scattered members to gather at a specific point and finish the journey.


    We were told to avoid using the I-Runemunication channel because Bam feared that they would get intercepted by the special spatial arrays.


    I think someone in your team knows Bam well and understands how he operates. I believe that''s why the istion barrier was created and you were told to bring a bunch of Spiders inside it. This strategy prevented the Spiders from sticking to their previous n.


    I still have the tracker rune on me. And I can sense that it is moving away from me as we speak. That can only mean one thing.


    I always had ns to rob Spiders of their resources. If not the loot obtained in this mission, then the resources of their main base. In light of how difficult it would be for a lone individual like me, I mostly gave up on that idea.


    But since we are together, I''m sure we can do something about it."


    Eren chortled when he heard Ariadne''s deep schemes. It looked to him like she had joined Spiders to take advantage of their conflict with the Stardust guild.


    "Looks like he got away, just as you predicted."


    Eren sighed and continued.


    "That''s a smart n indeed, Ariadne. The timing is right as well. But it looks like you think too highly of me. I won''t be able to take care of anyone as strong as Bam Dorian.


    The guy is in the solid stage of the Awakened rank. Not someone I can handle on my own even when injured by Raina''s attacks."


    Eren was about to discard Ariadne''s n. But she told him something else that made him reconsider it.

 Chapter 202 Escaping Spiders

    Rustle!


    The leaves rustled as a gust of wind found its way through them.


    A man who looked to be in his early 50s was running through dense Mowry Woods using his wind-element spell. This man had shoulder-length white hair that was tied nicely in a bun.


    The man''s white beard was thick and his white mustache was about 9 inches long from both ends, giving him a distinct visual look. Apart from his shoulder guards and a right shoulder strap running towards his left waistline, he wore nothing over his torso. As a result, his muscr physique was now bathing in the moonlight.


    He was wearing an oversized belt that had the skull of some monster as its motif. The white-haired man was also wearing leg guards over his cargo pants. However, one could tell that his leg muscles were as impressive as his biceps.


    This man had light brown eyes that were fixated on the scenery in front of him. However, it looked like he was ignoring them. He was making use of his mana sense more to find his way forward in the forest.


    The man had various piercing and sh wounds on his torso and arms. He looked to be in severe pain while he was running. He had already drunk the healing potion. But it wasn''t of much use because Raina''s mana had invaded his body.


    The foreign mana invasion was festering inside his wounds, dealing damage over time and making them spew blood now and then. But he couldn''t tend to his wounds at this point. His priority was to get away from ground zero as soon as possible.


    This white-haired man was not alone in his suffering. There was someone else following him who was in a much more dire condition than him.


    "Aaaaaargh.h. Fck! Bam, maybe this is enough. We should take a breather before going any further."


    The man following white-haired Bam spoke to him in a voice coaxed with pain and urgency. It was apparent to Bam that his fellow Spider was having a hard time running away with him any further.


    "Shut your fucking mouth, Polo. Do you think I am having the time of my life here running away like a scared rat? Here. Drink this. I can''t help you any more than this."


    Bam slowed down his speed and threw a vial at Polo. The mask and hood-wearing Polo was able to catch the vial in his hand while still following Bam from a distance. He uncorked the vial and used his mana sense to gauge its contents.


    "Forbidden potion? Are you trying to kill me, you scumbag?"


    Bam snorted and replied without turning back.


    "Don''t expect me to carry you on my shoulders, Polo. The potion will boost your stats and make you forget about the injury.


    You may experience side effects from the potion, I don''t know. But we could always find that out and deal with it afterward. It''s still a better choice than staying here to be targeted by that bitch Raina."


    Bam said before speeding forward. Polo knew that he would be left behind if he didn''t drink the potion. Gritting his teeth, he metaphorically bit the bullet and emptied the vial''s contents into his mouth.


    Bam and Polo were the only Awakened rankers who managed to get away from Raina''s ambush on them. The three Awakened Spiders died from her sudden attack, halving Bam''s team strength instantly.<sub> </sub>


    Yana Shiran had managed to y an enemy Awakened ranker assigned to her. She then concentrated her efforts on dealing with the rest of the Meta Spiders in her vicinity that weren''t teleported.


    Almost no Meta Spider was able to get away from the ambush. Raina had nned her attack so well that she didn''t allow Bam''s counter n to get executed. Thanks to the edge the Stardust guild''s Meta-ranked members had gained inside the istion barriers, the isted spaces had be forcefully summoned Spiders'' resting grounds.


    Bam would have died under Raina''s attack too. She had personally confronted him in closebat, making use of her assassination and closebat expertise to overwhelm him. He had used a lot of his valuable trump cards to get away from the special unit leader of the Stardust guild.


    Polo, on the other hand, only managed to get away because his enemy showed a careless opening in her defense. And he was able to use it to his advantage. Although he was still injured because of his self-harming counter, he managed to kill the enemy Awakened ranker¨C a feat even Bam was not able to pull off.


    Poloter used Bam and the opening created by him to run away from Raina''s group. At that point, both Awakened rankers had stopped caring for their Meta-ranked juniors. They used them as distractions to escape.


    Raina had achieved a huge sess in her ambush on Spiders. But she still wasn''t satisfied because Bam managed to escape. Thetter knew she would be desperately trying to finish what she had started tonight, getting rid of Bam once and for all.


    ***


    Twilight hours of the same night.


    A long-stretched prairie outside Mowry Woods.


    Polo wanted to yell his loudest when his muscles started atrophying because of the forbidden potion''s side effects. However, he shut his mouth tight and suffered through hell on his own. He did not have a choice anyway.


    Bam would have severed his head if he had tried to yell out and made their presence known in any way. They were both trying to catch their breaths after sessfully managing to get out of the woods.


    After leaving Mowry Woods, Polo''s injuries had somewhat healed. But he couldn''t get rid of the side effects caused by the potion.


    "You know Polo, as far as the side effects of the forbidden potions are concerned, the one that you are having is pretty mild."


    Bam said in a hushed voice. He was sitting over arge rock, which was ced about 7 meters away from the tree under which Polo was resting. The assassin was visibly furious after Bam''sment. But he chose to keep quiet for the time being.


    "Hm? Someone''sing!"


    Bam alerted his buddy and exhibited stressed expressions for a short time. Polo cursed his luck when he heard the warning. But Bam''s next words put him to rest.


    "Um¡­ false rm. I can sense the tracker rune. It seems that someone else apart from us managed to escape from that death zone."

 Chapter 203 Assassinating The Assassin

    "I''m so d I found you, sir Bem and sir Polo."


    Ariadne said with a tone that wasced with fright and anxiety. Her facial expressions showed that she was still overwhelmed by the ambush she had to face along with the rest of the Spiders.


    "Are we expecting more Spiders to use their tracker rune and find us here?"


    She asked while looking around her vigntly.


    Bem and Polo looked at each other and shook their heads. It was apparent that nobody else wasing to meet them at this point.


    "Ariadne, right?"


    Bem asked while adjusting his posture from his seated position. He looked at her keenly before responding.


    "I suggest you calm yourself first. We are not waiting for anybody because nobody ising to us. I am surprised you managed to get away.


    It means that you started running as soon as you saw the conflict, not even bothering to see if other Spiders needed your help."


    Ariadne had a guilty expression on her face when she heard Bem''s conjecture. Thetter sighed beforementing.


    "Don''t worry. We will not hold it against you. We ran too.


    We just tried to salvage the situation in any way we could and ended up doing what you had done from the get-go anyway. So it''s fine. I just wish more Spiders could be as perceptive as you."


    Polo looked at Bem and spat in contempt. He wanted to say that Bem''s untimely exit from the death zone did more harm to the escaping Spiders than anybody else. However, he prevented himself from saying that for his own good.


    Bem, Polo, and Ariadne got to talking and decided their next course of action. On their way north, they nned to find a colt service from any town that fell into their path. They would journey to the city of Ludan from there.


    Ariadne got the two people talking while remaining low-key in the conversation. She wouldn''t be able to say much in front of two Awakened rankers anyway. She waited until the two men started arguing about something before making her move.


    Boom.


    Everything happened at once after Ariadne used a potion bomb. The most peculiar thing about the bomb was the fact that it wasn''t a typical, explosive kind. It had some special effects that became apparent as soon as the clouds of green smoke started spreading in the surroundings.


    "What the fu¡­"


    Polo took a while to understand what was happening. His vision waspromised as soon as the potion bomb was detonated. But that was not all. He found out that even his mana sense was being affected, preventing him from being conscious of his surroundings.


    ''These bloody demonic rankers. Always conspiring against the hand that feeds them. I had told Donell that adding them to our fold would be a terrible idea. But he wouldn''t listen.''


    Bem understood then and there that Ariadne was probably trying to rob him for the loot he was carrying in his storage. Something he expected from the Stardust guild members as well.<sub> </sub>


    ''No Meta would dare to mess with two Awakened rankers. I''ll teach this wench a lesson.''


    Bem wasn''t as worried as Polo. He got up from his seat and spread his mana sense. Then his face became stressed.


    ''My mana sense¡­ it isn''t working. Does¡­ does she know about my condition? This trap is specially set for¡­"


    "Aaaaaaaaargh! Bem¡­ help!"


    Bem was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Polo''s yell. He immediately rushed towards the voice, making his way through clouds of smoke.


    Ariadne had already confirmed that Polo was in a pretty serious condition. Apart from the injuries he had sustained in the ambush, he was injured more by the forbidden potion he had drunk. The guy was easy to target for her. And that''s what she did after detonating the special potion bomb.


    Ariadne quickly approached Polo and targeted his eyes with the Bichuas. Polo subconsciously deployed his Awakened-rank mana defenseyer and prevented her from piercing them. But he couldn''t prevent her from attacking his neck and heart next. His atrophied muscles were still recovering. So he was basically helpless against her attacks.


    Ariadne''s multifront attacks on Polo in a fraction of a secondpromised his already precarious defenseyer and allowed her tond a sessful attack on him. His heart was finally pierced by her Bichua. That''s when the assassin asked for help from Bem.


    The illusionist twisted her weapon while it was still inside Polo''s heart. She injected her mana into the wound before pulling the weapon out. A highly pressurized jet stream of blood was ejacted from Polo''s wound. But Ariadne had already retreated using her movement spell, letting the blood fall on the ground instead of her clothes.


    Swoosh.


    Bem reached Polo''s side a second after Ariadne had disappeared into the fog. He knew he was toote to do anything when he felt Polo''s pierced heart stop.


    A veteran assassin in the Awakened rank had been assassinated by a mere illusionist in the Meta rank. Ariadne had made the right use of her skills to take down Polo. She had set the stage for another ranker''s downfall.


    Bem stood beside a lifeless Spider''s body while maintaining extreme vignce. He had tworge axes in each of his hands. And he had his head tilted slightly downwards, staring at the void in front of him.


    However, he wasn''t looking at the man who had appeared not too far from him.


    "Yo."


    Eren voiced his greetings and used his movement spell immediately. In the next moment, Bem appeared at his previous position before using his axe attacks on thin air.


    Eren smiled wickedly when he saw Bem attacking thin air. It meant that the information Ariadne provided about him was true.


    "This is going to be fun."


    Eren said with a tone dripping with joy and excitement. He changed his position and the same pattern repeated itself. The battlemage finally drew his own axe set beforementing.


    "You really are night-blind, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 204 Ambushing Behlam

    Bem Dorian had night blindness from when he was a kid.


    Usually, impairments like these would get cured when mortals became rankers. But Bem experienced mana circuit anomalies when he was breaking into the Meta rank. This forced him to live with the handicap he was born with even when he had entered the Awakened rank.


    Bem felt his night vision improving when he broke into the Awakened rank. But it was a far cry from the normal vision he would have when there was enough light. All he could see at this point was a blur.


    For obvious reasons, Bem kept this secret closely guarded. He didn''t tell anyone in the guild about it. But a perceptive person like Ariadne had guessed his condition after seeing him operate in a previous job before the cultist hideout mission.


    She saw that Bem would depend on his mana sense more when it was nighttime. It allowed him to function as a normal ranker even though he could see almost nothing with his eyes.


    Ariadne was already thinking of her exit strategy when she knew how serious the conflict was between the House of Spiders and the Stardust guild. She had ns of honey-trapping Bem when they reached the city of Ludan after seeing the loot he was carrying.


    As such, Ariadne had made preparations in that direction. She got her hands on a potion bomb from the ck market that could temporarily inhibit the mana sense of the rankers that were in the vicinity. She added the blinding effect to the potion bomb just as a precaution.


    Ariadne dropped the idea of messing up with Bem after she found out that he was nning to get inside the guild''s secure facility after the mission. She knew she could mess with Bem just enough to get her hands on his possessions. But she couldn''t fight or fool an entire guild.


    However, Ariadne''s n was revived in a revised form when she teamed up with Eren. The revised n would make her share her gains with him. But it would also be rtively safer since Eren would be the one doing the heavy lifting.


    Plus, instead of just letting Bem go and painting a target on her back, it was much preferable for Ariadne if he got killed for good. That way, she could keep her presence in a dying organization without anybody being the wiser. Even if she leaves the Spiders after this day, she will not cause any trouble for herself.


    Thus, after getting rid of Polo, Ariadne quickly retreated into the distance, allowing Eren to take over. Even if Bem was blind, she couldn''t help Eren in the hunt seeing how dangerous he was even without his vision. Only someone like Eren stood a chance of defeating him because of his impairment.


    ***


    "Bastard, who the fuck are you? Are you from that wretched Stardust guild?"


    Bem asked in a tone of suppressed anger. In response, he received the silent treatment from Eren.


    The battlemage maintained a safe distance from Bem while observing his moves. He knew that if the guy managed to get hold of him, his condition would be worse than a punching bag. The hunt for an Awakened ranker, who was close to receiving a further rank-up, was a bit exciting for him.


    "That bitch Raina with you?"


    Bem answered his own question right afterward.<sub> </sub>


    "Naah. It would have been game over for me if she hade here. You smell like a newbie I haven''t encountered before. Who the fuck told you about my condition?"


    The moment Eren finished speaking, Bem tried to pinpoint Eren''s recent position. Too bad, the battlemage had already moved to a different ce.


    Eren knew that he had 10 minutes before Bem started using his mana sense once again. He was just not trying to charge out of the mana-sense inhibiting area blindness because of the fear of being surrounded and falling into a trap. If he knew that Eren was the only one targeting him, he would have charged out of the affected zone and waited for the cloud to disappear. This would have helped him get rid of Eren.


    With a stressed mentality, Bem was on his toes. He was still recovering from the injuries Raina had given him. Plus, his morale had shaken a bit because of Polo dying not too long ago. This was the right time to get him.


    Eren dropped the array disk he took out of the storage and stepped on it. It was the same array disk that he had used to start Igni Lotus instantly. The array also amplified the effects of Igni Chains.


    The array disk''s shelf life was liable to decrease if Eren used it to amplify the effects of his Igni Chains. He was set to run the array disk up to 20 times without the amplification. But after using it, that number was bound to reduce to less than half.


    Eren did not care about wasting the mana quartz invested in the artifact that he had paid handsomely for allowing him to take down someone of Bem''s stature. He imbued his mana into the array disk and cast his spell.


    Igni Lotus!


    Bem saw that the blur in front of his vision was suddenly illuminated when he found himself inside the domain of Eren''s AOE spell. The dark blue blur now turned into a visibly orange blur.


    Igni Bolt st


    Eren took out his crossbow from his storage and started shooting Bem with a bunch of Igni Bolt sts. By then, the inside of the domain was engulfed in orange and red mes. The amplifying effect from the array disk made these mes even more potent, giving them quasi-Rank-2 properties.


    Bem felt like he was suddenly immersed in the pool ofva that was slowly trying to burn him. He was somewhat fine when the mes first made contact with him as they were not cast using Rank-2 mana.


    But then he started getting targeted by Igni Bolt sts. The fire-element arrows were now benefitting from the fire-element domain Eren had created for them. Bem knew that their potency would eventually breach his mana defenseyer and burn him alive.


    The attacks also made the Awakened Spider aware of something very crucial.


    "Are you fucking kidding me? What gave two Meta-rank frogs in a well the confidence to target someone like me?"

 Chapter 205 Slaying Behlam

    Igni Bolt sts


    Eren had been shooting Igni Bolt sts continuously for 6 minutes straight. The target every time was any of Bem''s limbs.


    "AAAAAAAH!"


    Another bunch of Igni Bolt sts detonated on Bem''s limbs even when he tried to dodge the attacks. The Awakened ranker''s condition this time was critical. He couldn''t understand how his attacker could bombard him with so many spells without dying himself from mana exhaustion.


    Bem was surrounded by a sea of fire. Igni Bolt sts were not the only attacks he had to endure. Eren would often use his axes on him. At first, they failed to prate an Awakened ranker''s mana defenseyer. Slowly but surely, however, that began to change.


    Eren was chipping away at Bem''s defense over time. Because of that, he had sessfullynded a bunch of sh wounds on the Spider.


    Another round of cursing followed, and Eren ignored them all. He focused on ying Bem in another four minutes. Or at least make him so injured by that time that he would eventually sumb to his condition.


    "Listen to me you brat¡­"


    Igni Wave


    The battlemage sent a couple of Igni Waves Bem''s way using his axes. These fire-element attacks were amplified by the fire domain, allowing them to breach the defenseyer.


    "Aaaaaaaargh! Your mother¡­"


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Bem resorted to attacking blindly. He gripped his axes and sent wind-element flying strikes all around him. The Rank-2-powered attacks cut through the sea of fire and a pair of them headed straight for Eren. He was already on his way to changing his position. But the attacks Bemunched were too fast to dodge.


    Eren managed to duck under the first flying attack. But the second attack cut through his left shoulder and almost made him lose it for good.


    Eren had already closed off his mouth using a rune lock. And he was d that he did. Otherwise, he would have let Bem know where he was by screaming to his heart''s content.


    Eren would have been able to dodge the flying attacks better if he could use his mana sense inside the fire domain. But he had the same handicap as the Spider he was targeting.


    The potion bomb Ariadne had used couldn''t distinguish between a friend and a foe. So Eren was dependent on his other enhanced senses to attack Bem and dodge the attacks heading his way.


    Eren had a red face as he processed the pain silently. His eyes had gotten a bit numb even inside the sea of fire. He ignored all his pain, however, and changed his position.


    This was not the first time Bem''s attacks had affected Eren. The guy was night-blind but not brain-dead. Eren hadn''t given him any chance to track him. Within the fire domain, he was as quiet and ruthless as he could be. The fire domain also masked his presence from Bem''s other enhanced senses.


    But Bem could always attack blindly or wager his chances. His guesses would be correct less than half of the time. And even those few instances were enough to critically injure him.


    Blitz Heal


    Eren


    Started healing himself using his lightning-element spell while continuing to attack Bem. He also drank up another bottle of healing potion. Following that, he shot another round of Igni Bolt sts at the Spider before proceeding to change his position.


    3 minutes¡­


    2 minutes¡­


    1 minute¡­


    15 seconds¡­


    The effects of the potion bomb thrown by Ariadne were wearing off. Since Eren could use some of his mana sense in his vicinity, he knew that Bem could do that too.


    Bem''s wounds intensified as Eren kept on targeting him. The dry blood in them threatened to spill out every time he made drastic moves. Eren had injected so much mana into his attacks that the Spider was experiencing foreign mana invasion in his wounds, further inming them.


    5 seconds¡­


    "Hahahaha¡­ Soon. I''ll soon kill you, you fucking mongoose. And I''ll kill you slowly for your impudence to attack me."


    Bem''s condition was precarious. But he was still a long way from giving up. Eren, however, was not disheartened.


    Eren had been preparing one card since he got Bem inside the Igni Lotus. He took a long breath before casting the spell against an Awakened ranker for the first time.


    One Up: Igni Bolt st


    Swoosh. Zoom. Boom!<sub> </sub>


    "Aaaaaaaaargh!"


    Bem''s body was thrown in the air when Eren''sst fire-element arrow struck him in the middle of his chest. In contrast to previous Igni Bolt sts, this time the arrow was made from rank-2 mana. As such, the impact it generated was on another level. Furthermore, the arrow''s piercing potential and detonation were more lethalpared to rank-1 attacks.


    Eren finally managed to conjure a rank-2 variant of the spell using a support spell he had received from Kino. He would always mess something up when using One Up in practice. However, this time the life-and-death situation enabled him to cast the spell correctly.


    Casting One Up was not easy. It basically allowed a Ranker to defy their rank''s limits and use a higher-ranked variant of their existing spell. But doing so required the utmost concentration. One''s intelligence stat needed to hit a certain mark to even think of casting this support spell.


    Eren had chosen the Igni st to use One Up with because it was the simplest spell in his arsenal. And it worked so well because Bem wasn''t expecting him to cast a spell of that caliber.


    As a result of the arrow''s impact, Eren witnessed Bem taking a pseudo-flight. The arrow had pierced his chest before detonating inside him. It baked his heart and other internal organs. When Bemnded on the ground with a loudmotion, he was almost dead.


    Cough! Cough! Cough!


    Bem started coughing when hey t on his back. He raised his head with difficulty and looked down at his chest.


    The effects of the potion bomb had beenpletely erased. He could use his mana sense just fine at this point. However, the Spider knew that it would be toote to do anything.


    "How¡­. How... the fuck did you cast a rank-2¡­ cough cough cough"


    Bem dropped his head back to where it was and tried to ask Eren a question. However, he couldn''tplete it since he started throwing blood through his mouth.


    "A special support spell. You don''t need to learn more."


    Eren appeared beside Bem and looked at him seriously before replying. He took a long breath and sighed before continuing.


    "You were a good opponent, Bem. I won''t say I am sorry for fighting with you using underhanded methods because that won''t be true. But I do thank you for the resources I''ll get my hands on because of you.


    The least I can do is get rid of the pain for you. Rest easy."


    Igni Wave


    Eren said in a grim voice before swinging his ax down. He didn''t care if Bem listened to his parting words or not.


    Bem''s head was severed from his torso, granting him a quick death. With his death, Raina''s ambush on the Spiders waspletely sessful. Something she wasn''t aware of.


    Eren dispelled his AOE and looked at the starry sky above. The daylight was soon going to break. As such, the horizon was illuminated in bright yellow and orange.


    There was a certain freshness in the air that filled Eren''s lungs. It washed away the smell of burning and the taste of smoke from his system. His bruised and battered body was on full disy. His ruined clothes revealed his toned physique, sharpening his aura as a battlemage.


    ''Every ending is a new beginning.''


    Eren had a random thought as he breathed in the fresh air and tried to measure the skies with his gaze. He stayed in his position for a while, nning his future actions.


    Ariadne saw the Igni Lotus disappearing. But she wasn''t sure who had won. She only approached Eren when she confirmed with her mana sense that Bem was dead.


    "You really pulled it off."


    Eren saw Ariadne appearing beside him and saying something under her breath as she looked down at Bem''s corpse. He chuckled before responding.


    "You thought that we''d kill each other off?"


    Ariadne took a brief pause beforementing.


    "I won''t lie, Eren. That was indeed a possibility. There was also a possibility that only you would die and Bem survived. I was just trying to figure out if I should run or really really run far away?"


    Eren smiled mirthlessly before shaking his head. He also knew that targeting Bem wouldn''t be easy. He wouldn''t have gambled with his life if he didn''t have One Up his sleeves.


    "Alright. Let''s clean this scene before checking out our loot."


    Eren said before gesturing to Ariadne with her eyes that she needed topletely get rid of Polo''s body. He cut Bem''s hand that had the I-Rune before setting the corpse on fire.


    Eren didn''t want to dere that Bem was dead. Otherwise, the Stardust guild would have the right to im Bem''s loot. After all, a team had gotten rid of the enemy team.


    But the guild''s bindings would only apply to him if and when Bem is dered to be dead by him. And he had no ns to share his loot with the other rankers.

 Chapter 206 Multi-Element Artifact Forging

    "Where did you get these?"


    Malcolm asked Eren as he inspected the axes. They were ced on the table by Eren for him to inspect.


    "I¡­ let''s say¡­ found an Awakened ranker''s body at some ce. Figured a dead man wouldn''t need them with him."


    Eren replied nonchntly. Malcolm looked at Eren suspiciously before trying to lift one of the axes with his hand. His eyebrows furrowed when he only barely managed to move them from the table. He had to channel his mana through his arm to lift the ax.


    "Son of a¡­ who was using this pair of Behemoths? Feels like I should know that person''s name before I buy something like this from you."


    Malom said this as he had stress lines across his forehead. The bald merchant looked a bit funny to Eren as he tried to swing the ax with both his arms from the other side of the table.


    Boom!


    The table on which the two axes were kept was rune-strengthened. But it broke immediately when Malcolm''s swingnded on the table inadvertently.


    "Who said I was selling them? Make thempatible for my use."


    Eren said and looked at the ruined table.


    "And I''m not paying for that table," he added.


    Malcolm cursed under his breath when he saw that his table was ruined. He operated the shop''s array and made a new table appear. He put both axes over it and studied the runes engraved on it carefully beforementing.


    "You are not rank-2 yet."


    "But I will be. This is me preparing in advance."


    Malcolm looked at Eren and scratched his bald head. For some reason, Malcolm always looked lowkey angry at Eren. But he couldn''t pinpoint the reason for it. Or that''s how it looked to Eren at least.


    "So you want the wind-element runes removed? We can do that. I know a guy¡­"


    Eren shook his head and interrupted Malcolm right away.


    "No. I want a multi-elemental weapon. Don''t remove the wind-element runes. Add fire and lightning elemental runes over these weapons."


    Malcolm pped his hands on the table beforementing.


    "Do you know how much it would cost for you to¡­"


    "Money is not an issue."


    Malcolm grits his teeth. "You always say that. But then you give me the stare like I''m robbing you when Ie up with my price."


    Eren shrugs his shoulders. "Thene up with a reasonable price. Money is not an issue for a reasonable price."


    Malcolm and Eren have their usual stare-down for a while before the former sighs.


    "Sometimes I feel like I''m talking to a wall when I''m talking with you. I told you that some prices are not in my hands. The rankers I hire to do the job you asked for are not always ready to listen to your absurd demands."


    Eren scratches under his right earlobe before finally giving an inch to Malcolm.


    "Alright. Alright. I know it''s an Awakened ranked weapon set so naturally, its price would be higher. I also know that the multi-elemental weapon set won''te cheap. Just give me a number beforehand and we can work it out.


    All I''m asking is the artifact-forging fee for the rune engravings. I''ll provide him with the raw ingredients. And I''ll need them to record the entire procedure using the array disk."


    Eren sees that Malcolm was about to say something in his response. But he raises his hand to shush him before continuing.


    "I know. The artifact forger will charge differently for recording the session. But I''m ready to sign a binding contract with them that says it would strictly be for my use."


    Malcolm looked at Eren and then at his hands before asking him in an inquisitive tone.


    "Did you make significant progress in the field of forging?"


    Eren smiled when he saw how perceptive Malcolm could be. He nodded at him beforementing.<sub> </sub>


    "Kinda. I''m trying my luck with Meta-ranked artifacts. The study material I received from my guild as well as from you helped a bit. I don''t have time to pursue the field full-time these days. But I think I have brushed up on my basics.


    That being said, I''m not naive enough to think that I''d be able to engrave multi-elemental runes on any weapon. And since both the weapons I have to belong to the Awakened rank, that''s downright impossible for me."


    Malcolm smirked before adding.


    "Plus, you don''t want a half-assed weapon for yourself. You don''t count on your own forging skills yet."


    Eren pursed his lips before agreeing with him with a bit of hesitation.


    ***


    Eren had been practicing artifact forging in his free time ever since he decided that it was the path he''d walk on. The time he spent in Ghaan was never wasted or spent idle. He made full use of the fact that there was a time delusion between the two worlds.


    Eren had forged a bunch of weapons and armor using the resources he had "borrowed" from his opponents. But their quality left much to be desired for him.


    Eren had his fundamentals on point regarding the subject for the most part. He had already started collecting various books and manuals regarding artifact forging. And he would read them whenever he was on his way to get to the mission sites. Or when he took breaks from practicing his martial arts.


    At first, the artifacts he produced just by referring to the study materials turned out to beplete failures. Slowly but surely, however, he started making improvements.


    Eren already had a profound epiphany regarding the forging of artifacts. And the knowledge he had gained during that time was imprinted in his brain forever. However, it had a lot of nk spaces when it came to the basics of the craft. Hence, he had to struggle a bit at the beginning.


    Eren came to realize that he learned a lot more by watching the workings of forgers stored on array disks. The real-life forging was a bit different than the textbook ways of doing things after all.


    Thus, Eren started preferring the recordings of forging procedures instead of merely sticking to the study material. This was the reason he had asked for the recordings from Malcolm.


    After watching the recordings and reading up on the study material rted to the subject, Eren came to realize that there was a way he could use all his elemental spells if he made his weaponspatible with all his elements. He hadn''t seen anyone with multi-elemental weapons because rankers with solid multi-element affinities were rare. And the weapons that supported the multi-element affinities were rarer.


    These weapons were expensive to make because they required aplicated rune system engraved on them that supported multi-elementpatibility. Not something an average forger could pull off.


    Using Hex gear sets had inspired him a lot. However, they were not his end goal. The artifacts that he''d craft for himself would be the true expression of his path as a battlemage.


    However, Eren knew that the weapons he was making were not the same as the ones he was using. Quality-wise, they were a ss apart. He didn''t want topromise his own safety and battle style by using the weapons he had created. Especially when he had money and resources to equip better weapons for himself.


    ***


    "That''s¡­ also one way to look at it. I want them to work like my current axes. Something I tried and failed to achieve by engraving normal axes.


    But just because I can''t make my own weapons now doesn''t mean I won''t be able to in the future. That''s why I''m asking the forger to record their sessions. I could always learn a thing or two regarding multi-elemental forging.


    Also, tell them to add Hex runes but not make them an integral part of the weapon set. I need them to use them with or without my Hex gear set."


    Eren said this while lifting the axes. These were the same axes that Bem had on him. And he had decided to use them as his own when he broke into the Awakened rank.


    Eren lifted the weapons by channeling his mana through his arms. Compared to Malcolm, the battlemage was much morefortable handling weapons than Malcolm was. This was even though Eren was still a Meta ranker.


    Eren operated on the two weapons and the gusts of wind were generated from every angle around him. The more he used these weapons, the more he felt that they were going to be a better match for him than his current axes.


    Eren stopped using the axes and kept them on the table.


    "Behemoths indeed. I guess I''ll just call them that from now on."


    Eren said and chuckled. The weight of each ax was nothing to scoff at even by rank-2 standards. He knew that his martial arts and his weapon arts would have to be changed a bit to use the upgraded axes when he breaks into the Awakened rank. But that was going to be a problem for him in the future. He wouldn''t worry about them today.


    Eren then started taking out the things he wanted to sell to Malcolm one by one from his storage. Malcolm''s empty room no longer looked empty. All kinds of stuff and artifacts filled the space.


    Malcolm didn''t want to get surprised by anything Eren wanted to sell to him. He hade to terms with the fact that the battlemage would always be up to no good. He would always be targeting or being targeted by prominent rankers. As such, the less he asked Eren the questions, the better it would be for him for usible deniability.


    "Let me guess. The dead body of an Awakened ranker you found had all those things on him. And you weren''t aware of that fact until you¡­ let''s say¡­ "found" him dead."


    Eren nodded before adding further. "It''s like you were there with me."

 Chapter 207 Soul Mark

    "You finally decided to show yourself. What took you so long?"


    Kino asked in an inquisitive tone when she saw Eren back on the Hexers'' testing grounds. Thetter smiled before responding.


    "I was held up by a few personal affairs. I also had to prepare for the challenges I''d have to face during theter phases of the test. So I took my time getting things right beforeing here."


    Kino raised her eyebrows before feeling Eren''s presence. She immediately notices a drastic change in Eren''s ranking status. She was about to ask him about it. But she stopped midway and shook her head. She reminded herself that she shouldn''t get involved to this extent with a contestant.


    "Alright. Since you are here, let''s get on.."


    "Wait."


    Eren was about to be sent to the second phase of the testing grounds by Kino. But she was stopped by Eren''s interruption. Thetter took a long breath before speaking up.


    "I wanted to ask you something about my Hex gear and the way it influences me."


    Kino was puzzled by Eren''s question at first. She didn''t understand what he was talking about. So she asked him to borate.


    Eren started exining his experiences using the Hex gears. He told her the most recent fight he had against the Spiders in detail and asked her how he could get his control back.


    Eren didn''t want to use Hex gears at the cost of losing control over himself. And he didn''t think other Hexers were prone to this much emotional imbnce that he had to face. He hoped that Kino could fix the problem for him.


    "Hmm. Even though some Hexers feel their emotions take over their actions in battle, it shouldn''t be to this degree. And it also started weirdly affecting your spells. That shouldn''t have happened at all.


    It seems there''s some external factor involved in you using the Hex spells that I couldn''t see before. Would you like me to conduct a thorough check on you so that I know what is going on?"


    Kino asked while flying around Eren who stood still. Thetter gave her a go right away, expecting her to fix the problem for him forever. He really liked the boost in power the Hex spells provided. If possible, he didn''t want to give up on them.


    Kino raised her hand and arranged a line on the ground. He closed his eyes and let her examine him.


    The array Kino had summoned was a soul inspection array. It was way tooplicated for Eren to understand at his level even when he had started studying the arrays for his artifact crafting. It was about 10 meters in radius and he was positioned in the center.


    The runes inside the array lit up as Kino activated the array and allowed a mirrored version of Eren''s soul to exist outside his body. The projection appeared behind his back and was levitating in the air.


    The projection was a shapeless and formless thing at first before it started looking like Eren. It was naked from the waist up and had its eyes closed just like Eren''s. From the waist down, the projection remained hazy and shapeless. It also did not have any arms.


    Kino paid close attention to the changes happening inside the array and found out that there was some interference in his mirrored soul projection. Thus, she raised both her hands and activated the soul inspection array in full swing. The runes inside the array lit up more brightly than before as a result.


    Eren''s appearance began changing once Kino activated the array in full swing. He started disying the appearance of his past life. The appearance of mirrored soul started looking like Viktor dimir, which was so much different from what Eren looked like at this point.


    "What in the world¡­"


    Kino was shocked by Eren''s mirrored soul. She didn''t know what to make of it at first. But she decided to dig further and continued to work on the array.


    Slowly, the soul''s appearance stayed the same for a while before reverting to Eren''s current bodily appearance. The projection shifted between these two appearances for quite some time. But Kino could feel that there was something else to his soul that wasn''t getting detected by the soul inspection array just yet.


    "Eren, can you hear me?"


    Kino''s voice sounded distant to Eren as he was subjected to the array''s inspection. He felt like he had been half-sleeping in his room and somebody was calling him from another room.<sub> </sub>


    Eren nodded slightly at Kino''s question, letting her know that he was still in control of his faculties, albeit barely. During the inspection, Kino was satisfied that Eren could hear her. This fact alone told her that he had a strong soul and willpower. That he was perfectlypatible with being a Hexer.


    "Good. Summon your Bear armor and manifest your elements around you."


    Kino instructed Eren to use his Hex gear. She didn''t ask him to cast the Hex spell because manifesting the elements around him while the Hex gear was on was enough for the inspection.


    Eren did what was asked of him. He summoned the Hex gear set and manifested mes and lightning around his body. His consciousness soon began to drift away from reality.


    Kino operated on the array once again and tried to get to the bottom of the interference she was getting the readings of. She had concluded that there was some type of soul mark attached to Eren''s soul that was hiding deep within it.


    In the next moment, the array started shaking and the ground cracked. Mana in the surrounding area turned haywire. Small elemental storms started forming all around Eren as his mirrored soul projection changed once again.


    This time, the projection depicted a ck-haired man with emerald green eyes. Kino could see the eyes this time because Eren had also kept his eyes half-opened before his consciousness drifted into slumber for the second time.


    The projection had sharp facial features that were not really like Eren or Viktor. But they bore resemnce to Eren all the same.


    The projection had a seemingly ordinary face. But somehow he had the charms he needed that set him apart from the rest.


    ''What is going on here? What am I seeing?''


    Kino contemted her thoughts as she watched the mana storms spawned by the green-eyed man''s mere manifestation. It was as if the man who possessed the soul mark had the elemental attainments of all the elements. Additionally, they manifested themselves in the environment without the soul mark doing a thing.


    Kino first thought that the soul mark belonged to a high-ranking entity that was beyond the level the world of Gahan could handle. But she started receiving more readings from the array and her expressions changed into something grim.


    ''How can this be a soul mark? Something has been integrated into a person''s soul to this extent and yet it has managed to retain its identity. What kind of entity could do something like this?''


    Kino ignored the mana storms forming in the surroundings and maintained her control over the array. She was very intimidated by the manifestation of the soul mark Eren had on his soul. She slowly started to realize many things at once as she analyzed the readingsing from the inspection array.


    Zin!


    But when Kino tried to use the inspection array on the projected soul mark, a threatening mana pulse was released in the surrounding area. The elemental mana storms became more vtile and started shing with each other.


    Kino felt like she would turn deaf from the sharp sound she was hearing deep in her consciousness that had no physical source around her. It was as if she had been given a mortal body, and that body was having a serious fever. She felt helpless and weak in the man''s presence.


    And when the ck-haired man opened his eyespletely, Kino couldn''t help feeling paralyzed. For the first time in a long while, she felt fear. She looked into the man''s green eyes and a shiver ran down her spine. Her mind froze and she stopped flying all of a sudden.


    Kino crashed on the ground with a distinct thud as her wings suddenly stopped pping themselves. The caretaker of the testing ground was brought to her knees as she tried to look away from staring into the man''s eyes.


    ''Who¡­ who is he? And what is happening to me?''


    Kino couldn''t look away from the man''s face. All of a sudden, she started developing the urge to kill him and love him at the same time. Her emotions were so bipr and confusing to her that she started feeling like she was going insane.


    Kino felt like she shouldn''t have tried to inspect this soul mark in the first ce. Because the testing ground was bound to get destroyed with the way things were going. She just had a random thought before getting scared by its possibility.


    ''Is he¡­ is he what they call a god?''

 Chapter 208 Regaining Control Over Hex Spells

    Eren Idril opened his eyes slowly.


    He was waking up from his semi-sleep state. And he opened his eyes to an entirely different scene from the one he saw before the inspection started.


    There were various cracks on the ground as well as on the stone walls of the testing ground. The illumination array had malfunctioned, sending uneven lights. The mana in the area seemed a bit restless as if it was agitated by some natural cmity. There was a smell of ozone in the air as if Eren was very close to touching the lightning clouds.


    However, Eren was most shocked by Kino''s appearance. She looked like she had been in a shipwreck and had lost all her stuff. The way she was looking at him was entirely different as well. Eren couldn''t put a finger on what kind of cocktail of emotions she was feeling at the time towards him. But he was sure that fear was among them.


    "What happened here?"


    Eren asked and rotated his wrists and neck. It felt to him that he had worked out once again and there was a certain muscle fatigue that he couldn''t get rid of easily.


    "You... you happened here."


    In an usatory, dissatisfying, andining tone, Kino spoke. The fear on her face had been suppressed. But the shake in her voice gave it away anyway.


    Eren raised his eyebrows and looked around. His Meta-ranked abilities were not enough to cause any damage to his surroundings, even if he had infinite mana. As a result, he could only link the destruction to his use of Hex gear.


    "What was it?"


    Eren asked curiously. For some reason, he wasn''t afraid of what was inside him because he knew that it wasn''t harmful to him. He had only stopped using Hex spells to be in control. Not because he feared the destruction his Hex spells might potentially bring about.


    ***


    Kirin was reminded of the mirrored soul projection of the green-eyed man when she looked keenly at Eren. She still had jitters running underneath her skin when the soul projection suddenly opened his eyes and smiled at her. The warning sirens in her brain fired off all at once and she created a distance from Eren.


    Kino was aroused, afraid, and angry at the same time when she saw the green-eyed man smile at her. All those feelings had almost be foreign to her ever since she had been turned into a homunculus. But that projection somehow managed to tap into her psyche to invoke those feelings and make her aware of their existence. There was no physical intimidation involved when the man did that to her.


    The homunculus could feel in her mind that those feelings were not something the soul projection wanted to cause in her. But she was to me for making the soul mark manifest forcefully, making it interfere with the fabric of reality.


    Kino canceled the soul inspection array after getting away from Eren who was still standing inside the array with his eyes closed and his consciousness half-slumbering.


    The green-eyed man''s gaze was very potent and his presence was going to spell doom for the testing grounds. Thus, she decided to stop her inspection of the soul mark and focus on something else.


    Kino still maintained a safe distance from Eren even after he opened his eyes. She would have run away from the testing grounds if she could. But as long as it existed, she couldn''t leave the ground behind and go anywhere.


    ***


    "What was it, you ask?"


    Kino sighed and straightened up her posture. She looked at Eren keenly and confirmed that he was no longer a danger. Only then did she start walking towards him.


    "Frankly, I don''t know what that was. But it was something the previous owner of the body had. The vessel that you are upying right now."


    Eren pursed his lips and looked at Kino before nodding slightly. He knew that letting him inspect him would reveal a few things about him. A calcted risk he was willing to take to nip the problem in the bud.


    Eren was surprised to learn that the problem he was having with the Hex gear was caused by previous Eren. He could only conclude that his extraordinary circumstances in getting a second chance in life had something to do with it.


    "Let me ask you something before we talk about this any further. Should I even call you Eren?"


    Levine asked and stood only a few inches away from Eren. She looked into his blue eyes and realized that they carried the same depth and intensity the green-eyed man had. It was just that it wasn''t that obvious as of yet.<sub> </sub>


    "I am living both our lives in this body. I am Viktor and Eren both. So Eren is fine."


    Eren''s answer made sense to Kino because she had seen that his soul waspletely in harmony with the vessel. He did not encounter conflict with the remaining soul markings of the previous Eren or the green-eyed man. All three of them had beenbined to make the current Eren.


    It was as if someone had brought three pieces of the puzzle together.


    "Alright. Eren it is. I don''t know how you came to possess this body. For theck of better words, I''ll call it a soul mark. Let me speak honestly, Eren. Getting rid of that soul mark is downright impossible for me. And I don''t think anybody in Gahan can get rid of it for you.


    I have instead suppressed the soul mark using a sealing technique. I have isted it from your consciousness and will. I don''t think it wants to harm you or create disturbance in your Hex spells. On the contrary, using it in your Hex spells will only help you get better results with time.


    But it is too high for you to use right now. So I got that out of the equation for the time being using the partial soul seal."


    Eren felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders when Kino remedied the situation, if only temporarily. With a doubtful tone, he looked at Kino.


    "Is there any catch I should be aware of?"


    Kino smiled before nodding her head.


    "You are smart. Yes. Use your Hex spells very very carefully. The seal won''t break because the soul mark isn''t aggressive in the first ce.


    But it could get aggressive if you start feeling extreme emotions while using the Hex spells. It might also start affecting your spells and your willpower again if you use the Hex spells for a long period.


    My suggestion would be to limit your usage of Hex spells and save it only for when you are in a time pinch. And in the unforeseen event that the seal stops working, you can try to get hold of your emotions using this technique. It''s called the Soul Strengthening technique."


    Kino was about to hand Eren a scroll that contained an unusual technique. It was a non-elemental technique that could be applied while one was in meditation. It could also be used while one was practicing their ranking technique. Eren didn''t have to worry about this since he wasn''t using one for himself at his current rank.


    The Soul Strengthening technique also aided in making Eren''s soul exert a stronger influence on his Hex spells. It did it by bringing his soul closer and closer to its awakening.


    Eren was about to take the scroll from Kino''s hands. But she suddenly pulled her hand away from his grip beforementing.


    "Nothinges for free in the testing ground, Eren. You''d get this technique after you achieve at least an 80 percentpletion rate in the second stage or higher. You''d also be charged with something else. But for now, let''s get you inside the ring."


    ***


    Andscape of dark red sand and blood-red sky.


    Eren had reached the second stage of the testing ground. Kino teleported him right away after exining a few things to him. It was as if she wanted to get herself together by getting some time away from him.


    The second stage of the testing grounds was an altered space. It had been altered using a giant spatial array.


    Eren could feel that the altered space was influenced by dense fire-element mana. Apart from the red sand and red sky, there was nothing worth noticing in Eren''s vision for miles on end.


    His vision would get hindered byrge red rocks and sparse redwood trees that had red leaves. But that was the extent of the variability the altered space provided. There was nothing else to distinguish one corner of the space from the other.


    The air in this altered space reeked of sulfur and smoke. There would be random mes spontaneously appearing and disappearing over the ground or the rocks from time to time. This barrennd was only prosperous for the fire and those who were able to harness it.


    As such, Eren liked the environment for the second stage of the test. Incidentally, the opponents he was going to fight were also said to be harnessers of fire-element mana.

 Chapter 209 Clearing Second Stage

    Horned Fire Wolf.


    That''s what Eren was fighting against.


    These wolves had sharp canines and sparkling red eyes that made them look menacing. They had two fangs jutting out from their lower jaw. They had distinct muscle details that made them look intimidating.


    These mana beasts had long ears that stood erect over their heads. They had thick and voluminous manes on their backs.


    They were as tall as Eren and looked quick on their feet. Their purple-red fur would shine with fire-element mana from time to time, making them look like they were me incarnates.


    They had sharp red ws and scales around their joints. These scales would also shine with fire-element mana as if they were made from moltenva. Plus, they had furry tails with hair that looked like copper strings. The ends of their tails would catch fire when they channeled their fire-element mana through them.


    However, the most noticeable thing about them was the horns on their forehead. These horns were about three inches long and looked extremely pointy.


    Bitz Steps


    Twin Star Arts


    Igni Wave x 4


    Eren fired a series of fire-element fire shes around him when he found himself getting surrounded by a pack of Horned Fire Wolf once again. This was the third wolf pack he was facing off.


    The first pack had four wolves. The second pack he had to kill contained 8 Horned Fire wolves in total. And the third pack had 16 wolves, five of which he had already killed.


    During the second stage, the wolves would attack for an hour. Of course, surviving the wolves'' attacks for an hour was the minimum requirement to pass the second stage. Topletely clear the second stage with an 80 percent clearance rate or more, the battlemage needed tost more and kill more.


    Every time he killed a pack, a new pack would appear within a few seconds. The updated pack would contain more wolves who were also more ferocious than their predecessors.


    Howl!


    An echo of a wolf howling was heard as Eren''s flying shes attacked four wolves from the pack of eleven. They had various wounds on their bodies as Eren''s fire-element mana entered their bodies and tried to burn them. These four wolves were forced to stay behind while the rest of them chased after their attacker.


    ''Damn it. They are bing more difficult to kill now.''


    Eren thought as he changed his position and attacked the pack once again using the flying shes. He dodged a series of fireballs and fire breaths fired at him by the wolves. Still, he couldn''t dodge them all and was eventually hit by a fireball dense in fire-element mana.


    Things could have been smoother for Eren if he could have summoned his fire domain. Sadly, he was unable to use Igni Lotus. Every time he tried to cast it, he only received a slight bacsh in return.


    The altered space did not allow him to create a subspace under his control. It was as if he was inside someone else''s fire domain himself. Thus, he couldn''t summon his fire domain without getting rid of the existing one.


    Some of the wolves used two elements, just like Eren. They had earth and fire element affinities. As a result, they would first summon an earth-element chunk from thin air and fuse it with fire element mana before firing the fused fireball in Eren''s way.


    The fireball that Eren was hit with just now was fused with earth-element mana as well. He was thrown into the air at a critical velocity by the vector force of the impact. His left side back and shoulder were injured because the fusion fireball had hit him hard there.


    "Fuck these wretched wolves!"


    Igni Chains


    The battlemage used Igni Chains as an anchor to stop his forced flight. He summoned the Igni Chains and tied them around the leading wolf''s neck who was following his flight closely. He then used one more Igni Chain on another wolf, ensuring he had the control to stabilize himself.


    Eren tugged at the fire-element whips he had summoned and changed his direction midair. He then pulled himself towards the leading wolf and stood on his back.


    Howl!


    The Alpha tried to shake Eren off his back while howling and increasing his speed. He left his pack behind. The wolf realized that Eren was not about to get off his back this easily. The noose around his neck was tightening and there were even more fire-element chains that were making him difficult to move.


    The wolf''s flesh was starting to burn as the Igni Chains tightened themselves around his torso and moving limbs. The burning wounds started releasing smoke that was smelling like a barbecue to Eren.


    Igni Wave


    The Alpha was about to put his dignity aside and roll over when he received another injury from Eren. This time, it was inflicted right over his nape by Eren''s Tachi.


    Howl


    Blitz Steps<sub> </sub>


    Eren jumped using his movement spell and applied the same tactics to target the wolf that was following closely behind the Alpha. He summoned his Igni Chains once again andnded on the wolf''s furry back. He then used the fire-element chains to restrict his movements before attacking him in the same manner.


    Eren thought that the wounds he had inflicted on all six of the wolves in 40 seconds were fatal. But he saw only two out of four wolves he had killed earlier sumb to their injuries and die. The remaining two wolves were blessed with enhanced recovery speed. The same was the case with the two wolves he had attacked using the Igni Chains. He managed to kill the second wolf. But the Alpha wolf survived by making use of his enhanced recovery speed.


    ''Son of a¡­.''


    Eren cursed the incremental difficulty level of the second stage as he saw Alpha along with two other wolves manage to make a quick recovery. He then used the go-to spells that he had used to control the horde aiming for him.


    Alfem


    Igni Shards


    Taranbiest


    Blitz Shards


    The fire-element birds and lightning-element hounds were summoned into existence as soon as Erennded on the ground. His summoned creatures surrounded him and locked eyes with the iing wolf pack being led by the Alpha.


    The Alpha wolf''s nape injury had beenpletely healed by now. But it seems that he had expended a significant amount of mana doing it. As a result, he didn''t send any fireballs or fire breaths toward Eren carelessly.


    "Go."


    Eren mumbled as he changed his weapons once again. In the beginning, he used axes, then switched to a sword midway. And now he was using his two dual-element crossbows to attack.


    Igni Bolt sts


    Blitz Arrows


    Eren kept on summoning more creatures and attacked the wolf pack using his pack. He fired off his ranged attacks and applied an edge to his offensive.


    Howl!


    Blitz Steps


    As soon as Eren saw that some of the wolves had be critically injured because of his attacks, he entered the fray and attacked them using his Igni Chains controlled axes.


    The axes flew in the air around Eren and created a typhoon of flying shes of their own. The weapons directly chopped heads and limbs off of the wolves that were unlucky enough to get caught in the weapon attack storm. Or he attacked their torso so brutally that their intestines were ripped off.


    Of course, the weapons also attacked the summoned creatures. But since they had the same mana signature as the weapons'' imbued mana, the attacks passed through the creatures'' mana bodies. As a result, Eren''s attacks


    Boom!


    Eren''s summoned creatures attacked the wolves that attempted to create a distance from his indiscriminate attacks. Since they were strengthened by the fire and lightning shards, the mini-explosions they generated were enough to kill the wolves.


    The limbs flew and the blood sttered. The horns were chopped off and used as weapons by Eren''s lightning and fire whips to attack the other wolves. The flesh and various organs rained down on the battlefield as Eren kept on attacking the wolves with all he had.


    Only 4 wolves managed to keep their lives intact from Eren''s all-out offensive. They were able to maintain their life due to their enhanced regeneration. The Alpha was among the four surviving wolves.


    Howl!


    A loud wolf cry was heard in the surrounding area. The beast shook his head and stomped his feet. His growl made the other three heed his order. They stood up behind him and looked at Eren with their menacing eyes and drooling maws. Eren could tell that seeing the blood of their brethren was making the beasts more hungry than ever before.


    Eren took a long breath as he recovered his injuries with his healing spell. He wasn''t injured that badly in the first ce.


    ''Hmm. If my guess is right, this should be thest lot.''


    The battlemage thought and decided to use his Hex spell once more. He summoned his Bear armor and charged his axes and charged his dual weapons.


    Bzzt. Swoosh. Drop.


    The lightning cracked and Eren disappeared from his spot. Four wolf heads dropped on the red-sanded ground at the same time, indicating that he had wiped out the entire wolf pack.

 Chapter 210 Having The Patience To Wait For The Right Moment

    A dense tropical forest with palpable humidity.


    The lush green trees and the wild air. Sounds of various water sources made their presence known in the background. This was the third phase of the testing ground. Thest hurdle before the battlemage could im all of his rewards.


    There was an artificial sky that felt and produced light in the early morning. But there were no clouds, making it a monochrome blue.


    This artificial forest was unusually quiet too. There were no sounds of birds or monsters. Eren''s mana sense waspromised in the space, making it difficult for him to read the life signs around him.


    Kino sent Eren immediately to the third phase of the testing ground. He had cleared the second stage with a 100 percent clearance rate. But he didn''t want to leave because he was as prepared as he could be. Plus, he could cast his Hex spells. There was no reason to take a break and lose momentum anymore.


    Eren realized that he had made the right decision after he had cleared the first stage. That''s because he had faced the difficulty level of the second stage.


    He knew that without his Hex spells to back him up in times of pinch, the wolves would have kept on spawning because of their enhanced regeneration. He was sure that he would have been critically injured in the second stage if not outright died. This was if he had decided to enter the second stage on his first try.


    ''The hardest thing in life is having the patience to wait for the right moment. What''s even more difficult is to know when is the right moment.''


    Eren felt amused by his random thoughts as he looked around himself with his axes drawn. His mana sense only allowed him to perceive the circr area of 20 meters around him. And it looked to him that this isted space had a radius of more than 10 miles.


    That was not the only restriction. Eren essed his status screen and discovered that his body stats had been lowered under some unknown debuff. He was forced to fight while not being allowed to use his full strength.


    The battlemage immediately understood that the third stage of the testing ground was not going to be a walk in the park like the second stage. He would have to shed a lot of blood and sweat to clear this round.


    ''Hm? Where are the opponents?''


    Eren asked the question himself. His surroundings soon provided the answer.


    "Kraaaa!"


    In no time, Eren was surrounded by a bunch of humanoids who looked to be nt monsters. They had the naked bodies of humans with seemingly undefined genders. They had wood-element vessels, looking as if a dry wood trunk had grown arms and legs.


    These nt monsters were called Vargas. They would appear in the deepest parts of select forests in Gahan. As such, rankers seldom knew about them. Especially the Meta rankers who could only ess limited regions in Gahan.


    These nt-element monsters'' bodies had sparse to medium-dense foliage growing over their torso, back, and limbs. They had long legs and even longer arms. They boasted a stature of around 8 feet and had human-like faces even though theycked distinct facial structures.


    Vargas had long fingers that doubled up as ws because of how thin and twig-like they were. They had vines and wooden spikes and foliage growing over their heads in ce of hair. Their eyes shone with green light.


    These small giant nt monsters surrounded Eren in a blink of an eye. Eren wasn''t surprised about the ambush. But he was surprised about the fact that his limited mana sense couldn''t pick up their vital signs when they stood about seven meters away from him. It was as if the monsters had just recently been summoned by something or someone.


    Swoosh!


    Eren was surrounded by the nt monsters from various angles at once. However, he was ready for the monsters'' attack from the get-go. He tightened his grip around the axes before casting his movement spell.


    "Kraaah!"


    Another nt monster cry was heard when Eren appeared behind one of the Vargas. His dry wood-like back caught fire because of the Igni Wave. Eren left before the monster could tackle him for attacking him. He thought his retreat was sessful.


    Swoosh!


    Eren was about to continue attacking another nt monster when the green vines wrapped around his lightning-coated legs. The vines made him abruptly stop in his stride before being pulled toward the same monster who he had attacked just moments before.


    Alfem<sub> </sub>


    Three firebirdsunched themselves onto the monster''s face as he tried to free himself from the monster''s binding grasp. They detonated themselves in the monster''s face. But it looked like he was not discouraged from making Eren pay for attacking him.


    Vargas'' two arms had been turned into green vines and his legs had been turned into roots to get a firm grip on the ground. As a result, when he tugged at Eren using his green vines, the battlemage couldn''t do much about it.


    Vargas was not fast on their feet. Neither were they that sharp. Most of their attacks were driven by their survival instincts and other emotions. There was indeed someone else controlling them. But for now, they were to wait and watch while still seeing Eren as a threat because of his uncalled-for entry into their domain.


    Eren was able to keep a straight head during his predicament and wondered why the remaining three monsters hadn''t attacked him yet. It was as if their instincts were telling them that attacking Eren right now would only be a nuisance for the monster currently fighting against him. Or there was someone else pulling the strings and controlling the monsters from a distance.


    As such, the remaining three Vargas let the one monster carry on with his attack, deciding to intervene only when they sensed a threat from Eren. And from the looks of things, they didn''t need to intervene at all.


    "Kraaaaah!"


    Eren was trying to cut the vines wrapping around his ankles using his axes. But the vines were sturdy. It also didn''t help that he did not have a steady stance to attack them. With his vines, the monster also mmed Eren against trees, branches, and the ground. All so that he could attack his victim after making them thoroughly disoriented and vulnerable.


    Vargas in question didn''t take long tounch the counterattack on Eren. Eren''s attack and his struggle to free himself from the monster''s grip onlysted for about five seconds at this point.


    Eren couldn''t do much other than cast more Alfem and Taranbiest. He tried to cast his movement spell but the vines acted as natural instors for his lightninga€¡° zapping their powers away. All he he could do was attack the monster with his summoned creatures.


    Vargas was a wood-element monster with an affinity for water as well. As a result, Eren''s lightning and fire element spells didn''t work very well. Plus, the monster''s exceptional vitality was enough to fix any minor damage quickly.


    Eren had already summoned his Bear Armor set to lessen the damage he was receiving. And for the most part, it worked. But he knew that it wasn''t a permanent solution.


    The Bear armor''s protectiveyer couldn''t generate a uniform defenseyer around Eren''s body because he couldn''t concentrate. And even if he could, he debuted the armor set that would protect him when he was being attacked or mmed from so many angles in such a short time.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Vargas kept mming Eren onto the ground and trees. He lifted him upside down using his long, flexible, and strong vines and made him lose his grip on the weapons.


    Such violent activity cracked the ground at various ces, creating spider-web-like depressions wherever Eren was mmed. It also affected the flora and fauna around the battlefield, uprooting some trees in the process.


    The monster was also shortening his distance from Eren slowly but surely as he rammed Eren onto the ground and threw him onto rocks and trees. It looked like a natural practice for these monsters to injure their prey in this way before dealing a final blow to them.


    Eren''s vision waspromised. Not only because there was dust and grime in the air but because his head was feeling groggy because of all the beatings he took. It felt to him like he was back in Latvia and had a killer hangover after drinking too much vodka.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Eren''s vision returned and rity was brought back to him when he felt an unbearable pain in his left shoulder. The Vargas who had caught him bit him on his left shoulder with his sawtooth-like teeth. The battlemage also felt like his vitality and life essence were being sucked by the monster.


    Eren knew he was in a more difficult situation than he had previously predicted. Lightning and fire weren''t enough to do much harm to the monster as he had quick recovery speed. Even if he used his Hex spells, his dual elements were weaker against the monster''s wood element.


    The edge his Hex spells would provide against a horde of such monsters wasn''t going to be enough for him. The remaining three Vargas would attack him if and when he tried to create a distance from the current monster.


    Plus, Eren had already given Adelman''s Ring to Ariadne, telling her to research it using her demonic contacts and techniques. As such, he had no surefire way to get himself out of the situation.


    Eren understood the mortal part still in him at that time even though he had be a ranker. He realized that he would still die even though he had the blessings of infinite mana.


    This life-and-death moment had finally enabled Eren to experience the same state of mind he had almost forgotten. The moment he closed his eyes, his consciousness entered a state of epiphany.


    Seek and ye shall find!

 Chapter 211 Anemoi: Model Elephant

    ''Seek and ye shall find!''


    The time nearly stopped for Eren as he felt a familiar thought reverberating inside his head. He found himself in a mysterious state once again. This was the same space he had visited when he was breaking into the Meta rank from being a mortal.


    Eren''s thoughts were slightly muddled. Even then, he knew he was in a precarious position in the real world and he didn''t have much time. He needed to find a solution to his current problem.


    Eren was able to figure out what he needed the most at this point. And he had sufficient experience under his belt to ask for it.


    Eren was slowly beginning to understand the element-neutral nature of his infinite mana core. He wasn''tpletely confident about learning spells from all the elements. But he had started to branch out once he started mastering fire-element spells.


    There was only one problem with Eren using spells from another element. He didn''t possess enough elemental attainments. Even if he could gain affinities with all elements, he was still one human being. He simply didn''t have time to train himself in those many elements.


    Using spells with low elemental attainments was almost as good as not being able to use them at all. Especially one who was fighting seriously. Theck of elemental attainment would show through the effects of the spells.


    It was basically impossible for him to pursue affinity in all the elements because of this. He needed to find a different way to pursue attainments in other elements.


    Still, Eren had decided to add one more element to his ranking path.


    Wind-element!


    He had decided toplement his fire-element spells with the addition of wind-element spells. Thus, he had bought many spells from Malcolm regarding that element and had been practicing them whenever he had a chance.


    Eren observed that he was making tremendous progress in his wind-element attainments ever since he had started practicing spells rted to it. It was as if the way of the wind was trying to catch up with his other attainments.


    So, when asked what he wanted from the pantheon of infinity, he requested perfecting his wind-element attainment. He asked for it to catch up with his other attainments.


    A simple request apanied by a clear determination.


    ''Ask and ye shall receive.''


    He began thinking about wind as soon as he asked with determination what he needed. Even though he tried hard to maintain a clear consciousness, he lost track of time. It was as if he had gone deep into an infinite sea filled with only thoughts about the elements in various tangible forms.


    ***


    Eren opened his eyes and found out that the monster was still biting on his neck, sucking his vitality and life essence. Thus, he felt extremely weak and fragile. He felt extreme fatigue, and even opening his eyes was like a chore.


    His body had been shriveled and his skin had turned dry. He lost luster in his eyes and hair and he had wrinkles on his face. His heartbeats were slowing down and his mana circuits werecking mana in them.


    However, Eren also felt like he had been born anew. His mind was filled with various ideas. His heart was filled with the desire to achieve more than he ever thought he could. All because he started to realize that the limitations he had on himself were only a figment of his imagination for the most part.


    The elemental blocks rankers had in their ranking journeys were more mental than anything else. They could pursue a single element and make it produce the elemental nature of other elements. They could choose against their inborn affinity. They could choose a different element, and seed in progressing much further than anyone in their generation with the inborn affinity.


    If a person had an affinity for certain elements, it would make his ranking journey rtively easier. But in the end, it all depends on a person''s will. His desire to pursue something that needed their blood and sweat. Investing time was just one aspect. The investment of more energy and effort in a limited amount of time can sometimes yield superior results. It could enable people to aplish, in just a few months, what others cannot aplish in years.


    It didn''t mean that the limits imposed on rankers did not exist. One could, however, challenge those limits with their will. They could use various means at their disposal that would allow them to channel their will. Hard work, smart work, usage of tools, making use of people, getting inspireda€¡° these were just channels to express people''s wills.


    So even while Eren''s body was feeling extreme fatigue, Eren''s will had been renewed by his recent experience. His recent epiphany made him even more thirsty for his all-epassing path.


    This epiphany allowed Eren''s wind-element attainment and affinity to catch up with his way of using fire and lightning. But that was not the only thing. It also helped him progress further in his fire and lightning attainments. And the more he progressed, the more his achievements tried to catch up with him, elevating themselves.


    Elemental Aspect.


    This epiphany also allowed Eren to dig deep into his fire and lightning elements. He discovered aspects of his elements that were not previously known to him. It also helped him fuse those aspects to achieve something different.


    Aspect Fusion.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had seen Lagartha use Aspect Fusion when he had fought with her. That experience helped him gain an Aspect Fusion of his own.


    His gains didn''t stop here. He was also able toprehend the delicate bnce between the different elements during the period of epiphany. He was beginning to understand how they worked andbined to give birth to hybrid elements.


    Elemental Fusion.


    What most rankers couldn''t achieve even after reaching the Arch rank. Eren learned the basics of how elemental fusion works as well. He just needed to test his gains in real life and im them as his.


    ***


    ''Maybe I overdid it.''


    Kino appeared inside the third stage in an invisible form and thought to herself. She saw Eren''s vitality and life essence getting sucked by the nt monster at rming rates. He was in apromised state with seemingly no way out. Without her intervention, he would most likely die.


    Normally, she wasn''t supposed to be bothered by the contestants taking the tests. But she decided to make an exception for Eren. The fact that he was the first contestant was irrelevant. But she did not want to see a talented Hexer like Eren end his journey this early.


    And perhaps, she also didn''t want to see what would happen if the thing that was inside Eren decided to make a move. Her istion seal on the soul mark only worked because the soul mark was making it work. As if a prisoner who could break any wall decided to stay put in his cell. Possibly because he didn''t have anything to do with the outside world at the moment.


    Of course, Kino''s interference would mean that Eren had failed to conquer the testing ground''s final stage. He would only receive a fraction of the rewards he was aiming for. And he would not be able to enter the testing grounds for quite some time after his failure.


    Kino didn''t think that Eren would mind. Losing rewards was a better choice when the other option was to lose his life.


    However, just as she was about to kill the monsters, she noticed a distinct mana pulse spreading across the area. Eren was casting his spells after about three minutes of his fatal deadlock with the monster.


    Kino stopped her actions and decided to observe. What she saw nextpletely shocked her.


    "Anemoi!"


    Eren mumbled the name of the spell to mentally help him cast it. This was a summoning spell that belonged to the wind element.


    He tapped into his infinite mana core and let the mana course through his entire body. He also sent his circuits into hyperdrive. Something he hadn''t managed to do yet.


    He then cast various spells at once to free himself of the death trap.


    The cluster of lightning bloomed and the waves of fire spread. A huge windstorm was conjured from thin air before turning into a summoned creature.


    The monster that was biting Eren on his shoulder suddenly had his lower jaw destroyed by Eren''s wind-element-coated punch. Thepressed wind suddenly expanded rapidly when the punch hit, creating a sonic-like sound.


    Lightning and fire were used simultaneously in greater harmony than ever before. They surrounded the monster''s body and destroyed the vines with which he was holding Eren.


    The lightning struck and Eren''s feeble body disappeared from the monster''s clutches. But this was just the beginning.


    Wind element mana congregated into arge sphere. It then sprouted four pir-sized limbs and a long trunk. Therge leaf-like ears moved and created gales. Two tusks glowed bright blue. A snake-like tail grew from behind it, sending wind-element shrapnels into the air as it moved.


    Anemoi: Model Elephant.


    Ma!


    An ear-piercing trumpet was released by a 12 ft elephant. He stopped his front legs on the ground and shook the ground to make his presence known. He then charged at his enemies like he was riding a breeze.


    ===


    AN: Aspect Fusion was first introduced in chapter 170.

 Chapter 212 Elemental Aspects & Spell Integrations

    Boom!


    The summoned elephant struck the nt monster head-on and lifted him using his tusks. This was the same nt monster who had attacked Eren and almost deprived him of his vitality.


    Swoosh!


    The tusks releasednce-like wind-element projectiles that pierced the wooden body before shooting upwards. It caused the monster to leave the ground and leap into the air.


    "Maw!"


    As the elephant aimed his trunk at the monster in the air, he released another trumpet sound. The mid-region of the trunk took on the shape of an air bubble from within as if a bowling ball was stuck in it. The growth waspressed by the beast soon after its formation. He shot forth apressed ball of wind element. It was shot at the monster with such velocity that after hitting him, a gaping hole appeared in his torso.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    The wind-element elephant bullets were up to 3 inches in diameter and were shot with extreme velocity. The summoned elephant riddled the nt monster with these bullets. Some of these bullets were detonated inside the monster''s body, allowing thepressed wind-element mana to expand rapidly.


    Two seconds after the monster was lifted into the air by the summoned elephant, he was already dead. And this was even though he was trying to regenerate his body using the vitality he had taken from Eren.


    One had to note that the summoned creature was not this strong by default. It was Eren''s recent mastery of the wind element that was expressing itself through the summoning spell.


    Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!


    Eren dodged the vine trap headed for him using his movement spell. He drank an all-stats recovery potion while doing that. It brought some vitality back to him. He was already a bit pale, to begin with. But drinking the potion brought some life back to his face. The wrinkles on his face vanished and his muscles started working the way they were used to.


    ''Damn. That was a close call.''


    Eren thought to himself as he used his movement spell. Unlike before, he was able to dodge the vine traps effortlessly. That''s because he was using the Speed Aspect of the lightning. Something he wasn''t familiar with before.


    Purple lightning.


    Unlike before, Eren''s legs were d in purple lightning. They allowed him to increase the effects of his movement spell by many levels. This enabled him to get more out of it using less mana consumption and fewer executionplications.


    It seemed that there were four more nt monsters that had appeared after Eren''s summoned elephant had killed the first monster. They kept the beast busy while Eren had to deal with the previous three monsters.


    Eren retrieved the pair of crossbows and aimed at the approaching nt monsters. The three Vargas had opened a joint front against him. They were trying to box him in using their coordination. Something they had refused to do in the beginning.


    In the next moment, Eren found out that his difficulty in dodging the monsters'' attacks had increased. They were also shooting wood-element shrapnels at him. They were making use of the roots sprouting from the ground all of a sudden, trying to hinder his mobility.


    In addition to Alfem and Taranbiest, Eren used Igni Waves from his weapons. But somehow, they gained ess to an expedited recovery. It allowed them to survive Eren''s onught.


    The battle continued with time and the monster numbers were increasing despite Eren''s efforts to cull them. It was as if the third stage of the testing grounds had an unlimited supply of them stashed somewhere.


    No sooner than he killed a monster or two with his actions or through his summoned creatures, another would appear to take its ce. Eren felt like a stalemate had been reached even though it looked like he was winning.


    Eren''s wind-element-summoned creature did the most damage to the nt monsters. He destroyed the monsters within seconds using various spells at his disposal.


    Spell integration.


    Spell integration was another concept that wasn''t strictly element-specific in nature. It allowed someone to cast two or more spells as one instead of ovepping them by casting them separately andbining them on a superficial level.


    Spell integration increased theplexities of casting spells. But the tradeoff was worth it when one looked at the result. The effects of twopatible spells getting integrated were greater than the summation of the effects of two respective spells if they were to be cast separately.<sub> </sub>


    The moreplex a spell integration was, and the morepatible the integrated spells were with each other, the greater theirbined effects were. Due to how Eren used spell integration in conjunction with the summoning creatures, they got innate powers that weren''t avable from rudimentary spell casting.


    The spells the summoned creature was using were Eren''s wind element spells. He had sessfully managed to integrate them into his summoned creature, thanks to his epiphany.


    But the summoned creature had its limits as well. They did note from Eren''s supply of mana. Since he was acting on a borrowed consciousness, the beast had an inherent limit ced on his active summon time. It was dependent on a lot of factors. But now, it was running out because of his excessive use.


    "Maw!"


    The summoned elephant crushed another nt monster under its feet before shooting a pair of elephant bullets at him using his trunk. By using hisnce-like tusk projectiles and shooting them at critical velocity, he killed another monster.


    Eren''s summoned elephant was dispersed in thin air after killing a pair of monsters, causing a huge wave of wind-element repulsive force that knocked the nt monsters surrounding him.


    Eren decided not to summon the elephant again. He hade to realize that no matter how many elephants he summoned, it would be useless if the monsters just increased their numbers in return.


    As of this moment, he had already killed over a dozen nt monsters. Still, their numbers would just get replenished over time. The battlemage needed to find another solution to his problem.


    However, Eren was d that he was able to fight these monsters right after he received his recent epiphany. Their crazy spawn rate didn''t bother him in the least because he had infinite mana core and he wasn''t in any life-threatening situation anymore.


    He took this opportunity to apply all that he had digested in his epiphany. As part of the current battle, he was strengthening various concepts.


    The summoned elephant was not the only summoned creature he had. Using Alfem and Taranbiest together with spell integration was what he had decided to do.


    The butcher maintained a safe distance from his opponents while summoning a new batch of firebirds and lightning hounds. He also made the existing summoned creatures, that battle with him against the rest of the monsters, transform themselves.


    A series of mana pulses spread as Eren''s summoned creatures started transforming. The firebirds developed scales made of Igni Shards over their bodies. This was more than just ovepping a spell over a mana body. The scales this time were part of the summoned creatures'' bodies, giving them minute control over the shards and enhanced detonation potential.


    These birds could rain Igni Shards over their opponents using the pping of their wings. They could use breath attacks followed by their detonation, making it their finishing move.


    The ws of some of the firebirds turned into arrowheads for Igni Bolt sts. The birds could also rain breaths of fire on their opponents, courtesy of the spell integration of Igni Breath.


    The firebirds could only use one integrated spell at a time before they were detonated. As such, the spell effects couldn''t ovep for now. However, the damage potential of Alfem had increased by leaps and bounds because of the spell integration. The summoning spell had stopped being a rudimentary spell for Eren. With spell integration of his choice, he had made the spell his.


    Furthermore, some of the firebirds were not a mix of orange and red. They were made of white mes that represented a different aspect of fire.


    The same could be said for Taranbiest. The lightning hounds also received a huge upgrade because of the spell integration. They grew Blitz Shards over their bodies. The blue beasts'' legs were coated in purple lightning, indicating that some of them could use Eren''s movement spell Blitz Steps.


    Some of the lightning hounds had developed a dense ball of mana inside their bodies that would explode as Blitz Storm. Some had their limbs turned into Solid Sparks.


    Some of the lightning hounds hadpletely purple bodies. They represented the speed aspect of lightning with their very being.


    Within a few moments, the entire scene inside the third stage changed. Eren''s summoned creatures transformed into sinister beings that remained tame under his control.


    One could say that Eren acted more like a summoner than a battlemage at this point. He looked at his surroundings before taking a lungful of air that was charged with his lightning.


    Eren jumped using his movement spell and soared into the air. Narrowing his eyes, he mumbled to himself.


    ''Let the fireworks begin.''

 Chapter 213 Fusion Flame

    ''This¡­ What the fresh hell is this?''


    Kino was left speechless as a mute spectator. Just when she had decided to intervene, Eren had made aeback. And how?


    She watched him master so many facets of the elements that she felt it was unreal. The more she watched him perform and alter spell after spell, the more her hypothesis proved correct.


    ''That soul mark¡­ it interfered with Eren''s state of epiphany and allowed him to reap maximum benefits. Maybe it added some of its own understanding to the mix to give him this boost. Otherwise, a mere Meta ranker shouldn''t progress so much in the way of the elements.''


    Kino concluded. She refused to believe that the state of epiphany alone was able to give Eren this much advantage in his battle all of a sudden.


    Kino decided she would not interfere in Eren''s battle just to ask him about this. She concluded that the guy would be as clueless as her if not more. Moreover, she refused to conduct any further inspection of that vile soul mark.


    Kirin had also figured out that Eren''s inexhaustible mana wasn''t due to any artifact like she thought it was. No artifact would allow him to pull off something like what she was seeing in front of her eyes.


    There was a deeper secret hiding behind Eren''s existence. And she was not qualified to know about it.


    ***


    Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.


    A series of sts urred on the battlefield as Eren let his summoned creatures run wild. The altered firebirds targeted the nt monsters like vengeful demons. Some of the firebirds used Igni Shards on their opponents before detonating them. Others used Igni Breaths and Igni Bolt sts beforemitting seppuku.


    The aerial attack was one thing. The nt monsters weren''t safe from the lightning hounds either. They attacked with Blitz Steps and Blitz Storm. Others used their front or hind legs as Solid Sparks before detonating them inside the monsters'' bodies.


    A cloud of lightning and mes spread across the battlefield and consumed everything within its grasp. Eren watched the ground beneath his feet get destroyed by his chain spells as he looked down. He remained airborne by detonating more firebirds beneath his feet, giving him an unsteady foothold in the air.


    Eren didn''t stop there. He spread his hands beforebining the effects of his spells with his elemental fusion. As the fire and lightning element mana fused, a distinct mana pulse spread in the surrounding area.


    Elemental fusion between lightning and fire took ce.


    The blue lightning streaks and orange mes that wreaked havoc in the surrounding area mostly disappeared. In their ce, a different kind of me appeared. A me that was a fusion of two elements.


    It had the properties of lightning and fire. It changed its color between blue, yellow, orange, and red. There were times when it would turn white and cinder everything in its wake instantly.


    Electro me.


    That''s what Eren named his elemental fusion between the two elements. He was very satisfied with his results for now. But he knew that he had a lot of room for improvement.


    The sessful casting of elemental fusion had opened up new possibilities for the battlemage. He thought that the topic was so deep that it could be a separate field to pursue in one''s career.


    Of course, he also understood his limitations in using elemental fusion. He had tried to use it when summoning creatures. And he had tried to cast it with his normal spells. But due tock of experience or some other factor, he was unable to pull it off in those cases.


    It was only after the spells were detonated that Eren was able to manifest elemental fusion from the residual mana. A small sess was still a sess.


    Thanks to his extensive readings and books borrowed from Malcolm, Eren had many theories and experiments regarding various facets of wielding the elements. But he could have never thought that he would be able to wield his elements this way in the Meta rank.


    Eren let go of his stray thoughts and focused on his tasks at hand. He directed his Electro mes towards the escaping monsters and burned them in its mes as well.


    The nt monsters couldn''t survive the onught of various spells Eren had unleashed on them. They were already battered by his summoning creatures and their huge power-ups. But the elemental fusion between


    Screeeeee!<sub> </sub>


    An indescribable sound was heard as Eren destroyed everything below him. He saw that the roots that were deep within the ground had alsoe in contact with the Electro me, which started destroying them.


    The me first created small explosions on the roots as if lightning had struck them. The mes would then burn like the most intense fire that had been caused by a me catalyst, burning the roots to cinders.


    "Found you."


    Erenmented as he followed the roots that caught the fire. The fire from the elemental fusion was difficult to put out. Although the roots produced a water element defenseyer, it wasn''t enough to douse the fusion me. As a result, the roots came out of the ground and over the surface.


    In an attempt to extinguish the fire manually, the roots began to stomp on the ground like a snake that had been injured by something horrible. Something or someone seemed to be in pain because of them.


    The roots started developing seeds at the end of every branch they had. A fetus of nt monsters could be seen inside each oval and encapsted semi-transparent seed. The monsters inside the seeds would have be a nuisance to Eren once again. But they were killed in their vulnerable states as his Electro mes managed to get inside the seeds and burn the monsters inside.


    Eren followed the 40-meter-long roots and found them to being from the same direction. As Alfem''s detonation was applied optimally beneath his feet, he remained airborne. And he soon found the culprit behind the spawning of nt monsters.


    It was a flower.


    A giant flower at that. This unique nt monster was the main boss behind the minions it had birthed. And Eren would have had a hard time locating him if he didn''t manage to burn its roots.


    The Five-Petal Monster Flower.


    This was what Gahan''s bestiary had named this monster. Like the name had suggested, this monster flower had five petals. Each petal was 20 meters long and about 7 meters wide. These petals were dark pink, making the flower look innocent and cute.


    However, the flower had a piranha-like face and teeth at its center. It was obvious that it was a carnivorous nt. It had a frog-like tongue that extended up to 10 meters, allowing it to lift its prey before eating them using its pointy and sharp teeth.


    The monster flower also had two thick and long vines serving as its limbs. They extended up to 30 meters, enabling them to grab prey that was in their vicinity and unaware of its existence.


    It is also because of this monster flower that Eren was unable to use mana sense in the surrounding area. This monster had the reputation of interfering with mana sense using the undergroundwork of its roots. This way, it stayed hidden and safe.


    This nt monster was more predatory and territorial than most normal monsters. It would deploy its minions to get rid of anyone that tried to disturb its surroundings.


    The monster was also toozy to do all its work by itself. Vargas would be used to hunt down intruders. The minions would then bring the intruders to the monster flowers, allowing them to devour their prey from its position.


    As long as the flower monster was alive, the minions would continue to be created. For the battlemage to eliminate the minions, he had to get rid of the main cause.


    Eren couldn''t maintain his flight for longer. He got down on the ground at a safe distance away from the flower monster. It had tried to grab him using its two thick vines. But Eren managed to evade it using his exceptional aerial maneuverability.


    Raise. Aim. Shoot.


    Eren took his crossbows out again before unleashing Blitz Bolt and Igni Bolt sts on them. He loaded the bay with his spell-manifested arrows before letting them fly toward the monster''s face. A bit of elemental fusion was added to the spells as an oveppingyer, giving them an extra edge.


    Boom. Boom. Boom.


    The boss monster used its vine and even its tongue to squat away the arrows. But Eren''s persistent attacks finally paid off and some managed to breach its defenses. The flower monster''s face was caught on Electro me as soon as a few of the arrows hit their intended mark. They were detonated by Eren as soon as they made contact.


    Screee!


    The monster never managed to get its hands on Eren after thetter had discovered the extent of its capabilities. The pain-in-the-ass flower monster that was usually handled by a group of Veteran rankers under the lead of an Awakened was single-handedly taken care of by Eren.

 Chapter 214 Bonus Stage: Wyvern Hunt

    "You encashed all your paychecks in one go today, didn''t you?"


    After appearing in front of Eren, Kino spoke. Her voice was neutral. But Eren could tell she was very shocked by his performance.


    "Epic luck or epic fuck ups. My friend used to say that I only knew these two modes. And there''s no in-between."


    Eren chuckled lightly and responded. He was reminded of Tory for some reason.


    "Eren, you did really well and proved yourself to be a better Hexer than the standards set by the testing grounds. I apud you for the performance you disyed so far."


    Kino said and smiled. She looked at him keenly and pondered for a bit before speaking up.


    "Normally, the contestants would be given their rewards and that should be the end of the test for them.


    However, you cleared the third stage with a 100 percent clearance rate as well. Since this is the first contestant to do so, there''s a bonus test you can attend.


    The reward for clearing the bonus test alone should be worth it for you. However, you can choose to take or skip it. What will you do?"


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he was told that he could still fight some more in a bonus test. Although he didn''t like to push his luck, he also knew that some opportunities would never knock on his door twice. He pondered for a bit and assessed the situation before answering.


    "I would like to partake in the bonus test if the rewards are worth it, Kino. However, I would need some time off to rest and prepare."


    Kino agreed to Eren''s request immediately and told him she''de back to check on him after a few hours. When the battlemage realized he didn''t have to fight anymore, hey on the ground.


    Ereny on his back and stretched his limbs. He took a long breath and felt some of the built-up exhaustion leaving his body when he exhaled.


    He closed his eyes and started reying the fight he just had in his mind. Just as Kino was hinting at, he had lucked out in the state of epiphany he had during the fight.


    Eren closed his eyes and decided to take a nap under the shade of a giant tree. He woke up the next day when the fake sky inside the testing grounds started turning bright.


    Another day. Another fight for survival.


    ***


    A valley surrounded by long and distant mountain ranges. A rocky region that was full of naturally formed trenches and mini hills. Sparse vegetation and deste vibes. Warm and dry winds made their presence known in the surroundings.


    Eren had been summoned into a different altered space this time.


    Eren already knew who his opponent was going to be. So he was a bit tense. But there was something within him that was looking forward to this fight.


    Roar!


    A draconic roar sounded in the surroundings as Eren''s opponent approached him from the distant sky. What appeared to be small on a giant portrait turned out to be one of the most fearsome mana beasts in existence.


    A wyvern!


    ***


    The real dragons were in the top tier of the food chain within the mama beasts. They feared nobody because of the natural blessings they were gifted with. Of course, the world of Gahan wasn''t a capable host to these mythical beasts. So they had a dwindling poption in this world.


    The dragons in Gahan were an extremely rare find. They were as intelligent as any humanoids upon their maturity. They were the harbingers of cmity if any rankers'' force was foolish enough to offend them.


    These emperors of the beasts would always prefer to stay low-key inside the depths of some of the most dangerous ces. They would rarely hunt humans because they could have better prey for themselves.


    No rankers'' parties would like to run into them. Unlike what Eren had previously thought about the world of Gahan, no knightley forces were preparing to challenge the dragons. There was no dragon yer profession. And there would never be dragon hunt missions running across the mission boards of organizations.


    The rankers fought with dragons only as ast resort when the battle was unavoidable. Most of the time, kingdoms would unite and deploy their top-ranked officials together as a joint force tobat the looming cmity. Even then, sess was not guaranteed and there would be a huge loss of life in a single mission.<sub> </sub>


    The dragons are also said to have immense pride in themselves. Most of them would not hunt for fun. They would avoid harming extremely weak beings. And they would allow their opponents to back off before the battle.


    They were vengeful existences that would do everything in their power to get back at their enemies. They would also repay the favors done to them with interest.


    Their rtively peaceful disposition was the only thing that allowed the rest of the beasts to prosper under their domain.


    There were various dragons in existence. Most of them could fly. Some liked to swell in deep waters. And the dragons that didn''t have wings would stay on the ground and create territories for themselves.


    No matter the domain, the dragons would eventually learn to dominate the domain they imed. And they would stop at nothing to protect what was theirs.


    As the descendants of the dragons, the wyverns were the next big thing after the dragons. They too inhabited certain isted spaces in the Gahan, preferably dangerous mountainous regions and dense forests.


    Only Awakened rankers in theirst stages of rank and Arch rankers dared to attack them. Even then they would form parties to hunt them.


    The most frightening thing about the draconic lifeforms was their nearly inexhaustible vitality and regenerative powers. They were also said to be blessed by mana, havingplete control over their innate bloodline spells. They wielded their elements so profoundly that their magic had a league of its own.


    Ideally, the bonus test was only supposed to be taken by an Awakened ranker and above if they had cleared the three stages with wless clearance rates. However, Eren''s jaw-dropping performancepelled Kino to offer him the option.


    Of course, the level of the wyvern would be adjusted ording to Eren''s current ranking status. However, it did not mean that the beast would be easy to deal with for him. It only ensured that the battlemage had a fighting chance of winning him. This too, when one considers his near-inexhaustible stamina and mana.


    ***


    Boom!


    Suddenly, arge beastnded on the ground not too far away from Eren. He pped his wings a few more times before getting on his fours.


    This wyvern was five meters in height when he walked on his four limbs. He was about 12 meters long, not including the length of his forked tail.


    The beast had thick, blood-red skin and a few ck stripes over it that looked more like runic inscriptions when viewed up close. His front limbs were attached to the giant wings he had. His hind legs were shorter. He had four toes that looked lethal because of their razor-sharp ck ws.


    The wyvern had a dragon-like face that looked menacing because of his white and yellow teeth. His yellow eyes would shine brightly from time to time, allowing the spectator to see his vertical pupils.


    The beast had a very lean build. Hecked any prominent muscle definitions. But that only spoke volumes about his agility despite hisrge stature.


    Roar!


    The wyvern roared at Eren after fixing his eyes on him. He was allowing the battlemage to back off from the fight. This was thest warning the beast cared to issue before taking the ranker on for real.


    Eren had some of his sanity left in him that was telling him to take the offer and back off. It was telling him the risk-to-reward ratio might not be as favorable to him as Kino made out to be.


    However, he prevented himself from giving in to those thoughts of retreat. He looked at the beast and smiled wickedly. He controlled the shakes he had while holding his axes and thought to himself.


    ''A Meta Ranker facing off against a wyvern all by himself. I wonder how many rankers indulged in madness and lived to tell the tale.''


    Eren''s heart beats faster than ever as he feels the strong mana signatureing from the beast. Something he had never felt before. The beast''s presence alone was able to overwhelm the psyches of most rankers in his generation.


    It was as if time stopped for a moment. Or it was just that Eren processed it differently under the effects of the adrenaline rush. He ced his right hand over his chest and felt his heartbeat. He suddenly started hearing them in exquisite detail, as if they were war drums.


    ''Seek and ye shall find.''


    Eren said to himself before deciding to take a step further in the beast''s direction. His actions made his intention known to the wyvern and it growled in response.


    A wyvern hunt was about to begin.

 Chapter 215 Battle Trance

    ''Here goes nothing.''


    Eren tried to approach the wyvern using his movement spell. He used the Speed Aspect of his lightning element and coated his legs in the purple lightning streaks before disappearing from his position.


    Roar!


    Another draconic roar resounded in the air as the wyvern weed his opponent by spreading his wings wide. Even with his exceptional speed, Eren was bound to be attacked by the beast''sprehensive blind attacks.


    Wind wing shes.


    The beast created wind-element flying shes with the p of his wings. He sent them everywhere around him, not caring who or what he hit them with.


    ''Son of a ...''


    Eren tried to get away from the bunch of wind-wing shes that were approaching him. But he couldn''t dodge them all. His left shoulder, right leg, and right hand got injured in the process. And this was just a few moments into the battle.


    "Aaaaargh! Fk!"


    Eren cried out loud before changing his direction and orientation. He was trying to approach the beast from his three O clock. But since the beast could attack around him indiscriminately, he needed toe up with a new strategy.


    Igni Wave


    Igni Chains


    Alfem


    Eren cast his spell before deciding to change his position. And he was d he did because he saw the beast attacking his previous position with his attack.


    Boom!


    A detonation ofpressed fire-element mana took ce when the beast''s wind-fire element ball hit the ground Eren was previously standing on. It expanded so rapidly that it managed to burn the escaping Eren''s back. His tunic was burned off, exposing the chainmail armor he was wearing underneath it.


    Swoosh.


    Eren''s body took off in the air because of the impact''s shockwave. Eren knew he had broken a rib or two because of the attack''s shockwave. However, he decided to ignore the pain because he felt a threatening sensationing from behind him.


    The Wyvern was approaching Eren from the air while thetter was in apromising position. The beast sent a fire breath in Eren''s way and prepared to tear him apart using his ws.


    The firebirds Eren had created couldn''t harm the beast''s thick skin even a little bit. The fire-element spells were useless against the beast that had a natural resistance to fire-based attacks.


    Thus, Eren decided to use Alfem only to change his orientation in the air. He detonated the firebirds beneath his feet and increased his speed before using some more firebirds to achieve near-impossible aerial maneuverability.


    The beast couldn''t see what had happened to its potential prey after he had sent the breath attack in Eren''s way. The fire of his own making covered his vision. But he soon came to know that the prey had changed his course abnormally and had gained a higher altitude than him.


    The wyvern looked up and saw a faint shadow in the sky. Eren had positioned himself in such a way that the sun would be behind him when he attacked the beast. A natural cover for his attack.


    "Aaaaaaaah!"<sub> </sub>


    Eren never liked to yell when he was fighting. It allowed his opponents to keep track of him. However, he needed to boost his morale somehow.


    He sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive and screamed. He then gripped his two Axes before releasing a series of precise flying sh attacks on the beast''s wings.


    Elemental Fusion: Lightning-Fire Chains


    Eren chose to use another elemental fusion he wasn''t sure he could use. Thankfully, he managed to pull off fusing the two elements and create a fusion spell from scratch for himself. The desperate times managed to bring out the best in him.


    Eren timed his attacks well. And they packed so much more mana than before. The battlemage had made full use of his infinite mana core.


    Elemental Fusion: Wind Fire Shards


    He then manifested Wind Fire Shards around him and sent them in tandem with the Lightning Fire Chains. Lastly, he created Wind Fire Waves before sending them toward the beast.


    "Kiyeeee!"


    The beast cried in pain when Eren''s fusion elements attacked him from above while he was flying so close to the ground. It seemed that he had underestimated a human''s aerial attacking potential. And faced the due punishment for his mistake.


    Another few moments into the battle. And the beast had injured his wings. The equation of the duel was changing within a few seconds.


    The beast was brought to the ground when his flight became unstable. But that was not the end of his miseries. He felt somethingtching onto his front ws and felt a tug.


    Zoom.


    Erennded on the beast''s bag. It was as if he had shut off the part of the brain that felt fear. He started attacking the beast''s back by sending more fusion element attacks.


    Kino hade to realize that Eren was smiling despite feeling fear. And his eyes were a bit diluted, indicating that he was in a peculiar condition.


    ''Battle trance!''


    Kino mumbled in her mind as she looked at Eren performing so many incredible feats. The guy was conscious and aware of his surroundings. But he was not processing them like a normal ranker.


    ''The best rankers focus only on the present. Never reminiscing over the past. Nevermitting to the future.''


    Kino thought to herself as she watched Eren fight. She could see that Eren''s battle trance was just him desperately trying to survive the odds ced against him. He was facing his fears head-on. And that valor had granted him this peculiar state of battle trance.


    Beast''s exposed back was subjected to Eren''s attacks all of a sudden. It sent another draconic roar and tried to shake the wretched and puny human off his back. However, Eren could feel a hint of panic and pain in the roar he heard just now.


    Anemoi!


    The beast was about to take flight despite his injuries. But before he could do so, Eren cast another series of his stacked spells. He had outdone himself this time when it came to executing summoning spells.


    That''s because the wyvern was surrounded by a total of nine wind-element elephants at this time. All stomping their feet before charging at him. With their trunks aimed in the beast''s direction.


    A battlemage was outshining most summoners of his generation in casting summoning spells.

 Chapter 216 Signs Of Soul Sense Awakening

    Keeeeeeee!


    Nine trumpets mixed within themselves to create a sound that overshadowed a draconic roar. It was as if Eren''s bold and dare-devilish mindset had been adopted by his summons as well. The summoned elephants looked angry and ready tounch a kamikaze at the wyvern.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    The summoned elephantsunched projectile attacks at the beast. A few of the elephants sent wind-element projectiles in the shape of their tusks. Others sentpressed wind balls using their trunks. The remaining elephants fired wind-element shards from their tails.


    Wind-Fire Spears


    Eren got ess to another fusion attack.


    He manifested spears made of wind and fire element mana. He fused the elements and created a series of spears over his head. He brought down his ax-wielding hands and let the spears attack the beast''s wings before he could try to fly away from the elephants'' attacks.


    The draconic beast cried in pain and agony when Eren''s attack hit him. His thick scales were greatly pierced by the fusion weapon attack. It was clear that the wyvern''s fire element resistance didn''t extend to fusion attacks.


    Despite its rtive ease, the fire and wind element fusion was very destructive. The spear prated deep inside the dragon''s skin and injected Eren''s mana into his system.


    Aspect Fusion: Blitz Steps


    Eren used aspect fusion while executing his movement spell. His legs were covered in blue and purple lightning. When he jumped, he created a st that propelled him with even greater speed.


    The beast was pushed down as a result of Eren''s jump. Thetter became airborne 12 meters in the air. This was just before the elephants pounced on the beast.


    Boom. boom. Boom. boom.


    Various wind-element attacks were detonated over the wyvern''s body. The next attack came from the summoned creatures themselves.


    Eren watched the beast getting attacked by his summons in a battle trance. He changed his weapon and retrieved his crossbows.


    Elemental Fusion: Lightning-Fire Bolt sts


    The weapons creaked because they were not fullypatible with arrows made of elemental fusion. However, they were dual-elementpatible and supported the manifestation of arrows to some degree.


    Eren didn''t care about his crossbows or the fact that his aims were going to bepromised. He just shot arrows at the beast while he was being attacked by elephants.


    Boom!


    Three clouds of mana gathered around the wyvern as he was attacked by Eren''s spells. He suffered multiple wounds as a result of the fusion element attacks. Wind-element shrapnels began festering those wounds. From above, it looked like the beast was caught in a mana storm and attacked by so many things at once.


    "Kiyeeeeh!"<sub> </sub>


    The wyvern decided to react in kind. He protected his body with his wings before spreading them. In the next moment, the ground beneath the beast cracked and created a huge depression. A small tremor was felt as the beast disappeared from his position.


    ng!


    The beast suddenly appeared over Eren and tried to bite his head off. However, the battlemage managed to defend himself using the Tachi he had retrieved earlier. It was as if he was anticipating the beast''s attacks.


    ''I¡­ I can sense his intentions.''


    ? Eren muttered to himself in his head as he blocked the beast''s physical attack with his sword. His sword parried the beast''s sharp teeth. However, he soon felt that the air around him had be sulfuric and warm. An indication that the wyvern was going to unleash the beast''s attack on him.


    Eren used Alfem to create a distance from the beast midair. He looked him in the eye while doing it and felt his rage. He could feel his pride as a draconic beast, which was telling him to rip Eren''s body to shreds.


    Eren narrowed his eyes and made an abrupt turn. In the next moment, a fire w attack had been sent to his previous position. The beast had attacked Eren so fast that he shouldn''t have been able to dodge the attack. His mastery over his elemental attainment had enabled the beast to do.


    However, Eren''s preemptive retreat enabled him to dodge the attack. Another series of flying w attacks was sent Eren''s way. Through abrupt aerial maneuvers, he managed to dodge all of them.


    ''This¡­ is he using soul sense?''


    Kino was shocked when she saw Eren preemptively dodging the beast''s strikes. If it was not for his moves, he would have been severely injured, if not outright killed.


    ''No. These are just signs of soul-sense awakening. His slumbering soul is trying to wake up. And he is making full use of his peculiar state.''


    Kino remained silent and acted as a spectator. She had decided that she would express shock at Eren''s progress only when he was done with his fight.


    The aerial fight between a giant draconic beast and a puny but crafty human was intense. However, Eren somehow managed to make things work for him for about a minute or two. He made full use of his fusion spells and cast them one after the other using his infinite mana core.


    Eren was using the Twin Star Arts against the beast. This mana-based martial art wasn''t ideal for fighting with beasts. However, Eren hid the deficiencies it had using the digested memories of various martial arts he had digested through the Easter Egg.


    Eren''s aerialbat was not only focused on defense. He also attacked the beast using various tricks and attacks.


    Eren couldn''t maintain his flight for longer and was forced toe down. He used an all-out flying weapon that shes around him, preventing the beast fromnding near him.


    Boom.


    The beast and Erennded on the ground at the same time. They both released their auras and the mana around them swirled, creating micro-mana storms in the surroundings.


    The draconic beast was angry that his authority was being questioned. However, he stopped assuming things and did not attack Eren recklessly anymore. As proud as he was, he was not stupid and ignorant of the experience he had just had fighting with Eren.


    Instead, the red-scaled wyvern decided to focus on something else. He decided to fix himself using his elerated recovery speed.

 Chapter 217 Controlling Wrathful Summoned Creatures P1

    Eren was finally kicked out of his battle trance when hended on the ground. His mana circuits had been on hyperdrive for a long time.


    Just when he thought that he had things under control, Eren watched the wyvern recuperate the wounds on his body at an elerated rate.


    Eren looked at his own body and smiled bitterly. He wasn''t totally unscathed in his battle against the beast. The result was broken ribs, sh wounds around the body, damaged organs, strained muscles, and severely stressed mana circuits. The exhaustion had umted in his body and the muscle fatigue had set in.


    Eren did not want to waste time. He took out an all-stats recovery potion from his storage and drank it up. He then used Blitz Heal to fix himself as much as he could.


    Eren wanted to attack the beast while he was recuperating. But the beast didn''t have much that Eren could use against him. His attacks would not have yielded him favorable results even if he attacked at this point. Plus, his condition would have worsened.


    Therefore, Eren followed in the beast''s footsteps and prepared himself for round two. After a few moments, the beast growled at him once again, indicating that he was ready to fight.


    Blitz Steps


    The lightning struck and Eren disappeared from the beast''s immediate vision. However, the beast seemed ready to catch his opponent by surprise with his next attack.


    The western opened his mouth and released a dense mass of mana toward Eren. It seemed like a breath attack but with a slight difference.


    The dragonkind was said to be blessed by nature itself. The more they fought against tough opponents, the more they would be able to reveal their potential as emperors of the beasts.


    Eren stimted the wyvern''s bloodline. During the fight, the beast was also put in a trance, allowing him to fight with all his strength. This battle also allowed the beast tobine fire and wind element mana for his next attack.


    Eren was just about tounch the attack on the beast when it sent apressed ball of mana. It was built on a fusion of wind and fire elements. The ball of mana was 9 inches in diameter and perfectly spherical.


    This ball of mana looked like it had been made from smoke andva. It had wind and fire elemental runes floating over its partially white and orange-red surface. And surprisingly enough its size started contracting when Eren started zeroing in on the beast.


    Swoosh.


    A unique mana pulse was released in the surroundings as thepressed mana ball started revolving around itself. In the next moment, the winds changed in their direction.


    By creating a suction force, the ball disrupted mana and attracted Eren toward it. His movement spell was affected and his body started feeling the effects of the suction force.


    Eren felt thepressed fusion ball with his mana sense and found out that it was about to blow up. The mana ball was using the air around it topress it into its core. The suction came from that. And thepression was about to reach entropy.


    ''Fuck... This damn beast.''


    Eren summoned his Bear armor to surround him knowing full well that it was about to get damaged. He then cast his go-to moves as Hex spells, elevating their effects.


    Blitz Steps


    Blitz Shield


    Igni Shards


    Alfem


    Igni Chains


    Eren cast his spells one after the other. He knew that the suction force wasn''t strong enough to pull him closer. But he didn''t want to be anywhere near thepressed ball when it exploded, dpressing itself.


    Two Igni Chains were manifested as well as two huge firebirds that were so much more massive than their usual sizes. It was clear that Eren had employed an unreliable version of Alfem to just provide support rather than harm opponents.


    With the Hex spell variant of the summoning spell and his strong will, Eren was able to change the sizes of the firebirds to such an extent. They were also summoned faster than before, something Eren was counting on at this point.<sub> </sub>


    Theserge firebirds caught the Igni Chains in their ws and flew away from thepressed ball in the same direction. Eren caught the fire chains from their other end and made them ascend higher.


    Eren also knew that staying unscathed from the detonation was not possible because of its proximity and the fact that it was a fusion attack. So he prepared in advance, casting Blitz Shield and covering himself in theyer of Igni Shards.


    All this happened within a few moments of Eren taking action against the beast. The st fired off almost as soon as thepressed wind ball was conjured by the beast.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.


    Thepressed ball stopped consuming the surrounding air for a moment before reversing the process. It started dpressing the fire-element-infused winds in ripples and created a reverberating acoustic effect. The battlefield was lit up by the st as it spread out and tried to destroy everything in its path.


    The winds howled and the ground cracked. The depression was the deepest just below thepressed ball''s position. The subsequent depressions in the ground became the intrinsic circles for the outer depression circles that followed.


    The fire clouds were conjured and spread like water escaping the broken dam. They burned the foliage and trees in their paths instantly and burned the very air that came into contact with them, making them dpress further.


    A storm of dust and grime was also added to the mix. The surroundings were blurred and one couldn''t tell what was happening on the battlefield anymore.


    Eren had created a sufficient distance from the epicenter of the detonation. But he was still caught in the mana storm it generated. The Alfem carrying him disappeared and the Igni Chains dispersed. He was thrown in the air with critical velocity. However, the mana storm still caught up to him and damaged his body severely.


    Eren started developing severe second-degree burns on various parts of his body even though he was covered in the defensive spell. Blitz Shield and Igni Shards managed to fend off most of the damage being directed at him. But they couldn''t provide him withplete protection.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    The Hex gear was destroyed when it faced off against a fusion spell cast by a dragonkind. There were too many elemental profundities in the Wvyren''s spell for the armor to remain intact. It crumbled away and some of its broken parts were dropped on the ground. Eren only had a semnce of his previous armor on him at this point.


    Eren cried in pain when he felt his skin getting burned. The wind-element mana also created various shrapnels in the air as a byproduct of the st and elemental fusion. They tore his skin and made him bleed even more than before.


    Eren''s torso was somewhat safe. But his chainmail armor had been wasted. He also had various chunks of meat missing from his body. Plus, the impact of the st was so strong that it dislocated his shoulder.


    ''Fighting with this beast was a terrible idea.''


    Eren couldn''t help thinking along these lines while processing the pain that wasing from every inch of his body. However, he still underestimated the beast at the moment. Because it chose to attack him right after he was sent airborne by the st.


    Kiyeeh!


    The wyvern roared and got close to Eren using his exceptional agility. He sent another pair of w attacks at him while closing the distance between them.


    Eren''s eyes shone with determination and cruelty when he felt the danger approaching him. Eren conjuredrge Sod Sparks on either side and held them in his hands, before sending them toward the beast. Of course, the wyvern managed to escape the attack unharmed. But it allowed him to escape his current predicament.


    A bunch of firebirds imploded from within when Eren ced his legs over them or used them as something to grab onto midair. He quickly got out of the st''s still-expanding radius by escaping into a higher altitude zone.


    "Haaaaaah!"


    Eren retrieved his axes and sent a bunch of Wind Fire Waves. Hended on the ground after traveling more than 50 meters away from the st''s epicenter. The beast dodged the flying shes and maintained a safe distance from Eren. He stayed in the air while looking menacingly at Eren. It was evident in his eyes that he was impatient to finish Eren.


    Anemoi!


    Eren was brought to his knees. However, he ignored every bit of pain he was experiencing at the time as he cast his summoning spells. He tapped onto his infinite mana core and summoned a herd of wind-element elephants around him.


    However, this time the summoned creatures seemed to be affected by something. The soul mark on Eren''s soul had reacted to his precarious condition.


    The semnce of Hex gear Eren had on him allowed him to channel his will into the spells. However, unlike thest time, Eren was in control of the wrathful summoned creatures.

 Chapter 218 Voice Of Reason?

    The semnce of Hex gear Eren had on him allowed him to channel his will into the spells. However, unlikest time, Eren was in control of the wrathful summoned creatures.


    ''This¡­ What is happening to me? What kind of power is this?''


    Eren thought to himself as he watched his wind-element elephants start transforming into something unusual. They had ivory thick skin. The skin of their mana bodies was turning red as if foreign mana had been injected into them.


    The summoned elephants grew stronger than before. Their trunks and tusks elongated. Their eyes turned blood-shot red and their red skin started developing scales.


    The Wyvern started growling at the elephants when he saw them transform. He could feel that something was wrong with Eren''s summoned creatures. They were giving off threatening auras, which they weren''t capable of.


    The Wyvern decided to wait and analyze instead of blindly rushing intobat. He started treating Eren as a serious threat.


    Eren felt like the summoned creatures were angry at something for some reason. He pondered for a moment before deciding to cast his other summoning spells as well.


    A flock of firebirds appeared in the air around him. Just like the elephants, they started transforming into something unusual. A hint of azure mes appeared over the birds'' mana bodies. Their wings grew but their bodies remained the same. Their beaks became more pointy and their eyes grew more menacing.


    They also started showing sawtooth-like protrusions over their backs and their ws turned more deadly. Unlike before, they cried in a sharp tone and looked ready to act at a moment''s notice. As if they were more eager than before to blow themselves up along with their opponents.


    The lightning hounds looked the most intimidating of them all. Their backs were elongated and their eyes turned wolf-like. They started developing blue fur. The streaks of lightning that cackled over their bodies became more potent and destructive in nature because of the inclusion of red-colored lightning.


    A destruction Aspect of lightning.


    The red-lightning hounds grew fangs in their mouths and their sharp and lightning-d ws started cracking the ground on which they were standing. They also grew lightning shards over their long tails, integrating Eren''s spell into their mana bodies.


    Eren hade to realize that the supposed soul mark he had over his soul had helped him gain most of his unbelievable achievements in the state of epiphany. This was when he saw the new Aspect of lightning getting used. He only understood the origin behind the Aspect and most of his other gains after seeing the scene in front of him.


    ''Look, I know you can listen to me. I can feel that you have gone out of your way to help me. Who¡­ who are you? And what do you want from me?''


    Eren asked no one in particr. He wasn''t sure he''d get the answer and was just trying his luck. Surprisingly, someone decided to respond.


    ''Hmm? What do you mean¨C who am I? Aren''t I you and you, me? Kekeke.''


    A man''s voice sounded in Eren''s head. The voice was clear and deep. It was coated in amusement and yfulness, giving off a casual, non-threatening vibe. But Eren felt that the owner of the voice was exactly the opposite of that. He was as cruel as the word cruel can portray and as scheming as the word scheming could be interpreted.


    Weirdly enough, time seemed to have stopped when the man decided to answer his call. The Wyvern and his own summoned creatures looked stagnant in the slow passing of time.


    Eren didn''t know how the owner of the voice could do that. However, he did not doubt in his mind that it was done by him. He was also sure that it belonged to the one who had ced the soul mark on him.


    ''What do you mean? And how can you do all this just by being a soul mark? Are you a threat that I need to take care of or are you even more of a severe threat that I can''t get rid of?''


    The man chuckled when he heard Eren''s point of view about him. It was like Eren had no doubt in his mind that the man had no good intentions toward him. He seemed to ponder a bit before replying.


    ''Hmm. You guessed it right, Eren. There are no free lunches in the world. At least I''ll not be the one to hand them over to anyone. I indeed have an ulterior motive to help you. But that doesn''t have to be harmful to you.


    Let''s just say that my interests are linked to your well-being. I help myself by helping you. Is this enough for you to trust me?''


    The man''s voice sounded in Eren''s head. Thetter could take his time to think now that time around him seemed to have stopped. He was first shocked by the fact that the soul mark didn''t get affected by the seal Kino had ced on him. Alternatively, the man might have been restricted in his powers because he voluntarily subjected them to such restrictions through Kino''s sealing technique.


    Eren didn''t have the power over the soul mark. It wasn''t something he could get rid of with the snap of his fingers. Nor could he dictate the man''s actions. Thus, the only thing he could do was form a cooperative rtionship with him.


    ''Alright. What do I call you?''


    Eren asked the owner of the voice. He was confused by the whole ''I am you and you are me'' thing. So he didn''t bite into it. The voice stayed silent for a moment before answering.<sub> </sub>


    ''Hmm. This one''s a thought-provoking question you asked me. It makes me reminisce about my past.


    I have been called many names and terms over the centuries across many worlds. And I guess you won''t ept my original name. So which name should I give you? That''s my dilemma.


    Hmm. Oh! I know.


    Kekeke. This is just a clever pun you wouldn''t understand. But you can call me Aleph.''


    The man spoke in Eren''s mind in an amusing tone. Eren didn''t know what the man was talking about but he agreed with the suggestion before responding.


    ''Aleph, my man, how did youe to have your soul mark on me? And why did you choose me?


    You made me lose control over my Hex spells when I was fighting with the Spiders. How can I believe that you don''t have any ill intentions towards me after that?''


    Eren remembered that he was in a precarious situation when he was battling with Spiders. They were too stunned to act. But he guessed that at least one of the Spiders would have managed to kill him if they all had decided to target him at that time.


    The battlemage didn''t want to get himself in the same position again. He didn''t want topromise his safety over a chance to befriend the owner of the voice of unknown origin.


    The voice that identified itself as Aleph spoke promptly.


    ''I can''t answer your first question, Eren. Because that will affect you and your journey. But I can answer your second question.


    I didn''t try to do anything when I fought against your opponents. It was you who came looking for more power at that time using the Hex gear as your pathfinder. And since¡­ let''s say¡­ I wasn''t aware¡­ you managed to tap into some of my powers.


    Why would I sabotage my ns by harming you?


    You obviously couldn''t control my powers and lost your sense of self in them. I don''t think you should put that on me.


    I have read all your memories of when I was slumbering. If it''s anything, it''s the shoddy work your bald merchant has done on your Hex gear that caused that incident. It was only supposed to channel your will into your spells. Not shake the very foundation of the spell''s basic building blocks and make them unstable.


    Then again, you didn''t pay the guy enough. So it''s kind of your fault.''


    Eren seemed to have stress lines over his forehead when he heard Aleph''s exnation. The exnation he gave was very logical. But he criticized the way Eren paid Malcolm as if the incident happened because of his being frugal with his expenditures.


    Aleph seemed to understand what Eren was thinking. He chortled and tried to exin himself some more.


    ''Keke. I now understand what it feels like to watch someone criticize your driving skills while you are sitting in the backseat. Damn.


    Anywho. I am not criticizing you, Eren. I know a thing or two about being careful with your finances. It''s just that you should learn to invest your resources where they are needed the most.


    Putting the Hex gear aside, it is true that I couldn''t do anythingst time to prevent the ident. But in my defense, it was because I was slumbering when you tried to wield my powers. How was I supposed to help you when I wasn''t even aware of myself?


    But now things are different.


    The homunculus that you met¨C Kino. It was her soul inspection array that woke me up. And she also put a sealing array on the soul mark, giving me the stopper I needed to control the outpouring of my powers.


    Thus, I could talk to you and allow you to revamp your summoned creatures using my powers. All while not negatively affecting your decision-making process.


    That''s a mutually beneficial event for both of us if you ask me.''

 Chapter 219 Conversation With Aleph In A Near-Stagnant World

    ''That''s a mutually beneficial event for both of us if you ask me.''


    Eren heard Aleph''s words in his mind. Thetter seemed casual about the whole thing. As if he didn''t care what Eren thought of him.


    ''Alright. If our interests are linked, then that gives me somefort in dealing with you. Otherwise, I''ll be honest with you, man, you sound shady as fuck. A deal too good to be true.''


    Eren received another cackle in response. He then focused on the current task at hand.


    ''Tell me how I should deal with this damn Wyvern. The thing''s a tank with no weak points.''


    Eren asked Aleph while looking at the wyvern who was slowly beginning to move faster in an almost stagnant world. He figured that Aleph couldn''t sustain this near-stagnant world indefinitely.


    ''Well, you are kinda right. My time-element spells are not that profound. So I''m not really adept at using them when it''s just my soul mark being used as a conduit. But don''t worry, I can hold the spell for much longer thanks to the means I have at my disposal.


    I think you are not making the most of your infinite mana core. Spell spamming and using Hex variants to pump more mana into your spells. Your infinite mana core can do a lot more than just that.''


    ''Like what?'' Eren asked promptly.


    ''Imbnce your spells consciously. Introduce spell deviations and make them explode by pumping more mana into them. This will change their effects so drastically that they''ll be seen as a mini cmity.


    Introduce a spell deviation that changes its purpose. And in doing so, you get more destructive results. Hehe. Trust me most rudimentary spells were born this way.''


    Aleph spoke like a mad scientist in Eren''s head. Aleph had conducted several experiments like these to speak so vociferously about spell deviations.


    In Eren''s mind, sabotage of a spell meantpromising safety. The consequences of casting an imperfect or deviant spell were not to be taken lightly. It could hurt a ranker severely or in the most extreme case even kill them.


    Aleph could read Eren''s mind like an open book. So he tried to make his point clear.


    ''Of course, you''d have to do this in a way that doesn''t burn your own hands. So cast the spells first, and let them take shape. Change the school of your spells at the end.


    Changing the school of spells is the key to not getting the bacsh of knowingly casting a haywire spell. It is not possible for everybody. But with your infinite mana core and Hex gear, you''d be able to pull it off just fine.''


    Eren felt like banging his head against the wall when he listened to Aleph''s instructions. The man''s solution to his problem made sense. But he assumed that Eren knew different schools of the same spell, which was impossible for him.


    Aleph knew what Eren was thinking. He chuckled before adding further.


    Of course, I am aware that you do not know how to cast spells using different schools. But I do. I''ll give them to you right away. Um¡­ brace yourself. This might hurt a bit.''


    Eren was confused by Aleph''s response at first. But he soon understood what the guy was talking about.


    Eren felt like his head was going to explode with all the various pieces of information suddenly getting injected into it. He found information about the same spells he knew but using schools he had never heard of before.


    If Eren could control his body in a near-stagnant world like usual, he would have clutched his head to deal with the headache he was suddenly subjected to.


    ''Fuck. Bastard, you should have given me time to prepare.''


    Eren cursed Aleph in his head as he dealt with the pain. He felt that the headache was going tost for a while. For today, he would have to learn to fight it.


    ''Time waits for no man, Eren. So we increased the deadlines for some of your spells. But we still need to work on something else.''<sub> </sub>


    Eren didn''t have to speak. He knew Aleph would make things clear for him anyway.


    ''Your intent, Eren. The Hex spells are empowered by your will. And it needs a stronger intent than mere anger or hatred.


    A stronger intent is born when you develop self-confidence in yourself. When you defend, your intent has to be ''I won''t let them harm me.'' That''s a stronger intent than the mere ''I am angry at them for hurting me.'' When you are protecting someone, your intent has to be ''I won''t let them die.''


    When you attack, you need self-confidence, which will say, ''I will kill them.''''


    Eren heard Aleph''s words and had goosebumps on his skin. A pitch-ck darkness overwhelmed him and he found himself submerged in a quagmire of weapons and des.


    Eren felt like he had been attacked by a thousand swords all at once. His body was pierced by a bed made of Katars. And finally, he was crushed by being hammered by something really heavy that he couldn''t see clearly.


    Eren felt like he was being attacked by spells of various kinds, origins, elements, styles, and effects. He wondered how he could process so much in the span of a moment that felt like an eternity to him.


    This was Aleph''s intent that Eren felt when he spoke of the intent to kill one''s opponent. Eren wondered how many people the guy must have killed as if cutting vegetables for him to have an attempt like this.


    Only now did Eren understand how strong of a role intent could y in Hex spells. He had begun to understand a lot about them. With an intent like that of Aleph alone, Rank-1 spells could have effectsparable to or exceeding Rank-2 spells. And this was when Aleph was limited to being a soul mark.


    Eren didn''t dare to think about how fearsome Aleph was, is, or will be if hees to meet him in person. Even as a Meta ranker, he knew that Aleph was way beyond the Arch rank.


    Just like Aleph had pointed out, all of Eren''s Hex spells were empowered by his rage or his confidence in fighting against them. However, his will never strayed beyond that.


    Eren had confidence in his diligent work. But he never felt that he was invincible. Therefore, he was unable to harness that feeling''s intent. But he had never thought of polishing his intent with his self-confidence.


    Eren''s strength wille from his struggle. First, as a mortal. Then as a hard-working ranker. His will to survive had always helped him under duress.


    However, his will to survive never took the next step it should have taken to empower his Hex spells even further. He could never harness the will to dominate. Not really.


    This was not to say that Eren needed to conjure unshakable confidence and the will to dominate from thin air. An intent born of disillusionment would never work. But he needed to cultivate a strong will consciously if he aspired to have an intent like Aleph''s.


    Eren felt like he had been introduced to a higher tier of Hex spells just by listening to Aleph and feeling his intent around him. He began to realize that a strong will was the normal fuel for a Hex spell. Having an intent was like jet fuel. Both do the same job. But the effects they produced were dramatically different.


    Aleph confirmed what Eren was thinking. He couldn''t help him all the time. Kino''s interference had woken him up. But he won''t always be aware of Eren. Thus, Aleph decided to guide him further before concluding the matter.


    ''Your sess is determined by your fortitude and confidence, Eren.


    Hex spells are not overpowered by themselves. It''s the user''s will and intent that can make or break them. Even if you feel that the Hex spells you are casting are better than your normal spells, that''s not their limit.


    Using Hex spells is trying to alter one of the basic building blocks of spell construction. You need to be damn sure about what kind of alterations you want to introduce for the construction to work in your favor.


    I think that''s about it. I have given you all the pieces of the puzzle you need to take care of this overhyped lizard. It''s time to rpse back into the sealing technique, lest I break it and start to affect your powers and you as a whole.


    The soul mark also wears off the more I use my powers. It won''t diminishpletely. But replenishing the soul power of this thing is a bitch.


    So I won''t be able to help you anymore. Hope you get through this test safely. Otherwise, I''d have to start all over again, looking for a new paw¡­ cough¡­ I mean looking for a new friend. Hehe.''


    Aleph said and grew quiet. In the next moment, the near-stagnant world was shattered and Eren started experiencing the passage of time normally.

 Chapter 220 Controlling Wrathful Summoned Creatures P2

    (The scene takes off from where chapter 217 ends.)


    Roar!


    Eren''s ears were filled with the noise of Wyvern''s roar once again when the near-stagnant world was shattered around him. Lightning struck and he disappeared from his ce before the beast could attack him using his long-range wing shes.


    Stampede!


    Eren appeared over the head of his summoned elephant that was leading the herd. There was a stampede of elephants approaching the beast without fear.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The firebirds infected with foreign mana also attacked the red-scaled wyvern. They kept him busy while Eren was surrounding the beast with his summoned elephant.


    ''An intent to kill!''


    Eren clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes. He looked at the beast with murderous intentions, wanting to see him getting butchered by him. Aleph''s advice kept reying in his head like a broken record as he did that.


    The beast was overwhelmed by the wrathful firebirds he was being bombarded with. They had increased their destruction potential by leaps and bounds, making the beast feel pain and burn even with his top-tier fire resistance.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Eren upped his offense by letting the elephants attack the wyvern with theirpressed air balls. It seemed they were more effective than the fire-element spells. Thus, Eren raised his hands and cast elemental fusion from the residual mana surrounding the beast.


    Elemental Fusion: Wind-Fire Spears


    Many spears of wind and fire element mana were formed around the beast. They had a different visual appearance than usual. They had distinct runic engravings on their des and rods that represented the elemental fusion of the two elements.


    Eren also summoned normal Venti spears and mixed them along with his levitating arsenal of weapons. He also added Wind Shards, Blitz Shards, and Igni Shards to the mix.


    Some of the elemental shards coated the summoned weapons. Others merged using elemental fusion. Others remained independent and made the swarm of weapons surrounding the beast look denser at the moment.


    The beast tried to get away from his position using various means. But by then, Eren had summoned a lot more summoned creatures. They attacked the Wyvern one after another and kept him pinned to his position.


    The more the beast destroyed the summoned creatures, the more they would be waiting for him to deal with. Eren ignored the pain he was feeling due to his mana circuits getting strained severely and cranked up his offensive once again.


    "Grrrrrrrrrrow!"


    The beast cried in pain and agony when he was bombarded by Eren''s numerous spells. The firebird attacked him from the air. The wrathful lightning hounds tried to attack his limbs and tails by biting them and exploding. They created clusters of lightning when they did that, affecting the beast''s nervous system andpromising his response.


    Then came thepressed air balls and wind-element shrapnels shot by the summoned elephants. They were targeted at peculiar locations, inflicting internal injuries on the beast with their persistent attacks.


    Lastly, the summoned spears wereunched at the beast from every angle and the surroundings were washed over with brilliant light. It was so bright that it would blind the eyes. It was so powerful that it created a booming effect that was felt and heard with a dyed effect from a distance.


    The st radius kept expanding and started destroying everything in its wake. The clouds of fire and wind mana were lifted off the ground in the shape of a mushroom because of the suddenly expanding air in the surroundings.


    ''An intent to kill. An intent to destroy.''


    Eren appeared at a safe distance away from the explosion and mumbled to himself. He then started coughing severely. He sat on the ground with a thud and coughed out blood mixed in a wad of saliva.


    The internal bleeding was the result of Eren consciously turning his normal spells into deviant spells at the veryst moment. This is why he cast his normal spells along with his Hex spells and elemental fusion spells.


    Eren''s mana circuits were already strained because of the long and arduous battle with the Wyvern. He had changed the schools of his spells at thest minute, letting them use the surrounding mana instead of his infinite mana core. The abrupt change made normal spells more destructive. Some of their destructive potentials even exceeded the Hex spells'' effects.


    Eren had done almost everything right and made effective use of the memories he had gained instantly, thanks to Aleph. But he still couldn''t prevent the conscious casting of deviant spells from affecting his mana circuits.


    However, Eren was not discouraged. He looked at his bloody hands that he had used to cover his mouth with and wiped them off on his clothes. He smiled with bloody red lips as he looked at the result of his actions.


    Even after his all-out attacks, Eren knew the beast might survive. He had crazy regenerative powers to pull off something like that. But that was fine. He knew it wouldn''t take long for him to achieve victory. He wouldn''t let himself get defeated aftering this far.<sub> </sub>


    Roar!


    With his half-burned and impaled wings, the wyvern soared into the air. He flew straight up before approaching Eren at breakneck speed. His body was covered in various burn marks. His scales were chipped away and his blood wasing out of the impaled wounds.


    Eren got up from his position as he saw the beast approaching him. He spat in anger before gripping his axes tightly. In a sh, he stood up. His gaze locked on the beast as he was about to attack him.


    ''Come. I''ll fucking butcher you.''


    Eren''s intent to kill overflowed and manifested around him. His aura turned dark red and his axes hummed. His Hex gear also started creaking because it was about to get destroyed as well.


    However, Eren noticed something different about the beast. The beast was not controlling his descent. And his eyes were closed as if he had passed out. His mouth was open and his tongue was stuck out. He also had stopped casting any of his mid-range or long-range spells.


    ''This damn overhyped lizard.''


    Eren felt angry at himself for getting riled up over nothing. His job was already done. Aleph''s suggestion to cast deviant spells and pump them with a shit-ton of mana had worked like a charm. It managed to overwhelm the beast so much that he lost consciousness mid-battle.


    Eren cast Blitz Steps and jumped right after the knocked-out beast touched the ground. His momentum was so strong that his body was dragged on the ground well past Eren''s previous position.


    Swoosh!


    Erennded a few steps from the beast and stayed alert. He didn''t want to be ruined by the beast''s sudden attacks. Dragonkind doesn''t usually choose to use sneak attacks. But one could never be too sure about someone who is about to wake up.


    ''He passed out cold.''


    Eren took a long breath after checking the beast''s presence with his mana sense. Before speaking up, he put his two weapons back in their storage.


    "I hope you consider this a win. Wouldn''t want to butcher this lizard when it is just trying to sleep."


    Eren said while casting a healing spell on himself. His condition wasn''t exactly what one would call fine. He still had some open wounds. And fatigue had set in his body too. It was just his willpower that kept him from following the beast''s footsteps.


    Kino appeared in front of Eren and kept looking at him intently. She didn''t speak or gesture. Trying to make sense of him, she just kept flying with her delicate wings.


    "I might charge you pay-per-view rates if you keep looking at me like that."


    Eren made cracking noises from his neck as he moved it from side to side. He rotated his wrists and felt his muscles rx.


    "how did¡­ no¡­ why¡­ no¡­ not that either.


    Eren¡­ um¡­ who are you?


    Or rather, what are you?"


    Eren was too stunned to speak for a moment after listening to Kino''s question. He looked her in the eyes as he tried to find the answer to her question from within.


    Eren closed his eyes and exhaled. He had a quick recap of his life in his mind and recalled all the crucial moments of his life in a fraction of a second. When he did that, the answer came naturally to him.


    "I am what I need to be."


    Eren chuckled and let his body fall to the ground once again. This was not exhaustion. He just wanted to rest while lying t on the ground.


    Kinonded on the ground and her wings disappeared. She sighed before dering something he had wanted to hear for so long.


    "You have cleared the bonus stage as well. And with it, you have cleared the testing grounds of the School of Bear."


    Kino said in a in voice that he was close to defeat. The battlemage closed his eyes when he confirmed that the fight was over. In the next moment, Kino heard two types of snoring sounds thatplemented each other in a weird way.

 Chapter 221 Overwhelming Rewards P1

    Eren opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity to him.


    He tried to get up and found out that he wasn''t lying about anything. He was ced in an anti-gravity field.


    "So you finally decided to wake up."


    Eren heard Kino''s voice and turned to her. Lightning struck and he got himself out of the anti-gravity array effortlessly.


    "How long?"


    Eren asked while tearing down his worn-out tunic. He surrounded himself with a dense cloud of fire before changing into a new set of clothes.


    "You were out for more than 80 hours. Did you notice the change within you?"


    Kino asked, looking astonished at Eren. Thetter scratched his light stubble and appeared confused. He looked at his arms, legs, and torso. Then he brought out his status window and realized what Kino was talking about.


    The battlemage was only a step away from bing an Awakened. He just needed a small push to be a Rank-2 entity.


    Eren had a mild smile on his face when he noticed the big change. He realized that battling the overhyped lizard had brought him significant benefits beyond the rewards he would receive.


    "I''m ready when you are."


    Eren adjusted his white hair so it wouldn''t block his view and got right to the point. Kino nodded at him before adding.


    "Eren, I reckon you''d be a fearsome ranker and Hexer one day if you manage to get past the Arch rank. Even now, there''d hardly be anyone of your caliber in your generation.


    My master Ilevar wanted to pass on this legacy to the most exceptional Hexer I could find. Even if you are the first and only contestant these testing grounds have seen, I don''t think I''ll ever be able to find someone more worthy of his legacy than you."


    Kino said and smiled. She then conjured up a sleek-looking ring in her hand before sending it toward him.


    "These are your rewards for clearing the testing groundspletely. They include the rewards you received for clearing the first stage as well."


    Eren raised his eyebrows before grabbing the ring that was levitating in front of him. The face of the artifact had a bear motif. He bound it to himself with his mana signature before sending his mana sense inside.


    Artifacts!


    Potions!


    Spell scrolls belonging to different schools and elements!


    Alchemy products!


    Books rted to artifact smithing and more!


    Andstly, loads and loads of mana quartz.


    "These are¡­"


    Eren stuttered while asking his question, too shocked and overwhelmed by looking at the rewards to form a coherent sentence. It looked like Kino was nning to bankrupt the whole testing ground by giving him these many rewards all at once.


    They were simply too many to count in a single breath.


    "Yes. They all belong to the Awakened rank. I figured there''s no use giving you anything rted to your current rank since it is bound to get outdated once you be Rank-2. So the rewards are future-proof for your growth."


    Kino chuckled and confirmed Eren''s suspicions. She had indeed given him a lot more than he was supposed to receive. But she knew her master best. She would want Eren to have these rewards.


    "That''s not the only thing you''ll get, Eren. Take out your bear armor set for me."


    Kinomanded Eren and he obliged without thinking twice about it. He was too busy sorting through his rewards to say or object to her suggestions.


    Boom!<sub> </sub>


    Eren was snapped back to reality when Kino destroyed his armor set as soon as it appeared on the ground in front of him. The bear tattoo on his chest disappeared when the armor set was dispersed.


    The set was already half-ruined anyway. Thus, Eren didn''t care about the artifacts. But he wanted to know why Kino did what she did.


    "Hehe. You don''t need counterfeit Hex gear anymore."


    She snapped her fingers and said. In the next moment, a three-dimensional array formed around Eren. The runes that the array was made from started illuminating and rotating around Eren as Kino operated on them.


    "Drop your blood on the ground and manifest your elemental mana around you."


    Eren heard Kino''smands and followed suit. Biting his thumb, he dropped a drop of blood. He also imbued it with his mana signature before channeling his mana throughout his body.


    Eren knew what was happening to him when the blood disappeared into thin air before reaching the ground. He was bound to an artifact set. However, the feeling he received was more profound than what he had experiencedst time.


    A new bear tattoo was formed on Eren''s left chest when the array dispersed. It was formed with runic details that had distinct mana fluctuations.


    Eren quickly tapped into his bear tattoo and manifested the gear set around him. In the next moment, he was seen wearing a full-fledged heavy armor set that looked exquisite.


    This set looked and felt lighter than before. The armor covered his entire chest and back. The gear consisted of arm guards, leg guards, and shoulder guards. Even his legs and head could be covered in armor details if he chose to.


    The set also included a shield and a sword. The shield had a bear motif over it that seemed to change its expression from time to time. The broadsword Eren had received with the set looked heavy and intimidating. It was oversized and gave off a dominant aura.


    The gear allowed for rtively better agility than hisst set despite being focused on defense. Eren had to say that the gear set he was using before this new set was nothing but bull''s crap in front of it.


    Eren didn''t know which question to ask first. Thankfully, Kino understood his dilemma and gave detailed information about the reward.


    "This is a transcendent-grade Bear armor gear set. Eren, this armor is not bound by any rank. It will grow with you until the Arch rank. Even beyond with some adjustments. The runic markings over it will help the set evolve as per your needs.


    This Bear armor set is the pinnacle of artifact smithing done by my master Illvar.


    It will adjust to your battle style the more you use it. It had been endowed with partial consciousness. That means the gear set can also repair itself, given enough time and resources."


    Eren''s blue eyes shone and he couldn''t help shing a wolfish grin when he heard the transcendent-grade gear set''s description. But then he became worried about something.


    "Alephee, you must have seen me using various spells. So there''s no harm in asking you. The way my elemental affinity works¡­"


    Kino nodded at Eren when she understood what he was trying to say. She replied to him in an assuring voice.


    "Eren, the gear is not bound to any element. It looks like you are a multi-element user. I don''t know how you achieved what you have achieved. And you have the right to privacy. But some of the functions of the testing grounds are beyond my control.


    As determined by the testing grounds themselves, you possess true elemental neutrality. The bear armor set you have been provided with will ensure that your Hex spells, regardless of what element theye from, are not restricted while you are wearing the gear.


    Sadly, the gear won''t be able to amplify the Hexes like the regr Hex gear set because of its elemental neutrality. However, this gear set is still a better choice for you than restricting your battle style unnecessarily.


    The set will allow you to diversify your attacks. It will keep up with your growth. And it will keep improving itself over time. You can say that the gear set is alive in its own way. And it would have the same growth potential as you since it would be copying you."


    Kino talked about the transcendent-grade Bear armor set''s qualities and kept on surprising Eren with new details. The more he listened the more fascinated he became by the set.


    Only now did he understand why so many rankers were willing to be Hexers. If they knew what kind of gear set the final winner of the testing grounds received, a huge number of rankers would be willing to risk their lives and be Hexers to get their hands on gear like this.


    Eren kept his bear armor to a minimum. He wore only his heavy mail, arm guards, and shoulder guards and dispersed the rest. He then called forth the sword he had received as a set and started feeling it in his hands. He had to channel his mana through his arms to lift the weapon properly.


    Eren activated his Twin Star Arts: Solo Weapon stance. He then swung the broadsword around him to get the feel of the weapon.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Sonic-like sounds were created when Eren started sending Igni and Blitz shes around him as he spun. Eren stopped when he started sweating. Since it was crafted only for him and tailored to his needs, the weapon allowed for fluid handling.


    "This¡­ this set is freaking awesome."

 Chapter 222 Bonus Stage Reward: Kiamat

    "This¡­ this set is freaking awesome."


    Eren eximed in joyful surprise. He could feel that this gear was the right match for his elemental neutral nature. Yes, it would take the edge off his Hex spells. But in exchange, it would allow him to cast various spells with ease.


    Furthermore, Eren could always empower his spells with stronger intent from now on. Thanks to Alephe''s intervention he hade to realize that superior intent alone could tip the scales in his favor. This was true no matter what kind of opponent he was battling with.


    Kino smiled at Eren''s praise of the Hex gear. She was pleased when it received the praise it deserved from its new owner.


    "Um¡­ Eren, are you trying to get your hands on other Hex gear sets as well? I heard you mumbling something about Wolf''s Creed in your sleep."


    Kino asked Eren intently. Thetter was shocked at first. But he decided toe clean to Kino and nodded.


    "Usually, I would advise the Hexers against using multiple Hex gears. Sticking to one path would give them more benefits than trying to dip their fingers into too many pies.


    However, your case is different. Your no-element conflict and your battlemage ss have changed that equation for you. Thus, I don''t mind if you start looking for Hex gear from other Hexers'' Creeds."


    She held an array disk in her hands as she spoke. Before adding more, she sent it to Eren.


    "It could not be a part of the official rewards. Consider this a personal reward from me. This array disk contains the coordinates of testing grounds that belong to other Creeds. I''m sure some of them would be popr ces for rankers to test their mettle. A lot of rewards would be taken from known ces like these.


    I guess there would still be virgin testing grounds or grounds that are not known to the general popce of Gahan. You can check them out if and when you get some free time."


    Eren was shocked again by Kino. He quickly imbued the array disk and tried to ess the data it contained. In the next moment, a spectra screen appeared over the array disk that contained grid references of many ces.


    Eren quickly took a nce at the locations and found them to be quite far away from each other. Even the nearest testing ground was about a month''s distance away from his current location. He would need to leave the kingdom in search of the next gear set. It was only after entering Gahan using his real body that he decided to do this.


    Eren was d that Kino had gifted him with such a huge reward. He could have found information about a few of the testing grounds mentioned in the array disk using Malcolm''s contacts eventually. But he didn''t have to pay for such information anymore.


    Kino was still not done. She produced a scroll and handed it to Eren. It seemed to be a special scroll made of golden parchment.


    "Eren, this is a transcendent-grade summoning spell you can use to summon earth-element bears. It will stay with you until you reach Arch rank. This is my personal gift to you as well."


    Eren was quite stunned by Kino''s generosity. He bowed to her before conveying his feelings.


    "Saying thank you for your gesture seems too shallow, Kino. But that''s all I got as of now. So thank you. Please ept this for now until we meet again and I can offer you something better."


    Kino chuckled when she received Eren''s genuine thanks. She looked at him intently and added.


    "I''ll hold you to that one day, Eren."


    Kino said and smirked. She then looked in the distance to confirm that someone was there beforementing.


    "However, you might want to save your thank you for the end. Because there''s still one more reward you can receive by clearing the bonus stage."


    Roar!


    A terrifying roar resounded in the surroundings when Kino finished talking. Eren had goosebumps on his skin when he heard the roar and felt the beast''s presence in the vicinity all of a sudden.


    Eren felt like he was going to be run over by a truck when the new presence appeared. He had to deploy Venti Shards like a wind-element wall to protect his body and keep him from getting blessed away from his current position.


    "This¡­"


    Eren looked at the red-scaled wyvern he had fought in the bonus stage. The beast stopped only a few meters away from him. He growled and showed his sawtooth-like sharp teeth to him. But the battlemage could feel that there was no hostility in the beast for him.<sub> </sub>


    Furthermore, the beast he was seeing at this point was not the same as he had fought with. The beast he fought with belonged to Rank-1. However, the wyvern in front of him was clearly a Rank-2. Plus, he had progressed much further in his rank from the initial stage.


    The beast''s presence was more overwhelming for Eren than the one he had fought with. And that was saying a lot. If the beast was hostile towards him, Eren would have considered running away from the testing grounds. He was ready to give up the possibility of receiving any more rewards from Kino.


    "His name is Kiamat. He is a wyvern raised in captivity, Eren. So he is a bit on the tamer side."


    Kino talked about Kiamat like he was a household pet. If it was anyone else other than Kino, Eren would have told them to check their eyes for associating the word "tamer" with a beast like what he was seeing in front of his eyes. There was nothing about Kiamat that was even remotely docile.


    Kinoughed briefly before exining things further.


    "What you fought in the bonus stage was kind of Kiamat''s rendition. Of course, Kiamat had inserted his consciousness into the Rank-1 mana body that was created for you to fight with.


    The bonus stage was not meant to be fought by Meta rankers at all. And it was not intended for Arch rankers either. The entire three stages and the bonus stages need to be cleared by an Awakened ranker to reap maximum rewards.


    The Rank-1 and Rank-3 rendition arrays and mana bodies were created for contingencies by my master. Thankfully, the contingency n could be activated for you so that you could fight the beast. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have been able to win the bonus stage or receive a reward for it."


    Only now did things make sense for Eren. He felt as if he had fought the beast. However, his Rank-2 status threw that assumption out the window.


    Eren was about to ask Kino something. But thetter beat him to it and asked him another question in a curious voice.


    "Eren, have you ever heard of a spirit beast spell?"


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Kino''s question. He was aware of the spell and wanted to use it for himself as well. However, he needed his real body to perform the spell.


    Eren was reminded of Rog and his mountain-cat-type beast when the term spirit beast was mentioned. He was very surprised at that time when the cat started talking to him. This was the first time Eren had seen a spirit beast in action. And he was impressed by it.


    It took a while for Eren to figure out what Kino was talking about.


    "Um¡­ do you mean to say that I can take that thing as my spirit beast?"


    Eren pointed at Kiamat with a slightly shaking index finger and asked Kino in an unsure tone. Frankly, he wasn''t too sure about taking someone like a wyvern as his spirit beast. He had started calling them overhyped lizards after hearing the term from Aleph. However, that was simply his defense mechanism to make sense of their overwhelming presence.


    Roar!


    The beast couldn''t digest the disrespect he felting from Eren. He roared at him angrily and started breathing mes through his mouth and nostrils. Thankfully, he hadn''t fired at them in Eren''s direction. And yet, Eren had disappeared from his position, only to reappear after creating additional distance from the beast.


    Eren''s interactions with Kiamat were a bit funny for Kino. Sheughed at him before speaking up.


    "Spirit beasts are real, but they can''t be found so casually. A normal spirit beast spell is merely a mimicry of a natural phenomenon. Nature breathes a fragment of its consciousness into the sea of elemental attainment and a spirit beast is formed from it.


    The spirit beasts, therefore, don''t have any biological parents. The World''s Will gives birth to them.


    Kiamat is not a spirit beast. And I don''t like you using a normal spirit beast spell either. So what I''m suggesting between you and Kiamat is a Spirit contract.


    With a spirit contract, you and Kiamat will be able to share fragments of your souls. Something that will allow you to form a symbiotic rtionship with Kiamat."


    ===


    AN: Spirit Beast Spell was first mentioned in chapter 95.

 Chapter 223 Steady Growth For Six Months

    "You can use Spirit contracts with your physical body. Plus, Kiamat''s rank also requires you to be Awakened.


    So this is something you are only able to do when you enter Gahan using your real body."


    Kino exined the Spirit contract''s intricacies to Eren along with the benefits it had. Thetter was finally convinced to take Kiamat as its Contract Spirit beast.


    Eren needed to break into the next rank as soon as he could. He had progressed rapidly. But since he had startedte, all he was doing till now was catching up with the standards set by the rankers with him and before him.


    Still, he was proud of his achievements. He looked at the testing grounds one more time before bidding adieu to Kino and Kiamat. He would return to the site using his real body in the future.


    ***


    The days ticked by. In Gahan, six months passed after Eren''s ranking status reached quasi-Awakened.


    Eren performed many solo missions for his guild after getting out of the Bear''s Creed testing grounds. He mostly opted for solo missions. Or he would prefer to go with known associates like Reece, Mia, Ekay, and Rhea. asionally, he would embark on party missions under Miranda''s or Kiara''s lead.


    Stardust guild''s tussle with the House of Spiders intensified over time. Members of both guilds had started attacking one another. They would only act civilized in the kingdom-controlled regions. They would be at each other''s throats once they left the cities.


    Eren had be lowkey famous among the House of Spiders ever since the details rted to his battle with Geer''s team started spreading. It was the same team made of Spiders that also had Lagartha as its member.


    Gian had publicly vowed to kill Eren to avenge his brother''s death. He had nned an ambush on Eren and Mia ever since he learned about their feat.


    Mia had broken into the Awakened rank during these days. The Stardust guild had offered her extra protection after she became its asset. As such, she had been rendered untouchable by Gian.


    Gian was also angry at Lagartha for surviving the tragedy that took his brother''s life along with the rest of the team members involved in the incident. She had reappeared in the Spiders'' midst and reported that she had managed to get away from Eren and Mia''s joint front against them.


    Lagartha used a clever strategy to keep herself away from Gian''s revenge. She signed a cooperation contract with the Spiders and distanced herself from his sphere of influence. However, she still kept tabs on the Spiders and Gian under Eren''s orders.


    Lagartha''s cooperation contract and her previous trust building with Spiders worked in her favor, allowing her to reap benefits without gettingpletelymitted to the guild. Spiders expected her to eventually sign a binding contract with them. Preferably before the showdown between the two guilds. However, she and Eren had different ns.


    Eren and his friends had managed to avoid a lot of traps set by the Spiders for them, thanks to the crucial information provided by Lagartha. Sometimes, Eren would let the Stardust members get attacked and killed by Spiders when they were not rted to him. This way, he managed to not make it apparent to Spiders that they had Lagartha as his mole.


    Lagartha had already told Eren that she didn''t want to be associated with Stardust guild members. This was because she had a history with Spiders and that was never a positive thing. Thus, the battlemage decided to make her a member of his mercenary team. The team was now three-person strong if one counted him, Ariadne, and Lagartha.


    Ariadne and Lagartha were called by Eren to meet each other. Ariadne was the hired help of the guild while Lagartha was part of the Spiders. As such, the data gathered by both of them mattered to him.


    Eren also told the twodies about the ns the Stardust guild had for the Spiders. He paid handsomely and used Malcolm''s alchemy products to temporarily allow him to share information about his guild. In doing so, he managed to keep both his associates and merc team members away from harm''s way.


    The Stardust guild''s traps were even deadlier than the Spiders''. Ariadne and Lagartha both were d that they could skip the ambushes nned for their teams using Eren''s intel.


    Ariadne had managed to attain the rank of Awakened during this time. She had no special attachment to the House of Spiders in the first ce. And entering the Awakened rank diminished her need to keep on working for the Spiders even more.


    However, she remained under Eren''s orders. Thanks to her rank-up, she demanded more resources from Spiders for her contribution.<sub> </sub>


    Additionally, Eren let some of the Stardust guild members he didn''t know about getting killed by Lagartha and Ariadne to make sure they would survive in the guild. Otherwise, people would have questioned their loyalty. This was something he wanted to avoid until the final battle between the two guilds.


    Reece, Mia, Ekay, Rhea, Miranda, Kia, Litho, and others had also grown over time. They allowed Eren to take up more challenging missions in groups and score more benefits for himself as well as other members of his squad.


    The battlemage took part in the assassination and ambush mission with Raina Regan and Yana Shiran. He managed to take down prominent Spiders during the missions, earning him recognition among Stardust members and an even more intense form of ill-fame among the Spiders.


    Despite his achievement, Eren remained a slippery eel for the Spiders. Thanks to thetest intel he had on Spiders and their movements, he always managed to stay a step ahead of them, preventing him from falling into lethal traps.


    Sometimes, he would choose to fall into Spiders'' traps willingly with thorough preparation and backup. He had managed three more party wipeouts because of his counter-traps.


    After the third instance of party wipeout, the Spiders started to steer away from him. He would stay away from Awakened rankers and only get involved with Meta rankers,pletely dominating them. As such, setting traps for him had be a suicide event for all the Meta rankers associated with the House of Spiders.


    At this point, only Gian and the rest of his crew were determined to confront and kill Eren. They had tried to target him many times. But Eren had stayed away from them because Gian had somehow managed to gain favor from two more Awakened rankers.


    Eren was confident in beating Gian alone even if thetter was an Awakened ranker. However, he didn''t want to face two more Awakened rankers with him. Thus, he stayed away from Gian without Lagartha''s help.


    Eren could always seek Raina''s help in taking care of Gian and his other team members. The night elf was an efficient killing machine when it came to the assassination.


    However, Eren didn''t trust Raina. She had also figured out that Bem Dorian''s sudden disappearance had something to do with Eren.


    Eren had kept Bem''s wealth to himself. And he had already sold half of them to Malcolm to make quick bucks. As such, he thought he had burned bridges to seek help from the night elf.


    He started to be more deadly for his enemies ever since he was able to cast Hex spells effectively. He had mastered Hex spells at his current rank, allowing him to beat multiple opponents all by himself.


    Fortunately, Eren''s opponents never lived to tell the tales of his exceptional battle prowess. For most rankers who had only heard about him in passing, he was a mystery and an enigma.


    Eren refined his style as a battlemage during these six months. He focused on using his summoning spells in conjunction with his other spells. He also tried and tested various spellbos born of elemental and aspect fusions.


    Through his handler Van Straban, Eren also grew close to Raquel''s faction in House Roy. Beginning to take on small jobs, he acted as House Roy''s hired help at Oasis Corp.


    He hade to know that Oasis Corp was muchrger than he had initially thought. Raquel''s faction in House Roy was facing internal conflict because of Raquel''s questionable actions.


    Essentially, the house had stopped interfering with Bourgy''s Oasis. Due to internal conflict, Raquel and her faction had a limited space within which to act. As such, Eren didn''t have much to do but was made aware of a lot of things not known to even the citizens of the Elysian cities.


    The battlemage also kept exploring Borgys'' Oasis to look for more Easter Eggs. He already had a bunch of clues regarding a few of them.


    Eventually, Eren managed to absorb some Easter Eggs rted to various weapon arts. They inspired him to use more weapons than what was avable to him at the time.


    Eren hoped he could talk with the creator of the Easter Eggs and understand his purpose for cing these Easter Eggs in the Oasis.

 Chapter 224 Confronting Gian

    Aleph had remained quiet for the most part during these six months.


    He only spoke a few times to guide Eren on his path. After implementing his advice, the battlemage was able to observe its usefulness. He had to say that Aleph knew him and the things he could do like the back of his hand.


    Aleph was also the one who told Eren that he shouldn''t rush through his breakthrough into the Rank-2. He told Eren to get his basics right so that he could make maximum use of his breakthrough-induced epiphany.


    As such, Eren started focusing more on other aspects of being a ranker. He started collecting resources rted to various elemental attainments.


    Eren had spent a huge chunk of his newfound wealth collecting runic steles belonging to lightning, fire, water, and wind. The runic steles were rare resources created by high-ranking entities to help the lower-ranked juniors. These steles had runes etched over them that contained the elementalprehensions of the higher-ranked entities.


    It was not to say that the runic steles would allow the rankers to grant the same elemental attainment as the high-ranked entities who created the runic steles. But studying these steles methodically would allow the rankers to see their own shorings, allowing them to sharpen their elementalprehensions.


    Eren achieved tremendous progress in the way of lightning, fire, water, and wind. He left behind most prodigies of his generation using these runic Steeles andplementing them with the experiences he had gained so far.


    Eren kept on working hard in his martial arts as well. He kept on sweating it out in the gym made for rankers. He made use of progressive overload and altered gravity to push himself further than traditional limits. He was apanied by Reece and others in his endeavors as well. They also received significant benefits from sticking to the routine.


    Eren started experimenting with various weapons. Easter Eggs rted to the weapon arts had already been absorbed by him. After practicing every day, he made those absorbed memories and weaponprehensions his own.


    After sharpening himself for six months straight, Eren felt that he was ready to take on Gian. He had decided to take the fight to him instead of waiting for the guy''s ambush to arrive.


    He had his moles ready. All he needed to do was to cast a.


    ***


    A man who looked to be in histe 30s was looking at the scene of the battle unfolding below him. He was standing at the edge of a cliff. The valley that was surrounded by the small hills was right below the cliff.


    This man had ck hair. His beard was well-groomed. He had dark blue eyes and long ears that didn''t quite look human. He had a medium stature and build, making him rtively unnoticeable when it came to his appearances.


    Gian was wearing a knee-length tunic and golden sleeveless armor over it. He wore a thick jacket over it that made him look bulkier than he was. He was wearing leg and arm guards. There was a leather pouch attached to his waist using a brown belt.


    It was sufficient to say that Gian wouldn''t win an award for best-looking ranker within the Spiders because of his attire. However, this man had entered an Awakened rank using his attainments over two elements. That''s right. He was a dual-element wielder.


    "Gian, we have mostly killed all of the demonic rankers and looted their hideout. We also recruited some of the demonic rankers for the House of Spiders and made them sign binding contracts.


    What remains now are just some minor nuisances that are still putting up a front. I think our job''s done here."


    A young woman appeared behind Gian as he was looking at the battle unfolding. Her name was Yeti. She had off-white hair and amber eyes. There were some tribe strip tattoos around both her eyes.


    Yeti always carried a cold look on her face. But somehow that made her look cute instead.


    Yeti was wearing brown leather pants and brown sleeveless armor that looked like a fancy sleeveless bodice. She was carrying a small sword over her back. There was a small dual-faced ax attached to her waist using her brown belt. Plus, she was carrying a silver-like thin sword that was attached to the other side of her waist using the same belt.


    Yeti was wearing an armed guard over her right arm. She had a wolf''s tattoo over her petite left arm. She had a slightly short stature and a thin figure. Her feminine features were yet to be obvious over the gear she was wearing. As a result, she looked more like an early teen even when she was reaching her 30s.


    Despite her cold but cute looks, nobody dared to underestimate Yeti. She presented him with a detailed report of the missions assigned to them by the kingdom.


    The kingdom kept assigning more and more purging missions of demonic rankers to the House of Spiders. It was clear that the administration wanted the Spiders'' number to plummet by making them fight things out with these wretched rankers.<sub> </sub>


    However, House of Spiders wasn''t one to go down without a fight. It used the kingdom''s dirty y as an opportunity to increase its numbers. The more the hideout purging missions were assigned to Spiders, the more their numbers would increase.


    Gian listened to Yeti with keen interest beforementing.


    "That''s good. The House of Spiders is fighting a losing fight. But we should do everything we can. At least till we are onboard. If these demonic rankers can make the organization that created me float for a few more days, so be it."


    Gian watched as his party members killed thest few demonic rankers one by one who refused to sign a binding contract with the Spiders. He narrowed his eyes before asking the Yeti.


    "Any news rted to Eren Idril? My hands are itching to kill the bastard. I have to do this for my brother as well as for me. Otherwise, my good-for-nothing brother would keep haunting my dreams."


    Gian said and clenched his fists. It was clear that the guy loved his younger brother even when he would curse him all the time. The cursing continued even after his death.


    Yeti pursed her lips before responding to Gian''s question.


    "The guy has be a hermit in thest few months. He doesn''t venture outside the city of Ludan. And whenever he does, it''s always in the dark without anyone knowing where he went.


    The only time he is willing to show himself is when he joins arge party. The ambushes of other Spiders'' teams have failed to kill him so far. There''s a possibility that he might be getting tipped by one of the demonic rankers the Spiders are hiring en masse using means we don''t know."


    Yeti had kept tabs on information rted to Eren under Gian''s orders. She was the vice-captain of his team and had just entered the Awakened rank. Just like Gian, she was also an experienced ranker in House of Spiders.


    Gian raised his eyebrows when he heard of Yeti''s assumption. It wasn''t like he had been sitting doing nothing. He had been personally trying to hunt Eren all by himself in the beginning. But somehow Eren managed to keep his distance from him, forcing him to involve his party in his personal vendetta.


    "Does he have any weaknesses? Something we can use to flush him out of the safe zone?"


    Gian asked in a curious voice. Yeti shook her head in denial before responding.


    "Not that we know of. He ispletely dedicated to his path as a ranker and has never seen himself indulging in vices. He has maintained a personal space around him despite getting acquainted with various teams within his guild.


    The connections he has with the rankers don''t seem potent enough for us to force him into doing anything he doesn''t want. Plus, the Spiders are not ready to invest more resources in targeting a single young man who is not an immediate threat to the guild."


    Gian felt helpless in exacting his revenge against Eren. he then thought of targeting another ranker in his list that he assumed to be a part of the reason why his brother died.


    "What about Lagartha? I heard she has only signed a co-op contract with the Spiders after her breakthrough into Awakened rank. Makes you suspicious of her intentions, right?"


    Gian''s eyes shone with a cruel light when he thought of Lagartha. The wood-element ranker''s behavior after the incident convinced him that she had either abandoned her brother and his entire team. Or, she cooperated with Eren and Mia to make them spare her life.


    "Were you looking for me?"


    Yeti froze in her steps when someone appeared beside him. Gian too was stunned for a moment before turning back and facing the origin of the new voice.


    A young and bodacious ranker was standing beside Yeti. She had lush green hair and an eye-catching face. Her eyes sparkled with life and her figure made her one of the role models for feminine perfection.


    Lagartha had appeared at the scene unannounced.

 Chapter 225 Eren Vs Gian P1

    Lagartha had appeared at the scene unannounced.


    Gian narrowed his eyes before addressing Lagartha.


    "What are you doing here?"


    Lagartha chuckled before answering.


    "To end the cold war between us once and for all, Gian. Tell me. What is your problem with me?''


    Lagartha asked while folding her arms under her bosom. She oozed confidence with every move. As if she was inplete control of the situation. Gian wasn''t sure what Lagartha was doing at the scene of his mission site. But now that she was in front of him, he decided to ask her the most pertinent question he wanted to ask her.


    "What happened that day? Tell me exactly how my brother died and why you survived. No lies."


    Lagartha smirked before nodding. She pursed her lips and collected her thoughts beforementing.


    "That day, we came across Eren and Mia and decided to ambush them. Your brother led the charge. We used a debuff on both of our targets. But Eren managed to get over it using the tools at his disposal."


    Gian didn''t find any subtle mana fluctuations in Lagartha''s presence that would let him know that she was lying. Her version of the story was the same as the official records anyway. So he let her continue to speak.


    "From here on out, things diverge from what is a popr theory and submitted reports. Mia wasn''t involved in the party wipeout at all. It was Eren-- all him and nobody else.


    He let Mia escape and literally butchered everyone except me. That includes your brother as well. I did not share the same fate as them because I managed to keep my cool.


    Gian, let me tell you that it wasn''t your brother''s fault that he passed away. It was nobody''s fault that he died. He died because of the consequences of picking a side.


    I don''t know why you feel anger towards me for surviving that incident. But let me be clear that if given the same choice today, I would do exactly what I did back then."


    Lagartha said this with an unwavering attitude. She knew that Gian wasn''t a normal Awakened. Moreover, she knew that he was in the solid stage of the Awakened rank, just a few steps from breaking into Arch rank. However, she didn''t feel like she should back away from her stance just because Gian was stronger than her.


    "Consequences of picking a side, huh? That means you also find that the bastard you wiped out didn''t do anything wrong. After all, he too had just picked a side and was ying his role as a Stardust guild member."


    The air around Gian fluctuated as he responded to Lagartha''sment. A mist formed around the Awakened rank closebat expert, as he was trying to keep his anger under control. Soon that mist started getting charged with micro lightning strikes. His elemental attainments were manifesting around him.


    Lagartha nodded at Gian and confirmed his sarcastic remarks for real.


    "That''s right. The members of the wiped-out party, your brother, I, and even Eren did nothing wrong. And you shouldn''t me him when hees for you either. And I won''t me you if you decide to retaliate against him as well."


    Lagartha narrowed her eyes and smiled deviously beforementing


    "In fact, he is already here!"


    A distinct mana pulse came from Lagartha as she cast her spell and disappeared along with Yeti. The wood-element ranker had used a spatial array disk Eren had provided her to separate Yeti from Gian.


    Gian was stunned by Lagartha''s sudden move. It took him a while to figure out that someone had appeared on the other side of the round cliff surrounding the small valley.


    "Sir Gian¡­"


    "Who the fuck¡­"


    "Who is this bastard¡­"


    Gian''s team members were subjected to the same fate as Ekay, Rhea, Litho, and Reece appeared near them. They all vanished from the recently active battle scene, leaving only Gian and Eren at the scene.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had even managed to separate the two Awakened rankers Gian had ced in the shadows. He had acted on the information provided to him by Ariadne and Lagartha to set this trap.


    The two Awakened rankers were separated from Gian by Ariadne and Mia. Eren had made sure that the guy and he were totally left alone for his mano-e-mano showdown against him.


    Gian was left speechless. Not by the fact that Eren had decided to attack him of course. At least that was not the main reason. He was shocked by the level of pre-nning done by Eren. The execution of his n was so wless that Gian concluded that he could do nothing to stop Eren and his team members from doing exactly what they did just now.


    However, Gian wasn''t too bothered by the fact that he was left alone with Eren. He was still in Meta rank. If nothing else, Gian appreciated the guts Eren had to face him using his minuscule ranking status in front of him.


    "So you are Eren Idril? I have heard a lot about you in recent days. It seems you also managed to sway two of the Spiders to your side after battling with them. Should I call it your charisma? Or should I call you a conniving son of a bitch?"


    Gian yfully asked Eren. But Eren could tell that there was a hint of anger and hatred mixed in that voice. He just shrugged his shoulders before responding.


    "Call me whatever you want. It doesn''t change what I did in the past. And it won''t change what I do next. Feel free to takefort in cursing me as I send you on your merry way to meet your brother.


    I was the reason behind the two brothers separating from each other. So it''s only fair that I should be the reason for their eventual reunion in the afterlife."


    Eren provoked Gian with his words. To be honest, he was a bit stressed facing Gian. So by saying things like these, he was actually trying to self-motivate himself.


    Tiamat''s spectral manifestation was still in the realm of Rank-1 when he fought it. Yes, the beast''s presence was overwhelming. However, a ranker in the Awakened rank had more options and flexibility in fighting Eren. As such, Gian posed a more serious danger to the battlemage.


    Eren could tell that Gian wasn''t like his brother Geer. He hadn''t gained his position because someone had backed him up. The man had exceptional elemental abilities in water and lightning. And through the intel, he knew that Gian had also mastered mana-based sword arts.


    Gian was quite proficient at martial arts as well. It could be said that he was one of the rare rankers who thought that having better and more explosive spells wasn''t everything. Just like Eren, the guy also believed in refining his battle style using mana-based martial arts.


    Gian''s martial arts had sharpened his aura. Inparison to a wyvern, he seemed like a sheathed sword. However, he poses an even greater danger of harming Eren.


    "Hahahaha!"


    Gian could feel that Eren was a bit nervous about facing him. He looked at Eren amusingly before asking him.


    "Why are you so eager to die? You could have lived for a few days more had you just stayed put. And you also subjected your friends to the same fate as you. Heh!


    I think I can finally let go of my brother''s death after killing you. It feels like you are also sorry for killing him and want tomit suicide to make up for it."


    Gian spoke and the lightning-charged mist around him intensified. He didn''t care about any of the traps Eren had set. He was about to attack Eren with all his might.


    Eren liked the fact that he could feel the tension in the air. It looked like he was enjoying the thrill of a tough battle ahead of him. He looked at Gian and clenched his fist. His fingers cracked when he did that. The jittery feelings left his body as they were reced by feelings of excitement.


    "I just want to sharpen my skills using a better whetstone, Gian. Don''t mind me I see you as just that."


    Eren said and lightning struck. The battlemage disappeared from his position shortly afterwards. The lightning-charged mist that surrounded Gian also blurred when he cast his movement spell. Both rankers jumped into the valley, unanimously deciding on a ruined battlefield as their venue for the showdown.


    ng!


    Eren''s axe met Gian''s weapon and a metallic sh ensued. The former''s arms felt like they had been stabbed with a thousand needles when the sh took ce. He felt like his arms'' bones would get chipped away by the vibration he was experiencing while trying to hold his weapon.


    "Not bad. You want to test your limits, right? I don''t want to do any favors to the killer of my brother. But I''ll consider this as yourst request and indulge you in it anyway.


    Entertain me well, young man."


    Gian chose to fight Eren solely using his martial arts. Thetter also understood Gian''s intentions and was happy to y along with it.

 Chapter 226 Eren Vs Gian P2

    Swoosh. Zoom. ng.


    Eren and Gian started fighting with each other using their weapons. The sounds of metal meeting metal resounded in the surroundings and sparks flew.


    The two rankers used their movement spells to sh with each other at various points. Their attacks cracked the ground they stood on. As a result, various flying shes further damaged the surroundings.


    Eren used Igni Chains in conjunction with his mana-based martial arts, expanding his range and versatility. He applied various elemental fusions and aspect fusions to his attacks, enhancing the destructive potential of his attacks.


    Eren used support spells like Igni Shards and Blitz Shards to give an edge to his offense and defense at the same time. He also made use of digested memories and Jeet Kun Do to make a smooth transition between the stances of offense and defense.


    Still, Gian managed to keep Eren''s attacks from harming him simply by using his rank and his experience. He showed the battlemage that some rifts could not be filled with talent and diligent work alone.


    Eren was at a disadvantage from the moment the battle started. Gian''s movement spell was a rank above him. But that was not all. His skills as a sword user and his elemental attainments exceeded his current ranking status. As a result, the battlemage found it difficult to get the upper hand on Gian even after refining his battle style.


    Gian on the other hand wasn''t happy with the current situation even though it looked like he was winning. Eren''s performance had shocked him beyond measure. At first, he thought Eren wouldn''t be able to get rid of his brother''s entire team on his own. But now, he was sure that he didn''t need Mia''s help. He was perfectly capable of killing the entire group of Spiders by himself.


    Gian was sure that as talented as he was as a Meta ranker, he was never as strong as the current Eren. The battlemage had redefined the conventional standards set for Meta rankers.


    Eren and Gian kept on fighting things out using their martial arts. While the former continued to umte injuries on his body, thetter looked like he was just warming up.


    The surrounding region had already been in shambles because of the earlier fight between Spiders and demonic rankers. The way Eren and Gian fought made matters worse. The fire lit up at various ces because of the conjuring of excessive fire mana. And lightning struck and destroyed the vegetation even more.


    Gian and Eren were both lightning element users. As such, they both fought by deploying their own lightning spells.


    Gian''s attacks focused on the conductive aspect of lightning. They would charge the air around him and affect Eren just by being in the vicinity of him. The battlemage felt like he was being attacked by lightning-element mana from all angles whenever he got close to Gian.


    Gian realized Eren was much more talented than his previous and current selves. That''s because Eren could perform aspect and elemental fusion. Something he wasn''t capable of using even with his supposed higher rank.


    In fact, the entire reason Eren could stay strong on the ground against an Awakened ranker was that he could use elemental fusion and aspect fusion. A lot of rankers struggled with a basic understanding of the way of the elements. As such, Eren was like a savant in using his elements his way.


    Gian could only tell himself that Eren must have had a huge backer and a lot of resources to make sense of his progress. He was trying to find a reason to exin Eren''s growth in his mind while battling with him.


    Eren entered a battle trance once again as he kept on getting injured fighting with Gian. In response to Gian''s attacks, he started making his counters even more lethal. In short, the battlemage started to solidify the gains he had achieved during these six months of self-improvement.


    ''This¡­ this bastard''s a different animal.''


    Gian thought to himself as he watched and experienced Eren fight with him. He was shocked that even after fighting for thest ten minutes, the battlemage refused to back down. Eren kept his limbs and body working despite disying some serious injuries.


    Gian realized that he was being arrogant earlier when he asked Eren to entertain him with his performance. Unlike his younger brother, Gian was at least able to see that Eren was not someone cut from the same cloth as the rest of the normal rankers.


    Another thing to worry about for Gian was the fact that Eren could use various elements with exceptional ease. He was a dual-element wielder himself. Thus, he knew how hard it was for a ranker to keep all his elemental attainments in sync. And yet, Eren was wielding his elements like he had been doing this since before he was born.


    Although it may sound strange in the context of established norms, the state of epiphany may exin Eren''s growth in all his elements. But it wouldn''t exin the affinity Eren disyed for wielding various elements.


    As minutes passed, Gian started feeling angry with Eren as well as himself. He was starting to feel angry at himself because his subconscious was berating him for not being able to overwhelm a mere Meta ranker.<sub> </sub>


    Gian cracked finally under pressure. He parried Eren''s ax attacks and got close to him. He imbued his fist with lightning and water element mana before punching him in the guts. He had broken the unwritten rule of keeping things strictly limited to weapon-based martial arts.


    Swoosh. Boom. Bam.


    Eren was thrown into the air by Gian''s sudden use of a punch. His body wasunched into the air at breakneck speeds and came down even harder after the momentum acting on his body slowed down a bit.


    Eren bounced off the ground like a rubber ball. His impacts created small craters on the ground. His body was finally pped against a huge tree trunk that was located at the other end of the battlefield. The wood behind him cracked and the tree was almost uprooted from its base. But it managed topletely kill the vector force acting on Eren''s body.


    "Aaaaargh!"


    Eren was pulled out of his battle trance and came to his senses. He pulled himself out of the body print he had created on the depressing wood trunk and fell to the ground. He gripped his head with one hand and shook it vigorously to clear the blurred vision he was subjected to.


    "Hahahahaha!"


    Eren startedughing when he saw Gian looking at him stoically. Thetter did not try to attack Eren after he was put in a vulnerable position. As if he was kinda sorry for losing his cool and not sticking to the unwritten agreement.


    "What are youughing at?"


    Gian asked Eren and narrowed his eyes at him. Thetterughed some more before answering.


    "You know exactly why I amughing, Gian. Don''t pretend like you don''t know what you did.


    What did you say before we started our battle? Oh yeah! "Entertain me well." Hahahaha. I guess you really enjoyed the show I put on for you. The attack youunched on me in the form of a dirty punch is proof of that."


    Eren said and started coughing. He cleared his throat as if there was something stuck in it. He then blew his nose and spat. It was his blood mixed with his saliva. It was clear that Gian''s punch had damaged Eren''s internal organs.


    "It''s fine though. I''m notining. At least I managed to test the limits of my martial arts. They are almost on par with an Awakened ranker even when I have not yet achieved the rank.


    This gives me relief. Relief that my diligent work over these six months has finally paid off."


    Eren said and spat some more to stop the internal bleeding. He started casting his healing spell on him and stood up on his two feet. He looked Gian in the eyes before dering.


    "My goal of testing martial arts ispleted. Now it''s time for me to test my special spells."


    Eren smiled wickedly back at Gian. After almost isting himself for six months and experimenting with the gains he had made so far, Eren had decided topile everything he had learned so far.


    Eren summoned his transcendent-grade Hex armor for the first time. The runes on the armor lit up as he started making his move.


    Gian wasn''t sure what Eren was doing at first. His expression turned grim as he felt the mana fluctuationsing from Eren. The closebat expert felt like Eren was trying to cast Rank 2 spells while still being in the Meta rank.


    Eren was trying to cast something unique to himself. He had created a unique way of casting spells using the tools avable at his disposal.


    One Up + Hex Spells + Deviant Casting

 Chapter 227 One Up + Hex Spells + Deviant Casting

    One Up + Hex Spells + Deviant Casting


    Eren has started perfecting the use of his support-type spell One Up which would allow him to cast a Rank-2-like spell while still being in Rank-1. It just used a higher amount of mana, something he had an abundance of.


    However, One Up had a problem. It would take a lot of time for him to use it in conjunction with the required spell. Even using it to cast Hex spells didn''t solve that problem for him.


    That''s when he started using the deviant casting technique he had learned from Aleph. It allowed Eren to cast spells in their half-baked format, cutting their casting time. The spells became unstable as a result. But that yed into Eren''s strength as it made them more lethal. He would inject more mana into the spell''s basic build block, increasing their instability and lethality along with it.


    Blitz Wave


    Gian''s eyes opened wide when a series of flying shes with threatening mana fluctuations started approaching him. He immediately knew that he wouldn''t be able to brush Eren''s attacks off his shoulders like previously. He held his ground and used his weapon arts to defend himself against the iing attacks.


    Meanwhile, Eren appeared behind Gian and started casting another set of spells. He first cast Solid Sparks and threw them towards Gian before they could explode in his hands.


    The Blitz Wave attacks were highly unstable because of the deviant casting. Some of them detonated themselves even before they reached their destination, causing a cluster of lightning to form. The others were detonated right as they met Gian''s weapons, exploding in his face. The flying shes had turned into mini explosions because of their inherent instability.


    "Aaaargh!"


    This Gian felt the impact of Eren''s spells as they managed to breach his natural mana defenseyer. The lightning streaks prated deep into the closebat expert''s skin and started causing a foreign mana invasion inside him. And because the attacks were unstable, to begin with, they disrupted Gian''s mana flow even more and caused him more internal damage.


    Gian screamed with all his might and sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive to get rid of Eren''s mana from inside his body. However, Eren''s consecutive attacks had arrived at his doorstep by that time.


    Eren kept on throwing more Solid Sparks at Gian while changing his position from time to time. The lightning rods approached Gian from all angles at once, making it difficult for him to dodge.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The Solid Sparks were detonated as soon as they found their target. As the detonation of the Solid Sparks continued, a huge cluster of blue lightning appeared on the scene.


    Gian was subjected to electrocution. This was his first time fighting such a radical lightning-element ranker. His skin started to feel numb and his internal organs started to hurt as he found himself inside a blue of lightning.


    Gian greeted his teeth, ignored the pain he was facing, and cast his movement spell. He also cast a defensive spell that manifested around him in the form of a thick, colorless, and semi-transparent gel.


    Gian finally got himself out of Eren''s trap using the water-element spell as his defense. He was a dual-element wielder. And his affinity for water had a peculiar aspect. It allowed him to change the viscosity of the water, turning it thinner or thicker than the standard viscosity of water.


    "Brat¡­ you are fucking with the wrong man. I''ll not give you an easy death anymore."


    Gian was lucid when he got out and stared at Eren who had remained at a distance from him. He was angry at the fact that a Meta ranker had managed to hurt him. This was something unimaginable for him. His whole belief system about the world was shaken as a result.


    Eren couldn''t keep casting spell after a spell when deviant casting was involved. He needed to select his spells right and stick with them until their bitter end before casting new ones.


    Aleph''s way of casting deviant spells had spared Eren from experiencing mana deviation. However, his mana circuits still felt the strain because of them. That''s why he decided to attack Gian using the strongest set of spells he had in his arsenal after initial testing.


    Igni Lotus


    Suddenly, Gian felt an odd mana fluctuation in the surrounding area. His skin started to tingle as he felt he was being pulled into the depths of a scorchingva pool.


    Gian looked up to see the evening sky disappear from his vision. Ayer of mes obscured the sky as it spread in every direction around him. So, all he could feel around him was the scorching heating from the mes.


    Eren''s domain attack this time was different from the ones he had cast before. The basic building block had been altered, making it of Rank-2 caliber. Plus, the mes it produced started exhibiting the properties ofbustion. While burning the object they came into contact with, they exploded.


    "Domain spell!"


    Gian''s eyes widened in surprise when he realized Eren could cast a domain spell. A Meta Ranker was casting a domain spell of Rank-2 caliber. The closebat expert would haveughed his ass off if anyone had told him that such a thing was possible.


    Worse. The domain spell he had cast was highly unstable and could burst like a bubble at any time. The domain spell was already very dangerous, to begin with. The fact that it was unstable made it a ticking time bomb.<sub> </sub>


    "Where¡­ where the fuck did you learn to cast spells like these?"


    Gian asked Eren with a baffled expression. He had already implemented a preventive measure against Eren''s domain attack. A gel-like viscousyer of water had started protecting his body. It made him look weird. But he wasn''t too concerned about his looks at this point.


    ''Heh! Tory would have made a "yo mama" joke to answer that question.''


    Eren thought to himself and chuckled before focusing on his next set of spells. For him, there was no point in talking to Gian. The guy was bound tounch an ambush on him sooner orter. He had just escted their conflict to gain control of the situation. And that''s what he aimed to do with each moment.


    Alfem!


    Igni Chains!


    Igni Shards!


    Igni Bolt st!


    Eren started casting his fire-element spells one after another. Since the fire domain provided him with an additional boost to all his fire-element spells, they were cast quicker than before and contained more power than before.


    Eren first let his firebirds manifest themselves inside the unstable fire domain. Igni Shards acted as the scales of these birds and made them more prone to explosive detonations.


    The battlemage then took out his two crossbows and aimed them straight at Gian. A bunch of Igni Bolt sts was conjured in the weapons'' loading bays before the triggers were released.


    Gian was about to change his position when the Igni Chains sprouted from thin air andtched onto his arms and legs. They also climbed over his torso and made him stay in his current position.


    The firebirds attacked him as soon as the Igni Chains acted on him. They wrapped Gian in such an intense cloud of mes that it made him feel that he would be roasted to a crisp inside them.


    Gian would have faced serious burn wounds if it hadn''t been for his water-element defensive spell protecting him. And he was d that he was an Awakened ranker. Because he wouldn''t have survived Eren''s spells if they were at the same rank.


    ''This man is dangerous. He has reallye out of his den to kill me.''


    Gina thought to himself and his thirst for revenge intensified. He started casting water-element spells to counter Eren''s fire domain.


    Aqua Shield


    Aqua Spears


    Aqua Spikes


    Aqua Whips


    Gian first cast a water-element sphere around him that would further alleviate his suffering through fire torture. Water-element spears formed behind him while he held two defensive spells around him. The viscosity of these manifested weapons was altered, making them solid-like and more destructive.


    Gian applied his lightning mana to the Aqua Spears. Therefore, the manifested weapons became engulfed in red lightning mana, increasing their effectiveness. The solid-like viscosity of water the weapons were formed with along with the red lightning mana ensured a very deadly output.


    The next thing to form were water spikes that flew toward the iing firebirds and attacked them. The Aqua Spikes would detonate as soon as they found their target, decreasing the birds'' detonation efficacy.


    Aqua Whips subjected Eren to the same bondage Gian was currently facing. The battlemage watched with narrowed eyes as the lightning-charged Aqua Spears started approaching him at breakneck speeds.


    It was now Eren''s turn to feel stressed inside his own fire domain.


    "Nobody said it was going to be easy."


    Eren smirked to himself before preparing himself for his next move.

 Chapter 228 Igni Lotus Collapse

    Anemoi: Model Elephant


    Eren summoned another creature in front of him to take the brunt of the attacks Gian hadunched. The wind-element elephant wasn''t an ideal choice as a summoned creature inside the fire domain. It was, however, Eren''s most effective defense against Gian''s approaching attacks.


    The elephant used his trunk to fire a bunch ofpressed wind balls at the spheres. They were shot with such force that they managed to deflect most of the spear attacks. The remaining attacksnded on the summoned creature''s body. Eren used the elephant as a shield to get away from the immediate danger.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.


    Eren attacked the Aqua Whips using his dual-element weapons. He sent a series of Blitz Waves and Igni Waves at the Aqua Whips andbined them into singr attacks midway using elemental fusion. This way, he avoided putting pressure on the axes and enhanced the spells'' effectiveness at the same time.


    Eren disappeared from his position as soon as he managed to break free from his bindings. Gian also did the same while tackling the herd of wind-element elephants Eren had summoned for him.


    Blitz Shard


    Alfem


    Igni Chains


    Igni Shards


    Eren cast his next set of spells as he approached Gian head-on. A bunch of firebirds formed behind him before getting covered in lightning and fire shards. Eren had a small breakthrough in the battle as he merged the two spells and created lightning-fire shards out of them using elemental fusion.


    Scree!


    The firebirds came to life when they were blessed with the protection of elemental fusion. They followed their caster as they prepared to attack Gian.


    "Hmph! You are 100 years too young to battle with me like an equal, you insolent brat."


    Gian spoke in contempt as he started exchanging moves with Eren using his swords. His one sword had lightning-element runes on it while the other was a water-element artifact. Unlike Eren who had invested in dual-element weapons, Gian was perfectly fine with wielding two separate weapons for his dual-element needs.


    Eren slowly started to get overwhelmed by Gian''s attacks. He was sure that his techniques were better than Gian''s. He had digested so many styles of martial arts that he could now quickly spot ws in his attacks as well as his opponents''. However, the natural advantage Gian had due to his ranking status could not be denied.


    Gian''s high body stats allowed him to dominate Eren, allowing him to injure him over time. The battlemage soon started having many open wounds on his body. Most of these wounds were shallow. However, some wounds looked grim. Gian''s invasion of foreign mana exacerbated them and made them more severe. His wounds bled and stained his clothes, making his appearance bloody and savage-like.


    Lightning Fist


    Gian let go of one of his swords andunched a sudden hook under Eren''s chin when he got the chance. He started with the first style in his closebat ss and has retained some expertise in it despite adopting mana-based weapon arts. That diversity of attacks paid off for Gian and allowed him to take Eren by surprise.


    Eren flew into the air when the fist was connected to him. Itunched his body 10 meters into the air and sent him about 30 meters away from his previous position. The battlemage was dropped on the dense ground, creating a crater that looked like a spiderweb.


    Eren ignored the pain he was feeling and shook his head. He quickly cast his movement spell even when his vision was blurry. That decision saved him from further trouble because Gian had followed him. He made the craterrger by using his lightning-powered fist to attack Eren''s previous position.


    Blitz Heal


    Eren quickly cast his healing spell while uncorking a healing potion. He quickly drank the contents as he used his movement spell to maintain a safe distance from the approaching Gian.


    Gian faced a lot of obstacles while chasing Eren inside his fire domain. The Igni Chains tried totch onto him. Firebirds attempted to attack him. Taranbiest tried to take a bite out of his legs. And subsequently, the elephants attempted to crush him using their charges and other physical attacks.


    Gian was enraged by these obstructions. He employed his summoned weapons to their fullest, using them to deal with Eren''s summons. So that he wouldn''t be burned to a crisp by the fire domain, he kept strengthening his defense.<sub> </sub>


    Eren had started using guerri tactics to attack Gian. He would only stay at his ce for a moment or two to attack him before using his summoned creatures as cover to run away. He would then repeat the process whenever he saw an opportunity.


    ''Hm? It''s about damn time.''


    Eren felt the subtle sensation through his mana sense and knew that his Igni Lotus was about to copse. The spell was so unstable that it was liable to hurt even its caster if he stayed inside the domain at the time of the copse.


    Eren had an evil smile on his face as he ran toward the edge of the fire domain. He sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive and cast an army of firebirds for his opponents inside the fire domain. This would keep him busy no matter how brutally he struck back.


    A distinct mana pulse was released inside the fire domain as the spell became critically unstable. The deviant casting finally copsed the spell while Gian was busy handling the newly summoned school of firebirds.


    Gian sensed a threatening vibeing from all around him. His expression turned grim and he started looking around with vignce. It took him a moment to realize that the fire domain itself was about to copse.


    After strengthening his gel-like defensive spell, Gian cast a water shield around him and got inside. He was also about to employ his defensive artifact on him. But it was toote for that.


    BOOM!


    A wave of heat, shock, and brilliance spread across the surroundings as Igni Lotus copsed and made a mushroom cloud. Thepressed fire-element mana expanded so rapidly that it created a 7-meter depression in the ground with the same radius as the area of the fire domain.


    The firebirds were also detonated by the instability of the Igni Lotus. The rest of Eren''s summoned creatures were destroyed right afterward.


    Eren was pushed away from his position by shockwaves. Dust and grime spread everywhere and blocked his vision. The copse of Igni Lotus also interfered with his mana sense, preventing him from keeping tabs on Gian.


    Eren had to wait for the dust to settle. Meanwhile, he fixed himself using his healing spell used in conjunction with the healing potion. He gripped his pair of axes hard and waited for Gian to show up. That''s because he knew that even such a st was not enough to get rid of an Awakened ranker this easily.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"


    Gian''s scream resounded in the surroundings as he tried to process the damage he had inflicted by Eren''s insidious attack. The detonation of the Igni Lotus had taken him by surprise. It destroyed his water shield instantly before getting rid of the viscous gel he had used as a second skin on his body.


    The vtile fire-element mana had prated deep into his body before destroying the water-element second skin he had worn. It gave him severe second and third-degree burns before causing a foreign mana invasion. His entire body had been set on fire when the Igni Lotus copsed on him.


    Gian started looking like a human torch. His outline could be seen clearly amid the storm created by the mixture of fire dust and other elemental anomalies that had appeared as the byproduct of deviant casting. Soon, his legs turned weak as he crashed to the ground.


    ''A little more effort. A little more persistence. What seems like a hopeless failure will turn into a glorious sess, brick by brick.''


    Eren was very impressed with himself for bringing an Awakened ranker to his knees. However, he quickly resisted the temptation to celebrate an early victory. He took a deep breath before using Blitz Steps.


    Gian felt a threatening sensationing for him. He knew that he wasn''t in a position to defend himself. Thus, he cast a special spell that he would rarely use on his missions.


    Spirit Beast Spell: Red Lightning Panther


    A red lightning panther was summoned into existence. This was Gian''s spirit beast that he would only use against top Awakened rankers and Rank-2 Beasts. He could have never imagined that there woulde a day when he would have to summon his spirit beast against a Meta ranker.


    Eren was about to attack Gian when he saw him summoning a spirit beast. Instead of approaching the closebat expert, he focused on the beast. The beast''s aura didn''t allow him to approach it casually.


    ''Meh! I fought that overhyped lizard. This thing ain''t enough to keep me from killing that guy.''

 Chapter 229 Fine Line Between Genius And Insanity

    ''Meh! I fought that overhyped lizard. This thing ain''t enough to keep me from killing that guy.''


    Eren thought to himself before disappearing from his position. He had already destroyed a spirit beast when he fought the assassin.


    He knew that focusing on the spirit beast was useless for the most part. He needed to attack the ranker as well for him to win the battle. That was because a spirit beast was near immortal as long as its caster was still alive and kicking.


    In the next moment, the red lightning panther and its master got surrounded by loads and loads of Eren''s summoned beasts.


    Eren raised his hands beforemanding them to attack all at once. He then started casting other spells.


    The red lightning panther purred before attacking the nearest summoned creature with all its might. It manifested red lightning ws in the shape of three des and tore through the wind-element elephant. It used its tail as a whip to electrocute the lightning hounds. And it bit the firebirds by leaping into the air, injecting its red lightning mana into its mana body and destroying them in one go.


    The red lightning Panther did all this in a fraction of a second. The series of actions was done so seamlessly that they could be taken as a single move. The panther kept on repeating the same thing to various of Eren''s summoned creatures.


    Whenever the red lightning Panther moved, it left a trail of red lightning streaks behind. The streaks would vanish only after they took care of the enemies that had been entrapped in them.


    The spirit beast started destroying the summoned creatures, courtesy of its higher rank, elevated body stats, exceptional innate spells, and superior agility. It should also be noted that the spirit beast had its own growth while it was being contracted by Gian. It had ess to all its innate abilities, making it a force to be reckoned with among the Rank-2 beasts.


    Eren tried to attack Gian using his guerri tactics. But the spirit beast managed to fend him off by using his long-range spells in the form of Red Lightning ws and Red Lightning Whips. Because of this, the battlemage was pressed toe up with a breakthrough strategy to defeat Gian while he was down.


    One time, Eren chose to ignore the spirit beast''s attacks and walked forward. However, the beast''s red lightning mana was potent enough for him to change his approach soon after tasting its effects.


    Eren felt like his blood would boil and his skin would rupture after being subjected to the Panther''s red lightning mana. The red lightning mana represented the destruction aspect of lightning. Something Eren was not familiar with yet.


    ''This won''t do. I need to do something drastic.''


    Eren thought to himself as he took out a vial of potion from his storage. The solution inside the liquid looked calm and tranquil despite Eren''s erratic movements. It was clear that the vial itself had been enchanted with runic details to keep the solution inside steady.


    ''Time to test these things.''


    The battlemage thought to himself as he uncorked the vial and stirred the contents within it. A peculiar process began inside the solution as he imbued it with his mana. He then got close enough to the spirit beast before throwing the vial in its direction. He repeated the same process where Gian was located as well, dropping another vial of potion in his direction.


    The contents of the vials started changing colors when they were uncorked. The solution became unstable as they approached their respective locations.


    Swoosh. Bzzt. Boom.


    The surrounding area was filled with two distinct mana pulses followed by a zing light. The sound of detonations followed right afterward.


    The vials Eren threw at his opponents were potion bombs. The potion bomb thrown at the red lightning Panther was a mana disruptor andpressed fire-element explosivebined into one. The potion bomb that was hurled at Gian was a tactical bomb made from the shrapnels of runic shards.


    Both of these potion bombs were Rank-2. The runic inscriptions on the vials allowed a Meta-ranker like Eren to use them. Eren had received these potions along with some others after clearing the Hexers'' testing grounds. He had decided to use the trump cards he could rely on against Gian.


    The mana disruptor bomb interfered with the red lightning panther''s mana body and made it lose its definite form. It then injected fire-element mana into it, further increasing its instability.


    The red lightning panther whined in pain and agony when the potion bomb hit him. Grabbing this chance, Eren''s firebirds and lightning hounds attacked the spirit beast all at once. The summoned creatures started exploding on the panther with their suicide attacks.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, Gian was subjected to his own form of misery after Eren dropped a literal bomb on him. The explosion released the shrapnel it contained and Gian became their primary target. He had lost protection from his spirit beast and was in no condition to defend himself properly. As a result, the shrapnel managed to break through his already fragile mana defenseyer and prate deep into his body.


    Some of the shrapnel managed to pass through Gian''s body, creating small visible holes in Gian''s body. They injured him so much that his pain sensors were overloaded, stopping him from even screaming in pain.


    Eren was very shocked by the potion bomb''s result. He had first thought of using it only as a backup. But he criticized himself for not using it sooner in the battle.


    He also found it strange that he was sofortable using a potion bomb like this. He felt like this was not his first time using something like this, which would normally bebeled as ying dirty.


    ''Hmm. You finally did something I can approve of with all my heart.''


    Eren was pulled into a near-stagnant world when Aleph started speaking. The battle hade to a halt anyway after Eren used the potion bombs on his opponent.


    Eren found it odd that Alehe was such a strong supporter of using potion bombs. He had thought that he was some god-like figure who was above using dirty tricks on his opponents. Apparently, he thought wrong.


    ''You approve of me using an escape route? Taking out a gun in a knife fight? And I thought you were some bigshot who got stuck to me because of my trip to the pantheon of infinities.''


    Eren could also understand some of Aleph''s intentions every time he started talking to him. Through the process of sharing thoughts, he got to know that Aleph''s presence in his life was rted to the ethereal ce his subconscious had ess to.


    Aleph ignored Eren''s statement about the pantheon of infinities. For some reason, he found it offensive that Eren thought that using potion bombs was dirty in any battle. He cleared his throat and said his next words solemnly.


    ''Remember this well Eren. An explosion is the source of all life and its demise. The world begins with an explosion and ends with an explosion. The cells in your body are born because of explosions of old cells'' nuclei and they end in a cell nucleus explosion.


    A potion bomb is representative of the eternal cycle of life and death. The brilliance it emanates- The sound it creates- The shockwaves it spreads forth. Hehehe. All of that is an art form¨C variousponents fusing to create a symphony.


    That''s why they say that true art is an explosion.''


    Eren had a grim expression on his face as he listened to Eren''s speech about using potion bombs. Only now did Eren realize that Aleph had a natural bias toward using sudden potion-induced explosions as a way to fight his opponents.


    ''You know that you sound like a madman when you say things like these, right?''


    Aleph startedughing in Eren''s head after listening to Eren''s opinions of him. He chuckled before adding up.


    ''Hehe. There''s a fine line between genius and insanity. The trick is to walk that line and nevermit to either side.


    Anyway, since I was woken by your use of the potion bombs, I might as well offer you something for entertaining me like this.


    I would have given you a fraction of my elemental attainments. But they are not something you can digest at your current level. But that guy changes things for you. Do you want to have this fellow named Gian''s red lightning aspect for yourself?''


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Aleph''s proposal. He wasn''t sure how Aleph was able to pull off something like that. However, he didn''t see any apparent downside to the proposal. So he said yes right away.


    ''Alright. Let me act as a medium through which you can digest that man''s elemental attainments. For it to work, you must make his experiences your own. But that step willeter. Just do what I say for now.''

 Chapter 230 Death And Insanity

    Gian was panicking.


    He could have never thought that someone like Eren would bring him to his knees. Every time he thought that he had understood Eren''s limits as a ranker, the guy would go ahead and surprise him.


    The use of potion bombs came out of nowhere. He would have been a done deal if he hadn''t deployed the defensive artifact he was wearing as his belt.


    Gian knew that things had gotten serious when Eren managed to hurt the red lightning panther. The spirit beasts didn''t have mortal shells. Their tamers would need to manifest mana bodies for their souls to reside in. The beast''s soul would be called back to the caster''s mana core, which would serve as its new home.


    However, the spirit beasts processed the pain and other senses the same way when they were alive to some extent. Furthermore, their souls could be damaged by brutal attacks.


    Eren''s use of mana disruptor bombs had managed to harm the red lightning panther''s soul by creating an anomaly inside the mana body while its soul was upying it. As a result, the spirit beast''s body was dispersed from the spot and its soul returned to its tamer.


    To recover instantly, Gian used an alchemy product stored inside his belt pouch. He then stood up and activated his movement spell just before Eren reached him.


    Boom.


    Eren''s lightning-powered axes hit empty air as Gian disappeared from his position. The battlemage followed after Gian and continued attacking him with his Twin Star Arts.


    Gian was slowly recovering from the initial damage as the effects of the alchemy injection kicked in. His burned skin was making a speedy recovery. His other wounds were also showing signs of healing. His depleted mana storage also started to recover.


    Gian knew that he would have to face the consequences of using an alchemy injection on himself. It might cause his ranking status to regress due to the forbidden form it contains. But at this moment, he didn''t care. He needed the injection''s assistance to tackle Eren. And he was ready to pay the price. At least he would be alive to pay the price.


    Eren''s icy blue eyes shone with cold light as he observed Gian making a speedy recovery. He didn''t want to waste the progress he had made thus far. Therefore, he decided to use another potion.


    This was a debuff potion.


    Eren took out another vial from his storage before imbuing it with his mana. He then crushed the vial and let the contents of the viale into contact with the air. Since the potion had Eren''s mana signature, the debuff would not affect him but only the opponents that were in the vicinity of him.


    Gian felt like his vision had been turned upside down when the debuff effect affected him. It altered his vision and threw him off bnce. His defense was broken instantly when the debuff hit, allowing Eren tounch a series of lethal attacks on him.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    Eren started chipping into Gian''s natural defense once again using his axes and his mana-based martial arts. The guy was basically a lump of meat on the chopping block with the way he was struggling to defend himself.


    Gian tried to close his eyes to get rid of the debuff. But it made the situation worse as vertigo hit him and made himpromise his bnce even further. He was using his mana sense to move and defend against Eren. But it too had its limits. Especially when his other senses were providing debuff-influenced signals to him.


    ''Attack his balls!''


    Aleph provided Eren with a valid suggestion. And thetter took action without hesitation. When ites to life and death situations, there is no such thing as a low blow. Plus, Eren had already targeted a Meta ranker while he was mortal. This suggestion just made him remember his past briefly.


    Eren charged his axes with lightning and fire mana before creating momentum by spinning around himself. His hands blurred and his weapons seemed to disappear into thin air. The kick thatnded on Gian''s chin lifted his body and sent him flying.


    Gian was in a precise position in front of Eren for a fraction of a second while he was flying. And the battlemage used that opportunity tond a vicious blow on him.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.


    Eren''s right ax appeared between Gian''s legs. And his left ax became visible after it lodged itself deep inside Gian''s left thigh.<sub> </sub>


    The vector force was already acting on the closebat expert''s body when Eren attacked him. The debuff effect ensured that he was defenseless against Eren''s attacks.


    "Aaaaaaaargh! You fucking maniac!"


    Gian screamed in pain when Eren''s ax swung between his legs from below and cleaved a very sensitive ce. The de lodged itself deep at the intersection of his legs, cutting into his ballsack and even his junk.


    The ax de had traveled through his pelvic symphysis, broken his pelvic brim, and cracked his sacrum before stopping at the pelvic bone. Gian flew through the air with such a severe injury. Eren made things even more difficult by pulling his weapons out using Igni Chains.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Crash.


    Giannded a few meters from his previous position. He kept screaming and cursing Eren even after his body stopped being dragged across the ground.


    After a short pause, Eren appeared near Gian and looked at his condition. The guy had created a puddle of blood near his groin because of the vicious injury he had inflicted.


    "You motherfucking bastard. Kill me. Kill me this fucking moment. Or I will.."


    Gian tried to curse Eren some more when he found out Eren was looking at him like some animal in the zoo. He had subconsciously epted the fact that he was done for. The curses he was throwing at Eren were only his way of coping with the pain and his grim situation.


    "Don''t need to threaten me. I can see in your eyes that you have given up. I hope that you know that you signed up for this when you decided to target me for something your brother caused himself with his own hands.


    You decided to me me for your mental relief. And you are cursing me at this point for the same reason as well. I know that. And I know that you know that. It''s just that it is difficult for you to ept it as reality. That''s something I can''t help you with even in your final moments."


    Gian stared at Eren''s feet with hatred in his eyes as he spoke. Since his vision was inverted, he saw Eren''s face where his feet were. And the most frustrating thing about the debuffed vision was the fact that it wasn''t coherent even when it was inverse.


    Eren thought that he had applied the potion correctly to Gian when he saw its effects live. Since he was about to break into the Awakened rank, most of the Awakened rank potions designed to be used by Meta rankers were ted to be obsolete. So using them on Gian at this point served the potion''s purpose well.


    Gian startedughing hysterically when he heard Eren. He couldn''t help but agree with some of hisments.


    "Hahaha. You are good, Eren. I guess that''s it for me. I''ll¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ cough"


    Gian started spitting blood amid his speech and hisughter turned into coughs. He coughed to his heart''s content and took a long breath before finishing what he was saying.


    "I guess I''ll see my brother soon. I ept the fact that I don''t want to die sooner. But there''s no escaping reality. The way you fight, I dare say that I would have met a simr end had I attacked you first.


    However, you fucking bastard. You didn''t have to do this. You could have finished me off gracefully. But what the fuck is this?"


    Gian pointed at his groin as he asked Eren. It was safe to say that he had started to lose his grip on his sanity. Maybe it was the injury he was facing along with the debuff. Or the regrets he was feeling at the moment. OR¡­ the death of his brother had really gotten to him. Maybe it was abination of all those things.


    However, Eren saw that Gian was slipping deeper into his insanity.


    ''Only those who want to rise above dreams and delusions are alive. A tired man is already in the grip of death and insanity. His life bes more chaotic as his end approaches.''


    A random thought rippled in Eren''s mind as he got behind Gian. He ced his hand over Gian''s head and let Aleph do his thing. An otherworldly mana fluctuation spread throughout the room when Eren''s palm created a mini cyclone around Gian''s head. This was the cyclone made of cryptic runic inscriptions that illuminated themselves as they started to disintegrate Gian''s face.


    The Awakened-ranker-turned-madman was dying while speaking random things. And his elemental attainments were being imed by his opponent at the same time.

 Chapter 231 Recruiting Yeti

    Eren felt like he was living a second life. The life of someone named Gian.


    He witnessed Gian''s hardships and his love for his younger brother. He also started experiencing the struggles Gian had to go through as a ranker right from the beginning of the Meta rank.


    Eren was absorbing Gian''s experiences through his memories. When he opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity to him, everything looked different for a while. It took a while for Eren toe to his senses.


    Eren raised his hand and concentrated. In the next moment, red lightning streaks started dancing over his palm. This was not all. Eren manifested the water element next and altered its viscosity to turn it into a gel-like substance.


    Eren''s lightning element attainment had shot through the roof after obtaining Gian''s memories and experiences. Additionally, his water element affinity had increased, enabling him to gain Gian''s aspect in the same way. It had to be noted that Eren had an affinity for water elements as well. It was just that it was not strong enough to grant him an elemental aspect. But that was in the past.


    Eren smiled after he saw that he had obtained Gian''s lightning aspect. His attention was shifted when he heard Aleph''s voice in his head.


    ''That''s how you make your opponent''s gains yours. Good job, Eren. Not bad for a first try. You are almost on par with Gian''s elemental attainments. I dare say that your elemental attainments in lightning and water are way ahead of your ranking status right now. This kind of situation is always a plus, as it''ll allow you to break into the next rank faster, sans any bottlenecks.


    We could have raised your ranking status as well. Too bad you don''t have the kind of body constitution that is required to pull off something like that.


    Still, obtaining an aspect and mastering it in a few hours is not a terrible deal because you have just started as a ranker. Compared to you, I had to struggle a lot to get to where you are now from the ground up. Hehe. I guess what they say is true. The younger generation will always surpass the older generation.''


    Eren raised his eyebrows before replying to Aleph.


    ''Only a few hours, huh? Makes me tempted to just go on a hunt for rankers like these. That is if you can help me im their experiences every time we find such¡­ benefactors."


    Aleph chuckled before responding.


    ''Kekeke. Of course. But I can''t exert my powers all the time. I have limitations, you see. So wait for my signal. I''ll tell you when the right timees. And we can take action after that.''


    Eren nodded to himself before looking at Gian''s body or whatever that left of it. His head was nowhere to be found. It looked like it had simply disintegrated, leaving behind his torso.


    Eren quickly essed Gian''s I-Rune tattoo and tried to ess his storage. Aleph helped him by erasing the guy''s residual mana signature on the tattoo, allowing Eren to take out whatever Gian had on him.


    Another smile was stered on Eren''s face as he saw Gian''s resources. They could easily fetch over 10,000 mana quartz. As an Awakened ranker, the guy looked like he was loaded for Eren. He quickly took all of Gian''s resources into storage before destroying his benefactor''s bodypletely.


    ***


    "Gian¡­ he is dead?"


    Yeti mumbled to herself in disbelief after seeing Eren fine and dandy. She had been dragged to this ce by Eren''s group. All the Spiders that were with her were dead. And from the looks of it, she was about to share the same fate as them.


    Yeti was in runic bindings at this point. All the escape routes had been sealed for her since Eren''s team had secured a perimeter. There was only one man in front of her¨C standing in the same position she had seen Gian in.


    Eren pursed his lips and nodded. He locked his hands behind his back and started pacing around while speaking up.


    "Yes. Gian is dead. And so are the rest of the Spiders who didn''t want to submit to us. I only told them to renege on their contract with the House of Spiders and find some other organization.


    Nobody agreed for the fear that they would be hunted by remaining Spiders or the bacsh of reneging on the contract. A foolish thought process if you ask me.


    Those guys couldn''t see what was in front of them because they were trying to grasp the big picture. So we had to kill them. I hope you are smart enough to see what I''m offering is a way out. As terrible as it is, it''s at least not an immediate death sentence."


    ***<sub> </sub>


    Eren would have killed all the Spiders right away instead of offering them a way out. But since he was working in a team, he had to put on a face. The other members of the Stardust guild were not as cold-blooded as him. And he didn''t want to ruin his image in front of them bying across as one. So this was something Eren''s group had decided as a whole.


    In that respect, Eren was very adamant about not letting the Spiders and his entire team stay as Spiders after the battle. This would be leaving behind enemies with a personal grudge to settle. This was not something he wanted. The whole reason he hade to kill Gian was that the guy was trying to target him for personal reasons rather than thinking about the House of Spider''s welfare.


    Eren didn''t want an entire group of rankersing to get him because he took care of Gian. that would be counterproductive. So he forced all the Stardust guild members topel their opponents into reneging their binding contracts with Spiders.


    This would do two things for him.


    First, these rankers won''t be affiliated with the House of Spiders anymore. They would lose a reason to participate in guild wars when that happened. There would be no point in reneging on a contract only to sign it over once again. Especially when the organization was about to copse in a few months.


    Second, these rankers would be weakened after breaking their contract. They would regress a lot in their respective ranking statuses. They would be physically and mentally damaged, making it impossible for them to seek revenge on Eren or his team.


    As a bonus, the House of Spiders might assign a hit on such rankers for breaking their contracts this way. The guild''s resources would be invested in this endeavor as well, not allowing it to target Eren or his guild to its fullest potential.


    Even if House of Spiders let things slide for its own good, these rankers were bound to disappear underground and appear after House of Spiders was no more. As such, the threat of being ambushed would be greatly reduced for Eren.


    This was as pragmatic as Eren could be.


    ***


    "Hmph! Reneging on a contract doubles your chances of getting hunted, injured, and losing your ranking. It was a lose-lose situation for Spiders with the options you offered. No wonder they wanted to try their luck.


    Should I have to say thank you for giving me a chance to work through all this shit?"


    Yeti looked at Eren and said in a serious tone. The butcher shrugged his shoulders before responding.


    "Honestly? Yes. You should thank me for giving you this option. Tell me what it will be instead of wasting my time. Death orpromise?"


    Yeti was tongue-tied when Eren presented his option in front of her. She pondered for a while before speaking up.


    "I¡­ I would be targeted by the Spiders for sure if I reneged on my contract. That''s because I served right under Gian. I know a lot of their secrets."


    Eren smiled when he heard Yeti''s concern. This was as good as her telling him that she was ready to y ball under the right circumstances.


    Yeti was also influenced by the fact that a Spider like Lagartha was working for him. And the fact that Ariadne also served under Eren told Yeti that Eren owned significant resources.


    Eren looked in the distance and gestured with his hand. Ariadne appeared beside him in the next moment. She looked at Yeti and smirked before speaking up.


    "We are organizing a mercenary group, Yeti. If you are ready to sign a binding contract with us from the get-go, we will ensure that the bacsh you receive from the contract is minimal. What''s more? We will also assure your safety by taking you to a safe house."


    Yeti looked at Eren and looked him in the eyes. She tried to see something in him for a moment. In the end, she sighed before agreeing to Eren''s proposal.


    "Compromise."


    Eren and Ariadne looked at each other and smiled. Thetter chuckled before speaking up.


    "Hehe. Eren is like a spider collector at this point. Wee aboard, Yeti."

 Chapter 232 Guild War Breaks Out

    The war between the two guilds drew closer after Gian''s death.


    Gian''s party wipeout acted like a domino effect for House of Spiders which was already struggling to make things work for itself. During the guild''s trying times, the Awakened ranker and his entire party were one of the main factors supporting the guild''s overall operability. So it was only natural that Gian''s death created arge crack in the way his guild functioned.


    The most troubling thing for House of Spiders was the fact that Yeti decided to voluntarily leave the guild. This started a chain of events for the guild. Other rankers decided to face the repercussions of the contract breach instead of waiting for the kingdom of Shaikai to bail them out.


    The upper echelon of the House of Spiders decided to punish Yeti for her misadventure in the guild''s most critical times. They wanted to make an example of her. Ariadne, however, ensured Yeti''s safety by providing her with a safe house that nobody could find. This was aplished by the demonic ranker in her own unique way.


    At first, nobody knew who was taking care of Gian''s team. But things like this couldn''t be kept away from the rankers involved in the two guilds for long. Eventually, everybody got to know it was Eren and his team that had decided to spearhead this campaign against the House of Spiders.


    Eren didn''t do this for the Stardust guild. But he kept his mouth shut when people started assuming just that. This way, he could get ess to more rare resources from his guild for a job well done.


    The skirmish between the two guilds gradually intensified. And eventually, even Arch rankers started getting involved. That''s when the kingdom knew it was about time they did something off the books.


    The kingdom could not promote the eventual battle openly. Nevertheless, it decided to look the other way if and when the inevitable urred. This was what the two guilds wanted anyway. To fight it out and see who the king of the hill was.


    The guild war was especially crucial for the Stardust guild. It had to ensure that it received minimal damage in the war to keep itself functioning post-war. Unlike the House of Spiders, it had everything to lose. Even a Pyrrhic victory was the most undesirable oue for the guild.


    ***


    Then one day, an all-out war between the two guilds broke out.


    The two guilds mutually decided to fight at multiple locations at once. Individual grudges would be settled. The sh between powerful teams was going to create rivers of blood wherever they shed. The Arch and Awakened rankers were fighting their wars separately.


    Meta rankers were treated like foot soldiers.


    The guild war had broken out in multiple ces at once. However, there were a few ces where rankers from both guilds had gathered in significant numbers, ready for battle.


    Sekuy wastnd was one such region.


    A bright and sunny morning greeted the residents of Gahan. But the morning winds wereced with the smell of blood.


    Sekuy wastnd was nothing but a dry patch ofnd that was between the Ghoulfen river and the Caerni forest. It was about a week''s journey away from the city of Ludan. The region was devoid of life and the nearest town was a day''s horse ride away. This made it an ideal location for two guilds'' Meta rankers to fight it out.


    Awakened rankers from both guilds had been deployed to the scene. Their job was to keep the other side''s Awakened rankers from participating in the battle between Meta rankers. Meta rankers could not be sure how much the other side would uphold that agreement. They could only count on their Awakened rankers to act fast in case the other side decided to y dirty.


    Eren was also deployed to the Sekuy wastnd along with most of his Meta ranker teammates. Rankers from both sides kept a safe distance from each other. They had spreadterally across the wastnd and were observing an imaginary no-war zone line between them.


    Both sides were now waiting for the Awakened rankers from their side to break the stalemate. Each side had deployed seven Awakened rankers to the region and both of them had a leader of the Awakened rankers. Both of them had be de facto leaders of their side as well.<sub> </sub>


    "Bobby, you better keep your hands away from this fight. Otherwise, I''ll skewer your balls, add some ck pepper to them, and make you eat them with a habanero dip."


    Kiara Croft from the Stardust guild presented a naked threat to the guy named Bobby from House of Spiders. When they heard her choice of words to threaten Bobby, Meta rankers were dumbfounded.


    Kiara Croft was the same ranker who had led Eren and others into attacking the demonic ranker Bl Blood. When Eren was dealing with Geer''s team, she was injured by the Spiders'' ambush.


    She had fully recovered from her injury. She had also progressed further in her ranking journey, bing a quasi-Arch ranker.


    Kiara Croft looked more stunning than ever with her rosy skin, red hair, and green eyes. Her prominent feminine features were not hidden by the leather battle armor she was wearing. Mana, a fire element, created mes around her as she stared with hatred. It was clear that Booby was the one who had ambushed Kiara''s team in the past and managed to kill some of her team members.


    Kiara had been told to strictly follow the rules. The upper management of the Stardust guild had told her not to seek personal revenge and focus on protecting the Meta ranker asset. However, she was given a free hand in case the House of Spiders decided to break the rules of the war.


    Frankly, Kiara wanted Booby to interfere in the Meta rankers'' battle so that she could use it as an excuse tounch an all-out battle against him. That''s why she began with such provocative words that might trigger Booby or any other Awakened ranker to act.


    Kiara was also aware that some of the Meta rankers might die before she was able to step in and handle the matter by herself, as a result of her tant provocation. But that was the price she was willing to pay to get back to Bobby.


    Bobby was a guy who looked to be in histe 30s. He had short brown hair that was wellbed. He had a full-grown beard and a square face. He had no standout features about him, which made him look ordinary and grounded.


    Booby was wearing chainmail armor that seemed enchanted with magic. He had a broadsword in his right hand and a medium-sized metal shield in his left. Unlike Kiara, he had his elemental attainment under hisplete control. His mana signature was calm and his presence was as serene as still water. The guy looked ready for war but his face still had the tiredness of someone who had been rudely woken up from sleep.


    Bobby was also in thest stage of the Awakened rank. However, he knew that a one-on-one battle with Kiara would end in his defeat. The red-haired woman was aplete psycho when it came to battle. She would always dominate her opponents with her fierce and explosive attacks.


    However, Bobby wasn''t afraid to face Kiara either. Battle prowess was not everything when it came to life-and-death situations. It was as much mental as it was physical.


    Bobby knew Kiara personally by now. He knew that the red-haired woman would let her anger and other emotions fuel her battle style. She would draw her powers from her emotions. But that also introduced some subtle ws to her style. And a calm person like Bobby could spot these ws right away. He also knew how to exploit them, making him a formidable opponent for Kia.


    Bobby was also stunned by Kiara''s words when he first heard them. But the effect didn''tst long. He knew that the red-haired woman was only trying to provoke him. Unlike what Kiara thought, he didn''t lose his cool.


    "Look, you don''t need to take things so personally, Kiara. I never intended to kill you in the ambush. Because I knew you wouldn''t be killed by me. That was just a mission my guild had kinda forced me to take. I could only oblige and do what was asked of me.


    I know you are looking for payback ever since the ambush. And you are wee to break the pact and seek your revenge against me. I won''t run from a fight, no matter how ufortable it gets for me.


    The worst-case scenario for me would be that Meta rankers from both sides die and I along with other Awakened rankers from my side manage to get away with some injuries. Can you and your guild afford to pay such a prize?"


    ===


    AN: Kiara Croft was first introduced in chapter 101.

 Chapter 233 Battlefield Chaos

    "The worst case scenario for me would be that Meta rankers from both sides die and I manage to get away with some injuries. Can you and your guild afford to pay such a prize?"


    Booby said matter-of-factly in a calm tone. Since both the Awakened rankers had imbued mana into their voices, they could be heard by members of both sides.


    Eren had to say that Bobby was the most chilled-out Spider he had encountered since he had started knowing about the guild. No wonder he managed to ambush Kiara and kill some of her team members. The guy knew how to get the job done when push came to shove.


    Bobby looked at an angry-looking Kiara and smiled subtly before continuing.


    "If you are counting on the fact that I''ll make my first move, then I can only disappoint you. I have no interest in getting my hands dirty in the Meta rankers'' fight. But any act of provocation from your side, and I''ll just mess things up for both of us. Besides, I have less to lose than you.


    Do you want to try me?"


    Booby''s calm and collected response made Kiara angrier than before. But for some reason, she decided to keep quiet. She looked at the Meta rankers from her side beforementing.


    "Time for any leniency is over. Make sure you kill your opponents in the most brutal way possible before moving on. Everything is allowed so long as you kill as many Spiders as you can. Smash them. Chop them. Stab them. Burn them and drown them. Or strangle them. I don''t want any Meta-ranking Spider left when the battle concludes."


    Kiara basically ordered the Meta rankers from Stardust guild members to fight all out against the Spiders from the get-go. When she couldn''t say anything vicious to Bobby, she decided to channel that anger this way.


    Bobby didn''t want to motivate Meta rankers from his perspective. The guy looked as uninterested in the battle as birds passing by the battlefield overhead. However, he knew he had to say something to motivate his team. Instead of channeling Spiders'' hate across all the Meta rankers from the enemy''s side, he decided to focus it on a single person.


    Eren got slight goosebumps on his skin as he felt Booby''s gazend on him. Thetter narrowed his eyes on Eren before speaking in a grim tone.


    "That guy¡­ Eren Elijah Idril. Listen to me, Spiders. He first party-wiped Geer''s team. There are rumors that he had a hand in Bem Dorian''s death. And his most recent kill was Gian.


    The guy had damaged the guild the most by making Yeti betray us. That betrayal caused a chain of events that saw so many Spiders leaving us. We are short of people because of this guy. Weck key members in the House of Spiders because of this guy.


    Therefore, the bastard must die at all costs. Attack him all at once if you have to. I guarantee that no Awakened ranker will interfere with your charge against Eren. They had to pass through me to pull off something like that.


    Also, kill anyone who tries to get between you and Eren. Attack them in groups and focus all your attention on this one guy. I''ll reward anyone who manages to kill this pale-ass bastard. How does a reward of 5000 mana quartz sound?"


    Bobby''s speech was totally anti-Kiara. He had told his Meta rankers to focus all their firepower on a single guy. Anybody could see that Bobby''s words were not as vicious as Kiara''s. But they held the potential to cause even more mayhem on the battlefield.


    ''The fuck! I was thinking of recruiting another Spider. But no. I can''t handle this guy''s cunning ass. I''ll kill him one way or the other right here.''


    Eren looked at Booby grimly and stared back at him. He hade to see Bobby as a greater threat to him than Gian. This is not due to his unseen battle potential. But the way he thought.


    Booby thought exactly like Eren. And that made him dangerous to employ. Eren wouldn''t want to work with anyone like him who he couldn''t really count on.


    Kiara looked at Eren when Bobby finished his speech. She liked the junior she had interacted with during the Bl Blood mission. However, she said nothing in response to Bobby or other rankers. It was clear that she had decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach.


    The Meta-ranked Spiders followed Bobby''s gaze and stared at Eren with unsuppressed hunger in their eyes. Doing something for the guild was one thing. But there was hardly anybody among them who could resist the temptation of gaining 5000 mana quartz at the end of the ordeal. Survival in the battle was not assured. But it was always better to fight for a cause¨C especially when the cause was a direct mary benefit.


    The tension in the air peaked when every Meta ranker started preparing for their set of spells all at once. A distinct haze could be seen in the surroundings as so many mana signatures collided with one another.


    "Begin!"<sub> </sub>


    Kiara and Bobby said so at the appointed time before disappearing from their positions. The other Awakened rankers that hade with them also retracted, watching the battle that was about to begin.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.


    Lightning struck and Eren was seen appearing behind a Spider nearest to him. A momentter, he changed his position, leaving the Spider''s freshly headless body to fall to the ground. However, her head was nowhere to be found for some reason.


    "Attack him!"


    "Kill this bastard."


    "Stay the fuck away. That 5000 mana quartz ass belongs to me. Hahaha."


    Nobody cared when Eren killed a Spider in his first strike. The battle had broken out between the two Meta rankers'' groups. And everyone was trying to kill everyone. There were only temporary alliances before the rankers moved on to ughter other rankers or get ughtered by them.


    "I told you this Eren fellow was in trouble."


    "Fuck¡­ you think Stardust is all about Eren? He is just a rookie who got into the limelight."


    "Protect Eren and kill all the Spiders."


    The Stardust crew also made their voices heard. For some reason, most of them weren''t happy that Eren had hogged all the limelight for himself. They felt like it was an insult to the deeds they had done and feats they had achieved over the long period of being a Stardust guild member.


    Then suddenly, someone from Spiders'' camp saw a torsoless head flying at him at breakneck speeds. It belonged to the same girl whose head Eren had severed first.


    The female ranker had long brown hair that came to her waist. Eren used it as a harness to hurl his head at his next target. He then changed his position using his movement spell. He did that to save himself from multiple attacks thrown at him all at once.


    However, Eren didn''t need to follow up on his attack anyway. The reason was about to be apparent on the battlefield.


    The male ranker who saw the female ranker''s chopped head flying at him was shocked at first. But he got over it quickly and took out his sword. He held it with both his hands and swung it in front of him, splitting the iing head into two vertical parts.


    The guy should have dodged the chopped head instead of chopping it with his sword to make a statement. That''s because Eren had inserted a vtile potion bomb inside the head. Another from the batches of potions he had received from the Hexers'' testing grounds.


    BOOM!


    The potion used in the potion bomb belongs to Rank-1. Despite this, it had the quality of being quasi-Awakened. It killed the guy right away and injured the rankers that were near him.


    Since both sides had gotten mixed up on the battlefield as soon as the battle started, the detonation also injured a few Stardust guild members from Eren''s side. The injured rankers wanted to curse Eren for being so heartless against his own team. However, they realized that they had no time toin. The Spiders they were fighting with got angry at Eren''s usage of a potion bomb in the battle.


    The Spiders had started attacking the Stardust guild members in anger after they saw one of their members drop a potion bomb on them. It was a silent agreement between the two parties that potion bombs were something that could only be used as deterrents. Even during missions, the potion bombs were only used when it came to dealing with beasts or monsters.


    Eren''s use of the potion bomb broke that unwritten rule and prompted members from both sides to attack each other like maniacs. They also started to take out potion bombs from their storage. However, the enemy rankers started interception anyone who took out a potion bomb, preventing each other frommitting the same felony as Eren.

 Chapter 234 Jilly

    "Fuck! Listen here, you white-haired bastard, you will never be able to¡­"


    Swoosh. Zoom. Pierce.


    Eren interrupted the ranker''s speech by filling his open mouth with Igni Biltz Bolts. He shot them up close and personally so that he wouldn''t be able to defend himself against them. When he left him to tackle the others, the ranker''s brain burst open from behind him as the Igni Bolt sts detonated inside his mouth.


    Swoosh!


    Karma bit back at Eren as his shoulder was pierced by wind-element mana from another ranker who was aiming at him. After gritting his teeth, the battlemage sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive to disperse the lodged arrow.


    This was not the first attack that hadnded on Eren. There were several others. Multiple wounds on his body were bleeding due to the invasion of foreign mana, which prevented him from healing them even with a healing potion.


    Eren had killed more than a dozen rankers at this point. The Spiders had seen the fierceness with which Eren had attacked his opponents. Most of them couldn''t evenst a few seconds before Eren managed to get rid of them forever.


    Eren''s summoned creatures were also wreaking havoc on the battlefield. They had created a perimeter around him to prevent the Spiders from ganging up on him all at once. They attacked with the same intensity as he did as if his intent to destroy his opponents at all costs had been passed onto them.


    Therefore, only those who had the skills to face Eren came forward to meet his charge. Even Bobby and the rest of the Awakened-rank Spiders were intimidated by the way Eren fought. They realized that his battle power would allow him topete with them for a while. And his summoned creatures would be able to injure them if they fought him one-on-one.


    Kiara looked at Eren with intrigue as well. She had seen Eren fight during the Bl Blood incident. At that time, he was still finding his way through the whole thing. However, she could tell that Eren had refined his battle style to a certain extent while ensuring he took full advantage of his battlemage ss.


    ''Eren killed Bl Blood by coincidence. At least that''s what we were told that day. Was it really just his luck?''


    Kiara had a random thought to herself as she watched Eren fight. She decided to ask the battlemage this question after the battle was over. That is if he stays alive through the battle.


    ***


    Eren''s weapon handling was exceptional as well. His mana-based martial arts were difficult to master for most Meta rankers. His weapon handling alone allowed him to dominate all closebat encounters, tearing through his enemies as a hot knife cuts through a block of butter.


    Bear Armor!


    Eren summoned the Hexer gear set when he realized that the Spiders had shifted to attacking him using their long-range attacks. They fought against Stardust guild opponents. They would then find a window to attack him from time to time. It could be said that they were all trying their luck to obtain the huge mary sum Bobby had announced as a reward for killing Eren.


    ng!


    Another metal-element flying sh was aimed at Eren. It was easily blocked by Bear Armor, however. The gear allowed Eren to concentrate on the opponent at hand. He needed this breathing room to fight an opponent who had managed to get close to him.


    This ranker was a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s. She had long ck hair and a beautiful face. She was as tall as Eren and her figure made her attractive and nimble. She was wearing fur-type armor that covered her torso. She was also wearing fur-type armguards and leg guards, giving her a wild air around her.


    This female Meta ranker also had red tribal lines on various parts of her body. Red runic lines indicated that the female ranker was focused on enhancing her body stats.


    This was a ranker who was focused on making her body do all the work instead of relying on spells. She had obvious disadvantages when it came to handling multiple opponents. Especially when they had long-range sses.


    However, the female ranker excelled in closebat battles. And it was her moment to shine because she realized that Eren could only be dealt with by engaging with him up close.


    This Spider was also a dual-weapon user like Eren. She held two Rank-1 runic swords in her hands. They were coated in red fire-element mana, giving them an added edge. She looked at Eren with a mischievous smile on her face beforementing.


    "I see that you feel tired after spending so much energy. Why don''t I help you by putting you to sleep for good?"


    Eren narrowed his eyes at this woman and took a long breath. He wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead and spat in contempt before responding to her.


    "You are wee to try."<sub> </sub>


    No further talk was necessary. Before casting their respective movement spells, both rankers shrouded themselves in their respective mana. They shed in the middle and created a depression on the ground as a result of their opposing mana fluctuations shing against each other.


    A series of shes were exchanged within a few moments as the two rankers fought. This was the first time in a long while Eren felt that a Meta ranker had posed him a challenge.


    ''This¡­ this will be fun! She has really pulled this thing off.''


    The battlemage had a smile on his face as he looked at the female ranker with wolfish eyes. Eren''s expertise with weapons also seemed to tickle the female ranker''s warrior side. She let her weapon attacks do the talking.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.


    Eren''s Bear Armor was not very useful in repelling them, especially when they were dealt with in closebat. Eren''s exposed skin not covered by armor was damaged by the sword shes of the female ranker. They bled even more as the wounds were deeper than before.


    However, the female ranker wasn''t spared as well. She had multiple wounds on her body. And most of them were more serious than what Eren had on his body. They were yet to decide a clear winner in their sh.


    However, it looked like Eren was going to win the match if his attacks kept on umting on the female ranker''s body.


    ***


    ''What the fuck is Jilly trying to do by chasing after that bastard? I had told her to take things easy and not overwork herself. If it was mana quartz she wanted, she could have told me straight away.''


    Bobby thought to himself as he watched his Meta-ranked girl fight Eren. He had told her to stay at the back and finish opponents that came her way. His offer wasn''t meant to be taken seriously by her.


    Bobby only wanted to create a rift between the Stardust guild members'' lineup by influencing Spiders to focus on Eren. This way, more than half of the Stardust guild members would bepelled to stay away from Eren. And the other half would inadvertently take the wait-and-see approach.


    However, he realized that his strategy had backfired on him when he saw Eren''s summons. They allowed him to tackle multiple opponents at once. And the fact that other Stardust members maintained a safe distance from him also helped Eren, allowing him to secure a perimeter while avoiding friendly fire.


    Bobby could not retract his order at this point, which had resulted in so many rankers dying at Eren''s hands. He could only see the events unfolding in front of him with neutral eyes.


    However, his neutral stance was shaken when he saw Jilly entering Eren''s perimeter. Bobby felt that Jilly was trying to show off to him by standing against Eren, which he thought was foolish. She didn''t need to impress him any more than she already had.


    Bobby saw that Jilly was injured by Eren''s attack in their heated exchange. In her generation, Jilly was the most fearsome Meta ranker he had ever seen. But the way she was at a disadvantage against Eren was a testament to Eren''s skills.


    ''She¡­ she won''t be able tost long. That bastard is a merciless maniac. He''ll kill her the first chance he gets. I¡­ I have to do something.''


    Bobby feltpelled to intervene and take Jilly away from her battle with Eren. However, he remembered that he had agreed to a non-interference pact with Kiara and her team.


    Just when he thought that things were about to go out of hand, he heard a voice from behind him.


    "You are only trying to save your girl and not attack any Stardust member. Go. Save her. I''ll watch your back."


    Bobby looked back to see the voice belonged to Lagartha. She had been deployed here along with the rest of the Awakened rankers from the House of Spiders.


    "Yeah. I''ll just let Kiara know that I won''t be attacking any Stardust¡­"


    Lagartha shook her head in denial and cut short his speech.


    "Jilly would be dead by the time you legitimize your interference with the enemy. She needs your support now. Go. Or be prepared to lose her forever."

 Chapter 235 An Illusionists Achivements

    "Jilly would be dead by the time you legitimize your interference with the enemy. She needs your support now. Go. Or be prepared to lose her forever."


    Bobby clenched his fist when he heard Lagartha''s grim predictions. He knew that she might be exaggerating things. The Jilly he knew wasn''t someone who could be dealt with so easily. He had fought with her and witnessed her battle prowess firsthand after all.


    However, he could tell that Jilly wasn''t at her most effective fighting with Eren. It was as if she was not in her usual rhythm or something was preventing her from exerting her full prowess.


    She was always wild and uncaring in the way she fought. However, her battle style didn''t have many loopholes. And the same loopholes were being used by Eren to inflict wounds on her pretty body.


    Bobby concluded that Eren''s way of fighting was a contributing factor for Jilly to fight with him using her limited moves. The guy could summon a variety of creatures to do his bidding. He had short-range, mid-range, and long-range spells in his arsenal. And his weapon handling was on par with or even better than Jilly''s.


    Bobby didn''t want to take any chances. Lagartha''s words also influenced him to act. Lagartha watched Bobby disappear from his position with a crooked smile on her face.


    ''Eren... here hees!''


    ***


    Eren was very impressed with "Jilly''s" performance so far. They fought like their lives depended on it, which produced the intended effect of Bobby. When he received Lagartha''s heads-up, he knew it was time for him and Jilly to take their next course of action.


    Things happened in quick session after that.


    Bobby appeared on the battlefield much to Kiara''s dismay. She then watched him approach Eren with a determined look on her face. At first, she thought the wretched man was about to harm Eren. As a result, she also left her ce and began approaching the battlefield.


    However, she and her team of Awakened rankers froze in their tracks when they heard Bobby''s scream.


    "Wait!"


    Bobby yelled at Kiara to make her believe that he didn''t appear on the battlefield with ill intentions. He ignored the attacks Eren''s summoned creaturesunched at him and barged into the perimeter. He walked straight toward Jilly intending to rescue her from Eren''s attacks.


    Eren and Jilly created distance from each other when they found out someone had interfered in their duel. Jilly retreated towards Bobby while Eren backed out to the opposite side. He looked at Bobby and narrowed his eyes, waiting to see what Jilly did next.


    "I told you to stay behind the nk. Why are you..."


    Bobby was about to admonish Jilly''s actions. However, he stopped his speech when he saw Jillying towards him with moist eyes. His heart was touched as he extended his arms wide to embrace her. He also kept his eyes on Eren in case he decides to use the opportunity tounch a sneak attack on Jilly.


    The sneak attack was indeedunched. But it wasn''tunched by Eren. Plus, the target wasn''t Jilly.


    When Bobby hugged Jilly, he let his guard down for a brief moment. And that moment was used by "Jilly" to perfection.


    Jilly''s ranking status shot up to the Awakened rank all of a sudden. A Bichua appeared in her hand before it was lodged deep inside Bobby''s liver. The mid-battle romantic meeting turned lethal for the Awakened ranker when the Bichua tore through his liver before getting his intestines out.


    "Aaaaaaaaargh!"


    Bobby''s eyes turned bloodshot as he experienced an unbearable amount of pain from his hanging guts. When he tried to suffocate Jilly in his embrace forunching such a sneak attack on him, she turned into a cloud of smoke before disappearing into thin air.


    This was not all. Lagartha who had followed Bobby in his charge appeared behind him before using her wood-element spells on him. The man soon found himself tied to his ce by green vines that had sprouted from the ground.


    "You!"


    Bobby looked at Lagertha with bloodshot eyes. He wasn''t sure what prompted Jilly and Lagartha to betray him and the House of Spiders all of a sudden. But at this point, he wasn''t interested in knowing the reason. He was more interested in getting revenge for being stabbed in the back. Or being stabbed in the liver to be precise.<sub> </sub>


    Kiara and her team were in absolute shock at the sudden turn of events. She wasn''t sure if House of Spiders members turning against each other could be called interference.


    Bobby shifted his attention to Eren once again when he felt that someone had appeared beside him. This ranker was wearing the same fur-type armor as Jilly. However, she appeared to be apletely different person.


    A stunning beauty had appeared in ce of Jilly. She had dark violet hair that reached below her waist. Her green eyes, cute nose, and luscious red lips had charms of their own. Her feminine cursive was even more alluring than what Jilly had. And the status of an Awakened ranker just added the final touch to her attention-grabbing presence.


    "How did I do?"


    The beauty asked Eren with a mischievous smile on her face. Her eyes looked at him with a thirst for praise and his attention. Something he was happy to do right away.


    "I won''t lie, Ariadne. You performed better than my wildest imagination. You really have upped your game with your illusion spells. But that''s not the only thing. The efforts you put into improving your weapon handling as well as copying another ranker''s moves can''t be ignored as well."


    Eren patted Ariadne''s partially exposed shoulders and praised the things she had to do to pull off such an intricate illusion so carefully. He then looked at Lagertha and nodded, giving her a signal to finish him.


    "You! You are that demonic ranker! You bitch. What did you do to Jilly? I''ll fucking kill you if you.... Aaaaaargh!"


    Bobby was an emotional wreck at this point. First, he was shocked by Jilly''s betrayal. Then he was caught off guard by Lagartha''s betrayal. And just when he was about to retaliate against Eren and everyone in the vicinity, Ariadne revealed that she had used her illusion spell to take Jilly''s ce. That could only mean one thing. That she had taken care of Jilly before the match began.


    However, Bobby forgot that he was unable to retaliate against Ariadne. Lagartha used her wood-element spells to attack Bobby. She used her vines as makeshift spears to attack the already-opened wound. The green vines turned red as they entered Bobby''s body and wreaked havoc inside. They started jutting out from various parts of Bobby''s body, making him turn into a human vase for these vines.


    Eren appeared in front of Bobby when he was damaged to this extent. The guy was crying and cursing the trio to his heart''s content. He had somehow protected his heart using his mana. It was only to dy the inevitable at this point.


    Igni Wave!


    Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.


    Eren used his ax to attack Bobby''s neck. It traveled halfway through before stopping. The battlemage spun around and used his second ax to attack from the other side of his neck. The two weapons'' des met in the middle as Bobby''s head was chopped off sloppily.


    Eren managed to ovee Bobby''s enhanced body stats using his Hex spells mixed with unwavering intent. It allowed him to take care of an Awakened ranker who was akin to meat on a chopping block.


    Meanwhile, Lagartha and Ariadne got outside Eren''s perimeter and started attacking the Meta-ranked Spiders. They did this to officially break the pact between the two guilds and involve Awakened rankers in the fight.


    All of this happened within a matter of a few moments. Even the Meta rankers from both sides were surprised by the recent turn of events caused by Eren''s small team. The Stardust guild members watched as the Spiders started attacking their own.


    "Aaaaaaah! Help me!"


    "Wait... I am from the same guild as... aaaaah!"


    "Wait for the fuck up! You will not get away if you..."


    The Awakened Spiders realized that they had been betrayed by Lagartha. But they couldn''t process the betrayal fast enough to make sense of it. And the demonic ranker that was supposed to fight for them at another location had changed sides as well. Furthermore, their de facto leader Bobby was dead. And their Meta-ranked foot soldiers were getting in by Lagartha and Ariadne.


    Seeing what was happening in front of their eyes was so unbelievable that it threw their perspective upside down and had them unsure about what to do. It was only when they heard the screams of Meta-ranked Spiders did they realize that things had gotten out of hand.


    Furthermore, Kiara and her team had reached the battlefield with vengeance on their minds. And they had found just the right excuse to do so.

 Chapter 236 Of The Streets, By The Streets, For The Streets

    ''Time to leave.''


    Eren ordered Ariadne and Lagartha to leave the battlefield just as it was about to get more chaotic than before.


    He had done his job by keeping both teams busy. Both teams of Awakened rankers were about to get involved in a fight meant for meta-ranked members. Something he wanted to do from the beginning of the battle.


    Eren hadn''t nned Bobby''s kill. Upon learning of thetter''s intention to target him, Eren took this spontaneous action. Eren also realized more about himself that day. That he was a very vengeful person. More than he thought he was.


    There was a reason why the battle was being fought at this ce.


    The ce was near one of the Spiders'' warehouses. The House of Spiders had a lot of warehouses around the city of Ludan, which they used to keep their resources safe.


    These warehouses'' locations were a well-kept secret within the upper echelons of the House of Spiders. However, the Stardust guild somehow got wind of this information. Guild management decided to raid these warehouses using force before they were emptied. This was the reason behind the guild war between the two guilds suddenly breaking out.


    The number and rankers of people dispatched by the House of Spiders to the location of the warehouse were proportional to the importance of the stored resources they held within them. Hence, one could guess that the warehouse near Eren''s battlefield was rich in resources meant for Awakened-rank entities.


    Eren wanted Awakened rank members of the House of Spiders involved on the battlefield because it would be less troublesome for him to loot the warehouse. He was doing this behind the Stardust guild''s back. During the raid, the Stardust guild members were supposed to locate and charge inside the warehouse together. However, if Eren were to wait for the battle to finish, all he would be left with would be a few souvenirs of the battle.


    The battlemage wanted to im everything the warehouse had in store for him. And he didn''t want any shareholders in his im.


    Ariadne hade up with a sound n to execute Eren''s looting scheme. She immediately started working on her illusion spells. She also took significant efforts to learn some of Jilly''s moves.


    Initially, Ariadne was supposed to lure one of the caretakers of the warehouse by acting as Jilly. She was multi-timing with Bobby and the warehouse caretaker, along with a few others. The illusionist was supposed to use Jilly''s connection with the caretaker tounch a raid inside the warehouse.


    Ariadne had started using Jilly''s identity when she wasn''t around to influence a lot of male rankers after finding out the girl had a history of being promiscuous. On her missions, the illusionist would act as Jilly and keep dropping hints at the men she met, making them more interested in her.


    Ariadne had to say that she couldn''t pull this off without Jilly being Jilly. This girl started flirting back with everybody Ariadne had sent her way, making the illusionist''s job easier than ever before.


    Furthermore, there was something about Jilly that made men crazy about her after she did the deed with them. Bobby was no exception to this well-established fact.


    The girl had her ways to make every man she was involved with feel special. They would start assuming that they were the only person Jilly cared about. The delusion was so strong that they would treat the news about Jilly''s supposed affairs as baseless rumors.


    At first, Eren had started to use Lagartha''s sudden attack as a trigger to involve the Awakened rank entities in the battle and keep them engaged here. There was no n to attack Bobby at all. However, the man''s act of zeroing in on Eren rubbed the battlemage the wrong way.


    Jilly was already taken care of by Ariadne before the start of the battle. She was put under an illusion by the illusionist which influenced her to leave the Shaikai kingdom entirely. One had to say that Ariadne had let the girl off easy so she could continue her "recreational activities" elsewhere.


    ***


    House of Spiders'' warehouse near the battlefield.


    This ce was hidden inside a natural cave. There was a secret entrance near the cave''s supposed to end. Only a few Spiders of the awakened rank knew about this warehouse and its entrance.


    Furthermore, just knowing about the entrance wasn''t enough. One had to know the intricate mechanism behind the array entrance to enter the warehouse.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thanks to Lagartha''s involvement in the mission, Eren and Ariadne managed to enter the warehouse with rtive ease. They knew that they were short on time. The Stardust guild members had a rough idea about the warehouse even if they didn''t know about the array entrance.


    Eren had bought himself some time by initiating the battle between Awakened rank entities. He was aware, however, that someone like Kiara would find it easy to find the entrance once she cleared her obstacles. She was a quasi-Arch rank. Someone like her would just blow the array up instead of trying to break the array using the right mechanism.


    Eren, Ariadne, and Lagartha started killing the foot soldiers as soon as they entered the warehouse. The illusionist had cast a few illusion spells on both of them. She had made herself as well as the other two invisible to the naked eye. A ranker''s mana sense would barely make them aware of their presence. A ranker needed to use their mana sense thoroughly to break Ariadne''s illusion.


    Eren and the girls with him would take the dead bodies of the rankers they killed into their storage. This way, they avoided making the crime scene obvious to Spiders stationed inside the warehouse.


    Eren felt like he was ying one of those assassination-centric games inside Borgys'' Oasis when he was very small. He made a lot of mistakes killing the rankers while staying in stealth. But thanks to Ariadne''sprehensive illusion spells that interfered with the perception of all senses, he managed to take care of a lot of Meta rankers with rtive ease.


    The assassination of the foot soldiers continued for a while. But the trio knew it wouldn''tst long as there would be Awakened rank entities waiting further inside the warehouse, which was nothing but a giant cave corridor with small sub-caves present on either side.


    The trio killed more than two dozen Meta rankers in a span of a few minutes. Only a few Rank-1 entities remained inside the warehouse. And killing them wasn''t worth it for they had been ced at a distance from where ground zero of the iing warehouse battle was supposed to be.


    It was time for Ariadne to assume her Jilly identity once again.


    ***


    A rugged-looking man, who looked to be in his early 40s was stationed deep inside the warehouse, protecting a sub-cave. He was sitting on a chair that had a giant metal door behind its back.


    He had his shoulder-length light brown hair tied in a ponytail. He had a goatee and a well-defined beard. He was wearing light metal armor under a long coat. The man had a sword on his right and an ax on the left side of his waist.


    This man was about 6''3 in stature with well-defined muscle definitions and Awakened rank status. One could tell that he was a strong ranker just by feeling his aura up close.


    The man was practicing his ranking technique like usual while sitting outside the sub-cave. His only job was to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the sub-cave and looting a portion of the wealth this entire warehouse had to offer. There were other sub-caves like these present inside the warehouse. However, only a few of the sub-caves were as significant as the one he was protecting. The rest of the sub-caves were filled with ordinary resources.


    This man''s name was Raul. It had been a long time since he was a Spider. As such, his loyalty to the guild was unquestionable. The guild had made sure that the guy got what he wanted when he wanted it.


    Raul stopped his ranking technique practice and took a long breath before opening his eyes. He then stared at his uninvited visitor.


    "Jilly? What are you doing here?"


    Raul asked when he saw Jilly walking towards him. He was puzzled by her appearance at the warehouse because she was supposed to fight the battle.


    Raul wasn''t surprised by the fact that Jilly had entered the warehouse. He had invited her to the ce a few times to have some fun off-duty. But his invitation didn''t extend to times like these when the House of Spiders was supposed to be under attack.


    Jilly had a few drops of tears rolling down her cheeks when she appeared in front of Raul. The artificial light sources arranged in the form of light-element arrays ced on the ceiling caused her tears to sparkle.


    "Raul¡­ my love! Please hold me in your arms. I need your care more than ever."

 Chapter 237 Mind Control Through Illusion Spells

    Vasemir was doing his duty peacefully.


    He was guarding a crucial sub-cave inside the warehouse while trying to paint. He was using an alchemy product that would react with his mana sense and let him bring to life his imagined thoughts. He liked to draw and paint like this in his free time.


    Warehouse guard duty was quite boring. Thus, everybody stationed here tried to keep themselves entertained using various means. Some liked to bring their partners over secretly. Others, like Vasemir, preferred to indulge in their hobbies.


    Vasemir was a tall and well-built man. He had ck hair and a square jawline. He wore thick, sleeveless brown leather armor over a full-sleeve white shirt. His arm guards and leg guardspleted his overall appearance while providing him with best-in-ss protection.


    Vasemir liked to do things with discipline and focus. His nature was reflected in his appearance. His paintings were also simple yet profound.


    He was very satisfied with the painting he had made on the alchemy canvas. He was about to start painting his next thought when he noticed someone approaching him with ill intentions.


    "Vademir, you bastard! How dare you? How fucking dare you?"


    Raul stood in front of Vasemir with a sword in one hand and ax in the other. His eyes were diluted and bloodshot as if he had ingested some recreational drugs. His heartbeats were erratic. And his aura was charged up. The guy was ready to attack Vasemir at any moment.


    Vasemir was shocked by Raul''s behavior. Being appointed as the caretakers of the warehouse, they both talked casually to each other. Vasemir didn''t think he had done anything to upset Raul in this way. Thus, he couldn''t help but ask Raul the reason for his outburst.


    "What happened, Raul?"


    Raul pointed at Vesemir with visible anger on his face beforementing.


    "Are you still ying the ignorance card in front of me? What did you do to Jilly? Do you remember how you tried to take advantage of my girl?"


    Vasemir was so shocked by Raul''s usations that he got tongue-tied. He didn''t know how to reply to such groundless usations with coherent words.


    "What the fuck are you talking about? Who the fuck is Jilly? And when did I even meet her?"


    Raul looked at Vesemir with disgust when he heard his response. He tightened the grip he had on his weapons before speaking up.


    "Bastard, don''t y dumb with me. There are other ways to satisfy your urges. I would have hooked you up with a few "professionals" if you had said something to me. But trying to target my girl to satiate your lust is unforgivable. I''ll¡­ I''ll fucking¡­"


    Vasemir opened his eyes wide in surprise when he heard Raul''s tant usations. He raised both of his hands in front of him in defense before speaking up.


    "The fuck man! Listen to me. I don''t have the so-called urges you talk about. You have known me for years now. When was I romantically involved or intimate with anyone? Who even told you about this bullshit?"


    Raul was reminded by Vasemir that he was asexual. The Awakened-ranked dual weapon holder was left speechless when he heard Vasemir''s response. He started looking confused as if he had been woken up from sleepwalking. Trying to grasp the truth, he looked around him. He then stared at Vesemir again with a puzzled expression, as if he wasn''t expecting to see him here at all.


    However, Raul''s expression soon changed to one of anger. He mumbled a few times to himself, as if talking to somebody in his head. He then looked at Vasemir with stoic determination before speaking up.


    "You¡­ you are lying. You hurt my Jilly, Vasemir. Now prepare to face the consequences."


    Raul said before starting to cast his set of spells. The guy was adamant about settling some vague score with Vasemir. Thetter was confused about Raul''s actions. But he used his mana sense on Raul and observed his expressions and his gaze carefully. Additionally, he kept an eye on Raul''s heart and came to a conclusion.


    ''Mind control through some sort of illusion spell. He is being manipted by someone.''


    Vasemirnded on the correct conclusion. However, that didn''t help the guy as it didn''t look like Raul would ept the fact that he was being manipted. The fascinating part about this illusion spell was that the victims of the spell thought that they were in control of their actions. As such, Raul would not simply listen to Vasemir no matter how much sense thetter tried to put into his brain.


    Vasemir had a grim look on his face as he looked at Rauls'' condition. He came to realize that the attack on the warehouse had already started. And the enemy was trying to make the two rankers from the same side fight against each other.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Vasemir took out his hatchet and met Raul''s weapon attack head-on. The two rankers started fighting shortly afterwards. During this time, Vasemir tried to reason with Raul. However, Raul acted like he had received revised instructions in his head from someone who was controlling him. These updated instructions would make sure that Raul did not escape the mind control and illusion he was subjected to.


    Raul and Vasemir''s fight generated amotion as it started to shake the warehouse. The two Awakened-ranked caretakers started fighting with all they had, injuring each other and destroying the surroundings in the process.


    The Meta-ranked foot soldiers started gathering around the duel with looks of disbelief and confusion written on their faces. They were, however, three rank spectators who knew exactly what was going on at the time. Because they had caused this incident.


    Eren, Lagartha, and Ariadne altered their appearances with illusion spells. They masked their identities to assume the identities of the foot soldiers they had killed.


    Any awakened ranker would quickly recognize that something was wrong with the trio if they came near him. However, nobody was willing to pay any attention to them at this point in front of the two Awakened-rank caretakers fighting against each other. Their cover was safe for the time being.


    ''Manipting thoughts through a spell of illusion is really something. I didn''t think you could do something like this, Ariadne. Frankly speaking, I''m lowkey scared of you now.''


    Eren gulped empty air as he stood between the twodies who were his aplices. He was very intimidated by Ariadne''s abilities.


    ''Hehe! Illusion spells can do much more than this. It''s just that my preparations for casting them consume a lot of resources. The fake tears I used to affect Raul''s consciousness cost me a significant amount of money I had received from you.


    What you need to know is that mind control is not something I can handle casually. Plus, its effects start to wane over time. This time would be dependent upon a person''s disposition, their mental fortitude, and a lot of other things.


    Plus, if I maintain a low profile when I am controlling my subject through the illusion spell. Mind control would be lost if I engaged inbat. So it''s not an omnipotent spell either. It has its disadvantages.


    So you have nothing to fear, Eren.''


    Ariadne chuckled before adding a cherry to the cake. ''For now at least.''


    Eren looked at Ariadne with a stressed expression on his face. He then focused on the two caretakers fighting at a distance.


    ''It seems I have hired a unique monster in my merc team.''


    Eren sighed and wondered what he could do to break away from Ariadne''s illusion spell. He was only thinking of the potential disaster so that he could prepare in advance.


    ''Don''t worry. She won''t be able to take control of your mind. She wouldnd in a lot of trouble if she decided to pull something on you and inadvertently get a read on me.


    Hehe. Her mental state will deteriorate or she will die immediately. Not because I want her to. But because she won''t be able to handle the repercussions ofing into contact with my soul mark.''


    Aleph spoke to Eren in his mind with a mischievous tone. Thetter took a while to realize the fact that he was immune to Ariadne''s mind control. He then replied to Aleph.


    ''You and Ariadne could get along very well. Both are master maniptors.''


    The battlemage then focused his attention on the two Awakened-ranked entities fighting against each other. This was the show he had brought his free tickets to after all.


    By this point, Raul and Vasemir had seriously injured each other. Blood was dripping from various wounds on their bodies. Their breath was ragged, and their mana cores had been depleted by a significant amount.


    Vasemir hadpletely given up on trying to make Raul snap out of the illusion spell. He had tried to neutralize Raul using various moves at first and got injured in the process.


    But the situation had gotten out of hand.

 Chapter 238 Arto

    "Aaaaaargh!"


    Vasemir screamed in pain when he was hit by Raul''s barrage of water des. Thetter had entered a peculiar state of mind in which he didn''t care about his well-being. Instead, he focused on killing Vasemir at any cost.


    Raul could fight like this and still survive because of his Pdin ss. It allowed him to recover faster, healing even his major wounds in a matter of moments. His battle style was always centered on his healing abilities. However, it could be seen that he had dropped all inhibitions under the illusion spell. A spell that had turned into a kind of hypnosis for him.


    Vasemir had a peculiar ability to transform the spell-generated white smoke around him into the wind, water, and fire elemental manifestations. The white smoke he had spread around the battlefield would turn into clouds of fire or clusters of water under the influence of his mana sense. And sometimes it would turn into water spikes and water spheres. This white smoke would also take on the shapes of various weapons with three elemental properties integrated into them to enhance their damage output.


    The fight between Raul and Vasemir had them both injured at this point. Raul was showing signs of getting out of his mind control from time to time. However, the one controlling him was in the audience all along. Ariadne would strengthen her hold on Raul''s mind to keep him from snapping back to his usual self.


    Ariadne wasn''t having it easy either. She had her own trouble controlling someone like Raul. She had started developing a headache and her body had gotten warmer than usual. These were the side effects of exerting mental control to this extent.


    ''Are you alright, Ariadne?''


    Eren asked his mate in a voiceced with concern. He was already satisfied with the results they had obtained so far. He just needed the third caretaker to show up at the scene. Then they would be able to execute the next phase of their n.


    ''I¡­ I am fine. This much is nothing. We are doing this for the rewards we will receive. Hehe. This warehouse is loaded. It''ll be fun to loot it for all that it has to offer us.


    So don''t worry about me. But why is that guy not showing up even after these two have been at each other''s throats for so long? What if he doesn''t move from his position?''


    There was a third caretaker in the warehouse who was farther away inside the cave. He was in thest stage of the Awakened rank, only a few steps away from breaking into Arch rank.


    Drawing this third ranker away from his manned position was critical for the trio. That''s because he had the array controls ced in the warehouse. The resources behind the giant metal doors found at the end of the sub-caves could only be opened through the array mechanisms ced at the third Awakened ranker''s position.


    Furthermore, the warehouse''s entrance and exit could also be controlled using the array mechanism from the information Lagartha had gathered. Eren also guessed that there would be a kill-switch-like mechanism integrated into the warehouse that would mess things up for him as well as put the trio in danger.


    Eren and the twodies needed Vasemir and Raul to create a ruckus with their fight because they wanted to take over the warehouse''s array mechanism. Without this, their sessful escape from the scene wasn''t assured.


    Just when Eren was about to tell the twodies about the revised n, he found out that he didn''t have to. That''s because he sensed another Awakened ranker approaching the scene in haste.


    ''Finally! Here hees. Lagartha! Ariadne! Prepare yourself.''


    As Eren narrowed his eyes at the two rankers death-dueling each other, he informed the twodies. A ranker suddenly appeared between them and pushed both of them away from each other.


    ***


    This man''s name was Arto Lohan. He was a swordsman and fire element user. His powerful and sharp aura told Eren that he was stronger than the three Awakened-ranked caretakers in the warehouse.


    Arto had a full brown beard and shoulder-length hair that cascaded around his oval-shaped face. He seemed to be in his early 30s and had a kind of ''silent mountain'' vibe to him.


    Arto was not like the typical swordsmen who were only concerned with their mobility and oneness with the sword. He was wearing proper defensive gear in the form of chainmail armor, arm guards, shoulder guards, and leg guards.


    Arto was as tall as Eren. However, his broad wingspan and overall muscr physique made him look shorter. He carried his sword behind him instead of putting it in his I-Rune storage.


    "What the fuck is happening around here? Raul? Vasemir?"


    Arto asked, clearly furious with his two colleagues who had decided to settle their grudge at this time when they needed to keep the warehouse safe.


    Vasemir and Raul weren''t expecting Arto''s interference. So when they were both pushed by Arto, they both lost their bnce and were dragged across the ground, creating trenches.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Ask this bastard Raul. He allowed himself to be hypnotized by some wench. And now he is attacking me like I am his mortal enemy."


    While dusting his body, Vasemir stood up and said it aloud. He then channeled his mana throughout his body and got rid of the grime. The guy liked staying clean all the time.


    "This guy¡­ he¡­ he tried to rape my girl. How can I forgive him after knowing something like that?"


    The stress lines on Arto''s forehead got darker when he listened to the responsesing from both rankers. He looked at Raul first because Vasemr''s exnation of him was very peculiar.


    "Hmm? Girl? I didn''t know you were in such a serious rtionship with someone, Raul. Which girl are you talking about?''


    Arto''s voice was authoritative and came from a position of status. As hypnotized as Raul was, he couldn''t resist answering his question.


    "I¡­ I am with Jilly. Jilly is my girl. Vasemir¡­"


    Arto started chuckling like he had heard a really funny joke from Raul. He didn''t let him finish.


    "Hehehe. Bobby told me about this girl. He was not the only one. At this point, I would go ahead and say that Jilly belongs to all the Spiders with the way she is sorta ck-widowing her way through a lot of men."


    Arto stopped hisughter all of a sudden and looked at Raul with a grim face. He used his mana sense to check up on Raul''s vital signs and confirmed Vasemir''s theory. Raul had indeed been hypnotized.


    "Vasemir, I didn''t expect such carelessness from you."


    Arto looked to the other side and focused his gaze on Vasemir. Thetter felt wronged that Arto had taken Raul''s side. But Arto exined what he was trying to say right away.


    "You are right. This is clearly minding control. But every spell, no matter how powerful it may seem, has its weaknesses.


    So the moment you figured this out, you should have focused on the person pulling the strings behind Raul and not the deluded man himself. They are the spell''s weakness.


    And that person is here."


    Arto disappeared from his position in the next moment and appeared in front of the Meta-ranked Spiders that acted as the audience for the fight. Different mana pulses appeared in the surroundings as multiple spells were cast.


    The wood-element spell made itself known first. Loads of green vines sprouted from the ground andtched onto the Meta-ranked Spiders. The bodies burst like balloons made of blood and organs because they were strangled so severely.


    "Bastards!"


    Vasemir was shocked by the whole turn of events. And Raul was confused because he had just been released from Ariadne''s mind control. He was distraught and had hazy memories of what he had done. And he wasn''t sure if what he was seeing around him was a dream or reality.


    Arto had solved Raul''s problem as soon as he appeared at the scene. But he couldn''t find the person who was controlling Raul. It seemed they had already left the scene, leaving behind their aplices.


    Two rankers stood out from the audience which was subjected to vine-induced hell. Among the rankers was a young woman in charge of the vines. She was in the Awakened rank. The other was a white-haired man with blue eyes who was in the Meta rank.


    Ariadne preferred not to fight head-on because that wasn''t her forte. Instead, Eren had given her the task of taking control of the array mechanism at Arto''s ce. She left the scene as soon as Arto appeared, leaving the aftermath of the move they pulled on Raul to Eren and Lagartha.


    Since Ariadne left, the illusion spells she cast on Eren and Lagartha were ineffective. Their real selves were exposed as soon as Arto created amotion. Raul was freed from her mind control because of this as well.


    "Hm? It seems we have been betrayed. Hehe. Never mind. I just want you to tell me one thing, Lagartha. How would you like to die?"

 Chapter 239 Ambitious Plans And Necessary Sacrifices

    "How would you like to die?"


    Arto asked Lagartha imposingly, hisst-stage Awakened aura manifesting around him. It was clear that he had basically ignored Eren because of his Meta rank status.


    Eren wasn''t worthy of Arto''s attention. At least that''s what Arto thought.


    Lagartha chuckled at Arto''s threat before responding to him.


    "Heh! Only time will tell who dies and how. Meanwhile, catch these throws."


    Lagartha had loads of Meta rankers in the audience bound by the vines she sprouted from the ground. The vines had grown long and thick enough for them to lift the Meta rankers off the ground. They couldn''t get away from the vines'' bindings even after firing multiple spells at them.


    Lagartha also started to siphon the rankers'' mana and life essence through the vines. She would use these siphoned essences to grow and power up her vines even further. Plus, the vines weren''t something the Meta rankers could break free from since they were cast with rank-2 mana.


    As a result, when Lagartha threw these Meta rankers like balls, they couldn''t do anything to prevent it. All of them were hurled at Arto at the same time from various angles.


    Arto narrowed his eyes at Lagertha when the Meta rankers were closing in on him. A momentter, he had drawn his golden sword from its scabbard. A distinct and powerful mana pulse was spread around him as various shes appeared out of thin air and cut through the flying Meta rankers.


    The Meta-ranked Spiders sumbed without putting up much resistance. The victims died before they were allowed to process pain and scream. Only their chopped body parts touched the ground as they died in the air.


    Nothing touched Arto. However, there was a crescent-moon-shaped half-circle of chopped body parts, organs, blood, limbs, and torsos around him. The man didn''t hesitate to chop up his own guild members instead of giving Lagartha any openings.


    "Aaaaargh!"


    Raul screamed in pain just after Arto was done with the Meta-ranked Spiders. Thetter looked in Raul''s direction to find out that someone had really used the window of opportunity Lagartha had created tounch an attack on his side. And it wasn''t Lagartha.


    Eren had appeared behind Raul¨C his ax lodged in his right shoulder. The battlemage wanted to target Raul''s neck. But thetter had finally snapped out of his confused state of mind at thest moment and prevented a fatal injury. Still, the injury he did receive in exchange wasn''t small at all.


    Erne summoned his Bear armor right away before deciding to use Hex spells right away. He gripped his axes hard before casting his weapon-based spells.


    Lightning-fire Wave


    The ax des released attacks infused with elemental fusion. The battlemage spun around and attacked Raul''s right thigh next. The intent imbued into the attack was so strong and piercing that it managed to break through Raul''s defenses and injure him even further.


    Eren then used his movement spell Blitz Bolt to run away from his position. He was being threatened by a de storming his way. Raul retreated towards Vasemir for the time being. He felt awkward seeking permission from the same guy he had attacked just a few minutes ago with all he got. But it couldn''t be helped.


    The trio of caretakers realized that Eren couldn''t be ignored because of his Meta rank status. The guy could injure and hurt an Awakened rank entity. Agreed, he had used Raul''s mental status and Lagartha''s opening to his advantage to pull this feat off. However, having the courage to pull off something like this alone told the trio that Eren could be as threatening to them as Lagartha if not more.


    Eren appeared beside Lagartha when he was done attacking Raul. It seemed to be regretting the fact that he couldn''t finish Raul off in the small window avable to him.


    "Who the fuck is this paleass bastard?"


    Arto asked Lagartha while keeping his eyes on Eren. Thetter looked up at Arto before running his fingers through his hair. Raul answered that question for him when he finally recognized Eren from various reports about him.


    "White-haired battlemage. He¡­ he is Eren Idril. The guy who got so many important Spiders killed."


    By this time, only Eren, Lagartha, Arto, Vasemir, and Raul were present at the scene. Most of the Meta rankers were eliminated by Lagartha and Arto. Others chose to run away instead of waiting to be ughtered by either side.


    "This is not all."


    Vasemir spoke all of a sudden. He looked at Eren as if trying to figure out what was so special about him. He then looked at Arto before speaking up.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "This man came here after killing Bobby. He killed him with his own hands. He and his aids made the Awakened rankers from both sides get involved in the battlefield meant for Meta rankers."


    Arto had a stoic look on his face when he heard that Bobby was killed by Eren. He wouldn''t have called Bobby a close friend. But the guy''s death needed to be avenged nheless.


    "Eren Idril, huh? The name certainly rings a bell. It seems like I underestimated you."


    He then looked at his armor carefully and something dawned on him.


    "So you are a Hexer. This was how you could kill Bobby it seems."


    Arto cursed an entire generation of Hexers when he found out Eren was one of them. Hexers always yed spoilsport in many personal and organizational conflicts. And it seemed that Eren was only perpetuating stereotypes.


    Eren had to say that Arto was a very astute observer. He first figured out the weakness behind Ariadne''s spell. And now this. The battlemage knew that battling Arto wouldn''t be easy for him. He did not have any weaknesses to exploit. And he seemed a bnced ranker who would look after both the offense and defense parts of his battle style.


    ***


    Eren and Lagartha had their conversation in secret while both sides were observing an uninitiated stalemate. They were discussing the next phase of the n. Something that concerned the sess or failure of their three-person raid.


    ''Lagartha, you need to handle Arto for a while. I''ll take care of Vasemir and Raul somehow. The drug should have kicked in by now in Raul''s body. So it won''t be that difficult.


    Once I''m done with both of them, I''ll take on Arto while you empty all the critical resources from the warehouse with Ariadne. You girls need to make a run for it. I''ll hold the other Spiders and any possible pursuers you might have.''


    Eren had an ambitious n to loot all of the warehouse''s resources for himself. He nned to stay behind to make this n a sess.


    Lagartha looked slightly panicked by Eren''s self-sacrificing n. She knew that there would be other Spidersing into the warehouse to fortify its defenses. The ones they had killed were only the ones that were already stationed here. More Spiders will be dispatched here once they figure out the mess in Eren''s previous battlefield.


    Eren''s n seemed okay on the surface but he assumed too many things to make the n work. How would he kill Vasemir and Raul, get rid of Arto, and prevent other Spiders from pursuing the escaping Lagartha and Ariadne? Nobody knew.


    Plus, staying behind meant he would have to face the wrath of Spiders'' reinforcements as well as members from his own guild. And since he was doing this raid behind his guild''s backs, it couldn''t expect any support from its members. He would die here no matter how many trump cards he had gained from the Hexers'' grounds.


    Eren knew what Lagartha was thinking. He smiled to himself before adding further.


    ''Death is no problem for me. To begin with, this was a synth body. I''ll juste back to Gahan using my real body if this one gets destroyed.''


    ''But¡­''


    Lagartha tried to talk Eren out of his n. However, Eren shook his head before responding to her through voicemunication.


    ''This is the n we came up with together. There''s no backing out now. Some sacrifices are necessary to achieve something greater than usual.''


    Sighing, the battlemage said to Lagartha. He was speaking big to relieve Lagartha''s stress. He was very afraid to die as well. This is even though he had died without any safety in the past.


    Plus, there were various side effects of destroying the synth body. He wasn''t even sure that he would wake up right away. However, there was no other way the raid on the warehouse could have been sessful for all three of them.


    Lagartha could only sigh at Eren''s decision. She also respected it as she replied.


    ''Fine. You seem awfully trusting of both of us. Fine. I''ll try to hurt Arto as much as I can before I leave. Let''s do this.''


    Eren and Lagartha both looked at each other and smiled. They fist-bumped at each other before disappearing from their positions.

 Chapter 240 Using Debuff Potions & Being A Man

    Green Prison!


    Lagartha cast her domain spell after getting close to Arto. A dome of green vines was created out of thin air, separating herself and Arto from the rest of the rankers. It was the same spell she had used on Eren once. Now that she was in the Awakened rank, she could truly exert her domain power.


    She could strengthen all her wood-element spells inside the domain. Plus, it would allow her an enhanced recovery rate, preventing her from getting slowed down by serious injuries.


    She was only at the beginning of her Awakened rank, while Arto was only a few steps away from reaching Arch rank. Arto''s weapon proficiency alone was a deterrent on its own. Furthermore, he was a veteran fighter who dealt with demonic ranker subjugation raids in the past. His experiences as a veteran ranker couldn''t be ignored.


    However, Lagartha could rely on her domain attacks to bridge the gap between them to some extent. Defeating him was not possible for her. But she could hold him off till Eren is done with his opponents.


    ***


    Raul and Eren fought using their dual weapons. Vasemir found himself surrounded by Eren''s summoned creatures. They were all cast with the One Up spell which allowed them to pack a punch strong enough to contend with a rank-2 entity.


    Vasemir received another shock when he fought Eren''s summoned creatures. When he found out that they were being cast by a rank-1 entity, he was stunned.


    The One Up was a support-type Hex spell that allowed the caster to imbue their will into their regr spells in greater quantity than before. And since Eren hade to this ce with intentions of owning everything and destroying everyone at the cost of self-harm, his Hex spells looked like they were on steroids.


    Only now did Vasemir understand why Eren was able to kill so many prominent Spiders. From his very first Meta rank, this man had be extraordinary.


    Eren''s movement spell allowed him to keep up with Raul. And his weapon spell enabled him to contend with Raul''s dual weapon mastery.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren and Raul exchanged multiple moves within a fraction of a second. Metallic sparks flew around them as their weapons shed against each other. Their mana-based martial arts were put to the test as they tried to gain an advantage over each other.


    Raul knew that he had already lost when it came to weapon handling. He was only able to defend against Eren''s attacks because of his higher body stat values. He would have been minced meat if Eren was the same rank as him.


    Eren felt like his infinite mana core was responding to his will and his actions. It had started spinning more than usual, affecting his regr mana core as well. His mana points and mana veins were expanding before contracting the next moment. And he felt like his mana circuits as a whole were on fire. His skin had turned slightly red and he stopped looking pale. His blue eyes shined as he battled blow-to-blow with Raul while maintaining his summoning spells.


    Thanks to Eren''s unwavering intentions and infinite mana core, Raul was subjected to Igni Waves after Igni Waves. Eren would use elemental fusion and aspect fusion to mix up his attacks, making them harder to dodge for Raul.


    Only a minute had passed since Lagartha had created her domain. But Raul felt like he had fought with Eren for hours on end. He believed this perception was justified by the injuries on his body.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    All of a sudden, Raul started developing blisters on his skin. They started interfering with his pain signals and cranked up his feelings of pain to the maximum. Something was interfering with his mana circuits as well, making it harder for him to execute his spells properly.


    "You! What did you do to me?"


    Raul created some distance from Eren by asking him with a mix of shock and anger. He knew that the battlemage had done something in their first exchange to make things so difficult for him.


    Eren had coated his axes in the debuff potion meant to be used on the Awakened rankers. He had told Lagartha to create an opening for him to attack Raul at the beginning because he wanted to administer this debuff potion.


    The gifts he received from the ground of the Hexers were truly amazing. Rankers who had been directly affected by the potion were not the only ones affected by the potion. The debuff would also work on the rankers the infected came into contact with.


    Raul had gotten close to Vasemir after he was rattled by Eren''s sudden attack. As such, he also infected Vasemir with a debuff potion.


    Raul''s only advantage was the fact that he was a Pdin. It slowed down the debuff potion''s effects, making Eren wonder if he had applied the potion to his axes.


    "Heh! It finally showed up. The debuff is not as strong as it came advertised though."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Eren scrunched his nose in dissatisfaction when he looked at Raul from a distance. The debuff was supposed to hinder his movements and spells more than what he was currently suffering from.


    "Aaaaaaargh! What the fuck is this?"


    Vasemir screamed from the other end of the battlefield while being surrounded by Eren''s summoned creatures. The debuff potion had also affected him through air contamination. And the effects were more prominent on Vasemir than Raul since he wasn''t a Pdin ss.


    Eren had focused on Raul at first because the guy had been affected by Ariadne''s act and injured to some extent by Vasemir''s attacks on him. However, Eren soon realized that Raul''s recovery rate was extraordinary. The guy could act as a meat shield for his team and still survive the ordeal if he learned to retreat at the right time.


    The debuff didn''t affect Raul much. He only passed it down to Vasemir and thetter had his entire battle stylepromised. Eren''s summoned creatures started gaining a steady advantage over him.


    Taking down Raul in a short time was impossible. So Eren decided to change the game by focusing on Vasemir. Another batch of summoned creatures appeared around Raul next. They screamed at him beforeunching their attacks.


    Eren appeared right inside the perimeter created by his summoned creatures. However, it was not Raul that he approached this time. The distraught and angry Vasemir stared at him, spewing venom from his eyes.


    "This is not how rankers fight, you bastard. Give me the antidote if you are the real man."


    Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Vasemir''s words.


    "So the use of debuff potions is bad? Did you say that to other Spiders when they started ambushing Stardust guild members?"


    Vasemir was about to state that he was a staunch supporter of fighting clean. And that he had said the same thing to other Spiders as well who liked to use debuff potions. However, Eren cut him off before he could say anything.


    "I mean, even if you did, it is clear that nobody listened to you. So why should I?


    And if fighting with you using the debuff potion makes me less of a man in your eyes, so be it. I don''t have any insecurities about having a dick between my legs."


    Blitz Steps!


    Eren shed with Vasemir while he was suffering from the debuff. Thetter clenched his teeth at Eren''s behavior. He did not have any choice but to fight him while being bombarded with attacks from his summoned creatures.


    "Aaaargh!"


    Eren managed to cut off Vasemir''s finger. His dominant right hand with which he was holding his hatchet started spewing blood in abundance and his grip on his weapon was lost. This was enough of an opening for Eren tounch an all-out attack on him.


    Lightning struck, and mes spread around. The winds howled around Eren as he started attacking Vasemir with various spells one after another. The guy was so bogged down by Eren''s attacks that he stopped screaming all of a sudden. His body stopped responding to Eren''s lethal blows and just stood still.


    In a few seconds, Vasemir had an ax lodged in his neck. The weapon had pierced his Adam''s Apple from the front. His body wascerated by multiple ax wounds. And he was bleeding from every orifice.


    Vasemir died within a minute. By this time, Raul had destroyed all of his summonses and was approaching him. Eren looked at Raul and shed a wolfish grin. He got behind Vasemir and coated his legs in lightning and wind element mana beforeunching a round kick at the still-standing dead body.


    Raul was rattled even more by Eren''s nefarious actions. He partly med himself for Vasemir losing his life so easily in Eren''s hands. He controlled his anger and tried to catch his colleague''s body in his hands, intending to give him a proper burial once he was done handling Eren.


    However, what the Pdin did not realize was the fact that Eren hadced Vasemir''s dead body with another potion. A potion bomb.


    Raul caught Vasemir''s body and saw a small vial of potion inside his neck wound. He opened his eyes wide before his vision was shrouded in a white haze.


    Boom!

 Chapter 241 “I’ll Be The Architect Of My Own Destiny�

    "Aaaaargh!"


    Arto managed to break away from the domain. But not without getting injured in the process. His right shoulder had a see-through wound and his right leg looked like it had been twisted at a weird angle.


    Lagartha was hurt too. She had multiple sword wounds on her body and her mana circuits were agitated. Arto was injured as a result of her extreme efforts. Most of her trump cards had been used to hurt Arto and make his injuries severe.


    Arto cursed Lagartha in his head as he looked at her with hate. He had heard the potion bomb''s detonation a few moments ago. Both Vasemir and Raul were not potion bomb users as their battle styles were not inclusive.


    Arto had increased the intensity of retaliation against Lagartha''s domain spell after that. He figured that both Raul and Vasemir would need his help. However, it turned out that he was already a few moments toote.


    Lagartha was seen breathing hard while controlling a cluster of green vines around her. She looked at Arto and knew that she had managed to pull off exactly what she had promised Eren to do. Her eyes started looking for him and they found their target soon enough.


    Eren had just finished killing Raul. He was standing near his dead body, drops of blood dripping from his ax des. The potion bomb alone was not enough to get rid of Raul. The battlemage had to get himself involved personally to ensure that Vasemir hadpany for his journey beyond.


    Eren had also made sure to im Vasermir''s and Raul''s elemental attainments for himself. Aleph had helped him with this task, allowing him to digest the experiences of the two Awakened Spiders faster.


    Aleph had sorted those memories for Eren. He had categorized them into useful and useless memories. He then extracted and filtered the memories he needed about elemental attainments and weaponprehensions.


    Aleph had also extracted spell-casting memories from Eren''s recent memories. He told Eren that he would inject arge portion of those memories into him once he was done dealing with Arto.


    Eren was interested in knowing about Raul''s weaponprehension. The guy wielded an ax and sword at the same time and he had exceptional weapon maneuverability. His weapon handling allowed him to incorporate both offense and defense into his battle style.


    Eren could dual-wield as well. But he could not do so while operating two different types of weapons. The rhythm and weapon intricacies required to do something could not be obtained with a snap of the fingers. At least that''s what Eren thought before Aleph extracted Raul''s weaponprehension from him.


    The battlemage was also interested in digesting Vasemir''s memories rted to his elemental attainments. The guy had a unique take on the elemental fusion of wind, water, and fire. The white smoke he generated could be used by Eren in different ways, allowing his offense and defense levels to shoot up.


    Eren''s affinities with other elements also strengthened because of Aleph''s intervention. After digesting these memoriespletely, Eren would be able to cast Raul''s and Vasemir''s spells on the same level as them.


    Aleph had kept arge portion of his memories from being digested by Eren because he was not ready to handle them in his current situation. It would take days for him to assimte those memories because they belonged to the two Awakened-ranked entities.


    These memories were bound to allow Eren to save years of arduous work. It was like Aleph was cutting down all the obstacles in Eren''s way to fast-track his progress.


    ***


    Arto and Lagartha both looked at Eren as he stood beside Raul''s dead body. The former had a grim look on his face while thetter smiled after finding out that Eren had managed to take care of two Awakened-ranked Spiders in such a short time.


    "Bastard!"


    Arto approached Eren all of a sudden intending to kill him right then and there. Eren was deadly beyond Arto''s wildest imagination. He could not imagine that a Meta ranker would be able to kill two rank-2 entities while being in rank 1.


    A series of green vines appeared and served as Arto''s obstacles. Lagartha appeared beside Eren.


    "Are you alright?"


    Lagartha''s question was directed at Eren. Thetter took a long breath before responding.


    "As dandy as a dandelion. Don''t worry about me, Lagartha. Go. Ariadne is waiting for you."


    Eren''s cold reply made Lagartha frown. However, she didn''t say anything and only nodded at him.


    "Be careful with Arto, Eren. He won''t go down easily."


    Lagartha spoke before subconsciously touching Eren''s shoulder. It looked like she wanted to say more to Eren. But she controlled herself. She then looked at Arto and Eren onest time before disappearing from her position.


    "You! You think you are enough to hold me off until yourckeys loot the warehouse?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Arto asked Eren with a look of contempt. Thetter was a bit taken aback by the fact that Arto had managed to piece together whatever information he could gather about the trio. He hade to see what Eren and his team of two Awakened rankeddies were nning bying here.


    Eren looked around and found himself alone with Arto. He stretched his arms and jumped a few times at his ce to prepare himself. He then looked at Arto beforementing in a nonchnt tone.


    "Nobody''s trying to hold anyone back. We will fight with our lives on the line. And we won''t stop until one of us manages to im the life of the other. As simple as it sounds.


    If you survive, you will be able to deal with the consequences of my breaching the warehouse quickly. And if you die, you won''t care about me looting the warehouse anymore, would you?


    You managed to get away with one domain. Let me see if you can do the same thing to my domain."


    Eren said and smiled wickedly. He then raised his hand and cast his domain spell, which wasrger than what Lagartha had conjured with her Awakened-ranked ranking status.


    Igni Lotus!


    Eren''s domain spell was fueled by his unwavering intentions and his infinite mana core. Cast with the One Up spell, it delivered a powerful punch against Rank-2 beings. And since he was using it in conjunction with the array disk bought from Malcolm, it was cast quicker than usual.


    Arto had his vision painted in yellow and orange mes as Eren''s fire domain expanded in the surrounding area. He could immediately tell that this spell contained the power to harm him despite it being cast by a Meta ranker.


    Arto was most surprised by the amount of mana Eren was injecting into his domain spell. His spell had be overwhelming simply by incorporating more mana into it. He wondered how the spell hadn''t copsed after using so much mana.


    ''Hex spells! I never knew Hex spells could be this powerful. And then there''s this guy''s inexhaustible mana. Something''s up with this bastard.''


    Arto gulped empty air as he looked at Eren while inside the fire domain. He had seen his share of Hexers in his life. However, he had to admit that nobody could pull off something like what Eren was doing at this point.


    Arto also guessed that Eren had a huge secret about him with the way he was using his spells. He was involved in an all-out battle not too long ago. He then sneaked into the warehouse and started killing the Spiders. He fought with two Awakened-ranked entities simultaneously. And finally, he managed to cast this domain spell.


    Activities like those should have taken a huge toll on Eren''s mana. He should have been running on fumes a long time ago. And yet, the guy looked like he was only getting started.


    The mes had started to fill the empty spaces inside the domain. They had even started to burn down the ground itself. Warm air was everywhere. And it would be impossible to breathe for any mortal inside the domain.


    Eren''s do-or-die emotions had taken the domain spell''s effect up a notch. It had allowed the domain to be stronger and more intense than ever before.


    "You¡­. What are you?"


    Arto asked Eren in a confused voice. He hade to understand that what Eren was doing couldn''t be the work of just an amateur Meta ranker.


    Eren felt like he had been asked this question so many times by so many people. As if he had led different lives in his dream. In every life he led, his friends and foes alike asked him the same question in different forms.


    He could also find the answer to that question within himself. It was the answer he hade to cherish throughout his multiple lives.


    "I am what I need to be."


    Eren clenched his two axes before he spoke. Lightning struck and Eren approached his final opponent in the warehouse with all that he had. He knew that Arto was the biggest hurdle he had ever faced so far. And he needed to ovee this challenge at the cost of wrecking his own synth body.


    Eren was reminded of his car crash as he approached Arto. But unlike thest time, he had different goals. Different mindset.


    ''I''ll be the architect of my own destiny.''


    ===


    AN: A throwback to chapter 20. :)

 Chapter 242 Conscious Efforts For Breaking Into The Next Rank

    It had been a while since Eren and Arto had started their duel.


    Arto was trying to get close to Eren due to his closebat advantage as a swordsman. Thetter wouldn''t have minded the closebat brawl with a swordsman if it wasn''t for the fact that it was an Awakened rank Spider in thest stage of his current rank.


    The two rankers had repeatedly attacked and injured each other. They had used everything they had against each other. And yet, they both felt like they were going nowhere with the way their opponent was behaving.


    Eren was only able to hold out against his opponent due to his infinite mana core. Otherwise, he would have been a goner a long time back. He had to say that Arto was a capable swordsman. He could use his sword to attack, defend, maneuver, and draw a stalemate. Heplemented his swordy with the right set of martial arts and spells. He wasn''t much faster or more agile but his movements were attuned to support his battle style.


    Aleph was mildly impressed with Arto''s swordsmanship as well. But he was more focused on devouring the guy''s talent for Eren than actually extending genuine praise for the swordsman.


    Arto was also equally appalled by the way Eren could keep up with him while being in the Meta rank. The guy was an undying cockroach. And he could spam spells like there was no tomorrow. What hecked in quality attacks, he made up for with quantity.


    In the end, Arto and Eren were equally injured and out of breath. They both felt like they were running on fumes. Arto''s mana core was going to tap out. And Eren felt like his mana circuits were about to go on strike from being overworked. The battlemage also had mental stress from having to keep various spells running at the same time while maintaining the fire domain.


    Eren had his healing spell active almost the entire time he was fighting Arto. He had been cut several times in various ces. He barely saved his limbs from being chopped off. And his blood loss was also very significant.


    Yet, Eren gritted his teeth and marched on. He knew that it was about time Arto''s mana core ran dry. Thus, he kept on using various trump cards he gained from the Hexers'' ground for this single fight.


    Many miracle healing potions were used to treat his grave injuries. He would drink all-status recovery potions to rejuvenate himself. And he would use nefarious items like potion bombs to attack Arto inside his domain.


    One had to say that Eren''s fire domain had served its purpose well. It allowed Eren to suppress Arto just enough so that he could battle the swordsman.


    Eren''s Hex armor also yed a huge role in keeping him and his limbs safe and sound. It allowed him to tank attacks he couldn''t dodge. As a result, his armor had been severely damaged, reducing its defensive effectiveness. However, it was still working because it could always recover itself from being a transcendent artifact.


    All these factors helped Eren bridge the divide between the two ranks. The most significant thing was that it helped him stay alive. Being alive could be considered Eren''s victory since he wanted to prolong the battle. He was cing his bets on Arto running out of his mana storage or the possibility of him making desperate moves because he was running out of mana.


    Arto''s other advantage was the fact that he used very little mana in his attacks. His swordy and mana-based martial arts allowed him to be a very efficient fighter. However, Eren''s constant barrage of fire-element attacks put him on the defensive. He had to invest a lot of time and energy defending against Eren''s attacks, which weren''t something he could brush off his shoulders.


    ***


    Alfem


    Igni Chains


    Venti Ball


    The firebirds reappeared and flew toward their target. Their bodies were wrapped in Igni Chains. These Igni Chains had multiple Venti Balls attached to them.


    The firebirds cried as they detonated themselves onto Arto from every possible angle. Since the swordsman was stuck in Eren''s fire domain, fire element spells were omnipresent in the surroundings.


    Eren performed elemental fusion between fire and wind after the detonation happened. The fusion increased the damage potential of the firebirds, enabling them to generate more impact.


    The firebirds struck Arto with such force that his advance was stopped. The guy had to brace himself to deal with the constant bombardment of firebirds. The fire-element mana burned off parts of his defense manayer and started hurting his skin. Some of the fire mana entered his system and lit his mana circuits on fire.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    Arto screamed in pain before clenching his sword hard. He looked at the iing Eren with a grim face and gritted teeth before swinging his sword with all his might. His sword swing not only allowed him tounch an offensive at Eren but also lessened the burn of mana invasion his mana circuits were facing.


    Eren tried to dodge the series of sword shesing toward him with his exceptional agility. However, these attacks were initiated by an Awakened-ranked entity that was close to reaching Arch rank. As such, there was only so much he could do when it came to keeping himself safe from attacks. He had to face the consequences of attacking someone much stronger than him in terms of pure ranking status.


    Swoosh. Zoom. Cut.


    Eren managed to dodge most of the attacks due to the firebirds taking some of the damage from the sword shes for him. Even so, he couldn''t get away from theshes. And a huge chunk of his left arm muscles, which was not covered by his Hex armor, was lost in the process.


    This sword attack breached through Eren''s mana defenseyer and the enhanced protection his Hex gear provided him. It even managed to break through the defensive spell he had cast on himself. Still, this injury couldn''t be avoided.


    ''Fck!''


    Eren looked at his arm and knew that he had received another serious injury. It was as if the pain he was feeling at the time was no longer a proper indicator of what kind of injury he had received.


    Blood had started gushing out inrge quantities. Eren could almost see his upper arm bone- the Humerus, which had been partially exposed to the elements due to the grave injury. Eren couldn''t operate on his right hand anymore because arge portion of the muscle group assigned to that task had vanished because of Arto''s sword shes.


    Eren had also received stray shes on his chest and stomach. Nevertheless, he was never in a grave like this because his Hex gear protected his vital organs.


    ''Damn it. I''ll have to use another of those transcendental vials.''


    Eren cursed in his head as he created more Alfem inside the fire domain and used them to attack Arto. He then created a safe distance from his opponent while drawing out another vial of organ recovery potion.


    Arge amount of blood would have been lost in the attack if Eren hadn''t deployed his manayer to hold the wound closed. He then drank the organ recovery potion before channeling his mana inside his body for quicker effects.


    The potion''s effects kicked in and the wound stopped bleeding. The flesh around the wound suffered through rapid cell destruction and regeneration before it could grow the lost muscle mass.


    The Hex gear wasn''t the only transcendental item Eren had received from the Hexers'' grounds. The consumables he had been given as a reward were also very precious and rare. Plus, they could be used even if Eren entered the Awakened rank and beyond. As such their values would be much higher than any run-of-the-mill products avable on the market.


    As the potion''s effects fixed Eren up, he looked at Arto with a serious look. Just like him, he also had various potions and one-time-use defensive artifacts at his disposal. He had used them from time to time to keep up with Eren''s barrage of spells inside the fire domain.


    ''You are doing this the wrong way, Eren.''


    Aleph finally spoke up when Eren and Arto were observing an unofficial ceasefire. The battlemage took a long breath as if he was expecting to hear something like this from Aleph. He clenched his axes before responding.


    Do you have a better idea? I''m all ears.''


    Aleph chuckled inside Eren''s head before expounding on his previous statement.


    ''You are not enjoying the battle, Eren. Remember your first fight with Jayce, Ralph, and Stan? You were in greater danger at that time than you are right now. You were only a mortal back then, facing off against three Meta-ranked entities.


    How did you go through that experience? How did you manage to achieve the so-called impossible and win over three Meta rankers?''


    Your breakthrough was one reason. But facing your problem head-on was the othera€" more significant reason. Most times, running away from problems only dys the inevitable, not prevents it.


    Throw caution to the wind and fight the guy up close. Allow him to use all of his moves against you.


    This is your chance to achieve a breakthrough into the Awakened rank. You have to desire power with all that you have for it to be granted to you. Conscious efforts are more fruitful than lucky encounters.


    What did the pantheon of infinity tell you?''


    Aleph''s question made Eren think about his past experiences. His right hand was inadvertently ced on his beating heart as he mumbled to himself.


    ''Seek and ye shall find!''

 Chapter 243 Boiling Point

    ?


    Eren wanted to take the easy and safe way out by prolonging the battle.


    Aleph wished him to do the opposite. He wanted Eren to face Arto head-on and not run away from a fight. He wanted Eren to consciously make an effort to break into the Awakened rank, which was supposed to be a significant hurdle in a ranker''s life.


    Aleph pulled into a near-stagnant world and exined further.


    "I wouldn''t have said this earlier, Eren. But you have turned this task into a suicide mission for yourself. There were several ways you could have obtained the warehouse''s resources without getting killed in the process. But what''s done is done.


    Since it hase to this, you might as well benefit from your n to wreck your synth body. Try breaking into Awakened rank while fighting with this swordsman. Even if you died, the experience you gained from achieving the breakthrough would remain with you. Your main body would enter the Awakened rank without any glitch when that happened. Even if you fail, there''s no harm done to you. Sometimes, failure can also teach us many valuable lessons.


    In-battle breakthroughs are rare because most rankers don''t know how to consciously enter a battle trance. But that''s where Ie in. I''ll tell you how you can make use of the swordsman to get more out of your suicide mission."


    Eren saw the near-stagnant world as he listened to Aleph''s suggestion. He wanted Eren to activate the crown mana circuits in his crown in specific ways, which would allow him to enter the battle trance while fighting Arto. From then on, the body will operate on autopilot for the most part.


    Eren knew that he was still far away from breaking into the Awakened rank even if he was in thest stage of the Meta rank. Yet, he wanted to give Eren''s suggestion a try since it didn''t have any side effects. At worst, he would have to stick to his previous strategy of winning over Arto.


    Eren listened carefully as Aleph spoke. The guy hade up with all sorts of ns on the go, making Eren realize that there were many ways a single problem could be solved.


    Eren agreed to Aleph''s n after thinking for a bit. If he failed, his mana core inside his real body would also reflect the injury. But he hade to understand that the risk was worth the potential gain.


    ***


    When Eren was drawn into the near-stagnant world by Aleph, Arto found Eren''s image bing blurred for a moment. When his image stabilized, he disappeared from his position.


    Unlike previous times, Eren had chosen to confront Arto head-on. He didn''t use the firebirds or other summoned creatures as a cover anymore. This was going to be a mano-e-mano showdown between two men using their respective weaponprehensions.


    "So you finally decided to fight me like a man, huh?"


    ng!


    Arto tried to incite Eren when they got into each other''s striking zone. Yet, all he received was Eren''s silence and his focused attacks.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Sparks flew and various weapon-based attacks canceled out each other. Other shes were dodged or directed away, damaging the surroundings around the two rankers.


    "Don''t want to speak with me? You think maintaining silence would somehow work in your favor?"


    ng! ng! ng!


    Eren answered Arto''s question with a bunch of brand-new moves. He started mixing his mid-range lightning, fire, and wind spells into his attacks. He would perform elemental and aspect fusions to give an additional edge to his attacks.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Arto raised his sword in front of him only to receive a blow inflicted on it by Eren''s ax. Thetter spun around andunched another attack at Arto from a different angle.


    ng! ng! ng!


    The Igni Chains had also been used by Eren to extend his weapons'' range and bring out more variation in his attacks. These Igni Chains were coiled around his arms like fire serpents. Their other end was attached to the weapons'' hilts. These Igni Chains and the attached axes would respond immediately to Eren''s movements, enabling him tounch 360-degree attacks on Arto.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Aleph would provide support for Eren whenever he was in a critical pinch. He would alter his perception of time whenever he was about to get wrecked by Arto. This would enable him to stay on track by effectively dealing with the iing attack


    Arto had injured Eren numerous times by this point. But whenever he thought that he wouldnd a fatal blow on Eren, thetter would somehow find it in him to evade or dodge the attacks.


    Eren couldn''t talk or reply to any of Arto''s jabs because he had his concentration focused on keeping the mana circuits around the crown activated as per the mnemonics taught by Aleph. As a result, the mana flow around Eren''s crown intensified and he started seeing things in crystal clear detail. His hearing and cognitive abilities also improved. Eren''s hand-eye coordination also received a significant boost by activating certain nodes in the mana circuits.


    Aleph called this part of the mana circuit the crown chakra. Activating this chakra made Eren see things in a different light. He became more focused on his task and started to respond to Arto''s attacks with more efficiency even without Aleph''s aid.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Aleph also started getting injured by Eren''s intention-driven attacks. The more focused and ruthless Eren was, the more he was able to inflict serious injuries on Arto.


    The battlemage was also injured by Arto. However, the constant healing spell he cast ensured his injuries would not fester. Arto, on the other hand, started feeling the heat of Eren''s constant attacks.


    The two moved and tried variousbinations of attacks. And with each passing moment, Eren kept on making progress toward victory.


    Under Aleph''s consistent guidance and support, Eren finally entered the battle trance he had experienced before. The pressure Arto put on him also yed a significant role.


    Eren''s aura turned menacing when he entered the battle trance. He started using Alfem and Taranbiest in his attacks. To change his direction and orientation, he would summon tiny firebirds and detonate them under his feet. He would use the lightning hounds to lock Arto in his ce while he prepared his attacks. The hounds would bite Arto''s legs and explode, forcing the swordsman to stay in his position and face Eren''s attacks without any leeway.


    ***


    During this time, Eren''s fire domain kept growing. Since it was unstable due to the spell''s basic building block getting altered, Eren did not have any control over it anymore. It kept growing in size and intensity, slowly taking over the warehouse.


    Ariadne and Lagartha had started doing the tasks they were assigned. They coordinated with each other and kept looting the most valuable sub-caves. Ariadne had gotten hold of the control array circle of the entire warehouse, which she used to open the safety mechanisms put in ce for every sub-cave.


    Lagartha would then enter thepromised sub-caves and loot them while using the space artifacts she had prepared beforehand. After all, she couldn''t take everything in her limited personal storage.


    Ariadne and Lagartha faced almost no resistance to doing their tasks. Awakened rankers were either engaged inbat or were killed. Eren''s sabotage in the Meta rankers'' battle earlier had kept most Awakened-ranked Spiders away from the warehouse. Vasemir and Raul had gotten killed. Arto was fighting for his life with Eren. And the Meta rankers did not dare toe in front of the Awakened-rankeddies. Not everybody was foolishly brave like a certain battlemage.


    Meanwhile, Kiara''s team was done cleaning up the mess Eren had created for them. She did not mind though. After all, she did not break the agreement and there were no repercussions after the enemy team attacked and interfered first.


    The battle quickly ended as soon as the Awakened-ranked entities from both sides got involved. The Meta-ranked Spiders stood no chance of surviving the ordeal. Even a bunch of Stardust guild members had gotten killed because of Eren''s nned sabotage.


    Kiara finally felt avenged after finishing off Bobby''s core team. She killed all the Awakened-ranked Spiders deployed by the House of Spiders at the battle. They were only meant to serve as deterrents. As a result of Eren''s interference, they and the killed members of the Stardust guild became sacrifices.


    Kiara led the remaining forces of her team into searching for the Spiders'' warehouse. The general location of the warehouse was known to her. Upon reaching the vicinity, she was required to pinpoint the location using the artifacts given to her by her seniors.


    Kiara spent a while zeroing in on the ce. She finally reached the dead end of the natural cave and knew the array mechanism was at work keeping the warehouse hidden from her perception. And just like Eren had thought, she had decided to destroy the entire lock instead of trying to find the necessary key.


    Kiara was about to enter the warehouse from one end. Ariadne and Lagartha were on their way to leave the warehouse from the other end after looting it. And in the middle, an unstable fire domain kept expanding. The domain was on the verge of copse.


    One could say that the situation had reached its boiling point when Eren broke into the Awakened rank.


    ===


    AN: Eren first enters battle trance in chapter 215. The domain copse first takes ce in chapter 228.

 Chapter 244 Breakthrough Into Awakened Rank

    ?


    Crack!


    Eren''s regr mana core cracked at the time of his breakthrough. His infinite mana core on the other hand just metamorphosed into an Awakened rank core.


    This was when he was shing with Arto. Both of them were unrecognizable from their previous selves. They both looked bloody and had numerous wounds on their bodies.


    Eren had lost the protection of his Hex armor at this point. He had activated the bear tattoo on his chest and retracted the armor because it had lost all its defensive properties. And keeping the armor on was now detrimental to his agility.


    The battlemage had been forced to fight with an exposed torso and pants that barely clung to their ces in their worn-out and tattered condition. Even his axes had been damaged after they duked it out with Arto''s sword.


    Arto had tried really hard to eradicate Eren from existence. He hade to realize that Eren was using him to achieve a breakthrough and was pissed because of it. Eren had basically treated him like a training dummy.


    At this point, the fact that he was a Spider and Eren was a member of the Stardust guild didn''t make any difference. It didn''t matter that Eren had snuck into the warehouse and was trying to loot the ce all for himself. It also didn''t matter that he had killed Bobby, Vasemir, Raul, or any other Spider.


    This fight had turned into a survival game. And only survival mattered for both Eren and Arto. They both fought, putting their backgrounds and ranking statuses aside.


    Arto looked to be in much better condition than Eren. It seemed that he also had used a lot of trump cards to counterbnce Eren''s advantage.


    Yet, Eren didn''t feel like he was going to lose. He started enjoying the battle more and more as he fought his toughest opponent yet. He subconsciously started treating pain as part of the process of reinventing himself anew.


    Eren''s body and his mind were in two different and contrasting states. And the body had to make the mind get in touch with reality. Eren''s arms and legs were about to stop listening to his orders. And his vision was getting blurry due to excessive blood loss. He had started hearing white noises and his perception of time was slowed down even without Aleph''s interference.


    That''s when the breakthrough took ce.


    Lightning struck and mes bloomed around Eren. The howling winds spread in every direction and the masses of water formed into spheres before imploding from within. His ranking breakthrough included enlightenment regarding every element since Eren had started practicing them at his Meta rank.


    Arto Lohan was forced to create distance from Eren when he suddenly started turning into a rank-2 battlemage. The mana storm created around Eren was not something he could breach.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The mystic runes over the infinite mana core were illuminated as they transformed. The transformation of these runes was what allowed the infinite mana core to get rid of rank-1 manapletely. Then, it began drawing rank-2 mana from its surroundings. The infinite mana core drank the surroundings'' mana like a bottomless pit so much so that it was added to the mana storm.


    Eren''s regr mana core also underwent drastic changes. It started harnessing rank-2 mana as well. As more elemental runes were added over time, his path as a battlemage was bound to get even more diverse.


    Eren had fought with Arto for so long in a battle trance. As such, he wasn''t inplete control of himself when the breakthrough took ce. He started noticing the changes only when his mana core burst.


    Eren''s previous injuries started recovering at a visible rate. His wounds healed and his bone marrow started churning more blood all of a sudden to fix the loss of blood. His bone density increased and his body stats shot up. His hair grew a bit longer and his stature increased an inch or two more. His skin remained the same but his eyes got a darker shade of blue for some reason. His aura changed and his mana signature started reflecting his status as a rank-2 battlemage.


    Arto felt like banging his head against a wall looking at Eren''s progress. This was the wildest breakthrough he had ever seen any ranker perform. That''s because Eren did not stop after entering the Awakened rank. He progressed even further within the rank and reached the 3rd stage¨C solidifying his status as a veteran Awakened-ranked entity. His mana core was only a step shy of entering the liquid state.


    ''What¡­ What kind of breakthrough is this?''


    Arto mumbled to himself as he witnessed Eren''s unmatched progress. He was also shocked by the elemental attainments the battlemage was practicing. With so many elements integrated into the path, Eren should have taken even longer than regr rankers to break through into Awakened rank. Even so, the guy didn''t stop when he had achieved the breakthrough but continued as if there was no bottleneck.


    Arto''s face became ashen when he saw that Eren''s wounds had healed and he was born anew by the breakthrough process. He knew that he would not be able to survive the fight with Eren anymore if he shed with him now.


    That''s why Arto thought of running away. He regretted the fact that he had talked a big game in front of Eren. He regretted that he agreed to stay inside the House of Spiders despite knowing it was a sinking ship. And most of all, hemented the fact that he had left his manned position to check up on the ruckus caused by Eren. He could have handled things differently if he was in his position and had ess to the warehouse''s array control.


    s, regret is a bitter pill to swallow.


    The mana storm around Eren dispersed all of a sudden and revealed Eren''s brand-new appearance. The blood and grime on his body had disappeared.


    He looked leaner, taller, and more charismatic than ever before. He had distinct muscle definitions. And his blue eyes shone through the locks of white hair covering his face.

 Chapter 245 Yeeting From Gilaahan

    ?


    Eren looked around him as if he had woken up from a short nap.


    Although he was still within the fire domain, it was difficult for him to call it a spell at this point. His domain had be a potential cmity that could cause havoc at any time.


    It was trying to burn everything that came in its path. Spells like Alfem and other fire-element spells were getting mimicked on their own inside the fire domain with nobody controlling them. Firebirds of all sizes flew from nowhere to nowhere. Igni Chains and Igni Bolt sts would fire out of thin air.


    A fire-hazard disaster was unfolding in front of Eren. And then he saw Arto running away from him.


    In addition to integrating rank-2 mana into the y, Eren''s breakthrough had made matters challenging for the potential domain copse. It meant that the copse would result in even greater damage than previously anticipated.


    However, things are usually bnced in any world. Eren''s breakthrough also caused anomalies in the domain spell because his original spell wasn''t meant to harness the power of rank-2 mana. As a result, mana-conflict spots began appearing in the domain where rank-1 and rank-2 mana were repelling one another.


    These conflict spots also started appearing over the domain walls, creating void ces for anyone to pass through. In short, the fire domain had be porous. And Arto was about to take the opportunity to run away from Eren.


    If he managed to get away from Eren and create a safe distance from him, he might survive the ordeal with some injuries. At least that''s what Arto was wishing for himself when he ran towards his newly appeared escape route.


    Arto was only a few meters away from getting out of the fire domain. His eyes shined with hope as he was about to cross to the other side and get the hell away from the ticking time bomb hanging over his head. However, Arto''s expression froze when he saw Eren appearing in front of him d in blue lightning.


    Eren looked at Arto with a deadpan expression before looking at the axes he was holding. The weapons had served him well but it was the end of the line for them.


    ''Onest kill before I let you rest.''


    Eren talked to his axes as if they were listening. He then imbued them with lightning and fire mana. The battlemage wanted to finish off Arto before he got away and came back to haunt him. Arto wasn''t a loose end Eren wanted to leave behind before the domain copsed.


    Otherwise, the guy would just chase Ariadne and Lagartha and reim the treasures for himself. Since they had already stolen the resources, Arto''s binding contract would not get in the way, allowing him to reap the benefits of Eren''s efforts.


    "Eren Idril! Wait. Just fucking wait. We can talk about this¡­"


    Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.


    He kept the worn-out axes in his storage and appeared behind Arto. In the next moment, Arto''s torso split into two vertically as Eren''s axes cleaved the guy''s body up to his tailbone. The swordsman died without finishing his sentence.


    Eren ced his hand over Arto''s back and prevented his body from dropping to the ground. Aleph began deriving elemental attainments and weaponprehension from Arto''s body by disintegrating itpletely with the runic mini-typhoon that had originated from Eren''s palm.


    Eren felt like he had started living Arto''s life. There was still a part of his brain processing the surroundings in front of him. Various explosions seemed to happen at various ces in unison and spread a dreadful mana pulse across the region, giving him goosebumps.


    Rumble!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The fire domain started copsing right after Eren finished off Arto. Mana in the area was agitated to a dangerous level. The sea of mes spread forth and the domain stopped being a spell-generated effect. As a result, itpletely transformed into a natural disaster, giving it the potential to harm Eren as well.


    For the first time, Eren started to feel the burning effect of his previously owned mes. He could still survive inside the domain for longer than the others. But it was no longer his domain to im.


    Eren had no chance of escaping anyway after the copse. So he let his body burn in the mes of his own making and kept digesting Arto''s experiences.


    Eren also located Raul and Vasemir''s dead bodies and subjected them to the same process after he was done with Arto. Since it had been a while since they both died, the elemental attainments and weaponprehension Aleph could draw from them were bound to be limited to some extent. But Eren didn''t mind. He wanted to take everything he could before he was yeeted from the world of Gahan.


    Just when he was about to finish digesting Raul''s experiences, he heard Lagartha''s voice.


    ''Eren, we have done our task and are about to leave the warehouse from the other end. We have sealed the ce just as you told us to. ording to Ariadne, someone managed to break into the main entrance, possibly Kiara''s team.


    There''s also a team of rankers who used a one-time-use teleportation array inside the warehouse. They are probably reinforcements from the House of Spiders. Ariadne has used as many warehouse restrictions as she could to stall them. But their charge can''t be stopped for longer.''


    Lagartha''s voice was coated in worry. Ariadne''s grim voice was heard by Eren the next moment. She wasn''t as emotional as Lagartha. The ex-demonic ranker spoke to Eren, knowing what was needed right now.


    ''Both these teams areing for you. Farewell, Eren. Die soon and meet us sooner. You know where to find us.''


    Having said this, Ariadne made Lagartha leave the warehouse with her. She also locked the second entrance after exiting it, preventing a third party from adding to the mess.


    Eren smiled as he gazed at the sea of mes he had created for himself as the burial site for his synth body. He watched from a distance as the shadows of rankers appeared at the perimeter of the ever-expanding fire domain.


    Some of them had already started running away from the ce, regretting the fact that they had arrived there. Others watched frozen in their ce, overwhelmed by the mana pulses and heat the domain copse was generating.


    ''Toote.''


    Eren chuckled as he watched the struggle the newly arrived shadows were making. He took a long breath and dropped what remained of Raul''s body. With a smile on his face, he spread his arms wide and mumbled to himself.


    "I''ll be back."


    Ohm. Swoosh. Boom.


    ===


    AN: Volume 04: Guild Wars ends with this chapter.

 Chapter 246 The Last Spider

    ?


    Sofiya Ivanova was about to use Stardust Guild''s workout facility meant for rankers.


    She was an Awakened ranker who had recently joined the guild. The guild was growing and it always had room for talented rankers like her.


    This gray-haired beauty had just relocated. She stood about 5.10 ft tall and had a very attractive face. Her rosy skin and her icy cold aura would never cease to grab the attention of her audience.


    With her toned body and prominent feminine curves, she would often garner men''s attention around her. But that was not the only striking thing about her. Sofiya was a hard-working girl who knew that personal power reigned supreme at this age. She would often push herself to the extreme to progress further on her ranking journey.


    It was her diligent work and her drive to achieve more that allowed her to step into the solid stage of the Awakened rank at a very young age. And she was only going to increase her pace of progress with time.


    Today was no different.


    It had been a while since she had joined the guild and. And it was her routine to sweat it out in the guild''s gym facility before she dived into Gahan using the gear.


    Sofiya essed the array meant to be used as an entrance to the gravity-altering section of the gym. She didn''t pay attention to the spectral notification that had popped in front of her¨C thinking that it was business as usual.


    However, when she stepped into the gym, she found out that the chamber''s gravity had been altered to extremes. She was almost brought down to her knees and her mana circuits were agitated because of the sudden change in the surroundings.


    This was because gravity had been increased to 20 times the normal range. This was nearly the maximum amount of pressure an Awakened-ranked physique could handle.


    Warning bells sounded in Sofiya''s head as she looked for the reason for such a drastic change. Her eyes rested on a white-haired man who was lifting one of the heaviest runic weights he could find in the chamber.


    "Who the fuck is this dick¡­."


    Sofiya blurted out as she tried to get her blood flow in check. Her face had turned into a red tomato and one could say that her dder had also been affected, making matters more difficult for her.


    Sofiya could only see the white-haired man''s exposed back. His shorts did not conceal what gym-rats called chicken legs.


    One could say that Sofiya wasn''t impressed. The man didn''t have the required muscle definition on him for him to pull off such a stunt on her and look good doing it.


    This white-haired man was also an Awakened ranker like her. Yet he was still in the gaseous stage of his rank. And from the looks of his mana signatures, it looked like he had just gotten out of a sickness.


    The white-haired man stopped doing his reps and turned around. He looked at Sofiya with puzzled expressions before speaking in the samenguage she had used to call him a dick.


    "This dick''s name is Eren. Who might you be, Miss?"


    Eren put down his weights and copsed on the bench. It was as if he had only realized at this point that his leg muscles couldn''t obey his orders anymore.


    Eren looked like he had lost a lot of his body weight. His mana signatures were weak for someone of his ranking status. His cheeks had sunk and his cheekbones were showing. Even his ribcage didn''t have any muscle or fat around it, making him look like he had been starving for weeks if not months.


    Eren started sweating a lot after he sat down. He tried to channel his mana throughout his body. But extreme gravity made it difficult for him to recover quickly.


    It was clear that he had pushed himself beyond his limits. And now that he had stopped to rest, he was facing the repercussions of his inhuman workout.


    Sofiya was taken aback by Eren''s words. Since she had used her nativenguage, she thought that her uncalled-for insult would be ignored. But the man replied in fluent, street-smart Russian.


    "Sofiya¡­ Sofiya Ivanova. I don''t want to toot my own horn... but I''m famous in the Stardust guild. How¡­ how could you not have heard about me?


    Where¡­ where are you from? And why haven''t I seen you until today?"


    Sofiya sent her mana circuits into hyperdrive and forcefully shrugged off the negative effects of enhanced gravity. Her pride didn''t allow her to be seen as the one who was struggling in front of a skinny-looking man.


    Eren was catching his breath when he heard Sofiya''s reply. He really didn''t know who this girl was. So he took his sweet time to reply.


    "Well¡­ I have been MIA for quite a while now. This is my first visit to the guild in almost two years. So you''d have to forgive me for not knowing about the new blood."


    Eren then smirked at Sofiya before adding.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I don''t want to toot my own horn either, Sofiya. But I''m sure you have heard about me as well.


    Name''s Eren Elijah Idril.


    Nice to meet you."


    Sofiya''s eyes widened when she heard Eren''s full name. She had an inkling that the name Eren sounded familiar to her. But hearing his full name and the fact that he had remained inactive for two years straight made her remember the news she had read about him.


    "You¡­ you are what they call the Last Spider."


    Erenughed when he heard his epithet from Sofiya''s mouth. He knew perfectly well why most of the Stardust guild members thought that he was thest double-agent-like figure from the House of Spiders that didn''t get eliminated in the guild wars two years back.


    Eren smirked at Sofiya but didn''t exin anything to her. Instead, he just looked at his barbell with runic weights attached to it. He pressed his lips together and stood up. With his shaky steps, he walked up to the equipment and bent down to pick it up.


    "Lightweight baby!"


    Eren said to himself before lifting the weights. Streaks of red lightning surrounded him when he did that. His aura intensified, causing Sofiya to get goosebumps on her skin.


    "Madness."


    Sofiya blurted out as she saw Eren increasing the gravitational force some more through the spectral array control. It was clear that the guy was as insane as she was, if not more so.


    ***


    Eren took two years on Earth to wake up from his slumber. That was almost 14 years in Gahan.


    His body had sunk into a vegetative state because of the stunt he had pulled before exiting Ghan two years back. His body had made him a quasi-Rank-2 entity even before he woke up due to his breakthrough in Gilhaan. After waking up in his current state, hepleted his breakthrough.


    Eren could be said to be the weakest Awakened-ranked entity in existence because of his condition. Reese had looked after him while he was in a vegetative state. Otherwise, things would have been much worse for him.


    When he woke up from his slumber, Reece couldn''t stop crying. She felt like the guy had been given a new lease on life because she had almost given up hope.


    Eren was visited by a lot of other Stardust guild members after that. The guild wasn''t too happy with what it knew he did but couldn''t prove it. As a result, it didn''t show any favor to Eren, making Reece and others foot the bill for his sustenance and recovery.


    After he awoke, the Stardust guild would havee after him hard. But the st at the House of Spiders'' base had sealed all its hope for pursuing the matter. It could only charge Eren a crazy amount for destroying his synth body.


    Eren agreed to pay the amount silently without raising any objections. He knew that voicing his objections about why it was charging him more than ten times the normal amount was only liable to make matters worse. He would rather pay his dues and settle the matter forever.


    After all, Eren knew he had the money to buy his freedom. He just needed to get his hands on it.


    Eren wanted to leave the Stardust guild for good. He wanted to go ahead with establishing his mercenary squad.


    He didn''t even know what Lagartha and Ariadne were up to¨C his two squad members he had set free in Gahan. He could only hope that they didn''t run away with the money that he had sacrificed so much for.


    Eren needed to enter Gahan with his real body as soon as he could. And for that, he needed to get his body in top condition.


    Eren''s atrophied muscles couldn''t be treated right away. And he didn''t want to burden Reece any further by asking for specialized treatments. So he took a few days of rest to regain basic bodily functions before deciding he was fit enough to carry out his regime.


    And carry out-- he did.


    ===


    AN: Volume 04 Guild Wars concludes with this chapter.

 Chapter 247 Meeting Malcolm Again

    ?


    It was business as usual for Malcolm Merlot.


    His goods were selling like normal. His shady business was always prosperous. And his personal growth was unstoppable as well. The bald man had stepped into the Arch rank.


    Malcolm started having hair follicles on his bald head after he broke into the Arch rank. It meant that the breakthrough had taken care of the malfunction he had in his mana circuits. Still, the guy had grown ustomed to his bald head. So he had to shave his head often to look the same.


    3 PM. Gahan.


    The afternoon heat had died down. Mortals and rankers were busy doing their work. So the afternoon time frame was sort of like an unofficial break for all the shopkeepers in the city.


    Malcolm had put up a "closed" sign on the door of his shop so he could shave in quietly. He liked taking time to groom himself after all. The bald man started humming his favorite tune in his head. He kept whistling as he ced a mirror in front of him over the shop''s counter.


    Malcolm was just about to use his dagger to reshave his shaved head when the bells attached to the shop''s entrance door rang. The baldy frowned when he realized someone had barged into his shop despite there being a "closed" sign.


    "Dear customer, we are currently closed for¡­"


    Malcolm was angry. But as a veteran shopkeeper, he knew how to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to send the customer away courteously. However, he stopped what he was saying when he saw who had barged in.


    Hair as white as snow with streaks of lightning blue mixed in. Blue eyes and a presence as sharp as an unsheathed sword. It took a while for Malcolm to figure out who was standing in front of him.


    "Eren¡­ my boy! Where the fuck have you been? I thought you had died or something. Hahahaha!"


    Malcolmughed as he appeared on the other side of the counter and hugged Eren with enthusiasm. Eren and he met after 14 years.


    Erenughed and tackled Malcolm''s bear hug by tapping his arms awkwardly. He didn''t know that he would be missed so much by the bald merchant.


    ***


    After a few more weeks of rehabilitation, Eren had recovered his previous physique. He applied to enter Gahan after passing the tests. These tests would be conducted on every person who wishes to travel to foreign worlds with their own body.


    Eren also needed to get other clearances. But the physical fitness required to get into Gahan was his biggest hurdle after he woke up from his vegetative state.


    The Last Spider worked hard in and outside the gym to get ready for his trip to Gahan. He would often be apanied by Reece, Mia, Miranda, Ekay, and others while he was working out. Sofiya alsopeted with him from time to time for some reason.


    Eren had wrecked a synth body and was yet to pay for it. The Stardust guild didn''t allow him to enter Gahan using any synth body, refusing to pay for his expenditure.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Eren didn''tin because he thought that it made sense from the guild''s perspective. It didn''t want to promote the rebellious streak among its members after all.


    Eren also knew that he would never be able to pay the interest amount of his penalty if he stayed on earth. And he couldn''t join any other organization to enter Gahan because of his exclusive contract with the Stardust guild.


    Thus, entering Gahan using his real body was not only Eren''s wish but also a necessity. He had used every favor he could to get into Gahan. The Last Spider hade to realize that he would either make or break it in this world.


    Eren was basically gearless after entering the Awakening rank. And he didn''t even have the resources or privilege to lend anything from his own guild. The guy was an outcast in his organization at this point.


    Eren also didn''t want to impose on his mates either who had already done a fair share of it for him. Plus, the guild''s administration would likely frown upon Reece and others if they extended too much help to him.


    Due to his situation, Eren was left with only one option - Malcolm. He knew the bald shopkeeper was resourceful enough


    Eren was only able to ask the baldy for help without feeling awkward about it. So he found the man as soon as he could after he stepped foot in Gahan using his real body.


    ***


    Eren was expecting Malcolm to ask this question about his disappearance. Since the world of Gahan observed time differently, his disappearance would be highlighted even more in the minds of people who were born in this world.


    Eren took a long breath before responding to Malcolm''s question.


    "Haha. Let''s just say I slept a lot. How have you been Malcolm? I can feel that you have be even more mysterious. Did you break through into Arch rank?"


    Eren asked with a smile on his face as he separated from Malcolm. Even by rankers'' standards, 14 years is a long time. After 14 years, those who stayed on their path as rankers would progress tremendously.


    Malcolm was not satisfied with Eren''s vague answers. So he snapped his fingers and turned his shop into a fortress. He let all the items in his shop disappear only to be reced by what looked like a poker table.


    Malcolm sat down on one chair after producing a bottle of unknown alcohol and two earthen vessels. He gestured to Eren to take the chair in front of him before speaking up.


    "A guy like you staying cooped up somewhere without any rhyme or reason? That too for this long a time? Impossible. We are not cutting any corners this time, boy. Spill your guts. I want to know everything."


    Eren smiled mirthlessly when he heard Malcolm speak. He could only oblige at Malcolm''s imposition at this point.

 Chapter 248 The Last Spider’s Origin Story

    ?


    "Hahahahaha! So you are that damn Last Spider that fucked both sides in the ass and ran away with one of the biggest loots from Spiders.


    Hahahaha. Boy¡­ you have no idea what you have done, do you?"


    Malcolmughed like a maniac and pped the poker table so hard that it threatened to break. The bald man had gotten too excited after listening to Eren''s story.


    Malcolm felt like he should ask Eren to retell everything from the start just so that he could enjoy listening to it once again. The fabled Last Spider''s backstabbing saga was a highly entertaining audio treat for him.


    ***


    Gahan is full of interesting incidents. So there was always something to talk about within themunities of the world''s original denizens as well as rankers from other worlds.


    However, the House of Spiders'' downfall had be a huge topic of discussion in the Shaikai kingdom because of one man¨C The Last Spider. The term was meant to be used for a person who had run away with some of the rarest resources in Gahan.


    Eren himself wasn''t aware that the warehouse he had looted was more significant for all the Spiders than he had thought. In fact, it wasn''t just Spiders. The resources stored inside the warehouse were significant for the Shaikai kingdom as well.


    That''s right. The Last Spider was said to have run away with the most precious resources the House of Spiders had robbed from demonic rankers. Demonic rankers had robbed them from a mysterious location, incidentally. The Shaikai kingdom''s forces were on the trail of these resources which had been passed around from one demonic rankers'' group to another.


    14 years ago, the House of Spiders was given the task of cleaning demonic rankers'' bases. The guild was on a downward trend and had to listen to everything the kingdom''s administration ordered it to do.


    Opportunities often disguise themselves in the form of misery. Something simr happened to House of Spiders when it started hunting demonic rankers. The guild struck a proverbial jackpot when one of its guild members Bem Dorian attacked a certain demonic rankers'' base.


    Bem Dorian was starstruck when he first saw the kind of resources that the supposed low-life demonic rankers were hoarding. He couldn''t believe that such a ragtag band of demonic rankers woulde to possess the kind of treasures they possessed.


    One had to say that Bem Dorian wasn''t as greedy as people thought him to be. He could think for himself and knew that the resources he had seized couldn''t be digested by him alone. They were sure to carry heat that would eventually be tracked back to him.


    Thus, Bem Dorian contacted his guild and asked for his next course of action. He divided the loot into two parts after he had finished his official raid. The first part contained some of the rarest and most precious ranking resources while the other part consisted of rtivelymon resources.


    Bem Dorian had done so because he had received orders from above. He knew that he was about to get attacked by members of the Stardust guild while on his way back. So he was instructed to carry the second part of the loot which consisted of rtively normal treasure and resources.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The House of Spiders had done that to protect its precious resources not only from the Stardust guild members but also from the kingdom''s grasp. At that time, the guild was still notpletely out of the system. So anything too precious could be imed by the kingdom for various fabricated reasons if it knew that the guild was in possession of them.


    Even if the House of Spiders managed to keep the kingdom''s eyes off the precious resources for months on end or even years on end, the secret would eventually leak out. And sooner orter, the kingdom was going to know that the House of Spiders had looted loads of top-tier resources from the demonic rankers by ident.


    Therefore, the House of Spiders wanted to appear as if they had been robbed of all the top-tier resources by Stardust guild members. Hence, they let Bem Dorian get robbed by Raina Regan and her team of rankers associated with the Stardust guild. So that if the kingdom manages to track down the resources, they''ll hold the Stardust guild responsible.


    House of Spiders then sent the first part of the loot containing precious resources using a different route. Those resources eventually ended up being stored in the guild''s warehouse. The very warehouse Eren had looted along with Lagartha and Ariadne.


    The detonation Eren caused at the warehouse was how the kingdom learned that the resources had ended up in the House of Spiders'' hands. When the kingdom used its forces to shake things up, the story about the incident began to leak. It wasn''t long until everyone in the kingdom knew what had transpired at the warehouse.


    House of Spiders got thoroughly destroyed after the kingdom''s forces found out that it had tried to keep the resources hidden from its reach. Eventually, however, the kingdom learned that the Spiders no longer had the resources.


    The kingdom started interrogating the Stardust guild as well. The guild was not aware of the treasure the Spiders hade to possess at all. So the kingdom''s forces couldn''t prosecute the guild right away.


    The Stardust guild was spooked by the kingdom''s unnatural interest in the Spiders'' robbed treasure. It tried to do its own investigation and found out that there may be a ranker from their guild involved in the whole incident.


    The Stardust guild wanted nothing to do with the investigation or the treasure because of the heat it carried. It attempted to portray one of the Spiders'' guild members as having betrayed the guild and taken its treasure with them.


    The Stardust guild shrugged off responsibility for the robbed treasure by pinning everything on the Last Spider. To save their own hides, the stray rankers from the House of Spiders supported this theory as well.


    The Shaikai kingdom''s forces were then sent on a wild goose chase to locate the so-called Last Spider. The search dragged on for almost a decade before it eventually died.


    This was the origin of the term "The Last Spider."


    ===


    AN : Bem Dorian was first mentioned in chapter 188. The subtle details about things mentioned here could be found in the subsequent chapters.

 Chapter 249 Hexer Sofiya

    ?


    Eren listened carefully to Malcolm''s words.


    Only now did he truly understand why the term had be so famous. The Stardust guild members saw him as a backstabber and created a nuisance for them that stayed with them even after his exit from Gahan. And frankly, he couldn''t me them.


    Even after the heat regarding the incident died down, the upper echelons of the guild decided to keep his direct links to the st a mystery. This was to save their own skin. So, Eren being the Last Spider had be an open secret to most Stardust guild members.


    Reece and others didn''t inform Eren after what had transpired in Gahan because they didn''t think that he was the so-called Last Spider they talked about. That''s because as far as they were concerned, it was only a conjecture based on Kiara Kroft''s words.


    Kiara Kroft was the same person who had barged into the Spiders'' hideout. She was sure that she had seen Eren standing in the middle of the me storm before the ce was blown to smithereens. But she didn''t have any proof.


    The guild''s upper management did not help Kiara with the matter either. It only muddled the waters further by creating a ghost named the Last Spider, preventing anyone from tracking the incident back to Eren.


    Kiara felt like she had been pped by Eren for her ipetence. She, along with other Awakened-rank guild members involved in the battle at that time, felt used by a mere Meta-rank Eren just so he could rob an enemy warehouse all for himself. The fact that he did not offer them any cut enraged them even more.


    Eren realized that the consequences of his actions were more multifaceted than he thought they would be. Thus, he decided topensate Reece and his friends for his supposed fortune if and when he got his hands on it.


    He also decided to offer a portion of his fortune to Kiara and other Awakened rank members who he had manipted into helping him rob the warehouse. It was better to bury the hatchet by offering trinkets than to create unnecessary drama.


    It wouldn''t solve his problem with the Stardust guild as a whole. Still, it was a start.


    ***


    "Why are you following me?"


    Eren left Malcolm''s shop after getting much-needed assistance from him. But he could feel that someone was following him. So he wandered into a secluded alley and called out the pursuer.


    Sofiya appeared behind him after Eren refused to move from his position for a long time. She looked at his back intently beforementing.


    "I was just curious about a certain backstabber."


    Eren raised his eyebrows at Sofiya''s way of trying to provoke a conflict with him. While he was recovering, the girl had tried topete with him so many times in the guild''s workout facility. He didn''t mind at the time. But if she insisted on following him, things could get a little difficult for him.


    Thus, Eren turned around and faced Sofiya before speaking in hernguage.


    "You know what¡­ I''ll just go ahead and own my shit instead of providing you with some superficial reasons. I did it for my own benefit. Let me also make it clear to you that there''s no greater cause behind it.


    What''s more? I don''t regret it one bit. I''d do it again if given the opportunity. Now you tell me¡­ why would you want to follow someone like me? I''ll fuck you too if you get too close to me, you know."


    Sofiya felt Eren''s icy blue eyes staring at her with a cold look in them. She felt as if she had been immersed in icy water before the water was struck with blue lightning. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Eren just straight-up admitted the fact that he was a backstabber instead of even pretending to get offended by it. He didn''t allow the conflict to flourish in any way. His aura turned so sinister that it would have given creeps to normal rankers of his generation. But instead of getting intimidated, Sofiya got excited. She looked at Eren before finally issuing a challenge to him.


    "Awesome! You are just like I thought. Fight me, Eren."


    "Not interested."


    Sofiya was shot down by Eren as soon as she made her real intentions known to him. She scrunched her nose at him and looked at him disappointingly before adding further.


    "Are you scared of me too? I didn''t intend to hurt that guy so much during sparring. He was just too weak to handle my attacks. I''m sure you will understand. I heard that you had also incapacitated someone during your spars some years back.


    Don''t you feel that some rankers are just too weak to spar with? But you¡­ you are just like me. I want to see firsthand how the fabled Last Spider fights."


    It took Eren some time to figure out who Sofiya was talking about.


    "Faim!"


    Faim was the same person who was beaten by Eren some years ago. Eren had practically half-butchered that ranker into submission when thetter tried to mess with him for no apparent reason. He didn''t know what happened to him afterward.


    Eren chuckled and looked at Sofiya before asking a counter-question.


    "That was a very long time ago. Why are you running a background check on me? What''s your real reason for seeking me out? Answer me honestly and I might think of sparring with you."


    Eren had heard various things about Sofiya as well. She was considered one of the Stardust guild''s rising stars. She had sparred with a lot of guild members at this point and managed to send a few of them into the infirmary for intensive care.


    Her recent victim almost died trying to avenge his fallen friend. As a result, most guild members also started to shun her for her wild behavior. Nobody liked those who didn''t fit the standard after all.


    Sofiya didn''t care about any of those. She was as focused on improving herself as she had always been. She only craved strong opponents of her generation. So that she could refine her battle style one step at a time.


    Sofiya''s eyes also shined when she heard Eren partially agree to her offer. She stood upright and ced both hands on her hips before speaking with a tinge of excitement.


    "Hehe. Fine. Because I''m a battlemage and a Hexer at the same time, just like you. So you tell me¡­ isn''t it natural that I seek you out for sparring with you?"


    ===


    AN: Faim has been first introduced in chapter 181.

 Chapter 250 Eren Vs Sofiya P1

    ?


    Gahan. Late afternoon.


    A remote forest region outside the city of Dafur.


    There was a rtively open space in the forest, which was soon going to turn into a battlefield for the two rankers.


    A gray-haired young woman and a white-haired man were seen standing in front of each other. A safe distance was observed between them. However, this distance was not much for the two Awakened rankers.


    This young woman''s leather armor fit her curvy figure snugly, giving her a very attractive visual appeal. She had a prominent bust and shapely legs that made her feminine and strong at the same time. She wore both pairs of arm and shoulder guards, serving as her defensive equipment. She also wore a simple and sophisticated pendant that had a pink runic stone serving as its ornament.


    The man in front of this young woman looked to be in his mid-20s, a bit older than the girl''s age. Unlike the gray-haired girl, he also had an air of maturity around him.


    This man had natural blue highlights in his white hair, giving him a peculiar look. He had icy blue eyes and very attractive facial features.


    This man was seen donning a typical ranker''s outfit from Earth. He wore chainmail armor inside his white shirt. He wore a leather jacket over his shirt. The ensemble wasplete with rugged ck pants made from a Rank -2 mana beast. As a result, his ck pants had some sort of scale on them.


    This man was also seen wearing arm guards for his defensive artifact. He had aplete armor set avable to him which he could summon at any time. However, he preferred to keep himself focused on his agility for his spar with the young woman. He had a feeling she was pretty fast in her moves.


    "Hehe. I guess I have to thank you for finally epting my offer, Eren."


    The girl in Gahan spoke thick Russian, indicating her origins as an Earth dweller. Hernguage was also free of blemishes, just like her clear skin. She then looked at Eren with a dissatisfied yet yful expression before continuing.


    "But¡­ I see that you are underestimating me by not equipping yourself with yourplete Bear armor set. I will not be easy on you to protect your male ego, you know."


    Sofiya smiled at Eren before warning him. She was excited. This was the first time in a long while that she would be fighting with someone like her¨C someone who was Hexer and battlemage both. So of course, she was highly motivated to spar with Eren.


    The gear Sofiya was wearing was also Hex gear. Unlike Eren, she did not have aplete set. So she could only equip herself with whatever she had.


    Owningplete Hex gear was the dream for most low-level Hexers. It was not only a matter of time and resources. The Hex gear itself was already very rare, to begin with. Only a few craftsmen and artifact inventors could make and repair it. So it was no wonder that Sofiya wanted to see Eren, with his full Hex gear on, in action.


    Sofiya knew that Eren had aplete School of Bear Hex gear set. By this point, she had learned everything she could about the fabled Last Spider. So she provoked Eren to use his entire arsenal against her.


    Eren smiled lightly before replying to her in street-smart Russian.


    "Haah! Sofiya, I have already staked my Bear armor on this spar. You can have all of it for yourself if you win.


    But that doesn''t mean I have to wear it to fight you. That wasn''t in our agreement. Plus, I don''t think I''ll have to go that far when the fight is against you. I don''t need to use big boys'' toys to fight a kid."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sofiya got annoyed by Eren''s provocation, causing her to show her dissatisfaction by sticking her tongue out. She also got stunned by Eren''s Russian, which would usually be used by hooligans from where she originated. She wondered how someone like Eren could speak hernguage in this way without ever being there. If she hadn''t run a background check on Eren herself, she would have considered him to be from the same part of Earth as her.


    ***


    The truth was, Eren knew that Sofiya was not to be taken lightly. The girl had a crazy hunger for battle. Plus, one could never be too careful with Hexers who were known to defy the norm with their intent-driven magic.


    However, Eren also knew that girls like Sofiya wouldn''t listen to sophisticated talks. They needed to bepletely dominated without room for doubt if he wanted her to listen to him. Thus, he decided to boast in front of her.


    That''s why Eren epted Sofiya''s proposal to put his Bear armor set on the line for the spar. Thedy battlemage wasn''t willing to fight with Eren for pure battle joy alone. She also wanted to im hisplete armor set and modify it for her needs.


    In exchange, Sofiya would join Eren''s mercenary unit if she was lost in the spar. Eren didn''t insist on her leaving the Stardust guild behind. After all, he hadn''t left the guild in the first ce.


    Eren saw the potential hidden inside Sofiya Ivanova even without having to fight with her. He could use a ranker like her in his yet-to-be-named mercenary group. Therefore, he did not waste the opportunity to recruit her.


    Frankly speaking, Eren needed this spar with Sofiya as much as she did. To mentally calm him down.


    His mind was restless because he was yet to find the loot for which he had sacrificed so much. He needed to find Lagartha and Ariadne first before he initiated his mercenary unit n.


    Eren knew that Lagartha and Ariadne wouldn''t betray him. But he was worried about their safety as well as the safety of the loot he had handed to them. After all, if there were so many people who were after the Last Spider, there was a chance somebody could chase after the loot that he might have run away with and find Lagartha and Ariadne''s involvement by ident.


    Of course, Eren had a few ways of finding Lagartha and Ariadne. He could always count on the master-ve connection he shared with Lagartha to guide him. He couldn''t use that connection to pinpoint her location urately. But he could make some rough estimates based on them.


    If Eren''s guess was correct, they both had left the Shaikai kingdom and settled elsewhere. This was fortunate for all three of them since it meant that they had escaped the authorities of the Shaikai kingdom safely. The only problem was that it made his job to find them even harder.


    ***


    Eren sighed and shook his head to get rid of his worries. He knew there was nothing he could do. Observing how her silky hair was blown by the mild winds, he had to say that Sofiya was a stunning beauty.


    In the next moment, Eren''s mind was cleared of remaining distractions and he summoned his Awakened rank axes. He clenched them tightly before activating the runic patterns etched over them.


    Seeing this, Sofiya got excited as well. She summoned her falchion in her hand as well before swinging it around her.


    A spar between two Hexers¨C two battlemages¨C was about to unfold.

 Chapter 251 Eren Vs Sofiya P2

    ?


    Blitz. Swoosh. nk.


    Sofiya suddenly found herself looking into Eren''s cold and emotionless eyes. A sh between artifacts took ce. Sofiya''s sword was blocked effortlessly by Eren''s axe. He spun around and tried to lodge the other axe behind her back.


    ck Wind Storm.


    Sofiya created a barrier of ck winds that protected her from Eren''s subsequent attack. Still, the second axe managed to partially get through the barrier before releasing a flying sh.


    "Hmmm!"


    Sofiya grunted in difort when Eren''s attacknded on her back. She had to outmaneuver the Last Spider before creating a safe distance from him.


    "Hehe. Where are you going off to? You wanted this."


    Eren chuckled before following Sofiya right away using his movement spell. Blue lightning streaks danced around him as he approached Sofiya with the eyes of an excited serial killer.


    The light wound on Sofiya''s back got healed. She also dealt with the foreign mana invading her mana circuits before turning around to face Eren.


    Unlike what Eren had expected, Sofiya was also excited about the spar looking at the smile on her face. It seemed that she was not used to dealing with high agility rankers like Eren. So she took her time to get her bearings before resuming her match with Eren with new vigor.


    Blitz Steps.


    Blitz Storm.


    Blitz Shards.


    Igni Shards.


    The Last Spider cast his elemental spells one after the other. He also employed elemental fusion between lightning and fire to increase the spells'' damage potential. He then used Blitz Storm as a deployment tool¨C targeting Sofiya from multiple angles at once using his multi-element shards.


    nk. nk. nk.


    Sofiya generated a storm of ck winds around her. She used her swordy to her fullest to get rid of the elemental shard that managed to break past the storm. In the end, she used her own ck Wind Shards to get rid of the remaining elemental shrapnels.


    Boom. boom. Boom.


    A bunch of mini explosions took ce around Eren and Sofiya as they battled. They changed their positions many times while the explosions were carried out.


    Thendscape began to be affected by the Awakened rank mana. The lush green trees around the battlefield were uprooted. Eren and Sofiya both found out that their normal vision was getting hampered because of the volume of dust in the air¨C something they had caused by their attacks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thedy battlemage had to say that Eren did not seem to know how to hold back. His elemental attainments and weaponprehension were exceptional. He also had a knack for using multi-elemental attacks¨C something rarely seen among rankers.


    Still, battlemages were known to dabble in all sorts of spells and skills. They were supposed to be "jacks of all trades" so to speak. Thus, it didn''te across as anything too stunning.


    Sofiya wondered what kind of progress Eren would make if he reached the same level as her in terms of ranking status. Because technically, he was supposed to be overwhelmed by her attacks because of his inexperience in the Awakened rank.


    Eren and Sofiya both exchanged a bunch of moves with each other. It seemed they both were warming up and getting used to each other''s battle styles. The real fight was yet to start.


    Sofiya and Eren both separated from each other after the first round of exchange was over. She looked at her sparring partner with a hint of exhration beforementing.


    "This is better than I expected, Eren. I did not know how right my guess about you was going to be. But now I do."


    Thedy battlemage traced the dull edge of her weapon with the index finger of the other hand. Her eyes fixed on Eren, she continued.


    "You¡­ you are a different brand of Hexer altogether. Your Hex spells don''t feel like Hex spells at all. It is as if you have been trained to pour the same amount of will into your Hex spells.


    This is something difficult to imagine and do since one''s will can''t really be quantified. After all, Hex spells are known to be unreliable for the same reason.


    And yet, here you are¨C casting Hexes so perfectly that they have the uniformity of normal spells. It''s as if you have been trained to be a high-ranking Hexer right from the Awakened rank.


    I don''t know which kind of Hexers'' school provided you with the legacy but it is top-notch, to say the least."


    Eren shed a subtle grin at Sofiya before nodding at her. In his mind, he was d that Sofiya had associated the way he cast his Hex spells with the Hexer legacy she thought he had received.


    After all, Eren was not limited to using Hex spells like other Hexers. He could use normal spells just fine without adding his will and intentions to them. His no-elemental-conflict infinite mana core made it possible for him to do so. However, this was also the part he was afraid to show. He didn''t want to attract attention by making himself an unusual Hexer in others'' eyes.


    Eren''s recent breakthrough into the Awakened rank had allowed him to stabilize himself on multiple fronts. His regr mana core and infinite mana core were in greater harmony than before. And he could keep his mana signature stable.


    The voice in Eren''s head, Alephe had also not bothered him much after breaking into the Awakened rank. He stayed quiet and rarely responded to his queries, prompting Eren to seek his help less and less.


    Sofiya''s assumptions about Eren put his worries to rest. He realized at this point that he could use his Hex spells without any worries. He was also d that he had epted Sofiya''s sparring request. She was making him understand quite a lot about Hexers even without explicitly discussing the topic.


    Of course, what Eren had shown her was as close to normalcy as possible. There wasn''t much of his will or his infinite mana core employed in generating the spells. He had already suffered from his Hex spells going haywire by letting his emotions run unchecked. He needed to attune himself to the Awakened rank before casting his spells without hesitation.


    He didn''t want tomit the same mistake in front of an eyewitness he was nning to employ, no matter how minuscule the chances of that happening were. The cynic in him was extra cautious about the secrets he had.

 Chapter 252 Eren Vs Sofiya P3

    ?


    Blitz. sh. Boom.


    Two rankers sparred, but it seemed like more than just sparring. The female ranker was too serious in the fight. It was as if she was fighting with a strong intention to defeat her opponent.


    Sofiya enjoyed sparring with Eren because everything about him seemed mysterious to her. She had fought countless so-called prodigies before him. And although Eren didn''te across as a talented ranker to her, he had something the others didn''t have.


    "Hehehe. This is good. This is really good. I''m going to get serious, Eren. Brace yourself.


    Spirit Beast Spell: ck Wind Cobra."


    Sofiya cast her spirit beast spell and summoned many snakes. Each snake was about a meter long. They had thick ck-gray scales with metallic luster and runic patterns over them.


    These snakes looked deadly and venomous. They had menacing red eyes. These snakes climbed over Soifya''s body and wrapped themselves around her limbs. They looked at Eren with clear hostility before hissing. They showed their pointy fangs at him.


    Being a battlemage, this was how Sofiya brought variation to her battle style. She used summons to perform short, mid, and long-range attacks. The ck Wind Cobra was her go-to summon for closebat use.


    Sofiya rarely used her summons. That''s because she overwhelmed most of her opponents with the regr tricks avable in her arsenal. She would only use summons when she was in a pinch.


    Sofiya wasn''t losing ground fighting Eren. But she could tell something was amiss. The guy didn''t look like he had even started. And that''s even though he was supposed to be at a disadvantage when it came to extended fights because of his lower ranking status than her.


    The ck Wind Snakes allowed Sofiya to bolster her offense and defense at the same time. They werepatible with her elements and aspects, enhancing her spells with their innate elemental mastery.


    Of course, Sofiya only had one ck Wind Snake. Other apparitions were caused by the inherent spell of the spirit beast. The beast cloned itself by infusing its will into a bunch of mana bodies after all.


    The ck Wind Snake was a rare beast that Sofiya contracted only recently. It was very difficult to catch because of its cloning ability. The female ranker''s closebat attacks would be enhanced to the next level whenever she used this spirit beast


    Eren was standing a safe distance from Sofiya when both decided to pause for a moment. He was impressed by Sofiya''s spirit beast because it had a dangerous mana signature of its own.


    The Last Spider was not tired of fighting Sofiya. His infinite mana core had gotten more in sync with his normal one. As a result, his normal recovery time also increased. He could fight for longer even while limiting himself from using the infinite mana core.


    Eren could summon beasts through summoning spells as well. However, they were different from spirit beasts. The spirit beasts were alive and had their own inherent spells ingrained into their existence. They used these inherent spells with almost the same proficiency as when they had physical bodies.


    The summons from summoning spells, on the other hand, used the consciousness fragment granted to them by the World Will. As a result, theycked life.


    Eren didn''t have a summoning spell to help his closebat moves anyway. So he decided not to use his summoning spells to counter Sofiya''s summons.


    Eren had Alfem, Anemoi, and Taranbiest as his summons. Taranbiest and Andemoi could be used for ranged attacks. The fire-element spell¨C Alfem was the only spell he could use for closebat.


    However, Eren would have to suffer the aftermath when the fire-element birds exploded at the point of contact with his enemies. This was not something he wanted to happen when he fought close range with his opponents.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Hmm. So she uses summons to use her battlemage ss. I guess she still held back on me. Not that I have any right toin.''


    Eren thought to himself and smiled mirthlessly. He knew that Sofiya wouldn''t leave his side until he fully dominated her. He wanted her on his uing merc team anyway. So he decided to take her seriously. He had to be because Sofiya revealed her Trump card.


    Wind Shards


    Igni Shards


    Blitz Shards


    Eren also developed a scale-like pattern over his skin because of his parallel spell casting. He used his offensive spells to counter the snakebite he would potentially receive from the ck Wind Snakes.


    Lightning struck and Eren disappeared from his position. He appeared at Sofiya''s right before she could turn to meet his attack. He charged his axes with mana before operating them. The weapon shes were let loose in close proximity¨C their target was the snakes that tried to approach Eren with their exposed fangs.


    Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.


    Sofiya was very nimble on her feet. She readjusted her position by using one of the ck Wind Snakes'' heads as a stepping stone. She dodged Eren''s flying shes with her airborne maneuver. She smiled while looking down below her.


    Eren suddenly learned it rained snakes. They were all around him. Sofiya expedited the ck Wind Snake''s cloning ability by enforcing her will.


    This time, Eren couldn''t get rid of all the snakes with his flying weapon sh alone. This was no matter how skilled he was at shing his axes. The summonses climbed over him and attacked him with their mouths. Some used their mouths while others used ck wind shes and ck wind thorns as elemental attacks.


    "Aaaaaargh!"


    The Last Spider cried in pain when Sofiya''s maneuver seeded. But this also promoted the former to use one of the most spells on her.


    The ck Wind Snakes broke past Eren''s natural mana defense. And since they shared the same elemental aspect with Sofiya, their attacks made his skin rot and decay. The ck winds of decay dispersed Eren''s life force, exhausting him.


    Eren''s skin was damaged in many ces. And the damage refused to heal quickly despite Eren''s healing spell.


    Eren used his movement spell to distance himself from Sofiya. Thetter had alsonded some meters away from her position. Eren smiled at the female ranker before speaking informal Russian.


    "You have me sold, Sofiya. Make use of all your summons and tricks as soon as possible. Because you might not get a second chance."


    Eren had decided to use the same spell that was used in the House of Spiders as his Trump card.


    "Igni Lotus."

 Chapter 253 Eren Vs Sofiya P4

    ?


    Igni Lotus!


    The battlefield erupted in a dazzling disy as the fire-element domain spell, Igni Lotus, blossomed with magnificent intensity.


    mes surged forth, enveloping the surroundings and forming a formidable domain that ensnared both Eren and Sofiya within its fiery grasp. To any potential onlooker, the spectacle was mesmerizing¡ªa lotus-shaped congration crafted from the very essence of fire mana, pulsating with dangerous energy upon its execution.


    The air grew stifling,den with scorching heat that seemed to suffocate all who dared to breathe. The mes crackled with an ominous sound, their distinct scent permeating the fiery domain, establishing an impregnable barrier that even the most skilled Awakened Rankers would find impossible to challenge.


    As Sofiya found herself trapped within this kingdom of mes, she couldn''t help but mutter in realization, "So, this spell... This is how he got away from prosecution years ago and swindled everyone." The ze closed in from all sides, relentlessly eroding her mana defenseyer, and threatening to plunge her into dire straits. Sofiya knew she had to act swiftly, for Eren continued to pour more mana into his domain spell, intensifying its destructive power.


    "What kind of boundless mana reserves does he possess? Is there no end to his supply?" Sofiya pondered, her expression clouded with frustration as she nced at Eren. However, she swiftly shook off her astonishment, resolving to find a way out of this perilous situation.


    Drawing upon another trump card in her repertoire, Sofiya invoked the Spirit Beast Spell: ck Feathered Death Owl. A peculiaryer of mana began to coalesce upon her skin, gradually transforming into an array of ebony feathers that valiantly shed with the relentless onught of Eren''s fiery domain.


    As the ck feathers manifested, they formed a protective shield, shielding Sofiya from harm and thwarting the mes that sought to consume her. Sofiya''s elemental aspect of decay resonated through the feathers, infusing them with the same properties.


    Yet, there was more to this transformation. Sofiya had tapped into the abilities of her loyal Spirit Beast, the ck-Feathered Death Owl. Its ethereal essence materialized above her head, its form characterized by white eyes, a ck beak, and a feathery ebony body.


    With an impressive wingspan of sixteen feet, it exuded a daunting presence when observed up close. The spirit beast''s appearance bore a slight emaciated quality, a reflection of its shared elemental aspect with its master¡ªdeath, and decay.


    With a fervent pping of its wings, the spirit beast screeched and defied the mes, unaffected by their scorching heat, thanks to the protective prowess of its ck feathers. Sofiya had indeed borrowed her feathery shield from her Spirit Beast, harnessing its power to brave the fiery depths of Igni Lotus.


    In this altered state, Sofiya appeared less human and more akin to a beastkin, a fusion of human and animal traits. However, her transformation prioritized functionality over aesthetics, ensuring her survival within the zing confines of the Igni Lotus.


    "Hmm. You look weird in this form."


    Eren couldn''t help butment on Sofiya''s altered form, his gaze fixed upon her. Despite deploying his domain, he chose not tounch a direct attack just yet. Instead, he sought to goad Sofiya into revealing her trump cards, eager to seize the opportunity and finally defeat her without there being a shred of doubt oreback. So that it offers him peace of mind and enables him to recruit her to his mercenary team.


    Sofiya was not particrly happy with Erenmenting on her appearance at the time. She scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out to let him know she was a bit angry at him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Eren ignored Sofiya''s little tantrums. Astonished by her mastery over yet another Spirit Beast Spell, Eren finallyprehended why she had chosen to tap into the true potential of the battle mage ss through these ethereal creatures. It allowed her ess to various powers that were the innate spells of her Spirit Beasts.


    "Hehe. Not bad. Time to test your capabilities," Eren chuckled with a wolfish grin, finally taking action upon witnessing Sofiya''s readiness to confront him. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned an Awakened-rank crossbow artifact, its formidable presence aimed squarely at Sofiya.


    In an instant, the fire-element mana in the vicinity underwent a stunning transformation, reshaping itself into a volley of fiery arrows. Eren''s spell, Igni Bolt st, materialized with resounding power, harnessing the abundance of mes to forge a deadly arsenal of explosive fire-element projectiles.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Eren opted for a direct assault, eschewing the spirit beast''s mana-infused form, which possessed the ability to heal from mortal wounds as long as Sofiya channeled her mana reserves for regeneration. Instead, he targeted the primary caster herself¡ªSofiya.


    The Spirit Beast discerned a swift onught of fire-element arrows hurtling towards them from multiple angles, propelled with blinding speed. They cleaved through the scorching air, piercing the sea of mes to converge upon their intended target, pulsating with explosive energy poised to unleash devastating detonations upon contact.


    Surrounded by swirling ck winds, Sofiya invoked a movement spell, swiftly retreating in an attempt to evade the iing onught. Yet, she knew that mere retreat would not suffice against the overwhelming number of fire-element arrows homing in on her position. As she fell back, shemanded her Spirit Beast to charge forward, employing it as a protective shield to shield her escape.


    The ck Feathered Death Owl emitted a piercing screech, its magnificent wings unfurling as it fearlessly advanced towards the encroaching arrows. With each beat of its wings, it releasedpressed waves of ck-element mana, creating a tempest of condensed ck winds that surged forth, colliding with the oing barrage.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Explosions reverberated through the air as the arrows collided with the cyclone of ck winds, intensifying the mes trapped within the fire-element barrier. The fiery realm zed even brighter, its luminosity heightened by the detonations that echoed within.


    A handful of arrows managed to elude the spirit beast''s defense, but they proved inadequate to harm Sofiya in her current state. Having sessfully evaded Eren''s assault, Sofiya immediately set her sights onunching a counterattack.


    However, her tion quickly soured as she realized her grave error in assuming safety from Eren''s onught. To her dismay, a flock of avian creatures, their mana bodies aze with fiery energy, materialized behind her, blocking any potential retreat.


    Eren''s spell, Alfem, had been cunningly cast. The arrows Sofiya had deftly avoided were nothing more than a diversion¡ªa deceptive ploy. Within the confines of the Igni Lotus, Eren''s fire-element spells proved effortless to unleash, capable of manifesting from any vantage point.


    Screech. Swoosh. Boom.

 Chapter 254 Defeating Sofiya

    ?


    Alfem!


    Eren''s all-rounder spell unleashed its power within the fiery domain of Igni Lotus.


    A multitude of fire-element birds swarmed Sofiya and her spirit beast,unching relentless attacks that left no room for recovery or reinforcements. Explosions of dazzling light erupted as the avian creatures relentlessly targeted their adversaries.


    Pain and agony wracked Sofiya''s body as she confronted the onught of fire-element birds head-on. Utilizing her movement spell, she managed to create some distance from the encroaching flock. Yet, the relentless creation of fiery birds seemed ceaseless, appearing out of thin air no matter where she turned. There was only so far she could run. She cursed herself for letting Eren use his domain spell on her.


    The ck-feathered Death Owl fared no better.


    It valiantly fought against the fiery birds, employing various spells and aggressive physical attacks. However, the fire-born birds, empowered by Eren''s Spell Integration, retaliated with their own fire breath and destructive spells. This additional power not only heightened their damage output but also granted them versatility in their assaults.


    With unwavering resolve, Sofiya clenched her fists as she found herself surrounded once again, this time by a flock of menacing me spawn birds. Their screeches filled the air, their aggressive wing pping a clear message: surrender or face dire consequences. What made matters worse was that some of these birds were capable of casting fire-element spells of their own through Spell Integration.


    Sofiya struggled to believe that a mere Awakened Ranker, who had recently achieved his promotion in Rank-2, could wield suchplex spells with exceptional proficiency. She marveled at Eren''s ability to infuse immense mana into his spells without burning out in the process.


    "I... I''m not giving up," Sofiya gritted her teeth, her gaze fixed on Eren''s blurred figure amidst a sea of his own fiery creation. With a wave of her hand, she dispelled her owl-type spirit beast, only to summon another from her repertoire.


    As the featheryyer on Sofiya''s skin vanished, a brilliant formation of ck fur emerged, reflecting the surrounding light. The fur, resembling that of a fox, exuded a sturdy and resilient quality against various forms of attack¡ªphysical and elemental alike. Unlike the sporadic patches of feathers, this fur enveloped her entire body, providingprehensive protection.


    Sofiya''s third and final spirit beast materialized beside her, taking her into its embrace. This was Mistytail, the fox-like spirit beast in her arsenal. Adorned with ck and copper fur, it stood as tall as Sofiya herself¡ªagile, lethal, and radiating menace with its red eyes fixed upon Eren. Equipped with sharp ws, a puffy tail, and long ears sensitive to opponents'' slightest movements, it growled, poised to strike at a moment''s notice.


    While her first spirit beast, the ck Wind Cobra, aided Sofiya in close-quartersbat, she had learned her lesson well. Approaching Eren within striking range while inside the fiery domain would only lead to her defeat. Simrly, her owl-type spirit beast, designed for long-range assaults, proved ineffective against Eren as well.


    Mistytail, however, offered Sofiya a new approach¡ªa mid-range battle style. The only drawback was its high mana consumption, which made her hesitant to summon it until now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Aware that prolonged engagement with Eren while using Mistytail would drain her mana quickly, Sofiya nced at the iing birds with determination. Charging towards Eren using her movement spell, her spirit beast redirected its attention to the flock that ensnared it and its summoner.


    With a menacing howl, Mistytail unleashed a storm of ck shards, needle-like projectilesposed of its regenerative fur. The sharp shards filled the air, darting toward the firebirds in a relentless assault.


    Within moments, Sofiya decided to maximize her attack potential at the cost of increased mana consumption. The fire-element birds found themselves bombarded by an onught of needle-like projectiles, unable to dodge or mount a swift defense. With the appearance of Mistytail, it became clear that the firebirds alone were insufficient to defeat Sofiya.


    Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Sofiya summoned four more manifestations of Mistytail, surrounding herself with their presence as she closed in on Eren using her movement spell.


    Sofiya pressed forward with her four Mistytail foxes by her side, their needle-like fur strands whirling through the air. Each fox summoned a condensed ck wind ball from its mouth, unleashing a volley of attacks toward Eren''s blurred figure hidden amidst the sea of mes. Simultaneously, Sofiya began casting her own version of spells, replicating the innate powers of her spirit beast.


    Closing in on Eren, Sofiya prepared for a decisive strike. However, as she reached striking range, a chilling realization dawned upon her¡ªEren had been nonchntly waiting for her, wielding an ax in each hand. He didn''t run away from the confrontation even though he knew he just needed to buy his time to win over Sofiya. After all, her mana consumption had been raised to absurd levels after she stacked her spirit beast spell which was already mana-intensive to begin with.


    Eren decided to strike Sofiya when she was at her most powerful. With lightning-fast precision, heunched a storm of Igni Shards, deflecting the projectiles aimed at him. The Igni Shards, micro-sized fire-element projectiles, detonated upon contact with any object, colliding with the needle-like fur projectiles from the spirit beasts. The resulting explosions erupted in a dazzling disy of light, engulfing Sofiya and Eren in a chaotic symphony of detonations.


    Undeterred, Eren brandished his dual-wielded axes, facing Sofiya, who drew her sword in response. With a swift motion, Eren unleashed a series of Igni Wave attacks from the des of his axes. The fiery waves sliced through the air, relentlessly targeting the four fox-type spirit beasts that apanied Sofiya. A fierce battle ensued, each sh of weapons apanied by sparks and metallic noises.


    Sofiya fought valiantly, but Eren''s mastery of the terrain became increasingly evident as the battle raged on. With rtive ease, he dismantled each of the fox beasts one by one, their once formidable presence diminished. Sofiya found herself sustaining injuries with each passing moment, the tide of the battle turning against her.


    Despite her determination, Sofiya''s mana reserves were steadily depleted. The strain of the intense battle, coupled with the continuous casting of spells, took its toll. Finally, her storage of mana ran dry, and she was left with no choice but to dispel all her spells. Fatigue overwhelmed her, causing her to crash onto the ground, consciousness slipping away.


    Eren stood victorious amidst the aftermath, his axes gleaming in the dim light. Sofiya''s defeat was undeniable, her body sprawled on the battlefield, unconscious and defenseless. The battle hade to an end, but the price paid by Sofiya was evident¡ªher spirit beast retreated, her mana expended, and her defeated at the hands of a formidable opponent.

 Chapter 255 "Only Those Who Dare May Fly"

    ?


    A nameless inn in the city of Dafur. Gahan.


    Sofiya''s eyelids fluttered open, and a searing headache greeted her, making her groan in agony.


    The world swam before her eyes, graduallying into focus. Even after rousing from her slumber, an overwhelming fatigue enveloped her, tempting her to retreat into the weing embrace of sleep.


    To her surprise, Sofiya found herself in an unfamiliar room, a far cry from the battleground where she had shed with Eren. As she struggled to sit up, she noticed theforting embrace of a modest yet plush bed beneath her.


    Confusion clouded her thoughts, and she voiced her bewilderment in a low murmur, "Where... where am I?" Slowly adjusting her vision, she scanned the surroundings, her gaze finallynding on Eren perched by the room''s solitary window, lost in contemtion.


    "Well¡­ good evening, sleepy head. We''ve taken shelter at an inn for now," Eren replied, his gaze still fixed on the mysterious outside world. Breaking his trance, he nonchntly tossed a vial of sparkling Awakened-rank potion toward Sofiya. "Here. Drink this," he offered without bothering to meet her eyes.


    With reflexes honed through battles, Sofiya effortlessly caught the vial, her narrowed eyes fixated on Eren. ncing down at her attire, she quickly ensured that it hadn''t been tampered with. She parted her lips to speak but then hesitated, exhaling a resigned sigh. She decided to consume the healing potion Eren had bestowed upon her.


    As the liquid slid down her throat, the potion''s effects surged through Sofiya''s body. Activating her mana circuits, she channeled the healing energies, gradually alleviating her mana fatigue. A sense of rejuvenation washed over her, although she was still far from aplete recovery.


    "You stingy man. Couldn''t you offer me a decent healing potion? That was a cheap knock-off of Healing Harmony." Sofiya scoffed at Eren in a crisp Russian ent, her toneced with annoyance. Adjusting her hair, she deftly tied it into a knot at the back of her head.


    Eren chuckled wryly before retorting, "What do you expect from a penniless man burdened with an insurmountable loan? I don''t possess Healing Harmony. And even if I did, I doubt I would''ve shared it considering my dire financial situation."


    He ran a hand through his white hair, his paleplexion, and piercing blue eyes basking in the warm embrace of the evening light. When he turned to face Sofiya, his enigmatic visage carried a certain allure that captivated her.


    The reminder struck Sofiya that Eren wasn''t in a position to bestow gifts upon her. After all, he still had to settle a substantial debt with the Stardust Guild for the destruction of his synth body. Additionally, he owed his friends a debt of gratitude for their support during his two-year-long vegetative state back on Earth.


    Unbeknownst to Sofiya, Eren also carried the weight of indebtedness to Ma for the assistance he had received upon entering the world of Gahan. In essence, Eren found himself crushed beneath the burden of overwhelming debt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sofiya Ivanova, the Hexer girl, thrived on challenging exceptional Rankers of her generation, using them as stepping stones for her personal growth. Although brash in her demeanor and words, she recognized the value of favors bestowed upon her.


    Casting her gaze upon Eren, her lips pursed, and her piercing gaze softened as she mustered the courage to utter a few apologetic words. "I... I''m sorry, Eren," she stammered, feeling a twinge of awkwardness at the realization of her imposition on him.


    "Don''t apologize, Sofiya," Eren''s voice now flowed with the melodious tones of Gahan''snguage. Casting a knowing smile at her, he spoke with a hint of amusement, "Regret alone won''t suffice. I need you to feel indebted, enough to honor our agreement and join my mercenary unit. You do remember our deal, don''t you? The one we made regarding our spar?"


    Sofiya''s memory was jogged by Eren''s words, reminding her of the promise she had made to join his mercenary unit if she lost their duel. Contemtive silence hung in the air as she mulled over the various aspects of her decision before finally finding her voice.


    "Eren, forming a mercenary unit while remaining affiliated with a guild seems rather redundant, don''t you think?" Sofiya''s gaze locked onto Eren, her expression pensive. "Each member of the unit would be obligated to provide a fixed percentage of their earnings to their respective guild. Even a modest 5-10% cut would be burdensome as we undertake more and more missions. It would be wiser for us to ept missions from our guild instead. They areparatively safer and guarantee a steady ie."


    Eren let out a weary sigh, shaking his head in disagreement. Speaking in a measured tone, his piercing gaze fixed on Sofiya, he countered her argument.


    "Indeed, you''re not wrong, Sofiya. But I''m an outcast in my own guild. Do you think the guild administration would assign me lucrative missions? More likely, they would burden me with perilous tasks that offer minimal rewards. And forgive me for saying this, but your rtionship with the guild isn''t exactly cordial either, is it? You face simr alienation from the guild members if not more."


    Sofiya''s annoyance simmered as Eren held up a figurative mirror, forcing her to confront the truth. Folding her arms beneath her bosom, she huffed before responding, "Ha! That''s of no concern to me. As long as I ampensated for the missions I undertake, I couldn''t care less about their opinions."


    Eren remained unperturbed by Sofiya''s anti-social tendencies, simply shrugging his shoulders before continuing.


    "But there''s more to it, Sofiya. Right now, a stable ie isn''t my ultimate pursuit," Eren''s voice resonated with an insatiable thirst for liberation. A longing he couldn''t fully grasp, a burning desire to break free from the shackles that bound him.


    "I yearn to transcend the guild''s restrictions, to wander this world on my own terms, unburdened by their bureaucratic entanglements. And I sense a simr yearning within you," Eren''s words hung in the air, charged with palpable energy.


    He continued, his voice carrying an infectious enthusiasm, "After all, only those who dare may fly. Don''t you agree?" Eren''s question lingered, its weight stirring a profound response deep within Sofiya''s being.

 Chapter 256 A Freelancers Dreamjob

    ?


    "This man¡­ is a smooth talker."


    Sofiya couldn''t help but find herself in agreement with Eren''s words, silently acknowledging his skill in stirring emotions, even if it ultimately served his own interests. Deep down, she knew she shared his yearning for freedom, understanding the appeal of joining his fledgling mercenary unit and the liberation it promised.


    Yet, the notion of aligning herself with Eren''s nascent endeavor left her cautious. The unitcked a solid foundation, and Sofiya was well aware that more lucrative options existed for supplementing her ie alongside her obligatory guild missions.


    Nevertheless, Sofiya prided herself on her integrity andmitment to her word. Since she had agreed to embark on this risky venture with Eren, she resolved to see it through. Her decision was grounded in quiet trust that Eren would disband the unit himself if and when he recognized that the meager earnings outweighed the effort invested.


    After all, in the treacherous world of Gahan, mercenary units often bloomed and dispersed like transient bubbles.


    "Eren, what are your immediate goals in forming this mercenary unit?" Sofiya finally mustered the interest to ask, taking a deep breath. Eren''s knowing smile hinted that Sofiya was on the cusp of agreeing to his proposal, just in need of a gentle nudge.


    "Hmm, my foremost priority in establishing the unit is to create a passive ie stream for my artifact crafting projects," Eren responded, his voiceced with a touch of introspection. He knew that he had to be honest with her. His gaze seemed to pierce into the distant future as he shared his aspirations.


    "I cannot hope to be a master artifact forger if I merely grind away epting guild missions without questioning. I aim to build a renowned mercenary unit that operates autonomously, freeing me to dedicate myself to my craft. Hehe. Basically, working at my own pace. You can call it a frencer''s dreamjob."


    Sofiya was momentarily taken aback by Eren''s answer. It seemed that his pursuit of a career as an artifact forger differed from her expectations. She knew that novice artifact creators required substantial support in their initial stages¡ªa prospect beyond the means of someone like Eren, burdened by crippling debts.


    Confusion clouded her features as she sought rification, "Eren, you''d have to forgive my skepticism. But venturing into artifact forging typically demands strong financial backing. It isn''t a path easily pursued by brokeass individuals facing financial constraints like yourself. How do you n to make up the initial investment you need to eventuallye out as a sessful forger from the other side?"


    Sofiya asked her question with conviction. But it was not like she was against Eren''s ideas or found them to be unrealistic. Eren''s intentions became clear as he unveiled his strategy to y the long game through the establishment of a mercenary unit. Curiosity flickered in her eyes, prompting her to exin her previous argument further.


    "Please don''t get me wrong. I don''t want to discourage you. But you have to admit that bing an artifact forger is undoubtedly challenging. Novice forgers must be prepared to invest their resources and raw ingredients with no guaranteed gains in return.


    It''s like burning away money with no immediate payoff. That''s why signing a contract with a Masonic guild would be beneficial. They can provide the necessary resources, privileged information, and guidance that you won''t find elsewhere," Sofiya suggested, her words echoing with logic.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Finding a Masonic guild seemed like a direct and streamlined path for Eren to pursue his artifact-forging career, avoiding the troubles he sought by taking a roundabout approach. However, Eren smiled and shook his head, denying her suggestion.


    "Normally, you would be right, Sofiya, and I would agree with you," Eren responded, his pacingmencing as he strolled around the room, hands sped behind his back. His gaze appeared distant, lost in contemtion.


    "But the truth is, I already have ess to privileged information concerning artifact forging. I may require assistance to fill in the nks, but that''s something I can manage on my own in the future without being bound by restrictive contracts with Masonic guilds.


    I don''t want to be beholden to any guild, and I don''t want to lose sight of my main path as a battlemage. Forming a mercenary unit grants me the ideal bnce and flexibility to achieve all my goals."


    Eren had already experienced his epiphany regarding artifact forging. His ns revolved around creating his own Hex gear sets toplement his battlemage ss.


    Plus, he had an infinite mana core and its elemental neutrality, which could potentially help him be the best artifact forger of his generation. He also had the loot he had stolen from House of Spiders that he could potentially count on to support his endeavor.


    Moreover, his close ties with Ma ensured he could acquire privileged information for the right price without any strings attached. All of these advantages diminished the need for Eren to sign contracts with Masonic guilds.


    Of course, he chose not to disclose every detail to Sofiya at that moment. Thus, his confidence in pursuing his side career as an artifact forger remained a mystery to her.


    As Eren''s enigmatic nature deepened, Sofiya refrained from prying into his private affairs. She understood that each ranker had their own secrets, just as she held her own. Respecting boundaries, she redirected her intrigue to her next question.


    "Eren, you speak of forming a mercenary unit, and you seem to have contingencies in ce if it fails. But what if your unit bes sessful? Have you considered its future? Would you eventually convert it into a guild?" Sofiya inquired, halting Eren''s pacing.


    Truthfully, Eren had yet to ponder his course of action after achieving sess with his mercenary unit. He knew all too well that super-sessful units often evolved into guilds, as it was the logical progression or expansion for such endeavors. Even the Stardust Guild, his current affiliation, had originated as a humble mercenary unit before transforming into its present form.


    Eren took a moment to collect his thoughts, contemting Sofiya''s question before formting his response.

 Chapter 257 Sofiya Onboard

    ?


    "A guild, huh?"


    Eren paused, allowing the weight of Sofiya''s question to settle before he embarked on formting his response. Contemtion etched across his features as he began to address her inquiry.


    "Hmm... That was indeed an excellent question, Sofiya," Eren mused, his voiceced with thoughtful consideration.


    "However, I have finally decided not to transform my mercenary unit into a guild ever in the future, even if it bes a sess story. Forming a guild would bind me to time-consuming guild matters and subject me to the kingdom''s restrictions. That is not something I wish to deal with. I also don''t have the necessary skills and patience needed to act as the guild master.


    And let''s not forget the fact that sess is fleeting in nature. It might not travel with you when you take sharp turns. While there are examples of mercenary units that have found continued sess after evolving into guilds, there are also countless instances where such units have faced turmoil and ultimately disbanded.


    Conversely, there are daring mercenary units that remain true to their origins, achieving greater mary sess and fame than many fledgling guilds. I would want something like that for my unit. I aim to forge a path of sess for my mercenary unit while preserving the core principles it was built upon."


    Sofiya couldn''t help but be impressed by Eren''sprehensive response to her sudden question. It was evident that he had meticulously considered every aspect of establishing and shaping a mercenary unit''s future.


    This was not a decision made on a whim, and his realistic goal-setting provided her with a measure of reassurance. Yet, a hint of dissatisfaction creased her features as she scrunched her nose and voiced her concern.


    "All that sounds well and good, Eren, but it seems the benefits of forming a mercenary unit are predominantly yours. What about the potential members of the unit?" she inquired, her tone tinged with a hint of discontent. "You''ve stated that money isn''t your primary concern, so does that mean we would be slogging our asses without properpensation merely to facilitate your growth as an artifact forger?"


    Eren chuckled in response to Sofiya''sint, understanding the underlying frustration behind her words. With a yful glint in his eyes, he offered a rification.


    "Haha, I did mention that earning money isn''t my main focus in forming the mercenary unit. However, I would be lying if I said I didn''t relish the possibility of wealth alongside our investment of time and effort in this endeavor," Eren exined, his gaze meeting Sofiya''s. "Moreover, let''s just say that I have a bit of hidden stash in the world of Gahan. I just need to uncover its whereabouts," he added, his mind racing with thoughts of reuniting with Ariadne and Lagartha, eager to im his share of the loot they had acquired.


    Eren''s response alluded to a promising prospect for potential riches, providing a glimmer of hope for Sofiya and the other members of the unit.


    Sofiya''s mind drifted, seemingly lost in her own thoughts as she processed Eren''s mysterious ns and intentions. Her contemtion led her to consider the various aspects of epting Eren''s proposal, weighing the potential benefits and risks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Observing Sofiya''s demeanor, Eren pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing with determination. He cleared his throat, infusing his voice with renewed vigor as he sought to convince her of his vision.


    "Look, Sofiya," Eren began, his voice brimming with conviction. "By forming a mercenary unit, we can undertake high-revenue missions that are often exclusive to such groups. The greater the risk and the more illicit the nature of the tasks, the greater the rewards.


    Of course, I believe in taking calcted risks. This way, once I''ve repaid all my debts and no longer require the protection afforded by the Stardust Guild, I can devote my time and efforts to our mercenary squad whenever necessary and focus on honing my skills as an artifact forger whenever convenient for me to do so."


    As Sofiya delved into her own thoughts, she noticed that the sky had turned dark outside the window, enveloping the region in a serene night. Unaware of her musings, Eren continued to share his perspective in an effort to sway her.


    "Furthermore, it''s not as if you wouldn''t reap the same benefits as I do," Eren borated, his words filled with optimism. "Eventually, both of us can sever our ties with the Stardust Guild once we''ve fulfilled our obligations and dedicated ourselves fully to the growth of our unit. And once we''ve firmly established it, we can expand it enough to allow ourselves some well-deserved personal time."


    Eren ceased his pacing, turning his gaze towards Sofiya, hoping his responses had addressed all her concerns. Now, it was her turn to provide a definitive reply.


    In truth, Sofiya had merely been probing Eren''s intentions through her line of questioning. Her decision to join his mercenary unit had already been made, and she sighed, rying her confirmation.


    "Alright, alright. Don''t give me those puppy eyes of yours," Sofiya remarked, rising from her bed. She approached the window with a leisurely stride, taking in the tranquil suburban view of the City of Dafur. "I''m in," she finally dered, turning her head to meet Eren''s gaze with unwavering confidence.


    Eren chuckled in response to Sofiya''s words, his excitement palpable as he took steps toward the window, joining her side. Standing together, he couldn''t help but express his satisfaction.


    "That''s great to hear, Sofiya," Eren eximed, his voice tinged with excitement. "We don''t yet know how sessful our mercenary unit will be, but we need a strong start to make it big. Having Rankers like you on board is an excellent beginning for me."


    Eren had another motive behind his decision to form his own mercenary unit. It provided him with the potential to evade prying eyes. After all, his infinite mana core was the biggest secret he had to keep to himself. A smaller group was more manageable and easier to manipte, unlike the scrutiny that came with an official guild''s squad.

 Chapter 258 Building Trust

    ?


    Sofiya had agreed to be the third member of Eren''s mercenary unit.


    As the night cloaked the world in its embrace, shrouding everything in darkness, the two engaged in a profound conversation. Their voices carried through the stillness, their wordsden with determination and purpose.


    Eren was grateful to have someone like Sofiya as a member of his mercenary unit, while Sofiya was d for the opportunity to delve deeper into her path as a Ranker. The prospect of exploring the depths of her ss by challenging stronger adversaries exhrated her.


    Mercenary missions carried a heightened level of risk, distinguishing them from ordinary assignments. Sofiya believed that only by undertaking such perilous ventures could she truly progress at a rapid pace on her ranking journey. Both in terms of earning potential and personal growth. Additionally, she had never truly fit in with most members of the Stardust Guild. So being part of a small group was tempting for her.


    Themitment they were about to undertake held great weight, especially considering their current ties to the Stardust Guild. Severing those connections wouldn''t be an immediate possibility, adding ayer ofplexity to their endeavor.


    Renowned mercenary squads indeed enjoyed handsomepensation from diverse organizations, but they were often tasked with missions that official guilds deemed too challenging or morally ambiguous. It meant that Eren and Sofiya would have to navigate a delicate bnce, juggling their obligations to the guild while upholding the unspoken principles and ethical code that defined the world of mercenaries.


    Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Sofiya chose to trust Eren as they stood side by side. yfully, she turned to him and posed an excited question, her tone brimming with anticipation. "So, what shall we name our mercenary unit?"


    "I don''t know yet," Eren replied nonchntly, sighing as he addressed Sofiya''s inquiry further. "And before you ask anything else, let me tell you that you''re not the first member of the unit. Two other Rankers are already part of our team." Curious, Sofiya inquired about their whereabouts.


    Eren''s response came with a wry smile and a tinge of bitterness. "To be honest, I don''t know. Finding them is our first self-assigned mission as a unit. We need to locate two Awakened Rankers named Lagartha and Ariadne." As he spoke, Eren''s thoughts harkened back to his conversation with the two girls just before his synthetic body was destroyed. He possessed a clue to their whereabouts, but he could only hope it would lead him to them. After all, he was in dire need of funds at that point.


    Sofiya couldn''t contain her excitement any longer. "So what are we waiting for?" she eximed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Let''s go and start searching for these two girls right away!" Her hands pped together in a burst of enthusiasm.


    Eren, however, hesitated before revealing a crucial piece of information. He pursed his lips, gathering his thoughts. "Finding them won''t be easy," he began, his voice tinged with a touch of uncertainty. "They would have likely changed their identities by now, and it''s probable that they''re in a different kingdom, far away from Shaikai."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Why would they need to change their identities? What have they done?" Sofiya questioned, her suspicion growing as she observed Eren intently. She wondered if she had acted too hastily in joining his mercenary unit.


    Eren''s smile faltered for a moment before he remembered to take precautions. Activating a semi-transparent istion barrier, a feature provided by the inn room, he ensured their conversation would remain private. Only when he felt the room was secure did he disclose the truth. "Well, nobody knows this. But during the House of Spider incident, Lagartha and Ariadne were with me. I urged them to escape far from the Shaikai kingdom and assume new identities."


    Sofiya nodded, initially unfazed by Eren''s revtion. She was well aware of Eren''s true identity as the infamous Last Spider, a figure who had dominated the public''s attention for an entire decade, albeit for all the wrong reasons. The revtion didn''te as a shock to her.


    However, as she contemted the implications of Eren''s words, her eyes widened in surprise. Pointing an usatory finger at Eren, she eximed in a raised voice, "You! Unbelievable. So, the rumors were true. The goods in the warehouse weren''t destroyed. You let those two girls escape with the loot before causing the entire ce to explode."


    Eren, satisfied that he had taken the necessary precautions, wore a cunning smile in response to Sofiya''s usation. He remained silent, allowing the gravity of her words to settle. In the next moment, a bolt of lightning illuminated the room, revealing Eren lying peacefully on one side of the bed, seemingly asleep. "Rest for now, Sofiya," he spoke calmly. "Finding them won''t be easy after all these years. We have many preparations to make before embarking on the search for Lagartha and Ariadne. We need to be at our best for what lies ahead."


    Sofiya was left speechless, unsure of how to respond to Eren''s dismissal as he closed his eyes, seemingly drifting into a serene slumber. She grappled with the realization that the wild theories surrounding the Last Spider were indeed true and that Eren had deceived everyone during the incident fourteen years ago.


    Sighing heavily, she reluctantly epted the fact that she had aligned herself with a dangerous man. Yet, there was a part of her that found Eren even more intriguing than before. If he had truly absconded with such a substantial amount of loot from the House of Spiders'' warehouse, then their aspirations of forming a mercenary unit and pursuing artifact forging didn''t seem as far-fetched anymore.


    The prospect of wealth and resources from Eren''s hidden cache managed to assuage Sofiya''s concerns, and a newfound excitement began to bloom within her. She eagerly awaited Eren''s ns, now viewing them as attainable and filled with potential.


    Sofiya''s heart swelled with gratitude as Eren entrusted her with this secret, a hidden shard of knowledge that no one else possessed. At that moment, she felt a profound sense of inclusion, as if she had been granted ess to Eren''s innermost thoughts and aspirations.


    The revtion forged a bond between them, kindling a spark of trust within her. After all, the act of sharing secrets had a unique way of bringing people closer together, fostering a connection built on mutual understanding and vulnerability.

 Chapter 259 Collecting The Bonus Test’s Reward

    ?


    Deep within thebyrinthine passageways...


    A portal shimmered, revealing a secluded dimension brimming with potent mana.


    This hidden pocket dimension, known as the Hexers'' Testing Grounds, was separated from the rest of Gahan, its diversendscapes ranging from dense forests to expansive deserts and fiery volcanic regions. Created with meticulous care, each part of this dimension represented a distinct terrain, a challenge for the Rankers who ventured here in pursuit of the legendary Hex Gear that belonged to the Bear''s Creed.


    A serene valley unfolded before Eren''s eyes, nestled within the embrace of towering mountain ranges. Its undtingndscape bore witness to the sculpting forces of nature, with rugged rocks giving rise to abyrinth of intricately formed trenches and gentle hills.


    A sparse veil of vegetation adorned the arid terrain, its existence a testament to resilience amidst destion. In this secluded expanse, warm and dry winds waltzed through the air, leaving their mark on the surrounding atmosphere, a reminder of nature''s ever-present touch.


    This was familiar terrain to Eren, and his memory rted to it was still fresh in his mind. After all, this was the terrain in which he hadst fought with a wyvern and won, if only barely.


    Kino, the guardian of the testing grounds, greeted Eren with a frown. "You''ve taken quite some time toe back," she remarked, her toneden with dissatisfaction. Eren chuckled, acknowledging her statement.


    "I... I couldn''t help it, Kino. Let''s just say I took a significant risk and paid the price for it," Eren sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness. However, he swiftly tried to change the course of the conversation, eager to inject enthusiasm into their exchange. "Haha. Never mind that. I''m here in Gahan now, with my original body, just as we discussedst time," he eximed with renewed vigor.


    Kino, a homunculus and the caretaker of the Hexers'' testing grounds possessed an eternal youthfulness, her captivating beauty undiminished by the passage of time.


    Unsatisfied with Eren''s evasive response, Kino probed further, demanding to know every detail of his journey since he hadst departed the testing grounds. Helpless under her persistent questioning, Eren found himself obliged to recount his arduous history. As he finished, Kino regarded him with a hint of disbelief, her gaze seemingly questioning his very existence.


    "Eren, toying with death is never a wise path to tread. While it''s fortunate that only your synthetic body was destroyed in that incident and your soul returned to its original vessel, you must understand the dangers involved.


    These things are unpredictable, and there''s no telling what might go awry. I implore you not to risk your life so recklessly, for what good is a treasure if it costs you your sanity?"


    Eren had initially prepared to defend his actions, ready to justify the calcted risk he had taken. However, upon reflection, he conceded, dropping his shoulders and closing his mouth, merely nodding in response to Kino''s admonition.


    He recognized that his gamble had teetered on the precipice of disaster, and it was through sheer luck that he emerged unscathed. Thus, he refrained from defending his choices, choosing instead to silently acknowledge Kino''s wisdom.


    Observing Eren''s tacit agreement with her sentiments, Kino opted not to delve deeper into the subject. A faint sigh escaped her lips as she resolved to focus on the task at hand, aligning with Eren''s purpose for being there.


    "Kiamat," she uttered, her voice carrying a blend ofmand and reverence, summoning forth the wyvern that had once shed with Eren.


    In an abrupt spectacle, a colossal creature descended upon the ground not far from Eren''s position. With a few mighty ps of its wings, the beast gracefully transitioned onto all fours.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Standing at an impressive height of 5.5 meters when grounded, the wyvern stretched a formidable length of approximately 13 meters, tail excluded. Its hide boasted a thick, blood-redplexion, adorned with enigmatic ck stripes resembling intricate runic markings upon closer inspection. Mighty wings sprouted from its front limbs, while its hind legs appearedparatively shorter, each terminating in four menacing toes armed with razor-sharp, obsidian ws.


    Sporting a draconic visage, the wyvern exuded an aura of menace, heightened by its rows of white and yellow teeth gleaming in the bright daylight. asional glimmers emanated from its yellow eyes, granting glimpses of its slitted, vertical pupils.


    Though its sinewy framecked overt muscr definition, the creature''s litheness belied its big stature, hinting at a remarkable agility concealed within.


    Roar!


    With a resounding draconic bellow that reverberated through the surroundings, the wyvern directed its piercing gaze towards Eren, its primal voice filling the air. Yet, amidst the thunderous roar, a discerning ear would detect the absence of a confrontational tone. Although the wyvern''s formidable presence struck fear into the hearts of ordinary rankers, careful observation would reveal that it harbored no immediate intention to engage inbat.


    "Um¡­ Yeah. It''s good to see you too, bud."


    Eren replied calmly, his voice carrying a touch of nonchnce in the face of Tiamat''s thunderous roar. Although his body trembled slightly in proximity to the majestic draconic beast, he had grown moreposed since theirst encounter, gaining mastery over his emotions.


    Roar!


    Tiamat bellowed once more, acknowledging Eren''s greeting. Then, with graceful movements, the wyvern folded its colossal wings, retracted its serpentine neck, and lowered its massive form to the ground, assuming a restful posture. Its long tail coiled protectively around its body, a testament to thetent power it possessed.


    "Are you prepared for the process?"


    Kino inquired, her gaze fixed on Eren. He nodded in response, conveying his readiness. In the next instant, Kino raised her right hand and, with a flick of her wrist, summoned aplex runic array.


    Her delicate, fairy-like wings propelled her into the air, bringing her to a position not far from Eren and Tiamat. This arrangement left the two of them as the sole upants within the intricate web of runes. Two Array Eyes materialized, encircling Eren and Tiamat, and intricate patterns connected them, pulsating with an enigmatic power.


    Spirit Contract!


    ===


    AN: Tiamat was first mentioned in chapter 214. Spirit Contract was first mentioned in chapter 222.

 Chapter 260 Forming Spirit Contract With Tiamat

    ?


    Spirit Contract!


    Eren stood on the precipice of establishing a profound bond with Tiamat.


    A Spirit Contract would grant him unparalleled control over the wyvern, shaping its actions with his very will. Through this ancient and sacred soul-linking contract, they would share fragments of their essence, forging a symbiotic rtionship.


    This was the purpose that had drawn Eren to the hallowed grounds of the Hexers¡ªhis quest to im the reward for conquering the arduous bonus stage of the test, culminating in this pivotal moment.


    A profound sensation stirred within Eren as if unseen tendrils reached deep into his being, gently brushing against the core of his essence. He surmised that it was the effect of the intricate array, its purpose to establish a connection with his very soul. Following Kino''s guidance, he willingly lowered his defenses, allowing the ethereal runic tendrils to intertwine with his essence.


    Kino, her movements imbued with grace and purpose, began to weave her mastery over the ancient runic array. Observing the stable vital signs of both Eren and Tiamat, she beckoned Eren to contribute a drop of his own blood to the array''s center, which shimmered with vibrant crimson radiance. Complying with her instructions, Eren produced a small gash on his finger with his trusty ax, releasing a crimson droplet that fell precisely within the array''s focal point.


    "Eren, now I need you to obtain a drop of blood from Tiamat. Only with his willing consent and the offering of his blood can we proceed further with the contract," Kino stated solemnly, her unwavering gaze fixed upon Eren. Raising his eyebrows, Eren nced between Kino and Tiamat, a sense of tension coursing through his veins as he contemted drawing blood from the magnificent wyvern.


    Kino reassured him, emphasizing that since he had already emerged victorious over Tiamat, the beast would not resist this necessary step. Steeling himself, Eren swallowed his unease and began approaching the formidable creature, the epassing presence of the Array Eye trailing alongside him, ensuring his containment within its protective perimeter.


    Eren hoped that Tiamat possessed the intelligence toprehend the nature of the process, understanding that his act of inflicting a potential wound was not an act of aggression.


    Growl!


    As Eren neared, Tiamat emitted a low, cautionary growl, his reptilian gaze fixed warily upon the human interloper. However, the wyvern remained motionless, maintaining its resting pose. Kino, her expression filled with anticipation, observed the interaction between the two with bated breath.


    Eren stood in the towering shadow of Tiamat''s draconic form, appearing diminutive inparison. This contrast was entuated by the knowledge that Tiamat, though still a youngling and smaller for a wyvern, possessed a formidable stature.


    With unwavering control over the Spirit Contract Array, Kino exercised patience, recognizing the significance of this pivotal moment. She understood the importance of allowing Eren the necessary time to forge a connection with Tiamat. Rushing this delicate process would risk malfunctioning the Array and inflicting harm upon both Eren and Tiamat''s souls.


    ''Hm? Oh¡­ wait, Eren!''


    A momentous pause gripped Eren''s actions, abruptly halting the swing of his ax as a warning resounded within his mind. It was a mysterious and timeless voice, simultaneously youthful and ancient, emanating from the depths of his being, devoid of any tangible presence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Recognizing the voice, Eren called out to it. ''Aleph!'' The ethereal entity known as Aleph resided within Eren''s soul as a mere Soul Imprint, a fragment of enigmatic origin etched upon the canvas of his soul. With no time for idle conversation, Eren pressed for an exnation behind Aleph''s intervention.


    Aleph had stirred from his dormant slumber due to the intrusive influence of the Spirit Contract Array upon Eren''s soul. As a mere Soul Imprint, Aleph''s voice initially carried a groggy quality, akin to one waking from a deep slumber. Clearing his incorporeal throat, he proceeded to provide an ount for his interference.


    "I stopped you for a reason. To establish this Spirit Contract, you must first cast away your fears before drawing blood from the beast. This array operates on intent-driven magic, where everyyer of emotion holds significance. A wyvern will never truly acknowledge someone who sumbs to intimidation in its presence.


    Even if the creature consents to be bound temporarily, the resulting Spirit Contract will be pale and diminishedpared to its intended form. Trust me that is not what you desire," Aleph cautioned,pelling Eren to halt his intended strike toward the beast''s tail.


    Aleph elucidated that for a wyvern to ascend to its true form as a dragon, it must refine its blood to its primordial essence through rank advancements. Which most wyverns were capable of. Such majestic creatures were intrinsically linked to dragonkind and would only acknowledge an individual who saw themselves as an equal¡ªneither above nor beneath them.


    After careful consideration, Eren chose to heed Aleph''s counsel. Closing his eyes, he stood in tranquil stillness, allowing his ax to fall from his grasp and settle upon the ground. Engaging in the Soul Strengthening Technique, Eren started to soothe his soul and stabilize his emotions. This technique, bestowed upon him by Kino to counteract the ill effects of utilizing the Hex gear, was a soul-focused practice. It was being used by him at this critical juncture.


    Observing Eren''s actions, Kino swiftlyprehended his intent, perceiving the spiritual pulses emanating from him as he engaged in the Technique. She approved of his decision, silentlymending him for adopting a deliberate and measured approach.


    "Seek and ye shall find," Eren murmured, cing his right hand upon his heart and attuning himself to the rhythmic cadence of his own heartbeat.


    The Soul Strengthening Technique served not only to augment his spiritual power but also to expedite the awakening of his dormant Soul Sense, a potential within him that Kino had previously mentioned. Initially, Eren had pursued the technique solely to harness the Hex gear without adverse consequences, a goal he had already achieved. However, as he delved deeper into its practice, he began to realize the multifaceted benefits it held.


    As Eren opened his eyes, the spiritual tremors of trepidation that had once gued him in Tiamat''s presence vanished. With an unwavering gaze, he met the wyvern''s eyes devoid of fear. Retrieving his ax from where it had fallen by the hilt, Eren addressed Tiamat with casual nonchnce. "This might sting a bit, so brace yourself," he calmly warned before swiftly swinging his ax toward the wyvern''s tail.


    Roar!


    ===


    AN: Soul Strengthening Technique was mentioned in chapter 208.

 Chapter 261 [Bonus ] Unforeseen Consequences Of The Spirit Contract

    ?


    The weight of the ax Eren gripped held within it a bit of history.


    It was a spoils-of-war, a trophy earned by vanquishing Bem, bestowed upon Eren by the fallen enemy. Another axe of simr design was "gifted" by Bem, creating a formidable pair that Eren named the Behemoth set.


    Initially, the Behemoth axes held the status of Rank-1 artifacts, but recognizing their untapped potential, Eren sought to unlock their true power. At his behest, the axes underwent a transformative upgrade, ascending to the status of Awakened Rank. These enhancements were orchestrated by skilled artisans under the employ of the enigmatic bald merchant, Ma.


    Eren''s unwavering belief in the axes led him to invest all his remaining resources in their metamorphosis, leaving him bereft of wealth despite triumphing in the Hexers'' Ground aptitude test and amassing various rewards. In truth, aside from his portion of the spoils from the House of Spiders, Eren had devoted everything to the conversion of these Rank-1 relics into Rank-2 artifacts, aligning them with his Awakened Rank prowess.


    The Behemoth set boasted a remarkable fusion of elementalpatibility, its form crafted to harmonize with Eren''s techniques of Twin Star Arts and Jeet Kune Do. Every meticulous runic engraving etched upon its surface showcased the artisan''s dedication, leaving no stone unturned in reshaping the axes into unparalleled artifacts.


    It was the Behemoth set that propelled Eren to an effortless victory over Sofiya, their synchronized synergy rendering his opponent defenseless. Their optimal design, refined form, and intricate runic inscriptions made them a formidable weapon set, unrivaled in efficacy.


    Upon Eren''s entry into the realm of Gahan, he swiftly procured the two Awakened Rank artifacts from Ma, wasting no time in field-testing their capabilities during his spar against Sofiya.


    The weight of the axes differed from his previous weaponry, requiring Eren to adapt his movements ordingly. Though their heft demanded adjustment, the force they added to each strike was indispensable. Eren''s proficiency grew as he synchronized his weapon-based spells with Hex amplification, turning Sofiya''s Spirit Beasts into mere ythings against his augmented might.


    Now, faced with the task of inflicting injury upon Tiamat as directed by Kino, the Behemoth axe became Eren''s sole choice. Channeling his mana into the weapon, he activated the intricate runic engravings etched upon its surface, priming himself to unleash devastating weapon-based spells.


    The Hex amplification enhanced the weapon''s potential damage output while Eren poured his indomitable will into the swing, releasing the weapon sh with unyielding determination. The axe''s de never made contact with Tiamat''s tail, halted mere inches from the draconic scales. However, the de''s proximity proved inconsequential, for the sheer potency of the unleashed weapon sh was enough to pierce Tiamat''s imprable defenses and inflict a grievous wound upon the wyvern.


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    The edge of Eren''s ax became adorned with wyvern blood, its crimson essence trickling down the de, a symphony of distinct sounds resonating within the tranquil surroundings. Tiamat remained silent and motionless, an unspoken agreement forged, granting Eren the passage required to proceed with the Spirit Contract.


    The surface of Eren''s weapon suffered visible damage as it came into contact with the potent draconic essence within the wyvern''s blood. Aware of the destructive power contained within, Eren knew better than to touch the blood with his bare hands.


    Even his formidable mana defenseyer would crumble under the wyvern blood''s influence, resulting in immediate burns and the invasive bacsh of foreign mana. The strength of the wyvern''s blood was truly formidable.


    An ache resonated within Eren''s mind as he witnessed his cherished weapon deteriorate by the second, its runic engravings fading beneath the sheer potency of the blood. Repairing it would require a considerable investment, but such concerns had to be set aside for now. With determination in his grip, he held his weapon and approached the Array Center, prepared to perform the necessary ritual.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Without hesitation, Eren dropped a single drop of the thick wyvern blood into the Array Center. The once-crimson red illumination emitted by the center now took on a dark, foreboding shade as it absorbed Tiamat''s essence.


    Kino took charge, the array''s ethereal tendrils extending and delicately grasping the souls residing within both Eren and Tiamat''s mortal shells. Eren, obediently following her lead, settled himself within the confines of the Spirit Contract Array, surrendering his consciousness to the process.


    The barriers of his mind were willingly lowered as the Array chipped away a fragment of his soul, intertwining it with that of Tiamat. A simr sensation echoed from Tiamat as if he too had surrendered a portion of his own soul essence.


    Within the Array Center, the two fragments of souls merged, concocting a fusion of spiritual essence. This ethereal essence was then divided into two parts, each serving as a Soul Mark imprinted upon both Eren''s and Tiamat''s souls.


    Eren could sense the birth of an inexplicable connection between himself and the wyvern, whose prating gaze fixated upon him. The sessful formation of the Spirit Contract granted them the ability tomunicate on a profound level, transcending the need for verbal cues.


    Words became unnecessary as their souls intertwined, allowing for a symbiotic rtionship. Beyond meremunication, they could now share their elemental attainments, fostering an unprecedented bond.


    The intricate process stretched on, consuming nearly an hour of time. Kino, visibly drained of her spiritual force, eased herself down to the ground, seeking respite from the overwhelming mental and physical exhaustion.


    Eren, too, bore the weight of the soul-based injury, feeling the strain on his consciousness. It was as if he had endured sleepless nights for months on end, his mind fatigued beyond measure.


    Tiamat, possessing a vast reserve of spiritual force, fared better than Eren, mitigating the effects of the soul''s injury. However, the unforeseen consequence of this profound connection became evident as Tiamat recognized a foreign influence upon Eren''s soul, namely, Aleph''s presence.


    Roar!


    Tiamat unleashed a resounding roar in Eren''s direction, detecting Aleph''s presence and disapproving of his influence over Eren''s soul. Acting on its own ord, the beast initiated a spiritual attack, targeting Aleph''s Soul Imprint in an attempt to purge it.


    ===


    AN: The Behemoth Set was first mentioned in chapter 206.

 Chapter 262 Alephs Demonic Possession?

    ?


    An unexpected event unfolded that caught both Kino and Eren off guard.


    Tiamat, driven by its disdain for Aleph''s presence within Eren''s soul,unched a formidable spiritual attack. However, the repercussions of this assault extended beyond the intended target. The integration of Aleph''s Soul Imprint into Eren''s very being meant that Tiamat''s assault also affected his consciousness.


    Though Erenprehended that Tiamat''s wrath was not directed specifically at him but rather at Aleph''s Soul Imprint, he could not evade the full impact of the wyvern''s ferocious spiritual onught. The spirit force of the attack added to his already overwhelming mental exhaustion, brought upon by the taxing process of the Spirit Contract, pushing him perilously close to the precipice of unconsciousness.


    As Eren''s weary form copsed, his eyes shut tightly, and his face met the ground with a resounding thud. At that moment, a peculiar stillness settled upon the world, unnatural and unsettling. Vibrant hues faded away, leaving behind a desaturatedndscape devoid of color.


    The sudden drop in temperature sent shivers down Kino''s spine and Tiamat''s scales, but it wasn''t a mere change in the weather. It was a chilling spiritual assault, a counterforce unleashed to counter Tiamat''s own attack. Kino''s eyes widened in horror as she stared at Eren''s slumbering figure that was the origin of this all-consuming spiritual attack, realizing the gravity of the situation.


    In an instant, a cloud of mana surged through the air, causing Kino to instinctively recognize the impending danger emanating from Eren''s motionless form. As she watched him sit upright, a wave of foreboding washed over her. This was not the familiar Eren she hade to know.


    Tiamat''s well-intentioned spiritual attack had inadvertently shattered the restraints that held Aleph captive within Eren''s soul. Now, Aleph''s consciousness surged forth, seizing control of Eren''s physical vessel.


    The wyvern, overwhelmed by an instinctual, primal fear, could sense the sheer potency radiating from the presence now inmand over Eren''s body. It was as if this entity possessed the unfathomable ability to single-handedly ughter thousands of wyverns like Tiamat, armed solely with an intangible weapon intent.


    "Hm? So I am in charge now?" A voice resonated through Eren''s mouth, his seated form remaining fixed to the ground while his gaze wandered in confusion.


    Had Eren been awake, he would have recognized the origins of the voice. It was Aleph''s voice, capable of inspiring and instilling fear in equal measure. Aleph''s very essence seemed to evoke a range of emotions within those who encountered it.


    The idea of someone possessing such control over people''s emotions with their mere presence was nothing short of terrifying to Kino. She, too, understood that the source of the voice was linked to the dormant presence deep within Eren''s soul, a presence that had willingly slumbered.


    In their previous encounter, Kino had managed to suppress this entity using a soul-based technique, allowing Eren to regain control over his Hex gear. However, in this moment, Kino realized that her sess in sealing away this presence stemmed from its own desire to be sealed. She knew that shecked the means to prevent someone like Aleph from meddling in Eren''s affairs if that was truly their intention.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Don''t get carried away; you overhyped lizard," Aleph''s deep voice echoed through Eren''s mouth, a tone so unnatural it sent a chill down the spines of all who heard it. His gaze fixated on Tiamat, radiating a menacing aura.


    "Know your ce and stay within your limits. If I truly desired to harm Eren or you, it would have been done long ago, leaving you no time or means to retaliate," Aleph spoke with unwavering confidence and dominance, struggling slightly to maintain control over Eren''s body. He almost lost his bnce, teetering on the verge of stumbling backward.


    However, with a mere thought, Aleph manipted the gravity of the world of Gahan within his sphere of influence, halting his fall and suspending his body in midair, just an inch above the ground. This new Eren, as light as a feather, regained hisposure with a casual wave of his hand. He proceeded to crack his neck with a series of audible pops, fixing his piercing gaze upon Tiamat.


    "Tiamat is it? Keke. What a grandiose name for a wyvern that has not evene out of its shell. Tell me, do you require a demonstration of my powers to subdue you?" Eren''s voice, ancient and resolute, cut through the air. His presence emanated an undeniable readiness to ughter hundreds of pure-blooded dragons, creatures far superior to Tiamat. As if he had bathed in dragon''s blood before one too many times.


    While wyverns, whether pure-blooded or not, held little fear of death and lived with unwavering pride, there was something deeply unsettling about Aleph''s existence. It injected a primal sense of fear into Tiamat''s consciousness, a realization that provoking this entity had been a grave error. After all, there were fates far more harrowing than mere death.


    Tiamat emitted a low, rumbling growl directed at Aleph, his body frozen in a defensive stance. The mighty wyvern desired to retaliate against Aleph''s presence, yet his limbs failed to respond to hismands. He couldn''t rise to his feet or employ his wings for takeoff.


    All he could manage was a menacing growl, a warning to convey his unwee attitude. Aleph''s lips curled into a wicked smile, fully aware that he had subdued Tiamat. Anticipating the dragon''s thoughts, he spoke with a casual tone, "Fear not, you overhyped lizard. I won''t make a habit of seizing thisd''s vessel. This incident was a result of your own doing. I have no interest in hijacking this man''s body and spoiling my own ns," Eren''s voice assured Tiamat, emphasizing that such takeovers would be infrequent urrences.


    With the matter settled between them, Eren shifted his focus to Kino, approaching her while levitating in the air.


    "Who... who are you? Are you a Greater Demon? No... an Archdemon? Or perhaps one of those mythical Demon Princes from the tales I''ve heard?" Kino''s voice trembled, herplexion drained of color as she regarded Eren with a mixture of fear and existential dread.


    ===


    AN: Demonic Rankers were first exined in chapter 101.

 Chapter 263 Discovery Of An Elder Seed Artifact

    ?


    Kino suspected that Aleph''s control over Eren''s body was a case of demonic possession.


    After all, Aleph''s presence within Eren aligned with the characteristics of such possession. However, such urrences were typically reserved for demonic rankers who had forged Faustian Contracts with their respective demons.


    As far as Kino knew, Eren was not a demonic ranker. This made Aleph''s seizure of Eren''s body all the more perplexing and mysterious to her.


    "A demon, huh?" Aleph chuckled upon hearing Kino''s question. "Well, something along those lines. Though technically speaking, I''m far beyond the likes of Demon Princes," he replied yfully, a mischievous tone in his voice.


    In the blink of an eye, he materialized beside Kino, extending a hand and wearing a friendly smile. "Ah! How rude of me. Acting all mighty in front of a lovelydy like yourself and unintentionally scaring you. Please, allow me to assist you up," Aleph spoke politely, and the atmosphere around him underwent a sudden transformation.


    His once suffocating presence turned warm and inviting, and his aura shifted from demonic to divine. It was aplete shift in persona that left Kino bewildered. She wondered if the Aleph who hadmanded Tiamat''s submission with a mere gaze and the Aleph standing beside her were truly the same person.


    Confused, she raised her hand and grasped Eren''s hand, using it to rise to her feet. She noticed that Aleph''s threatening presence had vanished, which was equally unsettling because such dread shouldn''t disappear without reason. It meant that this fearlessness she felt was also orchestrated by Aleph.


    The power to manipte a soul''s intentions and evoke a range of emotions in an instant. This was Aleph''s power¡ªor just one of many.


    Kino could discern Aleph''s demonic origins, but she had never encountered a demon capable of influencing emotions to such an extent, evoking various feelings beyond the confines of a specific domain. She knew shecked the knowledge toprehend beings on the level of Demon Princes, let alone someone who imed superiority over them.


    "Your... your name?" Kino stood upright in Aleph''s presence. Her voice tinged with hesitancy. Subtly and almost imperceptibly, she adjusted her clothes and tidied her hair.


    For some reason, she felt the need to present herself positively to the man currently inhabiting Eren''s body. It was as if she had reverted to her teenage years as a human, feeling conscious in the presence of someone she liked.


    Aleph noticed Kino''s nervous gestures and smiled gently. He turned away from her, pacing as he spoke. "Names and titles, keke. I have many. But for simplicity''s sake, let''s go with Aleph," he said.


    Eren provided Kino with reassurance, both through his words and his demeanor, alleviating any concerns she had about their safety. He assured her that his intention was not to cause harm, exining that his possession of Eren''s body would be temporary,sting only a few minutes.


    Furthermore, he openly acknowledged that this act of possessing Eren''s body was actually detrimental to him in the current situation, emphasizing that it was a desperate measure he resorted to only when there were no other options avable.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Kino''s keen observation revealed a subtle transformation in Eren''s appearance as a result of Aleph''s demonic possession. The piercing blue of his eyes now carried a captivating emerald green hue at their core, while intricate tribal tattoos, indicative of Aleph''s demonic possession, adorned his body.


    As she continued to gaze upon Aleph and absorb his presence, an undeniable fascination took hold of her. She found herself captivated by his every action and hanging onto his every word.


    Kino couldn''t help but recognize the influence of Aleph''s demonic charm, which subtly affected her thoughts and emotions. However, on a deeper level, she also acknowledged her own yearning for power, freedom, and something more profound. Though transformed into a homunculus, her womanly soul remained authentic, unafraid to admit the allure she felt towards someone like Aleph.


    As Eren spoke, he maintained his dominion, preventing the strange and overwhelming force that had emerged from copsing his sphere of influence. However, Eren''s wless execution of this task went unnoticed by Kino and Tiamat. They watched him intently as he continued speaking.


    "I''m afraid I don''t have much time for idle conversation. This possession of thed''s body was an unintended ident. Nevertheless, since I find myself here, I suppose I should make the most of this opportunity," Eren cryptically stated before closing his eyes.


    In an instant, Aleph extended his Divine Sense, enveloping the vast world of Gahan in his search for something specific. Ignoring everything else, he focused solely on locating a peculiar item he had been eagerly anticipating.


    "Kekeke. It''s here. Without a doubt, an Elder Seed Artifact!"


    Aleph murmured to himself, confirming the existence of something truly extraordinary, a one-of-a-kind treasure. A peculiarughter escaped Aleph''s lips, filled with jubtion at the confirmation of the Elder Seed Artifact''s presence. His mind raced with countless thoughts, calcting the likelihood of Eren obtaining the artifact.


    The more he pondered the various possibilities, the wider his smile grew, a sign of his optimism in securing the Elder Seed Artifact. "Excellent," he eximed with excitement, shifting his gaze back to Kino.


    "Kino, my dear, are you familiar with the Beast Companion Technique?" Kino was slightly taken aback by Eren''s question. She lowered her head, deep in thought, before raising it again to respond, "I believe Master Illvar mentioned an Amazonian technique of otherworldly origin by that name. It requires a Spirit Contract as a prerequisite. Are you referring to that technique, sir Aleph?"


    Aleph''s nod conveyed his agreement, and he proceeded to borate, his voice carrying a sense of conviction.


    "Precisely. Given that Eren and Tiamat have already forged a Spirit Contract, the Beast Companion Technique will further amplify their collective power with remarkable efficiency.


    While the Spirit Contract allows them to share their elemental aplishments, the Amazonians'' Beast Companion Technique goes beyond that, enabling the exchange of mana, inherent spells, and a host of other benefits," Aleph exined, his tone underscored by a genuine seriousness.

 Chapter 264 [Bonus ] Beast Companion Technique Of Amazonian Origin

    ?


    Aleph''s eyes sparkled with anticipation.


    Only he could truly understand the immense potential thaty before them as he assisted Eren in his pursuit of strength. For Aleph, this endeavor was intricately intertwined with one of his primary objectives¨C the pursuit of an Elder Seed Artifact.


    It was the driving force behind Aleph''s mission to spread his Soul Imprints across countless worlds, tirelessly searching for even the faintest trace of these elusive artifacts.


    Aleph''s proposal left Kino contemting. What Aleph had mentioned about the Beast Companion Technique held true. Through this technique, Eren and Tiamat would experience elerated growth, benefiting from the synergistic effects it offered. Their paths of advancement would be heavily intertwined, rendering them interdependent.


    This meant that Eren and Tiamat would progress together, sharing the burdens of their respective bottlenecks, which could be advantageous or detrimental. It all depended on the circumstances surrounding each bottleneck.


    However, there was another downside to the Beast Companion Technique.


    If Eren were to bind only through the Spirit Contract with Tiamat, in the event of either one''s death, only the survivor''s soul would be affected, while their ranking path would remain mostly unaffected. Conversely, if Eren bound himself to Tiamat using the Beast Companion Technique, he would experience regression in his rank upon Tiamat''s unfortunate demise. It could potentially lead to Eren bing a Rankless mortal or even facing death himself.


    This was the consequence of utilizing the Beast Companion Technique. It was the reason Kino initially hesitated to suggest Eren employ this Amazonian technique, as it would make him intricately dependent on Tiamat''s ranking journey as well. He would need to diligently oversee Tiamat''s progress and provide top-tier resources to support the wyvern''s growth.


    Kino was unsure if Eren was mentally and financially prepared to undertake such a challenge.


    ***


    Aleph did as he promised.


    After their conversation, Aleph''s consciousness retreated into the Soul Imprint from whence it came, allowing Eren to awaken from his slumber and regain consciousness. Though still mentally fatigued from theck of sleep and rest, he found sce in reclining leisurely on the ground, stretching his limbs in all directions while listening to Kino''s exnation.


    "Eren, are you absolutely certain about proceeding with the Beast Companion Technique?" Kino inquired, concern etched on her face. She had already detailed its advantages and disadvantages to him, but Eren seemed to find some hidden benefit in the technique, a perspective that eluded her.


    "Yes, I''m certain. Let''s proceed," he confirmed, his weariness evident in his sigh. With a tired exhale, Kino summoned another runic Array and enclosed Eren and Tiamat within its bounds. Since they had alreadypleted the Spirit Contract, the process was swift, taking only a few minutes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thanks to the Beast Companion Technique, Eren was able to send Tiamat into a pocket dimension known as the Beast Space. Kino exined that the pocket dimension was anchored to his body, symbolized by the runic tattoo of a wyvern with outspread wings that had manifested on his back. Through the runic tattoo, Eren could summon Tiamat whenever needed.


    As thepletion of the Beast Companion Technique brought relief to Eren, Kino informed him that his body had been temporarily taken over by Aleph while he was unconscious. It was Aleph who had proposed the binding of Eren and Tiamat through this technique.


    ***


    Initially, Eren had reservations about embracing the technique due to its potential drawbacks. Tiamat, the formidable wyvern, was indeed a force to be reckoned with, but Gahan harbored numerous dangers and entities capable of ying such a creature.


    If Tiamat were to perish in a dire situation, Eren would have to face the consequences, even if he managed to survive or escape. Moreover, Eren recognized that Tiamat''s ranking bottleneck would be increasingly significant as he progressed further in rank. Being a dragonkind, smooth advancement in their ranking journey was not a simple feat. The Beast Companion Technique wouldpel Eren to shoulder a portion of Tiamat''s burden, making his own journey more arduous than it already was.


    Yet, there was a glimmer of constion. Tiamat had already surpassed Eren in rank, currently residing in the solid stage mana core of Rank-2. Tiamat was already well into Rank-2 when Eren first met him. And unlike Eren, who remained in a vegetative state, Tiamat had made substantial progress throughout the 14 years, far surpassing him when they first met.


    This advancement meant that Eren''s own progress in the Awakened Rank would be elerated significantly due to the synergistic effect of the Beast Companion Technique.


    However, the Beast Companion Technique carried grave consequences that were equally borne by both Eren and Tiamat. Severe soul injuries, regression in rank, the possibility of being reduced to a mortal state, or even facing death were all potential oues if and when a perilous situation arrived. As Eren pondered these weighty repercussions, he began to reassess Aleph''s proposal, carefully evaluating the bnce between the promised benefits and the lurking risks.


    However, despite the potential risks, Eren sensed that there was apelling reason behind Aleph''s insistence on proceeding with the Beast Companion Technique. Curiosity piqued, he implored Kino to shed further light on the advantages of embracing this technique, hoping to unravel its allure. As Kino borated, Eren''s understanding deepened, and he grasped the true appeal of the technique.


    Kino exined that through their connection forged by the Amazonian Technique, Eren and Tiamat would be able to share their mana reserves. This meant they couldpensate for each other''s deficiencies and shortages, a particrly enticing prospect considering Tiamat''s naturally abundant mana reserves as a wyvern.


    However, it wasn''t the ess to Tiamat''s mana alone that captivated Eren. With his own infinite mana core, he realized he could provide Tiamat with an unlimited well of mana, enabling the wyvern to unleash his inherent spells with newfound freedom. The implications were staggering ¨C the duo would be an indomitable force, theirbined offense, and defense reaching unparalleled heights.


    Enthralled by this tremendous advantage, Eren willingly embraced Aleph''s decision, intertwining his own ranking path with Tiamat''s. In that moment, he saw the potential for incredible growth and power, making the drawbacks of the technique seem insignificant inparison.

 Chapter 265 The Origin Of Hex Magic

    ?


    The Beast Companion Technique had already sparked a surge of progress within Eren''s rank.


    He could feel his body bing more resilient than ever before. The overwhelming physical might of Tiamat, now intertwined with his own being, seemed to seep into him through their strong connection. Bit by bit, the Last Spider''s aura was getting tinged with a draconic might.


    Eren decided to ess the spectral screen to check up on the progress he had made so far.


    *****


    Name- Eren Elijah Idril


    Organization: Stardust Guild


    Outstanding Credit: ~68,800 Mana Quartz (excluding interest. Contact Stardust Guild Administration for an urate figure)


    I-Rune Imprint: * (verified)


    Ranking Status: Rank 2: Awakened Ranker (Vapour State Mana Core: Stage 3)


    ss- Battlemage


    Ranking Technique- ???


    Other Techniques- Jeet Kune Do (mortal Martial Arts), Twin Star Arts, Soul Strengthening Technique, Beast Companion Technique


    Base Stats:


    HP- 92.5 / 92.5


    MP- 95.9 (?) / 95.9 (?)


    STR- 90.2


    AGI- 91.7


    INT- 93.5


    BTP- 463


    Rank 2 Misceneous Spell: One Up


    Lightning Spells: Solid Spark, Blitz Steps, Blitz Wave, Blitz Storm, Blitz Heal, Blitz Arrow, Blitz Shield, Blitz Shard, Blitz Whip, Taranbiest, Lightning Seed, Lightning Tree


    Fire Spells: Alfem, Igni Wave, Igni Lotus, Igni Chains, Igni Shards, Igni Bolt st, Igni Breath


    Wind Spells: Anemoi(wind-element summoned tiger), Venti Spears, Venti Ball, Wind Shards, Venti Rings


    *******<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Eren felt a sense of satisfaction with his current advancements. However, the sight of the ever-increasing outstanding credit disyed on the spectral screen unsettled him. If he didn''t address his financial situation soon, the exorbitant interest rates imposed by the Stardust Guild would only exacerbate the issue.


    Apart from the loan amount owed to the Stardust Guild, Eren found himself burdened with additional debts. He needed topensate his friends for the troubles they endured during his two-year vegetative state. Furthermore, he felt the need to offer restitution to Kiara Croft and other rankers from the Stardust Guild.


    On top of that, he owed a debt of gratitude to Malcolm for offering him Awakened rank artifacts and spells. Malcolm had already provided him with substantial assistance. Eren didn''t wish to burden the bald merchant any further.


    Eren found himself drowning in financial obligations, and each reminder of his loan only served to highlight his dire financial situation. It was precisely why he had relied on Sofiya to cover the expenses of their recent inn stay, as he couldn''t bear to add more to his mounting debts.


    Yet, for now, all he could do was avert his gaze and make the spectral screen vanish from his line of sight. He defied the adage "seeing is believing" in his own way, believing that if he couldn''t see it, it simply didn''t exist.


    ***


    "Thank you, Kino. I appreciate everything you''ve done."


    Eren expressed his gratitude with a slight bow, his excitement palpable after the sessful binding of his ranking journeys with that of Tiamat''s through the Beast Companion Technique.


    A smile graced Kino''s face as she responded, "Hehe, it''s my pleasure to assist you, Eren. Your potential as a Ranker never ceases to amaze me. And to be frank, your existence itself is an enigma. So I''m hoping that assisting you might lead to some interesting developments in the world of Gahan."


    Rising from his seated position, Eren raised an eyebrow, urging Kino to borate on her intriguing statement. With a keen gaze, she began, "Eren, I once mentioned that there is a deeper reason behind the formation of Hexers, didn''t I?"


    "Yes, you did," Eren confirmed. "At the time, you told me I was too weak to delve into the foundations of the Hexers."


    Kino sighed before proceeding, "That''s correct, but I believe the time hase for you to know. Eren, the various Creeds of Hexers extend beyond the world of Gahan. These Hexer schools, or isms, exist in multiple worlds infested with demons. Hexers were created by gods to counter demons and demonkind across these worlds."


    Eren was taken aback by Kino''s revtion. "Gods?" he eximed, his mind racing with questions.


    Kino nodded, answering his unspoken inquiry, "Indeed. Just as there are demonic nes, there are also divine nes. Within these divine nes reside entities known as gods.


    If you had explored Gahan more extensively, you would have discovered the presence of various demonic and divine faiths, which are usually referred to as cults.


    The Shaikai kingdom, although not prominently exposed to such faiths, has not remainedpletely isted from these forces either. It maintains neutrality to avoid drawing attention but receives support from certain divine faiths in the shadows. The kingdom asionally acts to subjugate demonic forces within its borders under the guidance of these faiths."


    Eren''s mind immediately shed back to his encounter with Bl Blood and his party of demonic rankers. Years ago, he had considered it a routine subjugation request from the Shaikai kingdom. Now, he realized that there were hidden forces at y during that mission.


    Allowing Eren a moment to digest the information, Kino continued, "I assume you have faced off against demonic rankers before. Their greatest advantage lies in their ability to harness intent-based demonic magic, which amplifies their ordinary spells and abilities, making them significantly more powerful.


    Truly awakened demonic rankers pose a formidable challenge to normal Rankers, Evokers, and Elementalists. This is because the entities blessed by demons possess streamlined ess to intent-based magic, unlike other practitioners."


    Eren began to grasp the implications of Kino''s words but remained silent, allowing her to proceed with her exnation.


    "The Hex magic was bestowed upon devout followers by the gods to empower them with intent-based magic," Kino''s voice turned serious as she locked eyes with Eren. "The Hex gear was created to counter the demonic powers unleashed by awakened demonic rankers. Only intent-based magic can truly contend against intent-based magic."


    The existence of gods, the celestial struggle between demonic and divine forces, and the Hexers'' role as a counterbnce to the awakened demonic rankers fascinated Eren. He absorbed Kino''s words, the weight of their meaning settling upon him.

 Chapter 266 Elder Seed Inheritors

    ?


    The pieces of a grand tapestry were slowlying together, and Eren knew that he stood at the heart of arger, intricate web of this power struggle.


    Kino had managed to recover from her mental fatigue to a great extent, a fatigue she felt after utilizing two soul-based arrays. Nevertheless, she still felt the lingering effects due to her depleted spiritual force, which was gradually replenishing. She gently pressed her fingers against her forehead as if attempting to alleviate a lingering headache before resuming her exnation.


    "Intent-based magic, as I previously pointed out, grants demons a significant advantage. It''s no wonder that mana-harnessing entities are drawn to the allure of demonic powers.


    Kino carefully articted the consequences of harnessing demonic powers, emphasizing their ability to magnify one''s strength to the point of experiencing a profound rebirth. However, she warned of the peril that awaited those who willingly embraced these tempting powers, as their pursuit often led to thepletion of Faustian Contracts. These contracts, in turn, permitted demons to materialize in the shared battlefield of the mortal and supernatural realms, where divine and demonic forces shed in fierce conflict.


    Eren contemted for a moment before seeking rification, "So Hex magic was created as a means to counter demon magic. Since both are forms of intent-based magic, Hex magic aims to level the ying field for both sides. Am I understanding correctly?" He reflected on his own experiences using the Hex gear, acknowledging the power it provided through magic amplification. However, he had decided to reserve its usage for dire situations, aware that its continuous utilization would drain him both spiritually and mentally.


    Recognizing Eren''s potential to be one of the most prominent Hexers of his generation, Kino feltpelled to provide him with detailed exnations and further assistance. After all, he had inherited her Master Illvar''s legacy, making it her duty to support him to the best of her abilities. Adjusting her hair and clearing her throat, the homunculus proceeded to share more insights.


    "The gods sought something extraordinary to empower their devout followers in the fight against demonic rankers, enabling the protection and growth of divine faiths. However, most godscked the resolve of demons and preferred to avoid direct involvement due to their own reasons.


    Inspired by Elder Seed Artifacts, they created Hex gear. This is why Hex artifacts are often referred to as pseudo-Elder Seed Artifacts in certain worlds," Kino exined, her gaze fixed on Eren. She had learned of Aleph''s quest for an Elder Seed Artifact and wanted to ensure that Eren possessed the knowledge to make informed decisions. While she was captivated by Aleph''s sudden appearance, she aimed to support Eren as well, ensuring he wouldn''t unknowingly enter into an unfavorable Faustian Contract.


    Eren''s consciousness had been in slumber when Aleph emerged to survey the world of Gahan, leaving him oblivious to the concept and significance of Elder Seed Artifacts.


    "Kino, please exin what the Elder Seed Artifacts are," Eren humbly requested, bowing lightly to Kino. He understood that acquiring such information was not easily attainable. Typically, one would have to align themselves with a specific faction or pay a hefty price to gain ess to such knowledge.


    Eren was already preupied with establishing his own mercenary unit and burdened with a substantial debt, leaving him with limited options. He hoped that Kino would showpassion upon learning about his circumstances and share this information with him, considering he was the holder of Illvar''s legacy, who had been Kino''s master. This, coupled with Kino''s prior decision to divulge everything she knew, influenced her to smile at him before proceeding.


    "You needn''t be so humble, Eren. I was already nning on telling you," Kino reassured him. "Regarding the Elder Seed Artifacts, it is said that in ancient times, there existed an entity known as the Demon Emperor, the original possessor of the Elder Ichor Bloodline. Before his demise, he left behind numerous legacies scattered across countless worlds. These legacies, created with his own blood as a key ingredient, are known as Elder Seed Artifacts or simply Elder Artifacts.


    They say that most of the Elder Seed Artifacts can basically select their masters and merge with worthy individuals, designating them as Elder Seeds¡ªthe inheritors. These artifacts are said to be so potent that they can even attract the attention of gods and Demon Princes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Almost every Elder Seed Inheritor has left their mark in the history of their respective worlds due to the immense power they wield. The Elder Artifacts defymon understanding, granting a pure form of magic. They are considered the pinnacle of magic across all existing worlds," Kino exined earnestly, her voice tinged with excitement, her desire to possess an Elder Seed Artifact evident in her eyes.


    Eren absorbed the information slowly as his gaze fixed on Kino. After a moment of contemtion, he voiced his question, "Kino, if Elder Seed Artifacts are so powerful, why don''t the gods create them themselves or search for them to directly bestow upon their followers instead of distributing fake copies? If they are truly gods, shouldn''t they have the ability to do so?"


    Kino chuckled, dispelling Eren''s doubts. "These gods are not as omnipotent as you may imagine, Eren. They, too, have their limitations.


    Moreover, Elder Seed Artifacts are incredibly rare to the point where one could search hundreds of worlds and not find a single clue about them. They are illusive and have the powers to hide themselves. Even gods and demons seek these artifacts, which is why you wouldn''t typically see gods gifting them to their most devout followers, regardless of their faith," Kino patiently rified while her gaze shifted to the illusionary sky created by the Hexers'' Ground.


    Kino''s lips pursed as she delved into her own contemtions before continuing.


    "As for why gods are unable to create their own counterparts to the Elder Seed Artifacts, the simple truth is that theyck the ability to do so, Eren," Kino exined. "The Hex artifacts, often referred to as pseudo-Elder Seed Artifacts, were conceived as an attempt to replicate the process without the crucialponent¡ªthe Elder Ichor Bloodline.


    While they are based on the Elder Seed Artifacts and grant ess to intent-based magic for ordinary individuals, the Hex artifacts can only harness a fraction of the immense power possessed by the original artifacts.


    Nevertheless, the various cults of gods recognized the potential of Hex artifacts in their struggle against demonic forces. Thus, these artifacts were mass-produced and distributed among the followers of gods to safeguard their faiths.


    Although they pale inparison to the true Elder Seed Artifacts, the Hex artifacts are rtively easier to create and distribute, making them a favorable choice for gods to bestow upon their devotees."


    Kino patiently unraveled the intricateyers of history to Eren, shedding light on the emergence of the Hexers'' Creeds. These organizations, she elucidated, were born from specific faiths but gradually distanced themselves from divine influences, forging their own path in the process.


    This was how The Hexers'' Creeds were created in the beginning.

 Chapter 267 Diverse Paths To Power

    ?


    Kino paused briefly, her gaze focused on Eren, before continuing.


    "Even in Gahan, Hexers were sought after by various kingdoms and organizations tobat awakened demonic rankers that gued them. Hexers proved to be invaluable assets to these factions.


    However, over time, certain Hexers'' Creeds deviated from their core principles and began delving into demon magic to enhance the potency of their Hex magic. This sparked conflicts and internal strife among the Hexers'' Creeds, escting into a full-fledged war involving divine and demonic forces.


    Gahan was thrown into chaos until most kingdoms reached an unspoken agreement to distance themselves from both the divine and demonic sides. Hexers lost much of their credibility in Gahan after this historic war, and many kingdoms opted to employ ordinary rankers inrge numbers tobat the demonic threat within their borders.


    This is one of the myriad reasons why Hexers are met with skepticism and disfavor in the world of Gahan."


    Eren finally grasped the reason behind the preference of Hexers to work independently or as mercenaries, rather than aligning with guilds or official organizations. The deviant Hexers'' Creeds of the past had tainted the reputation of Hexers, leading to a bias against them from various organizations.


    Moreover, some Hexers had strayed from their original purpose ofbating demonic threats and had sumbed to greed, using their Hex powers for personal gain. These individuals became involved in underground organizations and engaged in questionable activities, perpetuating a troubled history.


    The internal conflicts among the Hexers'' Creeds further hindered unity among Hexers, making trust among their own kind elusive. As a result, most Hexers opted to coborate with others such as regr Rankers, Evokers, and Elementalists to aplish their goals.


    Kino''s exnation intrigued Eren, as she revealed that Gahan housed mana-harnessing entities who followed different paths than the Rankers. The openness of Gahan allowed individuals with diverse Paths to Power to converge in this world and explore its countless mysteries. At Eren''s request, Kino delved into the specifics of Evokers, the prevalent mana-harnessing entities alongside Rankers in Gahan.


    "Eren, unlike Rankers who rely on the mana stored in their mana cores as the foundation for their spells, Evokers draw upon the ambient mana present in their surroundings. Through incantations, enchanted artifacts, and other means, Evokers manipte the output of their spells to suit their specific needs. This doesn''t mean they don''t utilize their mana cores at all, but their spellcasting methods differ entirely from Rankers," Kino exined.


    Curious about any further distinctions between Rankers and Evokers, Eren continued walking towards the exit of the Hexers'' Grounds, with Kino apanying him and sharing her knowledge.


    "Describing the differences between Evokers and Hexers in words is challenging, Eren. But you''ll recognize it as soon as you encounter them. Their mana signatures are distinct from Rankers, and the way they cast spells is a clear indicator of their identity. This approach results in reduced mana consumptionpared to the average Ranker, while making Evokers'' spells more potent and groundbreaking in nature."


    Eren''s eyebrows arched as he learned that Evokers possessed the ability to sustain their spells for extended periodspared to Rankers. This realization posed a potential challenge for Eren, as his strategy relied on prolonging battles when facing stronger opponents. With his infinite mana core, he could gradually overpower formidable foes as they exhausted themselves, while he maintained his peak performance throughout most of the battle.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, if Evokers could sustain prolonged engagements with Eren, they would prove to be more troublesome than Rankers. Though contemting these thoughts, Eren attentively listened to Kino''s exnations without interrupting.


    "In simple terms, Evokers possess the unique ability to modify their incantations in specific ways over time, a skill that Rankers, for the most part, cannot achieve," Kino exined.


    "Unlike Rankers, true Evokers experience no spell executiong when practicing a spell school influenced by their path. They can evenpress their incantations to a single syble without relying on altering their mana pathways, external aids or additional support-type spells. This natural progression urs as they advance along their distinct path."


    Curious to understand the advantages and disadvantages Rankers might have against Evoker opponents, Eren posed his next question while digesting Kino''s insights. Taking a moment to reflect, Kino responded.


    "Well... I don''t think there are set advantages or disadvantages that apply universally between Rankers and Evokers. Itrgely depends on the individuals involved. However, I can provide more information about the Evokers'' Path to Power.


    Unlike Rankers, Evokers do not interfere with the natural flow of mana circuits. They do not refine their mana circuits with each rank-up to progress further along their path. Instead, they rely on the mana stored within their mana cores only as the driving force behind their spells."


    Kino patiently exined as they exited the secluded space of the Hexers'' Grounds and arrived at the first test site where Eren had to prove himself to im Master Illevar''s Legacy.


    Additionally, Kino shared with Eren that most Amazonian settlements deep within the heart of Gahan''s forests predominantly consisted of Evokers. These Amazonians steadfastly followed the path of being Evokers and didn''t face the same concerns as Rankers when refining their elemental attainments. They could rely on their goddess, the Great Mother, to bestow blessings upon them and fill that void for them.


    Certain Amazonian Evokers opted to venture beyond the confines of their settlements and explore the vast world of Gahan. These intrepid Evokers actively engaged with the outside world, seeking to propagate the teachings and faith of their revered goddess, the Great Mother.


    Eren was taken aback to learn that Evokers did not adhere to sses like Rankers did. Elemental affinity held little significance for those outside specific sses. As long as certain conditions were met, Evokers could cast spells of any element with near-equal proficiency.


    On the contrary, Rankers were bound by their ss and elemental affinities, finding it increasingly challenging to switch paths as they climbed higher in rank.


    Therefore, there existed a preference among certain guilds for recruiting both Evokers and Rankers, as theyplemented each other''s abilities andpensated for their respective shorings. Evokers were adept at bridging the gaps andpensating for the weaknesses that Rankers might possess, making them highly sought-after in such alliances.

 Chapter 268 Evokers, Elementalists, Body Cultivators, And Soulweavers

    ?


    A vast world full of new challenges.


    Eren was d to know these details from Kino before he started his long and arduous journey.


    Considering his decision to venture beyond the Shaikai kingdom and explore Gahan for new opportunities, Eren realized the importance of understanding these aspects. The Shaikai kingdom he was currently incked such diversity, leaving him unfamiliar with the various Paths to Power avable in Gahan.


    However, he knew that he would soon encounter these forces once he crossed the kingdom''s borders, making it crucial to learn from Kino before experiencing these differences firsthand.


    Kino dly shared further insights into the Elementalists, elucidating that they possessed a unique approach to harnessing mana. These individuals distinctively employed elemental spirits or artifacts, enabling them to transform their very bodies into vessels for the elements.


    Mastery of their dedicated elements empowered Elementalists to manifest their elemental powers through natural phenomena, evoking their abilities effortlessly through the sheer power of thought instead of conventional spell casting.


    Their capabilities transcended conventional Rankers'' Path, granting them the freedom to unleash their elemental might without the usual rigid constraints. Notably, Elementalists excelled in area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, surpassing the mage ss of Rankers in this regard.


    The panorama of mana-harnessing entities in Gahan extended beyond Elementalists.


    Kino further enlightened Eren about Body Augmenters, a group that diverged from outward magic, instead focusing on honing their physical forms through the maniption of mana. These practitioners dedicated themselves to refining their bodies using the body-strengthening arts.


    Additionally, there were Soulweavers, individuals who solely concentrated on spirit-based attacks. They specialized in casting spells derived from their spiritual force. Some of them could utilize their awakened Soul Sense to overpower adversaries through the sheer force of their thoughts.


    As the Last Spider delved deeper into the multifaceted nature of Gahan''s inhabitants, his anticipation for exploring this diverse world grew exponentially, brimming with excitement at the multitude of wonders awaiting his discovery.


    Kino recognized Eren''s overwhelmed state as she bombarded him with a wealth of information about the diverse Paths to Power in Gahan. Understanding that Eren was new to this world and eager to learn, she allowed him some time to process the knowledge she had shared.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Aware that her exnation had only scratched the surface, Kino reassured Eren that the Paths to Power she mentioned were just a glimpse of the many possibilities within Gahan. She emphasized that no path was inherently superior or inferior to others, each having its own strengths and weaknesses.


    Kino advised Eren to remain patient when facing opponents who followed different paths, observing their ws and exploiting them while minimizing his own weaknesses. She reminded him of the significance of the Hex gear he carried, which would prove invaluable in critical situations. Encouraging him to practice both traditional spells and Hex magic, she imparted her final words as Eren prepared to leave the Hexers'' Ground through the grand runic stone door.


    Kino chuckled as she looked at Eren, acknowledging the paradoxical situation they found themselves in. "Hex magic and Hex gear were specifically crafted tobat demonic forces," she said. "And yet, here I am, guiding someone who likely carries a powerful demon''s soul fragment within them. This is why I said that your existence truly is an enigma, Eren. By all ounts, you should be at odds with Hexers due to the demon residing within you."


    She paused for a moment, reflecting on the changing nature of Hexers and their diminished presence in Gahan. "But things have changed," Kino continued. "The Hexers'' Creeds have almost faded away, leaving a void in Gahan. Despite the chaos and turmoil that gues this world, it somehow manages to thrive. It''s as if the very essence of constant upheaval is driving its progress."


    Taking a deep breath, Kino delved into her own contemtions before sharing her insights with Eren. "Demonic and divine forces can be rather ambiguous at times," she admitted. "That''s why I won''t advise you to pick a side. Instead, focus on doing what''s best for yourself and strive to spread positivity along your journey.


    My Master Illvar taught me not to judge others based on their demonic or divine inclinations but rather to assess them based on their actions and character. That''s the approach I''m taking with you, Eren. So far, you''ve given me no reason to withhold my help."


    Eren smiled warmly at Kino, expressing his gratitude before acknowledging their future meeting. Kino, in turn, shared her ns to depart from the Hexers'' Ground in a few days to embark on her own quest in search of her master. With Eren having sessfully imed Master Illvar''s Legacy, Kino''s role as the homunculus was fulfilled, and she now had the freedom to pursue her own endeavors.


    During her remaining time at the site, Kino intended to set up automated runic arrays for future challenges, allowing them to undertake tests and im regr rewards and scattered Hexer artifacts. She exined to Eren that her purpose was to serve as the caretaker of the site until she discovered a worthy sessor to her master''s legacy in Gahan. With that aplished, she was at liberty to choose her own path, including the option of looking after Master Illvar if she so desired.


    Eren was surprised to learn of Kino''s imminent journey, and he expressed his desire for her to apany him, recognizing the strength she could bring as an ally. However, Kino exined that there were tasks she needed toplete before considering such a partnership. Instead, she handed him an array disk, informing him that if their paths were to cross again by chance in the future, the disk would serve as a means ofmunication between them.


    Taking the array disk gratefully, Eren bid farewell to Kino as he prepared to leave the Hexers'' Ground for good. Stepping out into the world, he felt a renewed sense of purpose and a fresh perspective on the journey thaty ahead, embracing the possibilities that awaited him.

 Chapter 269 Planning For The Future

    ?


    "What took you so long?"


    As soon as Eren came into Sofiya''s view, she greeted him with aint. She was clearly annoyed.


    Sofiya had been waiting outside the cave that led to the Hexers'' Ground, expecting Eren to quickly handle his affairs. However, she was unaware of the spiritual attack from his Beast Companion that caused him to fall asleep and allowed Aleph''s Soul Imprint to take control of his body.


    Things became even moreplicated when Eren decided to merge his ranking path with Tiamat using the Beast Companion Technique, a decision followed by Kino''s shared information, which would greatly benefit him.


    Despite the circumstances, Sofiya''s frustration with Eren''s prolonged absence was justified. Eren smiled wryly at her and yfully shifted the me onto her for histeness. "This is why I asked you toe along, Sofiya," he said, teasingly. "You could have easily cleared the first two rounds of the tests and gained some rewards in return."


    Sofiya responded with a re, followed by a dismissive huff. "Hmph! You''ve already imed the legacy of the test ground, Eren. Who needs second-rate rewards?


    Besides, the Bear''s Creed doesn''t align with my goals, even if it''s an ism of Hexers. Unlike you, I can''t afford to broaden my ranking path unnecessarily and slow down my progress. And I honestly don''t understand how you can do it."


    Eren smiled at Sofiya but didn''t say anything to her in response.


    He gestured for Sofiya to take the lead as they embarked on their journey out of the region. This particr area held a special significance for him¡ªit marked the location of his very first mission in Gahan. Aware of the presence of untamed mana beasts that roamed the expansive prairie, the two battlemages had wisely chosen to seek refuge in a mountain cave for the night, before continuing their path towards the nearest city at daybreak.


    Eren''s intention was for Sofiya to procure essential supplies for their uing travels in the city the next day. Knowing that his financial resources were limited, he entrusted her with the responsibility of obtaining not only her own provisions but also his share of potions and other necessities. It was an arrangement they hade to understand and support, pooling their resources together to ensure their journey remained viable.


    ***


    Nestled deep within the heart of an expansive forest, a spacious cave beckoned Eren and Sofiya with its inviting entrance. Large enough to amodate two elephants walking side by side, it provided a temporary haven amidst the wilderness. Inside, the ceiling was adorned with glowing Yooperlite stones, casting a soft and mystical radiance throughout the cavern.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Evidence of previous hunters and adventurers who had sought shelter here adorned the cave''s walls, their presence evident in the remnants left behind. As Eren and Sofiya settled within itsforting embrace, they noticed a hollow opening in the ceiling, allowing moonlight to gently filter in. Through this portal, they could catch a glimpse of one of Gahan''s two moons, adorning the night sky with its celestial beauty.


    Eren took it upon himself to secure the cave entrance, employing a runic array disk that deployed a simple wind-element mana barrier. This protective measure offered them a sense of security and privacy within their newfound shelter. With the entrance sealed, Eren ventured out into the forest to hunt, relying on his skills to procure sustenance for their evening.


    Inside the cave, Sofiya busied herself with setting up a campfire, carefully gathering wood from nearby trees and arranging the stones to contain the mes within a safe radius. The crackling fire emitted a warm andforting glow, illuminating their surroundings and casting dancing shadows upon the walls. As the aroma of special Rankers'' tea permeated the air, Sofiya created an atmosphere of sce and warmth within their temporary abode.


    As the evening deepened, Eren returned to the cave, triumphantly carrying the game of a mighty Red Rage Fire boar. The timing was perfect, as the clock was signaling the transition into evening. Within the cave''s confines, a serene ambiance prevailed. Eren thought that this amodation was much better than upying an inn room. Firstly, it was free to stay here. And secondly, the view was much better.


    In this natural sanctuary, sheltered from the wild Iron Trunk honey Mammoths and Ironskin bears, surrounded by the tranquility of the forest, Eren and Sofiya found respite. The cave offered them a momentary refuge, where the simplicity of their surroundings and the harmony with nature allowed them to appreciate the beauty and serenity of their journey.


    Coboratively, the two battlemages worked their culinary magic, infusing the boar meat with a medley of tantalizing vors and spices before expertly roasting it over the crackling fire. The aroma of the perfectly cooked meat permeated the air, signaling that their much-anticipated dinner was ready.


    As Sofiya savored a mouthful of the sulent roasted boar, she looked across the campfire at Eren, her face illuminated by the dancing mes. With a hint of curiosity in her voice, she suggested, "Eren, have you considered involving Reece and the others in your n to establish the mercenary unit? They would likely be willing to join you, given the chance."


    Eren took a moment to reflect, his gaze focused on the flickering fire, before responding, "It''s not that I don''t want them to join, Sofiya. But I don''t want to burden them unnecessarily. I want our mercenary unit to be well-established and have a reputation before inviting them to join. It''s a way of ensuring they won''t have to face the beginners'' struggles."


    Taking a hearty bite of his roasted boar meat and relishing its delectable vors, Eren continued, his words thoughtful and deliberate, "We''re taking a significant risk by pursuing this endeavor. Let''s first ensure the sess of our unit. Once we''ve achieved that, I''ll extend the invitation to Reece and the others.


    I''d even offer them severance money, allowing them to sever ties with the Stardust Guild and join us as full-time members. Our unit will operate as a mini professional guild, except that it will be free from the restrictions and confines of any single location."


    Their conversation ebbed and flowed, carried by the crackling campfire and the taste of adventure mingling with their meal. In the warmth of the fire''s glow, they shared their vision, understanding that patience and strategic nning would pave the way to a brighter future for their fledgling mercenary unit.

 Chapter 270 Elder Artifact: Adelmans Ring

    ?


    ''Eren, shall I assist you in winning Sofiya''s heart?''


    A tempting voice echoed within Eren''s mind, its devilish allure capable of swaying even the most steadfast souls, influencing them to say yes to his offer while remaining ignorant of Sofiya''s identity or appearance.


    ''Aleph!''


    Eren recognized the source of the voice instantly, his gaze shifting to Sofiya, who peacefully slumbered deeper within the cave. Taking the night watch, Eren positioned himself near the entrance, protected by the wind-element barrier.


    Arching an eyebrow, Eren responded to Aleph''s alluring proposition, ''I appreciate the offer, Aleph, but no. I don''t see Sofiya in that way, at least not at the present. Moreover, I believe Sofiya''s focus lies solely in advancing in her ranking journey. She''s a highly driven battlemage who''ll stop at nothing to achieve her goals.''


    Eren''s eyes fixed upon the moon, its gentle glow seeping through the hollowed opening in the cave ceiling. Meanwhile, Alephe continued to tempt Eren, his voice tinged with conviction, ''Hm? It would be foolish not to see her interest in you. With my influence, I can amplify her desires and make her more assertive. Do you doubt my powers, boy?''


    Aleph''s voice grew serious, leaving no room for skepticism. Eren sensed the sincerity behind his words, aware of Aleph''s potential to manipte reality. Nheless, Eren shook his head in refusal, firmly stating:


    ''Considering Kino''s reaction to your presence, I have no doubt about your abilities, Aleph. But now is not the opportune time for either Sofiya or me to pursue a romantic involvement.


    My te is already full. I may not be a saint or devoted to one person, but I refuse topromise my future ns by prioritizing such matters. Sofiya is an exceptional partner I can rely on, a battlemage and Hexerbined. Having her by my side is akin to having a team of four skilled rankers.


    So¡­ I kinda prefer to maintain our strictly professional rtionship without adding theplications of romance. I don''t want to mess up what I already have, you see.''


    Eren''s resolute deration resonated with determination, firm in his conviction to preserve the harmony and focus of their partnership.


    ''Such a pity,'' Aleph''s voice carried a tone of dejection as if he himself had experienced rejection from a girl. ''If I were in your position, I would have indulged at the moment before concerning myself with trivial priorities. Life unfolds while we''re preupied with our ns,d. I''m not suggesting you deviate from your goals, but isn''t there a tiny room to savor the journey?''


    Aleph''s question struck a chord with Eren, yet instead of providing a direct answer, he countered with his own inquiry. Sensing Aleph''s hidden motives, Eren narrowed his eyes and voiced his suspicions, ''This eagerness to assist me doesn''t seem like your usual self, Aleph. You''re seeking a favor in return. What is it that you want from me?''


    Having engaged in intermittent conversations with Aleph for some time now, Eren detected a shift in the old devil''s behavior. It became evident to him that Aleph''s sudden interest in helping him stemmed from a desire for reciprocal aid.


    Eren''s counter-question momentarily caught Aleph off guard, prompting him to burst intoughter before responding, Kekeke! Well, you''ve caught me, Eren. I do hope to establish a sense of indebtedness within you.


    You see, there''s indeed something I wish for you to aplish on my behalf. However, whether or not you choose toply is entirely up to you. At most, I can offer you rewards for fulfilling my request.'' Aleph''s yful tone apanied his exnation, leaving Eren to ponder the implications of their potential alliance.


    "It''s about that Elder Seed Artifact, isn''t it?" Eren asked, a smirk ying on his lips. Kino had already informed him that Aleph had somehow confirmed the existence of such an artifact in Gahan. Aleph chuckled in confirmation, impressed by Eren''s urate guess.


    "Kekeke! Yes, I want you to acquire..." Eren cut Aleph off before he could finish his sentence. "Forget about it, Aleph. I don''t want to entangle myself in the power struggles of the higher echelons. I already have enough problems to solve. I don''t want to add the pursuit of a mysterious artifact like the Elder Seed to my te," Eren firmly declined Aleph''s offer before it even fully materialized.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Aleph remained undeterred by Eren''s rejection. He had anticipated this reaction from the Last. The old devil sighed dramatically before speaking again, "It seems you''re straying away from one of your primary goals, Eren. And here I thought you cared about retrieving your brother, Fernando Torres, from Meta Oasis."


    Eren narrowed his eyes as he listened to Aleph''s words. He wanted to resist the old devil''s tempting propositions, aware of the potential dangers thaty within. Yet, he couldn''t deny the allure of Aleph''s proposal. "What do you mean?" Eren asked warily, his gaze fixed on a distant point.


    "I want you to find the Elder Seed Artifact, bind it to yourself, and keep it safe until I find a way to reim it," Aleph presented Eren with a deal too enticing to ignore. "In return, I will assist you in rehabilitating Fernando Torres'' soul into a new vessel," he added, his voiceced with a hint of seduction.


    "That''s not enough, Aleph. I need more than vague promises and wishful thinking," Eren responded with utmost seriousness. Aleph wasted no time in formting a response.


    "Kekeke. I possess knowledge on rehabilitating souls into artificial bodies, Eren. There are multiple avenues we can explore. However, the simplest method for you would be to create a homunculus vessel for your brother.


    You''ve encountered Kino, haven''t you? She is a homunculus. I will guide you in crafting a homunculus body for Fernando Torres and assist in transferring his soul, enabling him to survive as an artificial human.


    All you need to do is find the artifact. I don''t mind if you utilize it for your own purposes as long as it remains in your possession. It''s quite a favorable deal, wouldn''t you agree? Take your time to consider it," Aleph patiently exined his proposition to Eren.


    Once again, Aleph''s words struck a chord within Eren. He clenched his fists, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his mind. After a brief moment of contemtion, he made his decision. "Tell me, how can I locate this Elder Artifact?" Eren finally yielded, determined to seize the opportunity.


    Unable to see Aleph''s facial expression, Eren couldn''t help but feel a sense of cunning satisfaction emanating from the old devil. Aleph chuckled once more before responding, "Eren, do you recall Adelman''s Ring? That peculiar artifact you possessed before giving it to Ariadne for further investigation?"


    Eren was taken aback by Aleph''s implications. "Are you suggesting that I unknowingly had such a legendary artifact in my possession?"


    Alephughed at the thought before correcting him.


    "Kekeke. No, you big doofus. What you possessed was not the genuine Elder Seed Artifact; it was a forged item. However..."


    Aleph''s voice trailed off, his next words delivered with caution, "There''s a possibility that it might be connected to the real thing¡ªthe original Adelman''s Ring! We need to acquire the dummy artifact first to uncover the coordinates leading to the true Elder Artifact."


    With Aleph''s words resonating in his mind, Eren felt a surge of determination welling within him. He knew that his journey to find the Elder Artifact was about to begin, and he had a clear starting point in mind.


    The Last Spider understood that locating Ariadne directly might prove challenging at this juncture, but he didn''t need to. He possessed the knowledge of who Ariadne had entrusted the ring.


    ===


    AN: Eren obtains Adelman''s Ring in chapter 98. Its name was first mentioned by Jaario in chapter 109. The artifact was mentioned again in chapter 195 and 197. Lastly, Eren gives the ring to Ariadne in chapter 210.

 Chapter 271 Unveiling The Distinctions: Transcendent-Grade, Hex, And Elder Seed Artifacts

    ?


    Adelman''s Ring.


    This was the name of a Rank-1 artifact that hade into Eren''s possession under unusual circumstances. Crafted from a unique mana-conductive metal alloy, the ring bore intricate runic engravings and featured a small blue sapphire that emitted a soft, ethereal glow.


    The ring possessed a remarkable ability. When exposed to moonlight throughout an entire night, it would unleash imprable mana defense domains three times whenever the user wanted them to, enveloping them in a protective shield.


    Upon activation, the ring would only consume a small portion of the user''s mana, providing a dome-shaped energy barrier capable of withstanding external assaults for up to 10 minutes. This granted the owner approximately 30 minutes of heightened secured space if all three activations were used consecutively. Alternatively, the ring could be charged using the ranker''s own mana, albeit at a substantial mana consumption cost.


    Curious about the limits of the ring''s capabilities, Eren attempted to charge it with his infinite mana core, hoping to extend its defensive properties. However, the ring''s sapphire began to show signs of deterioration, prompting him to halt his experiments and preserve the ring''s integrity for crucial moments.


    As Eren neared the precipice of achieving the Awakened Rank, he pondered the possibility of upgrading the ring to match his newfound power. However, his inquiry with Malcolm, the bald merchant, revealed that his artisans were incapable of elevating the ring''s rank.


    Recognizing its enigmatic origins, Eren turned to unconventional means to aplish the task. Entrusting the ring to Ariadne, he implored her to seek out a skilled artisan from her sphere of demonic rankers capable of transforming it into an Awakened rank artifact.


    Eren grimaced, realizing the potential consequences of entrusting the ring to Ariadne. He inwardly chastised himself, acknowledging that he had made a grave error by seeking external help and exposing the artifact to an unknown entity.


    ''Tch. I should have known better,'' he muttered, regret etching his face. ''I just hope the person Ariadne gave the ring to doesn''t recognize its true significance and decides to keep it for themselves.''


    In a tone ofint, Eren turned to Aleph, holding him partly responsible. ''You should have informed me about the ring''s background earlier. If I had known it held clues to an Elder Artifact, I wouldn''t have entrusted it to anyone.''


    Aleph swiftly responded, exining the circumstances.


    ''Hmm? It wasn''t that I didn''t want to warn you. My Soul Imprint was dormant within your soul while you possessed the ring, rendering me unaware.


    It was only after I essed your memories afterward and confirmed the existence of the ring through my Divine Sense that I pieced together its significance. Even if I had been conscious during that time, I might not have recognized its purpose as a pathfinder to the original Adelman''s Ring. To me, it would have appeared as a normal Rank-1 artifact, for the most part. I mean, I didn''t have a reason to dig deeper into it. So¡­"


    As Eren absorbed Aleph''s exnation, understanding washed over him. After a moment of contemtion, he posed another question. ''Why is it called Adelman''s Ring if it''s an Elder Seed Artifact? Why isn''t it recognized as such?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Without hesitation, Aleph provided an answer.


    ''That''s because the general poption remains unaware of the Elder Artifacts¡ª their true power and how to locate them. Consequently, most Elder Seed Artifacts are known by the names of their previous or current owners. If they have indeed been discovered by such owners and used extensively that is.


    These owners, empowered by the Elder Artifacts, leave asting impact on the history of their respective worlds. Therefore, the Elder Artifacts be associated with the influential figures who possessed them.


    Adelman''s Ring likely followed this trend. It''s probable that a person named Adelman, the previous owner, utilized the ring''s powers to forge a reputation in Gahan''s history. As a result, his name became synonymous with the ring among the people of Gahan."


    Eren found Aleph''s exnation usible, epting the theory as a reasonable exnation for the ring''s nomenture.


    While on night watch inside the mountain cave, Eren absentmindedly scratched his jaw as he sought answers from Aleph. ''Aleph, I''m curious about the simrities and differences between Elder Artifacts and Hex Artifacts. From what I''ve gathered so far, it appears that both types of artifacts align with the abilities of their owners and grow alongside them. However, I sense that there''s more to them than meets the eye,'' Eren inquired, taking advantage of Aleph''s unusually talkative disposition. He was determined to extract as much information as possible from the enigmatic entity.


    Aleph let out a dramatic sigh, seemingly expecting Eren to disy his opportunistic nature. After a brief moment of contemtion, he responded, "It appears my Soul Imprint is having a bad influence on you, Eren." Clearing his throat, he continued.


    ''Indeed, there are simrities between Hex Artifacts and Elder Artifacts. Both fall under the category of spiritual artifacts and operate on the foundation of intent-based magic.


    As Kino may have mentioned, Hex Artifacts are considered pseudo-Elder Artifacts, as they were crafted by deities and their followers who sought to emte the concepts behind the true Elder Artifacts. Essentially, Hex Artifacts are just a few steps away from attaining the same level of growth potential as their Elder Seed counterparts.


    Kino was correct in stating that the potential of Hex Artifacts is limited due to the absence of a crucial ingredient in their creation¡ªthe Elder Ichor blood,'' Aleph patiently elucidated.


    The weight of understanding began to settle on Eren''s shoulders as he grasped the profound significance of spiritual artifacts. Hex artifacts and Elder Seed artifacts held equal importance in his eyes, for he recognized that he had yet to unlock their true potential due to his own limitations.


    Determined to forge a path as a battlemage by crafting personalized artifacts, Eren realized the necessity of acquiring such knowledge at an early stage. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to the possibilities of creating his own Hex artifacts or even venturing into the realm of Elder Seed artifact creation¡ªassuming he possessed the required power and ess to the essentialponents.


    The tantalizing prospect of such endeavors sparked his imagination, fueling his aspirations to reach new heights.

 Chapter 272 Mapping The Path As An Artifact Forger

    ?


    ''Hahaha!''


    Aleph''sughter echoed through Eren''s mind, interrupting his grand visions.


    ''Ah,d, your ambitions are admirable, but let us rein in those spirited horses of yours. The art of forging Elder Artifacts or Hex artifacts cannot be achieved merely with the acquisition of raw materials or impressive ranks.


    It requires the wisdom that only experience can bestow. You must endure numerous failures before finding your stride in artifact creation,'' Aleph cautioned, shattering Eren''s daydreams with a dose of reality.


    Initially inclined to protest, Eren paused and contemted Aleph''s words. There was a nugget of truth buried within the old devil''s advice. Instead of dismissing it, Eren chose to heed the guidance, recognizing Aleph''s expertise in the matter.


    With a sincere tone, he inquired, ''In that case, what should be my focus? What path should I embark upon as a battlemage while pursuing my parallel journey as an artifact forger?'' Eren sought profound insight from Aleph, knowing that his knowledge surpassed that of anyone else he could consult.


    Aleph deliberated for a moment, carefully considering his response to Eren''s question.


    ''For now, my young friend, you should set aside thoughts of creating Hex Artifacts or Elder Artifacts. Those realms are currently beyond your reach and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future," Aleph advised, his words carrying a hint of caution.


    ''Instead, focus your efforts on crafting and acquiring transcendent-grade artifacts. While these artifacts do not rely on intent-based magic, they possess the ability to grow alongside their wielders through the bond formed with a mortal soul residing within these weapons.


    By crafting these artifacts using conventional methods and materials, you can then bind the soul of a mana beast to them, turning them into weapon spirits. This integration allows both the weapon and the embedded beast soul to evolve alongside your own progression.''


    With this new goal in mind, Aleph presented Eren with the concept of transcendent-grade artifacts. Aware of their existence, Eren acknowledged their value. Although not as rare as Hex Artifacts and rtively more abundantpared to Elder Artifacts, transcendent-grade artifacts still held significance.


    Eren realized that obtaining these artifacts only required financial means, as they could be found scattered across Gahan. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he concluded: Aleph intended for him to use the crafting of transcendent-grade artifacts as a stepping stone toward eventually delving into the creation of Hex Artifacts.


    Driven by a strong desire for knowledge, Eren turned to Aleph, seeking further enlightenment. With eagerness in his voice, he urged, ''Tell me more about these transcendent-grade artifacts,'' his thirst for understanding evident.


    In response, Aleph wasted no time in providing rification.


    ''Transcendent-grade artifacts offer a more feasible path for you as an artifact forgerpared to Hex artifacts. By starting with crafting transcendent-grade artifacts, you can gain the necessary experience to advance your skills in the future,'' Aleph exined, ensuring Eren grasped the significance of this progression.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Expanding on the topic, Aleph elucidated, ''Transcendent-grade artifacts can be seen as a bridge between regr artifacts and spiritual artifacts. If Hex Artifacts are the failed attempts at creating Elder Seed Artifacts, then transcendent-grade artifacts can be seen as the oue of iplete Hex Artifact production.'' He paused, allowing Eren to absorb the information before delving further.


    ''You see, Eren, most transcendent-grade artifacts harbor wed consciousness that remains dormant most of the time. However, thanks to their ability to tap into their own spiritual force, these artifacts can amodate a wide range of Rankers across various ranking statuses.


    For instance, a transcendent-grade artifact found in Gahan could be wielded by Rank-1 Meta Rankers up to Rank-3 Arch Rankers without requiring modifications. The bound soul within the artifact autonomously adapts the runic details, sparing the owner the need to upgrade the artifact with each promotion,'' Aleph calmly exined, painting a clearer picture for Eren.


    As Aleph''s words sank in, Eren realized the extent of his amateur status as an artifact forger. The limited sess he had achieved in crafting regr artifacts was merely scratching the surface. He understood that to enrich his path as a battlemage and be a sessful artifact forger, he needed to build a solid foundation and gather a vast array of experiences. This realization fueled his determination to pursue growth and continue honing his craft.


    A newfound sense of rity washed over Eren as he contemted his path to achieve his goals. Aleph, perceptive as ever, offered words of encouragement.


    "You''re heading in the right direction, Eren. Don''t rush your ranking journey and jeopardize your progress. Compared to most battlemages of your generation, you''re already faring exceptionally well. You''ve surpassed the novice artifact makers who are just grasping the basics.


    Having a teacher to guide you in mastering the art of artifact forging would have been beneficial. I still remember my own first teacher, Baelin Stoneforge, a skilled dwarf. It took me years before I even qualified to be his student and decades to refine the knowledge he imparted. Your journey as an artifact forger, inparison, can be considered remarkably swift," Aleph exined, and Eren recognized the reasoning behind his words. A smirk crept across his face as he responded to Aleph''s musings.


    "Well... I don''t believe I need a teacher. If you truly possess the expertise in artifact forging, as you im, why don''t you guide and instruct me yourself? Help me grow so that together we can obtain the Elder Artifact," Eren proposed, extending an offer to Aleph.


    However, Aleph burst intoughter once again, his amusement evident.


    "I''ve already aided you, Eren. Haven''t you realized that it was I who facilitated your State of Epiphany in artifact forging as soon as you embarked on your ranking journey? Those experiences provided you with an advantage, allowing you to bypass the novice stage in artifact forging," Aleph revealed, leaving Eren wide-eyed with surprise.


    Eren yearned to interject, but Aleph continued without pause.


    "The reason you feel you don''t require a teacher is also a result of the State of Epiphany you experienced. While I agree that you don''t need a teacher for the basics, you will require one as you advance in your career as an artifact forger.


    When you can sessfully craft transcendent-grade artifacts, I rmend seeking out a talented individual¨C someone like thatss Illvar. She is Kino''s master and could serve as your teacher. Only with a capable mentor can you expedite your journey, Eren. Of course, all of this is just a viable n for the future. What you need right now is to strengthen your foundation."


    Aleph suggested, causing Eren to delve into deep contemtion once again, reevaluating his thoughts on various matters.

 Chapter 273 Reencounter with Faim

    Chapter 273 Reencounter with Faim


    Shadow''s Edge.


    This was the name of the city that was a captivating ce nestled near the border of the Shaikai kingdom, acting as thest gateway into the ever-prosperous Lunarim kingdom.


    It emanated an intriguing aura, subtly interweaving magical elements into its very infrastructure. The city''s architecture showcased intricate carvings of mystical symbols, their soft glow hinting at the hidden powers thaty within.


    Despite residing on the outskirts of the Shaikai kingdom, where its influence waned, Shadow''s Edge thrived with an eclectic mix of inhabitants. Veiled within itsbyrinthine streets were the elusive demonic rankers, shrouded in secrecy and perpetually concealed in the shadows.


    Their presence added an undercurrent of mystique and danger to the city''s atmosphere, attracting those who were drawn to the allure of the forbidden.


    Positioned as the final threshold before entering the Lunarim kingdom, Shadow''s Edge served as a ma for wanderers, hunters, and daring adventurers. Travelers were enticed by the city''s proximity to the renowned Kver Forest, a mystical wilderness teeming with diverse ranking resources and formidable mana beasts.


    Here, the brave-hearted sought treasures tested their mettle against ferocious creatures and harvested valuable materials that fetched exorbitant prices in the market.


    Though aware of the city''s reputation for harboring demonic rankers, intrepid individuals continued to flock to Shadow''s Edge, undeterred by the risks. Their insatiable thirst for adventure and the allure of the untamed wild drew them like moths to a mesmerizing me. In this city of duality, where darkness and light intermingled, the relentless pursuit of power and wealth intertwined with the ever-present specter of the demonic.


    As the day faded into night, Shadow''s Edge revealed its true essence, casting an enchanting spell upon those who dared to wander its streets. It was a ce where shadows danced, secrets whispered, and the allure of the arcane beckoned the intrepid souls who dared to step foot within its enigmatic embrace.


    The sun remained hidden behind the thick nket of clouds, casting a somber hue upon the city of Shadow''s Edge. The morning air was heavy with moisture, a constant drizzle veiling the streets in a misty gray. Eren and Sofiya walked side by side, their footsteps muffled by the wet cobblestones as they navigated thebyrinthine paths of the city.


    The gloomy atmosphere seemed to seep into every nook and cranny, lending an air of mncholy to the bustling streets. The sound of raindrops pattering on the rooftops formed a rhythmic symphony, blending with the distant echoes of murmured conversations and the asional creak of rusty signs swaying in the breeze.


    As they ventured deeper into Shadow''s Edge, the aroma of damp earth mixed with hints of herbal essences wafted through the air. The streets were lined with shops, their windows adorned with an assortment of magical artifacts and potions. Eren''s gaze was drawn to a particr herbal shop, its weathered sign bearing the name "Mystic Flora."


    With a quick exchange of nces, Eren and Sofiya approached the entrance. Eren turned to hispanion, his voice barely audible above the rain''s steady rhythm. "Wait here, Sofiya. I''ll see if they have what we''re looking for." Sofiya nodded, her hood drawn tightly over her head, protecting her from the persistent drizzle.


    Eren pushed open the creaking door, revealing a dimly lit interior filled with shelves upon shelves of jars and vials containing an array of magical herbs. Soft rays of light filtered through stained ss windows, casting colorful patterns on the worn wooden floor. The air was heavy with the scent of rare botanicals, a mix of earthiness, and a faint tinge of enchantment.


    A man stood behind the counter, his features obscured by a shadowy hood. His eyes glimmered with peculiar intensity as he scanned the room. His appearance hinted at a life filled with arcane practices, his aura brimming with the unmistakable energy of an Awakened Ranker. By day, he served as the humble shop owner, but by night, he delved into the realms of demon magic.


    Eren approached the counter, his gaze locked with the enigmatic shop owner. "You are Latovin, right? I seek a particr item," he began, his voice steady but tinged with an underlying unease. "Adelman''s Ring. I believe it was given to you by Ariadne a few years ago. I did that so she could find something substantial about the artifact. But since Ariadne or I didn''t get any response from you, I''d like it back."


    Latovin''s lips curled into a knowing smile, revealing a glimmer of mischief. "Ah, Adelman''s Ring," he replied, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue. "A precious artifact indeed. Hmmm¡­ I think I heard about it. But why do you think I have it, my young friend? I don''t know you, and I don''t know this Ariadne girl you speak of. Now¡­ if you''d excuse me¡­"


    Eren''s heart sank as his fears were confirmed. He knew that getting demonic rankers involved to know more about the ring''s details was a bad idea. Latovin might have respected Ariadne if she hade to ask him for it. But he was an outsider.


    Eren already knew that Latovin was a demonic ranker. And that this entire city was filled with many demonic rankers. As such, he wanted to avoid trouble if he could. He tightened his grip on the edge of the counter, and his voiceced with a threatening edge. "Please, I need that ring. It holds great sentimental value to me. Is there anything I can offer in exchange?"


    Latovin''s gaze bore into Eren''s, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ah, sentimentality. A fragile bond, isn''t it? But just as I said, I don''t know about the artifact. Are you perhaps calling me a liar?"


    "Eren, we should reconsider our position and find another location. I sense a multitude of formidable forces converging upon us," Sofiya cautioned Eren just as he was preparing to address Latovin.


    At that moment, Eren became aware that the demonic shop owner had summoned reinforcements upon discovering his intent to reim the ring.


    The Last Spider''s grip tightened on his fists, his gaze filled with determination as he locked eyes with Latovin. His words held a resolute tone, promising an unfavorable oue for the shop owner.


    "You see, Latovin, there will be no escape. I will retrieve that ring by any means necessary," Eren warned, his voice carrying the weight of his unwavering resolve.


    With their purpose clear, Eren and Sofiya swiftly made their way out of the city, their hearts pounding with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. As they rode their magical colts through the rain-soaked streets, the atmosphere seemed to thicken with each passing moment. Sofiya''s instincts warned her of the looming danger, a sense of pursuit that pushed their urgency to escape.


    Eren''s lips curled into a knowing smile as Sofiya ryed the presence of their pursuers. ''Hehe. It''s just as Aleph had said. Almost everyone''s a demonic ranker in that city. It''s good that they took the bait,'' Eren said to himself as he also sensed the signs of being followed. He then looked towards Sofiya before rying to her, ''I anticipated this, Sofiya. Just let them follow us,'' he reassured her before urging his colt to increase its speed, with Sofiya closely trailing behind.


    ***


    Unbeknownst to Eren, Latovin''s motives were not as they seemed. He had merely sought to intimidate Eren and discourage his pursuit of Adelman''s Ring by calling upon reinforcements. Among those reinforcements, however, lurked a figure harboring a deep personal grudge against Eren. He had seen Eren''s face just as he was about to pass through the city gates.


    This figure was Faim, a tall and muscr man with a pallidplexion. His shoulder-length red hair framed his sharp features, while his piercing red eyes, devoid of sclera, exuded a malevolent aura. His prominent ears marked his heritage as a beastkin.


    Years ago, Faim had been a member of the Stardust Guild, but a fateful encounter with Eren had left him broken and defeated. Their duel had escted to a point where Eren''s cruel and bloodthirsty emotions, fueled by the side effects of the Hex gear, had driven him to deliver a devastating blow.


    Faim had lost his limbs in the brutal sh, leaving him physically and emotionally shattered. The subsequent recovery drained his savings and tested his resolve.


    It was in the depths of despair that Faim chose a different path, forsaking his former ambitions to embrace the dark arts of demonic ranking. In the shadows of Shadow''s Edge, he honed his newfound powers, fueled by his innate beastkin heritage that facilitated his rapid progress as a demonic ranker. Over the years, Faim had ascended to the formidable 9th level of the Awakened Rank, standing on the precipice of the coveted Arch Rank.


    As the chase continued, Faim''s burning resentment fueled his pursuit. The memories of his defeat at Eren''s hands had etched deep scars upon his psyche, driving him to seek retribution. The power he had acquired as a demonic ranker would serve as his weapon to settle the score once and for all.


    ===


    AN: Faim was first introduced in chapter 181.

 Chapter 274 Entering Lunarim Kingdom

    Chapter 274 Entering Lunarim Kingdom


    "Aaaargh!"


    A piercing cry of agony echoed through the Kver Forest, joining the chorus of previous cries that marked lives being extinguished.


    Amidst the dense foliage, a deste clearing emerged, created by the sh of two opposing factions of Rankers. Eren and Sofiyaprised one group, while the other consisted of the demonic rankers hailing from the city of Shadow''s Edge.


    The aftermath of their violent confrontation was strewn with the lifeless bodies of the fallen demonic rankers, a macabre tableau of severed organs, and spilled entrails. The pungent stench of blood saturated the air.


    The cacophony of helpless cries abruptly ceased when Eren''s Tachi imed the head of the final demonic ranker, a man named Faim. Faim, a former member of the Stardust Guild, had relentlessly pursued Eren with a vengeance in his heart. Confident in his progress as a demonic ranker, Faim believed he had surpassed Eren. He had honed his mastery of demonic magic to a remarkable degree.


    However, his pride was misced, for Eren dispatched the demonic rankers who followed him as effortlessly as plucking candy from a child. This was due to a far more sinister force lurking within Eren''s soul.


    In a critical moment, Eren willingly relinquished control of his body to Aleph. Aleph, without directly harming any demonic ranker, emanated a presence thatpelled the demons within them to sever their Faustian Contracts and retreat voluntarily. The demons within the demonic rankers were willing to pay any price and endure any consequences to escape the presence known as Aleph. Abandoned by the very demonic powers they had embraced, the demonic rankers were left powerless.


    With a snap of Aleph''s fingers, the residual demonic energies within the rankers turned against them, inflicting internal torment upon their bodies and souls. Helpless and at the mercy of their own forsaken powers, most of the demonic rankers became mere pawns awaiting the fatal blows from Eren and Sofiya. A few tried to struggle, but it was all in vain.


    The shocking efficiency with which Aleph''s presence dispelled the demons left Sofiya astounded. Having grown ustomed to fighting tooth and nail in Gahan, she had mentally prepared herself for a grueling battle against the horde of demonic rankers. Little did she expect that the fight would end almost as soon as it began.


    She watched in awe as Eren, under Aleph''s influence, methodically decapitated the demonic rankers who had set their sights on him. One by one, their heads rolled while theyy defenseless on the ground, crippled by the repercussions of their demonic abandonment. Their screams filled the air, but Eren remained resolute.


    Eren knew these demonic rankers had approached him with malicious intent, likely seeking to know more about Adelman''s Ring. Had Eren not possessed the power to resist and overpower them, they would have attempted to extract every morsel of information from him before disposing of both him and Sofiya.


    In particr, Sofiya would have suffered a fate far worse, given the way the demonic rankers leered at her with ill intentions before the battle.


    At this point, Eren had already in Latovin and retrieved Adelman''s Ring from him by prying open his I-Rune Storage forcefully. Faim, in his dying moments, attempted to negotiate with Eren, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Instead, Eren dispatched his old nemesis without uttering a single word, dismissing Faim''s tragic tale with indifference.


    ***


    Lunariam Kingdom.


    In the vast world of Gahan, which hosted fantasticalnds and mystical wonders,y the resplendent Lunarim Kingdom. Nestled amidst breathtakingndscapes and enchanted forests, this fabled kingdom captivated the hearts and imaginations of all who ventured within its borders.


    Geographically, Lunarim Kingdom boasted a captivating variety of terrain. From rolling hills nketed in vibrant wildflowers to towering mountains piercing the sky, each region told a unique tale. Majestic rivers snaked through thends, nourishing the fertile ins that yielded bountiful harvests.


    The kingdom''s dense forests, shrouded in an ethereal aura, teemed with rare ranking resources and powerful mana beasts, their secrets beckoning daring explorers to unravel their mysteries. Amidst these ancient woods, one could stumble upon remnants of enigmatic ruins, remnants of a forgotten era waiting to be discovered.


    Among the many cherished cities within Lunarim Kingdom, several stood out for their distinctive charm and vibrant activities. In the heart of the kingdomy the bustling capital city, Sriel, a grand metropolis that served as the epitome of beauty and grandeur.


    Its magnificent architecture, adorned with intricate carvings and gleaming towers, stood as a testament to the kingdom''s rich history and cultural heritage. Sriel was a melting pot of races and cultures where humans, elves, Dokkaebis, ogres, orcs, and half-bloods coexisted harmoniously, their shared diversity creating a tapestry of vibrant life.


    Renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship, Lunarim Kingdom had garnered fame as a hub for weaponsmiths and artisans. Dedicated cities such as Forgeholm and Ironhaven were bustling hubs where the finest weapons and transcendent-grade artifacts were crafted, bought, and sold.


    These cities were home to various prestigious weaponsmithy organizations, each offering a unique blend of creativity, skill, and mastery. Warriors from far and wide flocked to these cities to acquire powerful weapons and legendary defensive armor, their eyes dazzled by the ster quality and awe-inspiring designs.


    The Lunarim kingdom was governed by beast folk royalty. This proud nation, predominantly inhabited by beastkin, boasted a unique blend of ancient traditions and untamed natural beauty.


    Although less technologically advanced than its neighboring Shaikai Kingdom, the inhabitants of Lunarim Kingdom possessed a deep connection to the mystical arts, incorporating magic into their daily lives. Various adventurer guilds, led by prominent half-blood ns, dotted thendscape, providing opportunities for daring souls seeking fame and fortune.


    In Lunarim Kingdom, House Fenris, a wolf-type half-blood n, held the esteemed position of the royal n. Generation after generation, these noble warriors had produced formidable Rankers who harnessed shapeshifting powers to overwhelm their adversaries.


    However, the kingdom was not without its challenges. Within the half-blood ns, power struggles ensued as they vied for dominance and influence, causing internal conflicts and external tensions. Each region within the kingdom was governed by the respective half-blood ns, shaping the unique dynamics and cultural nuances of their territories.


    Amidst the glory and prosperity, Lunarim Kingdom harbored hidden dangers. Festering in the shadows, demonic rankers lurked, posing a constant threat to the kingdom''s peace and security. These nefarious entities, driven by dark ambitions, sought to exploit the kingdom''s resources and sow chaos within its borders.


    The demonic rankers'' presence, however, did not deter the courageous souls who saw Lunarim Kingdom as and of boundless opportunities, a realm where people from all walks of life could embark on thrilling quests and forge their destinies.


    Thus, the Lunarim Kingdom stood tall and proud, a beacon of hope and endless possibilities. Its storied history, rich culture, and untamed wilderness created an alluring tapestry that awaited the arrival of adventurers, heroes, and seekers of greatness.


    Within its borders, the kingdom''s dense forests whispered secrets, ancient ruins, and Hexers'' Grounds beckoned with untold treasures, and the call of destiny resonated in every corner. This kingdom offered a multitude of opportunities for those with the will and strength to im their rightful ce in its vibrant tapestry of life.


    ***


    After sessfully getting rid of the demonic rankers, Eren and Sofiya finally set foot within the fabled Lunarim Kingdom.


    Thanks to Aleph''s extraordinary demonic abilities, Eren had consumed the memories of both Latovin and Faim, unearthing a startling revtion about Adelman''s Ring. Contrary to popr belief, this mysterious artifact existed in multiple copies, each possessed by formidable mana-harnessing beings scattered across the world of Gahan. This was the reason why many demonic rankers knew about it.


    The demonic rankers, too, were aware that the rings circting in Gahan were mere decoys designed to lead their owners toward the true Adelman''s Ring.


    Through Latovin''s memories, Eren delved into the past, discovering the formidable Adelman, an Elemental Master who had reached unprecedented power nearly eight centuries ago. To select a worthy sessor for his potent ring before his eventual death, Adelman had crafted numerous replicas, distributing them far and wide throughout the world of Gahan.


    Only those capable of deciphering the concealed clues within these copies could hope to unveil the genuine Adelman''s Ring¡ªan ancient Elder Seed Artifact, as Aleph had revealed.


    Utilizing Aleph''s assistance, Eren also managed to capture the dormant demon residing within Faim. Unlike other demon souls that Aleph dispersed into the demonic ne, this particr entity held a hidden potential recognized by Aleph, leading to its preservation.


    Empowered by the spoils obtained from the defeated demonic rankers, Eren experienced a significant improvement in his financial situation. Though burdened by a lingering debt, the newfound wealth provided temporary respite, allowing him to sustain himself and settle his obligations for the time being.


    With half of the acquired fortune, Eren made a calcted decision to legally gain entry into Lunarim Kingdom. Realizing that the Shaikai Kingdom alone could not support his ambitious ns and future aspirations, he sought this kingdom, teeming with both peril and opportunity, and where he could make substantial strides toward his towering ambitions.


    Lunarim Kingdom, with its enticing blend of danger and promise, proved to be the perfect stage for Eren to carve his path toward greatness.

 Chapter 275 City of Ironhaven

    <h4>Chapter 275 City of Ironhaven</h4>


    Ironhaven.


    In the far west of Lunarim Kingdom, distant from the capital city, there existed a bustling metropolis known as Ironhaven.


    Despite its geographical separation, Ironhaven thrived as a prosperous hub fueled by its flourishing artifact and weapon trade with the neighboring Shaikai Kingdom. This city, situated at the crossroads of cultures and races, weed people of all backgrounds and walks of life, with the majority being beastfolk, also known as half-bloods.


    Ironhaven emanated an aura of tranquility, luring in countless travelers and passersby with its strategic location and promising prospects. Nestled amidst the city''sndscape were patches of verdant forests, their lush canopies serving as a natural respite from the bustling streets. Moreover, the presence of numerous nearby mines offered an abundance of precious magical ingots that could be fashioned into weapons and artifacts of extraordinary power.


    At the heart of Ironhaven''s prosperityy its thriving weaponsmiths and merchant guilds, their collective focus firmly set on the acquisition and sale of magically conductive metal ingots. Their reputation as purveyors of the finest weaponry attracted patrons from far and wide. While Ironhaven boasted a considerable number of adventurer guilds, the allure of employment within their ranks paled inparison to the opportunities presented by the city''s merchant guilds.


    It was within these guilds that manpower was sought to retrieve mana-conducive minerals, metal ingots, and other rare ranking resources from distant locales. However, the very ces that housed these precious magical resources were fraught with peril, teeming with monstrous creatures, mana beasts, and nefarious entities that shrouded themselves in shadow. To mitigate the risks associated with such ventures, adventurers, and mercenaries were contracted to acquire these invaluable assets on behalf of the merchant guilds.


    Ironhaven owed its governance to House Tigerin, a prominent white-leopard-type half-blood n. Their influence permeated not only the city but also the surrounding regions, solidifying their control over Ironhaven and its immediate vicinity. As a n closely allied with Lunarim Kingdom''s royalty, House Fenris, the Tigerin n ensured that Ironhaven received its due attention and support, despite its remote location.


    The city''s defenses were formidable, its towering walls crafted from white stone, reminiscent of the sleek coat of a leopard. Intriguingly, these otherwise immacte walls bore scattered ck spots, a curious juxtaposition that rendered them eerily reminiscent of the feline predator''s hide. House Tigerin''s stewardship extended beyond mere governance, as they assumed responsibility for Ironhaven''s protection, maintaining a vignt watch over the city and its inhabitants.


    Ironhaven''s significance extended beyond its trade rtions with Shaikai Kingdom, epassing internalmerce within the borders of the Lunarim Kingdom itself. The weapons forged within its forges and the artifacts created by skilled artisans found favor not only in the neighboring realm but also among Lunarim Kingdom''s own denizens. These coveted creations, renowned for their impable craftsmanship and remarkable efficiency in mana conduction, were considered the epitome of value for the discerning buyer.


    As one ventured deeper into the expansive cityscape, they would encounter the eight distinct districts that defined Ironhaven''s diverse tapestry. The central district, aptly named Tigerin District, predominantly housed the main and side branches of House Tigerin. Here, the n''s presence was most palpable, with their esteemed members upying prominent positions within Ironhaven''s administration.


    Ironhaven prided itself on being a sanctuary for beings of all backgrounds, with one important caveat: the possession of a valid I-Rune tattoo. This emblem served as a mark of identity, assuring the city administration of an individual''s veracity and granting them the privilege of dwelling within its borders. Within this cosmopolitan tapestry, one could find a tapestry of mana-harnessing entities - Rankers, Evokers, Body Cultivators, and Soulweavers - intermingling with mortals and non-mana users, all contributing to the city''s growth and vitality.


    While mortals enjoyed the rtive affordability of Ironhaven''s amodations, mana-harnessing entities were subjected to a significant monthly tax to reside within the city''s limits. Furthermore, they were responsible for their own housing arrangements. The city offered a multitude of options, from inns and resting houses to rental properties. For those seeking a more permanent dwelling, the acquisition ofnd or the construction of a home became possible after years of residency, with the city administration''s approval being the ultimate seal of legitimacy.


    Ironhaven''s vibrancy extended beyond its residential quarters. The city teemed with active markets, a haven for all things magical. These bustling bazaars offered a cornucopia of mana-rted raw materials, artifacts, spell scrolls, potent potions, array disks, and an array of other mystical paraphernalia. It was here that seekers of arcane knowledge and enthusiasts of the esoteric found sce, engrossed in the wonders thaty within reach.


    From dawn till dusk, Ironhaven was a city in constant motion. Its streets buzzed with activity, infused with a vibrant energy that permeated every nook and cranny¡ªcolorful days melted into even more vibrant evenings, apanied by a rich tapestry of sounds and scents that ignited the senses. Yet, as the sun dipped below the horizon, a strict curfew would descend upon the city, ushering in a period of tranquility that ensured the crime rate remained as low as possible.


    The City of Ironhaven stood resolute against the encroachment of darkness, its mighty walls serving as a barrier between the inhabitants and the ever-present threats lurking beyond. Within these protective confines, capable and vignt city guards patrolled the streets, their watchful eyes and unwavering dedication to maintainingw and order. Ironhaven stood as a testament to the strength and resilience of its inhabitants, a beacon of prosperity and unity within the sprawling expanse of the Lunarim Kingdom.


    ***


    As Eren and Sofiya made their way through the grand gates of Ironhaven, the city''s guardians cast their discerning gazes upon them. Presenting their official names and I-Rune tattoos, the duo ensured their seamless entry into the bustling metropolis. They had prepared for this moment, even paying their monthly tax in advance, ready to embrace their new home for theing month.


    The City of Ironhaven sprawled before them, abyrinth of enchantment and opportunity waiting to be explored. Excitement tingled in their veins as they embarked on their initial foray into the city''s heart. Their first destination was the Tigerin District, a testament to House Tigerin''s dominance over the city. As they strolled through the district''s avenues, they marveled at the intricate architecture, each structure adorned with white marble, mirroring the ethereal beauty of the House''s namesake, the white leopard.


    Their curiosity led them to the Mana Towers, towering edifices that stood as symbols of the city''s magical prowess. Mages from all walks of life congregated within, their powers harnessed to shape the fabric of reality. The air crackled with untapped energy as the towers hummed with the ebb and flow of arcane forces. Sofiya couldn''t help but be in awe of the mages'' skill and dedication, her own aspirations fueled by the knowledge that such mastery was within reach.


    Leaving the Mana Towers behind, the pair ventured into the Greenhouses, where an abundance of rare and exotic magical herbs flourished. The air carried the sweet fragrance of blooms unseen elsewhere in the kingdom. Sofiya couldn''t resist the temptation to touch and inhale the delicate petals, her fingers tingling with the residual mana coursing through the nts. Eren made a mental note to returnter, hoping to procure some of these precious treasures for his future endeavors.


    As the day wore on, Eren and Sofiya continued their exploration of Ironhaven, venturing into the districts and ces essible to them. Each corner of the city held its own unique allure, from the Artisans'' Quarter with its master craftsmen honing their skills to the bustling Market Square, where vendors beckoned with their wares. The city seemed alive, pulsating with the energy of dreams and ambitions.


    It was during their wanderings that Eren and Sofiya solidified their ns for their stay in Ironhaven. They decided to utilize the city''s wealth of opportunities to generate financial stability and establish themselves as a mercenary squad first and foremost. They sought to lend their skills to those in need while umting the resources necessary for their long journey ahead. After all, they were nning to go to Lunarim''s capital city in the future.


    As the afternoon sun cast long shadows upon the cobbled streets, Eren and Sofiya found themselves standing before Sakaya''s Pce, a renowned merchant guild that had captured their attention. The guild''s grand facade exuded an air of elegance and prosperity, its opulent doors beckoning them inside. The two battlemages stepped across the threshold, determined to make some quick bucks and procure some good raw materials needed for their projects.


    Within the guild''s hallowed halls, a bustling atmosphere enveloped them. Traders haggled over rare artifacts, while mercenaries shared tales of their exploits. The guild hall buzzed with the promise of adventure and the clinking of coins. Eren and Sofiya approached the registration desk, their eyes meeting the receptionist''s discerning gaze.


    "We seek to join your ranks as a nameless mercenary squad," Eren dered, his voice steady and resolute.


    The receptionist, a seasoned individual with a hint of wisdom in their eyes, studied them for a moment before nodding approvingly. "Very well. Sakaya''s Pce wees those with ambition and the drive to excel. You shall be given opportunities to prove yourselves and establish your reputation within Ironhaven."


    With their names officially registered, Eren and Sofiya took their first step towards building their mercenary legacy in the City of Ironhaven. Their determination burned bright, for they knew that within these walls, fortunes would be won.


    The sun began its descent, casting a golden hue over the city as Eren and Sofiya braced themselves for the challenges thaty ahead. Ironhaven, with its pulsating heart, would be their home, their sanctuary, and the starting point of their extraordinary journey.

 Chapter 276 Eren vs Dire Tigers P1

    <h4>Chapter 276 Eren vs Dire Tigers P1</h4>


    In the City of Ironhaven, Eren and Sofiya had embarked on a path of mercenary work.


    Their two-personnel team, though unnamed for now, had garnered attention within Sakaya''s Pce, the esteemed merchant guild of the city. Together, they had taken on missions that would pose challenges to even full-fledged mercenary groups. And now, on the 16th day since their registration, they found themselves venturing into the heart of the Ironhaven Forest.


    Eren and Sofiya had risen early. Their destinationy a mere two hours away, a specific region within the vast expanse of the forest. The task at hand was to rid the area of dire tigers, fearsome beasts whose talons and skins were in high demand for weapon and armor creation. It was a lucrative opportunity to bolster their finances and establish their reputation.


    The hunt for Rank-2 dire tigers was a perilous task, often entrusted to a well-equipped mercenary team of eight to ten members. The very idea of a duo venturing into the treacherous wilderness was unheard of in Ironhaven''s recent history. Eren and Sofiya were about to defy all expectations.


    With determination in their eyes, Eren and Sofiya arrived at their designated location around 10 AM. The forest greeted them with an air of mystery, its ancient trees casting long shadows that danced upon the forest floor. They knew the importance of time, aiming toplete their mission by 4 PM to maximize their profits.


    Unspoken between them was the understanding to split up, each taking on the dire tigers individually. It was a risky decision, considering the ferocity of the beasts they were about to face, but Eren and Sofiya possessed the skills and resilience to tackle the challenge head-on.


    ***


    Ironhaven Forest.


    The Last Spider gazed upon the foreboding entrance of the Ironhaven Forest, his piercing blue eyes filled with determination.


    Surrounded by towering trees, their branches interwoven to create a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight, the forest exuded an aura of mystery and danger. The air was thick with humidity, and the faint scent of moss and earth mingled with Eren''s every breath.


    As Eren delved deeper into the depths of the forest, an undercurrent of worry tugged at his heart, concern for hispanion, Sofiya. The mission they had undertaken was no ordinary feat, and the looming presence of the formidable dire tigers only amplified the risks they faced. Yet, Eren found sce in knowing that Sofiya was far from an ordinary Ranker. Her indomitable spirit and resourcefulness made her a force to be reckoned with.


    Sofiya, battlemage with an unwavering determination, possessed a repertoire of spells that could adapt to any dire circumstance. Her proficiency in summoning spirit beasts granted her a versatile arsenal to confront the most formidable adversaries. Theirbined strength and the harmony between their abilities were the bedrock of their sess as a team.


    While the dire tigers posed a significant threat, Eren tookfort in Sofiya''s ability to navigate treacherous situations with finesse. Her agility and instinct for self-preservation were unparalleled, ensuring she could evade danger should the odds be overwhelmingly stacked against her.


    ***


    d in a full-sleeved light blue tunic that contrasted against his pale skin, Eren stood out amidst the earthy surroundings. His white hair, cascading his face, seemed to blend with the rays of sunlight that managed to pierce through the forest canopy. Over his tunic, he wore a lightweight ck leather sleeveless armor, providing him with mobility and protection.


    His dark brown pants and light brown leather shoes allowed for swift movement through the undergrowth. Metal arm bracers adorned his forearms, offering both defensive capabilities and a touch of intimidation. Matching leg bracerspleted his ensemble, ensuring that he was prepared for any physical encounters thaty in his path.


    At his waist, Eren carried a trusty Tachi sword, its polished de gleaming with the promise of battle. Dual axes named Behemoth Set were strapped to his back, their imposing size and intricate engravings serving as a testament to the power they possessed. Eren''s demeanor remained calm and cautious, his every step calcted as he traversed the forest''s winding trails.


    Suddenly, a rustling in the nearby foliage caught Eren''s attention. His senses heightened, he readied himself for whatevery ahead. Four pairs of piercing eyes emerged from the shadows, fixated on Eren.


    It was the dire tigers, a formidable predator thatmanded respect even in the heart of the Ironhaven Forest.


    The male and female dire tigers, with their sleek, muscr bodies covered in thick orange and ck stripes, exuded a sense of primal authority. Their amber eyes shimmered with a mix of curiosity and aggression, locked onto Eren''s figure. Apanying them were their two almost fully adult cubs, their smaller frames and vibrant coats revealing their youthful exuberance.


    Eren''s heart quickened at the sight of the dire tigers, recognizing the danger they posed. However, he remained steadfast, his focus unyielding. The hunt had begun, and the Last Spider was ready to face the dire tigers head-on.


    As the one Rank-1 and three Rank-2 dire tigers lunged forward, their powerful bodies propelled by primal instincts, Eren knew he had to act swiftly. With a surge of energy, he tapped into the depths of his magical abilities, summoning a legion of elemental creatures to aid him in the impending battle.


    Three majestic Anemoi White Elephants materialized beside Eren, their massive forms towering over the forest floor. These giants possessed the power of wind and air, their ivory tusks gleaming in the dappled sunlight.


    Apanying them were six Taranbiests, nimble creatures of the lightning that looked like hellhounds. And above, a flock of Alfems, avian creatures with wings shimmering in shades of orange and red, ready to take to the skies.


    While the three dire tigers found themselves momentarily preupied with Eren''s summoned creatures, his unwavering gaze fixated on the formidable male tiger that stood as the pack''s leader. Towering in size and emanating a palpable aura of ferocity, this beast had survived countless trials and honed its instincts through unforgiving battles in the untamed wild.


    Locked in an intense stare, a silent exchange of defiance took ce between Eren and the dominant predator.


    Grrrr!


    A primal roar reverberated through the dense foliage, signaling themencement of an epic sh. In that pivotal moment, Eren''s mettle would be tested as he squared off against one of the jungle''s most fearsome apex predators.

 Chapter 277 Eren vs Dire Tigers P2

    <h4>Chapter 277 Eren vs Dire Tigers P2</h4>


    Grrrr!


    The male dire tiger lunged forward, its ws shing through the air, aiming to rend flesh and draw blood. Eren evaded the attack with a swift side-step powered by Blitz Steps, his movements guided by agility and a deep understanding of his opponent''s tactics.


    However, the beast was relentless, its feral instincts driving it forward.


    Eren retaliated with lightning, unleashing crackling bolts of electricity from his fingertips. The Rank 2 male dire tiger, momentarily stunned by the sudden surge of power, snarled in defiance. It used a simple yet potent fire-element inherent spell to coat itself in mes and boosted his overall offensive and defensive capabilities. The beast shook off the effects of the lightning and charged once more, its immense strength evident in every sinew of its being.


    Recognizing the need for a more potent attack, Eren conjured a swirling vortex of fire, enveloping his hands in searing mes. With a focused gaze, heunched a concentrated st of fire at the male dire tiger. The mes licked at the beast''s fur, scorching its skin and eliciting a pained roar.


    The male dire tiger, undeterred by the pain, retaliated with a flurry of w strikes, its razor-sharp ws leaving deep gashes on Eren''s flesh. The lightweight leather armor offered some protection, but it was not impervious to the beast''s relentless assault. Eren gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he calcted his next move.


    Harnessing his knowledge of Spell Integration, Eren tapped into thebined power of the Alfem, Igni Shards, and Igni Breath. Another flock of fire-element birds was conjured around Eren.


    The fire-element summoned creatures rallied around him, their presence providing a shield. They engaged the predator in a fierce battle, their elemental prowess matching the ferocity of the beasts. Meanwhile, Eren tried to recuperate using his healing spell along with a simple healing potion he bought from the city market.


    With a renewed focus, Eren channeled the essence of elemental fusion. He infused his lightning spells with the power of fire, creating a devastatingbination that crackled with raw energy. As he unleashed this amalgamation of elements upon the male dire tiger, the forest seemed to tremble with the sheer force of the attack.


    The Rank-2 male dire tiger, sensing the impending danger,unched a final assault, its ws tearing through the air with deadly precision. Eren''s evasive maneuvers were not enough topletely avoid the onught, and he suffered deep gashes across his body, blood mingling with the sweat on his brow. Yet, fueled by the sheer power coursing through his veins due to his infinite mana core, he pressed on.


    The elemental fusion spell reached its crescendo, a swirling vortex of fire and lightning colliding with the male dire tiger. The resulting explosion consumed the beast, mes dancing along its form, intermingling with sparks of electricity. And when the beast was finally too stunned to move because of the sheer volume of the elemental attacks on him, its head was severed by Eren''s Tachi.The once-fierce predator let out a final, agonized roar before copsing to the forest floor, defeated.


    Eren stood amidst the aftermath of the intense battle, his breath ragged and body adorned with wounds. The other three dire tigers, witnessing the demise of their leader, faltered for a moment beforeunching a fierce assault at Eren''s summoned creatures which were keeping them busy till this point.


    With the male dire tiger lying defeated on the forest floor, Eren turned his attention to the remaining adversary¡ªthe female dire tiger. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air as they locked eyes, each recognizing the determination and savagery in the other.


    The Rank-2 female dire tiger prowled forward, muscles rippling beneath its sleek coat. Eren knew that this opponent would be just as formidable as the one he had just vanquished, if not more so. But he was undeterred, ready to face the challenge head-on.


    Drawing upon the wellspring of his fire element spells, Eren began to channel the incendiary power within him. mes danced along his fingertips as he summoned the Alfem, fire-element birds with wings aze in hues of orange and red. They circled above him, ready to carry out hismands.


    Focusing his gaze on the female dire tiger, Eren unleashed his first fire-element spell. Igni Wave. With a swift swing of his Tachi sword and a deft rotation of his Behemoth axe, fiery weapon shes shot through the air. Each strike carried the searing heat of the mes, aimed at engulfing the dire tiger in a congration of pain.


    The female dire tiger, quick on her feet, dodged the initial onught, her lithe form evading the fiery assault. But Eren was relentless, his movements fluid and precise. Igni Chains, his next spell, came into y. He conjured fire-element chains, attaching them to his dual axes, effectively extending their range. With increased reach, Erenshed out once more, the fiery chains whirling through the air with deadly uracy.


    The female dire tiger, momentarily ensnared by the chains, roared in defiance. She wed at the fiery restraints, attempting to free herself from Eren''s grasp. But he was not finished. Igni Shards, another fire-element spell, erupted from his hands, transforming into sharp shards of mes hurtling towards his adversary. The shards struck with precision, searing into the dire tiger''s fur and flesh, leaving scorch marks in their wake.


    As the battle raged on, Eren recognized the need for a more concentrated attack. He stepped back, creating distance between himself and the female dire tiger, and drew upon the power of Igni Breath. Inhaling deeply, he summoned thepressed fire element within him, the air around him shimmering with intense heat. Then, with a forceful exhale, a torrent of mes surged forth from his lips, engulfing the female dire tiger in an inferno.


    The dire tiger, now trapped within the zing congration, unleashed a series of desperate attacks. ws shed through the mes, but Eren''s control over the fire element was unmatched. He weaved through the onught, his movements a dance of agility and precision.


    The intense heat began to take its toll on the female dire tiger. Fur scorched and smoke billowed from her singed form, yet still she fought on. The fire element had ignited a primal rage within her, lending her strength and resilience.

 Chapter 278 Mana Circuits Training

    <h4>Chapter 278 Mana Circuits Training</h4>


    Eren pressed forward, determined to quell the mes of his adversary.


    His attacks intensified, the mes engulfing the female dire tiger growing more voracious with each passing moment. As the ze reached its crescendo, the dire tiger''s defiance faltered. With a final, anguished roar, she sumbed to the overwhelming power of Eren''s fire element spells.


    During their fight, Eren had strategically distanced himself from the remaining two dire tigers by driving the female dire tiger away from ground zero with his relentless attacks. So when he finished off his second kill, he almost couldn''t hear the distant struggle between the dire tigers and his summoned creatures. The forest almost fell silent, the crackling of mes fading into the stillness.


    Eren stood amidst the smoldering aftermath, his breathing heavy and his body adorned with fresh wounds. The second dire tigery defeated, its body consumed by fire.


    Yet, the battle was far from over. The remaining two dire tigers still posed a threat, engaged in a fierce struggle with Eren''s summoned creatures. Bloodied but undeterred, Eren prepared himself for the next phase of the arduous battle that awaited him within the depths of the Ironhaven Forest.


    ***


    Eren let out a weary sigh, acknowledging the daunting magnitude of the mission before him.


    It had be clear that the dire tigers surpassed his initial expectations, their ferocity rivaling that of formidable draconic creatures while their agility mirrored that of nimble wolves. Their sculpted, muscr frames exuded raw strength, yet they maintained a remarkable nimbleness thanks to their mastery over inherent spells.


    Eren observed their fire-element movement spell, enhancing their already formidable speed and their robust mana defense bolstered by their control over mes. Their instincts were razor-sharp, and their lightning-quick reaction times added anotheryer of challenge to the encounter.


    Topound matters, Aleph, the enigmatic force guiding Eren''s journey, had restricted his use of the Hex gear. Aleph''s reasoning was twofold: preserving Eren''s spiritual force and facilitating the training of his mana circuits.


    While Eren possessed an infinite mana core, his ability to cast spells indefinitely was hindered by the strain it ced on his mana circuits. Aleph intended to remedy this by enhancing Eren''s mana circuits, allowing him to harness the full potential of his infinite mana core.


    This training regimen, however, posed an obstacle, impeding Eren''s ability to cast spells with the same efficiency and efficacy he once possessed. Each casting now required more effort, dampening his effectiveness in the heat of battle.


    Aleph insisted that this method was a gentler alternativepared to his own arduous mana circuit training when he was at the beginning of his ranking journey. Yet, Eren couldn''t help but harbor doubts, as this current approach seemed to onlyplicate an already treacherous mission. The burdens ced upon him seemed to outweigh any perceived advantages, leaving the Last Spider to question the true purpose and value of this challenging training.


    Nevertheless, Eren steeled his resolve, understanding that his only path forward was to confront the dire tigers head-on, even with the added difficulty of his hindered spellcasting. He knew that perseverance and resourcefulness would be his allies in this uphill battle against the formidable predators lurking in the shadows.


    ***


    Eren knew that facing both dire tigers simultaneously would be a formidable challenge, given his own condition. But he was not alone. His summoned creatures still stood by his side, their loyalty unwavering. With a flicker of determination in his eyes, Eren focused his attention on the wind element spells at his disposal.


    "Screw these big cats, damn it," Eren''s voice carried across the forest, resonating with power. In response, three majestic white elephants materialized beside him, their massive forms radiating an aura of calm strength. These wind-element creatures would prove instrumental in turning the tide of the battle.


    With a subtlemand, Eren directed the Anemoi White Elephants to position themselves strategically. As the gusts of wind engulfed the battlefield, Eren seized the opportunity to unleash his wind-element spells. Igni Wave and Igni Chains had served him well in previous battles, but now it was time to harness the might of the wind.


    Venti Ball!


    Eren cast a modified version of his wind-element spell. The air crackled with energy as swirling cyclones formed around him, ready to be unleashed upon his adversaries.


    The first Rank-2 dire tiger lunged forward, ws extended in a swift and deadly strike. But Eren was prepared. With a wave of his hand, a battalion of Taranbiest emerged from the cyclones. These small but agile lightning-element creatures darted through the air with incredible speed, distracting the dire tiger and diverting its attention.


    Seizing the moment, Eren stepped into action. Igni Wave, infused with the power of the wind andunched by his dual axes, transformed into razor-sharp gusts that sliced through the air with deadly precision. Each strike aimed at the vulnerable spots of the dire tiger''s body, inflicting pain and disorienting the beast.


    But the second dire tiger was not to be underestimated, even if it was only a Rank-1 entity. It was on the cusp of breaking into the next rank, after all. It charged toward Eren, its primal instincts honed to perfection. With lightning-fast reflexes, Eren activated Igni Chains, intertwining his dual axes with ethereal chains of fire. The extended reach allowed him to parry the ferocious attacks and retaliate with swift counterblows.


    As the battle raged on, Eren''s control over the wind and fire elements grew stronger. He summoned Alfem once more, their fiery bodies now cloaked in the swirling winds. The flock of fire-element birdsunched kamikaze attacks, their detonations adding an explosive element to the chaos that unfolded.


    Yet, the dire tigers fought back relentlessly, their sheer strength and primal instinct pushing Eren to his limits. In a moment of desperation, he summoned the ultimate wind-element spell at his disposal¡ªBlitz Storm.


    The arcs of lightning erupted all around Eren, with him as the epicenter, and consumed his and his opponents'' visage in their red and blue brilliance.

 Chapter 279 Meeting Roma Tigerin

    <h4>Chapter 279 Meeting Roma Tigerin</h4>


    Blitz Storm!


    Eren''s body became one with the lightning as he unleashed a torrent of destruction upon his foes.


    Streaks of destructive energy buffeted the dire tigers. He also executed his Venti Ball once again to create a stormy wall around himself and prevent the beasts from escaping.


    As a result, the beasts'' bodies tossed and turned in the tumultuous maelstrom as they were being electrocuted. He added his fire-element spells in the mix, and the mes danced within the vortex, searing the beasts with relentless fury.


    But the dire tigers, though battered, refused to yield. Their roars echoed through the forest, a testament to their wild spirit. With renewed determination, theyunched a final assault, ws shing through the tempest in a desperate bid for survival.


    Eren, battered and weary, stood firm. His grip on his weapons and spells remained resolute, and as the dire tigers lunged toward him, he channeled thest of his strength into a final spell.


    Igni Breath!


    A gout of fire erupted from Eren''s mouth, fueled by thepressed power of the wind element he had manifested using his wind-element spells, using them for support. The searing mes engulfed the dire tigers, their ferocious roars silenced by the inferno. The battle had reached its climax, and Eren emerged as the victor.


    As the smoke cleared, Eren stood amidst the scorched remains of his enemies. The forest, once a tranquil sanctuary, now bore the scars of the fierce battle that had unfolded within its depths. Eren took a moment to catch his breath, the weight of his triumph sinking in.


    But the Last Spider knew that his mission and his training were not over. That he shouldn''t stop after doing the bare minimum. The Ironhaven Forest held more challenges and more dangers that awaited him. With a steely resolve, Eren pressed forward, his white hair billowing in the wind, his blue eyes gleaming with determination.


    ***


    Ultimately, Eren found himself relying on his trusty Hex gear to handle the remaining dire tigers. Aleph maintained a subtle pressure on Eren''s mana circuits, making it challenging for him to fully experience the ease of casting spells. However, the Hex amplification of his spells allowed Eren to overpower his adversaries. With the added protection of his Bear''s Creed gear, his defenses were imprable, sparing him from any major injuries he had endured earlier in the day.


    By his own hand, Eren had vanquished a total of ten formidable mana beasts since the morning. As the clock struck 3 PM, the designated time for his rendezvous with Sofiya drew near. With his final opponent defeated, Eren decided to conclude his venture and make his way to the predetermined meeting spot in the depths of the Ironhaven forest, where he and Sofiya had agreed to regroup.


    As Eren prepared to depart the area, ready to utilize his swift movement spell, a distinct presence caught his attention. Intuition prickled at the back of his mind,pelling him to halt and face the source drawing nearer.


    "Why is this woman approaching me with such fervor?" Eren pondered, observing her relentless advance aided by her own mastery of movement spells. "Surely, my charm hasn''t reached such heights to elicit such a response," he mused, amusement dancing in his eyes as he chuckled at his own jest.


    However, a disquieting realization settled in. The woman''s unyielding determination betrayed herck of interest in Eren''s appearance or charisma. Her full-speed charge, broadsword firmly gripped, revealed a deeper motive beyond superficial attraction.


    Eren''s countenance shifted, his features adopting a more somber expression. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he swiftly drew his dual axes, poised to defend himself against this unfamiliar, agitated woman who seemed to harbor emotions of distress and turmoil. Oblivious to his identity, she spared no nce in his direction, fixated solely on her own turbulent path.


    Swoosh. Zoom. sh.


    Eren seamlessly intercepted the woman''s head-on charge, his dual axes expertly meeting the fiery dance of her red-med broadsword. Engrossed inbat, Eren abandoned any notion of dialogue, understanding that the woman sought confrontation, not conversation.


    "If it''s a fight she desires, then a fight she shall receive," Eren resolved within himself, his piercing blue eyes gleaming with determination. In a fluid motion, he deflected the woman''s broadsword swing with his left broadaxe, narrowly avoiding a perilous scrape along his arm. As he spun, his grip tightened around his right axe,unching a swift counterattack aimed at her vulnerable back left thigh.


    However, just as Eren''s axe neared its mark, the woman''s form was engulfed in a fiery shroud of crimson mes. Although his axe managed to graze her white, rugged pants, her supple skin remained unscathed, fortified by the protective barrier of the intensified mes.


    ''Hm? Intent-based magic? And what is this? She¡­ she isn''t a Ranker.''


    Surprise gripped Eren as he realized that the woman possessed a distinct mana signature, unlike that of a Ranker. Intent-based magic emanated from her being effortless, catching him off guard. This revtion unveiled a newyer to her abilities, far beyond what he had initially anticipated.


    "Bastard! Hand over my little brother," the woman seethed, her eyes a potent mix of unyielding ferocity and underlying worry, on the verge of tears. At that moment, Eren grasped the truth¡ªa case of mistaken identity.


    Before the woman could unleash her peculiar spells and escte the battle further, Eren boldly stepped forward, breaching her personal space. It was a move she hadn''t anticipated. Swiftly, he relinquished his grip on his axes, firmly sping her broadaxe-wielding arm with his left hand. With a firm pull, he drew her closer, executing an action that left her momentarily stunned.


    p!


    In a swift, decisive motion, Eren''s right hand connected with the woman''s supple, rosy cheek in a resounding p, leaving an unmistakable handprint behind. The force of the blow jarred her senses, freezing her in astonishment at Eren''s unorthodox approach.


    "Calm the fuck down," Eren''s authoritative tone pierced through the air,pelling the woman to momentarily suspend her actions, caught off guard by his unconventional method of defusing the situation.

 Chapter 280 Rescuing Alde P1

    <h4>Chapter 280 Rescuing Alde P1</h4>


    Amidst the dense wilderness of the Ironhaven forest, two figures swiftly traversed the untamed terrain, their mana-infused abilities propelling them forward.


    Leading the way was a Ranker, his distinctive features marking him as someone extraordinary. Eren, with his ethereal white hair, piercing blue eyes, and porcinplexion,manded attention as he moved with purpose. Behind him trailed Roma Tigerin, a female Evoker determined to keep pace with the enigmatic Ranker.


    Roma possessed an undeniable allure, her appearance a captivating blend of contrasts. Her smooth, snow-white skin provided a pristine canvas for her enchanting gray eyes and luscious cherry-red lips. Her ash-white tresses cascaded gracefully around her face, adding an air of elegance to her presence.


    Donned in the attire of an adventurer, Roma sported a practical yet stylish ensemble. A simple white top apanied her lightweight yet durable ck sleeveless bodice armor, while amber-hued pants and mustard-colored shoes adorned her lower body, aiding her in the utilization of her Movement Spell.


    Despite her outward beauty, Roma''s countenance revealed a hint of tension and anxiety as she followed Eren''s lead. It was clear that she was prepared to go to great lengths to fulfill their current mission, her determination etched upon her face.


    It seemed that Eren and Roma were chasing after something or someone.


    As Eren delved deeper into the Ironhaven forest, his lightning-infused Blitz Steps propelling him forward, a familiar voice resonated within his mind. Aleph, ever the sarcasticpanion, couldn''t help but share his thoughts on Eren''s recent encounter with Roma Tigerin.


    ''You know,d, I thought you were pretty cool for your pursuit of resurrecting your lost brother,'' Aleph remarked, his words interweaving with Eren''s thoughts. ''But then you go ahead and p women who dare to confront you.'' Eren''s brow furrowed as he absorbed Aleph''smentary on his unconventional response towards his encounter with Roma.


    Curiosity piqued, Eren couldn''t help but inquire, his voice tinged with caution and a hint of tension, "And what do you think of me now?" However, the boisterous words that reverberated through his mind in response caught him off guard. It was Aleph''s infectiousughter that followed, proiming Eren''s actions as nothing short of remarkable.


    "Now I think you''re freaking awesome. Kekeke. I mean, you sure know how to shut them up," Aleph dered, hisughter echoing in Eren''s mind. Startled, Eren found himself coughing in surprise, unustomed to receiving apuse for the way he had dealt with Roma.


    Amidst his coughing fit, Roma appeared at Eren''s side, concern evident in her voice as she asked if he was alright. Struggling to regain hisposure, Eren replied, his words slightly strained, "Yeah, it''s nothing. Must''ve swallowed a bug or something. I¡­ cough cough cough¡­ I think we were moving too fast. We need to slow down."


    Eren''s hand instinctively reached for his chest, his gentle massage an attempt to calm his racing heart and steady himself in Roma''s presence.


    As he listened to Aleph''s musings, Eren couldn''t help but reflect on theplexity of his own actions. The previous encounter with Reece, when he first awakened in the original Eren''s body, shed through his mind. The weariness etched across his features seemed to deepen as Aleph''s words carried on.


    ''Don''t get me wrong,'' Aleph''s voice trailed off, leaving a momentary pause as Eren reached for a water pouch, the cool liquid soothing his parched throat. Aleph''s amusement remained evident as he resumed speaking.


    ''I''ve had my fair share of deadly encounters with the fairer gender. And I dealt with them without worrying about what''s between my opponents'' legs. So, I suppose you could say I''m a staunch believer in equality as well. However,'' he continued, a touch of intriguecing his words.


    ''I can''t help but feel that a resounding p across a maiden''s face carries a more personal sting, a measure of cruelty that surpasses engaging in mortal kombat. I can''t recall if I''ve ever executed such a disy of gusto myself, at least not to the extent you''ve shown me thus far.'' Aleph''sughter reverberated through Eren''s mind once more, a yful cadence that echoed in the depths of his thoughts.


    ''In what twisted reality is it eptable to take a life, yet a mere p incites such chaos? Your logic is truly warped,'' Eren retorted, a hint of angercing his response. He felt the need to address Aleph''sment, as a way to defend his actions. Yet, realizing the futility of engaging further, Eren made a conscious decision to refocus his attention on the task at hand. Thest thing he needed was a distracting internal dialogue.


    Initially, when Aleph remained slumbering within Eren''s soul for most of the time, Eren had held onto a glimmer of hope that Aleph would break the silence and offer some insights, responding to his inquiries. However, the situation had reversed ever since he had exited the Hexers'' Grounds.


    Aleph seemed to have found all the energy he needed to voice his thoughts, and he wouldn''t stop speaking. The once sought-after dialogue had transformed into an overwhelming torrent of words. Eren found himself longing for a reprieve, yearning for a moment of respite to collect his scattered thoughts. The demonic voice that echoed in his mind was enough to elicit an array of emotions from anyone within earshot.


    Sofiya, closely trailing Eren and Roma, observed the sudden halt and furrowed her brow in concern. Utilizing her own Movement Spell, she swiftly closed the distance between them, joining Eren''s side. Her weariness was palpable as she inquired about the reason for their pause, her voiceden with exhaustion.


    Roma, casting an anxious nce at Eren, replied with a touch of apprehension, "It appears Eren wishes for us to slow our pace."


    ''Any updates, Aleph? I hope you''ve got something for me,'' Eren''s voice carried a sense of urgency as he nced back at the two women who had ced their trust in him. With determination etched on their faces, they awaited news that would lead them closer to rescuing Roma''s abducted younger brother.


    Eren couldn''t afford to appear clueless, lest he risk jeopardizing their mission and rendering their efforts futile.

 Chapter 281 Rescuing Alde P2

    <h4>Chapter 281 Rescuing Alde P2</h4>


    Step. Step. Step.


    Eren, Sofiya, and Roma navigated the treacherous depths of the mountain cave, their footsteps echoing through the dimly lit passageways.


    It seemed they had discovered a lesser-known route by chance that would lead them directly to the demonic practitioners responsible for abducting Roma''s younger brother, Alde Tigerin.


    The expansive cave space stretched out before them, bathed in an ethereal glow emanating from the illuminating array runes powered by radiant mana stones. The soft luminescence cast dancing shadows across the rugged walls, creating an eerie ambiance.


    As they cautiously advanced, the trio''s senses heightened, anticipating the confrontation ahead. A flickering campfire illuminated the center of the cavern, where five demonic practitioners were engrossed in idle chatter. Alde, bound and gagged,y nearby, his vulnerable form restrained by intricate runic bindings. The oppressive silence was broken only by the crackling mes and muffled snores from the sleeping boy.


    Eren''s eyes narrowed, his grip on his lightning-infused Tachi sword tightening. He nced back at Sofiya and Roma before speaking to them through the voicemunication channel. ''Stay close and be ready for anything,'' he spoke, his voiceced with intensity. Sofiya nodded, her gaze fixed on the rankers. Roma''s hands clenched into fists as she silently vowed to save her brother.


    The demonic practitioners, oblivious to the impending storm, continued their casual banter, their guard seemingly lowered. Eren''s eyes gleamed with a mix of anticipation and resolve. "Now!" he murmured, his voice filled with determination.


    With a sudden burst of energy, Eren charged forward, his lightning-infused Tachi sword crackling with raw power. In a blur of movement, he closed the distance between himself and the first Awakened rank demonic ranker, his swing swift and lethal. The ranker''s head was severed from his body in a single fluid motion, blood sttering the ground as the lifeless corpse copsed.


    Sofiya, her sword gleaming with Hex amplification, stepped forward with purpose. She channeled her formidable powers, her focus unwavering as she prepared to face her opponent. A surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins as she unleashed a devastating strike, splitting her adversary vertically in two. The air crackled with a dark aura as the ranker fell, unable to withstand the sheer force of Sofiya''s spell.


    Roma wasted no time. She swiftly moved to Alde''s side, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. With skilled precision, she examined her brother''s vitals, relieved to find signs of life within his young body. "Hang on, little Alde," she whispered softly, her voice filled with unwavering resolve.


    Eren, sweat trickling down his brow, turned his attention to the remaining demonic practitioners. His gaze locked onto their seething expressions, the air charged with deadly intentions. "Come at us then!" he roared, his voice echoing through the cavern. "At least choose your targets smartly, damn it!"


    With a sh of lightning, Eren unleashed the full extent of his lightning-infused arsenal. He tapped into his Blitz Steps, his movements blurring as arcs of crackling energy enveloped his body. Fireballs erupted from his palms, hurtling towards his adversaries with unerring uracy. Igni Chains surged forth, extending the reach of his dual axes, ensnaring and disarming his foes. Igni Breath billowed forth, a torrent of scorching mes engulfing his enemies, reducing them to smoldering remnants.


    Sofiya, her eyes glowing with determination, summoned her ck winds, harnessing their devastating power. ck Wind Cobras slithered around her, their venomous presence striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. The Crimson Eyes ck Fox unleashed a swirling vortex of ck-wind-mana, tearing through the demonic practitioners'' defenses. From the darkness, the ck Feathered Death Owlunched a relentless barrage of razor-sharp feathers, guided by the power of ck-wind-mana.


    Amidst the chaos and fury of battle, the air crackled with spells and the sh of weapons. The cavern became a maelstrom of energy and violence as Eren and Sofiya engaged in a deadly dance with their adversaries. Each strikended with brutal precision, fueled by their unwavering determination to protect Alde and bring down those who had dared to threaten their family.


    As the battle raged on, the demonic practitioners fought back with equal ferocity, their demonic powers surging forth. Explosions of lightning and fire illuminated the cavern, the intensity escting with every passing moment. Wounds were inflicted, spells collided, and the very earth trembled beneath the weight of their conflict.


    Eren''s muscles burned with exertion as he made use of the Flesh Altering Technique after a long time. This was a technique he had gained by killing a renowned demonic ranker named Bl Blood, after all. It was only fitting that he used it to fight off with other demonic rankers.


    The Last Spider''s every move was calcted and precise. "Is this all you''ve got?!" he mocked his opponent to shake them mentally, his voice filled with defiance. "What''s the point of bing a demonic ranker if you can''t do shit even when numbers are in your favor?"


    Sofiya, her face etched with determination, unleashed her fury upon her opponents. She also tried to mock her opponents but she soon came to realize that she wasn''t doing as much of a good job as Eren. Still, her ck-wind-mana surged forth, decaying flesh and rotting the enemy''s very essence.


    The battlefield became a chaotic tableau of destruction, the air thick with the scent of blood and the echoing sh of spells. Each adversary met their demise at the hands of Eren and Sofiya, theirbined might overwhelming the demonic practitioners. The very fabric of the cave space quaked with the force of their power, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls.


    With the dust settling and the battle concluded, Eren and Sofiya stood amidst the debris and carnage, their bodies battered and bruised but victorious. They exchanged nces, a silent understanding passing between them. The cave space groaned ominously, threatening to copse around them.


    "We need to fucking get out of here," Eren called out, urgency in his voice. "Roma, take Alde and go! We''ll cover you!"


    Roma nodded, her grip on Alde tightening. With determination fueling her every step, she swiftly made her way towards the cave''s exit, her brother''s safety her sole focus.


    Eren and Sofiya braced themselves for one final onught, knowing that their escape was imminent. With renewed vigor, they faced the remaining demonic practitioners, their spells unleashed with relentless fury. The cave trembled, rocks cascading from above, as the battle reached its crescendo.


    Just as the cave threatened to copse upon them, Eren and Sofiya managed to break free, their bodies battered but their spirits unbroken. They emerged from the cavern, gasping for breath, their hearts pounding with both relief and the lingering thrill of battle.


    As the cave copsed behind them, sealing away their foes, Eren and Sofiya exchanged a triumphant grin. "We did it. We made even more money, Sofiya darling," Eren eximed, his voice filled with joy. "We don''t need to cut down on our food expenses anymore. Hahaha. Rejoice!"


    Sofiya nodded, her eyes shining with a mix of satisfaction and relief. "Hehe. Hope our customer pays the sum she has promised us though," she said, her voice trailing off.

 Chapter 282 Journey Toward Forgeholm

    <h4>Chapter 282 Journey Toward Forgeholm</h4>


    Day 30.


    It marked a significant milestone in Eren and Sofiya''s journey within the vibrant city of Ironhaven. As they reflected upon their days filled with relentless missions and countless challenges, a sense of aplishment filled the air.


    The duo had proved their mettle time and again, demonstrating their unwaveringmitment to their craft. The city recognized their valor and rewarded them with a steady stream of missions, each more perilous than thest. Their sesses were not solely measured in mary gains, for their exploits had garnered attention and admiration from all corners.


    Sakaya''s Pce, a revered merchant guild, took notice of Eren and Sofiya''s exceptional talents and unwavering dedication. Impressed by their track record, the guild extended a privileged status to the duo, weing them into the ranks of their esteemed mercenary teams.


    With this newfound affiliation, Eren and Sofiya were granted ess to a multitude of lucrative missions. Their reputation soared as they undertook quests that surpassed the boundaries of ordinary mercenaries. Sakaya''s Pce recognized their potential and entrusted them with missions that held the promise of great rewards.


    Thanks to their affiliation with Sakaya''s Pce, Eren, and Sofiya found themselves adorned with an additional rune, seamlessly merging with their existing I-Rune tattoos.


    As they essed their spectral screens, it revealed the fruits of theirbor, confirming their official standing as mercenaries under the banner of Sakaya''s Pce and its allied organizations.


    However, as they reveled in their aplishments, a lingering void remained¡ªan empty team name box awaited their decision. The significance of this choice weighed heavily upon Eren and Sofiya. They understood that their team''s name held the power to shape their identity, to propel them to greater heights within the Lunarim kingdom''s mercenary hierarchy.


    Deep in contemtion, they searched for a name that would encapste their shared values, their unyielding spirit, and their unwavering determination. Countless possibilities floated through their minds, each one carefully evaluated against their aspirations and the legacy they wished to forge.


    Despite their earnest deliberation, the perfect name eluded them for now. Rather than allow this momentary setback to impede their progress, Eren and Sofiya decided to press forward, unburdened by a nameless status.


    So, they embraced their nameless existence as a temporary state, focusing instead on their continued growth and umtion of Merc points. As theypleted missions, their actions spoke louder than any name ever could.


    Eren and Sofiya found themselves preparing for a new journey on this day.


    Their destination: the illustrious capital city of Lunarim, Sriel.


    The road to Sriel was a lengthy one, requiring numerous stops and detours along the way. Even with the aid of the swiftest modes of transportation avable, their estimated travel time exceeded a month. However, time was of no concern to the intrepid duo. They were in no rush to reach their destination, preferring to savor each step of their adventure without the burden of hastening their journey through costly teleportation portals.


    Instead, they opted to continue their pursuit of mercenary missions along the way, a decision that allowed them to bolster their reputation and umte Merc points. Though their names had yet to grace the esteemed ranks of the kingdom''s mercenary rankings, Eren and Sofiya remained undeterred. They recognized that every missionpleted, every challenge ovee, and every life they impacted brought them one step closer to ascending the illustrious list. After all, their Merc points stats would stay with them with or without the team name.


    In their quest to reach the grand capital of Sriel, Eren, and Sofiya found themselves apanied by a select group of individuals. The elders of House Tigerin, recognizing the duo''s exceptional skills, had entrusted them with a crucial responsibility¡ªto serve as the formidable bodyguards for none other than Aldo Tigerin, the younger brother of Roma Tigerin.


    The alliance between Eren, Sofiya, and House Tigerin had formed in the wake of a perilous encounter with demonic rankers. Their efforts had rescued Roma''s brother from the clutches of darkness, earning them the utmost respect and gratitude from the brother-sister duo. Now, as they embarked on this long and treacherous journey, the safety and well-being of Aldo were entrusted to the capable hands of Eren and Sofiya.


    ***


    Three carriages, emzoned with the striking emblem of House Tigerin¡ªa fierce white tiger with ws extended¡ªset forth from the bustling gates of Ironhaven city, their wheels spinning with determination. Though modest in size, the carriages possessed a unique enchantment of space-element magic, expanding their interiors tofortably amodate a group of 20-30 individuals.


    The first carriage housed the Evokers of House Tigerin, their presence emanating an aura of power and mystique. The second carriage carried a diverse array of merchants andborers from Ironhaven city, their chatter andughter filling the air. And in the third carriage, amidst a backdrop of anticipation and guarded tranquility, sat Roma and Aldo Tigerin, Eren, and Sofiya.


    Roma''s gratitude for their gant rescue of her brother Aldo had manifested in generouspensation, a reward that acknowledged their bravery and prowess. Days after the life-altering events, Roma had reached out to Eren and Sofiya, beseeching their aid in escorting her and Aldo to the capital city. The duo, already harboring ns to journey there, eagerly epted the opportunity to join Roma''s cause and further their own aspirations. After all, it was better to get paid for something you had nned to do anyway.


    As the wheels turned and the carriages rumbled along the road, the group engaged in conversation, breaking the ice and establishing connections. Eren took the initiative to express his remorse for the impulsive p he had delivered to Roma in the heat of the rescue mission. Roma, disying remarkable understanding, assured him that the unexpected turn of events had brought rity amidst the chaos, enabling her to make crucial decisions for their collective well-being. Instead of being angry, she was thankful for Eren''s move.


    Roma proceeded to enlighten Eren and Sofiya about the ominous practices of demonic rankers and their relentless pursuit of half-bloods for their diabolical rituals. She divulged the insidious truth¡ªthe purer the bloodline of a half-blood, the more fervently they would be targeted. After all, a half-blood''s blood was a sought-after ingredient in demonic rituals. The very essence of Aldo''s heritage made him a desirablemodity in the eyes of these malevolent practitioners.


    Recalling the day of Aldo''s abduction, Roma revealed that the demonic rankers had cunningly exploited their familiarity with the forest''s hidden routes and shortcuts. They had struck precisely when her attention wavered, seizing the opportunity to snatch Aldo away.


    The absence of any confrontation with Roma herself raised suspicions in her mind, suggesting that there was more at y than a simple case of blood harvesting. Roma conjectured the involvement of a powerful main branch family within House Tigerin, manipting the demonic rankers as pawns in their sinister plot.


    Within the intricate web of half-blood ns, traditions prevailed, granting greater opportunities to those with blood closely linked to the ancestral genesis. Aldo''s heritage, already distinguished, held the potential to surpass even the heirs of the main branch family.


    Such an ascent threatened to undermine the foundation of House Tigerin''s primary lineage, an oue the main branch could not afford to allow. Roma''s intuition led her to believe that someone from the main branch had orchestrated Aldo''s kidnapping, intending to eliminate him and preserve their authority.


    Fueled by a deep-rooted determination to protect her brother and unravel the truth, Roma had enlisted the aid of Eren and Sofiya, recognizing their talent. Together, they would journey to the capital, a united front against the machinations that threatened Aldo''s destiny.


    As the carriages traversed the winding road, each passing mile brought them closer to their first big stop¡ªthe illustrious City of Forgeholm, which was as famous as Ironhaven city and a week''s distance away from it.


    The sun began to set on the horizon, casting a warm golden glow upon the trio as they continued their journey toward the capital. Though their mission was not officially ssified as a mercenary endeavor, the weight of responsibility hung heavily in the air.


    Roma''s decision to keep her suspicions about House Tigerin hidden from the public eye was a strategic move borne out of a desire to protect her brother and safeguard their family''s reputation.


    To the outside world, House Tigerin stood as a formidable entity, untouched by scandal or blemish. Roma understood that exposing the internal struggle within the n would only bring harm to herself and Aldo in the long run. It was for this reason that she chose to maintain the facade, relying on the security provided by House Tigerin while quietly enlisting the aid of her "friends," Eren and Sofiya.


    While a substantial financial reward awaited Eren and Sofiya, they knew that their primary objective was to ensure Aldo''s safety above all else.


    As the days turned into nights, the rhythm of hooves and the gentle creaking of the carriage wheels served as aforting luby. Conversations filled the air, blending hopes, dreams, and the asionalughter that echoed through the night.


    Grateful for Eren and Sofiya''s unwavering presence, Roma revealed more about the intricate dynamics within House Tigerin. She spoke of the significance ced upon bloodlines, the delicate bnce of power that defined their n. The revtions offered glimpses into a world governed by tradition, where each individual''s position was carefully determined by the purity of their lineage.


    Roma confided in herpanions, sharing her ns for Aldo''s future. She had envisioned enrolling him in a prestigious academy for young mana practitioners located in the capital city. It was a ce where his potential could be nurtured and his abilities honed to perfection.


    The academy offered security and a chance for Aldo to flourish, for House Tigerin held close ties with House Fenris, a royal family within the Lunarim kingdom.


    Eren and Sofiya listened intently, their own aspirations intertwined with their friend''s journey. They disclosed their intentions to establish themselves as a mercenary team within the capital. The city held boundless opportunities for those brave enough to pursue them, and the duo recognized its potential to catapult them into the upper echelons of the mercenary world.


    As the night deepened, the moon bathed thendscape in an ethereal glow, casting an enchanting spell upon their path. This was when the trouble came looking for them.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!