《Author's Reincarnation in a Fantasy Setting》


 Chapter 1 Prologue

    It all started when I was alone in my room yelling at myptop screen. Why was I angry again?


    Ah, yes. That time when all the famous webnovel authors were making fun of me.


    While studying in high school, I was also a self-proimed webnovel author. It started with my habit of reading novels and it grew so much that I started writing one.


    Self-proimed because my novel wasn''t that popr, even after publishing more than 200 chapters I didn''t have many readers; hmph, what could I even expect, my novel wasn''t even contracted.


    I had only 4 or 5 legit readers who read my chapters as soon as I release them. Come to think of it there was a time when I was only writing because of those 4 or 5 readers.


    For me, this wasn''t pathetic at all but for some reason, popr and well knows authors made fun of me for this. Probably they were only messing with me but that time I took that seriously.


    Now I regret that I shouldn''t have done that. Well, what would you expect from a teenage boy who''s going through his rebellious phase?


    "God damn it, who do they think they are!" I cursed out loud, smacking the table at the same time.


    After having that not-so-good conversation it left a bad taste in my mouth. I was not even motivated enough to write chapters, thus, I decided to y some games to make my mood better.


    I decided to y some RPG, ''Maybe I''ll get some ideas for my novel also,'' which was why I selected those games.


    It was meant to be a casual gaming section but I didn''t even realize when it turned from one or two hours to one or two days.


    I lived alone in an apartment so I can concentrate on my studies¡ªor that was what I told my parents. Since there was no one to disturb me I yed games nonstop, without even sleeping.


    That gaming session ended after thirty-five hours when I was somewhat satisfied with my in-game progress.


    Dark circles had formed under my eyes due to this intense gaming and I was pretty much tired. Without even closing myptop, Iy on the floor as if resting after doing a hell lot of work.


    I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep but then.


    "Sigh, I need to pee."


    I didn''t even have the energy left to move a muscle but still, I had some important business to take care of, so I had no choice.


    I looked through my room to find a stic bottle but there wasn''t any.


    Left with no other option I forced myself and stood up somehow. I was almost half-asleep and didn''t have much sense of my surroundings but after spending a year in this very room; I had formed a kind of map in my mind.


    Taking one step at a time, I slowly walked to the door of my room and pushed it open. My room was on the fourth floor of the building and the washrooms were on the second and ground floor.


    I had to take the stairs so I walked in that direction, it took me a while but I eventually arrived there.<sub> </sub>


    "Fuu! It''s cold outside," I whispered as I rubbed my hands together. This is the month of December and it was night right now.


    Avoiding slipping on the stairs I slowly came down to the third floor, after that was a turn and then the stairs continued to the second floor.


    I walked to the second part of the stairs and was about to go down but then.


    "Ah darling, stop it!" said ady, and the door on my side suddenly opened.


    "Shit!" those words came out of my mouth on their own.


    It was like someone mmed it open because I lost my bnce and slipped when the door hit me; it really carried a great amount of force behind it.


    And my theory turned out to be correct as while I was in mid-air¡ªeven if that was for a moment, I caught a glimpse of who opened that door.


    A couple walked out being all lovey-dovey and kissing, it was night so maybe it was a goodbye kiss and a passionate one that is.


    ''Damn, these normies. Am I going to die because of them?'' I thought.


    Normally I would only end up with a few injuries when falling from this height but considering my current position I''ll fall and hit my head first.


    I''ll probably perish without anyone noticing, the world will keep moving even without me. I don''t even know if my parents will be sad about my death, after all, I was the most average child among my siblings in both studies and sports.


    Ah, such a pathetic way to die! I wish I could''vepleted my novel at least.


    I closed my eyes and braced myself for the uing impact.


    It happened just as I predicted, I crashnded on my head which split-opened my skull.


    I thought it would hurt but I only felt pain for even less than a second.


    It happened when I expected the least.


    I died.


    -------AN-----------


    The thing about popr authors making fun of unpopr authors was a joke, don''t take it seriously or I''ll get killed.

 Chapter 2 I Reincarnated In A Fantasy Setting!

    ''I''m scared! I don''t wanna die!''


    A child''s voice cried out directly into my head, filled with pain and suffering.


    ''Well, what do you want me to do about that? I''m also dead,'' I had no idea what to do, and over time the voice grew increasingly quiet.


    The moment I realized I couldn''t hear the child''s voice anymore, the bubble-esque thing that had been encapsting me disappeared with a burst, and I slowly felt my consciousness rising.


    At the same time, I felt a hot fever, and pain spread throughout my body as If I had been affected by influenza. But it onlysted for a few minutes, after a while, my body came back to its normal temperature.


    "This! This is a miracle!"


    I heard a man shouting near me, his voice contained a sense of happiness and surprise.


    ''Oh please, just shut up.''


    Though the feeling of fever was gone I was still feeling dizzy and had something like a headache. Furthermore, by shouting this man was just making it worse.


    I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids to see what was going on. My fever must''ve been enormous, as my eyes were wet and my vision twisted.


    "Ah, darling he opened his eyes!"


    "I know right!"


    Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I found a young blonde woman gazing at me.


    A beautiful girl...¡­ No, a beautiful woman would be more appropriate.


    Beside her was a man with ck hair of a simrly young age.


    A strong and arrogant-looking man, his muscles were amazing.


    ck hair, arrogant type, looking at his appearance, I should have been repulsed. Strangely enough, though, I did not feel he was unpleasant.


    I don''t know why but they both were staring at me so hard, their eyes were filled with pure happiness looking as if they were shining.


    Wait, there''s one more person.


    He was looking like a somewhat middle-aged man with brown hair and a white beard; he was kinda on the chubby side.


    "You should be happy miss, it looks like we have been blessed by the gods," said the middle-aged man. Judging from his voice he was the person who was shouting before.


    The woman looked at him and replied with a nod.


    "Hey Zero, you''re quite a lucky boy huh. Even luckier than your dad," said the man with ck hair.


    ''Who''s Zero and what do you mean by *dad*?'' I tried to say that but my throat was dry, thus I was only able to give a confused look.


    "Come on now, we should let him rest for now," the blonde woman said to him.


    "Yeah, I think you''re right," said the man and then he with the woman stood up and left the room; the middle-aged man also apanied them and left.


    Now I was alone still trying to process what the hell just happened.


    ''Aren''t I supposed to be dead?''<sub> </sub>


    Thest thing I remember is that I slipped on the stairs and hit my head, after that there''s literally nothing in my memory.


    It''s nk.


    First I thought that I somehow survived that fall and now I''m in a hospital but...¡­this room doesn''t look like a hospital room even a bit.


    I was still feeling a bit stiff so I tried moving my body a little.


    "Wha?" For some reason, I could see the small-looking hand of a child stretched out in front of me.


    ''Weird. My hand should be a lot bigger than this. I had hands of an adult...okay a teenager, but not of a small child.''


    I could move the child''s hand like my own, clenching and opening it. But...this body that I could move at will was not my own.


    The sheer shock of the revtion made my mouth dry up. "¡­What the hell?"


    I bent forward and sat on the same bed I wasying on a moment ago. It didn''t take me long to realize that this room was not my room, nor did this was like any room I''ve seen before.


    This room had the vibes of a ssy European type of room that nobles use.


    "Hey! Hey! Hey!"


    This can''t be real can it? I mean...there''s just no way I can be that lucky, right? But it''s also true that I''m in a strange environment and this body is not my own.


    The situation at hand wasn''t that hard to understand, at least not for a fantasy author like me.


    I quickly removed the nket which was over me, got out of the bed, and stood on the floor.


    The excitement had made all the pain disappear.


    ''The height from which I see things have certainly decreased'' I thought and nodded in agreement with my own statement.


    I looked around in this room and found a mirror that was hung on the wall. I walked to the mirror and stood in front of it.


    Now I was 100% sure that this was not my body and also the fact that this body is of a child.


    ¡­Probably of age ten.


    The reflection I saw in the mirror was of a boy with Jet ck hair and golden eyes. His skin was on a fairer side and his face was clean, without any blemish or dark spots.


    One could say this boy had a body that will grow from "cute" to "handsome" as the boy will age up and get matured.


    This reflection was of the body I was in; the current me.


    And I was quite happy with this look; at least I didn''t get the overused ssic trope of ck hair with blue or red eyes.


    I walked back to my bed and sat, while the excitement and curiosity drove me it certainly made me tired. As of now, I was out of breath.


    But now I was sure of one thing.


    I died.


    And now I''d been reincarnated in a fantasy setting.

 Chapter 3 Shit! Im Fucked!

    Even though this came as a surprise, it didn''t take me long to adjust myself to this world. In my old world, I was not that attached to anyone as I always had a social wall around me, thus I didn''t have any hard feelings about leaving that world behind.


    It''s been six months since I reincarnated in this world and since then I spent some days collecting info to grasp the situation I was in.


    My name in this world was Zero nks, with nks being my surname.


    ''Now I have doubts about the naming skills of the people in this world.''


    My father was a noble and I was a part of a noble family but we were not those big nobles. The ranking of our family in the hierarchy was rtively low; if Ipare it to my own world then you could say we were slightly above a middle-ssed family.


    The name of my father and mother was Ron nks and Ainge nks.


    I asked them about what happened to me when I had that fever and shockingly, they told me that my health condition was worse and at that time my heartbeat and breathing stopped for a while.


    If I take this the way things happen in novels then it was probably when the original owner of this body died and I took his ce.


    As for what I''m up to right now, well, about that, yesterday happened to be my birthday and the day I turned 10 years old. Yes, I thought I was 10 before but I was wrong.


    Today Ron had called me to meet him in his study, why? I don''t know he didn''t tell me. So for now I was headed over to that room.


    On my way, I saw a girl with blonde hair walking in my direction. At first, I thought she was my mother but I was proved wrong when I saw her green eyes.


    It was Anya, my older sister. I waved when I saw her and she replied with a nod.


    "Where''re you roaming around all alone?" she asked.


    "Ah well¡­I don''t know exactly, father has called me so I was just headed over there," I replied.


    "Oh, yesterday was your birthday, right? It makes sense, okay," said Anya.


    "What? Do you know anything about it?"


    "I know but it would be better for you to find it out yourself. I don''t wanna ruin your experience."


    Now, this is suspicious. Don''t tell me he smuggles children or has some weird fetish.


    For a moment I felt like my chastity was in danger.


    Anya picked up on that by looking at my troubled expression as she gave me a head pat. She was just a year older than me so it felt kinda weird.


    "Don''t worry you''ll be fine," she said, letting out a smallugh.


    You do know that by saying "I''ll be fine" you mean there''s something which can make me "not" fine.


    After that she walked away leaving me behind, I stood there for a few seconds and then went toward the room he called me to.


    Soon I reached there; I took a deep breath and calmed down myself as I stood before a door made of oak wood.


    ''I will be fine, I will be fine, I will be fine,'' I thought as I put my hand on my chest.


    Okay, I''m ready now.


    ¡­Probably.


    I pushed open the door and went inside; the room had a brown color carpet spread on the floor. There were a lot of bookshelves in the room giving it the perfect study-room vibes.


    I looked over and saw Ron sitting on a sofa waiting for me to arrive. Noticing my presence he looked in my direction as his eyes meet mine.


    "Oh, Zero. I was waiting for you,e I have something to discuss with you," he said as he pointed at the chair in front of him.


    I nodded and went to the chair and sat. ''Seriously, what is this formal atmosphere?''


    "Zero you are the age of ten now," he stated before he cleared his throat and spoke again.


    "At the age of ten, we are granted a special privilege in this world. Though no one can guess what it''ll be. When you say the word ''Status'', you will be able to see your attributes, like your rank, strength, and mana capacity. Some lucky ones are born with high attributes and I think you are one of them. Since you came back from the dead I think you''re quite lucky. And out of all, you are my son," he exined, there was a hint of pride in his voice.


    "Come on, show me what you''ve got!" he said.


    So all this was just about status huh; I guess I really was overthinking.


    Still though, status! I thought I was lucky enough to get reincarnated in a fantasy-type world but we also have status here!


    And he also mentioned "mana capacity", does that mean there''s magic also?


    Seriously! Are you kidding me?<sub> </sub>


    Well, there''s only one way to find out, I just have to try it myself.


    I nodded to Ron''s exnation and then said, "Status!"


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    Rank: C


    Mana capacity: D


    Strength: D


    Agility: D


    Stamina: D


    Skills-->


    - [Foresight (Level 1)]


    User can see 0.1 seconds in the future by using this skill.


    =============


    A white translucent screen appeared before my eyes when I said status aloud.


    This was a pretty easy-to-understand status screen, I''m d that I didn''t get one with aplex user interface.


    "So, how''s it looking?" Ron asked, his curiosity was on the ninth sky right now.


    What should I tell him? My rank is C and my other attributes are D.


    That doesn''t count as high stats, does it? It would''ve been a thing if I had an A or S rank.


    The only thing that looks a bit broken is this skill I have; I mean I can see in the future, seriously!


    Even though it''s only point-one-second but it shows that the skill is level 1, which means the time period will increase as I level up.


    "Umm, sorry to disappoint you father but I have pretty average attributes," I replied.


    For the moment I decided not to tell him about my skill. I don''t know if these types of skills aremon or not and I don''t want to get in any unnecessary trouble.


    I saw a clear look of disappointment on his face when I told him that I have an average status. But he shook his head and regained himself, probably so I won''t feel bad.


    "Don''t worry about that son. Having high attributes is a very rare thing, your sister was one of those lucky people so I thought you''d also be the same," said Ron.


    "Ahhhhhhh! What type of father am I!? Comparing kids is the worst of the worst things I could have done," he cried out aloud as he scratched his head in frustration.


    Though one thing he said had caught my attention.


    "What are sister''s attributes?" I asked.


    "I''m sorry son, there''s no need for you to feel inferior," he said, almost on the verge of crying.


    "No no, it''s really not like that. I''m just asking out of curiosity, that''s all," I said as I patted him on the shoulder.


    "Your sister is very lucky in this, I don''t know for sure but she has the highest rank in this whole city."


    p "Really! That''s amazing, isn''t it? What''s her rank by the way?"</anda>


    If my sister had high status then I can learn to use magic from her, she''s a year older than me so she must''ve learned some spells by now.


    "She''s an E rank," he said.


    Wait! What?


    "Ummm, dad. What''s the average rank of people here?"


    "Huh, it''s F or G. Why are you asking that now?"


    Shit! I''m fucked!

 Chapter 4 Magic Training [1]

    "Umm, dad, I misunderstood what the average ranks of people here are, to tell you the truth, my rank is C," I tried to exin myself.


    "No son, you don''t need to worry about anything. It''s not like I won''t love you if your rank is average," said Ron as he wiped off his tears with a handkerchief.


    "No no, it''s not that¡ª" before I could say anything else he leaned toward me and embraced me in his arms.


    ''I can''t clear up this mess now, can I?'' I thought while a weird smirk appeared on my face.


    I wasn''t that connected to my parents before I died so these types of parental love things made me feel kind of awkward.


    But when I think about this from the bottom of my heart I¡­don''t dislike this feeling.


    For the moment I decided to keep the thing about my rank a secret since nobody would believe me even if I tell them.


    Ron patted me on the back and released me from his hands while he continued wiping off his tears. He was a little too emotional when it came to these kinds of things.


    Anyway, that was all he wanted to talk to me about. After that, I went out of the room and headed over to a certain ce. Mana capacity was mentioned in my status screen so there was a high possibility that magic also exists in this world.


    I was excited to try it out but there were many things I was confused about; things as the power system of this world. If I consider the possibility that things in this world happen the same way I''ve read in novels then there was a good possibility there''s should be a power system also.


    Also, my status was pretty messed up. Like my rank was C and other stats were D, it was a thing that I find weird.


    Like if the leveling system worked in alphabetical order then my rank should be D, not C since the other stats were D.


    ''I won''t get that side quest old man who will exin all things to me, will I?'' I asked myself letting out a sigh.


    Reality is often very different from fiction; this was a very obvious thing that I understood now.


    For now, to check how the leveling system works I''ll have to level up and uncover the secrets by myself. There''s no other option.


    In this world, I didn''t have much to do so I was bored but now I think I won''t be that bored.


    ***


    I arrived at that "certain" location; this was nothing special but the backyard of my house.


    This was the perfect ce for me to experiment with no one to disturb me here. If someone saw me now they will find a creepy grin on my face; I can''t help it, I was so excited that my feelings were overflowing.


    How can I not be excited? I was going to try using magic!


    I don''t know how magic works in this world so I am just going to try all the ways to use magic I have read so far in novels.


    ''Hopefully out of fourteen million, six hundred and five possibilities one of them will work.''


    "Hehe, this is going to be fun," I mumbled as I rubbed the palm of my hands together.


    "Let''s start, attempt one."


    I closed my eyes and stood straight, focusing on my body and surroundings. I took in a deep breath and exhaled.


    I took a step forward and prepared myself for the "thing".


    "Crimson-ck ze, king of myriad worlds, though I promulgate thews of nature, I am the alias of destruction incarnate in ordance with the principles of all creation. Let the hammer of eternity descend unto me!"


    "Explosion," I chanted the incantation I saw in a popr novel.


    A cold breeze hit me and I heard the sound of rustling leaves but¡­nothing happened.


    Okay, this was aplete failure.


    "Attempt two, active magic system!" I said aloud but again nothing happened.


    After that, I tried many more times but nothing happened, I even tried drawing random magic circles on the ground with a stick but that also did not work. It was aplete failure overall.


    "Okay, onest try," I whispered to myself, this time I was going to try the ssic of ssics method of using magic.<sub> </sub>


    That was to imagine the whole spell you are going to use, for example; if I want to summon a fireball then first I have to decide where I have to summon it, what will be its size, its temperature, shape, and some other details.


    Then I''ll have to imagine the process of how a fire burns, it will be better the more I can imagine the process in detail. For example, if imagine the process on the atomic level then the resulting fireball will be more powerful.


    This was the process I was going to use for myst try; this is a slightlyplicated process so I kept it forst.


    As I was about to begin my experiment of summoning a fireball my gaze fell on the house behind me. My house was mostly made up of wood and there were also many trees and bushes in the backyard, seeing all this I smirked a little.


    "Maybe I should try with a water ball first," I said to myself.


    Okay, so water ball it is then. I prepared myself to try thisst method, my chemistry books were going to help for the first time in my life.


    I stood straight and stretched out my right hand and started to imagine the process.


    The water molecule isposed of two hydrogen atoms, each linked by a single chemical bond to an oxygen atom.


    ''Concentrate, concentrate¡­''


    I imagined hydrogen and oxygen atomsbining and forming water molecules in front of my palm.


    Suddenly I felt the sensation of blood gathering in my right hand.


    My blood feels as if it was being squeezed out, and a water ball the size of a fist appeared in front of my right hand.


    "Whoa!!"


    In an instant I felt a rush of energy in my body, the moment I showed amazement, the water ball fell onto the ground, dampening it.


    It didn''t turn out as nned but a water ball did appear! The existence of magic in this world is real!


    A big grin covered my face as I considered all the things I can do now, but first¡­


    I needed to retry this process, I nned to shoot out the water ball but it failed, perhaps my concentration had been broken when I saw the water ball appear out of thin air.


    So I was going to try this once again.


    The sensation of blood gathering in my right hand, that rush of energy I felt at that time.


    I once again raise my right hand, recall that feeling from before, and imagine it in my mind.


    "Brea¡­the¡­"


    I took a deep breath.


    I send the blood flowing from my toes and the top of my head into my right hand, using that feeling to gather power.


    And then, have the feeling of firing it out from my palm...


    Concentrate, squeezing out waterrrrrrr...


    "HUH!" I unconsciously shouted like a monk.


    The water ball came out and it flew toward one of the trees at high speed.


    Crash!


    The branches snapped easily and the tree fell onto the ground. Fortunately, it was not a big tree so it did not shake the ground when it fell.


    I quickly looked around, here and there to confirm no one saw me.


    This experiment was a sess and now there was no reason for me to stay any longer.


    ''Okay, I don''t know what happened here,'' I said to myself inwardly and ran inside my house.

 Chapter 5 Magic Training [2]

    I hurriedly looked left and right while hiding myself behind a pir, ''Okay, no one''s here,'' I slowly walked forward toward my room after making sure that no one is around.


    With a *click* sound I pushed open the door and entered the room, closing the door afterward.


    "Sigh," I exhaled a breath of relief.


    I would get scolded if someone saw what I did with that tree; it was one of mom''s favorite trees after all.


    ''Well, what''s done is done,'' I thought and made my way to the bed in front of me.


    I started thinking about magic as I sat on the bed; beds here are sure soft and fluffy.


    Magic was a real deal in this world and I just used it. The process to use magic is a little ssy but at the same time, it''s easy also, why do I say this?


    Well, when the first time I created the water ball I had to imagine it from scratch but when I did it a second time, the water ball appeared as soon as I recalled that feeling I got during the first time.


    ''I wonder if it will take even less time if I did the same thing a third time,'' I thought. I had to try if I had to find out, but this time I was going to try with a little twist.


    I got out of my bed and stood on the floor while I stretched out my right hand just like before. Taking a deep breath I concentrated and recalled what I felt before when the water wall appeared.


    ''Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, concentrate...¡­''


    I felt blood rushing through my veins and vessels, and then a water ball the size of a fist appeared in front of my palm.


    ''Okay, now to add a twist.''


    Slowly but steadily I imagined the temperature of the water ball decreasing, this time I nned to turn this into a snowball.


    Nothing happened at first but I kept going as this was going to take some time on the first try. For around five minutes I was standing there like an idiot while a water ball floated before my hand.


    But then it changed, I saw ice kes forming inside and the translucency of the water started decreasing as it started freezing. Once the process was at its prime the water turned into ice in a matter of seconds.


    Now in front of my right hand was floating a solid ice ball, I was doing my best to not get excited and lose my focus.


    -Knock -Knock


    "Wha!" I panicked when I heard someone knocking on the door of my room, losing the focus I dropped the ice ball onto the floor with a *Thuck* sound.


    ''Ah, damn it, what should I do!'' I ran around in my room trying to figure out what should I do now, the problem at hand was not that big but the sudden change of events had made me lose my cool.


    ''Well, I have to open the door quickly or it will raise suspicion,'' with that thought in mind I reached to the ice ball ¡ªwhich was now on the floor ¡ªand kicked it with my right leg, causing it to go rolling under my bed.


    "Okay, the crime scene is clear now," I said to myself and hurriedly ran over to the door and opened it.


    The person behind it came into sight; she was Anya my older sister. She smiled when she saw me while I was just as confused as before.


    "Yes?" I asked while I held the door with my hands, blocking the way in.


    "Today you got to know your status right? I was a bit curious so I came to see," said Anya.


    "Oh yes¡­ my status! Yeah, I saw it when dad called me."


    "Can you tell me what it is? You can also ask me about anything you are confused with?" she offered while trying to peek inside my room.


    The way I am acting must have caused her to think something''s going on. Well, I also wanted to talk to her about something but the timing couldn''t be worse.


    "Ahh, would it be alright if we talk outside? I wanted to see my abilities also so it would be better there right?" I said as a grin covered my face.


    She thought something for a while and then said, "If that''s what you want then I''m fine."


    I quickly closed the doors and stepped outside, considering how big that ice ball was I think it will probably take at least one hour for it to melt.


    Then I and Anya continued walking in the hallway, this way lead to the garden so we were headed there I think.


    "So, what was your rank?" Anya asked as she looked at me with curiosity<sub> </sub>


    "Umm, I had an overall average status," I replied and tried to show that I was sorry for having such low status.


    I don''t know for sure but maybe your status is what decides your social position in the world outside.


    "Come on, you don''t have to be sorry for that. It''s a thing you can''t decide on your own," she said, trying to console me.


    She was a good sister apparently, when I first heard that she had high stats, her image in my mind was of an arrogant big sister who liked to bully everyone. But this was entirely different from that.


    "What is your rank sis?" I asked while I took a few fast steps and stopped in front of her.


    "My rank huh, it''s E," she replied.


    "And you''re other stats?"


    "What? Didn''t I say it''s E," said Anya while looking at me with a hint of confusion on her face.


    So this was the case with ranks I see. I somewhat understood now why my rank is C while the other stats are D and also the fact that I was the only one with this type of status.


    Though I can''t say for sure I might have got a C rank as a reincarnation perk, but still, the question remains, why the other stats are D?


    I can''t wait to see what will happen after I level up and make all other stats C, will my rank go up to B or it will level up like normal?


    "Sis, can I ask you for something?"


    "What?" she said and urged me to speak.


    "Can you teach me magic?" I asked, trying to figure out everything by myself was probably not the best idea. She is older than me and must have some skills so having her teach me magic will be efficient.


    "What! No! I can''t," she replied in an instant. This was rather an unexpected response.


    "But¡­ why?" I asked as I looked at her with my innocent, ten-year-old eyes.


    "I mean, I don''t even know myself how to use magic. How can I teach you?"


    What! I didn''t hear that wrong, did I?


    "But dad said you are the person who has the highest status in this city," I tried to reason but it seems it was of no use.


    "Listen, having high status is apletely different thing. I also want to learn magic but it''s not a thing everyone can learn; only those who have the money to enroll in the Zaforths Magic academy can learn magic and only the higher-ss nobles can afford that," she exined.


    Ah, what to say?


    I thought magic will be an everyday thing in this world but the situation at hand is different. But I can use magic just fine right? And it''s not even that difficult, then why do you have to go to the academy to learn it?


    ''This is something I need to figure out,'' I made a mental note.


    "Then what do you do in your practice lessons?" I asked once again.


    She had regr practice with Ron, if she was not learning magic then what?


    "That? Dad is teaching me sword arts."


    Sword arts huh, I just need online and then it will be perfect!


    Just kidding!


    I can also learn that right? I mean, it won''t hurt to do so and I think I can increase my agility and stamina stats with it.


    "Can you teach me just that?" I said, with a hint of determination in my voice.


    "Well, I don''t have any problem with that, you just have to get father''s permission for it" she replied.


    That won''t be a problem.

 Chapter 6 Sword Arts

    Getting my father''s permission was not that hard, in fact, when I said that I want to practice sword arts he was filled with happiness.


    "Oh my dear son, I''m such a blessed father to have a son as hardworking as you!" was what he said before he broke into tears.


    Anya was learning it from my father for the past one and a half years so I thought it would be better to have her teach me.


    I decided not to learn it from my father because I do not want to see him burst into tears every time I do a movement correctly.


    Long short story, I got permission to learn sword arts.


    Right now I was headed over to the training facility my sister had called me to. This ce was a bit far away from my house and it took around five to ten minutes to reach there by foot.


    I had left for the ce seven to eight minutes ago so I was probably about to reach there. While walking I also gazed upon my surroundings; this atmosphere was giving off the kind of warm andfy vibes.


    I had not gone outside my house much; this is my second or third time I think. When I went out for the first time I had the thought in mind that I will see a world set in a medieval-time period but that was not exactly right.


    This world seems a bit more advanced than the medieval period. The houses are built with abination of wood and stone, the clothes people wear here are somewhat simr to what I''ve seen in anime and movies.


    As I wondered about all this, I reached the training facility. This building was like arge coliseum but it had a dome-shaped roof, probably because this was used as a training facility and not as a ce to hold tournaments.


    I walked to the entrance and saw Anya standing there, waiting for me. I waved to her as I made my way near her. She also waved back when she saw me and turned toward me.


    After that we both went inside the building; a person stopped us at the entrance but then maybe he recognized Anya ¡ªas she came here with our father regrly ¡ªand let us go inside.


    There were a lot of people with weapons and armor inside the building, some of them can be adventurers, mercenaries, or they might havee here to fight for fun. To be short, the ce was filled with people.


    We made our way through the hallways and stopped in front of a counter ¡ªwhat looked like reception. There stood a woman behind the counter, dressed in formal clothing.


    "Excuse me, we have booked a training room here," said Anya as she took out a piece of paper from her pocket.


    "Can you please show me the ticket?" thedy asked and turned toward us.


    Anya handed that piece of paper to thedy; she looked through it for a while and then put a seal on the paper and gave it back to Anya.


    ''Maybe Ron had booked this for us?'' I thought while I quietly watched them from a distance.


    That was all, then we went to the room we had booked; there was a number written on that paper [67], we looked for the room with no 67 on its door.


    It took a while but we found it, on entering the room I saw that it was a room with stone flooring and walls while the sealing was made of wood with several holes in it which made it possible for the sunlight to enter.


    "First watch me and get an idea of what you will be learning," Anya said and walked to the center of the room.


    On her way, she took one of the many swords that were hung on the wall. She unsheathed the sword and held it tightly while she stood with her back straight in the center of the room.


    She looked at me as if saying "Watch closely" to which I replied with a nod.


    Then she started swinging her sword, at first she stood in one ce but after a few swings, she started moving back and forth while swinging the sword. I can''t judge how good she was as I have never seen someone use a sword before but still each of her strikes looked super-smooth and urate.


    She swung her sword from upper-left to lower-right and then she moved around and connected it by doing a lower-right to middle-left cut.


    The way she was freely and easily moving her sword, it never looked like she was holding a real sword made of metal. It looked like she was using a light weighted wooden stick or something.


    Not a single movement was wasted, all of her swings connected with the other smoothly.


    After a while, she stopped and put the sword back in its sheath. "Did you get anything? This is a glimpse of what you will be learning," she said as she looked at me.


    "Wow¡­that was amazing!" those words came out on their own; I was totally enchanted by her skills.


    So this is how things are in this world huh. If I go by her age then Anya would be a second or third-year middle school student but she can use a sword this perfectly.


    "Come on, now you try it," she said and handed me the sword.


    The weight of the sword caused me to lose my bnce for a bit, but surprisingly, the sword was not heavy as I thought it would be.<sub> </sub>


    Perhaps it was because of my D rank strength status. I adjusted myself ording to the weight of the sword and then moved to the center of the room.


    I unsheathed the sword and held it with both my hands. I don''t have the least bit of idea on how should I do this, thus, instead of randomly swinging here and there I decided to mimic the movements of an anime character.


    I recalled that footage in my mind and then started swinging the sword ordingly.


    ''Ah well¡­this is¡­easier said than done!''


    Even though I had a D rank strength status, I did not have any experience in real. When I swung the sword in a direction it also pulled my body with it and I lost bnce every time.


    "This is hard!" I said to Anya and dropped the sword. Only after swinging the sword for ten to fifteen minutes, I waspletely drenched in sweat and panting.


    "Your situation is not that bad; to be honest I''m quite surprised," said Anya.


    "What do you mean?"


    How can you say my situation is "not that bad"? I mean I was able to do only a fewplete swings.


    Wait for a second, she doesn''t mean that my situation is not bad but worst, now does she?


    "Huh? Well, you were fragile before but after that incident when you almost died, since then you are not the same. You would have run out of stamina only by walking to this building from home if things were the same," she exined.


    So this was it huh, it''s a major discovery. This boy, the original Zero nks was weak and fragile. Come to think of it, I don''t have any memories of the time before I reincarnated into this body.


    This was something I hadpletely ignored until now.


    "Hey, don''t get lost on your own," said Anya, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I was lost in thought a little too much I guess.


    "Listen, the reason I think you are not able to swing properly is that you are using too much strength in it. From looking at you it''s like you are using a heavy hammer instead of a sword. Try not to apply too much force, also, use your whole body not only your arms," Anya exined.


    After that she assisted me while I practiced, it was not easy but after around two hours of training my sword was not pulling me with itself and I was able to do a perfect swing every time.


    We practiced for five hours that day, one would think that this was a long period but Anya practiced for seven to eight hours with Ron when she started learning sword arts.


    But that was precisely because she was with Ron, no matter what world you are in you can''t stay out for long as a child, and I was an innocent ten-year-old child after all.


    -----------------ZERO''S STATUS---------------------------


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    p Rank: C</anda>


    Mana capacity: D


    Strength: D


    Agility: D


    Stamina: D


    Skills-->


    - [Foresight (Level 1)]


    User can see 0.1 seconds in the future by using this skill.


    =============

 Chapter 7 An Unexpected Situation

    Years flew by quickly, it''s been 5 years since I reincarnated in this body and now I was back to the age I died in my previous life¡ªthe age of 15 years.


    All this time I practiced magic by myself and sword arts with Anya. I wanted to go to the magic academy for learning magic but our family was not rich enough to afford the enrollment fee.


    Apparently, practicing sword arts was more difficult than practicing magic, the reason being that while practicing sword arts I had to physically use my body instead of imagining a simtion in my mind.


    I also did a bit of research about sword arts as I wanted to know exactly what I was learning and what use will it be for me. And here''s what I found; Sword arts are the mostmon yet difficult way ofbat in this world.


    If you are born into a noble''s family then it was almostpulsory for you to learn them; almost because the final decision was on the individual in question.


    My father knew sword arts and Anya had finished her training a year ago. I was learning from Anya so I was a yearte inpleting my training but it was going to end today as today was the day I was going to give a type of graduation exam.


    I was also practicing magic and the result of that was I was able to use elemental magic pretty easily now, I also passed out several times due to running out of mana but it was worth it since it increased my mana capacity.


    And not only mana capacity, but from these 5 years of training magic and sword arts my status has increased and I leveled up. But it still didn''t solve the mystery of my rank being one step ahead of other attributes.


    When all of my stats reached C I got a level-up notification and my rank changed to B. In short, even after leveling up the situation at hand was the same.


    But even after all this I was enjoying my life in this new world, at first I was hesitating a bit because I had my doubts.


    What if I never really died after falling from the stairs that day? What if I just hit my head hard and now I was in ama? What if this was all just a dream?


    I was a little scared, to be honest, scared of losing everything again. But then I realized, that if there is even one percent chance of losing all this then I should enjoy it as much as I can. From that day onward, I decided to live this life to its fullest, even if this was all a dream I decided to make this my best dream ever.


    "Hey Zero, are you alright?" said Ainge, my mom, bringing me back to reality.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," I replied with a smile. I was lost in thought again I guess; right now I was having dinner with my family and it''s better to focus on that.


    "How''s your training going?" she asked. Unlike Ron, my father, she was not the type to overreact to little things and that was why I felt more "normal" while talking to her.


    "It''s going well, along with sword arts sis is also very good at teaching me."


    "Stop exaggerating, I''m not that good. It''s just that you are a fast learner," said Anya, she was sitting on the other side of the table in front of me.


    "I''m so happy to see you all grow, really," eximed Ron, the person I wanted to avoid at all cost. He really shows his emotions get the best of him.


    But well, there is a reason for that also. One day I was irritated by him because of this behavior, I didn''t say anything to him but I went and talked to Anya.


    It was then she told me the reason behind his behavior, I and Anya were their fourth and fifth child. Before us all the children Ainge gave birth to died within a month and Ron was heavily depressed by this. Then when Anya was born and didn''t die after a month he was relieved.


    Then when I was born again, tension took over him again. I was-no, Zero nks was a very weak child ever since he was born, he was always sick and didn''t go outside that much.


    This worried Ron as he was scared of losing another child but well, when the original Zero died after struggling for 10 years the thing with my reincarnation happened and in his eyes, Zero''s condition got better. This lifted the weight from Ron and became the reason for the "special treatment" I get.


    Complicated stuff I know, asking Anya about my own past was even harder than this, I barely got away by giving the excuse that after that incident my memories of the past are fuzzy and unclear.


    Not having the memories of your predecessor in this reincarnation thing is a huge pain.


    "Oh Zero, I forgot to tell you before but I will be taking your graduation exam tomorrow," Anya mentioned, dropping a bombshell out of nowhere.


    "W-Wait what! You said it will be at the end of this month," I reasoned as I stopped eating.


    "Yes I know but, well, it''s a thing that''s not in my control," she confessed, lowering her eyebrows.


    "What do you mean by ''not in my control''? Can you exin please?"


    "Well, it''s¡­none of your business. Whatever, be prepared tomorrow morning," saying that she got up and left; she didn''t even finish her food.<sub> </sub>


    Wait for a second, what the hell just happened?


    I shifted my gaze at Ron in the hope to get an answer, "Will you tell me? You know what''s going on right?"


    "It''s not a thing kids should get involved in," Ainge interjected, she spoke in a hard tone that waspletely unlike her.


    "First, I''m not a *kid* anymore, and second, she''s my sister and if something''s happening then I have full rights to get myself involved," I replied instantly; if this was going to be a family argument then they should back down now.


    After all, I never lost an argument in my previous life and.....leave it, I don''t want to remember all that now.


    More importantly, Anya is my family, if something is troubling her then I''ll help her. That''s like super obvious.


    I again red at Ron as I narrowed my eyes; fortunately, this man was easy to deal with.


    "I''m never ever going to talk to you if you don''t tell me what''s going on," I insisted, this will be enough to make him talk.


    Surprisingly I was wrong. He averted his gaze as he stood up and left. Ainge followed him afterward.


    Okay, this came as quite a shock. But I found another proof that reality is often different from novels. If this was a novel then he would have spilled the beans right then.


    "This is a drag," I sighed as I finished my dinner. Obviously, I was not going to waste food like them.


    But about this situation, I have to somehow ask Anya about this. She said that she''ll take my graduation exam tomorrow; it will be her way of testing what I have learned in these past few years.


    Will she tell me if I beat her tomorrow? I suppose so, and I also wanted a chance to test this [Foresight] skill of mine so it will be a good opportunity I guess.


    "Sigh~ And here I thought I will be living a peaceful slow life," I said to myself as I sighed.


    ----------ZERO''S CURRENT STATUS---------------


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    Rank: B


    Mana capacity: C


    Strength: C


    Agility: C


    Stamina: C


    Skills-->


    - [Foresight (Level 1)]


    User can see 0.1 seconds in future by using this skill.


    =============


    ----AUTHORS NOTE----


    Hey guys it''s me, moon senpai! I just wanted to ask something you all. Are you guys okay with the way this story is moving or you think the pacing should be a bit more fast? Tell me your answer in thements.

 Chapter 8 Foresight

    "Are you ready?" asked Anya as we both held onto our swords and stood in position.


    The atmosphere was filled with tension as a cold breeze embraced us gently, Anya looked right into my eyes as if asking "You''re prepared right?" to which I looked back in her eyes with confidence and nodded.


    Today Anya was taking my graduation exam meaning after this there won''t be anything left for her to teach me, well, that was not the important part though. For me whates afterward was important.


    Thus I need to win this no matter what.


    "Let''s get this done," said Anya and leaped toward me like a burst of wind.


    Of course, I was not going for the defensive. We both leaped forward at the exact same time, I held my sword tightly and swung it down-left.


    But she was fast, she deduced that I will go for an attack like this. The one who taught me this was her after all, and you can say it was the only disadvantage I had in this battle.


    A loud sound of metal shing was heard as a burst of sparks wasunched into the air when our swords shed, blocking each other''s movement. I took a side-step and spun rightwards as I moved my sword only by my right hand and threw a sh aimed at Anya''s shoulder.


    Noticing the attacking she first tried to block it but then dodged it by bending backward the instant she realized that that was not a single attack. My sword cut through the air after Anya dodged it,pleting a full swing I turned around and took a step forward as I threw two shes toward her while moving my sword in an X motion.


    She dodged the first attack first sh by jumping forward and, "Huh?", I said out of surprise, my de swishing through nothingness.


    Anya¡­was not there. ''Shit!'', I turned back quickly when I realized the situation I was into, while I held my sword right in front of my neck I prepared my hands for the uing impact.


    Just as my eyes caught the glimpse of the scenery behind me a sword shed with mine on its side. Both swords scraped and chipped each other releasing a great number of sparks in the process.


    I forcefully exhaled and took another breath after barely blocking Anya''s attack. Before her sword could begin its motion again, I darted backward to maintain the distance between us.


    But I can''t be on the defensive for too long or she''ll corner me and that will work against me. I clenched onto the handle of my sword and dashed toward Anya, releasing several strikes, down-right, upper-left, and midair.


    A *CLANK!* sound was heard every time she blocked my sword with her own; both of our des were chipped and had gained dents due to this. Finishing my series of attacks I leaped backward to prepare for anotherbo.


    Anya excelled in speed, the more time she''ll have the more my chances of winning will decrease. I remembered my C rank strength status as I focused my energy on my arms.


    I felt blood rushing through my veins as Iunched myself in her direction. I held my sword high and delivered a straight upper to lower sh. Anya ced her sword in front, trying to block my attack.


    The sound this time was the loudest when the two des shed, as well as the number of sparks released in the air. The attack carried such force behind it that it caused Anya to take a few steps back to maintain her position.


    *CLING!*, She pushed back my de with hers and leaped back, maintaining distance between us. She bent forward as she stood in her ce and positioned her sword at a specific angle, all while looking at me as she narrowed her eyes.


    ''So she''s going to use it huh, I thought this is a test thus she''ll go easy on me,'' I couldn''t help but smirk when I thought about that.


    If she was going to use "that" series of attacks then it''s fair for me to use [Foresight] as well. I practiced a while ago with that skill and I know how to use it; I just need to concentrate and think of using the skill in my mind and that''ll activate it.


    "Ah well, so be it," I sighed, preparing myself for the uing "things".


    I held my sword straight toward Anya, signaling that I was epting her challenge. This must be her way of warning me as if I was careless then the uing attack can cause me a serious injury.


    My eyes were locked on Anya but just for that moment when I blinked, she vanished from her spot. I looked everywhere in my field of view to find her as quickly as possible, then I noticed her dashing toward me at utmost speed. Her speed was so high that she would look invisible from a normal person''s perspective


    I felt a blow of air on my face as she stopped a few steps before me and started moving her sword rapidly in almost impossible-to-track motions. It was at that exact moment when I used my skill [Foresight] and activated my ability to look 0.1 seconds into the future.


    The view before me changed and now I saw multiple Anya''sunching multiple attacks at me. One would say that this made things more difficult but it was not true; the other Anya''s I was seeing were all the possible attacks she could do and their movement speed was slow which made it easier for me to block them.<sub> </sub>


    I realized one more thing by this, [Foresight] didn''t really show me the future rather it shows me all the possible futures that cane true in the next 0.1 seconds. The time difference was very small but it was enough to change the flow of a fight in my favor.


    Anya kept attacking me from multiple angles at high speed while I kept blocking them with my swords. The sounds of metal shing were all my ears could catch, and my hands were starting to go numb slowly, I was able to predict her next attack with my skill but keeping up with her speed turned out to be more painful than I imagined.


    I would have lost this battle long ago if I was not a B ranker with C rank attributes.


    The attack Anya was using right now was her specialty, a series of fifty non-stop sword strikes all dealt at an almost impossible speed. This was an attack Anya was practicing for the past four years, one year after she started teaching me.


    But I never thought she''ll use it in this fight, I mean from her point of view using an attack like this against me, who''s supposed to have average stats and does not excel in anything, would mean herplete win won''t it?


    And this fight was my graduation in which I have to win or that''ll mean I learned nothing and she will have to keep on teaching me-Wait!


    ''Keep on teaching me?'' when that thought surfaced I felt like this connected with the situation that happened during dinnerst night.


    ''Could it be that she wants me to lose?''


    If this was somehow connected with the thing troubling her then I had no real reason to win. No, in the first ce, the reason I wanted to win this fight was so I can know what was troubling her.


    ''I should give it a try, and it''s not like I''ll lose anything if all this turned out to be my imagination,'' I decided to gamble on this *imagination* of mine.


    *CLANK!* her sword shed with mine, the force behind it caused my sword to fly from my grip and fall to the ground behind. The moment I was unarmed Anya stopped her sword just before my neck.


    "You lost," she whispered, loud enough for me to hear.


    "Yeah, I guess," I said as I showed a little troubled expression on my face. Now that I think about it, an average-ranked person like me winning against the girl with the highest rank in this city wasn''t logical, to begin with.


    "Shit! I cked off because I thought you will go easy on me," I said as I walked to my sword and pick it up.


    "There was no meaning to this exam if I was going easy on you. If you lost, then it just means you haven''t trained hard enough," said Anya while putting her sword back in its sheath.


    "Yeah, figures. By the way¡­will you now tell me?" I asked, carefully bringing up the topic I wanted to know about.


    "Tell you about what?" she asked, giving me a somewhat confused expression, though she was trying to keep a poker face.


    I can tell because I myself have done that many times and I''m quite good at it.


    "About what''s troubling you, about why you''re not acting like yourself for a few weeks," I appealed as I looked straight into her eyes.


    She didn''t reply and averted her gaze from me, but after a moment she spoke, "Sight! Okay, I''ll tell you, or you''re going to keep asking me forever."


    "Well you got that right," I replied with an innocent smile.


    So it wasn''t my imagination, finally, I''ll know what was troubling her. I''ve been in this world for only five years but I have epted Ron, Ainge, and Anya as my family.


    If something was going on behind the scenes that is causing them trouble then I''ll make sure to get rid of it.


    After all, I have a great advantage in this world¡­as an author who''s reincarnated in a fantasy setting!

 Chapter 9 I Think I Have Seen This Scenario Before?

    Anya decided to tell me the reason behind her irrational behavior but since we were in the coliseum for my graduation exam, she said we will talk on our way home.


    I didn''t have any reason to refuse so I said "I''m fine with it," and we left the coliseum.


    It was noon and the sun was right above our head, the streets were crowded with both adventurers and citizens.


    I nced at Anya as we walked through the market.


    She wasn''t in her usual cheerful and bright mood right now. She was giving a kind of dark aura while she carried a troubled look on her face.


    I wasn''t feeling good to pressure her into telling me the reason behind her worries but well, I can''t let her be like this. Maybe being in this body had rewired my brain because I was thinking like a brother right now.


    "So?" I said, trying to start the conversation.


    She gazed at me before she let out a long breath and sighed.


    "I am getting married," she dered, dropping a big bombshell.


    My face turned a little pale as I wasn''t able to process what she said. To be honest it caught me off guard.


    "W-Wait a second, you are getting married? I mean, when? Where? Why?" I asked hurriedly.


    "It''s shocking I know, but it''s a thing that''s out of my hands."


    "What do you mean it''s not in your hands? It''s your choice right?" I argued, trying to calm down myself.


    "Yes, it is, no, it''s supposed to be. Honestly, I don''t want to get married right now but there''s this person who wants to make me his wife," Anya agonized, lowering her gaze.


    As a person from a world where the agreement of both parties is required for a marriage, this situation looked very illogical to me no matter how I look at it.


    I mean can''t she just say no if she doesn''t wanna do this?


    All this was too much for me thus I decided to listen to things with a cool mind. I took a deep breath and then exhaled.


    "Look, I don''t have any problem with you getting married but if it''s a thing you don''t want then I do have a problem in that," I dered.


    "And what is that Ron doing huh?! Usually, he''s this doting father but he is sitting quietly in a situation like this?" I fumed, a hint of anger in my voice.


    Noticing this Anya quickly stood in front of me and said, "Don''t me him, it''s not his fault. Our family is not in a position to oppose *them*."


    Who the fuck is *them*?


    "Ah, this is so confusing! Tell me everything from the start."


    I have to know everything from the start if I wanted to understand this situation clearly.


    I looked around to find a ce to sit and talk; soon my eyes caught the sight of a restaurant.


    "Let''s go there," I said, pointing at the restaurant building.


    Anya nodded and we went inside the restaurant. It was a wooden building with round wooden tables and chairs inside.  Many people were eating and talking among themselves.


    Fortunately, there were some vacant seats also. I pointed toward one of the tables no one was using, it was ced in the corner of the building and there were not many people around it.


    It was a perfect ce since we were going to talk about a sensitive topic.


    Anya went and sat there while I ordered two cups of coffee and then went there.


    Pulling a chair backward I sat in front of Anya.


    "Now tell me from the beginning," I said as I rested my hands on the table and interlocked my fingers.


    What is this slight feeling of curiosity inside me? I should be sad and angry right now, which I was but there was something off about it.


    Maybe I was a little happy that something unusual was happening or it was just that I was getting protagonist vibes from myself.


    ''Well whatever,'' I discarded that thought as I sighed inwardly.


    "It happened one day when I was training alone in the coliseum. There were not many people so I used a public training room to save some money. After that..." then she told me everything that happened from the start.


    When she was returning home that day a man approached her, ording to what she told me he was a blonde with a good body.


    Then, right then and there he proposed to her for marriage. Of course, she turned him down as my sister wanted to learn more about sword arts and magic but he didn''t stop.


    From that day onward, he kept on proposing to her when she returned home after training. ording to Anya, he said that he was impressed by Anya''s skills when he watched her train in that public training room.


    Anya kept turning him down but he didn''t stop.<sub> </sub>


    Here people would say it was his way of dering love but I''d say he is nothing more than a typical stalker.


    But it didn''t end there, after a week he came to our home (I wonder what I was doing at that time). He didn''te alone but with his father, it turned out that he was the son of a big noble.


    ''I somehow expected this.''


    Anya had told Ron and Ainge about him before and they knew she don''t want to marry him so they denied their request.


    "But then-"


    "They started putting pressure on our family, threatening Ron that they will destroy him in business and we won''t be nobles anymore. Stuff like that right?" I considered, stopping Anya midway.


    "Yes, that''s what happened," she nodded, agreeing with my statement.


    I also expected this, what can I do? This situation was not new to me! I have seen the same damn thing in many novels.


    To be honest this scenario was overused so much that it became a clich¨¦.


    "Then it means, that man is forcing you to marry him. He also has his parent''s support who are keeping our parents from taking any action, right," I said, trying to confirm that we are on the same page.


    She nodded.


    So this was the thing troubling her huh? Even though it''s clich¨¦ I can''t leave the situation like this. She''s my sister after all.


    I can''t let her marry some degenerate, trash, arrogant young master-type person.


    "Well, this indeed is a problem. Just in case let me confirm one thing, you really don''t want to marry this guy right?" I asked as I took a sip of my coffee that was almost finished.


    "Nope, not even in the next life. That guy is just good-looking, his nature is worse than shit!" said Anya, clearly badmouthing *that* guy.


    "Okay then. I''ll make sure you don''t have to marry him."


    "How are you gonna do that?" she asked while she also stood up.


    "Ahh, I don''t know for now. But I''ll definitely think of something, we have around four days before your marriage right? That will be enough."


    Just kidding, I already had something in my mind. There are some pieces I need to confirm and it''ll be done after that.


    Actually, I will also help myself with this so it''s a win-win.


    We paid for our coffee and left the restaurant. Anya turned toward our way home but I was going in another direction.


    Noticing this she called out to me, I stopped and looked behind.


    "Where are you going?"


    "To make preparations, tell Ainge that I''ll be a littlete today," I replied.


    "Oh and one more thing," I said, calling out to Anya.


    "Are you okay with going into the magic academy?" I asked, this was an important thing for my n to work.


    "Well, I don''t have any problem with that but, why did you ask this out of the blue? You already know that our parents can''t afford the entrance fee."


    "No, it''s nothing. I just asked on a whim," I said and walked in another direction.


    I want to deny this but I can''t that I''m feeling excited right now. I''m really a scum.


    Also, I don''t know why but I feel like I have seen this exact same situation before, it''s pretty clich¨¦ so I remember but not clearly.


    Maybe it''s just my imagination, a side effect of reading too many web novels.


    Ah well, but this is something I''ll have fun with! How much time has passed since Ist yed with people?


    I carried a grin on my face while I thought about all this; anyone would creep out if they saw me like this.


    But it didn''t matter much; right now I was headed to a ce I saw an advertisement of.


    The battle tournament that will be taking ce two days from now, I saw an advertisement poster of it a few days ago.


    At that time I never thought it will be of much use but now it wille in handy. I just hope Anya is prepared for it; she''ll definitely scold me when I tell her about his.


    If possible I also wanted to meet with this guy, the main reason for this problem.


    Ahhh! I got so much work to do all of a sudden!

 Chapter 10 The Plan

    I have not visited this area of the city much and it''s quite different. The main infrastructure is the same but the way houses and shops are built alongside the road is not like before.


    The houses were built in the blocks of six houses, and then there was a road and then again a block of six houses. Completely different from the area near the south gate where the houses were built in a straight row.


    Right now I was in the center part of this city, headed toward a certain ce. I quickly noticed the change in my and the clothing of people here.


    It was not that surprising because the system in this world says that the rich people live in the center of cities and the poorer you are the more outer side of the city you will live in.


    It was made this way so in case a city was attacked then the rich and important nobles will be thest ones toe in contact with the enemy giving them enough time to escape.


    My family was neither rich nor poor so we live in between the central and outer parts.


    Well leaving that aside it looks like I have reached my destination. It sure took a long time toe here on foot, almost an hour.


    In front of me was a huge coliseum, the one we used for training was nothingpared to its size.


    This was the ''Bull''s Stage Coliseum'', the biggest coliseum in this city. It was located in the exact center of the city and was mainly used for hosting tournaments or other big events.


    The huge size of this coliseum was the main reason behind it. I am not sure but ording to the people, an audience of 10,000 people could fit in here.


    And the reason I came here was also vaguely rted to this, and it was the battle tournament that was going to happen here.


    "Excuse me, is this the ce where the ''Champion of the decade'' battle tournament will be hosted?" I asked a man who looked like have juste out of the Coliseum.


    "Huh? Yes, this is the ce. Are you going to participate in it kid?" said the man, he was a bald man with a muscr body and a long beard.


    "No no, with a weak body like this I can''t even imagine going against strong people like you," I said while I shook my hands in a motion to say NO.


    "Hahaha, that is true. I am strong right!" he braggedughingly as he wrapped his arms around my neck.


    ''Damn this guy smells so bad and sweaty!'' I thought, but I can''t say it if I want some information. So I replied to him with a smile.


    "Oh, by the way, I remembered. The princess from the royal capital is alsoing to watch this tournament right?" I asked while I gently released myself from his grip.


    "Hoho? Ah yes yes, that beauty is alsoing here. After all, this tournament will decide the champion of this decade, many people from outside the city are alsoing to participate and test their strength," he said as he touched his beard.


    "You know, I have also heard something interesting. Do you want to know?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes.


    I replied with a nod, showing that I was interested in that *thing* he has heard.


    He brings his face close to my ear, making sure that no one else can hear our conversation.


    "See, I got this information from inside. You look like a good guy so I''m telling you but don''t tell anyone else about this," he whispered and stopped for a second.


    Idiot, you are telling me this because I am not participating in the tournament and won''t pose a threat to you. At least try to conceal your intentions.


    "I have heard that the winner of thispetition will get a chance to meet the princess. If you are lucky then the royalty may hire you," he mouthed in my ear.


    "Damn! Are you serious?" I eximed.


    "Hahaha, it''s amazing, right? Wish me luck that I win and get the chance to meet that chick," heughed while he patted me on my back.


    "Well, I''ll be rooting for you," I said with a smile as I carefully distanced myself from him.


    "You are a nice guy I see. Take care, I have to go now. Have to train, you know," he said and slowly walked away whileughing in arrogance.


    "Sigh!" an exhausted sigh escaped my mouth as soon as I found myself alone.


    I got the information I wanted but I won''t say this was clearly worth it.


    The Champion of the decade battle tournament will be hosted in the coliseum two days from now. And the princess who''sing here from the royal capital.


    These are the things that will y a big role in my n to stop Anya from getting married.


    Now that I''m here I should check the coliseum before leaving, I will also confirm the information he gave me from some other people.


    I went inside the coliseum after that, confirmed things from many other participants, and did some *adjustments* in the arena to make things go ording to my n.


    Then I left for home, it was evening when I reached home. On my way, I also visited a public library to confirm some more things. After all, I won''t act till I''m 100% sure that everything will work the way I want.


    Opening the entrance gate of my house I went inside. I intentionally avoided meeting with Ainge or Ron because¡­well, I am not in a mood to hear a lecture on getting homete.


    Right now I wanted to meet with Anya; obviously, she is needed for my n. I am working this much for her sake so it''s not like I''ll leave her to rest while I do all the hard things.


    Yes she is under mental pressure and I''m sounding evil right now for wanting to make her work but that''s just how I am.


    I tried searching for her in the backyard and other parts of the house but she wasn''t to be found anywhere.<sub> </sub>


    As thest resort, I went to her room.


    I stood in front of the door and knocked three times, I usually don''te here so I was getting a little awkward feeling.


    I waited for a while but no one answered, ''Maybe she''s thinking of me as Ainge or Ron?''


    "Hey Anya, it''s me Zero," I knocked again, this time revealing my name.


    ''No matter what you say, Zero does sound like a weird name and I''m not used to it.''


    After waiting for a few more seconds the door opened and Anya came in sight, wearing her usual nightdress.


    "There are some things I want to tell you," I stated.


    She nodded and stepped aside, I entered the room. Inside the room was a sweet girlish type smell you''ll find in the room of any person from the female species.


    I won''t say the interior and d¨¦cor of her room werepletely girlish but it did give off those vibes.


    I tried looking for a chair to sit on but there wasn''t any. No, there was one but it was at the end corner of the room.


    "Sit on the bed," said Anya, stopping me who was about to go there and drag that chair here to sit on it.


    Following her advice, I sat on the bed and she sat beside me at a distance.


    "So? What''s this about?" she asked while raising her brow.


    "I did say that I''ll find a way right?" I said; I was referring to the time I said to her I will find a way to save her from this forceful marriage.


    "Yes, you said that. Did you already find a way?"


    "Well, yes. But I need your help to make that possible. That''s what I''m here to talk about," I exined.


    She nodded and waited for me toplete my talk. Following her lead, I continued.


    "You know about the battle tournament that is going to happen right?" I asked. She replied with a nod.


    "I need you to participate in that and win."


    "What!" she eximed and jumped out of her bed.


    "Have you gone crazy? Why would I participate in that?" she asked in a loud voice.


    "It''s important for my n and you are the so-called ''person with the strongest status in this city right? Winning that tournament won''t pose a problem for you?"


    "You know exactly why I don''t wanna do this don''t you?" she solicited, pointing her index finger at me.


    "You don''t like to show off your strength, right? I know that, but you winning that tournament is the key point for my n to work. You do trust me right?" I said as I stood up.


    She went silent for a while but said afterward, "I trust you but¡­isn''t there any other way?"


    "I would have preferred that but we only have four days before your marriage. Say, will you participate in that?" I asked, a sense of determination in my eyes.


    "Sigh! Okay, I will do that. This is my problem to begin with, and nowining about it makes me feel like the bad guy here," Anya sighed.


    "I''m grateful that you understand," I replied with a smile.


    Originally I had nned to participate in this tournament myself but after thinking in the long term, making her do that will be more beneficial.


    And while she will be busy fighting I will have to do so some *things* behind the scenes so it''s better this way.


    I thought while I began to leave her room.


    "Wait a minute Zero!" Anya called out to me from behind, stopping me midway.


    "What?"


    "Mom has called you to her room. You came home prettyte, I''m sure you''ll get scolded."


    ''Ah shit! Here we go again!'' I thought as a troubled look formed on my face.


    Ainge is a good and caring mom but when she was angry¡­damn, just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.


    I then left her room, epting my fate I headed toward where Ainge had called me.

 Chapter 11 Preparations

    A sense of fear developed inside me as I took steps toward Ainge and Ron''s room. Normally she was the type you can call a kind and caring mom but when she''s angry about something then she''s scarier than a demon.


    I walked alone in the hallway as the sounds of my footsteps echoed through the area. A whileter I reached my destination. I prepared myself for an hour-long lecture as I stood in front of the room''s door.


    But then when I was about to knock on the door and call for her I heard something.


    I heard some yelping and moaning voices. Where are theying from? Of course, it was from Ainge and Ron''s room which was right in front of me.


    They were...well, *busy working*.


    I turned around and saw the sun has set, it was almost night time so it makes sense I guess.


    ''I heard something I shouldn''t have,'' I said to myself inwardly and walked away from there.


    I wonder if I would be getting a little brother or sister soon.


    ***


    The next day at breakfast we all were sitting at the dining table eating our meal.


    Maybe Ainge forgot about yesterday since she was not saying anything to me. But this ''not saying'' just made it worse by keeping me in suspense.


    There was an awkward silence so I decided to start the conversation myself. I wanted to meet this guy who is causing this whole marriage problem and I don''t think I would be able to do that by myself.


    "Zero, where were you yesterday? You came homete," said Ainge.


    Okay, she said it herself.


    "Oh that, I was a little busy with something. Though I also have something to ask you, why didn''t you tell me about Anya''s marriage situation?" I appealed, looking at Ainge and Ron.


    Noticing the way I said that Ainge must have understood I already know everything, she nced at Anya for a second before looking back at me again.


    "This was not a thing you should be involved with," she denied.


    I don''t want to create an argument here so I won''t be questioning this statement. My motive right now is something else.


    "Yes I know, but I do have the right to know who''s going to be my sister''s husband right? Or I can''t even have that much?" I asked; this time I specifically looked at Ron while saying so.


    Anya must have been confused over what I said just now because she stared at me so hard that it was like she wanted to kill me. That''s understandable because right now I must be sounding like I have no problem with this marriage.


    But well, that''s how I want to sound here.


    "If you already know everything then there''s no meaning to hide it now, yes Anya is getting married," Ainge announced.


    "And can I meet that person?" I asked, raising my brow.


    She didn''t say anything for a moment and kept eating her breakfast. After a while, she took a sip of tea before saying, "It seems like you are in luck, that person ising to meet us today, along with his parents."


    "Hey but that''s not right! Zero, if you know everything then you should also know that your sister doesn''t want to do this marriage right? Why aren''t you saying anything?" Ron shouted while he stood up and smacked the table.


    "I know, but there''s nothing we can do right? I mean if there was something then we won''t be having this conversation right now," I said, quietly while I ate my meal.


    "That''s¡­" Ron tried to argue but he couldn''t find the words to deny my statement.


    "Calm down honey, what he''s saying is right. You also know that," said Ainge as she put her hand on Ron''s back.


    "I know, I know that''s he''s but¡­I can''t let him marry my daughter like this! You know very well what will happen to her if that happens," Ron blustered.


    I can console Ron right now but that''ll decrease my chances of winning. It would be better if the tension and mental pressure he has is real instead of acting that way.


    I don''t want any fluctuations, after all. Though the thing I wanted was sure now, if that man ising here by himself then it just saves me the trouble.


    I want to see his prideful and arrogant nature so I would feel even better after seeing his confused, broken, and defeated face. Just thinking about it makes me grin internally.


    "It''s okay father, there''s nothing you could have done. The ones in the wrong are those people, it''s not your fault," I said, giving some kind words to Ron.


    After that, we finished breakfast and went to our rooms. Ron had some work to do so he went outside; those people wereing to visit us formally so he must have gone to make some preparations or something.<sub> </sub>


    About Anya, she had somewhat calmed down and gone back to her normal self after I told her that I will be helping behind the scenes. But for that moment I told her to keep acting depressed and troubled so no one can notice these changes and raise suspicion.


    ***


    I had some free time in hand so I came into the backyard to practice magic. I was practicing daily to level up and increase my stats but after reaching B rank it became harder.


    I jumped from C to B in a year and maxed out my other attributes to C in two years. But after that it just became hard, I was stuck with a B rank and C attributes for almost 2 and a half years.


    This was one of the reasons I wanted to join the magic academy if possible. Training alone was not enough if I wanted to increase my rank to S or something elite.


    But for this moment, I was here to do a little experiment.


    I sat on my knees and prepared myself to use magic. I was only able to use elemental magic by learning alone and with elemental magic, I can control the elements of fire, water, and earth.


    I concentrated my thoughts and started to control the earth element. By doing so I gathered the dust particles present in the air into one ce and created a brick with it.


    After that, I ced the brick on the ground and touched it with my right hand. Then I used the fire element and started heating the brick, slowly, its temperature started increasing.


    I heated it to around 2000 degrees Celsius and then when the brick was starting to glow in a red-hot color I instantly switched from fire to water element.


    At the same time, I converted water to sub-element ice and cooled down the brick lowering its temperature in an instant.


    A big cloud of steam covered the brick as I did that and when it disappeared the brick crumbled into powder form.


    This experiment was sessful.


    ***


    It was the time when those people wille to meet us. I, Anya, Ainge, and Ron were dressed in formal clothing and waiting for them in the guest room.


    No one wanted to do that and it was clearly showing on our faces, still, we didn''t have any other choice.


    Though it seems like I was the only one who was a little curious about this meeting, I mean I can''t help it. This was the first time I was meeting him. Yes, I do have imagined an arrogant young master who uses a ridiculous speech pattern but seeing the real thing has its own fun.


    ''Wait for a second, why does it feel like I''m going to a zoo to see an animal or something?''


    Well, whatever.


    We were in the guest room, Anya and Ainge were sitting on arge red-colored sofa while I was standing behind them. Ron was waiting outside for them so he wasn''t there.


    I was dressed in a grey colored suit and a white shirt. This type of clothing was not of my liking, I preferred more loose clothes like a hoodie but this was a formal meeting so I have to adjust.


    Anya was wearing a long ck colored gown and long gloves; her dress was simr to the one I saw in light novel illustrations. Maybe Ainge choose this dress for her because it was perfect, her blonde hair and green eyes were matching with the ck color.


    If she had asked me then I would have suggested wearing something that will make her look worse, you know why.


    All of a sudden the tension in the atmosphere increased as Ron entered the room with three more people; a male, a female, and an old fart.


    It didn''t take me long to recognize my sister''s ''supposed-to-be-husband''. Among the three he was the one in the middle, his age was probably the same as mine.


    Just like Anya had told me he had blonde hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark green-colored suit which looked a lot more formal than mine.


    Along with the clothes he also wore a disgusting grin on his face, that *thing* appeared on his face when he saw Anya who had her gaze down.


    This specific thing made my blood boil and I wanted to burn him off with fire magic but I soon calmed myself.


    That isn''t the best way to make him suffer, he sure will feel pain but it will be over after his death. I want to defeat him in a way that will make him regret his choice to cause trouble for my sister.


    So, with a fake smile on my face, I weed him.


    ----AN-----


    Review this novel if you are enjoying it! It will help this novel reach new readers!

 Chapter 12 Meeting

    So with a fake smile on my face, I weed him.


    At least that''s what I wanted to do but I soon stopped myself after reading the atmosphere that was not pleasant at all, not even for acting happy.


    On that guy''s left was a fatty old man who was his father probably. He has a big beard and mustache while he was dressed in formal white clothing. He also held a golden cane in his right arm which he used as a support to walk.


    ''Though I''m sure he didn''t need that to walk and it''s just for show off.''


    On the left side was a woman, her mother probably. She had long ck hair and wore a purple-colored dress and long ck gloves.


    A typical clich¨¦d noble family if you ask me.


    "Mr. Dillian, I''m happy you came," Ainge greeted the old man while she stood up.


    "No no, Mrs. Ainge, the pleasure is all mine," the man greeted her back.


    After this came a conversation of greeting each other with fake smiles on everyone''s faces. The name of that guy''s father was Dillian and her mother''s name was Fianna and they were his mother and father after all.


    "Who is this young man?" Dillian asked, he was referring to me who was quietly standing behind the sofa.


    "He''s-" as Ainge was about to say something she was stopped in middle.


    It was that blonde man who stopped her as he said, "I''m sure he''s old enough to introduce himself," while he grinned at me.


    ''Arrogant young master type huh,'' I sighed inwardly while I walked to the front and stood before him.


    "I''m Zero, Zero nks. Anya''s brother," I said as I stretched out my hand toward him, offering him a handshake.


    "Zero huh, I am Walric, Walric Fistrun. I am your sister''s future husband," he replied as he took my hand and shook it.


    ''Walric Fistrun? Wait a second could he be?


    No, it must be my imagination.''


    I discarded that thought because I soon noticed something else.


    The smile on his face disappeared for a second before he showed a weird expression on his face, he tried to stay calm and regained hisposure but even if it was for a moment, the expression on his face told that he was in pain.


    Of course, him being like this makes sense. After all, when he shook my hand I used fire element magic to give him a little burn.


    A ssic face-pping trick if you ask me. Though I usually don''t do meaningless things and so was this, not meaningless.


    After the handshake, I stood beside my sister and he sat on the other sofa with his parents.


    "You are looking as beautiful as ever Anya," Walricplimented as he directed his gaze at Anya.


    "T-Thank you," said Anya, lowering her brows as she looked down.


    She was ufortable around this guy and I understood that, no, maybe everyone understood that but they were pretending like nothing was wrong.


    They talked about things rted to the uing marriage, Ron tried to bring up the topic of not doing this marriage but they ignored him.


    If he tried to make a valid point then Dillian gave him a sharp stare and that made him shut up. They could rip us off our noble''s status anytime they wanted, or so they had told Ron.


    While they were busy talking about things that werepletely not nonsensical, Walric was continuously staring at my sister and that made her lose herposure.


    At that moment I didn''t say anything and observed the guy''s behavior but it didn''t mean I was not angry.


    The conversation continued for an hour before they stood up to leave. They seemed happy but my parents didn''t.


    "Father, before leaving I want to talk alone with my wife for a bit," said Walric to his father, Dillian.<sub> </sub>


    "Huh?" Anya said subconsciously, this private talk thing was something unexpected and caught her off guard.


    Even I knew what kind of things he will try if he was alone with her.


    "Of course son, it''s not a problem. She''s your wife after all," said Dillian, agreeing to his request.


    A grin appeared on Walric''s face after he got his father''s permission as he rushed toward Anya, only to be stopped by me who stood between them.


    "Hey, what the hell''s your problem dude? Step aside," he said while trying to move me out of the way.


    "I''m sorry but I can''t allow my sister to be alone with you," I replied, looking directly into his eyes.


    Until now Anya was behaving as I told her to but this was a situation I had not nned for so keeping her safe was my responsibility.


    "What do you mean? She''s my wife and I can do whatever I want!" he countered, screamingly.


    I gently raised my hands toward him as if asking him to give me something, he seemed confused before he asked, "What?"


    "You don''t know? I want the marriage certificate; you just said that she''s your wife right? Then you must have one."


    "Tch!" he clicked his tongue.


    "I''ll remember you, you won''t get away with this," he whispered in my ear and then backed off.


    "Yeah sure, you must remember me. I''m quite handsome, no?" I baited, trying to provoke him.


    But it seemed like he was a bit human as he didn''t get provoked by this and walked back.


    They were about to leave, so I and Ron escorted them to the gate. I did have another motive in mind though.


    "Hey Walric," I called out to him when I saw that there was a certain distance between him and his parents.


    "What?"


    "I want to talk to you about something."


    He seemed interested as he raised his brow to listen to what I was about to say.


    "Will you make a bet with me," I said. After that, I exined to him the details of this *bet*.


    ***


    After my talk with Walric was done I walked him to the entrance of our house where his parents were waiting for him.


    They asked him where he was to which he replied by saying, "I was having a little chat with Zero," with a prideful smile on his face.


    "What happened Zero? You look pale." Ron asked me in a low voice.


    I indeed have a troubled look on my face.


    Walric and his parents left while I and Ron went back inside our house.


    That''s how my meeting with Walric went.


    Though I still have some things left to do before the main course.


    Only one day is remaining before the battle tournament.

 Chapter 13 Day Before The Tournament

    Only one day was remaining before the battle tournament.


    My meeting with Walric was now done and I had nted the important seeds. This leaves only one thing and that is participating in the battle tournament itself.


    Oh wait, that''s wrong, Anya is the one participating in the tournament since I have other things to do. I''m sure she''s doing what I told her and talking with Ainge about that.


    "You are looking all normal now?" asked Ron, who was walking beside me.


    I and Ron hade to drop Walric and his parents at the exit and were now returning back home.


    Ron was specifically asking me about the troubled look I had on my face when I reached there with Walric.


    Well, that was a part of my n so I can''t exin things to him.


    "What do you mean? I''m just like how I was, you must be imagining things," I replied with a smile.


    "Huh really? I think I''m too stressed out," Ron muttered to himself.


    After that, we didn''t talk much since Ron was still busy thinking about Anya and her future. He really was a father who cared for his children if you ask me.


    Thinking back on it now, in my previous life I always distanced myself from my parents, and because of that, I don''t fully know what parental love is. All I have are fuzzy memories from my childhood.


    How to say¡­I was different from "normal" teenagers. I''m really d that I got this second life, maybe I can do things in a normal way now.


    I was lost in thought and before I knew it we reached back home, Ron pushed open the door and the first thing which came into sight was Anya who was arguing with Ainge over something.


    ''So she started without me huh,'' I thought to myself as I walked toward them; Ron with me.


    "What happened?" Ron asked the same thing I was about to say.


    "Darling, see, she''s making an illogical request," Aingeined.


    "What is it Anya?" said Ron, asking her the details.


    "I want to participate in the battle tournament that is taking ce the day after tomorrow," said Anya.


    "What? But why are you asking a thing like that out of the blue? I thought you didn''t like showing off your strength."


    "I know that but...if I am really getting married then this is thest thing I want to do before that," Anya said while she looked at Ron, her eyes were wet like she was about to cry.


    ''You don''t need to go that far,'' I said inwardly. I had told her to emotionally attack Ron like this but I never thought she could act in a way that even I was confused for a while over whether she was actually about to cry or not.


    Ron was not able to refuse her, he can defend himself from my emotional ckmailing but Anya was her weakness. No father wants to make their daughter cry after all.


    She got permission to participate in the tournament and that was all for today. Nothing major happened after that.


    I went back to my room and Anya to hers. I threw myself on the soft and fluffy bed of mine, it was nighttime and the atmosphere was cool. I was able to feel the cold breeze embracing me, it wasing inside the room from the window I had left open.


    I closed my eyes and started to analyze the current situation.


    Today was a rough day, I met with that arrogant bastard and moved some pieces so everything will work ording to my n.


    The battle tournament indeed was a key part of my n but that was not all there was. In fact, I started moving my pieces the moment I decided I have to stop this marriage.


    The stage was set, the pawns were ready to move, and the oue was pretty much decided. All that was left was for Anya to fight in the battle tournament, she didn''t need to win the tournament but just to make it to the final fight.


    I wanted to fight myself first but I stopped when I calcted the benefits of moving in the shadows.


    [Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy''s resistance without fighting.] ¨Cthe art of war, by Sun Tzu.<sub> </sub>


    By the oue of this battle, I will save Anya from getting married, and crush Walric and his family. There was also a part that I kept for myself or I would say it was just my selfishness but it didn''t affect my chances of winning so it was fine.


    I was mentally tired after using my brain so much, and the cold andfortable atmosphere just made it even better and I fell asleep quickly.


    ***


    It was morning when I woke up,st night I left the window open, and now the sunlight was falling right onto my face.


    It did wake me up but not in a good way, I felt a little headache after opening my eyes, though it was nothing but a little fuzzy feeling that went away after a while.


    I changed my clothes and wore a ck colored hoodie; this was the only clothing that was simr to something I wore in my previous life. Wearing it gave a feeling offort.


    After that, I ate breakfast along with everyone else. Today was thest day before the ''Champion of the decade battle tournament'' that will be held in the Bull''s stage coliseum.


    Anya had our parents'' permission now to join the tournament and all that was left was for today to pass.


    Done with the breakfast, both I and Anya went to the backyard of our house. I was a littlete and when I reached there I found that she was training there.


    Her sword movements were as smooth as ever, when she was using her sword it looked more like a beautiful dance instead of a deadly fighting style.


    The sword arts we learned were only the basics and after giving the graduation exam and getting a green g from your teacher, you were free to change the fighting style ording to your taste.


    In Anya''s case, her style was speed and uracy, most of her moves were one-shot kills. If you talk about me then I had not changed the style much, I was also practicing magic so I did not have the time to find the style that was best for me and then change the sword art.


    "I did tell you that winning was not necessary," I said while I walked close to Anya.


    "Yes I know, but I wanted to give it my all. What will you do if I cked off and didn''t make it to thest and final round?" said Anya as she stopped her training and turned toward me.


    "Well, that''s true."


    "So what is it? You must have something to tell me right?" she asked, raising her brow.


    Sigh! She *is* my sister after all. Guessing this wasn''t that difficult I guess.


    "Yes, exactly. You didn''t think that winning in the tournament is the thing we''re aiming for, did you?" I said as I sat on one of the logs lying on the ground.


    "What do you mean? There''s something else that I have to do there?"


    "*We*, have to do, you will be doing things on the stage while I''ll do my work behind the scene," I mentioned, interlocking my fingers.


    "So what is it?"


    "Listen, when you reach the final round then..." I exined the n to her.


    Or to be more exact, I exined what she has to do there, not the entire n.


    "What! Are you crazy? That''s insane! You can even get executed for that!" she shouted as she stood up quickly.


    "Don''t worry, nothing like that will happen. You just do your part and everything will be fine. Or are you now don''t have any problem in getting married with that bastard Walric," I said, teasing her a bit.


    "That''s...Ah fine!" she sighed.


    With that, the things for today were almost done. Anya kept practicing for the tournament while I went out to prepare some things.


    The day passed out and the next morning came, the day of the battle tournament.


    Was today.

 Chapter 14 Battle Tournament [1]

    The day of the battle tournament was today.


    I and Anya left for the Bull''s stage coliseum early in the morning; after all, it took a fair amount of time to reach there.


    And it did take a fair amount of time.


    When we reached the Coliseum I saw that the view now was nothing like what I saw when I came here before.


    The roads were filled with people, both participants of this tournament and civilians who came as the audience were scattered all over the ce.


    At a nce I could tell that the people who were participating were strong, some have a great body build, some were carrying deadly weapons, while some were looking so normal that it raise suspicion.


    I held Anya''s hand so that we won''t get separated in the crowd. If something like that caused my n to fail then I''ll probably die from embarrassment.


    Making our way through the crowd we went inside and entered the coliseum. We went through a hallway that led us to a counter where people were registering themselves as participants.


    There was a long line of people before the counter, probably thirty or forty people were waiting for their chance to register.


    "Wait," I said, stopping Anya when she was about to go and stand in the line.


    "Don''t we have to register ourselves?"


    "Come with me, I''ve taken care of that already," I said, pulling her with me toward a different counter.


    There was a second counter beside the first one and it didn''t have a long line before it, only two or three people were there. I went there with Anya and stood among them.


    I had already registered Anya for this tournament; it was yesterday when I went out while Anya was practicing at home. You would be very big of an idiot if you thought that there won''t be a rush today.


    I simply stood there while I waited for my chance to time, it didn''t take long as after three to four minutes I was shifted to the front of the line.


    "I registered yesterday, with the name Anya nks," I mentioned to thedy who was behind the counter.


    She nced at me while she seemed to be troubled by something. I knew what it was.


    "She''s the one participating, not me," I pointed at Anya with my index finger.


    Thedy seemed somewhat relieved and then she handed me a ticket before she said, "Take this and go that side, oh, and only the contestants'' can go there. You have to go to the audience''s side if you''re not participating."


    That means we have to part ways here. I took the ticket from her and walked to the side while Anya followed me.


    "It looks like you have to go alone from here on," I handed over the ticket to Anya.


    "It seems so, but will everything be okay?" she appealed, from her voice, I was able to tell that she was still worrying about what I have told her to do.


    "Don''t worry, just believe in me. If you do just as I said then it will be fine," I patted her on the shoulder tofort her a bit.


    She still seemed a bit worried but she nodded and took the ticket. "Well then, see you soon," she said with a smile and went the other way.


    I stood there was a while as I watched her walk away, afterward, I put my hands in the pocket of my hoodie and went toward the entrance where the audience was supposed to enter from.


    I better not bete since I have to choose a specific spot.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    After parting ways with Zero, I, Anya nks walked toward the room where all the other participants were.


    This hallway that led there was mostly empty, maybe I waste since the number of people participating was huge but I wasn''t seeing anyone here.


    I thought about what Zero had told me as I walked through the dark and cold hallway.


    It wasn''t like him at all, the thing he was going to do was perilous and it was at the level that could get him executed if his cover was blown.


    It worried me but the way he smiled it off gave me a bit of courage. After all, he was doing all this for me so I can''t afford toin. If he was going to go that far for me then I must also give it my all.


    From what dad had told me, I am the one with the highest status in this whole city. Making it to thest round shouldn''t be a big problem.


    ¡­Or so I thought, till I entered the area where all the other participants were gathered.


    It was a big room with walls made of brick and concrete, there was an intimidating atmosphere filled with the heavy presence of fighters.


    I almost felt out of the ce after entering the room.


    There were mostly men with a good build body; they were much biggerpared to me. One could even mistake them for orcs, that was how much of a dominating body structure they had.


    I looked around the room and saw that there were several women also, though they were a lot different than me. Instead of a delicate and slender body, they had a muscr and rough body shape.


    They carried many heavy armors and weapons while I only had leather armor and my sword that was tied to my waist.


    But it was not like everyone was like that; there were a few people I could call normal, both men and women. They were not covered with full metal armors and looked like normal human beings.


    The atmosphere inside was tense, no one was talking to each other, and were desperately waiting for the tournament to start.


    I didn''t have a reason to be the one starting a conversation so I quietly sat on one of the benches that were ced there and waited like everyone else.


    A whileter I was able to slightly hear the announcement of the starting of the tournament. This room was not connected to the arena directly so the voice wasn''t clear but that person was probably using a device to increase the volume of his voice.


    Then the door of the room opened and a man who was dressed in a butler uniform stepped inside.


    He looked at the clipboard he held in his right hand before ncing at us.


    "No 1 to 8,e with me," he announced and waited for those people.


    I quickly checked my ticked which had a number printed on it, my number was 7 thus I stood up and followed that man outside with the other 7 people.


    This was probably going to be a 4 vs 4 battle but I can''t say anything for sure. It''s better to not let my guard down.


    Soon I was able to see the light from the other side as I walked through the hallway.


    It was the lighting from the arena.


    The smell of soil entered my nostrils as I stepped into the arena, the crowd erupted into cheers when we came into sight.


    It was the time for battle.

 Chapter 15 Battle Tournament [2]

    After parting ways with Anya I went toward the entrance gate meant for the people who were going to watch this tournament, the audience.


    There was a huge crowd of people, all of them filled with excitement and pushing each other in order to get inside first.


    Few guards were there, trying to control the people and making them enter in a line but mere four or five guards weren''t enough to stop a crowd this big.


    I was not an exception so I also was also supposed to wait here, which was what I had done if I was not in a hurry.


    So since I was in a hurry right now I pushed my way among the people by using a bit of force, I could have used magic but I don''t want to take the risk of being caught.


    Making my way through them was not difficult, the muscles I gained by swinging a sword for all these years came in handy. After passing through the crowds I went through a narrow hallway that led to seats.


    The coliseum itself was built in the same ssic way with staircase-style seats that went all the way down to the arena. People were taking their seats but their numbers were a lot lowpared to the crowd outside.


    But I came here early precisely because I want to take a specific seat. I looked around and gazed at the vast number of seats, my eyes stopped when they caught the sight of a certain tform.


    It was a block-shaped tform built on the eastern side of the Coliseum, its height was making it out of reach from the people sitting in the audience. On top of it was ced a red carpet along with a throne, a girl was sitting on it with knights keeping guard around her.


    This was what I was looking for; hence I walked toward that tform while I kept looking at the girl sitting on the throne.


    She had long ck colored hair that covered her back like a cape, her skin was white as snow and she had deep brown eyes. Dressed in delicate formal clothing; it was a mixture of a gown and a skirt. Overall, she was looking like a princess.


    ¡­and which she was, a princess. She was the princess of this kingdom who hade to watch this battle tournament. But along with being a princess, she was also going to y an important role as one of my pawns.


    I took a seat just beside the tform and waited for the tournament to start. Normally I would have caught the attention of guards for being this close but today was an exception as there were many other people also who were sitting in the same row as me.


    Also, the height of this tform was quite a bit so even if someone tried to jump and reach the princess it would be impossible for them to reach there in one go.


    A whileter the number of people present in the audience increased and it kept increasing as time flowed forward. Soon enough the coliseum was stacked with people, not a single seat was empty.


    Then a man came out standing on one of the other tforms present there and he held something in his hand that looked like a mic. But it is best to assume that it was not the mic I was used to as its size was a lot biggerpared to a normal mic.


    He announced the start of the tournament while weing the audience and saying some shy things.


    "So without any further ado, let''s start our first match," he said and the crowd erupted into cheers.


    The gate that led to the arena opened and eight participants came out of it; narrowing my eyes I looked at them closely and saw Anya was one of them.


    Judging from the number of participants it looked like this was going to be a four vs four, team battle. If they had to narrow down the number of contestants then probably the four who will win this battle will fight a two vs two battle among themselves.


    After that that the survivors of that battle will go in a one-on-one leaving us with one winner.


    They will probably hold several matches like this and then the winners of each of these matches will fight against each other and so on.


    All those eight people stood in the middle of the arena, ready to fight any moment now.


    Anya was the single female among them; all of the rest were men.


    "Now that the contestants are here, let us announce how the matchmaking will go," said the announcer, "We have 8 contestants here, they are going to fight four two-on-two battles among themselves and that will leave us with four winners. After that, those four winners will fight among themselves and only one of them will be the winner of this quarter."<sub> </sub>


    "Let us start the match now!"


    This was almost like I expected, the crowd again started cheering and shouting. After that, two people were paired with each other randomly and the pair stood at a distance from the other.


    The one Anya was paired with was a big bald guy with a beard. He wore a heavy metal chest te and leggings. The sword he had was not long and slim but a thick and big one.


    From the looks, he looked like the one who believed in the bigger the better but that wasn''t going to work against Anya. With her fighting style focused mainly on speed, people like him were an easy kill as due to the heavy equipment their movements were slow.


    But then again, it could be possible that he was an exception, and from the looks of his giant size body, there was a possibility that he could move pretty easily.


    Well, no point whining about it. I could make all the predictions I wanted, but nobody knew how this would turn out. And while I pondered that, the first match was already about to begin¡­


    ***


    All the two vs two matches were taking ce at a distance from each other, the same went for Anya''s match. The one she was about to fight was a man named Bovix and he was ready to take her on any time now.


    They both stood in their ces staring at each other. "Be careful, this isn''t a ce for girls like you," said Bovix, pulling out his sword. The length and breadth of its de were a lotpared to a normal sword and that gave it a scary vibe.


    "You better care about yourself, since I''m not going to hold back," said Anya as she swiped out her sword from its sheath.


    "Hoho, you have guts it looks like, it will be a fun battle," Bovix said, he wore a big grin that time.


    Without warning, their battle began.


    Anya dashed toward Bovix with great speed; it looked as though she was floating in the air. Reaching close to Bovix she jumped and threw a sh aimed at his right shoulder.


    She rolled andnded on the ground behind him but quickly turned around to attack again. The attack she did just now had no effect, Bovix blocked it by using his sword as a shield.


    Seeing this she advanced toward him again, this time moving in a zigzag pattern she jumped and delivered multiple attacks at him, he blocked some of them but notpletely.


    For the moment Anya stopped, Bovix nted his feet down and swung his sword quickly, applying a lot of raw force behind it.


    Anya noticed this and just before the sword could reach her she took a backstep and ducked the attack, leaving the tip of Bovix''s sword whistling through thin air.


    Using a sword this heavy had made Bovix unable to move, even if that was for a matter of seconds. Anya didn''t miss this chance and unleashed a dancing sh, striking Bovix multiple times.


    Some hits were absorbed by his chest te but not all of them. Regaining control over his body, Bovix started swinging his sword again, after each swing he paused for a second before doing the same thing all over again.


    His attacks carried force but they were not urate, making it easy for Anya to dodge them. Bovix was frustrated over the fact that he was not able to hit Anya.


    He screamed and started moving his sword irrationally and randomly. That made it easier for Anya to dodge them as those attacks were a result of his rage and not a practiced technique.


    Between these attacks, Anya saw an opening that she didn''t miss and quickly charged toward him. She held her sword straight andunched herself at a speed that made her invisible to the normal human eye.


    The next thing everyone saw was that Anya was standing on the opposite side while Bovix, who had stopped moving now, had a cut on his abdomen. Soon after, he dropped his sword and fell unconscious.


    Leaving Anya as the winner of this match.

 Chapter 16 Battle Tournament [3]

    The duel with Bovix ended with Anya''s victory. She flicked her sword in the air, removing Bovix''s blood that painted her sword in a shade of red; afterward, she put it back in its sheath.


    Before moving she looked upward where the audience was sitting, instead of looking here and there she directed her gaze at a certain ce.


    She knew exactly where she had to look to find that person, soon her eyes caught the sight of him. It was Zero she was looking for, apparently, he was also watching her and this caused their gaze to interlock.


    Zero smiled and showed her thumbs up, this was his way of saying that she performed well in this battle. Understanding this Anya nodded and replied with a smile before she moved in the other direction.


    The other three 2 vs 2 battles have also ended and the four people who won¡ªincluding Anya¡ªnow moved to the center of the arena and stood there.


    "Looks like we have our first four winners," the announcer said, hyping up the audience.


    "Well then, now we will be entering the semi-finals of this quarter. Let''s pair them up and get the battle started," said the announcer, and right after that, he was followed by the shouting and cheering of the audience.


    The pairs were again formed randomly, this time the one paired with Anya was a man who had longdy-like hair. He wore a loose white-colored dress and had a thin, long sword in his hands.


    Both the pairs were moved away from each other, with Anya''s pair being on the left side of the arena.


    She stood straight with a sense of confidence in herself, the opponent this time looked weaker than Bovix but she wasn''t the type to underestimate her foe. After all, even if this guy looked weaker body-wise he still had won the previous match.


    If Anya was not wrong then his match was finished even before hers, meaning that the person who stood before him did have skills.


    She held the handle of her sword tightly; ready to start any moment now. But unlike Anya, the guy in front of her, Zhong Liang was rather rxed as his eyes were closed.


    The sword he had didn''t have tsuba, it was a long and thin sword that looked like a katana with the only difference being that it was as straight as a line.


    "You aren''t going to make fun of me because I''m a girl? Like those other guys," said Anya, she was trying to provoke him a little before the fight.


    "Why should I? In my eyes anyone is worthy of fighting, as long as they have the skill, whether it be a man or woman, it doesn''t matter," said Liang, his voice calm and giving a peaceful vibe.


    With this Anya understood that provoking him won''t do any good, hence she adjusted her posture and concentrated on her sword art.


    The announcer started the match, as soon as the battle started Anya pulled out her sword at once while dashing toward Liang.


    When he was in her attack range she swung her sword, performing a lower to uppercut. A burst of sparks lit up in front of her face as her sword scraped through Liang''s sword.


    At that exact moment, Liang had defended himself but his eyes were still closed. Anya leaped back in defense and held her sword in front of her. "It pains me to do this but I guess I have no choice if I have to end this battle," Liang sighed.


    He opened his eyes, revealing his blue ocean-like eyeballs. He held onto his sword and moved, in a blink, he vanished from his spot reappearing right in front of Anya, he startedunching multiple attacks.<sub> </sub>


    Anya''s eyes widened, she was expecting an attack but not this fast, even so, she also used a fighting style focused on speed, blocking his attacks wasn''t difficult for her.


    Both of them were canceling each other out, she had not seen such sword technique. If Anya''s sword style represented wind then Liang''s style represented water, his sword movements were smooth and swift.


    Anya knew one thing, Liang was not someone from this city and that was clear just by looking at his face.


    The sword fight continued for thirty minutes, they both kept blocking the other''s attack and delivering their own.


    But in the end, Anya was the one who won this battle. She was not called the ''Strongest in the city'' for no reason. (A/N: Here strongest in the city means that she has the highest "status").


    The semi-finals ended, leaving Anya and one other person for the finals of this quarter.


    The announcer dered the start of the match, and it began only to be ended in a sh.


    The one who faced Anya this time was not a sword user making it easy for Anya to win.


    Just when the match began Anya vanished from her ce and appeared at a distance before the man, he turned around to see what happened but soon he fell to the ground as multiple cut marks and shes appeared on his body.


    Even the audience went silent for a moment as they didn''t understand what happened, "Ah, it looks like the final battle has ended. The winner of this quarter is Anya nks," the announcer said.


    With that the crowd busted into cheers, some even started throwing flowers in Anya''s direction. No one had seen such a battle that ended right after it had begun.


    ***


    "So she won, well that I expected," I muttered, pping along with the other people in the audience.


    Anya has won this quarter and in a shy way that is. Not that it matters much, since the thing I want to do will happen in the final match of this tournament.


    Things went in a rather normal way after that as the other quarter matches took ce. Whenever Anya''s turn came she won, it took some time if the opponent was a sword user but except that, all the other battles ended in a sh.


    After that, around noon a break urred. All the people in the audience went out to buy snacks or something while I went outside so I can meet Anya.


    I mean why won''t I?


    I had to re-exin the n to her and made sure that all the things go my way. After all, after this was the long-awaited final match.

 Chapter 17 Battle Tournament [4]

    I went down the stairs that led to an open hallway, along with me many other people were also gathered there. Some were buying snacks and drinks from the nearby stalls, some hade here just for a change of mood or for a walk.


    As for me, well, I hade here to meet with Anya before the final match. I want to make sure that she won''t have a doubt about anything and understood my n well.


    I can''t leave any blind spots after all.


    Making my way through the crowd I walked forward and soon I saw her waiting for me. She stood near a pir, away from everyone else.


    I had told her to meet here beforehand but I didn''t really think that she would be right on the clock. Could it be that she also had something to discuss? Or was it something else? I don''t really want her to be nervous at this point.


    I know the thing I''m going to do can be a bit too much for her but it''s unavoidable. No, if I gave it a bit more thought then maybe I could havee up with another n¡­then why didn''t I?


    Maybe because it is more fun this way.


    "Yo!" I said, patting Anya on her back when I reached near her.


    I wanted to scare her a bit but it looks like it didn''t work as she turned toward me, totally unfazed.


    "You said you want to talk about something important but you yourself areingte. How should I take this now?" she used in a slightly angry tone.


    "Ah¡­I was stuck in the crowd."


    "Sigh! You''re aware that you aren''t good at telling a lie?" she said, her words carried sarcasm with them¡­probably.


    "Thank you for your concern, I''m well aware of that. But leaving that aside, let me get straight to the point. You know what you need to do right?" I queried, narrowing my eyes.


    Her role was as important as the princess, no, maybe even more than her because Anya was the main character in this whole situation. I was doing all this to save her from marrying that Walric bastard.


    "Yes, I know. I have to...¡­right?" she said, asking for a confirmation.


    "Exactly, if you do things that way then it''ll be over by tomorrow. Now, there''s one more thing I wanted to say. I don''t if you''ve seen him or not but the opponent you''re going to fight against in the finals is a pretty rough guy."


    I had watched him in the finals and he looked like someone who can fight on even grounds with Anya. Moreover, he used a katana, this was my first time seeing one in real life and it''s as dangerous as I saw in anime or novels.


    Also, I don''t know who will have the advantage in a katana vs sword fight. The match was unpredictable if I''d say.


    "No, our rooms were different so I haven''t seen him yet but if you say he''s someone to worry about then I''ll keep that in mind," she affirmed.


    "I see, that''s good."


    So she said but I''m with her for 5 years, I was more or less able to tell that something was still worrying her. Anya wasn''t talking about it herself and it didn''t seem like a good idea to keep that hanging.


    "Something''s in your mind?" I asked.


    "No."


    "It looks like it. See, if there''s something then it''s better toe out and say it. I *am* your brother, after all, I won''t mind taking off the load for you," I said, leaning back on a pir near us.


    She had an unpleasant expression on her face, seems like she was struggling inside over if to tell me about that something or not, but after a while, she decided as she said.


    "There is something actually. I didn''t want to ask since you''re doing all this for me but¡­are you really going to be okay? I mean, what if you are found out? You will be executed on the spot! And if you''re going to do something this dangerous just for me then it''s better to not do it¡­I won''t be able to take on the load if something like that happened."


    So this was it huh?


    Sigh!


    ''What a caring big sister I have! I was going through all the possibilities over what could be troubling her but who would have thought that this was the reason,'' I sighed internally.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve said this before also but as long as you do your part properly nothing will go wrong," I replied with a smile.


    "Come on now, it looks like the break will be over soon. You should go back."


    People were going back inside, probably indicating that the final was about to start.


    "Yeah, maybe you''re right."


    "Well then," I said as I began to walk back.


    "The thing you said about the final guy. That isn''t really a thing to worry about right?" she asked, stopping me in my tracks.


    I didn''t reply to her directly instead I waved my hands without turning back and kept walking.<sub> </sub>


    After that maybe Anya also left as I didn''t hear anything from her. I went through the same hallway and sat back in my seat.


    It was the same seat as before, the one beside the princess''s tform. I took a nce at her and saw that she was still sitting there on her throne.


    She didn''t go to buy snacks I guess.


    ***


    "Now my dear audience, thest and final match of this tournament is about to being," said the announcer.


    Soon after, both the contestants entered the arena and made their way through the center.


    "For the final contestants, on one side we have Anya nks. Till now she has ended her every match almost just after it began, let''s see how will she perform this time," the announcer paused after Anya''s introduction before he continued.


    "And on the other side we have Ren Fuse, he had overwhelmed their opponents in the previous matches with his katana. It looks like Ren''s fighting style is also based on speed just like Anya, I am looking forward to seeing where this battle goes."


    Before the match started Anya was staring at the man in front of her, Ren Fuse. He was a man of fair skin tone, had jet ck hair, and held a katana in his hand.


    ''So this is who Zero warned me about,'' she thought as looked at Ren while narrowing her eyes.


    "What? I''m not a bad guy or something. Don''t stare like that, you''re scaring me," said Ren as he chuckled.


    Despite his appearance, he was a pretty chill guy.


    "No, it''s nothing like that. I was just seeing you as my opponent."


    "Oh ho! Well, to be honest, I was also looking forward to fighting with you. Your sword art is pretty interesting."


    "Is that so, then I hope that I won''t disappoint you," a smirk appeared on her face.


    "Now then, let the final battle begin," said the announcer, dering the start of the match.


    The moment when the match started, both Anya and Ren disappeared from their ces as they dashed toward each other at an insane speed.


    The sound of metal shing echoed in the whole arena. The audience was only able to see two trails of lights sh with each other.


    In the small period of time when Ren and Anya were in front of each other, their des shed with each other almost an infinite number of times.


    Their sword movements were impossible to track, yet they were able to defend themselves from each other.


    After a few minutes of exchanging continuous blows, they both stopped and backed off away from each other.


    "You''re not bad," said Ren, gasping.


    "I could say the same for you," Anya replied, she was also out of breath.


    They both were equal in terms of speed and both Anya and Ren knew this. Anya didn''t know what Ren''s status was but at this point, she was sure that if nothing, he had the same E rank as her.


    But at that very moment, Anya wasn''t looking at Ren, instead, she was looking at the princess who was sitting on her throne. She was straight in Anya''s line of sight so Anya was able to see her easily.


    Then she shifted her gaze at a person who was sitting beside the tform the princess''s throne was on; that person was Zero, her little brother.


    Both Anya and Ren had stabilized their breathing by now and were ready to go again. The same happened; small craters appeared beneath their feet as they both dashed toward each other.


    For a matter of seconds, Anya''s eyes met Zero''s. It looked as though she wanted to ask something and Zero understood what it was as he nodded in response while he ced his hand on the wall beside him.


    It was the wall of the tform princess was on.


    Ren reached close to Anya and swung his katana, he held onto his katana''s handle tightly as he knew it was going to sh with Anya''s sword.


    But his eyes widened in shock when that didn''t happen. Instead of trading blows with him, Anya passed beside him, she was headed somewhere else.


    Ren quickly stopped in his tracks and looked behind. He saw that Anya was dashing at full speed; she was headed toward where the princess was sitting.


    Suddenly he heard a rumbling sound.


    The tform the princess''s throne was on, where she was sitting. The whole tform started shaking before it broke and crumbled into pieces.

 Chapter 18 Battle Tournament [5]

    The concrete below the princess''s throne started emitting steam and soon a cloud formed around it. The tform first cracked and then crumbled into pieces as the throne¡ªalong with the princess¡ªdrowned in debris.


    The knights that were keeping guard tried to save the princess but since they were also standing on that same tform, they misbnced and fell when the floor beneath their feet shattered.


    The people who were sitting near the tform started screaming and ran away to save their lives. This situation threw the whole audience into panic, everyone started running trying to get outside, a stampede ensued and several people were trampled.


    "Everyone, please calm down and don''t panic. Trying to go outside at once won''t help, many people will get injured," said the announcer, but his warning fell on deaf ears.


    There was no one anyone could "not-panic" right now. The princess, one of the most important people in this kingdom was attacked and it was no joke. It was normal to assume that this was something like a terrorist attack and if it was the case then a normal person''s instincts will tell them to run as far as possible.


    Soon several new knights and guards entered the coliseum and ran straight toward the princess to rescue her. But at this moment, only a pile of debris and a steam cloud could be seen there.


    There was no sign of the princess there, still, the guards reached there and started removing the debris and turning the stone. Ren Fuse¡ªwho watched the whole scene happen right before his eyes¡ªalso reached there and started helping the guards.


    "Cough cough," they heard a voice and everyone''s attention turned in the direction that voice came from.


    Two figures slowly walked out from the dust cloud, one of them was the princess who was slightly injured. There was blood on her forehead and a few cut marks on her arms and upper body.


    The other person with her was Anya; she supported the princess on her shoulder as they both slowly walked out of the debris. She had her left leg injured, and that was clear by the way she was walking. There was no blood anywhere but it was sure that it was an internal injury.


    "Princess Rishia," one of the knights said as he quickly walked over to the princess and supported her.


    "Hey are you alright?" said Ren.


    "Yeah, I''m fine more or less¡­first heal the princess, she''s injured," Anya gasped, handing over Rishia to the knights.


    "We don''t have any healer here, hurry up, we have to take her to a hospital," a knight proposed.


    "It''s okay, I''m not that hurt. Is anyone else hurt? The safety of the citizenses first," Rishia advised.


    "There was a state of panic but I think everyone has left the coliseum by now," informed Ren.


    "I see, that''s good then," Rishia took a breath of relief.


    "Heyyyyyy! Anya are you alright?" a boy screamed.


    When Anya looked in that direction she saw that Zero wasing toward her at a fast pace, he jumped over the debris and stopped just before Anya.


    "Are you hurt?" he asked hurriedly.


    "No, I''m fine."


    "Oh I see, man you scared me so bad," said Zero, gasping. He was out of breath after he came here running.


    "Who the hell are you now?" asked Ren.


    "Me? I''m her little brother...by the way, did you see anything? I mean, how did this whole thing copse," said Zero.<sub> </sub>


    "No, nothing like that, it just happened out of the blue. What about you Anya?"


    "I saw cracks appearing on the wall of the tform, that''s why I thought it might break and ran to save the princess," said Anya.


    "Princess Rishia!" a knight screamed.


    Everyone present there quickly turned in his direction, "What happened?" Zero asked.


    "Princess Rishia¡­she lost consciousness," the knight replied.


    "What!"


    "She must''ve been severely injured. Hurry up and take her to the hospital," said Zero.


    A female knight came forward and held Rishia in her arms and then quickly ran toward the exit with the other knights. "I don''t have much time but let me thank you in princess Rishia''s ce. It''s thanks to you that she didn''t take any fatal injury," said a middle-aged knight; he was the knight in charge of Rishia''s safety.


    "You don''t need to thank me, anyone would''ve done the same thing," said Anya.


    The middle-aged knight bowed and expressed his gratitude before he left to join the other knights.


    "Man that sure was somethin'', looks like this tournament is done for," said Ren.


    Except for the local security guards, there was no one left in the coliseum, even the announcer has left. It was sure that the winner of this tournament won''t be announced, at least not today.


    "We should also go home, you say that you''re fine but you *are* injured," Zero suggested.


    Anya heard him and then nodded in response. "It looks like we also have to go," Anya said, her statement was directed toward Ren.


    "Fine by me, though I do have that we''ll have a re-match if possible," said Ren.


    After that Anya and Zero also left the coliseum.


    ***


    "ANYA MY DAUGHTER, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!!!" Ron cried as soon as he saw Anya with the injuries she had.


    "Ah, well...¡­I had a sort of ident," she replied while a weird smile covered her face.


    "Come on father, don''t overreact. It''s not even that big," said Zero, interrupting Ron.


    "What do you mean? Can''t you see that your sister''s injured? And you were with her right, then you should''ve taken care of her," said Ren, on the verge of tears.


    "Sigh! Yeah, yeah, I know. Now will you give her some first aid or do you n on crying a bit more," said Zero.

 Chapter 19 A Guest

    "Sigh! Yeah, yeah, I know. Now will you give her some first aid or do you n on crying a bit more," I said to Ron in a somewhat sarcastic tone.


    I know that he was worried but...ah well, it''s useless to argue on that.


    Ainge also came running after she heard that Anya had an ident. She quickly sat on her knees and started looking through Anya''s injuries, the only thing was that she didn''t take any external damage so Ainge only ended up removing the dust that was on her feet and clothes.


    It felt kinda odd since both Ainge and Ronpletely ignored my presence right now. But I was used to it, and that wasn''t what I should be focusing on right now.


    A guest would be arriving soon.


    We were still at the entrance when Ron made all this ruckus so after he calmed down we went inside the house.


    Once the situation was calm we told them everything thing that happened in the tournament. Of course, we left out some things; things like how Anya wasn''t really injured and was faking it.


    "Still, someone attacked the princess. With all the security and considering the fact that she is a princess this seems unrealistic," said Ron.


    What he was saying was right. An attack like this did seem out of the pce. Leaving aside the number of guards that the princess had, the security in the coliseum itself was pretty high.


    There were security guards outside the coliseum and as well as in the arena where the battles were taking ce.


    And the way that tform crumbled, it was good to assume that someone used explosives or some kind of explosion magic, but with all that security it was almost impossible for someone to bring in explosives or cast a spell without being noticed.


    ¡­However, that wasn''t the case if someone were to use magic like elemental magic and break the tform itself. Using elemental magic didn''t require the user to use shy magic circles that attract attention.


    You can only magic if you have graduated from the magic academy¡ªbecause it''s the only ce where you can learn it¡ªonly rich nobles and their heirs were able to use magic.


    And someone like that can''t possibly have any reason to attack the princess since they knew very well what would happen if they are found out. Though it was notpletely out of question it still had very slim chances of some noble doing this kind of thing.


    This was what made the knights and the security let their guard down and they ended up ignoring the possibility that a magic user can attack the princess and didn''t take measures against it.


    While I was lost in thought, Ron and Ainge were going back and forth in an argument over who would have attacked the princess.


    Then suddenly a maid came rushing and stood before Ron, she seemed out of breath as she was heavily gasping for air.


    "M-M...Mr. Ron, someone, someone hase to meet you," said the maid. Her voice was trembling and was kinda panicking.


    ''Looks like they arrived,'' I thought to myself.


    "Who could it be at this time?" said Ron, as he pondered over who woulde at this time while he took a nce at the wall clock that was hung at a distance.


    It was past 11 PM and it''s not every day you have a visitor thiste at night. And the way that maid was panicking and had cold sweat all over her face, it looks like I wasn''t the only one who noticed that.


    It was natural for Ron to be cautious of this "someone" who is waiting for him outside.


    Still, he came over to a decision that he should at least check who it is.


    He stood up from the sofa he''s been sitting on and headed toward the main door. I was also interested in finding out who this person was¡ªeven though I was mostly sure who it was¡ªso I also followed him.


    We reached the entrance of our house; I stopped at a distance while Ron went and opened the door.


    I closed my eyes for a second and then opened them again. It was a reflexive action performed by my body when the cold breeze from outside embraced me when Ron opened the door. It was night and the temperature outside was low so it made sense.


    But it seems like that wasn''t the reason behind Ron freezing right in his ce Rather than the cold temperature, it was more like he was frozen out of fear.


    He moved his mouth in order to speak but he didn''t utter a single word.<sub> </sub>


    No, it was more like he wanted to say sometime but was not able to find the right words.


    More or less I understood the reason behind his current behavior, it was normal for him to be shaken like this. After all, the person who stood on the other side of the door, in front of Ron, was none other than the princess of this kingdom; Princess Rishia.


    Along with Rishia, there were four knights¡ªin full-metal armor¡ªwho stood around her in a circle.


    "Hello Mr. Ron nks, I am Rishia Lockhart," said Rishia in a soft tone. Her words smashed Ron back into reality as he regained his senses.


    "Miss. Princess! It''s¡­ah, I don''t know how to respond. It''s a pleasure to meet you," he said, even though he tried to stay calm it was clear as cum that he was still panicking.


    His words made sense though. You can''t just expect a normal person to behave "normally" if a princess came to their house out of nowhere without any prior notice.


    "There''s no need for you to trouble yourself, after all, it is my fault to show up thiste at night," she said, apologizing as he bent forward just a bit and bowed.


    Seeing this made Ron go even crazier, I knew him pretty well so I was sure that right he was filled with the guilt of having a princess bow to him. Even so, he finally regained hisposure.


    He overreacted to things and all but it was not like he was an idiot. He understood very well that if he kept acting that way, not only things will get difficult but it will also be like insulting the princess.


    "Please, you don''t have to apologize. I am more than pleased that you came to visit us," said Ron, he opened the door fully and weed princess Rishia with open hands.


    "Thank you for having me," Rishia said before she stepped inside our house.


    Two of the four knights tried to apany her ande inside but, "Don''t worry, it is fine. I will be alright in here," said Rishia and stopped the knights.


    Looking at things objectively it seems like she trusted us quite a bit too much. After all, if she didn''t then she would have let the guardse with her considering the fact that she had just been attacked today.


    I knew the reason behind that too, it was because Anya has saved her life. I don''t think it would''ve been too much of a trouble for her to find out which family she was from and where we lived.


    It kinda felt like stalking to me but that''s just how things work in this world. Also, she probably came here to thank Anya so I ignored that fact.


    When those two were about to turn my way and started walking, I quickly ran to the wall and hid in a corner. I don''t want to be noticed by them as I don''t want to be involved in this "thank you talk" or whatever discussion they are gonna have.


    ¡­Pretty much because I already know what''s it going to be about so there''s no point in wasting time.


    Both Princess Rishia and Ron walked through the hallway and went to the main hall¡ªwhere we were sitting before¡ª, Ron didn''t even care about where I disappeared.


    Well, I expected this.


    But at that moment when they passed right in front of my eyes, I got a closer look at Princess Rishia. It''s not like I was expecting her to be covered in blood but all her injuries from before have been healed.


    ''I guess that''s healing magic for you.''


    After I made sure that they have left I came out from my hiding spot and headed toward the main door.


    ***


    It has been a while since Ron and Zero had gone to check who this unknown visitor was. Anya and Ainge were starting to worry since they haven''te back.


    But just when Ainge was about to go and check what happened, Ron entered the main hall but he wasn''t alone. For a moment Ainge lost sense of herself when she saw who it was, the person who was with Ron was Princess Rishia.


    Unlike Ainge, Anya had a different kind of reaction. It would be wrong to say that she was surprised like the other two, rather, her reaction was that she expected this to happen.

 Chapter 20 Discussion

    Unlike Ainge, Anya had a different kind of reaction. It would be wrong to say that she was surprised like the other two, rather, her reaction was that she expected this to happen.


    But there was something that bothered her and that was the absence of Zero. Back then he went after Ron but right now Ron had returned but he was nowhere to be seen.


    This developed a feeling of difort inside Anya, even though she knew what she have to do now, Zero not being here was not part of the n.


    Still, it wasn''t like she can do something about that so she decided to just y her part.


    Ainge had also regained herposure by now as she weed Princess Rishia with a smile on her face.


    Ron introduced her to Princess Rishia ¡ªwhich was a formality as Ainge already knew who she was ¡ªand both of them greeted each other.


    Rishia''s behavior was quite rare as it isn''t every day you see a princess greeting a normal citizen.


    But Rishia was generous enough to do this, it proved that she was not the kind of princess to judge people by their social standing.


    This caused a feeling of surprise to dwell inside Ainge but she didn''t let it show on her face.


    After that Ron offered Rishia to take a seat and taking on his suggestion she sat on a single seated sofa while Ron and Ainge sat on the one made for two or more people. (Anya was also sitting on a single seated sofa in front of Rishia)


    "If I may ask princess, what caused you toe here at this time? Is there something wrong?" asked Ron with a perplexed expression on his face.


    "No, it''s not like that, I havee here just to meet with Anya. Back in the tournament, she saved my life but I wasn''t even able to thank her properly," Rishia replied.


    "Please don''t worry about that princess Rishia, it was not your fault. You fell unconscious that time," said Anya, barging into the conversation.


    That time when Anya hade out from the pile of debris with the princess, a whileter Rishia suddenly lost consciousness and was taken to the healers. Thus, she wasn''t able to express her thanks to Anya and this left a feeling of guilt in her heart.


    "Though it might be true still, what you did is not a thing everyone can do if put in that situation. And not only did you save me while putting your life at risk but you also threw away the chance to win the battle tournament, I''m really grateful for that," said Rishia.


    It was true that what Anya did back then is not a thing everyone is capable of, after all, humans are creatures who ce their own lives over others, this is a thing that''s in their nature.


    Anya didn''t reply to that while she lowered her gaze and didn''t look straight at Rishia. All that Rishia said just now, even if she was genuinely saying all that, it flustered Anya and she was at a loss of words.


    Seeing this, Rishia continued, "This might just be my selfishness but please let me thank you with a reward, it''s the least I can do for you."


    "Huh? Wait, what reward? What do you mean by that exactly?" asked Anya, directing her gaze at Rishia.<sub> </sub>


    "Unfortunately I don''t know what will make you happy so you can ask me for anything," said Rishia, exining what she meant by ''reward'' to Anya.


    "Anything," Anya muttered in a low voice as she pondered over that.


    "Is there anything you want Anya? Miss Princess is rewarding you so I think you should ept it," said Ron, suggesting to not refuse from taking the reward.


    While he wasn''t exactly pleased to take a reward like this but since it was something the princess herself wanted to give, nheless she said it in person.


    Refusing such a thing won''t leave a good impression and it might possibly hurt the princess''s feelings.


    "Something I want?" Anya mumbled as she seemed to be lost in thought over what to ask as a reward while Ainge and Ron, as well as Rishia, fixated their gaze on Anya.


    This was her chance to ask for anything just as the princess said, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. Since the princess said anything, right now Anya was in a position to literally ask for *anything*.


    She could ask for a lot of money or to increase the rank of her family in the hierarchy of noble families, she can ask for being dered the champion of the battle tournament or to live in a luxurious mansion.


    <o>,m When the term ''anything'' was used it opened the door to an infinite number of choices for Anya.</o>


    But then it looked like she decided on something, her gaze was directed at the floor, and only for a moment, she had a gloomy expression on her face.


    She had remembered something a certain someone has told her to do, no, she always remembered it from the start but it was like she was taking her time deciding whether to follow that person''smand or move at her own will.


    ''I''m going to trust you so you better not mess this up,'' Anya said inwardly.


    Now she had made that choice. She had decided to trust this person and put her fate in their hands.


    Anya looked at Rishia in her eyes before a smile covered her face and she said, "I don''t need anything, Miss Princess. I don''t intend to hurt your feeling by saying this but the fact that I was sessful in saving you is enough of a reward for me, moreover, you also came to meet and thank me in person, which just made it more than enough."


    Rishia was a little surprised to hear this, she expected her to ask for at least something. Her parents, Ainge and Ron also had the same reaction, they expected her to talk about her marriage but she didn''t.


    "Do you really not want anything?" asked Rishia, confirming it from her again. But there was another reason behind this, even though it was for a moment she had noticed the troubled expression on Anya''s face.


    "As I said, I don''t need anything. The fact that you came to meet me is more than enough of a reward for me," said Anya, with a smile on her face.


    That expression she made concerned Rishia but if Anya didn''t want to talk about it then pressing on that matter forcefully was the right choice.

 Chapter 21 Encounter [1]

    With that, the discussion came to an end. Once again Rishia thanked Anya and shook hands with her, expressing how grateful she was.


    Ainge and Ron also made themselves swallow the reality, if Anya didn''t want to talk about her marriage then there was nothing they could do. They thought that since this was a major choice in Anya''s life, it is better to let her make the final decision herself.


    Rishia then prepared to leave, Ron went with her to drop her outside. They went through the hallway and then arrived at the entrance, on opening the door the view of the night came into sight.


    "It''s fine, I can go by myself from here on," said Rishia. After the door was a garden and then there was a wall with an iron gate that connected the household to the road.


    The knights that came with Rishia were waiting at the iron gate, the distance between the door and the iron gate was a little more than short so Ron decided to go with her but Rishia declined.


    "Are you sure? I mean you were attacked right?" asked Ron, showing her concern.


    "It''s alright, after all, it was me who came here thiste at night. And this distance is just a little so I will be fine," Rishia replied.


    Ron still didn''t seem satisfied by the answer, that was normal because if the princess was by any chance attacked when she came to visit your house then there''s no doubt you will be taking the top spot on the list of suspects.


    But since Rishia was pushing this matter and already decided twice, he decided to not ask again. Rishia then said goodbye to Ron and started to walk outside while Ron watched her go for a while and then closed the door.


    He was walking back to where Ainge and Anya were when he suddenly remembered something.


    "Now that I think about it, where did Zero go?" he muttered to himself.


    ***


    It was night hence the view outside was pitch ck, the cold breeze that was blowing at regr intervals just made it worse.


    "Fuu, it''s cold~," Rishia muttered while she hugged herself to warn her body.


    "It''s really cold outside right?"


    When she was going toward the Iron Gate someone suddenly said that, it was so unexpected that for a moment it sent shivers down her spine.


    She saw a lone figure standing at a distance leaning back on a tree.


    For a moment she felt cautious because she thought that person can be one of those people who attacked her but soon her misunderstanding was cleared when that person slowly walked toward her and stood two-three steps before her.


    Rishia recognized that person as soon as she saw him, "You¡­you''re Anya''s brother right?" she said. The person in question was none other than Zero.


    "Well, in this situation I would go along with your misunderstanding if I were someone who meant to harm you so there''s no point in asking like that but yeah...you are certainly right about that, I am Zero, her brother," said Zero.


    Rishia took a breath of relief after that, though the way he said that left a feeling of difort in her.


    But even so, she put a smile on her face and changed her expression to that of a princess before she said, "I''m really grateful to your sister. She risked her life to save my own."<sub> </sub>


    Zero didn''t reply, instead, he just stood there for a while, but after a moment he spoke.


    "It would have been better if she died there," said Zero, at the same time he looked at Rishia right into her eyes.


    A cold breeze passed near them, tossing a few leaves that were lying on the ground in the air.


    Rishia didn''t catch on to what he said, she thought she misheard something but that was not the case, the look Zero had was clearly saying that what he said was true.


    He had a stiff and darkened expression on his face, the eyes that were staring at Rishia felt like those of a dead person. His voice was cold and didn''t contain the least bit of expression behind it.


    It made Rishia think, was he really the same person she saw in the arena this day? The aura he was giving waspletely different but at the same time, she didn''t feel scared because he was not giving off killing intent or anything that proved he was here to harm her.


    "How can you say that? She is your sister right?" she questioned, her voice proving she was genuinely worried about this.


    "Hmph, why so say? I mean she will be as good as dead after tomorrow," he replied with a chuckle.


    Rishia didn''t understand what he meant, she thought how a person who was lively and cheerful today can be dead the next day.


    ''Lively and cheerful?'' she thought, and then she remembered something. The troubled expression she saw on Anya''s face, ''could this be somehow rted to that?'' she couldn''t help but think.


    "What do you mean? Is Anya in some sort of bad situation?" she asked, this was a thing she wanted to know, no, she must know about this. Anya is the one who saved her life, if there is something she can do to help her then she would do it.


    After all, the main reason she came here was so she could thank Anya in any way possible.


    She fixated her gaze on Zero, he looked like he was thinking about whether to tell Rishia about this or not but soon it seemed like he made a decision as he opened his mouth.


    "If Princess Rishia...you were to held captive by a man and used as his ything to satisfy his sexual needs day over day repeatedly. If you were to be treated like an object and not as a human, if you were to be forced to live your life and make decisions over another person''s will and not your own, if the only reason left for you to stay alive is to serve that person then," he paused before continuing.


    "Then will it be any different from dying?" said Zero, finishing what he was saying.


    The things he said made Rishia unable to speak for a moment, she was at a loss for words. The sheer fear that if by any chance what he said can happen to Anya made her mind go nk.


    "That...¡­..no, I don''t think it will be any different from dying. Is something like this really going to happen to Anya?" she said, her voice trembling a bit.


    "She will be getting married tomorrow, against her will, to a man she doesn''t even love. I have met him in person and from what I can tell, he''s a total bastard, those eyes he looks at my sister with only contain lust in them," said Zero.


    Rishia was shaken down to her very bones. If these horrible things were really going to happen to Anya then...she wanted to help her somehow, "Isn''t there a way to save her?" she asked hurriedly.


    Zero took a good pause as he closed the distance between them, looking right into her eyes he said, "There is one."

 Chapter 22 Encounter [2]

    "Maybe there is one," said Zero as he took a few steps toward Rishia, closing the distance.


    "Anya is getting married tomorrow, and against her will. There''s this guy called Walric and he''s forcing my sister to marry him, when my parents tried to stop him he started threatening us with his family position," he continued.


    "How horrible," Rishia muttered, a sad expression appearing on her face.


    Zero stopped for a second and observed Rishia''s condition before he spoke up once again, "But like I said, maybe there is a way to help her get out of this situation."


    "And what can that be?" she asked, hurriedly.


    Zero looked directly into her eyes and locked his gaze.


    "I know I can''t ask you of something ridiculous like politically stopping this marriage, as the princess it would cause trouble for you by involving yourself in public matters. But at the same time, if you really want to help Anya then there is a way...and it is the magic academy," said Zero.


    "The magic academy? How can that solve this problem?" asked Rishia, clearly confused by what Zero said.


    "If I am not wrong then the magic academy is located in a different city, right? And also once you get yourself enrolled in the academy, all the students have to live in the dormitories inside the campus. If you can get Anya enrolled in the academy then there''ll be a solid reason for us to refuse the marriage," he exined.


    What Zero said was true. The Zaforths Magic Academy was located in the capital city of this kingdom and the students who enrolled there were prohibited from living outside the campus.


    It was a system implemented in the academy so the students can solely focus on their studies and not get distracted by any situation that happens outside the campus.


    Furthermore, the academy also prohibited the students from making contact with anyone outside the campus. There were only special cases when the students were free to go outside on asional cases like a vacation.


    Rishia had an understanding of this so she more or less grasped the contents of what Zero was getting at, though there was still something she was unsure of.


    "But how will you exactly stop the marriage? And how can I randomly let someone inside the Zaforths academy when even higher nobles struggle to get their children enrolled," she questioned, trying to clear her doubts.


    A faint smile appeared on Zero''s face upon hearing this, it was as though he expected her to ask this and already had an answer.


    "This won''t be normal by any chance, in fact, all of this will make full sense. It was not only you who noticed how well Anya performed in the battle tournament, right?" he stated. "If she hadn''t run to save your life then it was clearly possible for her to win that tournament, but she didn''t.


    Why? Because she threw away that chance to save your life. If you look it that way then won''t it make perfect sense that you are giving her a ticket to the academy as a reward because she did not win in the tournament because of you? I think it will," said Zero, exining what he has nned to do.


    Rishia was at a loss of words upon hearing this. All that he said, how he nned all this. No matter how many times she thinks this over, the way Zero was seeing things was way too objective.


    But at the same time, his n was something that could work, even Rishia couldn''t deny that.


    After hearing through Zero''s exnation she nodded a few times as if convincing herself to go along with this n. Then she spoke up.


    "Let''s say I follow your n and offer Anya a direct ticket to the magic academy, but can''t he (Walric) marry her before she went to the academy or after she graduates from there?"


    Her concerns were obvious, even if Anya get enrolled in the academy her marriage with Walric was tomorrow and it wasn''t like she would instantly leave for the academy.<sub> </sub>


    Even if somehow they prevented this, it will only be a temporary peace. If Walric was fixated on marrying Anya then he can always do that after her graduation.


    "You don''t need to concern yourself with that. You just have to somehow before tomorrow, get Anya enrolled in the academy and send a letter to Walric''s family dering he can''t do this marriage tomorrow as Anya will be going to the academy. I can promise you, if you do this then I''ll save her from everything else that came afterward," he replied.


    There was a hint of self-confidence in his voice, it was like he was sure if Rishia followed his instructions then he''ll be able to pull off the remaining matters.


    Rishia touched her cheek with her index finger as she thought this over. This was a somewhat hard decision to make so she was taking her time. It was not like she didn''t want to save Anya, she did, after all, she can''t sit and watch while the life of the person who save hers gets destroyed.


    It was just that her taking action can give off some bad impression, that was the sole reason she was hesitating for.


    "Why do you think I will help you with this? Given that you don''t have any sort of rtionship with me," she asked, or rather asked, to be precise.


    It didn''t take a second thought for Zero to reply, with a stiff look on his face he spoke up.


    "Because I know that you will not sit by and let the life of someone you know get destroyed, even when you know it can be prevented if you took action. After all, if you were that kind of princess then you wouldn''t havee all the way here to watch the tournament when it was not apulsory thing.


    Nor would you havee here to thank Anya in person. But you did, because you are the kind of princess who cares for the citizens of your kingdom. And it is because of your this behavior that caused me to think you''ll help Anya," said Zero.


    Rishia''s eyes widened as she listened to him exining her nature, it was just as Zero said; she was the type of princess who cared for her people. A fear developed in her heart for the person standing before him, she felt like her every move was being observed.


    "You are an interesting person Zero, I acknowledge that. And it''s just as you said, I can''t just watch and let Anya fall into darkness. I will help you," said Rishia.


    ***


    I was exploding with excitement right now but I can''t show it on my face. Even I was surprised by how everything went just as I had nned.


    I knew it will work out but not even the slightest distortion, it was something to get amazed at.


    Well, I calmed myself to not let myself get distracted. I had to put this expressionless face up till I am in front of the princess.


    And after I exined to her, her own nature down to detail, she had epted to go along with my n.


    I thanked her for that and then she walked away, it was already prettyte since we started talking. I had told her Walric''s family name and she said she''ll get things moving this night without waiting for tomorrow.


    "Sigh!" I let out a sigh when I found out I was alone now.


    At the same time, I moved my right hand in front of my face. Until now this hand was behind my back but now that I was alone¡­


    "Looks like I didn''t need to use this after all," I said to myself as I stared at the thing I hold in my hand.


    It was a sharp spike made out of pure ice, surely enough it was made with elemental magic.

 Chapter 23 Reveal

    I stared at the spike in my hand for a while before I stopped using the elemental magic and it slowly disintegrated into nothing.


    Then I looked upwards and shifted my gaze at the vast sky above me, it was filled with bright stars; nothing like the in view I was used to in my own world.


    "It''s truly beautiful, isn''t it?"


    Then I put my hands inside my pocket and walked down the path that led to the door of my home. It was cold, so staying outside too much will be bad for my health; it will only cause trouble if I were to catch a cold at this point.


    Hence, I entered my house and then shut the door closed. I felt kinda rxed, the temperature here was much warmer than outside and it gave me a cozy feeling.


    I took the corridor and walked to the main hall. There were stairs that led to my room and I was just nning on going there when my eyes caught the sight of someone standing there.


    ''Expected this much,'' I thought upon seeing that someone.


    It was none other than Anya, probably she''s been waiting for me ever since the princess left. Well, it was reasonable since I never told her what I was gonna do.


    Removing the stiff and emotionless expression from my face, I returned to the usual "me".


    "What''re you waiting for?" I asked while I continued to walk toward Anya.


    She looked at me, pointing her sharp gaze right toward me. With her eyes narrowed she looked at me, as if saying, "You know exactly what I''m waiting for," or so it seemed to me.


    When I reached beside her and stopped, she turned in my direction and spoke up.


    "How did it go? The thing with the princess," she asked, a sense of nervousness in her voice.


    Hmm, I wonder how I should reply to that.


    "Sorry¡­I failed," I said, piercing her heart with my words.


    And it seems like I seeded because after hearing those words she just stood there, stiff, like a lifeless doll. Not a single word came out of her mouth, nor did she make any movement.


    All I could hear was the sound of her breathing, which slowly turned into panting.


    I patted her on the shoulder as I took my leave and went upstairs to where my room was.


    When I reached the second floor, I stopped for a while and looked at Anya. She was crying, her body was still stiff as before, the only change was the tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ''Guess I went too far teasing her,'' I said inwardly.


    But the sadder she is tonight, the happier she will be tomorrow morning, so I will be leaving things as it is for now.


    I cast my gaze away from her and made my way to my room. Soon I reached there, pushing open the door I entered inside.


    All that I saw, no, all I wanted to see was my soft and fluffy bed, and it was right in front of me as of now.


    I closed the door and changed into my night clothes, removing the ck hoodie I was wearing and putting it back into the closet.


    Then I went straight toward the bed and threw myself over it, soon I felt the fluffiness of the bed gently embracing me.<sub> </sub>


    ''Damn this is soforting! Beds in this world are the best!''


    I closed my eyes and took a breath of relief, a lot happened today. But well, that was to be expected, and there will be more happening tomorrow.


    Soon I felt my consciousness fading away as I slowly started to fall asleep, I was pretty tired so it didn''t take much time.


    ***


    The next day, my sleep was broken by some loud noise.


    ''Can''t I even have a good sleep? I''m not even going to school here so it should be fine, right?'' was the first thing that came to mind.


    I moved a little but honestly, I don''t want to wake up now.


    "Ah, just five minutes more!" I muttered, but my voice was not loud enough for anyone to hear.


    The sound didn''t stop, it was like someone was knocking on my door. Last night I locked it from inside so it must be the case.


    And whoever they were, I sensed they had no intention to stop. I really don''t have any choice I guess.


    Somehow I forced myself to wake up, first I stretched out my body on the bed and then got up and stood beside the bed.


    I rubbed my eyes to get the sleepiness out of them. Then I made my way toward the door; I yawned a few times in the process.


    I reached the door, stood before it, and then opened it. The person who came into view was Anya.


    ''Ah...how should I even react to this?''


    After everything that happenedst night, I thought she would be having trust issues with me.


    But soon that proved to be just my misunderstanding. The Anya who stood in front of me was clearly a different person, she was different from how she wasst night.


    Her face was bright, had a smile on her face. More than a smile out of happiness, it looked like a smile caused by a sudden shock or surprise.


    "Wha~AAhh~, sorry, what happened?" I asked though I was interrupted by a yawn in middle.


    "Don''t you ask what happened! You know exactly what happened don''t you?" she said in a furious tone, it showed she was a little angry after all.


    I had an expression that showed I knew nothing of what is going on while I continued to scratch my head. ''I''m still sleepy~''


    "Ahhhh you!!!" she said.


    "Can you please exin?" I kindly asked again.


    "No, it''s the other way around, I''m the one who wants an exnation! Will you care to exin? How did my marriage with Walric got canceled? How did I get a letter saying I am invited to the magic academy? And not only that, how did the money in our family''s bank increase all of a sudden? And most importantly, how did Walric''s family is ripped off of the noble''s status?"

 Chapter 24 Good Boy

    "No, it''s the other way around, I''m the one who wants an exnation! Will you care to exin? How did my marriage with Walric break? And not only that, how did the money in our family''s bank increase all of a sudden? And most importantly, how did Walric''s family is ripped off of the noble''s status?" asked Anya, in a furious tone.


    ''Ah, so this is what it''s all about,'' the thought surfaced in my mind.


    Well, it''s no wonder she doesn''t know anything. After all, I only told her about the part she has to do.


    Anyway, this must mean that everything is in ce now, hmm, I wonder if he''s here or not.


    "Hey, from where did you learn about this? Someone must''ve told you, right?" I asked, directing my gaze at Anya.


    Right then after she heard my question, the look she had on her face was telling me that I''m the most obvious person in this whole world asking the most obvious of an obvious thing.


    "Of course, I heard this from someone, no wait!! I heard this directly from Walric and his father who are arguing with our father downstairs," said Anya.


    So he''s here already, I thought so.


    "Sorry, but I have something I must do first," I said and went back to my closet.


    From there, I took out a new dark-red colored hoodie and wore it. Then I was about to leave my room but then I was stopped by Anya who was standing in front of the door, blocking my way.


    "First exin it to me, just what card you yed?" she said, from the looks I figured she wasn''t going to give up anytime soon.


    What a pain! I really have other things I need to do first, but then again, she won''t cut loose till I tell her everything. That''s the type of sister she is, or at least that''s what I have observed in these past five years.


    "Sigh~ Okay, I''ll tell you everything. But first let me do what I have to do, I promise I''ll you after that," I said, suggesting my idea.


    This was the only way to get myself free of her for now....ah okay I admit, I admit!! I''m sleepy and don''t want to do a useless argument now!!


    After that, she touched her cheek with her index finger, probably she was thinking things over, "Okay¡­but you must tell me after you''re done," she said, seemingly reaching a decision.


    "Yeah, yeah," I spoke as I waved my hand and left the room.


    I walked to the stairs and after reaching there I took the stairs to go where Ron and probably everyone else also was. I nced toward the main hall while I kept walking downstairs.


    And it looks like I was right all along, Walric and his father were here and just like Anya had told me, they were engaged in an argument with Ron. Ainge was also standing beside them and carried a worried expression on her face.


    ''Oh! Guess I''m not the only one who''s aware of my surroundings,'' I thought when I noticed that Walric and seen me.


    Leaving the argument aside, he rushed toward me. His face was covered in an angry expression; he was almost burning with anger. If this was an anime then by this smoke you would be able to see smokeing out of his ears.


    I had just finished the stairs when he reached near me and without saying anything he held my neck and tried to choke me.


    "You bastard!!! What the hell you did?" he shouted right into my ears.


    For a second my eyes turned toward Ron and Ainge who was also looking in my direction, then I turned my gaze back at Walric.


    I held his wrist with my hand and then I said, "Let''s go somewhere else, you don''t wanna create a scene now, do you?"


    His eyes widened as if surprised by how I was still ordering him around even after the position I was in.


    "Why would I-"


    He tried to say something but since I don''t want to waste much time here I did something that caused him to stop, or rather a painful expression appeared on his face.


    What I did? Nothing major, just gave him a skin burn on his wrist using fire elemental magic.


    "Scream and your whole hand will be burned," I whispered right next to his eyes just like he was screaming in mine a few moments ago.


    Then I looked straight into his eyes, "You''reing with me, right?" I said, the stiff expression fromst night was now back on my face.


    At this point, he did nothing and just nodded like an obedient dog.<sub> </sub>


    "Umm, sorry but it seems like Walric wants to talk with me in private," I said loudly, this was basically directed at Ron, Ainge, and Walric''s father.


    After that, I walked outside with Walric. I took a nce at him while we were walking, his anger didn''t seem to have calmed down but he was quiet for now. Just like a volcano that''s about to explode.


    Coming out of the house, I made sure that no one else was around and then took Walric to a spot that was normally not visible till someone deliberately searched for there.


    "What the hell was that! You think you can boss me around like that!!" he shouted and just thenunched a punch aiming at my back.


    He hit me on my back and I moved forward a little as I lost my bnce, but it was not enough to make me fall. For a moment I just stood there, then after a while, I spoke up.


    "Do you really think that you''re in a position to ask questions here?"


    I turned toward him, and the first thing I did was punched him in the face. He was taken so much by surprise that he was stunned after that.


    But well, that doesn''t really matter now.


    I took steps forward and stood right in front of him, then with both of my hands, I grabbed his cor and pulled him.


    "W-What the hell you think you''re doing! I-I, I can make your family suffer you know. And I will fucking do that! I don''t know how you did it but you are the one who broke my marriage!" he wailed.


    Good grief, does this guy still thinks he can bitch like this.


    "And how do you n to do that? I mean, you''re not even a noble anymore. You, your dad, your mom, all of you are just a bunch ofmoners now. You know why''s that right? After all, you''re the one who''s responsible for this."


    I threw him to the ground, I looked down and raised my right leg, then drove it right on Walric''s leg, kicking it with full force.


    "Ahhhhhhhhh!"


    Huh? I indented to break a bone but I didn''t hear the sound of anything breaking, guess I failed.


    "I wonder what will be of you if your father came to know that you''re the reason who caused their fall, how their idiot and na?ve son destroyed the whole family," I said.


    At this point his face was pale, maybe the mental fear for more painful for him than the physical pain. No, maybe it was something entirely different.


    "What is it? You look like you''ve seen a ghost," I asked.


    His eyes widened even more as he somehow tried to stand up but failed, then he spoke.


    "You...what the hell are you? H-How can you enjoy this moment?" he said, his voice trembling.


    Oh, so he''s talking about that.


    I used elemental magic and created a mirror out of ice and then I looked in it.


    "Ah, I definitely don''t want anyone to see me like this," I muttered.


    In the reflection that the mirror showed, I had a big grin on my face. Well, that was to be expected, I *was* enjoying this after all.


    No one can do anything about it. Even I don''t fully like this side of mine, that''s I always try to hide and lock it up in a box.


    "But sometimes, bastards like you force me to bring out this side of mine."


    I bent my knees and sat down on Walric''s level, then I said.


    "You see, if you don''t meddle with my sister after this then you will be fine. If not then maybe I will end up telling your father why they were ripped off their noble''s status. You¡­know what I mean, right?"


    He gulped once after hearing that, "O-Okay, I understand," he said in a trembling voice.


    "Good boy," I said, while I stood up and patted him on his head.

 Chapter 25 Promise

    "Good boy," I praised him while I stood up and patted Walric on his head.


    At this point Walric was sitting on his knees, his face was covered with sweat and his eyes were widened to their limit like they wille out any moment now; he was terrified down to his core.


    Was this because he never expected me to act this way? Or because he is scared of his father finding out what he did?


    I''m pretty sure he will be kicked out of his family if his father finds out about *that*, but then again, it can be both reasons.


    "Here,e on, we have to go back," I said, offering him my hand so he can stand up, at the same time the grin I had on my face turned into a kind and wholesome smile.


    He looked in my direction; his eyes carried a look of suspicion. Then slowly he reached out to my hand and grabbed it, using it as the support he stood up on his feet.


    ''But seriously, what was he expecting? Like I will twist and rip off his hand or something? There''s no way I can do something that cruel.''


    "Y-You¡­I-I will leave your sister alone, t-then you will not talk to my father about that right? I mean, you really won''t right?" he asked, his voice trembling.


    Geez, how silly someone can be!


    "Of course not, I may have been a little rude to you but that was all to protect my sister, and¡­I''m not the type to break a promise," I replied, patting him on his back.


    I am sure he was a little relieved after hearing that as his expression changed to normal and he calmed down.


    I was able to tell that because his breathing has gone back to normal now.


    Then we both went back to where my and Walric''s parents were, he joined his father who seemed to have finished the argument with Ron.


    Before leaving I stood near Ainge and asked her for the details. Then she told me about why Walric and his father were here, of course, she was whispering so others can''t hear.


    The situation was like this,st night a letter reached was delivered to Walric; informing him that Anya has gotten a seat in the magic academy and thus their marriage won''t be possible now.


    After that, this morning Walric''s father was informed by the officers that their family''s nobility has been taken away and all the money they had in their bank ount had been transferred to our bank ount.<sub> </sub>


    He tried to ask for details but the officers refused, saying they are have been ordered to not leak any information to anyone.


    But they did tell him where the money has been transferred to he came running to our house in order to talk with Ron about it, but it turns out that even Ron doesn''t know anything about it.


    That was all. In the end, he left our house but gave Ron a warning that he won''t stop till he finds out what caused their fall; obviously, he was thinking that Ron was lying about not knowing anything.


    "Seems like a lot of trouble huh," I muttered. Then I left and headed upstairs to my room, after all, I have someone waiting for an exnation.


    Entering my room I caught sight of that person, Anya I mean. She was still waiting for me.


    "Still here?"


    "Didn''t I say before? I won''t be letting you go till you exin everything you did and how?"


    Ah well, talk about being desperate. Her acting this way is not usual, hence this behavior looked cute to me. I evenughed a little over this fact.


    Then I walked a few steps and stood on a wooden chair that was ced in front of a desk.


    "Okay, but you better take a seat since this will be a long talk," I said while I held a pen in my hand and ced a paper on the desk.


    Following my advice, Anya sat on my bed and waited for me to start talking.


    ''Sigh~ from where should I start? Hmm, it''s better to tell her everything or it can cause trust issues in the future. If that happens then it will be a problem.''


    I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to talk for a long period. Then I spoke up.


    "I started moving after you told me about this whole marriage thing¡­"

 Chapter 26 The Curtain Rises [1]

    "I started moving that day after you told me about this whole marriage thing," I spoke up, at the same time I started writing something on the paper that I had ced on the desk.


    "When you told me about this, a n started forming in my mind but you know, my n was not only to stop this marriage. There were three things I wanted to do, first was to stop this marriage of course, the second was to get you enrolled in the magic academy, and the third was to destroy Walric''s familypletely," I paused and took a nce at Anya.


    "Hmm, I understand the other two reasons but why did you decided to enroll me in the academy?" she asked.


    "Ah¡­that''s because I wanted to go to the academy, I''ll get into detailster," I replied and then I continued my exnation.


    "That day when you left after telling me about your situation, instead of going home I went to the bull''s stage coliseum where the battle tournament was going to be held; and I knew about the tournament beforehand because I saw promotional posters of it. My main reason for going there was to check the structure of the arena and the ce where the princess was going to sit.


    At that point, I had the basic n in hand and the first thing important thing was for you to participate in the tournament. I knew you won''t have any trouble in getting to the finals but getting to the finals was a must.


    Because that''s where the main game will start, you know what that is right?" I looked in Anya''s direction.


    "Yeah, I know."


    But she didn''t know the entire thing that happened. When the final round of the tournament started and Anya engaged in a fight, I¡ªwho was sitting just beside the tform the princess was on¡ªused elemental magic and destroyed the tform.


    It was a piece of cake to do that; first I have to increase the temperature of the tform by using the fire element and then, in an instant, I had to cool it down using the ice sub-element.


    I had instructed Anya to leave the match and run to save the princess when the tform gets destroyed. Of course, I gave her a signal before I destroyed the tform.


    I had also made sure to create a dust cloud with the earth element so that I can protect Anya from getting injured and without anyone noticing, and by the grace of me, it worked out pretty well.


    The main purpose of this act was to indebt the princess so that I can manipte her into helping uster. She was the type of princess who usually ys the role of "good" and "kind" princess in the novels.


    I caught onto this after stalking-no, after observing the princess for two days before the tournament began.


    Many points indicated toward her *this* type of behavior and the first was that she was in the city even before the tournament began¡ªI got this information after asking a few people here and there, mostly the participants of the tournament.


    Even that is a far cry, the fact that she came to watch the tournament made it clear that she was the type who cared for her people.<sub> </sub>


    A normal person wouldn''t have noticed this slight detail, I did because I was familiar with these kinds of tropes, one of the benefits of being an author you can say.


    Then there was a bit of luck involved, the princess visiting Anya waspletely a choice she made, or I would like to say that.


    I tried for the best possible oue after calcting the maximum number of probabilities I could. That time when the princess lost consciousness, it was not a thing that happened naturally.


    I controlled the dust using elemental magic and blocked her windpipe with it for a while to make her unconscious. It was the best to do as if the princess won''t be able to thank Anya for saving her life then the chances of hering here to do that were in majority.


    Then I told Anya to not ask for anything if she said "I want to give you a reward" or something like that, instead, I said to make a troubled expression when you reject her offer.


    All this was the framework for the main event. When she left our house I took the opportunity and went to talk with her.


    She was already dissatisfied with not being able to reward Anya properly and then I increased the mental pressure on her by telling her about the hellish future Anya will have if she gets married to Walric.


    She was already in dark and I pushed her even deeper, at the point of no return. For a person like her, knowing all this and not doing anything will be an impossible thing.


    And that was the right time to attack, when she was mentally weak, when she was lost in figuring out how she can help Anya, figuring out a way to get out of this darkness.


    At that moment, I showed her a ray of light, a way to help Anya with no bad side effects. I told her about my n of helping Anya by getting her enrolled in the magic academy, on top of that I told her the way to do this that won''t cause any political problems.


    When humans are in a problem and unable to find any way out, then they cling to anything that shows them hope, disregarding what their decision may cause in future because at that time getting out of that problem is their first priority.


    The same thing happened with the princess, first I pushed her into darkness and then showed her a way toe out into light; she epted my n.


    "And then when thenst night I talked with the princess and told her about my n. She wanted to help you so she epted it, that''s how you get enrolled in the academy," I finished.


    "Hmmm, I understand this much. But how did Walric''s family lose their nobility? This is the thing I''m concerned about the most?" she asked.


    That huh.

 Chapter 27 The Curtain Rises [2]

    "Hmmm, I understand this much. But how did Walric''s family lose their nobility? This is the thing I''m concerned about the most?" she asked.


    That huh.


    "So you also want to know about that, well okay I guess. Do you remember the day when Walric came to meet us with his parents, the day when I was also present there?"


    Walric and his parents havee to meet us more than one time but the day before the battle tournament was the day when I first meet them.


    "Yes, I remember," she nodded.


    "That day, after they were done talking, I apanied Walric to the exit, and in the middle of all that I made a bet with him¡­"


    ***


    After Walric''s parents were done talking with Ron and Ainge, they decided to leave. For formality, I and Ron decided to walk them to the exit.


    But I do have another motive in mind. When we left the house and were in the garden, I slowed my pace and let Ron and Walric''s parents go ahead.


    Then when there was a good distance between us, "Hey Walric," I called out to him.


    "What?" he said as he turned around and came near me.


    "I want to talk with you about something."


    He seemed interested as he raised his brow and waited for me to speak my mind.


    "Will you make a bet with me?" I said.


    "Huh? What''s this all about?" he asked, a displeased look appearing on his face.


    A smile appeared on my face as I spoke up, "You see, I had my doubts but this meeting made it clear as water, that you are a fucking bastard. A lowly, degenerate, lustful bastard, that''s what you are and there''s no way I''m going to let my sister get married to someone like you!"


    This was more than enough to make him lose his temper.


    "You fucker! How dare you say that!" he shouted and charged at me, he walked close and held me with my cor.


    "So in the end all you can do is resort to violence and you call yourself a noble, how funny," I let out augh.


    "Tch!" he clicked his tongue and let go of my cor.


    "Huh? Why did you stop? You can do whatever you want but I have already found a way to stop this marriage, understand? You won''t be getting married to my sister no matter what you do."


    Maybe what I said sounded like a joke to him because an arrogant smile appeared on his face and he bust out inughter, "Ha-ha-ha-ha, what''re you talking about? Are you a fool or something? This marriage is confirmed once and for all, you can''t stop it."


    I grinned internally; this is what I was hoping to hear.


    "You we have different opinions, huh, but it''s okay since that''s what this bet is about," I said and pulled out a paper from my pocket.


    "Now what the hell is this about?" he asked.<sub> </sub>


    "A bet, as I said. This is a bet to decide who is right, you or me. Say, how about it? If I am right and stopped this marriage then you and your family won''t be nobles anymore and all the money you have will be ours, and if you are right and you get married to my sister then I will be your ve for the rest of my life. You will be free to do whatever you want, kill me, torture me, anything you want," I exined to him the terms of this bet.


    After hearing something this intense the smile he had on his face, disappeared in an instant, "W-What is this!! There''s no way you will be my ve even if I win," he wailed.


    "Please be at ease it that''s what you''re worried about, see, I have a blood contract here and all the terms of this bet are written on it," I said, showing him the paper I pulled out from my pocket a while ago.


    A blood contract is something that was used to make business deals in this world but that''s not the only thing it can be used for. It basically is a magic contract made with a special paper and a magic circle drawn on it, and it can be used to make any kind of bet or deal, no matter what scale it is on.


    First, you have to write the terms of the deal on the contract paper and then both the parties have to apply their blood in ce of signature and with that, the contract is formed.


    After that, you can''t destroy the contract in any manner and if any party didn''tplete their part of deal and broke the contract then they will die. This was the thing that made this contract special as there were no chances of betrayal in this.


    Of course, after seeing the contract Walric was stunned at his ce. This was something he never expected.


    "Now now, what happened? Could it be that you are scared? I thought that you said this marriage is confirmed once and for all, was that a lie maybe?" I asked sarcastically as took steps toward him.


    I then bit the thumb of my right hand and applied my blood on the contract paper, "See, unlike you, I''m sure I can win."


    Then I stepped back and looked directly into his eyes, "Well, looks like you are all talk, in the end, you can''t do anything!!"


    After saying that I held the contract paper with both of my hands and was about to tear it into two pieces when Walric snatched it.


    "Hah hah hah, you are so na?ve if you thought that I won''t notice! You intended to tear this contract from the start right? This blood contract was just to scare me, so can take benefit of it and harass me. But now looks like the tables have turned!!" heughed as he stood in front of me like he was a king who just won a war.


    A scared and terrified look appeared on my face, and my legs started shaking as I slowly walked toward him, "H-Hey, it''s not like that. Anyway, give that contract back please, it''s not mine and I have to return it."


    I tried to grab the paper from him but he quickly raised his hand high and I failed.


    "There''s no way I''m going to give this back, after all this is my chance to make you my ve," he said, then he bit his thumb and applied his blood on the contract.


    The magic circle that was drawn in the middle of the paper glowed in purple color and the text that was written on it turned golden.


    I stopped moving, just stood there. Sweat appeared on my forehead and my face turned pale.


    "You never had anything to stop this marriage right? You were the one lying about it, but you have my thanks, now I can get a private ve. Here, take this and go cry in your mother''sp," he said and then handed me the paper.


    He was fine doing so because now the contract has been made and I can''t destroy it. After that, he left with a proud smile on his face.


    I waited for him to leave and when I made sure that I was alone-


    "He..heh, HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA, BAKA! YOU ARE THE ONE THE TABLES TURNED AGAINST!!" I burst outughing.


    He behaved like a proper arrogant young master, just like I expected him to. Even so, it was a little hard to believe that someone can be this dense.


    ***


    "And that was how I made him sign the contract," I finished.

 Chapter 28 The Curtain Rises [3]

    "And that was how I made him sign the contract."


    "So that exins how they lost their nobility, hmmm. But why Walric''s father doesn''t know anything about this? When I asked mom she said that the people from the cityhall refused to tell him anything."


    So she also wants to know about this huh, there isn''t any problem in telling her but why is she asking for so much info? Doesn''t know the main parts enough and how things yed out enough?


    I don''t have a reason to refrain from telling her so I spoke up once again.


    "The night before the battle tournament when you were busy practicing your sword arts, I went to the cityhall to submit the contract I made with Walric."


    This was an important thing to do because that contract was not a bet made between kids, it was a document that decided the fate of two noble families, and there was also the huge amount of money transfer that will happen if I won.


    Let''s just exclude the fact that I will be bing Walric''s ve for lifetime if I lost, even without that the contract contained many serious things.


    p I have seen Ron using blood contracts while making business deals and every time he did, he went to the cityhall to get the contract approved by the government officials.</anda>


    So following that, I also did the same¡­or I would like to say that but there was one other reason. While the blood contract involved magic, it wasn''t like it was an item out of a fairytale.


    Even if I won, the contract won''t magically transfer the money in our bank ount and take the noble''s title¡ªthat''s not even a physical thing¡ªfrom Walric''s family.


    That''s why I went to the cityhall and made the contract official, after that, my work was done because when one side wins the contract their name on the contract starts glowing and from that anyone can tell who won, fair and square.


    "So when I went there and made the contract official, at the same time I also formed a contract with the officers who were handling my case," I paused when I looked at Anya, who looked like she wanted to ask something.


    No¡­maybe.


    "Huh!?! You made formed a contract with the government officials! Do you even know how much of a ruckus it will cause if word got out?!?"


    Yes, she was angry with this. I somehow understood why, a normal boy making a blood contract with government officials was by no means a day-to-day thing.


    But I had taken measures for that. So ignoring Anya, I continued my exnation.


    "The terms of that contract were that they won''t tell a soul about the contract I made with Walric and the money transaction that will happen if I won. In return, I will give them 20% of the money I will get from Walric''s family. Obviously, I will be giving them the same amount of money even if I lost to Walric."


    "And how were you going to get that kind of money if you lost?" she asked.


    Hmm, this was a good question. The money we got from Walric''s family is in millions; even 20% of it will be too much for my family to pay.


    Then how was I going to pay that if I lost?


    "That''s out of question because I was clearly going to win," I said, nothing but me stating facts here.


    "Isn''t that what they call being overconfident? One wrong move and you would have ended in hell. Did you ever thought what will happen if you lost the contract with Walric?" said Anya, scolding me for my carelessness.


    This was also a good question and a thing to worry about. The contract said that if I lost to Walric then I will be his ve for lifetime, meaning that I will lose my freedom and human rights.


    So was I really being careless and overconfident?


    No, that is the most amateur thing you can ever do. If you only think about a future where you win then you will be destroyed if by any chance you lost.


    I was not like that, that''s why I did think about what will happen if I lost.


    The blood contract is formed when both parties apply their blood to the contract paper, thuspleting the magic circle.


    But there''s no way a contract can know who is participating in the contract and what type of blood they have. This was a loophole in the blood contract system and I took full advantage of it.<sub> </sub>


    That time when I bit my thumb and applied my blood on the paper, that was not my blood.


    My thumb was already dripped in the blood of Walric''s father; I collected it by creating a needle with ice magic and sucking his blood when he was busy talking with Ron.


    To him, it must''ve felt like a mosquito bite because the needle was sharp and did it work in a few seconds.


    After that, I just acted like I bit my thumb and applied that blood on the contract paper. So even if lost, Walric would have gotten his father as a ve.


    But there''s no need to tell Anya about this, is there? A simple apology will do just fine.


    "Sorry, sorry, now that I think back on it, I was being careless. But in the end, it all worked out so it''s fine I guess," I said.


    "Well, that''s true. You really saved me, just like you said so...thank you," said Anya and stood up from the bed.


    "He-he, what''re you talking about? I just did what any brother would''ve done," I replied, at the same time I put the pen down, finishing what I was writing.


    "What''s that?" asked Anya, as she stood next to me.


    "Ah, this¡­It''s just a letter to someone, nothing to concern yourself with."


    Then I took out another piece of paper from the drawer and ced both that paper and the letter in an envelope.


    "Let''s go, we still have to tell Ron and Ainge about your admission in the magic academy," I said to Anya and reminded her that there are still some certain someone''s who are confused about this situation.


    I put the letter in my pocket and left the room with Anya.


    ***


    Later that day, Dillian Fistrun (Walric''s father), received a letter. Since now that there were no servants for him, he himself went to pick it up from the letter box.


    Then he returned to this study room while carrying the letter with him. He took a seat and then opened the envelope.


    The name of the sender was not mentioned anywhere, instead, [some random author] was written in its ce.


    He looked through the contents of the letter and when he started reading it, he was shaken down to his core.


    The letter said that the one responsible for his family''s downfall was none other than his own son, Walric Fistrun. It was written in detail about how the actions he took resulted in the current situation.


    Sweat appeared on Dillian''s forehead when he finished reading it. ''There''s no way that idiot can do this!'' he thought.


    No one knew this better than him, how much of an arrogant fool his son was but still, this was something hard to believe on.


    He was about to take this letter as a grain of salt but just when he was about to throw it in the trash can, another piece of paper came out of the envelope.


    When he took that paper and read its content, the trust he had in his son vanished, along with the distrust he had in this letter.


    That paper was the same blood contract that was mentioned in the letter; all the terms and conditions were written on it and it was signed by the blood of his son.


    Though the name of the other person in the contract was hidden, someone had deliberately hid it by using a ck pen.


    But none of that mattered to Dillian; he was filled with anger and quickly left to see his son.

 Chapter 29 Relax...Or Not?

    It was a peaceful evening, I sat in the backyard¡ªor you can also say a garden¡ªof my house while I enjoyed the cream milk tea.


    A gust of wind passed by, fluttering my hair and messing up my hairstyle. "Finally I got some alone time," I muttered as I took a sip of tea.


    The whole thing about Anya''s marriage was over, or sessfully over to be precise.


    Walric''s family was to say pletely destroyed". They lost their nobility as well as most of their money. Hmm,e to think of it, his father must''ve received the letter I sent to him by now, right?


    He-he, I wonder how he''ll react or rather, how Walric''s will react after that. I''m not quite sure if he will be kicked out of his family for this but¡­it won''t be something as silly as "no pocket money this month" either.


    Meanwhile, Anya got admission to the magic academy, all thanks to the princess. I didn''t know this before but apparently, she won''t have to pay the enrolment fee because this admission was a gift from the princess.


    Ainge and Ron, who were the most confused among all, calmed down after I and Anya exined things to them. Of course, we didn''t tell them what we really did; instead, it was a fabricated story from my side.


    I won''t call it a lie because what I did was just took the main parts of my n, edited them, removed some parts that were not for them to know, and then presented it in a wholesome way.


    It went on something like this; Anya cast away her chance of winning the battle tournament for saving the princess and thus, the princess rewarded her with a seat in the magic academy. And since she will be living inside the academy campus from now on, her marriage with Walric was suspended.


    Though they were still asking about things like how Walric''s family went bankrupt and the sudden increase of money in our bank ount but¡­let''s just pretend I didn''t hear all that.


    Also, I was nning on going to the academy myself along with Anya. Actually, wasn''t this my goal from the start? If I just wanted to save Anya then I could have done it in a much simpler way.


    The only reason I transferred this money was so that I can afford my own enrolment fee, bringing Walric''s family on their knees was also a reason but for the most part, this was it.


    I was not offered a gift or anything sort of from the princess so if I am going to join the academy then I must do it the straight way, yes, can''t take any shortcuts for that.


    I was going to such lengths because I wanted to learn more about magic. Until now I was learning it alone, figuring things out by trial-and-error but there''s a limit on how much I can do by myself.


    My rank has not also gone up since thest time so it must be that I hit some kind of barrier, and to break through that, I must hone my magic skills even more.


    This was more than enough of a reason for me to join the Zaforths magic academy. And won''t I get heavily bored if I don''t have some kind of goal setting in mind? Increasing my rank seems good to take on that role.


    Hence, it was decided. For the moment only Anya knows about this and my parents have no clue, but I''ll talk things outter.


    ''As for now, I just want to enjoy my tea and rx,'' I said to myself, inwardly, and took another sip of tea.<sub> </sub>


    But I don''t think I will be allowed to do that, soon I sensed someone''s presence lurking behind me.


    Unfortunately, I know who that demon is because the fragrance of their perfume is familiar.


    "Hey Zero, can I have a bit of your time?" the demon asked, apparently it was Anya, my older sister.


    ''How kind of you to ask, like you will go away even if I denied,'' hence not left with any option, I looked in her direction and kindly replied with a nod.


    She seems satisfied with it I guess¡­Or not, because she had this gloomy expression all over her face?


    Come one man, we just got over this hurdle and you can''t stay happy for a day! I know she is the serious type but her reacting this way even made my mood sour.


    <o>,m Then, she came and sat beside me. I was sitting on a wooden log because ''Who will go through the trouble of bringing a chair here?'' but Anya also sat on it, not worrying about how it can ruin her clothes or anything.</o>


    ''Well, girls in this world have an elegant behavior pattern mixed in their personalities so I just thought¡­ah whatever, fuck it! She must have something important to talk about that made her forget about those things.''


    Thinking about all that, I turned my gaze at Anya.


    "You see...there''s something I wanted to ask you for a while now."


    It looked like she was having trouble conveying her thoughts in words; as a result, there was this feeling of uneasiness in her voice.


    "If it''s something I can answer then feel free to ask," I said, pretty much the usual thing I say in these types of situations.


    She stopped for a second then cleared her throat, and then with a deep breath, she gathered up all the courage to say whatever she wanted to say.


    "Ummm, this thing''s been on my mindtely you see¡­actually, I started noticing it after that incident happened with you but, I was not¡­well, I mean there''s no way! It sounded impossible andplete nonsense, that''s what I thought at first but....after all the things you did in these few days¡­I-I, was sure of it that¡­"


    Then she took a pause, sweat appearing on her forehead. After a moment she continued, and what she said next made me temporarily lose my senses.


    "Zero¡­..you are not Zero, right?"


    I considered the possibility that it might be something serious but never in my lifetime had I thought that I would hit the nail right on the mark.

 Chapter 30 Not Him

    "Zero¡­..you are not Zero, right?"


    I considered the possibility that it might be something serious but never in my lifetime had I thought that I would hit the nail right on the mark.


    I was at a literal loss of words. What she said gave me Goosebumps, like I have been jump scared by a horror movie.


    She didn''t say anything after that, nor did I.


    This was simply too much for me to process! I mean, what am I even supposed to say here?


    Should I deny or ept it?


    If I think a little bit deeper then she must have done her homework if she''s out to say something like this, hmm, then she probably has something of evidence or proof to support her statement.


    Where was it? Where did I make a miss? Till now and from the point I reincarnated, I made sure to leave no trace of anything that will raise suspicion against me.


    I did all the magic training when no one was looking and I even hide my powers, keeping the profile of an average teenager.


    I never missed out on any study lessons I had with Ron, even though the mathematics they have here is way behind what we had on earth. Even so, I never let it show that I already know everything.


    The persona of a normal teenage boy, I did everything while keeping that in mind. That I never ever should cross that limit!


    Then where did it go wrong???????


    Ah, Come on! I have to think about this more objectively or I''ll be busted!  What will happen if my cover is blown? Execution?


    There''s a possibility because since reincarnation is a very, very rare thing, people will likely believe that I possessed this body or something.


    I can''t let that happen in any case!! After all, I will be separated from Ron, Ainge, and my sister. While I can''tpletely call them my family, I did have built a kind of rtionship with them, which I must protect at any cost!


    Think, think, think, think, think, think, think!!!


    I began going through all the things I did, revising and checking them in my mind.


    Then I struck me! What I overdid, what I missed.


    It was my n about saving Anya, it was way tooplicated for an average teenage boy to handle, that''s sure, and to make it even worse I told Anya everything in detail.


    ''Why I did do that?'' was a question I was not able to answer. Maybe because she was family? Maybe because I felt a sense of security when being with her?


    It must be something like that, but before I could think any further, Anya spoke up again.


    "The silence is the answer I guess...but still, I want to hear it from you. Are you really the Zero I know?"


    Ah shit! I messed up big this time!


    An average teenage boy¡ªor rather the real Zero¡ªwould haveughed off at this type of question, dering it utter nonsense and saying "have you lost your mind" or something like that to Anya.


    There was no need to think things through; I could have denied her suspicions simply.


    But now it was toote, there''s no going back now, I should tell her probably. After all, denying it at this point¡ªafter this long period of silence¡ªwill only raise her suspicion even more.


    So I prepared myself and sipped on my tea before dropping the ball. After that I said.


    "Yes, you are right. I am not that Zero you know, that person was lost five years ago."


    And with that, Anya fellpletely silent. Maybe I was just imagining it but tears were flowing down her cheeks, though she instantly wiped them off so I wasn''t able to confirm what it was.


    ''What? Did I mess up again?''


    Maybe deep inside, she doesn''t want to believe it, the truth that the real Zero is lost.


    To her, it must''ve felt the same as his brother dying. Because right now, the person in here was not Zero nks, but ######, or me.


    This body was just a shell now, a piece of decoration to say.


    But what''s done is done, if she asked me this then she must have also strengthened herself that her spections can be the real truth.


    ''Sigh! I am not directly at fault here then why am I feeling this vast amount of guilt?''<sub> </sub>


    It was strange because guilt was not a thing I usually felt. So it was also feeling a little nostalgic now.


    Perhaps I should clear everything up since I am busted already. Or rather, this was the only way.


    I mean, after learning that the person you thought is your brother turned out to be someone else, someone you didn''t know, that will really make you feel insecure, won''t it?


    That''s why I thought I should tell her about me, not Zero nks. Our rtionship won''t be of normal brother and sister after this, that I know, but it''s better than her thinking of me as aplete stranger.


    I don''t know why I want to tell her about my reincarnation. I can easily lie my way out here, then why am I not doing that? Why do I feel something will go wrong if I did that?


    No, wait, I do know. In this world, Anya is family to me; at least from my side, I see her as family. And I don''t want to manipte my family members ever again, I don''t want to control their strings.


    I if do, then I know there will be no going back. That''s why I have set up some rules for myself; to stop myself from going out of control.


    ¡­Not manipting my family members is one of those rules.


    Hence I began.


    ...¡­.


    ¡­..


    ¡­


    After that, I told her everything. About how I was reincarnated and started living as her brother. As for why I didn''t tell anyone about it? Well, I can''t help it, I had my own worries to care about.


    And like anyone''s gonna believe if I just go around spouting nonsense like "hey I''ve been reincarnated", hell even I won''t believe if some other person told me this.


    ''No maybe I will, since the author side of mine takes over in times like these," but that''s not the point here.


    Putting that aside, I was surprised at how Anya was listening to it all in without asking me nonsensical questions.


    "And here we are, that''s how this whole thing kinda happened. I know this might sound ridiculous but I had no control over this reincarnation, I had no intentions of taking over your brother''s body."


    ? With that, I finished.


    "S-So that''s how it is, meaning my brother died five years ago when his heart stopped. Since then it was just you," said Anya, who was quietly listening to me till now.


    "That''s how it is huh," she repeated, tears forming in her eyes.


    "Yeah, that''s how it is."


    I said that, but I was not feeling quite right. Like I was doing something wrong here, maybe I was forcing myself on her.


    I had to confirm it, so.


    I stretched out my left hand and then, I triggered elemental magic. A long rod-like ice spike materialized, starting from the top of my palm and extending both sides.


    "What that!" she said out of instinct, clearly surprised by my actions.


    I put the cup of tea on the log and stood up, at the same time Anya took a few steps back, in case I was nning on attacking her with this.


    But I had nothing of sort in my mind, instead, I held out my hand toward her. Offering her the ice spike I said.


    "Take this and kill me if you don''t want me here. Or if you think I did something that shouldn''t be done. Since this body is of your brother, I won''t live if you don''t want me to."


    There was no behind-the-scenes scheming or utter motives involved in this. I was doing what I think is right.


    Anya was hesitating so I move forward, "I won''t resist if you do me in now, and I will go back if you want me to."


    She looked at me, then at the spike. Thinking over it for a while, her hands slowly moved toward the spike.


    Her hands were trembling, clearly, she was under too much pressure here but that''s why I simply stood at my ce, not moving an inch.


    Those trembling hands reached the spike and grabbed it. When she held the spike, she jumped a little out of shock, probably because she was touching pure ice now.


    Holding onto the spike, she looked at me.

 Chapter 31 Conclusion

    "Take this and kill me if you don''t want me here. Or if you think I did something that shouldn''t be done. Since this body is of your brother, I won''t live if you don''t want me to."


    Those words left Zero''s mouth, unable to understand what he meant I just stood there.


    What does he mean by I should kill him? I mean, is he for real? How can I kill my¡ª


    No, that''s not the case here. He is not my brother.


    The person standing in front of me right now is not Zero. He is someone entirely else, someone I don''t know. Zero''s body is just a shell; the person controlling it is "him".


    He...is using Zero''s body, using it to live a life here. T-That''s not right, is it? If I think about it then he was just pretending to be Zero this whole time, and that''s not a thing you usually do.


    That''s wrong, I know he said that this reincarnation happened against his will but he should have told us about it; that he is not Zero.


    All this time I was thinking of "him" as my little brother, I treated him like my little brother, and now that I know he is not the Zero I knew then I feel...scared, betrayed, and angry.


    Then maybe is it okay to¡ª?


    "I won''t resist if you do me in now, and I will go back if you want me to."


    See? Even he is saying that it is okay. Then I should go for it, right? I mean, I am not killing my brother here¡ªhe is already dead¡ª, I am just killing this stranger.


    ''Stranger?''


    I was lost in thought but my hands moved on their own toward the weapon he was holding in his hands. My hands were trembling rapidly, not because of the cold weather but because of the fear.


    Yes, fear, the fear of being unsure.


    For a second I thought that this was one of his ns and he will move away or do something when I will try to take the weapon from him but, nothing happened.


    My hands reached that spike-like thing and I grabbed it, but he didn''t move; not even an inch.


    ''Why? Why is he not resisting? I know he said he won''t but this is just clear stupidity, throwing away your life like this!''


    Then a thought struck me, ''Was he really a stranger?'', a question I was thinking from the time he revealed himself.


    These past five years I spent with him, even if I treated him as Zero it was still "him" at the ce. And he didn''t try to take any advantage of this misunderstanding I or we had.


    The time I spent with him, the time I helped him train in the sword arts, all that was real. Not an illusion.


    Instead of doing something bad he even saved me¡ªfrom Walric¡ªand thanks to him, our family is richer than before.


    I had more or less got that answer to that question.


    ''Maybe he was not Zero, someone who I didn''t know. But he was not a stranger, not at all.''<sub> </sub>


    He is just a victim in all this and it''s not his fault that he ended up in Zero''s body. If this was something god, the life he gave him, then it is not my ce to take it.


    ***


    Those trembling hands reached the spike and grabbed it. When she held the spike, she jumped a little out of shock, probably because she was touching pure ice now.


    Holding onto the spike, she looked at me.


    The face spoke for itself; maybe she reached some kind of conclusion. If I think logically, then there is no real reason for her to not kill me.


    Since the odds were against me, I closed my eyes and readied myself for whatever she has decided for me.


    ''I did it again,'' I said to myself, once again I will regret causing trouble in my family.


    But the thing that happened was not something that I expected.


    I felt warmth, the warmth of another person, and at the same time, a pleasant smell closed in. My eyes suddenly opened as this was a thing I was not familiar with.


    Then I saw Anya, genteelly embracing me within her arms. The spike was thrown on the ground and was currently lying there.


    "There''s no way I can kill you. This was something I didn''t start so I don''t have any right to end it either. Besides, even if you are not Zero, you are not a stranger to me. The time I spent with you is real and I got to know you as a person; also that you''re not a bad person," she whispered in my ear.


    This sudden change of events stunned me into silence.


    ''What is this? Why is she not killing me? I am not her brother, the real Zero? I am a traitor who used her brother''s body as a cover, there''s no meaning behind her act of not killing me. Logically it would''ve been fine for her to kill me; I would have done it if I were in her shoes.''


    Realizing that she was embracing me for quite a bit of time now, she released me from her grip and stepped back at a distance.


    She looked at me; her cheeks red with embracement. Maybe this was an after effect of what she just did now after the thought hit him that I was not really his brother.


    ''Wait for a second! Why does this feel a bit clich¨¦ now? Like a scene out of some crappy novel,'' I thought about it then quickly discarded the thought.


    "S-So this is it, I am not going to kill you, and you better not try anything funny either. You know, we have to leave for the academy tomorrow. You''re alsoing, right?" she said.


    "Yeah, it will be going too," I replied.


    She thought over something for a while and then left. Maybe this was a bit too much for her and she needed some alone time.


    After she left, I sat back on the wooden log and finished my tea. I racked my brain pretty intensely so I needed some calories now.


    ''Maybe, just maybe there was a reason behind her actions. Maybe she was now emotionally attached to me, even if a little. Or maybe she just couldn''t bring herself to kill someone. It can be justified I guess.


    But Anya, you werepletely wrong about something. I am not a good person, not even the slightest. If there was a ranking of human nature then I will ce first from bottom, that much of a selfish scum I am.''

 Chapter 32 Departure

    "So when did you notice it?"


    The question was asked by me and it was directed at Anya, who was sitting on the bed in front of me. Me? Well, I was on a sofa.


    Some awkward things happened when I finally revealed to Anya that I''m not the real Zero but have been reincarnated in his body. The situation became so tense that I was not able to clear out many things and a ton of questions remained unanswered in my mind.


    So here was I, it was nighttime now¡ªaround 10 pm¡ªand after finishing dinner I called Anya into my room to have a little talk, or you can say I also want to clear out any possible misunderstandings.


    And here we are, I started the question by dropping a question and the first thing I asked was when and how she started to notice that I am not Zero.


    She pondered over it for a while and then spoke up.


    "If I remember correctly then it was a few weeks after that incident five years ago, ording to you my brother died that moment and you took control over his body so I guess I started noticing right after that."


    In short, she immediately noticed the change when I took control of this body. But it seems like she was not done yet because after a pause she continued.


    "As for how¡­well, I felt like after that incident you were apletely different person. The Zero I knew was a weak and fragile boy who spent most of his bed, leaving the house was almost impossible for him. But after that incident, itpletely changed, he started going out, ying in the back yard, moreover, you also started training sword arts with me.


    And then there was this thing when you started calling father and mother by their name; this was a thing that raised my suspicion the most. Also, it was not only me, but our parents also noticed this, but due to the happiness of you being alive¡ªeven after your heart stopped for a while¡ªthey ended up ignoring this change."


    Hmm, I didn''t care much but I was calling them by their names. It was not because of something like I don''t see them as my parents, no, in these past years I *have* developed some feelings for them.


    Maybe it is a result of my emotions getting ovepped by the real Zero and it caused those feelings to develop but it was sure that I did see them as parents, even if a little bit.


    Me calling them by their names was simply the result of well, how can you call someone else "father" or "mother" when you remember that they are not the one who gave birth to you.


    Yes, I can put up an act but that will be just me forcing myself, those words won''t have even the slightest hint of emotion backing them up.


    But that was not the case when I called them by their names so I thought I''ll just stick to that.


    After convincing myself that the actions I took had a reason, I returned my attention back to Anya.


    "Even after that, the thing which confirmed my suspicions was the way you stopped my marriage. That n was not something the Zero I knew could even make, leaving the matter of actually ying it out aside.


    Though this situation was something I never imagined honestly. I thought that some kind of evil spirit or sorcerer have possessed my brother," with that, she finished.


    Hmm, there are some unexpected parts, the reason she raised suspicion was mostly like I predicted.


    Carrying out that n and moreover revealing it to Anya was a mistake on my side. But well, what''s done is done¡­can''t do anything about that.


    Still though, evil spirits? I mean, seriously!?!


    Aren''t those kinds of things a fantasy? No wait, this is also a world based on a fantasy setting so it''s not impossible for them to exist in reality. If that so, then I would like to meet one in person, for research purposes of course.


    I wonder what they will look like.


    "So, what are you nning to do now?" asked Anya, dropping a question out of nowhere.


    "What do you mean by ''what I''m nning to do now?" I replied back with a question.


    "Huh?"


    "Huh?"


    A sudden exchange of words happened, ''What? Am I messing up something again?''


    A perplexed expression appeared on her face, then, after a while, she asked again in a more detailed matter.


    "I mean, now that I know about your reincarnation, what are you going to do now?"<sub> </sub>


    Oh, so that''s what it''s about, such an unnecessary question.


    "I''m nning on doing just what I was doing until now; live a normal and peaceful life. For starters, I''m going to the magic academy with you, after that I''ll see what to do," I replied, honestly.


    She seemed surprised for a second. What? Was I saying something weird now? I don''t think so.


    "I see, I see," she said, nodding several times.


    Our conversation more or less reached an end after that, since there was nothing else to talk about and there was misunderstanding left either.


    We decided that we are not going to tell Ainge or Ron anything about this as this is likely to sadden them. As for how our rtionship will be, well, you can we are in a kind of peace treaty.


    At least, I would like to think that.


    After that Anya left and now I was alone¡ªin my own room obviously¡ª, since it was nighttime and considering that I have to leave for that magic academy tomorrow I threw myself on the bed to get to sleep.


    ''Magic academy huh.''


    Lying on my bed I closed my eyes and begin to think.


    I talked about getting myself enrolled in the academy with Ron the time we were having dinner. My reasoning was "I can''t help but worry if Anya is going there alone" or something emotional like that.


    Since we were in a peace treaty, Anya just went along with it.


    We had the money now¡ªor the money from Walric''s family¡ªin our bank ount so there was no concern for the enrolment fee now. A little bit of emotional ckmailing to Ron and I got the permission.


    I mean, why won''t he allow me? I was crying about learning magic ever since I found out my status, so maybe he was also tired of hearing about it all the time.


    ''Still though, a magic academy, I can''t help wonder what kind of life awaits me there.''


    As I thought about it, my consciousness slowly sank in, causing me to fall asleep.


    ***


    The next day, I woke up in the morning and did the usual things like brushing my teeth and eating breakfast.


    When I was done doing that, I and Anya as well packed our bags. From that day onward, we were going to live in the dormitories of the magic academy and the academy is not in this city but in the capital city of this kingdom.


    So packing at least some stuff was a must.


    I don''t know what Anya has decided to take with her but as for me; my bag was mostly filled with several of my hoodies, some daily use stuff, and a few other personal things.


    Done with that, I changed into formal clothing. Since this will be our first time making an appearance in the academy, we had to look good. After all, that academy is attended by the sons and daughters of higher-ss nobles.


    And so, I wore a grey colored suit-type dress and a pair of ck colored hand gloves. Ainge is the one who suggested me these gloves by the way.


    I left the house after I was done and waited for Anya outside. Two carriages were waiting in front of our house and beside one of them stood someone whom I have not expected to see.


    It was the princess. I confirmed with her why she was here and turned out that she will be leaving for the capital with us, also, she wanted to confirm things with Ron¡ªthat she is really the one who gave Anya a seat in the academy.


    A few momentster, Anya also arrived, dressed in a formal dress like me. Then we sat in our carriage and the princess in hers.


    Apparently, Ron is going to escort us to the academy and after that, he will return. Considering how overprotective he is, I am not surprised at all.


    The carriage moved and at the same time, I and Anya waved goodbye to Ainge from the window, to which she also waved back.


    And thus, we left for the capital city and the Zaforths magic academy.

 Chapter 33 Bonus Chapter (Non Canon)

    "Hello dear readers, it''s me, Anya; Zero''s big sister. And I would like to inform you all that with this chapter, the beginning arc of (Author''s Reincarnation in a Fantasy Setting) is concluded. After this will be the start of¡ª"


    "Don''t you think you should wait for me?"


    As Anya was speaking, someone interrupted her. She turned her gaze toward the person and doing so she looked up into the sky.


    There a beauty floated in the air, she had silky ocean-blue colored hair and pale skin as white as snow, on top of that her crimson red eyes looked as if they were made out of red ruby. Slowly the beautynded on the ground and in front of Anya.


    "What''re you doing here?" asked Anya.


    "Huh? What do you mean? I cane and go whenever I want!" the girl replied


    She was telling the truth, this person can do whatever and whenever, and no one will be there to stop her. Even I, as the narrator of this story, can''t stop her.


    "Excuse me. why the hell are you addressing me as *her*, *she*, or *girl*? You know that here I don''t have a gender, now don''t you?"


    Oh, sorry about that.


    As you can see, even I don''t have any control over this person.


    After all, the person in question is none other than the author of this story, the god of this world, moon_senpai.


    "Hmm, so where was I? Yes, Anya! Why did you start without me?" moon_senpai asked angrily, this was directed at Anya.


    "Umm so, you see...I was kind of got excited since this is my first time doing this type of thing," said Anya, blushing with embarrassment she averted her gaze.


    moon_senpai narrowed her eyes, looking at Anya. She was not going to take on any excuses, though a thought crossed her mind, ''Don''t say first time and "this type of thing"! It will give people a misunderstanding!''


    Also, senpai told me that she/he is genderless here but even so, I''m going to address her as a female. Why? Because she will get angry if I use "it" and using "her/his" or "he/she" looks unprofessional.


    "Sigh! I''m letting it slide this time but remember, it''s this time and this time only! Phew, now let''s get to work," said moon_senpai.


    Anya nodded as she looked at senpai with a new shine in her eyes, those eyes were clearly saying "thank you!" by themselves.


    "Cough, cough," clearing his throat, moon_senpai spoke up.


    "So, yes this is me, your beloved moon_senpai. And as Anya said, with this chapter "The beginning arc" is finished, this was a small arc I know but it''s because this arc was mainly an introduction of the MC and some other characters.


    And so, the next chapter will start the "Magic Academy Arc". I know the name sounds generic but it''s just the result of myziness in naming, also I''m not at all good when ites to naming this so, yeah, bear with it.


    This, however, does not mean that the arc itself will also be generic, nope, you are dead wrong if you think that. Even it will introduce you to the world of this story and many other characters.


    You are also dead wrong if you think that Zero''s n reveal was the peak of this novel, no, a big NO! You are not even introduced to the main essence of this novel.<sub> </sub>


    You guys know what I''m talking ''bout right? I mean the question that was mentioned in the synopsis, yes, you will get to know its answer in this arc.


    Also, I want to say thank''s to all of the people out there who are reading my novel. Really, thank you.


    That''s all, Anya it''s your turn."


    moon_senpai finished and passed the ball to Anya. She was flustered because all the attention shifted to her out of the blue.


    "Umm, so, I also want to uh....thank you all of the people reading this novel. And uhhh, if you haven''t added this novel to your library then please do you.


    Also, you can also review this novel, it will help us get a rating and the new readers will get an idea of what they''re going to read. So...." she paused.


    It seems like there was still something she wanted to say but was holding herself back for some reason, but then, she finally said it.


    "Please review this novel, nyaa~"


    "Why the nyaa part!?!" moon_senpai immediately fired a question at her.


    "Huh? Isn''t this...cute, nyaa~"


    "No, NO! NOT AT ALL! This is full of cringe, and moreover, it''s not a thing I added to your personality so it feels super forced!" said moon_senpai.


    "Ehh, but I think it''s cute...nyaa~"


    "Sigh!" moon_senpai let out a long sigh.


    This "nyaa" thing clearly frustrated her beyond his limit.


    ''I don''t know if this is your way of teasing me but...'' moon_senpai said inwardly.


    And then, with a snap of his fingers, a duck tape appeared in front of Anya''s mouth and quickly stuck over her mouth, restraining her from speaking.


    "Ummmm! RE...MOOBBB THUUS!!" she wanted to scream but that cosmic duck tape was blocking her.


    Ignoring Anya like she was not even there, moon_senpai regained herposure.


    "So this is it, I hope you all will continue reading this novel and show your support. Thanks for reading," said moon_senpai.


    After that, she disappeared, along with Anya.

 Chapter 34 Arrival

    Our carriage stopped along with the princess''s carriage and then therge iron gate in front of us was opened with the manpower of many guards.


    The gate was huge and heavy; it took a good amount of time to open itpletely. Also, when the gears that opened and closed the gate moved, they made an annoying, rubbing and grumbling sound.


    After the gate was opened our carriages moved again, some guards have already checked our IDs so we went through the gate without a hitch.


    This city, the capital of the Zenith Kingdom, was surrounded by a wall made out of white stones. Its height is apparently not much, around fifteen feet I guess.


    When we crossed the wall and entered the city, a whole new world unfolded before my eyes.


    This city was nothing like the city I used to live in, uh, how to say it, this ce looks more modern. The majority of the houses are built with concrete, stones, and marbles instead of wood.


    The carriage rolled down on a white paved road that seemed to stretch on endlessly. I silently observed the surroundings through the window and what I saw was the atmosphere of a capital city.


    The design in which the buildings were built, the material by which the road was built, the quality of items in the shops, and even the clothes that people here wore were high-end.


    This really is a city worthy of being a kingdom''s capital.


    Our carriages moved without stopping but after a set amount of distance, the princess''s carriage turned on a different road that led to the castle.


    We had to first find a hotel and then register ourselves in the academy so we took a different path.


    ***


    Ron dropped me and Anya to a hotel and then went toward the academy to pay our, no, to pay my enrolment fee and get our student ID cards.


    "It sure was a long journey~" I yawned and stretched my hands up in the air and did a sort of warm-up.


    We left early in the morning¡ªat 9 am¡ªbut still it took us half a day to reach here.


    Oh, I forgot to mention but Anya also went with Ron. It was a sudden turn of events; most of the reason was that she is the first and maybe thest student who is getting enrolled without paying the fee.


    So they wanted proof that Anya is really the person they were told about, and thus, she went with Ron who also took her birth papers and a few other formal documents with him.


    As for me, well, I thought about exploring the city but I immediately discarded the idea when myziness kicked in.


    Umm, no wait, notziness! It was tiredness! YES! I was tired after sitting for this long and my whole lower body was stiff, along with my back.


    Hmm, so this is the reason. And I am definitely not trying to convince myself with an excuse.


    Okay, that was that. I turned around and entered the hotel; Ron had already booked a room before he left so I just had to check-in.


    After doing that I was given the keys to my room, and an assistant escorted me to the room. It was on the third floor; room number 69.


    ''This is a cultured hotel I see,'' I inwardly nodded while I stared at the number te that was hung over the door.


    Then I looked around and saw that the assistant has already left; she was a quiet one, I didn''t even notice her presence or absence.


    Unlocking the door with the keys I just got, I pushed it open. And it didn''t work...because the door was supposed to be open by pulling.


    "Sigh!" I couldn''t help but sigh over my foolishness. Then I pulled open the door and stepped inside.


    I closed the door again and when I was done with that my attention finally shifted toward the room.


    The walls were built with concrete and there were many abstract patterns painted on them, the floor also had flooring spread through it, of course, the furniture was also of good quality.


    And then there was my favorite thing; the bed. Its frame was made out of dark oak wood and a pure white mattress was ced over it.


    ''Can''t control myself now!'' as that thought crossed my mind, I was already on the way to throwing myself on the soft bed sheets.<sub> </sub>


    As soon as my body got in contact with the bedding, it swallowed me like a monster. The mattress was so soft that it felt like I was lying on clouds, maybe it also had springs that fit inside, because the bed has a bouncy effect.


    "Ah, sofortable~" I mumbled and then closed my eyes.


    Now I just wanted to sleep but the reality is harsh and it won''t let me do as I please.


    ***


    Everything went as I predicted, which in this case I didn''t wish for that to happen. An hourter, Ron came back with Anya.


    Even though unwillingly, I had to get up from the bed and leave my heavenly sleep.


    I was about to go out to pick them up but before I could do so, they entered the room first.


    ''Hmm, was I too slow, or were theying at god speed?''


    I think thetter is the case here.


    "So, how''d it go?" I asked; the question was directed at both Anya and Ron.


    However, Ron was the one who answered, "The registrations are done but it seems like the sses for new students will start after a week," he said.


    Ah, since there are no cell phones or inte in this world, we had no way of knowing this beforehand.


    If so then this leaves us with a question.


    "Will the both of you stay here in the hotel for a week or will you prefer to go back home," asked Ron.


    The sses for freshmen are going to start after a week and it means we had no choice but to wait. Now we have two choices, either wait here in the hotel or go back to our city and thene again after a week.


    If I think a bit logically, no, even without that the right answer will obviously be.


    "Going back and thening all the way here again would be a waste, of both time and energy, so I will prefer to stay here. Of course, that will be if Anya is okay with it," I said.


    The decision was now passed down to Anya, taking note of her personality I think she will also choose to stay here but well, can''t say if she had a change of mind.


    Hence, I shifted my gaze to Anya as I waited for her to reply.


    "Huh, I''m okay with staying here, and honestly, I don''t want to make that long ride again. So yes, I think it''s okay to wait here for a week," said Anya.


    ''Eh? I thought I was the only one who had problems riding a carriage for a long period of time since I''m not used to it. Guess I was wrong.''


    "So it''s decided then," Ron was going to say something else and somehow I already knew what it was going to be.


    "But will you two be able to live alone? And for a week that is! I think you shoulde home; you two are not used to living alone after all. How will you manage your meals and chores," said Ron, with an uneasy expression on his face.


    "Yeah, yeah, we will be fine. And you are the one who should return now; you''ve said to Ainge that you''lle back this day, right? You should get going then," I replied,pletely ignoring his overprotective behavior.


    Anya was the same, we both were now used to his nature and knew how to deal with it; that is, just ignore the useless things he says.


    Even after that, Ron didn''t want to leave us alone but we somehow managed to kick him out.


    He gave both of us some money before he left because we have to live on our own for a week.


    The hotel''s booking was extended for a week, yes, but there are other things you have to buy.


    And like that, Ron left, and we had to live on our for a week.

 Chapter 35 Sleep Deprived

    And like that, Ron left, and we had to live on our own for a week.


    Ron''s carriage was gone and now I turned back and then walked inside the hotel.


    I don''t think I will face any problem since I am used to living alone, after all, in my previous life I lived in an apartment for three years all by myself.


    The problem here is Anya, ording to what I know, she is not used to living alone and maybe that will cause some issues here.


    Well, I''ll just have to somehow deal with it if a situation like that knocks on my door.


    I returned to my room, my moves were moving faster than normal because I had something to do.


    Now that Ron is gone and I don''t have anything else to do, ''I CAN FINALLY SLEEP ON THAT HEAVENLY BED!''


    I opened the door and entered inside; one can easily tell that I was in a hurry just by looking at me.


    Entering my room I saw that Anya was doing something, she now wore a different dress and from the looks of it¡­maybe she was nning on going somewhere?


    That I can understand but why in my room huh? Can''t I even have the least bit of privacy here?


    I pondered over it for a while and then remembered something that directed my rage toward Ron.


    ''HE FUCKIN FORGOT TO BOOK ANOTHER ROOM!!!!!'' I screamed inwardly.


    ording to the n, we were only going to stay in this hotel for a few hours before I and Anya shift to the dormitories of the academy, but that was when we didn''t know that we''ll have to wait a week here.


    Now the situation was different! Don''t tell me he FORGOT this!


    ''Ahhhhh! Why a clich¨¦ novel situation is happening to me right now?!? Whenever I read these kinds of things I thought it was pure fiction, I never ever thought that something like this can happen in real life!''


    No wait, wait, wait for a second, calm down.


    I am a calm and rational person, so there''s no need to panic over this. I have to think things objectively here.


    First of all, this is not a rom anime or novel, nor are I and Anya unrted by blood.


    We are real siblings so the possibility of a you-know-what situation happening is ruled out. There''s no need to worry about that.


    The problem I am worried about is...how will I sleep now?


    There''s only one bed in this room and it''s barely the size for two people to sleep on itfortably. The money Ron left us with was for buying some daily use things so we can''t book another room with it.


    "Oh, you are back?" asked Anya when she noticed my presence.


    "Huh? Oh, yes. Ron has left so I¡­am back," I replied.<sub> </sub>


    No point in overthinking it now, I''ll deal with the problem when the time to sleepes. And it seems like Anya hasn''t realized this situation yet so I think it''s better to just y along here.


    "Are you going somewhere?" I asked.


    I noticed this right after I entered the room but from her dress code, it was not out of the sybus to think that she is going somewhere.


    I that''s the case then it will I''ll probably get some alone time to sleep so I just asked her directly.


    "Yes, since there is nothing much to do, so I thought I''ll go see this city and do a bit of shopping," said Anya.


    Shopping huh, well, despite the usual serious behavior, she *is* a girl after all. This is normal I guess.


    "I see, enjoy then," I said and carefully made my way toward the bed.


    "What do you mean by that? Are you noting as well?" she asked, in her eyes, it seemed like the most obvious question of all time.


    "¡­..Why would I?" after a brief pause, I replied back with a question of my own.


    I mean,e on now! I am sleep-deprived right now and all these things that are stopping me from having a good sleep are just piling up one after another.


    "Well, since you are not from this world, I thought you will be willing to explore this city because it''s a new ce. Is that not the case?" she furrowed her brows and asked.


    Yes, I admit I want to explore this city, but not right now, not RIGHT NOW OKAY!


    "Uhh, no you are right¡­it''s just that."


    "It''s just that?"


    She looked right into my eyes; her gaze contained a shine of innocence as she waited for me to give her an answer.


    This was something that happens every day, then...


    ''Am I being emotionally ckmailed right now?'' I thought. It was like she wanted me to go with her, but why though?


    The way she is looking at me, I can''t ignore her now, ah this is bad. Hence, I decided to give her an answer.


    "Actually I would have loved to go with you but right now I am tired, sorry but I just want to sleep for now."


    "Oh, I see."


    What? Did she think it''ll work on me? It would''ve been a possibility if I had any other thing to do but I can''tpromise my sleep now, since I don''t know whether I''ll be able to sleep on this bed next time or not.


    After that Anya left and I quickly went to sleep.

 Chapter 36 Burden

    Waking me up from my eternal sleep was Anya, though she didn''t directly wake me up. When I heard the sounds of her footsteps, the sound of the door opening, and detected her presence, I woke up on my own.


    So by the time she entered the room I was already up, sitting on the bed and rubbing my sleepy eyes.


    "You came back early?" I said and tried to start a conversation since I can''t stand that awkward silence.


    "I was out for three hours," she replied.


    "¡­.Oh, I see."


    I was asleep for three hours, huh. But wait for a second, if she was out for three hours and if I assume that she was doing shopping then why did shee back with only one purse she went out with?


    There should be some shopping bags and stuff with her, right?


    "Did you not buy anything?"


    I didn''t get the answer to this immediately, first, she put her purse on a nearby desk and she replied.


    "I didn''t go out to particrly buy something, I did say before that I''m going to explore this city, now didn''t I? The only things I buy are some daily use stuff."


    To put it simply, she just wandered around. Kinda unexpected for me, since the Anya I know is the one who''s always training, trying to improve her sword arts, and has an air of seriousness around her.


    But now she was acting like, uh, how to say it¡­..right now she seems more carefree, she is showing all sorts of emotions I haven''t seen on her before. Basically, she was acting more like how a normal girl of her age should.


    This was something different from that, maybe a different side of her. Did this side surface because of the newly acquired freedom she has now since our parents aren''t here?


    Or was she always like this and I was the one who didn''t notice?


    I should wait and observe a bit more, I think.


    ***


    Nothing much happened after that, Anya changed into her indoor wear clothes, I was worried a little since we had only this room but she changed in the bathroom that was attached to our room.


    Since we didn''t have anything to do, we yed cards to pass time. Anya was the one who suggested it because a deck of cards was one of the things she bought.


    We were ying Rummy, by the way, surprisingly these games existed in this world also.


    Roughly an hourter, a member of the hotel''s staff came to inform us about dinner, actually, it wasn''t an invitation but what he said was that they are going to serve dinner now and we cane to the first floor(which worked as a restaurant) and eat if we want.


    It was not an exclusive offer but a buffet meal serving system for everyone who was staying in this hotel.


    We didn''t have to pay for the dinner because it was included in the booking Ron made.


    Now I wonder just how much did she spend here? This hotel was definitely of high-ss plus all our meals were included. Was he overspending because of the huge sum of money I arranged?


    Weirdly, I can already imagine him saying "If it''s for my children then I don''t care about silly things like money!"


    Sigh! Well, whatever.


    We finished the round we were ying and then went and ate dinner.


    ***


    It was time to sleep and nowes the hard part. Actually no, I already sleptfortably as I wanted so, for now, I decided to sleep on the sofa.


    This wasn''t my original n though, at first I thought of creating a bed with elemental magic using the earth element to create a rock-solid bed. Then I will borrow some extra bedding from the staff and I''ll have a magic-made custom bed.


    But sadly, that wasn''t the case. When I tried creating the bed frame, it didn''t work. After many attempts, I concluded that right now I am not able to makeplex things with elemental magic.


    For example, I can create a shard of rock or ice easily but if you tell me to make a cup, vase, or something that required more detailing, I won''t be able to make that.<sub> </sub>


    This reminded me to continue the magic training that I was not doing for a while now. Hence, I decided to do some experiments tomorrow.


    And for the moment, I will be sleeping on the sofa.


    "Are you sure?" asked Anya, when she noticed that I was nning to sleep on the sofa.


    "Yes, I already sleep well before so it''s fine. And I don''t think it will be fine for me to sleep on the same bed since you know I''m not your brother now," I said as I picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it on the sofa.


    p Then I saw an expression of uneasiness on Anya''s face. Maybe she was thinking that I''ll have to sleep on the sofa because of her.</anda>


    "That is a part of it, but the main reason I''m sleeping on the sofa is that this bed is notfortable for two people. I can assure either me or you would be rolling on the floor in the middle of the night."


    "...Oh, then I think it''s okay. I also don''t want to hurt my head because of something like that," said Anya.


    After that, I turned the lights off and sneaked into the sofa, and my nket.


    A few minutester when I was almost about to fall asleep, I was asked a question.


    "The spike you made that time, it was magic isn''t it?" asked Anya.


    Huh? I thought she already know since I revealed it pretty openly.


    "Yes, that was magic. What about it?"


    "Ah, so it was. That means you can use magic?"


    How am I supposed to reply to this now?


    "Yeah, I guess I can," I said, everything was quiet so even though we were talking in a low voice, our exchange of words could be heard clearly.


    "...."


    "...."


    There was a brief silence from both sides for a while, then again, Anya was the one who broke it.


    "It''s amazing! How you can use magic all by yourself. I mean, most of the people learn magic for the first time in the magic academy," she said.


    "Hmmm, but this is a limit on how much I can do alone. That''s the reason I''m joining the academy after all is so that I can learn more advanced magic."


    "Actually, I wanted to ask you something for a while now," I said.


    There was no response from her side so guess I can take that as a yes.


    "Are you fine with joining the magic academy? I mean, I kind of forced you to do this and you also had an interest in sword arts instead of magic, so-"


    "It''s not like that, I am perfectly fine. And don''t you know that they also teach sword arts in the academy? I actually wanted to go there because of this reason so you don''t need to feel burdened by any of it," said Anya.


    I see. That''s a weight off my chest.


    "Thank you."


    "Huh?"


    "Nothing."


    Soon after, I fell asleep.

 Chapter 37 Naked

    The morning of a new day arrived, I woke up and so did Anya. We did the usual things like brushing our teeth, breakfast and stuff.


    The toothpaste here was the worst one out of all I have ever tasted; it was made by using some herbs and potions, and to create the semi-solid paste-like texture a special species of slimes is used.


    This was interesting so I did a bit of research on that and found out that this special species is a rare one that''s found inbyrinths; this special species of slimes are called "Hamigakiko slimes".


    The bodies of Hamigakiko slimes are not poisonous and even carry a bit of magical energy in them so they are used to create that texture for toothpaste.


    Though it still doesn''t change the fact the taste is simr to expired cough syrup.


    Well, that was that, I am grateful enough that I still get to brush my teeth. And for now, I was busy with other things.


    After breakfast, currently, I was in the bathroom, taking a shower. Showers are a new thing I discovered, by the way, it was a mechanical shower made with metal pipes and use of water pressure.


    Back in my home we only had tap water and used that to bathe so this was new for me. This was a fantasy world but it seeing things the way they are, I can say that this world is slowly but surely, on its way to modernization.


    Anyway, I was not just in the bathroom to take a bath; that was a part of it but not the whole reason.


    I came here because I wanted to do some experiments with my elemental magic since this is the only ce I can use it without getting noticed by anyone.


    I turned the valve of the shower and stopped the water, then, I said that one word.


    "Status!"


    And then a holographic white screen appeared before my eyes.


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    Rank: B


    Mana capacity: C


    Strength: C


    Agility: C


    <o>,m Stamina: C</o>


    Skills-->


    - [Foresight (Level 1)]


    User can see 0.1 seconds into the future.


    ==============


    "Hah, just like I thought," I mumbled.


    My rank or even none of my attributes gave gone up since thest breakthrough.


    This reminds me, I still haven''t found out why my rank is one level up than the rest of the attributes.


    Hmm, I''ll need to keep that in mind. I better focus on what I came here to do.


    Hence, I closed my eyes and started concentrating, I focused on the experiment I wanted to do.


    What I wanted to do was to check if I can create other things just like ice and other basic elements.


    This time I was going to try with gold, why? Because I remember its chemical properties that I was taught in school, also, if I sessfully created it then money will not be the least of my problems.


    Now, now, I can''t get too excited here. I have to collect my thoughts and concentrate, just like did when the first time I used magic.


    "Breathe~"


    Now, let''s start by imagining the atomic structure of gold.


    It has 79 protons in its shell hence its atomic number is 79, its atomic weight is approximately 196, its melting point is 1063 degrees Celsius and its boiling point is 2966 degrees Celsius.


    Its electronic configuration is [Xe]4f^14 5d^10 6s^1.<sub> </sub>


    The arrangement of atoms in gold follows what''s called a "face-centered cubic" () structure. Put simply, the atoms in gold form cubes, with an atom at each of the corners, and another atom in the center of each of the faces


    This much will be enough I think. Now, I have to visualize all this and bring my imagination into reality.


    I stretched out my right hand and since I was used to this process¡ªby using elemental magic over and over again¡ªI was able to control my mana more or less.


    So I just did that and imagined my mana flowing through my right hand, starting from the shoulder and going all the way to the tip of my fingers.


    Then I opened my eyes, if everything worked as it does usually then right now, a brick of gold should be floating in front of my palm.


    But sadly, there was nothing like that; the magic didn''t work.


    "Well, I figured that much," I muttered.


    I knew from the start that the chances of this experiment turning into a failure were high, but then why I did this?


    There were two reasons.


    First was because of course, the chances of failure were high but not a hundred percent and so there was still a possibility that it might actually work.


    The second reason was that I wanted to confirm something and that something was now confirmed.


    It was that the magic I am using is really "Elemental magic". Yes, this was a thing I was not sure of. After all, I started calling it elemental magic on a whim because it gave me elemental powers; as simple as that.


    But now it was confirmed that it truly is elemental magic, not some sort of creation magic. Because if it was, then I should''ve been able to create anything with it and that includes gold also.


    I also understood the nature of this elemental magic to some extent, and it was like this.


    This magic gives me the ability to use the elements that are connected with nature.


    I have tried all thebinations and concluded that there are three main elements; Fire, Water, and Earth.


    And one sub-element is Ice; this was an offspring of water and I can ess it by controlling the water element.


    Water element allows me to fully manipte water and that also means I can freeze it and create ice.


    When I was new to this, it took a lot of time because I had to first summon water and then freeze it, but as I did it over and over again it gradually turned into sub-element ice and since then, I am able to summon ice just like the other three elements.


    I also tried to createva by mixing earth and fire elements but sadly it was a failure.


    So there are only four elements I can control by using elemental magic.


    There are only four I can control them freely right? Wrong!


    As of now, I don''t know if it''s because of my inexperience but there are some limits on what I can do.


    I can create things to use as a weapon with the elements, that much is true. But I can''t go into detail creation; like what happened when I tried to create a bedst night.


    Right now I can only create basic things like spears, spikes, shards, maybe a bow and arrow with fire elements and that''s all.


    Whenever I tried creating stuff that was a bitplicated like a sword, chest te armor, and stuff like utensils, it didn''t work.


    Creating an ice castle ispletely out of the question.


    I thought it can be because I don''t have enough mana to create detailed stuff but now that doesn''t seem to be the case.


    I meane on, I have the mana capacity of C; that''s in the higher ranks ording to this world.


    Hence, I marked it off as a thing I should work on and try to improve. Maybe I was missing something and that''s why I am ending up with a failure every time.


    But that''s why... I am going to the magic academy; to learn the things I can''t on my own.


    That was decided and now I was done with my experiment.


    I better not stay in the bathroom for too long otherwise who knows; maybe Anya will get the wrong idea.


    So I picked up that towel and started wiping my body with it.


    Yes I was standing naked all this time.

 Chapter 38 Magic Academy [1]

    The days pass by quickly, I would be lying if I say that. This week, when I was to live alone, was honestly a drag.


    Mainly because I had nothing much to do, it was the same for Anya also. She went outside on regr basis to do the shopping and the thing she called "exploring the city" but I was...well, I preferred to stay in the room and do nothing.


    But it''s not like I really did nothing, no, I did. Before Ron left, he told us that there will be an entrance exam for us which will determine whether we are capable of joining the academy or not.


    An entrance exam was to be expected so I was not that surprised but the Zaforths magic academy is the top academy in this kingdom so I figured that underestimating the exam might not be a good idea.


    Hence, I practiced magic when I was alone. Actually, I wanted to rank up before I take the exam but sadly that didn''t happen.


    I was stuck at rank B and C attributes and when I think about it, it was after this that I stopped leveling up. Maybe the more I reach the higher ranks the more difficult it gets to rank up further.


    I mean, you had to do at least that much when creating a ranking system like this otherwise almost everyone who knows how to level up will reach a higher rank in less than a year.


    Hell, it took me only two years to reach rank B from C!


    And so, I didn''t rank up but I was able to hone my magic skills to some extent, like lessening the amount of time it takes me to summon an element and things like that.


    In a nutshell, this past week was boring but I somehow made use of that time to improve myself. After all, ranking up is the only goal I have since I can''t do anything else right now, and without some goal, life will be so in.


    If it came to that, I fear my "that" side will surface again. Which I don''t want, at least not now! I possible, I would prefer to live normally.


    "Hey, why are you spacing out like that?" Anya said as she patted me on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality.


    "Ah, nothing, I was just thinking about how quickly these seven days passed," I said with a smile.


    "I wouldn''t say that," after saying that she started walking in front of me.


    She was dressed in a ck top and skirt with stockings on her legs, her long blond hair was tied with a ribbon that she usually didn''t wear.


    I wore a dark grey suit, and ck pants, and wore tight ck gloves. I alsobed my hair with more precision than usual to avoid having a messy hairstyle.


    If I had deodorant on me, I would have used it too. No, this world does have deodorants but it''s just that I didn''t get the trouble to buy one. Anya has one but I sure don''t want to have a girl''s scent on me, especially the one my sister has on her.


    Now, why were we this dressed up? Because today was the day we were going to the academy, and yes the entrance exam is also today.


    And currently, we are on our way there, hmm, actually I think we almost reached there because now I was able to see the building.


    We kept walking at our current pace and after a while, we were on a new road and the academy was right in front of us.


    Unsurprisingly, we are not alone. Many other students are also headed for the same destination as ours, the only difference being that their clothing is more fashionable than ours and most of them areing here in fancy carriages.


    Well, that''s a given, since the students who get to enter this academy are the sons and daughters of higher-ss nobles.


    It might not be impossible for us to be the only ones from a middle-ss noble family.


    Hmm, there is one more difference that I noticed just now.


    The hair and eye color of these students¡­you can see a fucking a rainbow if these guys stand in a now.<sub> </sub>


    I know this is a world based on a fantasy setting, even I have been creative with the hair color of characters in my novel but, I never would''ve thought that it will look like "this" in real life.


    In the city I live in, the people there have different hair colors but it is mostly brown, white, blonde, and red in some rare cases.


    But we have the whole color palette here!


    Okay, calm down, calm down. Can''t lose my cool here!


    So, I shifted my attention to the magic academy, or the academy''s campus to be precise.


    ''Damn!''


    I can say without a doubt that this is the most modern building I''ve ever seen in this world; the king''s castle was one thing but it gave more of a royal vibe instead of modern.


    The campus was surrounded by a six feet wall and behind it was the ground. After that came the main building which was built with white marble and a couple of other stones that have different types of abstract patterns on them.


    The roof was t, which was a rare thing in this world. There were many open windows in the main building that were showing something like a hallway, and the hallway windows were built almost to the roof, which means there were multiple floors.


    The main building was built in a U shape but instead of the curve it was t, like on side of a square have been removed. If I talk about its size then¡­well, it can only be described as enormous.


    It became even more amazing when you get to know that this was the main building but not the only building on this campus.


    How do I know this? The map was ced before the entrance gate; it was probably a show-off thing, but that map clearly showed the drone view of the entire campus.


    Honestly, I was mind blown by this! Now I understand why this is the top magic academy in this entire kingdom.


    "Let''s go."


    I was busy staring at the map when Anya reminded me that we have to go for the entrance exam.


    Yes, "we". I first thought that Anya won''t be giving the entrance exam because she has already been gifted a seat in the academy by the princess but apparently, that was not the case.


    ''I wonder what the reason behind it is.''


    I had all sorts of things going on in my mind but for the moment I decided to put everything on hold and focus on what we came to do here.


    Maybe I''ll know why she''s giving the exam when I go there myself.


    I''ll also get the time to sit and admire the architecture of this school once I get admission.


    It''s not that I doubted my chances but I just didn''t want to underestimate the exam; like I did in thest year of middle school and almost ended up failing.


    But for all that, I first need to take on this exam.


    ''Then what''s I''m waiting for? Let''s fucking go!''


    I stepped inside the academy campus with Anya and headed toward where the new students were gathered.

 Chapter 39 Magic Academy [2]

    We crossed the gate and entered the grounds of the academy. The area was covered with leveled grass and a path was made that connected the gate with the main building.


    Following the path, we entered the main building along with many other students.


    At this point, I don''t know if calling them students would be right because they will officially be a part of this academy once they pass the entrance exam but¡­let''s just ignore it for now.


    It must be okay to call them students since I''ve never seen anyone fail a school entrance exam before.


    Hmm, I decided on that.


    As we reached the main building I saw that the front gate was a big one, built with abination of multiply types of wood. It had a glossy finish on it and many patterns were craved on it for decoration.


    But the door was open and so we simply went inside. It was connected to a hallway, maybe the main hallway of this building.


    The floor was made of brown tiles and a red carpet was spread on it.


    I and Anya stopped in our tracks and looked at each other, the reason was...well, we didn''t know where to go now.


    Hey, it''s not my mistake okay, no one told us about this!


    "I think we should follow the rest of the students. If they are new students like us then we will eventually reach the right ce."


    Surprisingly, Anya was the one who suggested it. I simply nodded and went along since I also had a simr idea.


    And see, she is also calling them students!


    Like that, we followed the rest of the students, and eventually, eh, maybe, we reached the ce where we had to reach.


    It was arge hall-type room; the ceiling was high and the floor here was made up of wooden nks.


    We entered the room and since there was no ce to sit so we simply stood there just like the other students.


    Then a thought crossed my mind.


    ''How badass it would be if now I created a throne made out of ice with my elemental magic and then sit on it in a king''s pose.''


    But I knew it was not possible so I discarded that thought, the reason being that with my current skill level I can''t create something like a throne and the other was.


    I don''t know, when I think about it a second time the whole scene gave a clich¨¦ vibe to me.<sub> </sub>


    Also, doing that will attract a lot of unnecessary attention to me which I don''t want, nope, not at all. After all, that willpletely destroy the peaceful life I want to live.


    While I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard a loud beep sound, simr to the one you hear when someone taps on a mic to test if it''s working or not.


    And when I looked in the direction where the voice came from, it turned out I was a little too right in describing that voice.


    A man was now there on what looked like a stage, it was a tform that was leveled up a bit from the floor, giving it a stage type of look.


    In front of that man was something like a mic stand with the only difference being that instead of a mic there was a small magic circle.


    "This is the magic academy for you."


    I had seen something simr in the battle tournament but this thing looked more advanced and the quality of voice it produced was also clearer.


    And then, the man who looked like to be in his middle twenties came close to the mic and spoke.


    "I hope everyone is here, and judging from the number of students here andparing it with the numbers we epted for the entrance exam, I think everyone is here. Then everyone, allow me to introduce myself, I am Robert Halls, the one responsible for the management of new students."


    <o>,m He took a pause after that and gazed upon the students, and that of course included me. Though he wouldn''t notice me, I was sure of that.</o>


    After that, he spoke again and this time we were given the valuable information we''d been waiting for.


    "I''m sure you all must know that we will have you all given an entrance exam before epting you into the academy and officially making you its students. As for what this exam will be and why you are giving this, all of it is written in the paper you will be receiving now."


    A person from the school staff came forward; no several of them came and handed a paper to the students who were standing in the front row.


    "Please hand it back to the other students," he added.


    The number of those papers was high because each student received one, soon I also received that paper that was handed to me by the student who was standing in front of me.


    Then I took my time and read through the contents of the paper; I must say I was interested in one thing that Halls said.


    ''Why are you giving this exam?'' it must be clear that we are giving it to get admission to the academy but it seems like there was some other reason also.


    I understood that after reading the paper, now, I also understood why Anya also has to give this exam.

 Chapter 40 Entrance Exam [1]

    Everything was clear after reading through the paper, all of the questions I had.


    Like why Anya has to give this exam, and what Mr. Halls meant by "why are you giving this exam".


    This is what was written in the paper.


    This school has four sses for each grade; they are divided into ss A, ss B, ss C, and ss D.


    And this is where the entrance exames in. ording to how the student performs in this exam, they will be assigned to these sses.


    If you perform well then you will be given ss A, if you perform mediocrely then you will get ss B or C, and if you mess up in this exam and perform worst then it''s a given that you''ll end up in ss D.


    At the moment, I don''t know what''s the difference between being in ss A or ss D but I think it''s something rted to your social standing inside the academy. But I can''t fully believe it because the chances of the academy conducting an exam for the social standing of the students, were pretty low I think.


    There will be four exams we''ll have to give.


    The first one will be a written exam where our academic abilities will be tested; I think this won''t pose a problem for me because the level of education they have in this world is a bit low.


    From what I''ve concluded, if you''re a high-school graduate then you can be the smartest person in this world. That''s how it is.


    The second exam will be the one that''ll test our magic skills; when I first read this then I thought it was weird because people areing to this academy to learn magic and that means they don''t know how to use magic yet.


    So I asked a few students around me and it will be wrong to say that I wasn''t surprised. Apparently, things were not like that. The heirs of nobles already learned magic from their parents and they wereing to this academy to improve their skills; just like me.


    And how do their parents know how to use magic? Well, the same cycles repeat for this; they also learned a little from their parents and then from the academy. Learning magic was a must if you are a higher-ss noble so this cycle repeats in every generation.


    This magic exam was to determine how much magic the student knows and their current skill level.


    This left me in confusion, since I was not a son of a higher-ss noble there was no way my father knew magic so, at this point, I don''t know how I will take this exam.


    So for now, I focused on the next exam.


    The third one was to test our sword skills; sword arts basically. As Anya has told me before, this academy not only focused on magic but sword arts also. This exam also was not a problem because thanks to Anya, I knew the basics of sword arts.


    I know that I just knew the basics but I think I will get passed at least.


    Now, the thing I was worried about the most was the fourth exam; nothing was mentioned regarding that. The text "special exam" was written in the ce where the details were supposed to be.


    This left me wondering what type of exam it will be...¡­better to stay on my guard for this.


    "I think all you have read the paper we just handed you over and have understood what type of exams there will be. But just in case, let me ask this: do you have any questions?"


    Waking me up was Mr. Halls''s voice. It looks like he was confirming if any of us has a doubt regarding the exam.


    There was dead silence for a while but then someone raised his hands; it was a boy who stood on the left side of the third row.


    "Yes?" halls asked.


    "The question I have is rather simple, what is this fourth exam about? We are given the details about the rest of the three exams but why not this one? What does this ''special exam'' means?" the boy asked.


    From his looks, it was clear that he was from a good, or I should say rich family; his clothing and his manner of speaking indicated that.


    Also, he has asked the same question I was wondering about. I didn''t raise my hand and I asked it myself because I already knew what answer I''ll get.


    Mr. Halls then turned toward the boy and pinned his gaze on him.


    "It means just that; the fourth exam is a special exam. We can''t tell you the details at this moment, but it will be revealed to you before you take on the special exam," said Mr. Halls.


    Just like I expected!


    If they are not telling you about it in the official paper then it would be pretty idiotic to think that they''ll you if you ask directly.


    "And so it is. Any more questions?"


    No one raised their hands this time; maybe everyone had the same question I had and now that it was cleared that they won''t be getting anywhere with this. There was no point in asking again.


    Mr. Halls looked over the whole area and confirmed that no one has any doubts, after that he spoke.


    "I see. Now, form a line and follow the staff members. They will take to where the first exam will be held."


    A few people came forward; they were the same who handed us the papers. Then we just did what we were told; following a line and following them.


    Leaving the big hall we walked through the hallway and were led to a specific ssroom. The line was very long so I had to wait a bit before I entered the room; it was the same for Anya as she was just in front of me.<sub> </sub>


    Entering the room I saw an entirely different type of ssroom; nothing like the one I was used to in my previous life.


    Before therge ckboard was a podium and after that was the ce for students to sit. The chairs and tables were built in a staircase-type style; like the ones you see in universities.


    The rows of long, round, wooden tables were all aligned in a semi-circr fashion, and directly faced the podium and therge ckboard behind it.


    Near the podium was a small wooden table there were a bunch of paper sheets on it. Behind the table stood a woman; most likely in her end- twenties.


    She was handing that sheet of paper to every student who entered the ssroom and that sheet was probably the question paper.


    Since Anya was in front of me, she already has taken the paper and was going to sit by the time it was my turn.


    The woman gave me the paper and I quickly nced through it; just as I suspected, it is the question paper.


    Then I walked toward the seats with the paper in my hand; the front rows were all full so I went and sat on the left side of the fifth row.


    Maybe the exam was already on because the ones who got here before were already writing. And so, I also started reading the question paper.


    ''Ah! Just like I thought," I sighed internally.


    The question paper can''t be considered difficult from any angle, in fact, it was easy. It was divided into two parts, maths, and literature.


    The maths questions were mainly based on intermediate-level fractions and basic-level algebra with some quadric equation questions mixed in. All were easy for me and can be easily solved.


    But it was not the easiness of the questions that surprised me, it was that the concepts of algebra and quadric equations existed in this world; though it was in early stages.


    The literature part well...you can say a middle-school student can solve it easily, and so was true for me as a high-school student.


    The paper consisted of hundred questions in total and I can confidently say that I knew them all. There are a few questions on which I will need to think a bit before writing but in the end, I can solve them.


    If this was the level of this entrance exam then I was worried over nothing.


    Even so, I didn''t start bombing the question paper with answers. It was because I was a bit confused now. The reason was the ss system that was introduced; our results in this exam will clearly determine in which ss we will be assigned.


    So, I was confused about how should I perform in this exam. Let''s just say that the students in ss A are treated as some respected people and are the center of attention, many students may admire them also.


    Just to be clear, this is not a random guess I am making. Let''s take this written exam, for example, it is easy for me but I doubt that''s the case for other students as well.


    I gazed upon the students who were sitting near me and saw that they were having trouble solving the questions; even Anya has stopped writing now.


    There will be only a handful of students who can solve this easily, just like the girl who''s sitting beside me right now. I have not seen her stop writing even once ever since I sat here.


    Students like her will be selected for ss A and y the role of those chosen elites. Of course, just by thinking about it, I can say that''s not a role fit for someone like me who wants a peaceful life.


    ''I came to this academy to learn magic after all, not to be a big shot or something.''


    After a long period of thinking over it, I decided what I had to do. Then, I took out a pen from my pocket and started writing.


    Yeah, they haven''t provided us with pens. It was thoughtful of me to bring a pen from home, Any was resisting saying that I''m acting like Ainge but even then I forcefully gave her a pen.


    ''Now she must be thanking me in her mind. It''s not like I want that though.''


    I removed the pen''s cap and started writing, answering the questions one by one.


    It was after ten or fifteen minutes that I was done writing.


    In the end, I decided to answer sixty questions and leave the remaining forty of them nk. This way, I will be a part of *The Average Students*.


    I stood up from my seat and walked toward the podium, and then I submitted my paper to the woman there.


    She nced at the paper and then looked at me, she must be thinking that I''m an idiot because the questions I left nk were the starting ones.


    "Now what?" I asked.


    "Go straight in the hallway and after five ssrooms you will find a hall-like room, that''s where the second exam is being taken," she replied.


    "Okay, thank you."


    Following her advice, I left the room. Before that I took a peak at Anya; she was still writing.


    ''I hope she doesn''t mess this up.''

 Chapter 41 Entrance Exam [2]

    I followed the way that teacher¡ªor whatever she was¡ªhad told me and then not long after, I reached that room.


    Upon entering the room, I saw a big gymnasium-type ce with a cemented floor.


    It was pretty simr to the hall-type room we were in¡ªwhere Mr. Halls exined things to us¡ªbut the only difference was that the floor was made of concrete instead of nks. Also, the size of this room was a bit small.


    Not many students were there; probably because they are still busy giving the written exam.


    Hence, only I and three other students were there with an old man who looked like an examiner.


    I walked over to him and said, "Umm, I''m here to take the second exam," in a soft but awkward voice.


    Instead of replying to me he held his hand up and signaled me to wait, and so I just did that and stood in a corner.


    It was not that hard to tell, he has told me to wait because the other students are taking the exam right now and maybe it was a type of exam that only one person can take at a time.


    I wanted to see so I directed my gaze toward a certain student out of those three; I was sure that he was the one who would give the exam because that old man was exining something to him.


    Then, that student¡ªwho was a boy¡ªmoved forward and after a few steps, he stopped and stood straight in his ce.


    I narrowed my eyes and tried to take a good look, it was then that I saw arge magic circle drawn on the floor.


    And that student was standing right in the center of it. It looked like that magic circle was drawn with something like chalk because its outlines were white in color.


    ''Hmm, this is my first time seeing a magic circle, which is totally different from what I imagined.''


    When you say a magic circle then a shy, shining, magic circle that is summoned in the middle of the aires to mind.


    But then again, things may not always go how you want them to. Maybe this is how magic circles really are in reality.


    While I was busy thinking about all this, the boy started saying something that sounded like an incantation.


    This was what he said, "Spirits of eternal mes, heed my call and summon before me a brink of your power: fireball."


    The white magic circle below his feet started glowing and emitting a white, almost blinding light. Several small ball-like particles that were yellow in color appeared around him.


    Even though it was just a bit, I was able to see the veins and arteries of his legs that stretched to his hands and whole upper body, glow in a simr yellow color.


    Then he stretched out his right hand and some sort of energy started gathering right in front of his palm.


    Instantaneously, a bright red magic circle appeared where that energy was gathered, and then a ball of fire erupted in front of it.


    Before that fireball could fully adapt its shape, it wasunched forward at a surprising speed.


    The fireball then flew away from the boy, leaving a trail of translucent smoke behind, and not long after, it crashed with one of the dummy bodies¡ªthat were ced at the end of the room¡ªand blew up its whole upper body.


    All of this happened in less than a minute, or maybe, it was not even a half of a minute. But for me, who admired every second of it, this whole processsted for an eternity.


    As an author, watching this fantastical scene unfold before my eyes was nothing less than a dreame true. The things I imagined and wrote in words were now right in front of me.


    It felt like time itself has stopped.


    When the fireball crashed with the dummy and disappeared, then, the red magic circle vanished and the circle before his feet lose its shine, all the particles also returned to their own world.


    The boy then looked at the old man and the old man then wrote something on a paper that was attached to a clipboard and he held it in his hands.


    He told something to him after that, and then the boy in question walked out of the room.


    The same thing was done by the two other students¡ªa boy and a girl¡ªand simrly, after doing that fireball thing, they left the room.


    By this point, I understood that this is what the test was.


    Since it was only me who was left in the room now, I proudly walked over to the old man while I continued thinking, ''how the fuck I''m going to take on this exam!''


    It was not that I was unable to use that, no, that was never a problem. The problem was...well, my parents are not higher-ss nobles so technically, from an outsides point of view, there''s no way that I already know how to use magic.


    This was the problem; if I used my elemental magic here then there can be some problems and I may end up causing trouble for my family. And if I didn''t use it, then there was a chance that I''ll fail this exam.


    I knew about this beforehand so I also did a bit of research, asking some other students about it but I was only left with disappointment.<sub> </sub>


    This was not a problem for someone like Anya who excelled in sword arts; they just had to perform more than good in the third exam and it''ll cover up for their failure in this exam.


    And yeah, I was also worried about Anya.


    But the problem still remains, what will someone like me, who is not so good at sword arts will do?


    It looks like the world was against me right now because before I could finish thinking of a solution, I had already reached near the old man.


    ''Hell, I was walking so slowly even then!''


    "Umm, so, how will I take this exam? Right now I don''t know how to use magic," I said, with a pleasant smile on my face.


    For now, I decided to take the passive approach and see what happens.


    The old man looked at me like I was spouting nonsense, and then he spoke, "That is not a problem kid. You see that magic circle over there, if you stand in the center of it, it will transfer some mana into your body. It''s not much but enough to cast a simple spell."


    What! Really! Then why the fuck you didn''t tell me before? No wait, I didn''t ask him for it before. It''s okay, calm down.


    This thing was sorted out after all, without any problem.


    The old man then walked toward the magic circle and so did I, during that he spoke up once again.


    "It seems like you have misunderstood something. This exam is not to determine whether or not you can use magic, but to check how well you can use that when given the necessary mana for the required task.


    That magic circle will provide you with mana but to channel that mana through your body and use it to cast that specific spell, that''s the thing you have to do."


    A weird smile had appeared on my face by now and maybe he noticed it because the next thing he said was probably rted to this.


    "Let me state this clearly, don''t get so full of yourself. This may look like an easy task but if this is the first time you are using magic and controlling the mana and directing it toward the spell is a hard thing to do. So be careful, now, you may proceed."


    He finished and then pointed toward the magic circle with his right hand.


    I carefully walked over and stood in the center of the circle.


    ''Now¡­maybe I should also chant that incantation otherwise it''ll not look natural.''


    I didn''t need to chant anything to use elemental magic though, but this can be a different type of spell so I better not take any unnecessary risks.


    ''Hmm, now that I think about it, I don''t really need the mana provided by this magic circle. I can camouge myself and make it look like I''m using the provided mana but instead of that, I''ll use my own to cast the spell.''


    This was a good idea, so I decided to go along with it.


    I stood straight in a bnced posture and then closed my eyes. This was starting to feel weird because I was used to elemental magic and for that, I had to imagine things but now, it was not like that at all.


    I just had to say a few words. So I just did it.


    "Spirits of eternal mes, heed my call and summon before me a brink of your power: fireball," I said and opened my eyes.


    Though I made a mistake, even though it was not intentional, I imagined the chemical structure of fire.


    ''I don''t know what will happen now. Not at all.''


    Just like before, the circle below my feet started glowing and those yellow particles appeared around me. I felt some kind of energy climbing up from my legs and going all the way up to my chest and then diverging into both my arms.


    This was the external energy I was receiving.


    I stretched out my right hand, and then, the red magic circle appeared before the palm of my hand and I felt some hot air on the tip of my fingers.


    But then it happened, I had pretty much-expected something like this but not fucking THIS!!


    A fireball, bathed in the color of pure crimson red, lit up in front of the red magic circle. Its size was slightly bigger than the ones those other students summoned and its color and the heat it was emitting werepletely different.


    I was not sure but it was likely the result of me using elemental magic and this spell at the same time.


    Maybe both of thembined and created this FUCKING FIREBALL!


    The fireball was then fired in the direction of the human dummy at utmost speed.

 Chapter 42 Entrance Exam [3]

    The fireball was then fired in the direction of the human dummy at utmost speed.


    ''Shit! This is wrong! If that old man saw this fireball then it ought to make me the center of attention! I definitely don''t want to take that generic mc path!''


    Hence, without wasting a single second I quickly used elemental magic andunched a jet spray of water toward that fireball.


    I used most of my mana to increase the speed of the spray so that the old man doesn''t see it; if that happened then this will end up backfiring and draw more attention.


    But s! I was toote, Iunched the jet spray the next second after the fireball but even then it was toote. The fireball was already out of my range.


    The spray didn''t work, I had intended to reduce the size of the fireball with this but it failed.


    The big, red fireball made its way toward the human dummies that were lined up at the end of the room. It shed with a dummy and the next moment an explosion urred.


    It looked like a miniature supernova and it blew not just one or two, but four of the human dummies; all of them were burned to crisp.


    ''Sigh! I wanted to do mediocre in this exam also but now things are a little out of hand. I messed up, to be honest. Imagining the elements in my mind before casting magic has be a habit of mine.''


    Now I somehow have to deal with it, so, I slowly turned toward the old man who was standing behind me at a distance.


    He was staring at me with his eyes out, and sweat was visible on his wrinkled forehead.


    ? "D-Did I pass?" I asked with an innocent but awkward smile.


    It took a while for him toe back to his senses and as he did a "Huh?" came out of his mouth. Regaining hisposure he spoke


    "¡­Ahem¡­I can''t reveal the results to you right now."


    There was a minute of silence after that, neither of us said anything and just kept staring at the other. Maybe he wanted to ask me something but I just wanted to leave as soon as possible.


    "...¡­"


    "...¡­"


    "Can I leave now?" breaking the silence, I asked.


    "OH¡­ah, yes you can. The second exam is over for you now," said the old man.


    I turned my back on him and began walking toward the exit, I wanted to run but that''ll make things look even weirder.


    Then when I was about to leave the room, he called out to me, considering the distance that was between us now, his voice was rather loud.


    "Was this really the first time you used magic?" he asked.


    "YES!" I turned and replied; the same innocent smile appeared on my face but this time I tried to make it as wholesome as possible.


    At this point, I was next to the exit door so after giving him a reply, I picked up my pace and ran off.


    ''It''ll be better if I don''t see this guy again ever in my life!''


    I was not running exactly but my pace was faster than normal walking, so before I knew it I came very far away from that room.


    I stopped and looked around; it was good that I''m still in the hallway. I rxed my breathing, which was out of control for a moment now; thought I was not out of breath because I have C rank stamina and a bit of fast walking is nothing for me.


    And then¡­I realized something.


    "Fuck! I forgot to ask him where I have to go for the third exam!" I cursed myself.


    There was a way to go back and ask him that but¡­nope, not doing it. First of all, it''ll be way awkward and the second is that other students may be also there now.


    That will also attract attention to me and definitely not in a good way; they will likely think of me as an idiot.


    ''A possible threat to the peaceful life I want; maybe I''ll get taunted and bullied after that. Not that I can''t protect myself and beat them up but then again, I''ll end up falling deeper in the vortex of attracting attention.''


    I know I''m overthinking this right now but even so, it''s a big no for this option.


    ''The other option I have is to wander on my own and try to find the ce where the next exam is taking ce. This sounds like a good option so I''ll go with this one.''


    Hence, I started walking again slowly as I kept checking my surroundings to not miss that ce.


    ''The ces where the first and second exams are taking ce are not that far away from each other; after all, if they were then it will be a hassle for the students. So keeping that in mind, the ce for the next exam should be somewhere near.''


    ***


    15 minutester


    ***


    "Damn it! I can''t find the ce!" I muttered as I put my hand on my face.


    Just where the hell is that ce!?!<sub> </sub>


    All the rooms I have checked till now were either locked or empty; probably an arrangement for this day exclusively.


    The normal sses were off for today because I never saw any of them. They must have done this to avoid confusion for any crowds but this thing was working against me now.


    If there were any other students here then I would have asked them about the third exam and it would be easy but¡­ah well.


    While thinking all this I kept walking, and soon after I saw something. No, it was not what I was looking for but a person, a girl¡ªwho looked my age


    She was standing outside the hallway in a garden-like ce. This hallway was built on the outer side of the building so the wall on my right had big gaps in it¡ªfor light toe in and for air venttion I guess.


    And thorough those gaps, I was able to see her.


    She had long white hair that went down to her waist; her deep red eyes had a shine in them, making them seem like a gem. Her face was devoid of any makeup but had an image of natural beauty on her. She wore a in white top and a crimson-colored skirt that matched her eyes. Her legs were covered to the thighs by ck stockings that were simr to the ones Anya wore.


    Though her looks are the perfect example of an overused trope with her white hair and red eyes, I have to admit¡­I can''t deny that she is also an example of the beautiful girl of your dreams.


    She was standing there alone and gazing at the flowers that were nted near the outer wall.


    At that moment, a gust of wind passed by, that made her hair flow in the air. I also came back to my senses then.


    I finally got the second thing I was searching for; someone I can ask for directions.


    So I parkour over the wall and made my way outside as I walked in her direction. I made my presence very open and easy to catch so that I don''t end up surprising her.


    The same thing happened and she noticed me. She looked at me while I stood at a three or four steps'' distance from her.


    "Sorry to disturb you but can you tell me where the third exam is taking ce? It''s okay if you don''t know," I asked in a soft voice, though it wascking in emotion because I didn''t put much effort into it¡ªI was in a hurry after all.


    I also added that she doesn''t have to tell me if she doesn''t know; that was because I am not sure if she''s taking the entrance exam or not.


    I mean, if she was then why she would be wasting her time here?


    Or the other possibility was that she already finished all the exams and was now killing time here; which was unlikely so I paid it no mind.


    The answer was not given to me immediately as she averted her gaze and maybe was thinking over something.


    After a minute or so had passed, she spoke up.


    "It''s taking ce in the room next to where the second exam is held," she said.


    "Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate your help though now I have to go," I thanked her and went back in the way I came from.


    Walking alone in the hallway at a fast pace there was only one thing going through my mind right now.


    "I feel like an absolute idiot!" I was thinking it with such force that it came out in words.


    After that in around five minutes, I reached the ce in question. It really was just next to it and I simply passed by without even noticing it.


    I entered the room and saw that no one was there, the examiner was the only person to be seen there.


    Either I was too early or toote.


    And keeping in mind what oh wonderful thing I did, thetter part seems to be true.


    ''Ah fuck! I am so annoyed that I''m throwing sarcasm at myself; that is a thing I don''t usually do.''


    Anyway, I walked up to the examiner who this time was a young man with a sword.


    Of course, he has a sword; this is an exam rted to sword arts.


    "Umm, so, I am here for the third exam," I said to him.


    "Oh, you are rather early!"


    Wow, I''ll just pretend that I didn''t hear that.


    "Well, take a sword from there and get ready," as he finished speaking, he pointed toward a desk where several swords were.


    I went and picked up one of them; it was a long and thin sword, and it also gave off a katana-type vibe that I liked.


    Then I came back and stood in front of the examiner.


    "In this exam, I will be testing how good you are at sword arts, so don''t hesitate ande at me with everything you''ve got," he said as he held his sword with both of his hands and raised it toward me.


    Hmm, shouldn''t we be using wooden swords though?


    ''But if he says it''s fine then it''s fine, don''t hold any hard feelings if I ended up killing you. Also, I''m not kidding here.''

 Chapter 43 Entrance Exam [4]

    ''But if he says it''s fine then it''s fine, don''t hold any hard feelings if I ended up killing you. Also, I''m not kidding here.''


    No, I really was just kidding here.


    There''s no way that I was going to take this exam seriously after that mess I made in the previous one.


    It was clear that what I did there was by no means an ordinary thing you see every day, so I was more or less sure that I will end up with a high grade on the second exam.


    I performed mediocrely in the first exam so even if you take that into ount and calcte my total score, it was likely that I will be out of those average student criteria I want to be in.


    So, to bnce things up I was going to perform just enough to get a passing grade, that''s all.


    I was also not that good in sword arts so the possibility of something like thest time happening was out of the question.


    The only way I stood on the ground during battles that required fighting with sword art was because of that skill I have¡ªForesight.


    That helped me a lot in improving my defense and because of that in this exam I was going to do just that; y defense.


    "Let''s get started," said the young man in front of me.


    "Oh¡­no actually. Please wait a minute," I replied and signaled him to stop.


    He stopped in his ce and then I held the sword between the armpits of my right hand and then removed the ck gloves I was wearing.


    They are not made of leather so if I kept wearing them while wielding a sword, then I may have topromise some grip.


    I removed the gloves and put them in my pocket, after that, I held the sword again with both of my hands. This time I was able to feel its cold metal de and its wooden handle.


    "I''m ready now," I said and stood in a battle stance, looking directly at the young man¡ªwho was the examiner.


    He smiled at me and with his bodynguage, he hinted to me to get real now ande at him with everything I''ve got.


    Of course, I wasn''t going to do that.


    But just to make it look like I was taking things seriously I charged at him and aimed at him with my sword.


    It was supposed to be a piercing attack that can be used for stabbing your opponent but if the other person has even a bit of experience then it can be dodged pretty easily.


    The same thing happened and he titled his waist¡ªwhere my sword was about to stab him¡ªto the right and then using his legs and moving away he dodged itpletely.


    My speed though was by no means slow and I was not able to stop instantly¡ªor I probably made it look like that.


    When I stopped and was about to turn around I felt an enormous presence behind me, the air suddenly became heavy and a bit of sweat dripped from my temple.


    Without wasting a single second I used [Foresight] and then multiple examiners appeared before my eyes; each of them was going tond a different attack on me.


    I got to know this recently but instead of showing me the exact future, [Foresight] shows me all the possible futures and one of them can be the true one¡ªI don''t know which one.


    The images it shows me like for example I am seeing ten images of the examiner then it means that in the next 0.1 second, one of them cane true.


    There was an option to simply dodge all of them but that was not possible most of the time because to react in 0.1 is not a simple thing to do.


    Then there was an option to predict the future that cane true by the elimination method. I was able to do it due to a feature of this skill; the images that I see are sorted by their opacity.


    The skill helped me quite a bit. The opacity of the image with the future has the most possible chance of bing true and the image with the least chance is almost transparent.


    So by that what I have to do is dodge the attacksunched by the examiner''s image with the highest opacity.


    And when this time I used [Foresight] on the examiner I was shocked down to my bones. The number of images I saw was high, too high; around a hundred or so images were there.


    This means that there are hundred possible attacks he had in his mind now and he was going to perform one of them.


    The attack that came was one where he swung his sword from up to down with a huge amount of force behind it and his sword aimed for my right shoulder.


    I reacted in less than a second and leaped back a few steps and then blocked his sword with mine.


    A loud sound of two pieces of metal shing with each was heard throughout the room.


    Scraping through my sword he moved¡ªsparks were released when our swords rubbed against each other.


    He did a three-sixty-degree spin and thenunched another attack that targeted the right side of my waist; it was a shing attack.


    I darted forward and before he could fully perform his attack I locked swords with him, making him unable to move freely.


    He both increased the amount of force behind our swords, trying to push the other back andunch an attack.


    This power struggle continued for a while, sometimes I pushed him back, and sometimes he got me into a corner.


    In the end, we both backed off to catch our breath. To be honest, this was the first time I was actually having a bit of trouble.


    He was way better than Anya¡ªthe only one I have fought using sword arts¡ªand this man was hard to read.


    He never spoke anything since the fight began and he also had a poker face up all the time, making me unable to read his expressions.


    ? Of course, the same was the case with me.


    I am not praising myself here but I am better at making a poker face than him by andslide, and it showed clearly.<sub> </sub>


    When he found that he was not able to read me, I saw him narrowing his eyes from time to time or twitching his brows. Sometimes, wrinkles formed on his temple, and all this indicated that he was not good with poker faces.


    ''He can''t hide his irritationpletely and that is enough to make one aware of his intentions.''


    Now I decided to finish this, keeping this fight go on any longer will only waste time.


    Thus, I dashed toward him at full speed and surprisingly, he did the same thing. I had expected him to defend but he also dashed toward me.


    In the blink of an eye, we were beside each other and at the same time, we moved our swords against each other.


    shing them with full force, the sound traveled in each and every inch of this room.


    Then, I loosened my grip on my sword, due to that he was able to push me back and my sword slipped from my hand and was thrown back in the air by him.


    The next moment, his sword stopped just before slicing my neck. He then pulled his sword back and put it in its sheath.


    "Did I pass or fail?"


    "I can''t answer that now, you''ll have to wait for the results."


    Figured this much, that old man also said the same thing.


    "Well, thank you. Can you now tell me about the fourth exam? We were not told anything about the nature of the exam and everything is kept a secret from us."


    I asked as I put on my gloves again after wiping the sweat on my palms with my handkerchief.


    "For now, go back to where Mr. Halls exined the entrance exam to you. You will find out there where the fourth exam is taking ce and what it is about," he replied.


    Tch! I tried to ask it in a roundabout way but he avoided my question entirely.


    "Okay, thank you very much. I guess I should go now," I said and began walking toward the exit door.


    And then I remembered something; the sword that was thrown into the air by him was still lying on the floor so I went there and picked it up to put it back in its ce.


    I bent my knees and picked the sword and then.


    "Why were you not taking this seriously? I said toe at me with everything you''ve got, didn''t I?" said the young man.


    At this point, I was standing again, but after hearing this I didn''t move and just stood there.


    "Even though I am very young among the other teachers, I do have a good amount of fighting experience. I can predict the strength of my opponent when I cross swords with them for the first time. And the same¡­goes for you also¡­you were not fighting with your full power."


    ''Is he really going to do it now?''


    I kinda expected that he might find out but I never thought that he will just ask me straight.


    ''Sigh! Troubles after troubles!''


    "Huh? What are you talking about sir? I really went all out against you, it''s true," I said.


    He was standing behind me at a distance but I didn''t turn around when I replied to him, nor did I look at him. Just answered like any normal student would in this situation.


    But¡­


    "No, that''s not quite true. You can lie to the others but not to me."


    ***


    After he finished saying that, the young man unsheathed his sword in an instant and threw it at Zero with great force. If that attacknded then it was likely to drill through Zero''s neck.


    But what happened next surprised that young man as his eyes widened in shock when he witnessed it.


    As the sword was about to hit Zero, he moved, so fast that it looked like a sh. Then he strike at the sword with his own and the sword he held was not normal.


    The de was red hot like someone has thrown it into a furnace and heated it, but it was the result of Zero using his elemental magic on the sword.


    The red hot de sliced the other sword in two and both of its piecesnded near Zero''s legs.


    Then the young man looked at Zero and his face. It waspletely different from before, his eyes were devoid of any expression and so was his face.


    Those eyes looked straight at him and when he gazed into them, like the void, those eyes stared back at him.


    It was enough to make him go silent, but then the teenage boy, Zero, spoke up.


    "Forget about what happened here otherwise the world will forget about you. And give me the marks ording to how I performed, not based on what you thought I will perform like...understand?"


    His voice was cold, in, and enough to send shivers down one''s spine.


    Zero then walked to that desk and ced the sword on it, after that, he quietly left the room.


    Now, the young man was alone, it took some time but he regained hisposure.


    "Seems like we have many interesting students this year," he muttered to himself, and then a faint smile appeared on his face.

 Chapter 44 Entrance Exam [5]

    "No, that''s not quite true. You can lie to the others but not to me."


    I heard him saying that from behind.


    So he is really going to do it, ha.


    I wanted to avoid this oue but if that''s what you want then you will just get that.


    ''I just want to live a peaceful life here. Can''t I even have that much? Is it too much to ask? Am I not allowed to experience a bit of happiness in a "normal" way? I don''t want to go back to being my old self, if not necessary, but the people keep forcing me to do so.''


    Sigh! No use thinking over it now, it is what it is.


    Immediately after, I sensed the presence of something behind me. ''He is trying tounch a surprise attack to see how I''ll reach so that he can guess my true potential. Hmm, you''re not bad¡­but this is too generic of an approach.''


    The presence closed the distance in an instant, was it him? No, the presence I''m sensing is too small to be of a human, he must''ve thrown his sword at me.


    If that''s the case then¡­


    I moved like flowing water, smoothly, any movement I made was not wasted. Then, with the sword that I was done heating with my elemental magic already, I swung it without even looking at my target.


    I trusted my instincts and moved purely based on that, and I must say I was not disappointed. The thing that was headed toward me was in fact the sword he held a few moments ago.


    And then, when his sword entered my range and was about to pierce through my neck, my sword cut through his sword like a heated knife on butter¡ªslicing the de of the other sword into two pieces.


    It was because I had heated my sword with elemental magic¡ªfire element, though this was not meant to be a counter for this sword.


    Even if he hade to get me himself, the result wouldn''t have varied much.


    I took a look at his face and it was pale, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and amusement could be seen.


    But what I wanted to see the most was not there, despair. He had sweat all over his face and body but he was not terrified of me.


    Thus, I decided to push it a bit further.


    "Forget about what happened here otherwise the world will forget about you. And give me the marks ording to how I performed, not based on what you thought I will perform like...understand?" I said, in a cold, expressionless voice.


    I also indirectly added that if he told anyone about me or what happened here, he will lose his life.


    It was an important thing to do, after all, if word got out then the normal, peaceful life I dream of will be turned to dust. And I can go to any extent to keep that from happening.


    He didn''t reply to me, in fact, he didn''t say anything. I went to the desk and ced the sword back on it, afterwards, I left the room and headed to where the fourth exam was supposed to be.


    On my way there, I realized that I probably still have "that" look on my face. Therefore, I stopped and put my hand on my chest, touching where my heart was.


    ''Calm down, calm down, calm down,'' after repeating these words over and over in my mind, I relieved a prolonged breath.


    ''I am fine now, I should be.''


    With that, I put a smile on my face and started walking again.


    ***


    Let''s go back in time a bit.


    When Zero was dealing with all this, a certain someone was busy with their own problem. The thing that was troubling this someone was a mathematical question.


    And the person in question was Anya, Zero''s older sister.<sub> </sub>


    She was still stuck in the first exam, trying to somehow solve all these questions.


    Her academic abilities were not good but she wasn''t bad either. In fact, she was already done with all the literature questions, all that was left was mathematics.


    At this time, a boy rose up from his seat and went to submit his answer sheet to the female examiner¡ªwho sat behind the podium on a chair.


    This boy was none other than her own brother, Zero. Saying he was her "own" brother might not be right, but the fact still remained that he was her brother.


    She nced at him and the only thing she thought was, ''How in the world did he finish it this quickly?''


    This was a normal reaction anyone would expect out of her, after all, she didn''t know what Zero had written and what he didn''t.


    She knew that he was from another world, a world that was way advanced from this one. She also knew that he can use magic without anyone being there to teach him.


    Even so, she never thought of him to be a genius in academics also.


    A genius? After witnessing what happened just now, she was not able to discard this possibility by saying, "this is impossible".


    Her doubts were slowly taking the form of fact. Though this was just her assumption, she wasn''t aware of it.


    Finishing her exam around half an hour after Zero left, she went to take on the third exam.


    When she entered the room she was told, the sight of an old man who was staring at something outside with his eyes out was the first thing she saw.


    Since she was the first one to finish the first exam after Zero, there were no other students here.


    Those who left before her were probably done with the second exam also. This, however, also meant that thest one to leave from here was Zero; she was not so dense to not realize this.


    ''I guess it exins the state he''s in. If it was Zero, then he must have done something again,'' she thought.


    This exam turned out to be a tough one for her; though she knew this beforehand. It was because the second exam tested one''s magic skills; the thing she was weak at.


    But she somehow cleared it, there was a magic circle in the middle of this room and the old man ¡ªwho was the examiner this time ¡ªtold her that this will supply her with mana to cast a spell.


    He told her the incantation she was supposed to use and then when she was about to fire the spell, he interrupted her.


    ''Is this your first time also?'' he asked.


    "Yes, as I told you before. This is my first time using magic."


    The look on his face suddenly darkened as he said, "Please don''t blow up this ce."


    Some "things" that happened a while ago left a deep impact on the old man, this much was clear.


    After clearing the second exam, she went to take on the third one. This exam was pretty easy for her since her specialty was sword arts and this exam tested just that.


    However, the state this examiner was in can''t be defined as good. ''Him again'' she said internally.


    "You''ve got some good skills there," the examinerplimented her before she left to which she replied with a simple "thank you".


    Leaving that room, she stood by herself.


    "Now all that''s left is the fourth exam. The one I''m worried about the most," she said to herself.

 Chapter 45 The Special Exam [1]

    After a bit of walking, I¡ªwho is known as Zero nks in this world, entered the hall I was told about by a certain young man.


    The same hall where all the students were gathered at the start and Mr. Halls exined to us about the entrance exam.


    As I made my way in, I saw that except for a few students¡ªaround five or ten¡ªno one else was there.


    Did I really finish all three exams this quick? ''Well, then I guess he was not being sarcastic when he said that I''m rather early.''


    I walked at a normal pace, the hall was mostly empty and quiet so the sound that the nked floor made when I walked could be heard clearly.


    The gazes of the students who were already present here, shifted towards me as I approached them.


    I''d no n of interacting with them anyway so they were just wasting their time here.


    And so, I stood at a distance from the others and simply waited for...I don''t know what I was waiting for, after all, that examiner said that I will be given the details here.


    ''Maybe they are waiting for all the students to arrive first?'' a thought crossed my mind.


    If that was the case then this next exam will probably be the type where you can''t y solo. Or it could be that the exam can''t start until all the students were here.


    The possibilities were few and I am sure everyone else has also figured this out and they are wondering just like me, about what will we be facing next.


    The academy has done its best to keep the details a secret; not that we had any way of uncovering it thought.


    Right now, the students who are giving the exams are probably divided into two factions. One who is taking it easy and are focusing on the exam they are giving at present; to them, the future exams are a thing to worry about when they are actually giving it.


    And then the second faction, this faction contains students who are taking things seriously. While giving their best in the present they are also thinking about the future; like what the fourth exam could be.


    There''s also a third possibility that I''m just overthinking this because I have nothing to do right now, but...let''s not talk about it for the moment.


    Like that, around ten minutes passed, then fifteen minutes, then twenty, then thirty; half an hour passed.


    When I was almost on the verge of dying with boredom, someone entered the hall.


    Ah, it''s just my sister Anya.


    ''Hmm, why did I expect that the whole student body wille running through the door? I do have some wild fantasies I guess.''


    She directed her gaze at me, and I did the same¡ªgazed back at her. Seems like she also finished all three exams; she was the first one to finish after me.


    "She looks pretty worn out~" I muttered to myself.


    It was understandable, knowing her I am sure that she''d given her all in the third¡ªsword arts¡ªexam. Though at the same time I was also wondering how she cleared the second exam¡ªthe one that tested our magic skills.


    With her arms folded, she came and stood beside me.


    ? "How did it go?" I asked.


    "I did all I could," she said; a rather short reply from her side.


    ***


    Half an hour more passed, now it was aplete hour since I came here. And guess what? I and all of the other students were standing till them.


    Can''t they even provide us with some chairs at least?


    This half an hour after Anya''s arrival, the other students slowly starteding one after another and the hall was now pretty much filled.


    I was looking here and there and then I noticed something, the number of students present here was high, I admit that much. But the numbers differed from when the first time we came into this hall¡ªbefore the entrance exam.


    Also, I wasn''t the only one who noticed this change. Some of the other students, including Anya, had also noticed it but were keeping their cool.


    Though, the gust of confusion was surely spread across the entire hall.


    But right at that moment, when the world wanted him the most, he made his appearance.


    It was Mr. Halls; he came onto the stage and stood before what looked like a mic stand with a small magic circle on its tip.


    Yes, finally, Mr. Halls had arrived in the hall!


    He pped a few times in front of the mic to gather the attention of all the students, and then when it was done, he started speaking.


    "First, let me congratte all of the students present here for clearing the first part of the entrance exam; Congrattions for making it this far!"


    The first part he says?


    But he didn''t stop speaking, after a pause, he spoke again.<sub> </sub>


    "Now then, as most of you have already noticed but just in case, let me inform you of the fact that the numbers of students who are missing from here are those who failed in the first part of the exam. Hence, they were sent back home."


    What he said dropped like a bomb that was oblivious to this. And my guess turned out to be right.


    I had thought that there might be some students who failed and were sent back but I also had some doubts.


    Like when he decided who failed and who passed?


    ''¡­..''


    Oh, I see!


    All of the examiners had something like a paper and they wrote something on it after I finished the exam. At that time I didn''t notice but that must be when they decided who failed and who passed.


    After all, except the academic exam, the results of the other exams could be determined on the spot.


    So¡­if my theory is right, then the system of failing or passing a student should be something like this.


    The First Exam¡ªthat tested our academic skills: The students who finished first submitted their answer sheet to the examiner and then left for the second exam.


    The result of this exam was not taken out immediately as checking the answer sheets took time. So when the examiner gets the answer sheet from a student, they started checking through it while that student went off to give the other exams.


    The Second Exam¡ªthat tested our magic skills: When a student arrives there and gives this exam, the result is on the examiner''s hand instantly.


    The old man who was there looked like a person who knew magic, so it wouldn''t be hard for him to determine how much skill or potential this particr student has. He was also testing everyone on how well they can perform that one fireball spell, so taking out the result on that basics must be easy.


    Then, if the student passed then they were sent to take the third exam but if they failed then it was a trip back home; there was no third exam for them to give.


    The Third Exam¡ªthat tested our sword art skills: Just like the second exam, the examiner here was a well-experienced person in sword arts; so he was also able to tell how good or bad a student is.


    And if they passed then they were told toe here to this hall but if they failed, they were sent back home.


    Now, there was another thing that came into y after the third exam. Suppose a student passed both the second and third exams but did poorly in the first exam.


    By this time, the examiner of the first exam should be done checking their answer sheet and if they passed and all good, but just like before, if they failed then the only way they had led back home. This means even if you pass two out of three exams but failed in any one of them, you will be kicked out.


    This is how I think they passed or failed the students. But then again, this is just a theory from my side and the system can be slightly or even entirely different from this.


    Though I''d now satisfied myself and there was no doubt left in my mind. All that was left was the fourth exam.


    Waking me up from my thoughts was Mr. Halls''s voice.


    "I think this is what most of you have been waiting for, so let me now exin the fourth exam."


    Finally!


    "Whenever this academy conducted an entrance exam, the fourth exam was always different from before while the other three remained the same. Hence, it was named the ''Special Exam''. And just like before, the same is the case now.


    The exam you are all about to give will be testing your skills to survive in a harsh, unknown environment. There will be many times when you will on your own, in a ce filled with danger.


    Keeping in mind that this world has monsters and things likebyrinths, that is not impossible. And this exam will be testing how you can survive in these types of situations with the use of the skills you have in your arsenal.


    This time, you will have to survive in a ce filled with all sorts of monsters and creatures. Worry not, this is not a test to death; you will just have to survive for a day in there."


    Ah, okay, okay, okay¡­just stop for a second!


    This is too much information! At least give me some time to process it!


    We will be sent to a ce filled with monsters? Okay, I get it; even though I just came to know that monsters also existed here.


    The thing is...where the fuck are they? I mean, I don''t see anything around here.


    "So without further ado, let the special exam begin!" said Mr. Halls in a loud voice.


    "W-Wait! What?"


    Before I could say anything, or even before anyone could utter a single word. The floor below us shone in a brilliant white.


    A big magic circle, that covered all the students in it, appeared on the wooden floor.


    Then, all of a sudden my vision was bleached. All I could see was white, just white.


    I felt like flying as the weight of my body suddenly decreased, though after a while it came back to normal.


    My vision was also repaired and what I saw next was not an academy hall, but a bunch of trees, bushes, and green grass below my feet; it was a jungle.

 Chapter 46 The Special Exam [2]

    My vision was also repaired and what I saw next was not an academy hall, but a bunch of trees, bushes, and green grass below my feet; it was a jungle.


    "Damn!"


    I looked around and tried to get a grasp of my surroundings, only after a minute it was clear that I was in a wild area; a forest sort of ce.


    ''Is this the ce Mr. Halls was talking about? If so then I was right to be a bit wary of this exam.''


    ording to what Mr. Halls said, this ce was also filled with monsters; the monsters that I came to know about just a few moments ago.


    Till now, I had absolutely no idea that monsters existed here leaving aside the matter of seeing them. *A world based on a fantasy setting*, this world truly lived up to its description in every aspect.


    Still, monsters are monsters. I need to do some preparations or else¡ª


    (#%$#$&)


    Just when I was about to move and get a look at this area, a sudden beep sound rang in my head; it was loud at starting but the next second it stabilized.


    (I''m sure all of you have reached the location of this exam already, so let me get straight to the point. As I have said before, you all will have to survive in this ce for a whole day and if you can do that, then you will pass the fourth exam and will officially be a student of the Zaforths magic academy.


    But let me make this clear for once and for all, the ce you are currently in has monsters to apany you, so better watch out for that. You will have to get the drinking water by yourself but as for food, you will find some trees with edible fruits on them; they are pretty easy to find so that will not be a problem.


    Also, the exam''s location¡ªthis forest area¡ªis owned by the academy and we have set up a dome-shaped barrier around it, so you won''t be able to contact or go into the outside world until the exam finishes.


    Now, the fourth and the final exam will start now!)


    With that, the voice was cut off. ''Was this telepathy?''


    The voice I heard in my head just now was of Mr. Halls''s, no doubt about it. And judging from the way he was speaking it was clear that this message was delivered to all of the students present here; like an announcement.


    It was probably to inform us that we were teleported here by the academy and now the fourth exam will start.


    "Seems like a lot of trouble~" I muttered as I began walking forward.


    This exam will require a lot of energy from my side, honestly, it''s a pain in the ass and I don''t wanna do it but then again, not like I have any other choice.


    I again looked around me just in case but the result was the same, no one else was there except for me.


    The ce where I was a mountain-like ce and a few steps on my back was a cliff; a straight fall.


    You can''tbel this ce as safe and I was the same. Fuck the exam, my safetyes first so I began walking in the opposite direction from the cliff, headed toward an area with many trees.


    I didn''t stop gazing at my surroundings while I did so because I didn''t want to let my guard down and the other reason was to find any other students.


    We were not provided with any kind of map so I was just going in a random direction while I continued to think about some things.


    Like what Mr. Halls said in that telepathy message.


    He barely exined to us the rules of this exam and all the information we were given was pretty vague. It can be that there were no such rules and this was just a straightforward survival exam but, it was too good to be true.


    If this was a novel, then we would have gotten a survival exam based on a battle royal¡ªwhere we had to kill or eliminate the other students to confirm our victory. Or it could have been an exam to collect some points, items, or something like that, that were hidden in a special spot.


    I mean, I would''ve done that. After all, who doesn''t like to see random characters getting killed?


    Yeah, this scenario will be possible if the author was azy person, whose main focus was the hi scenes and the plot was just there to move the story forward.


    ''Sigh! But this is unlikely to be the reason here, better focus on the logical things.''


    Getting back to the topic, he didn''t even tell us how the students will fail and pass. And among the ones who passed, how are they nning to give us the grades? Like there were no such things that can differentiate your performance from the others.


    For example, assume that five out of ten students pass this exam¡ªI don''t know how they are nning to fail us but let''s put that aside for now. Now, for those five students who passed, how will the academy rank them?


    Because more or less our exam grades will decide which ss we will be assigned to so if there''s no system to give us a grade in this exam then it doesn''t make sense.


    The only possibility I see is that this exam was just to testify our survival skills and won''t affect our grades. Then the decision on which ss to put the individual student in will be from how they did in those three exams.


    This was all I could think of, for now at least. Maybe there''s something I''m missing or they are hiding some specific details, but the information I have in hand is too little for me to specte exactly what they are hiding¡ªor even hiding or not.


    So now I shifted my attention to my surroundings; I was walking through an area where arge number of thick lush trees were nted. The ground was covered with long green grass, though there were patches of empty ground at several intervals.


    The sunlight was making its way between the leaves of the trees and illuminating the area, there was not much light but it was enough to walk easily without stepping into a pit or something.


    "They sure are rich if this whole forest is their property," I said to myself.


    I got a feeling in my chest that if I yed this carelessly, things might get out of hand.<sub> </sub>


    Hmm, there should not be any problem surviving for one day here, but that''s when it''s just about surviving.


    There are monsters here too. It''s not like I doubt my skills¡ªmy elemental magic should be powerful enough so I can defend myself if nothing¡ªbut at the same time as I have never seen nor faced those monsters before, I don''t want to underestimate them and invite any risks that can be avoided.


    Should I select a ce to act as a base or should I keep moving? Securing a ce early on will help me to get a ce to sleep at night but being at one point for longer can also be dangerous. Which can be avoided by being on the move all the time and getting a temporary ce to sleep at night.


    Both the options have their own set of pros and cons so it''s not that easy to decide. ''Maybe I should take some time on this.''


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"


    When I was busy in my thoughts I suddenly heard a scream; it was the voice of a male and it came from somewhere nearby.


    ''Just what I was looking for!'' with that thought in mind, I quickly ran toward the direction that scream came from.


    I ran through the forest, removing the leaves and branches that caressed my face with my hands. Soon I saw an opening in the wall of leaves and bushes from which a good amount of light wasing.


    I slowed my pace and sat on my knees just before that opening, and then looked in that direction.


    What I saw was another thing out of fantasy novels, an orc. A monster big in size with a height of almost ten feet, its body was muscr¡ªfar more than a pro wrestler¡ªwith y-colored skin.


    He covered his bottom half and his private parts with a cloth-like thing that looked more like the skin of an animal. He also held a big, thick, and broad sword-type de in his hands.


    Before the orc, stood a boy my age, he wore expensive-looking clothing and was armed with a long sword.


    ''Where the hell did he find that sword from?'' I thought, but that was not important right now. Hence, I shifted my attention back toward the boy.


    He carried an anxious look on his face; his eyes were widened, sweat on his temple and he was trembling.


    "Khwa!" the orc roared as he took some big steps toward the boy and swung his de multiple times in the air.


    "Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhhh!!!" the boy leaped backward and somehow survived the first attack while he kept dodging the orc''s de while screaming like a mad man.


    "This is insane! No one told me that we will be fighting real monsters! I was not prepared for this! Ah, this is crazy!!!"


    I was able to tell that he was scared to death and at this point, it was his will to live that was moving his body to defend against the orc.


    "FUCK YOU!" he shouted and then darted toward the orc while holding his sword at a certain angle.


    The orc''s broad de came rushing toward him but instead of getting cut into two pieces, he jumped, stepped on the de, and thenunched himself in the direction of the orc''s head.


    "Die! You bastard!" his long sword emitted a bright light before he swung it at the orc''s neck.


    -Thump!


    Someone crashed onto the ground and it was not the orc, but that boy. The orc''s right hand came flying toward him and punched him before he could unleash his attack.


    "Cough! Cough!" the boy tried to get up, blood dripping from his mouth.


    "Shit! I''m bleeding! Hey, stop this exam and get me out of here! Anyone? Mr. Halls? Please take me out or I''m seriously gonna die here!" he said while facing the sky but his words fell on deaf ears.


    -nk!


    The orc attacked him with his de which the boy defended against with his long sword, but¡­something broke, it was his long sword.


    I was actually wondering for a long time, how that thin sword is not breaking when shing with that thick and heavy de. Now it was more or less clear; maybe they never shed directly and now that they did, the result was there. His jaw dropped; the look of anxiety on the boy''s face turned into a terrified expression.


    "Ah, this is so messed up! I can''t possibly fight against thing!" he cried as he took a few steps back. Maybe he was going to run now but¡­


    -sh!


    The orc''s de came toward him at an insane speed; this was because the orc was now using both his hands to swing the de.


    "Wai-" before he could finish his sentence, the boy fell silent.


    The thick, broad de buried itself in the boy''s right shoulder, and slicing through his body it came out from the left side of his waist. His body was cut in two in an instant and those two pieces fell to the ground.


    The orc then let out a loud roar that made the birds on the nearby trees, fly in the air.


    I simply observed all this while keeping my presence hidden and now, what I came here for was clear.


    ''So this is how the students will fail, huh.'' I said inwardly.

 Chapter 47 The Special Exam [3]

    Somewhere in a room inside the academy campus, stood two people; both men. One of them was Robert Halls; the head of the management department of the new students.


    And the other person with him was a young man with short blonde hair and a pair of leaf green eyes. His name was Ryfin Jekar; and he was the one who took the role of the examiner in the third entrance exam, though this was not the only part he yed in the academy.


    "What do you think about this year''s batch?" asked Robert as he stared straight in the air.


    Where at a distance of around five feet was arge, holographic screen that floated in the air. The screen showed was divided into six small rectangr parts and each of them showed a different scene.


    But the area they were showing overall was the same; it was where the new students were teleported for the fourth and final entrance exam. That area was disyed on the screen from six different angles; like someone was looking at CCTV camera footage.


    Though this was the case, the image disyed on the screen was being sent here or recorded by a special type of magic spell; one which only a selected people in the academy knew about.


    Through this screen, both Robert and Ryfin were able to see what is going on in the yground and how the students are facing the exam.


    And then, Ryfin took a few steps forward and stood beside Robert.


    "You ask me the same thing every year and the answer I give you is also the same, this time is no different. I can''t say about everyone but some kids caught my interest," said Ryfin and folded his arms as he stared at the screen.


    "Oh, am I dreaming right now? How rare it is for a student to get noticed by you! How much time has passed since that miraclest happened? Two years? Three years? Or Five?" said Robert, in a tone that was full of sarcasm.


    However, Ryfin simply ignored him as he clicked his tongue in frustration.


    The view on the screen currently showed a student who was running away from an orc.


    "How many of them have been eliminated?" the question came from Ryfin''s side.


    "More than twenty," said Robert; it was a short, straight-to-the-point answer.


    To this Ryfin sighed, "It hasn''t even been an hour since the exam began, and already¡­" a look of disappointment could be seen on his face. He was not at all happy with the current situation.


    Robert nced at him and then with a slight smile on his face, he said, "Can''t do anything about that, at least the number of students who failed is lower than thest time."


    "Looks like this one is about to go down as well," Ryfin said as he fixated his eyes on the holographic screen.


    "Well, let''s see what happens."


    ***


    The boy who was running away from the orc¡ªthe one whom Robert and Ryfin were looking at through the screen¡ªwas clearly in a state of panic.


    After all, he has chosen to run away rather than fight the orc then and there. He thought that he''ll survive this way but the situation was not in his favor.


    When he started running the orc also followed him, and now he was slowly closing the distance between them.


    "Fuck you bastard! Why are you so obsessed with me huh? Go find someone else!" the boy cried.


    Though the answer was given to him by a sword that came flying toward him; the orc was now close enough tounch an attack and he did so. He swung his broad and heavy de at the boy; the de has some cracks in it but even so, it was strong enough to cut down a human.<sub> </sub>


    "Ah I''m dead!" said the boy as he closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands.


    A loud CLANK sound was heard but the de didn''t hit the boy. When he stopped running and looked back he saw that someone blocked the orc''s attack to save him.


    It was a girl. She came dashing from the side and shed her sword with the orc''s de, deflecting it in a way that the recoil pushed the orc back. Her long blonde hair swayed as she slid on the ground before stopping in front of the orc and her crystal green eyes were locked at the orc with a death re.


    "Are you fine?" the girl asked hurriedly as he peaked at the boy.


    "Y-Yeah¡­somewhat," the boy replied.


    Now that she''d made sure the boy was fine, her attention shifted to the orc who was about tounch another attack.


    The orc held his de with both of his hands and raised it high before bringing it down at great speed and shing everything in its way. The girl quickly leaped on the side and then darted toward the orc.


    She tightened the grip on her sword and adjusted it ording to her stance and then when she was close enough, she shed the orc''s left leg with it. The orc''s skin was hard so the sword didn''t cut itpletely but provided a deep cut.


    "Kwah!!" the orc cried in pain, and that caused him to lose bnce.


    The girl seeking the opportunity ran toward a nearby tree. Stepping on its trunk, sheunched herself on the orc.


    The orc''s height was more than hers but now she was above him. Her sword glowed as she passed her mana through it. Taking advantage of the gravity andbining it with the force sheunched herself, she threw a sh at the orc''s neck.


    The sword passed through, it was not smooth as she was trying her hardest to not mess this up and applying all the force she could in this attack.


    Slowly, the sword shed the orc''s neck and beheaded him. His head fell on the other side while his body sat on its knees and then fellpletely to the ground.


    The girlnded in front of the now dead orc''s body. She swung her sword in the air, removed the blood on it, and then put it back in its sheath.


    ? "Phew!" the girl let out a breath of exhaustion as she adjusted the hair that wasing over her eyes.


    Then, she looked at the boy who was standing frozen while all this happened.


    "U-Umm, thank you," said the boy and slowly walked toward the girl.


    "It''s alright. I was in this area when I heard your scream, and I wasn''t able to just sit and watch from the distance while someone dies before my eyes," the girl replied in a soft tone.


    ''Damn that hurts! So she was sure that I''ll die,'' the boy said inwardly.


    "Anyway, I''m Ster, Ster Grandkeep. What''s your name?" the boy asked after revealing her name.


    The girl looked at him for a while, it was as though she was hesitating, but soon that thought left her mind as she said.


    "I''m Anya, Anya nks."

 Chapter 48 The Special Exam [4]

    "I''m Anya, Anya nks."


    ***


    Both Robert and Ryfin stared at the holographic screen with their hands folded. They were just finished witnessing a sort of duel between a girl named Anya nks and an orc, who was chasing down a male student with the name of Ster Grandkeep.


    "So he managed to survive," said Robert. There was a hint of surprise in his voice, after all, hepletely believed for this boy to get eliminated.


    "That girl¡­if I''m not wrong then she is the student who received a schrship from Princess Rishia, right?"


    Ryfin didn''t verbally answer him instead he simply nodded while he kept looking at the screen.


    "I have expected her to be more strength hungry, dense type of person since the news was that she almost won the battle tournament¡ªthe tournament where you find monsters less than humans. But it seems like I was wrong all along."


    He took a nce at Ryfin but still, there was no response. Noticing his silence, Robert continued.


    "You have to y the monsters to get above the other student, that''s how the ranking system in this exam works. The reason doesn''t matter, as long as you can kill them. That''s all that matters. In the end, those who know the nature of this exam or people like her, who kill to protect the others, will be the ones to clear this exam with a good score."


    However, none of it concerned Ryfin. In fact, at this point, he was not even looking at Anya. Noticing this Robert directed his gaze where Ryfin was staring at.


    The holographic screen was divided into six small screens¡ªeach of them showed a different area. And the screen on the top right corner¡ªwhere Ryfin was looking¡ªshowed a boy who satfortably under a tree.


    ck hair and golden eyes, he was dressed in a dark grey suit and wore a pair of ck gloves on his hands. His name was Zero nks, though Robert didn''t know that at the moment.


    Seeing that this student was taking it easy like this, gave Robert an expression of disgust.


    "On the other hand, we have people like him; who don''t care about a thing in the world. Those who think that they will simply get over this exam if they stayed hidden in one ce for a day! People like him are bound to end up with low grades or even end up getting failed," said Robert.


    "I won''t say that," this time Ryfin replied as he continued to gaze at the boy.


    The next moment the area all the six screens were showing changed and six different locations were disced.


    ***


    Roughly two hours have passed since this exam began. Currently, I was sitting under a tree, leaning onto its trunk. I was here for a while now as I needed a quiet ce to think over some things.


    Now it was clear to me how the students will fail this exam. It was pretty simple and straight forward actually; if you got killed by one of the monsters, you fail.


    I came to know this recently when I witnessed a student get brutally murdered by an orc.


    There was one other thing I discovered, something major, but let''s put that aside for now because I haven''t figured out everything yet.<sub> </sub>


    I had a rough idea of how the students will get ranked in this exam, however, that was just spection on my part.


    It was like this¡ª


    ''Ah, I need water!''


    A long time has passed since Ist drank water so it was reasonable enough for me to get thirsty now.


    Fortunately, getting drinking water wasn''t a problem for me. Hence, I stretched out my right hand and then, using elemental magic I created a ball of water that floated in the air¡ªright above my head.


    I released the water and it fall directly into my mouth and gulped it down. Though a little bit of it fell outside and I got myself a nice face wash.


    "Gwah!" I drank the water and then wiped my mouth.


    The water I made with the elemental magic was drinkable; I tested this right after I found out that I can use magic, and now I feel wise to do that.


    After that, I lost in thought again. I was thinking about this whole academy situation, especially this entrance exam. This exam seemed awfully clich¨¦ and familiar to me.


    Maybe because this was a thing that''s overused way too much in fantasy novels and I''m also guilty of using this trope in my novel.


    Even so, the way everything was ying out gave me a kind of bad feeling. I can''t describe it in words but¡­its'' probably what you call "gut feelings".


    "Well, whatever," I shrugged as I rose. Then I dust the dirt off my clothes and started walking in apletely random direction, ''Can''t stay in one ce for long.''


    Around an hourter, I was again hiding in the bushes. Not because someone was getting killed again, no. But because I sensed someone''s presence nearby and as of now, I don''t want to run into a stranger.


    I sat there quietly and waited for "them" to make their appearance. Soon after, I heard the voices of some people. They were talking among themselves, ''Means it''s more than one person.''


    Judging from the flow of their conversation it looked like they also met recently when one of them was almost got killed by an orc and then the other one came and saved the day.


    Kind of like a generic protagonist who just happens to be at the right ce at the right time.


    And then they passed in front of me. They were two people; one male and one female. I didn''t know the male one but the face of the female was surprisingly familiar.


    In this exam, she was the one I wanted to avoid at all costs. Hence, here she was, right before me.


    My older sister.

 Chapter 49 The Special Exam [5]

    In this exam, she was the one I wanted to avoid at all costs. Hence, here she was, right before me.


    My older sister, Anya.


    There are various reasons behind it, one of them is because I don''t want her to identally witness that side of mine; it will be a disaster if that happened.


    But then I noticed something, she was not alone here. A person, a boy was walking by her side. He was someone I didn''t know nor I have seen before; he was aplete stranger.


    Anya seems to be having a casual chat with him so it hit me that they might have met in this exam by sheer coincidence, well, not that it mattered much to me.


    Though by this I only meant that how they met doesn''t matter to me, I would be lying if I said I was fine with him being with her.


    Not because of some weird reasons like a sisterplex, no. The thing which worried me was that if this boy knows the true essence of this exam then there was only trouble waiting ahead for Anya.


    There''s no way I''m going to let that happen, even if I ended up straying from my original n because of that. I just can''t, after a long time, I found people that I cared about.


    Also, now that I think about it, he mighte in handy. And so it was decided, I stood up revealing myself from the bushes. Both Anya and that boy jumped in surprise and went into a defensive stance.


    "Hey, calm down it''s me," I said as I held my hands up in the air.


    "Oh!" Anya murmured when she saw me,ter she rxed herself and told the boy that I was not a danger.


    I put my hands down and walked out of the bushes while I patted my clothes to dust the dirt off. Then I was asked a question by Anya.


    "How you got here?" and there was only one thing I could say.


    "A coincidence, I was just passing by when I heard your voice."


    "Anyway, who is this guy with you?" I asked, pointing my gaze toward the boy.


    She looked at me, then at the boy, then back at me. After that, she said, "I happened to be near when he was being attacked by an orc. So I went and saved him¡ªkilling the orc as a result. It was dangerous out here so we decided to stick together till the end of this exam."


    The boy came forward and stood before me, "I am Ster, Ster Grandkeep. And it''s just as she said, in situations like this four eyes are better than two," he said before offering his hand for a handshake.


    It took his hand and shook it. "I''m Zero nks. Her brother," I introduced myself with a firm smile on my face.


    "Should Ie along with you as well? In situations like this six eyes are better than four I guess," I suggested,ing to the main topic.


    "I won''t mind."


    "Yeah, I won''t either. In fact, it would be good if we have more people since we don''t know what kind of monsters might be lurking out there."


    "Then it''s decided I think," I muttered.


    After that, we kept scouting the area for hours, and fortunately, we didn''te across any monsters on our way.


    I, of course, was observing Ster and from the way he was behaving, it seems like he didn''t know about the core of this exam.


    But then again, it could be an act to prevent me or Anya from learning his true intentions. And from the looks of it, Anya didn''t seem to know the real thing either.


    Well, I guess she wouldn''t; after all, she was the type to take things at face value without suspecting that there could be a deeper meaning involved.


    ***


    We spent the next couple of hours moving around here and there; sometimes taking a break in the middle.


    We could have stopped at a ce and waited for the exam to finish but we didn''t for one reason; because being in one ce for long wasn''t safe. Apparently, this was a kind of survival rule in this world.<sub> </sub>


    By dusk, we reached the ce where we had decided to spend the night. It was the border of this area.


    Mr. Halls has said that right now this forest is covered by a huge, dome-shaped magic circle so that means it had boundaries also.


    We nned to stay the night there because the chances of monsters appearing very slim as it was the very end of this forest.


    But to our surprise, we weren''t the only ones who thought of that possibility. As we came out of the bushes and our line of sight was clear, we saw that a great number of students were already camping out there.


    Ten? Twenty? No maybe a bit more than that. The number of people present here was vast, so much that this ce gave off the vibe of a pic spot.


    "And there goes our n of avoiding monsters," Ster sighed at the sight before his eyes.


    "Going back right now would be a waste though, and I think being in thepany of more people will increase the chances of our survival," said Anya, voicing her opinion.


    She did have a look of disappointment on her face but she was adapting quickly ording to our current situation.


    Still, the more people we have the more the chances of our survival. Maybe the rest of the people here followed the same thinking because none of them seemed like they were about to leave anytime soon.


    "Are you okay with it Zero?" Anya asked, asking for my say in the matter.


    "Well¡­ it''s fine I guess."


    Like that it was decided that we''ll follow our original n and spend the night here. The next morning we''ll wake up¡ªif we slept that is¡ªthe exam would be over.


    We walked across the area and sat near a tree. I did say before that other people were already "camping" here but a camp was thest thing anyone will describe this sight as.


    Just like us most of the students were lying around or sitting near the trees, some of them were in groups while some were lone wolfs. Though none of them was willing enough toe to talk to us; the same goes for us also.


    There wasn''t much to do so I rose and went near the wall of the magic circle¡ªor should I call it a magic barrier? Hmmm, I''ll stick with circle for now.


    As I reached close, I saw a wall that was glowing in a dim golden color. It wasn''t visible during the day due to the sunlight but since it was almost night, I was able to see the wall very clearly.


    I looked up at the sky and the same color stretched further up, covering the whole sky and thennding on the horizon on the other side of the forest.


    I tried touching it with my hand and surprisingly, it felt like I was touching a real wall. It was hard and solid.


    Just for an experiment, I tried creating a waterfall on the other side of the wall with my elemental magic but it didn''t work.


    ''So even magic can''t get on the other side, huh.''


    Though I knew that this was not just a magic circle meant to keep us from escaping, it was a bit more than that.


    I returned to where Anya and that Ster were, sat near a tree resting my back on its tree, and closed my eyes.


    It was night now and while most of the students were awake, I thought resting a little won''t hurt.


    Hence, I closed my eyes and after a while, I fell asleep.


    ***


    The next moment I opened my eyes, I was a bizarre scene in front of me. Many loud noises of screaming, crying, and shouting could be heard. The students who were carefree a moment ago were now running here and there like animals.


    ''This is a bit soon, isn''t it? I mean I was only asleep for an hour at most.''


    It was reasonable though, we were being attacked by a horde of monsters after all.

 Chapter 50 Inhuman [1]

    The next moment I opened my eyes, I was a bizarre scene in front of me. Many loud noises of screaming, crying, and shouting could be heard. The students who were carefree a moment ago were now running here and there like animals.


    ''This is a bit soon, isn''t it? I mean I was only asleep for an hour at most.''


    It was reasonable though, we were being attacked by a horde of monsters after all.


    I stretched my arms with a yawn and then rose to my feet. I looked around to find that Anya and Ster were fending off one of those monsters. For them, it was luckily an orc but it was not the only monster we had.


    Right now, three types of monsters were raging before our eyes. First the orcs, their numbers were so far the highest among the three; around twenty.


    Next was a species of nt-type monsters. I don''t know what they are called but they looked like a big, Venus flytrap from my world, except they had tentacle-like legs and arms; they numbered somewhere around fifteen.


    The next type was like a wolf, a ck-furred wolf slightly bigger than the normal size. They numbered the least, five at max.


    All of these monsters were currently attacking all the students present here, and though the students were fighting back in their defense it was futile since the monsters outnumbered us by a huge margin.


    Now, why was I so calm in a situation like this? Well, I more or less expected this to happen because if we go by what Mr. Halls told us, then this forest was filled with monsters.


    While I''m not a hundred percent sure, it''s likely that the monsters are naturally drawn toward humans. And if you were to gather a big group of humans in a forest filled with monsters¡­this was supposed to happen sooner orter.


    And it was not like I was the only one who predicted this; just by taking a look around me, I was sure that the majority of the students present here knew this. Then why do they stay here?


    It''s simple. Because they also knew the true essence of this exam, it was that much of a secret anyway. Just by witnessing a death, you will know what the unspoken rules of this exam are.


    "Whoops!"


    When I was busy thinking a tentacle cut through the air and made its way toward me, I dodged it by leaping forward but it was a close call. It came from a nt-type monster who now stood before¡ªthe human-sized Venus flytrap.


    "Now how am I supposed to fend off this thing?"


    I can''t use my magic openly since there is a good chance someone might be keeping an eye on us and I don''t want to reveal I can use magic, if possible. So how should I face this thing?


    Then a thought crossed my mind, ''How did Anya and that other student get their swords?''


    As I thought of this, I quickly ran to where Anya was. Unfortunately, she was busy in her own battle so I wasn''t able to get close.


    "Hey, Anya! Where did you get that sword from?" I asked, keeping my voice rather loud.


    She turned in my direction, "Huh? It was in my hand right after I teleported here!"


    So she says, but I didn''t get anything like that. Hmmm, were the students who excelled in sword arts given a sword? Maybe they left out the students who specialized in magic because they can use magic to fight?


    ''Ah! I told that old man I''m new to magic! Then also he noted me as a magic user?'' now this was honestly frustrating.


    I could borrow Anya''s sword but she was locked in her own battle right now. No, wait for a second, what am I even doing? This is not what I was *supposed* to do.


    ''Sigh~ Guess I got a little worked up.''<sub> </sub>


    Now that I''ve calmed down, I can do things the right way. First I turned around to see check on the nt monster, luckily it was not following me. Okay, that''s good. Then, let''s begin.


    I needed to help Anya; after all, I wasn''t trying to pass this exam alone. She was currently engaged in a battle with an orc so I have to take care of that, and without using my magic that is.


    I say that, but as long as I use magic so that no one can notice, it will be fine. Hence, I leaped toward Anya and the orc.


    "Anya! Keep him busy or distract him, whatever. Just make sure he doesn''t notice me, I''ll try to lend you a hand."


    She nced at me and then nodded. Right after, she changed her attack pattern from offensive to defensive so the orc can press on her, this will allow him to ignore him¡­at least that''s the n.


    ''Also, I found out that I''m not good when ites to giving orders in battle. Well, you learn something new every day.''


    Now that the orc''s attention waspletely focused on Anya, I made my way on toward him from the back, quietly, without giving away my presence. I made a short run to pick up the pace and right after, I jumped andnded on the orc''s shoulders.


    "Krwha!!" he let out a cry and started shaking his body to make me fall.


    But before that could happen, I pressed the palm of my right hand on his head, and then I used elemental magic. A crystal of ice was summoned directly inside his head, destroying his brainpletely. The orc''s movements went dull instantly.


    "Anya, Now!"


    Picking up on my call, sheunched herself by kicking off the ground and pierced the orc''s heart with her sword. His body fell onto the ground and both I and Anyanded next to it.


    "That was a close one."


    "I bet."


    "Are you guys okay?" a male voice called out to us. I turned and saw that Ster was there, standing with a sword in his hand and covered in blue monster blood.


    ''Hmm, now that I think about blood¡­I just killed a living organism, didn''t I?''


    A part of me wanted to grin but the time and ce weren''t right for that. I wanted to cherish this feeling a bit more but I don''t want to go berserk now.


    "Yeah, we are fine¡­ somehow," Anya replied as she wiped off the blood from her sword.


    "That''s good, I also somehow managed to fend off that orc," said Ster, sighing.


    And then, when we were not busy in battle anymore, we realized what was happening in our surroundings. The faces of Anya and Ster went pale as they got a look at the living hell.


    The students were being killed by the monsters, but that was a far cry from what dried all the expressions on their faces.


    What they saw was¡­that the students were killing the other students, throwing someone in front of the monsters to save themselves, and using someone as a meat shield to buy time. Some students who used magic were even killing the others directly by misfiring a spell.


    Even *Inhuman*would be less to describe the scene before our eyes.

 Chapter 51 Inhuman [2]

    "W-What? I-It¡­it can''t be," Anya stammered, clearly taken by shock from the sight before her eyes.


    "T-This, this is so messed up!" Ster was no different.


    The battle stances they were in a moment ago were now nowhere to be seen. Both of them stood there, silently, their hands dropped low, loosening the grip on the swords.


    With their eyes popping out, Anya and Ster looked at the ughter that was taking ce. Their faces were a mixed-stew of different emotions at once; fear, disgust, shock, disbelief, and uncertainty.


    "Nowe on, can''t waste much time here. We should go and find a secure ce¡­if we have to survive this," I suggested.


    At first, there was no reply, so I repeated myself. "Hey, we should go," this time I patted Anya on her shoulder, bringing her to reality.


    She looked right into my eyes with an anxious expression, "Huh? But¡­all of them¡­a-are killing each other. Should we really just leave?"


    I know she''s shaken down to her core by all this what this, right isplete nonsense. If you know they are killing each other, then it''s more than enough of a reason to not go there. However, Anya was not in perfect condition.


    "I get what you''re saying, but we have to leave. Otherwise, we will fail this exam, you know. That means not getting enrolled in the academy," I said, crying to calm her down.


    And then, a punch came whirling toward me. I took a backstep and bent a little to dodge it, and then, I pointed my gaze where the punch came from.


    It was Ster, he did not have the best expression on his face; maybe he was slightly angry as he was breathing heavily.


    "Are you crazy or what!! Here people are killing each other, you understand? The students are killing each other, taking the others'' life! And what you care about is that you will fail this exam!! What crap is that!?!" he grumbled.


    From what he had said, it doesn''t seem like he knows what this exam is about. Honestly, I can''t believe it; it isn''t even that difficult to figure that out. Anya is one thing because she doesn''t try to find the deeper meaning behind things but, Ster also.


    I really thought he is a bit more useful than that.


    Should I exin it to them? It''ll sure take a while to get them to understand everything but¡­Nah, forget it. We don''t have time to begin with, considering that we''re surrounded now.


    So I decided to y it passively...at least for now.


    I turned toward Ster to give him an answer, "I get what you''re saying, but let''s try to be calm for now," I replied.


    "How can I be calm in¡ª"


    "Look around yourself," I interjected.


    After that, Ster got a hold of himself and gazed at our surroundings. Anya did the same and so did I, even though I already knew what was there.


    A pack of monsters¡ªbig ck wolves to be precise¡ªsurrounded us. There were four of them. Each had their blood-red eyes fixated on us, carefully studying our movements as their bared their fangs and ws.


    "Shit! We are in trouble," Ster gulped.


    "We sure are," Anya followed.


    Yes, we are in trouble. First of all, the wolves outnumbered us and second, they were likely stronger than the orcs and nt monsters.


    They walk on all fours so that gives the advantage in speed; also, if they''re anything like the wolves from my former world then they will be good at hunting in groups.


    While I was busy thinking about how we can get out of this mess, Anya and Ster raised their swords, narrowed their eyes, and got ready for battle.


    ''Engaging in a battle isn''t the wisest choice, I guess.''


    Still, they are at least doing something. I can''t use magic openly so I''m more or less doing nothing to contribute; I''ll just be a dead weight here.


    I can kill them the way I did with that orc but I needed to make it look like Anya or Ster killed them, otherwise killing a monster just by touching them will be suspicious as hell.


    "Hahh!"


    Without me realizing it, Anya and Ster went to fend off the wolves. But¡­maybe wolves aren''t the best match for swordsman/woman, at least at the beginner level.


    When both of themunched themselves and tried to attack, the wolves quickly changed their position and started running in a circle around us. Anya eventually caught up to one of them¡ªher specialty was speed after all.


    She lifted her sword high, clenching it tightly as she threw a sh at the wolf. But then the worse came to worst. Before the sword could connect, the wolf drilled his fangs into Anya''s sword and with a crackling sound, shattered it into pieces.


    "Ahh!" a cry left Anya''s mouth when she thought the wolf was about to attack her, and that is what was going to happen.


    If Ster hadn''te between Anya and the wolf to act as her shield. The wolf scratched Ster with his ws and then pped him to the ground. Ster rolled before he came to halt and rose himself to his feet.


    "STER!! Are you all right? Why did youe in between like that!?!" Anya tried to go near him as she voiced her concerns but I stopped her by walking up and getting a hold of her hand.


    "It''s fine, really. You helped me back then so¡­this is kind of payback. I don''t like to owe anyone you see," said Ster, afterward, he stood back straight, holding his sword.<sub> </sub>


    So he''s the wanna-be-hero type huh? s, he''s a goner now. Two out of four wolves were on him while the other two surrounded us. At this point, I began to suspect if they had intelligence or not.


    "Hey Zero, I think we should help him," Anya insisted, turning her face toward me.


    "Yeah, we should."


    "He might not survive that alone."


    "Yeah, he won''t."


    "So¡­I think we should go there and fight alongside him."


    "Yeah¡­we certainly should."


    She red at me for a moment, as if surprised by something.


    "Then, why aren''t you letting go of my hand?"


    Because there''s a clear difference between what we *should do* and what''s *best* for us to do.


    "Even if we help he won''t survive. Your sword is broken and the wolves outnumber us. Going there will be digging our own grave."


    "B-But, he jumped in to help me¡­we can''t leave him like that."


    "That was his own choice; neither you nor I told him to do so. He will face the consequences of his own actions¡­if anyone will be responsible it''ll be him, not us."


    Anya didn''t say anything for a moment for that, she just stared at my face; sort of like she was seeing a stranger. Then she spoke up.


    "How can you talk about abandoning a friend with such a calm face? Even when you know that he will die as the result."


    From when Ster became our "friend"? I don''t remember anything like that.


    "It''s simple Anya; I''m not killing anyone, I''m just being rational here. What I''m saying is best for both of us."


    "You trusted me before didn''t you? Trust me one more time, you won''t regret it," I added.


    Aplex look took over Anya''s face like she was thinking something.


    "I trusted you back then because that didn''t involve taking anyone''s life¡­this is different."


    "Let me go now! If you are noting then I''ll go alone," she snapped.


    However, I was still holding her right wrist tightly and when she tried to shrug me off, I tightened my grip. She tried to release herself somehow but it was futile.


    "You forced me into this Anya; remember, what I''m doing is the best for us. I can exin it to you but I''m afraid we don''t have time. You''ll understand by the time this exam ends. Now...please done resent me for this."


    "Wha¡ª!"


    Before she could say anything, I jabbed her behind her neck; it was a blow I learned online back in my world. It knocked her unconscious the next minute.


    With that, she lost control over her body and leaned over me. I held her close, carefully so she wouldn''t fall, and then.


    I bent to my knees and touched the ground with my right hand.


    ''I ended up using magic in the end, even though it''s just a bit.''


    I used elemental magic¡ªearth element, and just then the ground below Ster copsed, forming a hole. He was so busy defending himself against the wolves that he didn''t notice when he fell into that hole, along with two wolves.


    "Ahhhh!!!"


    Afterward, though, he let out a cry; maybe his leg broke or something. Hearing that cry and noticing that their two allies are gone, the other two wolves ran toward the hole.


    ''Maybe they really have intelligence. I''ll keep that in mind.''


    They didn''t jump right into the hole Ster was at a distance from me¡ªand so was the hole, so it was enough of a distraction to let me escape.


    When the wolves were gone, I stood up and held Anya up in my arms, princess-style, since it was easy to move in like that. Then I turned around and picked a route with no monsters.


    With that set, I left the battlegrounds quietly, without bothering anyone, and disappeared into the forest that was pitch ck due to the night.

 Chapter 52 Fake

    I found myself leaning against something as my consciousness rose.


    ''Agh! My head is all fuzzy. What happenedst time?''


    With that thought in mind, I slowly lifted my eyelids; the light that came suddenly caused my vision to get blurred but the next moment it became normal.


    There, I saw Zero. He was sitting on the floor, with his hands at the back working as support for the rest of his body, and I was leaning on his left shoulder.


    ''Now I remember what happened.''


    We were in the exam and then those monsters attacked, Ster tried to save me from a wolf but ended up getting surrounded by two of them. Then¡­Zero suggested we should leave him and make a run for it.


    ''It was such an absurd idea. How can he decide to abandon a friend like that?''


    But he was serious about it, the look on his face said everything. I had not seen such an expression before and honestly, it was a little scary. He had a straight look on his face, his eyes seemed cold and indifferent.


    Just for that moment, he acted very differently from the Zero I know. Even if he was not my real brother, I''d been spending some time with himtely and I thought I came to know him¡­though that doesn''t seem true to me now.


    Still, the idea to leave Ster and save ourselves was bizarre! I mean, I saved him from that orc a moment ago, then how can I leave him to die like that? I tried to oppose his idea but then¡­..ah my memory of what happened after that is not clear.


    No wait, I remember; it''s not clear but I have bits and pieces of what happened after that. He had tightly clenched my wrist and when I tried I free myself¡­he stroked me on the neck and then I fell unconscious.


    ''Then¡ª! Don''t tell me he ran away when I was out!?!''


    I quickly looked around and discovered that I was no longer in the forest, instead, this was the same hall I was in before the fourth exam started; one with wooden flooring.


    Many other students were also there but it seems like Zero was the only one who is sitting¡ªmaybe because he had to hold me when I was not conscious.


    I saw the look on the faces of other students; some were frustrated, some were confused, and some had given in to despair.


    ''Does that means the exam had been conducted? If so then what about Ster? I can''t see him anywhere!''


    I turned to Zero, he had noticed that I regained consciousness since I was not making much movement. I took the control of my body and moved a bit far from Zero and sat on my own.


    Then he noticed me, this time however he didn''t have that scary look.


    "Oh, you''re awake I see," he mumbled as he gazed at me.


    What does he mean by that? It''s like he doesn''t even care about Ster. I appreciate that he helped me out with my marriage thing and all but what he did is not something I can ignore.


    ? He has angered me and I can''t forgive this type of thing.


    "What do you mean by ''I see'', huh!?! Where is Ster? In the end, you left him to die, right?" I objected, my tone was a little harsh, and my eyes were narrowed.


    He held his chin as if thinking something, and then he said, "Hmm, the exam is over so he should be fine by now. Though you won''t be able to meet him I guess."


    Wha¡ª? His words don''t make any sense. How can Ster be fine if he''s already dead? It is not like I am sure that he is dead but Zero avoided my question, which must mean he is hiding something.


    I had doubts, it is possible that he is just trying to confuse me here but I am not sure of it.


    "You didn''t give me a direct answer, then should I assume you left him to die after all?" I questioned.


    "Ahh, jeez! I said, didn''t I? I indeed left him there so we can escape but he is not dead," he replied as he stood up. I followed him and rose to my feet.


    "That doesn''t make sense Zero. If you left him there and the possibility of him surviving is slim. You saw that he was surrounded by those wolves, didn''t you?"<sub> </sub>


    At this point, he let out a long sigh. "Guess I can''t me you for thinking like that," he said. "It was I who didn''t exin to you the hidden rules of this exam."


    "Hidden rules?" I repeated, furrowing my brows.


    "Yeah, hidden rules. The fourth exam was designed in such a way to make you believe that people die there¡­but it''s not the truth. Not a single student died there, even the ones who were killed by the monsters."


    Is he for real? His words are contradicting themselves. If the people were killed then howe they can''t die?


    He looked at me, it was like he knew I was not getting any of it. "Don''t worry, you''ll understand soon," he said with a firm smile.


    ***


    "Hidden rules?" Anya repeated.


    "Yeah, hidden rules. The fourth exam was designed in such a way to make you believe that people die there¡­but it''s not the truth. Not a single student died there, even the ones who were killed by the monsters," I said, trying to exin it to her a little.


    However, her expression said that she did not understand anything that I said. I honestly can''t me her for this.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll understand soon," I insisted.


    It was true though, not a single student died in that exam. All of the killings was an act and the ones to set it up is the academy staff. Now, how do I know of this?


    Actually, I was not the only one because finding this fabrication was so simple; there were many clues.


    The first one was that none of the students who were killed lost much blood, whenever they were attacked by the monsters only a small amount of blood left the body.


    The second one is also rted to blood, this one was even simpler. The dead body of anyone who died there disappeared after a while. I noticed it when I saw that student get killed by the orc.


    When he died he was cut in half, but he did not lose much blood, and then his body turned into light particles and vanished.


    It was then that I realized, the academy never made us sign any contract which stated if we got seriously injured or died taking the entrance exam, the academy won''t be responsible for it.


    Without that kind of form, throwing us into an exam where the students can die will be a big legal problem for the academy, as our parents could then charge them with murder.


    Then why did the academy add the concept of death to this exam? It''s simple, it''s because it was a survival exam. And if until the students'' lives were in real danger, they won''t take it seriously. The whole purpose of this exam would have turned into a failure.


    That''s when the idea of faking one''s death appeared. The n was to make the students believe that their lives are in danger, that they will die for real if they don''t take it seriously.


    To realize this fake death thing, they made use of the barrier which surrounded the forest. I had my doubts, and that''s why I went and checked the barrier with my own hands¡ªback when we were on the borderline of the forest.


    Then my doubts were confirmed, that the barrier was not only a barrier but also a magic circle. This was purely a hunch on my side; I just remembered that I used to add these barrier-type magic circles in my novel so I thought it might be something simr.


    I also don''t know what kind of magic circle it was as I''m not well versed in the magic of this world. But one was sure that the academy is ying the whole fake death thing with the help of this circle.


    The students who died were supposedly teleported back into the hall and sent home because they failed the exam.


    At night when the other student started using each other as meat shields were also a result of this. The students who found this loophole made use of it. It was a thing I more or less expected.


    That is why that Ster is also alive but Anya can''t meet him since he failed the exam.


    And that is why I was able to keep myself under control¡­because I knew the pain and suffering I''m seeing is fake. Though I am grateful for this, after all, I was able to make both myself and Anya pass the exam without any trouble.

 Chapter 53 Results & Start Of Academy Life

    But while I and some other students knew that the deaths were fake and no one really died, several students were clueless. And those are the ones who were getting out of control right now.


    "What the hell was that!?"


    "Do you people even know how what people died out there?!"


    "You call this an entrance exam? This is a fucking death game!"


    "My friend died there, you know! Just you wait bastards, I''ll contact my father and close this good-for-nothing academy!"


    "H-How can this be? M-My, brother died! What will you do about that!?!"


    Despair, anger, and confusion, was the emotions controlling these students, making them say whatever came to their mind. And I can''t me a single one of them for this, nor can the academy.


    After all, what they were doing is only to be expected if you don''t know about the fake death concept.


    People will think their loved ones died...and death is absolute. Means they won''t being and back, I think it''s enough to make you go crazy.


    I was waiting to see how the academy officials will handle this havoc and right then, Mr. Halls came on the stage. I wouldn''t have noticed him if not looking in that direction because the sound of his footsteps was buried under the sounds of all this shouting.


    He walked up to the mic and activated it, causing a small magic circle to appear at a distance from his mouth.


    "May I get your attention please?" he said, the words were loud due to the mic and they were heard by every single student.


    The shouting stopped but it onlysted a second and was overtaken by some kind words, directed at Mr. Halls.


    "Now what do you want old man? Want to kill the rest of us?"


    "Fuck off! We ain''t listening to ya"


    "Get lost motherfucker!"


    Any normal man would have gotten irritated when being abused by a bunch of teenagers like this but Mr. Halls remained hisposure. He simply waited for the crowd to quiet down and after that, he spoke up.


    "I know you all are angry due to the nature of the fourth exam, one that involved death. Normally, I would havee forward and apologized to all of you but I won''t be doing that here," he continued. "Since the students who died out there, are not dead."


    "What?"


    "Did he just say they are not dead?"


    "Oh,e on, now you decided to lie and escape out of this. Not happening, you can''t fool me! I have seen my friend die by own eyes, and you will pay for that."


    His words caused a ruckus among the students, some did not believe what he said, some who didn''t want to believe it, and some who were just confused.


    Anya was the confused one, probably because I had already told her a bit about this. I could have exined it to her now but¡­why take the trouble when Mr. Halls is there for me?


    This is a thing he should''ve expected. I mean, if you don''t know anything about the fake death concept and saw your loved ones die with your own eyes, and then a manes and says they are not dead. How legit does it seem?


    And if the academy is not being operated by a bunch of fools, then they should have a solution for this. I wanted to see that.


    "Quiet! All of you. I said no one died in thest exam and it''s the only truth. The academy won''t ever do a thing that can endanger the lives of our students¡­And about the students who you saw die¡­here they are."


    As he finished his sentence, several students who were moving in a line came out from the back side of the stage and joined Mr. Halls. I studied their faces and saw that Ster was among them.


    ''So they were not sent home immediately after failing the exam.''


    "See, I said he''s alive, didn''t I?" I said to Anya as I pointed my index finger at Ster.


    "Y-You''re right," she gulped.<sub> </sub>


    The reactions were more or less the same no matter which student you took. The people they saw dying were standing right in front of them. Mr. Halls, not leaving this opportunity, came forward.


    "Let me exin this to you," he said. "As you can see, the students who supposedly died in the fourth exam are standing here, besides me. How can that be possible?


    The reason for this is that the thing about ''you will die if you''re careless'' was a lie. We made up that situation so all of you can take the exam seriously, it was a survival exam after all.


    And if you are wondering how these students are alive, even when they were killed by the monsters. It was because of the barrier that surrounded the forest¡­in reality, it was thebination of healing and teleportation magic circle. That''s why; when anyone died there they were healed and then sent back here."


    There was silence across the room. I heard whispers like "So that was it huh",  "I''m d no one died", "I kind of knew this must be the case," and things like that.


    In the end, the students who were panicking a minute ago were calm now. The failed students went back and then Mr. Halls continued.


    "Now, I guess everyone understands what happened, and with that in mind let me tell you what you all have to do now. First of all, let me congratte every student present here. You are officially a student of Zaforths magic academy¡­"


    He exined what we''ll be doing from now on. There wasn''t much to hear so I''m cutting right to the chase here.


    We were told that from now, we will be living in the academy dorms. We can''t go out of the campus without any special reason and all the daily necessities will be provided by the academy.


    When this was made clear, our results were revealed. I was panicking badly because I didn''t want to go to ss A but I messed up and performed over the top in the second exam.


    Later it turned out I was worrying over nothing, the ss I was giving was ss B, though Anya was in ss A. Right now I don''t know how exactly this ss system works so I was confused about whether I should be happy or sad since I was in ss B.


    After that, we were told to go back and bring out stuff and shift into the dormitories. I and Anya went to do just that; we didn''t have many things so we were done quickly.


    Now let''se to the dormitories. Behind the main building, four more buildings were located. They were sorted out by the ss a specific student is in, for example, building 1 for ss A, building 2 for ss B, building 3 for ss C, and so on.


    At first, I thought the dorms were divided by academic year but it turned out the dorms for senior students¡ªthat is to say second years and above¡ªhave their own separate buildings and each of them was also divided by sses.


    There are four years and four sses, which means there are a total of sixteen buildings being used as dorms. My mind was blown away by this, I mean, how massive an academy can be!


    Anyway, I parted ways with Anya since both of us were in different sses now, and then made it to my room. It was on the second floor of the ss B building.


    Opening the door I went in. You can say the room was had a decent size, nor too big nor too small. It was furnished with a white bed, a wooden desk, a chair, and a wardrobe to store my stuff.


    As I moved around I found that a small bathroom and kitchen were also attached to the main room.


    ''Eh! Do I have to cook my own food?''


    It''s not like I don''t know how to cook, it''s that I don''t want to!


    I put my luggage on the desk, closed the door shut, and threw myself onto the bed.


    ''Ah fuck!''


    The bed was hard, no, the bedding is too thin and because of it, I can feel the wood.


    Hmm, I can say this is the most ufortable bed I''ve ever experienced in this world. Still, can''t do anything about that.


    It was almost evening and the students were tired after the entrance exam so we were told to rest. Tomorrow the opening ceremony for the first-year students will be held and then our sses will start.


    I didn''t have anything to do so I decided to sleep. I am not some superhuman, like the other students, I was also tired.


    I passed out only after a few minutes, without even realizing that I didn''t even take a shower.


    At this point, I slept without care, totally unknown of the surprise that was waiting for me tomorrow, an event that will change my life.

 Chapter 54 Worst Of The Worst Of The Worst Possible Outcome

    The next day, I woke up early as I went to sleep in the evening yesterday. This bed was not that soft so I can''t say that I sleptfortably but, it was enough to wash the tiredness off my shoulders.


    After that, I spent five minutes lying in bed thinking about nothing, then I brushed my teeth¡ªthe toothpaste vor was bad as usual¡ªand took a shower. As for breakfast¡­I didn''t eat anything, since I was toozy to make it.


    ''Hmm, now that I think about it, not eating breakfast will tire me out way faster than usual. Maybe I''ll buy something on my way.''


    Yesterday when I was shifting in the dorms, I saw some shops on the academy campus so it''s possible they sell stuff here.


    Now it was the time to change into the uniform, we were provided with. Mine was lying in a corner of my room because I didn''t care to put it in the wardrobe.


    I went and pick it up. It was a pair of grey pants and a white zer with a pattered strip on it. We also had robes but they were optional. It wasn''t a super-cool uniform but it wasn''t bad either.


    When I was done getting dressed up, I stood in front of a wall mirror that I recently hung¡ªI bought this by myself.


    "I, think I''m looking fine?"


    I stared at the mirror, or rather at myself. I had my normal hairstyle on and I wore the uniform correctly, but¡­it felt like something was missing. Then as a blub lit inside my mind, I quickly went and grabbed my hand gloves¡ªthe ck, skin-tight ones.


    As I put them on that feeling of ''something''s a miss'' disappeared. I took my wallet and left the room. The money Ron had provided us with was enough to spend a year or so for both I and Anya.


    Most of it is in our bank ount and we can withdraw it whenever we want, so for now I just have enough to pass a month in my wallet. By the way, the currency that is used in this world is named "C".


    When I was done, I left my room and headed for the main building. It was located at a distance of five to ten minutes by foot and not long after, I reached there.


    Entering the building I went through a hallway that led to a hall¡ªthe same one as yesterday. I stepped in and saw many other students were already there, all of them dressed in the school uniform.


    There I saw the uniform for girls. The zer was almost simr to the boys but they wore knee-length skirts and thigh-high tights. Also, there was one major change in the hall.


    This time chairs were put across the hall for the students, unlike before when we had to stand all the time.


    I looked around a bit, trying to find Anya but she wasn''t there so I went and sat on one of the chairs in the fifth row from the back. This row was mostly empty and that''s why I choose to sit here.


    There was still some time left before the opening ceremony and I didn''t have anything to do. So, to pass time, I started observing other students.


    Both boys and girls were good-looking and had an air of elegance around them. It was clear that all of them came from good families¡ªhigh-ss nobles.


    ''This scene seems familiar to me. The result of reading and writing too many novels I guess."


    Among the novels, I read, and the ones I wrote, most of them had an academic arc. I mean, it''s easy to write them and academy arcs are the ones that give you the most freedom to do whatever you want with your characters.


    And of course, as a result of that, we have many novels full of clich¨¦s.


    Time passed while I was thinking about my novels¡ªthe ones I wrote. Before I knew it, the hall was filled with students; all of the chairs were booked. I don''t for sure but I think I saw Anya also; she sat in the third row from the front.


    Then along with Mr. Halls, the principal came onto the stage. He was an old man with white hair and a wrinkled face, though, despite his age, his body structure wasn''t bad at all.


    The principal stood before our motley bunch, atop a podium that was newly ced here, giving his speech.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to have you all as students of our academy. This academy has been producing great magicians from..." h, h, h¡­he gave that ordinary speech.<sub> </sub>


    All the students were told to stand up so following thatmand, I simply stood at my ce before the principal''s long speech finished.


    "And now, a few words from the representative of the first years."


    Representative of the first-year students? Who is that? No wait, I heard something about this yesterday. The student who scores full marks in all the four entrance exams is to be made the representative.


    At Mr. Halls''s words, a boy came forward and stood atop the podium. He had ck hair and a pair of red eyes, his facial features were also good, along with his body posture.


    ''Kinda generic I''d say.''


    Then the boy in question spoke.


    "My name is Leon Void. I am a first-year student at the Zaforths magic academy, just like the rest of you. I am very grateful that Mr. Halls gave me this opportunity to be the representative, despite my being a schrship student. I''m looking forward to..."


    Wait for a second, Leon Void? And a schr student on top of that?


    This can''t be what I''m thinking right?


    I mean, there''s no fucking way it can be that?


    T-That''s impossible!


    Hold on, if I think back to some certain events they gave me this feeling of nostalgia¡ªand a bad one.


    If this is what I think it is, then everything makes sense.


    Why Walric seemed so familiar, why this world is based on a generic fantasy setting, why I thought I''ve heard the name of this academy somewhere before¡­all of that makes a fucking sense!


    I want to deny this so badly but I can''t!


    I can''t coz Leon Void¡­is a name I can''t forget that easily.


    After all, he''s the main character in the novel of the author I hate the most.


    If that''s true and then it means I''ve reincarnated inside the novel of the author I hated the most.


    ''Wait a minute, now that I''m thinking about that novel, there was also a character named Anya. Fuck! If she really is that Anya and I really have reincarnated in that novel then¡ª''


    Ignoring all the other students, I fell back on my chair and leaned back.


    ''Oh shit!


    This is the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst possible oue!


    Because if that''s true, then I am going to die.''

 Chapter 55 Troubles Piling Up

    After the opening ceremony was done all students were led to their respective sses. As for me, it was ss 1-B.


    When I was on my way, Anya came up and tried to start a conversation, saying things like the dorms are fine and the atmosphere here feels good. I wasn''t interested, or you can I had my mind somewhere else, so I only replied with a simple "Yeah" or "Good for you".


    She also noticed my disinterest and left before asking me if I''m fine to which, I obviously said, "Yes I''m fine".


    I felt guilty for brushing her off in this way but I can''t help it. My mind was preupied with some other things. Though I kept myposure I was not fine by any means.


    A few minutester I reached my ssroom. Above the entrance door was a metal te on which [CLASS 1-B] was engraved. I stepped inside and looked around.


    The ssroom was split into descending rows¡ªbuilt in a staircase-type design. The desk was a long one that was used for an entire row but the seats were separate for each student. On the front wall was a ckboard with a podium in front of it.


    Students were already taking their seats so the ssroom was almost full. I nced at the avable seats, gave it some thought, then went and sat on one in thest row.


    The instructor showed no sign ofing right now, maybe there was still some time left before the sses start. Seeing this, I covered my face with my hands and tried to rest a little.


    ''...Sigh.''


    My mind was so messed up that I wasn''t even able to think straight. I can''t help it really, if I''m really inside "his" novel then it''s a very big problem.


    "Him", the webnovel author I used to hate in my previous life. And I not just hated him, there were many authors I didn''t like but he took the top spot on the list; he was the author I hated the most.


    There were reasons for it. I met him online on biscord, that time he was also a new author just like me.


    His name¡ªno, his username was loli_pop and over time the rtionship we developed could be described as friends.


    We used to read each others'' novels and point out the mistakes, whether it is in writing or plot. Though there was a catch, his novel was the very definition of clich¨¦.


    It''s not like mine was any better, I also had some clich¨¦d scenes but he was in a whole other dimension.


    The basic storyline was a rip-off of a Japanese light novel, the characters were generic, the dialogues felt forced, the MC was horny as fuck and of course, he was surrounded by hot chicks who wanted his seed.


    I tried my best to make it as less clich¨¦ as I could, at one point I even made him remove an entire scene. But that is what created the rift between us.


    He started getting irritated as I pointed out his mistakes one after another. The reason was that now due to my corrections, the storyline of his novel was straying away from what he had in mind.


    He doesn''t want that and was unhappy. As a result, he began ignoring my advice and doing whatever he felt was right. At this time he started getting on my nerves.


    I mean, I pointed out his mistakes and was helping him to improve and he was just ignoring all of it. Helping others is in itself a thing I don''t usually do and when he responded this way, it just made it worse.


    In the end, we stopped talking and helping each other out. No one said anything but what happened was better left unsaid. Though even now I didn''t start hating him, he was someone who irritated me.


    The thing which brewed the hate inside me urred a month after we stopped talking. His novel got contracted.


    Yes, that full of clich¨¦ novel with characters as t as board and a trashy MC with no personality got a contract. And why you ask?


    Because he had half-naked, girls with big breasts on the cover of his novel. His novel was R18 hence it also contained sex scenes, and it was enough to catch the attention of young readers.


    On the other hand, I, who was trying hard to create a good storyline and characters that had some depth in them¡­ got no contract. The reason was simple enough, my novel neither contained sex scenes nor had milfs on the cover.<sub> </sub>


    I can''t describe how pissed off I was by this.


    Fuck you, horny readers!


    When his novel was featured he gained more audience, the numbers increased and so did the money he received. Maybe it was just jealousy at this point but now I didn''t want to talk to or even see this person.


    We both started our novels almost at the same time but his clich¨¦d novel got contract and mine was left in the dust. He got popr in no time.


    Hmm, now that I think about it, the argument right before I died¡ªwhen some popr authors were messing with me¡ªor badmouthing me. The first one to speak was loli_pop.


    ''So he even indirectly caused my death, huh. Well, no use to get angry on it now¡­it''s toote.''


    The thing which scared me, what I am afraid of right now, is that I''m reincarnated inside his¡ªloli_pop''s¡ªnovel. The very same clich¨¦d novel.


    And I have changed something in the original storyline. If I remember correctly then Anya is one of the girls who will be in the MC¡ªno, in Leon''s harem.


    Her marriage situation was a plot point by which Anya and Leon should have met.


    He would''ve saved her from Walric, using his protagonist perks and some plot armor, and then, Anya would have started developing feelings for him. Then their rtionship will move forward in this academy.


    Now that is impossible since I meddled in between and saved Anya, as a result, she and Leon never met. Honestly, there''s no way I could have prevented it.


    The whole marriage part was described as a shback in three or four paragraphs. I didn''t have the amount of info by which I can tell that I''m inside a fucking novel.


    But let''s put this aside for a minute, I''ll figure out a way to fix this problemter on. Though for that I have to be alive, and fortunately, I''m walking on a death route right now.


    In this novel, I¡ªor you can say Zero, was a side character and a whileter¡ªmaybe a month or so from now¡ªhe will die for the sake of the plot.


    His death will cause Anya to fall into despair since he died before her eyes and she wasn''t able to save him. Then when she will be crying in her room, Leon wille tofort her and they will have...well, sex.


    ''Don''t know why I feel angry thinking about it now.''


    Also, by the grace of gods, this Zero who died just so the MC can have sex is me by the way.


    If everything went as it did in the novel then I was going to die for sure. That is if I don''te up with something to prevent myself from dying.


    ''What the hell should I do? I''m confident that I can figure something out but I am worried about whether should I do it or not. Maybe¡ª''


    THUCK!


    Waking me up from my thoughts was a loud noise. I looked in its direction and saw our instructor has arrived.


    ''My problems are only going to pile up I guess,'' I sighed internally.


    Our instructor was the same guy who was the examiner in the third entrance exam. I don''t know his name yet but I do know that he is aware of my true powers.


    ''Troublesome'' was what I thought upon seeing him stand behind the podium.

 Chapter 56 Rank

    The examiner who took the second entrance exam, excluding Anya, he is the only person who knows my true powers as of now. The same very person was standing behind the podium right before my eyes.


    He had stormed into the ssroom followed by the loud noise of the doors mming into the wall hence he already was the center of attention.


    He took a while as he nced over each and every student, making sure that everyone was paying attention.


    "Okay now, everyone listen to me. My name is Ryfin Jekar, and from today onwards, I will be the instructor of ss 1B. It will be great if you follow the rules and regtions of this academy and not do anything that''ll bring shame to the name of Zaforths magic academy."


    A firm smile remained on his face as he introduced himself to the whole ss. The man in question had short blonde hair and leaf green eyes, and I just found out that his name was Ryfin, Ryfin Jekar.


    I looked through my memory in the hope to find a clue about him and, nothing was there. There''s no such person in the novel of loli_pop, or anyone of simr resemnce.


    The only possibility left was that he was a mob character who never appeared in the novel. The more I think about it the more sense it makes.


    After all, the protagonist Leon was assigned to ss 1A, and the all events that urred were centered on him and his ss.


    Though he was not alone, there were some other characters just as important as Leon and they also yed an important role from time to time.


    I had to look for themter. Since I need to keep tabs on each and everything, I made a mental note of it.


    "Now, let me call out your names and take the attendance," said Ryfin, putting a register on the podium.


    Then he called out the names of the students and marked something in his register.


    While he was doing that I was doing my own thing. Whenever he said a student''s name I looked at the person whose name was called and studied their face and appearance.


    Since this was ss B, not A, most of the students here were mob characters who weren''t even mentioned in the novel. Though I knew this, it was not an absolute, maybe this world was not a direct copy of that novel but a bit simr to it.


    "Zero nks"


    "Present!"


    As I said present, Ryfin paused for a second and stared at me, then curling his lips upward, a smile formed on his face as he wrote something in the register.


    ''I hope he isn''t nning on causing more trouble for me.''


    The attendance was done and in the end, I didn''t find anyone who can be described as the main character or even a side character.


    ''So¡­I''m really inside that novel, I guess?''


    I want to think about it and research more but it can wait.


    "Now, this is your first day so I''m not going to start easy. We cane to the lessons and practiceter but first I need to know what you''re capable of," Ryfin stated. Right after, he took ced a ball-like thing on the podium.


    I saw him bringing this thing along when he entered the ssroom though it was covered in a white cloth.


    "I will be testing the strength of each of you, and by that, I mean your rank. One by one you wille and ce your hand on this ball and it will tell me your rank. This ball of made by a crystal specifically made to measure mana, hence ording to your rank and the size of your mana pool this ball will change its color," he exined as he removed the cloth, revealing a translucent crystal ball.


    "The ball till turn green for G rank and a darker shade of green for rank F. The higher your rank is the deeper its color will change, ending with ck color for rank S. Though I doubt anyone here would be S rank."


    "Come one by one starting from the right side of the first row."<sub> </sub>


    He isn''t doing this intentionally, is he? I mean, to blow my cover and reveal my true rank? This indeed was another trouble.


    The students went and put their hands on the crystal ball, ording to their respective rank the ball changed color.


    I was observing this from far, and the majority of the students were E ranked which was slightly above average. I remembered that Anya was the only E ranker in my home city but here E rank wasmon.


    And this was understandable actually since they are all mob characters having an average rank makes sense.


    p "You,e here. It''s your turn," Ryfin mentioned, pointing toward me.</anda>


    ''Ah shit! How should I get out of this mess?''


    I thought that but I did have a n in mind. If this world was the novel then the concepts and techniques which worked there should work here as well.


    If so then I know exactly how to handle this.


    I rose from my seat and made my way to the podium. I stood a step or two before Ryfin and looked at him, pretending to be oblivious to what to do.


    "Here, ce your hand on this and channel your mana," he mentioned.


    "Okay, I understand. I''ll just do that."


    He was staring hard between the crystal ball and me which showed he was curious about how I''ll do this. He knew I wanted to hide my strength to not be the center of attention but this test can blow my cover in an instant.


    Ignoring his stare, I raised my hand and put it on top of the ball. A momentter the ball changed color.


    "I-Its, yellow. Your rank in E," hemented as he observed the ball.


    "Can I go now?" I asked in a totally respectful manner.


    He nodded and then I went back to my seat. Judging from the look on his face I can tell he was taken by surprise. After all, the crystal showed my rank E even though my rank was B.


    Now, how did this happen?


    It''s simple. I used the information from the novel and used it to my advantage.


    ording to that, the crystal changed its color by measuring the amount of mana that flowed into it. In short, the more mana you give it, the darker its color will change.


    Normally you channel your mana in your hand and then to the crystal, allowing it to measure your mana pool. But what I did there was instead of channeling my mana toward it, I reduced the mana flow in my hand.


    Because of it, the mana it received was equal to that of an E ranker hence my rank was shown E.


    Normally this type of thing won''t be possible for a beginner but I was able to do it because I was already using elemental magic for a while now, hence I had pretty good control over my mana.


    And that''s about it. Somehow I was able to tackle this safely.


    Though I still have things I need to do and people I need to check on.

 Chapter 57 Zaforths Academy

    Nothing much happened after Ryfin noted the rank of every individual in the ss since today was the first day.


    We were dismissed 1 hourter and in that period he told us the history of the Zaforths Magic Academy, why it is the number one academy to learn magic, and what privileges we''ll get once we graduate from here.


    I never paid attention to what he said because if this is the same Zaforths academy as the one in the novel then I already knew everything there is to know.


    This academy was built to produce great magicians and spread the art of magic worldwide.


    ''Given how much of a useful art magic is, I want it to be used in every nick and corner of the world'' were the words of the man who founded the academy.


    He hired the best of the best magicians as the teachers and started this academy. No one knows why but only this academy was backed by the government even though there are many other magic academies.


    Due to the government''s support, it didn''t take much time for the academy to gain poprity and fame among the citizens.


    The higher-ss nobles started sending their sons and daughters to this academy and seeing that the other nobles did the same.


    The urge to not get left behind by the other nobles caused a chain reaction, and in no time, the academy that was supposed to be for everyone ended up being an academy only for nobles.


    Five years after its establishment, this academy took first ce as the best magic academy in the Zenith kingdom and is holding the number one spot for many years now.


    The privileges offered to the students once they graduate were also nothing to joke about.


    Your family will climb up one rank in the hierarchy of noble families if you graduated from ss A.


    You will be able to get any job rted to magic by showing your graduation certificate and there will also be a chance for you to get into the royal army, if your talent is good enough then it will be possible for you to be hired as the personal guard of the royal family.


    In short, you won''t have to worry about having a sessful and luxurious life if you graduate from this academy.


    Well, this is what''s on the surface and known to the general audience. That''s why Ryfin only exined this much to us. I doubt even Ryfin knows the secrets of this academy.


    I knew this confidential information due to the memory of that novel. I helped loli_pop in editing and correcting his mistakes to avoid any visible plot holes so I read his novel very carefully.


    As a result, the storyline is carved into my memory. ''I don''t know whether I should be thankful to him for this or not?''


    Anyway, the real reason for why this academy was built and why it has the government''s support, is this.


    A year before when the academy was founded, the man who founded this academy discovered a portal in barrennds.


    It was emitting weird energy signatures and a huge amount of mana was concentrated around it.


    Upon entering the portal the man found himself in a world totally different from this one. Thend there was burned and rocks were melted, the atmosphere was dense and thick, ck clouds shrouded the sky.


    It was the world where demons reside;ter it was named the demon dimension.


    The man himself never encountered any demon because the sheer look of his surroundings was enough to make him turn his tale and run for his life.


    He ran away and came back to this world. A few weekster the portal disappeared, and though his mind told him he is safe now, a feeling of fear was engraved deep in his heart.<sub> </sub>


    While he never encountered a demon, he did saw them from far away. They had whole cities built in that world. And then the man thought.


    What if they came to this world just like he went there? What will be of his homnd then? The answer was simple¡­it''ll be pure destruction.


    He had no logical reasoning for this but the power he felt in the demonic dimension, the density of mana he felt there, was nothing he could ever dream to have. Leave him, not even the best magician couldpete against that power.


    Humans have a special trait to them, [They fear what they can''t control].  The same went for him also.


    Thus, he reported this incident to the king and informed him of the uing threat. The king heeded his call and he got the support of the government and the royal family.


    And as for why the king believed him? Well, it was because that man was in fact the strongest magician humanity had at that time.


    Like this, the Zaforths Magic Academy was founded. The main goal of this academy wasn''t to spread magic across the world, but to produce magicians capable of defending the world when the time came.


    This was the secret history of the Zaforths magic academy, which only a selected people know about.


    "How much this will be?"


    "50 C"


    "Okay, here is it."


    I handed the money to the man in front of me and received a fluffy thing from him.


    The thing in my hand had a crispy texture from the outside and soft from the inside, due to the white creamy thing filled in it.


    It was a creampuff I purchased just now.


    The ss was over so I was headed back and then I remembered I have eaten nothing in breakfast. So I went to a store¡ªa bakery to be precise¡ªthat''s built inside the campus and bought a creampuff to eat.


    "Damn it''s good~"


    Taking a bite my cheeks puffed up as a delicate sweet vor covered my tongue.


    As I ate the puff, I walked away from the store, though I was not headed toward the dorms.


    Right now I was going in the direction where ss 1A was located. I wanted to confirm if I really was in that novel and this was thest thing to make me believe it.


    I was going to see another character from the novel and if they are the same as I know then it''ll be sure that this world is the same as the novel. Once it is confirmed, I can then focus on my ns to dodge my death and on things after that.


    A whileter I reached my destination, their ss also seems to have ended as the students were all out in the corridor.


    I sneaked my way across the crowd and looked for my target. The one I was looking for was the heiress of the family, second in position to the royal family.


    And not long after, I found my target. Or rather found her, she was indeed a girl and one who''ll be a member of Leon''s harem.

 Chapter 58 Doubts

    The Griffin family, the Rosenberg family, and the Lovett family. In the Zenith kingdom, these three families sit at the top of the noble hierarchy.


    These families are the ones with the most power in their hands after the king and the royal family itself. This system was designed to preventw and order in case of emergency if the royal family gets attacked by other countries.


    If that or a situation simr to it ever urred then the three families can work together and take control of the constitution of this kingdom until the next king is selected or the state of emergency is sorted out.


    That was a vague exnation I guess. Anyway, verbal information doesn''t matter much as I have the real thing here.


    Right now the girl on whom my eyes are set, one who''s right in front of me, is the heiress of the Rosenberg family.


    She had sleek waist lengthed red hair that covered her back like a cape and her deep brown eyes had a slight glow in them. Her face was small but not too small, the perfect size you can say. She wore a little bit of makeup but maybe it''s just my imagination.


    Overall, the girl had a statuesque aura around her.


    She was Ellyn Rosenberg, the heiress of the Rosenberg family and the person I was looking for.


    In the novel, she was the first person to date Leon, and remember, I said first to date, not the first to get in bed with him.


    I was looking for her because of two reasons. The first is to meet another character from the novel and confirm whether this world is really the same as the novel.


    Though I think that doubt is cleared now since she is standing right in front of me and her looks are the same as what was described in the novel.


    And the second reason is¡­


    "Zero? When did youe here?"


    Followed by this question someone''s hand patted me on my right shoulder. I turned back to see who it is and there before me, stood Anya. With a bit of confused expression on her face.


    She was right though. There is quite a distance between sses A and B so I shouldn''t be here.


    "Oh! I came to see, you know. In the morning when you tried to talk to me I kind of¡­brushed you off. Sorry about that, I was not in the right mood," I apologized.


    Listening to my reply her expression rxed. "So that''s what it''s about. It''s okay though. You don''t have to feel bad over silly things like that."


    "Anyway, how was your first ss?" I asked as we walked together toward the dorms.


    Neither of us suggested this but since our sses were over and both of us were headed toward the dorms. There was no reason to not walk together.


    "Hmm, I think it was fine. They didn''t really teach anything today, the most we did was introduce ourselves to each other, and the teacher measured our ranks¡­Oh! and we also learned about how this academy was formed."


    It seems every ss was handled in the same way. Here I don''t have much information on what exactly is taught in this academy because in the novel, mostly everything was exined except what the sses are about.


    I have to wait and find that out in real-time.


    ***


    It was around noon. After escorting Anya to the dorms I went back to the main building and looked for Ellyn again.


    Fortunately, I found her soon as she was surrounded by a group of girls. Then I spend the next couple of hours stalking her while keeping my distance.


    I wanted to bepletely sure if she is the same Ellyn I know and for that, I had to know her routine as well.


    From what I observed, most of the time she was never alone and had a group of girls around her; when one group left the other came.


    Because of her being from the Rosenberg family she had many admirers who looked up to her like she was a celebrity of some sort.


    ''Being from a famous familyes with its own set of problems I guess.''


    Truly, spending all day surrounded by a bunch of people you barely know must''ve been exhausting.


    In the end, it was dusk when she was finally free and had some alone time; though she went to her room in the dorms right after that.


    The result of my stalking; she and the Ellyn I know from the novel¡­are the same person.


    ***


    Lying on my bed I was staring at the ceiling above me. My mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts and emotions.<sub> </sub>


    I felt extremely stuffed and empty at the same time.


    What is this feeling? I don''t know. It''s like I have everything I want, everything I wanted to have but the next moment I have nothing.


    The realization that I am inside a novel left me stunned. I was like this since the opening ceremony; I barely kept my cool all day because I didn''t want to break the "normal guy" part.


    ¡­But now that I''m alone.


    "Fuck! Why me? Why the fuck only me?" I mmed the bed and cursed out loud.


    Why was I in a fucking novel? I thought I''m reincarnated in a new world where I can live a new life, live the life I wanted to live. The life I couldn''t have in my former world.


    I got parents who loved me-no, the parents whom I loved, and a sister who I cared for. I was finally living my life as any normal boy should have.


    And now you''re telling me they''re just characters of some fucking clich¨¦d novel written by a motherfucker who''s so obsessed with lolis that he divided ''lollipop'' into ''loli_pop''!


    Everything I did was fake? Am I truly inside a novel?


    All the interaction I made, all the moments I spent¡­is some bastard reading and enjoying all that?


    "If I''m inside a novel then it must also mean that the personality of the people I met was pre-programmed, how they''ll behave was already decided!"


    ¡­


    Then a thought struck me. A thing I was missing, a thing I ignored due to the shock of being inside a novel.


    ¡­


    "There personalities are pre-programmed? How can that be possible? If I remember correctly, which I do, then Anya''s parents were never mentioned in the novel. If they were not mentioned then how can they be pre-programmed?"


    Leave my parents; there are a bunch of people I met who never even appeared in the novel.


    That can''t be possible if I''m inside a novel, right? The people who were never mentioned, shouldn''t exist in the first ce? But they do, how?


    There was only one way to exin this, only one theory. A theory that can make sense.


    It''s the theory of parallel universes.


    ording to the parallel universe theory, every possibility can have its own universe. Each and everything is possible. A world you think and daydream about can be real in a form of a parallel universe.


    For example, say you wore a red shirt today but you wore it in this universe. In some other universe, you could have worn green, or yellow in a different one, or blue in another.


    If I apply that theory here then it just means I''m not inside that novel, but I''m in a world that''s based on that novel. The things mentioned in the novel are here but the things that didn''t exist are here as well.


    The people who were not in the novel are here because without them this world can''t practically function. Like only the name of Anya''s parents was mentioned in the novel, they were never shown in person. They didn''t exist there.


    But it was only because it was fiction, not reality. This world, however, is real. And in the real world, Anya can''t exist if her parents aren''t there to marry each other and give birth to her. They exist because Anya can''t exist without them.


    And when they came into existence due to this very reason, they developed personalities of their own. Original personalities that have nothing to do with the novel.


    The same goes for every other person in this world who was not in the novel. They exist because the world can''t function without them. Like a machine can''t function until all of its parts are there.


    This is it!


    ''This is no fake world. This is real, I am real, my parents, Anya, they are real!''


    "Sigh! I was worrying over nothing," I sighed as I hopped off my bed.


    Now that this misunderstanding is clear, I can focus on what to do next.


    In a month or so, I''m going to die, or rather I''m supposed to die until I don''t interfere and change the storyline.


    ''And there''s no second thought about it¡­I''m gonna fucking do it! After all, it''s not every day you found yourself in another world, in fact in a world where you already know what''s going to happen. How can I miss this opportunity?''


    My doubts were clear now. It was time to set things in motion.

 Chapter 59 To Set Things In Motion [1]

    My doubts were clear now, it was now time to set things in motion.


    The first thing I did was go to the nearest shop and buy a diary. I made it just in time as currently, the time was 9:30 pm and the shopkeeper was about to close the store.


    It took me 10 minutes to go buy the diary ande back. After that, I sat at my desk, opened the diary, picked up a pen, and got ready for writing.


    I bought this diary so I can write down the storyline of loli_pop''s novel; this was a measure I took in case I forgot anything from the plot in the future and got in trouble because of that.


    "Sigh~" Letting out a sigh, I yed with the pen in my hand as I recalled the plot of his novel.


    ''Damn. I better kiss goodbye to sleeping this night.''


    I mean, that bastard''s novel had more than 300 chapters and was still ongoing. Even if I write only a rough outline of the events that''ll happen, sleeping tonight is out of the question.


    "Well, no use crying over spilled milk," with that, I began writing.


    ***


    The next day; at 9:00 am.


    "Finally it''s done!"


    I mmed closed the diary, threw the pen I don''t know where, and slumped my head on the desk.


    It took me more than 11 hours but finally, it wasplete. Actually, I wrote it all down earlier than expected, I had in mind that it''ll easily take one day to write the whole thing.


    ¡­Anyway.


    I got up from the desk and made my way to the bed, and then I slowly sat down, leaning against the wall.


    There''s still an hour left before the sses start so resting a bit won''t hurt. I closed my eyes and started thinking about what to do from here on out.


    It''s not like I didn''t have a n, I do. But I just want to make clear what my goals are. After all, writing all that made me remember some events I had forgotten.


    And due to one of those events happening in the future, the lives of my parents were also in danger. That''s a thing I can''t allow. Thus I needed a bit change of ns.


    Hence, right now I have two main goals lying ahead of me. The first was to save me from dying by an event taking ce in a month.


    The second is to save my family from dying by an event that''ll take ce in a year or so.


    Yes, it''ll ur a yearter.


    In loli_pop''s novel, that was the time when demons invaded this world for the first time.


    Before that event, there were no signs of demons here and the only species in existence except humans were monsters.


    Then how did demonse here?


    Remember the portal discovered by the founder of the Zaforths academy? It was then when it all started.


    The portal he found was the first one to connect this and the demon dimension together. While it disappeared a weekter, the connection it created between the two worlds was still there.


    As a result, those portals started appearing in different ces one by one.


    Humanity was not able to detect and prevent the uing disaster from happening because these portals had a vast time gap between the closing of one portal and the opening of another.


    At first, only 5 to 6 portals appeared in a year and they were far away from each other. But slowly as time passed, their rate of appearance started increasing.


    It went from 5 to 6 a year to 8 to 9, then 10 to 13, and so on. If I remember correctly then there should be a total of 16 portals spread across the globe right now.


    Just like this, the numbers will keep increasing, and a yearter¡ªaround the time when the second year of the Zaforths academy starts¡ªtheir numbers will skyrocket out of nowhere.


    The portals will appear everywhere in the world and the size of these new portals will be massive, massive enough to let an army of demons pass through.


    The same thing will happen and demons will attack this world in waves. They will easily outnumber the human army as they will number in millions.


    This event was named ''The cmity''.


    ''I kind of feel guilty now because I was the one who suggested the idea of increasing the numbers of demons to a crazy level. That time I did this to make things harder for the MC¡ªLeon, now things will be harder for me!


    Talk about backfire~''


    Now,ing back to the topic.


    The first ce to get invaded by the demon will be, of course, the Zenith kingdom.<sub> </sub>


    ording to the main storyline the whole kingdom gets destroyed and everyone dies. Obviously except for Leon and his harem.


    This was now loli_pop''s idea. He wanted to make Leon suffer so that he can get a bit serious and the fire of hate against demons can be burned inside him.


    This is specifically because until now Leon had no real goal in his life and due to this loli_pop was getting hate from his readers. He can''t make him go serious without a solid reason, thus he added the destruction of the Zenith kingdom.


    Everyone will die right before Leon''s eyes and he won''t be able to do anything, since the numbers of demons were too much even for him.


    But it couldn''t matter less to me, I don''t give a fuck about Leon. The problem here is that my parents are also living in the Zenith kingdom and if everyone dies, then they also count in.


    I want to stop that from happening, and I have a few choices to do it.


    I can either change the storylinepletely to stop the portals from appearing, or I can get strong, strong enough to help my parents escape this kingdom and the cmity.


    I considered the first option at the start but after thinking about it for a while I realized that this n has more cons than pros.


    First of all, I don''t know a thing about how these portals appear or what causes them to form as it was never exined in the novel, and if I don''t know what makes them then naturally I won''t know how to stop them.


    Moreover, say I interfered in some events and changed the main storyline¡ªwith half-assed info on the portals.


    But instead of stopping the cmity from urring, what will I do if the changes I make boosted the event somehow and it happened earlier than expected? I''ll be boned then.


    Hence, I decided to go with the second choice; to get strong. I know what''s going to happen in the future and using that knowledge to my advantage I can get stronger easily.


    Hell, I even know an item that can make me 5x stronger than what I am now and I know its whereabouts. I can go and take it right now if I want to.


    This n was safe and had a higher rate of sess. But executing it will take some time of course, since we are not allowed to go out of the academy I can''t go and take that item.


    Though I do have a n for that, I don''t want to rush and mess things up.


    You know what they say right? [Haste makes waste].


    The cmity will arrive a year from now so I still have some time in hand. I''ll rather move carefully, making sure that I''ll seed.


    Like this, it was decided, that to save my parents from the cmity I have to get stronger.


    Now,ing to the other goal¡ªto save me from dying. Here I don''t have the choice to fail, since if I failed and died my parents will also die in the future.


    I already know what I have to do to y this out sessfully so saving me is not a problem. I''ll say it''s a piece of cake and put it aside for the moment.


    Right now my priority is something else, and that is to clean the mess I made by saving Anya from Walric.


    Doing that caused Anya to never meet Leon, if it keeps on like this then they won''t have a rtionship.


    As to why this was a problem? Well, it''s the same reasoning as for me not choosing to change the storyline to save my parents.


    Anya yed a big role in fighting alongside Leon in many battles in the future and she was there precisely because they had that kind of rtionship.


    I don''t even know how much the story will change if I removed this element. Hence I need to somehow make a romantic rtionship between Leon and Anya.


    What was supposed to happen originally is skipped thanks to me so I''ll have to find some other way to do it.


    ¡­Now don''t get me wrong here, there''s no way I''ll let that Leon have his way with my sister.


    I mean, I do want to recreate their rtionship but I never said it has to be real.


    As long as Anya expresses her feeling for Leon and fights alongside him everything will be fine, it doesn''t matter if she''s just pretending.


    The end result will be the same.


    But I was not so sure on this matter, on how to make Anya pretend. Well, I''ll figure something out eventually.


    I also want to experiment and find out to which extent I can interfere in the storyline without changing the main plot points.


    "But that can wait," I exhaled as I got up from the bed.


    I nced at the wall clock, it was 9:50 now. The sses were about to begin.


    Quickly changing into the academy uniform I took a final look in the mirror.


    ''Hmm, my eyes look sleepy,'' though I can''t do anything about it. I wore my ck gloves and then left my room.


    I was in a hurry, something interesting was going to happen today.

 Chapter 60 To Set Things In Motion [2]

    Entering the ssroom I nced at the wall clock above the ckboard, only a minute or so was remaining before the sses start.


    ''Phew! That was close.''


    I walked over to my seat and sat. It was the same one where I sat yesterday as no one else took it, though taking a look at the ss made me realize that except for the remaining few, all the other seats were upied by the other students.


    Guess I really amte today. My eyes were also sleepy and I look exhausted. Can''t help it though, that''s what you get for staying awake all night.


    After I bnced my breathing¡ªas I was panting before because I came running here¡ªmy attention shifted toward my surroundings.


    The ss today seems a lot different from what it was yesterday. The difference is that most of the students have made friends, recing yesterday''s silence is the sound of chatting and talking.


    I was quite surprised by how quickly they got together. I mean, it''s only been one day and we already have friend circles and groups forming here.


    No, the fact which shocked me, even more, is that not a single student tried to approach me.


    ''Can I really me them though?'' Recalling my actions made me think that. I spend the day stalking a girl¡ªEllyn Rosenberg.


    If by chance I got seen doing that by someone then I can kiss goodbye to my reputation¡ªwhich is a purely hypothetical thing for me.


    Just kidding.


    I know I''m in the wrong here. No one will approach me until I approach them; I''m sure more than half of the ss doesn''t even know my name.


    It''s my fault; I was never good with these things. Friendship has an entirely different meaning for me. It''s better if I don''t have friends, it''ll be good for both parties.


    Otherwise, I fear I will end up doing the same thing I did in my former life¡­..should leave it at this. I don''t wanna recall those memories.


    As I shook away those thoughts, someone entered the ss; it was none other than our homeroom teacher or instructor, Ryfin.


    Putting both of his hands on the podium he stood before it and gazed at the students present in the ss.


    "I hope you all are doing well and getting ustomed to this new, academic life of yours. Anyway, getting onto the main topic¡­from today, you will start learning magic. The real thing you came here for," Ryfin announced as he picked up a piece of chalk and turned toward the ckboard.


    "And today what you will be learning is¡­" he continued, while drawing something on the ckboard. "Is magic circles."


    He stopped moving his hand and then turned back at us, behind him on the ckboard was drawn a pattern that looked simr to the magic circles I saw in anime.


    "There are two ways by which you can use magic and cast spells," he began. "One is through incantations and the other is with the help of magic circles. The one you will be learning today is the second one, through magic circles.


    Why? Because it''s more beneficial. While incantations are easy to remember, it takes time to activate spells with them, giving your enemy the time to attack. It''s due to this reason that incantations are rarely used nowadays, especially in battles.


    On the other hand, memorizing the magic circles takes time, if your skills are weak then it can easily take a month for you to learn a circle. However, once you''ve learned them then it will only provide you with benefits. Since casting a spell through a magic circle doesn''t take any time.


    Now, I can exin to you how it works but there''s barely anything to exin. It will be easier to teach you directly, as you won''t get what I''m saying until you experience it yourself."


    Then he slowly walked towards the door, "Get up from your seats and follow me to the gymnasium," Ryfinmanded.


    After that, we followed him. Going through a corridor we reached the Gymnasium.


    It was a big one, really big. The ceiling was high¡ªaround the length of a double-storey building. The floor was made out of stone and the walls were of bricks. Ryfin also told us that the bricks used to make these walls are enchanted with magic hence they won''t break easily.


    It was a measure taken in a ce since here magic is practiced and some spells can cause greater damage.


    Anyway, all the students were scattered around in groups of their own as Ryfin never said anything like "stand in a line" or something like that.


    I obviously stood alone, with a few more students like me; who ain''t a part of any group.


    Once everyone was settled, Ryfin turned to us, a look of seriousness in his eyes as he spoke.


    "Now, there are many of you who will be using magic for the first time today so I will start with a low-tier spell," he said.


    This was the least I expected. I thought he''d be going to teach us how to control the mana in our bodies, first.<sub> </sub>


    Though to my surprise, while some students don''t know how to cast spells, they do know to control their mana as it''s a thing passed down generation by generation in higher-ss noble families¡ªjust like sword arts.


    "To cast a spell using magic circles, you first have to engrave the image of the circle for that spell deep in your mind. Remember, if you miss even the slightest bit of detail, the spell won''t work," Ryfin stated.


    Then, from the pocket of his pants, he pulled out a paper scroll, opened it, and showed it to us.


    A magic circle was painted on it in red color. This circle, however, was different from the one he drew back on the ckboard. This one was moreplex, with lots of patterns in it.


    "This magic circle is used to cast a fireball spell, simr to the one you all cast in the entrance exam but with incantations. Remember this circle, crave its image in your memory so deep that you can never forget it again, even if you try.


    Then, when you are done with that, visualize this circle in your mind and imagine filling it with your mana. Here you have to maintain your concentration otherwise the spell won''t work, worst case scenario¡­it can even go berserk.


    Though if your focus is good enough, the spell will be active and a fireball will get summoned. That''s it for the exnation, go ahead and try it out yourself."


    With that, he pinned the paper¡ªon which the magic circle was drawn¡ªto the wall behind him.


    The students gathered close to it and started staring at the magic circle carefully. I was no exception.


    This went on for like 10 to 15 minutes and then some students, who thought they memorized the circle, came in front and stood away from the rest of the crowd.


    "Be careful with this one, it''s a fire spell. You see those targets there, aim for them," Ryfin warned as he pointed toward the opposite side of the gymnasium where a few human dummies were ced in a row.


    The first one to try out the spell was a blonde boy. He stood with his back straight and closed his eyes¡ªmost likely to do the visualizing part. After a minute or so he opened them again and raised his right hand, aiming at one of the dummies.


    "Haa!" he shouted and with that a fireball...didn''t appear. Yeah, nothing happened. He just stood there like an idiot while some studentsughed being his back.


    Embarrassed, he turned back and looked at Ryfin who was standing, leaning against the wall.


    "It''s not that easy kid. Try a bit harder and maintain your focus," Ryfinmented.


    The boy nodded and went back to look at the magic circle.


    ***


    3 HOURS LATER


    ***


    The ss for today ended. In the end, only two students were able to pull off the spell and when the ss was about to end that is¡ªit took three hours for them.


    And just to be sure, I was not one of those two students. Memorizing the magic circle is hard, and I mean really hard.


    The reason for it I can think of is because the circle is a set of patterns, and learning those patterns is much harder than learning words or numbers.


    The elemental magic I use is way easier.


    Maybe I could have done it if given one more hour since I felt I was pretty close but no use giving excuses.


    Also, not being able to cast that spell is kind of good for me as I was afraid I might end up doing the same thing I did in the entrance exam¡ªsummoning a big-ass fireball.


    Anyway, I don''t really care about all that as I am excited over something else.


    When I was on my way to leave the main building, I saw a crowd in the corridors. It was in front of ss 1A.


    I made my way there and when I was close enough, two male students who were surrounded by the other students came in sight.


    One of them was a brown-haired guy, his body was slightly on the muscr side and his narrowed eyes were staring at the other student who stood before him.


    With jet ck hair and red eyes, this student had a calm expression on his face. He was Leon¡ªthe MC of loli_pop''s novel.

 Chapter 61 To Set Things In Motion [3]

    Leon, the MC of loli_pop''s novel. He didn''t know who his parents were nor did he see them, in fact, he didn''t even remember their names.


    This was because his parents abandoned him in front of an orphanage as he was their fifth child and they didn''t have the money left to raise him.


    Hence, he spent his childhood in that orphanage until he reached the age of 15.


    The orphanage didn''t keep anyone after they attained the age of 15 years old as that is the age when you take a step into adulthood ording to thews of this world.


    The same went for Leon also, he was kicked out of the orphanage and left to live on his own.


    He then spent a couple of weeks living on the streets until a certain event urred.


    One day he went to the forest to gather fruits or something else to eat, though he fell into a deep hole. It was the entrance of abyrinth.


    He lost consciousness and woke up a dayter, only to find himself with severe injuries. Even so, he tried his hardest to make it out alive. He knew he can''t go back up from the hole he fell because it was a straight fall, so he decided to clear thebyrinth.


    He didn''t have much knowledge aboutbyrinths but the fact that you can get out by defeating the boss of the final floor was known to everyone. It wasmon sense in this world.


    Following thatmon sense, he started clearing the floors, though it was not easy at all.


    Thebyrinth is a maze-like structure with multiple floors, they are filled with different types of monsters and each floor was armed with its own boss; a monster far stronger than the normal ones.


    Leon was weak to begin with, but the injuries he had made it even worse. Leave clearing thebyrinth aside, he wasn''t able to reach the boss room on the first floor as he didn''t carry any weapon and fighting monsters barehanded is the same asmitting suicide


    Half a dayter he found himself in a near-death situation. After his fight with a giant lizard he was pretty much dead, was not moving and the lizard was on its way to eat him.


    But while his body had given up his mind didn''t. There was only one reason; he wanted to see his parents even if it''s only for once.


    The will to survive inside him was strong, strong enough to make him bite the lizard''s windpipe with all the force he could apply, doing that he killed the lizard.


    Though in the process the lizard bites him on his shoulder. He killed the lizard but he was still going to die because of the bleeding.


    Then it happened.


    [The system has acknowledged your resolve!]


    <System activated>


    ? A notification popped up in his head as a translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.


    That day, he got a system.


    A system that helped him learn magic easily, a system by which he can level up and collect skills like Pok¨¦mons, a system that increased both his physical and magical abilities.


    Using the system he cleared thebyrinth in 4 days and made his way out by defeating the final boss.


    And when he was headed back to the city he found a woman in the forest. She was hiding in a carriage that was surrounded by a few mid-level monsters.


    Leon being a generic protagonist killed those monsters and saved the woman. Later it turned out she was the wife of a retired professor of the Zaforths magic academy.


    Leon escorted his wife to her home where he met with the professor.


    The professor then heard his situation, and after getting an understanding of the life he was living he gave Leon an offer.


    As a way to thank him the professor wanted to help him somehow. After all, if wasn''t for Leon then his wife would be dead by now. Hence, he first tested his skills; which were over the top due to the system.


    Seriously, the guy didn''t hold back in showing off his abilities.


    Naturally, the professor was impressed. He''d never seen a talent like this before and he didn''t want it to go to waste.


    As a result, he rmended Leon to the magic academy and paid for his fee. That''s how he got enrolled here.


    Now, in the middle of the days he spent living in the professor''s house, he was supposed to meet with a drowned-in-despair Anya and save her from Walric.


    Though I guess this part was skipped thanks to me.


    Anyway, Leon was a generic fantasy protagonist in the flesh. He was kind and always wanted to do the right thing¡ªhelping those in need without any discrimination and stuff.<sub> </sub>


    And he was also horny as fuck at times, specifically when the plot demanded some R18 scenes.


    But thanks to him being a kind and ''OP MC'', he got into trouble in the academy many times. I was witnessing one of those right now.


    I was sitting on an audience seat in a coliseum¡ªthis, of course, was built inside the academy campus.


    So, what happened?


    A guy named Sarek, who is a student of ss 1A, was ganging up and bullying another student.


    Leon being Leon stepped in and stopped him, Sarek was outraged by this as he was a guy with a rtively short temper.


    Leon already got on his nerves because he yed the ''good guy'' in the ss, a trait Sarek absolutely hated, and this event made him burst.


    Hence, he challenged Leon to a duel. This situation spread at an unbelievably fast pace, and here we are now.


    The Coliseum was filled with students while Sarek and Leon stood in the middle of the arena with a sword in their hands.


    Sarek didn''t know magic well, so he challenged him to a sword fight. Leon wanted to turn him down but to the pressure, he got from the students who hated Sarek, he ended up epting it.


    The match started when the referee blew his whistle.


    ***


    -Boom!


    Just when the match started Sarek kicked off the ground and shot in Leon''s direction as he raised his sword high.


    Leon held his sword in front of his body and clenched onto its handle. It was decided, he has the system so there''s no way he was going to lose here. Though, he decided not to go rough on Sarek and y defensive.


    -nk!


    -nk!


    -nk!


    Sounds of metal shing resounded in the arena as Sarekunched strike after strike at Leon while Leon only blocked his attacks instead of striking him with his own.


    This exchange of blows continued for several minutes, Sarek kept shouting, "Bastard! Are you trying to mock me here?!" because not a single time did Leon attack him.


    In the end, Sarek backed off to take a breath. He rxed his body and then again stood with his back straight, staring at Leon directly into his eyes.


    "Don''t you dare go easy on me! I''ll crush you when you''re at your full power!" he said and darted toward Leon.


    "If that''s what you wish," Leon mumbled.


    Taking a sidestep he got out of Sarek''s way and when Sarek was just beside Leon, he struck the back of his neck with the hilt of his sword.


    Soon after, Sarek stumbled and fell to the ground; he was knocked unconscious.


    The students in the audience busted out in cheers while theckeys of Sarek looked at Leon with fear in their eyes.


    ***


    It wasn''t much of a battle anyway, I knew this was going to happen due to the knowledge of the novel I have.


    Leon was S rank after all.


    Still, seeing the events I read as texts unfold in reality right before my eyes was an exciting experience.


    The match was over and a whileter the students started leaving the coliseum, I did the same.


    I had the entertainment I wanted, now it was time to move on to the main things.

 Chapter 62 To Set Things In Motion [4]

    It''s been a week since I started at this academy. I spent these days collecting information about some specific people and taking daily sses.


    Also, a few dayster I discovered a new thing; this academy has a cafeteria on its campus. Yeah, I found it out on the third day.


    ¡­and I ate nothing but cakes and creampuff for two days when I didn''t know about this, since I was toozy to cook my own food.


    Anyway, right now I was hiding in a corner, behind the wall of a building. This was necessary since I''m in the middle of stalking someone. Who? It''s Leon.


    After I was done with Ellyn and knew her usual schedule of what she does every day, what ces she goes to, and which person she talks to.


    When I was done finding out all that I shifted to Leon and started keeping track of his daily schedule.


    While I didn''t like stalking, this was important for my ns since I was not in the same ss as Leon and the rest of the main leads, stalking is my only option to get updated on what''s going on with them.


    ''Hmm, I need someone who''s close to Leon and can keep tabs on him while giving me the report. Basically a puppet spy, that''s what I want. Though it''s a far cry for now.''


    And stalking Leon was easier than Ellyn actually, as I wasn''t the only one doing this.


    Several girls, who got head over heels for him at the first sight, were following him all day looking for an opportunity to do you-know-what.


    Leon also knew and ignored this. Thanks to that I was able to blend in with the crowd and move smoothly.


    Those girls, our reasons were different but our motive was the same. No wait, this doesn''t sound right.


    Ah, fuck it!


    As I was busy with my internal thoughts I caught sight of Anya. I was in the main building right after today''s lessons were over, and I saw Anya walking down the corridor, holding a couple of books in her hand.


    ''Am I the only one who''s not taking notes?''


    Then I looked at Leon¡ªwho was engaged in a conversation with Ellyn. Apparently, they were good friends or maybe a bit more than friends. The reason behind it? Well, I know it but that''s not really important right now.


    I was doing all this stalking and nning because I want to get Anya and Leon in a rtionship. I don''t feel good doing this but without it, whates next will be ruined.


    So, for now, I stopped following Leon and went where Anya was. Crossing the same corridor I made our encounter look like a coincidence.


    "How''s your day going?" asking this, I stepped beside her.


    Seeing me pop up out of nowhere she was startled for a second but soon regained herposure.


    "Oh? Zero, where did youe from? And my day is going good," she replied.


    "Wanna walk to the dorms?"


    "Sure."


    On our way, we talked over normal things like asking how we are spending our days here at the academy, how many friends we made, what is taught to us in the sses, and things like that.


    Having this type of conversation with Anya reminded me of how good of a family I have now. Even though they are based on the characters of a novel I don''t care anymore, coz they are real, not some 1D character.


    I got a family who loved me, a family whom I loved. And I''ll do anything to protect it.


    I don''t mind ying dirty for it¡­I never did.


    "Oh, that reminds me, you''re in the same ss as Leon, right? Have you talked to him," I interjected.


    "Hmm, Leon huh," she mumbled. "I didn''t actually. After that duel he had, his poprity is on another level, I can''t talk to him even if I want to. He is so strong, even blessed with good looks but¡­he seems kind of out of reach to me. It''s like he''s sitting somewhere so high where I can''t reach even if I try."


    "Ah, I see. I should''ve known that. Sorry, it was a strange thing to ask."


    "Don''t worry about it. I don''t know if you admire him or not but it''s not your fault if you do, he really is that amazing," shemented.


    "I guess¡­"


    Don''t know why but I more or less expected this kind of response. In the novel, she was able to befriend Leon and then began a romantic rtionship with him only because he got to know him before he joined the academy.


    Due to that, she came to know him before he his fame skyrocketed.


    Now the situation''s different, she is looking at him from an extra''s point of view. Anya excels in sword arts¡ªshe''s the best one I ever encountered, and her looks are also good, but I doubt Leon even knows about her.<sub> </sub>


    This indeed was a problem for me. For Anya to get in a rtionship with Leon, I first have to somehow close the mental distance between them.


    At first, I thought I should just go up front and ask Anya to do the pretend-lover thing for me, but then I decided otherwise.


    I already made a mess telling her that I''m a reincarnate, also, a brother asking her sister to pretend to be the girlfriend of some guy she doesn''t even know will be super weird in itself.


    Hence, I have to make her pretend to be Leon''s friend, then girlfriend, without her realizing this.


    Maybe I''ll end up breaking the rules I set up for myself, rules to keep me under control. So that I won''t end up repeating the same mistake I did in my former life.


    But it''s for the greater good.


    ¡­


    Soon we reached the area with all the area where the dormitory buildings were located.


    "Looks like we''re here," I said.


    "Yeah."


    "Bye, take care."


    "You too."


    After that Anya went inside the ss A dorm building while I waited outside it.


    Obviously, I wasn''t going to go in just now. I have to finish what I was doing. And so, when I made sure Anya is inside her room, I turned back and headed toward the main building.


    ***


    A whileter I found Leon again. Finding him wasn''t that difficult since the guy attracted a hell lot of attention.


    Right now, he was not in the main building but in the cafeteria. Sitting with Ellyn he was having lunch.


    I didn''t go inside as the chances of getting caught will be high then, and just watched from outside through the window.


    ''The same as always, I see.''


    He did his everyday things; going to the cafeteria at this time was also a part of it.


    As he wasn''t doing anything unusual and I was pretty much done noting down his schedule, I decided to take my leave.


    Backing off, I was going back but just then a stumbled upon an eye-catching sight.


    Away from the cafeteria building, stood three girls and they were staring hard inside the cafeteria.


    Judging by the looks they were good at best, and maybe from a higher-ss noble family also. Their makeup told that much.


    Though when I followed their line of sight I saw that what they were looking at, their gazes were directed toward none other than Leon and Ellyn¡ªboth of them were having lunch and chatting with each other.


    I hid myself behind the trunk of a nearby tree as I observed the three girls.


    "Tch! That bitch! Looks how happy she is there with Leon," one of the girls, with dark brown hair spoke.


    "This is the fourth time, she sticks with him all day!" another one spoke, she had ck hair.


    "It''s only due to her we never get a chance to talk to him," said thest one, she had blonde hair and an almost petite body.


    It didn''t take long to understand what was going on here; these girls liked Leon but were jealous of Ellyn since she stays with Leon pretty much all day. Seeing this must be irritating.


    Also, they were stalking Leon just like me.


    The girls stayed there for a while but when they saw that Ellyn had no ns to leave Leon''s side anytime soon, they went back¡ªall while cursing out a few kind words for Ellyn.


    I was the one to leave atst.


    ''I got to witness something interesting today,'' I thought as I walked in the direction of the bakery.

 Chapter 63 Letter [1]

    The next day I was sitting at my usual seat in the ss. Right now Ryfin was exining to us the different types of magic. This was a thing that was never told in the novel and I had no idea what it is, hence I was paying attention.


    This is what he''s told us so far:


    There are three types of magic; elemental magic, healing magic, and custom magic.


    First let''s start with healing magic, the easiest one to understand among the three.


    Healing magic is what in fact the name tells about; it is used for healing. This category of magic consists of a great number of healing magic spells, each of different type, use, and power.


    There are also three tires used to rank the healing magic spells and they are basic, intermediate, and advanced tiers.


    Basic tier spells are usually simple and easy to use, allowing any mage to use them whether they specialize in healing magic or not.


    Intermediate and advanced tier spells, on the other hand, can only be used or learned if you have a specific interest in healing magic. It''s like this because intermediate and advanced spells use more mana than basic spells and are also hard to learn.


    Hence, if you are focused on learning any other type of magic or art, while it won''t be impossible to learn, it will surely take you more time than a mage who''s there just to learn healing magic. (A/N: magician and mage are the same things.)


    Though that is not the case with advanced tier spells, to learn them you will have to dedicate a couple of decades of your life to healing magic. That is the reason there are only a few magicians who know to use advanced tier healing spells.


    Now let''se to custom magic. Custom magic is named "custom" because even now it is not fully discovered.


    This category of magic seems to contain an almost infinite number of spells and of course, there is a reason for it. To understand this you first have to understand what custom magic spells are.


    Every spell that doesn''te under elemental magic and healing magic is known as a custom magic spell.


    The number of these spells is said to be infinite because custom magic spells can be created from scratch by experimenting with magic circles or incantations by making changes in the form to your liking. It is possible as long as you are well versed in the process of creating new spells.


    Heck, this world even has an R & D branch dedicated just to creating new spells.


    Like that, since the number of spells that can possiblye under custom magic is unknown, as they can be created freely, their number is said to be infinite.


    Among the three, custom magic is the one humanity knows the least about. Also, like healing magic this was also divided into three tiers; basic, intermediate, and advanced.


    Lastly, elemental magic, this was a little catchy so I put it inst. ording to the academy, elemental magic is the category that contains spells that uses the natural elements of fire, water, and earth.


    The spells that use the power of these elements for either offensive or defensive are considered to be elemental magic spells. An example of this would be the fireball spell used in the entrance exam.


    This was also divided into the three tiers of basic, intermediate, and advanced but there was a thing that clicked with me.


    Here you can''t use the power of elements to your liking as I do. For example, there are two different spells to make a fireball and a fire spear. You are also required to use either the incantation or magic circle to activate the spell.


    But with the elemental magic I use, I don''t need either incantation or magic circle to activate the spell, but I can also control the elements the way I want freely at my will.<sub> </sub>


    Like I summon a fireball and the next moment I can change it into a spear, or the other way around.


    Why it was like this? I don''t know. Maybe the elemental magic the world knows about and the one I use are two entirely different things.


    "And that''s about it. In this academy, you will start by learning the basic tiers of all three types of magic. But slowly as you get into the senior years, we will teach you intermediate and advanced magic also. Once you reach the end of your second year, however, you will have a choice in your hand on which magic you have to continue and learn the advanced tiers of.


    That''s it. There won''t be any practical lessons for today, the ss will end here now," said Ryfin.


    He picked up the books he came here with and went outside the ss, students followed soon after.


    I also did the same. Though after I left the ssroom, rather than going toward the dorms or the cafeteria, I walked on a mostly empty path.


    I want to do some research on a few things rted to what''s going to happen to me in the near future. After all, even if I want Anya to get in a rtionship with Leon, I can''t ignore that I''m going to die soon due to a certain event.


    Hence, I headed over to the library. Yes, this academy did have one of those.


    ***


    Later that day, while Zero left for the library her sister, Anya went straight back to the dorms.


    She had a tiring day today; unlike ss B they did have practical lessons today.


    She decided to go rest a bit and then head over to the cafeteria to eat. Soon she reached the dorms and stood in front of a multi-floored building. This was the building for the students of ss 1A.


    Entering the building she went to the second floor where her room was, and walking down a corridor she reached there in about a minute or so.


    Stepping inside the room, the first thing she did was to put her books on a nearby desk and then removed the zer she was wearing.


    ying with her hair a bit she was about to go sit on the bed but just then she remembered something. Going back a few steps she stood before the door of her room.


    She then looked down, and there, an envelope was lying on the floor. She overlooked this the first time she entered but noticed it afterward.


    Picking it up, she went inside her room again and closed the door. Then she opened the envelope and took out a letter from it.


    As she read through the contents of the letter, the smile on her lips faded and her face grew paler.


    [Tomorrow a certain someone will save you from a certain something. All you have to do afterward is to get together with that person. As for whom the person is, you will know that tomorrow.


    This is not a prank, and don''t mistake to assume it is one. I am keeping an eye on you and if ignored my instructions then it won''t be good for your¡­brother. He will die.]


    Was the context written in the letter.

 Chapter 64 Letter [2]

    It is unbelievable, the letter in my hands. Reading through its content send a chill down my spine, leaving me nk-headed without knowing what I should do next.


    It said that tomorrow someone will save me from something¡ªI don''t know from what exactly as it was not mentioned in the letter¡ªand then I will have to get together with that person.


    If I don''t do that then the life of my brother will be in danger; he will die. At least, this is what''s written in there.


    The thing which stunned me though was the part about Zero, the part that I have a brother. I haven''t told anyone that Zero is my brother or I even have a brother.


    The only ones who knew about our rtionship is just me and Zero himself, maybe the academy staff can also count in.


    But that leaves me with the question of how does this person¡ªone who sent me this letter- know about him?


    For a moment I felt like this was a prank, a joke someone might be pulling on me. I thought that I should just ignore it but¡­what if it turned out not to be a prank?


    Keeping Zero''s life in danger over an assumption like that was not something I could do. I know he is not my real brother, the Zero who was my brother is lost and all there''s left is his body. The person who''s inside it is someone totally unknown to me.


    Why should I care about him then?


    The reason is simple, it''s because he trusted me and told me his secret. I still remember the day when he revealed that he is a reincarnate.


    I remember how his body was trembling, he was trying his best to hide it but it was clear just by looking, it was clear how terrified he was.


    He must''ve felt super insecure when telling me his secret but he still did it. This showed he trusted me, in his eyes, I was worthy of knowing who he truly is.


    That''s why I don''t want to break his trust.


    And also, even though he is not my real brother it''s not like I hate him or something. Getting reincarnated in Zero''s body was not nned by him, he was just a victim like I and my real brother were.


    He can be a bit scary sometimes but overall I think he is a kind person¡ªhe did save me from Walric, after all. It won''t be a problem if I protected him this time.


    With that set in mind, Anya nervously waited for tomorrow to arrive.


    ***


    THE NEXT DAY


    After I was done with today''s lessons I left the ssroom immediately, walking through the corridor I was about to leave the main building.


    Then I suddenly spotted Zero who also seemed to have juste out of his ss. Unlike the other students who wereing out of the same ss, he was alone.


    This made me think that even if he was not real Zero, we are quite simr. I mean, while I am able to talk with my ssmates I don''t have anyone I can call ''friend''.


    He was the same I think.


    At first, I thought about approaching him and discussing that letter with him but then I refrained from doing so. I don''t know, I just have this bad feeling that if I talked to him about the letter, the results won''t be good.


    Maybe I''ll be viting some unspoken rules the person who sent that letter has set for me.


    In the end, I went my own way without meeting with Zero and left the main building.


    After that I first went to the dorms to drop off my textbooks and then came back, right now I was headed toward the cafeteria.


    There was no particr meaning behind it; I haven''t had breakfast this morning as I woke upte so I was just going there to eat something.


    Actually, I was only following my daily routine as the letter didn''t say anything about what I had to do. So I deduced that as long as I did what I do daily, I will meet that certain ''someone'' who will save me.


    At least, that''s what the n was for now. I can think about what to do next after I meet with that person, what I do next will depend on who the person in question is.


    *


    I left the cafeteria when I was done eating my food and having a cup of coffee; until now nothing suspicious has happened.


    ''Maybe that really was a prank?''<sub> </sub>


    I thought, but then quickly discarded the idea. I can''te to any conclusion just yet.


    And I was soon proven right.


    I was on my way to the dorms. I took a route that went from behind the cafeteria building and led straight to the dormitories.


    At first, I thought doing this might be a bad idea but then I remembered that I took this route almost every day as this area was less crowdie.


    A group of three boys approached me when I was between the cafeteria and the dorm buildings. I took a look at their faces and it was instantly clear that I didn''t know them.


    It was possible they were from a different ss, not ss A.


    I stopped in my tracks, thinking that this was the ce where I''ll meet the person who''ll save me.


    "Hello there," one of them said, a weird smile on his face. He had ck hair and a normal body structure.


    "Can we talk for a bit?" another one spoke up, his hair had a brown color.


    Thest one remained standing behind those two and didn''t say anything.


    "What is it? Can you please be quick? I''m in a hurry," I appealed as I turned toward them.


    The boy with ck hair¡ªwho was standing in the middle¡ªheld his chin and looked as if thinking something.


    "Quick huh? Well...I don''t know how much time this''ll take so I can''t say for sure," he determined.


    "Wha-"


    I gasped as I was surprised by the sudden change of events. The boy with the ck hair who stood in the frontpared to the other two¡ªquickly grabbed my right hand.


    He was standing at a distance of 2 or 3 steps so it was quick. On instinct, I pulled my arm back but the guy didn''t let go of me.


    Hence, I raised my left hand and delivered a chop to the back of his neck. This was simr to what Zero used in the entrance exam to knock me unconscious.


    ? Though mine didn''t carry that much power. The guy released me from his grip and took a few steps back but he was still conscious.


    "You''re quite sharp, I see¡­But that''s what I like about you though," he said.


    The two other boys who were standing behind till now joined him and the trio stood in a line before me. They had weird smiles on their faces and one was cracking his knuckles.


    ''So I will have to fight my way out now? Sigh! What a trouble~''


    I was not a fight lover and doing so without any real reason was not a thing I liked. But here it was about my safety, I have to defend myself at least.


    Hence, I lowered my hand near my waist and reached out for my sword.


    ''What?!''


    It wasn''t there, my sword wasn''t there.


    "Hehe, what''s up? Forgot your sword?" one of them said with a grin.


    Ah, I see.


    We were not allowed to carry weapons inside the campus except for the time we are taking sses. It was obvious I won''t have my sword right now.


    How careless of me to forget such a thing!


    ¡­But, I can still manage somehow.


    "I don''t really need a sword, you know," I said, raising my hands, clenching my fingers, and forming a fist.

 Chapter 65 Letter [3]

    "I don''t really need a sword, you know," I said, raising my hands, clenching my fingers, and making a fist.


    "Huh? We''ll see about that," said the guy in front.


    Instantly after that, the two other boys who were standing on his side darted toward me. I fixated my eyes on those two, while tracking their movements I took a few steps back.


    "You''re not going to get away!" one of them shouted.


    "Well, I don''t n to," saying that I did a 360-degree spin and connected a kick in the stomach of the guy on my right.


    "Khwa-" clenching onto his stomach he stopped in his tracks.


    I didn''t have a sword on me at this moment but there are some self-defense moves dad taught me. At that time I thought of it as unnecessary, didn''t know they wille in handy in a situation like this.


    ''Thanks, dad, I owe you one.''


    "Oops!" dodging the guy on my left I mumbled. I can''t afford to get lost in thoughts right now.


    I held him from his shoulder and then drove a punch straight into his abdomen. Though it wasn''t enough to send him flying, it did make him take a few steps back.


    ''That''s E rank for you.''


    I was the person with the highest rank in my home city but when I came here to this academy, I realized an E rank was not that rare. Still, it''s not like it''s nothing.


    Plus I have trained myself with the sword for a couple of years, which alone improves my physical strength unlike the rest of the girls here.


    ''If this is going to be like this then I doubt I''ll need someone to save me. I can get out of this situation alone myself.''


    With that in mind, I again raised my hands toward the two boys who were now back on their feet.


    *


    While Anya was busy dealing with the other two, the boy who stood behind, Winston was his name¡ªwas doing something else.


    "Spirits of eternal mes, heed my call and summon before me a brink of your power," he was chanting an incantation.


    "Fireball!" he shouted and stretched out his right hand in Anya''s direction.


    The next moment several small mes collected in front of his palms, spinning in a vortex they finally turned into a fist-sized fireball.


    The ball was thenunched toward Anya, cutting through the air it reached and then collided with her. She noticed iting and raised her hands to block the fireball and save herself but it was toote.


    "Ahhhh!"


    The ball hit her and for a second a cloud of fire surrounded Anya. Due to the force of impact, she was sent flying backward and crashed into a wall. In just a few minutes she was on her knees.


    Though she was alive and not physically injured. The reason for this was that Winston wasn''t able to activate the spell correctly. He did the incantation right but the amount of mana he supplied the spell with was rtively low.


    A part of this was probably because he didn''t want to kill and knew that if he used the spell properly, he will end up killing her or providing her with a few fatal injuries.


    That''s why he held back. Maybe someone had told him to not kill Anya.


    ***


    Time stopped for me when I saw a fireballing straight in my direction. I was careless, I let my guard down. I ignored the third guy, the one who seemed the most suspicious, and gave him a chance to attack me.


    I forgot that this is a magic academy and almost everyone here can use magic.


    I knew I couldn''t dodge this attack; the fireball was just a few steps away from me. Still, I raised my hands in front of my face in an X position, trying to stop the fireball from directly hitting me.


    And then it happened. The ball shed with me, and the moment it did, I felt heat surrounding all of my body. My vision turned blurry and maybe, maybe tears rolled down my eyes.


    The next thing I know is that I was sent back flying and then I crashed into a wall behind me. The impact was hard, leaving me unable to stand on my feet.


    "Now, now, what were you saying a few minutes ago? What happened to all that confidence you had?" the guy whounched the fireball said as he walked near me.


    I looked up, now he was standing just in front, looking down at me.


    "So what if you caught me off guard one time? I can still defeat you," I warned as I tried tond a punch on his face.


    But I failed to do so. He held my hand, and now I didn''t have much power left to counter it.<sub> </sub>


    "Hold her down," hemanded.


    The two other boys who were with him then came forward and each of them held one of my hands, forcefully pulling me up they make me stand on my feet.


    I tried to resist but it was of no use. Maybe I can still fight back if it''s in a one-on-one but, against three people and in this condition. Not possible.


    Both of them held me tight and kept me pinned against the wall behind me. Then, the guy¡ªwho wasmanding them¡ªcame closer.


    He touched my hair, caressing it with his fingers. "You see, I quite like you. You are just my type of girl," bringing his face close, he whispered in my ear.


    Then he started sniffing my hair, I wanted to resist but I didn''t know what was going on.


    What is this? I feel disgusted!


    Nothing like this ever happened before; I don''t know what to do.


    Slowly he moved his fingers and now started feeling my shoulders.


    Before I knew it, a stream of tears rolled down my cheek.


    I thought he will leave me now but the guy just ignored that I was crying.


    This is bad! I don''t like this!


    "S-Stop! Please stop!" I cried.


    Someone, please help me! I don''t want to be touched by this guy! This is disgusting!


    Zero! Where are you? I need you, please help me!


    ¡­Anyone?


    "HELP ME PLEASE!" I screamed.


    ¡­


    "Umm, what are you guys trying to do here? Whatever it is, I think you should stop."


    I heard a voice, and it was the voice of a male but not of one of these; it was someone else.


    "Seriously, you people are the worst!" another voice, this time it was of a girl.


    "Huh? Who the fuck are you" the guy was touching me stepped back and turned around.


    When he left, my line of sight also became wider and I was able to see those two¡ªthe people behind those new voices.


    He was Leon, and next to him stood a girl¡ªEllyn was her name I think. She was also among the popr students in ss 1A.


    The guy in front and the other two who were holding me froze the moment they saw Leon. Everyone in the first year knew about him and knew how powerful he was.


    "I''d rather deal with this peacefully but if you won''t leave, then I''ll have to get violent against you," said Leon.


    "What? Why are you still giving them a chance? They were clearly forcing themselves on her," Ellynined.


    While the three boys¡ªwho were now drenched in a cold sweat¡ªwere whispering among themselves.


    "Hey, hey, no one told me *he* will be here!"


    "Winston! This is not what we agreed on!"


    "Shh! Be quiet for a second, I am just as confused as you two. It will be better if we just leave now."


    After that, the guy who seemed to be their leader¡ªWinston was his name maybe¡ªcame in front with a smile on his face.


    "W-We were just passing by, please don''t worry. We''ll leave right now," he proposed.


    The next thing I know is that all three of them ran away as fast as they could.

 Chapter 66 Letter [4]

    Pretty much like every day, after the sses ended I was stalking Leon. First, he left the ss and then roamed around here and there, chatting with some students who were less like friends and more like admirers.


    Then he met up with Ellyn and they had breakfast in the cafeteria. When they left from there though, there was a difference in his actions.


    Usually, Ellyn and Leon would''ve split up after they had their meal and went on their own ways, but today both of them were still together.


    Instead of following the main route, they were headed toward the dorms, taking the route behind the cafeteria building.


    Also, it is not like this was that unusual; Leon sometimes took this route when he wanted to avoid meeting people since this route was almost empty.


    They went inside the alleyways, and I followed. I was keeping a good distance from them to avoid begin caught so I entered the alleyways a couple of minutes after them.


    And as I was on my way I saw three boys, running hurriedly. They wereing from the opposite direction and from their faces it looked as though they have seen a ghost.


    ''Maybe something happened?''


    I moved forward and soon both Leon and Ellyn were in sight. With the exception of one other person being there with them; it was Anya.


    Her condition wasn''t good; I was far but she was clearly visible to me. Her face was wet with tears and her clothes had burn marks on them. While she wasn''t physically injured, her mental state didn''t look good either.


    Leon and Ellyn were also with her. Leon was standing by her side while Ellyn was helping her stand by holding Anya from her shoulder.


    This was a good sign. Anya finally had an interaction with Leon. But something felt wrong, the state she was in worried me.


    Hence, leaving the stalking aside for the moment, I made my way toward Anya and the others.


    ? ***


    "Are you alright?" Ellyn asked as she held Anya from her shoulders, giving her the support to stand still.


    "Y-Yeah¡­I''m fine now, I think."


    "Do you know those guys? Were they like, your fan group or something," Leon appealed.


    "No, I don''t even know them. I was just passing by from here and they were, probably waiting for me. Then they started attacking me all of a sudden," said Anya.


    In the middle of this discussion, a boy who had ck hair and a set of golden eyes approached them; it was Zero. "Hey Anya, what happened? You don''t look so good," he queried.


    Seeing him Leon kept his guard up, as well as Ellyn, and they stared right at him.


    "Who are you?" Leon inquired.


    "D-Don''t worry, I know him," Anya rified.


    "You know him?" Ellyn questioned, trying to confirm her doubts.


    "Yes, he is my brother."


    Ellyn eased up a bit after hearing that. At this point, Anya was also able to stand properly on her own so Ellyn released her.


    "So? Did something bad happen? Judging by your face I guess you cried a lot¡ªWha!"


    Zero tried to ask Anya about the situation, in between he also tried to tease a little to lighten up her mood but before he could finish, Anya leaped forward and hugged him tightly.


    "Sniff¡­I-It was scary. I was scared!" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.


    This was so unexpected that Zero was stunned for a second before he regained his senses.


    "It''s okay, you''re fine now," he whispered, patting Anya on her head.


    While she was the "big sister", her height was a bit shorter than Zero''s current height.


    ***


    After Anya calmed down, I asked her and Ellyn for the details of what happened. Also, I tried my best to ignore Leon as much as I could, since originally I was an extra in loli_pop''s novel, and my existence didn''t matter much to Leon.


    ''Can''t have him get influenced by me in any way. I want to keep the plot same as the novel, at least for now.''


    Ellyn was the one who exined the situation while Anya only nodded when she wanted to confirm something with her.


    What happened was this: Leon and Ellyn were going toward the dorms taking this route when they saw that Anya was being pinned against a wall by three students¡ªall boys.


    It was clear just from a look that they were forcing themselves on Anya, thus Leon being Leon went to stop them. Upon his seeing that they are against the so-called strongest first year, they turned their tails and ran away.


    ''Then I guess the three students I saw and the one whom Leon chased away were the same.''


    That was it for the exnation. Even Leon and Ellyn didn''t know who these students were and their motives. Anya was still looking nervous so I also didn''t push the matter any further.


    "Let me apany you to the dorms," I proposed.


    Leaving Anya alone right now might not be the best option. I could have let Leon handle it from here but¡ªNah, fuck it.


    "Hmm," Anya nodded slightly, she was also okay with this.<sub> </sub>


    Then I turned in the direction of Leon and Ellyn, "Thank you very much for your help. I''m grateful that you saved my sister," I said, bowing down.


    "No, no, please. It''s okay, I just did what anyone would''ve done," Leon denied.


    ''Herees the ssic clich¨¦ reply, *what anyone would have done*.''


    "It''s fine really, you take care of your sister," Ellyn stated. Then she looked at Anya, "Tell me if they meddle with you again," she said, to which Anya nodded.


    After that, I and Anya left for the dorms. Obviously, we were headed toward the ss A dorm building since I have to drop Anya in her room.


    Still, though, they didn''t even ask what I was doing there. Does being a protagonist of such a novel drop your IQ or something?


    ***


    "You okay?"


    "Yeah," said Anya as she sat on the bed in her room.


    We were in the ss A building and surprisingly, students from other sses were allowed in the dorms of any ss other than their own. Though you have to take the permission first and bring the person whom you are visiting, with you.


    "Now, this might not be good of me but¡­" I paused, sitting beside Anya on the bed.


    "I understand, I will tell you exactly what happened there," Anya admitted.


    She had calmed down now; maybe that''s why she can answer my questions without any problem.


    "It would be great if you will. I wouldn''t have been of much help there but I think I have the right to know what''s going on with my sister."


    "Yes, you have."


    Did she forget that I''m not her real brother? Well, it''s not a problem since I still see her as my real sister.


    Anyway, then she told me the events that urred before Leon and Ellyn arrived at the scene.


    What happened was¡­


    Tch! Let''s not think about it for now.


    "You should rest for today," I said. During the conversation between us, Anya''s voice seemed weak and she trailed off a couple of times; it was clear that her body was struggling.


    "Maybe you are right, I am feeling like I have a fever."


    A fever, huh? I wonder if it will go away on its own, if not then I''ll have to get her treated by a mage specialized in healing magic.


    I helped Anyay down on the bed, she really was tired I guess since she fell asleep quickly.


    "I should go now. Rest well," I mumbled and began to leave the room.


    But then my eyes caught the sight of something, it was a letter that was lying on the desk.


    ''A love letter?''


    It won''t be that surprising if Anya is getting one of those, she is beautiful, after all.


    Unable to control my curiosity, I went ahead and took a look at the letter.


    [Tomorrow a certain someone will save you from a certain something. All you have to do afterward is to get together with that person. As for whom the person is, you will know that tomorrow.


    This is not a prank and don''t mistake to assume it is one. I am keeping an eye on you and if ignored my instructions then it won''t be good for your¡­brother. He will die.]


    ¡­


    What the hell is this?


    I threw the letter back on the desk and took a few steps back.


    What happened with Anya makes sense now.


    If everything went ording to the n, then Anya and Leon will develop some kind of rtionship, or at least get to know that the other exists.


    And everything did go as nned. It was good.


    Just like I wanted from the start, Leon now knew that a girl named Anya existed. It was possible to get them in a rtionship.


    ¡­But that''s not the case here.


    I mean, I am not the one who sent Anya this letter, nor did I arrange for those guys who attacked her.


    Everything went like I wanted to but I was not the one behind it.


    This is almost like someone is trying to fix the plot I messed up.

 Chapter 67 Questions

    After I made sure that Anya has fell asleep, I came back to my room. Actually, it''s been a while since then, that incident urred in the morning after our sses ended.


    But right now it was almost night, and sitting on my chair I was ying with a pen in my hand.


    Something unexpected urred today.


    The n which I was going to carry¡ªto get Anya and Leon into a rtionship, someone executed it before me.


    I don''t know how but whoever this person is, they know about loli_pop''s novel and the original plot. That''s why they acted and changed it when things were straying from the path.


    This is troublesome; I''m feeling insecure.


    But first of all, I was worried about Anya. The person who carried out the n¡ªby sending that letter and then those students to attack her, let''s call that person ''X'' for now.


    The way X did things, while it was simr to what I was originally nning to do, it was also entirely different. The way X acted harmed Anya; a thing I will never do.


    Protecting my family is the first priority for me, causing them harm in any way is not a thing I can do. This was the thing that set me different from X.


    Then there''s the problem that I don''t know who X is. Heck, I don''t even know if they are a person or not, all this might just be a coincidence.


    No, that''s not right. All of this aligns just too perfectly to be counted in as a coincidence. Someone was definitely out there, pulling the strings, and I don''t know who.


    I need to find out, the person behind all this. Because whatever or whoever X is, nobody like that was mentioned in the novel.


    With that set in stone, I went to bed. Though I didn''t get even a brink of sleep that night; there was a reason for it.


    ***


    The next day I woke up, my body was tingling with pain. Yesterday following Zero''s advice I decided to rest a bit but that resting turned into me sleeping for the whole day and night.


    This was the first time I slept this long, guess the events that urred yesterday did leave an impact on me.


    Hoping out of my bed I sat on a nearby chair. I looked at the wall clock and there was still a great amount of time left before the sses start.


    Then my gaze shifted toward a letter that was lying on my desk. Soon after, my mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.


    A question that was burning inside my mind; ording to the letter a certain someone was going to save me from something yesterday, and it did happen.


    In an incident, just like it was described in the letter; someone saved me. A few hourster I was dying to know who that person will be but now I had the answer.


    It was Leon who saved me.


    The same Leon everyone was talking about in the whole of the first year; the one who. And ording to the letter now I have to ''get together with him''.


    I don''t know what exactly that means, be friends with him or start dating him.<sub> </sub>


    If it was the former then the chances were low, I mean, he is the very definition of perfect and I don''t think someone like me has the right to stand alongside him.


    And if it was thetter part, then it was just straight up impossible.


    But leaving the letter aside for a moment, I also have some questions of my own. A question like, who sent that letter?


    And I did have a vague guess for this, though I know it''s just nonsense.


    The letter said that the person who will save me and the one who sent the letter are not the same but I can''t help but think about it.


    If Leon wants to get in a rtionship with me, I don''t think he needs to do it in such a roundabout way. He could''ve just said it on my face; under all the pressure from the first-year students who admired him, I doubt I would''ve been able to refuse him.


    Also, the person who sent the letter knew that Zero was my brother. A thing no one knows in this academy except for the staff. And Leon also didn''t know that until Zero showed up and I told them.  The possibility of him being the one who sent the letter is almost 0.


    Then, could it be Ellyn?


    No, she also didn''t know about Zero and me. Plus I don''t see any reason for her to do this. More than anything, there were rumors that Leon and Ellyn are dating each other.


    If it was true then why she will go and do something that can stain their rtionship?


    She was also ruled out from being the suspect.


    There were many questions I needed an answer to, but right now I didn''t have much time; I realized that by looking at the clock.


    Hence, I stood up from the chair, brushed my teeth, and did my daily morning routine.


    After that, I changed into the academy uniform and left the room.


    ''Maybe I''ll do the breakfast in the cafeteria after sses. Ah, this will be the third day! I can''t make a habit out of this.''


    ***


    Later the day, the time was around evening. The sun was almost set and the sky was colored in the shade of orange and red.


    In an empty alleyway, four students were gathered. All of them were males and wore academy uniforms. Three of them were together in a group sort of but the other one stood alone, at a distance from the three of them.


    The name of these three students was, Emmeric, Winston, and Wynfir; the same students who were responsible for attacking Anya.


    And the lone student who stood in front of them was¡­Zero.


    "Wee gentlemen, I was waiting for you," he mumbled.

 Chapter 68 You Are Messed Up! [1]

    In an empty alleyway, stood the figures of four students; all of them wearing the academy uniform. All of them were male.


    Among those four, three students were standing in a group and were facing the other, single student who stood in front of them.


    The lone student had his hands inside the pockets of his zer and was staring indifferently at Emmeric, Winston, and Wynfir¡ªthe three students who were standing in a group.


    The lone student was in fact, Zero.


    "Wee gentlemen, I was waiting for you," he said, though the expression on his face never changed.


    He was not smiling, and his eyes looked sleepy. Something about the air he had around him, gave Winston and the others a bad feeling.


    "Are you the one who called us here?" asked Winston, the question directed at Zero.


    "Yes."


    "Then, was it you who told us to do that?"


    "What do you mean by that? Can you derive please?" Zero inquired.


    Winston didn''t reply instantly, he paused for a bit, his voice trailing off the tracks. It was as though he wanted to say something but hesitated to say it out loud.


    "Well, y-you know. That," he said. "What we did with that girl yesterday, umm¡­we tried to assault her and tried to force ourselves on her. I know you only said to attack her but I, uh, kind of lost control over myself. She was so beautiful and all, you know."


    "Ah, I see!"


    "You remember it now?" Winston appealed, a hint of relief on his face.


    "Hmm, yes, yes. How can I forget," said Zero as he took a few steps forward. "You mean, what you did yesterday¡­with my sister. How you assaulted her, sexually abused her, and who knows, maybe you even wanted to r*pe her. I see I see. But, how did you even think I''ll forget about someone who did all these horrible things to my sister?"


    As Zero spoke, even though the words were heavy there was no sign of him being angry at all; at least in his voice and facial expression.


    "What?!" Winston''s face went pale. "I-I''m, uh, I didn''t know she was your sister. And first of all, if she was then why you did tell us to attack her there? You even offered us money for doing it so we did¡­You are the one in wrong, not us."


    "Oh? Now, did I? I don''t remember either telling you to do all that or giving providing you with any money," asserted Zero.


    "Hey, hey! Don''t leave me like that here; you''re the one who sent me that letter, aren''t you?" Winston argued.


    "Nope, I''m afraid I''m not."


    "But you¡ª"


    "I don''t think I ever said anything about being the person you''re referring to. Whatever it was, you just assumed I am that person. I never said anything like that."


    "¡­"


    Winston went silent. His back was dripped with sweat and so were the other two students with him; Emmeric and Wynfir. He knew he made a mistake; and a deadly one that is.


    "You see, my sister told me everything you did to her. That time I was boiling with anger, even now I want to clench that neck of yours and squeeze the life out of you. But we are in the academy and I can''t do that I''m afraid, such a loss, isn''t it?" said Zero as he walked forward.<sub> </sub>


    At this point he was right in front of Winston, staring directly into his eyes. Now, Zero''s voice grew angrier and louder as he spoke. The expression on his face also began to change.


    Winston was a cautious man, hence seeing this he decided to back down. Sometimes surrendering on your own is better than having the enemy kill you. After all, anyone who will kill a person who raised their hands and surrendered will be seen as a coward, or so were his thoughts.


    "L-Look, I''m sorry for what happened okay? It was not that I did that because I wanted to, no. I received a letter, the sender''s name was not mentioned but there were instructions on what I had to do.


    Usually, I would''ve ignored it but there was also money in it, a good amount of it. And the letter said I can get more if Ipleted the task. And I am not from that good of a family, I am also average in magic and stuff, that''s why I ended up in ss C. The money was all good, so¡­I did it.


    ¡­I-I want to tell you the name of the person who sent me that letter but the thing is, I don''t know myself who that person is," he bbered.


    Zero stared at him for a while and then said, "Of course, I know that you don''t who the identity of the sender. After all, if you knew, then you wouldn''t havee here by responding to a simr letter that I sent to you¡ªone which mentioneding here."


    "I know that and I didn''te here to ask the identity of X."


    "Then what do you want?"


    "Ah, you see. Whether you did it on someone else''s order or on your will, the fact still remains that you¡­TOUCHED MY SISTER WITH THOSE FILTHY HANDS OF YOURS!"


    "How dare you...touch my sister!!!"


    After thest part, a punch connected to Winston''s abdomen; it was Zero who did it. The punch carried a great amount of force behind it, and Winston ended up spitting a few drops of blood as he stumbled backward.


    "H-Hey, wait! Can''t we talk our way¡ªAhhhhh!"


    Another punchnded in the same ce as before, dealing even more damage than thest one. Winston clenched his stomach and knelt on the ground, groaning in pain.


    Seeing these events unfold before their eyes, Emmeric and Wynfir sensed the danger. They looked into each other''s eyes and nodded, both knew what they had to do and agreed on it.


    Slowly walking away from Winston, they soon maintained a distance. Once they were far enough, they decided to make a run for it. Hence they turned and started taking a few fast-paced steps.


    "Don''t think I''ll let you leave! Both of you bastards were the ones who held my sister against the wall, right?" Zero shouted as he turned toward them.


    The next moment Zero raised his right arm. A long shard of ice materialized in front of his palm and then wasunched at an insane speed.


    The shard traversed in the air and when it was about to reach its target, the shard split in two from the center, creating two thin shards.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    "Fuck! It hurts!"


    In the next second two pained screams were heard. Those two thin shards went straight toward Emmeric and Wynfir, and drilled into their ankle; one in Emmeric''s ankle and one in Wynfir''s.


    Both of them fell to the ground and held their legs tightly as they groaned in pain. Blood flowed from their flesh and painted the ground beneath. They kept whimpering but Zero ignored all that after he made sure that they can''t escape now.


    "Now, where were we?" he said, turning his face toward Winston.

 Chapter 69 You Are Messed Up! [2]

    69 You are messed up! [2]


    "Now, where were we?" he said, turning his face toward Winston.


    "Man! Are you crazy? You just injured those two badly; the academy can kick you out for this, you know? No! Leave the academy, what you just did is not normal! No one in their right mind will do that!" he bellowed.


    Zero took a good look at Winston''s face and then sat on his knees. "Maybe you are right," he said. "I am not in the right state of mind, as of now," he caressed Winston''s face as he spoke.


    -p!


    "Tch!"


    That caressing turned into a p in less than a second. Winston didn''t expect it and ended up biting his tongue; drops of blood appeared on his lips.


    "You see," Zero began.


    -p!


    "I"


    -p!


    "Don''t"


    -p!


    "Like"


    -p!


    "It"


    -p!


    "When someone"


    -p!


    "Harms my family"


    -p!


    "There was a guy who tried to force my sister before¡­but."


    -p!


    "I took care of him."


    -p!


    "But you!"


    -p!


    "Just crossed the line by andslide."


    -p!


    Each word Zero said was followed by a p. Winston wanted to fight back but he knew that his chances were low After all, he did see that Zero used magic without an incantation.


    Maybe he used the magic circle method since it was the only way you can cast spells this fast. Winston didn''t know how he did it, after all, he was still learning that method. On top of that, the spell he used was one they were not taught about in the sses.


    Deep in his heart, he knew, that he meddled with the wrong person. He decided to surrender. ''He will beat me up for a while but that''s it. He''ll leave after taking out this frustration. It''s better to bear with it here...I don''t wanna fight this guy.'' he thought.


    "Ugh!"


    Standing up, Zero kicked Winston in the chest, causing him to fall back on the group. Then he took a few steps forward and gazed upon the now-on-the-ground Winston.


    ''D-Damn¡­What''s with this guy?'' Winston thought internally.


    The look in Zero''s eyes was dark, as though staring into the abyss. The expression he had on his face was that of amusement and anger.


    "I can''t allow that. It''s such a pity that I have to let you live aftermitting such filth but I can''t allow you to roam around Anya anymore. You have to leave this academy¡­and I just remembered a way to do it," said Zero.


    Then his eyes caught the sight of the sight of something.


    "Those arms¡­are the same ones from which you touched my sister, right?"


    "Huh?"


    Winston was stunned.


    What does he mean by this? What is he trying to say? Winston thought that this guy was overreacting but soon, he was proven wrong. He was not overreacting, he was serious.


    Zero walked close and then pointed his right hand toward Winston. Nothing happened for a while but then¡­


    -Crackle!


    "Agghhh! What the hell are you doing? Ahhh! Fuck it hurts! It hurts!"


    A crackling sound was heard followed by Winston''s pained screams. He rolled on the ground suffering from pain as white fumes formed around both his arms.


    The crackling sound that was heard was of freezing. Slowly but surely both of Winston''s arms started freezing and turning into ice. The ice spread to the shoulders, the blood inside froze and all the biological activity within his arms stopped.


    It was painful, terrifyingly painful! Though the pain went away when his hand fully froze and turned rock solid as he couldn''t feel his hands anymore, the period when his hands were going through the freezing process; was worse than death.


    All of this was the result of Zero''s elemental magic. He used the sub-element ice to freeze Winston''s hand.


    Now, Winston was huffing badly and gasping for air. It was amazing in itself that he was still alive and conscious.


    Then Zero raised his leg up and pointed it at Winston''s left arm. He was about to drive a kick-in when he stopped.


    "Nah, breaking his leg will probably cause a lot of blood. He can die with that. It''ll be a trouble for me then," he mumbled and took back his leg.


    But his mind changed again and he kicked Winston, not on his arm but on his face. That kick was enough to vanish the little bit of consciousness left in him, a momentter his lights will turn off.


    Before that can happen Zero lifted him up with his cor, bringing his ear close he whispered.


    "Since your hands are good as gone now, you will surely be expelled from the academy as you won''t be able to do much now. And if don''t make you leave then make sure to quit on your own.


    But¡­if you tried to take my name and get me expelled then remember one thing; after leaving this academy I will be out in the world, the same world where you will be. And that time I won''t be bounded by anyws to stop me from killing you.


    You know what I mean, right? I hope you do."


    "Y-You¡­a-are, messed up!" Winston muttered.


    He threw Winston to the ground; the crash caused him to fall unconscious.


    Zero then turned toward Emmeric and Wynfir; both of them were still lying on the ground due to their injury.


    He walked close to them and as he did, both of them started saying their prayers. Maybe it was their turn now.


    Though it was not like that. When Zero reached there he dispelled the elemental magic and the ice shards in their ankles disappeared.


    After that he held out his hand, "Don''t worry, I won''t bite."


    ''That''s a myth,'' Emmeric thought as he stood up on his own, without taking Zero''s hand.


    "What happened to him?" Zero asked as he looked at Wynfir who was still on the ground.


    "His lights went out when he saw what you did with Winston."


    "I see."


    "Anyway, now you go and call someone from the academy for help. Oh! And don''t tell them what happened, just tell them that a fight broke out," said Zero.


    The holy chapter 69 is here


    moon_senpai

 Chapter 70 Sounds Like A Good Idea

    "Anyway, now you go and call someone from the academy for help. Oh! And don''t tell them what happened, just tell them that a fight broke out," said Zero.


    Raising his right hand in the air Zero stared at Emmeric, an ice spike materializing in his palm. "You know what''ll happen if you tried anything funny¡­don''t you?"


    Emmeric nced at Winston''s body which was lifelessly lying on the ground, then he shifted his gaze back at Zero. "Y-Yes, I know that very well," he gulped.


    "Good. Now go."


    Following Zero''smand, Emmeric left the scene and went to call someone from the academy for help.


    After he left, Zero turned around and looked at Winston''s body, the ice spike in his hand vanished and he put back his hands in the pocket of his zer. With a satisfied smile on his face, he walked away and left the alleyways.


    ***


    When taking care of Winston and his allies was done I came straight back to my room.


    As I was on my way I reflected on my actions.


    I did it again, I let that side of mine take over again. The side I try to keep hidden under the mask of a normal teenage boy, once again that side surfaced.


    ¡­But this time, it was different. I don''t know exactly what but instead of amusement and excitement, I felt rage and the feeling of revengeful satisfaction when I dealt with Winston.


    It was understandable though, the revengeful feeling. That guy had done something horrible to Anya, something which was way beyond what could be forgiven.


    Maybe that''s why I felt rage when he was suffering instead of enjoying it. Though I''d be lying if I said that I didn''t enjoy it even a bit; it''s in my nature I can''t do anything about it.


    The guy got what he deserved for harassing and attacking my sister. And anyone who''ll try to harm my sister will meet the same end.


    Was I being an overprotective brother here? Probably. But I don''t care even if I was. It is what it is.


    Reaching my room I went straight for my bed. Unlike thest night, I slept soundly and peacefully this night.


    *


    The next day, well, it was a mess.


    The guy I sent over called one of the teachers at the scene, they took Winston and that other guy with them.


    The teachers and the staff tried to find the culprit behind this incident but they only found disappointment.


    <o>,m After all, I did remove all the evidence of myself before leaving the ce. I only used my magic so there was no weapon to be found, everything other than that was taken care of.</o>


    Maybe then will question Winston and those other two but I''ve filled their hearts with enough fear to make them not say anything against me. I think at least. I can do more if the situation called for it.


    The other guy¡ªI think Wynfir was his name, was healed by the intermediate-tier healers but Winston''s arms were good as gone.


    His arms were frozen and damaged to a level that was beyond what could be healed, not even by magicians with intermediate tier in healing magic. To prevent his body from getting damaged any further, his arms were cut off and he was now armless.


    ''Pfff! I don''t know why but that sounds funny.''


    Anyway, if someone''s limbs were lostpletely then healing them was the same as regeneration, it was a thing only achievable by advanced tier healing magic. And finding magicians who were capable of that was as hard as finding a character withmon sense in a clich¨¦ novel.


    ¡ªI mean, they are called clich¨¦s for a reason.


    Since Winston''s arms were lost, using magic was rtively hard for him now, sword arts were impossible so let''s not talk about it.<sub> </sub>


    Hands carried a good amount of importance while using magic, the mana you concentrate and fire off in the form of a spelles out from your palms, after all.


    It was notpletely out of question without hands but the difficulty level was sure to skyrocket. And by difficulty, I mean the difficulty in controlling your mana in the right way.


    The academy also knew this hence Winston was given a choice: whether to continue learning magic despite the problems he''ll face or leave the academy and forget about magic.


    Of course, he chose to leave. His life was more important to him than magic after all.


    And it was not like life outside will be easy for him. Without hands or to say, without being capable of neither magic nor sword arts, he will be left behind by the people around him.


    Even if he tried to go into the business side to earn money, since his family didn''t have much name in the market, his reputation won''t be good until he discovered America or something, or found a treasury of sorts.


    People will trade with him more out of pity rather than actual business. Which in itself is an impossible thing here.


    I hope he has some siblings otherwise his parents were in danger of poverty. He told me that his family was not rich, to begin with, so they were as good as done now.


    Not having hands in a world mostly based on power, his life was pretty much destroyed. He''ll probably die in ''The Cmity'' also.


    But I couldn''t care less. That''s what you got for meddling with my sister and getting on my bad side.


    Speaking of her, she was right in front of me at a distance.


    Right now I was headed to the sses when I spotted Anya who was also going to the sses.


    The look on her face was¡­okay, I guess? I am worried if she''s still thinking about what happened. I mean, those were some horrible things for a girl and it won''t be a surprise if she''s feeling scared or insecure or something like that.


    Then there''s the thing about that letter. I still haven''t found out who sent it.


    When I did some research on Winston I found nothing. No suspicious person, nothing unusual. Then I sent a letter to him¡ªsimr to the one Anya received, telling him toe to meet me in the alleyways.


    I didn''t mention my name just like it wasn''t mentioned in Anya''s letter, I also made the handwriting the same. I figured that if Winston was following X''s orders then he must''ve received instructions from a letter as I didn''t find him making contact with anyone suspicious.


    So if I was right then he will think of me as X ande to meet me. Of course, there was a chance that Winston himself was X, if he was then he wouldn''t have responded to the letter.


    In the end, I would''ve found out his identity if he was X and will be able to meet him if he wasn''t. It was a win-win.


    It turned out he was not X and came to meet me. My main motive was to interrogate him but when he was before my eyes and I recalled what Anya told me, the things he did to her.


    I just wasn''t able to hold myself and went to revenge instead. I¡­would like to call that revenge instead of personal pleasure, this time it was different, after all.


    But in the end, I wasn''t able to track down X and find out their real identity. Anya must in trouble because of that letter since it told her to get together with the person who saved her, and that person was Leon.


    From her perspective, Leon was a bright shining star, a thing she could never hope to achieve. In short, the letter was asking her to do the impossible.


    She must be thinking over it and getting stressed out. X was going for the same thing I want but his method wasn''t right.


    ¡­Wait!


    Maybe I can use X to get Anya and Leon in a rtionship, in a way that doesn''t hurt Anya. The ultimate decision of whether be with Leon or not will be made by her.


    Sounds like a good idea to me.

 Chapter 71 Magic Item

    "Hey, are you feeling well?" walking up to Anya I asked.


    She looked at me, "Umm, yeah," she said as we walked together.


    "Did you hear what happened to Winston? I think was the guy who attacked you, right?"


    Winston''s case was now public information within the academy hence I asked. Also, I wanted to know her thoughts about him.


    "Yes, I heard. And he sure did some horrible things to me but, I think what he got was not what he deserved. I mean, both hands were frozen and then cut off. He lost both his hands forever."


    Typical Anya. Even though what happened she won''t resort to violence for revenge. Her character was kind, righteous, and had a bit of hero syndrome.


    I see those qualities still apply. Her personality has vastly changed from the cut-out 1d character she was in the novel, but some core things are still the same.


    "I know it''s not right but he got what he deserved. That''s what anyone will get for hurting you," I added with a smile.


    "Wait! It wasn''t you who did that to him, were you?" she furrowed.


    "What? No way! I can''t do something like that¡­you know it."


    "Do I?"


    "Of course you do."


    "¡­"


    "Anyway, seems like we''ve reached our destination," I said. "See youter."


    After that I went inside my ss, leaving a confused Anya behind. Honestly, she looked cute when she was confused.


    ¡­Hmm, did I just get a new reason to tease her and confuse her?


    ''Hehehehe'' (A/N: Childish evilughter here)


    *


    When the roll call and verbal learning were done, Ryfin took us to the gymnasium.


    Apparently, today we are going to learn sword art. Not exactly, it''s more like an improved version; one that uses mana to increase the output.


    It''s been 2 weeks since we started taking sses and now almost all of the students knew to use basic level magic with the magic circle method.


    Except for a few students who were still struggling, and I was one of them.


    And the academy also focused on sword arts along with magic so ording to Ryfin, this was a good time to do a bit of sword practice.


    All the students of ss 1B gathered on the ground at the center of the gymnasium¡ªRyfin in front of us.<sub> </sub>


    "So, as you all know. Today I am going to teach you how to improve your sword arts with the help of your mana. By this technique, your level in sword arts will improve quite a lot since allowing your mana tobine with art will produce great results.


    Now, as for how to use this technique¡­" Ryfin began.


    He exined to us the way to use both our mana and sword art together.


    There was a difference between sword arts or any art and magic. Magic was casting spells and creating magic spells with the help of your mana.


    Whilst sword arts is something entirely else. Not only sword art but any art, is a group of methods and techniques whichbines and creates a series of moves that can be used in different types, like martial arts and sword arts.


    Arts depend purely on your physical strength rather than your mana pool. These were things I learned from this world only. In the novel, only a vague description of sword art was given.


    Here Ryfin was telling us a new technique, a technique tobine sword arts with mana.


    To do that, we have to pass our mana through our sword, just like we channel it in our bodies. Doing that will increase the strength and sharpness of the sword, but it''ll also create a connection of sorts.


    With enough practice, you will be able to control the sword like your body part.


    And these are the effects you get only in the beginning. As you continue practicing and improving your level, the connection between your sword and your body will increase with your mana working as the cord.


    As the connection will increase, your movement speed, agility, precision, and overall strength will also rise.


    These were the benefits of using both things together, or so Ryfin told me. Of course, this was a thing avable only to Zaforths academy students. The academy isn''t popr for nothing; I was beginning to see that.


    "Here, take this," said Ryfin, presenting to us a number of swords.


    "These are not your normal swords, they are magic items. If you''re thinking that you can channel your mana through any sword then you are wrong. By only these swords, which are specifically made for this purpose, you can pass your mana and make a connection. Their structure is also modified to ease your movements."


    Each of us was given a sword or a magical sword you can say. Taking mine in hand I instantly felt the difference between this and a normal sword.


    Painted in silver color, this sword was lighter, the handle''s grip was also better than one of a normal sword, and the overall design and the de''s length were great.


    "Now, start channeling your mana through the sword just like I told you," Ryfinmanded.


    Just like everyone, I began channeling my mana. I believed that I had good control over my mana than the rest of the students, it was not a hard job for me.


    I concentrated and visualized my mana flowing through my hands, then to the handle of the sword, and then finally into the de. It took some time¡ªa minute or so¡ªand then I saw something you might call the result.


    The de of the sword emitted a bright white light, the whole de was soon covered in white and the metal wasn''t visible anymore.


    ¡­But the only failure there was, was that it was not my de that was glowing. It was of a student beside me.


    One by one, the des of every student started glowing¡ªeach in a different color.


    But my de remained as it is. It was not glowing at all.

 Chapter 72 Magiken

    One by one, the des of every student started glowing¡ªeach in a different color.


    But my de remained as it is. It was not glowing at all.


    It was just as before; like a normal sword. I looked around and saw that the other students were now swinging their de in the air and testing it out.


    What went wrong? I didn''t know.


    I concentrated again, this time with my eyes closed. I again visualized my mana flowing through my hands, entering the sword from its handle and then channeling it into the de.


    I felt the energy passing from my body to the sword, still, the connection Ryfin exined was nowhere to be found. I was not able to feel the sword as a part of myself but only as a sword.


    I opened my eyes and saw that the de was still not glowing. Something was wrong, I don''t know what.


    As I was trying, again and again, Ryfin noticed me. I mean, it is easy to find a dull and dark de among the bright and shining ones.


    Without saying anything he walked up to me and stopped at a distance of three to five steps.


    ? ''Tch! Now I''ll have to deal with him too.''


    Ryfin was the only one who somewhat knew the extent of what I could do¡ªhow powerful I was. And I am the one at fault here, I was the fool who got riled up and showed him a glimpse of my speed, elemental magic, and a bit of that side of mine.


    Though I threatened him and told him to not leak the info about me to anyone, I still felt insecure. This guy was unpredictable; I didn''t know what he was capable of.


    Most of all, he was not in loli_pop''s novel so I knew absolutely nothing about him.


    For now, he did nothing suspicious but I never knew what he was up to, which was the scary part.


    "Is something wrong perhaps?" he asked, standing in front of me and pointing at my sword.


    ''Guess I''ll y along for now.''


    "Yeah, I think I''m doing it the wrong way. I am focusing my mana and trying to pass it into the sword but I don''t know why, it''s not working," I replied as I offered my sword to him.


    "Let me see. Maybe the sword could be broken the possibility of that is close to none," he mumbled, taking the sword in his hands.


    He lightly held the sword, pointing it beside me as he looked at the de. Then he clenched the handle slightly and in an instant, a golden light covered the sword''s de.


    It was quick,pared to any of the student present here.


    The light had an outline of gold but its center was shining in a bright white and it was brighter than any of the students'' swords.<sub> </sub>


    "No, as I said. There''s nothing wrong with the sword; it works like it should. Then¡­what''s wrong, is perhaps in you," he said, pointing the sword at my face; the bright light blinding my eyes.


    I shielded my face with my right palm but then the sword''s glow stopped and it went back to normal. Then Ryfin descended the sword.


    "In Me?"


    "Yes, in you. Are you properly trying to pass your mana¡ªAh leave it," he weighed in, bringing his face close to mine. "I know you can''t get it wrong. After all, from what I saw that day, you seemed to be an expert in magic."


    Well, now he is over-exaggerating. I am no expert; just happened to know a few cheats, the privileges of being an author you can say.


    "Finally getting real?" I appealed.


    Jokes aside, he was now openly admitting the fact that he knows about me.


    ''He has some balls to do it right in front of my face though.''


    "What are you talking about?" he refused and stepped back. "I am just saying that you are not wrong in the channeling your mana part, rather there''s something wrong with your mana."


    "With my mana? What do you mean?"


    "You see, how the swordbines with your mana directly depends on what kind of mana you have. What do you think, why does everybody present here have a different color of light on their de? It''s because the color of that light defines the color of your mana itself."


    "Can you derive a little more?"


    This was interesting. Can''t leave the chance to know things that weren''t mentioned in the novel¡ªit''s a fucking cash grab.


    "Let me then. The color of your de after passing your mana through it defines the color of your mana. And the color of your mana can depend on various factors such as the size of your mana pool, its density, how much you use it, and some other properties.


    As for what connection it has with your problem? Well, it can be that, now note that this is just an assumption on my side, but it can be possible that the properties of your mana are a bit¡­different. I don''t know if it''s a good or bad sign but it''s a sign indeed.


    Due to your mana being different from normal, this sword is not able to let it flow through. It''s like your mana and the sword are blocking each other out. It won''t work properly, like fitting a big rod in a small hole or a small rod in a big hole."


    So, that was a big exnation. I can''t believe there was not even a trace of this info in the novel. Wow, I''m amazed!


    "I see. Does this mean I can''t use thisbining mana with sword arts technique?" I inquired.


    "It seems like it, no. And it''s not bining mana with sword arts technique, the name of this technique; it''s called Magiken arts," he stated.


    Magiken arts huh? Well, that''s a familiar name. This was in the novel but as I said, only the name. Not how the technique works and everything.

 Chapter 73 This Is Too Much!!

    The sses were over and now I was on my way to the cafeteria to eat something.


    And thest couple of hours, honestly, it was a disaster.


    In the end, I wasn''t able to use the Magiken arts and sat in a corner for the rest of the time while the other students practiced.


    Not like I was concerned by it but, it''s just that I was standing out like a sore thumb and it felt weird. The other students were also making fun of me but, I couldn''t care less about that.


    Though today I discovered a new thing.


    It turns out that something is wrong with my mana, not exactly wrong but it was not your normal mana; that''s why the magic swords weren''t able to channel my mana.


    I didn''t know about this before, it was clear that my mana pool was slightly bigger than the others since my mana capacity is C but I don''t think that''s the main problem here.


    Leon is S rank and his mana pool is way bigger than mine but he can use Magiken just fine. I still haven''t witnessed it with my own eyes but at least that''s what was in the novel.


    So the size of my mana pool wasn''t a problem. Then what it can be?


    Actually, I wasn''t paying that much attention to my mana and stuff; to me, it was just like a battery that let me use magic. Now it seems I should care about it.


    Anyway, I had a possible solution for this Magiken problem in mind. It''s nothing new but rted to what I was originally nning to do from the start.


    Let''s put my mana aside for the moment and focus on the core of this problem. I wasn''t able to use Magiken arts because the magic sword and my mana aren''tpatible with each other.


    So theoretically, if the sword ispatible with the type of mana I have, then using Magiken will be a child''s y. But where will I find such a sword?


    Well, it''s the item I was nning to go and get; the one that''ll possibly increase my power 5x from what it is now.


    This item originally belonged to Leon and in the novel; he finds it after the cmity arrives. But I don''t think borrowing it from him will be a problem. I mean, if I found it first then it''s mine, right?


    And first of all, though this item was a bit overpowered, Leon stopped using it after a while as he got far more powerful weapons and items. So, using it will surely be better than letting it rot in his inventory.


    Though I''ll have to get out from the academy to go and take this item. That in itself was a problem since the academy doesn''t allow the students to leave but I had something in mind to deal with it.


    Then everything is going fine, right? Well, not exactly.


    I already had my hands full with stalking Leon, and then there was Anya''s situation. I have to find X¡ªthe one behind that letter, make sure the letter doesn''t have a bad effect on Anya, and then the thing to get her and Leon in a rtionship.


    But on top of that, the most important thing; I was going to die. Until now I was ignoring this issue but it''s the biggest of all. 2 weeks have already passed since I joined the academy¡ªor Leon joined the academy, to be precise.


    ording to the original plot of loli_pop''s novel, by the end of this month, I was supposed to die if I didn''t do anything and saved myself. And to do that, I have exactly 2 weeks and 2 days left.<sub> </sub>


    And now this Magiken problem!


    The pressure was too much. I was somehow handling it until now but if I didn''t do something to lessen the load, I was destined to be worn out.


    Right now, stalking Leon was the thing taking most of my time but it was also an important one. I have to do that to make sure when the plot is straying from its original direction.


    And it will stray for sure because once I avoid my death, things will start to change and cause a domino effect. Also, when I''ll be out to get that item, I won''t be able to stalk Leon.


    ''Ahhh! This is too much!!!''


    I guess now I have no choice but to carry out the puppet spy n. I need to find someone close to Leon, someone, who is with him most of the time and can give me the details of what he does.


    Basically do the stalking for me and report to me. I was avoiding this scenario for a while as this will¡­ah leave it. I have no choice but to do it if I have to lessen my load.


    Hence it was decided. Executing this n will take some thinking but let''s eat something first. Can''t make a decision with an empty stomach.


    Entering the cafeteria building I went to the counter. From there I purchased some sandwiches and a cup of coffee. It took a while to get my order since the cafeteria was filled with students.


    This was an everyday thing, around this time¡ªafter the sses were over¡ªmost of the students came here to eat. Hence it was crowdie.


    5 minutester my food arrived, the sandwiches and the coffee were ced on a metallic tray. I paid the bill and then picked up my tray I went to find a seat.


    As I said, the area was crowded, and finding a seat was one of the most difficult tasks. Though fortunately for me, a seat at the corner just became avable. I went there and sat, cing the tray on the table.


    Four chairs were ced around the round, wooden table but right now I was the only one here.


    ''I just hope no one elsees here. Eating food on the same table with a stranger was weird, but that awkward silence when both were ignoring each other was even weirder.''


    But deep inside my heart, I know that won''t be possible. Judging from the rush for seats, someone will eventuallye.


    I began eating my food quietly; after 2 of my sandwiches were finished I heard something.


    The noises of some students shouting and arguing among themselves were heard. From the voices, it was clear that they were girls.


    As I looked in the direction from where the voices wereing, it was as I expected; I saw some girls.


    And when I saw the faces of those girls, I instantly knew just what I had to do.


    ''I found whom I was looking for!''

 Chapter 74 Cheap But A Trick Indeed

    "What do you want?"


    "What do you mean by what do we want, huh? You know exactly what we want!"


    "Sorry to say this, but I have absolutely no idea what''s this about."


    "Now, now, don''t try to y innocent here. We are talking about how you keep sticking to Leon all day, like a maggot!"


    "Yes, that''s right! You walk along with him all day like you''re his pet or something!"


    "Yeah, you better start keeping your distance!"


    "That¡­I mean, we are friends so I am usually with him. Isn''t that normal?"


    "Friends, huh? Don''t try to fool us. We all know that you''re trying to make him fall for you because he is famous and it''ll be good for your reputation in the academy and all."


    "Just because you''re from a high-ranking family, doesn''t mean you can do anything you want!"


    "Like any other girls, we have our rights and feelings too. But because of people like you, we don''t even get the chance to talk to him!"


    I watched quietly as the quarrel continued. At a slight distance from me, four girls were arguing among themselves. And three of them were ganging up against the remaining one.


    The lone girl who was being targeted had long red hair that came down to her waist. Her face was well proportioned and her eyes were dyed with the shade of brown.


    She was someone I knew. Or rather I should say, instead of knowing her, I knew about her. There''s a difference between the two.


    She was Ellyn; the first official member of Leon''s harem.


    Right now she was being targeted by three other girls, and I knew those three also.


    A while ago¡ªwhen I was stalking Leon, I saw these girls were also stalking him. Though when I was about to end the trip for that day and leave, I heard them badmouthing Ellyn as she was having lunch with Leon in the cafeteria.


    After that, I looked into them and did a little research. I found that the name of these girls are Seiren, da, and Wrena, and they were ss A students¡ªthe same as Leon and Ellyn.


    The trio was in love with Leon, well, that isn''t unusual considering that guy''s protagonist''s perks but these three were the most aggressive ones than the other love birds. A bit on the yandere side you can say I think?


    But Ellyn was a thorn on their side as she''s with Leon almost all day, there is a reason for that but it doesn''t matter to them. Ellyn is also from the Rosenberg family¡ªthe second in position after the royal family, and she has also built a fan following of her own in the academy.


    Going up against her was difficult so these three teamed up to try and take Ellyn down. After that is done, it''ll be a game of who wins Leon first among the three.


    That''s why they were targeting Ellyn. Verbally abusing her in front of the other students to create pressure on her. It was a cheap but indeed a trick to intimidate someone.


    But it seems like that didn''t work on Ellyn here. The reasons were simple, first of all, due to being a character with close to no personality in the novel, the personality she got after bing real in this world was simr to one of those clich¨¦ noble girls.<sub> </sub>


    <o>,m No matter what the other person says she will keep her calm and will reply kindly. Second of all, here most people already knew that Ellyn is a good person and not the bitch Seiren and her friends are trying to frame her as.</o>


    Hence they were not doubting her, the booing and doubting questions she should''ve got were not present here. The key point to this intimidation trick; is to embarrass and make fun of the other person in front of a crowd so that the crowd will give them a negative response and begin doubting your target.


    The key point was invalid.


    "But, ah, I can''t understand why you''re ming me for all this. If you want to talk to Leon then just do it. You don''t have to wait for me to leave him. I have some reasons to be with him, but you also have the will and right to do what you want. Look. I won''t stop you if you were to talk with Leon or even date him, so go for it."


    "Trying to y nice, huh? Well, I can understand, since we are surrounded by many students right now."


    "It''s just like Seiren says. I''m sure you would''ve given us a different kind of answer if we were alone."


    A bitter, the three girls left¡ªleaving some sarcasticments behind.


    Since the show was over, I focused on my sandwich again and began eating the third piece out of five.


    ''These things are good. Definitely better than the cup noodles I used to make for myself in my former life.''


    The type I was eating was a vegetarian sandwich. After the two slices of bread were theyer of thinly sliced cheese, the secondyer consisted of most vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes, then after theyer of a sauce was the potato stuffing.


    I ate something light for breakfast and these things definitely fulfilled my needs.


    ''Well, that''s the cafeteria of the top academy for you.''


    As I savored my meal, something I wanted to avoid happened.


    Someone came and took the seat in front of me. The other two seats were still empty, which was a relief for me, but still.


    I preferred to eat alone in peace.


    I raised my eyes and looked up to see the face of that person. I know I will still be ignoring them but having checked what they looked like can''t hurt. What if it was someone I knew?


    The possibility of that being true is rtively low as Anya is the only person in this academy I know well, and she was the one then she would''ve started a conversation by now.


    Hence I took a look.


    ''Dang. It''s not someone I know but it isn''t a stranger either.''


    Ellyn was the person sitting in front of me. And I kind of knew about her because of the info I have of the novel so she wasn''t aplete stranger.

 Chapter 75 Morals

    Ellyn was the person sitting in front of me. And I kind of knew about her because of the info I have of the novel so she wasn''t aplete stranger.


    I took a look at her face, there was a slight expression of frustration on her face; it was so vague that you couldn''t have seen it from far. I was able to precisely because I was sitting before her.


    I knew the reason behind this frustration though, and it was not because she was angry at those girls who were badmouthing her. But rather, she was angry at herself.


    Ellyn was a bit dense; probably that''s why she wasn''t able to figure out why Seiren and her friends were ming her. Though, since she is also a kind and calm girl, showing that expression on her face wasn''t an option. A part of it also involved her being from the Rosenberg family.


    You know, the whole heiress should always have a smile on their face thing.


    "Tch! I don''t know what they are so pissed off about. I mean, it''s not my fault that I''m with Leon; I have a solid reason for that. But being with him doesn''t mean¡­I''m dating him or something! If they want to date him then why not just do it?"


    She mumbled as folded her arms, looking down at the table. I guess this is what they call self-talking.


    "What''s all ming everything on me!" she said as she smacked the table lightly.


    The hit didn''t carry much force but it was good enough to spill a little bit of coffee from the cup. It spilled in a way that the liquid fell on one of my sandwiches.


    ''Great! Now I have a vegetarian coffee-dipped sandwich.''


    All this snapped Ellyn back to reality and she noticed that she wasn''t alone at this table. Noticing this and the fact that she spilled my coffee, she hurriedly looked up¡ªfacing me.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry. I''ll clean this up," she apologized.


    "No, it''s fine."


    "You¡­" staring at my face it looked as though she suddenly remembered something. "You''re Anya''s brother, right?"


    "Apparently."


    "Is she alright? I mean, those boys didn''t trouble her again, did they?"


    "Nope, they didn''t. She''s alright."


    Then she realized that I should''ve been able to hear all that self-talking she was doing. This made her lose herposure, but it onlysted a second. And I mean literally a second. It was almost unnoticeable as it was quickly reced with her usual smile.


    "I''m sorry¡­if, you heard all that. I was not in my right mind," she stated.


    "Well, it''s good to let it all out if something''s bugging you. I don''t me you for it."


    "I see," she nodded.


    "¡­"


    After that, there was pin-drop silence between us. She went to buy a drink for herself¡ªI don''t know which drink it was¡ªand I kept eating myst two sandwiches.


    It didn''t take long to finish then as I was done by the time she came back, and yeah I also ate the coffee-dripped one.


    ''Can''t afford to waste food; especially when I paid for it.''


    She seated back on her seat¡ªin front of me¡ªand drank whatever she bough as I sipped my coffee.<sub> </sub>


    "I might be poking my nose where it doesn''t belong but¡­ were those girls bullying you or something?" breaking the silence, I appealed.


    "So you saw that," she sighed, cing her cup back on the table.


    "I guess I did."


    "¡­" narrowing her eyes she fell into deep thought.


    "So? Were they bullying you? You can share it with me if you want. You saved my sister the other day and I can''t thank you enough for that, so I''ll try to help if it''s something I can assist you with," I said as I stared at her.


    "Well¡­thanks for your concern but they were not bullying me. And you don''t need to do anything for me, what I did back then was morally right. It''s just that," she replied; that smile remained on her face all the time.


    "Ah, I see. Then I was worried over nothing I guess."


    I sipped my coffee after that but she sat still like something was on her mind. A few minutes she stood up, probably to leave.


    "You said something about being morally right, didn''t you?" I questioned, just when she was about to leave.


    "Hmm, yes, I did say that saving your sister was a morally right thing. Anyone would''ve done the same thing, not just me," she replied.


    I looked into her eyes, after hearing her maybe just for a second, my that side surfaced; though I was not sure about it, not sure about what expression I had.


    "You talk about morals but¡­do you, as a person, really believe in them? Or are you just following them blindly because someone told you to?" I said.


    "Huh?"


    Her face went nk; she wasn''t able to reply to me.


    "I said something strange, sorry about that," I apologized.


    "Oh, okay. No, it''s alright¡­Now, if you''ll excuse me," with that she left.


    I kept sitting in my seat even after I finished my coffee. I kept wondering about her.


    ''Her personality is a bit different from the Ellyn in the novel, but the core is the same.''


    ''This girl was hard, confused to be honest. It''ll take some time for me to get inside her.''


    ¡­Don''t know why but I don''t like the sound of that.


    ***


    Leaving the cafeteria I went to the library. The library this academy provides us with is big and has a lot of books. It was bigger than the library I saw in the Hogwarts.


    Also, there is a certain book I want to check on, maybe I''ll borrow it also. And there are quite a few things I have to look into.


    There are a lot of things I have to do, and things I have to manage. But soon I was gonna take one load off me.

 Chapter 76 A Certain Book

    Pushing two big wooden doors backward, I opened them as a <strong>CREAK</strong> sound followed; they were the doors of the library.


    I made my first step in and looked around, I saw some students sitting with others studying. The windows were huge at the back of the library and gave a magnificent outstanding look while bringing in a powerful light into the library


    On the floor was afy and thick carpet that made the sound of people walking not to disturb students who were focused on reading in the library, all the books in the library were properly organized in alphabetic order. It was easier for students to find a specific book without wasting their time looking for it.


    Different types of wooden pieces of furniture existed in the library, each of the wooden pieces served a different purpose, high chairs and tables were for thefort of tall students.


    Wide chairs found near the huge windows were meant for those who would like to read with a natural lighting from the windows, Along with other diverse pieces of furniture existed and each one served an important duty.


    The library smell was different. I could smell new ideas as I stepped in, the powerful smell of information and magic from the books thaty on different shelves that were to be read, The antique smell of the pages of old books, the untouched books lying on the shelves, the smell of the dusting from these books.


    A feeling of amusement sprung up in my system upon seeing this sight; the library was amazing in itself, up until this moment I had only seen these kinds of libraries in novels, but now I was gazing upon one of those with my own eyes.


    Aside from a librarian who was sitting at a desk near the entrance, the big room didn''t contain much of students. Only 10 to 15 students were here, reading the books they wanted.


    Though it was not like the rest of the student body was ignorant of this library, nope. Students dide when they wanted a book that was required in their sses or when they just wanted to explore new information.


    The twist in this was most of them took the books with them to readfortably at the dorms; since it was allowed to borrow books as long as they return them within a week.


    My purpose foring here today was the same; I want to borrow a book. I wandered across the big and tall bookshelves as I searched for that specific book.


    This was not my first time here, I found out that book thest time I came here hence I knew where it was ced. A couple of minutester I found the book I desired.


    The book was a bitrge in sizepared to normal books, its cover was made up of leather that was dyed in a shade of leaf green and the title of the book was engraved on it.


    Taking it back with me I smacked it on the librarian''s desk; a vague cloud of dust formed around the book as I did so.


    "I want to borrow this," I said to the librarian.


    He was a man who seemed to be in his mid-forties; he was on the skinny side, wore a brown robe, and a pair of round sses covering his eyes. He was reading his own pocket-sized book when I arrived.


    Closing the book in his hands he put it on the desk. Then he took my book in his hands and skimmed through it, all while analyzing it with his gaze. "Hmm, you do have an unusual taste. What use you have of this book anyway?" he asked, looking up at me.


    "It''s for research purposes; I like these types of books."


    "I see. Well, I won''t bother as long as you return it on time. But I want this book back in one piece, if you damaged it in any way then you will have to pay for it."<sub> </sub>


    "Of course, I will return it and won''t damage it."


    He then took out a piece of paper and a pen; the paper contained a list of names¡ªnames of the books as well as of the students. He picked up the pen and wrote down the title of my book on the paper, and then he stopped.


    "What''s your name?"


    "It''s Zero, Zero nks."


    Continuing his unfinished work he copied down my name beside the title of the book, then today''s date alongside my name.


    "You can take it now, make sure to return it within a week from today onwards," he said, handing over the book to me.


    "Thank you very much," I greeted as I took the book from him and then left the library.


    I went back to my dorm room and kept the book on my desk. Throwing myself onto the bed¡ªwithout even changing my school uniform¡ªI gazed at the ceiling above me.


    I am thinking of all sorts of things right now¡ªthings that were important for the future, yet at the same time, my mind waspletely nk.


    I was feeling two very strong emotions right now. One was to do everything I can to avoid my death in the future¡ªthis one was a survival instinct I''m sure, and the other was the emotion of regret; telling me to not go down the path I did in the past and make the same mistake.


    These two emotions were strong andpletely opposite of each other, but equally bnced at the same time and were contradicting each other. Hence, the result was neutral.


    But deep inside I know, that eventually one of these emotions will win over the other. And I also know which one it will be...¡­just like thest time.


    I gradually close my eyes, and my vision turned pitch ck. Then I remembered a face, a face from my past. This hit me with a wave of nostalgia but the self-resentment hit even harder.


    I recognized the face very well, it was of someone dear to me. This was the only person I truly cared about in my former life, yet, after a certain event, I did the exact opposite of what they told me to do.


    I stretched out my hand to grab the person but my eyes opened and their face vanished from my sight.


    I wanted them to be here, maybe then I could''ve walked on a different path. But, they were not here; I was alone and the only person I could rely on is myself.


    As expected, one emotion won. Hence it was decided what I had to do now.

 Chapter 77 The Unknown Figure

    The next day I was taking the sses as usual. There wasn''t anything unusual in particr, Ryfin taught us some new magic spells; mostly of elemental magic.


    I still wasn''t able to use the magic circle technique though, I don''t know why. I was lucky that he was only teaching us elemental magic spells since I was able to use my elemental magic and make it look like I was using it with magic circles.


    The reason for this error is still unknown, but right now I''m not that interested in finding that out anyway. I don''t know if the same thing will work with custom magic but as long as we were on elemental magic, there was not a problem.


    Elemental magic which is taught in this academy didn''t have much of an appeal to me from the start, since it took time to both learn it and use it while it did the exact same thing as my magic.


    What''s the meaning of repeating a ss even when you didn''t fail? Sure you can hone your grasp on the concepts that way but it was a time waste to me. To me the thing I genuinely wanted to learn was custom magic, until we were on that topic, all is fine.


    Also, Ryfin somewhat knew that I can already use magic and am rtively good at it, so he was ignoring me mostly. It seems as though he was being kind to me or that he was really scared by the threat I gave him I know that''s not the case.


    He was just pretending to be scared of me; I noticed that much these days. I don''t know his reasons but probably it was an act to make me let my guard down and not see him as a threat. Then, when I will be most venerable, he will attack.


    This is still a hypothesis on my side but enough to keep me on guard. As I''ve said before, I didn''t know what this man was up to; he was unpredictable. He was pretending to be harmless, just like a cute little animal.


    But as thest words of Balcha of Sidamo said before he entered the monastery, ''Do not underestimate the power of Tafari. He creeps like a mouse but he has jaws like a lion.''


    I was aware of this, hence I was cautious and never took what he said or showed directly at face value.


    As I was thinking about him, the ss for today ended and the man in question left; followed by the students afterward. I was also stood up and took my leave.


    I had to do some shopping first and then have to meet up with Anya. She was probably not in her best state due to that letter, that''s why I decided to keep tabs on her.


    Also, I had something to talk about.


    ***


    Later that day, the time was around dusk and the sun was almost set. Three girls were waiting for someone behind the main building. The three girls were Seiren, da, and Wrena.


    Their surroundings were deserted, the reason was that the dorms were at a distance from the main building. The chances of someone showing up were even slimmer at this time


    But this ce and time were specifically chosen due to the privilege of being alone.


    Minutes passed by and the girls started getting irritated as there was no trace of the person who called them here.


    "Tch! Where the heck are you?" Seiren cursed as she kicked the ground and clicked her tongue.


    "I guess it really was a prank," da voiced her opinion.


    "Should we go back then? It''s been quite a long time since we came here; around 15 minutes I think," this time it was Wrena who spoke. She was getting sick of all this waiting and wanted to return to the dorms.


    "No, let''s wait a bit more."


    "Huh? Why are you so fixated on this Seiren? Don''t tell me you''re actually serious about this?" Wrena bellowed.


    "What do you mean by that?" Seiren turned her face toward Wrena. "Aren''t you two taking this seriously too?! I mean, that''s why you came here with me, didn''t you?" she blurted.<sub> </sub>


    "Well¡­"


    "Hehe, someone''s at a loss of words~" da whopped, putting her hand on her lips.


    "Don''tugh! You''re in as much water as us, that''s why you''re standing here with us."


    "I know, I know." She folded her arms and looked straight toward the grounds forward.


    A couple of minutester, when their patience was at its peak, a figure appeared at a distance.


    "Hey look, someone''s there," Wrena pointed in the direction of that figure as she announced.


    "Looks like a boy, you sure he''s the one?"


    "Can''t say. Though I more or less expected them to be a boy," Seiren asserted as she waited in her ce.


    The humanoid figure¡ªwho was apparently a boy¡ªapproached the girls slowly. As he came close the girls were able to see him clearly.


    He wore a cloak over the school uniform and his face was covered with a ck cloth mask, his left hand was in his pocket, and with his right, he was clenching onto the cloak that was fluttering due to the gusts of wind.


    "I am a littlete I think," he mumbled as he stopped in front of Seiren.


    "Are you the one who called us here?" she asked; her tone on the aggressive side.


    "Sure I am," he replied; unfazed.


    "You''rete! You made us wait for around 20 minutes," she barked.


    "That huh? Well, you can say this was meant to be a test of sorts. I wanted to see how much you all are willing to meet me and know. In short, I was intentionallyte."


    "And so?"


    "You passed."


    "Ah I see, should I be jumping with happiness right now? Because I''m clearly not in the mood for that. But first of all, tell me what''s the meaning of this?" she asked loudly.


    A secondter she pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket for her skirt, unfolded it, and showed it to the boy.


    "What do you mean by this letter?"


    It was a letter in her hands, and this was written on it:


    [If you want to attain your desires and if you want to crush Ellyn, the thorn in your path. Thene meet me behind the main academy building, today at dusk. I will provide you with a weapon by which you can control her however you want.]

 Chapter 78 The Weapon [1]

    "Oh, I see. Isn''t that the letter I sent you?" the guy said as hefortably nced at the letter in Seiren''s hand.


    "Huh? That''s not what I''m talking about! Tell me what this weapon you mentioned in the letter is?"


    Frustrated at his oblivious reaction, she clenched the letter tightly and rolled it into a ball.


    "Now, now, Seiren; don''t lose your cool here. First of all, we don''t even know if he really is the one behind this letter or not, plus he is hiding his face and hasn''t even told us his name. Don''t go leaking information to him when we are not sure of his identity."


    da''s words were true. The guy had covered his face with a ck mask, hence only his eyes were revealed to the girls, and he had not spelled his name also. Leave the name aside for a moment; he hadn''t said anything about himself or who he is.


    "You aren''t misleading us here, are you? Because if you are, then the results won''t be the nicest for you; so better confess now if you''re up to something," warned Wrena; anger showing clearly on her face.


    Wrena was trying to intimidate him here, and she was also confident in herself because all three of them were famous in the whole first year for their aggressive personalities. Everyone knew that antagonizing them was a bad idea.


    Though even after this, the guy in front of them was standing totally unfazed; waiting for the girls to finish arguing amongst themselves so he can speak.


    "So, tell us who are you. We''ll decide how to deal with you after that," stated Seiren.


    "Well, well, those rumors were true after all. But rest assured, I am no one suspicious. And as for my name and the reason I''m hiding my face, is because I don''t want to get personally involved in anything you all will do from now on. I can say one thing for sure though; I''m indeed the one who sent the letter and I know about the weapon mentioned in it," he objected.


    "You know about the weapon? Then tell me, what is it?" Seiren appealed.


    "Yeah, I know. And I called you here to hand over that weapon to you."


    "Hmmm, now you''re making yourself suspicious as hell. Why will you give us a weapon like that in the first ce? Knowing that we will use it against Ellyn," da interjected.


    "Yes, it may sound suspicious but that''s just what I want you to do; to crush that bitch. I want to see her downfall; I''m doing all this to achieve that."


    "Now it''s getting interesting. What dirt you have on her, what she did to you that made you strive for something like this?" da queried.


    "I didn''t want to tell but if that''s what you want, then so be it," he mumbled as he leaned against the wall of the main building.


    "Ellyn, I knew her beforeing to this academy. She was my¡­girlfriend you can say. We were in a rtionship for a year, but it changed after we enrolled in this academy. Her poprity skyrocketed and she started to talk less and less to me, at some point shepletely ignored me.


    Then I found out she is spending most of her time with a guy named Leon, there were also people talking about how they are dating. This frustrated me; I''m sure you three can rte to this."<sub> </sub>


    "Well, the main reason she is our enemy is this. So yeah, our reasons for hating her can be the same. But why did she leave you and choose Leon?"


    He looked straight at Seiren who asked this question, then he said. "I''m not so sure about this one myself but, it was probably because I''m not from a higher-ss noble family and will be a stain on her image of the heiress of the great Rosenberg family.


    Leon on the other hand is different from me in every aspect. He became popr just a couple of days after enrolment, and while he is not from a noble family; his skills in magic and sword arts are way above of a noble. Dating him will benefit her and will be good for her image, maybe that''s why she chose him over me."


    "So you got dumped because you were of no use to her? Well, it''s understandable since, you know, Leon is the perfect guy. Any girl would like to date him even if she was already dating a king of some country. His looks are over the top, his voice is so sweet yet cool and manly at the same time, and his skills¡ª"


    "Stop right there! I know he is the best boy you can ever find, I also agree with that. But now is not the right time to count his qualities," said Wrena, stopping Seiren midway.


    Then she turned toward the guy; he was still leaning against the wall, waiting for their reply.


    "And? You want revenge because you got dumped?" she asked.


    "That''s exactly what I want, yes."


    "But you do know that we won''t show any mercy if we got the chance to corner her; since she gets on our nerves pretty badly. I''m telling you just in case since she was your girlfriend and all," Wrena considered.


    "To be honest, I don''t really care about her anymore. After I realized that she''d dumped me, I was not in the best state of mind and was feeling down; I also skipped sses for a week and shut myself in my room. Yet, she didn''te to see me. She wasn''t thinking about my feelings at that time, now I don''t care about hers.


    Do whatever you want to do with her; I''ll even suggest you show her hell. I just want to see her in misery and despair," he imed.


    "...You are pretty heartless, aren''t you?" Seirenmented.


    "I''m surprised that''sing from you¡ªafter being known for your ruthlessness in the whole of the first year."


    "That''s right I guess," she mumbled with a smile.


    "Okay, so let''s believe in this story of yours and assume you are the one who sent that letter¡ªplus you want revenge on her," Wrena began as she walked toward him.


    "But what is that weapon you were talking about? One by which we can control Ellyn, as said by you."


    "Hmm, let me get into that. I mean, it is the reason I called you here, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 79 The Weapon [2]

    "The weapon I am talking about is not a literal thing; it''s a physiological weapon. But you can control Ellyn to an extent, just like I have said before," he began.


    "Can you stop ying word games and tell us straight what you are talking about?" Seiren appealed.


    "Yes, yes, sure. You see, beforeing to this academy Ellyn was dealing with something in her life. That something was pretty harsh on her, to a level that she cried about it many times in front of me. Though she soon reached her breaking point, dealing with it any longer was not possible. That''s why she came to this academy; to escape.


    It is a thing she doesn''t want anyone to know about; it is a secret of hers. But I know this secret since she talked to me many times about it," he exined.


    "And how is this of any use to us?"


    "If you were to tell her that you know her secret, and threaten her to spread her secret to everyone in his academy. Then I''m sure she will follow yourmands," he stated.


    "Why are you so sure that she will do this? It can be possible that she may react otherwise," da objected.


    "No, I''m sure she will follow. As, if this secret were to get leaked in public, a big problem will appear for her. I know because I have seen simr effects before."


    "If you are this sure then why not do it yourself?"


    "Didn''t I say before? I don''t want to get myself involved in all this; I''m not that good at intimidating people so I doubt I''ll be able to ckmail her," he asserted.


    "I can see that," Wrena whispered.


    "So? What is this secret you are bbering about?" Seiren asked.


    He paused for a second and then said, "I''m afraid I can''t tell you that."


    As soon as those words left his mouth, the surroundings became heated. The fact he was not willing to tell that secret enraged the three girls.


    "Huh? What do you mean by that?" Seiren blustered.


    "The hell you said! If you can''t tell us that secret¡ªwhat you said is a weapon against Ellyn¡ªthen how are we supposed to ckmail her?!" Wrena grumbled as she moved forward and held the guy with his cor.


    He stared quietly at her while Seiren and da also took steps toward him. Any normal person would''ve at least panicked in this situation but he was totally unfazed; it was as though their intimidation didn''t work on him.


    His breathing was controlled and he wasn''t sweating at all. He just stared at Wrena who was gritting her teeth and clenching his cor harder with each passing minute.


    After a while when Wrena saw that he wasn''t responding at all, she released him and stepped backward; her mood was soured since his target wasn''t scared of her.


    When everything was back in control, the guy adjusted his cor and tie, then he looked at the girls and said.


    "Telling you what the secret is isn''t important. As long as Ellyn believes that you know it, she''ll be under too much pressure to think the possibility that you are just lying."


    "You¡ª"<sub> </sub>


    Wrena was about to go at him again but da stopped her, she tried to resist at first, then when she understood the situation again and regained herposure, she stopped and just kept giving him a death stare.


    "For now, let''s assume what you''re saying is right and she won''t notice that we are lying about knowing her secret. But then how are we supposed to tell it to her if we don''t know the secret in the first ce?" Seiren appealed.


    This was a fair question. If you don''t know what the secret is, then how are you supposed to tell the other person that you know their secret? If by any chance you said something unnecessary or something that ispletely different from reality, then the chances of getting exposed were high.


    "That is not a problem. I know just what to do," he said, and then he pulled out his left hand from his pocket and showed it to Seiren.


    There, he held a piece of paper; an empty letter to be precise.


    "I will write a letter for her, indirectly telling her that the sender of this letter knows about her secret and ask her toe to a ce devoid of any students. I will also tell you all some lines¡ªpieces of information, which you will have to say when you meet her. Those lines will be connected to her secret and enough to make her believe our lie."


    "Hmmm, this sounds like a good idea but. Why aren''t you telling us the secret directly? Won''t it be the easiest way to do this?"


    da was right. If he told them directly the contents of the secret, then there won''t be the need for aplicated n like this. But for some reason, he was avoiding that.


    At da''s question, he took a bit of time to think about it and then said. "You might not like to hear this, that''s why I was not telling. But if you insist, then let me say this; I don''t trust any of you. If we agreed to the terms and decided to work together, then the rtionship between us will be of mutual interest¡ªto bring Ellyn down.


    And the contents of her secrets are rather sensitive, also, Ellyn knows that I''m the only one who knows about it in this whole academy so if you were to tell her every detail, then it is possible for her to trace down this whole thing back to me.


    I don''t want that because¡ª"


    "You don''t want to get yourself involved?"


    "Exactly."


    He nodded at Seiren''s statement.


    "As you said, it isn''t nice to know that you don''t trust us but the same goes for us also. We are only willing to cooperate with you because you have something that can help us to remove Ellyn from our way," Seiren epted.


    "I guess it is just as you said; a rtionship based on mutual interest," da acknowledged.


    "Should I take it as a yes then?" he inquired, as he left the wall and stood in front of the girls.


    The three of them looked at each other, they stepped back from him and discussed amongst themselves whether to ept his n or not. They calcted what they will gain from this and what risks are involved.


    The n was almost wless. If that secret was that heavy on Ellyn just as he said, and she can be easily manipted by it, then the rest of the n was good to go.


    The girls also understood this, and that''s why they decided to go along with it.


    After a while, the three of them came back to him. Offering him a hand Seiren said, "A deal it is then. We will work with you to take Ellyn down."

 Chapter 80 Honey Trap

    The sun waspletely set and the sky was dyed in the shade of deep blue, with shiny white stars sparkling all over.


    I entered my room and closed the door back, I went ahead and took off my cloak and hung it inside the wardrobe. Then I sat on my bed and removed the ck mask I was wearing and threw it on the desk.


    After changing from my school uniform to indoor clothes, I stepped inside the kitchen that was attached to my room and started gathering some ingredients and tools.


    10 minutester I came back inside my room with a cup of coffee in my hand and sat on the bed. I rested the cup on the desk and waited as the coffee was too hot to drink.


    I folded my legs and satfortably on the bed, leaning against the wall. As I waited for the coffee to cool down a bit, I thought about the things I did today.


    Right after the sses were finished I went and met with Anya and talked about certain things with her. Then I went to the store and bought myself a cloak and a mask.


    Around dusk, I met with Seiren, da, and Wrena; this was the most important action I took. Today before the sses I sent a letter to Seiren, saying her toe to meet me at the given location if she wants to take Ellyn down.


    I knew they wille, and as expected, all three of them came. I talked with them, providing them with a fabricated backstory while keeping my identity hidden.


    I promised to give them a weapon to use against Ellyn; a secret of hers. The conversation went up and down at times, though I let them take the lead so that they can feel that they are keeping me under control.


    As the 1st Law of Power states, [Never outshine the master]


    Always make those above you feelfortably superior. In your desires to please and impress them, do not go too far in disying your talent or you might aplish the opposite¡ªinspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.


    I wanted them to believe in the story I was providing them with, to do that, I had to make them feel like they are controlling the situation. They were already suspicious of me if I went ahead and tried to butter them up with my words, trying to make myself seem like a trustable person.


    Then it was possible that I might have achieved the opposite; arose more suspicion and would''ve lost the deal then and there¡ªwhich I didn''t want in the least.


    "Guess it''s just enough now," I mumbled as I picked up the cup and blew air out from my mouth at the coffee. Then I took a sip slowly.


    Making a deal with Seiren and the other two was important, as for why? Well, I want someone to keep tabs on Leon in my ce; so that I can take a load off my mind and take off other things I had to do.


    I wanted someone who is close to Leon, whom he trusts enough to not doubt them even if they made a mistake and raised suspicion, andstly, someone whom I could control.


    I wanted to be the one to pull their strings from the shadows. In short, I wanted a puppet spy. This was a n I was keeping on hold for a long time as I wasn''t able to find the right person for the task, but now it was important.<sub> </sub>


    After a bit of research, I concluded that Ellyn was the best person for this. She was hanging out with Leon pretty much all day and she was someone he trusted¡ªI know this with the information I have of loli_pop''s novel.


    Though one thing was still left undone, I wasn''t controlling her now; and to do that those three girls were the best.


    Hence, Iid a honey trap for them. I offered them my assistance and a weapon by which they can control Ellyn; a secret of hers that she didn''t want anyone to know about.


    Though I didn''t tell them exactly what the secret was for certain reasons, and this enraged them as they felt cheated. A bitter though, I made them agree with me.


    Actually, it was pretty funny how they agreed to me just like that.


    My n was not wless, in fact, it was filled with them. There were many holes in the type of assistance I was offering them, and anyone could notice them if they looked at it objectively.


    The thing here was, that the n didn''t need to be perfect.


    Maniption is a dangerous game. Once someone suspects they are being manipted, it bes harder and harder to control them. Everything depends on the sweetness of your bait.


    If your trap is attractive enough, the turbulence of your targets'' emotions and desires will blind them to reality. The greedier they be, the more they can be led around.


    p The bait I provided them with was of simr aspects. All three of them loved Leon and too much of that. I knew that much after stalking them for a day. But the problem here was Ellyn; she stood in between them and Leon.</anda>


    Due to her they never got time and opportunity to approach him as he was already upied by her. They wanted to remove this thorn on their side and were willing to go to any extent to do that.


    Hence, Iid the perfect trap for them and gave them a chance to remove Ellyn and open the doors of the path that led to Leon. They were blinded by their love, and due to that, being unable to notice that they were ying right into my hands.


    ''Love, is truly a very dangerous thing.''


    In the end, they agreed to my terms, and this part of the deal was done.


    "Now I can move to the next part," I whispered and sipped my coffee.

 Chapter 81 Ellyns Soliloquy

    I, Ellyn Rosenberg, am a filthy person. At least that''s what I think of myself.


    It was night and I was lying on my bed as I continued to think about my past, and the present I was living right now.


    In the end, nothing changed. It became even worse.


    I was still facing the same thing I ran away from, doing the same things, keeping the same fake smile on my face, and making sure I fit the role of the heiress of the Rosenberg family.


    Here, in the academy, everyone thought of me as a perfect girl. Whenever I was in a group with girls in my ss, they showered me with praise, saying how beautiful and wless I am.


    Almost all the boys I''ve met had feelings for me and wanted to go out with me. The image they all had of me in their mind was of a girl who fitted to be from a higher-ss noble family.


    But...it was not me. I am not like that¡­that is the real me.


    All that was just an act, an act I started ying right after I was born and was still ying it now. Even if I don''t want to.


    In reality, I am just like a normal girl who wants to live her teen years to their fullest. Though it was not allowed, not to me.


    You can''t behave like a normal average girl if you are from a higher-ss noble family. You have to make sure you don''t displease people, you always have to treat others with kindness¡ªeven those whom you don''t like. You have to mind your manners, always wear the right dress and makeup so you look beautiful.


    And these responsibilities keep getting bigger and bigger the more you move up in the noble hierarchy. You can only imagine what it was like for me, as a member of the Rosenberg family.


    The pressure on me was too much, that''s why I¡­ran away. I escaped from that hell and came here to this academy in hope that I can finally drop the act.


    But it turned out I was wrong all along. No matter where I escape to, the name of the Rosenberg family will always haunt me.


    People think being born into such families is a blessing, but in reality, it''s even worse than a curse.


    I''ll always have to keep up the act, that''s what I thought until I meet him; Leon. I don''t know if it was due to sheer coincidence, or if it was the work of fate, but he got to see my real self.


    And the surprising thing is that he didn''t hate or criticized me for it, he epted me as a friend. That was the only time I felt truly blessed, I did have my doubts about him but it turned out to be just my imagination.


    Leon was someone I can trust, so much that now I was sharing a secret with him. A secret no one knows, except me, my family, and Leon.


    As I thought about him, I fell asleep.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    The next day Ellyn woke up, her mood was good asst night she slept while thinking of some good moments of her life. A refreshing smile was on her face when she left the bed.


    After doing her usual things like brushing her teeth, taking a bath, and changing into her school uniform. And now, half an hourter she was ready to go for sses.


    She took a few books with her and then left her room. Though just when she opened the door and was about to take a step outside, she noticed something lying on the doormat.


    It was a rectangr piece of paper; a letter to be precise. She raised her brow as she stared at the letter down her feet.


    It wasn''t that odd for her to receive letters like this, many of them were love letters written by the boys in her ss or from even other sses. She wanted to ignore it but letting papery on the floor was bad manners, hence she bent and picked it up.


    Then she turned around and checked the time on the wall clock; she wasn''tte, in fact, there were still 20 minutes left before the sses start. So she decided to take a look at the letter, her interest in this was piqued up when she saw that there was no name written on it.


    She tore the envelope and pulled out another script from inside. It was not long, rather only a few sentences were written on it. Also, just like on the envelope, there was no name written here either.


    Stepping inside the room again, she sat on her bed as she read through the contents of the letter.


    The feeling she first had was curiosity, but as she kept reading word by word, that feeling changed into nervousness, then insecurity, then anxiety, panicking, and finally fear.


    [Hello, Ms. Rosenberg. Let me get this straight and to the point, I know the secret you are hiding. I don''t really want to do this but since you are in my path, I was thinking was leaking that secret to the public and letting them see you for what you are.


    You do know which secret I''m talking about, right? The one only you, your family, and your beloved Leon know about. Yes, that''s what I''m talking about.


    Though I think we cane to an agreement, that''s why I''d like to talk with you in person. If you don''t want me to reveal it to everyone, thene meet me on the rooftop of the main building, right after the sses are over.


    We will talk there.]


    She was stunned, for a second it was as though her soul left her body.


    How this person did know about it? Something only a handful of people should be aware of.


    She...was scared, and filled with questions.

 Chapter 82 Rooftop [1]

    The academy sses had ended for today and all of the students were either having breakfast in the cafeteria or hanging out with their friends. This was a routine almost everyone followed daily.


    However, unlike the masses, one girl was walking down a different path.


    -Step!


    -Step!


    -Step!


    The sound of her footsteps resounded in the surroundings and she kept stepping up a staircase. Sunlight was falling down on her, illuminating her body and making her red hair shine, wasing from the gates above.


    Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead, her brows frowned, and there was a tingling feeling of nervousness as she climbed her way up.


    This girl was, in fact, Ellyn Rosenberg. This morning she received a letter that revealed to her that someone else in this academy knows about the secret she''s been trying to hide.


    She was told toe to the rooftop of the main building if she doesn''t want her secret to be out in public; hence she was on her way now.


    Soon, she reached the top of the staircase and stood before the door that connect to the surface of the rooftop. She took a step forward and entered through the gate.


    The roof was made out of cement, iron railings were built at the corners so that there would be no chance of anyone falling down from here. There weren''t much of structures up here but there was a small room located in the corner.


    -Thuck!


    The door behind Ellyn closed faster before she could react, all she heard was the sound of it and when she turned back, another girl stood there. Apparently, she was the one who mmed the door closed.


    "You?" Ellyn murmured.


    "Quite surprising, isn''t it?" the girl replied as a smile appeared on her face.


    Ellyn knew this girl, not personally, but she did have several past interactions, not good ones. The girl''s name was Wrena Bluetree.


    Ellyn was already cautious, she reached out for her sword but it wasn''t there as the students are not allowed to carry swords except for when they are taking lessons; she was no exception.


    Hence, she went for magic. As well to sword arts, she was also pretty good in magic also. She had learned the magic circle method to cast spells and she was confident in herself.


    Without breaking a sweat, she visualized the magic circle for a specific spell in her mind and then channeled mana through it. A red circle¡ªthe same one she visualized¡ªsummoned over her right palm before it copsed and transformed into a fireball that floated in the air under Ellyn''s control.


    She stretched out her right hand in Wrena''s direction, making the fireball face her. She wasn''t a murder maniac so she just wanted to scare her off.


    Though it didn''t quite turn out as she expected because Wrena was still smiling back at her; unfazed by the fall ball that was a meter away from her face.


    She stepped in and brings her mouth close to Ellyn''s ear and then whispered, "You don''t want your secret toe out, right? I mean, that''s why you came here. So you better turn off this little spark of yours."


    "Then you really are the one who¡ª" Ellyn mumbled, now she was getting the gist of the situation.


    Wrena moved back. Looking at her with a lot of questions in her mind, Ellyn broke the spell and the fireball disappeared.


    "Good girl, nowes with me," said Wrena as she patted Ellyn on her shoulder and let her in the direction where that small room was located.


    During the time it took for them to reach the room, Ellyn''s heart was beating so fast that she felt like passing out any moment now.


    When they reached the room, Wrena pushed the wooden door open¡ªwhich was already unlocked¡ªand led Ellyn inside.


    The room was fairly dark; the only light illuminating the room was the sunlighting through the door. A few broomsticks and buckets were lying inside, indicating that this was probably a storeroom or sort.


    As Ellyn stepped inside and took a couple of steps forward she soon realized that they and Wrena were not alone in here. She spotted the figures of two more people, the figures also noticed that they had been spotted hence they came forward.


    The light fell on them and their bodies were now visible. Both of them were girls and Ellyn knew these two. They were Seiren and da.<sub> </sub>


    "Now I see what''s going on," Ellyn said to herself as she stared at them.


    "You better," Wrena bellowed as she pushed Ellyn from the back, causing her to stumble a few steps forward. Then she closed the door but left it open enough to make the lighte in so they won''t be blinded by theck of light.


    "Were you the ones who sent me that letter?" Ellyn appealed as she frown at her brows and looked at Seiren.


    "Yeah, we indeed were the ones behind it," Seiren answered.


    Ellyn gulped. She had already figured out that they were obviously the ones who sent the letter since they were waiting for her on the rooftop. It was a stupid thing to ask, she knew that, but just to be sure she doesn''t miss anything, she asked. And the result she got was not what she wanted.


    Now, she was starting to panic. Oblivious questions were going on in her mind like, how do they know about it? Her secret was not something you can figure out even if you wanted to. You won''t find out until she tells you herself.


    Though before she could get a panic attack, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.


    "H-How do you know about it?" she asked.


    "Hmmm, isn''t that interesting," Wrena stated as she moved from her side and joined the other two in front of Ellyn.


    "I am a bit confused here," said da. "Can you please specify what you are referring to? Like, do you want to ask how we know the reason for why you are hiding in this academy or¡­why you keep up the act of ying nice to everyone? Or could it be how we know why you are sticking close to Leon and using him for your own benefit!"


    "W-Wha, What? Ho¡­how do you?"


    Ellyn''s state now was beyond shocked. She originally thought they only knew vaguely about her secret but this! She was something she didn''t even expect in her dreams.


    "Hey, you haven''t given me an answer! Tell me which one is it?" da resounded as she bent forward. Her eyes looked like those of a predator and unlike the other two¡ªwho had nasty smiles on their faces, her face only expressed anger.


    Ellyn slowly started stepping back so that she could gain a distance from them and then possibly escape from the door¡ªsince it was not locked.


    After three steps she stopped and narrowing her eyes she nced at the door being her, then she leaped toward it but.


    "Not happening!"


    Seiren moved at an incredible pace, and since they were not so far she reached Ellyn in less than a second and held her wrist tightly. Ellyn looked behind with a worried look on her face as she desperately tried to free herself from Seiren''s grip.


    "Haa! Don''t think you''ll be getting away that easily!"


    -Smack!


    Ellyn felt the world tilting to the side when Seiren''s kick connected to her legs. The kick was powerful enough to make Ellyn fall and it did happen as she lost her bnce and fell onto the right side.


    -Whoosh!


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You trying to kill me bitch!" Seiren cursed as she barely dodged a fireball that wasunched toward her by Ellyn soon after she fell. It was not an intentional attack but a self-defense reaction of some sort.


    "I said not to use magic, didn''t I?" Wrena said out loud as she walked toward Ellyn¡ªwho was now sitting on the floor.


    "Looks like you want everyone to know your secret after all," she blustered.


    "Huh? Now, is that really what you want? Tell me, I''ll do the job for you. I mean, I owe you a lot, Ellyn¡­For sticking with Leon all day and touching him with your filthy, bewitched hands!" Seiren grumbled as she clenched her fingers into a fist.


    "Why are you so quiet now? Aren''t you always carrying that happy and energetic aura with you, huh? Tell me! You want me to release your secret? Especially to the academy staff and officials."


    "N-No, I do not. Please don''t do that," Ellyn pleaded, looking down at the ground


    Right this moment, Seiren was hit with amusement. The ideal girl of this academy, the one everyone admired, the perfect girl all the boys said her to be. The very same Ellyn Rosenberg was now at her feet, pleading for mercy.


    What that student had said to her turned out to be the truth. She really was controlling her, just like he said.

 Chapter 83 Rooftop [2]

    A grin full of amusement appeared on Seiren''s face as she stared down at Ellyn. She was still on the ground looking downward to avoid eye contact with the three of them.


    It wasn''t like she doesn''t want to get out of this situation or she couldn''t. The fact is, they knew something about her, and if that something got out then it''ll spell trouble for Ellyn even worse than what she''s facing now. Hence, she decided to endure it.


    <strong>-Smack!</strong>


    "Ahh!"


    A secondter a kick connected on Ellyn''s face, takenpletely by surprise she rolled onto the side. She was attacked not by Seiren but by Wrena, she was the one standing right beside Ellyn.


    "You don''t have any idea how much I wanted to kick in that face of yours! Now that I have gotten the chance to do it, don''t think I''m going to hold back even a bit."


    <strong>-Thud!</strong>


    Another one of Wrena''s kicks hit Ellyn; this one was delivered to the abdomen.


    "¡­All the time you were with Leon, manipting him to y your bidding!"


    <strong>-Thud!</strong>


    "Like a filthy bitch! You were just using him for your own benefit!"


    <strong>-Thud!</strong>


    She kept kicking her, again and again, and again. Ellyn''s pained groans didn''t have the least bit of impact on the three girls. All they wanted was to beat the shit out of the girl who¡ªording to their point of view, stole their lover.


    However, the thing about her using Leon was not something they were aware of. The sentences Wrena was shouting while beating Ellyn were provided by that student¡ªZero.


    He was asked about what this is all about but he just answered, "She is using her to maintain her reputation in the academy. Since you know, Leon is the strongest of this year and all."


    And this just made them hate Ellyn even more.


    Of course, what he said was indeed questionable, anyone in their right mind won''t believe stuff like that until they saw legit proof backing it up. But these three girls were already blinded by love and revenge; both of them are strong emotions, and also destructive if gone out of control.


    With being a bit on the yandere side, this exactly was what happened with Seiren, Wrena, and da.


    Also, once they witnessed that Ellyn really came to the rooftop after reading that letter and was being intimated by them¡ªa thing that never happened before, was enough proof to make them believe Zero.


    They thought that they are moving at their own will and making decisions by themselves; deciding what to believe and what not to. But in reality, they were moving on the basis of the false information Zero fed them.


    "Now, now, Wrena. Don''t have all the fun alone, this bitch pissed me off to my limits. Let me participate too," said Seiren as she cracked her knuckles and gazed at Ellyn¡ªwho was constantly being kicked by Wrena.


    "Yeah, feel free to," Wrena replied, and with onest kick she stopped and took a breath.<sub> </sub>


    Seiren grabbed Ellyn''s hair and forcefully yanked her head up. "S-Stop it¡­It hurts!" a pained, pleading voice left Ellyn''s mouth as she begged for this to stop.


    "It hurts? Yeah, that''s what we want you to feel."


    Ellyn wept at having her hair pulled, and pleaded, but Seiren onlyughed like she was enjoying it¡ªwhich she really was. After all, this was the moment she dreamed of.


    She smacked her against the wall; Ellyn''s head hit the concrete behind, causing her to let out a loud scream. Seiren moved forward, with murderous intent in her eyes.


    "Ahh¡­Ha!" Ellyn gasped for air right after Seiren delivered a hard punch to her stomach.


    Blood came out of her mouth, as well as tears streaming down her face.


    "Please! Stop it¡­isn''t it enough!" Ellyn said as she looked at Seiren with her teary eyes.


    Seiren gave her a menacing look before she said, "Enough, huh? It''ll never be enough. Not even killing you."


    At this point, Ellyn was in pain. She received multiple kicks from Wrena directly on her stomach. Her muscles were throbbing from pain and she was able to feel her upper body tearing apart.


    A part of this was precisely because as the heiress of the Rosenberg family, she had never got beaten before. Her body was sensitive.


    "Come on, da. Join us. It''s not like you don''t have any grudge against this bitch, do you?" offered Seiren, looking at da who stood at a distance¡ªwatching the events unfold before her eyes.


    There was a reason she hadn''t acted until now. Among the three, she was the least aggressive one. She was just watching Ellyn getting beaten to a pulp and was enjoying it from afar.


    A part of this was due to her personality. If she had to fight a war, she''ll prefer to do it mentally in a game of chess. Not a genius but she was at least better than the other two in terms of wittiness.


    When Zero came to meet them, she was the one who acted most rationally and logically.


    This, however, doesn''t mean that violence waspletely out of her te.


    "Well, I might just do it then. Never know when I''ll get a chance like this again," she mumbled and moved toward Ellyn.


    A momentter she was standing right in front of her, "Tell me, Ellyn. Why are you so obsessed with Leon? I know you don''t love him, I have determined that much from your behavior. Then what is it?" she asked.


    Ellyn averted her eyes and looked to the side as she said, "You said you already know, don''t you?"


    "Yes, I do know. But I want to hear it from your mouth."


    Ellyn remained silent, only the sound of her breathing could be heard. For some reason, she was not looking either of them in the eye. Then, after a long pause, she said.


    "I don''t want to spell it."

 Chapter 84 Rooftop [3]

    "I don''t want to spell it."


    "What?" da said in surprise. "What does that means?"


    "I-I''m sorry, but there''s still a possibility that you don''t know the actual reason behind all my actions, the chances are very slim I believe but it''s still there. So, if by chance you don''t know about what''s going on between me and Leon, then I don''t want to spill the beans myself."


    "¡­Ah I get it, I get it," da repeated multiple times, and then.


    <strong>-Smack!</strong>


    Ellyn was hit with a punch on her face. She identally bit her lips and blood came streaming down. The punch indeed was da''s doing.


    Ellyn felt intense pain, but this was not the end of it.


    <strong>-p!</strong>


    da pped her hard with all the force she could gather, and it was not one p. Again and again and again, one after another, she kept pping her until her cheeks turned red and slightly swollen.


    At this point, Ellyn''s face was a mess, with her tears, blood, and the bangs of her hair that covered her face.


    "I know exactly why you don''t want to spell it out¡­because you are doing something so bad that even you are ashamed of speaking it out of your fucking mouth! All you are doing is using Leon for your own benefit and safety, like, he is some kind of tool to you. And you will throw him aside after you are done¡­just like you did with your old boyfriend."


    Again, some of Zero''s words were mixed in but the majority of it was just da speaking her mind out. After all, she was also in love; letting your emotions take control at these times was not that unusual.


    Though, something clicked in Ellyn''s mind. The ims da was making were pretty much true but one thing she said was weird, something she hadn''t heard of before, leaving aside doing it.


    "W-What do you mean by my old boyfriend?" she asked as she slowly gathered up some strength and stood straight while leaning against the wall¡ªshe was able to do this since no one was hitting her now.


    She was genuinely asking what she didn''t know about, but her question only provided the mes of anger within da with pure oxygen.


    "The hell you saying!" she shouted, grabbing Ellyn from her cor and pushing her against the wall. "He mattered so less to you that youpletely forgot about him? At this point I''m not even angry; I''m disgusted by how low you can fall."


    da didn''t harbor any sympathy for Zero¡ªor the fabricated character he created to be precise, but one thing wasmon in her and his situation. Love wasmon in both of them.


    After all, she was also on the yandere side so probably she was enraged by how Ellyn was dealing with love and using it to her own benefit.


    ¡­Or maybe she just wanted an excuse to beat the shit out of her.


    "W-Wait! I really don''t know anything about this¡­I never had a boyfriend, to begin with," Ellyn imed. Obviously, she won''t know about this ''boyfriend'' since he didn''t exist.


    "Yeah, why would you remember something trivial like that, right? After all, changing boyfriends must be an everyday thing for you," said da as she slowly ced her hand around Ellyn''s neck.<sub> </sub>


    "Ohh! I so much pity him," Seiren sarcasticallymented from the side.


    "I want to murder this girl right here if I can," Wrena voiced, staring furiously at Ellyn.


    "Well, I can do that for you. Just let me have Leon then," da implied and began tightening her grip around Ellyn''s neck.


    "H-Hey...¡­W-Wa...Stop! Please!"


    Ellyn begged as the air stopped reaching to her lungs and she started choking with every passing second.


    "Hahaha! Die you bitch! This is what you deserve! You shouldn''t have been born, to begin with," daughed as she watched Ellyn with amusement.


    The pressure on Ellyn''s lungs increased, her heart started beating faster and her eyes were bulging out. She desperately tried to resist and free herself from da''s grip, shaking da''s hand in the hope to throw her off.


    She could''ve used magic but that was an option of the past. Right now she was not in the mindset to focus on the spell and wasn''t able to use magic like breathing as Zero does.


    Her time was running out, her face became red; she tried to gasp for air but it was of no use. da was tightening her grip and squeezing her neck with pleasure.


    "Stop!"


    Wrena held and pulled da''s hand and freed Ellyn from her grip. "What the hell are you doing?" da asked angrily as she looked at Wrena with her narrowed eyes.


    "Calm down da, this is not you. First of all, killing her might be an interesting approach to end this matter for all eternity but that will cause many more problems than it will solve; you remember we are in the academy, right? Andstly, if killing her means handing over Leon to you and it''s a big fat no."


    da looked at the hand she was choking Ellyn with, then with a deep breath, she calmed herself. "Sorry, that''s a bit out of line for me¡­But what should we do with her?" she asked, ncing at Ellyn was now sitting on the floor, breathing heavily.


    "Oh! I might have a good idea for that," Seiren stated with a snap of her fingers.


    "What is it?" da asked hurriedly.


    "Let''s take her clothes off and then make her walk in the corridor like that, fully naked. I think that will be good for the image of Ms. Heiress."


    "Hmmm, that''s a nice idea. But won''t that bring trouble to us?"


    "No, it won''t really," Seiren replied as she stood beside da and put a hand on her shoulder.


    "You see, all we have to do is take her clothes off. After that, we can leave her be. I mean, she will eventually have to go down, right? Not like she will be able to stay here forever. And she can''t give our names to the teachers because, well, she knows very well what will happen if she did that¡­don''t you, Ellyn?"


    Seiren shot a nce at Ellyn to which she averted her eyes and without a reply, looked down.

 Chapter 85 Rooftop [4]

    "Come on, you heard that didn''t you? Remove your clothes," Sirenmanded as she kicked Ellyn.


    "N-No! Please! This is too much, I can''t do this!" Ellyn pleaded, looking up at the three girls with her teary eyes.


    "Huh? Then will you stop meeting Leon from now on? No, leave meeting him, you can''t be allowed to see him! Say, can you do that?" da mored.


    Ellyn didn''t have an answer; maybe she did but was hesitating to say it out loud because it was sure not the one da wanted.


    "Tell! Why you have gone silent like that?" Wrena bellowed.


    She looked down at the ground and then bit her lips in frustration. "I-I''m sorry¡­I...can''t do that," she breathed.


    It must''ve required a lot of courage to spell it out, knowing what was going to happen if she displeased them. But it''s not like she had a choice, to begin with.


    "What the hell!"


    "How shameless you can be, we gave you an option but you are still behaving like a bitch!" da bellowed.


    "Now, enough is enough! We gave her a choice but she refused to listen and negotiate. Nothing can be done now," said Seiren.


    "You two, hold her."


    With thatmand, both da and Wrena forcefully pulled Ellyn up and smacked her against the wall. Then they held her from her waist and legs.


    "Don''t me us for this, it was your decision," Seiren dered.


    She came close to Ellyn and started removing her zer. Ellyn tried to resist but it was of no use as Wrena and da were pinning her down. Seiren took the zer out and then tossed it down.


    "Hold her hands," she said. Ellyn was trying to resist with her hands, that''s why holding her hands was necessary. da and Wrena followed hermand and pinned Ellyn''s hands against the walls tightly.


    With a satisfied smile on her face, Seiren started unbuttoning Ellyn''s white shirt and it was done the next moment. Now, since both her hands were pinned against the wall, removing the shirt was not easy. Hence, Seiren chose a simple solution and simply tore it down and threw the remaining fabric onto the ground.


    Done with that, she then moved to Ellyn''s skirt and began sliding it down. Ellyn was crying, and crying, and crying. Tears were streaming down her face as she begged for forgiveness. Though, it didn''t bother the girls even a little.


    But after all, this was the result of her doing, hence she had to face it no matter what it was. And deep inside her heart she also knew this. The secret they were talking about was something she didn''t tell many people, and it somehow got leaked to these girls then it clear that she misjudged a person she told her secret to and they leaked it.


    In the end, all she could do was cry and beg for mercy. Even if she escaped from here by any means, Seiren and those two will spread the secret and that will ensure her doom.


    Holding a ck piece of fabric in her hand¡ªwhich was Ellyn''s skirt, Seiren stared at the almost naked Ellyn. Her zer, skirt, and shirt were gone. Now she was only in her undergarments.


    "Let''s get this done with quickly," said Seiren and threw the skirt to the ground.


    She bent down and ced her hands around Ellyn''s waist and then looked up at Ellyn.


    "I''m about to remove them, you know? Tell me, are you ready for showing your naked body to every student in the academy? I''m sure you''ll get a lot of new boyfriends after that."<sub> </sub>


    Ellyn didn''t reply. Her face was filled with sadness, pain, and despair; she was almost broken, just a push, and her core will be corrupted or destroyed.


    Not receiving a response pissed Seiren off as she clicked her tongue. And with an angry expression, she slid Ellyn''s pan¡ª


    <strong>-Thuck!</strong>


    A loud sound was heard and when Seiren saw at her side, the door of the room was open now the sunlight was illuminating the whole room and the faces of all of them were visible clearly. It was clear the sound was of someone mming the door open. And it was right since someone was standing there, a boy.


    He was wearing the academy uniform, his skin was on the fairer side and he had jet ck hair with a pair of golden eyes which were shining¡ªdue to the sunlight¡ªand emitting a re.


    "Umm, sorry to disturb but¡­I don''t think what''re doing is right and eptable," he said.


    The guy was nobody but Zero.


    "Huh? Who the hell are you?" Seiren mored, looking at Zero with narrowed eyes and an expression of disgust. It was understandable since he just disturbed her game and displeased her.


    "Me? Well, it doesn''t matter who am I. What does matter is that what you''re doing is wrong and should stop now."


    "Hmm, you don''t look familiar and I don''t have any bad rtions with you. I''m giving you a chance, close the door and leave. Otherwise, you''ll get in trouble."


    Zero stared at Seiren for a while, and then shifted her gaze to Ellyn. She was looking at him with hope in her eyes, and, from a third person''s point of view, the situation she was in was pitiful. Wrena and da were also staring at him, they looked cautious and surprised.


    "Sigh," he sighed and closed his eyes only to open them again the next moment.


    "Sorry but the ones getting in trouble are you if you don''t leave now," he announced.


    "¡­What do you mean?" Seiren asked, she had no idea what this guy was talking about. How can they get in trouble?


    Zero smiled, no, there was no smile on his face; his expression was nk. He raised his right hand and showed the girls a thing he was holding all this time.


    It was a book. Its size was a little bigger than the normal book provided in the academy, its cover was of leave green color and a small ck pearl was attached to the side. The book also had a title engraved on the leather cover; it read [Book of Sight].


    "A book? Hmph, what are you nning to do with a book? Teach us not to do bad things?" Seirenughed, and Wrena and da followed.


    "Yeah, it''s a book," said Leon as he began taking steps toward the girls. "It''s a book but not any book. You see, this is called the Book of Sight, one of the books that were created during an experiment but since they had no particr use, or people thought of them as useless, this was eating dust in the library.


    But the thing special about this book is, it can record pictures."


    He opened the book and after skimming through some of the pages he stopped at one and then showed it to Seiren.


    The sight surprised Seiren down to her core. Instead of text, the page had a recording of everything they did to Ellyn in video format, and right now it was being yed for them.


    "A miracle isn''t it?" hemented and snapped Seiren back to reality.

 Chapter 86 Rooftop [5]

    "I wonder what will happen if I showed this book to the teachers? Doing this kind of thing is strictly prohibited and against the rules so, I think expulsion is the least punishment you all will get. And here I''m even not counting what will happen when the news will reach the Rosenberg family," said Zero before he closed the book.


    "Give me that!" Seiren shouted as she jumped at Zero, trying to grab the book from him.


    Zero quickly stepped to the side, dodging Seirenpletely. This was an impulsive attack from her side and was not a well-nned one, hence it was as good as nothing.


    Seiren nced at Zero, her eyes were narrowed she was furious. "Both of you, leave her and capture him!" shemanded.


    "But Seiren, won''t she escape if we did that?" Wrena was the one who asked this.


    "No she won''t, you idiot! As long as we have her weakness she can''t go anywhere."


    After being roughly denied by Seiren, Wrena along with da left Ellyn''s hand and leaped toward Zero.


    They went for his arms since then it will be easy to immobilize him and steal the book. They aimed at him with full speed but Zero calmly dodged them by moving swiftly left and right.


    "Well, well. We don''t need to fight or anything, if you simply leave us alone then I promise, I won''t tell the teachers about this," Zero suggested while he keep dodging them.


    "Not happening!" Seiren bellowed as she utterly refused him. Then along with Wrena and da, she also dashed toward him in order to pin him down and take the book.


    "What a waste it is then. I mean, you can''t take this book from me even if you try all day long."


    He was faster than them and avoiding their attacks was no problem at all. It was probably due to his rank being higher than theirs. The three of them were ss A students but their scores were not that great, it won''t be wrong to assume their ranks were somewhere around D or E.


    "Ah, this is a pain~" Zero mumbled. He was not enjoying this cat-mouse game at all.


    "Wha¡ª"


    A scream left Seiren''s mouth when Zero suddenly hit her legs with a kick and she fell down. Then he held da from her hand and twisted it to her back, he came before her and bent her knees by pushing them forward with his own, he made hery on the ground as well.


    Wrena suddenly stretched out her hand andunched a punch at his back. Turning around quickly he held her hand with his right one, "Tch!" Wrena clicked her tongue and tried to pull her arm back.


    She forcefully rotated her body on the right side to throw Zero off but after moving along a couple of steps with Wrena''s spin. He stopped all of a sudden, he drilled his feet into the floor, and shifting the center of gravity upon himself he spun his body leftward.


    The two motions aligned and Wrena was pulled with extreme force. Completing half a rotation he smacked Wrena to the nearby wall. Her head hit the concrete behind and she coughed blood. When Zero released her hand, she slid down and sat on the floor.


    2 minutes after Wrena and da first attacked him; all three of them were on the ground.


    "See? I said you can''t take the book from me," he stated.


    Then he moved toward Seiren, bending his knees and sitting down in front of her he said, "Now will you leave?"


    His position was somehow arranged in a way that Seiren was clearly able to see his eyes. Those golden eyes...when she stared directly into them, it was like she remembered them.


    Like she had seen them before, but where? For a while, she stared endlessly without uttering a single word, and then she remembered. She was not sure but there was only one person she had seen with simr eyes.


    "Y-You bastard!" da was up on her feet again and was about to attack Zero from behind. Though¡ª


    "Stop!" she was stopped by Seiren.


    Seiren then stood up, all while looking at Zero''s nk face. Along with her he also rose to his feet.


    "Why are you stopping me now?" asked da in a frustrated and confused voice.<sub> </sub>


    Without looking in da''s direction she replied, "We had our fun, let''s go for now."


    "But¡­"


    da wanted to say something else but then reflecting on how Zero easily dealt with the three of them, she didn''t voice her thoughts.


    "Ah, damn it!" Wrena cursed as she stood up and held her head. There was no blood but she was having a headache now.


    "You, can I believe that you won''t rat us out to the teachers if we leave now?" Seiren asked, pointing at Zero.


    "Yeah, isn''t that what I said before; I won''t."


    "I see...¡­you two,e, we should leave now."


    Seiren asked him just out of formality, in reality, she already knew that being here will be of no use. She wasn''t sure of this but, there was this feeling lingering inside her that she had been used.


    This obviously angered her since she was the one to use people, getting used was not a thing she was fond of. But for now, leaving was the best choice. After all, if the one who used her set the stage for this, then he must''ve also nned for every situation possible.


    A minuteter, Seiren, Wrena, and da left the room and the rooftop. Now, Zero was alone with Ellyn.


    He turned around and looked at Ellyn¡ªwho was now sitting on the floor, covering her breasts with her hands.


    He picked up her zer from the ground and handed it over. "T-Thank you," she said as she grabbed the zer from him.


    He was originally going for the shirt first but after looking at the state her shirt was in, he decided otherwise. Just like this, he also passed Ellyn her skirt.


    "Get changed, I''m looking the other side," he suggested and then turned around¡ªfacing a wall.


    Ellyn then slowly stood up and wore her clothes. The shirt was missing hence she button up the zer fully so her inners won''t be revealed. Then she adjusted her hair and wiped the tears off her face.


    "I''m done," she stated.


    Zero turned in her direction and after making sure that she was dressed up, he asked, "Are you fine?"


    "Yeah, pretty much," she replied as she wiped the blood on her lips. "I''m sorry you had to see me in such a state, but¡­thank you for saving me."


    "No please, you also saved my sister so paying back the favor was nothing. I''m d you are fine," Zero responded with a smile.


    She was not conveying it in words but only she knew how thankful she was to Zero right now. She remembered him and his sister very well, a part of this was because after that incident she was talking with Anya a bit, along with Leon.


    "Well then, if you''ll excuse me. I guess I''ll have to buy a new shirt and do some other things also."


    With that, Ellyn stepped forward and began to walk toward the door as she adjusted her clothes and hair once again. However¡ª


    Suddenly she was not able to move, someone was holding her hand tightly, and obviously, it was Zero. She turned around to see why he was doing this and then.


    "Who said you can leave just like that."


    Ellyn felt a chill throughout her body. The smile on Zero''s face waspletely gone, his face was devoid of any emotion and his dead fish-like eyes were staring at Ellyn.


    The vibes he was giving off werepletely different. It felt like he was not the same person who saved her a minute ago.

 Chapter 87 The Stage That Was Set

    ¡ªHALF AN HOUR AGO¡ª


    ''Hmm, guess it''s about time,'' I said inwardly as I nced at the wall clock hung above the ckboard.


    The lessons for today were over and the students were leaving their seats and exiting the ssroom.


    I also hopped out of my seat and left. Coming outside in the corridors I was met with a crowd of students. All the sses whether they be ss A or ss D; started and ended at the same time. This also meant that all the students wille out at the same time as well.


    The corridors were filled. Making my way through the crowd somehow I walked down a different path. Most of the students were headed to the cafeteria now; hence the other areas were empty.


    First, I went to my dorm room and bought something with me from there. And now I was headed to a different ce.


    My pace was fast and after a bit of walking, I reached my destination. Looking up I saw [CLASS 1A] engraved on a metal te that was fixed above a wooden door.


    Surprisingly, there were not many students here as they had already left; making the work easy for me. While being careful to not reveal my body, I took a peek inside the ssroom.


    The room was the same as ss 1B¡ªmy ss¡ªwith the only difference being that more light wasing in from the windows; it was due to the geographical position of this room.


    All the seats were empty, except one. On the second row near the windows, a girl was sitting all alone. This girl was Ellyn. For some reason, she was staring down at her desk and was not moving a muscle; it was like time had stopped around her.


    Looking closely, I noticed that her face was darkened, under the shadows of her long red hair, and it felt as though she was thinking about something.


    I quietly waited outside the ssroom and kept watching her. Around 5 minutester she suddenly rose to her feet and began walking toward the door. Her expression was still the same as before.


    I backed off and hid behind a nearby pir as I watched her leave the ssroom and go forward in the corridor. When she was at a reasonable distance, I came out from the shadows and followed her; while making sure not to get seen by her.


    Going through the corridor for a while she finally reached the stair that led to the rooftop. She thought over something for a few minutes as she stood straight just before the stairs started.


    Then, as if decided on something, she took a step forward and began walking up the staircase. Yeah, she was going to the rooftop due to the letter I left in front of her door on Seiren''s behalf.


    I waited below until I wasn''t able to hear the sounds of her footsteps anymore, after that, I took the stairs myself and reached the door that connected the staircase to the rooftop.


    I peeked outside from the door and saw that Ellyn¡ªwho had already reached here before me¡ªwas being led somewhere by Wrena. I watched them from behind the door and when both of them walked inside a small room.


    I waited a few minutes more, just to be cautious, and then went toward the room. I walked as quietly as possible, making sure that I don''t make any noise. When I was near the door of the room, I noticed that it was not fully closed and there was a little gap.


    ''That makes it easier for me I guess.'' Indeed, it would''ve been a problem if the door was locked.<sub> </sub>


    Sticking close to the wall, I looked inside the room through the little gap between the door and the wall. There, I saw Ellyn¡ªwho was on the floor¡ªand Seiren, da, and Wrena, who were all smiles.


    ''Thankfully, I am notte," I relieved internally.


    I held the thing I brought from my room, close to my chest. It was a book, arge book with a leaf green colored cover. This was the same book I borrowed from the library; [Book of Sight].


    The book had a ck colored pearl attached to its side, thus giving the book a different look. I held the book in a way so that the pearl would be facing inside the room through the gap, and now, the pearl was looking directly at the four girls¡ªSeiren, da, Wrena, and Ellyn.


    I then focused and channeled my mana into the book. Soon, I felt as if the book was sucking my mana all by itself; I no longer needed to feed mana to it.


    The ck pearl that was on the book''s side, glowed in a dim white color, along with the word [Sight] from the title that was engraved on the leather cover.


    My work was done, for now, all I had to do was wait and watch.


    A good amount of time passed since then as I watched Ellyn get bullied and beaten by the three girls. They first verbally assaulted her, and then started abusing her physically. And right now they were undressing her.


    The idea was to get Ellyn naked and then make her walk in the corridors in front of all the students; as a way to harass her. I was able to get this information by hearing the three girls chat amongst themselves.


    They were about to remove Ellyn''s panties when I decided to interfere and stop them.


    I wasn''t interested to see her naked and first of all, my hand was getting tired from holding this heavy book for this long. Also, I got what I wanted to so there was no reason to let this continue.


    I stopped channeling mana in the book and the pearl and the title turned back to normal again. Then I mmed open the door to get the attention of the three girls. And it happened as expected.


    They weren''t going to obey me and leave as I wanted them to hence it took quite an effort to make them leave. Finally, after a good beating, they left.


    After that, I waited while Ellyn wore her clothes back. Apparently, her shirt was torn off hence she had to cover herself properly with the zer.


    She thanked me afterward for saving her and all and then began toward the door. But-


    I held her hand tightly, stopping her in her tracks.


    I wasn''t done yet.

 Chapter 88 Puppet Spy [1]

    ¡ªPRESENT TIME¡ª


    "Who said you can leave just like that," I spoke.


    Takenpletely by surprise, Ellyn turned around to look at me; though by now I released her hand from my grip.


    "What do you mean?" she asked, a confused expression forming on her face.


    "I said¡­you are not going anywhere."


    She didn''t reply, just stared endlessly into my eyes. It was as if she was not able to process what nonsense I was saying. But, it was not nonsense; I meant each and every single word I said.


    "You see, I still have some work left for you," I asserted.


    <o>,m "Well, what work? Since you saved me from them, which I''m very grateful for, I''d be willing to help you with anything if it''s within my reach," she replied.</o>


    Within your reach, huh? It''s so within your reach that you spent almost all day with it.


    "What I want you to do¡­is to spy on Leon. I want you to keep an eye on him all day long and then report to me. You will be providing me with information such as, what he does daily, who are his friends, how many people he talks to, which people he talks to, how much time he spends in training, what is going through his mind, and things like that. Basically, I want you to stalk him in my stead. I guess it will be easy for you to do so since you know, you are with him all time."


    Her eyes grew wider and wider as she heard me. It was clear; that she was not excepting anything like this.


    "What''s your answer?" I asked, snapping her back to reality.


    "Ah, umm¡­I can''t do that, sorry. Wait, why are you even asking me to do something like this? Stalking...is not a good thing, I''m sure you are aware of that. I''m sorry but, I won''t be able to do this for you. I don''t know why you want this information and without knowing it, no, even if I know it I can''t provide you with that information. I''ll be just like, stabbing Leon in his back. He is my friend and I can''t do that with him."


    ''So you would''ve done it if he was not your friend?'' this was an interesting thought. But for the moment, I decided to keep it to myself.


    Also, I wasn''t excepting her to agree with me in the first go. Actually, I wasn''t excepting her to agree with me at all.


    "I see. That''s really sad but there is this one thing¡­"


    I said and closed my eyes, after taking a breath I opened them again. What happened next was so fast that maybe Ellyn wasn''t able to keep track of it.


    I grabbed her arm and forced her up. I pinned her up against the wall and forced her to look directly at me.


    "I''m not asking for a favor here, you understand? I''m giving you an order, and you have to follow that order," I stated.


    Yeah, I wasn''t expecting her to agree with me at all; there was no need for it. She had to follow my orders whether she like them or not. At this point, she had no choice left.<sub> </sub>


    "H-Hey, what are you doing? Wh-What are you talking about?" she started shaking.


    The fear from when Seiren and the others beat her was still in her, plus I was grabbing and squeezing her hand tightly.


    "Haven''t I made myself clear already? I said you have to stalk Leon every day from today onwards and give reports to me. That is the order I am giving you, isn''t that quite a simple thing toprehend?"


    Maybe she was not able to grasp anything I was saying, but¡­she has to do it even if she doesn''t want to. Though, I think she didn''t see me as much of a threat because of what she said next¡­


    "Don''t screw with me! Who do you think you are?! I thought you were a good person, I never imagined you''d turn out like this! And listen to this carefully; I won''t do anything of sorts."


    ¡­sounded like a threat. Was she really trying to threaten me here? Well, can''t really help it. Honestly, I would''ve preferred it if she just epted my orders here. But now there was no other option, I have to go all out and y all the cards in my deck.


    "Those girls tormented you just now, yes? They pulled your hair, pped you, kicked you in your chest, in your stomach, even stripped you naked, didn''t they? Why was that?"


    "Well..." of course, she didn''t have an answer, no, she did had. It''s just that she wasn''t willing to tell me.


    "It''s because they knew your secret, ain''t I right?"


    She gulped in nervousness, but her eyes and bodynguage said it all. I mean, I know that''s what happened¡ªI''m the one who set the stage for it, after all¡ªbut I have to make her realize that. Make her aware of the fact that the reason behind all this was her secret getting leaked.


    Until she ispletely broken down to the core, when all her secrets will beid down in open, only then I''ll be able to rebuild her the way I want.


    "I''ll take the silence as a yes then," I said. "They knew your secret and using it as a weapon, they made you endure those horrible things, and you followed without a word¡­So, if I were to tell you that I know those secrets as well, and I know them more than they did. Will you obey me then?"


    "Huh? W-Wait a second! How do you know about that? First those girls and now you...what the hell is going on with my life!" she cried, her frustration levels reaching their peaks.


    "I know, Ellyn, I know. I know about the lonely girl who was shaped into an heiress right after she was born. She was loaded with all those responsibilities, she was told to always put up an act to please the people around her. What she wanted to do didn''t matter; she had to do what was best for the image of the Great Rosenberg family. That''s why, when she had enough and wasn''t able to bear with it anymore¡­the girl ran away," I described.


    Ellyn''s expression was of surprise and insecurity as she listened to me, revealing her own childhood to her.


    "That girl, I am talking about you, you know?"


    "How...how do you?" at this point, it was more like she was asking this question to herself. Reflecting on the past events and trying to figure out, what she did that leaked her secret?


    I don''t think there was any other student in this academy with as many secrets as her. But, sadly for her, this wasn''t all I knew. There was still more toe, I was only getting started now.

 Chapter 89 Puppet Spy [2]

    "How...how do you?" at this point, it was more like she was asking this question to herself. Reflecting on the past events and trying to figure out, what she did that leaked her secret?


    But, sadly for her, this wasn''t all I knew. I don''t think there will be any other student in this academy with as many secrets as her. There was still more toe, I was only getting started now.


    "You ran away from your house and came to this academy to escape, because the authority of the Zaforths academy is even higher than the royal noble, and of course, the Rosenberg family is one of them. Means they can''t force expel you from this school, making it a perfect spot for hiding for 4 years straight."


    This was right; the authority of the Zaforths Magic Academy was even higher than the three royal noble families. This was because the main motive of this academy was to produce heroes who can save the world. This ''hero-producing system'' had taken top priority; hence the academy was also given a higher authority.


    No matter which family you were from, except the king no one can interfere with the rules set by the academy. And not leaving the campus until graduation was one of them. Ellyn knew about this, that''s why she came to take shelter here.


    "Isn''t that right, Ellyn?" I asked as I held her from her chin and forced her to look at me.


    She didn''t reply and averted her eyes. But this doesn''t mean I was going to stop here.


    "But Ellyn¡­getting tired of ying the ''perfect heiress role'' wasn''t the real reason you ran away, yes?" I said.


    As soon as those words left my mouth, her eyes widened and she looked at me with surprise. "H-Hey¡­W-Wait! D-Don''t tell me you know about that as well?" she spoke in a trembling voice.


    "Of course, I know. The real reason you escaped was that you were going to get killed, and by your own family that is."


    She started shaking and trembling in fear, her face went pale and she wasn''t able to respond to me anymore. Hence, I continued.


    "Yeah, actually, you were never tired of ying that role. In fact, you were already used to it; and you quite liked it as well. In the end, it was just an excuse. The real reason you escaped was that you were going to get killed by your own family. The first attack was done right after your mother''s death, right? It happened because well, this is something no one knows about but, you are not really the heiress of the Rosenberg family, ain''t that true?"<sub> </sub>


    Tears welled up in her eyes; maybe she was recalling those past events. Then, with her left hand, she clenched her chest around her heart and while crying she slid down and sat on her knees.


    I stared down at her; my eyes were probably not of a normal 15-year-old right now.


    "You were adopted into the family at the age of 5. Your mother was not able to bear a child even after trying many times, she gave up at one point but then she found you¡ªa petty little girl who was helplessly straying on the roads. Looking at your condition and epting the fact that she can''t give birth to a child of her own; she adopted you.


    From then your life as an heiress began. However, your father never liked you, he was against the idea of adopting you from the start. But due to your mother, he bared with it. Though she died when you reached the age of 14, and a few months after that your father did a second marriage, bring home a new wife, and then the real heiress of the Rosenberg family was born.


    Since there was now a child who had the family blood in her veins, you were not needed anymore. Hence, your father decided to erase you. Multiple indirect attempts were made to kill you, but somehow¡ªcall it a work of fate or whatever¡ªyou survived. But deep in your heart, you also knew, that you only survived because all the attempts were indirect since your father can''t kill you openly¡ªit''ll cause an uprising and many riots, he was also bound by politicalws.


    Though, you feared what will happen if they made a direct attempt? What if one night you are alone in a room, an unknown persones in and strangles you to death, and in public it was announced as an assassination done by the opposition?


    You feared that oue more than anything, that''s why you decided to escape. And then¡ª"


    "Then I met with Leon," the one toplete the sentence was not me, but Ellyn herself. Till now she was just listening like a stiff statue as I unfolded her pastyer byyer before her. But she spoke now, though her voice still sounded trembling.


    "When I was trying to find a way to escape and a ce to take shelter, I met Leon. It was when I barely survived from under a copsing house¡ªan attempt to kill me, that time he came and saved me. And I don''t know why maybe I wanted someone to listen to my problems or I just wanted someone to rely on¡­I told him the truth about what was going on with me.


    Surprisingly, instead of ratting me out to my family, he decided to help me. He told me about this academy, then with the savings I had and what money my mom left for me; I enrolled here. I thought this was a safe ce, the reason I stayed with Leon all day was because of our rtionship and he also said to protect me if my family troubles me in the academy too.


    But¡­I didn''t know someone like you will be here. J-Just who are you? How do you even know about all this, about my past?"

 Chapter 90 Puppet Spy [3]

    "J-Just who the hell are you?"


    "Someone who knows the truth. Nothing more, nothing less," I said as I looked at her indifferently.


    Yes, I knew the truth. This was all because of the knowledge I have from loli_pop''s novel. She and her past, I know them very well.


    ? At this point, she was beginning to speak up, she even told me about a part of her past herself. This was not because she thought of me as trustworthy or anything, no.


    I pushed her to her very limit, that''s why. The past she was running away from and trying to hide, Iid it openly in front of her, just as I nned to.


    "As for how I know your past, and in this detail. Well, isn''t that an interesting question?"


    "Hmph," she chuckled a little, but it was just a lifelessugh. "What''s so interesting in it? My father sent you here to erase me, didn''t he? That''s how you know everything. Even though I''m not that dense, I understand. So...¡­if you''re going to kill me then do it right here and now.


    Hurry up and finish it for me; I don''t want to run away from my own father! Do you even know how much it hurts? The person I saw as my parent for all those years, running for my life from that very same person.


    I don''t want to suffer anymore, it''s enough! I''m tired now! Tired of running away!"


    She cried while clenching around her heart tightly. Big tears streamed down her eyes and fell to the floor. I was quiet, only the sound of her crying loudly was heard in the room.


    There was no hope left inside her now, she was tired and had enough. In short, she waspletely broken now; just like I wanted her to be.


    Though, unfortunately for her, I am not the one sent by her dad. It''s a role for someone else to y.


    "You are wrong Ellyn, you''re father didn''t send me here."


    "Sniff¡­w-what''d you mean?" she asked as she looked up at me.


    "Just as I said; I''m not an agent sent here by your father. I am moving on my own, however, I do know that person¡ªone who''s acting on your father''s orders."


    "Huh?"


    "Yes, and that is connected to how I know about your past."


    She stared at me as if looking for an answer.


    "Say, Ellyn. Other than me, who is the person who knows about you in this much detail? Can you think of anyone?"


    "Eh? Well, Leon, I guess? He is the only one I told about it, other than him, no one else knows."


    "There, you got the person you were looking for."


    "Wait...You don''t mean?" her expression was of disbelief.


    "Yes, Leon is the one sent by your father. I also know about your past due to him, he told my sister about you then she told me. Also, isn''t it quite strange that those three girls, who knew about you as well, were Leon''s lovers? Don''t you see a strange connection?"


    "B-But! He was the one who saved me! If he hadn''t brought me to the academy, I would''ve died long ago!" she argued like she didn''t want to ept that Leon can be the one backstabbing her.<sub> </sub>


    "Hmm, you say that you are safe in this academy because your father can''t reach you here, right? But if we flip that, doesn''t that mean you can''t leave this academy as well? Maybe getting you enrolled in this academy with the help of Leon was all your father''s n, to lock you up in a cage so you can''t escape anywhere. Because every time he tried to kill you so got away somehow, but here in the academy, doing that will be rough for you."


    "No¡­no way that can be possible! It just can''t! I trust Leon, he''s the most trustable person I''ve ever met."


    "By slowly revealing your secret to everyone in the academy, maybe he ns to first crush you socially and then literally?"


    "No..."


    "Maybe one day, when the timing will be right. The person who you trusted and acknowledged, will be the to stab you in your back?"


    "N-No!"


    "Wait for a second, someone you trusted will try to kill you in the end. Heh, isn''t that what happened with your father? I mean, who must''ve ced a lot of trust in you dad; every kid does. But we both know what the end result was, maybe the same will happen with Leon."


    "There''s...¡­no way!" she was in fear, she held her head and buried her face in her knees.


    ''Hmm, maybe this much is enough. If I tried to interfere any more than this then it''s possible I might end up changing the whole plot, the knowledge from the novel will be of no use and it''s a disadvantage for me.


    Which I don''t want to happen, at least not until I''ve avoided my death. Because after that the plot is bound to be changed since a character who should be dead will be alive.''


    Ellyn was already broken to the point where I can use her as a puppet spy for stalking Leon.


    "Well, well, it''s not like I''m saying he really is your father''s agent," I interjected.


    "What?! But you were just saying that right now," she said in a rather loud voice as she raised her head.


    "I''m just saying you should be cautious of everyone around you if you really want to live. Though I''ll say one thing, Leon is suspicious and you should not trust him."


    She stared at the ground for a while, maybe she was thinking about something. Then she spoke.


    "What should I do then? He was the one protecting me all this time, If I were to distance myself from him then¡­"


    Finally, the question I was waiting for.


    I raised my hand toward Ellyn when she saw that she looked up at my face.


    "Work with me?"


    "Huh?"


    "I said work with me. I want you to stalk Leon for me, just like I''ve said before. In return, I''ll protect you from your father. That''s what you want, right? Someone you can rely on, someone who can protect you."


    She didn''t say anything.


    "You don''t have much of a choice anyway, Ellyn. You''ll have to follow my orders whether you want or not, otherwise, I''ll work with your father, and then your doom will be set in stone. However, right now I am giving you an offer, our rtionship will be of mutual interest. You will work for me and follow my orders, and I''ll protect you from your father."

 Chapter 91 Puppet Spy [4]

    "You don''t have much of a choice anyway, Ellyn. You''ll have to follow my orders whether you want or not, otherwise, I''ll work with your father, and then your doom will be set in stone. However, right now I am giving you an offer; our rtionship will be of mutual interest. You will work for me and follow my orders, and I''ll protect you from your father."


    She looked at me with her eyes, which were now shining as the sunlight fell on her tears. "Why should I work with you? You¡­just proved that I shouldn''t trust anybody, right? Not even Leon, then why you?"


    "Is that what is troubling you? Well, okay then. But I never said that you should trust me in the first ce, so why did you assume this?"


    "Let''s say I will cooperate with you in the future, then, don''t you think we start by trusting each other?" she determined.


    ''See? This is your problem, Ellyn. You judge people too quickly and take everything they show or do for you at face value. This is a major w in your character, but it''s not like I''mining. I''m grateful enough that you are not a personality-less doll.''


    "This is where you are wrong; we do not need to trust each other or anything. I''m saying this once again so listen carefully. The rtionship we''ll form we be of mutual interest; simple given and take type. You will have to follow my orders and in return, I will protect you, whether it is from your father, those girls in the academy, or Leon," I dered.


    I want her to understand everything and make a decision by herself. I can force her to obey me by threatening her but that won''t give me the level of control I''ll gain if she makes the choice herself. By letting her do this, if she decides to take my offer then she''ll feel secure that in the end, she was the one who made the final choice.


    Of course, if she rejected my offer then the gates of threatening her into obeying me are always open.


    Right now, she was thinking about it. Whether to work with me or not; I''m sure that''s what''s going on in her mind.


    Then after a long break, she slowly stood on her feet. "You said that you will protect me even if it is Leon. Are you aware of what you are saying? He is the strongest in all of the first year and defeating him is not an easy task. I''m with him hence I''ve noticed; that he excels in both magic and sword arts. And right now, that guy is the one protecting me. Even if there''s a chance that he might be sent by my father, being with him is safer than being with you."


    Finally trying to fight back, huh? Well, this was only to be expected. When the talk is about her life or death then it''s obvious she''ll prefer to stay with the stronger one. This was the nature of human physiology; the weak allies with the strong.


    This may prove as a disadvantage to some people, but to me, this very nature of humans was going to be the final move.


    "Well, I don''t quite understand your twisted reasoning on why you''d stay with Leon even if he can be your assassinator, but that doesn''t matter now. The main reason you are noting with me is that you think I''m not as strong as Leon, is that right?"


    She nodded and watched in anticipation.


    "Then let me erase that misconception of yours," I said and with that, I took a couple of steps backward.


    I stretched out my right hand toward Ellyn and opened my palm. Then, just like usual I used elemental magic.


    In a matter of seconds, a shard of ice crystallized over my palm and started floating in the air.


    "Y-You! How can you do this?!" she asked in disbelief.


    Of course, this wouldn''t have made much sense to her since I didn''t use any incantation, also, no magic circle appeared when I cast a spell hence it was not the magic circle technique either.<sub> </sub>


    Yeah, this was my elemental magic that I revealed to her. When I said that I will y all the cards in my deck to get Ellyn under control, I really meant all cards.


    The shard then disappeared as I broke the spell. Then as I sitting on a chair, I bent backward.


    "Hey watch out!" One would''ve thought I will fall down since there was no chair behind me but.


    Instead of falling down, I sat on something; it was a throne made out of freezing cold, blue ice, the white fumes it was emitting were the proof of that. The throne was not detailed and looked like just another big chair, but that can''t be helped. Creating a thing this big exhausted me to an extent.


    I satfortably on the throne; the seat was made of stone instead of ice hence I didn''t get freeze burn.


    I leaned back and put my right leg on the left one, and then I looked at Ellyn was staring at me in awe and surprise. "What''d you say now? Think I''m enough to protect you?"


    "Well...even, Leon can''t cast spells without either an incantation or a magic circle! Where did you even learn that?" she appealed.


    "That isn''t important. What''s important, is will you join me or not?"


    Ellyn''s probably thinking that if not more than him, I''m as powerful as Leon. The main reason behind her reasoning was the way I use magic; the way I cast the spells.


    The elemental magic I use allows me to cast spells without the help of any incantation or magic circle, after a bit of research I''ve found out that this was a unique thing.


    Even Leon is not capable of casting magic in such a way but that''s just about it. I''m not more powerful than Leon, I''m not anywhere near him at my current level. I mean, I can''t really help it; the guy is S ss plus he has a system guiding him.


    But Ellyn doesn''t need to know all that. I want her to believe I''m on Leon''s level, that''s the deal.


    "Okay¡­"


    "Huh?"


    "I said fine, I''ll join you. I mean, I don''t have a choice, to begin with just like you mentioned before...But remember this! The only reason I''m doing this is because working with you is better than you joining my father to kill me off," she dered, averting her eyes a little.


    ''Tsundere, huh? Well, how did I forget that? It is one of the rare character traits that loli_pop added in her.''


    "Yeah, yeah, I know. I look forward to working with you then," I said as I hopped out of the throne and then broke the spell, causing the ice throne to disintegrate into nothing.

 Chapter 92 The Book Of Sight

    "Huff, huff," I gasped for breath as I walked weakly while sticking to the wall for support.


    My forehead, no, my whole body was drenched in sweat and I was out of breath. I was feeling weakness all over my body, it felt like my bones were cracking, my muscles were tearing apart, and my skin was burning.


    p ''Sigh, finally!!!'' I thought when my eyes caught the sight of a familiar door; it was the door of my dorm room.</anda>


    I somehow made my way there, and then shoved myself onto the door. I twisted the doorknob and then¡ª


    <strong>-Thlug!</strong>


    The door opened all of a sudden since all my weight was on it and I fell to the ground. I was lying there on the ground for a while, and then I closed the door by pushing it with my feet and crawled to the bed.


    I pulled myself up with all the strength I have left, as soon as I was on the bed I took a breath of relief.


    I stared at the ceiling above me, and before I knew it or was able to be aware of my surroundings. My eyelids dropped and my eyes shut closed, soon after my consciousness drifted away and everything turned ck.


    ***


    I slowly opened my eyes, for the first few seconds my vision was blurry then it became clear. I still had this tingling feeling of pain spreading all over my body but it was better than before.


    ''Damn, my head hurts!''


    I was hearing a slight buzz sound in my ears and my head was spinning. It took me around a good 5 or so minutes to fully realize my senses.


    I stretched my body and released arge yawn before I got up and sat on the bed. I roughly arranged my hair as I stared at the floor.


    A green-colored book was lying there with a ck pear attached to its side. This book, was the reason behind the state I was in.


    The [Book of Sight], was a part of the collection of books created during an experiment performed by magicians and professors who practiced custom magic.


    The books which were created during that experiment had weird powers. And this one which I borrowed from the library was capable of recording things in video format on its pages.


    This was the same book I used against Seiren and the other two girls to threaten them by recording the proof of their bullying.


    I knew about this book from the knowledge of loli_pop''s novel, Leon uses this book in a filler arc,ter in the novel, and he also got it from the library. Hence the idea of using this urred to me.


    It was capable of recording video by using its ck peal as a sort of eye, and the quality in which it records is also clear. And once something is recorded, you will be able to y and watch that video by opening that certain page.


    But even after being this useful, this book, and the others from the same series were eating dust in the library of this academy. The higher-ups marked these books as useless and their mass production was never started. Because of that, only a handful of people knew about these books.<sub> </sub>


    One would think these books are very good and useful, then why will someone say they as useless?


    Well, while these books, and this book specifically, recorded videos and all and were so convenient, they dide at a cost.


    The book sucks up your mana pool dry, and it does so in so much less time that you can even die if you are careless. The same was the reason behind the state I was in.


    Even after having a C grade mana capacity, it sucked me dry when I recorded the video. Though I knew this beforehand hence I was keeping track of my mana and stopped before I waspletely out of it.


    But after creating that throne, the amount of mana I was left with was close to none.


    I ran out of mana after many years, thest time it happened was before I breakthrough C rank, and it was 4 years ago I think.


    I learned something new, being out of mana is really, really tiring and wears you out.


    ''Well, whatever.'' I shrugged and took another yawn.


    I got out of my bed, the first thing I did was put the [Book of Sight] on my desk and then I turned to look at the clock.


    It was 8:50 pm right now; I realized that I slept for a good amount of time. But maybe it also recovered my mana as I was not feeling weak anymore and the body pain was also going away.


    Opening the door I took a peek outside and saw that it was dark, there was no reason to do this but I did anyway. Closing the door again I changed into my indoor clothes¡ªyes I was still in uniform since after sses I went to the rooftop and then I directly came and slept.


    After I was done, I stepped inside the kitchen that was attached to the room and started to make a cup of coffee for myself.


    My mind was still a mess and I needed a strong cup of coffee to concentrate-¡ªI don''t care if I''ll have trouble in sleeping afterward.


    As I was waiting for the milk to boil, I heard a knock on my door.


    ''Guess it is time,'' I said inwardly and went to the door.


    I slowly opened the door and the person standing behind it came into sight. With long red hair going down her back, it was Ellyn standing before me.


    I stepped outside and looked in both directions to check the grounds, no one was there; the corridor was empty.


    "Come in," I said softly and stepped aside.


    Ellyn, making sure to not make any noise, got inside my room. I followed and then closed the door.

 Chapter 93 Report

    "Have a seat," I said to Ellyn as I closed the door and then locked it.


    She removed her shoes from the doorstep and then stepped into the main room, after taking a look around, she finally sat on the chair.


    "Do you want coffee or anything?" I asked as I stood beside her. "No thanks," replied.


    "Okay then, wait a bit here, I have some work left in the kitchen."


    I moved to the kitchen and saw the milk that was boiling and was just a second away from spilling out of the utensil. I quickly dashed and turned off the stove. Then I poured the hot milk into a cup, and after that I took the powered coffee beans and sugar and mixed them into the milk with a spoon.


    When my instant coffee was done, I took the cup and went back to Ellyn and sat opposite her, on the bed.


    "So? Did you do what I told you to?" I appealed.


    My deal with Ellyn was sessful and now she was working for me, in return, I said that I''ll protect her from her father or even possibly from Leon also.


    I told her that Leon may be working with her father and nning for her doom behind the scenes. And it was a legit-sounding topic; after all, I did make sure to create some evidence that can help me justify Leon''s sanity in the future.


    Like cooperating with Seiren, Wrena, and da¡ªwho were Leon''s lovers, and working out a n with them to harass Ellyn. The reason I chose them is that they were her lovers and it''ll cause an air of suspicion around Leon when I''ll tell Ellyn that he was the one leaking her secret.


    Due to all the things I did beforehand, she at least gave it some thought. After this, I think she won''t blindly trust Leon. All of this, of course, was a lie that I cooked up.


    Leon genuinely helped Ellyn back when she was running from her father and got her into this academy. And he did it because, well, he was the protagonist. But Ellyn didn''t know that, that''s why she questioned his actions.


    The incident with X also indirectly helped me in this, since because of that, Leon and Anya were now on talking terms and due to that I was able to tell Ellyn that I heard her secret from Anya who was told about it by Leon.


    If I look at this objectively, X did provide me with quite a few ideas. Contacting Seiren and Ellyn via letter was also inspired by the letter X sent to Anya. Since in this world, we don''t have Smartphone''s or anything so contacting someone while staying anonymous is only possible through letters.


    Anyway, the deal between us was done. The part about me protecting her is just there for connivance because there is no such event in loli_pop''s novel where Ellyn is attacked.


    This, however, isn''t the same for the other end of the deal¡ªwhere she has to work for me. Right after we came to an agreement and before I copsed with mana shortage, I ordered her to keep tabs on Leon every day and give a report to me at the end of the day.


    As for now; she was here just to do that. "Yeah, I was keeping an eye on him all day just like you told me to," said Ellyn.


    "Then tell," Imanded.<sub> </sub>


    "Okay so, saying this is all too weird but¡­ah, well! When I came down from the rooftop, the first thing I did after buying myself a new shirt was to meet up with Leon. From then¡­"


    She reported to me of everything she could possibly think of. Most of it was the same and I already knew it from the time I was stalking Leon myself. Hence, I didn''t pay much attention to it and sipped my coffee.


    "And that''s all about it," she said as she finished, after around 15 to 20 minutes of continuous speaking.


    "I see¡­good work. You can go now," I responded I advised her to leave.


    It was already past 9 pm and students are not allowed to roam around from 9:30 pm. Also, she was a ss A student and was currently in the room of a dormitory meant for the students of ss B.


    It was allowed for students of different dormitories to visit each other but most of the students had friends in their own ss only, this was pretty suspicious.


    Plus she was a girl in a guy''s room and at night, that alone is enough to give someone the wrong idea hence it was better for her to leave sooner thanter.


    She stared at the wall for a while and then said, "Okay then, I''ll be on my way."


    She stood up from the chair and turned around. I escorted her to the door and then, when she was wearing her shoes, "Should I go with you till your dormitory?" I asked.


    She asked for protection, and here I was giving that to her. "Huh? Of course not!" she replied.


    Though when she came out, maybe she was thinking about the things I said to her that made her ask for this, "Actually, I''d like it if you apany me, will you?"


    "Why won''t I? I said to protect you, didn''t I" I gave her a pre-programmed reply.


    The fear of getting killed, huh? Well, it was a made-up lie but was taking this very seriously. I mean, yes her father really was after her life but in here; the first-rated academy of the whole kingdom!


    No one cany a finger on the students! That''s how tight the security is.


    Yeah, that security just disappears during some events that happen in the novel but well, plot holes are a thing, and loli_pop loves holes. Though there will be no such event happening anytime soon so I was resting at ease.


    Ellyn should too but since I was the one who offered her for both protection and the idea of escorting her, I might go along. I''ll also have a good walk that way.

 Chapter 94 Nightlights

    I went inside the room and came back wearing my outdoor shoes and a hoodie. After that, I locked the door and began walking with Ellyn.


    My room was on the second floor so aftering down the stairs we were now under the night sky.


    One would think that at this time the academy campus will be quiet and peaceful but no, heck no!


    The lights¡ªmagicalmps¡ªwere still on and a good amount of students were rushing between the dorms and the cafeteria.


    ''It is 9:07 right now! Only 23 minutes are remaining before we are prohibited from leaving the dorm buildings. What the hell are they even doing here?!''


    My mind was in surprise but I was keeping a nk expression on my face, though it still didn''t stop my eyes from wandering away and looking at the students.


    They were running inside the cafeteria and munching on snacks and drinks¡ªnot alcoholic ones though.


    The cafeteria itself looked so different from what it was in the daytime. Strip-shaped magic lights of yellow and white color were attached to the outside walls. They were here at day time also due since the lights were off, they looked like a part of the wall.


    And now when the lights were on, it was as though I was looking at neon lights; that were the vibes it was giving. The ss doors of the cafeteria were also fully open hence the students were able to go in and out easily without waiting in line.


    The students also looked happy and chilling out, like they were here to have fun. This really amazed me! I never expected that the students from the noble families¡ªwho were so studyholic and arrogant during the way¡ªcan actually have fun in this way.


    I watched the scene unfold before my eyes as I walked alongside Ellyn toward the ss A dorms.


    What was happening here was never mentioned in the novel, leave mentioning nothing like this even existed there.


    No wait, I get this. This world is a real one, so it might be possible. To exin this let''s take the example of an anime adaptation of a manga. The main and core plot of the anime stays the same as its original manga but sometimes, the anime adds some anime-only things and events to expand the world-building.


    In short, just because it was not in the novel doesn''t mean it can''t be here. This also meant that each and every student in this academy carries their own personality and they are a real person, rather than being a mob character.


    That was it. I kinda knew this beforehand but I''ll take a while to get used to it.


    Finally, I turned my eyes away. I walked Ellyn to the dorms and then went back. Ellyn was not reacting to the cafeteria thing that much so she probably knew about it already.


    By the time I was crossing that path again, the students were slowly starting to go back to the dorms and their numbers were decreasing.


    A couple of minutester I reach my room, unlocking the door I went inside. I removed my shoes and then my hoodie. I looked at the clock and it was 9:18 right now.<sub> </sub>


    Then I realized something. ''Fuck! How much of an idiot I am!'' I just reflected on the fact that I have nothing to eat for dinner. I passed by the cafeteria two times and it didn''t ur to me then.


    As I walked toward my bed I looked in the direction of the kitchen. ''Going there is useless. I don''t know how to cook and even if I knew, there are no ingredients or anything I can cook.''


    It was understandable; I used the kitchen for making coffee, after all. "Guess there''s no helping it," I sighed and sat on the bed.


    This was the truth now, I have to sleep empty stomach tonight. There is no other way around it; I can''t go buy something since it''s toote. Right now the time is 9:18, no, it''s 9:20 now.


    It takes 10 minutes to reach the cafeteria, so even if I assume that the shopkeeper will be standing there ready to hand me the food even then, I won''t have the time toe back since it''ll already be 9:30 by then.


    To divert my mind, I picked up a book from my desk. I satfortably on the bed, leaning my back against the wall, and opened the book.


    It was the diary in which I wrote the plot summary of loli_pop''s novel. ''The time ising close,'' I thought as I skimmed through the pages.


    Yes, the time of my death wasing close; only a few days were left now. And I have a hell of a lot of things to do. But that''s why I took control over Ellyn.


    Right now, she and the report she gives me is not that important; that''s just her training in stalking. The main reason I want her is for when the plot will start to change after I''ll avoid my death.


    There won''t be any big changes all of sudden but slowly but surely, things will change. The upper hand I have with the novel''s knowledge will fade away over time; what happens next will be unpredictable.


    That''s why I need Ellyn. Using her I''ll be able to keep an eye on Leon as well as on the changes urring in him and around him. Since I don''t know when I will be unable to track him due to something unexpected that happened.


    I closed the book and put it on the desk, then I drank a ss of water and turned off the magicmps. Iy on the bed with a soft, warm, nket. The winter season has started a couple of weeks ago hence nkets were now important.


    I tried to sleep but I was unable to do so. ''Great, caffeine enters the stage now!'' How did I forget about the strong coffee I drank?


    10 minutester


    I endlessly was trying to sleep but it just didn''t happen. In the end, I gave up and justy on the bed with my eyes closed.


    -Stomach Growls!


    ''Ah fuck!''

 Chapter 95 Training Facility

    "ahhhhh-haaaaaaa~"


    With a big yawn, I stretched my body on the bed and opened my eyes. Even though now I was awake I keptzily lying on the bed as I stared at the ceiling above.


    Last night due to the coffee I drank I slept at around 11 pm. I nced at the clock; right now the time was 10:37; way past the time when sses started.


    Though I was not in any hurry, I had already missed the timing by waking upte but today I didn''t n on going to the sses anyway so it was not a problem.


    "Uhhh," I sighed as I got out of bed.


    First I did some basic stretching and exercise, then I moved to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and wash my face and things. Coming back I made a coffee for myself and when it was done I sat on the chair near my bed with a cup of coffee in my hands.


    Now I can think about the things I have to do today. I skipped sses for today because they were not of any use to me as of now. We were taught either elemental magic via the magic circle method or the magiken sword training.


    For some unknown reasons, I was not able to do either. In the magic circle method for elemental magic, I was able to visualize the circle in my mind but when I tried synthesizing the circle in reality by channeling my mana into it; it just didn''t work.


    And regarding the magiken training; the results were simr. I was injecting my mana into the sword properly and I can say it was working also because whenever I did that, I felt my mana getting sucked by the sword. Though the de didn''t light up, leaving the magiken technique in the mid-air.


    Fortunately, I knew what the problem with this is; yes, Ryfin was the one who informed me of this and I shouldn''t trust him fully, but I think he won''t lie while doing his duty as a teacher.


    ording to him, my mana frequency is different from normal and the sword couldn''t absorb and work with my mana as the power source.


    But I don''t know how to solve this either so knowing the problem wasn''t helping.


    Well, that''s why I decided to skip the ss today. Since I can''t practice what they are teaching, going there is just a waste of time. I have other ns instead.


    I rested the cup on the desk when I was done drinking the coffee. I stood up from the chair and changed into the school uniform; even if I was not attending the ss wearing this was necessary.


    Okay, okay, this is not necessary! I am just toozy to pick up anything else!


    I wore my shoes and then left the room,ing outside of the dorms building the first ce where I was headed was the cafeteria.


    ''I mean, fuck! I haven''t eaten anything sincest night!!!''


    This was also the reason behind my fast pace, I covered the 10 minutes distance in 7.<sub> </sub>


    Entering the cafeteria I ordered a hell lot of food. It took a while for the cook to make all that but when he was done, I picked up my tes and went for a seat.


    Almost all the students were in the sses so the area was empty; finding a seat was not a problem. I took one near the ss window and then ate to my heart''s content.


    After I was done, I paid the bill and left the cafeteria. Then I headed over to a building where I''d never been before. The building was half the size of the main building and was built beside it


    It was the training facility. A building made of many rooms and gymnasiums for the students to train. I was going there precisely coz I had to do some training.


    I entered the building and there I saw a guard, I waved good morning to him and he waved back, I went inside afterward. One would think why he didn''t ask for my id proof but then again, you can''t roam in this academy this free if you''re not a student. The security was above good hence there was no need to do checks in every building; plus I was also in the uniform.


    I reached the reception area, ady stood behind the counter. She was in a ck suit and skirt and her hair was tied in a bun; she was an employee here.


    "I need to book a training room," I asserted.


    "I see. Which type of room would you like?" she appealed with a smile. Her face bloomed up and showed a happy and weing expression; maybe this was her way of treating customers.


    "For magiken sword training," I added.


    "That''s good, please wait for a while," she said and begin writing something in a notebook. Then slid opened a drawer and took out a key from it.


    "Please take this, this is the key to the room you are allotted. The room number is written on its keychain," she said, handing over the key to me.


    "Thank you," I greeted as I took the key from her.


    Then I walked away in the direction where multiple rooms were built. I didn''t need to pay for using the room since all of it was included in the admission fee; it was a one-time payment.


    As I walked through a long corridor, I saw multiple doors attached on each side of the wall, each door connected to a room so it shows how many rooms there are and how big this facility is; even though it''s half the size of the main building.


    A couple of minutester I reached the room I was allotted, room A23. I unlocked the door with the provided key and went inside.


    I closed the door again and then looked inside. The room was big, around double the size of the ssroom.

 Chapter 96 Experiment [1]

    I closed the door again and then looked inside. The room was big, around double the size of the ssroom. The floor was made out of cobblestone and the walls had a metal sheet covering them. The ceiling didn''t have amp hanging on it; instead, it was coated with t magic lights; like the one, I saw at the cafeteria.


    The room also had many human-shaped training dolls and a number of swords.


    ''Wow'' was the reaction I had. This room was looking good, I actually knew how it would look like since Leon once came here to practice in the novel, but reading the words and seeing it, in reality, are twopletely different things.


    The room was not what I''d imagined. With metal sheeted walls and white magic lights that covered the whole ceiling; this room was more on the modern side than medieval.


    Actually, there are many things here that do not fit the medieval time period like steel, instant coffee, and clothes like hoodies. But then again, it was the result of loli_pop''s trashy world-building skills.


    He was confused about whether he should go with an urban setting or a medieval one; in the end, he decided to mix the two together. Though it''s not like I have a problem with that, I mean, I don''t know how I would''ve survived without coffee.


    ''Anyway. Better focus on what I came here to do.''


    Yes, what I was going to do was important, especially for an event that was going to take ce in a few days.


    I moved forward and picked up a sword among the many that were ced on a shelve. The one I took was a slim, double-edged long sword; I chose this one mainly because it was lightweight.


    Today I was going to do an experiment, that''s why I was here. First I did a few practice swings to gain control¡ªI was still not the best in sword arts.


    I then held the sword straight with both my hands; I tried channeling my mana through it but it didn''t work as usual. "It really won''t work I guess," I mumbled.


    Then I closed my eyes, focused, and then opened them again. The air around the sword''s de begins frosting, white kes appearing on the de. Slowly the de started to freeze as ayer of ice appeared over it.


    Right now, I was using elemental magic.


    The ice first covered the whole de and then several spikes formed on the sides. The ice also made the edges of the sword sharper and more aerodynamic. Then it stopped.


    Now I had my very own magiken sword in my hands. The de was fully covered in ice and was emitting cold, white smoke.


    So what if I can''t use my mana directly to increase the aspects and strength of the sword? I can do the same thing indirectly with magic by adding the power of the elements to the de.


    ''Let''s get onto the testing now.''<sub> </sub>


    With the sword in my hand, I moved toward one of the human dummies. I stood before it and adjusted my posture and sword. Then with a powerful upper-left to lower-right sh, I buried the sword''s de deep into the dummied shoulder.


    It went inside almost smoothly but stopped after reaching the tip of the ribcage. I pulled the sword out from the dummy and when the sword was out, the dummy healed itself, and the cut I had left vanished.


    This happened because a part of the body of slimes is used in the making of these dummies. Though slimes don''t heal themselves, their body is like abination of melted rubber and jelly. Adding some automatic healing magic spells in the mixture does the trick and there you get these dummies that are impossible to destroy to an extent.


    Also, I didn''t know this because of loli_pop''s novel. I had seen these dummies before and after that, I did a bit of research about them in the library; there I found this information in a book about healing magic.


    Leaving that side, I wasn''t getting the results I expected from this sword. The sharpness of the de was not much good as your normal sword and the extra weight of the ice was making it slow; at least, for me who uses light swords.


    I have seen the other students practice with real magiken technique, the sharpness and swiftness of their swords are two or three levels above the normal swords. I was still not able to get onto that level with this ice sword.


    p I delivered some more blows to the dummy to test it out but the result was the same. In the end, I gave up on this one and melted the ice by breaking the spell; the sword in my hand went back to normal.</anda>


    I was going to try a different element now; it will be fire. I was hesitating to use this because I think the fire can melt the de and it''ll cause problems for me.


    But still, I want to have at least one way by which I can counter the magiken swords.


    I concentrated and activated my elemental magic. Soon a me covered the sword''s de, the me was of yellow color and I tried my best to keep the temperature of the me as low as possible to not melt the de.


    Then when the me was stable, I slowly increased the temperature carefully and the me''s color turned from yellow to reddish-orange.


    I clenched the handle of the sword tightly and swung it toward the human dummy; it was a straight up-to-down swing. The sword, starting from the throat, shed the dummy all day down to its abdomen and opened its flesh.


    "Tch! As expected," I muttered.


    The cut was deep but it was just the same as one of the normal swords; there was no difference. I kinda already knew this since setting a sword on fire won''t do any good; the fire will only work as a good way to show off.


    Other than that, you won''t have any advantage with a burning sword unless the temperature is too high. But then again, it is not possible because it''ll melt the metal and that''ll destroy everything.


    "Sigh, I need to find some other way."

 Chapter 97 Experiment [2]

    "Sigh, I need to find some other way."


    I need to do something, and soon that is. I looked at the sword in my hand and then nced over in the direction where the other swords were kept. ''What''ll happen if I used them in my experiment?''


    It was indeed a good question. I mean, there isn''t anything written that I''ve to pay for the swords if I broke them. And I know that Leon broke a great number of swords during his training; loli_pop made him do that to show how overpowered he is.


    ''I can''t really see how that works though.''


    Anyway, even if I did have to pay a cost I guess I can afford that. The swords here are just normal swords made with iron and they don''t have any enchantments so the price won''t be too high.


    If I have to take a guess, then I think it''ll be around 10,000 to 20,000 C. Say I broke 5 swords¡ªthe maximum number of swords kept here¡ªand the average price of each sword is 15,000 C.


    Then the total will be 75,000 C; after getting the money from Walric''s family, I can afford that much easier.


    Yeah, I''ll have to withdraw money from the bank but that is not a problem. ''Hmm,e to think of it; won''t it be better if I created a separate bank ount for myself? Considering the things I have to do in the future, I will have to spend money on regr basis¡­ I''ll look into thister on.''


    For now, it''s better to focus on what I came here to do. With money not being a concern, I can break the swords freely. Hence the experiment continued.


    The fire I cast on the de wasn''t of use any use because I kept its temperature low since a high-temperature me can melt the de. Due to that, the fire didn''t make much of a difference to the target; and that was when I was hitting a dummy with no armor or a sword to counter.


    If I take this sword into battle and sh it with someone''s sword that is using the magiken technique, they will win by andslide. Right now, hitting someone with my me sword was like rubbing a fire torch against a wood log; it won''t burn immediately.


    It is the same with the sword; yes, it will burn if I stuck the sword inside a person''s body for a while but I don''t think that''s reasonable and possible in any way. I mean, the opponent won''t just stand there and let me kill him, will they?


    But now that I don''t have to care about melting the sword, I can increase the temperature of the me.


    I stood before a human dummy and held the sword straight toward its head. A me once again engulfed the sword, though this time the me wasn''t yellow or orange.


    It was crimson; the color of blood.


    The temperature of this me was rtively high from before; around 800 degree Celsius I guess. Its size was also bigger and it was covering the sword''s de fully while itunched strings of fire at moments.<sub> </sub>


    The sword would''ve melted at this point but I had a little trick to prevent it. Along with fire, I was also using sub-element ice to cool the de faster than the fire can melt it.


    I know doing this will slowly destroy the de but it was the only way to keep it on fire without melting it. Though, I was using two elements at the same time and both of them at extreme levels as well. This was taking more mana than usual; I was able to feel it in my body.


    "Now then."


    I increased my grip on the sword''s handle, it was hot due to the fire but even so, I held onto it as tightly as I could. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the blue human dummy in front of me.


    I dashed forward and with a swift motion, I threw a sh at the dummy''s abdomen on the right side. The sword cutting through the rubber-like slimy flesh made its way inside the stomach.


    The force required to deliver a cut this deep was great, but as of now, I was not experiencing that. I was applying force indeed but it was a bit low from before.


    Though I was not able to sh it fully and the sword stopped splitting half of its stomach. When I did stop, the fire covering the sword''s de slowly begin melting the dummy from the inside.


    I didn''t want to burn the dummy hence I pulled the sword outside, instantly putting off the me on the sword afterward.


    The dummy as usual healed itself and the fire in its inside also vanished; in a few minutes, it was the same as it was before I shed it.


    I looked at the sword''s de, and my reaction was, "Kinda knew this would happen."


    Its color waspletely changed and it was a mixture of grey and ck, there were dents and scratches all over the de and its condition was also looking very fragile.


    This was bound to happen. I mean, I was heating and cooling the de¡ªwhich was made of iron¡ªconstantly. Subjecting metal to extreme heat causes it to expand in addition to impacting its structure, cooling it down does the opposite and contracts the metal.


    Normally, this is a process used for making des that involve the metal is heated at a high temperature and this temperature is maintained until a proportion of carbon has been dissolved. Next, the metal is quenched, which involves rapidly cooling it in oil or water. Hardening will produce an alloy that has high strength and wear resistance.


    But if you repeat the process again and again and heck, I was cooling and heating the de almost at the same time with a second''s difference; doing that will only slowly destroy the de.

 Chapter 98 Experiment [3]

    But if you repeat the process again and again and heck, I was cooling and heating the de almost at the same time with a second''s difference; doing that will only slowly destroy the de.


    "Let''s get onto the next stage now," I said to myself.


    The sword''s damage did increase by increasing the temperature this much, but it still wasn''t enough. I have to go on until I reach the dead end; I have to test the limits of how much I can heat the sword.


    I went and reced the sword with the new one; the de of the sword I had before was almost destroyed, I''ll break it just after setting it on fire again so it''s better to start with a new one.


    Standing at a distance of a few steps from the human dummy, I held the sword with both my hand, pointing its tip toward the dummy.


    Once again with a HUSH sound, the de was bathed in the high-temperature mes. At the same time using sub-element ice, I begin cooling down and dropping the de''s temperature below 0.


    One would say that how the de is burning if its temperature is below freezing point. Well, the fire I lit up was not actually burning the de. Instead, with the control, I had over the elements I set the air around the de on fire.


    That''s why I was able to keep the sword burning and keeping the de cool at the same time. Yeah, I know it''s a bitplicated but this was the only way to use a fire sword whilst not melting the de.


    Anyway, once the initial process was done I started increasing the me''s temperature bit by bit. Then, in an instant, I skyrocketed it to 1500 degrees Celsius.


    The me turned from red to bright white and the heat it was emitting also increased; so much that my upper body will be burned if I didn''t do anything.


    Hence, with the help of sub-element ice, I cooled down the air around my face and chest, thus countering the heating from the sword. The sword''s handle was so hot that my hands were getting red, I couldn''t cool it since there was a chance of getting frostbite so I''ll leave it be.


    I tightened my grip and leaped toward the human dummy. I went for the same attack as before. Delivering an upper-left to lower right sh, the sword entered its body from the left side, below the underarms just where the ribcage started.


    The sword already had 1500-degree hot fire covering it yet I applied all the force I could behind this attack. The result was, well.


    The de slit open the dummy''s skin, breaking and burning the bones of the ribcage it entered its system. Destroying all the artificial organs that were fit inside the dummy, the sword slid on its flesh like on frozen butter.


    The next moment, the upper half of the dummy was separated from its lower half as I moved the sword forward and it shed the dummy''s stomach and abdomen in half, splitting its body in two.


    A THUCK sound was heard as the upper half fell behind, but the lower half kept standing as it was attached to the floor.


    "Phew, that sure took long," I breathed.


    Finally, I got the result I was hoping for, but¡­<sub> </sub>


    "Damn, fuck!"


    I threw the sword as fast as I could after a part of it melted and rained beside my feet. As I looked at the now melted sword on the floor, I realized something.


    My version of magiken, fire sword to say, is not longsting. Just after I divided the dummy in two, the fire won over ice and the de melted in an instant.


    The sword that was on the floor; its de was melted and now was in the form of piping hot, red and orange colored liquid that was emitting steams. The handle of the sword was almost melted but its lower part was still somehow intact.


    In the end, I wasn''t able to keep the sword from melting. My magiken method¡ªI''d like to call it that¡ªwas powerful but maybe can only be used one time per sword.


    If I were to use this, then I had to sever their head¡ªa metaphor¡­probably¡ªbefore they can attack me. This is the only way I can use this method.


    ''Well, anyway. I got what I came here to find.''


    Afterward, I did some more experiments with different temperatures until I ran out of swords¡ªyeah all of them were melted.


    But now that I have been sessful in finding the right form, I left the room¡ªwithout clearing up the melted sword mess on the floor.


    p ''Low-key I''m d the floor wasn''t made of wood. Otherwise¡­''</anda>


    Later I left the training facility. Though while on my way out, I asked the woman at the reception that do I have to pay for the weapons I destroyed, to which she said no.


    Apparently, the breaking of swords and other weapons during training was a prettymon thing here. That was the reason they didn''t keep expensive swords because they will just be broken the academy will be in loss¡ªnot literally since their fundinges directly from the king but still, it''ll be like wasting weapons.


    There was a doubt in my mind; what of the students who wanted to practice with some special type of sword or weapon? The reply I received to this was that, if you need a certain type of weapon then you can ask for it at the reception and it''ll be provided to you.


    But yes, you will have to pay for that weapon if you broke it.


    All in all, and in short to say, I didn''t have to pay 30,000 C for the swords.


    Now I was out of the facility, it was afternoon, I spent quite a time inside I guess. As the sun was above my head I wandered across the academy campus.

 Chapter 99 Coffee [1]

    It was evening, the time was around 5 pm and I just entered the cafeteria building.


    The ce was crowded but not much, this time around students came here to have some evening snacks and rx with their friends. Among the many tables, most of them were filled, but I still caught sight of one that was.


    Not empty but it was where I had to go. I headed over to the table¡ªwhich was ced in the right corner; a person was sitting there already. I reached there and pulled a chair back, and I sat and faced that person.


    She was none other than Ellyn; wearing the school uniform she was waiting here for me. Her expression was not the best¡ªit looked as though she didn''t want to do this but was doing it anyway.


    Before I sat she was looking outside from the ss wall but as I sat there in front of her, she leaned back to the chair and faced me.


    "Good evening," I greeted as I satfortably on my chair.


    "¡­Good evening," she replied, unwillingly.


    "So? What''s the report for today? Anything unusual?" I asked.


    Yes, this was the reason she was waiting for me here; the daily report she had to give me. After yesterday''s incident where I had to escort her to the ss A dorms, I decided that I''ll have her report to me in the evening and in a public ce; not in my room.


    Meeting up in the room was a bad idea, to begin with, it was too risky. What would have happened if someone saw hering to my room? She could have given some excuse and got away but that is only a one-timer.


    If she kept on showing up daily and someone was watching then she won''t have an excuse on why she¡ªa ss A student and the heiress of the Rosenberg family, ising to visit a ss B student who''s just a normal noble.


    It would''ve created several problems for me and my n so it was not worth the try. Also, I don''t want to escort her daily to her dorm building. The same problem will ur if someone from her side saw me.


    That''s why; meeting up in a public ce was a better idea. Being seen by other people was an inevitable problem, but the probability of the other party thinking that she is here just to meet me will be low.


    Many people who are not even aware of the other''s existence, share a table in the cafeteria due to the crowd andck of more tables. Her sitting with me can simply be described as a coincidence.


    Anyway, getting back to the topic.


    "No, his day went as usual," she said.


    "I see," I nodded as I took the cup that was resting on the table and took a sip; it was coffee obviously.


    "That was mine," Ellyn imed.


    ''Well, I knew there was that possibility. But the smell of that coffee was so good that I wasn''t able to resist.''


    "I''ll pay for it," I rified.<sub> </sub>


    "Tch! That doesn''t solve the problem."


    ''Hmmm? It doesn''t? Not that I care.''


    Though it seemed there was something else on her mind as she quickly changed the topic and came back to Leon.


    "I said his day went as usual, but there is something that has changed," she asserted.


    "What?"


    She didn''t reply to that, rather, she tilted her head and looked in a direction beside me. After that, she said, "There."


    I turned and looked in the same direction, a few tables away from us was sitting Leon with one other girl. The girl had blonde and green eyes, both were familiar to me; she was Anya.


    I turned back and looked at Ellyn, waiting for an exnation even though I got the gist of it.


    "After that incident where she was being harassed by those students and I and Leon saved her, slowly she''s been starting to talk more and more with Leon. At the start, it was only limited to greetings and small talks in ss but now, she''s often going to the caf¨¦ with him."


    "I see."


    So this was it, huh? I was also observing this change but was ignoring it till now. After that incident¡ªspecifically, after she received that letter from X, she''s been trying so hard to be friends with Leon.


    Well, I can understand why she''d do that. The letter from X clearly said that if she didn''t get into a rtionship with Leon, I will be killed by X. Anya is the type to not put deep thought into things, everything she sees or hears, she takes it to face value.


    And her doubts would have only been confirmed when she was attacked by those students; a thing that was mentioned in the letter will happen.


    Since then, she is trying to get friends with Leon in order to save my life from X. And regarding them, I still don''t know the identity of X. Mostly because that is not my main focus as of now.


    The only thing I know about them is, that they are a student of this academy since they can keep tabs on Anya to confirm whether she is trying to get in a rtionship with Leon or not.


    Another and very big proof of this is the letters sent by them, you can''t send a letter to any student until you are a student here yourself.


    Secondly, whoever they are, they know about the storyline of loli_pop''s novel and that this world is based on his novel. They also know that something was changed since Anya and Leon¡ªwho should''ve started dating by now, were not even friends.


    Maybe that''s why they are trying to get them close so the plot can say the same. And I can assure you they are doing a better job than me in this case. Anya is my sister, that''s why I am not able to manipte her in the way I do with other people.

 Chapter 100 Coffee [2]

    Maybe that''s why they are trying to get them close so the plot can say the same. And I can assure you they are doing a better job than me in this case. Anya is my sister, that''s why I am not able to manipte her in the way I do with other people.


    Thirdly, they work in the shadows like me and don''t want to reveal themselves that easily. That''s why all the students they have contacted were via letters.


    Andstly, they are a person of their word. I don''t know much but until now what was written in the letters was done, even the part about providing Winston with money after he did what was told to him; I confirmed it personally.


    To sum it up, I don''t who X is but I know several things about them. I am not getting deep into it right now since my main focus is to avoid the death set for me by the plot.


    Though that doesn''t mean I am not interested in finding out their identity. But it is a thing of the future, after I''ve sessfully avoided my death; everything else wille afterward.


    ¡­


    As I was in thought, I noticed that Ellyn was staring at Anya with a not-so-good look in her eyes.


    "It wasn''t her fault," I said.


    "Huh?"


    "I said, it wasn''t her fault that I know about your past. Maybe Leon told her about it to destroy you but she didn''t tell about to me herself, I was the one who forced her to do so."


    "So? What should I do with that information?" she appealed as she shrugged her shoulders.


    "I don''t know if you are trying to hide it or not, but if you are then you are failing at it miserably. By the way, you are looking at Anya and the expression you have on your face, it''s clear that you carry the feelings of anger for Anya and resent her."


    "¡­T-That is not what you think it is!" she said softly and averted her eyes, looking outside from the ss panels.


    "I think by now you have the idea of what I can do to achieve my goals and to what extent I can go. Maybe you¡ªwho have experienced it, are the only one who knows about it. That''s why; I think you know that I''m not lying when I say I forced my sister to tell me about you."


    She faced me, "Really?" she asked in a low voice. I didn''t say anything and sipped the coffee, probably she got some answer since the next moment her face showed disgust harboring in for me.


    ''This is okay. Having her hate me is not a problem, she can hate or resent me all she wants and that''ll be okay since even with those feelings, she will have to work with me due to our deal. But, if those feelings were directed toward Anya, that will pose some problems.''


    I know Ellyn and her character well, she is the passive, tsundere type and won''t do anything bold. I can also keep her from plotting anything against Anya but I can''t stop her from doing it when I''m not watching.<sub> </sub>


    Anya is strong enough to protect herself but if Ellyn¡ªthinking that all this happened because she told me about Ellyn''s past, tried to crush Anya with the influence she has on the girls in the first year, I don''t think Anya will be able toe out that unscathed.


    She is a bit like me, with poormunication skills and without any friends; and if you are counting Leon as his friend, then let me remind you that she is just forcing herself to be friends with him out of concern for me.


    That''s why; if anything I have to protect her from any possible problems that I can stop.


    "I''m leaving," I said and stood up.


    I walked toward the counter and on the way, I passed beside Anya and Leon''s table and waved at them with a smile. Anya''s back was facing me so she wasn''t able to see but Leon saw and made her aware of my presence.


    Then she turned and waved back at me. I didn''t want to have a real conversation here so I didn''t go any further and went to the counter. There I paid for the coffee and then left the cafeteria.


    ***


    <o>,m ¡ªA FEW DAYS LATER</o>


    I was in the ssroom, sitting on my usual seat. From today, only a week, 2 days were left before the event that''ll be the cause of my death.


    Was I scared? Well, I don''t know. What I was feeling now was a strange feeling, something I had never felt before. But one thing I can say for sure is I was anything but scared.


    Why? The reason for this was that I had already nned what to do in order to avoid my death and how to do it. This event will also be connected with me acquiring the item that''ll make me 5x more powerful.


    Yes, the time to do that had finallye. The event for my death will be on the day after tomorrow, meaning I have today and tomorrow toplete the preparations that were left.


    I''d say the time was not enough but I''ll manage someone. Also, getting Anya to work for me was a big relief. I was freed from stalking Leon, a big burden that took most of my time.


    Due to her, I now had lots to free time and that''s why I was able to do things this quickly. From that day onwards she was reporting to me daily, hence it was not a problem. But this was only just her training and her real use will start from the day after tomorrow.


    Anyway, it might be better if I focus on Ryfin for now, he was going to announce something important, after all.


    He stood before the podium with his back straight, then taking in a breath, he said.

 Chapter 101 Interclass Event [1]

    Anyway, it might be better if I focus on Ryfin for now; he was going to announce something important, after all.


    "Now, now, my dear students. There is a little something I have to tell you all," he begins as he put both his hands on the podium.


    "I''m sure you all are already used to the magiken sword technique, if not then what I''m going to say next will be troublesome for you. Anyway, since the academy has not allowed me to not make any exceptions for this, I''ll just say this straight. The day after tomorrow, an interss practice session will be held for all four sses in the first year."


    As those words left his mouth, the students present in the ss started discussing things among themselves. The mumbling voices were so loud that Ryfin had to stop speaking for a while and silence the ss by smacking the podium hard with his hand.


    The sound caused by it caught the attention of the students and then went quiet and looked at Ryfin again. When he was sure that everyone is paying attention, he spoke again.


    "That''s right, the academy is holding an interss practice session for the first-year students, and don''t worry, this is an event that is held every year for the first year''s. Now,ing to the context of this session, this will be focused on the magiken technique.


    All four sses¡ªA, B, C, and D¡ªwill face each other and train together. As there is quite a difference between the abilities of the students in each ss, pairs are made to determine which ss will face which one.


    And this is the list decided by the academy, ss A will face ss B, and ss C will face ss D. This is based on the skill level of each ss, since ss A and B were almost on the same level, there were put together¡ªthe same goes for ss C and D."


    This came as quite a shock for the students, I mean facing ss A. Crying, "How the hell are we supposed to take on those elites?" "What do you mean by we have paired up against ss A? Can''t we go for ss D or something" "Don''t joke with me! There''s no wee anywhere near those ss A students" could be heard across the ssroom.


    Some students, specifically those who were average or below average in magiken were the ones spouting this. Though, their thoughts were not unreasonable.


    ss A did have a special reputation in this academy, indifferent of which year the ss belonged to. If you are a ss A student, then you must be pretty elite. That was what went through the minds of the other students.


    Though, the reality was a bit different. There wasn''t much of a difference, especially at this time of year. Just like any other ss, ss A students were also just enrolled here and were rookies, whether it be in magic or magiken.


    Yes, there were a few exceptions of those who trained beforeing to the academy but their numbers were few, and then again, that type of students were in our ss also.


    That''s why, if you have to take down ss A and gain a chance to show off, this was the best time when ss A was at its lowest; a one-time opportunity that will never shine again.<sub> </sub>


    Students who understood this were filled with excitement and thrill instead of getting scared like some others. Of course, these students were confident in their skills and above all, confident in themselves.


    And if you talk about me, I belonged to neither of the sides. This interss training session had an entirely different meaning for me.


    "Calm down kids, don''t get so worked up over this," said Ryfin. "This is, but a training session after all. It doesn''t matter whether you win or lose because this is not apetition, to begin with. This is just an event where each of you will individually face a ss A student and fight with them to hone your skills and learn from each other¡­"


    After that Ryfin exined to us the details of this event. I, of course, knew about this beforehand since this event was in loli_pop''s novel. And this is what caused the death of Zero¡ªaka me¡ªin the novel.


    This time, however, it won''t go as expected; at least after a certain point.


    Anyway, if I focus on what this event is all about, then it''ll be something like this.


    ? In the interss magiken training session that will be held the day after tomorrow, students from different sses will spare with each other to train, and learn new moves.


    The main motive of this session was to give the students a real battle experience so that they can get an idea of what they are training to be and what the battles they''ll fight in the future will be like¡ªexcept with the difficulty 10x higher from now.


    In the event, one student at a time from both the sses will duel each other using the magiken technique. The duel will obviously end up with one side losing but there won''t be any rewards for the winner or any penalties for the loser. Since this was just a training session.


    And yeah, since this was written by loli_pop, Leon will have some of his op mc moments with girls shouting "OMG! How good and powerful he is!" "Ah!! He is the prince I was searching for!!" things like that.


    Those lines were actually in the novel by the way. ''Honestly, I can''t understand howe the readers did not die of cringe after reading that. I mean it was 2022!! Not a year fit for dialogues like "he is my prince" or bullshit like that.''


    Well, that doesn''t concern me. The event was going to be important for me whether it was made my loli_pop or not; since this is something that''ll decide my death.

 Chapter 102 Interclass Event [2]

    Those lines were actually in the novel by the way. ''Honestly, I can''t understand howe the readers did not die of cringe after reading that. I mean it was 2022!! Not a year fit for dialogues like "he is my prince" or bullshit like that.''


    Well, that doesn''t concern me. The event was going to be important for me whether it was made my loli_pop or not; since this is something that''ll decide my death.


    "Okay, that''s about it. Do you have any questions regarding the training session? If yes then better say it now," Ryfin surveyed after he finished exining the details of the training session.


    "Umm, I had a question?" a boy said as he raised his hand.


    "Yes?"


    "Are we allowed to go all out in this training? Or are there any rules set for the safety of the students?"


    "No, there aren''t any rules of that sort. You can use whatever moves you want until that isn''t a one that can cause the other student to die," replied Ryfin.


    The boy who asked the question nodded and then sat back in his seat. Regardless, the question he asked, or rather the answer Ryfin gave, scared a few students.


    He said all is allowed until the life of the other party is not in danger, but if you flip it, it''lle as you or the other student can do whatever they want with you if they keep you alive.


    It was a scary thing indeed, for students who weren''t confident in their skills or cked off in magiken lessons. And I''m afraid to say I am thetter since I can''t use magiken at all I will have a hard time in this interss session.


    "Anyone else has something to ask? No? Well then, the ss for today will end here. Go home and practice, you have one and a half days before the training session. I mean, you will want to be in your best form while facing the students of other sses, don''t you?" said Ryfin.


    After that, the ss was dismissed and the students begin to leave. Some were trembling in fear and some in excitement, while there were some who just didn''t care at all.


    Seeing that there wasn''t anything to do in here, I got up from my seat and left the ss. I walked down an empty corridor that led in a different direction than the dorms or the cafeteria.


    The corridor was empty and only the sounds of my footsteps could be heard, though I was able to hear the sound of someone else''s footsteps.


    "What do you want?" I asked as I stopped in my tracks.


    "Nothing really," the person behind me responded.


    I turned around to take a look and he was just the person I expected, Ryfin. He was in a ck suit and had his hands inside his pockets; with a smile on his face, he was looking at me.


    "Then why are you following me? Care to give any exnation for that?" I inquired.


    "My, my, I''ll get scared if you look at me with an expression like that on your face~," he said in a soft voice as if teasing me.<sub> </sub>


    "Get to the point already."


    "Yeah, yeah. But just like I said, there isn''t really a reason for why I''m following you. I was just a bit worried about you," he revealed.


    "Hmm? Since when you started caring about me? Did you hit your head or something?"


    "Ah, don''t talk like that. Does a teacher have any need for a reason to worry about their student?"


    "At least you do I''ll say. Just get straight to the point already."


    "Sigh! Fine, fine. I was interested in you, in how you are nning on taking this training session. Since both you and I know that you can''t use magiken, how will you go about this? Don''t tell me you are nning on taking a sick leave?" he appealed.


    "You don''t need to know that. Now get lost¡­teacher," I said and with that, I turned back and begin walking again.


    Maybe he left because I was not able to hear the sound of his footsteps anymore. After a bit of walking, I got out of the corridor and entered the grounds. Soon, I was standing before the building I was headed to.


    Looking up, I saw a two-floored building built with concrete and bricks. There weren''t many windows and the gate in front of me was made out of wood, with two guards standing beside the door. This was the office of this academy, where all the staff worked.


    "Halt!" one of the guards said as he stopped me from entering the building.


    "I have some work in there, please let me go," I responded.


    The guard whispered something in the other guard''s ear and then the other one opened the gate and went inside. After a couple of minutes and came out again and gave the other guard a nod.


    "You can go now," said the guard who stopped me before.


    "Thank you," offering them a greeting, I went inside as they opened the door for me.


    Going through a narrow pathway that was built with stone walls and floor, I soon stepped inside arge hall. There were many wooden tables and chairs all across the hall and people were sitting on them, doing some paperwork.


    I looked around and searched for a certain room, this was not the first time I came here so finding it was not a problem. It was a small room made of four wooden walls with ss panes in the corner of the main hall


    I begin walking and after taking a few steps I reached there and then knocked on the door of the small room. After a bit of waiting, "Come in," someone said from the inside. Following their words, I unlocked the door by twisting the doorknob and then stepped inside, closing the door back again.


    There I saw that a big, rectangr, wooden table was ced in the middle with three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. On the single chair, a man who seemed to be in his mid-fifties with white hair and a beard was sitting with his hands resting on the table.

 Chapter 103 Interclass Event [3]

    There I saw that a big, rectangr, wooden table was ced in the middle with three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. On the single chair, a man who seemed to be in his mid-fifties with white hair and a beard was sitting with his hands resting on the table.


    "Sit," he instructed, his voice was deep and heavy.


    Following his words, I went and sat on one of the two chairs. I looked at the man before me, and to say I was familiar with his face. His name was Robert Halls, Mr. Halls in short.


    "Is my work done?" I asked in a polite tone.


    "Hmm, yes," he replied with a nod.


    "Can I see?"


    He didn''t reply to this, instead, he opened a drawer and searched for something in it. Then taking out a few documents he threw them toward me on the table as he said, "There."


    I bent forward and picked one of the documents, holding it in my hands I skimmed through the pages.


    p ''This went pretty smoothly I guess.''</anda>


    Five days prior to today, I submitted an application to create a personal bank ount for myself. There are several reasons why I want an ount for myself but let''s not get into it for now.


    Now, to create a bank ount one would normally have to go to the bank and register and do all the paperwork there, but since I''m a student of the Zaforths academy and not allowed to go outside, I had to apply for it via the school officials.


    Fortunately, the academy had a policy for a matter like this so that wasn''t much of a problem and I submitted the application pretty easily. After that, my parents were informed of this¡ªthat I want to create a personal bank ount¡ªby a messenger sent by the academy.


    Their consult was taken¡ªwhich went smoothly since Ron didn''t was pretty easy going in things like this¡ªand then they did all the paperwork in my stead.


    I have already reached the age of 15, and in this world, you''re considered an adult when you are of that age, hence I''d have the right to have a bank ount for myself.


    My parents approved of all the details and sent them back through the academy''s messenger, afterward the papers were sent to the bank and my ount was created.


    Also, looking through the documents I currently had in my hands I came to know that Ron was kind enough to deposit 500,000 C in my ount. I honestly thought that this amount was more than what I wanted but, sigh, can''t do anything about it now.


    I''ll probably have to answer Ron about why I made this ount but that can wait.


    "Take this; this is your transaction card. You''ll have to show this every time you want to withdraw money out of your ount," said Mr. Halls as he handed over to me a small rectangr card.


    I took it from him and from the looks and its uses described by Mr. Halls; I think this was something simr to a debit card from my former world. The card was of silver color made of metal with my name and ount details engraved on it.


    "There is one other use for it," Mr. Halls spoke; I looked over in his direction as he did so. "If you want then you use money via this card also; without actually withdrawing it in cash. You see those numbers in the bottom right corner, there it shows the money of C you have in your ount. The information is transmitted to this card through some custom magic spells, those numbers will change ording to the amount of C you have in your ount."


    I checked the card and as Mr. Halls said. In the bottom right corner of the card, 500,000 C was engraved.


    "And? How do I use money via this card, as you said just now?" I appealed.


    I was genuinely interested in this since a card like this did not exist in the novel.


    "Flip the card over and you will see a ck strip there," he mentioned. I flipped the card and there on the other side of it was a long rectangr strip dyed with the color ck, just as he said.


    "If you wish to pay someone directly through your card then you have to take the card of that other person and then tap the ck strip of their card with yours," he exined.


    "But what about the amount of the money? Like how''d I decided how I have to pay and things like that?"<sub> </sub>


    "The transaction cards are equipped with many permanent custom magic spells, one of which allows you to decide the amount of money you wish to transfer. To do that, you will have to imagine how much money you have to give to the person while tapping your card against theirs."


    "That''s just it? Isn''t this a little too simple? And what about those spells? I mean, can''t they misfire or somethin''?"


    "This system was implemented in order to make the lives of people easier, that''s why the process is kept simple. And you don''t have to worry about the spells; they were made by the best magicians of not only this kingdom but of the whole world."


    "I see."


    I was impressed, to be honest. I hadn''t expected this world to be this modern that they have things simr to debit cards and credit cards here. Also, custom magic was working like the inte here; I wonder if they have servers and stuff for that too.


    One thing was clear after this though; custom magic really has no limits just like they say. If it''s something you can imagine and are skilled enough to bring into reality, then custom magic will be the medium you need to do that.


    Well, after that exchange I cleared a few more doubts with Mr. Halls and then took the documents and the transaction card with me, and left the room; leaving Mr. Halls with, "Thank you for your help."


    ***


    Coming out of the office building I went to the dorms. Entering my room I put the stuff¡ªbank documents and transaction card¡ªon the desk. Then I went into the kitchen and made a coffee for myself, drank it, and then left the room.


    I was still in the school uniform as I entered the cafeteria. There I ordered my breakfast which was four vegetarian sandwiches¡ªthose I''d eaten before and liked them.


    "Can I pay with the transaction card?" I asked the girl at the counter, this was a good opportunity hence I had bought my card with me.


    "Yes, you can. Here you can use this," said the girl as she pointed toward a small cube that was resting on the counter.


    A nting rectangr sheet was attached to the front side of the cube and while it was not a card, a simr ck strip was made on the sheet.


    This machine seemed simr to the debit card reader from my former world, so I decided to try it without asking for help.


    I ced my card on the metal sheet, with its back and the ck strip facing the strip on the sheet. I imagined the amount I had to pay¡ªit was written on the menu¡ªas I ced my card.


    Soon I felt a small amount of my mana getting transferred into the card, on the number which was engraved on the bottom right and showed my current bank bnce shone in purple color.


    The numbers then changed from 500,000 to 499, 700 and when it was done, the light in them faded.


    "Thank you," said the girl on the counter. This must mean that the payment was done hence I removed my card and put it back inside my pocket.


    I waited for a few minutes there and when my order arrived, I took the te and turned to search for a seat.


    The cafeteria was only half filled since a good amount of time had passed since the sses ended and most of the students have eaten breakfast while I was in the office discussing things with Mr. Halls.


    Finding a seat shouldn''t have been difficult; I could have taken any seat I wanted¡ªout of those who were empty, of course. But still, I went for a certain seat near the ss panes.


    On a seat that was meant for four people, only a single girl was sitting there. Her expression wasn''t the nicest, her eyes glowed with sadness as she stared outside the ss panes while resting her chin on her hand.


    "Hello, sis. Been a while since we talked, hasn''t it?" I said as I put my te on the table and sat before the girl.


    The girl had long blonde hair and leaf-like green eyes. She was none other than my older sister, Anya.

 Chapter 104 Interclass Event [4]

    "Hello, sis. Been a while since we talked, hasn''t it?" I said as I put my te on the table and sat before the girl.


    The girl had long blonde hair and leaf-like green eyes. She was none other than my older sister, Anya.


    "Huh? Ah, Zero¡­it''s you," she broke the silence and said as if surprised by my sudden appearance.


    "Well, should I not be here?" I asked though I know this question had a fixed answer.


    "No, it isn''t like that. I was just¡­not expecting you this time," she rified.


    That exchange was it, silence prevailed between us after that; I started munching on my sandwiches while she sipped her drink¡ªwhat looked like green tea by the way.


    As Anya drank her tea, she kept looking outside through the ss panes, she was not much aware of her surroundings and was acting different from her usual behavior; it was as if she was lost in her own world.


    I kinda knew what could be the reason behind this state of hers; it was the letter sent by X.


    Until now everything that happened with her went just as X described in their letter, and since to her it seems like they must''ve been controlling everything and keeping an eye on her; Anya would have been forced to follow X''s orders also.


    And that order was to get in a rtionship with the person who saves her from Winston and those boys, to her surprise that boy was not anyone but Leon; the protagonist of loli_pop''s novel.


    Anya already knew that she can''t befriend Leon, to her, he was out of reach; like a star shining in the faraway sky, you can admire its beauty from here down on the earth but no matter how hard you try, you can''t reach the star.


    Just like that, there was this feeling inside her mind that no matter how she tries she can''t get into a rtionship with Leon, and the task given to her by X seemed impossible.


    But she didn''t have much of a choice anyway; X had threatened her that they will kill me if she doesn''t follow their orders. This was a very, very bad move but she believed that X was saying the truth and they really can kill me.


    Well, I can''t really me her for that. Knowing her personality, the incident with Winston was enough proof, to make her fully believe in X. Thus, from then I started noticing that she was desperately trying to get close to Leon and was not missing any opportunity.


    And to say, she was slowly but surely seeding in this. She now walked and stayed with Leon at times¡ªnot as much as Ellyn but she was with him for sure; I had seen this myself. Plus, both of them had started talking too, a thing that seemed impossible to Anya before.


    X''s n was working. The oue they wanted, they were getting it.


    But, in the middle of all this, she was getting tired from the inside, probably because she didn''t want to do this from her heart and was just following X''s orders unwillingly.<sub> </sub>


    After a certain time, it started bugging me too since she was not the Anya I knew anymore; the pressure was changing her slowly. I didn''t want something bad to happen that''s why I have decided to step-in in on this matter.


    Logically X was helping me in a way but their methods are causing Anya pain, a thing I can''t bear with. Even if our goal was the same¡ªgetting Anya and Leon in a rtionship, how we achieved that goal was different and that matters.


    ''Let''s get this done with,'' I gave myself the final push.


    The silence was getting awkward and I was not nning on staying for too long anyway, hence I decided to start the conversation.


    "Come to think of it, our ss our paired up against each other in the uing interss training session, isn''t that right?" I appealed, showing genuine interest and asking for her opinion.


    This question snapped her back to reality, "Yeah, that''s what the teachers told us," she contributed.


    "Well, I just hope that I don''t have to fight against you. Hehe, otherwise it won''t be good for me," Imented. In between, I tried to insert a little chuckle butter I realized how unnatural and fake it was.


    But either she was so lost in thought that she missed it or just decided to ignore it, whatever it was she didn''t voice on that creepy fake chuckle of mine and kept staring at her cup of tea¡ªwhich was half empty.


    "How is your magiken traininging along, by the way?" I asked, trying to shift the subject.


    "Well, it''s okay I guess? I already knew the basics of sword arts so the movements are not much of a trouble. I struggle a bit in the mana transferring thing since it''s new to me but, I am managing somehow."


    This was the longest reply I got in this whole conversation; can''t say I wasn''t happy, though happy would be the wrong word to describe it. And on a side note, I wasn''t expecting Anya to struggle in magiken even a bit.


    This came as a surprise, to be honest. I thought she is good at everything rted to the sword but I guess even she has her weak points. This was reasonable also since she never practiced magic or even tried to learn about it beforeing to the academy.


    Anyway, wasting any more time will be pointless. I don''t want to drag this conversation too much as I have other things to do also.


    "Sis, are you friends with Leon¡­by any chance? I know that I have asked this before and you denied it that time but I''m seeing you hanging out with him pretty often. I don''t want you to hide it from me, you see?" I inquired.


    Maybe this caught her by surprise because quickly looked up at me and seemed nervous¡ªthis was clear since her breathing speed has increased.

 Chapter 105 Interclass Event [5]

    "Sis, are you friends with Leon¡­by any chance? I know that I have asked this before and you denied it that time but I''m seeing you hanging out with him pretty often. I don''t want you to hide it from me, you see?" I inquired.


    Maybe this caught her by surprise because quickly looked up at me and seemed nervous¡ªthis was clear since her breathing speed has increased.


    "Huh? N-No! Well, yes. I don''t know if you''ll call it being friends but we are on talkative terms. And I''m not trying to hide it or anything; it''s just that¡­I never really got a chance to tell you and there wasn''t much to tell so I kinda forget about it too, I-I, uh¡­you get what I mean, right?" she said hurriedly.


    It was as if she was making excuses and she was thinking of them right this moment. Still.


    "Why are you getting so worked up, sis? I know you won''t lie to me," I assured her.


    And as for why I was calling her ''sis''? Well, I had pretty much stopped calling her that after she came to know my true identity but I was doing it not because I felt like it, that''s all there it is.


    "I-I see. But it''s really just as I said; we are a step down from being friends."


    "I know that I know but...I don''t want you to force it. I understand that you won''t lie to me but don''t lie to yourself instead," I asserted.


    "What? What do you mean by that? I''m sorry I didn''t quite get it," she said, asking that I repeat myself once again.


    "What I am saying is that you mustn''t force yourself to befriend Leon," hence I repeated.


    "Huh? But, why would I do that? I mean, I am not forcing myself or anything! You''re getting it wrong!!" she tried to deny it but her voice was trailing off.


    "You are still lying, be honest with yourself. You and I both know that what you are doing and what you want are twopletely different things," I stated as I looked directly into her eyes.


    She tried to avert her eyes and not look at me directly but for some reason, she didn''t, maybe because that would''ve proven her guilty.


    "I am not...l-lying or anything. Why are you spouting this nonsense anyway!?" she besought.


    "Yes, you are!" I said, out loud¡ªI was lucky that the caf¨¦ was mostly empty otherwise I would''ve attracted a lot of unwanted attention.


    "We both know that you don''t want to get close to Leon; you are only doing this because of that letter! Because that letter forced you to do so; to get in a rtionship with Leon. Isn''t that what it said?


    As I dropped the bombshell Anya''s eyes widened in response and her face went pale. "H-How do you know about that?" she asked in a low, trembling voice.


    Fear was dripping down her face, maybe she thought things won''t end well now I knew about the letter¡ªsomething that was forbidden ording to her.<sub> </sub>


    "I know about it, I saw it when I came to drop you to your room after the incident with Winston¡ªwhere Leon saved you. I know whoever the sender of that letter is, they are threatening you to get together with Leon otherwise they''ll kill me," I rified.


    "I-I see, s-so you know," she breathed as she stared down at the table.


    Her expression was not good, it was clear that she was terrified. She was now my family¡ªeven if she didn''t think of me as one¡ªand it pained me to make her go through something like this, but this was important. I can''t allow X to control my sister anymore.


    "Yes, I know. But I know one more thing too," as I said that, she raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes were glittery and she was about to burst into tears¡ªmaybe she really thought that X will kill me now.


    "The other thing I know is that that letter and everything written in it is absolute bullshit! I can''t believe you are so dense that you took something like that seriously!"


    A "Huh?" left her mouth and she didn''t say anything else. She was taken aback by surprise, probably she wasn''t expecting me to say this.


    "B-But they said¡ª"


    "¡ªThey said that they''ll kill me, right?"


    She replied with a nod and stared at me with confusion. "And you are so dumb to actually believe that. Can''t you get it? That letter is fake; could''ve been a prank!" Of course, the letter was not fake by any means; but she doesn''t need to know that.


    "Then what about that incident? Those boys really dide and someone saved me¡ªit was Leon out of everyone," she argued.


    "Couldn''t it be a coincidence? Or maybe one of those three boys who bullied you sent the letter? And if you are talking about Leon, well, I was the one who sent him there," I imed.


    This was a very, very bad lie. I know that and if she tried to remember the things which happened that day then she can easily figure out my lie. Fortunately, she was not in the state and I was ying a gamble on that.


    Here aw of human nature is applied¡ªsometimes we don''t believe in the actual truth, but in the thing that''s convenient for us and gives us a feeling of safety; then it doesn''t matter even if it''s a lie we believe in. The brain ignores what''s painful.


    Anya also wanted to somehow stop interacting with Leon when she didn''t want to, hence I figured that if I gave her an opportunity to escape that reality, then she will choose that route even though it''s barely believable.


    You can say that I was manipting her in a way even if it was indirect, but really I don''t want to do it. Manipting my family is something I''ve set off limits but here¡­it was for her own good.


    I won''t mind breaking the rules if it will benefit her in the future.

 Chapter 106 Against The Flow [1]

    "Couldn''t it be a coincidence? Or maybe one of those three boys who bullied you sent the letter? And if you are talking about Leon, well, I was the one who sent him there," I imed.


    You can say that I was manipting her in a way even if it was indirect, but really I don''t want to do it. Manipting my family is something I''ve set off limits but here¡­it was for her own good.


    I won''t mind breaking the rules if it will benefit her in the future.


    "S-So, what you are saying is¡­that I shouldn''t trust that letter?" asked Anya as he stared at me in need of an answer.


    "Precisely; you should not care about such things. Just imagine the person who sent that letter to you as a prank is now watching andughing at you since you are falling into his game which was so easy to detect. What will he think of you?"


    "But, I had to do it; even if it was nothing but a prank. I mean, your life was on the line!" she eximed.


    "First of all, I don''t understand why you are so fixated on saving my life. I am not even your real brother; if this happened in the past then I could''ve rted but now? Now you know my real identity¡­there should not be a reason for you to care about my life that much."


    Maybe there was. Maybe just like I thought of her as my sister even if she wasn''t in reality, probably she had simr thoughts about me. Still, going this far for someone who isn''t even from the same world, leave being from the same family¡­I don''t think that makes any sense.


    Even if it does I can''t understand.


    Her expression darkened as I said those words; could it be that she was hurt because I denied the only rtionship we had?


    "And even if you do care about my life for some reason I don''t know, isn''t it a bit na?ve of you to think someone can kill me? When you know what I am capable of?" I posed her with a question.


    At the same time, on top of the index finger of my right hand, I created a small shard of ice. As the shard materialized I showed it to Anya while being careful that no one other than her can see it.


    She stared at the shard for a while and then back at me, "Even so! How can you be so sure about it? That no one can defeat you? And you are saying this without knowing the power of your opponent," she imed.


    "I can say with absolute surety that no one other than Leon can beat me in a one-on-one. You better carve it deep in your mind, so that you don''t go falling into others'' pranks like this ever again," I dered.


    I was 100% boasting here. There are a number of students who can beat me at this academy. I think if I didn''t use my magic and fought only with the sword then any ss A student will be able to defeat me with ease if their rank is anywhere near me.


    Not being able to use magiken drops my chances of winning by andslide. There are only my magic abilities that I am confident of; nothing else.<sub> </sub>


    "Well¡­i-if you say so. I guess I''ll believe you for now. But let me ask this again! Are you really, really sure that that letter is a prank and not real?" she appealed as she leaned forward as if trying to intimidate me.


    "Yes, I am sure of it."


    ''Sigh, am I done here now?''


    The way I was handling Anya was so careless, so much that she can find the holes in my words if she gained herposure. I''m well aware of that fact.


    But the thing is, I don''t have much time in hand. Just in a day, I was going to get killed; no matter how much I try to stay calm, no matter how much of a poker face I keep with a rxed and nk expression.


    In reality, I was panicking badly from the inside. Even if I had already nned everything out; I was sure that there was no way I can die. I can''t help but panic.


    I mean, just a little miscalction, and everything wille to an end. I am not that worried about my death but if I died then so will my parents and Anya from the uing cmity.


    Maybe that''s why I made a rash move here.


    ''I''m more amazed than anyone else that this worked out.''


    "So? Will you stop trying to force a rtionship with Leon? I don''t have any problem if you really want to be friends with him, I just don''t want you to force yourself. I was observing you for the past few days and you looked like you were in pain."


    She thought over my question for a while as she finished her cup of tea. Then cing the cup on the table she looked me in the eye. "Okay, I won''t be doing it anymore. And you are right, I''m not interested in being friends with Leon," she replied.


    Maybe I smiled a little? It was a smile of satisfaction and relief probably, but it was only in my mind.


    From yesterday, I was not letting a single shred of emotione out of my face. Why? I think I know the reason for this¡­My life was in danger, that''s why my that persona was surfacing again.


    ''Right now, other than the survival of me and my family, nothing else matters. I''ll destroy and erase everything that will get in my way, indifferent to what or who it is. Even if I had to bend the original plot, I''ll do it; it was going to change after I dodged my death anyway.''


    Yeah, that was it. I''d be willing to do anything, right now at this moment. Other than my family nothing else matters.

 Chapter 107 Against The Flow [2]

    "Well, if you are okay then I''m also okay," I said as I stood up from my seat ¡ªI had finished my sandwiches and I had also convinced Anya to stay away from Leon, in short, there was no other reason to stay anymore.


    "Also, let me remind you of something," I mentioned. "What?" she asked.


    "Don''t sever your bonds with Leon instantly, it will feel so out of the ce and will attract suspicion. Stay as you are while slowly distancing yourself from him in a way that he doesn''t notice something''s wrong, okay?"


    "If that''s what you say¡­fine."


    Anya was more or less close to Leon even if they were just on talking terms. If she were to cut all the ties with him and disappear all of a sudden, then it''s possible that some events that I don''t know about can take ce and disturb the flow of the original plot of loli_pop''s novel.


    "I''ll see you in the training session then¡­by the way go easy on me if I were to fight against you," I added while I took the te in my hands and begin to leave.


    "Hey Zero, can I ask you one thing?" Anya called out to be from behind.


    Turning back I gave her a look that said "okay" and waited for her to speak. Taking my response as a yes she nodded and then said, "You say that I shouldn''t be worried about your life since you are not really my brother. Then why were you worried when you saw me in pain because of that letter?"


    ''Hmmm, I wonder why? Probably because I do not want to make the same mistake as I did in my former life, or maybe because I want to correct that mistake in this life? There are so many reasons but I can''t pick one of them.''


    "Is that what you should be asking, idiot?! It is true that I was worried but unlike you, I was not going to such extents to disturb my personal life because of it."


    Does this reply sound legit? Because she didn''t ask anything else and I turned around, submitted my te to the counter, and then left the caf¨¦.


    ***


    Entering my room I sat on the bed, the lights were turned off but I didn''t care to turn them on. In the dark room, with no light source, I was lying on my bed with my hand on my forehead as I stared at the ceiling above my eyes.


    I was thinking about things I have to do from now on and the things I did today. And one of the things I did was that I refrained Anya from forming a rtionship with Leon.


    I admit it was not my n that they were getting close; X was the one pulling the string. But the oue achieved at the end would''ve been the same, the same oue I wanted; to get the two in a rtionship in order to keep the plot the same.


    If I had watched quietly from the sidelines, everything must have gone just as I wanted. Then why did I interfere and stopped it from happening?


    Well, there were two reasons to justify the action that I took.<sub> </sub>


    The first is that I did what I did because the main point to get Anya and Leon close was to keep the plot of the novel the same so I can predict the future and keep things to my advantage.


    I''d have a pretty good hand in the same if I already knew what was going to happen, then why must I discard it?


    It was simple really. In a day I was going to avoid my death and live¡ªa thing that was different from the original plot. But doing that will ultimately change the plot sooner orter so keeping it the same by using Anya would be a waste.


    I won''t be able to keep things the same once the domino effect of changes starts after I survive. Even if the plot point of Anya and Leon stayed the same, the plot will change no matter how I try to keep the same; the only way to keep it the same is for me to die, which I can''t afford.


    The second reason was more of my twisted sense of logic rather than actual logical reasoning.


    It is that if Leon and Anya were to get close at this time then the events that were set to unfold after my death will also happen. And by that, I''m talking about Leon having sex with Anya.


    Normally, I wouldn''t have worried over something trivial like this if Anya really loved Leon and slept with him due to her own will. But unfortunately, that was not the case here.


    If they slept together then it will be because of the fact that I and X made them get together and then the plot did its work. She won''t realize but she will not be doing that out of her own will.


    It''ll be like I or X forced her to do so. In both cases, I''d feel guilty over that. Feel guilty that I could''ve stopped it from happening but I didn''t.


    That''s why! I keep them froming together and stained X''s n. This way anything bad won''t happen while I''ll be away.


    ''I did everything I could beforehand, there are still a few things left to take care of but I''ll get done with them before the interss training session starts...It''s finallying, isn''t it? The day of my death.''


    ***


    The day of the interss training session finally arrived, the students of all the four sses in the first year were gathered in the academy stadium; that goes without saying but I was among them as a student of ss 1B.


    The group was divided into two parts, one consisting of ss 1D and ss 1C, and the other of ss 1A and ss 1B. The atmosphere was of tension, some students were scared while some were excited.


    As for me? Well, at this moment, I was not feeling anything; indifferent to the rest of the world I was silently waiting for it to happen. And now, only a bit of waiting was left.

 Chapter 108 Training Session [1]

    The academy stadium was filled with students, today was a holiday and the second, third, and fourth-year students had alsoe to watch the practice session.


    At this point, I don''t if calling it a practice session would be right because it was almost like a tournament, with the only difference being that it was not. The academy has probably set it like this to make create a sort of entertainment activity for the senior students.


    There are several reasons I think of for doing this, first was that the senior students didn''t really get time to sit back and rx since their courses were a lot more than ours so maybe the academy wanted to give them a break or something.


    And the other one is from a business point of view, this training session was a good way to collect extra money from the pockets of the students. Except for the first-year students who were taking part in the session, the senior students had to pay the fee toe and y the spectator.


    To me it felt like both the reasons were contradicting each other but let''s not worry about that, it''s not my problem, after all.


    Right now I was sitting in the area meant for ss 1B and was watching at the arena, waiting for the first match to start.


    The stadium we were in was a round building with an open roof. Seats were ced on the sides in a staircase pattern¡ªjust like in a football stadium. After the seats were the floor made out of polished cobblestone and in the center, was a big ring-shaped area, the floor there was not covered with stone, instead, it was just a normal ground of soil and dust.


    The ring-shaped area was the ce where the fights will take ce and currently two students were marching towards it¡ªboth from opposite directions.


    One of those students of a boy from our ss, his name was Roclus. In the ss, he was among the students who were above average in both magic and sword arts, but he did not excel in one thing; sort of like a jack of all trades and master of none.


    But even so, he was good in sword arts than most of the students in our ss; it was because he got beginner-level training beforeing to the academy hence his basics were already clear.


    When we started learning magiken he got used to it pretty quickly. You can he was a good choice to go first in this training session; since you wouldn''t want to reveal your ace in the first turn and sending someone weak will gain you a loss, lowering the morale of the whole ss as a result.


    I mean, yeah this was not really a tournament but everyone had that spirit in them; every ss wanted to defeat the other. At this point, it was not about rewards, it was about pride and self-respect. For them though.


    Roclus had a short sword in his hand, ording to its size I''d say it was between more than a dagger and less than a sword. ying with the sword in his hands, he walked toward the ring-shaped area.


    And the other student who was going against him was a girl from ss 1A, well I didn''t expect her toe this early but it was Anya. With a slim long sword in her hands¡ªwhich was her favorite type by the way¡ªshe also stepped inside the ring.


    Well, I have to confess one thing. I actually knew that Anya will be the first from ss A''s side; the order in which the students of ss A will go was mentioned in loli_pop''s novel, hence I also knew that.


    ''And of course, along with that I also knew who will win the match. It kind of spoiled the whole fun of this but I was not here to enjoy, to begin with, so that was not much of a problem I think. If anything I should be grateful.''<sub> </sub>


    Both Anya and Roclus got into the position as the referee raised his hand and then with his whistle, the match started.


    ***


    At a good distance away from Zero but straight in his line of sight two students kicked the ground at the same time and dashed toward each other¡ªfrom far it looked as if they were flying close to the ground.


    A loud sound¡ªlike two pieces of metal hitting each other¡ªwas heard the next second as the swords of both Roclus and Anya shed. Both of them looked at each other, they were observing every little move their opponent made and carefully nning to counter it.


    Both were applying pressure as much as they could for the moment but their swords were locked in a way that the forces from both sides were canceling each other out.


    Seeing this, the one who leapt backward was Roclus, in admitted that in the heat of the moment he got worked up and acted rashly; in reality, he didn''t n to perform the first attack in this way.


    But now he was calm and could focus clearly, after all, he can''t afford to lose here. He didn''t care much about the ss reputation but if he lost here then his personal ego will be disturbed and his image also. That''s why he was going to give it his all; even though this was just a practice session.


    He adjusted himself into a battle posture and raised his short sword against Anya who had gone into defense and was waiting for him to attack. Roclus calcted his odds and simted the whole battle in his mind before he did anything.


    Then when he was done, "Here Ie," he said and kicked off the ground with a BOOM and went at Anya with utmost speed.


    Anya raised her sword straight above her chest, strengthening her arms and legs as she prepared herself for the uing strike.


    Roclus appeared in front of her and moved his sword down in an instant, Anya defended and opposed his sword with her own, and then pushing him back she leapt to the side, throwing his sword off bnce he gained a distance from him by stepping back.


    For Roclus this fight was tense but Anya was taking it pretty casually, the only reason Roclus wasn''t knocked out as soon as the match started was that she was told by her ss to y along for a while before finishing him off.


    But for Roclus, this was going on for far too long. He should''ve won by now. What was the problem? Yeah sure, his opponent was a ss A student but he was Roclus! It shouldn''t have caused much trouble for him.


    The passing time was irritating him, hence he decided to finish this with the next attack.

 Chapter 109 Training Session [2]

    ''Now, this is too much. I can''t prolong this fight anymore; I should''ve won in the starting few minutes. The water is over the head now! Okay, let''s finish this with the next attack,'' thought Roclus as he grinned internally.


    Anya had backed off before so there was a distance between the two of them, Roclus stood straight facing Anya and held his sword tightly. He supplied his legs with strength and mana as he focused his mind, channeling his magical energy into the sword too.


    "Magiken!!!" Roclus screamed. His sword released so much light that for a second he disappeared within it, then, as the light faded a short sword that was glowing in a sky blue color came into sight. The de was totally dyed in light blue and the metal was not visible.


    This was magiken, the technique this training session was meant for. Normally the students were ought to activate it as soon as the match began but he was Roclus, he was not like normal people who went with the flow.


    Also, there was no need to scream magiken to activate it but he did, maybe this was the result of his youth and the hype to scream the name of the attack before performing it, something boys can rte to.


    Then as he pointed his blue sword at Anya, without wasting any more time she also released her magiken. Her sword emitted a simr light but when the sh vanished, the sword that was in her hand was glowing in golden color.


    "Hehe," the boy giggled upon seeing Anya''s magiken, "Let''s finish this!" he announced.


    Then, with a roar, he sted off from the ground in Anya''s direction; leaving a dust cloud behind. Anya also dashed toward him; she had left the defense and was now going offensive. Maybe the time her ssmates had told her to y around for was over now.


    Both of them wereing at each other at insane speeds, leaving a ring of dust behind in their tracks.


    They were in front of each other in less than a second¡ªreleasing the magiken has also increased their speed along with the attributes of the swords. Roclus swung his de in a lower-left to upper-right motion and Anya moved her sword down in an upper-right to lower-left arc.


    As the shining swords shed with each other, a sound so loud was released that it resounded in the ear of every student present there.


    ***


    Around half an hour before the interss training session started, I and our ss B was formally introduced to ss A. We were told which student will face off against whom; basically, the order in which he had to go to the arena was revealed to us beforehand.


    The ss B students¡ªwhile some of them already knew each other¡ªwere meeting with the ss A students. We were in a hall-type room that was close with not even a window in it.


    There were seats all around but no one was using them, except me, of course. Sitting in a corner of the room, I was observing the events unfold while reading a novel at the same time.


    It was not fantasy fiction or anything, just a non-fiction novel inspired by a true story that happened here. I mean, this world was already based on a fantasy setting so the fiction books in my former world will be non-fiction in here.


    Anyway, the book was just a way to kill time. Shifting my attention from the book I looked at the people present in the room. Students of all four sses were here along with their homeroom teacher.


    Right now, Ryfin¡ªour homeroom teacher¡ªwas having a conversation with the teachers of the other three sses. The homeroom teachers of sses D and A were females while the teachers of sses C and B were males.<sub> </sub>


    I don''t know if this was intentional but the academy was keeping the male-to-female ratio perfect.


    The teachers of sses A and D were a beauty, both of them looked good and the girls in the academy were nowhere near them. The size of their balloons was big enough to grab the attention of a healthy teenage boy.


    Though my eyes were focused somewhere else. Taking with Ryfin was a man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties¡ªaround the same age as Ryfin. He had short brown hair and a bit wide face and wore rectangr-shaped sses.


    He wasughing and having a talk with Ryfin while holding a ss of wine in his hands. His name was Challes Alderman; he was the homeroom teacher of ss C.


    ''Surprisingly, this guy looks exactly like I imagined him while reading loli_pop''s novel.''


    Just as I thought this, a secondter he looked in my direction. Noticing that I was also staring at him he passed me a smile and then returned to talking with Ryfin.


    ***


    "Huff, huff¡­You''re pretty good, ain''t you?" Roclus said, panting as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead.


    After exchanging blows with Anya for a while he came to realize that this battle was not going to be as easy as he expected.


    He was now tired, anyone would be. He had shed swords with magiken activated. That technique provided you with benefits if you''re up against a normal sword user but keeping standing on your ground against someone who is using magiken too¡­that was a hard task.


    When two magiken-enabled swords shes against each other, small amounts of shock waves are released and the pressure which falls upon the body of the wielder increases heavily.


    To fight with someone who is using magiken too, one needs to have a good amount of experience and the knowledge of how much pressure falls upon the body.


    If one has that information and has trained his body ordingly, only then one will be able to fight on equal terms against an opponent with magiken in their arsenal.


    Though the first-year students didn''t have that information, this was even the first time they were facing this bacsh. But that''s what this training session was for; to give them the experience of what it''s like to face magiken with magiken.


    "Sorry, but I''m going to end this now," said Anya as she went in a battle-oriented pose.


    "Heh, you talk as if you can finish this match whenever you want," Roclus replied, raising his sword once again.


    Anya didn''t give him the answer to this; after all, she had already wasted too much time. This had to end quickly.

 Chapter 110 Training Session [3]

    Anya bent forward a little in Roclus''s direction, holding onto her sword with only her right hand she raised it in the air. She then started channeling manna throughout her body and sword; the golden-colored light on her de shone more brightly.


    She was pretty average in handling mana though since she had learned to do so only aftering to the academy; before then all the battles she fought relied on raw strength. Due to this, she took a bit more time than usual to get her body ready.


    It would''ve taken only a few seconds longer than usual but Roclus was already out of patience. With a scream he dashed toward Anya, holding his sword above his right shoulder with both his arms.


    -Boom!


    -nk!


    A secondter Roclus was standing frozen to his feet in the middle of the arena, his hands were in front of him in a pose as if holding a sword, but they were holding nothing but the air.


    His sword was lying on the ground at a distance and behind him stood the figure of Anya.


    "W-Wait! What?" Roclus murmured; he wasn''t able toprehend what the heck just happened.


    A moment ago the sword was in his hands and he was charging at Anya, but in that split second when he blinked, he heard a loud sound¡ªlike a small explosion, then felt something heavy shing against his sword.


    The next thing he knew was that his hands were empty; the sword was released from his grip and flew backward and dropped to the ground.


    He turned back and there he saw Anya who had disabled her magiken and was now putting her sword back in its sheath. Along with Roclus, the spectators were also in awe with the sudden change of eyes.


    Only those with high status were able to actually see what happened. Those who didn''t, just saw Anya disappearing from her location for a while and then reappearing behind Roclus.


    Anya''s sword fighting style was based on speed and mostly all of her attacks were fast-paced. After learning the basics of sword arts from Ron she started developing her own set of moves.


    The one she performed right now was one of them. This was a move she''d recently created and to practice this here in the arena, she channeled all her mana throughout her body and used her agility status to its max.


    The magiken had already enhanced her speed to an extent and whenbined with this technique, it made Anya able to perform a high-speed attack that won''t be visible to people who had equal or low status to her.


    Roclus''s rank was E; the same as Anya''s. Hence he was only able to see a blurred image of hers and nothing more.


    ***


    Anya''s attack was amazing. It was a high-speed single-strike attack; perfectly her type. Fortunately, I was able to see her moving since my rank was higher than her but some people weren''t¡ªit was clear from their awe-based reactions.


    With this, the referee soon announced Anya''s victory. As for how this was decided? Well, hurting or killing each other was, of course, wasn''t allowed here in this training session.


    So to determine how the students will win, the academy had set a unique set of rules. If one student managed to release the sword of the other student from their grip, then as soon as the sword will hit the ground, the student whose sword it was will lose.


    The match went as it was written in loli_pop''s novel, but I''d have to say that it wasn''t the same. The overall oue¡ªAnya''s win¡ªwas the same but things that happened in between were different.


    Like how Roclus moved and this attack that Anya performed was new, and surprisingly, Roclus wasn''t just a plot device; a student who appeared out of nowhere and fought Anya in an emotionless fight.


    I was watching him closely and his expressions were changing as the fight went on. He also had a personality and existed even before this fight¡ªI had seen him multiple times in ss.<sub> </sub>


    This gave me a breath of relief. I was not inside a fucking novel, after all.


    This match had ended. Anya went back and Roclus too¡ªafter crying about he can''t lose and she cheated and all.


    There will be a few minutes break before the next match, hence I got up from my seat and went to buy something to eat. There were shops outside the stadium so maybe I''ll get to get a thing or two.


    ***


    While Zero left his seat and went outside to buy some snacks, Anya was returning back to the room where the weapons were provided to return the sword she got for this match.


    She went inside the room where a lot of swords were hung on the walls¡ªall of the different sorts. She returned her sword to a staff member who was present there and then left the room.


    After that, she was walking through a corridor that led to the ce where the rest of the ss B students were¡ªthe ce from where they were watching the fights.


    Though on her way, she stopped and stood in a corner. Then she uttered something which sounded like the word "Status".


    The next moment a holographic blue screen appeared in front of her that disyed a number of different values.


    She stared at the screen as she read through the words written on it.


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Anya nks


    Rank: E


    Mana: E


    Agility: D


    Stamina: E


    Skills: None


    ==============


    Her status has gone up and she had leveled up. Before her rank was E along with her other attributes as agility and stamina, and her mana attributes were G.


    But now her agility had leveled up to D.


    She got the notification of this right after she performed that high-speed attack against Roclus but that time she ignored it and was checking it now just to confirm. When she was done, she closed the holographic screen and went on in the corridor.

 Chapter 111 Training Session [4]

    I came back to my seat just before the next match started, but I was not alone; I had toasted corn in my hands. I sat on the seat and took a bite; I looked around and saw Anya who was seated a few seats away from me.


    Coincidently, she was also looking my way. Our eyes met and I gave her a thumbs up, and I meant it, she''d performed well in the match. She replied with a smile and then turned away.


    I then focused my attention on the arena. By the time I arrived, the two students who were going to fight had alreadye to the grounds.


    One was a girl from our ss; her name was Nsiria I think. I didn''t really know her well, but since she was a student in my ss; I knew her basic information and things that were easily avable.


    The other one was someone I know though, vaguely but I know them. She was Seiren from ss A¡ªthe one who tried to harass Ellyn and the one I used to execute my n.


    ''Now, now, this is getting pretty interesting,'' I thought, taking another bite of the corn.


    This battle was not in the novel¡ªI mean, yeah, loli_pop only showed the matches of the main characters. I won''t me him for this since I would''ve done the same.


    Who shows the match of a side character? I don''t.


    Anyway, since this was not in the novel I didn''t know what the oue of this match was going to be. Finally, I could enjoy this training session for a while without getting spoiled.


    I excitedly chewed the corn as I stared at the two students who were getting ready to fight.


    ***


    Zero might be enjoying this but for Seiren, this match, no, this whole training session was a pain in the ass. That''s because she was just average when ites to sword arts and stuff¡ªmaybe below average.


    Yes, she was branded as one of the aggressive girls out of three in the whole of the first-year students but bullying someone was different than fighting in a match.


    While bullying, you are the one in control. You don''t have to follow some shitty rules or go by limitations set in order to control the violence. Whenever the group of Seiren, da, and Wrena bullied a girl; they always cornered her and it was a one vs three.


    They had all the freedom in the world they won''t and no one was there to stop them even if they made a girl bleed. Yeah, they could be punished if the victim reported this to the academy but if they did that, then more bullying was in stuck for them.


    But here, in the training session, she had to follow the fucking rules set by the academy. She can''t beat her opponent to death and she was also alone. This was a one-on-one fight; a thing she had not experienced in a long time.


    "Sigh, what a pain!" she mumbled as a tired-looking expression formed on her face.


    She didn''t want to fight if she was allowed to, but the time was not in her favor. The referee soon blew air through his whistle, thus announcing the start of this match.


    Her opponent, Nsiria, dashed toward her as soon as the match started. She activated her magiken in the start too, her sword shone in a bright lemon yellow color as she swung her sword down to hit Seiren.<sub> </sub>


    Seiren, in response, simply raised her sword up and went for the defense. Nsiria''s sword shed with hers and to her surprise, she was pushed back and forced to take a few steps back.


    A forced vibration ran down the bones of Seiren''s arms and followed to her spine. Nsiria had struck with all the force she could, while Seiren had lightly raised her sword in defense.


    This caused her whole body to ring with the vibration that was created when the two swords shed.


    Her eyes widened from the shock and she quickly applied some strength in her arms and threw Nsiria back and she herself leapt to the side to gain some time.


    She was taken by surprise; this was not what she expected. Right now, she was breathing heavily and all her senses which were dull a moment ago were now all sharp. The world looked a lot clearer to her now.


    She had to take this seriously now, after all, she can''t allow some girl she doesn''t even know the name of, to defeat her like this. It''ll be a big setback to her pride.


    Hence, she channeled her mana into her sword as she activated her magiken. Her sword shone and emitted a sh, the de was soon dyed in a color ofvender. She adjusted her body posture and thenunched herself toward Nsiria, raising her sword high she swung it down in an instant as soon as she reached close to Nsiria.


    This was a good move, she was swift and bnced. To her, this was the end of the game but...


    -nk!


    Nsiria attacked in response, swinging her sword upward she blocked Seiren and then threw her off bnce with force. Then she dashed toward her again, this time Seiren was aware of her attack though.


    As both the girls were in close range, they exchanged a number of blows. The sounds of metal shing were heard all over the stadium.


    [10 MINUTES LATER]


    <o>,m "Huff, huff, huff."</o>


    "You''re good."


    "But you aren''t," said Seiren as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.


    After exchanging a couple of blows with Nsiria, she was pretty tired. This was the first time in her life she had fought for this long.


    Nsiria was the same, she was not particrly good in sword arts either and was just managing somehow. The only reason she was in the lead at first was that instead of dosing off in thoughts like Seiren, she was aware of the fight and went for the first surprise attack.


    The girls were almost the same when it came to fighting, that''s why this match had gone on for this long. Their strengths were evenly matched, now the one to win will be the one whose will is stronger than the other.

 Chapter 112 Training Session [5]

    "Huff¡­huff¡­haa, just you wait. I''ll beat the shit out of you!" Seiren blustered at Nsiria as she stared at her with her angry-looking eyes.


    She was tired, indeed, and she didn''t want to fight this match anymore, it was a pain for her. But that doesn''t mean she won''t want to win though, losing was a thing she absolutely hated.


    That''s why even if she had to push herself to the limits she was not willing to let Nsiria win at any cost.


    Nsiria didn''t respond to her threat and only raised her sword in Seiren''s direction; she was also tired and was sweating and breathing heavily. But she doesn''t want to lose either; she had her own reasons to beat Seiren.


    "HAAAAAA!" Seiren shouted as she ran toward Nsiria.


    -nk!


    -nk!


    -nk!


    They both shed their des multiple times and caused the metal scrapping to resound in the arena. Since both of them still had their magiken activated, each time their swords hit against the other''s swords, a small st of air was created at the point of collision.


    Seiren and Nsiria didn''t have their own sword art style¡ªnor were they trying to develop one. That''s why the two girls had simr fighting styles¡ªthe basic ones taught by their respective teachers.


    Having simr fighting styles caused them to start predicting the other''s moves after a certain amount of time. Both of them were able to block the other''s attack but their attacks were also getting blocked.


    There was no progress at all; if this went on like this then the match won''t end until one of the two girls fell from exhaustion.


    "Just give it up already, you won''t be winning this," said Seiren.


    "Neither will you," Nsiria replied.


    Seiren passed her an irritated smile and then back off to take a breath; Nsiria didn''t chase after her since she wanted a break too.


    "Huff¡­Huff," Seiren breathed as she nted her sword on the ground and stood on its support; she did not take her eyes off of Nsiria though.


    Nsiria was the same; she was trying to control her breathing and remain calm but her focus was fully on Seiren. After all, if they let her guard down even for a moment then there is no telling when the other person might attack.


    Nsiria carefully observed Seiren, this person, this girl¡­she had to win against her. It was something she decided as soon as the pair was announced. For some reason she hated her, that''s why ever since the match started she was trying to beat the shit out of her but was failing every single time.


    ''I won''t miss this time¡­'' she swore to herself, the next time she''ll attack, Seiren won''t be going unscathed.


    Her breathing was now under control and she had calmed her pulse too, now that she was ready once again, she focused and essed her mana pool.<sub> </sub>


    She felt up all the mana in her body rising, she visualized every shred of her body filling up with mana. Then she transferred all that energy into her sword; powering the magiken.


    Her sword suddenly shone brighter, the lighting out of the de was now more intense than ever. She also felt that her sword reduced in some weight, it was only a little but she was able to detect it.


    She raised her sword and got into a battle posture, her eyes were narrowed and she was staring at Seiren¡ªwho was also getting ready for the next round.


    "Come on now, let''s get this done with," said Seiren as she pointed at Nsiria with her sword''s tip.


    Nsiria didn''t reply, instead, she kicked off the ground andunched herself at Seiren leaving a dust cloud and a small booming sound behind. She titled her sword to the right and as she reached close to Seiren she moved it back and then pulled it forward with all her might, targeting Seiren.


    -ng!!!!


    Her de shed with Seiren''s, she had held her sword horizontally in front of her head and blocked Nsiria with it. This time Seiren hadn''t moved from her ce at all, rather than that, she had nted her feet on the ground and held the ground.


    She''d built a great defense posture, but¡­this was not enough. She didn''t understand why but for some reason, the force behind Nsiria''s sword was greater than before.


    She was getting pushed back by her; even after her sword was blocked Nsiria was not stopping and was continuously supplying her sword with mana and strength.


    Due to this, Seiren''s feet were sliding back on the ground and she was losing her ground and her posture was getting messed up.


    "Tch, how are you doing this?!" Seiren clicked her tongue as she looked at Nsiria with her frustrated eyes.


    "I just know how to control my mana a little better than you," Nsiria replied, there was a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.


    "Ahhhhh! Enough of this!!!" Seiren shouted angrily.


    She applied all the strength she could gather in her limbs; she tightened the muscles in her arms and legs and began to push Nsiria back. She also tried to send more mana in her sword but it didn''t work; she was not used to doing it often.


    She then thought of taking a step forward and pushing Nsiria back, but just before she was about to actually do it, she stopped. Another move had formed inside her head by then.


    "Whoa!!"


    All of a sudden shepletely stop resisting Nsiria and loosened up her body, then she quickly stepped back and then shifted to the side.


    This caught Nsiria off guard as she was not expecting Seiren to do anything like this. She lost her bnce as she was still pressuring against Seiren and when she backed off like that, there wasn''t a thing to apply pressure on anymore, and that caused her to lean forward.


    A surprised gasp escaped her mouth as she finally fell to the ground¡ªdown-faced.

 Chapter 113 Bully

    There was a feeling of frustration, anger, and resentfulness inside Nsiria when she became aware of the fact that the one she is going to fight in this training session is Seiren of ss A.


    At first, she was not happy about this but then when she thought it over for a while, she realized that it might not be that bad, after all.


    Actually, this was an opportunity for her; to take her revenge. ''Yeah, this is perfect. I will make her pay for all the things she did with the help of this fight. This is a good chance for me, I absolutely can''t let it go waste,'' was her thoughts before she entered the arena.


    <o>,m There was a reason why she hated Seiren so much.</o>


    It happened right after the first semester of this academy started; even a week had not passed when suddenly out of nowhere three girls started following her.


    They followed her everywhere, from the time she left ss to the moment she entered her dorm room at the night. Even if she tried to go straight home after the sses and lock her up inside the room, the girls waited for her outside.


    When she came out; they began following her again. Slowly things started getting worse. The girls were already following her all way but now they started passing badments at her when she was with her friends¡ªand thosements were full of sarcasm.


    They made fun of her no matter if she was with someone or in front of a crowd. Then they started physically abusing her, it was not much at the start¡ªthey were only pushing her, making her trip over their feet, or pulling her clothes.


    But then, as the days passed it increased; they started pulling her hair, pping her in public, spitting on her, and doing things that caused her embarrassment.


    Buckets of water were dumped on her when she went to the bathroom; her uniform got full wet, and then they threw dirt on her. And in that state, they forcefully make her walk into the caf¨¦, ss, and ces where people could see the awful condition she was one.


    The people¡ªmostly girls,ughed at her but no one daredin about the three girls to the academy staff. After all, they didn''t want trouble for themselves.


    The girls were Seiren, da, and Wrena; and by this time they were already famous for their doings.


    Nsiria was the introverted and shy type of girl, she didn''t open up to many people and always stayed lost in her own world. To her it wasn''t much of a problem, in fact, she liked the way she was as she didn''t had to force herself to talk to the girls of high-ss families like the other girls do.


    But it was only until she realized that her personality also had a bad effect. She wasn''t able to speak for herself or resist when Seiren and the others tried to bully her.


    She just endured and endured and endured, and gobbled it all up inside her, trying to escape the reality she tried to pretend as if no one was bullying her though it didn''t work as the bullying only got worse from then.


    When she was too tired of this, she reached out to a friend for help. It was the girl who sat next to her in the ss. But she wasn''t of much help either, after all, even she didn''t want to go against Seiren.<sub> </sub>


    The only advice her friend gave her was to report this to the academy staff and after saying that she turned a cold shoulder to her.


    Nsiria did as she was told andined about Nsiria to her homeroom teacher Ryfin, he told the senior staff and the three girls were then punished.


    They were lectured for hours and were threatened that the academy will expel them if they did something like this ever again, in addition to it, some say that Seiren was also punished.


    Nsiria thought that now she could rx but she didn''t know that she only made her problems worst from worse. Since what happened after that, in front of it, the bullying she faced till now was just a grain of salt.


    Seiren, da, and Wrena were waiting for her after the sses ended. Then they forcefully dragged her into a corner, away from the main building. She cried and pleaded for help from the students who passes by but everyone ignored her as if she wasn''t there.


    Maybe she would''ve gotten help if a senior student saw her but to her bad luck, she didn''t meet any on the way.


    She was dragged to the rooftop, and then they closed the door and threw her to the ground. There she saw that it was not only the three girls waiting for her on the rooftop but a group of boys too.


    First, she got beaten the shit out by Seiren, then by Wrena, andstly by da.


    But it was only the beginning. The group of boys¡ªaround 5 of them, of who were Seiren''s ssmates, then started punching and kicking her until she bleed.


    Blood dripped from her nose and mouth; her face was a total mess. But the worst came after that. Seirenmanded the boys of something and then, Nsiria wasn''t able toprehend what happened to her next.


    The boys surrounded her and started taking her zer and shirt off forcefully, she tried to escape but the door was locked. She tore her clothes until she was only in her bra and shirt.


    They then licked her and felt up her breasts and her body. She cried but crying was the only thing she could do, and no one there responded to it. Seiren and the other two girls were watching with smiles on their faces while the boys were enjoying the moment.


    She was forced tofort the boys by giving them blowjobs and handjobs¡­this hell went on for about half an hour until all the boys ejacted all over her face and body and she was drenched in semen.


    Thest thing Seiren said to Nsiria before leaving her half dead on the rooftop was, "It will be even worse if you everined to the teachers, you know what I mean, right?"

 Chapter 114 Not Yet! [1]

    After that incident Nsiria stayed on the rooftop¡ªstunned from shock¡ªuntil it was dark outside. She waited for the night to fall so she can go back to her room, after all, there was no way she could go in the daytime¡ªshe was bathed in semen and her clothes were torn off.


    The time for students to stay outside was already over, it was past 9:30 pm, hence she will have to pay a penalty of 10,000 C if she was caught by a staff member butpared to what had just happened to her, it was a minor concern.


    When the stars were visible in the sky, she stood up, wore whatever was left of her zer and shirt, and then headed down the stairs. She avoided meeting any person on her way and since all the students were already in their dorm rooms, it was a little easy for her to do that.


    Though, to her bad luck even if the students were not around someone from the academy was. As she walked through a hallway that led to the area toward the dorm buildings, she encountered a man.


    It was Ryfin; he immediately came to her and asked what happened. Honestly, she wanted to run away and not face him but right now her legs didn''t have the strength to do so.


    She replied with silence, seeing this Ryfin kinda understood what happened.


    "Who did this to you? Was it those girls again?" he asked, while doing so he didn''t forget to keep his distance and not touch her¡ªeven if it was tofort her¡ªsince she might get scared.


    He remained as calm and polite as possible, but Nsiria didn''t give him an answer.


    "I won''t be able to help you until you tell me," he said again.


    In her mind, she really wanted to spill everything out; she wanted Ryfin to help her. But just as she was about to open her mouth a voice resounded in her head, "It will be even worse if you everined to the teachers, you know what I mean, right?"


    It caused her to remember everything that happened once again; she went stiff and started shaking. In her warning, Seiren never made it clear what exactly will happen to Nsiria if sheined to the teachers again but¡­she wasn''t interested in finding that out.


    "Tell me," he repeated.


    "I-It''s nothing...n-no one did this to me," she said only that in a trembling voice, and then, without listening to anything he had to say and left.


    It was the worst day of her life. Even in the days that came after that, Seiren kept bullying her, but soon she got a new prey and then Nsiria was left in pieces. But the trauma of that day never left her; she relieved that half an hour almost every day in her nightmare.


    But the thing that irritated her the most was that she didn''t even know the reason why she was getting bullied. She thought that she must''ve done something that Seiren didn''t like and decided to get back to her, she thought of everything she could, trying to find out where she might''ve done wrong.


    Though she wasn''t able to, something she did that angered Seiren, she was not able to remember anything of sorts.<sub> </sub>


    That''s why one day she finally decided to ask Seiren directly. It was hard for her to face her but she somehow pushed herself to ask the question, and when she did, the answer she received was:


    "Hmmm, there wasn''t much of a reason. You just¡­ahhhhh! How to say? You just seemed like the right person for the job. But if I really had to pick up a reason then I''d say I didn''t like the air around you. Anyway, now I''m not interested in you anymore so you can rest assured."


    That was it; there wasn''t a reason, to begin with. She was just picked randomly by Seiren, she was just a toy was her; a use-and-throw one.


    Nsiria kept standing in her ce even after Seiren left, she was looking down at the floor and the expression on her face¡­wasn''t of fear or anxiety.


    ''What the hell is this?! She didn''t like the air around me? Are you fucking kidding me?!!''


    The expression she carried was of anger. Until she had that all the things she was facing is because she did something, because she somehow got on Seiren''s nerve, that''s why she is getting punished.


    That''s why whenever they bullied her she just gave herself an excuse that ''It is happening because of me; I am the one at fault here.''


    But when she learned that it was not her fault, or rather anyone''s fault; all of it was just a game for the likes of Seiren. The fear she felt toward Seiren turned into anger.


    From then she searched for an opportunity to get back at Seiren and teach her a lesson once and for all. She tried all sorts of methods of methods she could think of, she even tried to ally with the other girls Seiren bullied and then outnumber her.


    She was only disappointed in the end though, the other girls weren''t like her. There were not able to convert their fear into anger and urge for revenge; just as how she did. They were all so terrified of Seiren; like she was some kind of monster.


    Nsiria was about to give up when she finally got a chance, it was when Seiren was announced as her opponent in the interss training session.


    The opportunity she was searching for was finally in front of her, she can now literally and legally beat the shit out of her. Nsiria had done her side of research on Seiren all while she was nning to take her revenge.


    She knew very well how much Seiren hated losing and how much she loved her reputation. Knowing that she swore to make her lose and crush her reputation.


    Sadly, it didn''t go as nned. She was confident in her skills before but when the time called for it, she wasn''t able to overpower her.


    Here she was, lying on the ground and regretting how she missed the golden opportunity she''d been searching for.

 Chapter 115 Not Yet! [2]

    Lying on the ground down-faced, Nsiria was regretting how she missed a golden opportunity¡ªone that will never shine on her again, all while she kept cursing herself for messing this up.


    Her heart was paining so much that she would''ve cried if she wasn''t in public. Something was strange though, a few minutes had passed since she fell but the referee hasn''t announced the end of the match.


    Sensing this she turned her head and looked at the referee with confusion, when she did, she saw that the referee was staring back at her with the same confusion.


    "Isn''t it over?" she asked.


    "Ah, so that''s why you were still there," the referee mumbled to himself. "No, the match isn''t over," he then said to Nsiria.


    "Why?"


    "Look there, your sword is still not touching the ground, so no," said the referee as he pointed toward Nsiria''s hand.


    She was holding her sword with her right hand, technically her hand was on the ground but she still hasn''t loosened the grip on the sword so the de wasn''t touching the ground but was suspended in mid-air.


    This exined why the match was not over. ording to the rules, a student won''t lose until their sword touches the ground, and the sword was precisely mentioned there. It didn''t matter if the student hit the ground or not; the sword was what was important.


    "Then¡­the match is still ongoing?" she tried to confirm once again.


    The referee nodded, and as he did, Nsiria felt a wave of relief washing over her heart and erasing all of her regrets and anxiety. She hasn''t lost, there was still time left for her to take her revenge.


    The light of the opportunity was still shining over her, she still had a chance. There was hope left.


    She closed her eyes, let out a breath, and then opening her eyes again she rolled to the side.


    She raised her legs up in the air and then with a forward jump she stood back to her feet.


    Clenching onto the hilt of her sword tightly she pointed it toward Seiren. Seiren was also in the delusion that the match had ended that''s why she never attacked Nsiria when she was on the ground;pletely off guard.


    But now that Nsiria has risen to her feet, she was also cautious and was focusing on her.


    "This time I will end it for you!" said Nsiria.


    Right after that, she dashed toward Seiren at an insanely fast speed¡ªshe went as fast she could, to the point that her legs were starting to hurt. Seiren also came at her in response; she was no longer on the defensive.


    "Haaaaaaa!!!!!!" Seiren shouted.


    "You are gonna regret what you did to me! I''ll make you regret it!!!" Nsiria screamed, her face red with anger and her eyes narrowed.


    Both of them came close in an instant, their swords shed and a loud exploding sound was heard. The dust around them flew in the air, and a crater formed on the ground below their sword due to the sheer pressure.


    They pulled back their swords only to sh them again at a different angle, they did it again and again and again. During the time Nsiria was on the ground¡ªthinking the match it over, both of them had enough time to regain their stamina and recharge themselves.<sub> </sub>


    They were putting all the strength they could gather into their swords, sparks were getting released in the air each time the swords shed. The scraping and metallic sounds were increasing with every hit.


    Though, it wasn''t enough.


    ''Not yet!'' Nsiria said inwardly.


    ''Only this much is no good! I have to faster!''


    She increased the mana flow toward her sword and poured more mana into it, the sword glowed more in response. But it was still not enough; she kept on pouring her mana into the sword.


    After a certain point; she just didn''t care that she can die if shepletely runs out of mana. Her speed was increasing and her sword carried for force, but the pressure on her body was also increasing.


    She felt like her arms and legs can st off any moment now, her muscle fibbers were stretching to their very limits, her heart was beating rapidly and her blood pressure had increased.


    In no time, she started overpowering Seiren and pushing her back. Her technique was still the same and Seiren was able to sessfully predict and block her attacks. But each time she did, she was forced to take a step back.


    She was gritting her teeth; Nsiria was getting out of hand now. She also felt that she was in danger. It was only because their ranks were the same that she was able to see Nsiria even after her speed has increased; if not then the match would be long over by now.


    "You! You are not going to win this!" said Nsiria while she kept moving her hands and attacking with her sword.


    "And why are¡­you so confident about that," asked Seiren as she caught her breath.


    "Because this is my revenge! You bullied me for days, it was worse. That time I didn''t do anything because I thought I was the one at fault!" with each word her sword shed with Seiren''s, and each hit was harder than before.


    "But you¡­you said that it was for nothing! You bullied me just because you didn''t like the air around me? What the hell is that bullshit?!" she was speaking loudly.


    They were exchanging blows but her emotions were so high that tears came out of her eyes as she remembered what happened to her that day.


    "But this time! It will be you who''ll regret it! I''ll crush the reputation you''re so fond of!!"


    Her emotions were reaching their peaks, she was now starting to attack rashly.


    "I''ll make you pay¡ª"


    "You shouldn''t let your guard down like that."


    Before she could finish her sentence, something hard hit Nsiria''s head. Later she realized that something didn''t hit her head, rather her head hit the ground.


    This time, she was able to see her sword lying on the ground in front of her face.

 Chapter 116 Acceptance

    With a <strong>THUG</strong> sound, Nsiria''s head crashed onto the ground, her eyes suddenly shut and opened again from the shock. And when she did open her eyes again she saw that she waspletely lying on the ground.


    She could see her right hand in front of her face but it was not holding anything in it, her palm was open and was touching the ground. There at a distance from her handy the sword she''d been fighting with.


    Not wasting any more time she quickly rose to her feet and was just about to pick up her sword and fight again when the referee announced the end of the match.


    She didn''t realize what happened until she calmed down and reflected back on her actions. When she was consumed by the emotions of rage and revenge, she started moving unprofessionally; not following the basics of sword arts her attacks were now random and rash.


    At that moment she was no more thinking with her brain but with her heart; that often leads to the downfall of people. The same happened with her. Seiren took full advantage of the opening Nsiria had created for her.


    She took a few steps back and then while Nsiria was busy cursing her, rather than using her sword Seiren used her legs andnded a powerful kick on Nsiria''s feet; making her lose bnce and trip over to the ground.


    Usually, this type of behavior was marked as "ying dirty" but Seiren didn''t have a care in the world for that. She just wanted to win, that''s all. She was already branded as the one who ys dirty by ganging up on girls while bullying them; due to that, she took it as more of praise than an insult.


    Nsiria unexpectedly fell and the sword slipped from her hand, touching the ground in the process hence announcing the end of the match.


    The fight was over; Seiren had won.


    "I¡­" no words wereing out of Nsiria''s mouth as she stared not at Seiren but at the ground. She wanted to say a lot of things, she wanted to scream and cry andin¡­but she couldn''t.


    After all, she had lost the opportunity to get back at Seiren a second time; and now there won''t be any "next time". So she can''t even say that "I''ll win for sure the next time."


    "You," said Seiren as she walked close to Nsiria. "You were saying something about bullying, right?" she asked.


    "Ah¡­so you do remember me. I guess you aren''t as much of a bitch as I thought you would be," Nsiria replied, looking at Seiren with her narrowed eyes which were burning with anger but at the same time were dyed with regret.


    "No I don''t; I''d many preys sinceing to this academy. You can''t expect me to remember the face and name of every single one, you must be one of them but it doesn''t matter to me. From the looks of you, it seems like I yed with you to my heart''s content, so there''s only one thing I''d like to say to you."


    Seiren leaned forward toward Nsiria, "Thank you for being a good toy and entertaining me," she said with a smirk.


    "I see. You''re more of a bitch than I thought you are," Nsiria cursed without hesitating. Then she turned around and begins to leave.


    "Watch your words there; you see it is not impossible for me to y with the same toy twice," Seiren said to her from behind.


    As she walked away, Nsiria raised her right hand in the air and showed Seiren a middle finger, and didn''t say anything.<sub> </sub>


    Seiren also just watched her leave and then left the arena afterward. It won''t be long before she forgets about her.


    With that, the second match of the interss training session ended.


    ***


    ''Man! That sure was something!'' I eximed internally as I finished my corn and put it to the side.


    The match had just ended and damn it was amazing. This time I really get to enjoy it since I wasn''t spoiled on what will happen¡ªunlike the first match.


    But well, I was the only one in the whole of ss 1B who was happy about this. The other students didn''t have such good expressions on their faces and were concerned.


    It was reasonable though. We just lost another match and now the score was ss A with 2 wins and our ss B with 0. If it went on like this then all the ambitions the students had of defeating ss A will be turned to dust.


    Andter on, that was exactly what happened. The next match was Ellyn vs Sheyric¡ªa boy from our ss. The results were the same; with Ellyn''s win ss A gained another win.


    It only got worse from then, five more matches were held in which ss B only won 2 of them.


    Now the score was, ss A with 6 wins and ss B with 2 wins. By this time the spirits of almost all the students were low¡ªmany had even epted our defeat when still 42 matches were left.


    The students who were filled with energy and the girls who were cheerleading for the ss B students who went for the fight, now all of them had gone dull with darkened expressions on their faces.


    There was a hugeck of motivation here; it can even cause the downfall of our ss if the motivation wasn''t lifted anytime soon.


    ''I don''t think it''ll be happening anytime soon,'' I thought as I looked at the next person who had entered into the arena just now.


    It was a boy from ss A''s side; he was wearing the normal school uniform, his hair was jet ck and his eyes were red like a ruby, his face was pale while and he could be described as disturbingly handsome.


    He was Leon; the protagonist of loli_pop''s novel. Against him was going Canon; a boy from our ss and apparently, he was the best in sword arts in our ss.


    We were lucky to have someone like him against Leon; this¡ªeven a little, increased the morale of our ss and the students were now looking at the arena with new hope in their eyes.


    Of course, if we won against Leon then our ss''s reputation will skyrocket.

 Chapter 117 F**King Cringe!

    ''Sigh! I don''t have another corn or anything else to eat. I can''t possibly enjoy a fight without something to snack on,'' I expressed my worries internally as I watched Leon with my exasperated eyes.


    ''I fucking need something to eat!!''


    But I can''t go in the middle of the match so I had no choice but to wait. I unwillingly settled on my seat after that.


    ***


    Two students stood on each side of the arena. One was Leon from ss A; the guy rumored as the strongest first-year student of this batch, he was an S ranker, had a magic system, and the protection of "the plot armor".


    On the other side was a boy named Canon; he was also called the strongest but unlike Leon, he was the strongest swordsman in his own ss only.


    The guy had a perfectly built body, his arms were muscr and his six abs were highlighted on his shirt. Due to those muscles, he was able to apply more force in his attacks than the students who were on the skinny side.


    His hair was short and colored in grey and he had a tanned skin tone. In short, he didn''t look like a boy whose age was 15¡ªording to his body, someone would say his age was around 20 to 25.


    He held a rather big and broad sword in his hands; right now he was resting it on his shoulder as he held its hilt with his right hand. Whilepletely opposite to him, Leon was holding onto a slim and long sword that looked fragile.


    (A/N: From here on this fight is written by loli_pop so the decrease in quality is expected. No offense loli_pop ^-^)


    They were looking at each other and both were all smiles. The referee announced the start of the match and the duo shifted into a battle posture.


    Though before attacking Leon passed him a warm smile as he said, "I''m fortunate that I got the opportunity to fight with you. I don''t want to hurt you but it''s what the academy says, so please forgive me if I gave you any severe injuries¡ªthough I''ll try to hold back. Now, I hope we''ll get along."


    His tone was nice and calming, it never sounded like he was saying anything toxic, nope, not at all.


    Canon just nodded to Leon''s long speech and then pointed his sword toward him.


    Leon raised his sword too and began walking toward Canon. He was holding his sword lightly with only his right hand and was swinging it in the air. Canon also moved as he went toward Leon.


    Neither was running but just walking toward each other normally, even so, the pressure in the arena was too much. As they were in close range the first one to rise his sword was Canon.


    He moved his toward upward and then he let his hand loose and stopped applying any force, leaving everything to gravity. But as the sword was about toe down slowly it suddenly lit up and released a bright yellow light, soon his bade was dyed in the same color.


    The de then quickly came down as Conan moved his hand downward with utmost force; it was so quick that most of the people who were watching the match were only able to see a blurred motion.


    A loud crashing sound was heard all across the stadium and a dust cloud formed around the duo when the dust settled though the figure of Leon was revealed.


    He had his sword horizontally in front of his face and was blocking Canon''s huge de with it. The force from Canon''s attack had caused his feet to get drilled deep into the ground but other than that he was perfectly fine.<sub> </sub>


    Out of the blue, the girls in the audience started screaming and cheering for Leon; they were all first-year girls and most of ss A. Leon turned toward them and passed them a smile.


    Then focused on the fight again and looked at Canon and said, "I''ll end this quickly. Again sorry if I end up hurting you."


    A second after that Leon''s sword emitted a blinding red light that swallowed the both of them in it for a second, when the light disappeared Leon''s de came into view. It was red-hot like it''s just been taken out of the oven.


    <strong>-Zap!</strong>


    Leon disappeared from his ce and before Canon could understand anything he appeared behind him, his speed was so fast that no one, literally no one was able to see him moving.


    As soon as Canon sensed Leon''s presence behind him he turned, shing the air with his de from the right to the left.


    <strong>-ng!</strong>


    His de was stopped by Leon''s, this time Canon looked surprised because had applied a good amount of power behind this attack. "You are good," he said roughly.


    The next moment, a sound of metal scraping was heard as Leon moved his swords rightward, and then all of a sudden he applied the force in his attack, Canon''s big de was thrown away in the process. It flew and then crashed to the ground, digging itself in the soil.


    "What?" Canon mumbled in surprise.


    His de was heavier than the normal sword yet Leon threw it away so easily. Now he believed that his title of "the strongest" was not just for show.


    The girls in the audience once again exploded into cheer, Leon turned toward them and waved as he a warm calming smile appeared on his face.


    The referee announced the end of the match, and both of them left the arena.


    ***


    ''Cringe! Fucking cringe! I know this wasing but I never knew it''ll be so bad to see it in real life.''


    This fight has gone exactly as loli_pop had written in his novel; it was so urate that it was disturbing.


    Other than that, the ss''s morale and motivation were down again. The guy who was supposed to be the strongest swordsman in our ss was taken care of with such ease. Thanks to that we lost another match. Now the score was 2-7.


    ''But anyway, I should probably get going since it was my chance now,'' I thought as I got up from my seat.

 Chapter 118 A Weird One

    Leaving the spectator area I walked down the stairs and from there I was apanied by a staff member to a narrow corridor that opened up into the arena.


    The corridor didn''t have any magic lights installed on the walls, only the sunlight entering from the front opening was illuminating the corridor dimly.


    After going on for a while I reached the center of the corridor and there on the side a room was built, entering through the already opened door I saw that this was the room with all the weapons.


    Students were here provided with swords before the match, that was the only reason to exin the crazy numbers of swords mounted on the wall as well as the ones resting on the metal racks and tables.


    There were all sorts of swords, longswords, and shortswords, broad and heavy ones, many who could be identified more as a dagger than a sword, there were swords the size of a human also, and heck I even saw a big chopper leaned to a wall in a corner.


    ''Who the fuck has the muscles to wield swords this big and heavy?'' I asked myself. There was a possibility that third or fourth-year students can use those but even that thought didn''t seem realistic.


    "Pick up any weapon of your choice, and be quick with that," the staff member who was escorting memanded while he stood outside the room near the door.


    Keeping his advice I passed him a look as if saying "Right on to it" and then begin to search for a sword suitable for me.


    I didn''t use short words since they interfered with my movements and sometimes even sent me off bnce, the longswords were preferable but the types I was currently seeing were a bit too long to fit for me, and the heavy ones were totally out of question.


    At a nce I could tell that the swords which were mounted on the walls were definitely not for me hence I shifted my ce of search and started looking at the ones on the racks and tables.


    This room was quite big so I''d to move around a lot andpare a sword with the other; after all, I needed a sword that can withstand high temperatures to an extent.


    As I moved forward in the room I saw that back in the end near the wall was a wooden counter and behind it stood a man who looked like a cksmith.


    At first, I thought to go over to him and tell him what type of sword I wanted¡ª a light one made with sturdy metal and whose de was of normal size.


    But I refrained from doing so when I saw another male student standing before the counter and talking with the cksmith. The first thing I thought after seeing him was that he is probably the guy who I am going to fight with but then as I studied his appearance I realized I was wrong about that.


    He was not my opponent.


    The guy seemed to be my age, had ck hair and eyes, and a fair skin tone. He wasn''t on the muscr side but not on the skinny side either, to be honest; he had apletely normal body¡ªording to this world.


    His looks were different from the guy who was going to fight me¡ªof course, I know this from the novel¡ªand more importantly, the arena had two corridors for students to enter, both on opposite sides.


    ss B students entered from the corridor I was currently in and the ss A students from the one in the opposite direction, and each corridor had its own weaponry room.


    ss C vs ss D was after the training session of our ss was over, probably tomorrow so he can''t be from those sses either.


    I stayed at my ce behind a rack with a sword in my hand as I waited for him to finish so I can go and talk to the cksmith. Though the more I listened to his conversation the more I realized that he was not "talking" with the cksmith but rather arguing with him.


    I moved forward a little and tried to listen more closely as the contents of his argument piped my interest. The boy was holding two longswords with ck colored des in both his hands as he spouted some words to the cksmith.


    "I just can''t understand your reasoning! Why the hell I can''t take two swords with me, huh? There''s no rule that says it''s impossible!" he shouted as he looked at the cksmith as if what he was saying waspletely logical and fair.<sub> </sub>


    "But I can''t let you take two des with you; I am not allowed to do that. Try to understand my situation also!" said the cksmith, expressing his worries.


    "How the hell am I supposed to do that? Fuck it, you are the one who should understand my situation! I mean, there''s no way I can perform ''starburst stream'' with only one sword! It just won''t work," the boy argued angrily.


    "Sigh¡­sorryd but I can''t let you take more than one sword. If you really want to do so, thene back with a letter from the director; I''ll let you take a thousand swords then. But until then," the cksmith waved at the staff member who came with me.


    "Take him out of here," he instructed.


    The staff member then came, held the boy with his cor, and then dragged him out of the room. He was forced to use the violent method since the boy wasn''t about to leave the room at any cost, he was forced to do it the hard way.


    When he was taken care of, I went to the cksmith and told him what kind of sword I want. It took him a while but then the sword he provided me with was just what I wanted.


    It was a sword with a medium-sized de; its weight was not too much either. I wasn''t so sure about the metal but it looked stronger than most of the swords.


    Taking the sword with me I left the room, there I met the staff guy who was waiting for me. Apparently, he had taken care of the "job" very quickly.


    "So, what was that about?" I asked him as we walked through the corridor and headed toward the arena.


    "What?"


    "That boy I mean, what was his deal?"


    "Oh, him? Well, he''s trouble. Wasted a lot of my time," he replied as he shrugged his shoulders.


    "What exactly did he do? And by any chance, is he the one I''m going to fight?"


    "Nah, he is from ss 1A but not the one in this match. Anyway, weren''t you guys told about who you''re going to fight beforehand?"


    "Yes, but only the names though. You can''t expect me to remember the faces of all 50 students in ss A by their names."


    "Hmmm, that''s true I can''t. Not when I sometimes forget the face of my wife."


    "What?! How is that even possible?"


    "I have 3 wives, and my memory is not the best."


    Someone''s enjoying a harem, I see.


    As I chatted with the guy I soon reached the entrance from where the arena started. The first thing that came to my mind was, ''What the fuck was a ss A student doing in the weaponry room for ss B?''


    Zero might not know, but the one with ck eyes hade to the weaponry room meant for ss A specifically because he was able to find only one ck-colored sword in ss A''s weaponry room. He figured the weapons would be the same and he will find a simr sword in the other room, that''s why he took the actions he took.

 Chapter 119 It Was Not Magiken

    As I stepped into the arena sunlight fell directly on my face, I covered my eyes with my hand since I had a stinging feeling. It was because I hade directly under sunlight after being in the dull corridor for quite a while.


    It took a while for me to get adjusted and when it was done I moved into the ring-shaped ground of soil and dust. And so did my opponent¡ªwell, no actually. He was here already and was waiting for me.


    I got a clear look at him as I just knew he was the same man I fought in the novel¡ªor Zero fought to be precise.


    The guy standing in front of me. He had short, light brown colored hair, and a fairly built body. He had an arrogant look on his face and I don''t know why his narrowed eyes were staring at me.


    He was Enen Alderman, the guy I fought in loli_pop''s novel.


    "Hey, I hope we''ll get along," I said. This sounded so out of context I know but I just repeating the dialogues written in the novel. After all, here I don''t want anything to stray from the original path.


    "Get along?" he repeated. "You should just quit this match on your own if you don''t want to get beaten to a pulp. Youe nowhere near me, you can''t beat me even if you try!" he dered.


    "Ah, thanks for your kindness but I''d like to fight till the end," I replied in the most clich¨¦d way possible.


    "Ha! Don''t say I didn''t warn you then," he said as he lifted his long sword toward me.


    For some reason, pointing at your opponent with your sword was a custom to tell that you''re ready to fight them.


    "You two ready?" the referee asked. Both of us replied with a nod and then he blew air through his whistle, thus announcing the start of the match.


    I clenched the hilt of my sword tightly as I was about to move forward but just then I saw Enening at me almost instantly after the match begin.


    He was before me in less than a second, raising his sword he swung it down at me, he was not even trying to go for my sword but my chest.


    Instantly I took a step back as I intercepted his sword with my own, a burst of sparks was released into the air when the two des collided.


    ''Damn it. This is harder than I thought,'' I said inwardly.


    Enen''s strength and speed were great but well, that was only to be expected. He had the same rank as me¡ªrank B¡ªafter all.


    Our strength was the same¡ªno, there was a possibility that I was weaker. I mean, only my rank was B, the other attributes were C while his status te was fully dyed with B all over.


    For now though, I was able to hold him off somehow. However, I don''t know how long I''ll be able to do that.


    The pressure on my hands was increasing as I felt Enen''s sword weighing over me. This time maybe I will have to fight seriously; yeah, until now I never did that.


    Focusing my strength I pushed his sword back and then quickly leapt to the side. Right after I was on his side I threw a sh at him targeted on his shoulder.


    To not my surprise, he turned and hit my sword with his own. ''Fuck!'' His blow was so powerful that it shot my hand back; the sword almost slipped from my hand.


    I moved back and stabilized myself; concentrating my mana all over my body I tried to increase my strength as much as possible. Since I wasn''t able to use magiken doing this was my only option.<sub> </sub>


    With a <strong>BOOM</strong> Iunched myself toward Enen, craters formed where my feet once were as I took off. I rushed at an insane speed and in no time I was face to face with him.


    Not wasting a single second I put all my power in the sword and swinged it at Enen. The blow was powerful as I was putting all my power into this; the sword moved quickly and was about to hit Enen when¡ª


    <strong>-CLANK!</strong>


    Enen defended with his sword¡ªhe was able to see me at that high speed after all. A great number of sparks flew all over my face and a shock wave that grumbled the whole ground was released.


    "Magiken!!!" he screamed. His sword shone and then his de turned green.


    His power increased all of a sudden, he moved his hands, and instantly after that, I was sent flying backward. Landing at a distance from him I rolled over the ground before I finally stopped myself.


    ''Dang! I knew this attack wasing; even so, this was way too much. Loli_pop should''ve exined more details in the novel,'' as made excuses for my own carelessness, I stood up and dusted the dirt out of my clothes.


    This was my first time, fighting someone with the same rank as me plus someone with magiken. This much was to be expected, but it ends here.


    "Phew!" I let out a breath and rxed myself, closing my eyes shut only to open them again.


    I focused and channeled my mana, to my hands and then into my sword. The sword started lighting up, at first it was red and then quickly it turned white.


    Sweat appeared all over my face but ignoring that I shouted, "Magiken!!!"


    Wrong, this was not magiken at all. I was just using elemental magic to heat up the sword like I practiced before.


    <strong>-BOOM!</strong>


    I again dashed toward Enen; this time I was even faster. So fast that the world around me blurred and I had tunnel vision. Reaching close to Enen I swung my sword in a left-to-right motion.


    "Won''t work! It doesn''t matter if you''re using magiken this time, like before you can''t fend me off!" he said rapidly, but I didn''t have to fend him off.


    He bought his de in my sword''s way to block it but-


    A sizzling sound was released as my sword shed with his and instead of stopping the 1500-degree Celcius hot de buried itself inside Enen''s sword and slid through it, cutting the de in half.


    The upper half of Enen''s de got separated from the lower half and fell to the ground. Both Enen and the referee looked surprised but however it happened, it was true that Enen''s de was now on the ground¡ªeven if half of it.


    I looked at the referee, he looked confused at first but then regaining hisposure he announced the end of the match...I won.


    As soon as those words left the referee''s mouth I threw my de to the ground myself, halfway before it fell the de melted into a liquid state and sshed all over the ground.

 Chapter 120 Disappearance [1]

    Along with the referee and Enen, the students sitting in the audience were also in awe. And it was understandable. After all, Zero had just literally cut through Enen''s sword and divided the de in half.


    No one had seen a move like that before and truly it was amusing enough to revive the hope in ss 1B that had once been lost. The score between ss B and ss A was ss A with 7 wins and ss B with 3.


    ss B hadn''t entirely lost the chance to outshine ss A here; there were still some aces hiding in the cover no one knew about. Just like Zero, until now no one knew who he was or that he even existed. The students who did were probably his seatmates or had seen him in the ss once or twice.


    But now, as well as ss B the rest of the students who were watching the match¡ªwhether it be first years, second years, or other senior students¡ªhad registered an image of him in their minds.


    Though the senior students were to forget him soon enough, he had gotten the attention of the first-year students¡ªespecially ss A whose student he beat.


    Now, why did Zero¡ªwho wanted to stay in the shadows¡ªdid something like this which was bound to attract attention to him? There was a specific reason for that.


    Here in this match, he wanted everything to go the same as it went in loli_pop''s novel. And in the novel, he won against Enen, but that was because the Zero in the novel¡ªAnya''s actual brother, was able to use magiken like the other students. Plus, he won because there it was convenient for the plot.


    However, here in the real world, our Zero isn''t able to wield magiken¡ªan important thing to beat Enen. He would''ve won without that if he tried but then the method of his victory was sure to stray from the original plot.


    It might''ve caused something to changeter on which he wanted to avoid at all cost. After all, if the plot changed then the method of his death could also change, and if it happened in a way he didn''t expect then his death was set in stone.


    That''s why he experimented and after many tries, finally found a way to rece magiken without actually recing it.


    He used elemental magic and heated his sword until it turned white hot, at the same time using ice element to prevent it from melting instantly and to not himself get burned by the heat it''ll emit.


    Doing this gave him a sword that looked like magiken¡ªsince the de was glowing white¡ªbut it was not magiken. Because it looked like magiken and Zero also screamed "magiken" before attacking, Enen and everyone else thought he was really using it thus getting the same oue as the novel.


    Screaming "magiken" also helped him to get Enen off guard as he prepared to defend against a magiken-driven strike, he never thought it would be a burning hot sword that''ll slice through his de.


    Via this method Zero won the match while winning it in the same way as the original Zero did in the novel. Now there was little to no chance of the plot changing.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    The match was over and now I was heading back. Fortunately, Enen reacted exactly the same way as he did in the novel after losing. I doubted that cutting his de might change something but it didn''t happen.


    Since I didn''t have a sword to submit back to the weaponry room¡ªsince I melted it, I was going back empty-handed.


    Entering the corridor I saw that the staff member from before wasn''t there, probably he''d gone to escort another student to the weaponry room. I was alone but that was fine.


    As I walked forward in the dull corridor and pulled out a test tube from my pocket, opening its cap I emptied the yellow-colored substance inside the tube into my mouth and then threw the ss tube to the ground.


    As I took a few steps forward I made sure to burn the tube with elemental face¡ªfire and leave nothing behind.


    I was moving forward in the empty corridor and only the sound of my footsteps was audible. Soon I passed the weaponry room, I didn''t look inside but the room was quiet so I figured that the staff guy hadn''t arrived yet.


    Though after a few minutes I sensed a presence out of nowhere, the next moment someone grabbed me from behind. Holding both my arms they folded them behind my back and then forced me down to the floor.


    The force that person was applying was too much, it felt as if a person with a fairly built body was holding me down.


    Right now I was lying on the ground face-down and that person was sitting on top of my back while folding my hands and holding them with my own. And then-


    ''Does it hurt? I¡­guess it does. Yes, it does for sure. This is my first time, isn''t it? Experiencing something like this¡­though it is not what I imagined it would be¡­it is like a tingling feeling. No wait, now I''m starting to feel hot, it''s hot, I''m not kidding. This is really, really hot. Ah fuck, the heat is increasing! This is nothing I''ve felt before, the heat is too hot even hotter than the time when I identally burned myself. Something ising out, is that my blood? I guess it is¡­''


    There was this unimaginable pain I was currently feeling, well, it was only to be expected. The person who was holding me down had stabbed me in the back.


    From what I could tell the wound was not too deep but enough to make my blood spill out, though a fair amount of time had passed. Before something else could happen I gulped down the liquid I was keeping in my mouth for all this time¡ªwhich I drank from the test tube.


    I closed my eyes and let loose my body, rxed my muscles, and started breathing slowly. When the person examined my body and was sure that I was not going to move, he released me from his grip and stood up.


    After that, I felt as if that person was picking me up and then carrying me over his shoulder as he walked.

 Chapter 121 Disappearance [2]

    Zero''s match had ended a long time ago but he was still not back in his seat. Anya had noticed this so she was a little worried but since she knew what he was capable of, she didn''t worry too much.


    But the time passed, and two more matches happened but there was no sign of Zero. Finally, her patience gave up; she left her seat and went to search for him. She first looked into the area around the stadium and then went toward where the food stalls were; since she knew he liked food.


    Though he was nowhere to be found¡­She went to the main academy building, the dorm buildings and checked his room, andstly to the caf¨¦ too but only found disappointment.


    Tension was getting the best of her now. Her heart was beating fast as she searched in every ce she knew but wasn''t able to find Zero. Worried and panicking, she came back to the stadium.


    Her mind was filled was bad things now and one of them was, ''What if that letter wasn''t a prank, after all.''


    Zero had told her that the letter was a prank and she shouldn''t care about it too much, that''s why she begin to slowly distance herself from Leon. She hadn''t taken a big step yet¡ªthere were still on talking terms and can be identified as friends, but what if the one who sent that letter saw Anya''s real intentions?


    They realized that she wasn''t going to obey them that''s why they did what they did.


    [I am keeping an eye on you and if you ignored my instructions then it won''t be good for your brother. He will die] was thest line of the letter and the line that shed in Anya''s mind.


    ''D-Did¡­something happened to him because of me?'' she thought. If yes then she was about to die with guilt.


    She wasn''t in the favour of ignoring the letter in the first ce but Zero forced her to, she doesn''t know how but he somehow convinced her. That time it didn''t it seem usible to her but now she was heavily regretting her decision.


    There was only one hope left for her; Zero''s homeroom teacher Ryfin. Maybe he would''ve seen him or known where he is.


    She desperately searched for him, the teachers were watching the match from a different room so it took her time to find it¡ªshe went on asking where he is with the staff member and other students.


    Then she finally found him. He was not in the teachers'' room but wasing back with a ss of red wine in his hand. Anya hurriedly walked over to him and exined the situation.


    He first listened calmly and then said, "So you say he''s missing, huh? I see I see. How much time has passed since then?"


    "I don''t know precisely but I think about an hour," Anya replied.


    "An hour¡­did he say anything to you? Like, he will be going somewhere or anything like that?"


    "No, he didn''t! And I searched for him in the whole academy but he was nowhere to be found."


    "Is that so¡­tell me one thing though, why are you so worried about him? Are you his girlfriend by any chance?" Ryfin asked as he sipped his wine. For a teacher whose student went missing, he was way too calm.<sub> </sub>


    "W-What?! No! I''m¡­I mean he is my brother!" said Anya, flustered from Ryfin''s nonsensical question.


    "Ah, sorry about that then, I didn''t know you two are siblings," this was a lie. Ryfin knew from the start that the two students were brothers and sisters. After all, he had done a good amount of research on Zero.


    At this point, Anya was looking down at the ground. Her face was darkened and her eyes looked like she was just about to cry. Seeing this Ryfin tried to console her.


    "Hey you, don''t worry about it too much. Go back to where your ss is right now. Now that you''ve told me about him I''ll try my best to find him. Maybe he''s chilling on the rooftop or in the academy office, I''ll let you know if I find him, okay?" he said.


    Honestly, Anya wanted to stay but the possibility of Ryfin allowing that was low. That''s why she thanked him and then went back.


    Ryfin watched her leave as he drank his wine, but instead of going to search for Zero he entered the teachers'' room and continued to watch the rest of the matches.


    ***


    After returning Anya went to her seat, she looked her to Zero''s seat but he was still not back. She unwillingly sat on her seat and waited and waited and waited and just waited.


    Her facial expression was not good and she was not at all watching the matches which were going on in the arena. All that just didn''t matter to her now, finding Zero was the most important thing for her right now.


    She was looking down and thinking about all the possibilities, where he could''ve gone? Did he just vanish by himself? Or did something happen to him? Her face was pale and she her back was dripped in a cold sweat with her heart.


    "What happened?" someone said beside her. The voice was so unexpected that she almost jumped in surprise.


    When she looked to her side she saw that Leon was sitting on the seat next to her, he had a concerned look on his face and was looking at her.


    "Are you okay? I mean, you don''t look that way," he said.


    "Well¡­yeah, I''m fine," Anya replied.


    She didn''t know how she should react to Leon now. If Zero went missing because she tried to distance herself from Leon then should she try to get close to him again? Or is it already toote and she should just stick to what Zero told her?


    She was confused and didn''t know what to do.

 Chapter 122 Kidnapping Incident [1]

    Along with the other two homeroom teachers Ryfin was in a room¡ªspecifically made for teachers¡ªand was watching the match going on in the arena.


    He was sitting cross-legged on a sofa while drinking the red wine he carried in a ss.


    Before entering the room he had met with Anya she''d told him that Zero was missing, she also told him to look for him and he confirmed that he will. Then why he was still in the room rxing like it was nothing?


    It was not like he didn''t care about Zero or any other student of his ss, but if the person who went missing told you to not look for them and that they''ll be fine, then will you still search for them¡ªknowing that they are capable of getting out of that situation by themselves?


    Well, maybe you would but we were talking about Ryfin here. From what Zero knew he was a mysterious person, but Zero still wasn''t able to figure out his true intentions and his true prowess.


    Even that time during the entrance exam when he thought that he beat and scared him, he was wrong. Later on, when he reflected on that fight he realized that Ryfin never once tried to go offensive.


    Probably he had the ability to overpower Zero there but he didn''t because he wanted to y with him, or maybe because he looked interesting to him? There were many possibilities but Zero wasn''t able to find out which one was correct.


    But while Ryfin was indeed suspicious, he did care about his students indifferent to which student it was. That was why he found Zero even before Anya told her to.


    ***


    [1 HOUR AGO]


    The person who was now carrying Zero on their shoulder had left the corridor and now was near the main academy building. No one was here whether it be a teacher or student since all of them were in the stadium watching the interss training session.


    Due to that, that person was able to walk openly without anyone noticing, though when he reached the gate that connected the academy to the outside world he saw that a man was waiting there for him.


    The man was leaning back on a wall beside the gate and as he saw that person he moved forward. He was Ryfin, he was smoking a cigarette and had a smile on his face.


    "Took you a bit long, huh?" he said as he looked at that person. "Challes," he called his name.


    The person carrying Zero was indeed Challes, Challes Alderman; ss C''s homeroom teacher. He was the one who first immobilized him and then stabbed him in the back with a knife that was dripped in anesthesia and because of that Zero was hanging over his right shoulder with his eyes closed.


    "Get out of my way," said Challes as he narrowed his eyes behind the pair of goggles.


    "Well, I would''ve normally but right now you''re carrying my student with you. And by the way, are you aware of the fact that he''s not a potato sack but a human being? Don''t tell me those sses expired or are just for show," Ryfin chuckled.


    There was an air of seriousness around the two teachers and while Challes had a stiff and tensed expression on his face, Ryfin was rxed and was wearing a smile.


    "Heh, still same as ever, huh? Joking no matter what the situation is¡­seriously Ryfin, when will you grow up?"<sub> </sub>


    "My, my, trust me those words don''t sound gooding from the man who has an unconscious student on them," Ryfin teased as he pointed at Zero with his cigarette.


    "That''s enough kidding, now get out of here," Challes warned


    "And if I don''t?"


    "Then I''ll have to force my way out. That''s it," Challes stated as he straightened up his back.


    "You''re saying that as if you are sure about your win."


    "Of course, I am. Just because you are the homeroom teacher of a ss higher than mine doesn''t mean you are ought to be stronger than me," he argued.


    "Well, you and I both know that this academy doesn''t select its teachers based on their strength, so arguing over that is a waste of time. But let me say this clearly, I''m not going to move an inch until I take back my student. If you wanna force your way out then try it," Ryfin implied.


    "I''m not afraid of you, I''m not afraid of anyone. If a fight is what you want then a fight you will get," Challes blustered in an angry tone.


    He dropped Zero to the ground and faced Ryfin, for some reason both of them were carrying their swords and now pulled their des out of their sheath. The two teachers both had longswords and their des were shining under the sunlight.


    "Come on now, finish this quickly," said Ryfin; he was still unfazed and had a smile on his face.


    He pointed at Challes with his sword and motioned him toe at him quickly, Challes didn''t look quite happy about this since he felt like some kind of good receiving orders from their master.


    "Aghhh! Enough of your shit!" Challes screamed as heunched himself toward Ryfin while swinging his sword against him.


    <strong>-ng!</strong>


    Ryfin intercepted him with his own sword which he was holding only with his right hand. It seems like Challes wanted to finish this in one attack that''s why maybe he put more power in this hit than usual.


    But Ryfin was at ease, he was not on the edge at all and was fending off against him without any problem. He threw the cigarette he held in his left hand to the ground for no clear reason and then looked at Challes.


    "Is this how you''re gonna force you''re way out?" he asked.


    The next moment he moved his hand, the pressure behind his sword increased all of a sudden and he threw Challes back.

 Chapter 123 Kidnapping Incident [2]

    Challes stumbled a few steps back before he regained his bnce and stood straight. He was not caught by surprise or anything¡ªhe was expecting Ryfin to be at least this powerful, but even so, right now was more than what he''d imagined.


    "Not bad," he noted.


    "Sadly I can''t say the same for you," Ryfin criticized.


    "Then I''ll make you say it¡­Magiken!" Challes screamed, and his sword emitted light.


    He''d activated his magiken but the light his sword released was more than the students'' swords. His magiken-enabled sword was then revealed; it was a violet-colored de that was shining beautifully.


    Then he looked at Ryfin who was waiting for him to finish his show so that they can continue where they left off, though aside from that he didn''t look like he was anywhere close to activating his magiken.


    "Don''t tell me you intend to fight me without your magiken?" Challes asked, pointing his sword in Ryfin''s direction.


    "Well, I don''t want to destroy the academy grounds so no. I''ll fight with just my normal sword," he exined; though it looked more like he was flexing.


    "You''re an idiot, seriously!"


    "I wonder about that," this guy was not denying it after all.


    Challes dashed toward him, leaving a trail of air behind he moved faster than the students of the academy.


    -nk!


    In less than five seconds, Challes came close to Ryfin, attacked him, and was then blocked and countered. He was now using magiken which means his speed and strength were higher than normal; sometimes magiken even helped you cross human limits and enter a new realm of power.


    But this didn''t work on Ryfin for one simple reason¡­he was better than Challes. Whether it be in his total mana quality, his fighting style, his sword art, or magiken, he was better than him in all aspects.


    If he wanted then this fight would''ve ended before it even started but he was toying with Challes. Why? Simple, because he wanted Challes to realize what he was doing and stop it.


    That''s why he wanted to prolong the fight enough to make Challes realize how powerless he was and stops now when there was still time left for him.


    Ryfin didn''t know why he was kidnapping Zero but he did know that Challes was up to something for the past few days. He noticed this when he saw him stalking Zero after the sses, and not just Zero, he''d seen him stalk Leon, Anya, and Ellyn also.


    From then he started to keep tabs on him and due to that many things came to light. Challes was not acting like a normal professor at all; he stalked students, made notes on how powerful each one was and their rtionship with each other.


    Both Ryfin and Challes were teaching in this academy for quite a number of years and they had interacted with each other enough to bebeled as friends. He knew that Challes was not the king of man who''d do something like this, that''s he wanted to give him a chance to correct his mistake.


    But Challes seem nowhere near realizing his mistake and was continuously exchanging blows with Ryfin; though the fact that not a single attack was able to touch Ryfin and he was dodging them all was a different matter.


    "You are good, I guess all that talk was not just talk after all," said Challes.


    "There''s still time Challes. Stop this and go back with me. I don''t know why you''re doing and I don''t care either. I just don''t want you to go down the wrong path because of some stupid reason," Ryfin suggested.<sub> </sub>


    "It''s not for some stupid reason Ryfin; though you won''t understand even if I told you," Challes argued.


    "So you''re noting back then?"


    <o>,m "No."</o>


    "Then you leave me no choice," Ryfin sighed and then tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.


    "Yeah? Finally decided to take this seriously?" Challes asked sarcastically.


    Ryfin didn''t reply and held his sword straight, maybe Challes was about to say something else but words didn''t leave his mouth because a sword was hanging before his neck.


    It was Ryfin, without a single sound he appeared in front of Challes at a speed normal people can''t see; even Challes wasn''t able to. But this wasn''t what he nned to do.


    His original move was to decapitate Challes but he stopped because he noticed something.


    Behind Challes, Zero was lying on the ground. He thought Zero was unconscious but right now his eyes were opened, he was looking up and showing a thumbs up to Ryfin.


    He should''ve been unconscious because of the anesthesia Challes gave him but he wasn''t. It was due to the liquid he drank from the test tube; it was an antidote for all basic level poisons and the one Challes used also counted in them.


    He was just pretending to be unconscious because he wanted things to go the same way as they did in the novel. But here Ryfin was interfering in it and he had to tell him not to do so. That''s why he gave that signal to him.


    Ryfin was not in loli_pop''s novel¡ªprobably because he was the homeroom teacher of ss B and no main character belonged to that ss, maybe that''s why he was never mentioned. True or not, that was the best exnation Zero had as of now.


    Since he was not in the novel Zero wasn''t able to predict what he will due, thus there was no way for him to know that he will be here and will try to stop Challes.


    And to his luck, leaving aside the fact that he looked incredibly stupid right now, Ryfin understood what he was trying to say. Only because of that signal Ryfin stopped himself from killing Challes.


    If it was any student other than Zero then he would''ve finished Challes off first and then listened to them, but since he was Zero¡ªnot a normal student ording to Ryfin, he decided to go with the flow.


    After all, if he was ying to be unconscious then it must be for a reason. Plus Challes wasn''t aware of this.


    Ryfin pulled his sword back and put it back in its sheath. "I changed my mind," he said and then walked away.


    "Why?" Challes asked.


    "You''re the one who said me to get out of here, didn''t you?" with that he left for the stadium.


    Zero closed his eyes again before Challes came and hanged him over his shoulder again. After that, he opened the main gate, killed the guards, and left the academy with Zero.

 Chapter 124 Kidnapping Incident [3]

    "Anya¡­Anya...¡­Anya."


    "Huh?!"


    Anya was snapped back to reality when Leon called her name repeatedly, she looked around in confusion before her eyes finally set on Leon. He was staring at her with a worried face.


    "Are you seriously fine?" he asked.


    "Well, yeah."


    "You don''t look like that though. Your face is pale white."


    She didn''t have an answer to this, nor was she in the condition to deny Leon''s words. Her face indeed was pale and even now she was lost in her own world before Leon bought her back.


    "If there''s something troubling you then you can tell me," said Leon as he showed a reassuring smile to console her.


    "N-No¡­I''m fine."


    She would''ve asked for help if this was a normal situation but right now she was stuck between many possibilities which were going on inside her mind.


    If Zero was really kidnapped by the person who sent her that letter then she should talk with Leon and go back to building a rtionship with him and hope that the sender will leave her brother unscathed.


    But if there was someone else behind all this then she would just be ying a fool. She would fall into the sender''s trap and disobey Zero''s words to get away from Leon.


    Which one was right? She didn''t know. The only thing she could do was wait. And she did wait and waited until it was evening and the interss training session between ss 1A and 1B had ended.


    ss A won with 37 wins, the students were happy and filled with excitement while the ss B''s students were a little depressed with darkened expressions on their faces. But none of that mattered to Anya right now.


    Her patience was reaching its peak. She stood up all of a sudden and ignoring everything she directly left the arena.


    The training session between ss 1C and 1D will be tomorrow so the other students were also slowly leaving the stadium as they chatted within their friend circle but Anya was the first to leave.


    After that, she went straight to the room where she met Ryfin before. Fortunately for her, Ryfin was already out of the room anding back when he encountered Anya in a corridor.


    "Did you find him?!" was the first thing that left Anya''s mouth as soon as she stopped just before Ryfin.


    "Sorry to say this but, I wasn''t able to find him. He was nowhere in the academy," Ryfin replied in a deep voice.


    "Then¡­is he missing?" Anya asked hurriedly.<sub> </sub>


    "I guess he is."


    Anya stared at the ground for a while and her body didn''t move an inch. Then as if she was suddenly bought back to reality she looked up at Ryfin and asked, "Now what? How''ll we find him? And don''t say you can''t."


    "Well, we can inform the academy and let them do the search for us, that''ll be one option. But, will you be okay with it?" he appealed.


    "What do you mean?"


    "What I mean is, if the academy staff will be searching for your brother and you will be sitting in a corner doing nothing, will you be satisfied by that? Say one day the academy informs you that they weren''t able to find Zero, then will you be able to ept that? Won''t you think that you should''ve gone to find him yourself?"


    "What''re you implying here?"


    "If you want to go search for him by yourself then I can make arrangements for that and help you leave the academy legally," Ryfin stated.


    "I can help you but the choice is yours. And let me remind you, whether you want to do this yourself or take to the academy''s aid, I''m fine with either."


    This wasn''t a bad idea actually¡ªno, this was a really bad idea. There''s no way Anya can search for Zero better than the academy and that can be said just by looking at the numbers of people the academy will send to find himpared to Anya alone.


    The Zaforths academy took care of their students better than any other academy out there, if a student went missing in thin air like this then they will do everything they can to bring him back or at least find his dead body if he''s not alive anymore.


    But to Anya, who was going had a heavy emotional pressure weighing over her; she was unlikely to take the help of the academy.


    Since ording to that 0.0001 percent chance in which the academy somehow fails to bring him back then the one she will resent will only be her past self who decided to not go find him alone.


    Her mind was also upied by the theory that something happened to Zero because she didn''t follow the letter, and if that was true then she had to take the responsibility also and go save him.


    All in all, she was currently in an intense emotional state and unable to make rational decisions and Ryfin knew that. That''s he made an offer like this in the first ce.


    After all, while he didn''t n to interfere with whatever Zero was doing he wasn''t going to just sit back and watch either. And going by that mindset he wasn''t going to miss this opportunity in a million years.


    "So? What have you chosen?" he asked.


    "I¡­" Anya trailed off as she averted her eye in the hope to get a little more time to think but, "We don''t have much time, you know? Since we don''t know where and in which condition Zero might be so it''s better to reach him as soon as possible."


    This was the final push she needed. Yes, if something happened to Zero then she won''t be able to forgive him. She didn''t know why but ever since she realized that Zero went missing this was the feeling which was slowly devouring her heart.


    Due to that, "I will do it. I will go find him by myself," was her answer.

 Chapter 125 Kidnapping Incident [4]

    "I will do it. I will go find him by myself."


    "I see. So that''s your answer then," Ryfin mumbled.


    "No. We are going too," suddenly someone''s voice was heard from behind. It was a male, a boy; and Anya knew who.


    When she turned around to look it only confirmed her doubts. There were two students standing behind her right now.


    p "Leon, Ellyn," she breathed as she called out the names of those students.</anda>


    The ones behind her were indeed Ellyn and Leon. After Anya left the stadium in hurry Leon felt that something wasn''t right with her.


    He then met up with Ellyn and told her about this situation, they discussed things among themselves and then followed Anya afterward. That''s how both of them got here.


    "Did you hear everything?" Anya asked, the question was specifically directed at Leon.


    "Yes, I did. That''d why I''m saying I''ll go with you too," he replied.


    "But¡­" she honestly wanted to refuse but it wouldn''t have looked good for her saying "Why are you poking your nose in other people''s matter, get the fuck out of here!" so she kept her thoughts to herself.


    "That''s not possible; I can''t take you with me. All is my problem to being with," so she responded this way instead.


    "Aren''t we friends, Anya? If you can''t let me help you then what is the meaning of that friendship?" said Leon.


    ''We are?'' Anya repeated internally. It was so fascinating that she didn''t even realize they were friends.


    Well, it was partially because Leon was naturally attracted to Anya since he was the protagonist of loli_pop''s novel, due to that he was the one whose personality was getting affected by the plot the most.


    Though leaving that aside, Anya was confused over whether to take Leon with him or not. This was mainly because two different people had told her two different things.


    The person who sent the letter hadmanded her to get into a rtionship with Leon while Zero had said to act against it. Honestly, her mind was a mess right now.


    She felt like all the responsibilities in the world had been thrown to her shoulders and if possible, she wanted to scream and take out her frustration that way. But she couldn''t do that¡­not here at least.


    She had many things to do, and time was running out but she wasn''t able to make a single decision by herself; till now she was only doing what other people told her to or following their advice.


    ''It is enough, isn''t it?'' she thought. Yeah, this was enough now. She was tired of moving on to other people''s words.


    Hence, she made a decision.


    From now on she will do things ording to her own will. Right now her first priority was to find Zero and she knew that she couldn''t do that alone.


    "Okay, Leon. You cane with me, and it''s not like you won''te even if I refuse, will you?" said Anya.<sub> </sub>


    "Well, you know me."


    This was her roundabout way of asking Leon toe with her, because if she directly went to it then it''ll feel weird and out of context. So she did it this way.


    ''Right now I want to find Zero first. I know I won''t be able to do it alone hence I need Leon''s help for that. I don''t care what that letter''s sender will think and it doesn''t really matter. They can think whatever they want and I''ll do what I want. And as for my rtionship with Leon, I''ll take care of it after I''ve found Zero.''


    "Are youing too?" Anya appealed as she looked at Ellyn, in response she nodded and confirmed her doubts.


    And so the trio of Anya, Leon, and Ellyn was ready to go find Zero. But there was one major problem¡­they didn''t know where he was and where to find him.


    This also urred in Anya''s mind and she turned around and stared at Ryfin who was silently listening to their conversation all the time.


    "You said you''ll make the arrangements, didn''t you?" she asked.


    "Yeah, give me a bit of time. I''ll talk to the director," he said and with that, he left.


    Ryfin had some connection to the director of the Zaforths academy, nobody knew why but both of them were on talkative terms. And Ryfin was headed to the director''s office to make the "arrangements" he told Anya about.


    When he left, Anya fell silent again. She began going back while getting lost in her own world again. It was only when she passed beside Leon, he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "It will be fine."


    She nodded slightly and then left the corridor.


    "You sure she''ll be fine? I mean, shouldn''t you go look after her or something?" the one to ask this was Ellyn.


    "No, I think it''s okay. I''ve been noticing that she''s trying to distance herself from me for a while now so I don''t think it will be good to push myself on her. All we can do for now is find her brother, maybe she will get better once that is done," Leon stated.


    ''Him, huh.'' Ellyn wondered internally.


    ***


    After leaving the corridor Anya was now on her way to the dorms. If this was a normal day then she would''ve gone to the cafeteria first to eat something but right now she wasn''t feeling hungry, in fact, her mood was a mess.


    She was still thinking about Zero''s whereabouts, in what condition he might be, and how Ryfin will get them out of the academy without making this a public issue.


    But right then a pigeonnded on her shoulder. She was startled at first but then she noticed that it was a messenger. She took the pigeon in her hands and then passes mana through it.


    The pigeon glowed and emitted a bright light before it changed its shape and turned into a piece of paper. When she read what was written on the paper, she didn''t really know what to say.


    Zero''s location was written on it, along with the note which said that if they didn''te to take him before the end of this day then he will be killed. In the bottom left corner of the paper, a name was also written, it was Challes Alderman.

 Chapter 126 Missing Incident [5]

    "So this came through a pigeon?"


    "Yes. I guess is a sort of custom magic used to deliver messages," said Anya as she stared at the piece of paper in her hands.


    "You are indeed right about that. This is a spell used to deliver messages and well, it is verymon. You were not from the capital, right? Then it exins why you haven''t heard of it," Ryfin exined as he stared at the paper in Anya''s hand.


    They were in the room provided to Ryfin inside the academy building¡ªit was an office of sorts. Leon and Ellyn were also there and all of them were talking about the paper Anya got.


    As Ryfin-sensei said, the pigeon that came to Anya and then turned into paper was indeed the result of a custom magic spell. This was used all over the capital and mostly by merchants, higher-ss nobles, and the royal family.


    You have to first take a paper and write whatever you want on it, and then by the effect of the spell, it''ll turn into any kind of bird and will then reach the person you want to give the message.


    Though simr to the concept of teleportation magic where one would have had to visit the ce he wanted to teleport to, in this spell you''d have to visualize the face of the person of want to send the message to.


    Anya had received a message via the same spell too and it was from Challes Alderman, ss 1C''s homeroom teacher.


    It said that he had Zero with him and if Anya wanted to take him back alive then she would have toe to take him before the end of this day¡ªthe ce where she''d toe was also mentioned.


    After getting the message and reading it by herself she went straight to Leon¡ªwho was still with Ellyn, and then the trio went to find Ryfin who wasing back after meeting with the academy''s director.


    Ryfin''s meeting, well, you can say it kinda went good. He exined the situation to the director and asked can the students go to find Zero, it wasn''t easy to convince the director; he was not even ready to ept that a student was kidnapped from this academy.


    But he soon had to admit it after the dead bodies of the guards were found outside the gate, and Challes was also missing. Then the director was able to connect the dots by himself but Ryfin also provided him with the information that he saw Challes taking a student out of the academy.


    When asked that why he didn''t stop him, he replied "He was already gone by the time I reached there. The next thing I did wase to you after meeting with his sister."


    He didn''t exactly tell that he straight-up had a fight with Challes but let him go because Zero wanted that, so he presented a fabricated story. The director sent the orders to search for Challes all across the academy campus but he was not found, thus making him the prime suspect.<sub> </sub>


    As for the grant for the students to go find Zero, the director was thinking about it when Ryfin told him that if the news of this kidnapping incident came out then the reputation of the academy will face a huge bacsh and the king won''t be pleased by that.


    "Even if we sent a search party and found Zero, it will only lessen the amount of hate we will get not erase itpletely. That''s why I think it''s better to first handle this matter without anyone noticing," said Ryfin.


    It was true. After all, if the academy which is said to be the best in the whole kingdom lets one of their students get kidnapped and even by their own teachers¡­the amount of hate they receive from the public is unimaginable.


    And the other academy won''t lose the chance to make a profit from this hence it wasn''t a good idea to get it to be revealed publicly that a student had been kidnapped.


    "But the only thing I can do is give my advice, the rest is up to you," Ryfin stated as he looked at the director.


    The director leaned back in his chair and thought for a while, then leaned forward again he said,


    "I know you aren''t doing this out of your concern for the academy, that much I can understand after all these years. But even if you have some kind of the second n, I can''t go against you. Since what you''re saying, after all, is true. We can''t afford to ruin the academy''s reputation at this point; it has taken years to build it but once it gets stained, it won''t be cleaned again that easily."


    Like that, Ryfin got permission to send the students to search for Zero. Though there was a condition; if there weren''t able to find him within 12 hours then, in the end, a search party will be sent.


    When Ryfin wasing back from the director''s office he was only concerned about one thing and it was how they will find Challes and Zero. Fortunately for him, the worry was also washed clean when he saw Anya, Leon, and Ellyn standing in front of his room.


    "So¡­is this really the location where he is?" the one to ask this question was Leon, he said as he pointed at the address that was written on the message Anya received.


    "Looks like it. But what I''m confused about is why Mr. Challes will do something like this!? I mean, isn''t he the homeroom teacher of ss C?" said Ellyn.


    "I won''t bet on that," Ryfin interjected. "You can''t tell what a person really is just by their looks and how they behave¡ªor which job they hold onto. Almost everyone has two sides; one to show to the world and one that depicts what they truly are¡­that side is mostly hidden deep inside."

 Chapter 127 Missing Incident [6]

    "I agree with Mr. Ryfin here. And Ellyn, it''s now a fact that Mr. Challes kidnapped Anya''s brother, Mr. Ryfin said he saw him taking a student out of the academy," Leon acknowledged.


    The kid was speaking as if he''d encountered many people who were two-faces but in reality, he hadn''t.


    "What should we do now? This message also says that there''s a time limit. He will be killed if I don''t make it there before dawn," Anya chimed in.


    She was quiet until now. After this message, her worries had only increased but she was somehow keeping hold of herposer and thinking rationally. From the inside though, she was as unstable as a neutron.


    "We should go then, and as quickly as possible," Leon suggested.


    Ellyn nodded to his suggestion and so did Anya, though it seems like Ryfin still had something left to say.


    "If it came tobat, then will the three of will be able to stand against Challes? And if necessary¡­kill him?" he asked with a serious expression on his face which was totally unlike him.


    "Kill Mr. Challes?" Ellyn repeated his words on instinct, though it looked like the words were put in her mouth by someone else.


    "Leon, you are the strongest of the three. Can I expect you to do it?" Ryfin appealed as he looked at Leon who had broken into a cold sweat.


    Different from Zero''s former world killing wasn''t actually a rare thing here. If a person had done something wrong which is beyond redeemable then he''ll be killed.


    And if two people are fighting seriously¡ªwhether it be in a duel or a fight for survival¡ªit is an unspoken rule that both people are willing to keep their lives on the line and upon their death only they will be responsible, not anyone else.


    Even so, Leon was the ''good guy at day and horny at night'' type of person since he was the protagonist of loli_pop''s novel. Taking the life of someone else wasn''t easy for him, but it was not impossible either.


    Understand it with this example; say he killed a guy in the evening. Then he will be in a slight depression for that whole day but the next morning he''ll behave as if nothing happened.


    The same rule applied here also.


    "Yes, Mr. Ryfin. You can leave that to me. I''ll try to best to protect my friends even if I''d have to take Mr. Challes''s life for that," said Leon with a confident smile on his face.


    "I see."


    Ryfin wasn''t expecting too much from him even though Leon was the ''strongest first-year student''. If there was someone else in ce of Leon then maybe Ryfin would''ve gone with them himself but right now, he didn''t evaluate Challes to be worthy of his time.


    "You all should get going then, as she said there isn''t much time left," Ryfin stated as he stood up.<sub> </sub>


    The walk clock hung in the room said that the time was sharp 6 pm. That means only 6 hours were remaining before this day will be over and ording to the message, Zero will be killed.


    The three students¡ªAnya, Leon, and Ellyn, rose to their feet and started getting ready to leave. This was going to be a really long evening for them.


    ***


    It was dark, maybe I was in a closed room or an area simr to that since there was no source of light. But let''s call it a room for now.


    I was sitting on a wooden chair and my hands and legs were tied to the chair with a thick rope. On top of that, a cloth was wrapped around my mouth, making it impossible for me to speak clearly.


    Quite a few hours had passed since I was dumped into this room and was tied to this chair by Mr. Challes¡ªthough I don''t think the ''Mr.'' part is needed anymore.


    I was getting bored by now but before I could fall asleep, a door to the room opened. For the first time in a while, I saw light along with the shadow of a man.


    He was Challes.


    He stepped inside and then closed the door again, after that he activated a magic circle ced near the door and the room was suddenly illuminated. Apparently, that magic circle was the switch to turn on the magic light on the ceiling.


    "So you''re awake?" he asked in a rather formal manner. His voice resounded in the whole room since it was mostly empty, causing his voice to hit the walls ande back.


    Though I was wondering one thing; how am I supposed to tell him if I''m awake or not when this cloth is stuffed inside my mouth?


    He slowly walked toward me. The guy was a homeroom teacher in the best academy in this kingdom but his clothes right now were not like that. He was wearing a in grey shirt and pants along with the sses he used to improve his eyesight.


    By the way, him thinking that I was asleep until now was fair, to be honest. After all, ording to him, he''d stabbed me in the back with an anesthesia-coated dagger¡­so I must be unconscious.


    He didn''t have the slightest hint that I could''ve known about him already. Yeah, I knew. This same thing had happened before with the Zero in loli_pop''s novel, that''s how I knew when and how he will attack.


    <o>,m Thus I was prepared for it. But I didn''t know what type of anesthesia or poison he will use, that''s why I had tomand Ellyn to bring me an antidote that worked on all basic-level poisons.</o>


    He''s in touch with a few senior students who are in the healing magic course and was able to borrow that antidote from them. It was a boy from the third year who gave her the antidote and yes, he gave it without anything in return.


    Let''s just pretend that Ellyn never had to go on a secret date with him, which in reality, she never wanted to.

 Chapter 128 Missing Incident [7]

    "Why did you bring me here?" I asked a rather very clich¨¦d question. Right after Challes untapped my mouth.


    "Hmm? So you can talk," said Challes as he ced another chair in front of me and sat on it.


    I didn''t reply to his oblivious question because asking why he bought me here was enough of a proof to justify that I can speak.


    "There, you went silent again¡­You see, I''d spent quite a few days researching you and your sister, and during that time I was watching you. But what I noticed was that you don''t speak muchpared to the other students of your age. And I''d very well like to know why," he appealed as he leaned back on his chair.


    "It''s nothing special. I''m just not so good with words," I replied.


    A part of why I didn''t speak much or rather speak only when necessary is because during thest few years before I died in my former life, I was living alone in a closed room.


    I went to school only to give exams and hence I didn''t have friends either¡ªsome students never knew that I existed. In short, I didn''t have people I can speak up to.


    But the reason why I wasn''t speaking much in this world was different. And it was that I don''t want my words to be the reason for my own destruction. I don''t want to reveal information to other people that they can use against me.


    After all, the more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.


    Humans are machines of interpretation and exnation; they have to know what you are thinking. But when you carefully control what you reveal, they cannot pierce your intentions or meanings.


    This works the other way also; by saying less you can indirectly force the other party to leak their information.


    Short answers and silences will put them on the defensive, and they will jump in, nervously filling the silence with all kinds ofments that will reveal valuable information about them and their weaknesses.


    "Do you know why you are here?! Why I kidnapped you, do you have any idea of that?" Challes asked in a slightly loud tone as he looked furiously at me.


    "No. I have no clue about that."


    "Your sister''s boyfriend¡ªLeon, also has a partial role to y"


    The plot of the novel was at work here again. Anya and Leon weren''t that close but still, the general audience saw them as a couple and not as friends.


    "But yes, it''s mainly your fault! In fact, it is only your fault that I kidnapped you."


    "What do you mean? I can''t quite follow since your statements are contradicting themselves."


    "What I mean is, if you haven''t defeated my son in the training session then right now you would be in the academy, safe and sound. Because of you, he wasn''t able to gain glory and fight with Leon afterward. Not only you defeated him but did it in the most terrible way¡ªmaking fun of him.<sub> </sub>


    What even was that magiken? You sliced a sword in half?! It''s like pure nonsense, not in my entire life have I seen a magiken like that. It shouldn''t have worked but it still somehow did!" Challes bbered angrily.


    He started off by speaking in a normal way but as he heard his own words and recalled the past events, he held his head in frustration andter it sounded like he was just voicing his inner thoughts and not talking to me.


    "But that was just a match, wasn''t it? I was not the one who decided that I''ll be going against your son, the academy did that. If you have to me someone, me them."


    "Yeah, what you say is true. The match students were selected randomly for a match by the academy''s staff and even the teachers didn''t have a say in it. You were clearly not the one who wanted to face my son and did only because it was a match, right?"


    I nodded; he was talking like a madman now.


    "Now here''s the point! The academy selected you to fight against my son, but they didn''t tell you to defeat him! It was you who decided to do that! You''re the one who caused my son''s downfall! YOU!!!"


    He got up from the chair. Rushed forward and grabbed me from my cor. His eyes were red with anger and veins were popping out on his forehead.


    "What was I supposed to be then? If I knew that you would be this angry, then maybe I wouldn''t have done that. Hmm, if we look at it this way¡­then isn''t it actually your fault for not telling me that I have to lose on purpose?" I stated as I looked into his eyes.


    "What the hell are you saying?! That it''s me who''s responsible?! Have you lost your FUCKING mind!!" he screamed.


    <strong>-Thug!</strong>


    He was already holding my cor, and when the anger got the best of him he pushed me away forcefully, and along with the chair I fell backward.


    It pained quite a bit since falling down while being tired up to a chair wasn''t the best experience and the stab wound from before hasn''t healed either.


    "Hahahaha! I caused my son''s fall; I was the one who destroyed his reputation! Haah, what a joke!" heughed as if he''d lost his mind.


    And I''d to say; he wasn''t looking like an academy proffer at all.


    I don''t know what expression I''m wearing right now. I''m not scared, I''m not mad, I''m not regretting something, I''m not desperate, and I''m not on death''s door either.


    Then what is it? Maybe¡­nothing.


    After calming hisughter he adjusted his sses with his right index finger and then bent on his knees beside me.


    "You''ll make for a good clown. But I''m afraid that''s not possible since there are only two ways left for you now. I''ve sent a message to your beloved sister, informing her of our whereabouts. Now it''s a test to see if she loves you enough toe here and save you...though I don''t think even that will save your life."

 Chapter 129 Missing Incident [8]

    Enen Alderman, the one and only heir of Challes Alderman¡ªss 1C''s homeroom teacher¡ªhad a goal in his mind after he enrolled in the Zaforths academy.


    He wanted to climb to the top, be the most powerful student this academy had ever produced; gain everyone''s respect and be a hero of sorts. This mindset might sound childish but to him, it wasn''t, and to be honest, it was not his mistake that he was this way.


    Right after he''d been born he was treated like a prince even if the Alderman family was only a normal noble family which came barely into the higher ss. But despite that, his father Challes raised him like the chosen one.


    Enen also only had his father as his parent since his mom had died after giving birth to him. Hence the father-son bond was pretty strong


    He was given the best food, his room was the neatest in the whole house, his clothes were the best, his own father was a teacher at the Zaforths academy but even after that he was provided with the best instructor to learn the roots of magic and sword arts¡ªeven though Challes had to limit his own needs in order to pay for all this.


    He indeed was a professor at the kingdom''s best magic academy but his sry was only too much.


    Enen''s father always talked to him like he was the strongest and someone who''ll save the world one day. Due to being raised and treated like this from his birth, his line of thought became simr.


    Now not only he thought that he was the all-mighty, he believed in it. After all, all the opponents he''d faced so far were easily defeated because either they were not on his level or were secretly forced to lose by his father.


    This went on and he grew up but his mindset of the ''Chosen One''sted only until he joined the academy. In the special exam, it was his first time facing real monsters¡ªwho can actually harm him.


    He was scared the shit out and somehow passed the exam by sticking with a group of few students who seemed strong to him.


    It was pathetic, he knew. What will his father say? How will he face him after licking dust like this? His father believed in him with everything he had but what he gave him in return? Disappointment!


    Though this was not the end¡­his pride hit another major shock when he found out about Leon. They were in the same ss and while Enen was not even acknowledged by his friends, Leon was entitled the ''Strongest first-year student''.


    That title was his dream, but someone else snatched it right in front of him. He was on the verge of depression when his father¡ªwho, in reality, wasn''t angry with or disappointed with him-¡ªpresented another chance before him to fulfill his dream.


    It was the interss training session. His father told him that if he did his best in this training session and threw his opponent to dust by using his full power; he will then at least gain some recognition.


    After that, he can his recognition bit by bit until he''s strong enough to challenge Leon to a duel and take the title of ''The Strongest'' away from him.


    It was a perfect n; slow but reliable.


    The day finally arrived and he entered the arena to beat the shit out of his opponent, but he miscalcted a little something.<sub> </sub>


    When the match ended, it was Enen who got his ass handed to him. His opponent¡ªZero, at the start he seemed like a normal guy with average fighting skills.


    However, as the match progressed, this ''normality'' of his turned rough and the power behind his attacks increased. In the end, Enen wasn''t even able toprehend thest attack Zero used.


    His sword sliced through Enen''s sword and all he was able to do was watch as his de got divided into two pieces and fell to the ground.


    All his future ns¡ªto defeat Leon, shattered into a million pieces that very second the referee announced the end of the match. He was so depressed that till today he hadn''te out of his room.


    ***


    Since I defeated Enen in that duel his future ns were put to dust, that''s why I''m here in this dark room¡ªtied to a chair that was fallen onto the ground.


    If I hadn''t won there then Enen''s dream to be the strongest might''ve been realized one day. Even if the possibility was slim since he was only B rank¡ªnot enough to be what he wanted, but if he trained like his life depended on it then maybe he could''ve achieved his goal.


    <o>,m But I came and ruined it. It could sound like I was the viin here¡ªto which honestly, I don''t care, but he was never bound to surpass Leon if I go by the plot of loli_pop''s novel.</o>


    This sole goal was toe and get defeated by Zero, giving his father a reason to kidnap Zero so he can kill him; which in the end, will result in Anya gettingid by Leon.


    What I did was just repeated the plot all over again since I want to achieve a certain oue. And by that I don''t mean the Anya thing¡ªI''ve already done the arrangements to prevent it from happening.


    Now all that was left was to wait, and wait, and wait, and¡­wait I guess?


    It was up to Anya how quickly shees here along with Leon and Ellyn. There wasn''t a timing mentioned in the novel so I can''t be sure of this.


    And¡­why the hell did that bastard left me lying here on the ground?!


    It isn''t enough to make me scream but since I''m fallen to the ground along with a chair, my hand is crushed below its handle and is being pressed with my own body weight.


    Okay, now it''s starting to hurt even more. Ah! Fuck! My hand is numb, it''s numb! It has gone fucking numb!!

 Chapter 130 Missing Incident [9]

    Three humanoid figures walked side by side in an alleyway. The arena in which this alleyway was going through was of slums situated at the northern border of the Sofrora city¡ªthe capital of the Zenith kingdom.


    Here out in the borders, the poption consisted mainly of people who were even below thanmoners in terms of social ranks and money. This also was a popr ce for traveling adventurers to stop by as the expenses of staying here for a day or two were cheap.


    A part of this ce was also used as a relief camp for soldiers who were injured in the wars which took ce multiple years ago. There were also refugees who ran away from their home kingdom during those wars.


    By providing them with the right to work, to health, and to education, refugees can start productive lives in their host countries. The faster they can integrate into thebor force, the faster they can be productive members of society.


    But aside from that, the three people walking side by side were standing out in the crowd quite too much. Their clothing looked expensive and delicate even though it was just an academy uniform, and each of them had a sword tied to their waist.


    They were looking around and scanning the surrounding with their eyes as if trying to find something¡­or someone?


    These three humans were, of course, Anya, Leon, and Ellyn. After sessfully getting the permission to leave the academy and search for Zero, they''d been roaming around in this slum district for about half an hour.


    And they were not lost but were searching for a building¡ªin which Zero was possibly held captive. However, there was a slight problem. None of them were ustomed to this district hence they weren''t able to find that building even when the address was written in the message Anya received.


    Though a few more minutes of roaming here and there and asking the directions from random strangers on the road, they finally found the building.


    Right now the trio was by far in the most outset area of the city. Just a little further away from the walls which protected the city, was a big warehouse.


    It was located in between many small houses and taverns but the warehouse because of its big size, stood out and was visible even from a distance.


    The three of them were standing right outside the gates but surprisingly no one was here to stop them. They''d at least expected some guards or bandits to be blocking there but it was not like that even the slightest. Aside from the people on the roads, there was dead silence.


    The warehouse was surrounded by intertwining fencing of meal wires hence there was no one near it¡ªit was like a separate property, unlike other buildings here which were stuffed together.


    Opening the almost worn-out gate attached to the fence, the trio stepped inside and entered a dusty ground. A couple of stepster they reached the actual warehouse.


    "Be on your guard," Leon warned as he went forward and let the two girls stay in the rear.


    He carefully pressed his hand against the metal door and slowly pushed it backward. Surprisingly, it wasn''t locked and opened with a creaking sound.<sub> </sub>


    Leon peeked inside to see if it was safe or not and when he was sure of that, he turned around and signaled the girls toe inside. They didn''t want to take a chance and attract the enemy''s attention that''s why they were either using signnguage or only shortmands if speaking.


    The trio made its way in, the insides were almost dark as the only source of light was the sunlighting inside from the door Leon just opened.


    Each of them had their hand on the hilt of their swords; ready to attack or defend at any time. As they moved forward, they were looking around and scanned the surroundings.


    Here they found one thing. This building might look like a warehouse from the outside and be of the same size, but it wasn''t exactly one. The shell was sure the same but the interior waspletely different; instead of it being arge ass storage room, it was divided into many sections as there were multiple doors on the front wall.


    Three doors were visible so possibly three more chambers were there. The chamber in which the trio currently was was maybe bigger than the other two¡ªit can be determined byparing the length of the chamber with the overall length of the warehouse from the outside.


    However, aside from that everything else was fine. But that was the problem here¡ªit was quiet.


    ¡­Too quiet.


    "Isn''t anyone here? Or were we given the wrong address?" Ellyn asked in a not-so-loud voice.


    It indeed was true that they could''ve been provided with a false address by Challes so that he can buy time to escape or something. After all, they had believed in that message and without a second thought, they thought it must be real.


    Though this wasn''t exactly their fault; at that time Anya was panicking¡ªeven if didn''t show it on her face Leon and Ellyn were able to pick up on that¡ªand second of the most, Ryfin assured them that Challes is not that kind of person who''d do something this low.


    Both the situations mixed and this here was the result. They can''t me anyone if it turns out that they were misled and this was a false address.


    "I don''t think that''s true," Leon said, answering Ellyn''s question a bitte.


    And he was not saying this just tofort her, his words were stating just what he was seeing.


    Out of the three doors in front of them, the one in the middle opened and a person came out from the room behind it. He was wearing a grey colored shirt and ck pants, with sses on his face.


    He was Challes. His eyes weren''t those of a teacher looking at their students, but something far worse.

 Chapter 131 Missing Incident [10]

    "Hello, dear students," said Challes as he adjusted his sses with his right index finger.


    This was a rather clich¨¦d line but it was usible since from here on the plot of loli_pop''s novel was kicking in. This scene was in the novel it was probably going to go the same¡ªand the dialogues too.


    "Mr. Challes, are you really the one who kidnapped Anya''s brother?" Leon asked in a serious tone as if the answer Challes will give him will decide what will happen here.


    "Well, well, of course, I have him here with me," Challes stated with no expression on his face. Leon wasn''t able to tell if he was angry, plotting something, having fun doing this, or whatever.


    But upon hearing Challes''s words Anya quickly tightened the grip on her sword and was about to sh it out when Leon secretly signaled her to stop by ncing toward her from the corner of his eye.


    "Why should I believe you?" Leon appealed. At this point, he was somewhat sure that Challes really is the kidnapper but even so, he wanted to be 100% sure before doing anything.


    He was expecting an exnation or a confession but, "You don''t have to believe me!!" Challes screamed and right then a magic circle activated below his left leg.


    The light pouring out of the circle branched out from it and in a straight line, it traveled on the floor in every direction before the whole chamber was covered with glowing red strips of mana circuits on every wall, ceiling, and floor.


    Leon panicked but before he could''ve done anything, a loud sound hit his ears.


    <strong>-Boom!</strong>


    <strong>-Creankkk!</strong>


    Something behind him had exploded. When it turned around the upper half of his body he saw that the explosion had urred near the gate of the warehouse.


    Apparently, it was not an explosion, but rather the sound of something big crashing onto the floor. It was a huge and thick wall of rock that was now blocking the entrance.


    The magic circle which Challes activated by passing mana in it through his feet, turned on all the mana circuits inscribed on the walls and the floor in this room. Those mana circuits worked like wires but instead of passing electricity, mana flowed through them.


    The circuits were connecting with a magic circle for an earth-type elemental magic spell¡ªwhich was inscribed on the ceiling above the entrance, the spell activated and summoned a wall of stone which fell and caused the booming sound.


    Though all this happened so fast that Leon couldn''t react to it, and so couldn''t Anya and Ellyn. It was not because his senses weren''t sharp¡ªhe was S ss and could easily see things even at the utmost speed.


    But it was that he never expected Challes to do something like this¡ªtypical protagonist things.


    "What the hell!!! How will we go out now?! And it''s so dark that I can''t even see properly," Ellyn said screamingly.


    "I don''t know, but you two stay close to each other. The visibility is almost none so we can''t tell what might happen," Leonmanded.


    It was true. Since the entrance to the warehouse was now blocked by the rock wall, no sunlight wasing inside and the room was engulfed in darkness.


    The red lighting out of the magic circuits was still there but it was too dim that all it could do was illuminate the floor and the walls in red.


    That''s why Leon had said to stay close so they can''t get lost or sabotaged here. But there was a problem.<sub> </sub>


    "Hey Leon, where did Anya go?" Ellyn asked genuinely as she wasn''t able to find Anya who was standing beside her just a few moments ago.


    "What do you mean where is she? Wasn''t she with you?"


    "Yeah, she was!"


    Leon hurriedly started searching for her in every direction possible but the visibility was low and unfortunately, his system hadn''t provided him with a skill that can help him to see in the dark.


    As he was searching he suddenly heard a sound.


    <strong>-ng!</strong>


    "Shit! She''s out there!" it didn''t take him a second to realize what was going on. He ran where he saw Challesst time and when he was close enough, he saw two figures moving at great speeds and shing their swords.


    One was Challes and the other was Anya.


    "No, no, no! Why now!" Leon cursed, but maybe himself and not Anya since he was the one who waited this long to attack Challes hence Anya lost her patience and did it herself.


    At least, this is what he was thinking of as he bit his lips.


    "Anya! Come back! I could be dangerous!!" Leon shouted and warned, he had to say a little louder since his voice was getting suppressed by the nking sound of the swords shing.


    But he waspletely ignored by Anya.


    "You¡­bastard!! How the fuck you dared do something like this! I''ll make you pay for it! I''ll fucking kill you!" Anya was screaming as she moved forward and backward, leftward and rightward, while carefully practicing her de.


    ''Yeah, I''ll do it. I have to do it. He had saved me multiple times and now is my turn. If I can''t even do this much then I''m nothing but dead weight,'' she pledged internally.


    The expression she had wasn''t something the usual Anya would make; her face clearly depicted how angry she was. Red veins were appearing on the sides of her eyes and so were the blood vessels on her forehead¡ªshe was also using foulnguage which was unlike her.


    The anger had changed her.


    And while it seems like she was converting her anger into power and using it against Challes¡ªsince all he was doing was defend, it was not really true though and Leon knew that.


    Challes was taking Anya very lightly and was just ying with her. If he were to attack then Anya would be on the ground in only one blow¡ªhe was a teacher, after all.


    Then why was he toying with her?


    The answer was simple¡­he wanted to break her spirit, just like Zero broke his son''s.

 Chapter 132 Missing Incident [11]

    A sword came gushing through toward a man''s shoulder, its speed was great as if the wielder''s main key point in sword arts was speed. The de closed the distance and sliced through the skin, bones, muscle, and flesh of the man it made a bloody mess out of him.


    ¡ªNo! That''s what should''ve happened if the man hadn''t stepped aside at thest second. The swording hungrily for his blood did sh with something but it was not the body of the man, it was his sword.


    -A sound so loud was released when the two sharp-edged metal pieces scarped each other that it buzzed in the ears of everyone present there. It was as irritating as the sound which you hear when scratching a ckboard with a piece of chalk.


    The blood-hungry de backed off as it was pulled back by its master, but the man''s de followed.


    The two swords yed a game of prey and predator. Sometimes the blood-hungry de was the prey and sometimes the man''s sword. It looked almost as if they were dancing together.


    Then a change struck. The blood-hungry de''s wielder¡ªa girl, suddenly said a word out loud: "Magiken!"


    Upon hearing that word the blood-hungry-de heeded its master''s call and drained a certain amount of her mana to empower itself. The de shone in a brilliant golden; it was beautiful.


    p It wasn''t for that the de was desperately trying to take a man''s life; one could''ve sat and admired its beauty for an eternity.</anda>


    "Agghhh!!" the de''s master groaned as she started exhausting her limbs and used the de at its full potential. Her swings were so fast and in every direction.


    One time she swung it up and down and the other time left and right, and after that, diagonally.


    She was breathing heavily in the process and since the girl didn''t have much experience in controlling her man, she will eventually run off it and tire herself; then she''ll be unable to fight for at least a few hours.


    And maybe that''s what the man she was attacking wanted; to wait until she''s unable to move and then crush her severely.


    He was dodging all her attacks easily by simply moving his body and avoiding her sword. At certain moments he would use his sword also but even then it was only defense.


    Normally the girl would''ve realized what was going on and stopped trying to attack him so recklessly. She would have teamed up with herrades and attacked next after making a strategy. She was not so dumb to not see this.


    But right now, she was like an entirely different person. Hermon sense was ovee by rage; a rage she didn''t know why was appearing.


    The said girl was Anya, and she was fighting with Challes to save Zero; that much she knew. She indeed was angry but not mad! After all, there was no need to be.


    She had Leon with her and in her thoughts, he can easily defeat Challes, and then they can take Zero back. But even so, right from the moment, her gaze fell upon Challes she was feeling this indescribable rage in her body.


    But the thing was, the Anya in loli_pop''s novel never felt this rage.<sub> </sub>


    "Take this you fucker!!" she screamed as she poured even more mana into her magiken.


    Her speed also increased and appeared behind Challes, without wasting a single second she swung her sword down left; aiming for his neck.


    The sword connected and sliced easily through Challes''s neck, leaving her surprised with widened eyes as a "huh?" escaped her mouth. Though there was something weird, neither did his neck got separated nor did she spill any blood.


    This was not right, something wasn''t fitting. And as for what was not fitting, she realized it that hard way.


    Challes''s body straight up vanished in the thin air at the same time Anya was hit on just above the neck hardly by the hilt of a sword. Her ipital bone was struck and she felt a little dizzy before falling down to her feet.


    She turned around and saw that Challes was standing there, smiling while adjusting his sses.


    Then it urred to her, ''It was his afterimage?'' she thought. Yes, it was Challes afterimage because he had already moved even before Anya. He was already behind Anya even before she was behind him.


    This was the level the academy teachers were on. Students were no match for him. Each of them had their own specialty and had mastered it to the extent that it was no longer a trump card for them but a normal thing like breathing.


    Challes would''ve been overpowered by Ryfin back then but it was because they both were teachers.


    "Now, now, you were saying something?" said Challes as he pointed at her with his sword.


    "Tch!" without wasting any time Anya rose to her feet and was ready to fight.


    ''This time I''ll go so fast that you won''t even be able to blink!'' she thought.


    She decided on one thing now; she will kill Challes. Until now she was unsure about that but now it was only confirmed.


    She took a deep breath and felt up all the mana circting through her body. She visualized it flowing in every muscle fiber in her body, and when she was aware of the whole quantity, she poured all of it into her magiken while leaving just a bit¡ªenough to not kill her from mana exhaustion.


    Her sword was now so bright that it had a golden bubble-esque aura around it. Anya''s body strength also increased with the effects of her magiken; her body now felt light, and the gravity also seem to apply a little less on her¡ªthough it was probably just her imagination.


    This was the first she was using this much power and¡­she felt invincible.


    Her green eyes were also glittering with gold now. A smile appeared on her face as she used all the power she had and dashed toward Challes, leaving a booming sound and craters on the floor behind.

 Chapter 133 Missing Incident [12]

    A st of air was thrown off in every direction as Anyaunched herself toward Challes. And it was just as she''d stated; before Challes could blink she was behind her.


    But instead of slicing his neck like before she turned around and saw Challes behind her, though it was toote. As soon as her eyes caught the sight of Challes his sword was already beside her chest.


    Gushing through Anya''s chest his sword divided her in half. But, Anya had a smile on her face. "What?!" a surprised gasp escaped Challes''s mouth when he saw that there was no blooding out of Anya.


    <strong>-Swish!</strong>


    With a blur she vanished; apparently what Challes had shed was an afterimage. He turned behind as fast as he could and there he saw Anya standing with a menacing smile on her face.


    She was already in the posture with her sword rising up high; Challes didn''t even have the time to reach. Anya''s sword dropped down in an instant and buried itself deep into his left shoulder and¡ª


    ¡ªCame out from the right side of his waist with no blood at all.


    "Tch!" Anya clicked her tongue when she realized that this too was an afterimage.


    She turned back her body on instincts because she knew the danger awaiting her if she dyed even a second. Fortunately for her, Challes had just appeared behind her and before he could bnce his body she instantly stabbed him in the stomach.


    At the same time, she felt something cold on her neck.


    "You''re fast, that I acknowledge. But you''re still a student," someone whispered in her ears.


    The Challes she was stabbing with her sword disappeared and she broke out into a cold sweat as something chill ran down her spine.


    ''Impossible! This just can''t be possible!'' she screamed internally but her lips didn''t move.


    Apparently, what she stabbed was also an afterimage; and she''d thought that Challes just appeared but he''d just moved away from there and left an image behind.


    Right now he was standing behind Anya. His sword was just an inch away from slicing Anya''s thyroid cartge and his left hand was holding her from the shoulder.


    All this time he was always behind Anya and she never really caught him off guard.


    The teachers in the Zaforths academy have their own thing they specialize in, and for Challes it was speed¡ªthe same as Anya. But he was just on another level and Anya was like a child who''d just learned to walk while he was an Olympic runner.


    And he was this fast even when he''d not released his magiken. With his magiken activated, only people like Ryfin could handle him.


    "Now¡­let''s end this," he breathed and moved her sword, slicing Anya''s flesh.


    ¡ªBut the cut was so fine that it didn''t kill her, instead made her bleed.


    Anya bit her tongue so as to not scream while she agonized in pain. At this point, all the mana she had put in her magiken was used up hence she''d had to disable it, or else it would''ve sucked all the remaining mana also¡ªwhich would''ve ended up killing her.


    A magiken won''t deactivate until themand is given or the user dies, hence Anya disabled it and her sword went back to normal. And as it did, arge wave of fatigue and pain washed over her body.


    This was the first time she''d used this much strength and now she faced the bacsh.


    Challes cut her more and was going to finally slit open her throat when he heard a voice.


    "Enough! Mr. Challes!" Leon announced.


    Up until now, he was just watching from the side because loli_pop''s plot wanted that but his time had finallye.


    His hand was on the hilt of his sword and his whole body was surrounded by a red-colored aura. It was so bright that the darkness in the room no longer posed a threat.


    His eyes showed he was angry¡­very angry, in fact.


    "How could you attack a student like that? That''s not what a teacher should do! I think...there''s noing back for you now, you can''t undo what you did, hence¡­I must end you here and now¡ªthere''s no other way," he stated as if it pained him to do this.


    Even though the next morning he''ll act as if nothing happened, killing someone was not an easy task¡ªmentally. But now he was forced to do this.


    A translucent blue screen¡ªonly visible to Leon¡ªappeared before his eyes. There were lots of letters and numbers written on it and the screen looked like some kind of menu. He focused his attention on one specific word or rather, a button.<sub> </sub>


    [Skills]


    A new window appeared beside the old one and this was like a list with lots of words written on it. This was the skill window of the magic system Leon had and all these were the names of the skills he possessed.


    Though a number of them had a lock sign after their name which stated that he hadn''t unlocked and didn''t have ess to those skills now, a few were still useable.


    He then activated a skill: ''Celestial sh!'' he said inside his mind.


    The name [Celestial sh] on the window shone in a bright color before both the screens vanished and Leon felt an enormous amount of energy powering up his body.


    He slid his left leg back and bent forward with his right hand on the hilt of his sword which was tied to his waist on the left side. His eyes were locked on Challes.


    Challes also saw the uing attack and hence threw Anya to the ground and prepared for defense. He knew Anya had exhausted all her mana and won''t do anything even if he left her be.


    He raised his sword in Leon''s direction and straightened his back before adjusting his sses again.


    "Rest in peace, Mr. Challes!" Leon screamed.


    <strong>-Boom!</strong>


    p With a sonic boom, Leon dashed forward, and the floor where he standing melted intova as he kicked off. His sword burned with crimson as if it was covered in a me.</anda>


    Challes''s eyes widened when he witnessed this power; this was unlike anything he had seen in his whole life. He posed his sword in a defense posture even though he knew it was of no use.


    In fact, he was able to do that just because he specialized in speed-based attacks and his brain had developed to think and react at high speed¡ªa normal person wouldn''t even have the time to breadth.


    "Haaaaaaa!" Leon released a battle cry.


    And then¡ª


    -There was a sound of sizzling, as though someone had thrown a burning torch into the water.


    Leon swung his sword and a red sh of energy¡ªfar bigger than the original length of the sword¡ªwas released and it went straight at Challes.


    ''Refuge shell!'' Leon said internally.


    [Skill, Refuge Shell activated] the system replied and an energy barrier covered Anya.


    Melting the ground as it moved forward, the burning red sh finally reached Challes.


    He felt incredible heat all over his body, his clothes burned away leaving his naked body facing the heat, and slowly, his skin also started peeling off as it burned.


    The sh went through him in an instant and hepletely turned into nothing the next second. And the wall behind him was also blown off by the sheer force of Leon''s attack.


    When the attack finally disappeared, the warehouse which was turned into a melted mess of stone and concrete came into view. The wall behind was destroyedpletely so the sunlight was nowing in.


    "Sigh~ finally, it''s over," Leon sighed as looked at the destruction he just caused. Also, Anya''s brother was sure to be held captive in one of the three rooms in front of them. He was just hoping that Zero was not in the middle room he just blew off.


    He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and looked at Ellyn who was standing at a distance of a few steps from him and for some reason, was looking at him dumbfounded¡ªno wait! She was dumbfounded, she was stiff.


    "Hey, are you alright?" Leon asked, but no reply.


    "You are good, that I can confirm. But just like that girl¡­you are only a student, after all," Leon received an answer, but it was not Ellyn who said that.


    At the same time, he felt someone''s hand on his shoulder. A chill ran down his spine and he quickly leaped forward and distanced himself.


    When he turned to see, he witnessed that a person was standing behind him¡ªa man. And he was¡­Challes!

 Chapter 134 Missing Incident [13]

    "H-How are you alive?!" Leon gasped in astonishment as he gazed at Challes who was standing in front of him.


    He was alive, even after taking a direct hit of Celestial sh, he was alive. But he was not fine, and not in the best condition.


    His clothes were almost burned off and only his pant was remaining, his skin had several burn marks, he was huffing badly, and¡­his sses were broken now.


    When Leon threw the celestial sh at him, he was able to get away. He waste and had to face the emitting heat but he escaped just before the actual attack hit him.


    However, it came at a cost. He''d to use his magiken and not just that, he''d to pour all of his mana into it. It was only after that he was able to get away without losing his life.


    Nheless, he was still going to lose his life eventually. Since he had used all of his mana he was pretty much as good as dead. His muscles had worn out and his bones were cracked; he was also having trouble breathing now.


    In short, he''d survived but at what cost?


    "It doesn''t matter, I have to end you and I will do it! No matter how many turns it takes," Leon pledged as he once again readied his sword.


    Then he lowered his sword for some reason and held it in his left hand, and raised the other toward Challes.


    "Bolt sh!" he said. This was not a skill but a custom magic spell he learned with the help of the system.


    A purple magic circle opened before Leon''s hand with multiple runes inscribed on it. Then a bolt of lightning was sted off in Challes''s direction with a thundering sound.


    Challes deflected it with his sword but since it was electricity, it traveled through his metal sword and electrocuted him. He would''ve dodged the bolt with his speed but right now he was not in the condition to do so¡ªeven being alive was difficult for him.


    "Give it up Mr. Challes, I don''t want to make you suffer," what Leon was trying to say is he doesn''t want to make him suffer so he should surrender and let Leon kill him and die an easy death.


    Leon thought that he was being merciful but in reality, he was sounding as cruel as a demon lord.


    Ellyn had also drawn her sword and was ready to attack at any moment, and Anya was also recovering. There was no chance for Challes to make a run for it.


    Though, he did have one possible say. And it was not to save himself but to aplish his original goal¡ªto crush Anya''s spiritpletely.


    He was on his knees after being electrocuted but he got up again and raised his sword against Leon. He had deactivated his magiken right after he escaped celestial sh so as to not use up the little amount of mana remaining in him.


    "So there''s no other way, I see," Leon said but he was mostly talking to himself. Maybe Challes would''ve replied but he didn''t have the strength to.


    Hence all he did was run toward Leon; he was not dashing since it would require mana but was sprinting instead of that.


    At a few distances away from Leon he jumped in the air, raised his sword up, and came down while dropping his sword down, aimed straight at Leon''s head.<sub> </sub>


    He was using both his hands but still, Leon defended easily. Hended on the ground. Leon and Challes went up against each other and exchanged blows.


    The sparring of des went on for a while before even Challes''s body was tired and he had to back off. This was when Leon was taking pity and going easy on him.


    Howbeit, that was his mistake.


    In the process of exchanging blows which went on for a while, Challes was sessful ining in the direction where the three rooms were. To simplify, he was the first person standing in front of the entrances of the rooms.


    And that was what he wanted and had in mind when he started this fight again.


    "Please, give it up," Leon pleaded but it was of no use.


    Challes didn''t have the power left to speak hence only a smirk appeared on his face as he dropped his sword to the ground.


    "Y¡­Y-You...a-a-are the, the reason," Challes still was somehow able to say this much as he looked at Leon.


    Before Leon couldprehend anything Challes''s body glowed and emitted a brilliant aura that burned around his body like a me. The ground below his feet cracked and the crumbles of concrete hovered in the air due to his aura¡ªit was unclear what it was exactly.


    But one thing which was clear is that he won''t be able tost even a second after this as he was now using all his remaining mana he''d saved up for an emergency.


    "A-Arcane¡­..of l-life!" said Challes.


    Arcane of life; is a spell that converted the user''s mana into physical energy. This was a magic spell and aplex and powerful one that was only used by powerful magicians.


    Challes knew this spell because well, he was the professor at a magic academy and while his focus maybe had been on sword arts he did learn spells also.


    Soon his muscles puffed up and he felt an overwhelming power flowing throughout his body. ''This is it,'' he thought as he turned toward the three rooms.


    Locking his aim on the left room he bent forward a little and thenunched himself in that direction as he kicked off the ground with a sonic boom and left a crater behind almost 30 centimeters deep.


    He dashed straight inside the room on the left side, breaking the door in the process.


    "What the!" Leon cursed as he held his head, but he didn''t have the time for this so he ran before Challes quickly.


    When he reached the entrance of the room, he saw that inside it was Zero. He was tied up with a chair and behind him was Challes.

 Chapter 135 End And Tears [1]

    The Arcane of life spell was still active hence he was breathing, but something was off. He was sitting right behind Zero''s chair as if waiting for Leon.


    "That''s it Mr. Challes; it''s over. There''s nowhere left for you to run and you can''t fight back. Even I know that you''re out of mana, you can''t hide it," said Leon.


    "So now, leave him be and surrender yourself," he added.


    "Zero!" someone shouted beside Leon. He nced at his side and saw that it was Anya.


    She''d recovered and now was standing back on her feet, although she was standing by taking support of Leon''s shoulder; she was mostly alright.


    "I finally found you," she marveled in a happy voice as she stepped inside the room, tears forming inside her eyes.


    "No! Anya wait! This could be a¡ª"


    <strong>-Boom!</strong>


    The magic circuits inscribed on the floor activated as soon as Anya took a step inside and they shone in a simr red color.


    The next second the ce where Zero and Challes were, exploded with a loud sound. A wave of heat hit both Leon and Anya as they saw a big mushroom cloud appear which slowly flew out in the sky from the ceiling that was destroyed in the explosion.


    The st was so big that almost the whole room was in range; even Leon and Anya were only a few steps away from the area of effect.


    "What happ¡ª," Ellyn came and was about to ask what happened here but she soon understood everything when she gazed upon the remains of the st.


    "Anya," Leon tried to put a hand on Anya''s shoulder but his hand never reached there because she dropped to her knees.


    She was still staring in the same direction, where Zero was. The tears that have been dwelled up in her eyes flooded out. However, there was a great difference.


    They had formed as tears of happiness when she saw that Zero was safe but they came out as tears of sorrow. The water in her eyes flowed, and flowed, and flowed, and¡­flowed.


    It was like a never-ending stream. She was not saying anything, nor was her expression changing.


    She was just¡­she didn''t know why but she felt empty. As if something inside her has been broken, something big.


    The mes left by the explosion were being reflected in her eyes, and then finally she spoke.


    ? "You liar," she said.


    She remembered the words Zero had said to her once: "And even if you do care about my life for some reason I don''t know, isn''t it a bit na?ve of you to think someone can kill me? When you know what I am capable of?"


    ''You liar!''


    "I can say with absolute surety that no one other than Leon can beat me in a one-on-one. You better carve it deep in your mind, so that you don''t go falling into others'' pranks like this ever again."


    ''You liar!''


    ''You said that no one can kill you¡­then what is this? Why did you die? You said you can use magic; you were better than me in it. Then how did you let yourself be kidnapped like this?''<sub> </sub>


    It was true that Zero was not her real brother, but even so, they had some kind of connection.


    Why was Anya crying? Because he was gone¡­he won''t being back now! He was erased from this world, she won''t see him again.


    She bent down and smacked the ground with both her hands, looking at the ground tears dripped from her eyes one after another. She bit her lips but she wanted to scream, her heart was aching so hard that she can''t even describe it.


    Leon wanted to console her but Ellyn stopped him, ording to her it was better to give Anya some alone time.


    Hence following her advice, "We''ll be waiting for you outside," said Leon and both of them left the room and then the warehouse.


    When she was finally alone in the room¡­


    Anya let out a scream she''d been holding in all this time. The tears flooded out more strongly, her face was red and her nose was running.


    "Why...you liar¡­Why you¡­left me," she groaned as continuously smacked the ground with both of her hands.


    ¡­She cried like a child.


    ***


    A day had passed since the death of Zero. After the incident, Leon and Ellyn came back to the academy while carrying Anya with them.


    They reported all this to Ryfin and upon hearing the whole story he just responded with, "I see."


    Ryfin then reported this to the academy''s director and the final decision they arrived at was that Zero''s death will be kept a secret to avoid the stain on the academy''s reputation.


    Now that their student had been killed by their own teacher, the hate they will receive if this news got out is unimaginable.


    However, Anya was given the offer that she could tell her parents about Zero''s death but only on the condition that they will keep it a secret. She didn''t have an answer at that time and said that she needs time to think about it.


    A week passed by. Anya was not going to the sses and was even not leaving her room. Ellyn and Leon came by to provide her with food but they didn''t know if she ate it or not.


    Even now, she was curled into a ball in her bed and her eyes were still wet. The pain in her heart hadn''t faded at all. She felt as if being eaten from the inside.


    This was because there was a very strong emotion dwelling up inside her¡­it was guilt. After all, the explosion spell was activated only when she stepped inside the room, indirectly it was because of her that Zero died.


    The magic circuits were designed in a way that they will forcefully suck mana from the person who will step on the trigger that was ced around the entrance, activating a custom magic spell set in the center.


    She was also aware of this, and that''s why she felt guilty.


    <strong>-Knock!</strong>


    She heard a knock on her door, and a voice followed: "Anya, it''s me, Leon."

 Chapter 136 End And Tears [2]

    Upon hearing the knock on her door and the voice of Leon, she didn''t really want to go and open the door. He''d beening over these days to give her fresh food which in reality, she didn''t eat much.


    But she still got up after letting Leon wait for a good 10 minutes, walking up to the door she slowly unlocked the door lock and opened the door. There Leon was standing outside.


    It was night and dark outside so his figure was not clear but Anya was able to tell that he was not carrying a lunchbox with him.


    However, Anya didn''t ask anything about it and just stood there, in hope that he will spill it out himself. He stared at Anya for a while since he was waiting for her to ask something but when he saw no hope, he turned toward her.


    "I want to talk," he said.


    "Okay."


    "Can Ie inside?"


    "¡­Okay."


    Anya stepped to the side, making space for Leon. He got inside and then she closed the door.


    Her body was weak as she wasn''t eating properly hence she was having trouble standing, due to this she went and sat on the bed¡ªLeon joined her and sat beside her.


    It was not clear what was going on in the minds of these two since there wasplete silence and no one was saying anything. Maybe they were waiting for the other to start while the other thought the same.


    The silence continued for a while before Leon broke it, "It was not your fault," he stated,ing directly to the point.


    "What wasn''t?"


    "You know¡­the thing with your brother¡ªZero."


    "What about it?"


    "It¡­is not your fault that he''s not here anymore."


    "¡­"


    "That isn''t true," Anya protested while she looked below.


    "It is."


    "It isn''t."


    "I was there¡­when it happened. I suspected that there was a trap since Mr. Challes was not doing anything. I knew but even then I let you go in there. If it''s anyone''s fault then it''s mine."


    "No, Leon. It was me who stepped inside. I¡­was the one. It is all my fault.....because of me...he¡­died. I still can''t believe¡­he''s dead! I won''t see him again," she broke out into tears again


    Seeing this Leon panicked from the inside; after all, he hade here to console Anya and give her peace of mind and provide her with support. So that she can leave her room and get a hold of herself; he was worried that she might fall into depression if nothing was done.


    But here, he made her cry. Now he didn''t know what to do. Anya was crying nonstop now as the memories of that day shed in her mind. And Leon had no idea how to stop her.<sub> </sub>


    He only knew one way through which a man can providefort to a woman when nothing else is working.


    It was coption.


    As for why he thought that this stupid idea was good? Because of the plot of loli_pop''s novel. The same thing had happened there, that''s why here in this world¡ªwhich followed the novel''s plot, his line of thought was the same.


    Hence, he decided to just follow his mind and do the deed.


    He gulped nervously as he looked at Anya¡ªshe was still crying.


    "It was not your mistake, Anya. You don''t have to take on all the guilt," he said and then moved close to her.


    Leaning forward he stretched his hand and held Anya from her shoulders and bought her close. And now both of them were just beside each other, Anya was leaning onto his shoulder and she might''ve not realized this since she was not living in the present.


    Her body sure came back but her mind was still there, in that warehouse. That''s why all of her actions were no better than those of a doll. She didn''t realize that Leon was now staring at her while he thought, ''What next?''


    He was red like a tomato¡ªsince they were not doing the main thing his horny mode was turned off, and he was unaware of what to do. However, as he was looking at Anya''s face she was suddenly hit with reality.


    She hurriedly looked up and her eyes met Leon''s. Seeing him this close she was flustered, confused, and embarrassed at the same time. The shock was so much that her body didn''t even move an inch.


    Both of their gazes were locked with each other, they were staring deep into each other''s eyes and were blushing badly.


    Finally, Leon decided to make a move. He slowly bought his face close as he genteelly held Anya''s chin with his right hand.


    Their faces were so close that they could feel the other''s breath. Leon moved forward even more and his lips were about to touch Anya''s.


    It would''ve been an innocent kiss, then a passionate one, then things would''ve started heating up, the clothes would''ve vanished from their bodies and they would''ve done the deed.


    But yeah¡­''they would''ve''; but that moment never arrived. Anya inserted her hand between her and Leon''s lips and stopped the kiss from happening.


    Something that should''ve happened didn''t happen. This was the very proof that this world was slowly straying away from the original plot.


    Now this unsessful kiss was sure to create a butterfly effect and many things in the future will change. And as for whether it was a good thing or bad, no one knew.


    Leon, taken back by this, suddenly backed off in embarrassment.


    "S-Sorry, I didn''t mean it like that. It''s just...I don''t feel the same way," said Anya, trying to clear any misunderstanding.


    "It''s okay¡­I''m fine."


    Leon did feel a little disappointed and also ashamed of himself when he realized just what the hell he was going to do. After that, he didn''t force Anya to do anything.


    In the first ce, the reason he was doing this was to make her happy. If she was good without it then better off not doing it.

 Chapter 137 End And Tears [3]

    "Anya! It''s me, Ellyn, I''ve bought something for you to eat," Ellyn said aloud before storming inside the room with a lunchbox in her hands.


    "Hmmm? Leon, you''re already here?" she asked as she saw Leon who was getting ready to leave.


    "Oh, I just came to check on her."


    ''Was Ite?'' she thought upon seeing that Leon was already leaving. Then she nced over at Anya, and she was still intact and in one piece. The bed was also clean so it was most likely that she wasn''tte.


    Satisfied with this she walked inside and sat next to Anya on the bed.


    "Are you fine?" she asked.


    "Umhm, yeah. I think so."


    "Here I''ve bought something to eat, will you?"


    Ellyn opened the lunchbox she had with her and a dish which was something simr to Spaghetti was revealed. They were noodles with sauce, spices, and unevenly chopped vegetables on them.


    "It''s not the best but I''ve made it at home. I''ll at least be better than eating outside."


    Ellyn was not good at cooking and she was still learning. This was because back in the time when she was at home, her maids did all the work and she was fed cooked food all the time.


    "I''m sorry but, I don''t feel like eating anything," Anya replied as she kindly turned her down.


    "I see." Saying that Ellyn looked over at Leon who was now standing and watching them; she gestured for him to get out of the room and he did just that. The energy between them after that unsessful kiss was awkward so it was probably better to leave for now.


    When he''d left the room Ellyn turned back to Anya. Anya was staring in the air, lost in thought¡ªmaybe back in the past.


    "You have to eat or you''ll ruin your health," Ellyn stated as she pulled out the fork she bought with her.


    Picking up some noodles from it she stretched out her hand in Anya''s direction.


    "No please, I''m really not in the moo¡ªumhhh!"


    "Come on, just a bit is fine," Ellyn defied as she stuffed a fork full of noodles in Anya''s mouth.


    "Pfhaaa! Okay, fine. I''ll eat it myself; you don''t have to spoon-feed me," Anya agreed after finishing the noodles in her mouth.


    "It''s fork-feeding technically, but never mind," Ellyn mumbled to herself as she passed over the lunchbox to Anya.


    A few minutester Anya finished the whole thing. She hadn''t eaten properly for many days so none could deny that she was hungry. It was just that until now her brain didn''t realize that.


    "How was it? I tried to be extra careful since I was making it for you."


    "It wasn''t as bad as you say. I mean, you are a better cook than me. I''m only able to make small dishes. But Zero is even worse than me; he only knows how to make...coffee."


    The mood which had been lightened due to Ellyn suddenly turned dark yet again.


    "I''m sorry," Ellyn apologized as she put her hand on Anya''s shoulder.


    "No. It''s fine...I''m fine," it sounded like as if she was trying to say this to herself and not Ellyn.<sub> </sub>


    "So what have you decided? When will you tell your parents about it?" she asked after a long silence.


    "I...don''t really know."


    Anya hadn''t informed her parents of this. Honestly, she tried to do it so many times but whenever she sit back to write a letter to them, their smiling faces surfaced in her mind, and she thought about what will happen to those faces once they hear this news.


    What will happen to Ron? He was so happy when Zero survived five years ago, how will he feel after learning that he is dead?


    A pressure so heavy that it could crush the whole world weighed on her chest whenever she thought of informing them of Zero''s death, hence she was procrastinating it all the time.


    "This might not be my ce to say but, I think you shouldn''t tell them now. Wait for at least a week or two," Ellyn suggested.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "You know about that, right? Their bodies haven''t been found. I don''t want to give you false hope or anything but there''s still a chance that he is alive somewhere."


    "But¡­"


    It was true. After Ellyn, Anya, and Leon came back to the academy and reported to Ryfin about the incident, a search team was dispatched to retrieve the dead bodies.


    But neither Zero''s nor Challes''s bodies were found. There was no trace of them either. It was almost as if they vanished into thin air.


    That was also the reason both of their deaths hadn''t been confirmed legally. Both of them were marked as ''missing'' and not dead.


    "I''m just saying you should wait for a while. In that time, your condition will also get better. After that, take emergency leave from the academy, go to your home, and tell your parents directly. It will be better than leaving them hanging with a letter," said Ellyn.


    "Hmmm, yeah. I think I''ll just do that. Even I know that I''m not in the condition to face them right now. I need¡­just a bit more time."


    "It''s okay. Take your time," Ellyn patted her on the back and then hugged her. After that, she said goodnight to her and left the room.


    Anya looked at the wall clock, the time was sharp 9 pm so she decided to sleep; she didn''t have anything else to do anyway.


    She turned off the magic lights and went to bed. Lying down and staring at the ceiling she thought about the times she spent with Zero.


    And the time when he revealed that he was not his brother, but someone else trapped in his body. At first, she was confused, she was also angry that he was technically stealing her brother''s body.


    But then there was also the thing that he saved her from Walric even when he didn''t have anything to gain from it. And he was also living with them without providing any harm. Plus, ording to what he said, he didn''t get into her brother''s body at will; fate forced it upon him.


    Taking all of this into ount Anya decided to wait and watch a bit more before giving any statement, hence that time she told Zero that she''d epted him.


    After that, as they got into the academy and time passed; Anya noticed that he really didn''t mean any harm. In fact, there were several times when he saved her again¡ªthe special exam for example.


    Yes, his methods were not the best but his intentions were¡ªat least that''s what she determined. Then she slowly started talking to him and they build a rtionship. As for what kind of connection they had, well, it is a little difficult to describe because Anya herself didn''t know that.


    But now none of that matters. He was gone, lost into eternal darkness, and devoured into a world she was unaware of.


    ''I won''t see him again, it''s the reality now,'' she said to herself internally, and then a shining drop of tear slid down her left cheek.


    However, the next day she was proven wrong. She wasn''t aware of it right now but tomorrow morning, she was going to see him again.

 Chapter 138 Rebirth [1]

    [8 Days Ago]


    A few minutes after Anya, Leon, and Ellyn left the warehouse.


    ***


    "Pffff! Phew~ Man, breathing was hard down there!" I let out a breath of relief as I broke the ground above my head and got out of a 12ft deep hole.


    After that I dragged Challes out too; he was unconscious because of mana outage but was still alive.


    I threw Challes on the floor and then looked around the area; no one was there but the condition of the room, or well, the whole warehouse was in ruins.


    Searching for a wall that was still intact I went there and sat on the floor leaning against the wall. Then I used my elemental magic and created a bubble of water and drank it.


    "Sigh, now shall we get to work."


    My biggest fear was now gone; I''d survived through my death. Now, this might sound a bit confusing so let me exin it to you¡ªabout how I survived.


    First of all, all the things which happened to me, whether it is Challes kidnapping me or blowing up this room via magic circuits, I already knew all that beforehand thanks to the knowledge I had of loli_pop''s novel.


    Just that was a big advantage for me. After that I went along with things and let them unfold as they did in the novel¡ªthis involves letting Challes kidnap me and bring me here, Anya, Leon, and Ellyning here to save me, and then this whole room getting blown up by Anya''s mistake.


    But to do all of this I first had to defeat Enen so that Challes can get the motivation to kidnap me, that''s why I started experimenting on finding a way or technique which can rival magiken.


    Then I discovered the technique to heat up the sword thing. I then defeated Enen in the most humiliating way possible¡ªyeah doing that did bring a lot of attention and spotlight in the training session which I didn''t want but being alive was the top priority, of course.


    After all, if I''m not alive in the first ce then what''ll I do with a peaceful life? And judging by the direction things are going in and what had toe in the future, I don''t think my dream of a quiet and peaceful life will ever be realized.


    Anyway, when the match was over I knew that Challes would be waiting to kidnap me, which he was and I let him kidnap me. Though I had bought the anti-dote with me to prevent myself from losing consciousness.


    However a slight problem urred, it was Ryfin. He was stopping Challes from taking me and he would''ve been sessful if I hadn''t given him the hint that I''m fine.


    That seriously is a pain. He didn''t exist in the novel so predicting his moves was a huge problem. But for that moment I got rid of him.


    Then all I had to do was wait until Anya came here with Leon and Ellyn and then die in front of her. This was important because I wanted myself to be dered dead at least in the academy.<sub> </sub>


    p And as for why I didn''t actually die? Well, I knew about the magic circuits so when Challes was fighting with Leon I''d created an underground chamber-type space with the help of elemental magic.</anda>


    I first used the earth element to remove the soil and make the stone walls, after that I used the ice element to make the second covering of the walls to absorb the heat, then made one moreyer of the wall again with earth magic.


    I''d keep the ceiling or rather the entrance blocked so that I will be up on the floor until thest moment but I had reduced the thickness of the floor.


    I also created a small pipeline that went out of the warehouse and opened in the air so that I can keep breathing even when the chamber is closed from all sides and won''t suffocate.


    Challes came afterward and sat behind me, and then at the same time when Anya stepped inside I removed the floor below me and the chair and along with Challes fell in the chamber I''d created.


    I quickly closed the entrance with threeyers just like the wall and hence I was protected from the explosion. In the meantime when Anya was crying and all, using fire element I burned the ropes that had been tying me from the chair and freed myself.


    Since then what I did was wait until Anya and the others were out of the warehouse, and when they were, I opened the entrance of the chamber again creating a staircase with the earth element, I got out.


    And here we are right now.


    I could''ve avoided doing all this if I hadn''t let myself get kidnapped by Challes but there was a reason I went through all this trouble.


    It was so that I can get out of the academy and do what I wanted to. There is an item I want; one that could make me stronger.


    And to acquire that item I''d have toe out of the academy since it is located outside the city. I need that item specifically because without it I don''t think I''ll be able to survive through ''The Cmity'' and whates after that.


    It won''t even change the plot much since Leon discovered that item, used it for a few chapters, and then forgot about it. Hence I chose this one.


    Now that I was dead in the eyes of the world, I can operate freely¡ªwhich I wanted to do for a while now.


    I got up to my feet and walked toward the door of this room, there in a corner where the explosion hadn''t reached, a card was lying on the ground. I picked it up and took a good look at it.


    ''It was a wise choice to get Ellyn on my side,'' I thought.


    This card, of course, was my transaction card.

 Chapter 139 Rebirth [2]

    "How much will this be?"


    "10 C"


    "Uh, okay. Give me two of them then."


    "Wait a minute...¡­here you go."


    "Do you ept transaction cards?"


    "We do."


    "Then I''d like to pay with that."


    "Sure."


    "Here...It''s done."


    After paying from my transaction card I took the two pieces of cloth from the guy in front of me¡ªwho was apparently a shop owner. Right now I was in the market of the slum district buying two cloaks for myself and Challes.


    I wore one myself and put the other one over Challes¡ªand I''d to be the one to do it because his hands were handcuffed and attached to a chain so he probably won''t be able to do it himself.


    Normally, I would''ve just let him walk on the street with the half-burned pants he had but since I don''t want anyone to recognize us¡ªeven when the chances were low, I''d have to do that anyway.


    Once I was done, I pulled the chain which was connected to Challes''s handcuff and legcuff, causing him to move forward with me.


    I had my head covered with the hoodie cop type of thing which was attached to the cloak and the other part of the cloak was covering my back and chest and went all the way down to my hips¡ªChalles had a simr clock


    "Where are we going?" he asked in a weak, trembling voice.


    "I don''t remember that I''ve given you permission to speak."


    ? "¡­Don''t get so full of yourself kid. You know that you won''t be able to control me once I get my mana, don''t you?"


    "Yeah¡­once you get your mana back."


    Saving Challes was not something I''d ounted for in advance; in fact, I don''t even how he didn''t die from mana exhaustion. After using Arcane of life there should be no mana left in his body there still somehow was.


    The proof is he''s alive. In this world, mana is something you can''t live without; it''s like bind to your soul. So if you totally run out of mana you won''t be alive even a second.<sub> </sub>


    But Challes was, so it confirms that there is some amount of mana left inside him. However, it''s still strange. Because even if you''ve used almost all of your mana, the time it takes for it to recover is just a couple of hours.


    Though in Challes''s case his mana was not recovering¡ªit was the same as how it was after he fought with Leon. If he had regained his mana then he won''t be letting himself get captured and abused by me.


    Yeah, there is a possibility that he is doing the same thing I did¡ªto intentionally let himself get captured so he can attack when my guard is down, and that''s why I was constantly abusing him or trying to provoke him and of course, not letting my guard down.


    This just increases my trouble¡­that''s all. And at first, I thought about leaving him there or killing him but then it urred to me that he can prove to be a good asset in the future.


    After all, assuming that his mana really wasn''t recovering, killing him was always an option. Hence I made some hand and leg cuffs for him, chained him up, and was now keeping him with me like a ve.


    And even if someone doesn''t talk openly about ves here, having one is low-key legal so no one wille to interrupt when I''m dragging Challes on the road like this.


    It was clear just by the fact that no one was staring daggers at me right now.


    Oh, and if you''re wondering how I got my transaction card. I told Ellyn before getting myself kidnapped that she''d make sure to bring my card when she will go to find me with Leon and Anya, then drop it in a safe ce.


    I also instructed her to convince Anya to not tell Anya and Leon about my death, I knew that the academy won''t since their reputation will be ruined and all that. Though in all this I had to tell Ellyn and she knew that I''m not dead for real, but that was a minor thing.


    She did ask me the reasons but I reminded her of our deal. We were in a give-and-take rtionship, there should be no questions between us¡ªher work is just to follow my orders, simple as that.


    ''Hmm. Come to think of it, I still have toplete my side of the deal or she won''t trust me. But her family never tried to take her back in the novel, so should I save her...¡­well, it''s not like after this I''ll try so hard to keep the plot that same so it''s isn''t a thing to be concerned about.''


    Think that, it looks like I reached my destination¡ªor rather the start of this journey if I take everything into ount.


    In front of me were the big walls that protected this city. Inside the wall was built a huge gate that connected the city to the outside¡ªthe northern entrance gate of the Sofrora city.


    The gate normally stayed open since this was the capital city and adventurers and traders kept going in and out all the time. Following the crowd of people, I also crossed the gate along with Challes.


    Since I wasn''t carrying any ID with me, so I had to pay 1000C as a fine but well, it was okay I guess. If this is what it takes to not let myself be discovered then so be it.


    After all, I made a separate bank ount for myself only because if I was still using my parents, then I would''ve been found out¡ªthat I was not dead¡ªonce I used it for buying anything. I could''ve carried the money physically but it would''ve been a pain¡ªand carrying too much money was impossible, to begin with.


    There is a chance that someone will still find out if they checked my bank ount, I don''t think there''s someone out there who will look into the transaction history of a dead¡ªor missing ording to the academy¡ªperson''s bank ount. Hence I was safe.


    With that satisfaction in mind, I stepped outside the city and was firmly greeted with a cold,forting breeze.

 Chapter 140 Leaving The Capital [1]

    My eyes gazed upon the beautiful green grass that was fluttering in the air due to the wind in the long, never-ending fields. Connected to the entrance gate was a leveled path of dirt that went forward along with the nes.


    Multiple wagons and people were entering and exiting the city through them; some were adventured d in armor, some were trades riding in their wagons which were stuffed with goods, and some were normal citizens who were either leaving the city for work purposes or for other reasons.


    I took the same path and started walking down it. However, I won''t be able to reach where I wanted if I went on foot like this, night was also starting to cover the sky hence after going on for a bit more, booked the wagon.


    A few more people were sitting inside but there was enough space for me¡ªand Challes also.


    "Where''d you like to go?" the driver asked as I got inside the wagon.


    "Gat town," I replied.


    "Oh, there? I think you''re aware of this but it''ll take a lot of time to reach there. We''ll have to stop by someone to spend the night, you know that? The money required to go there will also be high considering the distance and the other man with you. You look quite young to me, do you have that kind of money on you?" he queried.


    "Yeah, I know that. And there isn''t any problem, I have money on me."


    "Well, telling you was my job. If you''re fine then I don''t have any problem."


    With that, the wagon moved. I was sitting on the left side near the back hence I was able to get a view of the outside¡ªand Challes was sitting on the floor instead of a seat. There''s no way I''ll pay the cost of a seat for this bastard.


    As time flowed, the sky was soon fully covered in the nket of the night and twinkling stars.


    If talk about the atmosphere inside the wagon, here I was getting some stares from the people now and then.


    There were 3 people other than me¡ªone girl and two boys. They seemed to be your typical adventures since both the boys were d in metal armor and the girl was holding onto a staff so probably she was a mage.


    One of the guys who was sitting right in front of me had brown hair and a well-built muscr body. He also had a beard of the same color and was wearing grey iron armor and had a sword with him.


    The other guy beside him was also wearing an armor of the same color but it was a little lighter than his¡ªby light I mean it was not covering his full body and looked like it was not made out of heavy material, however, the color of his hair was green and he had a clean face with no facial hair and a normal boy¡ªneither skinny nor muscr.


    And he was carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows with him, so I''m guessing he was an archer.


    ''That exins the armor.''


    The girl sitting next to me seemed to be the quiet type to me since while the two guys were asionally talking to each other, she wasn''t saying anything.


    She was wearing armor like the other two but it was a leather one, not metal. Her sleek hair was shining ck and she was clenching a wooden staff.


    If I had to exin it simply, they were just your normal stereotypical adventurers.<sub> </sub>


    Since we were sitting in a closed space there weren''t able topletely ignore Challes even if they wanted to, and well, a 15 years old teenager having a grown man as a ve was not normal even in this world.


    I was looking outside and not paying attention to them but I don''t know what Challes was thinking right now. I took a nce at him and saw him staring down at his shoes¡ªbasically, he had his face buried in his legs and sitting in very less space.


    ''Embracement must be killing him I guess? Or is he just fallen asleep? I don''t know?''


    I''d gotten some free rxing time like this after a very long while and I don''t want to waste it thinking useless things¡ªheck even I can''t keep working without rest!


    I was resting my face on my hand and gazing at the beautiful night sky as the cold butforting breeze kept embracing me.


    "So, what''s your name?" one of the boys sitting in front of me asked.


    ''Sigh! Guess I won''t be resting anytime soon. And seriously, what''s with this? Can''t you see that I have an unspoken "do not disturb" sign hanging on my neck?!''


    "What''s your name?" I replied, or rather it was more of a reverse question.


    "Me? I''m Spene. He''s Favian, and she''s Xara," the guy said with a smile on his face.


    ''Dude you just revealed the names of all your teammates! Even for a fool, this was too much!''


    "I''m Ichigo, nice to meet you," I said and greeted him back with a smile as I raised my hand forward.


    "Nice to meet you too," he replied and shook my hand.


    The other two also greeted me afterward and so did I. The guy who started the conversation was I don''t know why how happy now that we''d exchanged.


    "Where are you headed?" he appealed.


    ''Didn''t I already say that when I was talking to the driver?''


    "The Gat town, as I said."


    "Ah, then I guess we''ll be seeing each other for a long time. As for we also have the same destination," he said proudly, though I don''t know what was the thing to be proud about in this.


    I replied with a smile and didn''t say anything after that. The atmosphere was good andfy, the seat I was sitting on was not reallyfortable but before I realized it, I fell asleep.

 Chapter 141 Leaving The Capital [2]

    All of a sudden my eyes opened, at first I went into alert mode since I was having a hard time for the past few days but soon I realized I was worried over nothing.


    Though one more realization hit me the next second; ''Fuck!'' I screamed internally and quickly looked below.


    It was fine. Challes was still there.


    I just made a big mistake; which was to feel asleep and gave Challes the chance to attack me; in short I let my guard down. My elemental magic chains wouldn''t have vanished even if I was sleeping but he sure has gotten the chance to break through them.


    However, he hasn''t and was still sitting in the same position as before.


    "Awake huh?" he said.


    At first, I was a bit confused but then I noticed that we were the only ones in the wagon.


    "You had the chance to escape, why you didn''t?"


    "Hmph. Isn''t it already clear to you, kid? My mana is not recovering and I have just enough to keep me alive. I can''t possibly break through your chains with that much."


    "You could''ve asked for help from then?" yeah, I was referring to the adventures that were now missing. If he said that I was keeping him captive without his permission then they sure had helped him.


    "I don''t want to get others involved. And even if I did, you would''ve disposed of them, didn''t you? After all, you had the nerve to pretend dead before your sister. You even made the fool out of me and are currently making a fool out of the whole academy. It''s clear you can do things a normal student can''t."


    "I see. You did good to not ask for help then, as for you are absolutely right about that."


    ''There''s no lying here, he was right. I would''ve erased them if they posed any trouble for me. Hmmm, maybe then I''d have to get rid of the driver too; that sure has been a pain.''


    "Where are the others?" I asked.


    "They are outside, setting a camp to spend the night."


    I got up from my seat and left the wagon, and then I made Challes''s chain a bit longer and drilled the part I was holding into the ground. I also made sure to triple the thickness of his chains.


    Leaving him alone might not be the best idea but, I mean, I don''t want to walk him around like a dog.


    After that, I looked to the other side and saw that under a tree there was a campfire and four people were around it. They were, of course, the driver and the adventures.


    I went toward them since I wanted to check the atmosphere and it was now getting a little cold so being near a fire will be nice.


    "Hey, it''s you Ichigo," one of the guys said, Spene was his name I think.


    "Sup," I said as I sat next to the campfire.


    "We didn''t disturb you since you looked like you were in a deep sleep."


    "I see, thank you."


    ''I can''t believe I left myself vulnerable between all these people! I had to be extra careful from now on.''


    Yeah, I have to. I''ve avoided my death but that doesn''t mean I''m safe and everything''s fine.


    The cmity is still to arrive and when the time for that wille, it will be pure destruction. I can''t even imagine what will be of this world¡ªI kinda can since a part of the cmity arc was written by me while I edited loli_pop''s novel but that''s the scary part.


    Me being me, I made the cmity a hell of a disaster for the humans in the novel. And now I will face the same thing.


    That''s karma for you.<sub> </sub>


    "Where is that other guy?" he asked.


    "He? Well, I left him in the wagon."


    "How cruel! What kind of person you are; shame on you! Don''t you know how cold it is now? He must be freezing to death!" the girl said, this was the first time I''d listened to her speak.


    And I''d to say, she was not what she looked like. From the outside, she was your normal quiet girl but her words resembled an entirely different personality.


    "Forgive me, I''ll bring me here," I said and begin to go toward the wagon''s direction.


    "You better do that."


    "Ichigo, we are really sorry, let us apologize to her. This is just how she is," Spene pleaded.


    "Yeah, ignore her and she will be fine," the other guy¡ªFavian¡ªsuggested.


    "Hey! What do you mean ignore her, huh?" the girl barked at him.


    "See? Just like this, don''t pay attention to her," Favian implied while not even looking at her.


    "No really, I think it was wrong of me. I should bring him here," I went toward the wagon.


    There I saw that Challes was still in the ce I left him and well, he really was shivering in the cold as he was curled up in a ball.


    I got inside the wagon and gazed upon him.


    "Looks like they want you there. Rejoice! They took pity on you," I revealed, looking down at him.


    He tilted his head up and looked me in the eyes. "But I can''t risk letting you free."


    "It''s not like I''ll do anything¡­..I can''t, and you know that."


    "Yeah, I know. But still, safety measures are important."


    ***


    "Ahhhhhhh!"


    The adventures and the driver who were sitting around the campfire heard a scream.


    "What was that?!"


    "It came from the wagon!"


    As soon as they realized that something was wrong, they along with the driver ran toward the wagon.


    The wagon was parked at a distance from the campsite so it took a few minutes for them to reach there and when they did, the scene they saw sent shivers down their spine.


    There was blood.


    Zero¡ªor Ichigo was lying on the ground and from his condition, it seems like he was scared to death. While beside him was the man who was his ve. He was bleeding badly from his legs and stomach and was somehow keeping himself alive.

 Chapter 142 Leaving The Capital [3]

    ''No, that might not be the best idea,'' I thought, snapping myself back to reality.


    While I can provide Challes with such injuries that will make him unable to attack us and also self-harm myself, then when those adventures wille to see what happened I''ll state that a monster or a wild animal ambushed us.


    But there''s a catch, this might be an open area that is highly adaptable for monsters but the chances of even one of them appearing are slim to none. As are in open fields indeed but this is a major trading and traveling route which connects multiple cities to the capital.


    And, of course, the kingdom had made sure to clear any monsters or animals in this area because they can harm the travelers which will not be good and the kingdom will see a bacsh both in reputation and money¡ªsince some traderse here from other kingdoms also.


    If I said I and Challes were attacked by a monster and by the time they came here to see, it vanished into thin air¡­that''ll look hell suspicious as hell.


    ''I need to think of something else; a way by which I can disarm Challes¡ªin case he''d regained his mana, and in a way that doesn''t make me look suspicious.''


    "What are you spacing out at, kid? If you gonna take me there then do it quickly, I can''t deny that it''s cold in here," said Challes as he begin to stand up¡ªhis hands and legs still tied in the cuffs.


    ''Cold, huh?''


    As he was on one knee and was about to stand up when "Gwahhhh!!" a scream came out of his mouth. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted as he gritted his teeth and fell.


    "Nothing major. Just freezing your leg so you won''t cause any troubleter," I stated.


    "How in the hell is that not ''major''," he groaned as he held his right leg tightly with his hands.


    This was okay. His pants will cover the ice burn I''ll give him so it won''t be a problem. ording to loli_pop''s novel, Challes''s core fighting technique depended on speed and without his legs, he won''t be able to do that.


    He was not much of a mage so there was no problem with spells; even if he did try to do something with spells I''ll manage it. His sword arts were a problem since I was not good at them but not it has been taken care of.


    "Now, now, get up quickly. I haven''t made it too cold so your leg won''t fall off; it''s just enough to keep you from pulling any moves," I said as I patted him on the shoulder and then jumped out of the wagon.


    "I said that my mana isn''t recovering, why you can''t understand!!"


    There''s no need to answer that; I''ll do what I think is right and will keep me alive. That''s all it is, as simple as that.


    I dissolved the stone chains which were keeping him chained to the ground but I let the hand and leg cuffs remain as they were.


    "Come on, we shouldn''t let them wait," I suggested and then dragged him out of the wagon.


    At first, he fell to the ground but then realizing that there was no other choice, he slowly stood up.<sub> </sub>


    "I don''t need to tell you that what happened here should only remain between us, now, do I?"


    "Tch¡­I''ve said it before but I''ll say it again; I don''t want to involve others in this, so I won''t tell anyone," Challes asserted as he looked at me with disgust and disappointment.


    "Good, now let''s go."


    ***


    "Hey, Ichigo! You''re back!" said Spene as he gazed upon me and Challes.


    "Apparently, yeah."


    "Mr. ve, you''re here too," he eximed; I don''t know if he meant to be respectful or was making fun of Challes by calling him ''Mr. ve''.


    Challes, however, never replied to them even when they showered him with multiple questions and tried to start a conversation. He just went near the tree¡ªunder which the bonfire was lit, and sat there leaning against its trunk.


    Eventually, they gave up trying to ask anything. Though there was one thing I was wondering about, Xara¡ªthe girl who said to me to bring Challes here, never tried to talk to him, not even once.


    There was another thing I was d of also; they didn''t ask me anything about him like, who he is and why I''m carrying him around. They didn''t ask me about my background either.


    A part of it was probably because I didn''t join their conversation¡ªwhen even the driver was talking with them¡ªand only replied with short words whenever they asked a question. Then after a few minutes, I went to sleep.


    From what I found, we were camping under this tree and everyone except the driver was going to sleep there¡ªthe driver was going to keep a watch at night since while there was no threat of monsters here, bandits did sometimes attack.


    And to my surprise, all of them really slept after an hour of talking and sharing stories with each other. I mean, no matter how trusted a person can be, how can you sleep without any care like this?


    What if the driver killed them in their sleep and ran away with their money and stuff?


    I, of course, haven''t actually fallen asleep even when I said it before. I was just pretending to be asleep so that I won''t have to answer their questions. I had already done that mistake in the wagon before and I was not going to repeat it.


    Now, whether it be because of the driver or Challes; I was on my guard the rest of the night and never let loose of my consciousness even once.


    And yeah, Challes also didn''t sleep. I mean, he possibly couldn''t have in that condition even if he wanted to, so¡­


    Fortunately, nothing concerning happened at night and the next day, we left for the town once again.

 Chapter 143 Gannett Town [1]

    The wagon stopped all of a sudden and I felt a shock as if getting pulled forward, but that was just physics at work so it went normal pretty soon.


    "We''re here," the wagon driver announced as he got off the horses and began to unload the stuff those three adventurers were carrying.


    "Hurry up, let''s go," I said to Challes go was now again bounded in the chains. After we got inside the wagon this morning, I''d undone the ice on his legs coz if it stayed there for too long then his leg might have fallen off, that''ll make him unable to move and I don''t want that.


    Since my whole purpose of bringing him with me will be ruined, if he can''t even be the use of that then it is better to kill him. But he was still capable of fighting¡ªmaybe, so I''ll be keeping him for now.


    I hopped out of the carriage and dragged Challes with me, and if you''re wondering why it''s so quiet then it''s because the three other people with me are still asleep.


    It was evening right now so it took us a long time to reach here. They had fallen asleep at noon for some reason, when I asked the driver about it, I came to know that they had booked this wagon right afterpleting a job¡ªwhich was to kill some monsters in the wild, and were tired.


    Hence they were sleeping even when they already had during the night. It was good for me; I''d have less trouble to deal with.


    I paid the driver with my transaction card and then left toward the area where a mediocre-sized group of buildings was built. It was the Gat town.


    In a vast field of green, were many houses and buildings. There were long grasses fluttering in the field which looks like wheat but in reality, was just a type of wild grass in this world and ].


    Coming to theyout of the town, it was like a big square as the core with multiple small squaresing out from its corners¡ªwhich were mostly big buildings like a church or many small buildings like inns and brothels.


    The setting sun was casting an orange glow on the overall town that made it seem like the buildings were glowing from the top and that gave the whole town afy vibe.


    There was a forest surrounding the town from three sides which were at least 2 miles away, and the side that wasn''t surrounded by the forest was the side where the traveling routes were, aka where I was standing right now.


    This was the Gat town, a small town that was part of the Zenith kingdom but not of any city.


    In this world¡ªthat loli_pop created, the kingdoms were vast and huge chunks ofnd around the size of a country if Ipare them to my former world. And in these chunks ofnd, are multiple cities that host people.


    But even with these cities, a veryrge amount ofnd still remains unpopted. Some parts of the emptynds are covered with forests while some areas are just in fields.<sub> </sub>


    Here the townse into y. At several intervals in the fields between two cities, there are one or two towns. These are basically just one level up from viges because they don''t have much poption¡ª200-300 per town, but are more developed than viges


    One more reason is that loli_pop never added the viges and made the tows act as both but let''s ignore it for now.


    As for why people are living in these towns when there are cities which are more suitable for living? Well, either they want to live a quiet life away from the noisy poption and the caste system of the cities, or they don''t have the money to pay the taxes.


    Yeah, taxes y a big role in the forming of the towns. If you live in a city then your family has to give a fair amount of tax¡ªand per person that is, it doesn''t matter if they are a newborn or an adult. For nobles, this isn''t much but formon folks, sometimes the tax falls heavily on them.


    Thus they shift into towns. They still have to pay the tax but for towns, it''s a different system. The money doesn''t go to the kingdom per person but to a whole town. Hence the amount of tax each person has to give is rtively lesspared to the cities.


    Also, towns are a good spot for adventures to stay. Most of them are traveling adventures and shift from ce to ce, and renting an inn in a town is cheaper than renting one in the city.


    Anyway, I soon reached the town''s entrance; there wasn''t a wall or something so we entered without giving a toll.


    As I stepped inside the actual town¡ªalong with Challes, I saw that the buildings were built in a grid pattern which made the alleyways easy to navigate. In the outside area there were shops and inns but as go move towards the center, the houses start appearing.


    I should''ve stopped at the inns but I was going inside, why? I had something to do.


    After walking for around 10 to 50 minutes, I reached the building I was aiming for. It was a wide, single-story building with a big V-shaped roof. There were different types of peopleing in and out of the building.


    Some were d in armor while some were wearing leather clothes, some held a staff while some had a sword, some wore a cloak that hid their head while some had a hat with a white feather attached to it, some were young boys and girls while some were men and women who aged with experience.


    I walked close to the entrance gate of the building and just above the house was hanging a rectangr board with a number of letters engraved on it. As I read those letters, the feeling of being in a fantasy world that had dimmed inside me for a while now, shone brightly again.


    Yes, this was an adventures guild.

 Chapter 144 Gannett Town [2]

    Stepping inside the building I was hit with the smell of fantasy. Everything inside was made out of wood, whether it be the furniture, railings, or pirs, everything was brown wood.


    Looking on the top I saw 3 chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which iron chains and big candles attached to them which illuminated the whole interior with cozy golden light.


    With several tables and chairs inside the building, people were sitting on them and drinking jugs of beers while chatting amongst their groups¡ªor saying parties will be more urate here. This confirmed one thing, this building worked both as a guild and as a tavern also.


    Though I was not here to drink, hence I moved forward. I was getting asional stares again because of the chains I was holding in by hand¡ªand the same chains went back and were attached to the hand and leg cuffs of Challes.


    However, while they were whispering and passingments to each other, no one tried toe and ask something from me. I was covered from head to knees in the cloak and my face was barely visible under the hood¡ªonly the portion below my nose was in sight. Challes was in a simr condition so there was no need to worry about our identities getting revealed.


    I stopped before a long wooden counter and put my hands on it¡ªChalles stopped behind me.


    "Wee to the Vanguardians guild," said thedy in front of me; she was wearing a specific uniform and had her brown hair tied in a bun, and she was also wearing sses.


    "I''d like to register a quest," I stated.


    "I see. I will be able to help you with that. Can you tell me what type of quest you want to register?" she asked and at the same time, picked up a clipboard and a pencil and pen in her hands.


    "If you''re asking about the category, then it''ll bebyrinth exploration. And I''d prefer a party who is above average inbat if possible."


    "Okay, where is the location of thisbyrinth, or tell me its name if it has one."


    "That I can''t tell you, it''s confidential," as soon as I said that, thedy looked up and stared at me for a while.


    "What''s the purpose of this exploration?" she fired another question.


    "I and my party will be going there to mine mana crystals and I want the adventures to protect us while we are mining," I proposed.


    "I see, that''s why you can''t say the location," she nodded.


    "I''m d you can understand."


    Mana crystals are very rare in this world. They are basically used for equipment like magic lights which work on magic but require a constant amount of mana supply. A person can''t always be there to provide hence mana crystals are used; they are batteries in short.


    They are usually found deep in thebyrinths and are formed when the dense mana is present there because of the monsters, over time it gathers in a ce and gets materialized.


    If I''m mining them and making a profit, then I won''t want to reveal the location of thebyrinth since I don''t want other people toe there too. Same as it was when the gold and diamond mines were found back in my former world.


    "And how much will be the reward money?" she queried.


    "50,000 C."


    "Huh?!" she almost jumped in surprise. "Isn''t that a bit too much for a quest like this?"<sub> </sub>


    "Well, I want the best protection. My life is very dear to me."


    "But, keeping the reward this high will only cause problems for you," she said.


    I knew what she was trying to say. If the adventures will see a normal grade quest ofbyrinth exploration where the location of thebyrinth isn''t specified but the cost is way too high; then it is ought to raise suspicion. Most people won''t take on quests like this.


    "I don''t really care about that. If they don''t have the courage to take this quest then I won''t want someone like that to protect me," this was a shitty reason but it confirmed the counterdy to register my quest.


    "Pay the money here," she implied as she pointed toward the machine which read the transaction cards and took money from it.


    "Your total will be 52,000 C. 50,000 for the quest reward and 2000 is our service fee."


    "Okay, I''ll do it," I put my card on the machine, and in a few seconds the payment. I looked at my card and the numbers that indicated my ount bnce had changed once again.


    "Thank you, pleasee check tomorrow morning and we''ll inform you if someone epts the quest or not," she asserted.


    "I see. I wille next morning then."


    With that, I left the counter and then the adventures guild building. The sun had almost set and now I had to book an inn to stay the night.


    I begin walking toward the direction where I had seen the inns when I entered the town.


    "What did you do that for?" someone asked, it was Challes who''d been quiet till now.


    "It doesn''t matter to you. And you''ll get to know tomorrow anyway."


    "How are you so sure that someone will ept your quest by tomorrow."


    "Sigh! There''s nock of greedy people in the world. Even if my quest looks suspicious someone will eventually ept it for the money. The probability is 8 out of 10."


    "And what about the mana crystals? Are you really here for them?"


    "What if I was?"


    "I''d be disappointed. You don''t really look like the type who''ll do all this just for making money from the crystals, and considering we don''t have a team mining them is impossible."


    "I see. But as I said, you don''t really need to know what I''m doing and why I''m doing it. Just follow me around like a good dog and you''ll be fine."


    "Treating a teacher like a dog, I never thought I''ll see a day like this in my life...the more time I spend with you the more convinced I be that you''re not a normal student."

 Chapter 145 Gannett Town [3]

    Hmm, theoretically I''d booked a room in an inn to spend the night, but I wasn''t really sleeping. This was my second night without sleep, and I had to do this because of Challes; I don''t trust that guy in the least.


    Even if he is sleeping right now, I can''t say when he''ll attack. I know this is a bit of overthinking from my side, but you can never stay enough cautious.


    I hold my life very dear and if now I died because of some silly assumption I made¡ªthat he can''t possibly kill me in this condition, I''ll die again from the shame and disappointment in myself.


    Due to that line of thought, I spent the whole night rolling here and there on the bed I was provided with. From time to time I nced at Challes who was passed out on the floor and no matter how many times I did that, his position wasn''t changing anytime soon.


    If you ask me, it was a little hard to stay awake when you''re this tired¡ªand of course, I was tired, after the whole faking my death thing, then traveling for a day to this town, and how can I forget the stab wound Challes gave me.


    It had healed since I bought and drank a healing potion before leaving the capital city, but that potion was sold in the slum area and wasn''t of the best quality. It might have healed my skin, but I still felt the pain then and now.


    Thinking back on it now, it was the tingling and piercing pain that kept me from falling asleep identally. It wasn''t particrly good but... well, let''s leave it at that.


    The next day, I woke up¡ªor rather, just got out of bed. I was feeling a little dizzy, so I first drank some water and then in the bathroom that was attached to the room, I went and washed my face.


    Coming back, I looked at myself in the mirror and I clearly had dark circles underneath my eyes; I was looking sleep-deprived. Anyway, I wore my cloak over the academy uniform¡ªyeah, I only had the uniform as clothes.


    When Challes kidnapped me I was wearing this and since then I never cared to change. A part of it was because I''d have to carry it around, there was a chance that someone might recognize me due to the uniform, but the cloak was helping with that.


    "Wake up you bastard, we have to go," I cursed as Inded a hard kick on Challes''s stomach. He was still sleeping on the floor, but it was already time.


    He grumbled in pain as he clenched his stomach, then he slowly got up with a clearly frustrated look on his face. "Can''t you do it more peacefully?" he asked rudely.


    "I don''t hear peace talk from your mouth. Shut up and get ready."


    He clicked his tongue and stared at me with a very angry expression on his face; it was like he''ll attack me any time now. But that didn''t happen, after staring at me for a couple of minutes he went to the bathroom¡ªwhen I increased the length of his chain¡ªand then came out.


    He was already wearing his cloak as he never took it offst night¡ªhe was sleeping on the floor, and it was kind of me to not provide him with a nket, so his body can adapt to the cold.


    When everything was ready, I shortened his chains and then left the inn.


    "Are you sure someone would have taken the quest?" Challes asked as we walked down the path to the adventurers'' guild.


    "We''ll see for ourselves once we get there."


    Right now, my goal was to go inside a certainbyrinth. Because inside thatbyrinth is the item I want¡ªthe one that''ll make me strong. The novel covered the part where Leon explored thebyrinth, hence I knew itsyout and how to descend the floors.<sub> </sub>


    However, in the novel, he went to thatbyrinth after a long time in the novel and at that time he had 4 girls in his harem. Due to the numbers, clearing thebyrinth was easier and with the help of the plot armor, no one died.


    But from what I know, thatbyrinth is capable of killing you if you''re not careful and there''s no way I was going into it alone or just with Challes¡ªconsidering that I don''t have plot armor. Yes, I know the structure and how it''sid all well, but even then I can''t do it alone.


    <o>,m That''s why I need a few disposable tools that can do the work for me and keep me safe while I acquire that item. And the more people we''ll have, the fewer chances of me being the one to die will be.</o>


    All that talk about mining the mana crystals was, of course, fake; thebyrinth I was talking about was hidden from the rest of the world¡ªjust like abyrinth with mana crystals in it should be, so there''ll be no ce of suspicion.


    The time was around 8 a.m., and while the sun wasn''t entirely up in the sky yet, there was enough light everywhere to walk easily. As I passed through the za where the guild building was, I saw that people had woken up.


    The shopkeepers were opening their shops and the adventurers were going to the guild. The air around here was a bit cold and fresher than that of the city¡ªthe main reason for that was probably the forest surrounding the town.


    Soon, I reached the guild building and entered through the door. There weren''t as many people inside as there were yesterday, but it still held a good amount of adventures in it.


    Walking up to the counter, I ced my hands on the wooden furniture and thedy¡ªthe same one as yesterday, greeted me as soon as she noticed me.


    "Has anyone epted the quest?" I asked.


    "Yes, there is one party who epted it soon after you left," she replied.


    With that I looked over to Challes who was standing behind me; there was no need for words.


    "Where are they?"


    "Pleasee with me," she said and then, through a small door, she came to the other side of the counter¡ªwhere I was standing.


    I along with Challes followed, and she took us to a table where a group of 3 people was sitting.


    ''Now, now, what do we have here,'' I thought as I saw who those people were.


    "Hey! Ichigo! We met again!" said one of the three people.


    The ones sitting on the table and the ones who''d epted my quest were the three adventures I met on the wagon.

 Chapter 146 Gannett Town [4]

    "Hey! Ichigo! We met again!" said one of the three people.


    He was Spene, the one who called out my name¡ªor at least the name I''d given him.


    "These are the people who epted your quest. Do you already know each other?" thedy asked.


    "Well, kinda," I replied.


    At the same time, Challes stared at me in the same way as I had done before. Maybe it was revenge or something? I don''t know.


    "Have a great time exploring then," thedy said and then left.


    "What a coincidence, Ichigo!" Spene spoke with a bright face as he stood up and looked at me with his sparkling eyes.


    "Yeah¡­a coincidence indeed," I repeated.


    "Anyway, why did you ept this quest?" I asked as I sat on the bench that was ced around the table.


    "Huh? We saw your name under the quest poster, the reward was also high and there wasn''t much to do, so we took it," Spene exined.


    Yesterday, before I left thedy at the counter, she had asked my name and I, of course, told her that my name was Ichigo. I can''t risk giving away my real name, after all. Maybe that''s how he got to know that I was the one who posted this quest.


    "But why did you leave early, Ichigo? I thought our destination is the same, so we''lle to the town together?" Favian appealed; till now he was sitting quietly. Well, no. He and Xara were arguing over something in a low, whispering voice.


    "You guys were asleep, and I didn''t want to disturb you, so I left you alone."


    "I see. Though we woke up soon after, the driver was not kind enough to let us sleep."


    "Are you guys done with this shit talking?! Can we go do this quest quickly?! I want to end this quickly!" Xara blustered as she stood up and smacked the table with her fists.


    "Calm down, Xara, the quest isn''t going anywhere."


    "Fuck you!" with that, Spene''s attempt to cool down the atmosphere failed.


    "It''s alright; I agree with Xara here. I''d be better if we finished this quickly," I interjected.


    I mean, I don''t want to stay here for long either. There are still some things I''ve left back in the academy which I''m worried about; like Anya. Though I have told Ellyn to take care of her so that she won''t get fucked by Leon as it happen in loli_pop''s novel, but I can''t trust herpletely


    I needed to go back as soon as possible.


    Now, since I was also supporting the idea, Xara gained some more confidence as she red at Spene and Favian. Thus, all we did was eat breakfast together¡ªwhich we got in the guild building by the way, and after that left for the quest.


    While we were walking down the path that went out of the town and toward the forest, Favian came close to me and started walking side by side.<sub> </sub>


    "Please don''t take anything Xara said to heart; as I''ve told you before, she is just like this," he said.


    "I know that already."


    "She is not in the best mood for this quest, since she never wanted to do it in the first ce. But Spene insisted that we should do this quest because the reward was good and, of course, it was from you."


    "I hope you understand," he assured with a calming smile.


    "I do, I really do."


    "I see... thanks."


    Like I care. And for some reason, Challes was constantly smirking the whole time. Was it because the ones to take my quest are these people? If he was thinking that I''ll hesitate only because I know them already... then he is dead wrong.


    I just wanted some disposable tools to help me survive thebyrinth, and I got them¡ªit doesn''t matter who they are. That''s all it is.


    ***


    After walking for a few hours, we reached the destination¡ªthebyrinth. Right now we were standing in the middle of the forest that surrounded the town and in front of us was a hilly area.


    The rocky slopes started low, but as you moved forward, their height increased with each step you took. It was here where the Durendreg mountain range started.


    "Are you sure this really is the ce?" Spene asked as he looked around and scratched his head.


    His doubts were reasonable. I''d stopped them in the middle of this forest in a slightly open area. Behind us were all trees, and in front was a small river that supplied the town with water. And besides, that river was a mountain slope that stood 30ft in height.


    The scenery was nice as we could hear the sounds of birds chirping but, there was no sign of abyrinth.


    "Yeah, we are in the right ce," I rified and reassured and then moved forward toward the slope¡ªChalles behind me since his hand and leg cuffs were still attached to the chain I was holding.


    Reaching near the nting wall of the slope, I first searched for something all around it, and then when I was unable to find it, I took a deep breath and then blew a burst of air from my mouth on the wall.


    A great amount of dust was blown off and the surface came out a lot clearer. Then I found it. I was standing in the wrong ce. What I was searching for was a few steps beside me.


    It was a big, human-sized magic circle engraved on the stone slope; this was the entrance to thebyrinth.


    I was able to find it in one go because loli_pop was kind¡ªorzy enough, to set it up in a hard-to-find location. In his novel, when Leon went out to find thebyrinth, he was able to do so very easily.


    And it was written that the entrance to thebyrinth will be opened through a magic circle that is printed on a long mountain slope which is just beside the river. This was the only river in this forest and this was the only slope just beside it, so it didn''t take much longer to find it¡ªthough I do have to walk around in circles to find this ce since I didn''t know the exact location.

 Chapter 147 Labyrinth [1]

    "Dang! Now, if this isn''t something," Spene eximed from behind.


    "Come, this is thebyrinth we''re going into," I said as I pointed toward the dark passageway.


    The trio came forward, and it was clear that all of them were surprised by the current change of event. Maybe even Xara, who was doing this quest unwillingly, had a spark of curiosity lit inside her.


    "Are you sure this is the right way?" Favian tried to confirm.


    "Yeah."


    "Fine then. It''s just that I didn''t know there was abyrinth in this forest," he mumbled as he came close to me.


    We all entered the passage one by one, and because the job of Spene''s party was to protect me, the first to enter was him, then went Xara, after that me and behind me was Favian.


    As we all were inside thebyrinth, we hear a sizzling sound that came from behind. Then out of nowhere, everything turned pitch ck; the sunlighting from the outside vanished.


    "The door, it''s closed!" Spene shouted when he turned back to see what had happened.


    I also did the same and the door was, of course, closed off. The circr piece of rock which had disappeared after I activated the magic circle had materialized again¡ªblocking off the entrance.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve entered thisbyrinth once before and that is an automatic door. It can be opened again, just like I did from the outside," I exined and calmed everyone.


    "I see, it almost gave me a panic attack," Spene sighed.


    Once this problem was solved, we moved forward again.


    "Xara," said Favian as he called out her name.


    "I know, alright?" she fumed in response.


    Then she held her staff straight forward and chanted an incantation; it was different from anything I''d heard at the academy. Probably because she''d learned magic from a different academy, and it''s a different incantation of the same spell.


    Soon, a ball of light appeared on top of the green gem that was attached to the tip of her staff. It was a controlled fireball that was now working as amp and illuminating the surrounding area.


    "Good, let''s go then," said Spene and led the group forward.


    Following him, we moved forward. At this point, Spene had his sword in his hands and Favian had his bow ready¡ªXara already was holding her staff.


    If I go by the novel, then right now we were on the 1st out of 5 floors of thisbyrinth.


    From what I could see with the aid of the light of Xara''s fireball, this floor was pretty much like a normal cave in the beginning. But as we ventured further into thebyrinth, the t and straight ground changed into a nting one that took us downward.


    As we descended to the floor, the rocks on the walls, ceiling, and ground became sharper and rough. At some point, they were so sharp and edgy that you''d get a cut if you rubbed your hands on them¡ªthey were like des.<sub> </sub>


    After a walk of around 15 to 20 minutes, the narrow passage we were walking into opened up into a big, spacious area. The visibility here waspletely 0 and the only light wasing through Xara''s fireball.


    This was a roughly square-shaped area with several rocky spikesing out of the ground; they were not long enough to stab you, but you''ll sure get a wound if you step on them. Hence, we were moving carefully.


    However, this wasn''t going to go as peaceful as it was till now; this was abyrinth, after all¡ªa literal nest of monsters.


    We heard a screeching sound and that was enough to make everyone put their guard up. Maybe this was not the first protection job Spene''s party got, since they quickly took their positions and surrounded me and Challes.


    Favian was in front, Xara on my right, and Spene was covering both my back and left side as he had a sword as a weapon.


    "Here theye!" Spene alerted, tightening his grip on the sword.


    Though for a moment nothing happened; it was quiet, a bit too quiet in fact. Only the sounds of our breathing resounded and from somewhere, I could hear the slight sound of water.


    "Creeechhh!" with that sound, something jumped on Spene.


    It was sudden, but he was not shaken by it since he already predicted this to happen. He struggled a little to shake the creature off his body, it hadnded on his sword, so he shook his sword down strongly, and then whatever it was, it crashed to the ground.


    Xara put light to it and then the face of the creature came into sight. It was a spider¡ªno, its size was slightly bigger than a spider, so maybe it was a monster that looked like one. But since I don''t know its name, let''s call it the spider for now.


    "Careful! It isn''t dead yet!" Favian warned.


    "I know, I know!" Spene repeated multiple times and then moved toward the spider, but to his surprise, it wasn''t there.


    "Where''d it go!?"


    "You idiot! Look above you!" Xara shouted as she turned toward Spene.


    He instantly looked above his head and on the wall, though he still was toote. The spider had recovered from the previous blow, and it jumped at him again; this time its sharp teeth were out and shining.


    Itnded on Spene''s face and drilled the sharp fangs into his face, gouging out his eyeballs¡ªno wait! That''s what should''ve happened!


    <strong>-Swish!</strong>


    A fireball ball sifted above our heads and went straight toward the spider, it collided with the spider and a small explosion covered it. The spider came crashing down to the floor.


    Web fluid came out of its mouth as it burned in Xara''s magical fire, it released that piercing scream yet again as it struggled to survive but was unable to do so in the end. In a few minutes, the fire burned itpletely, but then the lights went off.


    After all, the fireball that Xara hadunched was the one she was using as amp. Since casting a new one would''ve taken time due to the long incantations.

 Chapter 148 Labyrinth [2]

    Everything went dark in an instant, the sound of a droplet of water dripping into a puddle resounded in thebyrinth.


    "Xara!" Spenemanded; he didn''t particrly say anything, but just calling out the name was enough for her to understand.


    "Agghhh! How many times do I have to say it, huh?! You don''t need to remind me of everything," she cursed hurriedly, and then began chanting the incantation.


    She finished it in about 5 seconds, and once again a shining ball of fire appeared above the green gem on the top of her staff. The light radiated from the fireball scattered in the whole area, illuminating our surroundings.


    "Aren''t there anymore¡ª "


    Favian released an arrow in Xara''s direction before she could even speak, the arrow went at a great speed and passed above her head.


    "Phew, that was close," Favian exhaled in rxation.


    "What the fuck were you doing?!" Xara shouted at him.


    "Look behind."


    "Huh?"


    "I said turn around and look," said Favian as he pointed behind Xara with his right index finger.


    She turned and saw what he was referring to. Behind her on the groundy another spider; an arrow was drilled in its head and the insides wereing out¡ªits brains and blood.


    It was impossible for a normal arrow to do that since the spider''s head was basically cracked open in half, so Favian''s arrows were either made out of a magic-steel¡ªa type of ore that''s also found in thebyrinths and is filled with mana, or he was using his own mana to power the arrows up.


    "Gross," Xara mumbled as she looked at the dead spider with disgust. It sure wasn''t the best thing in the world to look at, but I thought they would''ve gotten used to seeing grotesque sights, seems like I was wrong.


    "Hey, hey, this ain''t the time to rx; more of them areing!" Spene announced.


    He was right. In the shade of Xara''s light, I could see some shadows moving on the ceiling and walls. They were the spiders, and this time they were more than one.


    "Everyone, get into positions, and don''t let your guard down! And make sure not a single one of them can reach Ichigo!" Spene dered as he readied his sword and got into the battle posture.


    Xara and Favian nodded and took a battle posture as well. Favian took out three arrows from his quiver and loaded all of them at the same time. Xara chanted a few more incantations, and now there were a total of five fireballs floating on top of her staff.


    The lighting from them, of course, increased as well, and now I was able to clearly see the spiders. And to be honest, there were a lot of them.


    Crawling on the ceiling and walls, all of their bodies were pitch ck with eight legs attached out of their lower stomach like normal spiders. They had two long and razor-like fangsing out of their mouth, and they had shining crimson eyes that were looking at us as of this moment.


    ''These are probably low-level monsters. While they can''t be much of a threat alone, but if a group or whole colony attacks, you are more or less finished. At least that''s what their description said in the novel.''


    I can take them out by creating a big firestorm with my elemental magic, but why should I? I''ll wait until all of these adventurers are either worn out or killed. After all, I''ve saved up my mana forter¡ªcan''t afford to get stressed out now.


    "They areing!" Spene warned and the next moment the spiders jumped down to the floor at once.


    The three adventurers covered me and Challes as they got ready to take on the monsters.


    The first to attack was Favian; he released the three arrows he was holding, all together.


    Piercing the air with a whistle the arrows flew toward the spiders, two of them hit their targets¡ªwhich was the head of the spiders, but thest one missed. He instantly reloaded three more arrows andunched them; again and again, he repeated the process.<sub> </sub>


    Two spiders came crawling at Spene, without wasting a single second he stabbed one of them with his sword. However, when he was about to pull out his sword and go for the second one, he suddenly felt as if his movements were being disturbed by something.


    Then he realized that the spiders on the walls and ceilings were spraying their web on him. Currently, his whole back was painted in white, and half of his arms too; if it went on like this then it won''t be long before he turns into a ball of the sticky web.


    He somehow pulled his sword from the spider''s corpse and then tried to remove the web from his body. But it was so sticky that instead of tearing off, it was getting stuck on his palms too.


    "Damn it! This is irritating!" he grumbled.


    Opposite Spene was Xara. As soon as the spiders began their assault, she used her fireballs and propelled them toward the monsters.


    This time, since the spiders were close to each other, one fireball at least burned two of them at once. She then hurled another one at the spiders and took out two more.


    She was constantly chanting the incantations too, so new fireballs were appearing whenever she ran out of them. The spiders were not stopping despite the fact that they were getting massacred, but neither was she.


    "Hey, Xara! I think... I need a little bit of help here!" said Spene.


    The upper half of his body was almost covered with a thickyer of spider web, hence he wasn''t able to move properly. The web was also stuck to his palms, so he wasn''t able to hold his sword properly, too.


    "Can''t you see I''m busy here?!" Xara responded. She was right, even replying was hard for her since she had to stop with the incantations for that time.


    "Please, please, please! Otherwise, I''ll really die!" he pleaded.


    "Ugh! Fine."


    She cleared the spiders that were near her with the fireballs she already had, and then began with a new incantation. Apparently, this was a short one; she finished it instantly.


    Finishing off the spell by shouting its name as the final part of the incantation: "Conjurinio Vexectus!" she said as she held her staff up in the air.


    A surge of scarlet lightning brewed around the gem of her staff before she pointed it toward the horde of spidersing at her; the lightning¡ªas red as blood, struck down the earth.


    A loud thundering sound was heard as crimson shed all around the cave¡ªsince she''d used all the fireballs beforehand, so the only light remaining in the cave was of the shing lightning.


    The lightning exploded over the spiders and electrocuted a number of them¡ªat least 10 or 15 before it cooled down and vanished into thin air.


    Instantly after that, Xara created 2 more fireballs, one she kept for illuminating the area, and tossed the other one toward Spene¡ªwho was still struggling with the spiders and defending himself by kicking the shit out of them and surviving somehow.


    The fireball sent by Xaranded on his back and swiftly burned the spider-web on him; as the fire was controlled, it extinguished before harming his skin.


    "Thanks a lot," Spene eximed as he cracked the bones of his shoulders and back, then got ready to fight again¡ªthis time for real.


    "Fuck you! Do you even know how much mana that spell took?!" Xara, as usual, wasn''t happy about this, hence she didn''t even try to talk more and went back to killing spiders with her constant fireballs.


    Since Spene had been taught a lesson by the spiders, this time he fought more carefully and avoided being entangled in the webs.


    Favian, on the other hand, was going just fine. He was using a bow and arrows, so he killed the spiders even before they reached him, and his speed in changing between arrows was above average too.


    However, there was just this one little problem... he didn''t have an infinite supply of arrows. Sure his quiver was fully packed with them, but they certainly weren''t going tost forever, probably he knew it too.

 Chapter 149 Labyrinth [3]

    "Take this!" Spene bellowed as he shoved his sword deep into a spider''s head. Pushing it even further, he finally chopped off its head in half¡ª blood sttered all over the ground.


    Without wasting any time he quickly turned to his side, he was just about in time before a spider jumped on him from the wall.


    He held his sword straight, the spider sprayed its web on Spene, but he didn''t flinch. He swung his sword diagonally and cut the spider in two parts before it couldnd on the ground.


    Realizing that there weren''t many spiders around anymore, he took a breath of relief and rxed his body a bit and provided it with some oxygen. He wiped the blood off his face that had sshed there when he was shing the monstrous spiders.


    "How are things on your side?" he asked loudly.


    Xara and Favian weren''t that far from him, but even so he asked without turning around because he couldn''t afford to let his guard down and look in a different direction¡ªwho knows when more monsters mighte?


    "Their numbers are decreasing," Favian replied at the same time when he released an arrow, and it dug itself deep inside a spider''s eye.


    "Oh! There''s one more," he murmured as he shot another arrow; this one was targeted at the ceiling right above my head.


    "Careful, Ichigo," he warned.


    Following his advice I looked up and then stepped aside, soon a corpse of a spider came crashing down on the ground at the ce where I was standing a few seconds ago.


    "Thanks."


    "Ah, don''t mention it; protecting you is our job, after all."


    "Quit with the chit-chat and assist me! I''m getting out of mana here¡ªthanks to a certain someone," Xara interjected and nced at Spene with the edge of her eye.


    She was constantly using her spells, and it was not strange if she was running out of mana at this point. It was understandable, we were¡ªor rather they were, fighting for about half an hour now.


    Yeah, the spiders didn''t stoping, hence almost all three of them were tired by now. I was observing, and both Favian and Spene''s movements had gotten slower in thest 10 minutes. Xara''s spells were also less efficient now¡ªmaybe because she was trying to not use much mana.


    "Ahhh! Fuck you, you insects!" Xara cursed, aiming three fireballs at the single spider in front of her. At the same time, Favian shot three other spiders to death that were also before her.


    With this, there weren''t any spiders left anymore.


    "Are they gone?" Spene asked; he still wasn''t moving from his position, since he was in charge of guarding both my rear and left side.


    "I think so," Favian responded.


    "This sure took a while."


    "It did," Favian looked around, scanning the area for any other spiders if there were any left. "It did, indeed," he repeated.


    It was confirmed that this was all of them. It took them a while, but there weren''t any more monsters left on the first floor of thebyrinth... probably.


    Coming to thebyrinth, by the way, the area in which we were standing right now was a mess. Mountains of monster corpses were lying all over the ground and the walls were coated in spiderweb.


    It also smelt bad due to all the spiders Xara had burned to death; it was the smell of burned meat. And it stinks, honestly.


    "Sigh... finally it ended. I think I need just a bit of... rest," Xara trailed off and all of a sudden, she fell to the ground.


    "Xara!" Favian ran toward her instantly, sat down, and put her head in hisp.<sub> </sub>


    "She''s knocked out," he rified.


    "Maybe it''s because of mana exhaustion," I said as I moved toward her while carefully avoiding stepping on the corpses.


    "Agh, it''s my mistake then, because of me she''d to use that powerful spell," Spene imed as he came running toward Xara.


    ''That was a powerful spell? Well, maybe ording to their standard it was.''


    "Don''t me yourself Spene, maybe she''s just tired due to continuous fighting like us. It was probably a bit hard on her, probably that''s why she fainted," Favian demurred.


    "But..." It looked like Spene still wanted to say something, but decided otherwise in the end.


    "Let''s let her rest and recover first, the exploring can wait forter," I implied.


    Of course, I normally wouldn''t have stopped for something like this. But she was still alive and can be of use. It''s always better to have 3 than 2, after all.


    "I''m very thankful to you for that," said Favian as heid Xara on the ground carefully and put her stuff away.


    1 hourter,


    We were still waiting for Xara to wake up. Favian was sitting next to her in case she needed anything¡ªwhich I don''t know how it can be possible; I mean she was unconscious right now!


    While Spene and I were sitting in a corner where there weren''t any corpses¡ªChalles was at a distance from me.


    "It''s strange, isn''t it?" Spene implored; maybe he caught me staring at them, which I was doing for a few minutes now. I mean, I was curious. That guy was just sitting beside her, just sitting, nothing else.


    "No, well... I guess it is," I replied.


    "But that''s just how it is... that''s how love is," he asserted.


    ''Love, huh? This brings back nostalgic feelings, and not good ones.''


    "Wait! You mean, they are in a rtionship?!" I asked hurriedly, as if I was interested in the topic.


    "I''ll let you in on a secret; as they are, even though they won''t admit it," he revealed, from the looks of his face it seems like he was having fun telling me this.


    And it wasn''t like I was interested in this or anything, but I won''t miss an opportunity to grab extra information. He started this conversation to get a reaction out of me¡ªprobably because he was bored, and I was just giving him that reaction; encouraging him to tell me more as the result.


    "So, what you''re saying is that they both like each other but won''t say it?"


    "Yes, that''s exactly what I''m saying. Funny, isn''t it? I mean, if you like each other, then simply say so. The worst that''ll happen is that you''ll get rejected¡ªwhich won''t happen in their case. But that''s it. I''ve been rejected more times than I can count."


    "That''s someplicated shit," Imented.


    "It is, indeed."


    I just found something interesting. They were in love, partners. If so, then... this can help me in the future. I''m sure the results will be better than what they would''ve been, if I didn''t know about this.

 Chapter 150 Labyrinth [4]

    Chapter 148


    2 hourster Xara finally woke up, it turned that she''d really fainted due to mana exhaustion.


    "It was all your fault! If it wasn''t for you then I wouldn''t had to use that spell," she shouted at Spene right after she gained control over her body. Favian tried to calm her down but it was of no use.


    Finally when the atmosphere calmed down we decided to move further into thebyrinth. While Xara was fainted, Favian and Spene had also rested and recovered their energy.


    Hence, we were on the move once again.


    Passing through the spider corpses we soon left them behind and ventured again into the depths of thebyrinth. The passage we were going through was not narrow¡ªlike the one we started through, but it wasn''t as spacious as the area where we fought the spiders either.


    As we were walking forward, my eyes fell on the walls. There were spider nests all over the ce and some of them even had bones stuck in them. Xara''s mana had restored so she was using her fireball to illuminate the path which gave the walls a golden shine and I also felt warmth since I was close to her.


    We were again the formation with Xara on the front, behind her was Spene, then I and Challes, and in the rear was Favian.


    "Do you know where are we going? Since I can''t map this ce at all," said Spene as he nced back at me.


    "Well, I haven''te this far before due to the monsters, but I do have a general idea on where we had to go," I derived.


    For once, I wasn''t lying here. I really didn''t know the exact way to reach the item I''m searching for. In loli_pop''s novel, Leon directly jumped from floor to floor with the help of his system that allowed him to explorebyrinths in a more efficient way.


    Due to that I didn''t know the exact way to reach the floors so I was just moving based on the information I gathered on thebyrinths of this world before starting this whole thing¡ªand so far there was only one way to go forward so it wasn''t much of a choice anyway.


    "Can you all also hear that sound which I''m hearing right now?" Favian asked.


    "What sound?" Spene queried.


    "Well, it''s like the sound of¡­like water, as if there''s a river somewhere near us, and the sound is getting louder and louder as we move."


    "Hmmm, let me see," Spene stopped in his tracks¡ªand so did Xara and I¡ªclosed his eyes and bought his hand close to his ears in a funnel type shape. Then he looked as if he was trying to focus and try to hear the sound Favian was talking about.


    "Ah, I do hear something like that," he said after a few minutes of silence.


    I kinda know what he was taking about; I was hearing the same sound from the time they were fighting the spiders. At first, I thought that water was dripping into a puddle from some stone or something but as we went further into thebyrinth, I came to realize that it was more like the sound of a water fall¡ªand it was most likelying from the direction we were going to.


    "I hear it too," I added.


    "How long are you all gonna stand here hearing some sound or whatever, huh? Is that what we came here for? Hey Ichigo, weren''t you hear to mine those¡­those¡­crystals?" Xara chipped in.


    "Ohe on Xara, it isn''t like we spent our whole life here!" said Spene in a sarcastic tone.


    "I''m really not in the mood to hear anything from you, so you better shut up unless you want another one of these fireballs; and this time they won''t extinguish before burning your skin, she fumed and turned around to look give a death stare to Spene¡ªmaybe it worked since it seems as though Spene broke into a cold sweat.


    And it turns out she was still pissed about the thing with Spene.


    Spene didn''t want to anger her even more hence he zipped his mouth and began walking again.


    Around 20 minutester, we reached another open space¡ªnot as big as thest one though. We did stumble upon some more spider monsters on the way but because they weren''t in a big group, they were taken care of easily.


    Coming back to the situation right now, we finally knew where that sound wasing from.<sub> </sub>


    The ce where we were standing right now was a spacious area as I''ve mentioned before and it was probably diamond shaped. The length of the spikesing out of the ground was slightly bigger and there was even some moss at certain ces.


    But aside all that, on the right side of this area was indeed a stream of water that was getting its supply of water through a small waterfalling from the ceiling. Seeing this I determined that the water was probably the water of the river¡ªthe one we saw outside.


    We stepped inside the ce and looked around, after a few minutes of research we realized that there were no monsters here.


    ''Then maybe this isn''t the second floor,'' I thought.


    Sure this somewhat looked like the second floor of thisbyrinth I''ve read in loli_pop''s novel but if there ain''t no monster here, then most likely this isn''t what I think it is.


    However, there was no way to get out of this area either. There were no other passages connected to here other than the one we came through and the one where the river was going into¡ªthis almost looked like a dead end.


    Though I was kinda able to guess where the way was thanks to the knowledge I have from the novel, and the presence of this moss and stream of water here.


    I walked up to the stream and stood beside it, the direction its water was flowing looked like a tunnel¡ªsimr to the train tunnels they had in my former world but a small version of it.


    "I think this is the way," I announced.


    "You sure?" Spene inquired.


    "Yeah¡­pretty sure. I mean, this is the only other way that''s leading somewhere."


    "That is true...okay, let''s go then. Not like we''ll get anything from wasting time here."


    Everyone agreed to that, so we put our feet into the stream of water¡ªwhich was around 30 centimetres deep I think, and began walking in the direction where the water was flowing.


    Now, as we walked further the surface started getting slippery and it was hard to maintain bnce¡ªwe even fell many times. There was a reason for it; the ground was leaning in one direction the more we moved forward.


    If I had to exin it simply, then I''d say that from few meters away from the waterfall, the ground was titled into a 35 or 40 degree angle. This made the stream work like a waterpark slide and we were falling down.


    This went on for a few more minutes before¡ª


    "Oh fuck I''m going down! Xara, stop me! I mean, hold my hand or leg or whatever you can and stop me! Ah fuck I''m going down! I''m going down! I''m going down!"


    Spene tripped and fell, this timepletely. Thus we were probably nearing the end he started going down the path, just like the kids in a waterslide.


    He begged Xara for help but the icy stare she gave him was probably the most cruel thing I''ve ever seen¡­just kidding. Though this didn''t change the face that she enjoyed the scene as Spene slid down the watery path and get devoured by the darkness¡ªwho knows, maybe she was smiling inside.


    She was also barely on her feet because she was supporting herself on the staff she had by nting it down to the ground but even that wasn''t going tost long.


    Eventually, she also fell and went down the same path as Spene. And so did I, Favian, and Challes. I increased the length of Challes''s chain in between so that I can avoid getting tangled with him.


    A few seconds of a not-so-good rideter, wended into a pool of water with a ssh. The pool wasn''t as deep as to drown us but it was deep enough that the water was up to our neck.


    One by one we got out of the water and somehow got the water out of our clothes by clenching onto them¡ªwithout taking our clothes, of course.


    When we were done, my eyes caught the sight of what was in front of us.


    (A/N: Yeah, I know that I only uploaded one chapter today but I''m kinda sick, so can''t help it.)

 Chapter 151 Labyrinth [5]

    In front of me was a scenery that could easily be described as beautiful and charming.


    This was a big space, the biggest we''ve seen so far in thebyrinth. It was cut in a square shaped design and had hard corners, the ceiling was closed off with stone and the walls were of the same material.


    But there were green vines tangled everywhere starting from the ceiling, to the walls, and finally down to the ground. There were also different sorts of nts scattered across the ce, some were nted in the ground while some on the walls.


    Finallying to the ground, it was made not of stone but of pure soil and long, wild grass on top of it. All this was giving the whole area a greenish vibe and a cozy atmosphere.


    Xara turned her fireball spell off as we stepped forward; after all, there was no need for it anymore. The leaves of the nts were glowing in the shade of mint and emitting light, thus illuminating the whole ce perfectly.


    Yeah, we were here; in the second floor of thisbyrinth. Now I know why there was moss where we stopped behind. That part of thebyrinth was basically above the second floor, and some of the nts from here, we''re going there through the ceiling.


    I don''t know how that was possible considering the ceiling was made of stone, but that''s the only possible exnation I have. Also, the nts on this floor were probably using the river to live, as there was a pool of water on this floor directly connected to the stream of water through which we came down.


    "This is beautiful, doesn''t look like abyrinth filled with monsters at all," Spene mumbled, but is loud enough to be heard by everyone present here.


    "Yeah, this is nothing like thebyrinths we have gone into before," Favian voiced his thoughts.


    "Why don''t you let me free, maybe I''ll be able to fight some of the monsters," Challes whispered, since he was close to me only I was able to hear him.


    "You really think I will?"


    He didn''t say anything after that and just walked beside me, we were walking for a few minutes now. Spene and Favian were admiring the beauty of this floor, while Xara was just quiet.


    "Say, Ichigo, how far is the ce where have to find those crystals?" Spene queried.


    "The mine is supposed to be at the very bottom of thebyrinth. There are 5 floors in thisbyrinth and I think we''re on the 2nd one right now, so probably 3 more floors to go."


    "5 floors, huh? Ain''t that a bit low forbyrinths? I mean, they usually have 50-100 floors at least; from what I''ve heard, thergest one ever discovered had over a thousand floors in it. Can you even imagine, a whole country can fit into that?!!"


    "This one''s for mining, that may be a reason, but I don''t know for sure¡ªwhy it has such low floors," I rified.


    "Well, not like I''mining about anything. It''s better for us the fewer floors it has, Hahahaha," he stated, but why theughter?


    This was true that thisbyrinth had few floors, but the further you move, the more dangerous they became. The starting floors weren''t so troublesome, but from the third floor onward, the threat level shifted massively.<sub> </sub>


    And by threat level, I mean the type of monsters in there, their strength, level, numbers, etc.


    Still, though, abyrinth with a thousand floors? I might look into itter since nothing like that was in loli_pop''s novel. I mean, it wasn''t even possible; that guy doesn''t have the creativity to make a thousand floors and keep each different from the other.


    "Hey, you all wait for a second!" Xara said out of the blue and then stopped in her tracks


    "Huh, Xara? What''s the matter?" Spene asked and stopped as well since she was blocking his way as she was in the front.


    "I think I saw something moving¡­right there, near that wall," she exined.


    "What?! Really?"


    "Yeah, and I''m pretty sure it wasn''t an illusion or my imagination¡ªhey, something''s on my leg!!" her normal speech suddenly turned into a scream.


    Immediately after that, she copsed into the grass and was somehow pulled forward, away from us. It was as if something were really pulling her from her legs.


    After sliding roughly on the ground, she was pulled up in the air, and there we saw it. A long and thick green vine was wrapped around her right leg, and right now she was hanging from it in midair.


    The next moment, a t that had been standing on the side of the wall like a normal nt, started moving; yeah, it was literally moving. Its roots came out of the ground and were shaped like legs¡ªit had six of them. Then it moved to the center, and the vine holding Xara also moved up in the air at the same time.


    It turned so that the vine was attached to the tree; the tree came to the center and hanged Xara upon itself. Its trunk then split apart from the middle and curled outward, a long mouth-like opening was revealed, and the tree apparently had razor-sharp teeth inside its trunk.


    The tree then began to bring Xara toward its mouth, seeing this snap both Spene and Favian back to reality, who''d been stunned by this change of events.


    "Xara!" Spene shouted as he took out his sword from its sheath and ran toward the tree. At the same time, Favian fired an arrow aimed at the vine that was holding her.


    However, none of them worked. Favian''s arrow was blocked off by another one of the tree''s vines that took the arrow, and Spene fell to the ground as he noticed that his ankle was stuck in a vine too.


    He tried desperately to take out his leg, but it didn''t work, finally seeing no other option he touched the vine with his sword and then chopped it open. As soon as he was free, he turned toward Xara and ran at full speed.


    He didn''t have much time, her head was almost inside the tree''s mouth!

 Chapter 152 Labyrinth [6]

    "Mobiulus Noctendius!" Xara screamed as she pointed her staff toward the nt monster''s mouth.


    A charging up sound was heard as the gem on top of her staff absorbed light from the surroundings and then shone a white color, the next moment a ming ball of energy appeared in front of the gem.


    It looked like her normal fireballs but was much bigger, and it burned in red color. The ball of energy was then shot inside the tree monster''s mouth.


    The energy collided and then exploded inside what seemed to be the monster''s throat, the explosion had a certain amount of energy that blew off the tree and burned it to a crisp within a matter of seconds.


    The vine holding Xara also burned and crumbled into ck dust, and she was freed into midair. Shended on her knees to the ground before the burned monster by somersaulting.


    She got up and looked at Spene, who was now frozen in his tracks. He had a pale face and the expression he had seemed as if reality itself had betrayed him.


    "Why are you dozing off like that?" she asked him, shooting him a piercing nce at the same time.


    "What?! I-I mean, I don''t know. If you were able to save yourself, then why were you waiting the entire time?" he appealed hurriedly, his voice trailing off.


    "What type of question is that!? I just waited for the right time, that''s all. If I''d attacked him while I was at a distance, then maybe he wouldn''t have died in one shot," she stated and then walked past him.


    "Where''s Favian?" she queried as she looked at me and then back at Spene.


    He turned toward us and then rolled his eyes and scanned the ce in search of Favian.


    "He was just there a few moments ago," he stated as he pointed toward a spot behind.


    What he was saying was true, Favian had been behind me when he fired the arrow toward the tree monster, I also turned around to look, but now he really wasn''t there.


    "Then where''d he go now? You can''t say he just disappeared! Don''t give me that shit!" she barked at Spene; the irritated air she had quickly turned into anger, and she started searching for Favian all over the ce.


    Her face clearly depicted tension as her eyes desperately searched for him. Spene also started running over to each corner and looking for him, he went to the way we came from, but he wasn''t even there.


    Meanwhile, I too pretended to search for him but in reality, I couldn''t care less.


    However, as I was walking, the chain that was attached to Challes''s handcuffs suddenly tightened, I looked over in that direction and saw that he was standing there alone and staring up at the ceiling with visible sweat on his face.


    "We don''t have all day," Imanded as I pulled his chain, but he still didn''t move from his ce.<sub> </sub>


    Then he turned his head in Xara''s direction, "Hey girl." He said, "I think your friend is up there."


    "Huh? Where?!" upon Xara''s question, he pointed at a certain part of the ceiling.


    Following his line of sight, Xara looked up and as she did, she froze in her ce. Her eyes widened as a scream left her mouth.


    Hearing the scream, Spene also came back, nced in the same direction, and reacted the same way as she did. In the end, I also did the same and then understood the reason behind their actions.


    In the corner, between the wall and the ceiling, was Favian. He waspletely surrounded by the thick, dark-green vines that were coiled around him like snakes, and he was glued to the ceiling due to them.


    All of his body was covered with them, his mouth too¡ªmaybe that''s why he wasn''t able to scream and ask for help. As for why he got caught without anyone noticing, well, he was an archer and not good in closebat.


    So if a monster had taken him by surprise at close range, then I don''t think he would''ve been able to put up much of a resistance.


    "Get yourself together, Xara! We can''t be stunned like that. And as for you, you bastard!" said Spene loudly as he stared at the monster that was holding Favian captive and pointed toward it with his sword.


    Growling like a mad dog he ran in the monster''s direction, reaching close he put a foot on the wall, applied pressure, and jumped upward. He threw a sh at the monster with all the power he could gather in his hands.


    The monster fended with arge vine, the de and the vine shed but at the same time, another of the vines came at utmost speed and pped Spene hard on his stomach. Before he could even think about a way to defend himself, he was thrown back to the ground.


    With a "THUD" he crashed onto the ground, blood came out from his mouth and his swordnded at a hand''s distance away from him.


    He groaned in pain as he tried to get up but then fell again, he hit the ground a little too hard I guess.


    Well, this was bound to happen. The monster that had taken Favian captive¡ªand was probably slowly squeezing him to death¡ªwas fully made out of thick and strong vines. Plus, he had the upper ground which was the ceiling, and reaching there wasn''t easy.


    Even if Spene somehow jumped there as he did just now, he won''t have the type of bnce as he had on the ground, and he wouldn''t be able to stay there and attack either.


    So, attacking that monster physically was the most illogical thing you could do. Maybe it would''ve worked if Spene was a pro swordsman, but he was just a normal adventurer.


    In this case, the best way to save Favian as quickly as possible was by attacking the monster with long-range magic spells. Though I doubt even that will be possible; Xara was good indeed, but she doesn''t have the type of mana to fight this monster, nor do I think she knows such spells¡ªafter all, all she''d used till now were basic level spells.


    At this point, saving him was practically impossible. Unless I interfere and do something.

 Chapter 153 Labyrinth [7]

    So now the question is, should I interfere or not?


    Well, I''m a bit skeptical about this one. Originally I wasn''t going to do anything as their lives don''t matter to me; I don''t care what happens to them as long as they y their role and safely lead me to the final floor.


    But now I''ve discovered something else, and it is the unsaid rtionship between Xara and Favian. From the moment I heard about it, I instantly knew that it wille in handy. And it really can, I can increase the efficiency of my n to a huge margin by using their rtionship to my profit.


    Then I guess I should save him, after all. Because losing one member only on the second floor will cause trouble¡ªnot much, but it''ll take more time to finish all this.


    I''d thought that I won''t have to act at least until the third floor, but, what can we say? I can''t afford to waste any more time, as I also have to get back to the academy as soon as I can¡ªbefore it can be revealed that I''m faking my death.


    Hmm, so it is decided then. I''ll save this guy for now so that he can be of useter on.


    "I think that type of monster is weak against fire," I suggest, facing toward Xara, who was standing beside me.


    "I see, let me try some magic on it then," she said, this was the first time she was replying normally but doesn''t matter much I guess.


    She nodded and then stared at the vine monster on the ceiling, it looked like a big octopus but had vines instead of tentacles; also it only had the vines and not any other part of the body.


    After scanning the monster from head to toe¡ªor rather from vine to vine, she probably found a good opening as the next second she extended her hands and pointed her staff toward the monster.


    She used the incantation of her normal fireball spells, but this time her incantations were faster and longer than the usual ones.


    4 balls of bustling fire appeared before the gem on her staff, when it was done she changed the incantation and the balls came close and attracted each other.


    Reaching close enough that they were now sucking onto the other''s fire, they finally collided and formed a single but big fireball that looked like a miniature version of the sun.


    "Fireball!" she shouted, and I''d to say this was the most normal-sounding spell name she''d used till now.


    The big fireball was hurled straight in the direction of the vine monster, cutting its way through the air it was only a few meters away from it, and it was targeted at the spot where the monster had the least number of vines but the vines that were there were the part of the same ones which were holding Favian.


    ''Let''s get this done with,'' I mumbled internally, fixated my eyes on the fireball, and concentrated.


    Suddenly the fireball opened and expanded into a rectangr cape of fire, its temperature also increased as the mes turned red.


    This was me using my elemental magic to control the fire Xara had created. Since Xara didn''t have the necessary mana required to finish the monster, I used the fire she created and increased its power and range.


    Also, just imagine how romantic it''ll be if Favian was saved by the girl he loved and the experience Xara will get after saving the guy she loved. This was ought to strengthen their rtionship, even if just a little.<sub> </sub>


    The cape of fire fell upon the vine monster; it tried to defend itself by using its vines as a way to put the burning cape of death out of its way, but its vines only got burned and passed through the cape since it was not a solid object.


    The creature struggled in pain as fire rained on him and his disgusting, nt-like body was burned painfully. I took care to control the fire precisely to not burn Favian in the process and well, after the practice I''ve done with elemental magic doing this was a piece of cake.


    I directed the mes around the area where the vines were holding Favian and burned them first before the rest of the monster''s body could crumble. As soon as he got free, he dropped to the ground andnded on his knees.


    With him in the safe zone now, it didn''t take me a minute topletely turn the monster into a powder of ck ash. The mes vanished afterward and Favian stood and came near us. Spene¡ªwho was still on the ground, writhing in pain¡ªslowly rose to his feet and walked on our side.


    "You¡­were great there," Favian took a breath of relief as heplimented Xara.


    "Yeah, I didn''t expect you to be that good in magic; you exceeded my expectations," Spene stated as he stood while clenching against his stomach¡ªmaybe the pain hadn''t gone awaypletely.


    And as for Xara, she was as surprised as everyone else about how the hell was she able to perform a spell such as that. But it probably was because she didn''t want to ruin the mood, she didn''t voice her confusion.


    "Are you alright?" she asked Favian, handing over the bow to him, which was fallen on the ground till now.


    "Ah¡­ I''m more or less fine, I guess. Just a bit of pain where that monster had squeezed me," he answered, taking the bow from Xara. "Honestly, that thing took me by surprise. I was standing there and aiming at the tree monster that was holding you when it came from above, bound my limbs so that I couldn''t attack, and then coiled around me."


    "Dang, man, at least scream or something if you''re in situations like these. Do you even know how worried I was, huh?! My heart almost came out, and see, I also took a hit just for you, you see? Just for you!" Spene chimed in, he spoke as he supported himself against the wall.


    "Thank you, Spene. That is what you want to hear, right?"


    "Hahahaha, you are absolutely, and most certainly, right about that! I indeed wanted you to say that; since most of the time, it is you who goes around saving me," Spene giggled.


    "Yeah, you surely saved him¡­by getting slumped on the ground¡ª"


    "Mind your words there!"


    Favian and Xara looked into each other''s eyes, their cheeks puffed up as if they were trying to stop something, and finally, when they weren''t able to hold it any longer they burst outughing.


    ''I never thought that that girl knew how to smile,'' I pondered.


    "What''s so funny, huh?!" Spene raged, but then, maybe thinking back on his words, he also let out augh.


    "Hey you all, I don''t think you should let your guard down," someone warned, and it was Challes whose words we heard.

 Chapter 154 Labyrinth [8]

    "Hey you all, I don''t think you should let your guard down," someone warned, and it was Challes whose words we heard.


    "What do you mean, Mr. ve," Spene inquired; he was still calling Challes "Mr. ve".


    "Look behind you," Challes responded.


    Spene turned and as he saw what was back there, he jumped away from the wall almost like a cat.


    The wall he was using as support was now moving; or rather, the nts attached to the wall were moving. And this time there was not only one, but all the nts on the floor were slowly separating from the walls and taking their shape.


    "This looks bad," Spene sighed.


    "Yeah, for sure," Favian agreed.


    "More like annoying," Xara corrected.


    The three adventures went into battle mode yet again. Spene posed his sword, Favian held his bow and loaded the arrows, Xara poured her mana into her staff and the gem on the top glowed. The three of them stood around me and Challes in a triangr position to defend us.


    Atst, the tree monsters got away from the walls and formed their bodies. The main structure of each tree¡ªwhich worked as the spine and the stomach, was made out of wooden trunks, and it was the same in each one of them. But it was different for the other parts of the body, some had vines as hands while some had branches, some had their head made of a big flower while some had them made out of bushes and long, dog-ears-like leaves.


    Now that they were in a fixed shape, they looked a bit familiar to a fantasy monster named Ents¡ªso I''ll just call them that. If I''d to count their numbers, then there will be around 20 or 30 of them. Each of them was 6 to 7 feet in height, so they overpowered us to a huge extent. But there was no option other than fighting if we wanted to survive.


    Hence, as the Ents'' roared and screamed and closed the distance and attacked, the three adventured instantly countered.


    Spene shed their branches with his sword, Favian drilled their vines to the wall with his arrows and disturbed their movements, and Xara used her magic to burn the shit out of them.


    But despite all that, in less than a second we were surrounded by a horde of Ents; if there had been any way to escape; now it was closed off.


    Battle cries left Spene''s mouth as he chopped off the trees. It was obvious that he was having a bit of trouble. After all, he was slicing thick and hardwood; and it''s not easy to be able to perform that kind of thing.<sub> </sub>


    Though the one with the most disadvantage was Favian; as an archer, he wasn''t good in closebat, but the Ents were not just ready to attack him from a distance. The Ents were just wood, and he was also having the same problem as Spene; to pierce through the hardwood.


    In fact, he had it even rough. One could cut the wood in half if they applied enough force, but to do that with mere arrows was impossible¡ªeven if those arrows were bound with mana. So all he could do was target the vines, which were a little easier target.


    And while the two boys were trying hard to remain on the front lines, the girl Xara was having it easy here. From what I''ve observed she used spells that used the fire element as her primary spells, henceforth she probably had good control over it. That helped her here since Ents were weak against fire; no matter how strong they be they were still trees.


    It was actually funny how them being trees and having a body made of wood was giving troubles to Spene and Favian while the same property was making it easier for Xara to finish them. Irony I guess.


    She was using her fireballs and some other fire spells to burn the Ents, and she was able to do it quite easily, however, that wasn''t enough. The bnce between the three of them was not equal, and the formation was starting to crack. Favian was being pushed back and Spene remained at the same ce, while Xara was charging forward as she got more ground.


    "Oops!" I murmured as I titled to the side and dodged a vine that came at me with insane speed.


    I instantly activated my skill [Foresight] thus allowing myself to see 0.1 seconds into the future. I was practicing with this skill whenever I had free time, and now I knew that I can only focus on one thing and see its future. Like I can focus on the vines and monsters and only their possible attacks will be visible to me while the adventures and everything else will look normal.


    This was quite helpful since before, my vision always got messed up whenever I used this skill. But now it was not a problem, so I selected the vines and the monsters as the targets and saw all the possible attacks they could perform in the next 0.1 seconds, and dodged a few more attacks that came afterward.


    "Favian, what are you doing? Protect Ichigo!" Spenemanded as he fended off against an Ent who had branched at its arms and was charging at Spene while some other Ents'' beside him whipped Spene with their vines.


    "I¡­can''t!! I''m not in a position to move! I''ll die if I let my defense down even for a second!" he replied. Right now Favian was struggling with 2 Ents at the same time; since they were so close, he was also using his body to attack them and didn''t rely only on the arrows.


    "Xara!"


    "There are many of them on my side, they''ll charge inside if I moved from here," she responded. As she was the one wiping most of their kin, the Ents were attracted toward her; she was facing 3 to 4 at the same time.


    No one was in a position toe and defend me, and then finally it happened. Spene, Favian, and Xara went so far from each other while facing the Ents that an opening was created, and several Ents rushed inside toward me.


    ''There was no oneing to fight for me, huh? I guess I''ll do it myself then.''

 Chapter 155 Labyrinth [9]

    My hand reached for my waist, flipping aside the cloak, I snatched a de that had been hanging inside a baldric. I bought it close to my face and checked the de''s sharpness and let myself get used to its grip.


    It was a dagger I''d bought beforeing to thebyrinth. Shorter than a sword, it had a de of about 12 centimeters in length and was slightly curved from the tip¡ªjust like the ones you get in the online FPP games in my former world.


    The vines came whipping at me but with my [Foresight] activated, stepping aside from their path, I swished the dagger in the air and smoothly incised the vines into two parts.


    "Hey, that was a good one, Ichigo; didn''t know you can handle a de too," Spene eximed as he forcefully drilled his sword into a big cherry-colored flower which happened to be an Ent''s head.


    "Well¡­" I replied as I cut through multiple vines that were aiming for me. "I have to have at least one way to defend myself. I can''t say what''ll happen in the future."


    "Yeah, that''s true. You can''t predict the way of thebyrinth; there are just that troublesome."


    "Will you two stop chatting for a while and care to help me? I''m sorry, but I''m not good against these types of monsters," said Favian, looking at us with a face full of sweat; some of it was even dripping inside his eyes.


    "I can''t leave this side¡­not, for now, I think. These things are just so annoying; they areing back no matter how much I cut them. I can''t move from this ce until I clear the horde on my side, otherwise they would get an opening and can attack us from behind," Spene stated.


    He was right. Due to Favian being pushed back, the triangr formation on his and Xara''s had already broken. For now, I was holding back the monstersing from that opening but if Spene moved from his ce, then the formation on both sides¡ªbetween Spene and Xara and between Spene and Favian¡ªwill fall apart, and then Ents wille from all the three sides. That''ll be a pain.


    "Ichigo¡­ I hate to ask this, but can you please help Favian? We are in a really tight situation right now," Spene requested.


    "I don''t know how much I''ll be able to help¡­but I will try," I responded after cutting another one of the vines in half.


    I pulled Challes chain and pulled him close to myself, "I''m going to release the chains for a bit of time, don''t try anything funny." The chains binding him turned to dust and vanished, but the handcuffs and leg cuffs still remained.


    Can''t take too much risk, after all.


    Then I dashed to Favian''s side and stood beside him. "Thanks for the help; though I know we should be the ones providing it, keeping you safe," he apologized.


    "Don''t worry, I agree with Spene here. We''re not in the situation to care about such things," I said as I clenched the hilt of my dagger and stretched, taking a fighting posture.


    I''d barely gotten above average in fighting with the sword, and here I am switching to a dagger.


    The difference in weight is huge, and I''m having trouble bncing my body to it; sometimes I apply too much force behind the attack that it puts me off bnce, or I apply too less force and the attack never reaches the target.


    Maybe if it weren''t for the [Foresight] skill, then I think I would''ve gotten hit by a vine or two.


    But I don''t have a choice other than getting used to this and picking my moves ordingly.<sub> </sub>


    "They''reing from your side, it''s a group of three," Favian warned as he shot an arrow at one of the Ents in front of him.


    I looked to my side and saw that three 8 to 9 feet nts were charging toward me. I turned and bent a little forward, I focused my [Foresight] on the three monsters and predicted their movements.


    The monster on the right ps the air with his hands and sends multiple onesbined into a thick one toward Zero, at the same time the middle onees close to Zero and hurls forward his branch-like arm that had sharp needle-like arms. The remaining monster does nothing.


    ''So that was it, the attacks they will perform in the next 0.1 seconds. Okay, got it.''


    I was able to see their uing attacks as translucent images, so tackling them shouldn''t be a problem.


    I darted toward the monsters; Ent A¡ªthe one on the right,bined all of its vines and propelled the newly formed intertwined vines at me. I stopped in my tracks, tilting my chest to the back and side I missed the vine, and then quickly grabbed it with my left hand.


    As I pulled the vine with all the force I''ve got, the monster also got pulled and flew toward me. I aimed my dagger and as the Ent came close Ipelled my right hand inside its mouth¡ªwhich was a big hole at the center of a flower or his head.


    The dagger, cutting through its insides, came out by drilling a hole in the back of its head. Lots of green, slimy substance flowed from the newly formed wounds. Maybe I''d closely gotten a few cuts from its teeth, since there was a tingling sensation in my arm.


    ''It ain''t finished yet!''


    My hand was still stuck in its mouth when I forced his huge body in front of mine just before Ent B arrived at a hand''s distance from me and projected his bran-like hand at me.


    Its hand crashed with the body of Ent A and instead of harming me the attack busted a hole in its stomach¡ªif Ent A had survived my blow, this one sure killed him.


    Ent B''s arm was stuck inside Ent A, seeking this opportunity I pulled out my hand from Ent A''s head, dashed to the side, and while moving in a perfect circle I smoothly connected my dagger to Ent B''s head and pierced a hole; the slimy substanceing out again.


    The vital spot of the Ents in loli_pop''s novel was their head, that was the only part where their lives resided, hence destroying it was the easiest way to kill them.


    "Phew¡­ I''m getting better at this," I mumbled as I hauled out my dagger from Ent B''s head and flicked it in the air to get the slimy substance off it.


    Then I looked over at the remaining Ent¡ªno, wait! He wasn''t alone now; five more monsters were standing by its side.


    I sighed as I saw them getting all worked up to charge at me. "Well, well, what can we do about this?"


    Dealing with all of them was a drag, but at least I wasn''t wasting my mana; I need to save it at all cost.

 Chapter 156 Labyrinth [10]

    At a little distance from Zero was Xara, until now this floor had been the easiest for her since she was able to one-shot all the monsters with the help of her fire-type spells.


    Even now, she was tossing the fireballs in the air and burning groups and groups of Ents all together. She was indeed exhausting her mana during this as nothing was free of cost in this world but these fireball spells used only so much amount of mana, and she was quite used to them too.


    But she was now going to switch to a different spell as the numbers of Ents were piling up in front of her. Ents were naturally attracted toward the creature which dealt them the most damage as they thought of it as harmful and that it was best to get rid of it as soon as possible, hence they were getting attracted toward Xara as well.


    She cleaned up the surrounding area with the fireballs and then stopped the incantation; rather, she started a new one. Holding her staff up in the air, she closed her eyes and chanted the magical words.


    The gem at the top of her staff glowed yet again, and as soon as it did, she drew an arc with the staff in the direction of the Ents. As if a pencil writing on paper, the gem on the staff created a curved line in the middle of the air.


    The arc burned and glowed in peach and emitted a number of mes; Xara stretched out her right hand and chanted the final piece aka the name of the spell, "Scorch!"


    The burning arc of fire and energy moved at a speed almost equal to the speed of sound, cutting through the air as it shed with a group of Ents and exploded upon collision. Tens of Ents burned and vanished from the fire it produced, while some were caught in the after-effect.


    "Eat that you disgusting, worthless piece of wood!" she cursed as quite a bit of the Ents poption vanished before her eyes.


    Though she was probably taking out her frustration on the innocent Ents, Favian''s hard times didn''t seem to end anytime soon. Since his arrows weren''t working on the Ents, he was now using them as knives and stabbing the monsters with them.


    He was an archer indeed, but he did know some of the tricks for physicalbat, and he''d learned them specifically for situations like this; he must be thankful to his past self right now.


    There sure were problems and ws in his techniques and he wasn''t able to take out the monsters like a professional, but with Zero¡ªor Ichigo, on his side he was doing better than before.


    On the other hand, Spene''s condition had also improved as he''d gotten used to the skin of the Ents and now knew how much force he had to apply behind his attacks to slice the tree monsters without facing much bacsh; and since Zero was aiding Favian he had an amount of mental stress relieved too.


    He stabbed the monsters, chopped off their heads, twisted and broke their branches, and ripped off their roots. He was taking down 3 to 4 Ents at the same time.


    All in all, the condition of this party had fairly improved and if they went on like this then it won''t be long before they clear out this floor and moved on to the next one.


    However, one thing which they weren''t aware of was that someone was watching them, all along from the time when they took the first step inside thisbyrinth. This was known to none¡ªnot even Zero; that their every move was being observed with quiet curiosity.


    ***<sub> </sub>


    "Haahh, it''s over finally," Spene sighed as he slumped to the ground and relieved his body.


    "This¡­was hard! These monsters were far stronger than those spiders," Favian expressed as he too sat beside Spene.


    "Come on, it wasn''t even that bad," the only one who was not stressed out by this was Xara; she came near us with the magic staff in her hand while she let out those words.


    "Easy for you to say¡­with all that magic you''ve got, it''s really easy to say," Spene contested and denied Xara''s words as he kept taking deep breaths to provide his body with extra oxygen.


    "But anyway, Ichigo, you performed well; better than I expected," Favianplimented as he looked at me.


    "It was just what I learned for self-defense. It was only because you had my back that I was able to move so freely."


    I was standing by the side of the wall¡ªwhich was now safe since all the monsters were dead¡ªand with me was Challes; after all, the first thing I did when I was done with the monsters was chain him up again.


    I was honestly surprised that he survived; with his hands and legs tied, I didn''t think he would be able to make it, but he still did. I kept an eye on him all the time, and that guy was seriously dodging most of the attacks that were aimed at him.


    Doing that when you''re not even able to move your limbs freely¡­well, there''s a reason why I''ve kept him chained up. But it was not like he didn''t get attacked at all; his cloak was torn from several ces, indicating that he''d been hit.


    "So should we move on now? To the next floor, I mean," asked Spene; the question was directed at me.


    "Of course, that''s what we came here for," I stated.


    Hence, after resting for a while and restoring our strength, we ventured into the depths of thisbyrinth again. The next floor was probably directly connected to this one, as a long and broad gallery leading into a dark passage.


    There weren''t any other ways to go, thus we entered the passage. Xara lit her fireballs to ovee the dark, and the adventurers took the formation again to protect me.


    The next was the third floor; the floor from where thisbyrinth will be abyrinth for real.

 Chapter 157 From Where It Starts Getting Rough [1]

    Walking through a tunnel-like way, we descended to the 3rd floor of thebyrinth¡ªdescended because all paths in thisbyrinth were tilted downward and were forming a nting ground.


    Soon we stepped inside what seemed to be the main area of this floor. It was smaller than thest floor and was shaped in an oval structure. The ceiling was curved upward¡ªlike the ones you see in old castles¡ªand contained many holes and cracks.


    The ground was a carpet of dirt and even had muddy areas in several ces, and this was due to the puddles that were scattered all across the floor. The water inside them was surprisingly clear and reflective, though it was not any water.


    It was emitting dim, cyan-shaded light that was illuminating the whole area; it wasn''t as much light to engulf the floorpletely, but enough that Xara stopped with her incantations, and the fireballs extinguished.


    "This is kind of eerie, ain''t it?" Spene voiced as he turned his head in all directions and scanned the ce.


    This floor sure gave that type of vibe, and the reason is that this ce was incredibly quiet. Only the sounds of our footsteps and the sound of water dripping somewhere far could be heard; aside from that, not a single pitch fell onto our ears.


    However, just because there wasn''t a sound doesn''t mean we were alone in here. Unlike the previous two floors where the monsters waited in the dark to make usfortable to the ce, so we can let our guard down, and they can take us by surprise, here we already hadpany with us.


    At around 50 meters of distance from us were some of our friends who''de to bully us. Actually, there was one more change on this floor; unlike the previous ones, I was seeing monsters of multiple species grouped together.


    Right now we had mud-skinned orcs, Minotaurs, and one other species called kobolds. They were lizard-like creatures who walked on two legs and used weapons as their primary means of attack; basically a level down from the Minotaurs¡ªinferior in strength but superior in intelligence.


    Although there were multiple species of monsters here, they weren''t great in numbers¡ªunlike the previous floors, where they mostly relied on numbers rather than individual power.


    Normally we would''ve stayed and discussed the strategies, Spene would probably have mocked the monsters or cracked a joke or two, but right now there wasn''t time for any of that.


    As the monsters detected us, as if switching into battle mode, they all rushed in our direction. Spene and the others instantly took the obvious defense formation and the three of them stood before me and Challes as they raised their weapons and prepared their bodies for a battle that was about toe.


    Xara used her incantation andpleted it by shouting out loud the word, "Quagmire!" which was the name of the spell she used.


    White energy beams shone from the gem on her staff, and a mass ofnd in the way of the monsters got wet and turned into a sucking pit.


    The monsters ran into it and three of the orcs and one Minotaur stepped into the quagmire and without a second their feet sank in, and they drowned inside the mixture of semi-solid y till their waist.<sub> </sub>


    Xara activated the second part of the spell and the ground that''d once swallowed the monsters, turned solid again and entrapped them within the earth.


    However, among the remaining monsters, the kobolds were the first ones to nk beside the quagmire and the rest of the monsters followed their lead.


    Favian also loaded his arrows on the bow only to realize that he was running low on them, nevertheless, he stretched the string of his bow and then released it; firing two arrows at the same time.


    One tore the air and pierced the eye of an orc, but the other one was smacked down by the de of a kobold. Favian bent and reached for a leather bag that was attached to his right leg, he untied it and then took out a couple of arrows from it¡ªaround 10 of them.


    He threw the bag and put the arrows back in his quiver. ''There aren''t enough,'' he realized internally.


    At this point, the monsters had already closed the distance between us and then the battle started off with a BANG; and by that I mean literally a bang that was heard from the shing of heavy metals.


    After all, it was from this floor from where things will start getting rough.


    ***


    Zero stood and watched from the rear when the battle started for the adventurers, and one thing was sure, this was going to be one hell of a battle.


    The <strong>BANG</strong> that was heard came from Spene''s sword as he shed it against the de of an orc, a chill ran down his body and he got goosebumps when he felt the difference between the hardness of their des. Gritting his teeth and forcing his muscles, he pushed forward and fought back the orc.


    Jumping upward, he drilled his sword into the orc''s chest and slid all the way down by hand on the sword, and opened the said orc in half. Blood sttered on the ground and some even fell on his clothes and face, which he didn''t care to wipe off; he had not the time to do so.


    He turned to the side quickly and barely made it in time by raising the sword against his head to fend off the gigantic de of a Minotaur¡ªcalling it a de was an insult, it was one hell of a chopper.


    A Minotaur; quite bigger than the orcs, was weighing down on Spene as he released steam from his nose like a steam engine of the old times.


    The pressure on Spene was too much, his feet started sinking into the ground. He tried but wasn''t able to throw the Minotaur off bnce.

 Chapter 158 From Where It Starts Getting Rough [2]

    The Minotaur increased the pressure behind his sword, Spene let out a battle cry¡ªor rather that''s what it should''ve sounded like, but it was more like a pained groan. His veins bulged out, and his skin tensed up, he felt as if his body was being crushed between two heavy rocks.


    The Minotaur kept increasing the force, and it seemed like it would crush Spene anytime now, but it suddenly pulled the chopper back and raised it up in the air.


    The pressure was lifted from Spene''s body all of a sudden; he sensed a tingling stir inside his nose and throat, before he could do something blood dripped from his nostrils, his eyelids felt heavy, and the whole world danced before his pupils.


    Then he sensed something rising up inside his stomach, as if that something was slowly climbing up his throat, a secondter he vomited blood.


    His vision went blurry¡ªhe saw one object as two, and his senses of direction, weight, and gravity were also messed up.


    The Minotaur looked down at him as it prepared for another blow, the air split apart as it swung its chopper down at Spene.


    Spene saw his death closing in on him, he was able to see the attacking, and he knew he should run or dodge it; he wanted to dodge it. But his body wouldn''t move; either his muscles were heavily damaged by thatst attack or he was just too scared to even lift a finger¡­or maybe it was both?


    The de dropped andpleted the swing, but when it should''ve sliced Spene it only crushed and shook the ground; just before the moment the chopper could cut him, Spene forced his body to its limits.


    After all, it was not that he couldn''t move¡­he had to move.


    If he wanted to live then he had to keep hisposure even when he was just a brink away from death. The adventures in the world didn''t face life or death situations very often these days since the government managed most of the monsters'' poption and made sure that they didn''t harm the civilians¡ªonly in remote areas which were out of their reach needed the help of adventures to shield themselves, just as the Gat town.


    Thus, this was Spene''s first time¡ªstanding at death''s door, but he still had that human instinct of survival left inside him; the same instinct that saved him just now.


    This yet again proved that no matter how the environment changes, the core of humans will always remain the same. As for whether it was a good or bad thing¡­each had their own opinion on that.


    After Spene safely secured his stance to the side, he saw that the huge chopper was stuck in the ground and the Minotaur for some reason screamed in agony. At first, he wasn''t able to tell why this was happening¡ªfor once he''d never attacked this one, but he soon understood when he looked over to its right arm.


    An arrow was stuck there and almost busted the Minotaur''s entire shoulder. "Are you alright? Get yourself together!" someone said, it was the same person who fired that arrow and without a doubt, Spene knew it was Favian.<sub> </sub>


    If Spene hadn''t gotten away from his ce, even then he wouldn''t have died since Favian had fired his arrow long before the Minotaur moved his chopper; maybe he''d have suffered some injuries but still have lived.


    One more thing that Spene wasn''t aware of was that all this time when he''d lost his concentration and was on his knees with his guard wide open, it was him¡ªFavian, who kept the other monsters from charging at him. In short, if it wasn''t for Favian, Spene had died long ago.


    "Yeah, I''m fine¡­more or less. Thanks for your help."


    "What do you mean thanks, huh? This was the payback for the time you saved me¡ªback on thest floor. If you wanna thank me, then better survive through this fight and then prostrate before me, Hahaha," Favian chuckled as he greeted Spene with a refreshing smile.


    Spene smiled back and showed him a thumbs up before he rose to his feet, shook his head multiple times, and then pped his own cheeks to get a hold of himself. "Yeah, I''m fine. Let''s do this!" he mumbled and stared at the Minotaur who was still struggling to pull its chopper from the ground.


    "Let me show you how a sword is used; just because it''s big doesn''t always mean that it''s better," he cracked another one of his cheap double-meaning jokes even when there was no one to hear them¡ªno, maybe there was¡­the Minotaur.


    ? He roared a battle cry again¡ªand this time it wasn''t a groan. Dashing toward the Minotaur he stepped on its 5 feet long chopper, the Minotaur threw a punch with its right hand, but he jumped, and propelling over its arm hended on the Minotaur''s neck.


    "Go fuck yourself, you don''t stand a chance against the king," with that he raised his sword high and, with the tip first, drilled it fully inside the Minotaur''s head.


    The sword kept going inside until only the hilt was left; the Minotaur''s body went numb soon after, as its eyes turned pure white. It lost its bnce and fell; grumbling the ground as it crashed.


    Spene jumped off its lifeless body andnded on the ground. His confidence was boosted, and he had a new, refreshing mood. But like an experienced adventurer¡ªa self-proimed one, he didn''t let the excitement control him.


    Turning around, he saw that there were already new monsters waiting for him, or¡ªwait a second! They weren''t waiting for him, instead, they charged right at him as Favian set them free.


    "Fine,e at me," even though he didn''t want to admit it; the excitement and arrogance were controlling him.


    Holding his sword against 2 orcs and 1 kobold, he screamed his heart out as he leapt toward them.

 Chapter 159 From Where It Starts Getting Rough [3]

    "Scorch!!!"


    The mud-colored skin of the three orcs reflected the bright, hot, peach light as the light came close and then devoured them. They didn''t die instantly, but their skin did get burned badly, and they started panicking.


    Trying to put off the fire that was roasting them alive, patting their hands and rolling on the ground, they struggled miserably as the painful screams of agony left their mouth and resounded in thebyrinth.


    "Go to hell!" Xara cursed, raising her staff toward the three burning orcs.


    "Stone cannon!" leaving her area of expertise, she chose an earth-type magic spell.


    Dirt particles gathered at one ce before the gem on the staff and, in no time, morphed into a fist-sized stone with an uneven surface.


    Leaving not a single second, the stone was sted forward with a st of air. A whistling sound was heard as the stone hit one of the orcs and busted off its head.


    A smirk appeared on Xara''s face, but before she could rejoice, she did the most important task and fired the same spell two more times, killing the remaining two orcs as a result.


    Though, she still didn''t have the time to rx. Turning back, she rose her hand in which she''d been holding the staff and then bought it down with force.


    At the same time, she chanted a short incantation and three green lines with multiple runes inscribed on them formed around her staff as the gem on the top shone.


    Soon a THUCK sound was heard, simr to when you drop a hard piece of wood from a height directly to the ground.


    Although Xara had used all the muscles in her arms and applied all the force she could gather, she couldn''t help but get pushed back. After all, she was shing swords with a kobold.


    No, it isn''t quite right. She was using her staff as a weapon that could stop the kobold''s blow, but due to the way she was holding it, it resembled a sword.


    Even so, just because she had a weapon doesn''t necessarily mean she can fight based on her physical strength as well. Only in the top 5 magic academies, students were taught both magic and sword arts, and she wasn''t from one of them.


    But in reality, that doesn''t matter much as of now. After all, what she was trying to do was not to push the kobold back using her body strength.


    "Krwahhhh!" the kobold roared as it charged forward and weighed its curved de on Xara.


    Xara was 5 feet 7 inches in height, while the kobold was more than 6.5; it was natural that it was standing in front of her like a tower. But, she wasn''t scared of all that. Instead, her lips curled upward as she finished hertest incantation.


    "Die," she mumbled.


    The next second, a small tornado of fire formed around the staff and instantly traveled through the arms of the kobold and enveloped its body.


    It was so unexpected for the kobold that it took a minute to realize what happened, and when it finally became aware that its body was on fire, at first it tried to rage forward at Xara, but maybe the pain was a little too much since it soon dropped the de and started rolling on the ground.


    Then all of a sudden it stopped, the kobold''s body went numb, and itpletely stopped moving. As Xara gazed upon the dead kobold that was lying on the ground, she noticed the object that had caused the kill.


    An arrow¡­ was stuck in the right eye of the kobold, drilling itself inside its tip, and came out from the back side of the head by piercing the skull. The arrow, of course, was shot by Favian.


    He got a little time for himself after clearing all the monsters around his area and making some unable to move by busting their limb joints. It was then that he saw Xara; who looked as if she was struggling with the kobold due to herck of physical prowess.


    He waited for the right chance and when he got it¡ªthe time when she put the kobold on fire, heunched an arrow and put the lights off the kobold.<sub> </sub>


    Xara looked at him and thanked him with her gaze as she went back to her posture and got ready to burn some more monsters. Parallel to her was Favian, who was helping both Spene and Xara then and now.


    However, that doesn''t mean that he was free from the monsters and had all the time in the world. Just as he shifted his attention back to himself, he saw a kobold closing the distance.


    He instantly loaded his arrows¡ªtwo at a time, and aimed for its head. Waiting for the kobold toe a bit closer, he poured his mana into the arrows. This was a technique he usually used¡ªno. All the archers in the world who were above beginner level did the same.


    Since everyone in this world had a mana pool no matter their profession¡ªit didn''t matter if they were a mage, swordsperson, archer, or any other type of fighter.


    The only thing which differs was the size of their mana pool, but even that could be improved and maintained ording to the needs of the user with enough training.


    He did something simr bybining the arrows with his mana to strengthen them; it was only because of this modification that his arrows were able to prate the hard skins of monsters.


    The kobold was at around a distance of 10 meters when Favian released the string of his bow and two arrows flew in the air. Their path was pre-decided, hence there was no useless motion; flying straight toward their designated path.


    It was aimed straight at the kobold''s head, and it should''ve just met its mark, but surprisingly it didn''t. The kobold chopped down the two flying arrows with the curved de it had in its hands and then gazed fiercely at Favian as it released a roar.


    Its moving speed increased all of a sudden as the kobold sprinted toward Favian and raised its de in the air. "Shit!" Favian cursed.


    The kobold was nowing for a close-distance battle, not an area of expertise for him. Hence, he needed to figure out some other way to fight this monster, otherwise, he''ll be at a great disadvantage.


    He took quick back steps as he thought about different ways to deal with this situation. In the end, what he decided was the hit-and-run method. He''ll constantly keep running around the kobold¡ªbeing at a safe distance while firing arrows at the kobold. That was the simple n he came up with.


    He did look at Spene and Xara to check if they were in a position to help him, but he found nothing but disappointment. Both of them were busy dealing with their group of monsters, and their problems were even greater than his


    Where Favian only had 1 kobold behind him right now, Xara was engaged in a battle with 2 orcs, and 3 kobolds. Spene was no less; he was managing 4 orcs and 3 Minotaurs at the same time.


    Seeing this only increased Favian''s worries.


    Xara was dealing with a group of monsters, then she must be using a lot of her mana as she was casting spell after another without stopping¡ªor rather she didn''t have the time to stop. Favian was sure that there was no way she wouldn''t faint with mana exhaustion again.


    On the other hand, Spene was doing the impossible. Dealing with 4 orcs and 3 Minotaurs was something he could never even imagine he''d be able to do, no matter how hard he tried. Then also Spene was at it, he was giving his all even though he had to use every bit of strength left in his body.


    His friends were working hard toplete this quest they''d taken¡ªafter all, a quest that involved actual danger and thrill came to them after a very long, long time, hence he knew why they were trying so hard¡­it was to enjoy this moment to its fullest.


    "Fine, I''m not gonna get left behind," he mumbled to himself, then shot a sharp gaze at the kobold.


    Instead of running to the side and nking around the kobold, Favian ran straight into him. He loaded his bow with only one arrow this time, but doing that enabled him to put more mana into that single arrow, and he did so.


    It didn''t take long for the kobold and Favian toe face to face as they were both running toward each other. The kobold swung its sharp, curved de at Favian. However, rather than slicing his neck into two, the de just swished through the air.


    When the kobold stopped for a second to raise its de, Favian intently fell to the ground by interrupting his movement with his legs, as he fell, due to the momentum he slid forward.


    He slid through between the legs of the kobold at a time when it was confused over why the de didn''t hit him. Not wasting a single second, Favian rolled on the ground and stood up at a distance, and turned toward the monster.


    His arrow was already cocked and full of mana, hence Favian released the tight string and the arrow was shot in the air. Piercing through the air, it went straight for the kobold''s head, but because it turned back to look at Favian, the arrow drilled itself deep into its forehead.

 Chapter 160 From Where It Starts Getting Rough [4]

    As Favian looked at the kobold he''d just killed, for some reason, he quickly pulled out an arrow from his quiver and stabbed the air behind his back. He then darted forward and after going to a safe distance he turned and gazed back.


    There was another monster waiting there for him¡­an orc. Though the said orc had an arrow stabbing its abdomen, it was put off bnce. However, the orc was not going to stop only from that.


    Leave stepping aside, it let out a roar and a battle cry as it smacked the ground with its feet, moving the thick chopper in its hand in fashioned motions.


    Favian got on his guard and pulled 3 arrows from his quiver, though something he was fearing might happen, did happen. Instead of 3, only 2 of the arrows were grabbed by Favian''s hand. He tried moving his hand in the quiver more, but the result was the same.


    ''Damn it! Not right now!'' he cursed internally as he epted the fact.


    The fact that he had run out of arrows and only two of them were left now. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the uing orc. An orc''s size is bigger than a kobold, so he can''t kill it in one blow like before, he''d have to be on high ground to do that and there was no such ce in here.


    Despite that, he loaded one of the arrows while putting the other back in the quiver. He charged it up full of mana like before and aimed at the monster in front of him. The orc was constantly moving as it ran toward him, and its humongous size only made him a less easy target.


    He aimed for somewhere around his head and released the arrow. Flying through the air smoothly, the arrow hit the target, but that didn''t make much of a difference anyway. The arrow hadnded and drilled itself inside the orc''s left eye, but the angle at which it hit wasn''t quite right, hence the metal tip was not able to reach the brain of the orc.


    However, this did one thing for sure. And it was to anger the orc even more, causing the monster to do something Favian didn''t foresee even in his dreams.


    It roared loudly and then applied pressure to its feet, then a booming sound was heard.


    ¡­ The orc was nowhere to be seen, at least not on the ground.


    "Fuck!" Favian screamed as he looked up in the air and almost on survival instincts, he ran backward.


    The thing he was seeing in the air was nothing but that orc. It had jumped in the air due to the rage and anger it harbored toward Favian and now, it was searching for a good ce tond¡ªwhich pretty sure was Favian.


    Favian ran as fast as he could, but it was of no use. The orc crashed onto its feet to the ground just a meter to two away from him. The force of the impact was too high, the ground where the oded crumbled away, and a crater formed, Favian was hit by the resulting shockwave and was hurled away.


    A pained groan left Favian''s mouth when he crashnded at a distance from the act while getting rubbed against the rough ground. He tried to get up by lifting his body with his hands, but only slumped down again.


    He was not in the best condition, but the orc didn''t give a fuck about his condition. It walked angrily toward Favian while swinging its de in the air as if preparing for an attack.


    Finally, the orc was standing a foot away from him; it gazed down upon Favian as it moved the de up and then stopped for the onest time before bringing the de down and bestowing death.


    -sh!


    -Stab!


    Favian was ready to let go of his life¡ªnot like he had the choice to do otherwise. But somehow, he was still conscious and breathing like an alive man.


    He turned back to look at the orc. His eyes widened and a wave of relief, calm, and surprise washed over his heart.


    The orc was alive but not moving for now, and it was clearly in pain. And why won''t he be in pain? After all, there was a de¡ªthe same size as the chopper of a Minotaur, stuck in the orc''s back and half of its body was burning.


    Blood covered and dripped the monster''s body as it gritted its fangs.


    A smile appeared on Favian''s face when he spotted the two figures at a distance behind the orc.


    On the right was Xara and on the left side was Spene; they were still in the ce where they''d been fighting before, but in Favian''s line of sight.


    "That''s so pathetic, you know?! If you''re dying like this after saving me," said Spene; his voice was loud since they were far away.


    "I agree with him this one time...don''t go dying like that, you idiot!" Xara spoke in a little shy tone.


    This might have been one of those moments when Xara''s heart almost popped out because she thought that Favian died, the fear of losing someone she loved, maybe was the feeling which caused her to move. And maybe in Spene''s case, it was pure friendship.<sub> </sub>


    However, the battle wasn''t over just yet¡­


    "Khwaaa!" the orc roared, letting go of the de and beating its chest like the ssic King Kong.


    "Thank you," Favian mumbled, but maybe his friends were able to hear him for some reason.


    "Shut up now! Weren''t you the one who kept me from thanking you? Get your ass up from there and fight, we don''t have the whole day to waste here!" Spene instructed and Xara nodded.


    "Well, you ain''t wrong about that," Favian smiled and slowly rose to his feet.


    But there was still one problem left: theck of arrows; he had only one left.


    "Favian!"


    He looked at where the voice came from and saw that it was Zero who called out his name. He was waving, maybe to catch his attention, and when he saw that Favian had noticed him, he showed him something.


    It was the dagger he used on thest floor to defend himself. "Take this! You have run out of arrows, haven''t you?" said Zero.


    "Hey but I¡­"


    "This is no time for arguments, look behind that guy is about to attack," with that, Zero threw the dagger toward Favian.


    He stumbled a few steps forward and then caught the dagger, the second he left the ce where he''d been standing the orc¡ªwho was now mad in rage, crushed the ground there with its punch.


    "Thanks," Favian turned toward the monster, dropped his bow, and prepared to fight with the dagger.


    Maybe he would''ve been unable to fight with a sword, but since this dagger was lightweight, he had no such problem. ''I''ll probably take this one down, at least.''


    Along with that thought in his mind, Favian dashed toward the orc. The orc screamed and let out an ear-piercing sound as it charged toward Favian.


    They both came close, Favian didn''t stop moving to avoid the orc''s attack. While doing that, he remained close to the orc''s legs and kept delivering shes on his joints and major muscles.


    This kept going on for a while, Favian was using the ''hit it till it dies'' strategy used in the RPG games from Zero''s former world.


    The orc raged more and more as it took damage from Favian. The chopper of the Minotaur that was thrown by Spene was still stuck in its back, and the skin Xara had burned with her magic was still on fire and was constantly delivering pain.


    At some point, the pain got so strong that the orc''s eyes turned blood-red; its veins popped out, and its muscles got thick and tense.


    "Gwahhhhhh!" with a scream, the orcunched a punch.


    Favian was dodging them until now, but maybe it was his bad luck or something, the punch connected this time. And maybe it was his bad luck because the punch contained much more force than the ones the orc used before.


    Blood came out from Favian''s mouth as he was thrown away backward. He flew in the air and crashed hard into the wall behind him. He was sure that his skill was cracked from behind, as he was able to feel intense pain there.


    Still, he didn''t have the time to groan, hence he forced his body and stood up. Wiping the blood off his mouth, he looked at the orc who wasing toward him with loud steps.


    However, it was not the only sound he heard. The other sound that resounded in the whole area was weird, as if someone was rubbing a huge stone against another stone.


    And in fact, that was exactly what was happening. The entrance door, from where Zero and the others stepped into this floor, was closed shut. But along with that, one more door moved¡­and instead of closing, it opened.


    Just a bit away from where Favian was¡­

 Chapter 161 Someone Always Benefits From The Others Loss [1]

    Thebyrinth''s third floor and the ground shook intensely as if an earthquake had urred. Dust and rocks fell from the ceiling and the dead bodies of the monsters vibrated as they rolled in the pool of their own blood.


    The entrance gate of this floor¡ªone from where Zero and the other came inside, got closed off as a big b of hard rock slid down its corners and stood like a wall.


    Spene, Xara, and Favian, of course, saw this and panicked. This meant only one thing and that was they can''t go back now. One other gate that was on the opposite side from the entrance gate had also closed, so it was probably the gate to the next floor.


    This wasn''t a unique situation, and everyone from the little bit of experience they had in thebyrinths knew that if a situation like this urred then the only way to open the doors was by killing all the monsters on the floor they were currently in.


    They knew this, that''s why they were calm even though the pressure had increased, and if not everyone, Spene was screaming hard from the inside.


    Favian on the other hand had somehow forced his body to stand on his feet. The injuries he gained when the mad orc threw him on the wall were hard. Blood wasing out of his head and his forehead was painted in cherry.


    He held the dagger Zero gave him in his right hand and his left hand was clenching the next one¡ªit won''t be impossible to say that he didn''t have a broken bone or two.


    Despite all this, his resolve hadn''t shaken even a bit. He was as confident as he was when they entered thebyrinth. Hence, he made that resolve run through his body and provide him with the necessary strength he needed right now.


    -Boom!


    The mad orc delivered a punch on the ground in front of him¡ªwhere Favian was, a crater formed on the ce and the ground beneath crumbled. Though the anger on the orc''s face didn''t flinch since he had not gotten the man he wanted to.


    Before the orc made its move Favian had made himself run, he leaped to the side just as the punch connected to the ground and rolled to the side. He stood up again, this time looking fiercely into the mad orc''s eyes.


    "It''s enough! I''ll be finishing you now!" he screamed. This was very unlike him; the guy who normally stayed calm and his friends rarely saw him getting angry, the same person had a look on his face that defined pure blood lust toward the mad orc.


    The mad orc, obviously, didn''t understand what he said. Even so, it screamed back in a roar and beat its chest as it rushed forward.


    "Haaaaaaaa!" Favian dashed but in a zig-zag pattern. He soon reached the orc''s range of attack and the orc, made with rage, started throwing punches here and there¡ªin every direction it thought Favian could go.


    However, this was not that hard for Favian; he thought it would be but in reality, this was easier than before. The reason for this was that the orc was now driven by rage and wasn''t able to control its emotion and think rationally.


    When a creature¡ªwhether it be human or monster, develops only one goal and does everything it can just to achieve that goal; the world other than that blurs out for them. Also, the orc didn''t have a sword, and their species ain''t handy with hand-to-handbat, so the orc was having trouble fighting with punches.


    Favian dashed to the side, dodging another one of the punches, he sprinted forward and got behind the orc''s back. He threw his arm forward and busted the dagger inside its back and slid it making a big, long gush as the result.


    Before the orc could turn back, Favian grabbed the dagger in his mouth and darted and put a step on the wall in front of him. Putting another step on it he climbed two steps and then pushed himself back.


    With a backflip in the air, his hands reached for the hilt of the huge sword that was stuck in the orc''s back. He grabbed the handle¡ªwhich was 1 meter in length¡ªand did a somersault.


    Flipping over hended on the orc''s shoulders. The orc raged even more and started running around madly, it tried to grab Favian with its hand but before he could do anything else¡­Favian took the sword from its mouth, held it in his hands, and¡­


    -A fountain of blood danced in the air, as a stream sprayed from the orc''s neck.


    Faviannded at a distance, the mad orc''s body fell to the ground behind him. "A-Atst¡­I can rest a bit," he sighed.


    A secondter he fell andy on the ground, his breathing intensified and his body was cold from all the sweat he had. And let''s not talk about the way he was drenched in blood.


    His body went limp but a smile remained on his face, his hands let go of the dagger as he didn''t have the strength left to hold it anymore. He justid there in silence without any moment at all.


    When Xara''s eyes fell upon him, her heart almost stopped. "Hey, hey, hey! Favian, you can''t die like this!!! You said you won''t!!!" she shouted, ignoring all the monsters around her she subconsciously burned them¡ªand for some reason, the fire this time was more powerful.


    Observing this, a smirk appeared on someone''s face¡ªsomeone who was standing at the back with another man who he had bound with chains.


    "Hell NO! Why you killin'' me like that, huh? I''m just¡­a bit tired," Favian replied. A wave of relief washed over Xara''s hearing that, at the same time Spene interjected, "I said he won''t die if he had said that he won''t; don''t let your guard down like that."<sub> </sub>


    "Fuck you!"


    Favian againid his head on the ground and let out a sigh offort. He closed his eyes, and for a long time¡­after a short second that felt like a century to him¡­he felt the same earthquake as before.


    His eyes opened on their own, and what he saw wasn''tforting in the least.


    4partments of the walls¡ªeach in the opposite direction from the other, opened and a gate appeared. And from those gates, hordes and hordes of monsters came out, and those monsters¡­were goblins. Thest monster you''d like to face if they were in a group.


    There were 50¡ªno, maybe 100 of goblinsing out and only from one gate that is.


    Xara and Spene strengthened their defense as they finished some more of the orcs and minotaurs. This was going to be a problem, after all, they were tired after fighting with the other monsters and even now some of the minotaurs were left.


    But this was not the worst¡­


    Favian''s heart stopped as he saw one out of the four gates open just a bit away from him. At first, one goblin came out, that one was holding a small knife. After that, they came out one after another until a whole group of them was out.


    They were small, green creatures with elf-like ears, multiple sharp fangs, and big ball-like eyes.


    "Not again! Just let me rest a bit, damn it!" he cursed, he didn''t like this but it was not like he had any other choice. Hence he forced his body yet again¡ªhis muscles were tearing apart, his bones were cracking like wood, and his skin was as tensed as strict military officers discipline.


    But in spite of all that, he picked up the dagger and rose to the ground. The little noise he made was enough to attract the goblins'' attention.


    Their heads turned toward him¡ªand the way it did was enough to send several chills down Favian''s spine.


    "Khwaaaaa!" the goblins made loud screeching sounds and the whole group ran toward Favian.


    Favian also moved his feet forward and bit by bit gained speed with each step he took.


    What was he feeling right now? He didn''t know, or rather it wasn''t clear to him. He¡­just wanted to get out of this. He was tired. At first, he''d thought that going on a mission where they could face some real monsters would be fun but, he was regretting that decision now.


    But for once, he didn''t me anyone else for that. Spene had consulted him before finalizing whether they would go or not and Favian had raised his hand in favor that time. If it was anyone''s fault, it was his own. And somewhere deep down, he was also aware of this.


    Maybe that''s why he was notining at all; he hadn''t even once ever since he came here.


    The goblins and he got closer, and the first one tond an attack¡­was Favian. He stabbed the goldin who was in the front with the dagger and kicked the other. But then also, for some reason, a stream came down his eyes.


    He turned and looked in Xara''s direction. She was also busy dealing with the goblins along with a minotaur.


    Favian''s lips curled upward as a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and then he turned back. The goblins started climbing over each others'' shoulders to reach his height.


    He moved the dagger left and right, shing and stabbing the goblins. But he was also being gushed on the feet by the goblins, he wasn''t in a condition where he could hold out any longer, but he didn''t have any way to get out.


    If he ran away, then the number of goblins Xara and Spene had to fight would increase¡ªthey both were already fending off 300 of them.


    Finally, his legs gave up as they were chopped off by the goblins. He kept stabbing the air but now, his dagger reached no one.


    He fell to the ground and was soon covered by the horde of bloodthirsty goblins. They climbed all over his body and with each passing second, a de stabbed Favain''s body.


    His intestines were pulled out, his body was painted crimson. His eyes shed thest bit of tears before they were gouged out. But the smile he had on his face never faded no matter what the goblins did.


    ''Goodbye, Xara¡­I wasn''t able to ever say this but¡­I really love you, and I always will.''

 Chapter 162 Someone Always Benefits From The Others Loss [2]

    The goblins piled up upon Favian''s body one by one, soon there was a whole tower of them standing straight above him. Their knives skinned his flesh, their hands pulled out his insides, and their teeth ripped off his limbs.


    He was in pain, he must''ve been in pain. After all, there''s no human out there who can endure this type of painful death. There is no one like that, yet he didn''t scream; he didn''t let a single word out of his mouth.


    Why? The reason was silly, but it was the most logical thing in the world for him; if he screamed, then Xara was sure to look at him. She will witness the condition he was in¡ªthat he was dying, and knowing her she wille to help even if she says it was not intentional.


    Then¡­the goblins will attack her too; she was already having her fill with the number of goblins on that side and if the ones here charged at her too, it wouldn''t be impossible to say that she would meet the same end as Favian.


    Therefore he piled all the pain inside his heart and closed it off as he resigned himself to life. However, things do not always go as you want them to.


    "Favian! Favian! Man, get out of there quickly! Get out or you''ll die!"


    Someone screamed out loud and said the words Favian was hesitating to say, and this someone just happened to be Zero who was standing at a safe distance from him.


    He had a look of concern on his face, it seemed as if he was panicking by seeing Favain in this condition. If Favian would''ve been in a condition to speak he would say that "shut the fuck up" to Zero.


    But he wasn''t and there was no one to stop him¡­atst, what he feared the most happened. The words "Favian" and "you''ll die" fell on Xara''s ears and it didn''t even take her a minute to burn a few goblins around her to make space to turn and look back.


    Her soul dried up upon seeing the view before her; a horde of goblins with Favian on the ground. They were violently ripping off his body and there was blood everywhere; it was hard to say that he was still alive.


    Time froze for her, and her movements stopped. She shouldn''t have let her guard down at a time like this but this shocked her down to her very core. No, "shock" was not the right word; she was more like "stunned".


    Constantly staring at the ce where Favian once had been standing, she felt something moist roll down her cheeks.


    Were they tears? Was she crying? Why? Why was she crying? Because herrade died? No, that can''t be. After all, even if it was notmon these days, ording to the ancient stories told by old adventurers, the death of a party member was asmon as taking on quests.


    And she was pretty sure that the pain she was feeling right now was way worse than that. It was like her heart was being crushed under a thousand tons, then the crumbled pieces were being crushed even further and the process didn''t stop.


    She was breaking from the inside and didn''t know how to react, all she could do was cry, but even that felt painful.


    However, while it seemed like time itself had stopped for her, the world didn''t. It was not long before the goblins around her regrouped and charged at her again.


    "Xara! Watch out!" Spene warned as he eliminated the goblins around himself; he was still unaware of Favian''s loss.


    He was warning Xara about the uing attack but she didn''t reply, nor did she do anything. But as the group of goblins came close, a st of heat was released from Xara''s staff as her lips read the destructive incantations.


    The mes she produced were strong, much stronger than the ones she uses normally. Their area of effect was also bigger as around 20 goblins were taken out in one go and the rest were blown away by the shockwave.


    The burning dead bodies slumped on the ground as the smell of burned flesh entered the nostrils of Spene. The spell had ended up taking a fair amount of goblins on his side too, and while this should''ve made him happy, the fact that he himself was inches away from getting burned made her think otherwise.


    "Woah, Woah, Woah! Be careful with that, you almost killed me here," he said as he turned in her direction; continuously fending off the goblins even now.


    And this time too, there was no reply. Xara was just staring in one direction and all her attention was focused there. Then it clicked to Spene that something was weird because it''s been more than a whole minute and he was not taunted by Xara.


    That was in the realm of impossible.


    "Xara! This¡­isn''t the time to be dozing off like that," he spoke, handling two goblins at the same time. "Get yourself together!"


    A sh from Spene''s sword beheaded one goblin, and the other was kicked by him, it rolled to the ground and was crushed to death by its own kin.


    "He died¡­"<sub> </sub>


    "What?" Spene''s reaction was like he was saying, ''this is not the time for jokes.


    "He¡­died...Favian," Xara revealed in a low, trembling voice.


    Spene was about to voice his thoughts but he soon realized that she wasn''t joking; the weight in her voice was as real as something could possibly be.


    He then followed her line of sight and saw what was left of his friend; the goblins were slowly moving away from the body as they had eaten most of his meat and the skeleton clothed with few stripes of flesh was out in open; for everyone to see.


    Spen felt a chill go down his spine. Just like Xara, he could not think straight for a while, but considering the current situation, he somehow regained the littleposure he could. Maybe it was possible because the feelings he had for Favian were on a different level than what Xara had, perhaps that''s why¡­he was sad but didn''t feel like his whole world was taken away from him.


    "W-When¡­" he wanted to ask when and how did this happen but no words left his mouth. This type of thing usually happens when you have so much to say, so much you want to ask, but due to some reason, you aren''t able to say anything.


    "Calm down Xara, we are in a hard situation right now," he advised. Although this time too, there was no response on Xara''s side.


    But only a whileter he did get to hear something, but it was not the reply to his question, rather they were the incantation Xara started chanting just now.


    These incantations were the same she uses for her fire magic, however, there were a few mixed in that he hadn''t heard before. His sense of danger advised him to fall back, and considering that she''d almost burned him a few moments ago, he followed his instincts and backed off.


    Also, it was not like the monsters were waiting for Xara and Spene to firste out from their emotional shock so that they could attack themter on¡­there was no stopping the monsters. From every direction, they¡ªgoblins, wereing.


    Thus Spene didn''t have the privilege to worry about Xara¡ªhe couldn''t even if he wanted to. So he shifted his focus back to the monsters and kept slicing their heads and limbs off. It was hard since the difference in numbers exceeded the limits ofmon sense but there was no other option.


    He was pushing his body to its very limits, his muscles were aching, his bones were cracking, his heart was throbbing from the pain, and the mental stress he had from Favian''s loss was immeasurable. Even so, he was fighting.


    "Aggghhh! Take this you son of a bitch!!!" he roared a battle cry. At the same time he swished his sword down and the goblin that was standing before him was chopped down into two pieces.


    When Spene was raging like a mad bull, calm was brewing at a distance from him¡ªwhich was likely the calm before the storm.


    Xara was standing still in her ce, she''d already blown up the goblins around her so she had a couple of minutes before they regrouped again, and she was spending all her time in an incantation while staring daggers toward Favian''s corpse.


    This was probably the longest she had ever used; the words were difficult and tongue-twisting, and the speed at which she was chanting was also high¡ªaround 2 words per second. As she continued the chant the gem on her staff shone brighter and brighter with each passing second.


    But soon it stopped and the light that was once the brightness now morphed into mes and began pouring out from the sides of the gem. The staff that was made of hardwood should''ve burned but it stood rigid like a proud warrior.


    Maybe there were still a fair amount of words left but Xara''s break time was over now, the goblins who were eating Favian''s flesh wereing on her side and slowly forming a circle around her to block any way of escape.


    "Kwaahhhh!!!" the goblins cried a piercing sound as they charged toward Xara all at once.


    There were probably 100¡ªno, maybe 200 or even more¡­all of them charging at her wildly. The group came close and raised their knives to attack, but just at the moment¡ª


    "Incinerating bane inferno: Morphation!!!" Xarapleted the incantation with those final words.


    The gem on her staff released a massive amount of heat and fire, it was like a wave of mes; and those mes stretched out outwards and then curled upwards, forming a lotus of fire.


    The goblins who were hit by the mes and the pressure behind them were thrown away, the ones who were close enough vanished into thin air, and the ones on the back fell to the ground. The mes surged out from the gem for half a minute before their size decreased and the lotus was now only the size of an apple that burned on top of the staff''s gem.


    But while the discharge of the mes was over, Xara''s spell was still ongoing¡­after all, it wasn''t exactly a "spell".

 Chapter 163 Someone Always Benefits From The Others Loss [3]

    As the fire lotus burns above the gem on Xara''s staff, her own body undergoes a change.


    Her eyes were closed, her hair had turned crimson and the detailing on her clothes was also on fire. There was a smile on her face, or a smirk to be precise; a smirk that clearly depicted¡­bloodlust. It was a wild, menacing, smirk of a predator.


    She opened her eyes, her pupils shone in red and her eyelids caught fire.


    "I''ll¡­fucking murder you all!" she breathed, hot steaming out from her mouth as she spoke.


    Since the goblins were now wary of her, only a few of them charged. There were 5 of them, and with a sharp knife in each of their hands, the goblins rushed forward; some jumped while some ran on the ground but¡ª


    "Die¡­"


    Xara moved her staff toward the goblins, the lotus erged and waves of mes poured out. It was like a small tornado of fire, a tornado that enveloped all five goblins within itself and when it vanished, not a single trace of them was left.


    Xara let out steam from her mouth as she breathed heavily; it was like a girl on heat, with the only difference being that she was literally on heat.


    [Incinerating bane inferno: Morphation] It was a spell to say, but not your normal one. Rather than a simple spell used for attack or defense, this one allowed the user to use the power of magic to a new extent: which was a transformation.


    Considering Xara''s current form one might say that this is a very overpowered spell but that is as wrong as something could get. Bane inferno was the lost transformation spell among all and this one could be easily learned in any magic academy in around one year of training.


    And this was not that powerful, while the level of destruction was high this spell puts a great amount of pressure on the user''s brain¡ªmaking them unable to think straight, and also consumes a lot of mana. Taking into ount the size of the mana pool Xara had, she was not going tost longer than five minutes in this state.


    "I''ll kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you¡­I''LL FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU!!!" she screamed from the bottom of her heart.


    The feelings of remorse, sadness, and pain she had by Favian''s death were being converted into revenge, and hatred, directed toward the ones who killed the man she loved.


    This time who rushed forward was not the goblins, but Xara. She dashed in their direction, reaching close to the horde she spun her staff and fire rained upon the monsters.


    She used her staff like a sword and a trail of fire followed, she nted the staff on the ground, chanted a word-long incantation and an explosion busted out around her, killing all the goblins in the range.


    "Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die!!!!"


    She held the staff tightly that was nted on the ground and focused her mana inside it. The next moment a magic circle opened on the ground that covered half the amount of goblins around Xara.


    "...Die," she said.


    The ground inside the magic circle shone in red, a momentter other than the area Xara was standing on, the whole ground lit up and radiated red mes which engulfed the goblins within them.


    A number of them ran outside the circle but the ones who weren''t able to make it out¡­died a painful death. First, they fell to the ground since the ground was literally burning and was too hot to stand. But it didn''t stop just there, the fire on the ground did not extinguish hence their whole body burned, their skin turned red, and then got loose and separated from their body.


    The fire was slowly consuming them. They groaned and cried with pain. Their throat was aching from yelling, as the fire slowly melted their flesh. Even though they were monsters, they had never felt so much pain in their life, this suffering and the slow death that was bestowed upon them¡­they wished for their life to end already.


    But not all were the same, some didn''t let go of their survival instincts, but a death even worse awaited them. They tried to get up and run away but their burned muscles and tendons were not strong enough to withstand the pressure.


    A crackling sound, followed by the numerous painful groans of the goblins who poured their heart into it¡­their joints broke, and their legs twisted, turned, and fell off.


    The fire didn''t vanish until their skin, muscles, internal organs, everything except the bones melted andbined into a deep-brown n ck paste.<sub> </sub>


    The smell of burned flesh surrounded the area as the magic circle closed, but Xara didn''t flinch even a bit; in fact, the smirk on her face grew wider¡­she was amused.


    She was providing the goblins with pain, the same goblins who killed Favian¡ªthe man she loved, there was no possible reason to not be amused.


    "Burn you fuckers! I''ll make sure to kill you in the worst way possible!!!" she dered as she pulled out her staff and swung it down right toward a group of goblins.


    A sh of fire dwelled from the staff and flew toward the goblins. The goblins who ran while they still had time were spared, but the ones who failed got separated into two.


    "Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die!!!"


    She fueled up her mana and empowered the mes, throwing shes of fire all around. Sheughed like a maniac; her face washed with a wide grin and her eyes widened with excitement and pleasure.


    At this point, it was hard to tell who was the monster and who was innocent. The goblins were running away¡ªonly several goblins who had fairly built bodies were going against her, but the only advantage the runners got was a less painful death as they were killed by wide-range attacks.


    But the ones who came at her¡­were left in a condition that it was impossible to tell whether it was organic trash from the meat factories or their dead bodies¡ªthey were killed in a way that the bodies were in a condition beyond what could be recognized as "something was once alive".


    Spene was aware of her¡ªaware of what she was doing and in which state she was. However, he was not in the position to stop her, and not like he wanted to anyway; honestly, he would''ve done the same if he wielded the power to do so.


    The only thing worrying him was that she might harm herself if she didn''t stop¡ªthat was the only reason he wasn''t able to keep his eyes off her even when he was struggling with the goblins at a distance; he doesn''t want to lose another friend, after all.


    "Xara! Calm down! It''s enough! You''ll eventually run out of mana if you don''t stop, and I''m telling you that''ll be really, really bad!" he screamed as loud as he could since the goblins had increased the distance between him and Xara.


    Although what he was saying was true, if Xara didn''te out of her morphation then she will be forced toe out when her mana pool will dry out. If thetter happens then she will be left with no mana to fight any further and all the pressure will fall on Spene''s shoulder.


    Despite the fact that his body was on overdrive due to the intense rush of emotions, there was no way he could fend off all the goblins present in this room while protecting Xara at the same time¡ªhe knew that too.


    He knew, and precisely because of that he was trying to stop Xara and bring her back to her senses¡­but the warning he gave was nothing but a failed attempt; Xara didn''t even notice that he said anything.


    "Khwaaaaa!!!" multiple screams were heard, but they were not from the goblins. But maybe they recognized it because as the intensity and loudness of the screams increased, the goblins'' lips curled upward.


    The ground rumbled and shook violently, crumblings and gravel fell from the ceiling and the stones on the floors danced.


    Xara stopped in her tracks, there was something wrong here; her instincts were stating that. She took a moment to look around and search for the source of these screams. However, she didn''t have to wait much longer as the source revealed itself.


    The four tunnel-like passageways from where the goblins had entered this floor, another wave of monsters came bustling out. There too were goblins, but the difference was that this time¡­their numbers were simply crazy. This wave had a total of around a thousand goblins.


    This was the second wave but reinforcements might be the right word. The goblins ran through the passageways and entered the third floor of thebyrinth, it wasn''t long before they stood side by side with the goblins already present there.


    Spene broke into a cold sweat; no matter how you look this was a really bad situation. He''d just taken care of the goblins around himself and didn''t even get the time to rest and restore his strength.


    His body was already at its breaking point. His muscles were aching so bad that at one point he''d prefer death over this to free himself from the suffering, his body was screaming with pain. He was breathing intensely and every time he inhaled, he shivered with the burning sensation in his throat. His bones had given up, it was difficult for him to even stand straight. His palms¡­numb and callus from wielding the sword for so long; he was hardly able to feel them.


    On top of everything going on, another catastrophe has fallen upon him. There was no way they could fight against all of the goblins, it just wasn''t in the realm ofmon sense. He was crushed mentally to the point that he had epted his death, at least this suffering will end.


    Even so, despite the fact that defeating all the goblins was literally impossible, Xara didn''t look like she was displeased at all.

 Chapter 164 Someone Always Benefits From The Others Loss [4]

    Even though defeating all the goblins was impossible, unlike Spene, Xara wasn''t displeased at all. If anything, she was even happier. Though that doesn''t mean she was not worried, she was, but for a different reason.


    "Come at me, you motherfuckers!!!" she shouted as she smacked the ground with her staff.


    Most of the goblins were attracted to her¡ªprimarily the new goblins since they didn''t know how much of a threat she was. The horde got closer and surrounded her, but she didn''t flinch at all.


    The goblins got all over her, drowned in anger, and the knives painted with bloodlust reached for her.


    An explosion rang across the entire floor. Heat, fire, light, blood, corpses, ash, and a girl covered in me.


    The goblins were thrown back¡ªsome even died, and taken back by the sudden change of events. The explosion had emerged from Xara''s body, and it was not a spell, but a result of the extra mana she''d poured into the morphation.


    The reason she was worried was that her mana was eventually going to dry out, and she was aware of that fact. She didn''t have much left of it anyway, so this was herst bit of effort. The n was to use up all the mana, increase the output of the morphation, and clear out as many goblins as she could before fainting.


    This would lessen the pressure on Spene, and he could take care of the rest, if not then find a way to escape. The worst case scenario will be that both of them die, and the least one would be where she dies.


    After all, she wasn''t expecting to survive when she went into the morphation, her goal was to take revenge on the goblins, and she was doing that. Favian was dead, therefore she didn''t see any other reason to continue with this life, hence making sure that Spene survives at least was not bad as a final n.


    Her hair floated upward in the air as it burned in crimson, mes surrounded her whole body, yet she was not burned by them. Her vision was red but for some reason, she was able to see clearly where her targets were¡ªmaybe it was because of the intense hatred she had for them or her instincts, there was no clear reason for it.


    Lifting her staff straight, she pointed it at the goblins, who were regrouping and preparing for a counterattack. A burst of mes was hurled toward the goblins like a horizontal tornado, cutting through everything it hit its mark, and the resulting explosion took out several hundred goblins with it and set the ground on fire.


    Xara took a moment and turned to Spene. He was still struggling with the goblins, trying desperately to stay alive. It was almost as if his body had given out, but his mind didn''t¡­he was not going to give up, it seems.


    She smiled a bit, then turned back. Taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes, she poured all her mana into the morphation while saving some just enough to keep her from passing out instantly.


    The surrounding mes raged further, it was now like she was a me. Her eyes were swollen and lit with a red ze, but there were also tears in them. The mes behind her back settled her hair on their ce while they glittered and cried for revenge.


    Finally, the staff she''d been holding onto for many years now, was charred by the mes and turned into nothing. She had done it intentionally, after all, with all this mana flowing inside her, she did not need it; with the morphation running at its fullest she directly controlled the fire produced by it.


    Both her hands went up, she furrowed and stared at the goblins, a severe expression covering her face.


    ¡ªThe third floor of thebyrinthy in silence. It was only for a short moment, but during that period everything went quiet. It was as if time itself had slowed down, except for the young maiden who wore a cardigan of fire.


    ¡ªThen the silence was broken, and as they say, the lightes first, andteres the sound.


    A gust of wind¡ªor an explosion of wind would be the right prose for it, was felt by Spene as well as every monster present there. The palms of her hands created balls of fire and heat, they spun on their axis at an intense speed before a huge, broad beam emerged from them and slung forward.


    The sound hit afterward, and it was loud enough to tear the ears of a healthy man. The firestorm she produced tore the air and met with the goblins, living up to the name of the morphation and incinerating them.


    But she did not stop here, she couldn''t. Be that as it may, she had to clear out the maximum of them before she ran out of time and turned limp. Thus, she slowly moved her feet, hands, and entire body.


    She moved in a circr motion, shifting the beam that was continuously raging from her palms to the right, clearing the goblins in that direction too.<sub> </sub>


    The goblins ran¡ªor tried to, but the heat was so high that they were being burned even at a hand''s distance from the actual fire. The beam even melted the ground and cracked the rocks. Screams left the goblins'' throats but vanished before they could be heard.


    Xara turned and slowly cast the disaster in all directions except on Spene''s side, or maybe she had other ns for taking care of the goblins on his side, but the beam dimmed and vanished before she could think of anything, and so did her morphation. The fire enveloping her faded, and she felt weakness taking over her body; all of a sudden her body was cumbersome.


    Her eyes trailed off as she fell to the ground, but in that small timespan, she caught sight of something. Something that didn''t make any sense to her, to the point that for a second she thought that she was hallucinating¡­which she was not.


    Far away at the end walls of the third floor, back in the same direction where Spene was, stood Zero. But that alone did not make it questionable, the thing which did was that he was standing inside one of the tunnel-like passageways¡ªfrom where the goblins came.


    He had a straight and cold look on his face; devoid of any expression. He did not seem like the same person she knew anymore. After he made sure of something¡ªand she didn''t know what it was, he turned around and wandered off inside the dark passageway along with Challes, and soon both of them vanished into the darkness.


    Xara''s consciousness was about to give out and her vision was turning ck as shey limp on the ground. But she was not satisfied, a part of it was because she''d seen something which she didn''t understand, but because she was not able to clear out as many goblins as she expected to.


    Unfortunately, as soon as the goblins noticed the beam was devastating their numbers, they backed off and maxed out the distance from Xara.


    And now that she''d stopped and was not a threat, they were regrouping, surrounding Spene and her. But despite all this, at least the worst-case scenario wasn''t going toe true; even if she hadn''t been able to kill as many goblins as she wanted she''d still cleared out a fair amount of them.


    With this, Spene will be able to escape if stayed rigid for a little longer and doesn''t let go of the fighting spirit he had been holding onto for all this time; after all, no matter how you look at it, he was the one struggling the most after Favian.


    No matter how much things went south, he won''t die if he doesn''t want to die.


    Convinced by this thought Xara finally fell into the deep well of unconsciousness as she dropped her eyelids down like how the curtain falls upon the stage when the y is over.


    "Xara! Hey! You...¡­don''ty there like that!" Spene screamed and warned her about the uing danger, but she wasn''t in the condition to respond. Hence his screams resounded on the floor apanied by the roars and cries of the monsters.


    ***


    I stopped to confirm the situation for the final time, the ground was a mess of blood, fire, and molten rocks. Xara''s spell that she''d been using to enhance her power was now over and without it she was pretty much useless and a dead weight.


    Spene on the other hand was fighting an already lost battle; no matter how hard he tried to win, he will lose in the end. That was a given fact.


    He can''t escape either since the gates to leave the third floor of thebyrinth were closed off and the only other way to leave this section, the passageways from where the goblins came, were also going to get shut off soon since the second andst wave of the monsters had already passed and now they will close automatically.


    ''Yep, there''s no way for them to survive.''


    With that set in stone, I turned around, pulled Challes from his chain, and walked inside the passageway.


    As I walked a few steps forward I heard a rumbling sounding from behind, the ground shook and dust fell from the ceiling. There was no need to look back, this was the gates of the passageways closing off.


    When they werepletely shut, the tunnel turned pitch ck. Yet, there was a sense offort about it.

 Chapter 165 Its Not Like This Is The First Time [1]

    I stopped to confirm the situation for the final time, the ground was a mess of blood, fire, and molten rocks. Xara''s spell that she''d been using to enhance her power was now over, and without it, she was pretty much useless and a dead weight.


    Spene, on the other hand, was fighting an already lost battle; no matter how hard he tried to win, he will lose in the end. That was a given fact.


    He can''t escape, either, since the gates to leave the third floor of thebyrinth were closed off. The only other way to leave this section, the passageways from where the goblins came, were also going to get shut off soon since the second andst wave of the monsters had already passed, and now they will close automatically.


    ''Yep, there''s no way for them to survive.''


    With that set in stone, I turned around, pulled Challes from his chain, and walked inside the passageway.


    As I walked a few steps forward, I heard a rumbling sounding from behind, the ground shook and dust fell from the ceiling. There was no need to look back, this was the gates of the passageways closing off.


    When they werepletely shut, the tunnel turned pitch ck. Yet, there was a sense offort about it.


    "You left them to die, just like that?" the one to voice the question was Challes, he asked as he walked behind me.


    "And? Is there any problem with that?"


    "I told you not to involve other people in this¡­you even supported the idea."


    "I did, but that was a thing of the past. I said I won''t involve them as long as they won''t meddle themselves. It was their mistake toe and ept a quest that looked so suspicious. But I said before, didn''t I? That some people will ept it because of greed, the same was the case with them."


    "You''re wrong! They ept it because they saw your name on it!" he screamed, there was anger in his voice.


    "That doesn''t make any difference. If anything, they were naive for trusting a person they''d met only for a few hours or so."


    "... I can''t believe you. One person died because of you, and the other two could die at any moment! Just because you activated a trap deliberately!"


    "That was important. And¡­ I don''t remember permitting you to speak up to me."


    I used my elemental magic and affected the chains that were tying him up. His handcuffs and leg cuffs decreased in size, they first tightened but then didn''t stop just after that. In less than a few seconds they were so tight that a scream left Challes''s mouth and his skin released blood from where the cuffs were.


    He didn''t say anything after that, but I could tell that he was angry and pissed off. He was gritting his teeth and had a severe look on his face, his way of walking and bodynguage had also changed.


    But he was right in a way, it was me who activated the trap that led the goblins into the floor, but that was a thing I''d decided even before entering thebyrinth. It was important, after all.


    ***


    A few moments ago.


    During the time Favian was fighting with the orc, as he struggled and tried to kill it, I was also there. I was the one who had given Favian the dagger to use, so my being there was only reasonable.


    But instead of fighting or providing Favian with aid, I kept a good distance from all the monsters by sticking close to the end walls of the floor.


    Since I was not attacking any of the monsters and the other three¡ªXara, Spene, and Favian were doing that in my stead, the monsters were also not attracted to me, and therefore I was able to move around freely.


    All this time I had been standing at the side doing nothing, but the wait time was over as the pieces were in the right ces. While under the shadow of the wall, I moved forward swiftly without being noticed by anyone else.


    After taking around ten to fifteen steps, I stopped in front of a boulder. It was around the size of a human, and it was a few meters away from the entrance to the floor.<sub> </sub>


    Moving close to it, I looked around for a bit at the ground. Fortunately, there were no monsters here as all of them were already upied by the adventurers, it was only me and Challes.


    A minute or soter, I found what I''d been looking for.


    Down on the ground, covered in lots of dust and gravel, a slightly elevated piece of rock was visible; it was ground that was elevated above the level of the rest of the surface. The part of the ground that was above was in the perfect shape of a square, or maybe you could call it a cuboid also because it was 3d.


    I stared at it for a while and then looked over in Favian''s direction.


    He was in the right ce, in the perfect west ording to the cardinal directions. It took me a bit of trouble to lead him there, he was going off track because of that orc he was facing, hence I had to offer him my dagger and bring him to the right ce.


    And there was no way he could be anywhere else. After all, that''s where the gates were going to open.


    I lifted my foot and gilded them over the elevated floor and was about to step on it when Challes stopped me. "It can be a trap, and I think you know that," he said from behind.


    I ignored him and set my foot on the ground, the squarish piece of rock slid underground like a button in its socket as I pressed it with my foot. I heard some technical soundsing from below, as if metal parts were moving in like a machine.


    Then the whole floor shook, first the gates that connected this floor to the rest of thebyrinth were closed off. A whileter, the gates that released the goblins were opened in four cardinal directions.


    ***


    That was about it, the goblins poured in, and you know the rest.


    Favian''s death was important. It was a major factor to enrage Xara, so she can go berserk and attract all the goblins toward herself, giving me a clear way to move around and escape.


    As for why I did this, well, there are reasons.


    First, this trap that I''d just activated was one that Leon activated by "mistake" and thus had to fight the goblins before going to the next floor, well, that is the story if I ignore the past that loli_pop just wanted to increase the word count, so he forced the incident into the story.


    And why did I step on it, knowing it would open a trap? Because I wanted to open the trap. Later after killing all the goblins Leon finds that the way the goblins hade from was leading somewhere and his system, which was also guiding him through the ways of thebyrinth, tells him that this passageway leads directly to the fifth and final floor.


    He goes on and turns out that the passageway was a direct shortcut to the final floor. The goblins were spawned there since there was air in the passageway, but if you avoided that, it was a neat and safe way as you skipped the whole fourth floor. But this again was just the cover story, in reality, loli_pop had gotten bored while writing thebyrinth part and wanted to end it quickly, therefore this trap was just a plot device¡ªthese are secret things you know by editing other authors'' works and helping them with their story.


    Anyway, his beingzy and getting bored gave me an easy way to climb up thebyrinth. He was a good-for-nothing author and I still hate him as much as I used to, but some of his doings were proving beneficial for me.


    For example, the idea to trigger the trap in a way that Favian gets injured so Xara can go berserk, then use her as a distraction to attract the goblins and escape through the passageways, had urred to me when Spene mentioned to me that Favian and Xara were secretly in love with each other.


    It was advantageous knowing about the rtionship between them, else I would have to abandon this n and have to take the long route that went through the fourth floor.


    By going through this passageway, I can reach the final floor in around half an hour without facing any monsters. Favian''s death was something I''d not expected¡ªI mean it, I hadn''t expected him to be so weak to die by a couple of goblins.


    ''Thinking back to it now, I was indirectly the reason for his death, wasn''t I?'' I reflected internally as I walked through the passageway.


    It was true, while I''d not kill him with my own hands, his death was the result of the actions I took and the things I did.


    ''But well,'' I said internally as I wandered in the darkness, ''...it''s not this is the first time.''

 Chapter 166 Its Not Like This Is The First Time [2]

    It was getting dark, thus making it harder to walk, to deal with this I used my elemental magic and created a fireball to illuminate the surroundings.


    The area came to light. Surprisingly, this wasn''t as big of a tunnel as I was expecting it to be. The width was around 7 to 8 meters and the overall passageway was shaped in an oval design.


    There wasn''t much to say, as nothing major happened during this time. Challes was angry because I''d left the adventurers to die, but not that it mattered to me, but due to that, he was behaving rather not normally.


    It was his bodynguage that told me, instead of his usual walking style, he was taking short, reserved steps. His hands hanging down in ease and his head tilted, eyes staring at the ground. It was as if he was angry but didn''t want to show it since there was nothing he could do about it.


    And I would be lying if I said I wasn''t pleased by the sight. In this journey, I''d almost forgotten about pleasure, even if someone around me was in pain, I either didn''t notice or it did not affect me that way because I was not the one causing the pain.


    But here right now, Challes''s pain was something I could enjoy, He was also suffering mental pain rather than physical pain¡ªand I''d to say I have a special spot for that.


    Taking a moment and living this moment in the present, I realized that it''s been quite a while since the time I had my mind release dopamine after seeing someone else''s suffering.


    I didn''t break into a grin, I was trying not to¡ªI had the expressions under control. But while it was true that my thoughts were getting blurry because of the dopamine rising in my head, I was still aware of the situation.


    Aware of what was going on with me. Aware of the fact that my other side was influencing my actions. Knowing that I had neither the time nor the mindset to push those thoughts back. Aware that I had no other option other than savor Challes''s pain while I can.


    ***


    After a walk of around 40 minutes, we reached an openpartment, I shone the fireball''s light forward, and it came back after reflecting on the walls. This wasn''t especially a big area, and I soon knew why.


    In the back of the area, on the back wall, was a small ck stone door. I moved forward, got close to the door, and stopped.


    "Open it," I said, themand was directed at Challes.


    He gave it a thought, and it was clear that he didn''t want to do it¡ªthe reason was simple, as this might very well be another trap. He was hesitating, so I pulled him from the chains that held him, he stumbled a few steps forward due to the force and then took a few on his own.


    Standing before the ck stone door, he gulped as he raised his hand. The door didn''t have a knob on it, but it did have a handle. He opened his palm, brought it close to the handle, and held it¡­


    Nothing happened. A little smile of relief washed over his face as he applied force and pushed the door open. However, it wasn''t that easy. The door was fully made of stone and was thus heavy. He had to lean on the door to push it, only then it slid backward and opened with a grinding sound.


    "Huff¡­this was one tough door," he said as he wiped the seat off of his forehead, but it was most likely that he spoke to himself. Considering that, he was angry with me.


    I hushed him to the side and entered through the gate, Challes behind me. I made the size of my fireball bigger since the new area was big and a small light source was not enough for it.


    The light fell on the surroundings, and I was able to see what seemed to be the fifth floor of thebyrinth.


    This was different from any other floors I''d been on before. All of it was made with what I think was obsidian and the shape of the floor was not fixed, unlike the others. It was uneven.


    In some ces the ceiling was high and in some spots, it was so low that you could hit your head, the same could be said was the ground and walls. There were rough rocks, pits, and many boulders spread around. It was like this floor was a different cave in itself.


    I moved around a bit and yeah I was carefree because I knew that this floor didn''t have any monsters. With the light of the fireball, I saw something that made it clear to me that we did use a shortcut. On the other side of the floor was a big metallic door that was closed; you could tell by looking that it was the door from where I was, and other people were "supposed" to enter.


    "A little cheating doesn''t count," I said under my breath, turned in a different direction, and began walking.<sub> </sub>


    I''d said that there weren''t any monsters on this floor, and it was because the item I was searching for was here, so rather than being a floor used like a hurdle, this was more the final stage where you get your reward. But that doesn''t change the fact that walking in here was a mother''s mess.


    The ground was so awkwardly shaped that it was almost impossible to walk without tripping over, bending your leg, or getting a sprain. And I''m saying this with experience¡­after falling over three times, and falling over my hand so hard that I thought I broke a bone or something.


    Fortunately, there was nothing broken, and Challes also tripped a few times, so I was convinced that it was thend''s fault and not me being out of energy since I had not slept and this was my third day working continually¡ªfour if you count the day I was kidnapped by Challes.


    But it was all worth it, since I soon found the ce I was looking for. Under arge stone spike that wasing down from the ceiling, was ced a translucent crystal, the size of a small boulder. And in the crystal was stuck a sword.


    "Found it¡­ finally," words left my mouth almost on their own as I stood before the crystal and the sword.


    "Is this what you were searching for all along?" Challes asked in a rather surprised voice, there was also a sense of disbelief in it. "You did all that! You killed innocent people! Just for this old and dirty sword?" he said.


    I didn''t reply to him. I don''t want an argument and waste my time and energy to convince him of what I believe is right. Because he was not wrong, after all. The sword in front of me looked less like a real metal sword, it was made of stone and very mossy and old stone.


    But that was just it. This was a sword Leon acquired in the novel, and I''d to say it continued a great deal of power; power that I needed to survive the cmity without losing any of my family members.


    However, there were far more powerful weapons than this one, so why didn''t I go for them? Well, firstly, I couldn''t since he gets most of them after the cmity. And secondly¡­ I''ll get into thatter.


    "Pull it out," I said to Challes as I unleashed him from the chains by making them disintegrate.


    He was surprised at first, "You sure you want to leave me free like this, and get a sword moreover? You know that I can attack you with it, don''t you?". He looked at me in anticipation.


    "Oh? Is that so? And do you have the mana to do that? Sure, you can swing that sword at me, but that''s about it. And I think you''re saying this while being aware that I can magic way quicker than you could swing your sword."


    During all these days I''de to understand that he was not lying about losing his mana, this was confirmed when I had unleashed him during the fight with Ents but all he did was dodge their attacks and even failed in that. He was in no condition to face me, and even if he had all his mana¡­it doesn''t matter at this point.


    He didn''t say anything after that, it was as if he was aware of his powerlessness but asked about it anyway.


    Passing me a sarcastic smile, and then turned toward the sword. I''d also make his handcuffs and leg cuffs vanish, so he shouldn''t have any problem taking the sword out.


    He moved close, stood before the crystal, raised his hands, and brought them close to the hilt of the sword. Then he changed his position after thinking about something, put his right leg on the crystal, and then got ready to pull the sword out. It was clear that a little pulling power was required here.


    He gripped the hilt of the sword, and I created a transparent wall of ice in front of me.


    I saw light, then a sound, then res, flesh, blood, and internal organs flying into the air, toward me and crashing with my ice wall.


    The sword filled Challes with an impressive amount of energy, his body cracked and shone through them, burned, and then exploded.


    A few minutester, I realized that I made a mistake¡­ I should''ve created a roof with ice too. His body exploded so masterfully that it literally created a blood rain and blood fell on me from above too.


    "It wasn''t a bad idea, after all...keeping him with me and all," I mumbled to myself.

 Chapter 167 Requiem

    Disintegrating the ice wall, I moved forward, ensuring that I didn''t step on Challes''s gut, stomach, brain, or anything else left in a single piece.


    This wasn''t really a surprise, in fact, I''d sent him to take out the sword precisely because I knew about this trap, and that the only way to disarm it was to trigger it. Or you could say I didn''t know of any other way.


    In the novel, Leon had also fallen for the trap but didn''t die because his system helped him to absorb the energy the sword forcefully injected into him. After that, he didn''t use any other trick and the sword came out easily, hence I also didn''t know of any other way to disarm it.


    I could''ve tried using my own brain but I was not in the mood to identally kill myself or destroy the sword, so using the straightforward method was the best and safe option.


    I stood near the sword and looked down at it. ''I hope there''s not a second trap,'' I thought before I put my hands on the hilt.


    And¡­


    That was the only trap, I didn''t explode. I tightened my grip, ced my hand on the crystal, titled my body backward, and pulled the sword back. One minute passed and it didn''te out, then one more minute, then another, and keep in mind I was B rank and was pulling the sword with that much strength.


    But after a good five minutes I heard a crackling sounding from the crystal, the sound increased, and then the crystal broke. It happened by surprise and I stumbled a few steps back but reimagined by bnce soon.


    The sword was in my hands now, the sword which I''d been looking for all this time.


    "The Requiem," I whispered quietly, that was the sword''s name; Requiem.


    Suddenly I felt a strong force sucking my mana, it was flowing into my palms and getting absorbed by the sword. This was something I could not stop, I tried but wasn''t able to. It was sucking my mana even harder than the Book of Sight.


    Although it onlysted for a few minutes and then stopped. I heard a crisp sound, and it came from a crack that formed on the sword''s de. A few more cracks appeared all over its body and bright light passed through the cracks.


    Soon the cracks covered all of the sword and one by one, the stone pieces fell and crumbled. In less than a minute the whole stoneyer of the sword dusted away and a new, shining, sword was revealed.


    The de was the sword was thin and straight like a katana, colored in deep, ocean-blue it was reflecting only so much light as it had a matt finish. The hilt was pure ck with bronze detailing on it. All in all, the sword looked so much like a katana but it was different since the de was not curved but straight as a line.


    This was the Requiem, sealed in thisbyrinth for thousands of years. It was an ancient sword with a special quirk that no other sword had.


    The de shone brightly, so bright that I had to narrow my eyes, then it flew away from my grip and levitated in the air. The glow and brightness of the light increased and increased and increased until it dyed the whole area in white.


    I put my hand before my eyes and blocked some of the light so I don''t have to close my eyespletely. And then, as the light faded away, a new object came into sight that was anything but a sword.


    Long and deep, ocean-blue hair, pale white skin, and a well-proportioned face. It was a girl that levitated in the air¡­more like a naked girl levitating in the air.


    She lifted her eyelids gently and opened her eyes. They were dark and beautiful like ck opals, but along with being ck, she had a tinge of red in them that was only visible when the light fell on her pupils directly.


    She looked at me, with interest, like humans observing animals in a zoo, like she''d found something unusual and interesting and out of ce.


    Her first question to me was¡­ "Why aren''t you having a fountain of a nosebleed and getting red as a tomato? As Leon did," she asked as she leaned closer to me, her face an inch away from mine; her breasts hanging down as she did so.


    "Because I have other things to do¡­important things to do," I replied, calmly.<sub> </sub>


    However, she was right about one thing. This does sound like something Leon would do, he''d done the same in the novel, after all¡­wait for a second, what?!


    "How do you know about Leon?" I asked, and even though I tried to control my expressions and hide them, there was a hint of panic in my voice.


    This was really weird. How can she know about Leon, hising here and acquiring her was a reality that happened in the novel, not here. She shouldn''t be aware of it. Either I''m tripping or heard her wrong. But soon both cases were proved wrong.


    "Huh?" she made a noise as she leaned back and folded her arms as she levitated, also giving me a look like I was asking something oblivious. "I mean, he''s the one who was originally supposed to take me, right?" she said.


    Man, now I''m really trippin''.


    This came as a major shock, but one of the things I''ve learned through experience in my former world, and this too, was that keeping your calm even in the worst situation really helps. I was good at it too since I was using this for quite a long time.


    I took a breath and regained myposure, clearing my head and focusing on what is in front of me right now. I thought of a few possibilities in which she can know about Leon, but none were hundred percent convincing. Hence I decided to try a different route.


    "Yeah, that''s true. He''s the one who was supposed to acquire you, but now that I have taken his ce and the reality had changed, how do you remember what happened in a reality that was "supposed" to happen but didn''t actually ur," I inquired, my words were calm andposed like everything was ording to my n¡ªwhich really wasn''t, by the way.


    "Oh that?!" she snapped her fingers in the air. "That''s one of the powers I gained when I was sealed here. I could see the future the path has chosen for me, I was able to see it till the end. From the point of who released me from the seal, to how I was used and how the user''s journey ended or died."


    This was new, I didn''t know she had an ability like this. I knew about her changing into a girl because loli_pop had done this so he can add a new harem member in the story, but when the readers didn''t like her¡ªdidn''t simp for her¡ªhe made Leon forget about the sword and she rusted in his inventory for the rest of the novel.


    However, I don''t remember him adding anything simr to this power.


    "Can you tell how my journey is going to end?" I appealed.


    She shook her head, "From the point, you entered thebyrinth, my memories of the future begin to fade. And now that you have freed me from the seal, the memories havepletely nked out. No new future has emerged in my memories," she exined.


    I nodded in response.


    So this is how it works, huh? Her ability is not exactly to see the future of whoever frees her from the seal. Rather than that, it is more like a pre-nned future nted into her memory of what happened in the novel.


    That''s why when I changed roles with Leon, her memory began to fade because things didn''t go the way they were supposed to. I see, it isn''t hard to grasp when you try to think about it deeply.


    "Complicated stuff I know," she acknowledged with a tired expression on her face, but then her face suddenly bloomed. "Leave all, what''s done is done. Let''s start from new. If you are my user now then that is the reality now, so be it. What''s your name?"


    I wasn''t going to fall for it. In the novel, Leon had given her his name and because of some twisted logic, his name became the reason she fell in love with him. I didn''t want any of that trouble.


    "You don''t need to know my name, you can call me anything else," I stated.


    Only then, maybe it was just my imagination but I saw a vein popping up in her head as she made a stiff expression. "That¡­won''t do. You have to tell me your name, how''ll I call you otherwise?" she insisted.


    For a moment, some part of mind said that she hadn''t forgotten all of her future memories yet. As she said, they were "fading", so that meant they didn''t vanish in an instant. I had a bad feeling that she remembered the part about falling in love with Leon.

 Chapter 168 Requiem [2]

    "I''ll call you by your name!" her cheeks puffed up as she said it out loud.


    "No, you won''t."


    "I will!"


    I shook my head, her expression growing more irritated as I denied her request.


    "Tell. Me. Your. Name!" She held me by my shoulders and spoke while staring directly into my eyes.


    I shook my head again, or I should say that I was going to shake my head, before she held my head with both of her hands and forced me to look at her.


    I knew what she was trying to do here; it was an old-fashioned trick. To try and make me nervous by closing the distance between us, in doing so she hoped that I''ll trail off, and my concentration will break, then she can make use of it to make me agree with her. In short, she was making full use of her being a girl and the fact that she waspletely naked right now.


    She stared at me, a sly little smile surfacing on her face.


    Unfortunately for her, these petty tricks weren''t going to work on me. My expression remained rigid, it wasn''t a nk face, but I wasn''t smiling or panicking either. It was just¡­ I don''t know, normal you can say. Due to the practice in both my former life and this one, I''d gained perfect control over my expressions.


    I can smile when I want to, I can cry, I can remain stoical when I want to, and I remain as expressionless as a wall too, if that''s what I want. This, however, doesn''t exactly mean that I''m feeling the same way. I can be panicking badly from the inside, but I''ll seem calm on my face.


    But here at this moment, I was calm from the inside too; there wasn''t anything to throw me into a panic. Maybe by this time, she understood this too because she put her hands off me and leaned back with a disappointed sigh.


    "So it''s no use, huh¡­" she murmured to herself. But she was loud enough for me to hear, so I replied with a "Yup".


    "Why did I want your name so badly, anyway?" she asked, but it was more like she was thinking to herself.


    ''It''s kicking in sooner than I expected.'' This was bound to happen sooner orter. After all, she wanted to know my name because she still remembered some pieces of her memories of the future. But as she''d said herself, they were fading. So it was only natural that those pieces will fade away too, and she will forget about it.


    "You can call me anything you want," I suggested. I mean, I can''t have her call me by my pronouns only.


    "Hmmm," she put a finger on her lips and thought for a while before she opened her mouth. "You''re my owner both formally and literally, so I''ll address you as master."


    Ah, well¡­fuck. There we go.


    "Can''t you settle on anything else?" I appealed.


    "This, or your name," she implied.


    I let out an exhausted sigh, this was so bad to my ears that I might die from the cringe. But after giving it a thought, it was probably better than having her fall in love with me.


    "Fine. Call me whatever you want," I replied. And for just a moment I saw a wide grin of amusement spread on her face.


    "Should we get out of here now?" I suggested, and suddenly the air darkened.


    She gave me a serious expression, and then I realized I haven''t asked for her name and was addressing her by her pronouns, exactly what I didn''t want to happen to me. And if you are gonna say I should call her Requiem, then let me tell you that Requiem is the sword''s name.


    She is not the sword, she can transform, but the sword and the girl before me are two different things, bound together due to a curse. But this was not the right time for it, I''ll get into that storyter. We had more serious trouble on our hands.


    "You do know that you can''t go back the way you came from, right?" she queried, trying to know that we were on the same track; I nodded.


    "Thisbyrinth was built to seal me, and the ones who sealed me didn''t want anybody to take me out. The floors to enter thebyrinth were not that hard because the way out makes up for it¡­" she looked at me, and I had a curious expression.


    "It was defined this way because even if someone were to unseal me, I will again get sealed if I don''t get out of thebyrinth in the next thirty minutes. It would''ve been an even shorter period, but that was the minimum time the spell takes to reload."<sub> </sub>


    They sure wanted to keep her in at all costs, and I''d have to say this was new to me. I knew about what we had to face to get out, but her backstory was never really described in the novel.


    "We''ve got to fight something to get out, right? Something insanely strong," I said, she looked at me with disbelief. "Just a guess," it was not.


    "You''re right about that, and that something is stronger than you can imagine," she replied.


    "Well, it''s not like we have any other way, let''s go," I brushed off the air.


    "You sure?" she implored, I gave her a nod. "Let''s go then," she said and turned around. Her eyes focused on the crystal in which the sword was stuck a few moments ago.


    She held out her hand in the air and the same sword that I''d taken¡ªthe one with a dark, ocean-blue de, materialized in her hands as she gripped its hilt.


    "You can use it too?" I already knew that, but no pain in asking again. "Of course," she imed. "It was my sword, to begin with."


    Well, that was some news.


    She pointed the tip of the de down at the crystal and snuck the de back into the gap from where I''d pulled it out. After that, she twisted it. The crystal cracked then broke, revealing a slot where she''d put the sword. She twisted it one more time, nothing happened for a while, but then the ground shook intensely.


    The wall that was at a distance in front of us, split apart and opened into twopartments, leaving arge gaping in between. It was like a door had opened, and I think it was a door.


    However, looking inside the gaping, I wasn''t able to see anything. It was dark, in dark, pitch ck; nothing was visible.


    "Let''s go," she said as she casually pulled out the sword, it vanished in the air afterward. "Just to be clear, I won''t be fighting for you. The sword is now yours to use, and my job is only to assist you," she announced as she stopped levitating and came to the ground.


    I walked beside and we both started wandering off in the gate''s direction. The wall was at a distance of around twenty meters away, so it was probably gonna take a while, and that time was filled with awkward silence.


    "You know," I begin, she looked at me with innocent eyes. "It would be nice if you made yourself a set of clothes. I know you can."


    I mean, she waspletely naked. I didn''t have any problem in particr, but it just felt weird to the eye¡­a naked woman fighting a beast.


    She giggled at me evilly, "Someone''s getting ufortable, huh?" Teasingly, she snuck near me and glued herself to my right arm. Another cheap trick. Leon would have blushed badly, had a nosebleed, and had his face red like a tomato.


    "It''s not like that. It feels weird, that''s all."


    Disappointed, all the bloom on her face faded; probably because she didn''t get the reaction she was expecting. She moved to the side and sighed. A ck shadow formed around her before it morphed into a pair of clothes on her body.


    It was nothing fancy. A ck loose t-shirt, trousers, and gloves without fingers in them.


    "That''s better," Iplimented, but she didn''t reply.


    We reached close to the gate, hesitated for a moment, looked at each other, and then entered the darkness together.


    Unsurprisingly, the interior was nothing like what it looked from the outside. Sure it was dark, but it was dim at max. I was able to see my surroundings, however, I wasn''t able to see any walls, ceilings, or floors. Probably because there weren''t any.


    "Are we in a different dimension?" I appealed, casually.


    "Of course, we are; the wholebyrinth is made in another dimension. Did you think that someone could dig this deep into the earth? I mean, this is even a smaller one, but there are ones with a thousand floors, they are bound to be built in a different dimension," she exined, but I felt it was more like mockery.


    But our talking came to a halt when we heard a loud, pping of wings. I knew in an instant¡­this was our enemy.


    It was a uth.

 Chapter 169 Requiem [3]

    Our attention shifted when we heard a loud pping sound of wings, looking all around I saw that the source of this sound was not visible. Through the dim light, I could see the blurry details, wings, and tail, but I couldn''t see the entire body.


    I already knew what we would be facing since his fight with Leon had been shown in the novel, but knowing that what was is the reason I was more cautious than ever.


    "Be careful," Req warned. I nodded.


    Since it was difficult to call her by her pronouns, for now, I decided to call her Req, short for Requiem. It wasn''t the best name in the world, but I can make the changes once we''re out of here.


    Another sound fell onto our ears, we went stiff and raised our guard. They were not precisely clouds, but I was able to see something of a simr sort. More like mist¡­or steam? I wasn''t quite able to put my finger on it, but that was the thing blocking our view after theck of light in the room.


    As I was narrowing my eyes and trying to get a clear view, my pupils suddenly erged as a crazy amount of light fell on them. It was bright, too bright, in fact; red with a tinge of orange and yellow. It was also hot. I was standing at a good distance and the fire erupted in the sky, yet I was able to feel the warmth on my skin.


    And talking about the fire itself, it was not the type of fire you get with a campfire, or a matchstick, not like the burning human body at a funeral¡­it wasn''t simr to the fire that causes whole towns to burn either.


    It was like, like the eruption of a volcano, like the anger of nature, like the sr res from the sun. It was bright, hot, terrifying yet beautiful.


    It was the breath of a dragon. A Kloth to be precise. It was a creature found only in history, yet it was here, as real as anything could be.


    Right after the fire, I saw the creature behind it. I knew him from the novel; it was a Kloth. Its enormous body faded out from the mist and roared into the never-ending sky of this dimension.


    Its skin was true-red, like mes; and the size of this creature was just¡­colossal. I can''t even guess how big it was, it was just colossal; that''s the only word to describe it. Even for a dragon, it was too big.


    Its limbs were like a sphinx, almost human-like, its wings spreading wider than the sky, its tail dancing at its back was so long and humongous that it would''ve destroyed mountains if the creature had flown through valleys.


    The scales on its body wererge enough to be considered a small range of mountains, ranging from the top of its head to the end of the tail. It had horns, curved behind, giving it the look of a crown. Fire dribbled from the corners of its opened mouth as it drifted proudly in the air far above our heads.


    "Well, that''s a dragon for you," Req mumbled from the side as she eyed the Kloth. It flew past us and then again vanished into the mist.


    "How do we defeat it?"


    "We will fight it!" she said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.


    I let out a disappointed sigh, somewhere deep inside I had let my hopes rise too high. Maybe she wasn''t the ancient warrior I''d thought her to be, maybe she wasn''t the fearless destroyer people had feared and sealed inside her sword, maybe she was none of it.


    It was not like I didn''t have a n, I was just¡­expecting something, maybe?


    "Just kidding, I know its weakness," she said, patting me on the back and bursting out into a nasty smile like one of those mischievous kids makes.


    "Oh, I see! You know its weakness! Then, will you do the favor of telling me what it is before that dragones and gobbles us up," I said, sarcasm overflowing in my tone. One might say my words indicated that I was scared of the Kloth¡­ I was not. I was irritated at her.


    "Come on, don''t be that guy. I''ll tell you, fine. You see over there," she pointed up in the sky, just a momentter the Kloth emerged out of the mist and crossed the area where she was pointing. "The heart. The heart is the weakness," she stated.


    I calmed down more or less after I had some information to work with. The n I had in my mind was just about right, I still had to do what I was originally going to do. There will be some minor changes here and there, but that''s it.


    "Have you fought one of those before?" I inquired, just to be on the safe side.


    She looked perplexed for a second, probably confused by the fact of how I guessed that she might have fought this thing before. But we both knew this was not the right time and ce, and questions can wait forter, hence she focused on the present.<sub> </sub>


    "I haven''t, actually. I don''t know about now, but these Kloths were rare to find back in my time, and folks usually avoided fighting even if they came across one of them. You can guess why," she shrugged.


    Yeah, it wasn''t hard to guess. These creatures only attack when someone invades their territory ornds the flight blow on them, in short, they are passive until you go and poke them. I would also have preferred to just walk by and not disturb the guy, however, in our case, things were not that simple.


    This dragon was trapped or rather ced in here solely to stop whoever released Req from the seal. This also means that he had lived in this dimension, wandering alone in the depths of the mist for thousands of years, it was not strange that he sees this as his territory and the fact that we are now invading it.


    It''s just a matter of time before he notices us, and then the brawl will start. I won''t even call it a brawl, given that if I''m not prepared or cked off just a little, it''ll only be a one-sided massacre.


    "What does it eat? I mean, there ain''t no animals in here. How was it alive all this time?" I appealed. It was something I found interesting, and it certainly won''t hurt to know the answer while I go through the n once again in my mind.


    "Mana. This ce has enough mana for it to live on for many years, even more than a thousand. When creatures live off of mana they don''t take the same quantity as food, so it is like more profit in less investment," her eyes didn''t stop tracking the Kloth while she exined it to me.


    "Hold my hand, I think our friend has noticed that it has some visitors. It might not be good for you to stay unarmed," she said, holding out her hand for me.


    By this time I was also done going through the n in mind, it was based on Req''s powers I''ve seen here and in the novel, my magic, and how much we can coordinate as a duo¡ªthest part was the most important.


    I held her hand, our palms touched and fingers interlocked. Her hand was soft and delicate, but certainly not fragile. How long has it been since I touched a girl? It certainly has been quite a while, it was back in my former world I think¡­not like I want to remember.


    I sensed a faint, strange feeling rising deep in my heart before it was crushed by the logical and rational side of my mind. Those types of things will only prove to be a distraction, after all.


    Then the softness faded, reced by the touch of cold metal and wood. I turned to look and what I had in my hand was not a girl''s hand but a sword with a dark, ocean-blue colored de. She''d transformed.


    [Don''t doze off like that!] a voice cried out in my head, it was familiar; the same as Req.


    ''What is this, telepathy?''


    [No, certainly not. Don''t tell me you didn''t know, our souls arebined, so we can talk no matter where we are.]


    ''And what exactly does that mean?''


    [Sigh. From the moment you released me from the seal, our souls werebined. Mine, the swords, and yours. Now the three of us are bound with each other by the very roots of life, we can exist in different bodies, but our core is the same; we are a single entity.]


    [You get it now?]


    Why didn''t I hear anything of this in the novel? But well, it wasn''t that strange that things were different here from the novel, I''d stopped being startled by it a long time ago. I can''t say I understood the whole of this soul thing right now, but one thing was clear.


    If we can talk directly through our minds, then the coordination as a team wasn''t going to be a problem. Yet, there was this one thing tickling me.


    ''Since we are a single entity, does it mean that I will also get sealed in thisbyrinth if we''re not out before the timer of thirty minutes is over?''


    [Yeah, you''re right about that. You will also get sealed here with me, and Requiem.]


    Ah, well¡­dang¡­ I guess.

 Chapter 170 Klauth [1]

    As if fighting an ancient dragon wasn''t enough, I was now going to get sealed along with Req and the sword, if I didn''t make it out of thebyrinth before the span of thirty minutes was over.


    How much time has even passed since I unsealed her?


    [Twelve minutes.]


    ''Huh?''


    [I said twelve minutes have passed since you unsealed me.]


    This was strange. I didn''t mean to ask her, I was just thinking about it in my mind¡­


    It was at this moment I realized that I had to be careful about what I think and how I think. If I don''t do that, then I can''t me Req for hearing everything I say to wonder in my mind.


    [Are you scared? ¡­ By the fact that you can get sealed?]


    ''No. I asked because I had to calcte how much time we have to defeat our big guy.''


    [I see. Do you have any way to defeat him? I don''t think normal methods will work.]


    ''I have, actually.''


    [Oh? I''d very much like to hear. Since I''m also not in the mood to celebrate my freedom in the belly of a dragon.]


    ''You said its heart is the weakness. So going by that¡­''


    I told her the basics of what we had to do, how we will attack, take turns, the positions, and what strategy we will use. My main motive here was to go inside the dragon''s mouth and stab its heart from the inside. Since attacking it from the outside was practically impossible due to its hard skin and scales.


    Going in was the tricky part, as we were dealing with a dragon, and dragons breathed fire. Meaning, you could turn into someone''s morning toast if you went unprepared.


    ''How strong is this sword? ¡­ Physically?''


    I didn''t get a reply. A secondter, I realized why.


    ''Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask. I should''ve known.''


    This was THE REQUIEM. The sword of the warrior who¡ªif I go along the few lines that described her in the novel¡ªwas the destroyer who wandered continent to continent and, at one point, was feared by every army in the world. The sword had in thousands of humans and millions of monsters; there was no doubt about its strength.


    ? ''You ready to go?'' I asked, noticing that the dragon was now moving toward us.


    [As soon as you are.]


    I held the sword tightly in my hands, tightly but gently; as I knew, the sword was also alive.


    The ocean-blue de reflected the crimson that shone in the eyes of the Kloth, the fire was thrown back at it in the form of a mirror image.


    The dragon rotated, and twisted its body, moving in the air in a circr motion as if dancing. Then its path turned straight, straight toward us.


    I was face to face with it, even though it was a mile or two away from me. I could see directly into its eyes, then burned crimson. I felt a subtle chill go down my spine.


    Was I nervous? A bit, it was a big ass dragon we are talking about. Was I scared? No.<sub> </sub>


    I was ready to move but took a few steps back instead when I noticed that the Kloth opened its mouth and started sucking the air. It was like a vortex in the sea, the air itself burned as it got near the edges of its mouth.


    It closed its mouth, I took even more steps back. The dragon''s speed didn''t decrease in the least, in fact, it only increased. Down from the high air, the Kloth came close to what seemed to be the ground and hovered above it at great velocity.


    It was not just a mile away from me, I could tell, and distance was rapidlying short.


    As it came toward me, with visible fire dwelling inside its mouth, I realized that I took almost ten steps back. My feet were working on their own, I didn''t mean to walk back, but I was.


    Before I knew it, I was running away. I tried to get outside from the door we entered, but it was nowhere to be found. And I am not referring to the door being closed, the whole door frame and the wall on which it was mounted had just disappeared into nowhere.


    All I had behind me was endless ins of ck ground, soon I noticed that it was not just behind me. In all directions, as soon as the human eye could see, there was nothing but ck ground covered with ash mist.


    Nheless, I ran. I ran and ran and ran and ran. You can''t me me for me. I was not some hero out of a fantasy book made to please people and help them escape reality. Sure, I was inside one of those books, but I was certainly not the hero. The world didn''t revolve around me. I had no plot armor. Therefore, I had to survive on my own, then it doesn''t matter if I use the dirtiest and most underhanded tricks. Even if I ran with my back against my enemy.


    ¡­ I was ready to do it. If that helped me survive.


    The dragon breathed fire, I felt the temperature behind me increase. Yet I didn''t turn to look at what it was like, I didn''t see that a firestorm was raging behind me, I didn''t know what the fire looked like, I didn''t know that the firestorm was a horizontal tornado that was chasing me like a cat chasing a mouse.


    I stumbled, and fell, face-down. I used elemental magic and formed a thick sheet of ice above myself in the shape of a slope, with the lower side facing the dragon. Then I waited, and braced myself, sticking to the ground as close as I could.


    Soon the heat enveloped me, res of hungry mes licked the surrounding ground, and the slope of ice I''d made. They went around me, above me, but not touched me. But I won''t say it helped, since despite I was not physically in contact with the fire I was still feeling like I was burning¡­such as the temperature of a uth''s breath.


    The storm raged for a few seconds, it usurped my ice slope. I didn''t dare stop decreasing the temperature of the ice as I knew that if I stopped, it won''t take even a second for it to melt down, and I''ll bathe under gallons of steaming hot water.


    Then the mes were extinguished through the wind produced by the uth''s wings, instead of the mes the dragon itself flew past and above me. Just when its legs passed over my head, I stopped the magic on the ice slope and crawled out.


    Below the dragon, running alongside its tail, I took a good long and high jump. nted my sword as deep as I could on the side of its tail, it didn''t go all the way in but was enough for now.


    I held the hilt with both hands as I ran with the dragon, it stroked its tail left and right and took off, gliding up in the air. I jumped again, clenched the sword more tightly, and worked my way up on its tail.


    It wasn''t as easy as you might guess. The resistance of the air was so rough I was barely able to stand my ground. Plus, the Kloth was constantly moving its tail, hence it was even hard to not get tossed to the ground.


    I pulled out the sword from the side of the tail, it was only for a moment that I was up there without anything to hold on to, and that was enough to hurl me back. I flew back, pushed by the p of the air, then before I could fallpletely, I again stabbed the sword in the Kloth''s tail.


    The resistance forced me back even after the sword was in, thus a long gush opened on top of its tail. Yet the dragon did not react, maybe a wound this small was not enough to gain its attention.


    I nted my feet to the tail and pushed down to not allow the wind to p me again. I raised my head and looked forward, my hair fluttering due to the intense wind.


    By now the dragon was up in the clouds again, driving through the mist; it was like a scene straight out of a movie. I thought to look down, but my mind advised against it.


    Then I used my elemental magic again, using the earth element I formed patches of rock around my legs. I used the rock to glue and bind my feet to the flesh of the dragon''s tail.


    When I was sure that the wind could no longer blow me away, I took out the sword and held it straight. Then I waited, waited until the dragon flew as high as it could, turned, and took a drive down.


    ''You up?''


    [Hell yeah]


    A grin spread across my face.

 Chapter 171 Klauth [2]

    The uth was thousands¡ªno, maybe ten thousand meters, perhaps it was flying even higher than that. The scenery around my eyes was nothing but ash-colored mist. As it reached a certain height, the speed slowed, and the dragon turned in a semi-circle before diving straight down.


    I felt the G forces affecting me but I did not have the time to deal with them. The dragon was going down at an even higher speed than when it wasing up, my hair was fluttering and some strands were going in my eyes, my cheeks were getting crushed by the air pressure and my whole body was getting pushed back.


    If not for the stone glued between my feet and the dragon''s tail, I would have been flying by now.


    I held the sword in front of my chest and pointed it down, and waited for the right time. And the time came, the uth was about to turn again and I could see the ground below.


    I bent down on my knees, the dragon about to change its path just before touching the ground, the natural forces worked again. I broke the stone holding my feet and jumped away from its tail and toward its back.


    The experience was like a roller coaster ride, especially when they go round and round and round.


    ''Now!'' Imanded.


    I was in the mid-air when the sword in my hand transformed into a girl and now instead of the hilt, I was holding her hand. She looked me straight in the eyes, smiled, and then gathered her power.


    She swung her body in a circle, she pulled me, and thus I also spun. Then as if throwing a baseball she clenched the palm of my hand tightly and threw me hard toward the head of the uth.


    I meshed a few circles before I bnced myself with my face straight in front of the dragon''s skull.


    I clenched my fingers into a fist, used elemental magic, and heated my right hand until there was a red fireball surrounding my first.


    At this point, the dragon was only about a hundred or so meters away from the ground and was just about toplete its dive when Inded directly on its skull.


    It was a hard, very hard blow as the first thing that came into contact with its bone was my fist surrounded by fire. I used more elemental magic and a mushroom cloud of pure mes surrounded me as Inded and punched the dragon hard on the head.


    A shockwave discharged from the point I connected my punch followed by a loud sound.


    It was more powerful than I''d expected, probably because the gravitational forces had pulled me and increased the overall power of the attack as a result.


    The dragon imbnced and its head bent down and crashed on the ground, rushing through the floor and destroying the stone it dragged itself for a while before it gained control again and stopped by using its hands.


    Then it got up on all fours; I''d said this before but the kloth had hands like a sphinx, it was no wonder that he could walk.


    "Catch me!!!" I heard a scream and upon looking up I saw that Req was falling down.


    Before reaching me she transformed back into the sword and I caught it with one of my hands.


    "Ah fuck," the words left my mouth on their own as the surface before my feet shook. Well, it was not exactly a surface.


    The dragon now knew that we were chilling on his head hence he was shaking it like a mad dog.


    I trailed off, it was hard to stay rigid in one position. Then seeking the right moment, I jumped off from its head and down to the ground at a distance.


    "Aggghh," a pained groan left my mouth. I held the sword in my left hand and looked over to my right palm and fingers.


    There wasn''t much to think about¡­they were broken, probably from the punch I justnded.


    I reached out to the pocket of my pants, then when I didn''t find what I was looking for I looked in the inside pocket of my cloak. There I found it.


    A test tube filled with a bright golden liquid, it was a cheap healing potion I''d bought in the Gat town. I had one more which I''d bought back in the capital city but I had already used that one to get rid of the pain of the stab wound Challes gave me.


    I knocked off the lid and gulped the potion. The taste wasn''t good, not like I expected it to be. The taste of real potions was nothing like what I used to think about in my former life, they felt just as colored, thick water with a high viscosity.


    I threw the ss tube and wiped my mouth, holding the sword with two hands again. The potion wasn''t going topletely heal my hand as it was not an expensive one but it''ll soothe it enough so I can fight without any problem.<sub> </sub>


    [You fine?]


    ''Yeah. But leaving that aside, I don''t think the punch did anything to our big guy. Not like I was expecting it to anyway.''


    The uth shook its head several times as if to clear its mind and then stood on all fours, straight like it had never taken any damage.


    It turned to me, eyes burning with crimson and mes lurking out of its mouth. This time the creature''s expression wasn''t neutral¡­I could see the anger in his eyes.


    A loud roar resounded in the area, loud enough to crush stones and slip apart the insides of someone''s ears if they were close. The dragon sucked the air, burned the oxygen, and blew it toward me.


    Therge, curling tornado of a fire vortex raged in my direction. I took back a few steps and drew in a breath to calm my body. I raised the sword and faced it at the fire.


    I focused and called upon the elements of nature. The air before me froze, it froze until there was a translucent mirror-like sheet of ice covering my front. It spread far away, around thirty meters on each side¡­it was pretty thick too.


    This can be called a good defense, yet I took a few more steps backward. Not taking my eyes off the dragon even for a second.


    The fire struck, but it did not harm me as the ice wall was there for my protection. But as I''ve suspected, the only thing it did was slow down the speed of the fire vortex before shattering into a thousand pieces. The ice wall looked like a frame of ss, and it got destroyed like one too.


    I called for another element, and this time raised a high wall of water before me. The fire vortexbined with it and a hundred clouds of steam were released as both the fire and water elements hungrily devoured each other, leaving nothing behind and finally extinguishing the dragon''s breath.


    [The was close.]


    ''Yeah. It certainly was.''


    For some reason, Req was not surprised that I could use magic. Well, using magic in itself wasn''t a strange thing, but the fact that I can use it without an incantation and magic circles was the tricky part. And right now I was using it on huge scales too. I thought about asking, then reconsidered when I looked at the kloth in front of me.


    The uth turned its body toward me, lowered its head, and looked as if it was going for a physical attack now. It was a big creature and would take time before it reached me, therefore I had some time to think over my moves. I''d originally nned to hit it with the sword but¡­


    ¡­now I wasn''t seeing much hope for that.


    [What''re you waiting for? Use your magiken!] Reqmanded, or I should say she literally screamed inside my head.


    ''I can''t.''


    [What do you mean you can''t?]


    ''I said I can''t use magiken. It doesn''t work for me.''


    [Oh! Is that so? Well, how many times do I have to tell you that our souls are one now, huh?! Just do it and see, I''ll work. I''ll exinter how.]


    ''I...sigh, fine.''


    I didn''t take orders from anyone but myself, and that was the only way I feltfortable. But here, even if I didn''t feel good about it, I had to listen to Req.


    I pointed the sword''s tip towards the dragon, felt up my mana, and directed its flow into the sword. I sensed the sword sucking and feeding onto my mana, but this was where things usually stopped. However¡­


    The sword''s de lit up, the same as the de of other students I''d seen in the academy. A powerful sensation ran throughout my body, it was as if I had been electrocuted.


    It was¡­refreshing. I felt powerful, more than before. I was confident about my speed more than before, confident about my strength, agility, and attack power. And there was only one reason for all that¡ªI had sessfully activated the magiken. My very own magiken.


    However, there was just this little difference. Unlike the swords of other students in the academy that got lit up with the same color as their mana whenever one uses the magiken, my sword was dark.


    It was dark, covered in shadows. The de itself hadn''t changed color but around it danced a ck fog, deep as the valleys and dark as a human''s heart.

 Chapter 172 Klauth [3]

    The ocean-blue sword didn''t shine, instead, it captured all the light within itself as entangling ck mist shrouded the de like shadows. I felt blood rushing through my veins and nerves, my mana felt more precise, more powerful. I felt like I could do anything.


    This was amazing. This was my first magiken release.


    [See? I told you it''ll work. Now don''t doze off, he''sing.]


    ''Yeah. I want to ask how, but let''s save it forter.''


    I narrowed my eyes and looked at the approaching uth. My feet moved and pulled me forward, and in no time I was running.


    I called the element of ice, the elements heeded my call and a staircase made of frost started forming below my feet as I marched forward. This helped me to climb and get to the height of the uth. I know it''ll take a hell lot of mana, but this is not the time to care about such things.


    I ran, step after step, until I was against the dragon''s head. It came close to me, running, let out a roar, and breathed fire. I jumped to my side on an ice tform I created seconds after I took the jump.


    The mes passed beside me and even if this breath was not as big as the previous one, not as destructive as the previous one, not as deadly as the previous one. I still noticed my whole left side burning with heat, even though not a single ember''s touched me.


    But I, of course, didn''t have time to react to such things. I reached near the dragon''s neck and jumped away from the tform I was creating; it dissolved into nothing instantly afterward.


    I thought about screaming, but then decided otherwise. Raising the sword high, I touched the Kloth''s skin with it. The impact I absorbed on my hands was like I was hitting strong and pure iron with my sword instead of a creature.


    Still, backing off was never an option. I pushed forward, further into the dragon''s skin. I pushed the sword deep, as deep as I could. At one point, I was hanging on the sword as the de drilled itself into the dragon''s skin. I''d made a hole, but that''s not what I wanted, it was a gush I needed; a deadly cut.


    I tried to bring the sword down with my weight and open up a cleavage, but the sword was not moving¡­it was stuck in the dragon''s flesh.


    A murky, reddish-brown liquid poured out from the wound I''d made with the sword and dripped directly into my mouth when I had it open to take a few deep breaths.


    It was the Kloth''s blood, and I will say it wasn''t good in taste¡­not in the slightest. Plus, I don''t even know it will react once it gets into my system, maybe a few more expensive healing potions will be needed.


    Pushing the thought of how much it will cost aside, I ced both my legs on the dragon''s neck and tried to push myself down in hope of finally leaving a cut, but this was also a failure.


    The dragon shook its neck, perhaps due to the twitching feeling I was giving him. It was trying to find me by looking around on the ground, sniffing where I''d created the ice staircase, but obviously, I wasn''t there.


    [You don''t know how to use a sword, do you?] Req asked, out of nowhere.


    Here I was a bit confused, confused about whether she even needed my answer or not. Because before I could respond, she appeared beside me. Her hands were on the sword''s hilt, just near mine.


    She didn''t struggle or tried to hang onto the sword as she was able to levitate. She just held the sword carefully alongside me, she clenched the hilt I was holding and applied force downward.


    Then she twisted the sword, the de''s frontal edge that was facing down all this time, she gnarled it to the side. Since her face was only inches away from mine, I watched her¡ªor observed her. That was the only thing I had the most pride in, after all.


    Her expression was calm and dressed with a small little smile, her eyes burning with delicacy. It was like watching a Master Chef create a dish; she knew exactly what needs to be done.


    And then when the de was in the right position, she pushed it ahead. This time it slid and gushed through the dragon''s skin like a hot knife in butter. As the sword shed, the Kloth''s flesh, leaving a deep and longceration behind. Her expression turned simr to a child ying with his favorite toys.


    Fountains and loads of blood poured out like a dam had been broken. It sshed onto the ground a distance away from where wended.


    Req nced at me with a delightful smile, [See? It is that easy!]


    I ignored her. If you''re wondering why we were still talking with our minds when she was no longer a sword, well, we didn''t have the privilege to talkfortably while the huge Kloth was screaming hard with pain.


    ''I can take it from here. It''s not like I can''t use a sword, I was just distracted by the magiken. Go back, you can''t be in this form for the next part.''<sub> </sub>


    [Yes, yes, I''m going. You just ruined the mood, if you''re aware of it.]


    The girl''s body disappeared with a bright sh of light, and just the sword remained in my hand. I quickly dashed away from the ce I was standing as the dragon''s foot smashed it afterward a few secondster.


    Regaining my bnce, I collected my thoughts. The truth for why I wasn''t able to deliver a good wound with the sword before was because the power of magiken had overwhelmed me. It was much more than what I expected.


    But now I am fine. I''d measured the power and observed what it could do and its limits; like how much speed and strength it would amplify and all that.


    I backed off a few steps and took my position as I concentrated on the Kloth''s movements. I took note of the areas where it did not have scales covering its skin as armor.


    I took a run again, creating an ice tform andunching myself in the air. This time, however, I didn''t go all the way up. Stopping by the side of its limbs, I stepped off of the tform and delivered a good, deep sh on its right arm.


    This time the cut was smooth, I didn''t feel like it was the same creature I was cutting. This was mainly because I''d used the magiken the right way, the way it should be used, and had concentrated my mana in the de just before the collision.


    Longing the sh I created another tform by taking only a single step, Inded my legs on it, and before I could jump to the ground I swung the sword and threw it straight toward the right leg of the Kloth.


    The sword spun into several arcs before a bright light shed, and the next moment Req came out, held the sword, gushed through the dragon''s leg, passed it, turned, threw the sword back toward me, and disappeared with the same sh of light.


    I reached out my hand and got hold of the sword beforending on the ground.


    [Well, that went smoothly.]


    ''It sure did.''


    The dragon screeched its throat out in agony as it struggled to maintain bnce. The wound we''d given him didn''t separate its limbs in two, but they were deep enough to make the creature think twice before forcing its heavy bodypletely on them¡ªthere was no saying when they might break into two.


    All the satisfaction of how it all worked smoothly went away, when I felt my body breaking into a million pieces as the Kloth''s huge tail pped me hard, sting me away.


    I flew, crashed, rolled, and got dragged by force on the ground before finallying to an abrupt stop.


    It was painful, really painful. Since we were in an entirely different dimension and there were no walls to stop me, I was thrown and rugged on the ground for as long as was practically possible. I didn''t dare try to stop myself from using one of my hands and legs, as I knew they would only break if I ced them wrong.


    And when I finally stopped, I was a total mess.


    My cloak was torn up, but that was the least of my worries. I had skinned my limbs and back and was drowned in blood. Even my forehead was cut and droplets of blood were drenching my eyes.


    My senses were also of no use, for a moment I was dizzy as fuck. Everything seemed moving in a different direction, the world was turning around like crazy. The voices I heard grew hazy and clear time by time and for a few minutes, I was not even able to stand up.


    Although, when I did stand up somehow, all I saw through my vague dizzy vision was the uth running toward me with anger and fury burning in its eyes.


    It was really mad at me and wasn''t going to stop anytime soon.


    [Can you fight?] Req asked as she materialized beside me.


    "It''s not like I have a choice, now do I?"


    I saw a smirk spread on her mouth before she again disappeared with a sh of light.


    I let out a closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, opened my eyes, and exhaled. Held the sword and pointed it toward the uing dragon, and braced myself for the uing blows I was going to deliver and receive.

 Chapter 173 Klauth [4]

    The ground shook rapidly as the humongous Kloth charged toward me. I picked up my almost ruined body and ran toward the dragon as fast as I could. My magiken was still on, since I was alive and had enough mana remaining to keep it going.


    I took a jump, a big one. The Kloth opened its mouth and a cave as vast as a big cave appeared after me, and I was going in the direction of its mouth. I raised the sword, and a bright light shed, enveloping me inside it.


    Req materialized with her one hand holding the sword when she held mine with her other, rotated in mid-air, and threw me up from the side.


    I used the ice element and created a long, big shard in my hand and drilled it inside the dragon''s skin the moment I was close to it. It didn''t go all the way in, but there was a way. I used my magic again and extended the little part that was inside to a greater length, causing it to automatically push further.


    The dragon screamed and breathed fire, catching Req in its ze. But when the mes vanished, she was still there, levitating in the air with the Requiem sword in her hands. Her eyes were fierce and did not carry the least bit of fear.


    Here I grabbed the shard with both my hands and was hanging on it just below the Kloth''s horns. I gave myself a push, forward and then backward. I increased it little by little then finally on the fifth try I pushed myself onward, and did a somersault, throwing my body up.


    Inded on the top of the Kloth''s horns, and I''d to say, they were hot; I could feel the heat in my feet. Regardless, I dashed forward toward the dragon''s nose. Firing bursts of mes at Req was keeping him busy enough to ignore my presence.


    I moved my feet fast while at the same time creating a long, t, and sharp-edged stone in my hand with the earth element.


    I jumped, clenched the stone with both hands,nded over the left eye, and stabbed it with the stone in my hand. I still remember those big pupils staring at me as I jumped over them and created a bloody, liquid mess.


    All the fluid inside its eyes flooded out, and the dragon cried in despair, throwing its body here and there and looking for aid. Then it spread its wings to take off in the air, I thought I had to stop him, so I was going to use my magic, but a thoughtmunication from Req stopped me.


    I hurriedly nced over in her direction with the side of my eye, but before I could realize, something fast moved past me just after she swung the sword down. It was a dark, pure ck, flying corner of a shadow molded in the shape of a vertical arc.


    The shadow, cutting the air in half, collided with the dragon''s left wing and flew through it. The result was that Kloth''s wing was now split in half from the middle.


    Disabled to fly due to the damaged wing, the Kloth wasn''t able to take off from the ground, and that was more than enough time for me and Req.


    ''What was that attack?'' I asked, this genuinely piped my curiosity; given that I''d never seen that one in the novel.


    [Dark edge.] she replied, in a somewhat low and passive voice.


    ''... That''s one cringy name I see.''


    Yeah. I mean, "Dark edge"? Only a twelve-year-old would name an attack like that, not a thousand-year-old warrior.


    There was silence at first on Req''s side, and then came the storm.


    [I know that, all right!? I know it is cringy! I know your ears bleed after hearing that! I know you think only a kid woulde up with a name like this! I know it all, right?! But I still can''t change the fact that it was the only name that came to my mind back in those days! I''m spittin'' facts here, okay? It was like the best name in the world for me at that time! However, now things have changed and I grew more aware of what I did, so you can go ahead and make fun of me all you want!!!]


    I couldn''t even begin to describe how much my head was aching because of this. She was screaming inside my mind, and I mean literally¡ªthrough thoughtmunication, or whatever it is called. I also can''tprehend how she was able to fend off the angered Kloth while shouting all these "facts".


    ''Sigh, okay. That was just an honest thought I gave, not like I''m making fun of you.''


    I didn''t have time for things like that.<sub> </sub>


    ¡­ Having fun, huh? I can''t remember thest time I had fun for real, without faking it. I can''t even recall how it felt, to have fun. The circumstances were what they were¡ªboth in my former life and here, I started to fake my smile andughter ording to the situation as I gained control over my emotions.


    I can me a thousand things and people for that, but in reality, it was just me. Gaining pleasure not by "having fun" but through other feelings¡­the pain, suffering, and breakdown of other people.


    That was what I enjoyed¡­that is what I enjoy.


    "Come on boy, easy, easy," I murmured reflexively as the Kloth shook its body, jumping around and moving while attacking Req.


    I titled my body ordingly to not fall over, then I turned back in Req''s direction.


    ''Let''s end this now.''


    [I would''ve rather had some more fun, but given that we don''t have all day. Let''s just get this done with.]


    She replied, I gave an assuring nod.


    My feet slowly moved, step by step, further and further, in no moment I was running toward the Kloth''s nose¡ªin Req''s direction.


    I ran and reached the end of its horns. Req matched my eyes and threw the Requiem sword at me. At first, I thought I wouldn''t be able to catch it, but ended up doing it anyway. Just as I caught the sword and gripped it with my hands, Req shed a brilliant white smile before she vanished like usual.


    I turned and jumped off the dragon''s head, activated magiken, and drilled the sword''s de into the creature''s shoulder flesh. Holding the hilt with both hands, I slid down while the sword opened the long gush in the Kloth''s left arm¡ªthe whole scene looked as if I was hanging from a huge lever and pulling it down.


    Dark, dragon blood rained over me as Inded on the ground and made a good distance between myself and the uth as if it was now raging and going mad, likely due to the pain.


    It shrieked, shivered, roared, and pounded the ground multiple times with its frontal feet. Steam and embers and sparks of fire flew out from the dragon''s mouth as if slowly turned toward me.


    Our eyes met, both of us scanning each other the ways predators do as if our lives depended on it¡ªwhich they did.


    It wasn''t clear who moved first. Maybe it was me, maybe it was him. But whoever it was, it didn''t matter. For that period, all that mattered was ourselves and the opponent before us; the rest of the world stopped existing.


    This was probably going to be thest trade of blows, I was going to make it that way. Hence, there was no need to preserve my mana. I manipted the mana flow in my body and directed all of it in my magiken and held back enough to keep me alive.


    I dashed forward, and an explosion resounded below my feet,unching me forth in the air. The uth came like a mad lizard, running all over the ce. It pped the air with its tail, I created an ice tform, used it as footing, made another explosion below my feet, propelled myself in the air, and dodged the attack.


    Stepping onto its tail I jumped further ahead, reaching close to its neck I closed my eyes and concentrated. Opening them again, I delivered a great number of nonstop shes¡ªstopped, and poured more mana into the magiken. The shadowy mist surrounding the sword grew, enveloping the whole de within itself.


    Inded on the ground, touched the ground, and called forth a huge ice spike from the ground. It raged upward until the spike drilled itself inside the Kloth''s stomach.


    As I threw the sword upward, I saw a shing light as Req came out, gained control of the sword, and sliced up the Kloth''s tail that wasing toward me. After getting done, she tossed the sword back at me and I held it as I made a pir going upward.

 Chapter 174 Klauth [5]

    I stumbled on the ground and rolled for a while beforeing to a halt after a meter or so. I gained a few injuries and skinned myself in the process, but those were the least of my concerns.


    I quickly got back to my feet and created a thick wall of both ice and water to block another uing breath of gleaming mes. Not waiting for wasting any more time, I nked to the side as the mes and my defensive wall collided and released several clouds of steam.


    There was no second thinking about it. I instantly hid within the steam and got close to the uth. He wasn''t able to identify me as he was confused, sniffing my smell in the steam and the water and ice I''d released.


    A sword was raised high before it struck down on the dragon''s left foot. The attack this time was direct, the de connected with the flesh and smoothly sliced itpletely in two pieces as I moved along with my sword.


    Finally, I pulled out the sword from the other side of its foot, blood sshing behind and leaving a trail behind the tip of the de as I did so. A momentter my ears heard a scream, or roar, or shrill, or whatever it was. But it was so loud that I had to cover my ears, or I don''t doubt the possibility that they would have bled.


    Then the gigantic body of the dragon bent one of its knees¡ªthe leg, I had cut, began to fall in a direction. I leaped out of the danger zone as fast as physically could before the whole uth fell onto the ground with a loud and heavy THUMP.


    The dragon went limp on the ground, but he wasn''t dead, and I also knew that he was going to get up in a few minutes. After all, that is what he''d done during his fight with Leon in the novel.


    Yeah, I was roughly following the strategy Leon had used when he fought the uth. As for the reasons¡­well, I didn''t have the least bit of experience in fighting against a big ass dragon and I wasn''t, by no means, going to put my life on the line to gain some.


    This was the safest n, best for me, who always walked down the route where my victory was already determined.


    I was running all along, and when I stopped it was before the Kloth''s mouth. It was wide open, partly because it was showing mes aforetime I cut his leg. I used elemental magic and called forth the water element. Using it I drenched myself wet, from head to toe, as much as I could.


    Then I jumped in front of the dragon''s mouth, all wet. I was fast, as fast as someone with rank B could be, but it was still not enough to get out of the way before the uth threw mes at me.


    The fire it breathed surrounded me like a cloak, it was hot, really hot I should say. I mean, this was the first time I was directly in its range. Regardless, I didn''t wander from the goal I had in mind. After all, I jumped in front of its mouth, knowing that it would envelop me with mes.


    I threw the sword to the side hard, with a lot of force. Felt my muscles stretching and aching as I did so; it wasn''t a surprising thing, I was abusing my body for a lot of days now.


    The Requiem sword spun in the air as it entered the dragon''s burning mouth. Just when it was confirmed that the dragon had swallowed the sword, I ran out from the fire, away from the uth.


    Its fire disappeared, and the creature stood on all fours and started moving weirdly. And it was strange¡­as if something had gotten stuck in its throat. Then it began suffering, smacking the ground with its feet and tail, throwing fire in every direction¡ªthe dragon was going mad for real.


    A loud THUMP and silence followed afterward. The uthy limp on the ground,pletely motionless. Seconds passed and nothing happened, minutes passed and nothing happened.


    Finally, the dragon''s stomach glowed before it was a shing sound, aplished with the sound of stripping flesh and bustling blood, a part of the dragon''s stomach near its neck and heart blew violently.


    It was a cut from the inside, the flesh hung and opened as if someone had gushed a curtain from the middle and made a hole for trespassing. Dark, brown blood streamed outside from the hole, along with some decapitated muscles.


    I didn''t flinch my eyes and kept looking in that direction until a girl with ocean blue hair came out with a sword of the same color as her hair in her hand. She was Req, of course, covered in blood¡ªor bathed in blood would be the right word.


    I slumped to the ground and took a breath of relief as she showed a thumbs-up sign in my direction along with a cheerful smile¡ªa smile that looked strange on the lips of someone who had stabbed a dragon''s heart from the inside and was dyed in red.


    I sat on the ground, and then my hands gave out, and Iy there. Looking up at the ceiling that didn''t exist, there were only clouds of mist and never-ending darkness. Now that the threat was gone and uth was dead, the realization that I was in a different direction hit me.<sub> </sub>


    I''d known it for a while, but never got the time to wonder about the fact. Although now that I did, it didn''t feel any different. Only the scenery was different, everything else¡ªmy weight, atmospheric pressure, gravitational pull, quality of the air¡ªwas the same. But then again, maybe this was designed to be the same, I can''t say.


    "That went smooth and easy," Req said as she happily walked over and stood beside me.


    "You''re looking like shit," I stated. Then, raising my hand in her direction, I used elemental magic and dumped a pile of water on her. I did this several times until she was no longer drowned in blood.


    "I didn''t like the way you did that," she squeaked.


    "I don''t care."


    After some thought, I did the same with myself and bathed in water without getting up. I mean, I was also painted with blood, even if it was my blood and not the dragons.


    I felt a shiver run down my body as the semi-cold water touched and embarrassed my open and fresh wounds. My body twitched a little before I finally got up and sat straight.


    I checked the pockets of my cloak just in case to see if I had any healing potion left or not, but then realized that I had no pockets left. My cloak was almost torn and was a mess of shreds and pieces of fabric. My academy uniform which I was wearing under the cloaks was also torn from the edges, mostly the pants.


    I let out an exasperated sigh. A lot of money was going to get fueled. I had to buy a bunch of potions, new cloaks, a new uniform, the tax for the wagon when I''ll head back, and some other minor things too.


    I did have a fair amount of money in my bank ount, but it wasn''t like the numbers were infinite. I''ll also need the money when the cmity will arrive¡­nothing but a headache is waiting for me.


    I released another, long and deep sigh.


    "I don''t really wanna disturb you, but¡­are you aware that the time is still running out? I mean, we''re still technically inside thebyrinth," Req deducted, looking at me.


    "Yeah¡­right, I haven''t forgotten," I said as I slowly rose to my feet and dusted the dust out of whatever I had left in the name of a cloak.


    "But where should we get out from? I can''t see any way out, there''s darkness as far as the eye can see."


    "Oh, that''s not a problem. Now that the uth is dead, the third and final seal should have been lifted. So it''s about time I think¡­" Req put a finger on her lips and scanned the area with her sharp eyes.


    But her eyes wavered back to our ce as the space before was cracked and crumbled. Bright white light leaked from the fractured line in the middle of space itself. Then as I watched it, the area in front of us that should''ve been nothing but air, broke into pieces and revealed a door emitting a dazzling light.


    I didn''t know this way existed, because in the novel, Leon had used his system to switch the floors right after killing the uth.


    ''There it is, let''s go. I know you must be tired after beating the uth. Even if that was nothing but just an infant, those things are serious trouble,'' she waved at me and walked toward the door.


    I stumbled behind Req and toward the light. As I entered the white, something she said clicked in my mind.


    ''That uth was what!!!'' I wanted to scream it out loud, but then refrained from doing so.

 Chapter 175 Medication And Preparation [1]

    It was like teleporting, albeit the fact that I don''t know what teleportation feels like. After crossing the white light, I along with Req entered an entirely new area.


    It was a medium-sized boxed room. Vines and nts grew on the walls and floor made of cobblestone, and above the stone floor was a carpet of thick dust. The room was closed from all sides and didn''t have a light source, yet strangely the room was illuminated from every corner.


    "What do you mean by ''infant''? Was that not a grown-up uth?"


    I usually refrain from asking someone questions and revealing that I don''t know that particr piece of information¡ªit makes me vulnerable, but since Req was my property and I needed this info on the uth, I asked her outright.


    From today onwards she will be staying with me at all times till the time I die or the Requiem sword is broken, there are no chances of her betraying me. Though I''ll not believe it wholeheartedly.


    "I meant what I said. That uth was a newborn, I can tell by looking at him. He was a thousand or so years old from what I could tell, so he was probably caged by them when I was sealed," she shrugged and exined while looking around the room, touching walls and the floors as if searching for something.


    Kloths were beasts that existed in loli_pop''s novel, and ording to the information that he gave in his chapters, they were a species of ancient dragons who ruled the earth since the time humanity was taking birth, but then for some reason, they went extinct. Yeah, that is all I know.


    "What''s the age of an adult uth?"


    "Hmm, that''s a good question. It can be somewhere around a million years, but I don''t know. Even back in my time when I was not sealed in this stinkybyrinth¡ªand that was around 1500 years ago I think¡ªKloths were an endangered species. No one saw them, nor did they try to. And as for me, the oldest I''ve seen aged four hundred thousand years. But that is also nothing but a guess, since I can''t tell their exact age just by looking."


    All this information was crucial, hence I wasted no time and recorded every detail in my mind. The thing about Kloth''s was interesting enough in itself, but if anything, I just came to know that this world''s history stretched back a million years.


    I didn''t know this, of course, because loli_pop never exined it. I had told him multiple times to write about the history of his world as it will improve world building, but he never listened to me.


    The result was a messed-up world with out-of-the-box facts and history whenever there was a need for it. There was no defined history and past of his world, he just created them when the situation asked for it.


    "Here it is," Req mumbled and stopped before a specific part of the floor. I pointed my gaze at the same spot as she blew and cleared the dust from there. At first, it was nothing unusual, however after staring attentively I noticed that the ground was elevated in a square shape¡ªit was a button.


    Without a thought that it might very well be a trap, she gently pressed it down with her foot, and it slid underground. There was dead silence for a while, she nced at me and I thought about removing her feet from the button but then decided otherwise.


    If that was a trap, then it was already toote.


    The room shook and grumbled rapidly, gravel fell from the ceiling along with loads of dust. Something moved, it was a part of the right wall. First, a rectangr shape area was outlined as the dust was blown off from the corners, then the rectangle piece of wall drifted backward for a while before shifting to the side and the opening of a cave came into sight.


    I stood still with my guard up and waited for a while, Req moved nheless and nced inside the cave that had just been opened up. When I was sure that this didn''t trigger a trap of some sort, I walked over to her and took a look inside.


    Neither of us ventured inside, but the view was clear from here. It was a vast cave with many shining blue crystals stemming from the rocks, at the same time there were some fantasy creatures I''d never thought I would see here.


    Slimes.


    There was a group of sky blue colored slimes in the cave, or rather, even calling it a group might be small. The whole cave, as far as I could see, was stashed with slimes.


    "Uh, this is the wrong one," Req shrugged in disappointment and began searching for ''what-she-was-searching'' again.


    I thought about going in and examining the slimes, but they refrained from doing so. I didn''t have time, even if we were out of thebyrinth, I still wanted to get back to the academy as soon as possible. Wait for a second!


    "Are we out of thebyrinth or not?" I asked hurriedly as I turned toward Req. I had no ns of turning into a sword, after all.


    "Rx, I can no longer sense the seal weighing above me, so this is probably a different ce. And I had been here before I was sealed¡­that''s how I know there should be a way out, somewhere around...here!"<sub> </sub>


    She stepped onto a simr button without any thought too. The room this time didn''t grumble or roar. With the silence and delicacy of a young maiden, a door opened up on the wall beside the one on which the cave had opened.


    This time there was no way leading to the darkness or a cave, but stone-carved stairs leading upward toward the sunlight. Not much thinking was required, this was the way out. I could feel the heat in the lighting down the stairs, and this heat was simr to that of the sun.


    "Let''s go," said Req, pointing at the stairs with a smile.


    We came up from the stairs and out from the underground structures¡ªor should I say from another dimension. Anyway, I was now out in the light and breathing fresh air.


    I won''t lie here, it felt good.


    I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath to rx and refresh my lungs. I wanted to just rest for a bit. Maybe that is why my legs stumbled upon themselves. Maybe that is why darkness washed over me for a while. Perhaps that is why I lost consciousness for a while. Maybe that is why¡­


    ***


    I opened my eyes hurriedly, almost on instinct; as if I''d fallen asleep in the middle of a battleground. But there was no such thing and above my eyes, I saw the clear, blue sky that spread endlessly in all directions.


    Clouds floated slowly in the air with thepany of birds. Then I noticed something else. I was not lying on the ground. The surface below my head was not rock hard, but soft like an expensive pillow, warm like the gentle breeze of spring.


    I was not the protagonist of an hi anime, so it didn''t take me much longer to know the reason for all this. I was lying with my head in Req''sp.


    It was only confirmed when I saw her face blocking the way between my eyes and the sky. Maybe she''d noticed that I was now awake. Her hair fell on the sides, covering her face and casting a shadow on me. Then I realized that she was ying with my hair too¡ªnot exactly patting, but fiddling with it.


    I exhaled and then got up and sat individually. Seeing my reaction, the smile she had on her face vanished.


    "You should at least have panicked a bit. I mean, you were lying on thep of a beautiful girl such as me. There is no way you cane out of that unscathed," sheined.


    "That''s not my problem. Now, this is a bit of advice; you won''t get the reaction you''re expecting from me, so you should stop trying. It will be nothing but a waste of time," after that I stood up, stretched my arms, and got ready to move.


    "For how long I was out?"


    "Five to ten minutes."


    "I see."


    It''s not much, but not in the affordable zone either.


    "Come on, we''re heading back," Imanded as I looked around the area. Judging by the location, I can say that we are directly on the opposite side of thebyrinth from where we entered. Going back won''t be a problem.


    ***


    "Sigh. That was tiresome," I let out a breath as I slumped on the bed in the room I''d booked in the inn.


    I was back in Gat town. The first thing I did was buy myself a new hooded cloak, so I can hide my face. Then I went to the medic shops and bought a bunch of healing potions. I''d nned to buy the most expensive ones since they are the best in terms of quality, but unfortunately, they were not avable here. Hence, I had to work with the average ones.


    I also bought some medicines that were not potions¡ªherbs and pills. Considering the shape my body was in, I needed a lot of medication.

 Chapter 176 Medication And Preparation [2]

    I rested the cloth bag¡ªin which I had all the stuff¡ªon the bed beside me, removed my hood, and took out three healing potions from the bag. The potions were stored in tubes like the ones they used in chemistrybs back in my former world.


    I removed the crock and poured the liquid from all three tubes into my mouth at once. I gulped it all in and threw the empty tubes on the bed. I took three more and did the same, then repeated the process until I''d consumed twelve tubes worth of potions.


    I put my hand inside the bag and grabbed a loaf of bread I''d bought. Ate it while gulping it down with another tube of healing potion. Wiped my mouth, took the herbs and pills and swallowed them along with another potion.


    "Are you sure taking that much is not bad for your health?" Req queried. While I was busy with myself, she was sitting on the chair at a distance.


    "It''s alright. Healing potions are the only piece of medicines that doesn''t have any side effects. I''ll be fine," I waved her off as I took off my cloak and then started unbuttoning my shirt.


    "Ooff!" she buried her face in her hands and blushed. "What are you intending to do by undressing in front of a girl like me in a locked room where no one can hear us!" she said in a shy tone.


    I thought of ignoring her at first, but then¡­ "The room is not locked and the walls are so thin that even a rat can hear us," I couldn''t help but say that.


    And received her usual disappointed look as a result. She sat there not looking at me, maybe angry, like a little girl whose toys had been snatched away. I continued what I was doing.


    Taking off my shirt, I put it on the bed, then I grabbed the remaining two bottles of healing potions and carefully poured them over the injuries I had on my arms¡ªwhere I''d skinned myself when the uth pped me with its tail.


    I picked up a roll of bandages from the bag and rolled it over the healing potion I''d applied on the wounds; first on my right arm and then on my left. I did the same with the injuries I had gained on my chest, neck, and feet.


    However, it didn''t quite work when I tried to do the same with the wounds on my back. My hand was not reaching there and even if I somehow put the potion there, I won''t be able to wrap the bandage. I tried again and this time while standing up, but the result was the same.


    I turned, titled my body, and bent my spine as much as I could, but all I was able to do was rub a bit of healing potion on some of the wounds. It was all because while I was able to feel where my injuries were, I wasn''t able to see them.


    Suddenly I felt a touch, someone was touching me, holding me from the back, their hands were on my shoulders.


    I knew who this was. "Let me do it," Req said and held out her hand, asking for the tube of potion and the roll of bandage.


    I thought for a moment, not moving, then realized there was nothing to think about this.


    "No. I''ll do it myself," I replied. Then stepped away from her.


    "But you won''t be able to see back there. Don''t be stubborn here and let me do it already!" she was persistent.


    I nced at her from the side of my eye, "I said¡­ I will do it myself. End of conversation."


    It was the end of the conversation, and she went back to the chair afterward. Then, when I got a bit of space for myself, I used my elemental magic and created a thin sheet of white and freezing-cold ice that rested against one of the walls.


    It was a perfectly t sheet of ice and reflected the light just the way a mirror should. Yes, the image shown was not as clear and sharp as you see in mirrors, but enough for me to get my work done.


    I then looked in the mirror and while bending my body to its limits, I applied the potion and wrapped the bandages on my back. When everything was done, I had the look of a mummy straight out of those ssical movies.<sub> </sub>


    Both of my arms were wrapped in white bandages from the wrist to the shoulders, the same was the case with my legs too. They were covered in white between the ankles and knees. The bandages on my upper body surrounded my abdomen and went up to the chest, covering my back too.


    And if you''re wondering why I applied the healing potion on my wounds instead of drinking it. Well, it doesn''t speed up the healing or anything¡­you are just able to use those body parts more precisely as it lessens the pain and stops the bleeding.


    Because I wasn''t going to rest anytime soon, this was at least better than nothing.


    As I was now done with the medications, I picked up my shirt and wore it with the dark-green, hooded cloak over it. Took out two loaves of bread from the cloth bag¡ªthat was all left in it, passed one to Req, and ate the other.


    "Get up. We''re¡­leaving," Imanded, chewing the bread at the same time¡ªtime is indeed a valuable thing.


    "What! Already leaving?! Look at yourself in that mirror you created, are you even aware of how rugged and torn up you are!?" she shouted as she smacked the floor and stood up, filled with fury.


    "No. I don''t have time to rest. We''ll set sails right now," I said, and it was more like a statement.


    Oh, by the way. Thanks to her, I remembered about the ice mirror. The stress must be taking over me, I almost forgot about it. Hence, I turned and turned the frozen sheet into nothing.


    "Hurry up, I''m not gonna wait for you the whole day," I mentioned and stepped out of the room.


    She had no choice but to follow, and she did. I had already paid the money for the inn when I booked the room, so checking out was all I had to do before I was standing alone on the road in the middle of Gat town. Well, not exactly alone, since I had Req with me.


    For some reason, she didn''t want to go back into the sword form¡ªprobably because she was stuck as a sword for many years, therefore she wandered with me in the human form. I was willing to let it pass as long as it didn''t prove to be a hindrance in my way.


    I stopped and looked around the town for a while. It was night already, the streets were illuminated mostly withmps since magic lights were expensive¡ªthe only ones in this town had been in the central area. People were walking down the road, doing their usual chores.


    Adventures wereing back from the quests they had taken at the adventurers'' guild, it was only reasonable that some seeded and some failed. Those who did reach their goal will probably celebrate it in the guild building, will have drinks and dinner, will host some parties, will boast about how they did this and that, will flirt with women, and all that.


    But the ones who lost will have a gloomy mood. They will probably enter the guild building with a fake smile, some with no smile at all. They will get cheap drinks, and a not-so-fancy dinner, and instead of flirting with beauties, the topic of discussion will shift toward what they should''ve done and where things went wrong. But of course, the chances of thetter happening were slim, very slim.


    A small town like this doesn''t have many threats. The adventurers don''t go out every day fighting monsters, even if they do, they only go up against weak and low-level monsters who mostly hide all the time.


    That''s why the majority of adventurers whoe and stay in towns like this get easy quests connected partly with day-to-day things.


    There are only a few who take on a suspicious quest, go inside an unknownbyrinth, and get their whole part annihted. The chances of that happening are as slim as a single strand of human hair.


    I don''t know when I started walking, but I was on the border of the town by now. All the buildingsbined at the center of grass and wheat fields looked like a single hugemp glowing in the dark.


    I saw a wagon passing by, it had just dropped a few people at the town and was now about to head back. It was the same way from where I came, so without wasting more time I went to the wagon with Req and booked a ride.


    We got inside, the wheels of the wagon rolled, and we left for Sofrora city¡ªthe capital.

 Chapter 177 Medication And Preparation [3]

    Her head was paining, flooded with dizziness, it was like someone was dragging her from a hallway filled with darkness toward a door of bright light. As of now, she was unconscious, thus the darkness. The door of light represented the realm of awareness and atst, the hallway was a bridge, a way to connect the two.


    Everyone walks down this path when they wake up from their slumber, it was as easy as that. But here, however, it was not silly for her. The path of the hallway was not smooth and tidy, but covered with a sheet of iron nails. The floor too was not even and had cracks and gaps and dents on it.


    And she was dragged mercilessly on this floor because she had to reach the light. Of course, it was not her own will; only a person who is wrong in the head would prefer to experience something like this, but in a way, she was the one to drag herself onto that floor.


    She was dragging and torturing herself, making a bloody mess of her own body. Why? Because that was the right thing to do at the time.


    It was not about whether she wanted it or not, whether she liked it or not¡­she had to. Simply put, her subconscious mind was dragging her conscious mind out of the deep slumber she was in.


    I had told you what the hallway, the darkness, and the door of light represented. But what about the iron nails? Well, the nails were the same as what they stood for¡ªsmall yet painful and unbearable when together. It is simple, and only, for this reason, I will leave it to you¡ªto discover what the nails depicted.


    Xara opened her eyes, roughly, in an instant. Her vision was blurry, her eyes wet, and various annoying noises resounding in her ears. They were the screams of monsters, of stabbing, of blood, gushing out, of guts falling apart, of bones breaking, of metal shing, andstly, the ambitious voice, the battle cry of a young man.


    Since her vision wasn''t clear, she rubbed her wet eyes to get a clear view and was Spene standing near her. Wearing a cloak of wounds, dyed in the color of blood, with his right eye missing, he was still fighting against the goblins who''d surrounded them.


    It took her a whole minute to recognize him, as the expression he had was totally unlike the Spene she knew. He had one eye missing, his armor was torn up and ruined, and the cuts he''d gained were visible, but despite all this, he was fending off the goblins with not a hint of pain on his face.


    Tears welled up and the eyes which she had rubbed just now were wet again. This was all wrong, she realized as her memory of what had happened came back. The satisfaction she had when she fell unconscious was now nowhere to be seen.


    She had made a clear way for him to escape, he could easily have left this ce. Yet he was here, why? She didn''t and did know at the same time. And that frustrated her more than anything.


    Her hand slowly went up, reaching out for Spene, but she was unable to grab him.


    "Why?! ...why¡­are you still here?" she asked. In all the noise, her voice was no louder than a whisper, but enough for Spene to hear her.


    He turned to look at her, and her expression changed. But what she saw was not resentment, fear, anger, guilt, or any other negative feeling. He wore a gentle, warm, and knowing smile.


    "Why didn''t you leave me and escape? I went through all the trouble to make a way for you, but¡­"


    "Well," he said, pushing two goblins with his broken sword at the same time. "Sorry for the trouble, but I couldn''t have left you to die here. Even if I survived that way¡­" ng, sh, thump, ng, sh, push, stab. "That bastard Favian, he would''ve beaten the shit out of me when I will enter heaven after death. That guy is scary as fuck when the matter is rted to you¡­" sh, sh, ng, push, sh.


    He slit the throat of an armed goblin in front of him, kicked on and crushed his face, cracked open the skull of one with the hilt of his sword, stabbed the other, decapitated the next one, and so on.


    He was indeed struggling, that was the truth. His sword was scathed, and dented, with rugged edges after all the fighting it had been through. All the odds were against him, but he did not waver. He stood rigid, strong, like a man, like a man he''d looked up to.


    His breathing was messy, rapid, unbnced, and uneven. His lungs were aching. Each time he drew in a breath it felt as if he was inhaling a bundle of needles, when he exhaled it was like rubbing salt on the wound''s made by the needles.


    There was not a part of his body that did not suffer, but there was also not a single part of his body that wanted to leave a friend, a friend''s lover, to die and save himself.


    "Just¡­wait a minute, andy there quietly¡­" kicking a goblin, he made it fall then stabbed multiple times with the sword. "I will¡­" turning rapidly to the side, he separated the neck of a goblin with a horizontal sh. "End this¡­" he punched a goblin, breaking all its teeth with his bloodied knuckles, then tore his throat apart from the inside. "I will end this very soon," he said in a breadth.


    He passed Xara an assuring smile, full of confidence, a smile that believed in itself. A smile that did not shiver even when it faced a thousand gloomy ones, a smile which indicated that the host of this smile was not going to give, not going to let go of hope, not going to ept what fate had decided for him but create his fate.


    The host of this smile was not going prostate, he was not going to break. His will was strong like obsidian forged with theva of a violent volcano, however¡­<sub> </sub>


    ¡­his sword wasn''t as strong as his will.


    A crackling sound resounded in the area, and despite all the screams that small, little, delicate whisper was heard by both Spene and Xara. Something broke, and it was Spene''s sword.


    Not being able to withstand the pressure any longer, the de broke into two from the middle. At the moment, it was like time itself slowed down for Spene as he watched the piece of metal shatter in two andnd on the ground. On the other hand, Xara wanted to scream, but a pressure so heavy fell upon her that no words left her mouth.


    This, of course, didn''t mean that he gave up. Ambition filled him a secondter, and he swung the broken sword, even slit the throats of some goblins who were in close range¡­this would''ve been a perfect time for the power of friendship to shine and for him to gain a deadly power up.


    ¡­ But the reality is often not that sweet.


    The goblins stabbed him from behind, stumbled upon him, the bone of his right leg broke, and he fell. But he still¡­didn''t waver from his goal. He got down on all fours and covered Xara, shielding her with his body.


    She was stunned. Streams of tears flowed down her eyes like rivers from the mountains. She was crying, like a little girl. This was her second time losing someone she cared for¡­a friend, the only friend, maybe.


    "Y-You idiot¡­how can you..." she whispered.


    Her reactions were expected. After all, Spene was still wearing his smile, the same one he had before. Not a single shed of tears left his eyes.


    "Dumbass, why are you crying? If anything, I can meet with Favian now," he said, his voice not depicting the least bit of pain he was going through.


    "..." she wasn''t able to say anything. She didn''t know what to say. The goblins climbed over him, stabbed him with their knives, and made his back full of holes, but they were not able to reach Xara.


    The amount of stabbing increased with each passing minute, and soon crossed the limit of what a human can endure.


    "I''m sorry to leave you here. After all, I''d said that I won''t¡­ I''d sworn to myself that I won''t. But you see, the thing is..." he wasn''t able to finish. Half because of the pain and his decreasing consciousness, and half because of the expression Xara had.


    The smile on his lips grew, before transforming into a warm,forting one, the smile the same as he had when both of them were yet to grow up and yed together¡­the three of them. That was thest time she''d seen that smile. And now it was probably thest time she will ever see it.


    She raised her hand and caressed his cheek, more tears flooded out.


    "Idiot...please...don''t cry," were thest words she heard, and he spoke. The smile didn''t disappear, but his body went limp.


    ¡­ His soul left the body.


    That was probably the time she cried the most in her entire life. And when she was done, she remembered.


    She remembered the person who led them, the person who was responsible for all this, remembered how that person left them to die. Remembered the person she''d thought of as nice, and epted as apanion.


    She remembered it all¡­and remembering ignited a new me within her heart. The me of anger, the me of resentment, and, the one that burns them all¡ªthe me of revenge.


    And that day, the third floor of abyrinth burned in the mes of revenge, hot as the ones in hell.


    But that, as they say, is a story for another day.

 Chapter 178 Back Trip [1]

    The wagon shook in a jolted motion as the wheel stumbled upon a rock on the unpaved path, thus, knocking me out of my thoughts and snapping me back to reality.


    It was night, a cool,fy, and peaceful night¡ªlike the perfect nights you see in those fantasy storybooks. The sky, dyed in ck with a tinge of denim, was wrapped in a nket of gleaming, twinkling stars. The weather was clear too, and the moon was enlightening the world with the rays it borrowed from the sun.


    We were passing through an area covered with wheat fields, but the season was of fall, and they had just been nted, therefore leaving them green instead of the golden field you would expect.


    A gentle breeze brushed past our wagon, and the stalks of wheat swayed and danced as the dried leaves on the road were hurled in the air, creating a bit of noise in the atmosphere.


    But then when the wind died, there was silence again. Deep, pure, silence enveloped the whole world. Of course, the sound produced by the rolling wheels of the wagon was still present, along with the clopping of the horses. However, those sounds were too, a part of this silence. And that''s what made this silence so special.


    It was strange, bewildering, cold, yet somehowforting¡ªlike a mother''s embrace.


    I would''ve said that I was alone in this silence, enjoying and savoring it to thest bit but¡­that was not quite true. Well, but it won''t exactly be lying either. I was alone in a metaphorical way but alone nheless.


    Sitting on one side of the wagon, I was staring out at the moon from the open back portion, and opposite to me sat Req, who was staring at me. For a reason, I don''t know.


    Now, you could say that the two of us were alone, but even that was far away from the truth. I mean, the wagon''s driver was also with us, although at the far front. There was no reason, no importance for him, but the world couldn''t work if he was not here, driving the wagon and taking me back to the capital city, so he was.


    "That dark edge," the first to break this wonderful silence, was the one who enjoyed it the most¡ªme. "What was it?"


    Req said nothing for a while, but then settled back in her seat, a little smile appearing on her face. "That, huh? Well, it is an attack I made back in time. It''s not much but does the trick anyway¡­" I heard her sigh, "If not for the cringy name, it would''ve been a lot better."


    Hmm, the name was cringy indeed. However, that alone can''t change the value of that attack. It was powerful from what I saw and considering that the Requiem sword was now mine I was interested in trying it out. Because when the cmity will hit, it will hit hard.


    If I was not prepared, then that could be my¡­ What am I even saying? As the one who created the cmity I knew how powerful that disaster was, stronger than the natural forces, it stood up to its name; truly a catastrophe. I can never be too prepared for it.


    As of now, my primary weapon inbat is my elemental magic. It might be a good thing to keep in my arsenal, knowing that I can use it for both offense and defense. Though that doesn''t change the fact that it won''t be of as much use when thrown against an army of a hundred thousand, maybe millions of mindless mutated monsters¡ªor lower demons, plus their masters and the archdemons too.


    I am not even including the demon warlords.


    My skill of Foresight is a good weapon too as I can see the future despite it being limited to only a second. However, just like everything, that skill also has a negative side which affects me hard when I abuse it¡­ I don''t want to get into the details for now.


    Still, none of this changes the fact that I need to get strong.


    That''s why I needed to increase my power as much as I could. I was not going against the demons and saving the world or some bullshit like that. I just want to be powerful enough to transport my family safely to¡­well, where the remaining humanity gathered after the cmity struck.


    The Requiem sword was going to y a good role in it. Its powers were pretty high in the novel, but in this world, it seems like there''s more to it than what I know. The dark edge attack is one of them. And since it was now my property¡ªboth Req and the Requiem sword, I would not hesitate to search the hell out of them for information.<sub> </sub>


    I had tried imitating that attack when we were fighting the uth, but it failed.


    "I tried using it, but nothing happened," I stated, shifting my gaze to Req.


    "Is that so? Well, it is not like your usual attacks you can aplish just by manipting your mana flow," she said with a half-assed tone as if she didn''t want to talk about it. Taking the previous conversations regarding this move of hers, I can guess why she was behaving like this.


    "You need to be in a specific mindset and have a certain level of concentration to use the Requiem the way it should be used. Because this sword has a lot more to it than you think, it can be the greatest weapon¡ªyour primary source of strength, if you use it right. However, it can also affect you negatively. And to use it correctly¡­agghh, I''ll just tell you how to do it rather than sit and exin."


    "Hmm, that will do, I think," I replied, looking back and forth between the moon and her face.


    Then I decided to switch the topic of conversation and shift it to something that interested me even more than this attack.


    "You said something about our souls being one now, right? What was that about?" I appealed, interlocking my fingers and resting my arms on the top of my legs as I leaned forward a bit.


    "Now," her eyes lit up. "That''s something worth exining!" her face bloomed into a refreshed smile; simr to a child who finally got to y with his favorite toy.


    She drifted back in her seat, crossed her legs, then gazed at me. "You see," she started. "This is a ratherplicated topic but pretty silly at the same time if you grasp the basics right. So, let''s start with the seals¡ªthe thing that caused our souls toe together.


    "Back in my glory days, I was sealed inside my sword by a group of people for certain reasons. And that was how mine and the sword''s soul got together. Also, if you''re gonna ask why the sword has a soul then let me tell you it is alive, the sword I mean. Notpletely, but it contains enough lifeforce to be counted as a living being, thus it has a soul too.


    "When I was sealed within it, my physical body was destroyed and what remained was the soul which afterward was bound with the sword''s soul via arge-scale spell and put into thisbyrinth, hidden from the rest of the world. But regardless to say, that was not the only seal they put. Inside thebyrinth, another spell was cast that will make sure to bind the soul of the person who breaks my seal in the mixture of ours.


    "This was a measure taken to ensure that I can''t get out of thisbyrinth, even if somehow I was released from the seal. Because this time when the timer of the spell that sealed will be over, along with me the one who broke my seal will also turn into a sword andy in the dark like I was. Until someone else came and broke the seal as the previous one did, but if everything went the same, the cycle will keep repeating itself over and over again.


    "However, in your case, we were able to get out before the spell triggered, hence you are safe and sound. But it doesn''t change the fact that your soul is now one with mine and Requiem''s."


    I stood without motion for a while, processed the information she''d given me, and then asked. "How many sealing spells were used in total?"


    She brought forth her right hand, opened her palm, and folded her thumb and pinky finger. "Three," she said. "The first was used to destroy my physical body andbine my soul with my sword. The second was used to keep me inside thebyrinth and tobine the soul of whoever unseals me into the mix, but that spell didn''t destroy their body. Finally, the third one, this spell was the main spell that enveloped thebyrinth in it.


    "The work of this spell was to remake the seal of the second spell¡ªto keep me from leaving thebyrinth, and then the other use was to wipe the body of whoever unsealed me from existence and dump them inside the sword too, just like me. Though since this was the biggest spell and requiredplicated magic circles and an enormous amount of mana to function, it took a reload time of thirty minutes from the point my seal was broken before it triggered itself again."


    "I see. I think your enemies certainly didn''t want to let you out at any cost," Imented.


    "You bet!" she snapped her fingers.

 Chapter 179 Back Trip [2]

    What she said was interesting partly because it was not in the novel. And anything I was unaware of was crucial to me and something I needed to know. I can''t afford to give up on any piece of information, as I don''t know when I might need it.


    I got about all of what she said, but there was still one thing remaining that puzzled me.


    "ording to you, our souls havebined and turned into one single soul. Then why didn''t I turn into a sword or am not able to switch forms as you can do, transform into a sword when you want to? I mean, that was what happened when you were sealed, right?" I asked.


    "That''s quite easy," she said. "It''s because your physical body wasn''t destroyed during the time your soul met with ours, which was the case with me."


    "I see¡­so that''s how it is," I mumbled under my breath.


    I didn''t ask anything after that, and neither did she try to start a conversation. Why I refrained from inquiring further could be justified because I was tired, both mentally and physically. But as for her¡­ I don''t know, nor am I in the mood to know.


    The wagon trailed off on the unpaved both, it jumped at several intervals when the road was rough and filled with stones. The wind grew colder as the nket of night enveloped the world within itself.


    I pulled a rope and arge, thick, cloth fell on the backside of the wagon where it was open, making the interior closed and disconnected from the outer world. Now the only light here was the vague, yellowish oneing from a small oilmp hanging on the top near the driver.


    But as it was outside and the light rays were entering through a small gap¡ªmost probably a window without a ss sheet, it grew even dull by the time it reached us.


    I thought of seeing the moon again but then realized I can''t with the closed curtains, so I rested my head back on the wooden wall and closed my eyes. I thought of various things.


    What will I do once I''m back at the academy, how will I interact with Anya and what lie will I tell her, how will I describe the disappearance of Challes and how I escaped from him and am not dead¡­things like that. I have toe up with a usible cover story too; one that could convenience the public and the academy staff.


    If everything there went as I''d suspected, then my missing case wouldn''t have been out in public. If Ellyn did her work ordingly, then Anya wouldn''t have slept with Leon and have also not told my parents about this case. Though I don''t know how long she will be able to digest this incident alone.


    At one point she will break and won''t be able to hold it in and tell them about it. I can''t afford it, that''s why I need to go back as soon as possible.


    As I was thinking about all this a sudden wave of unconsciousness hit me, I felt rxed, as if in the gentle embrace of a beautiful woman. It was warm,forting, and calm.


    ''This¡­feels nice. It might do.''


    I drowned deeper into the sea offort and with each passing second as I dived deeper all the strain from my body began disappearing. My tendons rxed, my skin flexible, and my mindposed.


    But then it was rough as the other part of my mind pulled me out of this sea and dumped me back in the harsh in known as reality. My eyes opened wide instinctively and my whole body felt a shiver running down.


    I was back, in the cold dark wagon. I was just where I was¡ªI never left this ce. That sense offort only was my mind ying tricks on me, a way to relieve me of the stress I have gained.


    I took note of my surroundings. Req was still sitting at the same ce in the same position and was staring at me as if I was an animal in a zoo or something. If you talk about me, I was hugging myself and curled up inside the cloak I was wearing.


    It wasn''t much of a nket, but still better than nothing. Realizing what happened, I decided that this was not a good idea and sat straight, bringing my arms out from underneath the cloak.<sub> </sub>


    It was cold and the hair on my body stood in a salute instantly, but this was good. I won''t fall asleep this way. This was for the best. I can''t ck out at this moment because if I did, I know I won''t be waking up anytime soon.


    Plus, I have other things to do.


    From that night onward, it took me the whole next day and night before I reached the capital city. I paid the wagon driver a little extra money, and we traveled day in and night out. Despite that, it took us longer than expected because the route was not the same as the one I used while arriving at Gat town.


    I asked the driver about the reasons, and he said that there had been an ident on the roads. I don''t know how that might have happened. Monsters certainly can''t be the reason as the chances of them appearing on the main roads were not close to none but in none. The kingdom''s forces took care of it. So it is possible that it was just another normal ident.


    Anyway, as I''ve sworn, I didn''t sleep even a bit while we traveled. To pass time and keep myself upied, I talked with Req and told her about my situation. This included my condition at the academy, how I escaped and used Challes and conquered thebyrinth, and why I needed her.


    Of course, I didn''t tell her everything. The parts about my reincarnation, the uing cmity, and how I have upper-hand knowledge about this world were kept hidden. I told her only how she needed to know to work smoothly with me.


    A normal person might question my character after hearing about some of the details, but her response was otherwise. "I expected as much from the person who dared to achieve the Requiem sword and was sessful at the end," was what she said.


    She wasn''t taken aback by the fact that I sacrificed a part of three people and a man to achieve the sword, and had no particr guilt about it. Well, I can guess why. It wasn''t like I didn''t know her backstory at all, after all.


    And so that was about it. After paying for the wagon, I was now here, standing at the inner gates of Sofrora city. Technically we were still not inside the main city as this was the slum area and I had to do a fair bit of walking before I reached the academy.


    "Let''s go," Imanded as I hushed Req to move forward along with me.


    She was still in her human form and right now, she was looking around, observing every detail of her surroundings. It was reasonable. She was seeing the outside world for the first time after a millennium. It was only natural to be excited.


    Her eyes were gleaming as she cast her gaze upon the people passing the road, stalls, shops, and the items being sold in them. She was behaving like a child, totally unlike the warrior I''d thought her to be.


    "Now, don''t go too far off," I said in a slightly loud voice. She turned around and looked back when she was about to trail off toward one of the shops.


    "But I want to try that thing," she demanded, pointing her index finger in the shop''s direction.


    I followed her line of sight and saw that it was a sweet shop and the item she was pointing toward was a pink, cloud-like fluid spinning inside a metal tub. It spun rapidly and collected on the stick at the center of the tub. The man behind the tub¡ªmost likely the shopkeeper¡ªdipped a wooden stick in the running fluid, and the pink stuff collected itself around the stick.


    Then he pulled the stick out, and now a full roll of that pink stuff was surrounding it. He passed the stick to a child beside and his mother passed the shopkeeper the money he owed.


    "I wanna try that!" she repeated, this time with more enthusiasm.


    I knew what it was, anyone from my world would.


    Cotton candy¡­was what she wanted to eat.

 Chapter 180 The End Of A Dream [1]

    "This! This is¡­amazing! I can''t even describe it in words, that''s how much of a wonder this thing is! Truly! There would have been wars if there had been something like THIS back in my time! I am not even lying."


    You might think Req was praising an all-powerful weapon, or something simr, but you are wrong. That was just the cotton candy in her hands.


    I tried refusing to buy her that as I didn''t want to leave any trace of me in the city, but she was persistent. Then I gave it a bit of thought and remembered if there was a trace to leave, I''d already done the good and left my marks when I bought clothes and healing potions from here before leaving for the town.


    So I went and bought her the candy anyway. This, of course, wasn''t an act of kindness¡ªI was not so good to waste both time and money on a thing like that. I just wanted to make her depend on me, rely on me more.


    After all, while it was true that I was her master and she had to follow my orders, the process would be smoother, easier, and more efficient if she followed them at her own will without me forcing her to do so. The chances of betrayal will also be low this way.


    "Stop praising a piece of food like that, we are getting unwanted attention," I stated as I adjusted the hood on my face.


    "But this is so amazing, I can''t stop! The sweetness! The color! The texture! All of it is perfect! Just perfect!" she eximed, taking a bite of the cloudy sugar.


    If this was her reaction after eating a dish in the slum area, then I could only imagine how she will behave after eating something from the inner districts or the food provided in the academy.


    "I know. However, be quiet," Imanded with a bit of force behind my voice. She furrowed in disappointment, shrugged, then ate her cotton candy quietly as we walked toward the center of the academy.


    I turned my eyes away. I have to prepare for the uing events; not much but a good performance requires preparation, a good setting, costumes, time, and the right audience too.


    I had most of it, and now was the time for another performance.


    ***


    [Present time]


    Alone in a room, on a in bed with no fancy decoration, was lying a girl with her face buried in the bedsheets. Anya. Her eyes were watery, and her vision wasn''t clear, as she''d just woken up. But that doesn''t change the fact that she barely got any sleepst night.


    The circumstances being what they were, it wasn''t strange that she was tired and dead from the inside. And what happenedst night¡ªwith Leon trying to kiss her and her having to deny him straight¡ªshe was in the worst possible mood.


    If not for Ellyn regrly taking care of her, she would''ve eventually died from starvation and theck of activity and movement in her life. It''s been days since shest left her room.


    To describe her condition simply, she was like a car without a driver. She had no energy or motivation left to drive her, hence she was here, lying on the bed, thinking nothing.


    It was then, when her mind was nk and her body tired, she heard a knock on her door. She heard the knock and ignored it. She heard it again and ignored it. She heard it a third time, this time even louder, but ignored it too. Slowly as she kept ignoring, the sound turned from knocking to smacking.


    Her door banged violently, as if someone was throwing punches on it or their body against it. But none of this made her leave the bed and check who it was¡ªher body and mind were too tired to even try.


    Then she heard a voice along with the smacking. "Anya! Open the door! This is important! You have toe out!" It was Ellyn. She was screaming against the door. Her voice fell on Anya''s ears, and it stung. She was in no mood to near anything.


    "Listen, this is important! So if you''re not toe out then I''ll just break this door and drag you out!!" she shouted, next came another smack on the door so powerful that the hinges vibrated abruptly. ¡­ She was serious about breaking the door part.<sub> </sub>


    Anya cursed her fate and sighed with a long breath, exhaling her tiredness into the air. Then she forced her body and sat straight on the bed, moving as slowly as a sloth. She still didn''t want to go out and talk with Ellyn if the door got broken due to this, she''ll end up with even more trouble.


    With these thoughts in mind, she got to her feet and slid into her loose loafers. Her blonde hair which was messy right now hung down, strands of it covering her face.


    During the time she took in walking up to the door, the smacking hadn''t stopped once. Finally, as she put her hands on the doorknob, twisted it, and opened the door, in front of her stood the impatient figure of Ellyn.


    The tension and restlessness were clear on her face, it was as clear as it could be. Her hands were folded, which quickly dropped to the side when she saw Anya.


    "What happened?" Anya asked, in a low, dead, and interestless tone.


    "Come with me, I''ll exinter!!!" Ellyn grabbed her by her hand and forced her away from her room. Anya didn''t have the energy nor the will to resist, hence she went along like a kid being pulled by her mother after ying in the park for too long.


    As they passed through the hallway of the dorms both of them were met with awkward nces from the other students. It wasn''t much of a surprise, honestly. Anya was not in the academy uniform and only had a loose cardigan over her nightdress and, of course, that revealed a lot of her skin. Arms, neck, legs, half of the back, and a part of her right shoulder, it was more than enough to gain the attention of the male students.


    She could''ve changed if she wanted to. But Ellyn was in so much of a hurry that there was no time left for that. And well, she didn''t care about it. Getting a nce or two from the boys were the least of her worries.


    Crossing the hallway and going through various paths, they finally came out from the dorm building and went forward on the academy grounds. At this point, Ellyn slowed down a bit and did the favor to notice Anya''s condition.


    She stopped, removed her zer, and put it over her. "This will do for now," she said, patting her on the back.


    "Why did you drag me here?" Anya asked during the time she took the zer and wore it appropriately.


    "You''ll know once you see it. I won''t tell you now because I can''t bet my luck that you won''t break down into tears and go back running into your room," Ellyn stated as they started walking again. "We don''t have all day," she added, holding Anya''s hand and increasing her pace.


    Anya sighed and went along. As mentioned before, she was in no condition to resist. They marched onto the grounds and passed the main building along the way; this surprised Anya a bit because she thought that was where they were headed.


    When they walked through the crowded areas, the awkward and suspicious nces made their return. This wasn''t unexpected, either. Despite everything, Ellyn was still the heiress of the Rosenberg family and a figure everyone in the first year looked up to¡ªshe was like a rose. Beautiful and delicate for the boys, thorny and sharp and pointy for the girls.


    And when this rose walked alongside¡ªor rather pulled another student with her, they were bound to attract attention. Though she was already used to it and Anya simply didn''t care. Thus, nothing major happened as the duo made their way and came to a halt in front of a building.


    The crowd vanished around here. The number of students who visited this building was fairly low. It was the office building, after all.


    Anya looked confused and turned to Ellyn for an exnation just to be dragged again, this time inside the building. Going through different rooms and paths, the duo emerged into a corridor. Ellyn''s pace didn''t waver as she pulled Anya into the corridor. Atst, they both stopped before a room with a closed, wooden door to dark oak.


    From what the engravings on it depicted, this was a waiting room. Ellyn released Anya from her grip, looked at her, and gestured to open the door. She looked perplexed, but then opened the door anyway.


    She turned forward and stepped inside, her gaze was down at the floor but when she lifted her head all the emptiness left her body as she stood there,pletely stunned, too shocked to even move a muscle.


    Following her line of sight sat a boy on the wooden bench¡­ Zero.

 Chapter 181 The End Of A Dream [2]

    On a wooden bench at the end of the room there sat a boy with rugged clothes. He¡­was Zero. Dressed in the academy uniform with torn edges, the shirt had no arms and a huge part of the pants was missing too. On top of that, he was covered in bandages, lots of bandages. His hair was dirty, mixed with mud and dust, and was growing unevenly. There were cuts and scratches on his face, along with the dirt that washed it over.


    When Anya entered the room, he looked to the side after the sound of the door opening. He stared at her, stopping the conversation he was having with Ryfin, who sat on a chair in front of Zero. Ryfin too peeked in Anya''s direction, but no one said anything. Silence prevailed over the room.


    Zero passes a calm, warm, and reassuring smile as she stood there, totally motionless. Not an inch of her body had moved since the time her gaze fell upon Zero.


    She was stunned down to her very core, and it was only reasonable. The person she''d thought had died was now in front of her, breathing and as alive as anything could be. It wasn''t like she was unhappy by the fact that he was alive, but the sheer revtion of it has left her as a statue made of stone.


    "I''m¡­back," said Zero, in a weak and trembling voice. "Sorry to make you worry."


    There was no reply, she just stood there and stared into his eyes. Eventually, Zero got to his feet, slowly and carefully. He rose and took a couple of steps toward Anya. From the outside, it looked as if taking one step required the strength to take a thousand for him.


    He reached out his hand, the smile on his face not fading as he got closer. But¡­the time was up. There''s a limit to how much you can overuse your body and put stress on it without giving it the time to rest. If you keep increasing the pressure again and again without taking a rest, only one of these two things will happen.


    Either you will surpass the limits and ascend to a realm above what could be called a human¡ªwhich is only possible when you''re the protagonist of a story¡ªor the other option will happen. You will break. Thetter was the case with Zero.


    Darkness shrouded the corner of his eyes, his feet stumbled upon themselves. His field of vision grew darker before it waspletely ck. He tripped, and fell, but didn''t fall on the floor.


    He was close enough, and before he could smack his head on the floor, Anya came forward and held him in a gentle embrace. Zero''s hands dropped to the side as he lost consciousness and had no sense of self remaining inside him. He went limp like a corpse.


    Ellyn and Ryfin were also taken aback by this, however, Anya was different.


    "You idiot¡­what took you so long," she breathed, tears welling up in her eyes


    ***


    My head was heavy, so heavy. If you haven''t been in a situation where you didn''t sleep for almost a whole week and worked continuously, straining your body to its max, if you haven''t been in a situation like that then I can''t exin to you how I''m feeling right now. And if you have, then I do not need to exin it.


    My entire body stung, almost like someone was injecting needles into every part of my flesh. My breathing was rough, and uneven, like an animal about to die. My throat was dry and itchy, it hurt even to draw in a breath.


    I opened my eyes, and it took a good while before the blurriness went away. Then I saw the ceiling, a ceiling I was familiar with. It was the ceiling of my room in the dorms.


    At first, I thought of nothing, my brain wasn''t able to function as it should. Then I forced it and got a sense of my surroundings. What I got was that I was lying on the bed in my dorm room. There was a white nket I was wearing¡ªthat was not mine, by the way¡ªand I was dressed in night clothing I was not familiar with.


    I turned my head to the side and saw Anya. She was sitting on a wooden chair beside the bed and just happened to be staring at me when I looked at her. At first, there was silence. I thought about breaking it but then my consciousness wavered, and I fell into a deep slumber, yet again.


    ''...''


    I regained myself back vividly as my consciousness returned. I don''t know how much time had passed since then, but by this time the pain in my body had dulled a bit.


    I turned my head to the side and Anya was still there, and just happened to be staring in my direction when I looked at her. I was about to say something, but then I stopped.<sub> </sub>


    Not because I cked out again, but because I realized that she wasn''t looking at me. Her eyes were open, and she was awake, but right now, she was not here. Her eyes were hollow, staring into nothingness.


    Her clothes were also different from what she was wearing thest time I saw her. It was a loose cardigan with the academy zer on it, right now she was in proper clothes.


    "How much time has passed?" I asked, finally breaking the silence that felt like an eternity. My throat was still dry and ached as I spoke.


    Probably with my question and voice she snapped back to reality because as soon as she heard me, her eyes widened and then contracted to their normal shape. She shivered a bit but was fine a moment afterward.


    "How much time¡ªcough, cough!!" I went and repeated my question just in case she hadn''t heard me, but ended up coughing midway due to the dryness in my throat.


    She quickly reached out to the bottle that rested on the desk, and poured some water into a ss, however instead of passing it to me, she brought it close to my mouth. I parted my lips, she put the edge of the ss carefully on them. In the end, I drank the water, but not in the mostfortable way.


    Can''t help it really, I''m not used to drinking like this.


    "Three days," she said, tapping the ss of water back on the best after I was done drinking. "You woke up yesterday but fell asleep a momentter," she added.


    I got quite a good amount of sleep. Needless to say, I was in a mild state ofa. At least, that''s the best exnation I have right now. I was overworking my body for days and knew that this would happen if I tried to rest even for a second. That''s why I was stuck in an endless cycle of not sleeping until I got here.


    "That''s some sleep right there," I mumbled as I forced my hand on the bed and sat up straight, my back leaning on the wall behind me.


    I rolled my eyes around the room and searched for Req. I had forced her to go back into the sword form when I entered the gates of the academy, and have kept it with me. If Ellyn had done her job right, then it should be somewhere in this room.


    ''There it is, okay,'' I was relieved internally as I saw the Requiem sword. It was leaning against the wall in one of the corners.


    All that was left was my transaction card¡ªthe only thing I''d made Ellyn bring out from the academy for me.


    I put my right hand inside my underwear, I was still covering myself with the nket, so Anya wasn''t able to see. I moved my hand around and searched, but it wasn''t there¡­my transaction card.


    ''Ah, so that''s how it is¡­'' this was a problem.


    "Who changed my clothes?" I appealed as I turned in Anya''s direction.


    "The medical staff did it when they were treating your wounds," she replied, dully.


    My troubles won''t it, will they? But it''s my fault. Now I''m realizing how stupid of an idea it was to hide the transaction card inside my underwear and take it out when I''m alone. Tch! I can''t believe I thought it might just work. It was a stupid idea, a very stupid idea. Hell, not even a drunk person would think of something like that.


    No, maybe they will¡ªbut hey that''s not the point here! The point is...that I''m in serious trouble.

 Chapter 182 Aftermath & A Stupid Idea [1]

    It was a stupid idea, a very, very stupid idea. I can pass it off by saying that I was not in the right state of mind due to the stress and tiredness taking over me, but that will be me just making excuses.


    What''s done is done, and no use crying over spilled milk. The most I can do is figure out how to clean that spilled milk, rather than worrying about what I should''ve done to keep it from happening.


    The gears in my mind were beginning to move again, and I started cooking up multiple ways to counter my loss. If the medical staff had changed my clothes, then one of the staff members must have it, if they were so kind as to not submit it to the academy.


    I was going through different possibilities and running simtions in my mind when I noticed Anya. She was still quiet. Then I stopped everything and took a deep breath. All those things can wait, first I have to clear up the other mess I made.


    I disappeared into nothing and in a way where she was forced to think that I''m dead. I can only imagine how she spent this week. I''dmanded Ellyn to take care of her, but judging from her condition, I doubt that even she was able to do much.


    "I''m sorry... I didn''t know that I''d end up in all this¡­.even after I promised you that I would be fine," I said lightly, ncing in her direction.


    She raised her head, "It''s not your fault," she said. "No one knew that Mr. Challes would do something like this."


    "Even so, I said that I''m strong and no one can harm me. I was the overconfident one. That''s why I ended up getting hurt."


    ? "No, it''s not you. I''m the one who got the letter¡­if I had just done what it said, then maybe¡­"


    "You''re wrong!" my voice was loud even when I didn''t want it to be. "It has nothing to do with this! I was not kidnapped because you disobeyed the letter! These two things are unrted!" I stopped and inhaled a deep one to calm myself.


    I looked at Anya, she was taken aback by my sudden intensity. I thought it over for a while and then spoke again, carefully picking my words.


    "You see, Challes told me about it," I began. "He kidnapped me because I defeated his son in the interss tournament. He wanted his son to win and make a reputation, but I ruined everything. That''s why he did it. He wanted revenge."


    You might think I was revealing information that should be kept secret, but no, this was within the range of what I can tell. I was already doneing up with a cover story, and announcing that Challes kidnapped me because he wanted revenge was a part of it.


    "I see¡­so that''s how it is," she murmured, looking down.


    "Anyway, now I''m back, fine and alive. So it doesn''t matter anyway," I stated and passed her a reassuring smile.


    "... Yeah, you''re right. It''s over, and you''re back," she was facing me but from her tone, it felt like she was speaking to herself.


    Then, before the silence could prevail over the room again, I heard a knock on the door. This gave Anya an excuse to stand up and leave. She was still not back to her usual form, and it will take time, I know that. Living while bearing the weight of someone''s death¡­it''s not easy at all.


    I won''t be surprised if it took her weeks to make a recovery. If you look at the overall situation, she was damaged more than me. What I gained are physical wounds that can get healed with the right treatment, but what she got are mental ones.


    They go deep and engrave themselves into your soul. It''s not easy to get rid of them, as it is with the physical ones.


    "It must be Mr. Ryfin," she said, standing up and leaving the chair.


    "We will talkter then I guess. I mean, there are still various things I want to tell you in person," she replied only with a forced smile as she turned toward the door.


    However, she stopped just before her hand was about to twist the doorknob and unlock the door. "Zero¡­" she spoke.


    "Yes?"


    "You are here, right?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "You will not disappear on me again, will you? Like you didst time."


    "No, I promise I won''t. This time for real."


    "I see."


    The sound of the door unlocking and creaking was heard as she walked out of the room. Leaving the door open for anyone who wanted to enter. I stayed at my ce, staring at the doorway as I watched her leave.


    ''She might be in a condition worse than I expected,'' I thought to myself.


    After a few minutes, someone else entered the room and closed the door behind me. It was Ryfin. Dressed in his usual suit he came close to me and stood beside the bed.<sub> </sub>


    "Wee back. I''m d you made it out alive," he greeted.


    "Thank you, Mr. Challes, I didn''t know you were so worried about me," I replied, gently, with a smile.


    "Well, well," he said as he sat on the chair. "Why wouldn''t I be worried? You are my beloved student, after all."


    "I''m pleased to hear that."


    "How is your recoverying? Are your injuries fine?"


    "Yeah, I''m better than before. The academy''s medical team knows their game."


    "Why, of course, they know. They were trained for it."


    "I know, and that''s the good part. If the mages who chose to heal magic as their main subject but weren''t able to find a good job can work in the medical team here at the academy."


    "What about Challes? Is he dead?" he appealed, the tone of his voice twisted a bit.


    "That''s true. He is dead. I mean, that''s how I was able to escape. After that explosion¡ª"


    "No, no, not this," he interjected. "That''s the story you have for the academy. What I want to know is the reality, what happened."


    "I''m sorry but I''ll have to refuse. I have no idea what you might be talking about," I denied, the smile not disappearing from my face. It was as normal as anything could be.


    "So we can''t get straight into it, huh?" he sighed as if disappointed.


    "I''m sorry again, but what I''m telling is the truth."


    "Yeah, yeah, I know," he replied bluntly while he put a hand inside the pocket of the front pocket of his shirt.


    "Say, boy, ain''t missing something?" he asked, taking out a piece of metal from his pocket and showing it to me.


    "Huh? I don''t think¡ª" I stopped halfway when I noticed what he had in his hands.


    ''Why do I always get the worst-case scenario?'' He, of course, was holding my transaction card.


    "That''s my transaction card. What are you doing with it, Mr. Challes?" I appealed. I know there was no chance but I tried to push my luck anyway.


    "Hmmm? That''s my line. I should be asking what YOU were doing with this transaction card inside your underwear. The same ones wore when you came back from the outside. This one has the academy''s student ID seal on it, they certainly don''t make this outside."


    I sighed, and sighed, and sighed again. There was no luck. What I had done under pressure will put me in this much trouble. If anything, I should be happy that Ryfin is the one who found it¡ªconsidering that he already knows about my true nature.


    "Aren''t you going to submit it to the academy and rat me out?" I asked, the smile fading from my face. The act was busted now there was no need for a thing such as a silly smile.


    "Oh no, why would I?"


    "Then give it back."


    "Sure, here catch it," he said and threw the card toward me, albeit that he never really threw it and just gestured like he was going to do so.


    "That''s such a cheap trick," I rified.


    "I know, but what''s the harm in trying? I mean, even you tried to put up with that innocent little act," he replied, this time with a nasty bit of smile; the smile of an adult.


    "Sigh, what do you want?" I was down in this mud pit already. It was better to stay calm than try desperately and only dig my grave deeper.


    "Hmm, now that''s a good question. What do I want?" he mumbled, leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs. "What I want is the truth. The truth about Challes," he dered as he yed with my transaction card in his hand.

 Chapter 183 Aftermath & A Stupid Idea [2]

    "What I want is the truth. The truth about Challes," he dered as he fiddled and yed with the transaction card he had in his hands.


    "What do you want to know about him?" I appealed, my face expressionless as I took hold of all my feelings and locked them aside.


    "Is he a dead man now?" he began, firing his first question.


    I stopped and thought for a while, then with a pause I said. "... He is."


    His gaze dropped, and he no longer yed with the card, instead, he let out a breath. It wasn''t a breath of despair, nor disappointment or regret. He seemed like he expected this to happen but was not sure that it would all go as he suspected, but now that it did, he was just surprised. That''s all.


    "Did you kill him?" he asked, raising his eyes and casting his gaze at me.


    "What if I did?"


    "Well, that would be quite amusing."


    "Sorry to disappoint you then. I didn''t kill him," I stated. There was no lie in this. If you looked at all the events that urred in thebyrinth, technically I wasn''t the one who killed Challes. Yeah, I was responsible for it, but not the reason.


    I was the one tomand him to go and pull the Requiem sword despite knowing that it would burn him, yet I was not the one who burned him. He went there with his legs, made the decision with his mind, and pulled out the sword with his own hands.


    "I see. So you didn''t kill him, huh?"


    "That''s what I just said. Why are you repeating it?"


    "Oh? No, it''s not like that. I was just¡­wondering."


    "Wondering?"


    "Yeah. Wondering that¡­if you didn''t kill him, then what did."


    "How can you be so sure that it was a ''what'' and not ''who''?"


    "Because that can''t happen, it isn''t possible. Even if he was not the strongest, Challes was still a professor at the academy. You don''t get that title until you''ve got something in you. Considering that no major news came out regarding a big fight, he was either killed by something that he couldn''t fight or was taken out by a trap," Ryfin exined, and he presented his point of view on the situation.


    "That''s some logic you''ve got there. But you see, there''s a w in that. He was hurt badly after his fight with Leon, and he even self-destructed the room, which too gave him some pretty bad wounds. Maybe he was not as invincible as you say due to the condition he was in¡­making him an easy target," I asserted.


    "Hmm, that is also a possibility, and an interesting thesis too. However, Mr. Zero nks. I would prefer it if you answered my questions instead of ying around with words. Because if you think I''ll end up tangled in your words and forget about what I originally asked, then you are as wrong as a student could be."


    "I''ve been caught, huh? But I''d like to throw your own words back at your face: What''s the harm in trying?" I forced my words in a not-so-pleasant tone.


    A little, sinister smile appeared on his face as he repeated. "What killed him?"


    "Something that was not me," I said bluntly.


    He stared at me with irritation visible in his eyes. I red back.


    "What? So said I have to answer your question and you will only take the truth. I ain''t lying when I say he was killed by something that was not me¡­you never said I''ll have to tell everything in detail."


    I saw the hint of irritation flicker as he clicked his tongue. Honestly, this was just another cheap trick on my side. Right now he had my transaction card and that means he possessed the power to make me talk until he was satisfied with it.


    I was not expecting anything but giving him vague answers. However, he did not go that way and restrained himself. I didn''t know the reason, but it doesn''t matter. If this cheap trick of mine worked, then all the good for me.<sub> </sub>


    "Was he able to put up a fight before he died?" The second question came.


    "No," I replied. I, of course, wasn''t going to leave him unsatisfied with all the answers. If I had to somehow keep the situation in my favor¡ªdoesn''t matter how much¡ªthen I had to maintain the bnce on how much I tell him. I''d to tell him the truth, but just the amount he needed to know to not feel like he was ying.


    "I see, so that''s how it is," he mumbled to himself. "Now, here''s thest question I have for you."


    "I will be d to hear that."


    "Do I need to care about his body being found? Because if so, then it''s a huge pain in the ass. I have things to do, I can''t go looking around for a dead body if possible."


    "You need not worry, it has been disposed of. Not a single soul in this world can find that there once existed a man called Challes," I rified.


    "Hmm...that''s good."


    He sat there for a while¡ªa minute or two probably¡ªbefore he rose to his feet with a satisfied smile on his face. It wasn''t a big smile or one you make when you''re happy, but rather the tiny little wave of relief that washes over your face once you''vepleted a task.


    He stared at my transaction card for a while, holding it between his thumb and index finger. For a second I thought that he would not give it back. What reason did he have to give it back to me? With the card in his grasp, he had a surefire way to ckmail me, since he knows things about me, I don''t want anyone else to know¡ªthanks to my stupidity in the entrance exam.


    With the transaction card and the statement of the staff member who found it, he has the proof to expose me. He had all the reason in the world to not give it back, however, he did nothing of sorts.


    "Here, it is yours," he said, tossing the card in my direction.


    I stretched out my dominant hand and caught the card, then put it on the bed near myself.


    I''d be lying if I said that I wasn''t confused. What he did just now defiedmon logic, and whenever something like that happened I was never able to understand it.


    "Wait!" I called just in time before he left the room. "I too, have some questions to ask."


    He turned in my direction, "Well, well. What those might be, I wonder?"


    "Back when Challes was carrying me out of the academy through the gates, you were there. You saw him, and fought him, trying to stop him. From what I observed, you would''ve been able to capture him if the fight went on for a while longer. But then you saw that I was awake and conscious, I gave you a signal, and you stopped. Why?


    "Why didn''t you capture then and there? It should''ve been your duty as a professor at the academy. Yet you cast it aside just because the student who was being kidnapped looked like he wanted to be kidnapped."


    "You''ve got a good one there," he mentioned as he turnedpletely toward me and folded his arms behind his back. "This is something to think about. I didn''t stop Challes back then? Now, why did I do that? ...piques your curiosity, doesn''t it?"


    "I can''t say I disagree," I acknowledged.


    "Right? I know. And there you go, you have your answer."


    "I''m sorry, what?!" the words flowed out on their own; while I didn''t let my expression slip, it still doesn''t change the fact that I was taken aback by his sudden and abrupt response.


    "Just what I said. I let him go because it piqued my curiosity. I mean, who wouldn''t be interested to know what a student is doing, letting himself be kidnapped while he can ask for help, however far from that he is signaling the man who is trying to save him and indicating: don''t save me and get outta here.


    "I can''t say for others, but I was interested in knowing that. And since I already knew somepelling things about you, I didn''t see any reason not to let Challes take you," he borated as if reading an essay.


    ''Dang, that''s madness!'' were the only words that came to my mind. Though I didn''t say them out aloud.

 Chapter 184 Aftermath & A Stupid Idea [3]

    "You would''ve got me killed if you applied the same reasoning, but I was being kidnapped for real!" I stated.


    "That''s entirely wrong; no one in their right mind would signal to leave when they''re getting abducted, albeit when it is just what they want," he corrected.


    "Even so¡ª"


    "Enough! I won''t be answering any more of your questions. I had no need to answer this too, but I did, so be thankful for that and keep quiet," he said, gesturing to me to shut my mouth by putting his index finger in front of his lips.


    I clicked my tongue, then buried the words I wanted to say and the questions I wanted to ask deep inside my heart.


    "You''re an interesting fellow, Zero nks. However, at the core, you are nothing but a student at this academy, but I am a professor¡­ It''ll be good if you keep those words in mind before doing anything else, that''s all I''d say," with those words he left the room, closing the door shut again.


    Now, I was alone again. The room was mine, but I was back after quite a few days, this felt weird. I sat there on my bed, staring down into nothingness and thinking about what Ryfin said before he left.


    ''You are nothing but a student at this academy, but I am a professor,'' was it?


    As much as I hate to admit it, there''s no changing the fact that I couldn''t figure out if these words carried a hidden meaning in them or not. Maybe he was just toying with me, maybe he wanted to warn me about something. Either way, I was not really in the mood to dwell on it right now.


    I raised my head, looking forward. I cast my gaze on the closed door and stared at it for a while as I waited. Though when it seemed like I wasn''t going to get anything from waiting¡­


    "Come out if you wanna say something, making an injured person wait ain''t considered good manners," I said.


    A few secondster the sound of the doorknob unlocking was heard followed by a creaking one as the door opened and gently swung to the side. It was closed soon enough by a red-haired girl and by sheer coincidence, she was also the one who opened it.


    Likewise, the one waiting for Ryfin to leave the room so that she cane inside was her, too. It was all just sheer coincidence, a matter of fate¡­or so I''d like to say.


    "I was waiting for him to leave," the girl said as her red hair swayed above her head, she used her hands to move the bangs covering her eyes and adjust them to the side.


    Needless to say, the girl was Ellyn, the only red-haired girl I was aware of.


    "I didn''t ask for excuses, did I?"


    "That wasn''t an excuse, okay? Mr. Ryfin is a slow walker," she mentioned.


    "Some info you''ve got there. Anyway, let me start with this: you did a great job handling things while I was away."


    "Why does it sound like you''re reading it out of a script?"


    Because I am; I mean, I don''t go aroundplimenting people all day. Besides, I wasn''tplimenting her, as of now I don''t know if the things I wanted her to do were done right or not. You can think of my words as a formality of sorts.


    "But it''s okay, I''ll ept thatpliment," she added.


    "What happened to Anya and Leon?" I asked,ing straight to the heart of the matter.


    Yeah, this is what I wanted to know the most. Or, in fact, I was dying to know if things went right or not. Because if they didn''t and Anya ended up sleeping with Leon while I was away, I won''t be able to digest that fact.


    I''ve mentioned this before, but I don''t have any problem with her having a rtionship with Leon. What I do have a problem with is that I don''t want her decisions to be affected by anyone else. Now, whether it be me or X.


    By faking my death in the same time and way as it happened in the novel, I trigged the route where Leon would go to her room at night tofort her¡ªsince she would be crying due to the loss of her brother, and they will end by having sex.


    Though, things here were different. From what I observed, Anya didn''t have any feelings for Leon, she saw him as unreachable. Now, if that very same guy¡ªwho was like a faraway star for her, whom she could only admire but never reach¡ªwere toe into her room at night and try to get physical with her¡­


    I don''t think she''ll be able to deal with it, her mental condition being what it was at that time. No, maybe she would have punched him right in the face and kicked him out of the room; she is the type of person who can easily do something like that.<sub> </sub>


    But I''m not. I''m not so courageous to gamble on a thing such as that.


    You may call me a coward, pathetic, and wrong for thinking so little of my sister, but I couldn''t care less. Because this is my life, not yours. I am the one who gets to make the decisions.


    Hence, I wanted to be sure about everything andmanded Ellyn to follow Leon that night and storm into Anya''s room¡ªfor any silly reason she could think of¡ªa few minutes after Leon.


    "So?" I repeated, looking in her direction.


    "To be honest, I don''t know what to say. How did you even predict what Leon will do? I mean, he went into her room almost at the same time you said he will and¡ª"


    She swallowed her words when she saw that my gaze was not shifting, nor was I saying anything either.


    "It didn''t happen. I made it in time, but it was over even before that. From what I was able to hear and the atmosphere inside the room when I got there, it seemed like she had denied him directly," she exined.


    "I see."


    "Leon¡­he was pretty embarrassed and depressed about it for the next few days¡ªhe thought that he tried to force himself on her," she mentioned.


    "That doesn''t have anything to do with me," I rified.


    She went quiet, most likely because I ended the conversation in such a way.


    "Did anything else happen at the academy while I was away? Something that I should know about?" I inquired.


    She shook her head. "No, nothing of sorts," she said.


    "I see. For once, there isn''t anything else I need to worry about at the moment," I mumbled. These, of course, were words I was speaking just for the sake of it. There weren''t going to be any incidents that required my attention¡ªat least not ording to the novel.


    Though now I don''t know for sure. I have made it back alive and soon the word for it will spread as soon as I give the cover story for the incident. It won''t have any direct effect as the students didn''t even know about my kidnapping, but I''m sure it''ll affect the plot in some way.


    No, not just that. From this point onward, my very existence will interfere with the original plot and things will start to change. There''s no escaping it. I did the things I did, knowing that this would happen, so there''s no going back. I''ll just have to deal with what fate has in stock for me.


    I was lost in thought again, then as if remembering something I looked at Ellyn. She was still standing beside my bed in a rather nervous way.


    "Oh, sorry. You can go now," I added.


    "... Hmm? Ah¡­okay," she replied, however, didn''t move an inch from her ce.


    I eyed her, curiously. "Do you have anything else left to say?" I queried.


    "Huh? N-No! It''s just¡­"


    "Just?"


    She looked as if struggling to find the right words or a way to deliver them. I don''t know. The way her body was trembling slightly, her wavering eyes and uneven breathing. This is not what a normal and fine human behaves like. It was weird, at best.


    "What were you up to?" she asked, finally finding the will to speak her mind out. "You were gone for a week, and you faked your death¡ªno, wait. Was that faking? If so, then it was genuinely a good one; because at that time when the room blew up, I thought you were dead for real! And now that you''vee back, you''re covered in bandages from head to toe. Just what the hell were you doing?!"


    If the doors were not closed or the quality of the walls wouldn''t have been as good as it was, I''m sure the students next door would have heard her as well. That was how loud her voice was.

 Chapter 185 Aftermath & A Stupid Idea [4]

    "You were gone for a week, and you faked your death¡ªno, wait. Was that really faking? If so, it was genuinely a good one; at that time when the room blew up, I thought you were dead for real! And now that you''vee back, you''re covered in bandages from head to toe. Just what the hell were you doing?!"


    I waited for her to quiet down, her trembling was visible in her voice as the tone of it was shaking. I could roughly guess that she didn''t want to ask me all this, but ended up doing it anyway. But that''s what I think.


    "Were you really this worried about me this much? That''s surprising," Imented.


    "Huh? No! I asked because¡­you know, because of our deal. You remember right? You said that you will protect me from my father, if you end up dead then who will do that¡ªplus when I''m already doing my part of the deal," she exined in a rushed manner.


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes."


    "I see, I see. It''s because of the deal we have¡­do you even remember what terms we agreed upon?" I appealed, making it sound like a genuine question despite the fact that it was overflowing with sarcasm.


    "Yeah, I do remember. It was that¡ª"


    "That I will protect you from your father or anyone else rted to him and in return, you will help in my work and do as I say¡­without asking any questions on what I''m doing and why," I made sure to emphasize thest words.


    Ellyn seemed as if she wanted to say something but then swallowed her words. Her face was aplex mixture of confusion, uneasiness, and irritation.


    "B-But still¡­" she began. I was kinda surprised to see that she wasn''t backing off after I clearly declined to exin anything to her. "Won''t it be good if you could tell me a little about what you''re doing? It''ll help us build trust and eventually strengthen the rtionship we have," she said.


    "There''s no need to do that. Trust leads to doubts, doubts lead to suspicion, suspicion, and suspicion ultimately leads to betrayal. It sure will help strengthen our rtionship but in a negative way, thus it''s better for each of us to not know what the other is doing. This is a give-and-take rtionship, there''s no need to bring trust in it," I described.


    "You can''t be betrayed by someone whom you don''t trust or betray someone who doesn''t trust you. That''s the way I want it to be," I added.


    Her face went slightly pale and she was too stunned to speak. No wait, stun probably won''t be the right word. She was more like¡­not expecting me to say all this. Yeah, that is right. The difference isn''t much but it''s still there.


    She stood at her ce, looking down at the floor and not saying anything. A minute passed, she didn''t move, another minute passed, she was still there, around five minutes passed, there was no change.


    "I had something to do, outside the academy campus. And the best way to get out was by faking my death, that''s why I went through all this trouble," I admitted.


    Ellyn raised her head in my direction, her expression still confused but in a positive way.


    "You see that sword right there?" I said as I pointed at the Requiem sword lying in the corner of the room.


    "It''s the one you told me to bring in this room when you came back, and also mentioned that no one should see me with the sword," she asserted.


    "Exactly. And that''s what I went out to bring. All these injuries I''ve got are a result of all the hardships I faced on the journey," I acknowledged.


    She eyed the sword curiously as she listened to my words, maybe a part of her wanted to go and check what''s so special in this sword that I''ve almost got myself killed for. But then the other part of her said that it might be too much, that''s why she was only observing it from afar.


    "Well, if you took such risks then there must be something about it. But honestly, this was a bit anti-climatic. I was expecting you to be on a secret mission or something like that," she stated, her eyes now back at me.


    "It is what it is. And just say I was on a secret mission, will I really tell you about it? I mean, how will it even be a ''secret'' mission then?"


    "Hmmm, that''s true...though you told me about the sword¡ªwhich you weren''t going to do before. A secret mission wouldn''t have been tough but eventually, you''d tell me if you needed my help."


    "I doubt that will happen, although I''m not sure. I mentioned the sword because you had already handled it, and I might need you to move it from ce to ce in future, so¡­ you can say I just saved the exnationter on by telling you about it now."


    A cheerful little smile appeared on her face, the darkness from before also faded and her eyes had their usual gleaming look back now.


    "Thank you," she said.


    I passed her a confused look, as if not understanding what she said or why.


    "For trusting me. I know there are things you can''t tell me, you must have your circumstances. So just a little is enough. It''s enough to prove that I can trust you too," she added with a calm, warm, voice. Like she''s been speaking from her heart.<sub> </sub>


    I didn''t say anything. There was no need to.


    "I hope you get well soon, there are a lot of sses you''ve skipped, after all."


    "Ah, there''s that too," I mumbled, more to myself though I was loud enough for her to hear as well.


    Those were her words before she left the room and closed the door back shut. The silence returned and yet again I was alone. I slumped back andy on the bed, looking at the ceiling without blinking much.


    I waited to see if there was anyone else who was here to visit me although I knew that there wasn''t. All the people I know in the academy had alreadye and left.


    Then I heard a sizzling sound apanied by a bright sh that lit the whole room white for the span of a second. Next came a girl. Long and sleek hair dyed in the color of the ocean, skin white as snow, and figure delicate as a doll.


    "You''re pretty harsh, aren''t you? ¡­Master."


    "Oh? How so?"


    "Ah, you''ll make me say it, huh?" a nasty smile appeared on Req''s face as she walked up to me and sat on the bed near my legs.


    "First, you told that girl upright that you don''t trust her and pushed her in the dark, then you revealed some of your supposed-to-be-secrets to her, making her feel good and indicating that you do trust her even if just a little. However¡­"


    She stared right into my eyes with a look I couldn''t describe. It was a mixture of many emotions; amusement, curiosity, naughtiness, excitement, joy, cheerfulness, and probably she was impressed too.


    "When that girl spoke about how she feels after knowing that you trust her," the grin on her face widened. "You stayed quiet. Neither stating your disagreement on the matter nor agreement. But if looked at carefully, you had already dered that you don''t trust at all in the starting of this whole conversion. Thus, even if in future you were to discard her or sacrifice her for a greater good, she won''t be able to charge you or make you feel guilty by saying that you broke her trust or some bullshit like that.


    "Since you''ve already imed that you don''t, what she thought was nothing but her childish fantasy; she just assumed it all. This way you won''t have to bear the guilt but that''s not the real reason, is it? You did this because if things yed out as I''ve said just now then she will think that all of this was her fault for thinking that you don''t trust him even after you told her upright¡ªwhich she wasn''t able to figure out until now.


    "She will me herself for the consequences, for her inability to be a realist and she was in front of her eyes all the time. In the end, she will be mentally broken and the chances of her bing a future enemy will be none¡ªthe real reason for all this," she finished, her eyes sparkling.


    With each word that left her mouth, her energy increased. She was like a child who''s finally on the way to buy her favorite toy she''s been waiting for a long while.


    "Well, if that''s what you want to think of my actions then feel free to do so," I rified.


    "Ain''t admitting it after all, huh? You sure are a piece of work, but it''s fine. I like it! You can''t understand how much it makes my blood rush just thinking about what will happen to that girl once you decide to dispose of her!" she eximed.


    "Idiot. Why will I do that? I''ve told you about her before, didn''t I? She is important for keeping an eye on ss A and a few other things too. It will be pure idiocy to discard her."


    "Then why did you¡ªah I see," she stopped midway. "All of it is nothing but a precaution you could need in future."


    I didn''t reply. I, of course, won''t let go of Ellyn this easily. She was important for my future ns, that was a part, but more than anything she was one of the main leads in the novel. I know the storyline is going to change eventually but I''d prefer to keep it the same for as long as possible.


    ''Yeah, it would be better if I didn''t have to¡ª'' my eyes suddenly noticed Req who was not looking good. She was staring daggers at me with her usual childish but dangerous smile.


    A gut feeling rose saying that nothing good was going toe out of this.


    "I was just wondering," she said. "That you might need a hug to recover."


    "Huh?"


    "So here Ie!"


    ''Wait what!''


    I didn''t get the time to react. She stood and jumped right over me. That I realized how much it hurts when someonends on your fresh wounds with some of them being bone fractures. Though I did my best to hold in the scream, as to not startle the students in the next room.

 Chapter 186 Aftermath & A Stupid Idea [5]

    With the help of the medical staff at the academy and their advanced healing potions and medicines, I fully recovered in a span of two days. All my wounds had healed, the bones which had fractured were now as good as before, and the skinned flesh had also grown back.


    It was a breathtaking experience. I mean, it would''ve taken me months to recover from a condition like this in my former world. Here, however, with the help of magic and potions, it was easy. Though it doesn''t change the fact that it cost me quite a bit.


    Yeah, obviously, I had to pay for it. After paying for everything, including the money it took me to travel and stay in the Gat town, I was left with 230,000 C in my ount; needless to say, most of it went for medication needs.


    But it wasn''t much of a problem since I was now good to go in such a short period of time. Value for money I''d say.


    And as for where I was right now, well¡­


    "How much will this be?"


    "2,500."


    "I''ll pay with the card," I tapped my transaction card on the machine and the said amount got taken away from my ount and the numbers on the back changed.


    "Thank you," the girl in front of me greeted me as she passed me the tray that was loaded with multiple dishes. Sandwiches, stew, bread with stuffed filling, chicken wings, and coffee¡ªespresso, they had that one here.


    I held the tray with both my hands and walked to a seat in the corner of the building. I was in the cafe right now. During all the time I spent traveling and the days I was in my room, getting healed, I ate what was a bad excuse for food.


    ording to Anya, it was good for me as it helps the body to recover but¡­food is food. I can''tpromise on that. That''s why today¡ªthe day gotpletely healed and I got permission to leave the room. The first ce I came to was the cafeteria.


    The sses started at 10 and it was 9:30 in the morning now; I had plenty of time to satisfy my stomach. Hence I was here, ordering a tray full of food for breakfast.


    I got to my seat, put the tray on the table, slid one out of three chairs back, and sat. I asionally received a nce or two from the other students since the food I ate was really too much to be taken as breakfast.


    I mean, yeah I had five cheese and vegetable sandwiches, a bowl of stew, a load of stuffed bread to eat with it, and twelve pieces of chicken wings along with arge espresso. Not to mention my cheesecake that was being made right now.


    I sat on the chairfortably and began eating my meal, ignoring the other students; eventually, their attention wavered from me and they minded their own business.


    As for the taste, well, the academy was one of the few ces where you could get high-quality food. No, calling it high quality won''t be right, it was more like special quality. For example, getting an espresso outside the academy was really rare.


    Getting them in restaurants was near impossible; you could find a coffee shop that serves one if you try really hard but the prices will be way too high for a normal person to afford.


    Here in the academy, all the items provided to the students were kept at a fair price simply because using them was a privilege the students of Zaforths academy get¡ªit was a way to show off and motivate more people to join the academy¡ªand the other reason was that the students had already paid a fair amount in the admission and tuition fee.<sub> </sub>


    I was lucky in that aspect too. Thanks to the princess, Anya had to pay neither of them and I got in only by giving the admission fee¡ªthis was a rather surprising fact I discovered when I went to take my transaction card in the office building.


    I didn''t know Rishia did something like this without telling me and honestly, I was grateful. No matter how you look at it I can''t afford to pay millions of C every six months as tuition.


    I had to save up for the cmity too because the value of money will skyrocket rapidly due to the destruction of infrastructure, banks, and all the physical money stored in them.


    I can only guess since the background situation wasn''t addressed much in the novel but it''s likely that all the nobles below the middle-higher ss or those who don''t have savings will fall into poverty.


    ''Now that I think about it, I should also think of a way to make money before the cmity arrives since I don''t think the amount we have¡ªmine and my parent''s bank ountsbined¡ªwill be enough tost us forever.''


    I made a mental note as I wiped the remaining stew with the bread and gulped it down with a sip of coffee. With this, I was done and had to wait for my cheesecake to arrive.


    [You are surely a fast eater.] a voice echoed in my head; it was Reqmunicating with me via the soul thing she''d told me.


    ''What will you expect, I haven''t eaten properly for a week.''


    [Yeah, Yeah. I believe you.]


    ''That aside. How can you stillmunicate with me?''


    [Heeeehhhhh? Didn''t I tell you already, since we are one now either of us could reach out to the other through the connection we have between our souls?]


    ''I wasn''t referring to that. I mean, I don''t have the sword with me right now¡ªit''s lying in the room. Does this thing still work?''


    [Sigh. If you''re deliberately doing this then please stop, I don''t like to say the same thing over and over again. I told you that our souls are now one, didn''t I? Do you know what a soul is? The base and core of every living being, and now the three of us¡ªRequiem, you, and I¡ªshare the same core¡ªsoul. It doesn''t matter how far we are, we canmunicate since we are bound together at the very base of life.]


    This was some news to me. There is definitely more to the Requiem sword than I think and what was in the novel. Its abilities can be put to various uses. This telepathic connection, for example, could work as a spy device. I should take my time and research a bit on itter.


    ''I see. That clears it.''


    [Don''t make me say it again, it''s frustrating.]


    I ignored her bbering and focused on the cheesecake that had just been delivered in front of me. I had already paid for it so without wasting any time I helped myself and munched on the dessert.

 Chapter 187 Back On Tracks [1]

    When I had my stomach full and satisfied, I left the cafeteria and headed toward the main academy building.


    It was a fresh morning. The weather was clear and cool. The grass on the ground waved from time to time whenever a gentle gust of wind passed by, tossing the broken flower petals in the air and hurling them up in the vast sky.


    It was around 9:45 and the number of students on the grounds was increasing.


    Some of the students who had just woken up were rushing into the cafe for breakfast, those who were already done with that were heading for the main building, and those who didn''t have sses or decided to skip them were either headed for either the training facility or enjoying their time in the open garden¡ªsome with books and some savoring their ownpany.


    It was nice¡­living in the present, for once in a while.


    ? I was sessful in avoiding my death, the Requiem sword was also with me, and I had settled things with Ryfin too¡ªat least that''s what I would like to think. For now, there wasn''t going to be any major event in the academy that could harm my life, thus I didn''t really have anything to do.


    Well, I did have a few things in a while¡ªsuch as training with the Requiem sword and getting used to it, but they weren''t life-threatening. In short, I finally had some time to take it slow and easy for a while.


    I let out a sigh as I admired the environment around me. It was¡­beautiful. I''d been tangled up in so many things that I basically forgot the fact that I was in a fantasy world. A dream every author has at least thought about. I was living that dream right and was in a world of swords and magic¡­


    I was so lost in admiring the beauty of the fantasy that I didn''t realize it when I reached the main building. As I entered through the gate along with the other students I saw a metal te fixed on the wall above with several letters engraved on it.


    ''Ah, I almost forgot about it.''


    I''d been addressing the buildings in the academy as ''main building'', ''training facility ''and ''office building'' because that''s what they were and it was easy to remember.


    Although that doesn''t help the fact that these buildings had their names too.


    The main building was called ''Mains'', the training facility building was called ''Instrs'', and the office building was called ''Harts''. These were the official names given to each of the buildings by the academy staff.


    Hmm, now that I think about it, using their given names should be easier since they were short. Well, whatever.


    I went inside and after walking in through the maze of multiple hallways and corridors I reached my ss. ss 1B.


    I stepped inside the ssroom and let my gaze wander across the room. It was already filled one-fourth, meaning that only the students who wereter were left.


    Standing near the entrance I looked at the seats and noticed that the ce where I used to sit was already upied by another student. Hence, I walked up and chose another empty one in the right corner of the row.


    I sat and rested my hands on the table in front of me. My eyes scanned the atmosphere inside the room and only then did I realize that I again forgot to bring notes with me. I mean, really. Everyone here was sitting with papers and pens to note down the lessons.<sub> </sub>


    ¡­Okay not everyone, there were a few who were like me but you know in which category those types fall.


    For once, I thought about going and buying the paper and pen from the shop or grabbing one from my room but then as the distance between the dorms and the shops have from the Mains came into my mind, I discarded the idea upon seeing the time on the wall clock hanging above the ckboard.


    ''It''s not like anyone''s gonna scold me for it,'' was the excuse I gave to myself. It was true though. The teachers didn''t force anyone to note down the lessons, it was upon the students to decide what they had to do.


    They could write them down if they want to but if they are geniuses with superhuman memory then they can just sit with nothing but thin air on their tables.


    In all the sses I''ve attained until now, not even once have I shown up with something that could be used to write. A part of it was because these lessons didn''t really mean anything to me¡ªthe magic lessons to be precise.


    Yes, I hade to this academy to gain knowledge about magic but I already knew how to use elemental magic¡ªand I was growing more ustomed to it with each day. These lessons which started with basic elemental magic didn''t matter to me¡ªunlike the other students who were new to this or only knew to cast spells through an incantation.


    The other reason was¡­I couldn''t use spells by using magic circles. Yeah. At first, I thought I was having a problem memorizing the circles just like other students but apparently, that wasn''t the case.


    For some reason, I was not able to cast spells even after I had the whole magic circle printed in my mind, down to thest, minute detail. The cause I didn''t know but I''ll pass it as the same reason I wasn''t able to use the magiken before¡ªmy mana being different from the majority.


    The magic circles which were taught to us now were premade ones created by the magicians over the ages, they were used because they were the best out there. However, that doesn''t mean they were perfect.


    The circles the academy taught to the students were best because they werepatible with almost every person, actually, that was the main reason the academy used them¡ªso that each student could cast spells with the help of those circles.


    It goes without saying that those weren''t meant for me because my mana was different.


    You see, the patterns and runes in the magic circles contain information. Each and every spell is broken down into pieces of information such as the area the said spell will affect, the speed of the attack, the amount of mana used, the duration of the spell, dy in fire, recoil, sound, and many more things even I don''t know about.


    All these chunks of information are expressed into runes without areterpressed further into magic circles. In order to use a spell, the user had to remember the runes and the circle and create the same circle again with nothing but mana.


    This process is rather automatic, if you have a clear image of the magic circle in your mind and then channel the mana in your body, the real circle will appear just by thinking about it. But for me, that''s where it doesn''t work.


    My theory is that just like the other pieces of information, the frequency of one''s mana is also inscribed in the magic circles, mine doesn''t match with it thus I''m unable to use the circle itself.


    As I thought about this, Ryfin entered the ss with his usual teacher''s smile.

 Chapter 188 Back On Tracks [2]

    All the students stood in rows on the concrete floor inside arge, spacious room.


    It was much bigger than our ssroom¡ªmaybe four times bigger. It was open and empty and had no furniture besides the human dummies that took a stance at the far end of the room.


    The walls were thick, withyers of concrete and bricks infused with magic to increase their durability and atst, was a metal sheet painted over the bricks that gave them a vague glossy look. The ceiling probably used the same form as it was simr in look but had t strips of magic lights that illuminated the whole area.


    Right now we, the whole of ss 1B, were in a room specifically made to practice magic. This was one of the many rooms which were located in the Mains rather than in Instrs and were simr in design.


    These types of rooms were named Bunks and were used to practice spells. The only thing making them different from the training facility was that they were not to be used for a single student but for the whole ss at the same time¡ªmultiple sses too, if necessary.


    That was also one of the reasons why they were built in the Mains and not in the Instrs¡ªto make them easy to ess. Since it would''ve been a pain if the whole ss had to walk over to the Instrs every time they had to learn something which required the use of spells¡ªtaking into ount the distance the two buildings had and the maze of hallways the students had to go through.


    To avoid all this, multiple rooms which were durable enough to bear the destructive force of the magic spells were built and named Bunks. As of now, I don''t know how many Bunks there are, nor do I have the time or will to find out, but the one we were in was named 2C.


    And in the group of ss B students, I stood in the middle of thest line, watching Ryfin as he exined to us the context of what today''s ss is all about.


    Apparently, today was the day when he was going to teach us the first custom magic spell since now everyone in the ss was able to use basic elemental magic with the use of a magic circle¡ªexcept me, of course.


    Despite that, it had taken them a whole month and a half to get to this point. I don''t know if this was due to the difference in skill but I''d seen some of the ss A students use magic circles which looked like custom magic. It might not be irrelevant to say that their ss had already gotten over this stage.


    But then again, it was our fault to begin with, not the academy''s. If we learned elemental magic faster he would have waited a month for nothing and had begun teaching us elemental magic.


    "Now, now, enough with the exnations. I will now show you the spell you all are going to learn, so watch carefully," said Ryfin as he pped his hands and gathered the attention of all the students¡ªincluding those who were talking and ignoring him until now.


    He then turned his back to us and faced the human dummies which were kept far away, at the end before the wall. He signaled one of the three workers who stood there with his hand. He went near the dummies, held one with both his hands, and put it forward, at a distance from the others. Then ran back to the side.


    Ryfin turned toward us to make sure that all the students were watching. Satisfied, he faced the dummy again and stretched out his right hand, and unfolded his index finger.


    What we heard next was not what we expected, as it was the sound of Ryfin reciting an incantation. I''d say it was a clean one; with short and organized words and it wasn''t so long either.<sub> </sub>


    "Spark Pulse," he ended with those words.


    A line of white and blue broke out from his index finger, it was a beam as thin as a pencil. It was violent, thundering, and loud. The line of electricity went straight and pierced into the chest of the human dummy.


    A hole appeared in its chest as the dummy''s green slimy skin burned with the heat produced by the lightning. Several small branches of thunder parted from the main beam and hit the dummy in multiple spots, leaving behind burned wounds.


    Then after a few seconds, it disappeared and Ryfin dropped his hand.


    "What you saw just now was a lighting-type custom magic spell. However, it was not that powerful. Can anyone tell why?" he asked as he turned in our direction.


    "It''s obvious. Because it used an incantation and not a magic circle," one of the students from the front row responded.


    "Correct. Casting a spell with incantation could be easy but ites with many cons. First of all, it wastes too much mana. For example, if 10 mana is required to cast a certain spell, an incantation will use up 12 and those 2 will be wasted in the process. Although if the same spell was activated via a magic circle, it will not only not use more than 10 mana, depending upon how good the circle is, it will use that 10 at its fullest. Minimizing the input and maximizing the output."


    Ryfin took a good look at the crowd of students. "Didn''t get it?" he asked as he nced at the students who were trying to look like they understood everything but, in reality, were clueless.


    "Well, it might be easier if I just show you the difference," he said as he turned toward the dummy again¡ªwhich, by now, had healed itself.


    "I''m going to use the same spell but with a magic circle. Watch closely," he stretched out his right hand in a simr manner; however instead of unfolding his finger, he opened his palm.


    I could see his mana materialize in a mist-like form before it turned into aplex mixture of runes and patterns, in short, a magic circle. It was sky blue in color and shone brilliantly.


    The next second what he heard was exactly what we had expected. It was a loud, roaring sound of thunder. A bolt of lightning busted out from the magic circle and headed straight for the human dummy.


    This bolt was totally unlike the previous one. It was wide and uneven, it looked like those you saw in the sky during a thunderstorm.


    The dummy''s chest split open as the bolt collided with it. Some of the green slimy substance the dummy was made of, dropped on the floor when a big hole, wide enough that you could see through, opened in the dummy''s upper body¡ªbeginning from the neck and ending just before the abdomen.

 Chapter 189 Back On Tracks [3]

    Ryfin''s lighting died out only a second after hitting its target¡ªwhich was a shorter time periodpared to the previous one. The magic circle disappeared as he pulled back his arm and inserted it in his pocket.


    Time passed, but the dummy did not heal itself.


    After all, what it did was healing not regeneration, and even that was only possible to a certain extent. There was no way it could heal when the substance the dummy was made of was itself burned and turned to nothing; the mass where the hole had opened was now nowhere to be found.


    "See? That''s the difference a magic circle can make. Some attributes were changed but it was the same spell,'' Ryfin mentioned and stood to face us.


    His eyes were wandering and scanning us when they suddenly stopped at one student in the second row who had raised his hand¡­no, her hand.


    "Yes?" he pointed at the girl.


    "Before you said that you will be using the same spell, but now you are saying that some attributes were changed. Why is that?" the girl said, presenting her queries in front of Ryfin.


    "Now, that''s a good question," he remarked and signaled the girl to put her hand down afterward.


    "Some attributes were changed when I cast the spell via a magic circle, or so I said. And there is a reason for this, I''m actually d that you asked since knowing this will help youter on.


    "You see, wherever you convert a spell that was originally made to be activated through incantation into a spell that is used using a magic circle, making minor changes is unavoidable. Because without that the spell won''t work since it was not made to be activated by a magic circle. To understand this the easy way, let me exin it to you by taking the lighting spell "Spark Pulse" I used as an example.


    "That spell was founded years before I was born, and was originally an incantation-driven magic spell. Butter on, when the magic circle method turned out to be more efficient, it was converted into a magic circle-driven spell along with many others.


    "But here''s the catch. The way incarnation-driven spells are programmed is different from how the magic circle-driven ones are programmed.


    "You will learn thatter since there''s a whole topic and an R & D branch dedicated to the conversion of spells and how they were programmed, but let me exin it to you in short.


    "You all know how a spell is broken down into small pieces of information such as the amount of mana required to activate the spell, its area of effect, strength, range, span, and such. Usually, the more details you add, therger the magic circle is, and the harder it is to maintain it. The same is the case with incantations.


    "The more details you add, the longer the incantation will be; which is a negative point since it''ll take more time to cast the spell. That''s why the mages came up with shortcuts to cut the length of the chants.<sub> </sub>


    "Like theybined the area of effect and the strength of the spell together with the amount of mana required to cast the spell. This way a connection was formed which ensured that the area affected by the spell and its strength will be directly proportional to the amount of mana you will provide.


    "If you give more mana, the more powerful the spell will be. If you give less, the weaker the spell will be¡­" he paused and looked at the students to see if someone had any questions.


    When he received no such response, he continued.


    "But you can''t do this when you''re creating magic circles sincebining three attributes will cause the circle to malfunction. And as a matter of fact, it is not impossible to do this, it''s just that no one has been sessful; many tried but failed.


    "Now, back to the topic. Combining three attributes in one is not possible in a magic circle-driven spell, but those attributes are one in the incantation-driven spell you are trying to convert into a magic circle one. So what will you do to make it work?" heunched the question toward us, hoping that someone would catch it.


    A round of mumbling started among the students but no one could gather the confidence to raise their hand and answer. Probably because they were not hundred percent sure and at the same time, worried that they might make a fool out of themselves if they spoke the wrong answer.


    As for me, I was no different. I had a few theories¡ªmore like hunches¡ªbut kept them to myself.


    Seeing the behavior of the ss, Ryfin gave them a disappointed look. Although it onlysted for the span of a second since he switched to exining right after that.


    "Since we can''tbine three attributes in the magic circle, the only choice we have is to use the three attributes separately as they were bound to be used and guess the values based on how the spell was used by the majority.


    "If 7 out of 10 people cast the spell with 10 mana and out of it 5 mana were directed toward strength, then the value assigned to the strength attribute in the final magic circle we will make will be 5 too¡ªsince that is the widely used value.


    "Of course, you can change the value by changing the magic circle to your liking but we are talking about the premade magic circle right now. And the value assigned to them is the same as the average value found in the surveys that were conducted onrge scales...do you all get it now?"


    Some of the students nodded while some remained as they were.


    "In short," he said. "The small difference whiches between the incantation version and the magic circle version of the same spell is the attributes that were changed during the conversion¡ªalong with the change in efficiency, of course."


    He paused again, and this time almost all the students looked like they understood the gist of it.

 Chapter 190 Back On Tracks [4]

    After Ryfin was done exining the matters of how an incantation-driven spell is converted into a magic circle-driven one, he told the students, and we started off practicing the lighting-type custom magic spell he''d shown us in the beginning.


    He made one of the workers bring an easel and then pinned an extensive white paper on it, which was painted with a magic circle¡ªthe same as the one that appeared before Ryfin''s palm when he cast the spell back then.


    The students started memorizing the magic circle with all the efficiency they could muster. Some were ring at it attentively, while the others were drawing it in their notebooks over and over again in hopes of engraving the patterns in their brains during the process.


    There were a few confident ones too, those who were done in the span of a few minutes and went on to st off the lighting. Only to embarrass themselves in front of the whole ss.


    Half an hour passed before a handful of students were able to summon the magic circle with their mana. An hour passed before they were able to shoot lighting but one that extinguished before reaching its target. An hour and a half passed before a single student was able to st the bolt.


    The sound of the roaring thunder caught everyone by surprise when they were busy with their work. However, it was only a matter of time since everyone paid no mind and went back to minding their own business.


    As for me. Well, I was facing the same problem I did with the elemental magic circles. I was done memorizing the circle in about a little more than thirty minutes, but when it came to summoning it with my mana, it was still a downfall for me.


    Whenever I tried to channel my mana and summon the circle, it felt like my mana was not going where I wanted it to go. It was like water flowing out of the drains and going in an entirely different direction.


    I still don''t know what was causing it. Yes, I had theories but in the end, that is all they were¡­theories with no solid proof backing them up.


    So for now I was just pretending that I can''t memorize the circle and killing time somehow. From time to time I noticed Ryfin ncing over to me to see what I was doing, but there was no way he found what he was looking for.


    During the entrance exam, I had gone a bit overboard and made a cringe choice of threatening him by showing him some of my powers and what I was capable of. I honestly don''t know why I did this¡ªprobably because I thought of him as an NPC and thought that he would forget about me after a while, but he didn''t.


    From then, I was aware of him and aware of how much I messed up that time. Ryfin was probably looking for a chance to see my powers again and what I was capable of¡ªhe also mentioned that I was ''interesting'' during our conversion after I returned to the academy¡ªbut to his bad luck, I was not giving him that chance.


    He might know my true nature and some of the things I''ve done but he hadn''t seen the true extent of my physical or magical prowess. And I wasn''t keen on making him know¡­


    One by one the students seeded in casting the spell, and by the end of today''s session¡ªwhich was three hours long¡ªout of 40 students, a quarter of them were able topletely activate the spell and st off the lightning bolt.<sub> </sub>


    The remaining of the ss was not able to go with it till the end, but most were able to summon the magic circle, if not shoot the lightning. I was the only one who failed, along with a few more students, but they weren''t even trying to learn, so it doesn''t count I guess.


    The ss ended and I walked out of the Bunks and headed out toward the green, open fields. There was a fifteen-minute gap before the sses for sword arts started so I decided to take a good little break.


    I walked out in the open and after rolling my eyes here and there and looking for a good ce, I found a tree with its leaves casting a gentle shadow on the ground. I went there and sat on the ground, leaning my back against the trunk.


    Closing my eyes, I let my body rx as the slow, lukewarm breezes of wind passed by. The sound of the leaves dancing due to the air rang in my ears, but it was not bad. The wind came and embraced me, and since it was a warm gust in the cold winter, it felt nice.


    ¡­I''d be lying if I said that I wasn''t disappointed and turned off by how things yed out.


    Despite all the things that had been going on around me there was still a part of me that wanted to try custom magic. After all, that was my main interest when I enrolled in this academy, unaware that I was in a world based on loli_pop''s novel.


    Not being able to do it ruined my mood, even more so when I didn''t know exactly why I was unable to do it.


    "...It''s frustrating," I sighed, letting out a heavy breath.


    A few minutes passed and Iy there still, ignoring the world as if time had stopped for me, or not minding anything as if I didn''t belong here and did not care about what would happen here like it was not my business.


    However, nothingsts forever. And my sense offort was also brushed away when the academy bell rang and resounded throughout the whole campus, marking the start of the sses.


    I exhaled, letting out another heavy sigh. I gathered my thoughts and forced my body to my feet, dusted the dirt off of my clothes, and headed back inside the Mains. The walk was tiring and the distance felt longer than usual, there was this feeling I couldn''t figure out.


    Maybe I wanted to rest, but couldn''t afford to. Hence I had no option but to keep on going, facing whatever hurdle fate threw at me. It''s not like I had a choice, to begin with, my journey and troubles were already set in stone the moment I was born in this world.

 Chapter 191 Back On Tracks [5]

    Nothing much happened in the sses for sword arts. Ryfin was teaching us how to gain more control over our magikens, how to use them efficiently, and how to blend the abilities it increased into our sword styles.


    I am not proud to say this but at this point in the sword art sses, I was the only student without a magiken. This, of course, invited unwanted attention to me but it''s been a while since I was this and all the taunts and light bullying had stopped by now.


    Now, I was able to magiken with the help of the Requiem sword but why I wasn''t using it here, there were two reasons for it.


    First, I had no fixed control over it. During my fight with the uth, I waspletely overwhelmed by its power and my enhanced sense that I wasn''t even able to deliver a straight sh. I don''t want to lose control here, hence I was better off not doing it.


    And secondly, for some reason, my magiken only worked when I was using the Requiem sword. I had tried doing it with a normal sword, but it didn''t work. I don''t know the reason, but it was on the list of things I''d to ask Req about.


    That settles it, I guess. Since I didn''t have anything to do, the three-hour-long ss felt like an eternity to me.


    The way sword arts sses were held made it worse. Unlike the magic sses, here you had to improve by yourself since sword art is all about creating your style.


    Ryfin would help the students from time to time, pointing out their mistakes and adjusting their stances, but the rest they had to do on their own. We were in a different bunk room than before, and this one was filled with all sorts of human dummies.


    They came in various sizes and body patterns, some d in armor, while some enchanted with spells that would make them release a little explosion if hit by the sword. Honestly, I could not even describe thempletely, the variations were crazy in numbers.


    Although, this was like a paradise for the students. The reaction when they first saw this bunk was the same as the one you get after leaving a bunch of kids in a room filled with toys.


    It wasn''t long before each of them grabbed the sword and began grinding their sword techniques and beating the hell out of the human dummies. At one point, I even took pity on the poor dummies, all while I shed one with a magiken-less sword in my hands.


    Doing nothing would have been weird and awkward, hence I was perfecting my stance and technique with a normal sword without magiken. In the middle of it all, Req interrupted multiple times, suggesting that she can tell me some good moves but I denied her outright.


    That wasn''t what I was trying to do here, I wanted to try and create a technique of my own and use the sword arts how it was supposed to be used. I mean, yeah, until now all of my attacks were a mixed mess of the basics I was taught by Anya and the moves I''d seen in anime and movies. They weren''t a part of any technique.


    I was not interested in swords, to begin with, so I ignored this w until now, but since I had the Requiem sword now, I thought it wouldn''t hurt to try and do the real thing for once.<sub> </sub>


    Therefore I told her to only guide me to improve my stances and work on my basics. The result, well, I was surprised by how much she taught me in three hours.


    I won''t say this lightened the fire and bought out my hidden talent for sword arts, no, nothing like that. But it sure made me get a hold of all the basics I had forgotten.


    I may be giving Req more credit than she deserved, since all she did was tell me the basics I already knew¡ªwhich Anya taught me. Up until now, they were just pushed back in my memory, and she did the job of bringing them forth¡ªlike revising your sybus before the exam.


    And by the time the sses were over I stepped out of the bunks, I knew all the basic stances, techniques, and attacks whether they be defensive or offensive.


    All in all, the sword arts sses weren''t as dry as I thought they would be.


    Done with the lessons for today I walked out and on my way saw the time on one of the wall clocks. It was 4:20 in the evening right now.


    I was getting hungry, so I headed straight for the cafeteria and had my evening snack apanied by arge cup of coffee. Then, as I was told by the staff, I went to Ryfin''s office and collected the notes for all the sses I had missed.


    No, I didn''t. I went there but came back empty-handed since the offer was that I have to copy the notes by myself. I''ve mentioned this before, but all they taught during the time I was absent was elemental magic, and I had no need for those notes. Hence, I brushed the matter off and came back to my dorm room.


    I took off my shoes, got inside, and closed the door. I took off my zer too and hung it inside the wardrobe, but let the uniform remain on my body. Then I stepped inside the kitchen, grabbed a te, and came back.


    Sitting on my bed, I rested the te on the desk and emptied the paper bag I was carrying on it. Two round and brown circles with a hole at their center rolled out of the bag and onto the te. They were donuts I''d bought on my way back.


    I waited for a few seconds, sitting quietly before the Requiem sword that was ced in the corner of my room shone a brilliant white, a light that enveloped the whole room within itself for the time it was out.


    The light vanished and a girl with dark ocean-blue hair appeared before me.

 Chapter 192 Back On Tracks [6]

    On the second floor of the Harts, was a room. Its interior was well managed, the floor covered with an elegant green carpet with golden borders, near the wall which had a big window with stained ss was a long, rectangr wooden table made of dark oak. There was a ss sheet covering the top of the table and there were a few things resting on the table such as a pen holder, a paperweight, and some hardcover books.


    Prior to the table was a chair with cotton padding on its seat and back it looked more like a small sofa¡ªthere were two more chairs resting on the opposite side and were built with the same mastery and quality.


    Except for the window that was just behind the table, all the others were closed with long and sleek curtains which were red in color. There were a few more things in the room: a small and round wooden table that was ced in the corner with four seats around it, two long sofas that were face to face with a stand between them, andstly, a slim wardrobe with a big cloak mounted on its face.


    There was a man standing behind the table, the man to whom this room belonged to. With his hands folded behind he was looking out through the window. He was dressed in an expensive gray suit, beautiful leather boots, and a pair of rectangr sses before his eyes.


    He wasn''t chubby but not muscr either, somewhere in the middle. His hair had dyed out and was matching with the color of his suit, and so was his mustache. There was an air of elegance and power around him, it gave off the feeling that this was not a normal man.


    A part of it was probably due to therge portrait with his picture that was painted on the left wall.


    This was the cabin room of the director of the Zaforth''s magic academy, and the man standing there was Elnaril Winterblood, the director of this academy.


    As he stood there ring out at the academy campus which was now shone golden with the light of the evening sun, the door to the room opened with a clicking sound and a man walked in.


    "You arete," said Elnaril.


    "I''m sorry. A few things came up and I forgot" the man replied as he came and stood before the main table.


    "You forgot, huh? ¡­Well, you''re probably the only person who can give such an excuse, in front of me no less," Elnaril stated and turned to face the man.


    Before the table who stood was Ryfin. With a couple of papers in his hand, he looked as if he came running here. Maybe forgetting the meeting wasn''t really an excuse.


    He greeted the director with a smile and put the stack of papers on the table.


    "That''s his statement," he pointed.


    Elnaril got down on his sofa and reached out a hand to grab the papers, he then slid them near himself and began to skim through them. After a minute or so when he was done roughly reading them, he pushed them back toward Ryfin and looked at him.


    "Do you believe in this?" he asked.


    Ryfin nced down at the papers for a while before shifting his gaze back to the director.


    "Challes kidnapped him because he defeated and humiliated his son in front of the whole academy during the interss training session. After the explosion that was witnessed by Leon Void, Anya nks, and Ellyn Rosenberg, Challes and he¡ªZero nks, was thought to be dead while in reality Challes still had life left in him.


    "When everyone was gone he dragged Zero out of there and into an unknown building. He was held captive there for a week until one day when Challes finally died due to all the injuries he had gained and theck of mana in his body. He sought the opportunity and used this chance to escape back to the academy," Ryfin paused and nced at the director.


    "Or so he says," he added. "It certainly is believable, especially since there is ack of details. You can''t go on to pick the loopholes because there isn''t much information to begin with. You can''t me him for this too as you would literally be asking a boy who was kidnapped, injured, and half dead for the details of how it happened."


    The director let out a light sigh as he interlocked his fingers and rested his elbows on the table.


    "That''s not what I''m asking, is it?" he said. "Do YOU believe it or not?"


    Ryfin looked thoughtful for a moment as he went on about something in his mind, then as if deciding on the answer he said, "I do."<sub> </sub>


    "Fine then. That''s all I wanted to know," Elnarial picked one out of many pens which were standing in a wooden holder. Opened the tip, flipped to thest page and signed at the bottom right corner.


    Ryfin watched from the side during all this. He was still, however, his behavior was not like other people when they met the director. Most of them were intimated, scared, or overwhelmed by his presence but Ryfin was none of this.


    He was calm andposed. And along with Ryfin, Elnarial''s way to react toward him also varied. It was if both of them were childhood friends, which was not possible since Elnarial was almost double in age ifpared with Ryfin.


    Nheless, there''s no denying that there was no formal air between the two figures.


    "What''ll happen to his boy?" Ryfin asked, he was referring to Challes''s son.


    "He is above the age of fifteen and has no mother. He''ll probably inherit all the wealth and property, what he does with it is not the academy''s business."


    "Will he be expelled?"


    Elnarial red up at Ryfin. "...Just asking."


    "I see no reason to expel the boy. He broke no rule, all the deeds were done by his father. As long as he can pay the tuition there won''t be no need to force him out," Elnarial stated.


    "We need to tell him a convincing cover story too. Telling him the truth might not be a good idea. If the kid was consumed by his emotions and let them take the better of him and told others about what really happened, it can cause a leak of information. The whole reason to keep this incident a secret will be ruined then."


    Ryfin was mostly mumbling to himself but he was loud enough that Elnarial heard what he said and responded with a re.


    "Oh? Of course, I can handle that myself. I can''t go around troubling you for small matters such as these," he rified.


    "That''s what you always say, yet you end up getting me involved in your mess. I hope it will be otherwise this time."


    Ryfin did not reply and nodded elegantly before he took the paper Elnarial had signed and left the room. Closing the door back.


    Elnarial stared at the table for a while, in his head maybe he was thinking something but wasn''t quite able toe to terms with it. Perhaps it was about the incident regarding Challes, or maybe it was something else.


    For a minute or so the only sound remaining in the room was the ticking of the clock as its needles moved. Then he rose to his feet, slid open one of the drawers under the table, and picked a cigar out of many which were in it.


    Taking out a pack of matchsticks from his pocket he lit the cigar and smoked as he turned toward the window behind him. He opened one of the panes and let the smoke fly out into the open air.


    He looked down at the academy he''d been held responsible for. He looked down at the Mains, he looked down at the coliseum, he looked down at the Instrs which was a bit far away, andstly, he looked down at the grounds and the students walking on it.


    This was the academy he had inherited along with his father''s name. Along with it came responsibilities, and to apany them came secrets. Secrets that no one knew about. Secrets that no one wanted to know about.


    After all, you would probably have a better time sleeping if you were not aware of the fact that there was a world out there, bustling with demons who could interfere and attack at any time.


    However, there were some people who had to live with these secrets¡ªnot one but many secrets¡ªso that the rest of the world could sleep a carefree night. Elnarial was one of them.

 Chapter 193 Dark Edge [1]

    "This! This! This is so good! I-I¡­ I have no words to describe it! It''s so good that I can die for it! The amount of mana has lessened, and this world has grown weaker, but the food! The food is something I couldn''t even dream of having back in those days!!!"


    "Can you stop exaggerating?"


    "Huh? I''m not doing over-anything! I''m just tellin'' the truth!"


    I tried to quiet her, but Req was so busy admiring the taste of the donuts I''d bought that for the time it went on, my existence didn''t matter to her. Shepletely ignored me.


    When she was done eating¡ªwhich was a long time really, she ate like a sloth and muttered how good it was after every bite¡ªwas the time she finally took note of me.


    I was sitting on the bed, leaning my back against the wall and skimming through the pages of my diary¡ªin which I''ve written the rough plot of loli_pop''s novel.


    My goal was to check if something major was going to happen anytime soon, but there was none of it. The closest event I could find was the midterm exam, but even that was four months away.


    In short, I had some time for myself. ''Though that doesn''t mean I can rest all the time,'' I thought as I put the diary on the desk and hopped out of the bed.


    "Let''s go," I said. After giving it a thought, I picked up the diary again, walked up to my wardrobe, and put it inside one of the drawers as I took my zer out.


    "Go? Where are we going at this time? Just to be clear, I''m not interested in forey. If you are into that sort of thing then it''s fine, but I''ll prefer if you directly¡ª"


    "We''re going to do some training."


    "Yeah, like I said. You can train all you want, but I''ll prefer to get straight into the¡ª"


    I turned to face Req, her face had that wry little smile she was so proud of.


    "Turn into the sword, I can''t have you hanging out on the campus," I said forcefully with a serious tone.


    "Heh? Aren''t we going to be using your sword and my sheath¡­" I passed her a straight look. "Fine, fine. You always have to spoil the mood," she mumbled with a dying voice ofplete displeasure.


    She raised her dominant hand toward me and signaled me with her eyes to hold it. Just as I reached out and grabbed her palm, her body shone brightly before it turned into the Requiem sword which I was holding by its hilt.


    I wore my zer, tied myces, and left my room. I was on my way through thest corridor of the dorm building when I suddenly grew aware of a fact due to the asional nces I was getting from the passing students.


    ''Doesn''t this sword have a sheath?'' I asked internally.


    I hadn''t given this much thought until now but the Requiem sword never came with a sheath. Even when it came out from the seal¡ªthe stone it was stuck into¡ªit was only the de that was there.


    [No, it doesn''t. And why do you even need a sheath in the first ce?]


    ''I can''t go around roaming in the academy with an unsheathed sword in my hands. Well, at least not until I want a one-way ticket out of the academy.''


    [Heh? What''s the problem with that? Having a sheath will only lessen the beauty of Requiem. I can''t have that.]


    I don''t know why but I felt something off in her words.


    ''No? Then I''ll have to go pick one from the store¡ªa sheath, that is.''


    [Wait! What?! No, no, no! You can''t do that! There''s no way you can put any, filthy, sheath on Requiem. You just can''t!!!]


    ''I think you are mistaken in your reasoning. I can do that.''


    [No! A big buffing no! You''ll insult her beauty by putting her inside a random sheath! Requiem''s not a ything, you know.]<sub> </sub>


    ''I don''t see the part where that''s my problem. To me, it''s just a sword, thus I''ll handle it like one. And a sword is kept inside a sheath albeit the time you''re using it, so that will be the case with this one too.''


    [...] There was silence. She didn''t say anything for a while, though then what I heard next was indeed Req''s voice, but in a dull, unwilling tone.


    [You know?]


    ''I know.''


    [Sigh¡­ Fine then. But remember, I don''t like this at all. Back in the days when I was Requiem''s wielder, the only thing sheathing her was the blood of the people and monsters it had in.]


    As she said that, a dark, shadow-Esque cloud formed around the sword''s de. At first, I thought that I had seen something like this before, and after giving it a thought I recalled that it was simr to the substance that made Req''s clothes.


    The cloud of shadow settled around the de, it fit perfectly as if it was a part of the sword¡ªwhich was likely the case I suppose. The shadow hardened and took the shape of a solid, pure ck, mat-finished sheath.


    Unlike the color of the de, this sheath was pure ck and reflected no light. There were fine detailing of gold on its sides, but it was so firm and delicate that one could almost overlook it.


    ''Well, this is better. Is this the original sheath?''


    [Yes, it is. It was always with her, but I never used it. I didn''t want to.]


    ''I see.''


    With my sword covered, I was a bit morefortable than before in hanging out with it. You might say why I was doing this and what if someone saw me, but there wasn''t any problem with that.


    Many students who came from noble families with a bloodline that stretched far back in history had weapons and swords which carried their family''s name. Some even bought equipment that was far too expensive and wasn''t avable in the Zenith kingdom. This, of course, meant that they carried them together in the academy.


    In short, what I''m trying to say is that having your weapons in the academy was eptable and totally within the rules. Although, that doesn''t mean you can carry it with you all the time.


    The basic rules allotted to the use of weapons are still followed. You can''t carry the weapons with you unless you are training in the Instrs or there is a case where the use of that weapon is required in the sses¡ªto bring your weapon into regr sses, you''d have to take permission from your homeroom teacher.


    That was one of the reasons why I was using a normal sword during the sword arts sses, since I don''t want to involve Ryfin in this. Though right now I was headed to the Instrs, so it was fine to take it with me.


    After all, there would be no meaning to this training if I didn''t do it with the Requiem sword.


    ***


    I opened the door in front of me and stepped inside. With t and thick metal-ted walls and solid concrete floor, before mey an enormous room made purely for training purposes.


    I closed and locked the door behind me as I walked further into the room. The area was well-lit due to the magic lights ced on the ceiling and the top corners. It was so perfect that one might think that this room did not belong to a medieval period¡ªwhich was somewhat true too, as this world had many things which didn''t exist during the real medieval times.


    I reached the center of the room, and only then did I realize how big it was. The size differed vastlypared to the room I''d rented before for training. And this meant that I had to pay more for it.


    But it was all worth it, this was just the ce I wanted. Where I could train away from the eyes of the world.


    I held the Requiem sword close to my chest and was about to sh it out from its sheath. Though just as I rubbed my hand on it the sheath turned back into a shadow and vanished, revealing the clear, dark-blue de.


    ''I shouldn''t do this in public,'' I made a mental note of the fact. Sheaths didn''t vanish when you removed them, this was something that would invite trouble if done in the presence of other people.


    "Anyway, let''s get straight to it," I said to myself, holding the sword straight in my hands and feeling the power it contained.

 Chapter 194 Dark Edge [2]

    There was a loud booming sound apanied by two small shock waves when I kicked off the ground and dashed toward the human dummies. It was quick and didn''t take a minute to cover the distance.


    Reaching close I swiftly swung the sword at the nearest dummy. The de clicked and touched the skin on the dummy''s neck, then like a hot knife through butter, the sword split the dummy''s head apart from its body in a single sh.


    Inded across perfectly and flickered the sword in the air before turning behind and looking at the dummy that was now lying on the ground with its head rolling on the side. I then nced at the sword in my hands.


    This was sharp as fuck, but that''s how a sword''s supposed to be; so it was the least of my concerns. Pushing the useless thoughts in my head aside I dashed forward again.


    The sword did its work; this time, the number of heads severed was three simultaneously. Inded at a distance, scanned the destroyed bodies, and then repeated the same thing all over again.


    This went on for a span of around thirty minutes before I got tired of it and stopped. I was cutting the dummies just fine but that was about it. If I wanted to get a hold of magiken and the Requiem then this was the wrongest of the wrongest methods I could choose.


    The human dummies were a great told to practice but at the same time, they were pretty much useless if you wanted to train at a higer level since they did not move an inch. How much will you improve by cutting a still target that doesn''t even counter-attacks or defends itself.


    It was a huge pain in the ass. And I was thinking about a way to deal with this, a way to practice and get used to my magiken, a way of training without involving anyone else. It was then when my eyes wandered into the vast room and noticed Req who was standing and watching me from afar.


    The gears in my mind moved and an idea sparked up.


    "Come here, you''ll be helping me with this," I called, raising a hand in her direction.


    At first she looked a bit confused but came over to me anyway.


    "Go and pick up a sword," I said as I pointed toward a certain section of the wall where a number of swords hung on a t, wooden board. "You will be working with me in this."


    Req didn''t move from her ce. There was a look of amusement on her face as she broke out into a wide grin, and from the looks of it, she did not tried to hide it at all.


    "Are you sure about that?" she asked in a teasingly tone, twisting her tongue around in her mouth.


    "I am. Otherwise I wouldn''t have called, you know that," I rified.


    "Well, if that''s what you want,'' she said. After that she went and grabbed one of the swords. It was a normal long sword with a grey, metallic de and wooden handle. It was truly one of the most basic swords you could find.


    She stood in front of me, toying with the sword and ying around with it in her hands. It was as if she was checking whether it was good enough to be used by her or not. Then a few minutester she stopped and gripped the sword with one hand.


    "Satisfied?" I asked.


    "Not quite. But it will do," she responded, referring to the sword in her hands. She rubbed a finger on the edge of the sword, starting from the tip and down to the hilt. It was not that she was touching it lightly, as gently like a rub of feather, she wasn''t. Though it still doesn''t change the fact that not a single drop of blood welled up on her finger.


    When she was done, she took her finger back and raised the sword, pointing its tip in my direction. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.


    "Nothing much, nothing less. I want you to fight me so I can train with the Requiem. By now even you would have noticed that those dummies are up to no good," I said, ncing back at the severed heads with the corner of my eye.


    "Hmm. I can do that, but will you be able to handle me? I might not look like that but at one point, I was feared by the five kingdoms back in those days. The time sure has passed but my powers haven''t faded, not with the sword at least."<sub> </sub>


    "Is that so? Go easy on me then," I said casually and lifted the Requiem sword up and pointed it toward her. Both the swords were now only an inch or two apart from kissing each other''s head.


    A wry smile crept up on Req''s face. She dropped her hands and lowered the sword, walked back a few steps and then turned back at me. Her sword still not up again.


    "Come at me. Attack," she said.


    I can''t say I wasn''t taken back by this. Even if she and the Requiem sword has strayed quite a lot from what they were in the novel, I still somehow knew about her powers and strength. This also meant that I knew what I was getting into when I asked her to fight me.


    She wasn''t going to go all out, but fighting her on a low difficulty was not child''s y either. She was powerful, more powerful than me. There''s no denying the fact no matter how much I want to.


    That''s why I knew she wasn''t kidding when she dropped her guard and said to attack. I was no prince either.


    I clenched tightly at the hilt of my sword and pushed myself away from the ground. Reaching close to Req I kicked the ground multiple times to increase my speed and by the end of it I was basically hovering for a span of few seconds.


    Raising the sword up I prepared for an attack and delivered the sh just where I wanted to. On the left side of her neck, opposite to her dominant arm. The de reached close, an inch away from her skin.


    Then she vanished, her presence disappeared and there was not a single trace left of her. My swordpleted the arc and cut nothing but empty air. Inded on the ground, adjusted my bnce, and turned only to find Req standing behind me with a wry smile on her face.


    "You''re fast," I said.


    "That ain''t even the best of it," she replied casually.


    Pointing my sword toward her I held it up close to my right shoulder with both my hands. I locked my eyes on her and provided the magiken with a bit more of my mana. I knew doing this might not be the best idea but I was training so it did anyway.


    I was about tounch myself in her direction when she suddenly stopped me by showing the palm of her hand. "Here''s a little tip. Instead of dumping more mana in her, utilize what you already have. It''ll be better that way,'' she said.


    I stopped and took a moment to think about it. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated. Just like she''d said I felt up all the mana that I''d already transferred in the sword, and as I did I grew more aware of it.


    And by growing aware what I mean is, that the sword felt more like a part of me. The hilt was less rough, the grip was more natural, and its weight was surprisingly light. All of that.


    Since this was training I decided to push it a little further. I focused on my breathing, taking deep and rxed breaths. I drowned myself deeper in the realm of consciousness and inside my own mind. The more I ventured, the weird things got.


    I became painfully aware of my own body, and I mean this in a three-sixty-degree way. I could sense what was on the back if not see it, and the same went for all the directions. It was as though my instincts had been increased to a whole new level.


    I can not describe the feeling, but it was addictive. A part of me didn''t want to leave this state of mind ande out. Although it was not like I was totally lost in it, I still had control and knew what was right and what was the hunger for power that I should avoid¡ªbad hunger for power.


    Opening my eyes I looked at Req, she looked rather pleased. I nced at the sword then at my foot and hands. I changed my posture and ced the sword in front of me.


    Then when the time was right and I was done simting my path inside my mind, I kicked off the ground and darted in Req''s direction. Raising my sword as high as a proud king.

 Chapter 195 A Perfect Autumn Evening [1]

    It was evening already by the time I was done with all my sses. Normally, the majority of students went straight to the caf¨¦ or hung out with their friends. But I¡ªAnya, had a schedule that was a little different from the rest.


    Once I was done with my sses, the first thing I did was toe back to my room and settle all the notes I''d taken during the sses ordingly and arrange them in a manner so that I don''t have to go through much trouble when I want to revise and skim themter on.


    After that part was done, I hop out of my school uniform and change into casual, morefortable clothes. This part took about five to ten minutes, but it depends. Sometimes I can find the clothes fitting to my mood, but sometimes I don''t, and when that happens the whole process can take up to about half an hour.


    It might seem long, but was still shorter than the time other girls took to prepare themselves, even when they weren''t going out for a special asion. I was never the fashion-type girl. As I mentioned before, I wore what looked good and fitting ording to the mood I had at the time.


    Though, every then and now, this was the very reason it took me hours to find an item of clothing I was proud of. I mean, what I wear depends on my mood, so it''s kind of obvious that I''ll get into trouble doing that if I''m in a sour mood.


    This was exactly the case today, or for the past few days, for thest week, it leans on from when you start to count. If we go to the very start, then it might be a good number of days¡ªfrom the day I was introduced to the fact that Zero might be dead and gone.


    From there, it was a downward spiral. Let''s skip over the days I went coiled up on my bed inside my room, you won''t get much out of there since I neither bathe nor changed my clothes. It isn''t a suitable thing for a girl to do, but my mindset being what it was, I would say that I was lucky enough toe out of it in one piece.


    So since we are jumping over all those days, let''se to the recent events. Three days before today, Zero arrived at the academy. He came back¡­alive, like a human should be.


    I was led to him by Ellyn and wasn''t expecting to see something like this. And then it happened, when I saw him. Sitting there, talking to Mr. Jekar. He looked at me, and smiled¡­


    If before then anyone would have told me that a single glimpse of a person can shake your whole world and snap you out of the darkness you thought you would live in for the rest of your life, I obviously wouldn''t have believed them like any sane person.


    But that time when I experienced it firsthand, I had no option but to believe it. That day I also came to know that all the things in the world don''t have to make sense for them to be there. Some things just happen, without a reason, without an exnation, and without much logic.


    From that day onward I was a little shaken from the inside, and very much from the outside. I mean that in a quite literal sense.


    If Ellyn hadn''t been so nice to force me into a bath, apply the usual cosmetics on my face, and wrapped me into some decent clothing, I am sure I would have looked like a witch out of those ys¡ªthanks to all the dark circles I had gained under my eyes.


    It took me a good couple of days toe to terms with and realize the fact that Zero was back now, safe and sound. And I don''t mean this in any metaphorical way.


    When I first saw him, I couldn''t believe it. Even after sitting there with him during the time he was knocked out, I had all the time in the world to sit there and see him. See him to verify that he is real. I did that, but it was of no use.


    Even after he woke up, talked to me, and exined vaguely about what had happened, I was quite unstable. Maybe that was the reason which caused me to outright ask him if he was there or not. Looking back at it now, I''m pretty embarrassed and not proud by any means. It must have sounded super weird.


    All of this was probably because somewhere deep in my heart, I was ming myself. For all the things that happened with Zero, all the injuries he gained, there''s no denying the fact that he almost died even if he''de out of it safely.


    I med no one but myself for it. It was that letter¡­which I think forced me into ming myself. The words were written clearly on it¡ªthat Zero would die if I didn''t get into a rtionship with a certain person, whoter turned out to be Leon.


    It weighed on me for a good while, despite all the talking Zero did and told me not to worry about it. How could I not? I mean, what was written in the letter came true in the end. How could I not believe that and me myself that I should''ve just done what it said? If so, then everything would have been fine. Probably.<sub> </sub>


    But when he came back and told me again to not take all the me. I gave it some thought, much thought, quite a good amount of thought. I can''t say I got over it in an instant. I will also confess that I thought about just following the letter so nothing else goes wrong.


    However, I was stopped, by myself. I was stopped by a part of my brain and heart that said what would be the meaning of all the things that happened, all the injuries and wounds Zero faced if I just did what the letter told me to despite all the trouble Zero went through.


    I was just thinking hypothetically, of course. I had no way of knowing whether the incident was caused by the sender of that letter or not. But even hypothetically, if the sender somehow was rted to it all and the one working from the shadows.


    I decided to follow Zero''s advice like I''d been doing. I mean, he faced all the trouble and almost died. Even he was strong in his decision and told me not to worry about him. He didn''t go back to his words and told me to continue the rtionship with Leon. So if nothing else, I can''t let that will of his go waste.


    I collected my thoughts, it took time but was worthwhile in the end. Then about the same when Zero recovered from his wounds, I also gained my peace of mind and was back in a state where I could be described as a normal and sane human being.


    My mood was not the best, not even today. Which could be seen through the clothes I was wearing today. Blue leggings and a gray cardigan. I thought about taking a cloak too, but then dismissed the thought as it would''ve been a lot of trouble handling it.


    Rather than that, I just wrapped a scarf around my neck and headed out from the dorms.


    The weather was good. It was one of those perfect autumn evenings, somon in stories but rare in reality. The sky was a tinge of orange and golden, matching the color of the leaves on the trees. The gentle cold breeze passed by from time to time, passing the leaves that had fallen on the ground, up in a swirl.


    I walked down a concrete path that led to the cafeteria. I didn''t have a solid breakfast, and it was time I was starting to get hungry. As I got closer to the building, the crowd of people around me increased as well.


    Some students came to take a walk for refreshment, those were hanging out with their friends, some in groups, and some alone. It mighte as a little surprising considering that it''s only been a month and a half since the start of our term at the academy, but many students had started dating already.


    Resulting in the couples who were enjoying the evening at the caf¨¦ or sitting, holding each other''s hand on the benches scattered around in the garden surrounding the cafeteria.


    Pushing the ss door backward, I entered the building. Taking a look I saw that most of the seats were already upied, but after searching and scanning the area for a while I found a vacant one.


    Though I had to order something first and there weren''t any waiters at the caf¨¦¡ªyou had to take your food¡ªso I went and demanded a cup of tea along with some regr evening snacks.


    Several minutester, my order arrived, I picked up the tray and went toward the seat I''d picked a moment ago. There were originally two seats on the table I''d chosen and when I saw it back then, both of them were empty.


    However, as of now, the other one was upied by a boy who had jet-ck hair and a pair of gleaming, red eyes. As he saw me approaching a smile painted over his face, and from what I could tell it wasn''t a forced but genuine one.


    "Fancy seeing you here¡­alone, that is," I said as I ced my tray on the table and pulled the chair opposite to him. There was no way I was going to give up on my seat.


    "Well, I admit it was starting to get a little gleamy. But now I have you to apany me, so it''s all well and good I guess," Leon replied.

 Chapter 196 A Perfect Autumn Evening [2]

    It was one of those perfect autumn evenings, somon in stories yet so rare in reality.


    In the open hallways of the Mains, a girl walked hugging a clipboard and a couple of papers in her hands. She was not alone, but surrounded by a cluster of other girls who walked around her in a circle.


    The girl in question had true-red hair, it went down to her waist and covered her back elegantly like a queen''s cape. The girl''s expression was light and friendly. She had a cheerful smile covering her face as she talked and chatted with the girls.


    Theyughed and gossiped as they walked together. The talk was about what girls their age usually talked about. Who is dating whom, which teacher do they have a crush on, who is bitching about whom behind their backs, who is acting like a traitor¡­things like that.


    The girl with red hair took in the information and returned it equally. It might not seem like it, but she was the center of the conversation. Most of the topic revolved around her and things going on with her life.


    It was not direct, of course, the other girls made sure of this. Yet they tried to dig deep and make her say things she wasn''t supposed to say or didn''t want to. What they wanted was information about her private life¡ªeven if what they got were in bits and pieces.


    Such was the way of the world. The girl in question carried a high reputation in the academy. As a result, some girls admired her while some despised her. Those who counted on thetter tried to find an immeasurable number of chances and ways by which they could pull her down the socialdder and ruin her image.


    They tried to do this in a way she wouldn''t notice, talking and letting out secrets about others was one of those easy ways. But all this was a pretty normal thing.


    And the girl knew what she was getting into, she knew what the others were trying to do. That''s why she already had a set of secrets rted to her life that were meant for people like these. Secrets that were private enough to satisfy the girls, but not quite powerful to ruin her own life. In short, they were secrets meant to be leaked.


    This was a way she''d learned over time by trial and error¡­it was one of the things she had learned with time by trial and error.


    The group of girls walked and talked andughed together before they reached a certain point where the hallway parted into three different ways and in front was the garden that led to the other buildings.


    They bid their short farewells to each other¡ªalbeit the fact that they barely knew the other person, and all had forced smiles on their faces. Everyone knew this, probably, but no one mentioned a word rted.


    The group of girls divided into several parts and went their ways, leaving the red-haired girl alone at the center of the different paths. She stood still at her ce for a moment, waiting until she made sure the girls were far enough.


    Once that was confirmed, the smile and cheerful expression she had on her face melted down in a matter of seconds. And what remained was a tired, weary look of a girl who seemed like someone who just wanted to be left alone.


    Ellyn sighed, as she looked down at her feet¡ªat the small trampled in the garden before her, they had most likely been crushed by the girls who left a while ago.


    She shrugged and rxed her shoulders, then taking a deep breath, she moved forward. All this was something she faced daily, therefore she was quite used to the process. Though it wouldn''t have hurt if she got to take a break in between.


    The girl walked through the garden, this time her pace was slow and reserved, probably because she wanted the moment tost as long as possible. Since there was no telling when, she was pursued by another horde.


    It turned out she was used to the process, as her guess had hit right on the mark. A couple of minutes of lone walkingter, another cluster of girls spotted her and came to chat.


    Fortunately for her, this wasn''t the same type of group as before. These girls counted among those who were affected by Ellyn''s reputation positively and admired her for it. For them, she was a role model, not a person they could imagine going against.


    Still, it only lessened her troubles, not erased them. What changed was that she didn''t have to secretly defend herself from all the hidden attacks the girls might try. She was not yet free from faking her smile, expression, behavior, and bodynguage.


    She was their role model, after all; she had to act like one. Even choosing what words to speak was a difficult game, as you don''t know what the other person might and might not like.<sub> </sub>


    However, as mentioned before, Ellyn was used to all this as a person is used to breathing. It tired her out, but that was the most of it. This walk too didn''tst much longer, as after a certain amount of time and distance was covered, and the girls were satisfied with the talk they had with their ideal. The group disbanded and each went their way.


    Now Ellyn was alone again¡ªnot exactly since other students were strolling around on the grounds, but what it meant was she was no longer apanied by anyone and there were no signs of it happening anytime soon. It set her heart at ease.


    The young girl took a walk to the dorms and then to her rooms. She rested all the papers she was carrying on the desk along with the clipboard holding them. Then she removed her zer, hung it inside the wardrobe, and slumped down on the bed.


    She let out a sigh of pure exhaustion as stared up at the ceiling. This was the life of Ellyn Rosenberg behind the curtains. She, too, was just a normal human being, after all.


    All the endless talking and keeping the best expression sucked her energy like the sun sucks a farmer out in the fields on a hot day of summer. She closed her eyes, and let her body rx for a span of barely five minutes before she rose back to her feet.


    She opened the wardrobe and, after a bit of thought, picked one of the many expensive-looking jackets. It was dark brown, like the soil a hundred feet deep.


    She hadn''t gone through the trouble of removing all of her academy uniform¡ªjust the zer, and she wore the jacket over her full-sleeved shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall behind a small desk full of cosmetics and beauty products.


    Her final thoughts were that wearing it along with the uniform was fine, and it didn''t make her seem out of the ce. The clothing wasfortable too and suited to her tastes.


    Ellyn titled her body a little to take a final look,bed and adjusted her sleek red hair until she was satisfied, got over a few things in her mind to make sure she was not forgetting anything, and then left her room.


    Just like most of the students did these days, she was also headed to the cafeteria. It wouldn''t be too much to say that within the academy''s campus, the caf¨¦ was a ce favored by all the students. After the Mains and the dorms, it was also the only building that you would never find empty.


    ? It was reasonable, too. You had good food, a neat and spacious sitting arrangement with well-furnished tables and chairs, and a delicately polished floor,bined with the overall ''open themed'' architecture of the buildings, was just what a young student might need to soothe their minds.


    The ce where the caf¨¦ was built was the cherry on the cake. It was on the western side of the campus, with the dorms at the left and the coliseum at the right. The Mains also stood diagonally on the southern side.


    All in all, it was easily essible no matter what work you had or where you''re headed; a nice thing for a ce where you might want to stop by.


    The area inside the campus that wasn''t covered by the buildings was left in for the grass to grow. There were flowers and trees nted at regr intervals, but it was done mostly as a formality.


    However, this was different around the caf¨¦. There the garden was crafted more delicately and maintained with care. There were beautiful trees and flower pots surrounding the building, and the grass was leveled and clean enough that you could lie there face down without getting dirty.


    As the wind passed by, rustling the golden leaves of the trees colored by autumn and sending them flying in the air in spirals, it gave the caf¨¦ an air offort you will want after cramping your heads through hour-long lessons.


    Her reasons were a little different, but Ellyn was different. She entered the caf¨¦ building, knowing that she might get ambushed by the girls again. But for the peace of mind, she got at this ce. It was a small price to pay.


    She ordered a cup of green tea and made her way toward the sitting area, looking for a ce to help herself. But to her misfortune, the caf¨¦ was quite full today.


    Her eyes wandered through for a while before they came to a halt after spotting the faces of two familiar figures. They were sitting next to each other, and this made her second-guess her decision of approaching them. But then she remembered the public image they had and the rumored rtionships.


    She didn''t want the rumors to turn against her, so made her way to their table, dragging a chair with her in the way.

 Chapter 197 A Perfect Autumn Evening [3]

    It was one of those perfect autumn evenings, somon in stories but so rare in the real world.


    Inside the caf¨¦ bustling with students, three sat together at a table. It wasn''t an unusual thing, many students sat and ate together. The groups consisted of acquaintances, friends, couples, and such. Then there were the ones we could not forget: those who shared a table simply because there weren''t any vacant seats.


    But this group of three students was different; they fit in neither of these categories. At least not when their opinion wasbined, each had different thoughts about the connection they shared.


    The students in question were two girls and a day. Ellyn, Anya, and Leon, or their names followed.


    Leon was finished with his snacks by the time Anya arrived, but he ordered a cup of coffee to apany her, and judging by the pace he was drinking, it seemed like that cup was going to apany Ellyn as well.


    Anya was halfway done with her meal when Ellyn came, leaving her with the tea. It was mostly a coincidence, but now all three of them were having their refreshments and having a sweet little evening chat.


    The topics varied. Sometimes it was about how a certain professor was bad at teaching a specific part, how he wasn''t bad and had misspoken a word, but the rumors spread like a fire, making too much of a small mistake.


    They talked about how their lessons were going, their thoughts on the new custom magic they were being taught, and how that one student in the ss was still unable to get his head around it. This piece of information was, in a way, just an attempt to fill in the silence that asionally shrouded the three.


    "How are thingsing along for your brother? Is he in better health?" Leon asked, shifting the conversation toward the topic he''d been meaning to ask from the start but was hesitating.


    The attention fell on Anya, Ellyn eyes her casually while taking a sip from her cup.


    "He''s better than before. Most of the injured have healed, and he''s got permission to leave his room¡­" there was a momentary pause, and she looked lost in thought. "It lifted his spirits quite a bit," she added.


    "Well, I certainly would have died from boredom if they told me toy in bed for half a week," Leon said. "It''s not strange that he wants to get some fresh air."


    Ellyn did notment as she watched the two of them and sipped her tea quietly, which was unlike her, but no one took notice of it.


    "Still, I''d never have thought that Mr. Alderman would do something like this," Leon stated, shaking his cup slightly in a circr motion while he looked down at the table.


    "Neither did I. But from what they told me, he had his circumstances. Though they don''t justify his actions in any way," while she spoke, Anya''s eyes were elsewhere; they seemed distant, as if she didn''t want to think about this man.


    "What did they tell you anyway? I never received an expulsion as to why all this happened?" Leon asked, leaning back in his chair and tipping in on two legs.


    Anya looked straight at him, meeting his eyes as she said. "I can''t tell you. They have refrained me from doing so¡­since it''s now ssified info and all."


    "Tch, that''s a pain. I know the academy doesn''t want this incident toe out in public but at least I, Ellyn and everyone else who was involved should get the right to know the whole thing," he eyed both the girls for their approval. "It''s not like we aren''t trustworthy."


    "It''s not about trust," said Ellyn, finally seeming to have decided to step into the conversation. "If word got out, the academy will face a huge bacsh," she paused for a while and looked at her surroundings, then she leaned in closer to the two and said in a low murmur. "... especially since Mr. Alderman is confirmed to be dead."


    She leaned back and satfortably on her chair. "I''ve asked Mr. Jekar about it. He didn''t tell me the backstory, but what he did reveal was that only he, Anya, and the academy''s chairman knows all the details aside from her brother himself."


    "They aren''t even telling their people. Why do you expect them to tell you? A student."


    "Well¡­ I-I helped in the search," he tried to think of other reasons but didn''t find any.


    "We all did. If you''re bothered by this, then let me remind you, we were the ones who volunteered for the search. Not the other way around," Ellyn said, her voice sharp like her eyes that stared down hard at Leon.


    "What?! It''s not like I can''t handle secrets. I''ve got a handful of them myself, and am pretty good at¡­" he finally noticed Ellyn''s stare and what she was indirectly trying to tell. That made him swallow his words and sip on his coffee.


    They were arguing over the fact that they didn''t get to know what was the reason behind Zero''s kidnapping, and everything else that followed. Leon was demanding the information as if it was a book, a scene out of a y, a source of entertainment, and not something that was the reason behind the condition Anya''s brother was in.<sub> </sub>


    Maybe that was why Anya carried the quiet while the two argued. Ellyn had been observant enough to notice this, but Leon, being the dense protagonist he was, ignored her and acted in an insensitive way¡­or at least that''s what he and Ellyn thought.


    In reality, Anya wasn''t too bothered by it. She''d already gotten over the past and the thing did not make her curse Leon secretly, she was just ufortable is all. Hence, was the reason she did not have much say on the topic.


    "By the way," Ellyn said, filling in the silence that had been there since Leon came to an awkward stop. "Are you dating Millia?" she asked.


    "What?!" Leon was caught off guard by this so much that he almost choked on his coffee. Anya was startled too, her eyes went a little wider than usual as she was amazed by the intensity of the question.


    "Why do you say that?!" Leon appealed in an almost-offended tone.


    "I''ve heard about it¡­people talk, you know? Especially since we are confined in the academy''s campus, things such as this don''t stay hidden for long," Ellyn gave a little shrug of shoulders.


    "B-But no! That''s utter nonsense! I may have met the girl a few times, but we are not in a rtionship," he said as if he was speaking something very obvious, something that didn''t need to be exined for one to understand.


    And he was right. He was not in a rtionship with this girl.


    Millia Windward. She was a girl of a height a bit lower than average, had ivory-blue hair, and had a knack for books. Quite a bookworm, you could say.


    However, Leon was not dating this girl, as he said so. He just happened to be under her when he was on adder, picking up a book from the shelves in the library. He just happened to look up at that time and spot what color of panties she was wearing¡ªreceived a smacking with a thick book from her afterward.


    Just like this, having the protagonist''s luck he had, Leon just happened to be at the ce where she was being bullied by a group of girls in her ss who defended her. Then, when some boys¡ªwho were probably rted to those girls¡ªwere tearing Millia''s favorite books in front of her while she cried and begged them to stop, he just happened to arrive at the right time and beat the shit out of them.


    A couple of days after that, he received a letter from her which told him toe behind the Instrs¡ªthe most isted ce on the whole campus. He went there and met with Millia.


    She was dressed quite nicely for a normal day, her cheeks were flushed red, but it was not the makeup that did that. She stepped closer and said to him to close his eyes, and he did.


    Then lo and behold! What he received was a kiss on the lips¡ªnot his first kiss. That had already happened in the early chapters of loli_pop''s novel.


    So he got Kidd, followed by a love confession afterward. ording to him, it was unexpected, and he had not a single clue that she harbored romantic feelings for him.


    But sad as it was, he had to decline her offer¡­but wait! It didn''t happen instantly. At that moment, he was too stunned to speak, and Millia took it as a yes. For two days that followed, they dated while Leon tried to find a way to respectfully decline her.


    What he needed was an opportunity, which he got right after they slept with each other. As they say, when the post-nut rity hits you, it hits hard. It could also be because Millia has served her purpose in his novel so loli_pop decided to remove her, but that couldn''t be true.


    In the end, they kissed and had sex, but at the very core of it, they weren''t in a rtionship. Hence, Leon was right in his take.


    "They are nothing but rumors. And like most rumors are, they are clusters of lies," Leon rified as he took another sip of his coffee and tipped back his chair further.


    Ellyn eyed her for a good long moment as a wry smirk spread on her face like butter on a piping hot piece of bread. She ced her now-empty cup on the coaster, and it made a CLINK sound.


    "So kissing a girl doesn''t count as dating, then?" she said, looking at Leon like a predator staring at its prey.


    This time Leon was out of luck. He tried to say something immediately, choked on his coffee, and the chair he was sitting on fell backward as he''d tipped it too far. He tried to grab the table to bnce himself, but ended up dropping the coffee cup on himself.


    A loud THUD sound was heard in the caf¨¦, catching everyone''s attention and casting it to Leon whoy on the group, above the fallen chair with coffee on his shirt¡­and pants too, which didn''t give the best impression.

 Chapter 198 A Perfect Autumn Evening [4]

    It was one of those perfect autumn evenings, somon in stories but so rare in the real world.


    What was not perfect was the figure of Leon, whoy on the floor of the cafeteria, his clothes wet with coffee. It took a moment for everyone to understand what happened, and when they did, half of themughed while half paid no mind.


    Anya got up and helped Leon back up on his feet, Ellyn made a few unwilling approaches of lending out a hand but it was so clear that it was just a formality, and she enjoyed seeing Leon getting publicly humiliated.


    He rose to his feet. Embarrassed, his cheeks a bright red as she dusted his clothes and wiped whatever amount of coffee he could with the tissues and his handkerchief. However, the coffee had gone into his clothes and was probably bound to leave a stain. He knew this.


    "I probably go," he said as he picked up the broken pieces of the cup and gathered them up on the coaster. One of the waiters had arrived by this point, but he did it nevertheless.


    "You didn''t answer my question," Ellyn said.


    "Huh? I said that I''m not dating her, didn''t I? That kiss you speak of¡­" there was a moment of silence as he thought of the right word to say. "An ident, yes, it was an ident!"


    "Really?"


    "Yes! I''d never lie to you, I have to reason to. You know it," with thatment he headed to the counter, and paid for his snacks and coffee along with the cost of the cup he''d broken.


    Then he left the cafeteria with a deep relief inside his heart that Ellyn only knew about the kiss, and not of the things which happened afterward. Although in the midst of all this he forgot that he indirectly admitted that he''d kissed Millia since he never refused it and marked it out as an incident.


    Back in the cafeteria, Ellyn was aware of this, which was also the reason for the evil grin of a child she had on her face.


    "Why are you smiling like that?" Anya asked, looking at Ellyn.


    "He just admitted it, didn''t you see?"


    "What?"


    "The kiss. It was possibly a rumor, but I wanted to confirm it," Ellyn exined with a sense of excitement in her voice, which soon faded away. "God, he''s so easy to toy with," she shrugged off thement.


    "But that was just a rumor, wasn''t it? At least that''s what I thought of it," of course, Anya had heard of it before. Leaving everything, she too was a girl. The gossip fell on her ears, even if she wasn''t interested.


    Ellyn sighed as she brushed her hair back and forth, twisting and curling it around her fingers and then soothing it again. "There''s always truth hidden behind whatever nonsense you hear. You know the saying, right? ''Where there''s smoke, there''s fire,''" she said in a non-interested tone as if she were reading it out of a book.


    Anya didn''t seem to mind this odd behavior of hers, and they sat in silence for a while. Ellyn yed with her hair while Anya finished her tea. There was not much left to talk about for now anyway, they''d already discussed most of the things when Leon was here.


    Plus, they both had something else on their minds. For Ellyn, it was the confusion on the matter that why she was bothered if Leon had kissed a girl or two without telling her. It was not like they were dating each other. No matter what the other students, they were just close friends.


    Even that would be an overstatement. Leon had agreed to help Ellyn back when he helped her escape from her house and enter the academy, since then they had been close but not romantically involved. And now she had Zero, who had sworn to protect her as long as she yed her part right.


    She wasn''t too sure about it, as he had not done anything of the sort that might make her believe himpletely, but then she couldn''t ignore the fact that she was letting her in on some secrets. She thought of her as an improvement.


    But that was not what mattered. Now she had a choice. She could rely on Zero for help if anything troublesome came, but if he betrayed her or failed, she always had Leon watching her back.


    Everything was perfect. For the time in her life after her mother''s death, she could take a breath without worrying that someone might have left poisonous gas in the air. Even if there were, she had people to save her after she inhaled that stuff.


    Then she was having this weird feeling she could not describe stirred inside her when she heard that Leon was probably dating Millia. The feeling only grew more when it was confirmed that she had kissed her.


    Next, there was Anya. For her, it wasn''t something as big and confusing as Ellyn''s problem. Troubling her was a little domestic feeling of guilt.<sub> </sub>


    Back when she''d said that, the academy had told her not to reveal the details of what happened with Zero and Mr. Rosenberg to anyone; thus, she didn''t tell Leon and refused when he pressed on the matter.


    She''d lied. The academy had said no such thing. While it was true that they haven''t instructed her to fill Leon and Ellyn in on the details, they haven''t restrained her from doing so either.


    In reality, she hadn''t told them because she thought it was what Zero would have preferred. He was the type to avoid trouble and attention if possible, and she knew this very well. Telling others about what had happened might do the unwanted, so she decided it was better to not tell anyone.


    At first, she thought it was a good idea¡ªwhich in a way it was¡ªbutter it somehow turned the conversation toward more tense matters and Leon ended up falling on his butt and getting wet down to his pants.


    Even though she knew it wasn''t her fault that he fell, the possibility that it could have been avoided if she took the conversion in another direction still lingered in her mind as she sipped thest of her tea and clicked the cup back on the coaster.


    The mood took an upturn after that as the girls took a moment and talked about a few things two teenage girls would talk about. It was a perfectly healthy, and normal conversation. They smiled andughed at silly things, and then discussed the uing midterm exams in a rather serious tone.


    It was only then, when the hour bell struck and the sound resounded throughout the whole of the academy campus, Ellyn caught a look at the wall clock and checked the time.


    She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I''ll have to go now," she said with an apologetic tone.


    "Extra sses?" Anya queried. Ellyn replied with a nod.


    Calling it extra sses was too much of a stress as Ellyn was the one paying for an instructor to teach her sword arts aside from the time they were taught in daily lessons. This was one of the facilities provided in the Instrs and anyone with enough money could make use of them.


    "Well, I should be on my way too," Anya said as she slid her chair back and rose to her feet.


    Both the girls went to the counter and paid for the things they had ordered, then left the cafeteria and diverged in different directions; Ellyn toward the Instrs and Anya toward the dorms.


    It was little more than a span of minutes when Anya was alone, walking on the grounds on a paved stone path. Her hair swayed back and forth as she walked, the golden sunlight of the evening shining down on her face, her green eyes reflecting the surrounding green.


    As she walked through the path, she thought of her connection with Ellyn and Leon. They might have met in a dark alleyway by ident, but since then the coincidences have piled up, and they have built quite a good rtionship.


    She was avoiding Leon until now due to the letter she''d received, but now that she''d pushed that topic out of her mind, for the first time she viewed him as a person. The star that was so far away, which seemed out of her reach before, was now a little closer.


    She wasn''t interested in him romantically, she couldn''t, there''s no way, at least not now, at this point, she wasn''t, it would''ve been a tragic story if she was, hence she was not. It was confusing, she didn''t know. That''s why she ignored this, too.


    "Friend" would have been an overstatement, so she settled on "acquaintances" for now.


    Ellyn was slightly toward the "friend" side, or so were Anya''s thoughts about the matter. She enjoyed herpany, even though Ellyn was treated as an idol by other girls and whenever they were together she got stares from the public.


    This had set Anya off the tracks at the start, but now she was slowly getting used to it. Plus, after she came to her senses, Anya realized that Ellyn had helped her a lot when she was coiled up in her dark room. She could never thank her enough for that.


    It was strange, truly.


    Just like her brother, Anya had spent most of her time either inside the horse, ying with Zero¡ªsometimes alone, hearing stories from Ron, or spending time with Ainge. Either that, or she had spent her time training with the sword, or teaching Zero.


    She never really had friends; neither of the siblings did. Hence, this feeling was strange for her, but it was sort of good too. It was not terrible, if nothing. Enough to leave a smile on her face for a few minutes, even after the bidding farewell.


    ¡­ She didn''t dislike this feeling¡­she didn''t dislike the thought of having friends.

 Chapter 199 Frustration & Solution [1]

    I staggered backward rapidly when Req pped my Requiem sword with her own, standard metal sword. Her attack force was enough to drive me back to the edge of my feet. I somehow pushed forward, crushing and grinding my sword''s de against her.


    There was not a single hint of difort or stress on her face, she faced me like I was a child in training. She moved a step back and then carefully titled her body to the left, opposing my sword with her right hand.


    She let me apply all the force I could. I retreated and changed stances, then returned and dealt a fury of blows, multiple shes from all directions. But she blocked them all, and at ease that is.


    Comparing myself even with a child was probably an overstatement; she was treating me like a newborn infant.


    Finally, she decided to take the lead. I sensed it in the air around us, it wasn''t exactly blood lust I felt. Whenever a person is going to attack the mana around them behaves in a strange way and gathers around the person.


    The skilled ones are able to hide this so that the enemy couldn''t notice their moves, but Req made no such effort to do that. Though I''m pretty sure she was capable of it.


    For a brink of second her eyes focused on me and me alone, the rest of the world didn''t matter to her in that span of time. She pointed her sword toward me, then leaped forward. It was a quick and clean moment, a type I couldn''t dream of doing in my current state.


    She moved perfectly. Where four inches of movement was required she met the mark precisely, not five-inch, not three inches, not just a little different. No, she moved just the amount that was necessary.


    I predicted the move with my gut and all the training I''d done. I could''ve used [Foresight] but I was having some problems with that and moreover, I wanted to train my body to dodge attacks on its own, not relying on any skill or spell.


    But boy was I wrong. Just as I took a sidestep, thinking that I''m probably out of her range now. She changed her tracks in the middle, she stopped in her way in an instant, shifted to the side in front of me, and jabbed me with her sword. All this happened in no more than mere seconds.


    I brought my sword up hurriedly in all the rough manner I could and tried to use it as a shield to protect my chest. I failed, but not as badly as I thought I would. The edge of her sword shed and chipped against the guard of my sword.


    Of course, it didn''t stop her entirely. A part of her de reached close and gushed a shallow cut on my hand between my thumb and wrist, releasing a trail of blood in the air.


    I was practically blown backward by the shockwave that followed, it was like a stormwind. After I''d taken my time and bnced myself back on two feet, I stood with my back straight and held the Requiem sword down only with my right hand.


    Req was getting back into a stance when I motioned her to stop.


    "Tired?" she asked, raising her sword toward me.


    "It''s been a long while, I can''t stay here all day and night. We''ll continue tomorrow. Besides¡­" I focused my gaze on the sword she was holding, she did the same.


    The following moment the de of her sword cracked into multiple pieces before it crumbled down on the ground, leaving only the hilt in her hand. Then I turned my head to the side in the direction where once five swords hung on the wall.


    Now they were all broken and lying on the ground.


    ''I''d need to pay extra for this, wouldn''t I?'' A thought crossed my mind. Even if the price of a standard sword wasn''t much, if she broke five every day then in time it''ll probably take me to reach the point of perfection I''m hoping¡­


    It was a terrifying thought indeed. A recipe to go bankrupt.


    For now, I decided to brush the thought away as I wiped the sweat from my forehead and face. Only then did I realize that what I''d done was paint my face red with the blood I had on the back of my hand. The sweat had also gone inside the cut, and it stung.


    I couldn''t say I wasn''t frustrated by myself.


    "Stress can do many things to a man," Req said as threw the lonely hilt on the ground and walked up to me. Her usual smile returned on her face.


    "I''m not stressed. I''m just¡­" tired, was what I wanted to say. But then thought better of it. "Leave it. Can you make me a cloth?" I asked. Wiping the blood in my own clothes wasn''t the best idea¡ªconsidering that I was in the academy uniform. And I''ve seen her create clothes for herself before.<sub> </sub>


    "I can''t," she dered. I passed her a questioning look. "I can only make those for myself, as I am a spiritual being now and possess a spiritual body. You are physical, so you won''t be able to touch it, leaving aside using it," she exined.


    "Well, I saw thating from a mile away," I said as I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped my face from it. Unfortunately, it wasn''t a big one and I could only wipe my face with it; the blood on my hand still remained.


    Finally seeing no other option I first burned my now-blood-stained handkerchief using elemental magic and then summoned water to wash my hands and face.


    There was no such thing as CCTV cameras in this world, and I''d make sure to check that there was no trace of someone monitoring the training rooms via a magic spell, so it was safe to use magic.


    I mean, if it wasn''t I wouldn''t have used the Requiem sword. When I was done I rubbed my wet hands on the sides of my pants lightly and then picked up the sword.


    As I was leaving a thought crossed my mind. No, actually I''d been thinking this over for quite a while now, and it was frustrating me more or less.


    I hadn''t been able to use custom magic spells, the very thing I wanted to learn at this academy.


    Up until now, I''ve waited patiently till they were done teaching the basics of elemental magic to the students so we could move on, I didn''t say anything because I''d given myself the excuse that I can''t use elemental magic via magic circles because I have my own, different kind of way of using it.


    Thus I waited for the custom magic lessons, thinking they might offer me something new. But the result was the very definition of disappointment.


    I knew the core of the problem, even though I''d been trying to ignore it and shove it somewhere in the back of my mind. For unknown reasons, I could not use magic circles. That was it. The heart of the problem.


    It was not that I was unable to use the magic of this world, that was proven wrong when I used a spell through the incantations back in the entrance exam. Rather than that, something was stopping me from summoning magic circles, hence the spells rted to that weren''t of much use either.


    ''It was a really, really frustrating thing. Not being able to use custom magic. Originally I''d thought that I''d do some experiments with it but now I just¡­can''t decide. If this went on like this, I''ll be at a huge disadvantage in the uing C¡ª''


    I stopped and cleared my mind as soon as I realized what was happening. Req was staring at me intently as she walked beside me as if she were hearing me speak. Then it struck me.


    I''d been so tangled up in my thoughts that they were leaking out and she was able to hear them, just like I speak whilemuting through our mind.


    "Is that all there is to it?" she asked, with a somewhat serious expression¡ªa rare thing for her.


    "What''re you referring to?"


    "Magic. You said you couldn''t use it, right? I saw you back then but thought you were restraining yourself for a reason," she said, referencing back to the time when I hadn''t been able to use custom magic in the ss.


    For once, I was d that she didn''t ask anything about the cmity. Though I''m pretty sure I collected myself before that part of the information was leaked.


    "Yes. I can''t. I don''t know why but I can''t summon the magic circles," I said casually as she walked toward the exit door.


    "I thought so, it isn''t that strange," she said, stopping in her tracks. I also held my feet and looked back at her with an expression that stated I wanted to know more about what she said.


    She seemed to understand it, as she let out a breath and then folded her legs. Levitating in the air in a cross-legged sitting position, she spoke.


    "Let me guess. When you try to channel your mana and imagine the magic circle in your mind, everything goes well. But when you move to the next step and try to summon the circle by passing mana through the image you have in mind, it feels like there is something stopping you, a blockage of sorts. No matter how hard you try to force your way through, it just doesn''t seem possible."


    She looked at me in search of a response, I said nothing. No, allow me to rephrase that: I gave her the answer she was looking for but said nothing, the silence and a nod was enough.

 Chapter 200 Frustration & Solution [2]

    "Now, how do I know all this?" she asked as her usual smile appeared on her face.


    "It''s simple. Back in my time, I had the same problem, even worse I guess; if we''re seeing it in terms of magic. You can use elemental magic without a magic circle or an incantation, but I was not even capable of that. Think about it for a second.


    "I was unable to use magic in the world where the powerful ruled the all, the time when the world was burning in the mes of war caused by the five kingdoms," she paused for effect.


    "So? You found a way to deal with it, right?"


    "How can you be so sure?"


    "Otherwise you wouldn''t have that wry smile on your face while telling this," I stated.


    "Well, your reasoning is a bit weird, but you''re right. My mana was just like yours¡ªdifferent from the rest of the world¡ªbut I did find a way to deal with it, and so can you," she pointed at me and then levitated close to my face.


    Her eyes, her bodynguage, her expression, everything was screaming for me to ask her ''How?''. And so I did, though not exactly in the way she would have expected.


    "Tell me," I said.


    There was a look of disappointment on her face, but it didn''tst long. She edged back and then, with her index finger, pointed at my right hand. No, it wasn''t my hand she was pointing at, it was what I held in it: the Requiem sword.


    "It''s not that you cannot use magic, what you can''t get your hands on is the magic circles. As for why this is happening," she gestured toward me, addressing my whole body. "It''s because of your mana. I think you know this by now, but it is different from the norm," she paused to reconsider. "Very different," she corrected.


    "That is also the reason why you aren''t able to use your magiken with a sword other than Requiem. Your mana is dense, too dense for the magic circles to process, too dense for the swords to withstand. Now, don''t get me wrong here; having dense mana doesn''t necessarily mean it will be more powerful too. It''s just the type that changes, not the overall properties," she leaned back in the air, as if shiftingfortably in a chair, an invisible one that is.


    "Then what makes the Requiem sword different from the rest?" I asked.


    Req''s face broke out into a wide grin. "Her being the Requiem sword is enough to make her stand aside from the crowd. She doesn''t need a reason to be different, she simply is. She can withstand your mana because she is the Requiem sword."


    Her wordy confused me a bit, but mostly I was anything but d. The theory I was building up in my mind was right. The runes in the magic circles were not suitable for the type of mana I had, which meant that if I created a magic circle of my own with runes made especially for my mana, then I''d be able to use the spells.


    I can''t say I wasn''t relieved by knowing this. At one point I thought I won''t be able to do it at all. Though this set my mind at ease, I was more than inclined to know about what she had in store for me.


    "So, how do I use it? Draw magic circles out of my blood or something?" I asked. I wasn''t used to adding humor to my conversation, so it came out as dry as possible. She didn''t chuckle at it, of course, but what she saidter made me realize that it was not because my joke wasme.


    "Well, that could be an option. I''ve tried it a handful of times, but it isn''t the best thing out there. The blood makes a mess and if you used more than necessary or more than what your body could keep losing, you''ll get dizzy real quick," she paused.


    "Therefore, I suggest the other, more efficient way," she said and pointed at the sword in my hand.


    I matched her gaze and lifted the sword. Saying that I didn''t have a load of questions would be wrong, hence I won''t say it. I kept quiet and looked at her in hope of an answer. She was expecting this, as it didn''t take her too long to speak again.


    "You see, I said that I wasn''t able to use magic before. But after I found Requiem, it was no longer a thing of concern. With her help, I could cast spells and destroy kingdoms all I wanted without worrying about how thick my mana was. She had the power to withstand it, and Requiem is one of the few swords that can allow the user to cast spells through them."


    "And what exactly do you mean by that?" I asked. This was rather a new piece of information. In the novel, the Requiem sword did nothing of this sort. Leonpletely stopped using it after a while, so I don''t have much info, to begin with.


    Req looked thoughtful as she touched her chin with her fingers and wandered her eyes idly. Then, as if reaching a decision, she shot a look at me and said. "It''ll be quick to just show you," she moved closer to me, and then levitating around me, she stopped and stood behind me.<sub> </sub>


    I hesitated for a bit, but then decided it would be best to at least see what she was talking about. I wanted to use magic. No, I wanted to use it so badly that I cannot describe it in words.


    I mean, though I may not look like it, I was a fantasy author in my previous world. Being in a world where magic existed but not being able to use it is so much of a torture only us, authors'' can understand.


    It is like holding candy in front of a kid who likes sweet things, bringing it close to his mouth and giving it to him to eat, but pulling it back just as he was about to lick it. What I was feeling was simr to what the kid would have felt at that point.


    "Hold it up," Req said from behind as she wrapped her arms around me and made me lift the Requiem sword at a certain angle.


    "Straight. Like you are pointing it at your target," she made some adjustments and by the end of it, I was holding the sword straight with both hands with its tip targeted toward where the human dummies stood.


    "Now close your eyes and focus, just as you do while trying to summon the magic circle," she said, and I followed.


    I shut my eyelids and then, in the ck of my mind, I visualized the custom magic circle Ryfin had shown to the ss. I had it remembered and burned in my memory; since I could not summon the circle, memorizing it was what I did.


    Soon the image of the circle became clear. In a pitch-ck atmosphere, a sky-blue colored magic circle formed in the air.


    There were runes inscribed on it, each containing a piece of information on its own. I could not understand what they meant, as I have not learned the runenguage. But despite that, I could feel it.


    It took some time¡ªperhaps a minute or two¡ªbut by the end of it, the image I had created in my mind was as clear as the water from a river that freshly came out from the melted ice on the mountains.


    "Now let your mana flow," Req whispered in my ears. "Let it out, shoot it through your hands, but make sure to channel it through Requiem as you do while using magiken. Then, when you feel like your mana is about to burst out from the tip, imagine the magic circleing into shape there. Visualize it taking shape in the real world."


    Her words were tricky, and she mostly exined what Ryfin had already told us, but with a different approach. As for me, I can say I understood what she meant by that and I hope that I got it right, to be honest, I wasn''t so sure.


    As stopping here would be of no use, I did what she''d said. Channeling my mana in my body, to my arms, and then into the sword. I did all that while maintaining the image of the magic circle firm in my mind.


    Then there it was. A spark. A burst of energy. A feeling so strange yet so thrilling that it sent a chill down my spine and raised my goosebumps.


    I opened my eyes just in time to see a shining, blue lighting from the end of the sword. There before its tip, floating in the air, was a brilliant magic circle dyed in sky-blue. All the runes, shapes, and patterns it had been the same as the ones I''d visualized in my mind.


    For a moment it felt like time had stopped for me as I was entrapped by the beauty of it. But as they say, good thingse to an end. I felt my mana draining a bit as it was used up by the magic circle.


    At the same time, a sharp, piercing sound was heard. As if someone had scratched a ckboard with a piece of chalk. Then followed the light, a beam of white. Its shape was not even and had many edges and pointed corners throughout. Which only made sense as it was nothing but thunder.


    A ray of lighting was shot out from the magic circle and toward the human dummies. It ripped the air apart as it closed the distance at a speed so great I could not see or sense or hear or suspect.


    The lighting struck the dummy in the stomach, then followed an explosion. The point of collision was surrounded by ck smoke and white light. When the smoke settled, I saw that the upper half of the dummy waspletely blown away and was lying, at a distance, on the ground. The remaining part of its body was burnt to a crisp, with charred marks covering it all over it.


    If there had been a human, there would have been blood and a new entry in the book of the dead. But since it was a dummy, there were none of these things.


    I looked back at the sword, only to find that the magic circle had closed long ago. It made sense, as it had fulfilled its purpose and was no longer needed.


    Then I turned my head to Req, who was peeking from behind my back, her head beside my right shoulder. She was all smiles, giggling like a child who''s just sessfully dismantled a pen and put it back together without breaking it.

 Chapter 201 Frustration & Solution [3]

    "So, how does this work?" I asked.


    "Hmm, well that''s a good question, actually. How indeed? You see, Requiem is by no means an ordinary sword, I hope you already know. So when the ability to make its user summon magic circles is just one of those things it can do which other swords cannot."


    "It still doesn''t exin how a sword can do all that."


    "Well, that¡­ I can tell you, but I highly doubt you would be able to understand a thing from it. It''s quiteplicated, you know?" her eyes wandered far away as she spoke.


    "It''s alright. I''ll try my best to grasp whatever I can."


    "Eh? I mean, okay. Don''t me me for anything," she said. I passed her a knowing smile.


    "As I''ve already said multiple times before, Requiem is not just a sword. She is alive, and she has a soul of her own. And as you know, every living thing has its own field of mana, no matter how big or small.


    "Humans like you can manipte that mana to their desire and cast spells, hence it affects the surroundings. But a nt, for example, has a very weak field of mana; so weak that it''s barely noticeable, and for the most part, it doesn''t help the nt cast magic or even interact with other magical forces.


    "Just like that, since Requiem is a living being too, she also has her own field of mana. As for how strong it is, well, not really what you would expect. Her mana is big and powerful, but it operates on a different frequency. And who else has mana that works in a different frequency, I wonder?" she made it sound like a question, but it was in as day she was referring to me.


    "But that doesn''t clear much. I get that the sword and I¡ª"


    "Me too!"


    "Ah¡­sigh. Okay, I get that the sword, you, and I have simr mana''s. Though that still doesn''t shed light on how I can cast spells with the help of a sword."


    "Firstly, it isn''t A sword; it''s Requiem, you idiot! Only one of its type. Secondly, I am getting to that. Though I will still hold on to my statement that you won''t be able to understand this part," she drew in a breath and then continued.


    "What really happens when doing what you did back then is that Requiem takes on your mana and then passes it through the mana circuits inside her, circuits that were made for that type of mana frequency. In doing so, she changes the runes on whatever magic circle you were going to cast," she came to an abrupt stop as if not satisfied by what she said.


    "''Change'' won''t be the right word, actually. She alters the runes inscribed on the magic circle ording to your mana. By the way, your magiken also only works with Requiem because she has the mana circuits required for processing that sort of mana.


    "Anyway, that is how you''re able to use magic with the help of Requiem. She takes your mana, passes it through her magic circuits, and then boom. You get your magic circle," Req said as she mimicked the gesture of an explosion with her hands.


    "That still leaves a lot of untied knots," I said. "Like, how does it know which spell I want to cast and the required magic circle for that? There are a couple of things more which you didn''t exin."


    "Ah, that. Well, to understand that, you''ll have to learn how mana works down to the molecr level. It''splicated, and I''m not going to try and teach you that," she stated with a shrug. "It''s boring too," she stretched her arms and legs as if waking up after a long nap.


    "I see," I replied, and began walking again. She followed.


    I can push her for the details if I want to, I guess that is within my powers as the owner of the Requiem sword. But I won''t. There are two reasons for it.


    First, I don''t want her to sense any malicious intent from me or feel like I am forcing her into anything. I''ll get the best results if she worked for me with her own happy will and not because I forced her to do so¡ªthe same goes for Ellyn too.


    And secondly, I, myself, don''t want to get too tangled up in the working of mana. That is a subject of interest, I admit, but not for now, as it is bound to take up a lot of my time. Plus, I have other things to do.


    My main problem, of using magic, had been solved. Though I had a nk expression and wasn''t showing it on my face. From the inside, I was bustling with excitement.


    ***


    After that, I left the training room assigned to me,manded Req to turn back into a sword¡ªwhich she did afterining about it for a long minute¡ªand finally stepped out of the Instrs building.


    Dusk was hitting, and the sun was almost down by the time I came out. The sky was dyed a bright golden with a tinge of orange in it, and the white clouds floating around with not a care in the world were looking marvelous.


    I walked down the path toward the dorms. On my way, I met Ellyn, who was going to the Instrs for her extra sses. It was a good time, and she had a handful of minutes left, so she gave me her daily report, and went on her way afterward.


    I headed to the caf¨¦ and had an evening breakfast with a couple of donuts and a cup of coffee. Then, when I was done with all that, I returned to my dorm room.<sub> </sub>


    ***


    Inside the Instrs building, in one of the privately rented training rooms meant for physical body training, there was a boy, lying on a bench press machine and lifting the weights up and down.


    There was no one there to help him bnce the weights, thus he was doing it by himself. Every time he lifted, the muscles on his biceps and triceps tightened, along with a lot of nerves that came visible after the skin was stretched to its limits.


    He was drowned in sweat and had been bench-pressing for about an hour now. He''d done two hours of push-ups and squats before that, and even before that was his weight-lifting practice. But there was no hint of tiredness in him, he was not out of breath or dying to take a rest.


    Needlessly to say, the boy had quite a muscr body. He was still only 16 and there were some limits he could not break, but that was just about it. While he couldn''t break the limits, he had pushed himself down to the very edge.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that he was the most muscr boy in the whole first year of the academy¡­the second year might also count in. The boy had short ck hair, one step away from being bald. His hair was not always like this until he cut it short.


    Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Before he could reply, whoever was on the other side of the door knocked again, this time more loudly.


    "Come in," the boy said, without stopping his bench press.


    The door opened and a male student with blonde hair entered the room. He had a face, a man whose horse has burned makes, panic, and despair. He hurriedly took steps toward the boy on the bench press and stopped before him. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked at the muscr boy.


    "What is it, Wynfir?" he asked, finally giving his arms some rest and sitting up straight on the bench press machine.


    "He¡­ I saw him¡­again. He''s back¡­back in the academy," Wynfir replied as he caught his breath and tried to calm himself. "I rushed here as soon as I was free," he said.


    "That bastard? You sure it was him?" the muscr boy asked, his body going a bit stiff upon the mention of "him".


    "Yeah. How can I ever forget the face of the person who took Winston''s arms¡­and destroyed his life," Wynfir said with a darkened expression.


    "The hell are on about?! You were passed out in a second, don''t make shit up!" the muscr boy growled.


    "I¡­!? Ah, leave it. But, I''m sure, it was really him. I checked multiple times. Zero nks, that is his name, right? I''ve no doubt about it. He''de back," Wynfire stated.


    Silence filled the room as neither of them spoke anything afterward for a long while. The boy sitting on the bench press machine stared at the floor below as he went through something in his mind. Wynfire on the other hand stood nervously.


    Then the silence that seemed tost for eternity was broken.


    "When he stopped showing up for sses and disappeared from the whole campus, I was not pleased. I thought I would be, but I was wrong," the boy said, finally looking up.


    "Most of them didn''t even notice that he''d vanished, and those who did think that he was sick or something. But I was not like them, I was keeping a close eye on him and those around him. When he disappeared, his sister was worried, too worried about a sick person''s sister. Then after a few steps even she stoppeding out of her house, and that was when my suspicion reached its peak.


    "I went and asked the teachers about it, and they simply said that he is not well and won''t being to sses for a while. So I took the final step and went to his dorm room. You know what I found there?" the boy looked at Wynfire, but despite that, it was clear that this wasn''t a question meant to be answered by others.


    "It was locked¡­the dorm room. That was when it became clear to me. Either he vanished by his own will or something bad had happened, and judging from the behavior of those around him, I believed it was thetter.


    "That was when I realized it; I wasn''t happy with the fact that the person I was targeting had disappeared without me doing anything. I was angry and sad because now I won''t be able to kill him with my own hands, the person who took my friend, Winston''s arms and his life from him.


    "Do you know? When Winston went back to his house after leaving the academy, he was disowned by his family. Can you believe it? His family left him because he didn''t have arms now and won''t be able to carry on the family lineage. That''s why they left him. And who was responsible for all this? Him. Zero fucking nks!


    "I still remember¡­the feeling of powerlessness I had when he froze Winston''s arms and then kicked his lumpy body. I couldn''t do a thing, other than standing like a dummy in the corner, hoping that I''m not the next in line¡­" he looked down at his hands, and then tightly curled them into fists.


    "That was a thing of the past. But now, if it is as you say, and he has truly returned. Then I am going to kill him for what he did to my friend. I was powerless back then, but not anymore. I''ve spent a good amount of time researching his abilities while increasing my own.


    "All that I need now is a golden opportunity, a right time to strike. When that time wille, that will be the end of him," he turned to face Wynfire.


    There was a fire in his eyes of him, the boy named Emmeric. A fire of determination, a fire of friendship, a fire of wanting to avenge a lost brother. A fire that wasn''t going to extinguish anytime soon.

 Chapter 202 Café & Bar [1]

    I stepped inside my dorm room, closing the door shut back. I removed my shoes and settled them on the rack near the mattress. I went inside, removed my zer, and let it rest inside the wardrobe.


    I let the Requiem sword rest on the side of my bed as I took off my academy uniform and settled into more casual clothes. After setting everything in its ce I went to the kitchen and returned a few minutester with a cup of hot chocte.


    Well, it wasn''t really hot since most of the heat was lost during the time it took to bring it here from the cafeteria but still, it is what it is.


    I picked up my diary in which I''ve written the rough plot of loli_pop''s novel, sat on the bed, and began skimming through its contents as I drank the almost cold hot chocte¡­that sounds illegal for some reason.


    It was half an hour before I was lying on my bed, stretching my arms and legs and staring at the ceiling.


    I was done reading the diary, it was all the same no matter how many times I read it. The contents were not going to change.


    Finally, I gathered up my body and sat up straight on the bed, leaning against the wall.


    "Req, you there?" I called.


    The sword leaning against the lower corner of my bed shone a brilliant white as a beautiful girl emerged from the light, carrying the same childish grin on her face.


    "Always, master," she said, looking at me with her yful eyes.


    ''Ah, I''d forgotten about it. I haven''t told her my name for obvious reasons but every time she calls me master, my ears bleed with cringe. It''s so much cringe that I could die! I mean, really, that sort of thing sounds good only in anime.''


    "I want you to tell me something," I said.


    "My bra size?"


    "No, about yourself. About your past. You''ve mentioned it a number of times now, and I want to know why you were feared by the five kingdoms," I stated.


    "Hmm, can''t you just look into your history books? But wait, what am I even saying? There''s no way they would have let all that pass down and be heard by future generations," she seemed to be talking to herself as she levitated near me and sat on the bed, a couple of feet away from me.


    Then she came to a stop and eyed me curiously. I didn''t know what she was watching with such interest, as I wore my usual nk expression.


    "You want to know?"


    "If you''re willing to tell, and I''ll prefer that honestly."


    "Okay," she said. She jumped over the bed, folded her legs, and sat in front of me in a cross-legged position.


    "Do you know how the world was, a thousand years ago? About the five kingdoms and their rise and fall. About the destroyer? About the war that burned the whole world in its mes?"


    As pitiful as it is to me, I''d be lying if I said that I knew anything at all. Loli_pop''s novel didn''t have a history, a backstory, hence it was clear that what she was referring to was all original material.


    "No. Exin it to me as if I were a child," I said. For some reason, this brought a smile to her face. But I was no fool, even I could tell that it was not a smile out of happiness. It was covering something deep, something dark.


    "Well, that settles many things. I now know where I have to start, but," she looked at me. "It''ll take a lot of time to get everything done."


    I nced at the wall clock; it was 8 in the evening. "We have a lot of time, the whole night if that''s what you want," I stated.


    "Now, now, don''t say things like that. You''ll get me turned on," she said in a teasing tone.


    "Then again, we might have time but if we''re going to sit for a long time, I should get some things done before you start. Like buying myself a dinner," I added and hopped out of the bed.


    "Eh, you''re gonna go now? After making me get in the feel. That ain''t right!!" she protested.


    "Don''t be damned like the world''s ending. I''m only going so far as the cafe, it won''t take long."


    I put on a hoodie to shield myself from the cold winds that will be blowing outside. I wore my shoes and opened the door, then looked back at Req. "I don''t think I need to say this but¡­"


    "Yeah, yeah, I won''t leave the room and transform back if someonees inside. I know, I know. Now get going if you''re gonna go, or else I''ll snatch you back and won''t leave you for the rest of the night. We won''t be telling stories then, mind you."


    I closed the door and locked it from the outside, then took the stairs down and left the dorm building.


    By now the sun had setpletely and it was dark outside. It was a cold, winter night. The gusts of winds passing by contained a chill and I''m sure I would''ve been sick if I avoided the hoodie I was wearing.


    As I walked down the path that led to the cafeteria, I was somewhat amused by the number of students out on the roads. To bepletely honest, I''ve expected the numbers to be far less, and boy was I wrong.


    The stone-paved path was bustling with students, not as many as you see right before the sses are about to start but by no means, there were few. And as I reached near the cafeteria I got to know why.


    The cafeteria and the buildings surrounding it were lit with bright and colorful neon lights. To call them ''neon lights'' would be wrong actually, since they were just strips of magic lights but a colored version of them.


    The atmosphere around the cafe was different too. Rather than inside, most of the students sat on the benches and tables that were ced outside the building. I noticed that the numbers had increased, which meant that they brought some extra chairs and tables for the night.


    I''ve seen the cafe like this one time before when I was apanying Ellyn to her dorms but I never got the chance toe and inspect it from close.


    The students around were chatting excitedly with each other, there were groups of five or ten or fifteen then there were duos and trios too. Some even danced, while others enjoyed watching. Soon I came to notice something I hadn''t before.


    It was what most of the students were drinking, and as I walked past one its smell cleared all doubts.


    ''Alcohol,'' I thought.


    It was not served during the day although you could see the bottles of wine, whiskey, beer, and ale settled on the shelf behind the counter. I always wondered why to keep them if they were not for sale, now I know why.


    The purpose behind this difference at the cafe during the night was also getting clear in my head. This was no longer a cafe, it was a bar.


    I entered the building and stopped at the counter, the first thing I noticed was that now there were small and round wooden stools lined up behind the wooden counter. Some were upied by students who sat and savored their drinks.


    It wasn''t much of a surprise that I saw many first-year or second-year students too. Age was not a matter of concern. You were seen as an adult once you crossed the age of 15, but despite that, there was no legal age for drinking.


    I sat on one of the stools and waited for the girl at the service to notice me.


    She had strawberry blonde hair that came down to her shoulders, her skin was fair and her frame was small for her age¡ªthough I don''t know what her age was, she looked somewhat around her ending teens. Also, she was not the same girl who served the counter during the daytime.


    "What can I get you?" she asked, finally noticing me.


    I ordered a few things that I can heat up and eat when hunger hit meter, and some then some donuts for Req.


    "Anything else?" she inquired.


    "No, that''s all."


    She shrugged and noted it down on the small clipboard she was holding. Then she went inside a room that I-though-was-the-kitchen and came back after a minute or so.


    "It''ll take a while to get some of the dishes ready. Care to have a drink till then?" she appealed, gesturing at the vast variety of bottles nested on the wooden shelf behind the counter.


    This question left me wondering. I mean, I hadn''t drunk before even in my former life so I didn''t know what it was. And right now, I was in no mood to get drunk. Not knowing which drink contains more alcohol was one of the major problems.


    I could simply deny her, that was a clear option. But as you know, curiosity kills that cat.


    "A beer would be nice," I said with a knowing smile.


    "Which one?"


    "Any rmendations?"


    She looked up at me, and finally, her whole attention was focused on me. I don''t know if that''s a good thing or not, but she had a smile that depicted her curiosity on the matter. So I''d either said something very nice or just made it clear that I''d never drunk before¡­I''m betting on thetter.

 Chapter 203 Café & Bar [2]

    "We have something new actually, would you like it?" she asked.


    "Well, why not," I replied.


    Smiling, she went to the shelf behind and picked one of the bottles with back, stained ss. She returned, picked one of the sses, and decanted the bottle until it was half-full. It was a brownish golden liquid but I can''t say for sure as the colorful lights were distracting.


    Then she held a jar and poured the rest of the ss with a transparent liquid¡ªit was probably water.


    I gripped the ss, it was slightly cold. I wonder if they were using custom magic to keep the drinks cold or if it was the effect of the cold weather.


    I bought the cup close to my lips and took a sip. The liquid went rushing inside and I experienced an explosion of vors in my mouth. As I gulped it down, there was a slight burning sensation in my throat.


    The taste¡­I can''t say I disliked it. It was actually better than what I expected. I mean, I thought it would be more bitter. Rather than that, the taste was closer to fruit beer¡ªwhich I''ve tasted in my former life.


    "It''s good," I said with a smile as I sipped the rest of the beer.


    An amused smile appeared on the girl''s face as she watched me enjoy my drink. I turned around to see and saw that the other students who were sitting beside me had simr reactions.


    I didn''t know the reason, maybe they had not seen someone drink before or something. I observed them for a while from the side of my eye but then ignored them afterward.


    Finishing my ss I thumped it on the wooden counter. Maybe this was a way of saying that I need another drink since it attracted the girl''s attention and she poured me another fill. At that moment I was unaware of this but my ss was already full, hence I took the risk and emptied it as well.


    This time I finished it in two long sips and made sure to put the ss carefully on the counter so as to not get another fill. I didn''t know how much alcohol this drink contained as not drinking too much was probably for the best.


    "Want some more?" the girl asked after a while when she returned with my dinner which was neatly packed in paper and foil.


    "Nah, I should get going now," I took the package from her and paid for the drinks and the food, all the while I tried to ignore the smirks from the students nearby.


    Then I left the cafeteria and walked away from the building. As I walked further and entered the darkness, distant from the bright lights of the cafe, I stumbled upon a stone and almost fell.


    Though I bnced myself well and was back on my feet, I felt was if the vision around my eyes was getting blurry.


    ''Is the alcohol finally doing its work?'' I thought. But maybe the thought was too powerful as it went to Req via the thoughtmunication and she replied soon afterward.


    [This is the first time I''ve seen someone get drunk without actually getting drunk,] she said.


    ''What do you mean?''


    [Huh? Don''t tell me you didn''t know?]


    ''Didn''t know what?''


    [What you drank was not beer.]


    ''What?!''


    [It was apple cider with no alcohol in it.]


    ''Well, it certainly tasted a bit like fruit beer but¡ª''


    ''Ah, I see. It didn''t taste like fruit beer, it was fruit beer.''


    [Apple cider isn''t really fruit beer but you''re right. They swindled you for the price of a beer and gave you a sugar drink.]


    ''And why are you telling me this now? You could''ve rmed me back then''


    [Hehe, it wouldn''t have been fun then. Plus, it''s not like you got robbed or lost all your money or something. They were teasing you, pulling a prank on you because you made it so obvious that you''re a newbie. These types of things are prettymon in bars¡­or were? I don''t know if the custom has changed.]


    ''It''s not really about the money, but¡­well, whatever. If nothing I just learned something new,'' maybe it was a way to console myself, but this was my best thought at the moment.


    I came back to the dorm buildings and entered my room, looking up I saw that it was 8:20 right now. I had a lot of time to hear Req''s story.


    I set the food on the desk since I wasn''t going to eat it right now and then removed my hoodie and hung it on one of the pegs drilled into the wall. I removed my socks too, as they were slightly wet. The water must have gone in, I guess the grass was moist for some reason.


    Setting them aside I went inside the kitchen and turned on the burner. I ced a metal container on top of it and decanted some milk in it. It was night and I was going to need this to stay awake, and at night I prefer milk over water.


    I grabbed one of the containers from the shelf and spilled some coffee beams from it into the stone grinder. Then, as the milk was getting boiled I grind the beans until they were turned into a fine powder, just the type I like.


    My sense told me something was wrong, hence I peeked outside the kitchen and saw Req. She was trying to open the package I''d bought and was aiming for the paper box that contained the donuts.


    "They aren''t for now," I said.


    She was startled and almost jumped upon hearing my voice. "I-I know! I was just checking," she replied, turning to face me with her eyes wandering around and looking everywhere except for me.


    "That''s good. Because I won''t go out to do something for youte at night, so you better keep those in good condition till then," I stated and went back inside the kitchen.


    I turned the burner off as the milk had boiled. Taking arge cup from the cupboard I first transferred the coffee power I''d made into it and then poured the milk. After that, I went and brought another jar and added a spoon full of sugar to the mixture.


    And it was done. I put everything back in its ce, took hold of the cup, and came out from the kitchen.


    When I entered the room Req was sitting on the chair and fidgeting with her fingers, basically, she was doing nothing. I took my ce on the bed and set the cup on the desk nearby.


    "Good. Now I''m ready, so tell me," I said, looking at her.


    "Hmm, it isn''t as easy as you made it sound like. I mean, we are talking about millennia here! Back in the time, many things were different so if I don''t exin it the right way, you won''t understand a word. So first, I need to know how much you know about history," she asked.


    "I thought we were already over this point. But well, I''m saying it again. Exin it to me as if I were a child. I know nothing, nothing at all," I stated.


    "That just makes it more difficult, you know," she said under her breath, mostly mumbling to herself. But the room was quiet hence I was able to hear her very clearly.


    "Okay, I am gonna get to it now. So pay attention and listen with your ears wide open, as I will not exin the same thing twice," she announced and adjusted on the chair with her back straight.


    Then maybe something was not ording to her, or not fitting her mood because she jumped in the air and levitated until shended gracefully on the bed in front of me.


    She crossed her legs and sat there, a smile of satisfaction covering her face. Her expression was cheerful, like an excited child. It left me wondering for a while that I was the one who should be excited over this, but the roles were reversed.


    "Since you don''t know anything, I am going to start from the start. A thousand years ago, the world was very different from what it is now. So let me tell you, from the very beginning¡­"

 Chapter 204 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [1]

    "To help you understand this story better, I''ll first have to start by telling you a bit about how the world was, a thousand years ago. You see, many things have changed since then. So, a thousand years ago the world was¡­


    ***


    The atmosphere was filled with mana, way more than what it is now. The world was divided into two parts¡ªone where thend rose, reaching the peaks of the sky, vast mountains of never-ending slopes; they were called the Devil''s Mountains/


    They were the mountains where the dragons lived, but the most feared of them all were the uths. They nested their homes on the peaks that were above the clouds, and they were only seen on the rare cases when they came down to hunt.


    The sky there was ck due to the smoke released by the mountains that have turned into volcanos. Thunder and lighting ruled the sky all the days in the year. At the peak of the mountains the wind blew as fast as to tear a man in two.


    No man dared to go there. No king was brave enough, no warrior was strong enough, no wizard was wise enough. If someone went there, they were either marked as a hero or a fool. Even the strongest of the five kingdoms didn''t dare to conquer the Devil''s Mountains.


    On the other side of the world was the great slope. A nting piece of charrednd that connected into the second wonder of the world: the Eternal Ocean.


    The Eternal Ocean was also called the end of the world, as no man had ever seen what was on the other side of it, let alone cross the ocean.


    It was said that the Eternal Ocean was as deep as high were the Devil''s Mountains; folks said that the depths of the ocean ran down till it reached hell.


    The Eternal Ocean started when arge slope ofnd, charred and ck, where stones reced soil, went down in a smooth downhill and entered the water. The point was called the Great Slope.


    There were no trees, no houses, no flowers, not a single hint of civilization near this ce. No one knew why, and they weren''t eager to know. When the slope ended, the ocean started.


    It was shallow at first but with the passing distance the deepness grew enteranlly.


    The waters were dangerous. There were stories of monsters lurking deep within the oceans, and while no one talked about it, they knew that it was more than just a story.


    No one had ever seen them¡ªunlike the dragons that lived on the mountains¡ªbut that just made it even more terrifying. Because they knew that there was something out there, but didn''t know what.


    No one had ever crossed the edge of the Eternal Ocean; the Great Slope was as far as they went. There indeed were a few brave men¡ªor fools, ording to the folk¡ªwho set their sails against the way of the world and set out to challenge the waters, but their ships never returned.


    These were the two sides that made up the world a thousand years ago; the Devil''s Mountains and the Eternal Ocean.


    ***


    "So, have you ever crossed the ocean or tried to climb the mountain," Zero asked, interrupting Req in her exnation.


    She seemed disturbed by this, as does every storyteller when they were stopped in the midst of something. But her hesitation and the slight sprinkle of anger soon faded away.


    "I can''t say I haven''t tried, and while I never got the chance to visit the waters I did climb halfway through the mountains," she replied with a sense of pride.


    "Were they really the mountains with ''never ending peaks''?" he appealed.


    "Nah, that was just something the people of that time made up because they couldn''t see the top. In reality, the peak was covered and hidden by the thunder clouds and the smoke from the volcanos, that''s why it was not visible from the ground," she exined.


    "Ah, so it''s nothing but folklore," Zero mumbled. "But what about the five kingdoms you are talking about? You haven''t even mentioned them in your¡­story?" he asked.


    Req drew in an irritated breath as she stared at Zero with her furiously narrowed eyes. "I was going to get to that eventually, until a certain someone interrupted me in the middle," she grumbled.


    "Well, I wanted to confirm a few things. But hey you have your time now, so continue," Zero replied. He probably meant that as an apology but his nk expressionbined with his expressionless voice made it not even remotely simr to an apology.


    Req humped and red at him intently for a while, though Zero gave no response or made another failed attempt for an apology, she gave up. With a sigh, she loaded her fill of words again and continued.


    As she spoke her expression grew distant and her eyes seemed far away with the passing of time when she recalled the memories of the past, but that did not stop the words froming out of her mouth.


    "The five kingdoms, huh? That''s actually the heart of my story, but along with that they were the heart of human civilization too, a thousand years ago¡­"


    ***


    The world of humans was divided into five parts, and they were known as ''The Five Kingdoms''.


    The kingdom of Acreyvania, the kingdom of Swuisten, the kingdom of Ustrington, the kingdom of Xaswurhiel, and the kingdom of Askington were the pirs of humanity.


    The cities weren''t that developed but the power those kingdoms and their armies contained and thrived in was immense.


    Each kingdom was ruled by a king, and each of them was powerful enough to bring entire cities to ruin single handedly. They were so strong that their mere presence could trample a normal man.


    But things weren''t so peaceful. As far as I know, and as far as you could trace back history, the five kingdoms had always fought. The world was plunged and burned into the mes of a never ending war.


    These kings fought. Ever since the beginning they fought each other, lusting for blood. But it was not blood they wanted, it was power. Each of them was immensely powerful on their own, but that just increased their thirst for more.


    ''So much power can blind a man,'' it is not merely a quote, these words have been proven true multiple times throughout history. Once you taste what pleasure having great power can bring, you thrive for more. So was the case with the kings.


    Each king''s power was stored in an item he valued more than his life, and if the other king¡ªor any other person¡ªtook and broke the item in their hands, the power would change its owner and belong to the person who destroyed the item.


    They tried to keep it a secret for a long while, but eventually the world got out. Later they found out that every king had simr items that contained their powers. Thus began the war to obtain the other king''s item and steal their power.


    Each wanted to kill the other four and then through thebined power of all five of them, be the only ruler of the world.


    Endless wars were fought, blood stained the soil red, the rivers turned scarlet, the sky was dyed in the agony of the innocents who were caught up in the power struggle. Whenever the king''s set foot in battle, the earth cried with pain and the sky weeped with thunder.


    The war¡­


    ***


    "The war continued for many, many years. Countless cities were destroyed, houses burned, innocents killed. A vast majority of people who died consisted not of the soldiers but of normal citizens, as whenever one of the kings directlyunched an attack, multiple cities were brought to ruin in the blink of an eye..."


    All of a sudden Req stopped, at first Zero ignored it as a pause she''d taken for effect but the silence seemed to stretch on for too long that he couldn''t but interrupt again.


    "And?" he said


    This snapped her back to reality and her eyes that were seeming to lost their colors, lit up with her usual cheerfulness as she grew aware of her surroundings, and where she was¡­grew aware of in what time she was.


    "How does this all connect with you? I know you were giving me a background of how the world was back then but none of it connects with you, at least not from what you''ve told until now," he protested.


    Req passed him a knowing smile, and for the first time it wasn''t her usual childish smile. It was like the smile of someone older, someone who had gone through a lot and had experienced many things. For the first time in a while, it was the smile of a girl who was truly a thousand years old.


    "I''m getting to that. Gosh, why can''t you just shut up and sit quiet for once! You needed to know all this in order to grasp what I''m going to say next, so just shut that damn mouth and listen!" she said in a half-irritated, half-teasing tone.

 Chapter 205 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [2]

    You said you wanted to know everything from the beginning, right? I might''ve not had this trouble if I were to be very vague about it, but I guess that''s not what you want.


    However, if that''s not what you want then you leave me in quite a tight situation, as even I don''t know where to start.


    You said you wanted to hear my story from the beginning, but what does a ''beginning'' define? Did it all start when I was born? Or when I found Requiem? Or when I was left alone in a pile of dead bodies with my clothes dyed red? Was the beginning in the smell of burning flesh and hair? Or was it in the rage I felt at that moment?


    It truly is a hard choice, but I guess if I had to choose one true beginning, then it would be on that day of winter. Yeah, I think that''s where it all started. Before that point, I was living the life of a normal vige girl, but what happened that day trampled over my peaceful little life as you would to a bug under your feet.


    *


    It was just another day of winter, it was around afternoon and the sun was shining bright in the sky. I still remember it clearly. It was a good day, the skies were clear, and the warm sunlight was falling gracefully on our little vige on the outskirts of the Ustrington kingdom.


    As for me, well, as I''ve said before, at that point in my life I was nothing but an ordinary fourteen-year-old vige girl who was, on that day, ordered by her mother to go fetch a bucket full of water from the only well in the vige.


    The Ustrington kingdom was located just beside the Devil''s Mountains¡ªwhich was a very dry area due to the volcanos present up there and the dragons who, during their mating period, came down and burned as muchnd as they could around the mountains as one of the disys of their strength.


    Thus, the part of the Ustrington kingdom that faced the mountains dried up too andcked its natural supply of underground water.


    If anything, we were fortunate enough to have a well near the vige and didn''t have to walk miles to get water from the river like a few other settlements that were around us.


    "Off to the well, Kei? I''m guessing you did something again to anger your mother?" an old man asked as I walked past him. He seemed to be in his mid-fifties and wore a gray uniform and held a long spear.


    He was Rick, the only official guard of our vige. We had a total poption of around 50, so there wasn''t much need for a guard anyway. But someone had to fill in the role, and Rick just happened to be interested in it.


    "Well, if beating up Bentley''s child counts as something that would anger her, then I sure did," I replied without stopping. There was nothing I could''ve done. I was never the shy and quiet type of girl. A punch is what you will get if you try to sneak a peek inside my skirt.


    He passed an amusedugh as he waved his hand in the air.


    "Be careful over there, it''s about the time when the dragons start toe down," he warned and then walked off in his direction.


    Our vige was the first after the mountains, so it wasn''t unusual for a dragon to show up near the outskirts, but it hadn''t happened for hundreds of years, so I guess he was just doing his job as the guard with that warning.


    I watched him leave and then met up with a young man with short brown hair, carrying a rusty iron sword on his back.


    He was Eugan; if you were an outsider then you might mistake him for Rick''s son, and so was their rtionship, but in reality, he was his disciple. Or, at least, that''s what he''d decided to call himself.


    Other than Rick he was the only person in the vige to carry a weapon and even that he''d received from Rick himself after days and months of pleading and crying.


    Being a swordsman was his goal, and with the little sword training, Rick got when he went training for his job he was the single person Eugan could rely on.


    That sword was also something he''d received as an ornament for his job, but we didn''t have bandits or monsters running in our vige, so he never used it.


    When Eugan learned about this, he made it his life''s goal to get Rick to train him; and by the way, this was when he was ten. It took him two years to convince Rick, and then another year to prove himself worthy. He''s twenty-five now, but his ambitions are as young as they were when he was ten.


    Watching them leave, I turned and continued in my direction. I soon crossed the wooden wall that surrounded the vige and worked as a line of defense, and then in a minute or so I was in an area crowded with dried-up trees.


    After a couple more minutes of walking, I reached the well. It was a pit in the ground with a line of stones around it and a wooden frame above it with a pulley attached to it.


    I reached close, grabbed hold of the rope, and tied the bucket I''d brought to it. Then I lowered the bucket into the depths of the well, and after a while, I felt the weight increase then I pulled the bucket back up; it came filled with water.


    I repeated the process with the second bucket and was done in a handful of minutes. It''s surprising how much in detail I remember the process, and you might think I was doing this very carefully, that''s how everything is clear in my mind, but I wasn''t.


    I was doing this whileining and murmuring to myself about how my mother shouldn''t have scolded me when I punched Sim and how it was not my mistake at all.


    ¡­ Little did I know that soon it was not even going to be the least of my troubles considering what was waiting for me.


    I returned to the vige when the sun was still up, but I didn''t go back directly. In the middle, I stopped in a field where some of the flowers had bloomed on the ground. It was a rare thing in this deadnd, and I was one of the few who admired that fact.


    When I finally came back, there was nothing unusual happening. By this time the people who''d gone to the fields to nt or check their crops were returning, the kids were ying tag and running all over the ce.


    In the corner near the wooden wall, beside the small box of wood that was the vige''s guard post, Rick was giving lessons to Eugen. I watched all this as I headed toward my house, the gentle warm wind that climbed down the mountains was making my hair dance.


    Opening the door, I entered the house, my mother was standing there as if waiting for me. She was beautiful, I''d like to say. But in those times ''beautiful'' wasn''t amonly used word as the world was rushed into war¡­you didn''t get the time to sit and admire the beauty of things.


    "You''rete," she said, her tone hard and slightly angry.


    "I went to see the flowers," I admitted, knowing there was no use in lying.


    She eyed me seriously for a while before letting out a sigh and taking steps toward me.


    "Honestly, you could''ve gone after fetching me the water," she said under her breath as she took the water buckets from me and headed over to the kitchen. "It''s because of you I''ll bete to make dinner, so don''tinter on," she added.


    It was fine, I wasn''t particrly hungry. But thinking back on it now, I should''ve hurried her for dinner and eaten it. s, thinking is all I could do now, and there''s no way I would''ve known what was about toe.


    "Isn''t dad home yet," I asked as I made my way toward the chairs that were kept in the room.


    "He should being anytime now, there wasn''t much work today," she replied from within the kitchen.


    My father was a farmer, just like most of the men in the vige. They went outside the vige walls and to the fields that were on the back side of the vige¡ªthat weren''t facing the mountains¡ªsince thend there was a little bit better.


    It was also closer to the roads that went to the cities, so loading the crops off the cart and sending them over to the cities to sell was easier that way, saving a lot of time. It was useful in one more way too, though we didn''t know it at that time¡­


    The door bashed open, and a man with short brown hair rushed in. He was my dad, and I hadn''t seen him like that in ages. He was sweating badly, and his face was a mess. His eyes widened, and he was running out of breath.


    Seeing themotion my mom came out from the kitchen, seeing him in this state left her in confusion just like me.


    "We need to go!" he said even before my mom could ask what happened.

 Chapter 206 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [3]

    "What happened?" my mom asked, confused by the sudden turn of events, the perplexedness showing clearly on her face.


    "We¡­we need to go...quickly. Th-They areing!" he spoke hurriedly all while trying to catch his breath. I was a kid back then but even I knew just from looking that he''d run quite a long distance before storming in here.


    "Wait a second, what are you saying? Who ising?!" my mom asked again, this time a bit more gently.


    Dad didn''t reply this time, rather stared deep in her eyes for a while before moving forward toward the storage room. A few minutester he came out with a crowbar in his hands. He held it like a weapon, as if he was prepared to stab or smack anyone who came in his way.


    Then he stepped near me with his hurried and heavy steps, the wooden floor creaking everytime.


    He stood next to me and stared down. It sent a chill down my spine, the air around him had changed. It was like he had lost his sense of logic and reasoning and was acting based purely on instincts.


    The expression on his face was a mixture of fear and panic, but still, he was the same person. He grabbed me by my wrist and forced me up from the chair and to my feet.


    I, being the clueless kid I was at that point, pouted in anger since he''d used quite a bit of force to pull me up. However, he paid no mind to my futile attempt of resistance and swifty walked me to the main door.


    He released me from his grip and then stared intently, "Go outside and run as far as you can. Understand? Go toward the mountains, if possible. And don''t ever turn back, no matter what happens. You mom and I will be right behind you.


    As soon as he finishedmanding me he rushed inside again, leaving me alone on the doorstep. Confused and a little startled too, I stood there wondering what the hell he was rambling about.


    I heard the sounds of things falling on the ground, probably metal. Then there was my mom trying to ask him what happened and why he was in such a hurry. His reply was always the same: "I don''t have time to exin."


    A couple of minutester he came back with my mom. Judging by her condition I guess he''d rushed her out too, as her clothes were a tangled mess and she was carrying a few things in her arms¡ªiron rods, sickle, knife and such.


    He was probably the one who made her carry them because his hands were now full with the crowbar and a rusted machete we''d stopped using a long while ago.


    His face turned visibly hot when he saw me still standing there. He came close in a few abrupt steps, leaving my mom behind. I opened my mouth to say something, I don''t know what but I was probably going to ask him the same question again.


    Then, before a word could leave my mouth I felt a stinging sensation on my left cheek. I had been hit, my dad pped me. He was not the type to raise hand on me, I had not a single memory of that.


    Thus what happened surprised both me and my mother as well.


    "I told you to run, didn''t I?" he spat, then held me by my elbow. It was then I think.


    He was dragging me out of the house, my mother was tagging along behind him with a worried look over her face. A few tears had welled up in my eyes hence my vision was blurry¡­no, maybe it became blurry afterward.


    As I stepped outside the door, I felt a wave of heat hit me from behind. It was hot, too hot I could not exin. And I sensed it all over my body.


    First the impact was on my back, then it spread on my arms and legs, then through the gap under my armpits it reached forward and engulfed my chest. It hit my legs, surrounding my knees and covering them in a sheet of scorching energy. It was over my head too, the strands of my burning hair was a proof of that.


    And all thissted only for the span of a second or two, if it went on for any more than that then I''m sure I would''ve burned to death. But before that cane true I was hurled forward in the air, as if a big, muscr warrior had kicked me in the back and sent me flying.


    I crashed a few meters forward, outside the wooden fencing that covered my house. My head had crashed right on the ground so it took some time for me to recover my senses and gain control of my body.


    When I did, I pushed my body up and sat up straight on my knees before pulling myself even further and standing on my feet. That time I was too upied by other things to notice that I was covered in blood, my own blood that''d came out when I skinned myself as my body rolled on the ground.


    I turned behind, I was afraid to look but I kind of wanted to know what happened.


    ¡­My house was burning. It was made of wood and dried grass so it was quite easy to set it on fire, but that was not all of it. At the center of the house, was a huge boulder that was smoldering in mes. It''d crashed right into the house''s frame and had crushed everything that came in between.


    I ran forward, or rather I tried to. Since I stumbled on my feet two times and broke a tooth before I was actually able to move on my now-weakened legs.


    Inded on my knees before the doorstop, which was now a pile of crushed and burning wood. My eyes wandered in every direction, searching for at least a clue¡­something¡­anything would''ve been better than nothing.


    I moved around from ce to ce, I bent and dug the ground with my hands. I flipped the burning wood aside, even though it burned my palms. I jumped inside the weaker mes and tried to push aside the stash of whatever was left of my house.


    When I finally found a good piece of log and cleared the area around the doorstep, the scent of burning flesh and hair entered my nostrils.


    I''ll spare you the details of what I saw there, as I don''t think you would be interested in knowing that. I''ll spare you the numbness I felt at that time, seeing the hand of my father that held my elbow just a few moments ago¡­


    ***


    Req slowly came to a halt as she stared into nothingness, the words seem to have left her throat, probably because some bitter memories were returning.


    "I see. That would''ve been painful for you," Zero said as he finished his cup of coffee and rested the cup on the desk beside him.


    While he was offering words of reassurance, there was no real meaning in them. They were in as stale bread, they carried no weight.


    A part of it was because he''d expected some kind of tragedy in Req''s story. Given his knowledge about the fantasy tropes and given that he was currently living in a world based on a fantasy novel, he knew that it wouldn''t be so strange for Req''s story to have a simr setting.


    Hence, he was not all that surprised or sad or stunned. It was but just another story for him; from which he wanted to dig out the information about the past of Req and this world.


    "Why were they attacked?" he asked.


    This snapped Req back to reality and she tried to assume her usual cheerful smile, but failed miserably. Thus he presumed a semi-serious expression as she exined.


    "My parents were not the only ones who were attacked, it was the whole vige that was under the target. And not just our vige, but all the viges and settlements that were on that edge of the kingdom.


    "It was the result of an all out attackunched on us by the Askington kingdom. This was one of those rare battles where the king himself had entered the battlefield, and while we were lucky that he wasn''t raging the grounds on our side he sure had sent a fearsome amount of soldiers and war power toward the Devil''s Mountains.


    "This side of the kingdom wasn''t as densely popted as the others therefore we did not have much guards or security either. It made the borders a perfect point to invade the kingdom without much effort.


    "In the eyes of the world it was a perfectly normal event, my parents were not the first to die nor thest. People died every day, that was how wars were. Yeah, it was just another assault one kingdom had made on another, I just happened to be caught up in it¡­"

 Chapter 207 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [4]

    My house was not the only one that was attacked, soon the burning boulders were flying all over the vige, crushing the houses and the people living in it. They were the result of some magic spell I didn''t know at the time, but looking back at it now I guess it was probably abination of fire and earth elements.


    The army was surrounding us, but since they could not cross the mountains theyid camps on the rest of the three sides. My father had probably seen the armying, that''s why he hurried back to save us.


    If not for me¡­If I had done as he said and ran as far as I could then probably he wouldn''t have had to stop to p and¡­


    I was aware of all that, perhaps that''s why I was sitting in front of my burning house and carrying on as the rest of the vige was raided by the soldiers of the Askington kingdom and the other houses were burned.


    I guess if Eugen hadn''te to me when he was passing by the area then I would have either been killed by a soldier or burned along with my house.


    He stood by my side and looked at the burning house, then back at me. He probably didn''t have to think twice to guess what had happened.


    "Come on, you''re a strong girl. This is no time to sittin'' around and cyrin''. You''ve to survive," he said as he gently pulled me back to my feet.


    I noticed a bitte that he had a deep gush running all over his left arm. He was carrying Rick''s sword, and it had blood on it. I guessed he was injured in battle.


    "We''ve to find a safe ce, less go," he instructed and hurried me outside in the vige.


    There were soldiers ravaging everywhere, knights d in armor were mounted on war horses. They carried sword and spear andnce and shield; ready to kill at any moment. And they were killing, in fact.


    Three of the viges¡ªa family of two parents and a girl¡ªwere killed right in front of my eyes. They were trying to escape, the three of them. At that moment I wondered if the same could''ve happened with us even after we somehow escaped the house.


    It was a terrifying thought, so I stopped thinking about it.


    Eugen was holding my hand tightly as we sneaked past the knights and behind a piece of broken stone wall. He stopped there to examine the surroundings and look for a chance to escape as right now the knights were all over the ce.


    In front of us was a tree and beside it was a house that was now ruined by the flying boulders, over all this ce made for a good hiding spot.


    We sat with our backs against the wall, and waited, and waited, and waited. The sounds of horses, the nking of metal, the screaming of people as they were stabbed or shed¡­we tried to ignore it all but failed quite badly.


    Eugen closed his eyes in frustration then opened them again. I was not sure but he was probably restraining himself from going out there and fighting.


    It must''ve been hard for him. After all, the reason he chose to learn the sword was so he could protect the people around him. He wanted to be a hero, a protector. It was only reasonable, as he himself had arrived at this vige as a runaway war orphan.


    However, things are not always as you expect them to be. There was no way that he could go in and fight all those knights; they were covered from head to toe in iron, they were mounted on horses, most of them knew magic.


    He knew that he couldn''t beat them precisely because he had faced the ugliness of war before. That''s why he was keeping hold of his hands and trying not to hear the dying scream of the viges he knew.


    But then something snapped.


    He, and I too, heard a simr voice. It was a scream, I scream that sounded familiar.


    Eugen carefully cocked his head and peeked from the edge of the wall, I was having a bad feeling about this so I did the same.


    There about a hundred meters away from us stood Rick. He was wearing chained armor that was probably the guard uniform he never used, but that was not what caught my eye.


    Near his feet was a knight who had fallen from his horse, the reasons were clear. Rick had inserted his long spear in the gaping the knight''s armor had on the neck, through the gap the spear had pierced the knight''s body, giving him a painful death.


    But his scream was suppressed by the other sounds he made when he fell off his horse. The one Eugen and I heard was of Rick.


    I had not seen the whole thing happening, but right now Rick had ance stabbing him in the back. It was big and bulky, and it tore apart Rick''s stomach and came out from the other side. For a kid like me it was quite a grotesque sight.


    Rick was probably stabbed just after he killed the knight, but none of it mattered to Eugen. He lost his patience and the will to restrain himself.


    He stood up furiously and was about to run off in the battle when he had to stop since he was still holding my hand tightly¡­no, I was the one clenching on his hand.


    His eyes focused on me and he seemed confused, as if not knowing what to do with me. For just a moment I noticed a distant darkness in his eyes, and then it faded.


    "Stay here till I return, okay? Make sure no one sees you," he said and bent down and shook my shoulders to make sure I understood. In reply, a nood was all I could do.


    He patted me on the back and smiled a reassuring smile, then he stood up and turned toward where Rick was. He raised his sword up and let out a battle cry as he rushed forward. After taking two steps he fell to the ground. An arrow hade flying and drilled itself inside Eugen''s head.


    I was stunned to even scream, or probably because I knew that I''d meet the same end if I screamed. So I sat there, with my back against the wall, and waited as Eugen had said.


    I waited till the noises grew dull and the knights were beginning to count the bodies andying there camp. I waited till the blood on my body was dry and the tears under my eyes had grown rough. I waited till the sun had gone down and the moon was out, shining in the sky.


    When I thought that this was the time I''ll get caught if I stay any longer, I decided to move. I marched forward with the quiet of a winter''s night, crawling beside the tree and along the walls of the burned house.


    I walked as far as I could from the center of the vige, as I knew that would be the ce where they''ll be camping. And I was on my way to cross another opening between two houses, I thought I would make it. Just a leap in the shadows and I''ll be there, no one will see one.


    Hugging a wall tightly and walking next to it I came near a turn, after that was the opening and then the cover of another house. I took the remaining steps and stepped into the opening.


    I had predicted that there should be no knights here as there were no torchers, and no knight went out without a torch even if they were alone. It turned out it was nothing but something out of a childish fantasy my mother had told me.


    There was a knight, pissing in the corner. He was a step or two away from me as after the turn I''d basically stepped in front of him.


    He finished his business as soon as he saw me, I thought of running and my feet moved on their own. All the panic I was trying to escape from came rushing back, and I made a mistake. Instead of turning around I moved backward, and my feet stumbled, and I fell.


    The knight didn''t let go of the opportunity, he came closer and before I could see anything in the dark of the knight he jabbed me hard against the back of my neck.


    Iy there numb on the ground, looking up at the sky I saw the gleaming moon as I felt my consciousness slowly fading away. Tears rolled down my eyes, since at that time my whole body was screaming that this was thest time I was going to see the breath, thest time I was going to feel, thest time I was going to see.

 Chapter 208 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [5]

    My head was heavy as if I had been struck with a rock the size of a bucket. I opened my eyes slowly as I regained my consciousness. This feeling was strange, since I was sure that I would''ve been killed after getting knocked out.


    However, I was still somehow alive.


    My vision was blurry but I was able to see a bright light iming my field of vision. I rubbed my eyes to get a better view but before I could see, the weight of my hands and the ng of the metal told me that I was chained.


    After I was able to see somewhat clearly I came to know that both my hands and legs were cuffed with heavy iron chains and I was locked inside a wheeled cage.


    It was usually used to transport animals but right now it was being used to keep human children. Children because I was not the only one there, along with me there were five other kids¡ªamong them three were whom I didn''t recognize, so they were probably from a different vige.


    All of us were chained and restrained, and pulling our cage was a horse with a knight riding on top of it. It took me a good amount of time to notice the motion and the change in the surroundings. The cart was moving.


    I was no longer in the vige, as for what I saw outside the cage was miles of driednd with stones and dead trees scattered around. In front I could see the Devil''s Mountains.


    In length they stretched as far as the eye could see and in height and stood till the end of the sky. They covered the whole horizon, it meant I was closer than ever to the mountains.


    They were moving toward the mountains but I was sure that they didn''t intend to climb it; no sane human would even think about that. I didn''t know for sure, but my dad had once told me that there was a small settlement just at the feet of the mountains so I guessed that was where they were headed.


    I moved my head around and noticed that out caged-cart was surrounded by the knights on horses; two were behind us, one on each side, and the rest of them were ahead of us.


    Escaping was out of option, giving up and epting my fate was the only thing I could do right now. If anything I should be grateful that they even let me live. I looked at the other children who were caged in with me.


    Three girls and one boy, all were about the same age as me except one girl who seemed to be around ten or twelve. All of them had the same darkened expression which told them that they''d lost hope.


    Well, it was only reasonable. These children were most likely captured for a longer time than me, considering that they were from a different vige.


    The two of them whom I knew back from the vige were the brown haired boy and the blonde girl, they were siblings. I''d yed with them a few times however none of them seemed to even notice me, less recognize.


    I think it was the natural reaction. Their parents were killed right before their eyes, their vige was burned down and they were abducted by a bunch of dangerous people they didn''t know about. Being stunned and drowning in despair was only to be expected.


    Maybe I was the abnormal one here, since I felt like I was the most in control among the six. I was still able to think, react, and feel that I was living. Maybe that was wrong.


    They''d given up, so why shouldn''t I? I mean, everything was lost already. The vige was the single ce in the world where I belonged, now it was gone and I had nowhere else to go.


    So I should just give up and ept whatever fate has in stock for me. Yeah, that will be for the best. No one wouldin if I did, there was no one left anyway.


    I leaned my head against the bars of the cage and watched the sky and the Devil''s Mountains. It was only then, when I watched the setting sun, did I realize that I''d been knocked out for more than a day.


    Closing my eyes, I tried not to think of anything. I wanted to give up and ept this dark reality, I really wanted to. That seemed like the most easy option avable to me.


    But something inside me was not ready to ept that, there was something burning and smoldering, stopping me from giving uppletely, and I wasn''t able to put my finger on it.


    That''s why, for the moment, I decided to ignore that feeling as well.


    *


    When I opened my eyes again, it was because the cart hade to a sudden stop. I could hear the men shouting orders and unloading their stuff from the horses, the chains on their armors ringed as they moved.


    The nket of night had covered the sky, but today there was no moon in the sky.


    A bad omen, ording to my mom, but I was not in the condition to care about such things. Since I was restrained by heavy chains I had no way of moving hence I waited and watched.


    The knights have stopped in an area where a lot of torches and campfires were burning. My guess had been proved right, and they were really camping at the small human settlement.


    There were small campsid all across thend and a big one in the middle, before it was a big campfire with its me lifting up to around ten feet. There were small fires around each of the camps too, but most of them were already burned out.


    The knights unloaded their weapons and whatever things they had from the horses and went to their camps one by one after leaving the horses at a certain ce away from the camps.


    Then, when I thought they might order us to leave the cage, a big man came to us instead and lifted the whole cage with his arms. I can only guess how strong he was, since he carried the whole iron cage with six children in it and thumped it to the ground, a bit away from the campfire.


    What followed afterward wasn''t worth mentioning. The bastards grouped up around the fire and ate and drank and chatted andughed with no regret whatsoever.


    At that time the burning and smoldering I was feeling within myself increased, but I still couldn''t figure out what it was. Hence I sat there, and watched them.


    At times some of them would point their fingers toward us, talk with each other over something, thenugh as if they''d just heard a joke. It went on for quite a long while, until things changed¡­


    It had been a few hours by now, the height of the me had lowered down to five feet and most of the men had either gone to sleep in their camps or were down drunk beside the fire.


    Then among the men who were still awake and by the fire, two of them stood and walked over to the cage. They opened the cage, or I should say they broke the chain that locked it with their bare hands.


    One of them bent down and reached out to grab one of the girls. At first I thought he would grab Roe¡ªthe blonde girl I knew, but his hand went further and grabbed the elbow of a girl I didn''t recognize.


    She was about my age and had long chestnut colored hair, the man grabbed that hair of hers and pulled her out of the cage. I thought she would resist but all she did was let out a futile cry.


    He moved aside after breaking the chains from her hands, and made space for the other knight standing with him. He reached out for us in a simr way, his handing inside the cage like a snake inside a rabbithole.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t make much effort and grabbed whoever was near, which was me. I was pulled out by my hair just like Roe and then he broke the chains that were restraining me.


    For a moment I thought of running away now, but then I remembered how he broke those chains with his bare hands, and how I had nowhere left to go back to.


    The men closed the cage shut and tied it with the remaining chains, after that they forced us to walk beside them. They stunk of alcohol, but there was nothing I could do about it.


    They both went separate ways, and the one who was holding me led me to this camp. As soon as we stepped inside he pushed me from behind, causing me to fall and roll over on the ground.


    When I picked up myself and turned back I saw a devilish grin on the man''s face as he removed the remaining of his armor and then unbuttoned his shirt.


    Of course, this was why they kept me alive. I should''ve known before, I was a fool to expect anything else.

 Chapter 209 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [6]

    The tablemp''s me inside the tent flickered as the winter''s wind rustled the leaves outside. The light cast the shadow of the man in front of me on the cloth walls as he unfastened his pants after having removed his armor and the rest of his clothes.


    The naked man stood before me and looked down at me with a piercing stare. Multiple things were going on in my mind but at that time all I could feel was the state of numbness my body had entered.


    He moved forward and then bent down on his knees, despite that he was still a hand taller than me. He pushed me back and pinned me to the ground with his big hands and began to rip apart the little clothing I had.


    As I watched him tear off the fabric my mother had woven by her warm and loving hands, the burning and smoldering sensation inside me raised another level, but just as before, I wasn''t able to figure out what I was feeling, or what it meant.


    It was confusing, and frustrating.


    You would think that I''d have been scared, screaming and struggling to somehow escape from the grip of that devil, however the actual situation was quite different.


    Rather than myself I was more focused on the noisesing from the tent on my right side; it was where the other man had taken Roe to.


    The violent wind grew quiet and I was able to hear the tearing of her clothes, the sickeningugh of that bastard as he restrained her from moving, and her futile cries of helpness and failed attempts of resistance.


    I was worried about her even before I realized it. I shouldn''t have been, but I was.


    I think I would''ve dwelled on it forever but I was forced to shift my attention when the man above me grabbed my face tightly with his hand and pushed his lips on mine. I tried to keep my mouth close, but it was just another useless attempt.


    His breath stank and his mouth was filthy, I could''ve vomited right into my mouth if they''d given me to eat anything before. At one point, I wished dying would''ve been a better option than this.


    He captured my tiny hands and interlocked my fingers with his, then he lifted me up and smacked me on a barrel that was inside the tent. He made me sit on top of the barrel and spread my legs apart, his face turning into a devilish grin as he licked his lips.


    The man was about to defile me, yet for some reason, I was feeling absolutely nothing. Probably because my mind was lost in finding the reason behind the burning and smoldering feeling in my heart.


    It was like a spark that lit up at times but vanished before I could find where it came from. At that moment, all my attention was directed toward finding the cause of this sensation.


    I was tangled up in it so much that I failed to notice when the screamsing from the outside, which were originally Roe''s, had now been mixed with the painful groans of grown men.


    Although the bastard before me was not so sensitive. Granted, he was not too cautious or mindful either. He noticed the screams and spat a few words looking outside the tent but then turned his attention back at me.


    He pped his thing between my legs and leaned in close to my face, he lifted my face and kissed me again, forcefully inserting his tongue inside my mouth. He thrusted his hips forward, and I felt a stinging pain spread throughout my body.


    The bastard seemed to enjoy this, as he kept thrusting again and again without caring for whatever pain I experienced. He leaned his back to take a breath and heughed as he did that.


    And there was it again, the spark. The burning and smoldering feeling which aroused from deep within my heart. It was an intensely strong emotion, that much I could tell. But what I couldn''t was the cause for it, for where it was directed. All I had were questions.


    Why was my vige burned? Why were my parents killed? Why was I getting ravished by this bastard? Why was I feeling like a lifeless doll while he gets tough and enjoy himself?


    I could not forget the sight of my parents'' bodies. In the condition I''d found them¡­ Why did I have to see all that? Why?


    I framed all these questions in my mind and looked at them again and again and again and again, until I found the answer. That was when it all came crashing down, and I got what I was looking for.


    All my questions and doubts had the same answer, and it was the war that was going on between the five kings and their kingdoms.


    My vige was burned because one king wanted to assault the other. My parents were killed because we lived in a world that was burning in the mes of that war. I was getting ravished by this bastard because he was sent here by his king. I was feeling like a lifeless doll because the kings and their war had robbed me of everything I held dear.


    As I recognized and embarrassed that answer, it grew more and more clear the more I thought about it. All things started to make sense, and finally I knew the cause¡­and as I discovered this, what once had been a spark erupted into a me.


    The emotion rooting deep inside me was of intense hatred, of the urge of revenge. And it was aimed at the five kings and their war, they were the reason I lost everything, thus I intended to destroy them as well. The difference in power didn''t matter to me.


    I had trouble figuring it out because it was an emotion I was not familiar with, I had never felt such a strong urge of revenge. But I understood it now, and I decided to ept it as well.


    The me of hatred and revenge burned at such limits no real fire could, and though it was ultimately targeted toward the kings who were the reason for this war, it first caught and burned whoever was close.


    The bastard leaned close again and forced me into a kiss, the difference was that this time I didn''t resist, instead I epted it gracefully.


    His tongue invaded my mouth again and though it tasted like shit I had to bear with it. I closed my eyes and thought about what I was going to do onest time. This was only to be expected, since there will be no going back once I begin.


    I had no fear of getting caught by the other knights, since now that mind had been cleared I was noticing the screaminging from outside and knew that they weren''t for nothing. I was now also painfully aware of my surroundings, of the insides of the tent.


    I strengthened my resolve, and it was decided just like that.


    Opening my eyes I looked straight at the bastard, he had his shut because he was enjoying the moment as his tongue moved inside my mouth¡­that was what I wanted.


    I lifted my jaw a bit and rolled back my own tongue to the starting of my throat, then with the final thought I smashed my teeth together and closed my mouth shut wildly like a beast taking a bite out of his prey.


    All the pleasure left the man and he backed off, covering his bloodied mouth and screaming as hard as he could. Although the fact that he could not scream at all no matter how hard he tried didn''t change.


    Blood dripped down his mouth even though he was using both his hands to cover his lips. His eyes were widened to their limit and seemed as if they would pop out any time now.


    I stepped down from the barrel and for a second I staggered a bit since it was still true that he had defiled me and invaded my body, even if for a while. However, I held myself and kept the bnce.


    Since I was aware of my surroundings, I was aware of themp lying on the desk beside me too. I stretched out my hand, grabbed themp, and swung it hard at the man''s head.


    I was originally aiming for the skull but since his height was quite a bit I ended up hitting him on the side of his face.


    The ss on themp broke along with its container, causing the oil to spill all over him while he experienced the bacsh of the hit and took two steps back before falling onto his knees.


    I''d released themp from my grip as soon as it hit the man and I was sure that I''d hit him. This caused themp to fall on the man and the me burning inside it, which was no longer restrained by the wall of ss, was free to wander outside and touch the oil drenched bastard.


    It did that, in fact. And in no time the oil over him caught fire and the bastard was set burning as he struggled and despaired on the ground. One thing that gave me the chills was that despite all the pain he was not able to utter a single word of grief or suffering.


    That made me remember something else, and as soon as I did I opened my mouth and spat out the bastard''s tongue I had in my mouth. I would have barfed right there if there had been any food in my stomach.

 Chapter 210 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [7]

    I hurriedly picked up my clothes from the ground and wrapped them around my body. They were torn previously by the bastard, but enough fabric was left to keep me from being naked.


    After that I turned toward the man, he was struggling on the ground as the fire burned his skin, he tried to scream but every time he opened his mouth all that came out were gulps of blood.


    I wandered a bit close but kept enough distance, so he could not attack me. After all, reaching him was not my target. I bent down and picked up a long, cold, and heavy piece of metal in my hands.


    It was the bastard''s sword, he''d discarded it along with his armor when he was undressing. The sword''s size was too much for my little hands, but I had only the slightest difficulty lifting it, since I was used to carrying heavy things back home.


    My eyes shifted back to the burning man, for a moment I stood there with my gaze locked on him while I held the sword up with both my hands.


    What I wanted to do was kill him, my body was screaming at me to do it, and my hands were itching to slit the throat of this bastard. However, deep inside, my brain knew that I could not defeat him inbat despite the troublesome situation he was in.


    If I tried to sh him, and somehow he stopped the sword and countered, that''d be the end of me. That was when the sharp smell, that was stinging my nose from the moment I''d entered the tent, caught my attention and I noticed what it was and where it wasing from.


    An idea struck my mind. It was something dark, and brutal, but I didn''t hesitate to do it. Honestly, my spirits rose when I thought about it. That was even worse.


    I realized itter, but this was the moment when the normal fourteen-year-old girl died. What was left was a daughter who wanted nothing but revenge, which was far worse.


    Unaware of this, I proceeded with the idea I had in mind. Taking a few steps back, I ced myself at a point from where I could escape out of the tent in one go. After that, I tightened my grip on the sword, then swung it down as hard as I could manage without falling over.


    The sword hit the side of the barrel, and the de inserted itself deep inside, destroying the wood. It didn''t break the barrelpletely, rather the de was stuck there like a cork in a bottle. All that was left was¡­


    I pulled the sword back and a second after that loads of alcohol poured out from the opening I''d made. It spilled out in a rush and in no time it reached that bastard.


    mes that were double my height erupted from the ground, and I had even less than a second to see it, since I was dashing out of the tent right after taking the sword back. My legs moved on their own, and before I knew it, I was outside the tent.


    But not all things went as nned, I was not so far as to leave unscathed. An explosion was heard, and I felt a simr heat behind my back, but it was far lower than what I experienced during the attack on my house.


    Regardless, the st was strong enough to send me flying a few meters. I crashed onto the ground, but I soon took hold of myself and was back on my feet. Turning around, I saw the tent burning as the mes devoured everything present there, including the naked bastard.


    Maybe it was because of all the adrenaline rushing throughout my body, or for some other reason.


    But I felt nothing even after having killed a human being. If anything, a small wave of relief washed over me, though it was soon evaporated by the mes I had not lit up and was not familiar with.


    And the reason behind the screams I''d heard became clear. Everything was burning, all the tents set by the knights were on fire, although a few were still out of the me''s reach.


    Men were running around, some searching for a way to extinguish the fire on their bodies, while some looking for weapons and getting ready to fight.


    However, one thing wasmon; all of them were terrified down to their very souls. It was clear on their faces, the expressions were as if they had seen a ghost, or maybe even something far worse than that.


    Along with the tents, the ground was burning too. As far as I could see, waves of mes covered the ground. In between the hell of fire, the horses that were on fire too were getting crazy as they ran between the walls of mes and slowly burned to death.


    No matter where I saw, there was a fire. Everything was burning. Everything. And I was not the one responsible for these. In fact, in front of this great sea of fire, the tent I''d set burning looked like a child.


    It was not long before I came to know the cause of this destruction. A powerful gust of wind trampled me to the ground even though nothing touched me, it was just pure air that made me fall like I''d been kicked by a man ten times my height and weight.


    I rolled over and grabbed the ground, digging my fingers in the soil as deep as possible to not get blown into the sky. The wind died¡ªor rather slowed down¡ªafter a minute or two, and then I looked up.


    What I saw left me speechless and motionless for a while; my mind went nk, and I didn''t know what to do.


    In the sky, what I saw was a creature flying with its wings wide open. It was deep red; its tail was as rocky as the mountains and its wings as wide as rivers. It opened its mouth and breathed me, setting a remaining piece ofnd to fire.


    Then it turned upward and pped its wings, the mes that were directly below the creature danced wildly and erupted into a roar as the creature went flying straight up. There it met with a few more of its kind. All were the same deep red, and all were as big as the size of a small city.


    The stories my father had told me revolved in my mind, and information flooded in. If everything in the folklore were true, then the creatures before me were uths.


    The king of dragons. The creatures were said to live on the top of the Devil''s Mountains. uth. A name that was feared by all mankind. No matter how powerful you were, you could not defeat a uth. Even the five kings tried to avoid them.


    Yet here I was, standing on the ground, stuck between a sea of mes as at least three uths wandered and circled over my head.


    I would have been frozen there for longer if I had not heard Roe''s scream, it caught my attention and I heard my head toward her tent.


    The fire had not reached there, and probably the man with her was too drunk and blinded with pleasure that he was blind and deaf to everything going on outside.


    I looked up at the uths once again, they were flying through the sky with pride and authority. But for once, it didn''t look like they wereing for me. So before realizing it, fueled by the adrenaline going crazy inside my body, I picked up the bastard''s sword and was sprinting toward Roe''s tent.


    The ground itself was burning, so I had to take a few detours and jump and slide and dash around the mes before I was standing in front of the tent. I took a moment to catch my breath, although I breathe calmly and slowly. Despite being a kid, I knew how bad it would be if I inhaled all the smoke that was practically everywhere.


    I held the sword tightly and with my hands lifted the curtain of the tent and peeked inside. The view was purely disgusting and filthy, but all it did was add more fuel to the fire of my revenge.


    Roe was on the ground, naked. And the man was forcing himself upon her as he ravaged her.

 Chapter 211 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [8]

    I moved carefully, not intending to catch the attention of the man. Though I''m sure he wouldn''t have noticed me even if I was a bit hasty¡ªI mean, that guy didn''t flinch when the whole outside was burning and his men were screaming.


    I stepped inside carefully as I raised the sword. Just to be sure, I scanned the tent''s inside and searched for something I could use, but¡­there was nothing that could be used as a weapon.


    As I thought, I had no way but to attack him directly with the sword. It was a dangerous way, to an extent that I could die if the guy noticed my presence and countered. If he was up against me in a fair fight, there''s no chance of me surviving.


    The man was thrice my height, only a jab from him would be enough to knock me unconscious. That''s why I had to be careful.


    I narrowed my eyes and looked for an opening as I sneaked my way behind the man''s back. He was certainly enjoying himself, otherwise he would''ve sensed my presence, since at that time I didn''t even know how to mask it.


    Moving like a wild animal in hiding about to hunt its prey, I was finally directly behind the man and only feet away from him. I raised my hips and the sword as well, casting my shadow over the man.


    Roe saw me as I was technically standing at an angle, she could see me easily. Her eyes widened, this time it looked like she recognized me, unlike the time in the cage when she did not even acknowledge my presence.


    I shook my head slightly, trying to tell her not to do anything that might make the man suspicious.


    She seemed to understand it, as she looked away from me and focused her eyes on the bastard that was pounding her like an animal. I nodded, though it was a nod meant for myself, probably.


    I cleared my mind and for that moment everything slowed, time itself seemed to have stopped. Everything except the man''s neck drowned in shadows. My target was all that mattered.


    I pressed my feet against the ground and prepared tounch myself forward and then slit the bastard''s neck from behind. Be that as it may, fate has something else in stock for me.


    Before I could even take a step forward the cloth wall on the right side of the tent flickered so hard that the poles which kept the tent on the ground came out and before long the roof above our head¡ªor rather the whole tent¡ªwas blown away in the sky.


    I saw an insanely bright sh of light from the corner of my right eye, and perhaps it was because I was the only one who knew what wasing that I was the first one to act.


    My hands were moving on their own and the sword was already halfway in its path before me actively shing it.


    The de met its mark when the knight was distracted by the sudden shower of fire, and perhaps it was because of the sharpness of the sword, or the strength I''d put into it since my life depended on this attack.


    No matter the reason, the sword slit through the man''s neck smoothly. Going all the way in from one side, cutting through the insides, anding out from the other side. A momentter, his head fell off, and therge body slumped to the ground.


    I leaped forward andnded behind it, instantly afterward I grabbed hold of Roe''s arm and pulled her close, and hugged her tightly as we got to cover before the man''s huge, headless body.


    A wave of heat hit us and sent the remaining things on the ground flying into the sky, and a cloud of dust formed in front of us. A simr barrel of alcohol that was in the tent rolled down forward and exploded as it was blown away along with everything else.


    I covered Roe with my body to make sure the explosion would harm her as little as possible, although I knew we would not make it out unscathed from what was iing.


    Closing my eyes, I hugged Roe tightly, she clenched my arm with both her hands and I could feel how much she was trembling. I braced myself for the final time.


    A roar was heard, so loud and sharp that it pierced my ears and made my heart throb faster and skip a beat. The ground rumbled, and we were surrounded by a bright golden embrace of nothing but pure fire.


    It hit from behind, a tornado of fire, a breath of fire, a dragon''s breath, a uth''s.


    Even though we were covered by the man''s big and rigid body that stood behind us like a boulder, it did not make things any easier. The fire was still as hot, but I did not flinch and held Roe close to me while the fire flowered from above my head and around my arms.


    It was hot and painful. Though I did not have a choice, I had to make it out of this alive. Roe started crying, but her screams were trampled by the p of a uth''s wings as it flew past us, raging a storm of fire behind.


    My eyes wandered and scanned the surrounding area¡­we were surrounded. There was no way out of this. The only way to get out of here was to walk straight into the walls of fire, and that would mean death, not a reasonable option.


    Despair was starting to creep over me as I thought this was where I was going to die, that I would not be able to kill the kings and avenge my parents and my vige.


    Things eased a bit when I saw the same uth flying back toward us. At first, I thought we were done for, but then I realized the only thing that was left for me to do. It was a bad idea, a desperatest choice, and the chances of sess were very low.


    The main breath of fire had died down, and the mes were no longer above our heads, so I held Roe in one hand and the sword in the other as I rose to my feet.


    I looked at the iing uth while breathing with my mouth, as I was desperate for air and was sweating badly. My fourteen-year body was already tired by that point, but I was pushing.


    It was only due to the adrenaline going wild in my body that I was not feeling the pain and exhaustion that would''ve been over my head otherwise.


    Roe looked up at me, which was somewhat understandable since I was holding her by her waist and she was hanging in midair. Her eyes were wet with tears and her face was red from all the crying and the heat.


    There were no clothes on her, as the man had probably torn them off, so there was no chance of her slipping from my grip.


    I looked back into her eyes. "I want you to trust me on this. I promise I''ll get us out of here, alive," I said.


    She didn''t reply at first, so I repeated. "Can I get your trust? Can you believe in me with your life?"


    There was no reply this time either, but she gave a small nod, a small wave of relief came before it was wiped out by the pressure I had upon myself now.


    "Hold me as tightly as you could," I said, and a momentter she wrapped her arms around my shoulders as I helped her climb on my back. After she was settled, I held the sword with both my hands and waited for the uth.


    It was turning anding back toward us, and as it came it was getting closer to the ground, probably because it wanted to burn thend. It''s good, that is exactly what I wanted.


    The uth came closer and closer, its speed was so great that by now I was second-guessing my decision. But there was no other option. Hence, I braced my legs and scanned the area in front of me.


    There was enough space for me to run a bit. Now I just had to wait.

 Chapter 212 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [9]

    Although the uth did not make me wait much longer as it was in front of me in no time. Its height from the ground was low too¡­low enough for me to grab hold.


    The uth circled around before it was flying above the ground in ane and headed straight toward me. I held the sword in a way you would hold a knife before stabbing someone, and then I ran forward, toward the uth.


    It was just a few meters away from me, or I should say its legs and tail were a few meters away from me. The dragon''s rest of the body was still too high for me to reach.


    I crossed the uth, Roe clenched tightly around my neck, I increased the grip on the hilt of the sword. I missed the legs and arms mainly because I noticed the sharp ws they had. And when the tail was passing beside me, I kicked off the ground and jumped as hard as I could


    It was just enough of a lift I gained, not too much, not too low; an inch''s difference would have made things go south. Before I could be pulled down by the earth I instantly drilled the sword in the uth''s tail, and it was the dragon''s momentum that made it go in so easily despite myck of strength.


    All the stories my father had told me shed in my head, of how strong and rock hard a uth''s skin can be. But here I was, stabbing its tail with a cold iron sword.


    I held the sword''s handle with all my might and as soon as the uth pulled up and headed toward the sky and my feet left the ground, I was able to feel the high resistance as the air pped me, wanting to throw me off.


    But I was not going to let go, I held the sword as if my life depended on it¡ªwhich it did, in a way. The uth flew over the mes and the other of its kin had lit on the ground, and when it was going over the fire I was hanging down from its tail and it was hot, much hotter than when I was there in between those mes.


    Though it the heat soon faded away as the uth went even higher in the sky. I nced back from the side of my to see Roe, see was holding me fine. Hence I moved and climbed further on the dragon''s tail. First on the sword and then from there I hugged its tail and grabbed its scales. After a struggle I was no longer on the sword but on the uth''s tail.


    This was much better, as the chances of falling down were lower. However, that was just a bad guess on my part. As the uth shifted directions, it moved rapidly, twisting its body like it was a rope.


    Left, right, it changed ways faster than I could process. The only thing I had to hold for grip was the scales it had on its tail and they, of course, were sharp. By this time my palms were a bloody mess, the tighter I clenched the more and deeper they got cut.


    Roe''s grip around my neck was getting stronger too and I was worried that she might strangle me without wanting to. Then it happened, the uth turned upwards and rapidly started going toward the top of the mountains at a straight ny degree angle.


    It was so sudden that I did not have the chance to adjust my grip ording to it. I lost hold of the scales and was blown back by the rapid airing from forward, I rolled down on the uth''s tail, and I suspect I might''ve hurt Roe severely in this.


    But it was not in my control. If the uth had not been so big and its tail so long, I would be off in the air by now. Since the tail was long there was enough time for me to grasp the situation and throw my hands again at the scales and grip them.


    It was painful, tremendously painful. Of course, this was because I was not able to grab them at once because the uth was continuously moving forward and the wind pressure was forcing me backward, and both things were happening at an incredible pace.


    Hence grabbing hold of the scales in such a situation was simr to grinding your hands on a cheese grating machine. The skin on my palm got peeled off and I remember how many, but a few of my fingers twisted badly before they finally broke off.


    After a moment I was atst able to grab hold and still myself on its tail. The pain did not entertain my attention then, as I was more worried about Roe. I turned my head to look at her, and was horrified when I saw the condition she was in.


    Her back waspletely dripping with blood, and so were one of her arms. This was my mistake. It had happened because I had rolled over the dragon''s rough skin while she was holding me from behind.


    But what troubled me was the fact that she was not screaming, not even silently. I knew why, and it was bad. She''d probably hit her head and lost consciousness, it was a miracle that she was still on my back and had not slipped away.


    "Roe! Roe! Are you still there! Come on, don''t sleep like that!" I screamed my lungs out but my voice did not reach her. A part of it was because of how loud the wind was here.


    I tried multiple times but met with no real sess. I thought about shaking her out of unconsciousness but then quickly discarded the idea when I thought about how I might just give her the push she needs to slip off my back.


    Thus I focused all my attention on keeping the grip maintained and not let something like this happen again. Even if she was unconscious her arms were still wrapped around my neck and she was on my back, that was fine.


    I just had to manage until¡­until¡­


    That was when another fear started creeping over me, and it was much bigger than anything I''ve feared before. I was going to wait, but for how long? The uth didn''t seem to be going anywhere near the ground, in fact, it was headed straight toward the peak of the Devil''s mountains.


    Originally I''d thought that I would climb on the uth''s tail when it would fly past me and then I would jump down when it woulde close to the surface again. That was the n to get outside the fiery area.


    The first part went smoothly but the chances of everything going right seemed dim. The uth was not in any mood to go near the ground.


    Even if it was nning to go down after taking a round around the peak of the mountain, I don''t think I''ll be able to hold on for that long.


    I turned my head around and looked at my surroundings, there were nothing but clouds and the rocky mountains.


    The uth was still flying upward in a straight ny degree angle and it showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.


    As we were climbing the skies I was suddenly and unexpectedly hit by a wave of unconsciousness. My vision got blurry and I almost let go of the scales before the consciousness came back suddenly and I was flooded with realizion.


    This was bad. The uth was going up without stopping and we were already past the point where I could not see the ground below as it was hidden by the clouds. And the higher we went, the harder it would be for me to breathe, and for Roe as well.


    I peeked to the side and looked at the huge structures of rock that were the mountains. They were still very thick in diameter and showed no sign of reaching the peak.


    This was really bad, if it went on like this then I will pass out. But before that could happen another cmity fell upon me. The uth pped its wing more harder than usual thus its whole body shook.


    Roe''s arms unwrapped around my neck, and the weight on my back lowered all of a sudden all while I felt her body sliding down and slipping off.

 Chapter 213 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [10]

    I turned my head around quickly, her eyes were still closed; she was not awake, yet she was in the middle of the air with nothing to hold her.


    This was bad, as bad as it could get.


    Before even knowing about it, I was holding the uth''s scales with my right hand while I stretched out my left one to grab hold of Roe. It was then that I saw that my left hand wascking a thumb and a little finger. I didn''t know whether I could grab her with only three fingers or not, but I had no other option.


    I pushed my leg against the uth''s tail and moved my body as far as I could from the uth''s skin without having topromise on the scales I was holding. All this happened in less than a second. I was acting more on instincts and less on actual thinking.


    I was close, just a little push and I would''ve grabbed her leg. But I couldn''t.


    ''This was bad, as bad as it could get,'' or so I''ve said before. But I was wrong,pletely wrong. Things could get far worse than this, and they did.


    The wave of unconsciousness hit me again and my body almost went numb and my vision blurry. It was theck of oxygen in the air, it was getting harder to breathe and the amount of oxygen in my blood was decreasing at an rming rate.


    No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn''t grab hold of Roe. My body didn''t move, or perhaps I wasn''t able to make it move would depict the turn of events a bit more urately.


    My consciousness only returned when Roe was far too away for me to reach, even if I tried to jump and grab her. I wasn''t able to do a thing as I watched her fall down toward the ground, while she was sleeping like a princess with her eyes gracefully closed.


    She looked as if she was falling onto a bed of cotton and fluff, though I knew it was just my mind ying tricks on me.


    A stream of tears rained down from my eyes, but I was too upied at the moment to be aware of that. Maybe I screamed her name at thest moment, but I''m not too sure of it. The memories around that part are a bit hazy.


    All I remember is that I watched her like that till she disappeared within the clouds, and after that, my mind and survival instincts forced me to climb back on the tail of the uth and wrap myself around the scales.


    I was feeling¡­something I could not describe. It was like I''d been wasted. It didn''t matter how much I wanted to jump off this dragon and reach Roe and hold her within my arms, despite the consequences I would face. It didn''t matter how much I wanted to save her, my mind wouldn''t let me.


    And that was because the burning and smoldering feeling had lit up once again, the me of vengeance was brighter than it ever was. This was also a result of the war waged by the five kings, hence they would pay the price for it. For that I had to stay alive, I couldn''t die here if I wanted to make them suffer.


    As this was also added to the things I wanted to take revenge for, I held myself close to the uth. The wave of unconsciousness returned, and this time it was stronger than it had been before.


    My vision turned blurry, and I lost control over my body. I wanted to keep seeing what was ahead of me, but my eyes slowly shut closed and entered a deep slumber inside my mind and I lost track of time and space.


    This time, my consciousness did not return until muchter¡­


    ***


    "Let''s stop there for now," Req said, turning her head toward Zero. "I''m getting hungry," although technically she could not get hungry since she was a spiritual life form, the desire to eat remained.


    "Well, I also had a few questions, so there''s no harm in stopping here I guess," Zero replied as he slowly hopped off the bed and wore his slippers.


    He picked up the package of food he''d bought beforehand from the cafeteria and headed inside the kitchen to warm it up. Req watched him move, but she herself didn''t get up from her ce.


    Inside the kitchen, Zero took the food out from the paper package and poured the contents into a pan. Then he lit the burners and set them to heat up while he unpacked the donuts he''d bought for Req and set them on a te. In between, he stirred the stew he had poured into the pan a few times to keep it from burning.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    It was not possible for something as such a stew to get burned until you were in pretty harsh conditions, but Zero was not much of a cook, and he was aware of this fact better than anyone else. Thus, he chose precaution over cure.


    A few minutester, he came out from the kitchen with a bowl of piping hot stew and a te of chocte donuts. He set the bowl on the desk near his bed and offered the te of donuts of Req.


    She took it from him with a smile on her face. She liked donuts, Zero knew that. But this time her smile was not natural but forced, to an extent that Zero was able to see it pretty clearly. However, he decided not to mention it.


    Partly because he already knew the reasons. Right now, Req was too immense in the story she was telling. Right now, she was living her past and present both at the same time.


    Zero sat on the bed and settled himself in the ce he''d left before, then he carefully picked up the bowl of steam and stirred the contents before picking up a spoonful. He blew air at it to reduce the heat and then ate it. He repeated this several times while Req took mouthfuls of her donuts.


    Both ate in silence for a while, but then when Zero''s stew was half-finished, he broke the quiet.


    "What were the uths doing down from the mountains?" he asked.


    Req looked thoughtful for a moment, but she was not thinking about the question, but the one who''d asked it. In all honesty, she had expected Zero to know this much. And she was right. Zero knew the reason, this was just the build-up to the question he wanted to ask. This was his way of inquiry.


    "They were down there because it was their mating season, and the dragons hade down to light the grounds on fire and demonstrate their strength to the females," she replied after a while.


    "But previously you said it was just folklore, and no one had seen them do that," he mentioned.


    "Yeah, I''ve said that no one had seen them do that. Because those who did were not able to make it out of there alive. Although the chances of even that happening were quite low. People like me, those who lived near the mountains, knew that it was more than just folklore. That''s why no one settled too close to the mountains."


    "However, the knights from the Askington kingdom did not know about this. Hence, they did not hesitate in setting camps near the base of the mountains," Zero finished her sentence, to which she nodded in confirmation.


    The silence was just about to make its return when Zero took it down with another question.


    "Back when we were fighting the uth in thebyrinth, you said that you''d seen a uth that was four hundred thousand years ago. Was it the one you were climbing on?" he asked.


    Req shook her head. "No, that encounter happened muchter in my life. Though the locations were the same," she replied.


    "Then what was this? You also said that the uths were an endangered species, but ording to this story, there were around three of them randomly breathing fire at some ce. You are contradicting yourself," Zero said.


    "Yeah, I know. And I''m not contradicting anything, both things are true," she replied.


    This left Zero in a perplexed state where he could not help but ask.


    "How?"


    A smile shone on Req''s face, and though this was a small little smile that could easily go unnoticeable, unlike before it was a genuine one.


    "For that, you will have to wait and hear the rest of the story," she said.

 Chapter 214 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [11]

    I opened my eyes, and for the first time in my life, it had been so hard to just lift my eyelids. They felt heavy as stones.


    But when I''d finally opened them and my vision got a bit clear, I was surprised to find myself alive. On top of that, I was no longer hanging from the tail of the uth, I was lying on solid ground.


    Above I could see the dark, but it was not the sky. Most probably rock¡­was I in a cave? I tried to reach the ceiling above with my hand and stretched it out, although when I saw my hand I was quite startled.


    Even though the fact that I was alive was pretty bizarre in itself, I still wasn''t able to get over the sight in which I had all my fingers intact. If I remember right, which I do, then I''d lost a handful of them while trying to grab the scales on the uth.


    As that thought lingered in my mind, I was reminded of another thing, the uth. I was on the uth when I cked out, however here that didn''t seem to be the case. I was lying on a solid surface, most probably ground, and there was a stone ceiling above me.


    I was in a cave, or you can say that was what I was betting on. I tried to get up and was surprised when I was able to do it without feeling any kind of pain or cramp. Not a single sting in my body indicated I''d broken a bone or fallen off from a dragon in the clouds.


    I looked at both of my hands, and they were both perfectly fine as if there never had been an injury, in the first ce. Then when my attention shifted to my surroundings, I turned my head to take a look around.


    Turns out I was right, the ce did seem like a cave; and a big one on top of that.


    The main structure was cut in a circr shape, which exined why the ceilings were curved inward and the walls were round-edged; it was like the insides of a big pipe, albeit that it was a cave.


    Many spiky rocks wereing out of the ceiling and the walls, some were even on the ground, but the surrounding area seemed clean. From what I could tell in the little light I had around myself, I was in apartment that resembled the main hall since there were four more openings, and each branched into a cave of its own.


    The light that was illuminating the area wasing from one of the four openings¡ªor tunnels, so I guessed it wouldn''t be strange if that was the way out.


    There was also this constant sound of dripping water, which I wasn''t able to see where it wasing from, due to the dark. But there was a water body nearby.


    Then I turned my eyes to my body and the area closer to me. My clothes had changed. I no longer wore the torn piece of fabric I''d wrapped around myself when I was in a hurry.


    Instead, there was a dust-colored shirt and ash-shaded pants on my body. And while their condition wasn''t the best, the shirt was rugged and there were cuts and stitches on the pants, but be that as it may, having these on was still better than being naked.


    Especially considering the cold weather around here. I was not sure of my location, but the air here was colder than what it was in the vige. I got up to my feet, slowly and carefully, then took a few steps around to explore the ce.


    Although I made sure not to wander too far, as there was no changing the fact that I was in an unknown environment. I nced back at the ce where I was lying before waking up.


    There was a piece of cloth spread over the ground, and I''d woken up on top of it. One thing I didn''t notice back then but now was clear, it was the remains of a bonfire at a distance of a few steps beside the piece of cloth.


    The fire had been extinguished since the wood was used up, but it was alive not long ago, the smoldering red pieces of wood were proof of that.


    This, and all the other things I''d seen, confirmed a doubt I had right after I saw the ce I was in: that wherever I was, I was not alone. Even if this were a fairy tale, my clothes couldn''t have been changed on their own¡ªplus they would have been brand-new clothes with magic infused in them if that were the case¡ªand fire wouldn''t have been here without someone cing it.


    Someone was here, but I didn''t know who. Call it luck or whatever suits you, but I did not have to wait much longer to find out who this person was.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    A few momentster, while I was wandering around the ce and searching for a clue to find out my location, I heard a voice that resounded in the whole cave, reflecting from wall to wall.


    "You shouldn''t go on that side, depending on the circumstances it can be dangerous," the voice said. It was a man, that much I was able to deduce.


    I turned and followed the direction it came from, and within the span of a few seconds I was standing at the ce I''d woken up. If I was not wrong, the voice hade from one of the four tunnels that were there.


    My strongest guess was the tunnel from which the light was shedding in.


    I didn''t respond to the voice and simply stood there, waiting for the person to arrive. They did arrive in only about a minute or so, and my guess was right, too.


    The man came out from the leftmost tunnel, the one where the light was entering the entirepartment. At first, it was hard to notice his figure clearly, and it was because of his clothing and theck of light.


    He was covered in a robe in a color of deep gray I think, and its hood was covering his dead, hiding most of his hair. Although it did not hide all of it, a part of it was because it had rtively long hair.


    Coming down from his shoulders, his hair rested on the upper part of his chest on both sides. In the dark, I still wasn''t able to figure out the color of his hair.


    He came close, and then looked at me. His brows probably furrowed a bit when he saw the area behind me, then his eyes shifted back to me.


    "The fire died, didn''t it?" he said, I was not able to judge whether he was talking to me or himself. "Well, that was bound to happen. I''ve aged up quite a bit."


    With that, he snapped the fingers of his right left hand, and then I realized he wasn''t talking about the dead bonfire behind me. Right after he snapped his fingers, the cave was full of the bright, golden light of the fire.


    Dozens of big torches hung on the walls lit up one by one along with the bonfire behind me. Now that there was no problem with the lighting, I found that the cave I was in was much bigger than I''d thought.


    The man was now clearly visible too. He was wearing a dark-brown robe with a hood and holding a couple of mushrooms in his right hand. He had true-red hair, red as me. And as the light from the burning torches fell on it, it shone quite beautifully.


    He had a beard too, covering half of his face. When he put the mushrooms down and removed the hood from his head, I caught a glimpse of his clear green eyes. They were like gems, like a pair of emeralds.


    From his looks, I could guess his age was somewhere around the forties to fifties, despite that he had quite a fairly built body.


    "Who are you?" I asked while keeping my distance as a practice of caution.


    The man looked over at me, "Me?" he repeated. "I am just an old man living inside a cave. Rather than me, we should focus on who you are. A warrior, I wonder? A magician? An adventurer? Or a fool? Whatever you are, you can''t just be a kid. As kids don''t fly on dragons."


    His words left me thoughtful for a while. Who was I? ¡­ No one, I had no identity.

 Chapter 215 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [12]

    "It seems you don''t have an answer," the man said while he moved to a corner of the cave where a set of y utensils were kept.


    "... Where is this ce?" I asked, trying to change the subject to more important matters rather than philosophical ones.


    "Have you heard of the Devil''s Mountains?" the man inquired as he cut the mushrooms into pieces with a knife.


    "I have. Who doesn''t know about them?"


    "These are exceptions to everything. You''d be surprised to know how much you don''t know about this world," he transferred the pieces into a w blow along with water, spices, and a few other things.


    "Right now you''re in this old man''s cave that is in one of the mountains," he lit up a fire in a pit that was already due with an iron stand above it. He then ced the bowl on the stand and let the fire do its work.


    Then he wiped his hands in the robe he was wearing and turned to face me. "Surprised?" he appealed.


    "Not really. I''d expected this much after falling off a dragon," I said.


    We waited in silence, only the sound of dripping water and the crackling of wood as it burned kept the dead stillness of the moment at bay. Then, when it seemed like whatever he was cooking in the bowl was done, the man simrly snapped his fingers and the me below the utensil vanished.


    I hadn''t seen it before, but it didn''t matter. I knew what it was, anyone with a little knowledge about the world could tell. He was using magic. Real magic. Storybook magic I''d only heard about in the tales my mother used to tell me.


    The curiosity was too much to digest, I couldn''t help but ask,


    "You can use magic?"


    The man shifted the bowl down from the stand and covered it from below in a thick cloth to not burn his hand from the heat. He stood up from the stone he was sitting on and walked up to me, offering the bowl of stew and a wooden spoon.


    I thought about it for a while, and then after a moment''s hesitation, I took the stew from him. As a kid, I was not thinking that he could''ve added poison to it or any other chemical. I was more worried about how he got these mushrooms on the Devil''s Mountains and how they would taste like.


    He motioned me to sit while resting himself on the ground, I looked around the ground and then sat cross-legged on the piece of cloth I''d woken up on.


    "I can do many things," he admitted. "Magic just happens to be one of them."


    I stirred the stew, took a spoonful, and blew air at it before taking a bite. As for the taste¡­it was edible if I''m not exaggerating and okay if I''m not trying to be disrespectful.


    He watched me as I ate, but it was not a re that made me ufortable; it was as if he was watching through me.


    "What''s your name? You haven''t told me yet,"


    "Neither have you."


    "They call me Kei," I said. It was not the same my parents gave me after birth, just something the people in the vige hade to call me since it was short and easy in the mouth, unlike my real name.


    "What are you called?" I asked as I took another spoonful of stew. I was hungry¡­quite hungry. But I was restraining myself from eating like an animal; my mother had taught me good manners.


    "I have been called by many names, it varied ording to the ce and time I was in. But as for you, you can call me Reshi," he said, thest wordsing out in a soft tone.


    I don''t know how to exin this to you, as you haven''t seen him. But the name suited his profile; it was as if it was made for him. However, this was what I thought at that moment, since I was unaware of the truth.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    It was wayter in my life when I came to find that ''Reshi'' was a trantion of a Seri word¡ªanguage used by magicians and spell makers of that time¡ªwhich meant ''mentor''. So if you look at it that way, Reshi was not a name. He fooled me utterly. To this day, I don''t know what his real name was.


    Unaware of this face, I finished the stew. Even though I was trying to eat as neatly as my body would allow, I still finished it way faster than a girl my age should.


    Though that doesn''t mean I was focused on stuffing food entirely, something was lingering in my stomach from the time I woke up in this cave. At first, I''d decided to wait, but now it was getting harder and harder.


    In the end, I was not able to hold on any longer. As I put the bowl down on the ground, I finally let out the tension and doubts that were brewing inside of me.


    "I''ve been meaning to ask this for a while now, and¡­ how did you manage to save me after I fell off from that uth?" I asked.


    Reshi''s eyes shifted a bit when he heard me ask it, but it soon went back as it was and his expression was calm andposed.


    "The uth, huh?" he said under his breath and slowly rose to his feet. He looked at me while dusting the dirt off of his robe. "Follow me," hemanded and gestured to me to pursue him.


    His direction was toward one of the four openings that branched out from the mainpartment. He headed inside the second one from the right, and I followed him inside.


    As we stepped forward into the tunnel, the torches ced on both sides of the walls lit up one by one. Upon entering, I found that the tunnel grew in height and width both as we marched forward, soon it was a cave of its own.


    It took us around five minutes to cover the distance, and neither I nor Reshi spoke a word during that time. I could feel an uneasy tension build up inside my chest as we were getting close to wherever we were headed.


    Soon the walking was over, and we were on the other side of the tunnel, and what I saw there shook me down to my very bones. There was another section of the same cave, but it was nothing like what I''d seen before.


    Thepartment this tunnel had opened up into was so enormous that I was not even able to see the walls or ceiling. Darkness shrouded the whole area, making it pitch ck. I felt as if I was standing not inside a cave but under the starless night sky.


    Reshi turned his head in my direction, in the shadows I was barely able to see his face. He simrly snapped his fingers, and soon the area which had once been enveloped with darkness was not bathing in light.


    Tens of thousands of torches lit up on each of the walls, and since the distance between me and the walls was so much that they looked like a thousand small fireflies to me.


    Although what I saw next was even more stunning and groundbreaking, I finally knew why this part of the cave was so big.


    There at the center of thepartmenty the skeleton of a dragon. It was so big and humongous that inparison, Reshi and I looked even smaller than ants.


    The bones were miles long, and the whole skeleton looked as if it were a wonder of nature. I hadn''t been shocked if it was. I mean, the thing was even bigger than your normal mountains in height and wider than an average city in length.


    I was in awe and startled at the same time, I didn''t realize when my jaw dropped, and I was admiring the mightiness and strength of the wonder before me. It was an exhrating experience to think that once this thing had been alive¡­


    "This is a uth, what you saw were Wrayons. It wasn''t your fault that you confused them, many people do the same thing and then im that they saw a uth. Wrayons have simr features to the uth because both dragons have the same bloodline. To exin it in simple words, Wrayons are distant rtives of uths." Reshi said.


    I probably would''ve asked more about the subject, but that was when it hit me. The awestruck feeling I had taken no time to turn into what you might call fear and wariness. If this thing was a uth, then it shouldn''t have been dead.


    It wasmon knowledge in the world. uths don''t die of age, and since their poption is so low that you can count them on both of your hands, fighting amongst themselves was a foreign thing for them.


    uths can only die when they are killed, and to kill a creature this big and powerful¡­


    My eyes turned to Reshi, and my mouth dried up.

 Chapter 216 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [13]

    "Were you the one who killed it?" I asked, a sense of caution in my voice as I unconsciously took a step back.


    It was horrifying to believe that a human can kill a uth; the dragons the whole world feared, whom even the five kings did not dare to attack. To be able to kill such a thing¡­ was a terrifying thought. I was scared, as a kid should be from such a person.


    "Did I kill it, I wonder" Reshi said while still looking at the skeleton. "Well, a cave this big can''t be formed naturally¡ªnot even by the biggestva tubes, and I can''t dig it with my hands, so¡­" he stopped, which was a sensible thing to do.


    There was no more need for words. I already had the answer I wanted. He had killed the uth, whose skeletony before me. This person had the power to kill the being on the top of the food chain. He¡­


    My body and survival instincts screamed that I should get away from him and run as far as I can without even looking back in his direction.


    Run and run until my legs are numb my lungs out of breath my throat dried up my sweat drained out, run until I can''t.


    I dripped into a cold sweat as I took two more steps back and gulped nervously.


    "Thank you for saving my life, but I want to leave now. Please show me the way," I said. Under normal circumstances, I would''ve broken out into a sprint without saying anything to him. But here I can''t possibly climb down the Devil''s Mountains on my own.


    And what I feared the most at the moment¡­


    "No. You can''t leave."


    ¡­came.


    I gulped once again and took a deep breath to calm myself. I needed to keep my mind clear if I had to handle this. All the cells in my body were screaming that I would die if I made a mistake. Hence, I took another long breath, and let it out.


    I asked, "Why?"


    "Because I want you to be my sessor, to continue the legacy of the Requiem sword," he said. I must''ve had a confused expression, since what he did next was probably to erase my confusion.


    He turned to face me, and then he raised his right hand in the air. He stuck his fingers close and then made the motion of shing the air with just his hand. At the same time, a magic circle glowed on top of his palm, and the trail where he''d shed the air shone simrly.


    Right before my eyes, even though I didn''t know it at that time, space itself was torn apart, leaving a gush in the air. Reshi inserted his hand inside the cut and when he pulled it back, he was holding onto a beautiful sword with a dark, ocean-blue colored de.


    The gush in the air closed itself and things were back as if nothing had happened at all, as if there was never a cut in the first ce.


    Reshi looked at the sword for a good while, I saw his eyes and there was a warm feeling of admiration. At the same time, they were full of resentment.


    Then he held out the sword toward me, and I scanned it with my eyes. It was truly a beautiful sword, not that I''d seen many at that time.


    "I have but one wish, and that is to die peacefully. But this sword won''t let that happen, I can''t die as long as I have this. That''s why I want to pass it to you," he said.


    "So¡­basically, you want me to take your cursed sword from you?" I asked; I wasn''t aware of it at that time, but I was speaking sarcastically.


    "This isn''t a cursed sword, girl. I''ll admit it resembles a curse, but that it does for me, as I long to die. I have lived my life and spent many years with this sword, and it has yet to let me down. It is powerful, and it made me powerful. A sword like this is perfect for someone like you."


    The wording caught my attention.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "What do you mean by ''someone like me?''"


    He sighed, then looked back up.


    "You see, along with doing magic, I can do many other things too. One of them is seeing the soul of things. These eyes of mine, they see the soul of things. nts, animals, dragons, rocks, wood, even you. I see the soul of all things, and the soul of a person tells many things about them."


    Everything was getting over my head, I did not understand a single word of what he said. You can''t me me. Despite all the circumstances, I was but a kid. He seemed to know that.


    "Everything in this world has a soul, it doesn''t matter whether it is a living thing or a non-living thing. And I have the power to see them with these eyes of mine. Especially in humans, their soul tells a lot about the person to whom it belongs. Such as your soul tells me about you."


    "What does it say?" I asked.


    "That you want something, no, you desire something. Your desire is strong, too strong. There is a fire burning inside of you, a me of vengeance. Yeah, that is what you want: revenge. Isn''t that right?"


    It surprised me to know how right he was, and I was in no ce to question the power of the person who''d killed uth.


    I was left speechless for a moment, or so I thought¡­


    "You are right. Revenge, that is what I want more than anything," it was not my intention to speak, but I was. Words were pouring out of me on their own. "I want to kill them, every single one of them. I want to burn them alive, just like they did to my people."


    Finally, I knew why it was happening. The way Reshi described my nature brought back memories I''d locked away deep in the chambers of my mind. I began to remember it all.


    How my house was burning, how I was digging around with my hands even though they were smoldered by fire, the smell of burning flesh and hair, what I saw when I finally found them, the way my father''s arms were twisted and broken like sticks, the way my mother''s head was¡­


    I remembered it all, and with that came rage. The rage I''d felt when I was ravaged by that bastard, the anger I felt when I wasn''t able to catch hold of Roe''s hand. All of it came flooding out, and I broke into tears.


    Reshi shed the air the same way he''d done before and put the sword back. Then he came to me and patted me on the back, and I cried more widely. We sat on the floor, and Reshi was quiet until I was done crying.


    When it seemed like I was done, he spoke in a simple and caring tone. "Tell me. Tell me everything that''s happened to you, the least I can do for you now is help you lessen the burden on your heart."


    So I told him everything. How my parents were murdered, how my vige was burned, how I was captured and then ravaged by a knight, how I tried to escape when the dragons attacked but ended up losing Roe, how I then lost consciousness, everything. I told him everything that has happened till then.


    And he listened, quietly and attentively. He did not say a single word or tried to interrupt when I started to cry or when I spoke some words a mannerly woman shouldn''t while I addressed the five kings.


    "Everything was the fault of this war and the five kings who are responsible for this. And I swear I''ll kill them in the worst possible way, and make them pay for it. No matter what I have to do to achieve that goal," I finished, my cheeks red with all the crying and raging.


    "I understand. That is what reflects in your soul, that desire. And that''s the reason I say wielding the Requiem sword is perfect for you. It is the five kings you are going up against, after all. All of them are ridiculously strong, that is something I can confirm via personal experience," Reshi said, finally deciding to break the silence.


    "And to need the power to do that. You need power, and the Requiem sword has it. This was the very sword that I used to y that uth you''re seeing over there," he added.


    "So, will you be willing to wield the sword for me?" he asked.


    The question left me wondering.

 Chapter 217 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [14]

    His question left me wondering. Should I ept his offer? I mean, he had the power I needed to kill the five kings. Then why was I hesitating?


    It was because I didn''t know him. Why should I believe someone I''d barely met an hour ago? Why should I put my trust in him? What reasons were there? Should I do it because he was able to see my soul? Or was it because of something else? My mom would have told me to get away from this stranger as fast as I can.


    "Okay. Give me the sword then," I said, raising my hand toward him.


    There were no such reasons for what I said. There was no need for reasons in the first ce. Just a look at my situation objectively told me that I had nowhere else to go and no other person who''d be willing to help me.


    As for him being a stranger, well, it still doesn''t change the fact that he was the one who saved me. If not for him, who knows, I would have been dead, probably. And he had the sword too, the power which I needed the most right now.


    For the first time since my parents died, I was seeing a little glimpse of hope, and I did not want to let it go because of some stupid reasoning or questions forming inside my head.


    That''s why I decided to take on his offer. However, what he said next was a little surprising and left me on thest of my breath.


    "I can''t."


    "Huh?" I said, confused down to the very bones. "Why? You first said that you want to give the sword to me. Then what is the problem now when I am willing to take it?"


    "It''s not that I can''t give you the sword. But as things stand now, your body won''t be able to handle its power¡­ You''ll probably die," he exined.


    It took me a while to understand and bring out the meaning behind his words. Being a kid I was, there was no way I would have known that I can die in a way like that too.


    "S-So¡­is the deal off then?" I asked, seeing the light of hope flicker before my eyes.


    "No. There''s no need to do that. If the weakness of your body''s what''s the problem, then we''ll just have to fix it," he said. I fell deep into the sea of confusion. He must''ve sensed this.


    "To put it simply, right now you are too weak to wield the Requiem sword. So for that, I will train you until you have the power necessary to do that. Does that sound convincing to you?"


    It was embarrassing, having him exin everything like that. But there was nothing I could''ve done about it, so I nodded.


    "Fine. If that''s what it will take to kill the kings, count me in. I''ll do whatever it takes," I said, to which, and for the first time, Reshi gave a small smile.


    Since both of us were on the same terms now, we left the uth room and came back into the mainpartment. I asked him about how the training will be and when we will start. He said that I should rest for today and that we will start tomorrow.


    Honestly, I wanted to start as soon as possible, but arguing with him over this didn''t seem like the option I had. As for, his words were more like amand rather than a suggestion.


    So I spent the remaining of my time exploring the cave. It was surprisingly big even though I didn''t enter the four openings, the mainpartment in itself was bigger than any house I''d seen.


    After a bit of roaming here and there, I finally found the source of the sound of dripping water resounding in the area. At the back of the mainpartment, there was arge pond of clear water.


    I went close and deep with my feet in it. I''d expected it to be hot since volcanoes were also a part of the Devil''s Mountains, thus I was ready to take my feet out. But to my surprise, the water was pretty cool. Not cold cool, just cool.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    I asked Reshi if it was drinkable, and he said I''d better not. So I just washed my hands and face in it and left.


    A whileter, I was able to convince Reshi to show me the outside of the cave, as I was curious about how in the hell was there a cave on the most inhabited mountains in the world.


    So I followed him, and he led me to the mouth of the cave, and what I saw there was enough to leave me frozen from amazement and fear and awe.


    The first thing I saw were clouds, lots and lots of clouds. They were not just above my head, but below too. Dark gray, the clouds were grumbling loudly as sparks of electricity shed between them.


    I tried to look down to guess the height we were on, but it was utterly futile. The clouds and mist blocked everything, and there was no way to see down without falling yourself.


    This, however, doesn''t mean we were trapped inside the cave. From the sides were many paths you can use to walk on the mountains and go around. Additionally, the part this cave was located was not at a forty-five-degree angle, so the chances of slipping were slim.


    The winds there were rough, as I''ve heard in stories. And I didn''t doubt that at the peak of the mountains they would be strong enough to tear a man in half. I mean, I was still at the mouth of the cave and the wind currents were so strong that I felt I would be blown away.


    Perhaps this could''ve been true or was there some other reason, but Reshi led me back inside after this. On our way, I asked how in the hell did he manage to get those mushrooms at a ce like this.


    "This is not the only cave here, if you were to count you would have a considerable amount of trouble. I''ve been living here for a while and am aware of some of those caves, the one where mushrooms grow is one of them," was his reply.


    We returned to the mainpartment of the cave, and the tension building inside my stomach grew to an extent that it was unbearable now. There was a question, something I''d been meaning to ask since I got to know that he was the one who saved me.


    "There was another girl with me on the dragon, Roe. I''ve told you about her before, but¡­is there any chance that you were able to save her too?" I asked.


    There was not much expectation here. I already knew the answer when he had not interrupted or corrected me back when I was telling him how I was unable to grab hold of Roe''s hand and let her die. Still, asking was all I could do.


    He stopped walking, and I did not conform to the answer I was going to receive.


    "I''m sorry, but I wasn''t able to reach her in time. I wouldn''t have been able to even save you if you had fallen off at a lower height," he said.


    "... I-I see. It''s okay, I''m fine. You don''t need to apologize," I replied and walked off with him


    I spent the rest of my day exploring a bit more, even though I was meant to be resting. Reshi had told me to rest, but it was only many hourster did I realize why he said that.


    I started feeling weak and an exhaustion spread all over my body. It was as if each cell in my body was being destroyed and then created again and again. I came back to the ce where there was a piece of cloth on the ground andy there to catch my breath.


    I was so tired and exhausted that I didn''t realize when I fell asleep. It was strange since I shouldn''t have been this tired normally. It was strange indeed.


    Reshi didn''t disturb me and let me sleep, albeit the time he woke me up to feed me. I opened my eyes, ate, and then fell back into slumber again.

 Chapter 218 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [15]

    I woke up the next day, today was when my training would start. I went to the pond and washed my face and hands. The weakness in my body had mostly gone away, and I was feeling a lot better.


    When I came back Reshi was there with a bowl of stew in his hands, he passed it over to me and I ate it quietly. After I was done, he got up and led me to the uth room where the skeleton was kept.


    As we took steps forward, the nervousness inside me grew. This was the first time I was going to do this type of training, of course, I would be a little on the edge. We entered the uth room and stood at a distance from the skeleton.


    "From today onward, this would be the ce where you will train," he said, referring to the surrounding area.


    After that began my lesson. He started off by telling me what swordsmanship is, and how it works. That was the first time I heard the word ''sword arts''. He showed me all the different stances and the situation where I would use them. He showed me all the various ways in which I could attack an enemy or defend against their attack.


    He began with the basics and then slowly dived into theplexity of things. For an hour or two, I did nothing but listen to him. I listened with all the concentration I had and let not a single piece of information slip away.


    Then it seemed like the verbal parts were done, and I guess verbal lessons were probably meant to first give me insights and introduce me to what I was going to learn.


    He told me to stand up and then led me to a corner of the room where a lot of uneven rocks were scattered. Finally, he stood before a big rocky boulder that was dirty gray and looked rigid.


    There was a sword leaning against the boulder, a pure white sword. Taking the sword in his hands, he stood in front of me.


    "What is this made of?" I asked, confused at the bright white color of the sword.


    "Bones," he said. "I''d craved it out of the bones of the uth. You can''t handle the Requiem sword right now, but you need a sword to continue with your training, that''s why I made this," he tossed it in my direction and I hurriedly held it with both my hands.


    It was not a perfect sword, and it was clearly visible that it had been carved out of something else, as the edges and slides were rough and uneven. Still, it was better than anything I could make, and I didn''t doubt its sharpness.


    "In order for us to get down to your real training," he mentioned. "You will first have to cut this boulder. Do that, and we will move to the next step. But let me say this, you won''t learn anything else until you cut this boulder."


    The wildness of his statement left me speechless for a while. I gathered myposure and cleared my mind.


    "I don''t think that is possible," I said.


    His brows furrowed, and a line formed on his face. "I wouldn''t be telling you to do this if it had been impossible. I am telling you to do it because it can be done. Do you understand?"


    There was no other option, the tone of his voice that sounded like amand made me do nothing but nod in agreement.


    "Take a swing," he said. He came behind me and assisted me in adjusting the sword at an actual angle and not just swinging it randomly. I was not facing the boulder, go I guessed this was meant to be a practice swing.


    Thus, I held the sword with both my hands, lifted it up, and then brought it down in a straight line. I nced at him from the corner of my eye.


    "Good. This is how you will do it," hemented, and then took the sword from my hands and walked to my front. "Repeat the swing until you can no longer stand, repeat it until you pass out, and if you pass out, repeat it again after waking up. That is how you will be able to cut the rock."


    Again, I was left speechless. He told me to swing, but now there was no sword in my hands.


    "Without a sword?" I asked to confirm if I''d heard him wrong.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Without a sword," he repeated.


    I would have protested, but by now I knew that arguing was never an option. So I did as he said. With nothing but thin air in my hands, I made the gesture as if I was holding a sword and repeated the swing I''d done before. Reshi watched me for a while and then left. But I didn''t flinch.


    I swung and swung and swung until my hands began to hurt, but I still swung. I swung until I was out of breath and heavily gasping for air, I still swung, I swung it till I was drenched in sweat, but I swung anyway. I swung until I passed out from exhaustion, but I woke up and swung again. I would wake up feeling as if I didn''t have limbs, but I swung and moved my hands anyway.


    This continued for three months, and during those days I would do nothing but swing my hands holding thin air. All this time, Reshi didn''t teach me anything else, not even a single lesson.


    I would wake up, eat the stew he made, and start swinging until I would find myself waking up the next morning again.


    Finally, after three months of nonstop training that pushed me to the limits of madness, one-day Reshi came to me with the bone sword in my hands.


    "Give it a try now," he said, and handed me the sword.


    I took it from him. It felt weird holding an actual sword after such a long time, all these days I have been holding nothing but air. I gripped my fingers on its hilt and then stood to face the boulder.


    I took a good look at it, at the angle from which I would attack, the line of the path the sword would follow, everything. Then I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, exhaling, and I opened my eyes again.


    Clenching the hilt of the sword, I stepped forward, kicked the ground, andunched myself in the air. I raised the sword high as I was pulled down toward the earth again, then when the boulder was within range, I swung again.


    Just like I had been doing for the past three months, I swung the sword down hard. It felt no different, not like I was hitting a solid rock, but like I was swinging my hands in free air.


    Then Inded on the ground, and when I lifted my head to see the result, I can''t say I wasn''t surprised. That big boulder was split apart into two parts, and the cut in the middle was clean and straight.


    I looked at Reshi with utter surprise in my eyes, and he passed me a smile that said, ''told you it''s possible.''


    My lessons continued after that, and they became harder and harder. He would teach me different stances, and ways to block an attack or counter it. He would teach me verbal lessons and give me a better understanding of sword art. After a while, I was beginning to create a sword art that suited my style.


    It was after two continuous years of training that he started to teach me about magic and how to manipte my mana. Up until now, he had not once taught me about magic, so I naturally didn''t know how to use my mana. Everything I was doing until now was a result of my physical strength alone.


    When I learned to control my mana, the destructiveness of attacks skyrocketed. My sword art was also on an entirely new level now that I had mana backing it up.


    However, in all the time I spent training with Reshi he had not once told me how to do magic. Yes, he taught me how magic works, how magic circles are created, how to read and write the runes, how to make spells of your own, and how to shorten the length of incantations withoutpromising on the power.


    He taught me everything rted to magic, but not magic itself. It was like learning the recipe of a dish, but not how to make the actual dish. At that time I didn''t know the reason, but now I guess it was because he wanted to learn it by himself, and he also knew about how my mana was different from the rest.


    My memories of that time were fuzzy, since I passed out so many times that I lost count of it. And I''m sure you wouldn''t be interested in listening to how I trained, so I won''t bore you with that.


    So let me spare you the details of the five years I spent training under Reshi, and skip to the day when it was finally the time for me to receive the Requiem sword.

 Chapter 219 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [16]

    It was finally the day Reshi had judged me worthy of wielding the Requiem sword, and I''d to say I was as nervous as I was when I first found myself in this cave.


    Five years had passed since, and I was neen years old now, but not much had changed. The me of vengeance I had burning inside me had not extinguished or faded, it was still burning as bright as it ever was, or maybe even more than before.


    I woke up the first thing in the morning, washed in the pond, and after changing into the only other set of clothes I had, I headed toward the uth room. Reshi was nowhere to be found, so I guessed he was already there.


    When I arrived in the uth room, I saw that I was right. Reshi was there, standing in front of the uth''s skeleton with his hands folded behind his back, he was waiting for me.


    I walked up to him and quietly stood beside him. Neither of us spoke anything, and I stared at the skull of the uth before me. Then, after a minute or two of dead stillness, Reshi spoke up.


    "On the day you arrived here, you asked me why I was living in a ce like this, away from the rest of the world. Right?" he asked, referring to the question I''d asked him five years ago.


    I nodded.


    "If you look at it one way, I think both you and I have mutual feelings toward the war that''s been going on. I decided to close myself off from the rest of the world because of this never-ending war. The world I once lived in, the world I loved, the world which loved me, this war has destroyed and ruined everything. What remains is just a world full of corruption and people lusting for power.


    "I was fed up with all that. I tried to do everything I could to stop the world before it destroyed itself, but I failed, and the five kings plunged the world into it and burned the cid world it once was.


    "When there was no longer stopping things, I gave up and locked myself in this cave, away from the eyes of the rest of the world. I''d lost all hope and just wanted a ce to die peacefully and leave everything. But this sword wouldn''t let me do even that. So¡­" he looked in my direction.


    "Will you grant this little wish of mine and free me from the chains that bound me in here?" he asked, his voice dull.


    I faced him and nodded. He reached out his right and cut the air in half like he''d done before, from the gap that formed he pulled out the Requiem sword. The gap closed itself and his gaze fell on the sword, his eyes locked, and he admired it for a whole minute before looking up at me.


    "Make good use of it," he said, and handed me the sword. I took it from him, and for the first time, I got to know how it felt holding the sword that''d killed a uth. I''d always wondered about it on the nights I couldn''t sleep due to too much training.


    "Pass your mana through it. After that it will be truly yours," he instructed.


    I followed his advice and directed my mana toward the sword, letting it flow inside the sword. Soon I sensed that the sword was sucking my mana as there was a pull that attracted my mana inside the sword.


    The pull disappeared in a few seconds and the sword''s de glowed in ck, it was pitch-ck, like a starless night. A wave of darkness erupted from the de and surrounded me.


    The darkness spun around me and I felt something tightening in my body. It wasfortable and soft. Too soft to be a cloth, and if it was, then it was the smoothest cloth in the world.


    The darkness stopped whirling around me and disappeared into nothing, what came next blew my mind. My clothes had changed.


    Pure ck clothing covered my body, my legs, and my arms, and gloves were covering my fingers.


    Along with that, I wore a cloak made out of nothing but shadows. I touched it with my left hand, and it was soft, and strong too. This was the outfit the sword had given me, and it remained my battle outfit for the days toe.


    "You are good to go," Reshi said as he looked at me and nodded to himself. "The sword has epted you, and now it is yours. Finally, I can die."


    I looked at the sword, and then at Reshi. It was obvious, I didn''t know what to do now. For years, I have trained to reach this very day, the day when I would get the sword and set out to kill the kings. Now that the moment had passed, I didn''t know what to do next.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Maybe Reshi picked up on this, as his next words were proof of that.


    "There is onest thing you have to do before I can allow you to leave this cave." he stated.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    He lifted his right hand and pointed at something with his index finger, I followed his trail and my eyes widened a bit when I saw what he was pointing at. The skeleton of the uth.


    "Just like you cut that boulder back when you started, you have to cut this uth before you leave," he announced.


    "You mean this uth!!?" the words spilled out from my mouth on their own. No matter how strong I''ve be, it was still the remains of a uth. A creature the whole world fears. "It''s impossible," I said.


    A wry smile appeared on Reshi''s face. "You''ve said the same thing before, but you ended up cutting the boulder quite easily. Why not give this one a try too?"


    I sighed. Knowing there was no escaping him.


    "Fine, think of this as a gift from me before I leave," I said, but most of those words were meant as a distraction for myself so that I could stop myself from overthinking the matter.


    I turned toward the uth, my right hand in which I held the sword dropped as I walked toward the skeleton. I let my mana flow and activated the technique which these days you know as ''magiken''.


    A ck me enveloped the de of the sword, and soon it was covering it entirely. My pace increased, and in no time I was running. I directed mana in my legs and kicked the ground,unching myself in a high jump.


    But no matter how high I reached, I couldn''t possibly jump higher than the uth''s height. So when I was at the point in the air from where I could no longer go any higher.


    I raised the sword, held it with both my hands, and shed it down hard while in mid-air. The power I felt at that time was incredible. A crescent of shadow wasunched from the sword''s de, and it increased in size as it closed the distance between itself and the uth.


    The crescent of shadow collided with the uth''s skull, and the resulting shockwave shook the entire cave. Inded on the ground with one knee bent to reduce the impact, then I stood up and looked forward to where the skeleton was.


    There was a huge cloud of dust and the ground was still rumbling as it would during an earthquake. When the dust cleared, what I saw was the damaged skeleton of a uth.


    My attack did not destroy the whole skeleton, it was impossible to do that at my current level, but I had split its skull into two parts, it was divided right between the eyes.


    I turned to look at Reshi, amazement dripping clear on my face. He met my gaze and smiled a smile that said, ''told you so''.


    I returned his smile and then shifted my gaze to the sword, "Does it have a sheath?" I asked.


    "Just think about it."


    Imagining it was not difficult, but soon after I felt some weight at my waist. Upon looking, I saw a pure ck sheath attached to my weight. I slid the sword into it, it was a perfect fit.

 Chapter 220 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [17]

    Reshi and I were walking through a tunnel and headed for the mouth of the cave. It was finally time for me to go, and that was also the reason why I''d been quiet for a while now.


    I''ve spared you a lot of details you probably won''t be able to rte to, but during these five years, I''vee to know a lot about Reshi. To exin it in short, he was a simple-minded person who wanted to avoid trouble, but he was of good heart.


    And I''d grown attached to this ce too so leaving everything like this thrilled my emotions.


    Seeing that the silence stretched out for too long, I finally decided to say everything I''d been wanting to ever since we started walking. Thus I took a deep breath and made up my mind.


    "Reshi?" I said.


    "Hm?" He turned his face in my direction as he continued to walk alongside me.


    "I''ve never been able to say this to you, but¡­thank you."


    "Heh, thanks? For what?"


    "For saving my life, for allowing me to live here, for agreeing to train me, for giving me this sword¡­for everything."


    "Haha, you say some interesting things, but keep that thanks to yourself. I don''t ept those. But if you truly want to repay the debt you owe me, then you better stop this war. I hate it as much if not more than you."


    He patted me on the back multiple times and a warm smile covered his face. I was worried at first, thinking I might make things awkward, but in the end, it all worked out and I returned his smile.


    Soon we arrived at the mouth¡ªthe exit¡ªof the cave. I was a little surprised to see the view from here had not changed at all in these five years. There were still dark-gray clouds stretching as far as the eye could see and shes of thunder rumbling within them and the rough gust of wind grating against the rocks of the mountains.


    I stepped to the far edge of the cliff, one step, and I would be down. Then I turned back and faced Reshi; a bittersweet feeling rising in my heart.


    "See youter, Reshi," I said, knowing deep down that I won''t see him again. He was free from the sword now, if this stood as he said, then now he was free to die, there was no one to stop him.


    "What are you going to do now? I mean, how will you climb down?" he asked, a worried expression covering his face.


    A wry smile appeared on my face as I looked directly into his eyes. I spread both my arms and said. "I won''t."


    With that, I took a step backward and let myself fall. The wind helped me push down as the earth pulled me toward itself. In no time I smashed through the wall of clouds and going through them I disappeared into the scenery.


    ***


    "That was how I obtained the Requiem sword and learned to control my mana along with many other things which acted as the pirs for everything I did afterward, every technique or spell I developed," Req said and then took a pause, letting the silence fill in the gaps.


    However, her words fell on deaf ears as Zero''s mind was focused on something entirely else. He raised his eyes and met Req''s gaze.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "True-red hair, green eyes, a sword powerful enough to y dragons, and the power to see the soul of things. Could it be that Arthurus The Great was your teacher?" he asked.


    Arthurus The Great. He was a storybook hero¡ªa legend, who existed in this world. His characteristics were the same as Reshi''s; green eyes and red hair, on top of that he was said to be so good-looking that the princess fell for him at first sight.


    There were many stories revolving around him, and he was your basic all-good hero who stood against evil. In most of the stories, he fought against beings such as demons, powerful monsters who trampled cities, or evil kings who had be tyrants due to the great amount of power in their arsenal.


    But the bad guys varied from story to story. Sometimes it was the evil stepmother of a princess, sometimes a hunter who killed all the animals in the forest, and sometimes they were just a bunch of bandits who were harassing a young maiden.


    There were many stories about him and they changed themselves ording to the needs of the lister, but in the end, all they were was stories. Arthurus The Great was not real; no one had seen him nor was there any proof of his existence.


    "I mean, both of them have the power to see the soul of things and a pretty powerful sword. Wouldn''t be so strange if they turned out to be the same person. If we follow your teacher''s reasoning for why he was living in a cave despite being so powerful, everything pretty much adds up.


    "The great hero gave up on the world when despite all the efforts made him he wasn''t able to stop the world from being plunged into war. In the end, he got fed up with humanity when he saw their lust for power and the ugly nature of the human race. Thus he retired and disappeared," Zero finished and waited for Req.


    His theory made sense, but there were some holes in it. Like why no one noticed when the hero disappeared, or why he was not mentioned in any of the historical files.


    "That''s a pretty interesting angle actually, sometimes I wondered about that too. But it was wayte, and I wasn''t able to ask him this since, during the time I lived in the cave with him, I had not heard about Arthurus because the stories had not made it to my vige," Req exined.


    "It was wayte when I was out in the world hunting for the kings that I came to know about the myths. Although it was pretty much useless since by that time it was already toote.


    Zero still wasn''t satisfied and the topic piped his interest. But for the moment he decided to give it a rest and made a mental note to research thister.


    "What happened next?" he asked.


    At this question, a disappointed look appeared on Req''s face, a dull expression that was so unlike her.


    "I spent the next couple hundred years wandering throughout the world and hunting for the kings. And I was sessful to some extent as I encountered the kings of the Askington kingdom, Acreyvania, and Swuisten multiple times. But I was not able to kill them as sometimes they ran with their lives on their palms or sometimes I had to retreat to save myself from the cliff of death.


    "I fought them and it turns out Reshi was right. The kings were strong, stronger than anyone I''d faced so far. They were powerful to the point that they were not able to die until someone killed them, that''s how they were alive for hundreds of years. Though that wasn''t particrly a problem for me since acquiring the Requiem sword had made me immortal too, but unlike Reshi I could be killed.


    "There was one time when I was the closest and almost achieved my goal of killing the kings. It was in the Askington kingdom, I was able to chase the king out and lured him into a fight. He was more than half dead, but I stopped when I saw my surroundings.


    "The shockwaves and stary spells from our battle had destroyed almost all of the kingdom and people had died. I regret it to this day, as I''ve done the same thing I hated the kings for. I''d repeated the cycle. Some kids must have seen their parents die right before their eyes, their hearts must''ve ached too as they watched their loved ones burn into mes I lit up.


    "They must''ve felt intense hatred for me, just like I did for the five kings. They would have resented me and I''m a courageous handful of them who must have decided to chase and kill me. Just like I did.


    "I regret doing that to this day, and I regretted it even more at that moment, to an extent that I almost quit everything and gave up. But all of it was not negative, I did receive a push from that event which helped me achieve my ultimate goal¡­"

 Chapter 221 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [18]

    The destruction of the Askington kingdom did help me achieve my ultimate goal, which was to stop this never-ending war. After the country was set into ruins, the event caught the attention of the whole world along with all the kings.


    I was dered the most dangerous person at that time, a high threat level. I still remember the name I was given by the folk: the destroyer.


    Since I was now a greater threat who endangered the survival of humanity, the kings finally decided to stop fighting amongst themselves ande together to face me as one.


    Meetings were held and discussions were made, then one day when everything was read I received an invitation from the kings. They had invited me to a final fight, to settle things once and for all.


    I would have gone instantly, this was what I wanted, after all. I chance to face the kings and kill them all. However, I was upied at the time.


    While my personal goal of killing the kings remained unfinished, I was sessful in achieving the goal I shared with Reshi; which was to stop the war. Thus, I wanted to go and inform him of the good news.


    And although I knew going there would do nothing as hundreds of years have passed and there is no way he would be alive, not going was a thing I could not afford. Hence, I set the kings at bay and wandered off toward the Devil''s Mountains.


    Climbing them was not so difficult this time. I climbed to the lower heights on foot, and from there I took control of a stray dragon and forced it to go upward until I reached the location of the cave.


    I wandered inside and saw that the cave was engulfed in darkness. I stepped inside the mainpartment, my heart ached when I saw that the torches were not lit. It ached, even more, when I saw that the utensils had not been washed for a long while and there was a pile of dust covering them.


    There was a weird quiet in the cave, as if something important had gone missing. It felt really strange, and my heart pounded even more. Finally, I strengthened my will and forced myself to investigate further.


    I arrived at the center of the mainpartment, where both of us used to stay most of the time. And there I saw it.


    There on the ce where I''d first woken up in this cave, on a piece of cloth, looking outside the cave, sat the skeleton of a man. I knew who it was, and I didn''t intend to disturb him.


    However, leaving him as it is probably wasn''t good either, so I dug a pit for him and put him inside, giving him a proper burial. I sat near the grave for a long period, and I''m not sure how long it was.


    I just sat there, quietly, thinking about my memories and all the time I''d spent with him. Then I stood up and looked back for thest time.


    "The war is over, Reshi. Just like you wanted, this means I''ve cleared my debt to you too. Everything is over, so you can sleep in peace now," I said, looking down at the grave.


    "I know who didn''t ept these, but still, I would say. Thank you, for everything you did for me," with thosest words I left the cave and while returning, I destroyed the opening and sealed the mouth of the cave forever.


    I set to return and while climbing down the mountain, I came across a uth.


    A real and alive uth. It was around the same size as the skeleton in Reshi''s cave, albeit the fact that it was breathing and flying in the sky with a sense of authority around it. That was the uth I told you about back in thebyrinth.


    I preferred to avoid fighting it since I was saving up my strength for the kings, and it didn''t attack me either. I came down from the mountains and returned to the other side of the world, where the kings were waiting for me.


    I was returning a yearter than the original date, so I''d expected to find no one there, but I was proven wrong.


    The kings were there, all five of them. Waiting for me with their weapons and armor. From the condition, they were in, it looked as if they hadn''t moved an inch in thest year.


    Words were not needed there, I finally got what I wanted. And so we fought, all of the five kings against me at once. Many more people were killed from the impact of our battle, thend was split apart and tsunamis rose in the Eternal Ocean.


    The battle continued non-stop for three days and nights, and in the end, I lost¡­<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Yeah, not everything goes as you want it to. The kings probably knew beforehand that they could not defeat me in a fair fight even if all of them were to fight together, that was how strong I''d grown during all the years I spent chasing after them.


    Thus, they decided to take the coward''s way andid a trap for me; a spell. The spell activated once a certain condition was met, and I was weakened to a certain point after three days of battle.


    It destroyed my physical body entirely and sealed my soul inside my sword¡ªthe Requiem sword. Once I was sealed inside, the kings used the remaining of their magical energy to create a grave for me.


    Since they couldn''t destroy either the sword or my soul, they took all the steps they could to seal me away from humanity as far as possible. Thebyrinth was built, the destroyer was sealed, and a newborn uth was put inside as a guard.


    Now I don''t know for sure, but the kings died soon after, my guess is based on the fact that I stopped feeling their presence after a month or so. It wouldn''t be strange if they died.


    They were humans in the end, no matter how powerful. They were already straining their bodies by being alive for many years, and the battle with me must''ve been the final push they needed.


    ***


    "That was all. In the end, I was able to stop the war, but my desire for revenge remained unfinished. Yes, I did probably speed up the process of their deaths, but I was not able to kill them with my own hands. As for whether I regret it or not, yes I do. I still wish that I should''ve gone to battle more prepared, prepared to free myself if I was caught in a trap¡­" Req said and went quiet afterward.


    This was her story, the backstory which was not in loli_pop''s novel and which I didn''t know about. I had asked her to tell me this part because I wanted to know the history of this world, but there''s no denying the fact that I got more than that.


    Her story seemed like the plot of some novel, but here it was real. She was real, I was real.


    I hopped out of the bed and stood up, then I gathered all the bowls and the te and went inside the kitchen. I washed the utensils, which took about five to ten minutes, and then returned.


    She was still there, sitting on the lower side of the bed with a dull expression on her face. I observed her for a while as I changed into my night clothes. When I was done, I made sure that the door was locked and returned to the bed, and sat at my previous ce.


    "Req," I called. She lifted her head to match my gaze.


    "Zero," I said. "That''s my name."


    Her face which had been dull before bloomed into her usual cheerful smile, and this was not the forced smile she was using all this time. Perhaps this moment was worth more than what I expected for her, since her smile grew, and she jumped over me.


    It took a bit of effort to calm her down.


    As for the reason why I told her my name when I''d decided to not do that beforehand, well, I am not sure myself.


    I don''t know whether I did this because I wanted to gain her trust so the chances of her betrayal in the future would be lower or because hearing her call me master made my ears bleed with a cringe, or it had something to do with her past.


    I didn''t know, and I was not eager to.


    "Zero?" she said, lying on the side of my bed and looking at me.


    "Can I sleep with you?"


    "No."

 Chapter 222 A Tale Of A Thousand Years Ago [19]

    Req''s story was interesting, and the history it told about this world was a bit different from what they had written down in the books. So to research a bit more on this, the next day I went to the library after the sses were done.


    It took me a while to search for a book that told an actual history and was not a mess of many theories on ''what would have happened'' by multiple authors. I also came to understand that either the people here were not so concerned about history or it had been altered deliberately.


    Finally, after a long search, I found three books which were fitting my needs. I spent the next couple of hours reading them and found that the history indeed was altered.


    The war was mentioned in the book but there was no mention of Req in it. Not a single chapter was about her, not a single paragraph, not a single sentence. This, of course, meant that the way the war ended had also been changed.


    The reasons were slightly different and varied from book to book, but all of it boiled down to one thing. And it was that the kings stopped the war themselves.


    Yeah, ording to the books the kings finally noticed the loss of resources they were doing and the damage the war was causing to the world and the people living in it. They realized their mistakes and came together to sign a peace treaty that is still being followed to this date.


    There were a few other things I wanted to find out, for example why the kings hadn''t gone to war again once Req was taken care of. My thesis was that during their battle with her, they must''ve had a conversion and hade to know the reason behind her existence and why she was after their lives.


    The destroyer was born from the mes of the war, so to keep anything like this from happening again in the future they decided it was better to not start the war again. I wanted to check whether I was right or not but apparently the book had only so much information.


    It was frustrating, really. There was one more thing I wanted to get information about and it was the items Req talked about¡ªones that were the source of the strength of all the kings. But even that was not mentioned.


    In the end, all I got to know was that after the war ended, the kings came together and operated in peace. As time passed, the names of the kingdoms were changed. When the heirs of the kings took over the throne, civil wars broke out in some of the countries, and a coup d''etat wasunched which ended up with the partition of some countries. As of now, there were a total of eight countries in the world.


    After that, there was nothing much to do so after having a cup of coffee in the cafe I returned to my room. I sat on the bed as I flipped through the pages of my diary.


    There was no major event happening anytime soon, the closest event that happened in the novel was the mid-term exam which was two months away. I had nothing but time on my hands.


    I closed the diary and looked at the wall before me.


    ''If I have time, why not use it efficiently,'' I thought and made up my mind.


    ***


    Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, slowly the time passed now it was the month of December and winter was at its max. About two months went by since Req told me about her past and I decided to use my time effectively.


    And I did that, in fact. During these days I spent all my time training and learning more about the Requiem sword; controlling it was the main goal of my training. The training brought good results, of course.


    Now I was able to handle the magiken pretty easily and using Dark Edge had been somewhat easier too. My strikes weren''t as smooth as Req''s but they were still quite destructive.


    I had also worked on casting magic spells through the Requiem sword just like Req had told me to. And I''d to say, while it was a bit harder to do that, I was finally able to cast spells via the magic circle method.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Though I made sure not to use them in public as I never used the Requiem sword in front of other people. That was most of what I did in these; made myself stronger. I worked on my skill of [Foresight] too.


    I had a major problem with that since whenever I used it for more than ten minutes I started having a very bad headache. I didn''t know the reason for it hence there was no sure-fire way to deal with it, but I made a guess that it might go away if I used [Foresight] constantly.


    So I did that and included half an hour of constant [Foresight] in my training menu. And it did help, in fact. Now I was able to go on for fifteen minutes without any headache.


    The only incident which happened was the first time when I used it for half an hour; I was giving it my all to bear with the intense headache when I noticed that my eyes started bleeding. Gave me a real run for money.


    For it helped me increase the overall time so hey, everything paid off I guess.


    Aside from my training and daily sses, I met up with Ellyn on a daily basis and made her report to me about Leon''s activities. Turns out that this world was still following the novel''s plot.


    One thing that I did notice was the rtionship between Anya, Leon, and Ellyn. They seemed to have grown close and were like a friend group; I''d asked Anya about this and she said that she was not being forced by X. So if she was fine, I was fine.


    Speaking of X, I hadn''t noticed any activity from their side in thest months. It was as if they had disappeared into nothing and were concealing their presence. I tried looking but in the end, came out empty-handed. I mean, how can I find an enemy whom I don''t know a thing about?


    All the information I had about X was that they were from my former world, a reincarnate, and knew about loli_pop''s novel and that this world was based on it. That was all I had.


    The clock tower''s bell rang and resounded throughout the whole campus. I looked at the clock hung on the wall of the cafeteria and saw it was about time for the sses, and I waste.


    I finished my coffee hurriedly and ended up burning my tongue in the process. Then I paid for the breakfast I had and left the buildings. Then I made a run for it since today was a day I didn''t want to bete.


    I ran as fast as I could, leaving the otherte students behind, and arrived at the Mains. Upon entering the building, however, I did not go toward the sses. Rather than that, I headed toward one of the assembly halls¡ªone where the opening ceremony took ce, to be precise.


    As I reached close to the hall I noticed that a number of students had already gathered inside. I went and joined the crowd. There were a great number of students here.


    Just to be clear, I hade here instead of going to the sses because I already knew something was gonna happen here, well, that was true but it was not the reasons which pushed me. Yesterday all the students had been told to gather in this hall first thing in the morning, that''s why I and the rest of the students were here.


    Soon the remaining minutes passed and all thete students arrived too. The teachers who were already there adjusted the students to stand in rows, and before I knew it there wasplete silence in the hall that, a few moments ago, was bustling with conversations.


    The sound of footsteps resounded in the hall, as a man in a ck suit climbed onto the stage and walked up to the mic. He was none other than our Mr. Halls, and he was here to make an announcement.


    An announcement rted to the mid-term exam that was going to take ce tomorrow.

 Chapter 223 Mid-Terms [1]

    All of the students were gathered inside the halls and the teachers had assembled them into rows. And by all students, here I mean all the students from the four sses in the first year, not all of the academy.


    Mr. Halls stood before the mic which functions via magic, and there was a small magic circle glowing at the top of it. He tapped the circle to check if it was working, and at the same time a buzzing noise was heard all across the hall.


    When he seemed satisfied, he held the mic stand with one hand and began.


    "As you students must know that your midterms exams will be starting from tomorrow, and I''m sure you all have prepared for it. However, there is one thing you all are not informed about, and today I am here just to do that."


    Standing among the crowd of students, I listened to his speech quietly even though I already knew what he was going to say.


    "Along with the written exam you all will be giving tomorrow, there will also be a practical exam for you first year students. I am about to exin how that exam will work and what will be the perks for the students who will score great.


    "First of all, afterpleting the written exam tomorrow you will have to report to this hall. The practical exam will be taking ce on an ind and not here at the academy, thus we will be teleporting you there. To clear this exam you will have to survive three days on that ind without any help.


    "Now, let me rify on what I mean by ''without any help''. Unlike the previous time in the entrance exam when you all were teleported into a private forest, the academy staff will not monitor your activities, neither will we provide you with food and water or any medical aid in case you got yourself injured.


    "For three days you will have to find your own food and water, and make sure to not get killed by the monsters lurking on the ind. You will be able to clear the exam if you are able to do all this, but there''s something else too. For students who think they are capable of doing more than this.


    "There will be some hidden tasks on the ind which you have to find andplete, and you will gain additional points forpleting each task; these points will be added to your overall grades hence they are important. In each task you will have to acquire an item but the way to do that will differ. Since we will not be monitoring you, the students are required to hold on to the item till the end of the exam and those you have the items will have to submit it to the teachers afterward.


    "Now, the number of hidden tasks will be much lower than the students there toplete them, so there will be a rush for them. Thus if you happen toplete a task and acquire the item, you should be very careful and keep it close to your heart. Since stealing of the items will bemon and inevitable as some students would want to snatch the items rather thanplete the tasks.


    "In the case where youpleted a task but the item you received was stolen by another student, and that student submitted it to the teachers at the end of the exam, the points will be awarded to the student who submitted the item, and not to you. So make sure you keep special care of your items if youe across one.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "These points you will get will bebined with your score in the written exam and then a grade will be assigned to you. Now, as you are new students I would like you to inform me of a system that works in the academy.


    "The student who scored the highest in the sses below ss A will be promoted to ss A, thus at the end of the exam a total of three students from each ss will be moved to ss A¡ªone from ss D, one from ss C, and one from ss B.


    "Simrly, the bottom three students in ss A will be demoted to the lower sses ording to their grades. This is a measure we take in order to maintain the poption of each ss. You all have the opportunity to move to ss A, so I''d say do your best in the exams."


    There was a momentary pause, and a murmur of conversation bursted among the students. This system that was dropped onto them out of nowhere left them with mixed feelings. Now each student had the chance to move up to ss A by scoring the highest in their respective ss, thepetition was going to be higher now.


    However, what Mr. Halls said next pushed the students even further into the state of shock.


    "There is something very important I would like to inform you all of," he said, gathering the attention of every student upon himself; his tone was serious. "As I have said before, the academy will not be monitoring you during the time you are on the ind, hence we will not be able to provide you with aid in case you are about to die.


    "Simply said, if you die you die. There will be no oneing to save. Some of you might be thinking of this as a bluff but it''s not. Let me make this very clear, this is not like the entrance exam where we would teleport you back if you are about to die. You will die for real this time if you get careless."


    There was still silence that spread across the hall, after that was the uncontroble arguments of the students. However, the teachers forced them to go quiet again. Seeing that some of the students were not willing to let this pass, Mr. Halls spoke again.


    "There are some of you who would not like to give the practical exam, given the risks that are involved. And the academy respects your wishes. That is why this exam is an option, meaning if you want to you can choose not to give the exam. You will be losing on the extra points but you will not be marked a failure.


    "And those who do want to give the exam despite the risks, please follow our teachers and sign the form," he announced. "This form stated that if you died during this exam, it will not be the academy''s form but a result of your own actions."

 Chapter 224 Mid-Terms [2]

    In the corner of the hall there was a small counter where the forms were to be signed, the teachers present there led the students to the counter one by one and the forms were signed by those who wanted to give the exam.


    And it might seem strange to you but the majority of the students decided to take the exam despite the fact that they could lose their lives in the process. However, it was not even that strange if you looked at it from the perspective of this world.


    Here all the students were sons and daughters of noble families, and to them reputation is a very big thing. Just think what would happen to the "reputation" of a family if their heir didn''t participate in an exam in which all the sons and daughters of the other family''s did, just because he was scared of losing his life.


    Then there was the personal self-respect of the students; no one wanted to be marked as a coward. Hence most of them ended up taking the exam and signing the form.


    If you ask about me, I decided to take the exam too. Not because of the reputation thing, but because I wanted to test and see the result of all the training I''d done in thest two months. This was a good opportunity for that.


    Therefore I went and signed the form too. After that the students were dismissed and the normal daily sses took ce as usual. When I was done with the sses I thought of taking a visit to the cafe, since I was craving coffee for a while now.


    I entered the building, ordered a cup, and then searched for a seat. And by sheer coincidence, I spotted Ellyn who was sitting there and having a cup of green tea. Since I had to meet her anyway for the daily report, I thought why not make her life a bit easier and do it here.


    Thus I went and took a seat in front of her.


    ***


    In the dorm building for ss C, inside a room were two boys. One had a muscr built body, he sat on a chair while lifting a dumbbell with his right hand. The other one had an average looking body, not skinny but not muscr either. He sat on the bed as he nervously fiddled his fingers.


    "Are theying or not?" Emmeric asked without looking at Wynfir, who sat on the bed.


    "I''ve talked to them, and they said they wanted to meet up. That our goals were the same and all that,'' Wynfir replied.


    "I didn''t ask for that, did I? I said, ``Are theying or not?" Emmeric asked again, his time in a harsher tone than before.


    "Yes."


    "That''s it,'' he nodded and stared back at the floor while continuing to move his right hand up and down.


    A few minutester there was a knock on the door. Wynfir instantly jumped out of the bed and walked up to the door. Twisting the door knob he opened it.


    The door opened and three girls stepped inside. Seiren, Alda, and Wrena were their names and they all carried a serious expression on their faces, however Wrena''s expression showed clear signs of disgust as soon as she entered the room.


    Wynfir closed the door back and stood beside his friend. The trio of girls stared at Emmeric for a while, waiting for him to start the conversion. But hepletely ignored them and kept staring at the floor.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "We don''t have all day, you know?" Serein said atst, not being able to bear it any longer.


    "Neither do I," Emmeric replied and looked up while he dropped the dumbbell on the floor; it made a loud THUCK sound as it hit the floor.


    "Get some chairs for them, I don''t want them to whine about our hospitalityter on," he said.


    Wynfir was about to move when Seiren stopped him, "Leave it. We are not here to stay. Just hurry up and get to the point." She stated.


    "Yeah, hurry up. I don''t wanna stay a minute longer in this filthy room," Wrean added.


    The condition of the dorms differed ording to the sses assigned to the students. For example, the furniture and the overall quality of a ss A dorm room will be better than one of ss B, C, or D.


    Wrena''sint was reasonable and provoking, but no one paid any attention to it and she went unnoticed.


    "Get to the point, huh?" Emmeric mumbled to himself but it was loud enough for the girls to hear. "Then let me ask this straight as you want it. Are you in or not?"


    Seiren''s face was quickly washed up in rage as if someone had questioned her existence. "Hah, is that what you ask? Whether I''m in or not? Do you even know how much I want to kill that bastard? If I was unsure about this I wouldn''t be standing here right now," she said in a stinging tone.


    "It''s fine then. I just wanted to make sure of it, that''s all," Emmeric rified.


    "Can we finally get to the n now? I know you all already know this but if we are going to do this, we''ll have to be very careful," Wynfir mentioned, and it was the first time he''d spoken.


    "Shouldn''t we first confirm whether he is taking the exam or not? All this would be meaningless if he decided to skip," Wrean interjected.


    "That''s not a problem, I saw him sign the form. He is going to be there," da asserted.


    "It''s simple. You will chase him down and corner him into a spot from where he could not escape, then I will kill him," Emmeic said, presenting his thoughts.


    "Heh, as if it''s really that simple," Wrenamented in a mocking tone.


    "But that''s why you are all here, what will be the point if I''ll have to do everything by myself. I will be the one to kill him, so you three can at least handle everything else," he said.


    "He''s right. And I think it will be easier for us if the n is simple. We will have to make some changes but I think the overall structure should be the same," da interjected. "We will lure him into a corner and you will handle the rest."

 Chapter 225 Mid-Terms [3]

    After that, the five of them went into a discussion about how they would corner and surround him. They went through several different ways which could work, such as stealing his hidden task item if he acquired it and then making him follow them. Or giving him a chance to steal their item if they found one.


    In the end, they settled on three different ways and decided to use the one that will fit the situation.


    "You asked me if I was into this, but are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I don''t want you pulling your hands out at the end," Seiren said with a sense of mockery in her voice. She was messing with Emmeric but¡­


    ? A vein popped on Emmeric''s temple, and he stood up in such a way that the chair he was sitting on fell backward. He took a few rapid steps toward Seiren and grabbed hold of her cor. Seeing this, Wrena was about to throw a kick at him but restrained herself when Seiren gestured for her to stop.


    Seiren shifted her attention to Emmeric, she didn''t flinch even a bit despite the given situation where someone as big as Emmeric was holding her by her cor and staring daggers right into her soul.


    His face was twisted, and his eyes popped out with anger. "You have no idea how long I was waiting for this moment. A chance where I could kill him in the most miserable way known to humanity! You don''t know how much I want to kill that bastard, Zero!" he growled.


    Seiren didn''t reply and stared into his eyes. Then after a while, she spoke up.


    "You think you are the only one who wants to kill him? Then what am I here for? To have fun? Fuck off, how much of an idiot someone can be!! You are the one who doesn''t understand the urge I have to rip him apart. You¡­you have no idea how much I despise him. I always wanted to be the one to control the strings of other people, never in my life have I been controlled by others. But he! That bastard manipted me! He manipted me, and tricked me into doing his bidding! Do you know how it feels?!"


    Her voice was low and quiet, but that''s what made it even scarier. While her tone was not loud, the words she spoke were depicting her murderous intent.


    Things were about to get heated when da stepped in to separate the two. Following her lead, Winston also stepped in and freed Seiren from Emmeric''s grip.


    After a while when both parties calmed down, upon da''s suggestion they went through the n once again and made sure they were prepared for anything that could happen. Then, once they were done, the girls left the room. Wrena took a breath of relief as soon as she stepped outside.


    ***


    Opening the door to my room, I stepped inside. I removed my shoes and zer and set them in their respective ces. Then just when I was about to return to bed a shing of light lit the whole room and when it disappeared, the figure of Req was there.


    "Wee back!" she said, her usual cheerful smile bright on her face.


    She attempted to throw herself into my arms¡ªone of her seduction attempts¡ªbut since I had grown used to them, it didn''t take me a lot of effort to brush her off.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Ignoring her, I took out my diary from the wardrobe and sat on the bed as I flipped through the pages.


    The midterm exam was finally here, and I honestly had mixed feelings about it. Yeah, it was somewhat nice since now I won''t be bored, but at the same time, I was a bit worried too.


    The reason for my worries was understandable, too. I mean, in loli_pop''s novel when the midterm exams took ce there were no Zero nks to participate in them. I was already dead by that time.


    But now things have changed, and I was here. And I didn''t know what would change due to this. You will say that I shouldn''t have participated in the practical exam if this was the case, and you are not wrong. Maybe the chances of the plot changing would have been lowered a bit, but still.


    I would be here, alive, even if I didn''t take the ind exam. For example, probably sometimes would have happened if I was here and stayed here instead of going to the ind. It was useless to think about it, the possibilities were endless.


    Plus, I''d already decided to not care about the plot the moment I avoided my death. There was no use whining about it now.


    I''d talked to Ellyn and Leon was taking the ind, so for now, at least things were going as they should.


    This means the hidden tasks will still be in the same ces as they were in the novel, and since I had already decided to not care about the plot, I would not stop myself from making use of the information I had.


    A little grin appeared on my face as I closed the diary and put it back in its ce. Req tried to peek inside it, but I made it very clear to her that she can''t see it even if I''m not there. This was important stuff, that''s why I made sure to concentrate and block her from seeing what I was seeing through telepathy.


    It was hard to do this at first, but with practice, I was able to block her offpletely from my mind. She whined about this too, saying things like she felt lonely whenever I did this, but honestly, I couldn''t care less.


    The rest of the day was spent doing the usual things, and a little time was dedicated to learning for the written exam. I had no notes as I''ve never taken them, so I had to borrow some from Anya. I can''t say I didn''t feel embarrassed doing that.


    ¡­, thinking back on it now, I should''ve asked Ellyn for them. Damn.


    The next day, I was ready for whatever this world had to throw at me. I did my morning routine, dressed in the academy uniform, and left for my dorm rooms just like that.

 Chapter 226 A Girl I Didnt Know

    I woke up the next day a little earlier than usual, specifically because I didn''t want to bete. I followed my daily routines, dressed up in the academy uniform, and left my dorm room.


    On my way, I stopped at the cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast and then headed over to the Mains.


    Entering the ss I saw that most of the students had already arrived and only a handful of seats were empty even though a whole fifteen minutes were remaining before the start of the exam.


    I guess everyone was more serious about this than I thought.


    Moving quietly I went to my seat and helped myself down. I sat there with nothing to do, unlike the other students who carried notes with them and were doingst-minute revisions right now.


    I wouldn''t have done this even if I did have notes. I was against this technique in my previous life too, as I believed doingst-minute revision made you forget what you knew beforehand due to the force-feeding of information.


    Thus I looked out of the minute and nced at the wall clock then and now as I waited for the exam to start.


    A whileter when the clock ticked 10, Ryfin entered the ssroom with a stack of papers in his hands. He walked up to the teacher''s table before the podium and dumped the papers there.


    Afterward, he called the students ording to the pattern they were sitting in and distributed the question papers and answer sheets, thus marking the start of the written exam.


    It was two hours before the exam came to an end and Ryfin took the answer sheets back from the students, indifferent to whether they were done writing or not. When he stopped to take my sheet I''d say he had a rather disappointed look when he looked at it. Maybe he was expecting too much from me.


    Along with the other students, I left the ss and walked in the corridor as I headed toward the hall for the practical exam.


    My written exam went fairly well, and I was satisfied with it. The question paper was divided into three parts; the first continued discussion of theories rted to magic and incantations, the second one had questions and forms regarding runes and magic circles, and the third part was based on mathematics.


    Keeping in mind that I had perfect zero notes and skipped a lot of sses, my exam had done better than I expected. There were no regrets lingering inside of me.


    I was walking in the corridor among the crowd of students who were also headed to the same destination. It was when I was going through a garden that stood midway when I heard someone call my name and felt a hand on my shoulder.


    Turning back to look I saw it was a girl, a girl I didn''t know.


    ***


    Standing inside the hall I was waiting for Mr. Halls toe and for the exam to begin, and so were the rest of the students. Since I had no friends to talk to, I was standing still at my ce, but then I noticed Anya.


    She was alone as of now, which was rather unusual since these days she was spending most of her time with Ellyn and Leon. I guess the main cast had toe together even if I prevented her from forming a romantic rtionship with Leon.


    ''The power of plot is terrifying,'' I thought as I approached her.


    "How did your exam go?" I asked, standing beside her.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Ah, Zero,'' she turned to look at me. "It was good I think. What about you?"


    "Eh, I''ll say well too, although I think I''ll be falling below average."


    "But you are good at studying, aren''t you?"


    "You can say I got careless and messed up. Leave that, so you have decided to take the practical exam too?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.


    "Yeah. I thought what reason did I have to not go?"


    "Well, there are monsters."


    "Are you mocking me?" she said, then burst into a smallugh. I knew better than anyone else that she had nothing to worry about the monsters. Still, I wanted to make sure she was confident.


    "I know you won''t have any trouble. But if a situation did ur, choose your life over points," I said.


    [Hmm, someone''s getting worried about their sister?] Req, a voice resounded in my head, she had a teasing tone to it.


    ''Shut up.''


    We would have talked for a bit longer, but it was the time when Mr. Halls stepped inside the hall. He walked up to the mic and tapped on it to gather the attention of all the students.


    "Now, we will bemencing the practical exam. You will be teleported to an uninhabited ind. For the next three days, you will have to survive there on your own and try to find andplete the hidden tasks. Once the exam is over, we will teleport you back here. That''s all, if anyone wants to ask something, raise your hand."


    No one did. "Good. Stand still, we will be teleporting you now," he said and stepped backward.


    A few secondster a magic circle, big enough to cover the entire floor of the hall, appeared below our feet and shone bright pink. The raysing from the circle enveloped my body,pletely bleaching my vision.


    I felt nauseous for a split second as if I had lost and regained consciousness at the same time, then the scenery before my eyes changed and I found myself standing below the vast, clear blue sky.


    I looked around to get a clear understanding of my surroundings. There was sand below my feet and it covered the outskirts of the ind we were on. After that started the greenery and a forest that covered the entire ind. At the center of the forest, thend rose, and there were three mountains each a bit smaller than the other.


    ''Well, this certainly is an uninhabited ind. The scenery matches the description given in the novel,'' I thought to myself.


    By this time the other students were also done assessing their surroundings and were starting to run off into the forest. Since there was no use waiting here, I also followed the lead and headed off within the shadow of the trees.

 Chapter 227 Island [1]

    I cleared the bushes in front of me and made space for myself as I moved forward. The forest was pretty dense, hence it was harder to move around if you weren''t being careful.


    Half an hour had passed since the practical exam began and if I had to guess the current situation, I''ll say that by now all the students were scattered evenly on the ind.


    My judgment was based on two factors. First, this ind was too big thus far, making the chances of running into other students fairly low. So if you aren''t trying to find other students, you probably won''t run into them by ident.


    Secondly, the students won''t try to find each other, hence the scenario stated above will not y out. This was because of the hidden tasks. Mr. Halls had said that if youpleted a task, but the item was stolen from you, the reward will go to the person who stole and reported it back and not to you.


    Due to this, most of the students won''t risk their chances and will try to clear the exam alone. There will always be some who haveplete trust in their friends and will stay together, but they''re in the minority.


    I was somewhat impressed that Mr. Halls imnted the idea of stealing the items in the minds of the students. The way he exined it, it seemed as if we were telling them that "stealing is allowed, so do it to your heart''s content, the academy won''t stop you".


    It was probably to increase thepetition in the exam, and now the students who weren''t nning on stealing the items of other students or those who hadn''t even thought that this could be done will at least entertain the idea if they stopped another student with an item.


    That''s why I was wandering alone, too, and thus far I haven''t seen any other students. This was good since I was headed toward the location of one of the hidden tasks.


    I arrived at an opening in the forest where the trees were low and the vines and bushes were decreasing in poption. There I decided to stop for a while and check my location.


    Hence, I turned and looked around for a couple of minutes before finding a tree that was fit for the task. It had a lot of branches, a thick trunk, and looked pretty rigid.


    I walked up to the tree and rubbed my hands together, doing a bit of stretching to prepare myself to climb the tree. This had been easier if I had the Requiem sword with me. I just had to call Req and tell them to fly up and assess my location.


    But we were not allowed to bring any weapons. So it was pretty much of a letdown. I hugged the tree tightly, ced my arms and legs ordingly, and began climbing up.


    It was hard since I was doing this after a long time, but I still knew how to ce my hands and legs in the right ces, and to bnce myself once I''m up there. So I was able to do it in the end.


    When I was at the top, I found a branch that looked like it wouldn''t break if I stepped on it, thus I transferred myself over it and stood straight to let a good look around the area.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    I looked in the direction of the mountains which were located at the center of the ind, narrowing my eyes and trying to guess the distance.


    ''I think I''ll reach there by tomorrow morning if I keep going at this ce,'' I thought. This ind was the same as the one in the novel, but it was much bigger than I''d expected.


    My destination was a hidden task that was ced in the mountains. Leonpletes multiple tasks in the novel, however, since most of the tasks were in the forest and things were shown from his perspective. It was hard to guess the location of the tasks from the information only.


    The mountains, on the other hand, could be seen from anywhere on the ind, and it''d be easier topare and find the area shown in the novel, as I won''t have to go around in circles between a jungle of trees as I''d have to do if I ventured into the forest.


    I climbed down the tree, and that was harder than climbing. I ced my leg on the wrong branch, it snapped, and I fell from around twelve feet of height¡ªalthough it was not a direct fall since I broke many branches and leaves on the way.


    I gained a few scratches and my left knee was skinned, but fortunately, I didn''t break any bones. It would''ve been a huge pain in the ass if that were the case.


    "Maybe I should rest here for a while. It''s not like I race to win anyway," I mumbled and sat under the shadow of the tree, leaning against its trunk.


    That was when I felt my throat drying up; it was winter, but all this moving around had made me crave water. Finding it here in this forest would be tough, as I didn''t see any rivers around. I pity them.


    Fortunately for me, I had my elemental magic. Thus, I used it to create a wall of water and drank it. I used some to wash my injuries too, then I tore the sleeve of my shirt and wrapped it around my knee to keep the infection from spreading.


    I rested there for around ten minutes, and then I got up to walk again. I was venturing inside the bushes again and had left the opening behind. It was then that I heard a sharp, crackling sound as if something broke¡ªprobably a branch.


    I stopped in my tracks, and there was a slight rustling in the leaves a few meters behind me. But it was only for a split second, it would have gone unnoticed if I was not paying attention.


    Standing there for a few minutes I waited for something to happen, then when it seemed like no one was gonnae out, I ignored it and started walking toward the mountains again.

 Chapter 228 Island [2]

    On the other side of the ind, away from Zero were Anya, Leon, and Ellyn upied by a golem. It was a stone golem, made with boulders as its muscles. It was not a creature that was found on an ind like this, hence the only possibility was that the academy had released it here specifically for the exam.


    The golem roared, its eyes shone purple, and it smacked the ground with both its hands. The ground shook abruptly and Anya who was standing in front of the golem lost her bnce and staggered.


    Though, she soon bnced herself and raised her hands as she visualized a pattern in her mind. A magic circle the size of a wagon wheel appeared before her palms and instantly afterward, two thick vines burst out from the ground and coiled themselves around the golem''s hands.


    The vines went tight, making it impossible for the golem to move. However, it was pulling them widely and tension on the vines increased, it was clear that they weren''t going tost much longer.


    "Ellyn, hurry!" Anya shouted.


    Picking up on her call, Ellyn followed her lead and stepped close to the golem. She stood three meters away from it and raised her hand in its direction. She closed her eyes and visualized the magic circle for a custom magic spell.


    "Lighting!" she said, and a purple-colored magic circle opened before her palm.


    A shot of lighting was sted through it, and it hit the golem in its stomach. Causing it to take a few steps back. However, it did not have the effect they were expecting. Her lighting was too weak, which meant the visualization of the circle in her mind wasn''t clear.


    Two sharp snapping sounds were heard back to back when the golem snatched its hand back and the vines holding it down broke into two. It let out a roar like a bear and thumped its chest like a gori.


    Then it stood on two legs, rather than four, and looked at Ellyn who was near. The golem was double her height before, now it stood even taller. The golem raised its hand and at the same time, a student spoke.


    "Thunder." And it was a male''s voice.


    A pir of lighting rained down from the sky and hit the golem on the ground. An explosion urred, however, the impact did not hurt Ellyn as she was already pulled backward by Anya.


    When the dust from the explosion settled, there were only crumbles of stone left where the once the golem was. Leon walked from within the smoke, with a wide smile on his face. For him, this was normal, an everyday task.


    "Here, I got one," he said and tossed a purple-colored crystal in Ellyn''s direction. She stretched out her hand and caught it, and looked at Leon afterward.


    "How the hell is this a hidden task? I mean, this thing was glued on that golem''s back," Ellyn cursed, her hate showing clear for the academy.


    "Well, that''s how it is. This was the second one, right? You keep it," Leon said, as he walked close and stood next to the other two girls.


    "Shouldn''t you keep it? You were the one who killed it, after all," Ellyn reasoned, however, Leon brushed her off.


    "It''s fine, I''ll find another one."


    "You gave one to me too, won''t you lose on points this way?" Anya asked. It was true, Leon had given the other hidden task item he''d found to her.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "It''s fine. It''s not like we''ll be promoted since we''re already in ss A. We just have to make sure that we don''t end up in the bottom three, and clearing the exam only should be enough for that," he exined.


    "So why are you collecting items then?" Anya inquired.


    "Huh? It''s just for the thrill of it, for fun," Leon said.


    While this idiot might not have realized it, this "fun" of his will cause great despair to many students. Since the number of hidden tasks and items were fixed, and ording to Halls, they were quite low in quantity.


    By attending them for fun, he was just reducing the number, even more, lowering the chances for the other students to find one even further.


    "Oh, I see," Ellyn said, and then transferred the crystal to her pocket. "Don''te crying to me if you get demoted."


    The three of them then ventured inside the forest again. The three of them talked as they walked, but today Anya was quieter than usual. She already didn''t speak much, but today she took it to another level.


    There was a gloomy look on her face too, which she was trying to hide. And Ellyn, who was walking next to her, noticed this.


    "Are you not feeling well?" she asked.


    The question took Anya by surprise. "H-huh? N-No¡­ I''m fine."


    "I don''t know, you look kinda¡­ I don''t know¡­dark, I guess," Ellyn said, trying to convey what she observed in words.


    "It''s nothing. And even if it is, I guess it''s the exhaustion from walking this long in the wild," she replied and gave the first excuse that came to her mind.


    "I see. If it''s hard, then we can stop and rest for a while. What''d you say?"


    "No, I''m fine," she lowered her eyes. "I don''t wanna be any more of a burden," herst words came out as a murmur, hence no one heard them.


    But this was the reason she was feeling a bit down ever since this exam had started. Anya''s strong point was sword arts and magiken, not magic. And since the students weren''t allowed to bring weapons on the ind, she wasn''t able to fight at her prime.


    This caused a pang of guilt to creep inside her, she thought she was slowing them down. She was feeling down. Because she wasn''t that good at magic and knew only basic spells, she was pretty much useless without a sword.


    Although this was just a misunderstanding on her part, Leon and Ellyn didn''t take the least bit of offense from her not using a sword. She just had to realize this.

 Chapter 229 Island [3]

    I was walking through the forest when I heard a loud crackling sound in the sky and saw a lightning sh on the other side of the ind.


    ''Must be Leon massacring the monsters,'' I said inwardly.


    Well, that just means the plot is still moving pretty much the same even though I''m here alive and Leon and Anya aren''t in a rtionship by now. Not that I care, honestly.


    As long as the plot changes in a way that shortens the time for the Cmity to arrive, I was fine with whatever happens to the original storyline. It was something I''d decided when I skipped my death.


    So instead of trying to keep the plot the same, I was going to use it to my advantage in any way possible until all the things I''d written in my diary turned useless, and the world takes apletely different turnpared to the novel.


    I mean, that''s why I was here on this ind. There are three reasons, but all of it boils down to me using the plot knowledge at my convenience.


    But this lighting reminded me of what Leon was doing and why I was in such a hurry to reach the mountains and the hidden task ced there.


    If the exam went as it did in the novel¡ªwhich it was going, from the looks of it¡ªthen Leon will be collecting multiple hidden task items all the time during the exam and after keeping one item each for himself, Anya, and Ellyn. He will distribute them to the rest of the girls he "randomly" runs into.


    ''Well, I guess that''s why only so many boys were able to collect the task items,'' I sighed internally.


    Leaving that aside, if Leon went on like this, then he will reach the mountains by tomorrow morning and take the item from there too. That''s why I had to walk all night if I had to reach there before him.


    ''I''ll probably reach there by midnight, even if I take some short breaks in between. Completing the task wasn''t much of a trouble, so after everything''s done, I should be back in the forest by morning.''


    Thinking this, I was just increasing my pace when I had suddenlye to a halt upon hearing the violent rustling in the surrounding bushes. And it wasing from all around me¡ªfrom every direction.


    A few secondster, the creatures making the noise came into sight. They had pure white fur, gray paws, purple eyes along with razor-sharp horns on their head. Not to mention, their fangs and ws looked like they were ready to cut through anything.


    It was a pack of six-horned wolves.


    This made me wonder about how much the academy had done to make this exam hard for the students. These wolves weren''t found in these areas, and not on an ind. This means the academy had put them here specifically for this exam, and I think it was true for every other monster present on the ind.


    Though I didn''t have the luxury to think much about it as the wolves were already making their moves. Moving around in circles around me, they''d surrounded me and were using their nose to assess how much of a threat I was.


    I stood still throughout the process;pletely motionless. Finally, they stopped circling and all of them stood to face me. With the six of them blocking all my possible escape routes, I had nowhere to run.


    The fingers of my right hand twitched, and the wolf that was in front of me growled and ran rapidly in its animal-oriented way before jumping straight at me. These wolves were bigger than the normal ones, so it''d have been a problem if they hadnded on me.


    I raised my hand quickly, something hit the wolf right in the chest, and it flew back in the air until it crashed on a tree and toppled on the surface. There, as the wolfy limp on the ground, there was a sharp shard of ice stabbed deep inside its heart.


    The other wolves were stunned to see this all happen so quickly, but their guard was down only for a split second, and a split second was more than enough.


    Long spikes of ice emerged from the ground beneath each wolf and without stopping, stabbing the wolves under their stomach and tearing through their bodies, came out from the other side of their body.


    All of them died on the spot, although¡­<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    [Behind you!]


    I turned quickly and connected a punch to the chest of the wolf that was in the midair and halfway to attack me from behind. A shock wave was released in the air as the wolf was thrown back and collided with the thick trunk of a tree.


    As the wolf took itsst breath, a sheet of ice started covering its body, starting from the point where I''d punched him. Slowly the ice spread on its chest, freezing its skin, muscles, and fur.


    And while it wasn''t visible from here, I knew that the ice also prated its skin and tore the wolf''s heart; that is what the attack was meant to do, after all.


    I dropped my gaze and took a look at my hand, there was a white and cold mist around my fingers and palm; the sort you get after opening a freezer or what a cube of ice emits when ced at room temperature.


    [If not for me, you would''ve been dead. Yet you don''t seem like you appreciate it at all.] Req''s voice resounded in my head; even if I wasn''t able to bring the sword with me, the connection with her was still stable.


    ''I wouldn''t have been dead. I already knew there was a wolf left as there were only four stabbing sounds when Iunched my attack, while there should''ve been five. I was just thinking about how to kill the remaining one more creatively.''


    [Give whatever excuses you want, I am not taking any of that shit. You owe me a favor, and that''s a fact now.] She sounded quite happy about it, so I didn''t interrupt. And I had other, more important things to do as well.


    I shifted my gaze back to the dead wolves and examined each of them with my eyes, one by one.


    ''They are not fun, not at all. Wolves who don''t give a reaction when they are killed are just as boring as a rock.''


    ***


    While Zero was taking down the wolves, away from him hidden in the thick cover of branches and leaves were the faces of Seiren, da, and Wrena. They all were crouching down and had broken out into a cold sweat as they watched Zero with their widened eyes while he finished off the pack of wolves with ease.


    "Y-You saw that? He didn''t use an incantation," Wrena said. Her voice was low enough to go unnoticed by Zero.


    "And neither a magic circle," Seiren added.


    They were amazed down to their bones. After all, he was the strongest person they had seen so far, and the way he used magic doesn''t even begin to describe how scary and fast it was.


    "He''s insanely strong. It''s crazy how he can use magic like that!" Wrena said, her amazement and fear showing in the slightly trembling tone of her voice.


    "Yeah. That''s why we are the ones tailing him and Emmeric is who will kill him," da reminded, among the three she was the only one who looked somewhat calm and rational.


    "I know. But as much as I hate to admit it, I doubt even he will be able to kill him," Wrena added as she clicked her tongue in frustration.


    "There''s no use thinking about all that now," Seiren said. "This is probably the best we''ll ever get to kill him. The academy isn''t monitoring us and if he died it won''t be a problem since he will die during the exam, and he has signed the form. We have to do everything we can to make the best out of this opportunity."


    The other two agreed with her, and thus they waited until Zero was finished with the wolves and had walked off to a certain distance.


    After that, when Seiren was sure that they wouldn''t be detected by him, she brought her right hand close to her mouth and clenched it into a fist.

 Chapter 230 Island [4]

    She was wearing a silver ring on her index finger; it was in, just silver without any jewels on it. However, its width was a little more than your normal rings and covered her whole proximal phnx.


    This was a magic item that was used for wirelessmunication. When charged with mana, the miniature runes inscribed on the ring¡ªwhich were so small that they looked like the circuits on a circuit board¡ªconverted the user''s mana into electromaic waves and then emits them on a custom wavelength that can be set by the user to have a private channel.


    However, since the technology isn''t perfected and is still in development, there are some ws in it and the electromaic waves die out after a while, and you can onlymunicate via the rings within a hundred-meter radius.


    Seiren channeled her mana into it and the ring dimly started glowing in aqua color as many small circuits made on the ring lit up. A beeping sound was sent by the ring to mark the start of the channel.


    "Why the dy? You were not responding for quite a long time," Wynfir''s voice said from the other side.


    She tells him about what had happened and that they had seizedmunication to keep Zero from finding out their locations. Wynfir was not entirely happy about it, and his take was that they should''ve informed him before going offline. But in the end, the matter was sorted out in a few minutes.


    "Still, I''m saying this again. He is probably stronger than you think, and I''ve just witnessed that. He killed a pack of horned wolves in mere seconds, and the spells he used involved neither an incantation nor any magic circle. You should move carefully¡ª"


    She was in the middle of speaking when there was a buzzing sound bursting out of the ring, she could only guess what happened on the other side. After a second, what came was not Wynfir''s voice.


    "Who the fuck do you think you are to remind me to stay careful, huh? I wouldn''t be doing this if I wasn''t confident about my strength, and I am not so reckless as to go for an enemy without knowing anything about him. I know how he uses magic, it''s ice, right? I''ve seen him destroy my friend''s life with it!


    "What you have to do is inform me of his location and whereabouts, so behave like the little bitch you are and do what you''re told!" it was Emmeric''s voice, there was no doubting that.


    Seiren clicked her tongue and clenched her fist, second by the second she kept clenching, and after a point blood started dripping down her hand as her nails dug themselves into her skin.


    She was frustrated and brimming with anger. She hated being manipted or controlled by others, and here Emmeric was just making her do that. Although, she wasn''t an idiot. She knew that she had to bear with it if she had to see Zero die, thus she kept her anger canned within herself and was able to stop herself.


    She knew she had to cooperate if she wanted the result she desired.


    "He''s headed toward the mountains," she said. "And it looks like he wants to get there as soon as possible. I don''t know why, though. But he will likely travel during the night too."


    "Hah, that bastard''s walking toward his own grave then. There won''t be many students in the mountains right now since the exam has only started, plus there will be many ces to corner and ambush him. I don''t know if we''ll be that lucky, but if he travels at night, then all the better," Emmeric deduced from the other side.


    "For now, keep your distance and keep giving me histest locations and news of all his activities," he gave the final order and cut the call.


    Seiren looked in the direction Zero had trailed off too. Not much time has passed, so they''ll be able to get him soon enough. The three of them got up and left in the same direction; they moved while keeping their presence hidden.


    ***


    The cape of the night had covered the sky by the time I reached the foot of the mountain. I''d stopped to take multiple breaks and yed all the monsters who came in my way, and now the moon was full in the sky.


    From here on out, I started climbing the mountain. At first, the slope was normal and t, but as I moved forward the climb started being more difficult as the surrounding territory changed and the ground tilted upward.


    However, it wasn''t too hard. The mountain was modified in a way that anyone could climb it if they knew the right way, this was probably the work of the academy to make sure that the students could at least get to the top where the hidden task is. Although they had added many ambushes too, like a fake footing which would lead to a fall if you set your foot on it.


    After half an hour of climbing, I reached a straight, ny-degree cliff. There was no way I could walk my way up there. But it wasn''t much of a problem either.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    It took me half an hour, but I used my elemental magic and created it for myself with ice. I could''ve created a pir and made it push me up as they do in anime, but unfortunately at my current level, I can''t make something that big.


    Finally, two hours after the cliff and a lot of wandering around, I found what I was looking for. In front of me was the mouth of a cave that led into the dark. This was the ce where the hidden task was located.


    I stepped inside the cave and wandered into the dark, after walking for a while the tunnel opened up into a wide section which, unlike the tunnel, was brimming with light.


    In the middle of the section was a bigke that was filled with boilingva, and that was the thing illuminating the cave. At the center of thatke was a circr stone tform that was only big enough for one person to stand.


    Theke was big, and it was emitting a hell lot of heat. Trying to cross it by jumping to the other side would be suicide. Making a bridge of ice will probably not be a good idea either, since theva will melt it instantly. And if I tried to put the ice in theva, and ended up miscalcting the proportions, I''d end up with an explosion.


    That''s why¡­


    I turned around and by using elemental magic I created a thick wall of ice and blocked the entrance of the tunnel into this section. I made sure to make the wall of ice as thick as possible, in the end, it was so thick that you couldn''t see on the other side.


    After that, I turned back and used elemental magic again. This time using the earth element, I created a bridge over theke. It started from one side and went upward in a curve, connected to the stone tform at the center.


    Then I stepped on the bridge and made it over to the other side, jumping on the tform I stood in the middle. A magic circle that was inscribed on the tform activated as soon as I stepped on it.


    "Toplete this hidden task and acquire the item, you have to answer a question," a voice said, it came from below; from inside the magic circle.


    This was the hidden quest, and if I answered wrong, then the tform would sink into theva. I can''t believe the academy didn''t mention that. Though this quest was designed by loli_pop, so I guess it''s his fault.


    "What has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?" the voice asked. And I cringed at the simplicity of the question.


    Loli_pop thought that this was a "good idea", and the question was good enough. However, it still doesn''t change the fact that this was the question asked by the Sphinx in the legend, and everyone knew the answer to that.


    "The answer is the man. A Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two legs, and finally needs a cane in old age," I said.


    "Correct. You have gained the right to acquire the item. im your reward."


    A thin pir rose from the center of the tform, and on top of it was kept a deep red crystal. I went and picked it up; it wasn''t that heavy.


    This was a magic crystal; all of the hidden task items were. That''s how Leon was able to find all the hidden tasks so quickly. His system detected the mana these crystals radiated in the atmosphere.


    I took the crystal with me and went back the way I came from.


    ***


    Zero was walking inside the tunnel on his way out while tossing the red crystal in his right hand and his other hand was inside his pocket. He was around twenty meters away from the mouth of the cave when he suddenly came to a halt.


    It was because some people were blocking his way. In front of him stood the figures of Emmeric and Wynfir, behind them, were Seiren, da, and Wrena. They were standing at the entrance of the cave.

 Chapter 231 Island [5]

    ero stopped in his tracks and ced the red crystal he was tossing, into his pocket as he stared right in front of him. Right ahead stood the figures of Emmeric and Wynfir, and behind them were the three girls: Seiren, da, and Wrena.


    "Who are you?" he asked, the question was directed at the person who was standing at the front: Emmeric.


    Emmeric was already in a pretty bad mood when he came here, and hearing Zero say this made it even worse.


    "The hell did you say?!" he grumbled and rolled his fingers into a tight fist. His facial expression was that of an angry beast.


    "You destroyed my friend''s life, you froze his arms! You destroyed his whole life! And I was right there when you did that, standing there looking at my friend despairing in pain while I wasn''t able to do anything. That was the most helpless I''ve felt in my entire life!


    "But you! You didn''t give a fuck! You froze his arms and then made him quit the academy, you destroyed his life! That''s why I''m here, to avenge him!" he rambled.


    "I''m here to kill you, and these will be yourst moments," Emmeric said as he faced Zero.


    "That''s right," Seiren said from behind. "You were a fool to walk into this cave, and now you have nowhere to escape. This is where you will die."


    In the end, Emmeric wasn''t able to wait any longer. He dashed forward, the muscles and veins on his right arm popping up as he punched Zero right in the gut.


    The punch was hard and Zero was sent flying a few feet backward. He stumbled on the ground and coughed blood as he stopped himself from rolling on the ground any further.


    Seiren and the other two girls came forward too. They didn''t intend to fight, but they wanted to watch and be there for the moment when Zero will die. However, right now they all were rather a little taken aback by the events that followed just now¡ªespecially Seiren.


    She had seen what Zero was capable of, thus the way he took that punch directly was rather surprising.


    "Ah, I remember now," Zero said as he wiped the blood dripping from his mouth. "Or rather, I can''t forget. I remember how that bastard Winston tried to assault my sister, and as a result, I utterly destroyed him. So, what did I do wrong?"


    Emmeric''s rage crossed all limits, and he growled like a beast.


    "There was nothing wrong with what we did!" he imed. "And in the first ce, we weren''t able to do anything to your sister, that Leon bastard came and stopped us. Plus, we were told to assault her by someone else, it was not even our will. Yet you did what you did! I wouldn''t have minded if you left Winston with just a beating. Honestly, we all deserved that much.


    "However, what you did was even worse than your deed. You took Winston''s arms, had him quit the academy, and destroyed his whole life since he won''t be able to do anything without his hands! That was something he did not deserve."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Yeah, you are right," Zero said. "I ended his life, and that is what someone will get if they even try to meddle with my sister!" his voice raised and his expression changed.


    "Since we are still talking, let me clear something up for you. The ones who are trapped in this case with nowhere to escape are you people, not me!" he looked up, and there was a smile spread over his face.


    His eyes were filled with madness and pure bloodlust. Seiren was taken aback to see this, since those weren''t the type of eyes you see in a student.


    Zero used elemental magic and a thick wall of ice covered the entrance of the cave and blocks it offpletely, making it impossible for anyone to go out.


    ''So that''s why he took that punch before. To lure us inside the cave,'' da thought.


    "What the fuck!" Seiren screamed as soon as she saw the only route out of the cave get blocked. "How are we getting out of here now!?" she said to Emmeric.


    "Shut the fuck up! It doesn''t matter whether the cave is blocked or not, the one dying is still this bastard," he replied.


    "Well, we''ll see about that," Zero said as he raised his hand toward Emmeric. A spiral of frost gathered before his palm, and a secondter an ice spike was sted in Emmeric''s direction.


    However, he brushed it aside with his hand as if it were nothing. "I know how your magic works, Zero. I know you can use ice magic without any incantation or magic circle. But I am prepared for that."


    Emmeric curled the fingers of both his hands inward and clenched them into tight fists that he pointed toward Zero. A closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again, two sun-colored magic circles appeared before each of his fists.


    "I''ve trained this body to its limit just so I can beat you to a pulp, and I''ve practiced fire magic just so I can counter your attacks. It was all for this very moment. Even if you use ice, it''s still a form of water and I can beat it by fire," Emmeric said with a menacing smile on his face.


    "Oh, I see. You say you can counter my ice, huh? Well¡­do it then," Zero said as a big smile spread over his face.


    A secondter a burst of cold and chilled winds erupted from Zero''s body, and wherever those winds touched they froze the ce. In no time, the winds getting emitted from Zero''s body were raging into the whole cave like an ice storm.


    The walls, ceiling, and the ground turned white and cool as they froze and were covered by a sheet of ice. The ice covering the stop didn''t just stop after that and begin to round up around the feet of everywhere present there except Zero.

 Chapter 232 Enemies [1]

    "Emmeric! Do something about this! Fast! Or Else we''ll get frostbites!" Seiren shouted.


    "I can''t move my legs!" Wrena rmed.


    "How many times do I have to tell you to shut the fuck up?! I didn''t ask you toe along, you did it on your own. So don''te screaming to me about every little problem," Emmeric replied harshly.


    But the frost was starting to grip his feet too and if he didn''t do anything, then he will be immobilized and this fight will end before it even started. He didn''t want that and thus he activated one of the spells he''d practiced just for a moment like this.


    A ring of magic circles appeared around him and with a raise of his hand, all six magic circles sted insane amounts of raging me and sparks in every direction.


    For a moment the cave was filled with mes burning everywhere, but it didn''tst long as they soon extinguished. However, they''d done their work, and all the ice that had once covered every inch of the cave had now melted.


    "You motherfucking son of a bitch! Have you lost your fucking mind!? What would''ve happened if you burned us with that too?" Wrena cursed.


    The mes he''d released had burned everything in the cave with pure indifference, if Wrena had not covered herself, da, and Seiren in a force field made by a custom magic spell, they would most certainly have died.


    "Heh, as I said. It''s not my problem. If you die, you die," Emmeric replied.


    Seiren bit her lips as she fought down her urge to go and stab the bastard from behind right now.


    Emmeric''s gaze then shifted back to Zero. He was still standing at his ce, unharmed, along with a half-melted ice dome around him. When the mes caved toward him, he''d covered himself in the thickest piece of ice he could create to protect himself.


    "Ah, that was hot. But let me remind you of something since I think being the idiot you are, you wouldn''t have noticed on your own," Zero said.


    "There''s only one way that connects this cave from the outside world, and I have blocked itpletely right now. So what I want to say is, the amount of fire you produced had probably consumed around eighty percent of the total oxygen present inside here, and the more fire you will use, the less oxygen there will be for us to breathe.


    "Now, you have enough brains to know what that means, don''t you?"


    "Heh¡­heh¡­hahahahah," Emmeric burst out into a burst ofughter, even though Zero had said the previous words in a serious tone. And it was not as if he didn''t know this.


    "L-Le¡­ Less oxygen, you say?" Emmeric asked as he controlled hisughter. "That is the least of my problems right now. All I had to do is break that ice behind me and let all the aire in. Then I can burn you to a crisp to my heart''s content," he said.


    Zero didn''t reply.


    Emmeric turned around and raised his hand toward the ice wall blocking the entrance of the cave. A magic circle appeared, and he sted a hot beam of fire toward it. The beam hit the ice, and slowly all of it melted and turned into water.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    However, the cave was still blocked. This time it was a ck wall that was behind the ice wall and hade into sight when it melted. The new wall was of stone; all stone.


    "You can''t possibly melt rock, can you?" Zero asked. "Even if you could, there''s not enough oxygen left to power that type of me."


    For the first time in a while, the fearless expression on Emmeric''s face evaporated away.


    Emmeric turned to face Zero, his expression a little worried at something purely unexpected that just happened.


    "How?!" he stressed out the word. "How the hell did a rock that was never there appear out of nowhere?" he asked.


    The look Zero had on his face was terrible, good-terrible.


    "You thought I could only use ice magic, didn''t you?" he said. Zero then raised both his hands to his sides, as if showing off his body.


    A secondter, all the four elements he controlled appeared before him. A ball of water, a shard of ice, a ball of fire, and a spike of stone. All formed out of nothing and floated in the air in front of him.


    The faces of all the girls turned into horror as they saw this happening, their jaws dropped, and they were in utter disbelief. "D-Does that mean you can¡ª"


    "Yeah. I can control all the natural elements, and all without using an incantation or a magic circle," Zero said,pleting Seiren''s sentence.


    He turned his head in Emmeric''s direction. "Now, what will you do? Since you prepared yourself, thinking that I can only use the ice magic. Which one do you think will I attack with? Will it be fire? Water? Earth? Or the ice you''d prepared for?" he appealed.


    All the pieces of the four elements started spinning in a circle before they gathered in Zero''s palm and vanished when he closed his fist.


    "Tch!" Emmeric clicked his tongue. "I''m ready for whatever!" he said, though he didn''t sound as sure of himself as he did before.


    And in the end, he didn''t wait for Zero to attack and sted four magic circles toward him. All of them swirled fire at him, and a storm of me headed in Zero''s direction.


    Zero instantly used elemental magic and a wall of water appeared that covered him from all directions. Both the elements collided, and clouds of steam were formed everywhere. But it was Zero''s water that won.


    It was only to be expected. He''d used his water magic to defend himself against the breath of a uth, Emmeric''s mes were nothing in front of him.


    "It''s over for you now," he said, and the surrounding water disappears. "It was fun ying with you, and you did exactly what I expected you would do."

 Chapter 233 Enemies [2]

    Zero snapped his fingers and before anyone had the chance to react, sharp spikes of hard and rigid rock emerged from the ground, ceiling, and walls around Emmeric and pierced him from every direction.


    The spikes entered Emmeric''s body, and digging themselves in, they destroyed his inner organs. The spikes that''d entered his body from one side came out from another. His eyes bulged out, his skull was pierced and had multiple holes, and blood gushed out and dripped from the spikes.


    In less than a second, he was dead as his lifeless and motionless corpse hung from the hundreds of spikes.


    "Wha¡­ H-He''s dead," Seiren muttered, her face pale. "You killed him¡­" All the blood had drained from her face, and the same was the case for da and Wrena.


    Wynfir didn''t move either, in fact, he was the one who was scared the most.


    It was a natural reaction. None of them had seen someone die before, and right now Emmeric was murdered brutally in front of their eyes. Getting scared after seeing something like this was human nature.


    However, aside from everyone else, Zero had a satisfied smile on his face. He snapped his fingers again and the spikes retracted, letting Emmeric''s skewered body fall on the ground. Blood sttered around the body on the ground when the spikes went back, and since Zero was standing rather close, some of it fell on his face and clothes.


    After the spikes had been removed, his body was full of holes. Seiren and the others would have seen another death if there had been a Trypophobic person among them.


    Zero walked close to the body and sat on his knees to take a good look at the body. He wanted to be sure, but it was now a fact that the man was dead.


    He then stood up and turned to look at the girls. "What should I do with you three now?" he asked.


    It scared the shit out of the already scared girls. Taking into consideration how he''d killed Emmeric, without a hint of hesitation, they were beginning to realize that their lives were in danger too.


    But despite all this, Seiren somehow worked up the courage to finally speak, since she had some suspicions of her own.


    "H-How¡­did you manage to pull all this out? You led us to this cave deliberately, from the start you knew that we were following you. You knew about our whole n. There''s no way you could''ve set this all up without knowing what we were up to," as her words came out, the fear inside her gradually faded.


    "How did you know about it? About our n. Who told you?" her eyes wandered toward Wynfir. She had suspicions that he could be the traitor since even after the death of his friend, he was just standing in a corner not doing anything.


    But in reality, he was just too scared to move. More than anyone. Both of his friends had been destroyed by Zero right after his eyes; he now shivered just at the mere presence of this man.


    However, while he may not be the one, there indeed was a traitor.


    "Enemies," Zero finally said, referring to Seiren''s question. "Enemies are important. They could be useful and dangerous depending on how they are treated and used, thus you should choose your enemies carefully. But you fail miserably at this.


    "By bullying almost everyone in the academy, you had created countless enemies. Enemies who hate you more than anything in their life, enemies who are willing to do anything just so they can make your life worse. I just happened toe across one of these."


    He uses elemental magic and creates a gap in the boulder blocking the entrance of the cave, a few momentster a girl walks in, and he closes it afterward.


    He uses elemental magic and creates a gap in the boulder blocking the entrance of the cave, a few momentster a girl walks in and he closes it afterward.


    Zero closes the gap on the boulder and a girl enters the cave. She walks up straight to Zero and stands beside him. It was Nsiria.


    She stole a nce at Emmeric''s body, and then looked away. She was probably not a fan of gore.


    "You certainly did kill him," she said.


    "When did I say that I was lying?" Zero appealed.


    "What the hell is she doing here?" Seiren shouted, her voice loud and hot. Her blood was boiling with anger after seeing Nsiria and as she got the gist of what was going on.


    "You three were so careless while following me that you didn''t even realize that someone was tailing you too," Zero said. "She is one of the people you''ve bullied badly at the academy, and the one who told me about your n."


    ***


    It was when I hadpleted the written exam and was going toward the hall for the practical exam among the crows of other students.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    I heard someone call my name and felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning back to look I saw it was a girl, a girl I didn''t know.


    Long dark hair and chestnut colored eyes, she had a fair skin tone and around five inches shorter than me. I was sure whoever she was, she was not a part of the main cast of the novel.


    "I have something to talk," she said. "But not there. We have to go somewhere private."


    [''Somewhere private'', she says.] Req''s voice said in my said.


    ''Shut up for a second.''


    "I''m sorry, do I know you?" I asked. I''m sure if we look past the recent events I''d done fairly well to keep myself in the background, then how the hell was a normal person approaching me on their own?


    "No you don''t. Nowe with me," before I could react, the girl grabbed me by my hand and dragged me away from the crowd. I had the power to resist, mind you, but since I no longer cared about the plot and this situation was somewhat interesting, I decided to y along.


    She brought out of the corridor and into a corner of the building; it was the corner of the garden probably since there was grass and bushes scattered around.


    "Okay, so let me get this straight. You might not believe me, but in the practical exam some students are gonna try to kill you," she said.


    ''Well, strangely this doesn''t sound as weird as it should.''


    "I would like to believe you but you haven''t told me your name, in the first ce. Don''t you think starting there would be better than starting from my death?" I appealed.


    "Ah, yes. I haven''t told you my name, have me? It''s Nsiria, nice to meet you."


    ? "Nice to meet you too, I''m Zero," no matter what, it still felt weird saying that despite the fact that I''ve grown ustomed to my name.


    "So Nsiria, what''s this about the students trying to kill me? Is there a bounty on my head or something?" I asked, trying to pass it off as a joke in case she was kidding with me. But if she was serious about this, then it was something I''d be more than willing to listen about.


    "No, it''s actually realted to a guy who had beef with in the past. Winston was his name, he left the academy afterward too," she exined.


    ''Winston, huh? How can I forget that bastard.''


    "So, what about him?" I queried.


    "There his friend, Emmeric. And he wants to take revenge for you making his friend quit the acadmey and breaking his arms or whatever."


    This caught me off guard for a second. How in the world does she knew about that? At that time only three of them were there, and I. No one else should know about what happened that day. I felt like I was seen naked by a crowd.


    But for the moment I med myself and decided to let her finish. She was but a side character, after all. I can kill her easily if thingse to that. I would kill her even if she was involved with the main cast, if that''s what needs to be done in order to protect the leak of this information.


    "Then there''s the group of these three girls, I think you probably know them since they were famous for bullying in the academy. da, Wrena, and Seiren," there was a darkness in her eyes as she said thest name.


    And of course, I was famr with these girls too, in fact I had more than a little something with them. They were the ones whom I used to manipte Ellyn and get her under my control. If I remember correctly they were not happy by the fact that I used them as puppets to y by bid.


    "Apparently, these girls have something against you too. And both of these parties met and were plotting to take you down for a long time. They were searching for an opportunity, and the practical exam gave them that. They were going to kill you during the exams, I can confirm the information. I know thier n too, and I''d be willing to let you know that," she exined.


    "And¡­what are you getting out of this? I''m sure you''re not so kind to help me just because of the kindness in your heart or some bull shit like that."


    "Of course, there''s something that I will gain. And it is there loss. All I want is to see the face of that bitch, Seiren, when all her ns get ruined and she''s caught red handed," her voice carried a seriouness in it, and there was intense and pure hatred backing it up.


    "Why so much hate for her?" I asked.


    After that she went and told me all the things Seiren had did to her, all the bullying she''d suffered, and then the humiliating defeat in the interss training session. The reason for her hate was justified.

 Chapter 234 Enemies [3]

    When she was done telling me about the reason she was doing all this and going out of her way to warn me, then she came to the main topic which was the n Seiren and Emmeric had devised to use against me.


    She went into detail and told me everything they''d nned. To sum it up, their n was for the girls to follow me while keeping my presence hidden and when I find a hidden task item, they''d either use that chance if I''m in an isted area to ambush me there or they would try to steal my item and lure into such area. AFter that Emmeric wille and kill me, ording to the n.


    This helped me greatly. I still doubted the credibility of the information she''d given me but I decided to make my counter n around it. Which turned out to be a good decision in the end.


    Since I knew about Seiren and Emmeric''s n it was easy to counter it. When the exam started, I entered the forest and only after walking a few meters the girls were following me.


    They were bad and careless at concealing their pesence and I was able to sense them behind me quite easily. But even if I wasn''t able to detect then Req would''ve done that to me. Their carelessness also showed in the fact that the whole time they weren''t'' aware of Nsiria who was also following them.


    After that all I had to do was make it seem like they were tailing me sessfully and I was not aware about them. I went into the cave since it was a good ce to take them down and since it was an isted ce, it would help to lure them in the trap too since they would think that I''d trapped myself bying here.


    I remember the time when I ripped off Winston''s arms, that time I''d only used the ice element to attack him, thus it''s only reasonable that Emmeric also saw that aspect of my magic only.


    I had not met him since then and there''s no way he would''ve known about my powers any other way. As I''ve never shown them publicity or to the academy. This was one of the benefits I get for blending in the background and keeping a low profile.


    Everyone in the academy thinks I''m just a normal nobody and no one knows what I''m truly capable of.


    When I entered the cave I made sure that everything looks like it''s going all ording to their n. That way they''ll let their guard down and I''ll attack when the moment is right.


    And the moment dide, and everything do go ording to the n. Not their n, of course.


    ***


    "Something still doesn''t seem right," Seiren said. "You say this bitch told you about our n, but how does she knows about it? We''ve never involved her. Even if she knew that we were plotting something against you, she shouldn''t know the details."


    "Well, I''m curious about this myself," Zero agreed. "I was meaning to ask you three about it. How in the bloody hell did you managed to get your n leaked when there were only fucking five of them?!" he meant it in a mocking sense of way, but no one asked.


    "Isn''t it about time you stop acting?" Nsiria said. Her eyes were toward the three girls.


    Everyone present there knew what it meant. They had a traitor among them, and it was someone in the three girls.


    "You are right. It''s about time I was getting tired of this too," a girl among the three said as she stepped forward.


    "You?" Seiren said. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that she was taken aback by this. Anyone would feel the same way if betrayed by their friends.


    "I can''t say I didn''t see thising. You were acting differently for a while now," Wrena added her opinion.


    "What the hell are you two on about? You don''t really think like we''re friends or something, do you? Remember the reason why we three got together? It was so we can take down Ellyn in order to win Leon, but there were three of us and one Leon so we''d decided topete once Ellyn was taken care of.


    "We were acting together just on a temporary basis. So are a fool if you thought we were friends orrades or whatever," da said as she slowly walked close to Zero and stood beside him, opposite to Nsiria.


    "She''s the one who told me about their n, and gave me the idea to leak it to you," Nsiria exined to Zero.


    "Why?" Seiren asked.


    By this time, she was clenching her fists tightly and her expression was a mix of anger and sadness. Her eyes were widened too and it looked like she would cry, except their were no tears.


    "Why, you say? It''s simple. Because I have nothing to gain by staying at your side anymore. My goal was to get Leon and that still hasn''t changed. However I can''t do that with no now."


    da looked at Zero. "He is more powerful than you, more smarter. I could tell that when we had the encounter on the rooftop. Right now, he is the easiest way to get to Leon. I just understood that," she said.


    "Why do you think he would let you do that, huh? He''s already acquainted with Ellyn; Leon''s girlfriend. Why would he go out of his way to sour his rtionship with her for you?" Seiren asked, her tone was harsh.


    "See? That''s why you''re an idiot, and I left you''re side. You can''t see that he is not ''acquainted'' with her. He is just manipting her for his own good," da stated.


    "Wha¡­."" Seiren was at a loss of words. She''d never thought about it like this.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There was a moment of quiet as Seiren did nothing but stand there, looking down while clenching her hands and gritting her teeth.


    "So¡­now what? Will you kill him?" she asked, atst. Her words carried a certain weight which told she was serious about it.


    "There''s¡ª"


    "I''m not talking to you!" she screamed, stopping da mid-way and looking straight into Zero''s eyes.


    "I''d like to know that as well. Is this where I die?" Wrena appealed.


    Zero didn''t reply rather walked slowly walked toward them. Taking one step at a time, he walked close to the two girls and stood in the gap between them.


    "Do you two want to die?" he asked.


    "Not now," Wrena said.


    "¡­.No," Seiren replied too.


    "Okay," Zero said.


    There was a gust of wind as Zero moved both his arms and hit both the girls behind their neck. The chop was hard, and before the two of them could realize their feet stumbled and they fell to the ground as they lost concussions.


    "Did you kill them?" da asked.


    "You just called her an idiot, and this is what you ask," Zero mumbled as he walked toward them.


    "So, what''s the deal with you two?" he appealed.


    "I just wanted to interrupt her ns, though seeing her fall on the ground makes it even more worthwhile. For now, I''m done so I''ll just head back andplete the exam I guess," Nsiria said.


    "I don''t need to tell you, do I?"


    "Yeah. I won''t tell anyone you. In fact, after seeing what you did I wouldn''t dare to tell anyone about you," she repiled, looking at Emmeric''s corpse.


    "Good. And you?" he turned to da.


    "I''ve said this before too. I want to work with you so that I can achieve my goal. Of course, I will be helping you with whatever you want too," she said.


    "You want to me to make you my partner when you''ve just betrayed your previous ones right in front of my eyes? Hmm, sounds reasonable."


    "I wouldn''t do that to you."


    "I''m sure she thought the same thing. ''She wouldn''t betray me'',"


    "Tch! So what should I do to make you believe me?"


    "Try and dodge this."


    "Huh?"


    Zero moved with high intensity and was behind the remaining two girls in no time. She hit them behind their neck too and just like Seiren and Wrena, they stumbled into unconsciousness as well.


    [Why did you even bother asking when you''d already decided to put everyone to sleep?] Req''s voice asked in Zero''s head.


    ''Just for the fun of it. Plus, these two had helped me out, they deserved a few words at least.''

 Chapter 235 Enemies [4]

    Done with the girls I turned behind looked in the corner to deal with the remaining person.


    His name was Wynfir probably, he was standing away from everyone else in a dark corner of the cave. As I walked close I saw that he was shivering just by my presence.


    "Now, we don''t want you taking revenge for you two friends, do we?" I said as I stood a few feet away from him. He looked at me but didn''t reply. "I don''t want any more trouble, so I''m going to kill you," I said, and used elemental magic to create three shards of ice in my hand.


    He didn''t try to run or showed any type of hestitation, rather he hugged himself with hsi arms and started trembling violently.


    "If I were you, I would be running now. But since I know how cowardly you are I''m going to wait a moment before starting," I told him, "because it''s nice to see someone like you suffer."


    I could feel his fear and pain through his mind. It made me smile. I was enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe that had been the reason why I killed humans so easily in the past. I wanted them to suffer. This one had clearly given up on life already, and if I took his head off he wouldn''t even feel it. So what did it matter if he died?


    "Goodbye Wynfir," I whispered, "You''ll have plenty of time to regret not dying now."


    The sound of crunching bones filled the air as I brought my fist down onto his neck. The man let out a gargling scream which I cut short with another strike. Blood began to pour from his throat and he fell to his knees.


    I watched him for a moment, then I stepped back and released the magic holding all three shards together I threw them at him. They flew to him and drilled themselves deep into Wynfir''s chest. He died in no time, I''d aimed for the heart.


    [You kill without hesitation.]


    ''And you don''t stop me.''


    My blood lust no longer existed, since I was out of danger now my THAT side had went back as well. I just hoped that there''d be no longer any need for it toe again any time soon. But I knew that just wasn''t possible.


    My sadistic side was like a self-defense mechanism, whenever I felt like I was in danger, I went back to being what I was in my previous life. And as much as I hated it, I needed that side as well in order to survive in this world.


    Those were the things I had to live with. Thus I pushed those thoughts aside and began to leave the cave, I released the elemental magic and the boulder blocking the entrance of the cave.


    It was still night but I felt the fresh air fill my lungs as I stepped outside. I looked back behind for the final time. I''d smacked Nsiria a little softerpared to the other so she''ll probably get up and left alone. As for the rest of them, I don''t know. There''ll be some drama I think.


    I turned my head forward and began to walk.


    ''I thought the plot wasn''t changing, but it was. The main cast was still doing what they were supposed to do, but my very existence had caused many changes in the background and many people are getting affected my me.''


    I was walking down the an uneven path when my vision suddenly felt blurry.


    ''Fuck. Not now,'' I cursed inwardly when I saw where I was standing. A few steps and I''d be down a cliff.


    [Well, this had to happen. Even if you have a sizable amount of mana, you''ve used way too much elemental magic, and onrge scales too.]


    ''I know¡­but¡­right now.''


    My feet stumbled and I began to feel dizzy. I tried to concentrate, but it was hard. My vision blurred, and I tripped over something.


    ''Ah! Fuck!''


    I fell backwards, rolling down the slope. I rolled and hit multiple rocks on the way, this wasn''t the cliff I''d climbed toe up but a rough, nting slope. I had nothing to stop myself hence my body was dragged downward by gravity.


    My head struck with rocks multiple times but I did my best to not lose consciousness; it will be the worst thing right now.


    The slope ended and I was tossed on the t ground. I hit the ground hard, then rolled over for a few meters beforeing to a halt.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There were many injuries I''d gained, my zer waspletely ripped aprat and there were more than a few scratches on the pants. I somehow forced myself to stand up, although it was very hard to do so.


    ''Should have brought some healing potions with me,'' I thought, but there was no use dwelling on it now.


    Actually, this wouldn''t have been much bad of a situation. I would''ve managed somehow. But then I heard a growl. I turned to see. White fur, purple eyes, a horn on the head. There was but a single horned wolf standing behind me.


    It was either a part of the pack I''d killed before or his teammates hadn''t arrived yet, since horned wolves didn''t hunt alone. I wished it wasn''t thetter.


    This was bad. I was out of mana, and mana exhaustion was also hitting me. I had no weapons with me either. I had to fight this monster with nothing but my physical strength.


    I jumped, using my speed to reach the monster first. It growled at me but I kept going. My hand reached its throat and grabbed it firmly. It snarled ferociously but I held it in ce.


    I mmed my knee down on the wolf''s head, and it fell to the ground. It opened its mouth as if trying to bite me, and I punched it hard in the muzzle.


    I quickly stepped back and readied my fists, ready to attack again. The wolfy there, struggling to move. I waited for a moment, then I kicked it hard in the stomach.


    That seemed to have done it. The creature groaned and stopped moving. However, as if that weren''t enough, I heard some more growling sounds around me. A whileter three more wolves stepped forward, all of them looking at me with hungry eyes.


    [Seems like you''re lucky.] Req''s voice said in my head.


    "Ah well, let''s do this," I said as I raised my fists in front of me. I shook my head once rapidly to shake off the dizziness that was taking over me again, and then focused on the wolves.


    My hands and knuckles were already bleeding after beating that one wolf, but I had no excuses right now. My bones were aching and my muscles felt like they woulde apeart. My whole body writhed in pain, while the three wolves closed in on me.


    I raised my fists high above my head and waited for the oing wolf to attack me. Then I hit it in the jaw, and as it was distracted I punched it repeatedly in the face.


    I felt its teeth tear into my arm and flesh, but I ignored that. I punched it over and over again until it stopped moving. After a while it finallyy motionless on the ground.


    I turned to the other wolves, who were staring at me with their jaws wide open. I grinned at them and quickly stepped between them to avoid the sudden rush towards me. I dodged the first two attacks and hit the third on the nose with my elbow.


    A growl escaped its lips and it backed away. It was smart to retreat. I followed the wolf and hit its stomach with my fist. It yelped and then ran away.


    I nced at the other wolf who was watching me, wondering if I would give chase. One decided to go on with its n and charged at me.


    I ducked under the jump, and grabbed its neck. I mmed it against a tree and the force of impact sent the wolf flying. I caught it by the wrist and pulled it closer to me.


    "What are you waiting for?" I said as I smiled at the wolf. It looked at me confused for a moment, then turned to run. It ran about ten meters before stopping and turning back to look at me.


    Iughed and gave chase. There was no way I was going to let it live after all this. We ran a few meters, then I swung my fist at its head. It spun around me andnded on its back. I bent down and grabbed its neck before mming it against the ground. It struggled and bit me on the leg.


    I twisted my body and used my legs to pin it down, then I punched it as hard as I could in the stomach. It cried out in pain and I leaned forward and mmed my knee into its neck, there was a snapping sound as its neck broke and the wolf took itsst breath.


    I was walking away from the wolf''s corpse, and I''d been able to take a step or two only when the world around me spun and my head mmed onto the ground as I fell. My body had lost all energy, and I was covered in injuries and blood.


    This forest was filled with monsters, and I was about to ck out in the middle of this forest without any protection.


    [You should have brought me with you.]


    I heard her say that, but didn''t have the energy left to reply even with telepathy. I watched the sun slowly rise and the surroundings break out into dawn as I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 236 Working Alone [1]

    I slowly opened my eyes as the consciousness hit back. When my vision cleared, I saw that the view before me was not the same as what it was when I cked out.


    The trees were moving along with the scenery and I felt as if someone was holding me on their back. Which turned out to be the case and I came to know it when my mind was working again.


    I didn''t know where I was, or whom I was with; just that I was being carried by someone during the time I was unconscious.


    Naturally, I reacted on instincts to defend myself. I wrapped my arms around the person''s neck tightly and obstructed his legs with mine. This caused him to fall forward on the ground. Next, I quickly grabbed hold of both of his hands and bended them behind his back, immobilizing him.


    I sat over him and bend his hands even more, at that time he let out a scream. The voiced seemed a bit familiar.


    "Stop! What the hell are you doing?!" this one was even more familiar.


    I turned behind to see that it was Ellyn, standing alongside with Anya. After that it didn''t took me long to realize who was I sitting on. Leon.


    "Ah, ouch. Ehh, it hurts. Don''t bend my arm anymore," he grumbled. I noticed that I was still bending his arm and was a few moment away to break it. I instantly let go of it and stood up.


    "I''m sorry. It was on instincts, I didn''t know it was you," I said as I offered my arm and helped him stand up.


    "Oh, no, It''s fine really, nothing to worry about. I was just a little surprised, that''s all," Leon stated as he dusted the dirt off his clothes.


    [I don''t know whether he''s insulting here or he just too dumb to realize his words are sarcastic.]


    ''Honestly, I''m not sure either. But judging from his personality I believe it''s thetter.''


    Thta was when something urred to me. Even if it was not something serious and he would''ve been able to break free of my grip, but I did immobilize him for a while.


    And I didn''t feel an ounce of pain.


    I looked all over my body and saw that all the injuries I''d gained were gone, they had been recovered. Although my uniform was still a mess, I was no longer covered in blood and painted with wounds. Even the chunks of flesh that the wolves had bit out were recovered.


    "How are my injuries gone?" I asked. But I was just ying the part and taking the conversation how it was supposed to go. I already knew the answer. Leon had healed me with the help of the high-quality questions he got from his system.


    "You should be grateful to Leon for that, he''s the one who healed you," Anya said as she walked close.


    "Really? I mean, I believe those were some pretty bad wounds. But thank you," I said to Leon.


    "Don''t mention it. I just did what was needed to be done," he replied as he scratched his head and looked away.


    ''Cringe,'' I thought.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If you don''t know, he was getting embarrassed right now. Yeah, that''s how you get embarrassed; totally natural.


    "How did you guys found me though? I was in a pretty dense part of the forest," I inquired.


    It''s true. The area where I''d passed out was away from the main track that led to the mountains. It was around night too¡ªno, I think I saw the sun rising when I was to lose concussions. Anyway, that wasn''t a ce where many students might go just at the first day until they were deliberately headed there.


    "Leon was the one who found you," said Ellyn. "We were headed for the mountains but he said that ''he fell like something''s going on'' and then rushed over in your direction. Yet what he gets for helping you out is¡­"


    "Okay, okay, I get it, and I apologized for that. Plus I said it was on instincts!"


    "Humph," she closed her eyes and turned her head in another direction.


    All I could do was let out a sigh. But well, not everything was bad. And I could now guess how their were able to find me in such isted space.


    Leon along with Ellyn and Anya was headed toward the mountains just like in the novel and they were supposed to reach there by morning¡ªaround the time I passed out. Leon was able to find all the hidden tasks so easily because his system detected the mana that the hidden task items¡ªor magic crystals¡ªwere radiating.


    So it''s pretty easy to figure out the rest. Leon was in the area where I''d passed out and he found out my exact location since his system detected the magic crystal I was carrying.


    That was theory that made the most sense.


    "Zero. I think you said that you won''t get into anymore trouble. Then what was this?" Anya asked. Her tone was a bit sharp, but not the bad type of sharp.


    "Ahhhh¡­" I honestly didn''t know what to say to her. "I''m sorry," I guess. "I didn''t really had a choice. It was a kill or be killed situation; I couldn''t have avoided the fight even if I wanted to. Or would you have preferred me dead?"


    She looked away, her expression was still didn''t seem like she was convinced.


    "Still, I looked at the bodies of those horned wolves. You''d given them a pretty good beating, even I wouldn''t have been able to do that," Leon interjected.


    I can''t believe this guy. How can he say such a clear lie with a straight face like that.


    [You aren''t the one to say.]


    ''My lies are at least, believable.''


    [Well, I can''t argue with that. But that isn''t the case every times. Sometimes even you sound ridiculous.]


    "Anyway, I should probably leave now," I said. "I''m fine now, so it shouldn''t be a problem."

 Chapter 237 Working Alone [2]

    "Anyway, I should probably leave now," I said. "I''m fine now, so it shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Huh? I think you should stay with us, it''ll be entertaining," Leon insisted.


    "I would love to, but I''m better off working alone," I stated.


    Leon insisted a few times that I should stay but in the end, I was able to convince him. Ellyn and Anya already knew that I dislikedpany, thus they weren''t going to interrupt, and neither they did.


    Henceforth I left their group and wandered off on my own after thanking Leon once again for healing me. As much as I hated to admit it, he really had a broken system.


    ***


    Once I split up with Leon and the rest, I wandered off into the forest on my own. The sun had climbed up in the sky and the weather was good too; in short, it was a good day.


    I removed my zer which was a tangled mess of torn-up cloth and threw it away. I wouldn''t want to get stuck in that during a fight, after all. The rest of the uniform wasn''t in the best condition but it was enough to pass the remaining two days.


    Taking out the magic crystal from my pocket, I tossed it around in my hands as I walked. Seeing it I remembered the reasons why I came to this ind.


    As I''ve mentioned before, there were three reasons why I came to this ind.


    The first one was to take care of Emmeric and the others who were plotting against me. I know I could have avoided this entire fight if I had opted out of the exam after Nsiria told me about their ns, but I didn''t because I wanted to finish them for once and all. Otherwise, they would have caused trouble for meter on.


    The second reason was to acquire a magic crystal¡ªwhich was done since I got it afterpleting the hidden task. Or many crystals you say.


    They were basically the same things and the difference in the names came from the fact that mana crystals were pure and came out directly from the mines within thebyrinths while magic crystals were processed for industrial use.


    I wanted one of these for some of the experiments I want to do since they were rare and not avable in the normal market, the exam was the best way to acquire one.


    This, of course, meant that I wouldn''t be submitting this to the teachers after the exam and won''t get the points I should get forpleting the task. But points were never my target so it wasn''t much of a problem anyway.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The third andst reason was to test out my skills. I''d been training myself consistently for thest three months in both sword arts and magic. Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to bring the Requiem sword with me since it was outside the rules but I still had my magic to test out.


    I needed a ce where I could do that. The human dummies in the training facility were up to no good since they were just non-moving targets, that''s all. Hence this ind, which was filled with real monsters, was the best ce to test myself out.


    Thus I did just that. For the next two days, I spent my time ying as many monsters as I could on this ind.


    It started out slow, but soon it became apetition between me and the other students. After all, they had to kill as many as possible in order to collect as many points as they can.


    And since I was the only one who didn''t care about the points, I focused more on how strong I ampared to the average student in the area. Thus I would often find myself alone in the middle of a massive horde of monsters.


    I still managed to beat the other students in terms of kills, though. While they were busy killing all the monsters they could, I would let the monsters surround me and then ughter them one by one. It was an excellent opportunity to train my magic skills.


    After a day or so I noticed something: I was getting stronger, in fact. Taking out monsters took less and less time as I progressed. Now I could defeat even the strongest monsters in the area with rtive ease. Even a high-level monster like the golem was no match for me.


    It was just what I wanted.


    I spent the next three days doing that. Killing monsters was fun and rewarding, but it also had its drawbacks. After all, I was running out of mana. Thus I had to take regr breaks to replenish my mana and make sure I don''t get mana exhaustion again.


    Food wasn''t the least of my problems. On the first day, I''d eaten nothing but some fruits which I identified as edible. After that, I tried to eat some of the monsters, and since the horned wolves were the closest thing to animals, I decided to eat them.


    I killed one and cooked its flesh and ate it. The result¡­well, monster meat tasted worse than I thought. And I scratched the idea of eating them forever. However, the problem was soon solved when I arrived at the beach on the ind.


    I was hunting some monsters, that''s how I''d ended up here. Never did I know that I''ll end up with such a good supply of food. I saw the ocean, and the idea popped into my mind.


    Going to the shore I confirmed that the fishes I''d hoped to catch were there: they were. Once that was confirmed, I used my elemental magic and froze the water surrounding any fish I saw.


    The fishes froze inside a block of ice and the block came floating upward on the surface of the water, I went and picked them up and after releasing my magic and taking the fishes out, all I had to do was cook and eat them.

 Chapter 238 Bathe [1]

    The ind practical exam was about toe to an end. Today was thest day of the exam, the sun was up during the exam and it was just about the time they were teleported to this ind, three days back.


    I was on the beach, lying on a big stone I was staring at the sky while waiting for the exam to end. I could hear the sound of water as the waves washed on the shore, and the sound of rustling leaves as the gentle gust of wind made them dance.


    That was when I saw several students who emerged from within the forest and set foot on the beach''s sandy surface. There were around fifteen of them, and none of them looked to be in a good condition. But well, I wasn''t the one to say.


    Although I could guess why they wereing out of the forest at a time like this. When all of us were teleported to the ind, the ce wended on was the beach. Thus it was only reasonable to think that if you had to get back you''ll have toe to the beach first.


    While there was nothing like this and the students will get teleported back indifferent to where they stood, no one would want to risk the chances.


    I sat up on the stone, raising my guard I prepared myself in case any of them were to attack me, though the chances of that happening were quite low at a time like this.


    A gust of wind passed by, and a wave of water hit the beach''s shore. A magic circle that seemed to cover the entire ind appeared in the sky, above our heads.


    I looked up and saw the runes inscribed on it, I realized that I didn''t recognize a single one of them.


    The next second the scenery before my eyes changed and my feet dropped to the ground as the stone I was sitting on disappeared, as soon as I got aware of my surroundings I saw that I was standing in the same hall I was in before we were sent on the ind.


    The other students had also filled in the gaps around me, and the hall was bustling with students once again; although you can''t ignore the fact that there were a few empty spots.


    Everyone was involved in a murmur, some were confused, some were happy, some were brimming with confidence while some just straight-up looked depressed. I belonged to the category who were just d that the exam ended.


    That was when Mr. Halls came onto the stage and gathered everyone''s attention as he tapped twice on the mic.


    "Dear students, I hereby announce that the mid-term practical exam has officially ended. I hope you all got to learn something new during this exam and were able to find the ws within yourself and ways to improve on them.


    "Now, those of you who have acquired the hidden task items should stay in the hall and submit the items to your homeroom teacher before leaving. But those who have onlypleted the exam can leave the hall and tend to themselves. If you have some serious injuries then the doors of the medic are always open. That''s all."


    With that, he left the stage. There were no outraging students, no one was screaming andining about their dead friends like they were during the entrance exam.


    Of course, they won''t. Everyone knew that if their friends were signing the form then they were approving the reality that they were dead. The students knew that, but not behaving badly despite knowing that was a hard task. The students had grown, they were now more mature than when they entered the academy.


    ''Have I changed too? It''s a difficult question. Finding changes in other people is always easier than noticing the changes in yourself. Thus my honest answer is: I don''t know.''


    The majority of the students left the hall after that, and I was among them. I stepped out of the hall, however, no one came to check whether I was hiding a magic crystal with me or not.


    And it wasn''t strange.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The academy had no reason to check this; it was up to the students whether they want to submit the hidden task items or not, and wanted the extra points for them. If they didn''t submit it, it was their problem.


    They had no concern for the items too. The magic crystals were rare, indeed, but for the academy, they were nothing unusual. It showed in the fact that there were magic lights lighting up each and every corner of the academy campus.


    After leaving the hall, I went back straight to my dorm room. I opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the door afterward. As soon as I turned back the figure of Req came running towards me and she threw herself in my arms.


    This was something I hadn''t expected, plus the injuries I''d gained during the two days I hunted monsters were hurting my body too. Therefore it wasn''t weird that I ended up falling down.


    "Get off me," I said.


    "I refuse," she replied with a bustling smile on her face.


    "What?! You''re not making sense. Get off me right now."


    "I won''t. I didn''t have you close to me for three whole days! There''s no way I''m going to leave you that easily."


    "I really don''t have time for all this. I''ve to take a bath and then go to buy a new uniform for myself."


    "Hmm? I don''t see what''s the problem in that. I can stay with you while you take a bath," as soon as those words left her mouth, she started tearing my uniform and undressing me.


    A deep, exasperated, sigh escaped my lips.


    "Fine. I''ll let you go with me, but on the condition that you won''t undress me here and after I''ve done bathing, you won''t disturb me further," I said.


    "What?! Really? You''re okay with that?" she asked as if perplexed by the words I said.


    "You don''t want to now?"


    "Huh?! No! No, no, no, no! It''s not like that! I was just a little¡­surprised. I never expected that you''ll really go along with me."


    "Some things are unexpected," I stated.


    ''If this is what it takes to get rid of her for a while, then it''s fine. Plus, if she''s thinking that she''ll get some reaction out of me if she goes in a bath with me, then she was dead wrong. I was no anime protagonist.''

 Chapter 239 Bathe [2]

    Thus we went into the bath together. Req was excited at first but when we stepped into the bath and her seducing attempts started to prove futile one after another, that excitement slowly faded away.


    After the bath was done and I''d washed away all the blood and dirt from my body, I came out and changed into some casual winter clothes. Req stood on her words too and didn''t try to stick close to me.


    I threw my torn-up uniform in a corner and left the room afterward. Coming out of the dorm building I went in the Mains, and after walking for a while I saw that in a corridor there was a long line of students that led to a single room.


    It was the medic, and all these students hade here to get their wounds healed. I had the same reason. But since the line was so long I had no choice but to wait. And in the end, it took me quite a while before I got the treatment.


    When I was leaving, I bought a healing potion from there which I drank while I headed out of the Mains.


    My next destination was the cafeteria. Actually, I''d gone there first if it weren''t for my injuries.


    I mean, I haven''t drunk coffee for three whole days. It was a wonder that I was even alive by now.


    Entering the cafeteria I ordered a strong dose of espresso and some sandwiches. However, the cafe was full too thus it took me a while there, and by the time I left, the evening was set in stone.


    I was headed to myst spot which was the shopping area. I had to buy a uniform if I nned on taking the sses tomorrow. The stores were a little distance from the cafeteria and I was on my way there when I spotted a girling over to me.


    It was da.


    "Why the hell did you knock me out too?" she asked as she stopped beside me.


    "What reason I had to not do that?" I asked.


    "I helped you."


    "That''s not enough of a reason. Nsiria helped me too, but she met with the same end."


    "What?" she was a bit shocked at that. "But she wasn''t there when I woke up."


    "She must''ve gotten up and left before you regained consciousness," I said.


    There was a pause. I didn''t stop and she was walking beside me. The sun was setting, and the sky now had an orange tinge to it.


    "I want to work with you," she stated as she looked at me.


    "More precisely, you want to use me as a bridge in order to get together with Leon, isn''t that right?"


    She was at a loss for words for a while. "It isn''t like that," she said. "I''m not using you as a bridge or anything. I''ll help you too."


    "I don''t need your help. And you should leave now, you''re wasting my time. I had to go and buy a new uniform before the stores close."


    "Huh? But winter vacations are starting from tomorrow, the sses will be suspended. You probably won''t need a uniform," she stated.


    "I know," I didn''t know. "I need to buy one anyway."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Saying that I brushed her off and headed for the shopping area. I''d taken my transaction card with me thus money was not a problem. I bought a new uniform for myself and returned to my dorm room afterward.


    ***


    I entered my room, and put the bag of clothes on the desk. Sitting on the bed I took out my diary from the drawers of the desk and flipped through its pages.


    A few secondster I found what I was looking for.


    ''It''s true,'' I thought.


    The event was in the novel; the winter vacations. Actually, calling it an event won''t be right since loli_pop used it as a transition for a time skip, but here it won''t matter since I''ll have to live through all the time. There''d be no skipping.


    I closed the diary and put it on the desk while Iy on the bed. Staring at the ceiling above myself, I fell into thought.


    The academy sses will be suspended during the vacations, and the students who want to go visit their homes will be allowed to do so. We weren''t allowed to leave the academy, but that was when the sses were ongoing.


    In this case, it was different.


    Anya will go home too, and of course, I''d be going back as well. Finally, after a long time, I''ll be away from the chaos and have some time to take it easy. Since the vacations weren''t shown in loli_pop''s novel, no major event happened during that time.


    ''I''d finally have some time for myself,'' I would''ve enjoyed thinking about this for a little longer.


    But then the reality came crashing down on me. The thing about the vacations had slipped my mind due to the exam, but that doesn''t mean I didn''t know it was going to happen.


    I did, and I have made preparation for that time. I''ll still have things to do despite the holidays, things that will prove to be rather important and have a big impact in the future.


    I got out of my bed and then left the room.


    ***


    The sun hadpletely set and the night was taking over now. I was sitting in the cafeteria¡ªwhich was mostly empty¡ªwaiting for someone.


    After waiting for a few minutes more, a girl entered the cafe. She looked around for a bit and when her eyes met mine, she came straight to where I sat and took the seat in front of me.


    She was Ellyn.


    "Took you quite a while," I said. It was true, I was waiting for more than twenty minutes.


    "I was with Leon. It''s a lot of trouble to brush him off," she replied.


    "Well, can''t do anything about that. Anyway, get started."


    She gave me the usual daily report, but that wasn''t what I wanted right now. Once she was done reporting, I moved on to the main topic.

 Chapter 240 An Offer From A Demon [1]

    "So, what are doing for the vacation?" I asked as I took a sip of my coffee.


    "What do you mean by that?" Ellyn''s expression was a bit on the surprised side as she said that.


    "What I mean is, where are you going for the vacation? I don''t believe that you''re going home due to all the things going on between you and your father, so I was just curious." I rified.


    "Nowhere."


    "Hmm?"


    "Nowhere. I''m not going anywhere, I''ll stay in the dorms," she replied.


    "Wait, you can do that?" I''d be lying if I said I knew that.


    "Of course, you can. If that were not the case then where do you think people like Leon would be staying?" she appealed.


    "Well, that''s true. So Basically, you don''t have any ns, right?" I tried to confirm.


    If I had to follow loli_pop''s novel then she''ll stay here with Leon, but that''s all the information I have. There was a time skip and what happened during the one-month vacation wasn''t shown, thus I don''t know either.


    However, for things to work out as I want them to, I must make sure of this.


    "Yeah, you can say that. It''s prettyme, isn''t it? I''m being looked at as an idol by many students, I''m a role model in their eyes. Yet I''m not even capable of going home on vacations, the most basic of things which any student can do," she said.


    Her gaze was down, falling on the cup of tea she was holding with both her hands but had stopped drinking it when I disturbed this topic.


    "That''s certainly a way to think about it, but I don''t think it''sme," I said. She looked up. "I mean, you are the role model because you do things that the normal, average students don''t. You are the odd one out, that''s why you are treated that way. So I''d say staying here and creating your own norm is just the thing you need to do if you want to continue being in the spotlight."


    "Being in the spotlight, huh? I''m not sure if I want it or not. Things have been so jumbled up recently, that I don''t really know what I want to do or what''s right," she mumbled, as those words left her lips I could sense the weight her voice carried; it sounded tired, crushed, and under a lot of burdens.


    "I''m afraid as someone who likes to operate in the shadows¡ªthe exact opposite of you¡ªI can''t provide my advice on that," I stated and took another sip.


    And then there it was again. The long, calm, and strange silence stretched on for quite a while. I hate silence as much as I hate THAT side of mine, but right now it was different, as it wasn''t just the silence that surrounded me.


    There was the steam that rose up from the cups of my coffee and Ellyn''s tea, there was the murmur of students as they entered the cafeteria while talking with their friends, there was the scratching shriek of wood as they slid the chairs backward, there was the clicking sound of mana as the night fell and the colorful magic lights lit up on the caf¨¦''s outer walls, and there was the gentle pressing sound of the snow as the kes starting raining from the sky and collected down on the ground.


    There sure was a silence, I wasn''t denying that. But for now, it was just between me and Ellyn, and the rest of the world was unaffected by it. I was quite d by knowing that, as I knew how scary it could be when everything around you goes quiet¡­


    "If you aren''t going anywhere, then would you like toe with me?" I asked, resting the empty coffee cup back on the table.


    "Huh?" Ellyn''s eyes widened a bit as her pupils erged for a split second before they went back to normal. "I''m sorry, what did you say?" she requested.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I said if you don''t have ns then why don''t youe with me?" I repeated.


    She still didn''t respond, rather seemed amused.


    "Did I say something weird?" I asked.


    "Huh? No! It''s not that. I just¡­didn''t expect you to make an offer like that," she rified.


    "And what''s the good reason for that?"


    "Well, you don''t seem like the type of person who''d invite me somewhere, and to their home especially," she said.


    "Then what type of person do I look like to you?" I demanded. I was rather curious to know what she thought of me.


    "Ah¡­" she was at a loss for words.


    "And bepletely honest," I added.


    "The type who''d lock me up in a room and then torture me for entertainment," she said in a breath.


    For some reason, I couldn''t find a way to argue on that. In fact, she was probably stating this based on the things she''d seen me do, so in a way what she was saying was true. But on the other hand, she was notpletely right.


    The way she described me made me seem like a demon. I was no demon.


    ¡­Probably.


    "Anyway, would you like toe?"


    "Can I ask the reason why you''re going out of your way to invite me?" she appealed.


    "You do remember our contract, right? ''You will help me out with whatever I want and in return, I''d protect you from your father,''" I said.


    "Yes I do, what about it?"


    "I won''t be able to y my part if you''re so far away from me, and that''d be the breaching of the contract. I don''t want that," I replied.


    "You¡­really care about it that much? I thought¡ª"


    "You thought that I was just manipting you in the name of a contract and using you to get my things done and will abandon you when you''re in trouble? Well, I''d say that stained my pride even when I don''t care about those things that much," I said, interrupting her in the middle.

 Chapter 241 An Offer From A Demon [2]

    "No! That''s not what I thought!" she said hurriedly, trying to clear the misunderstanding.


    "Then what?"


    "It''s just¡­it was unexpected, you can say. I''d never thought you''d go out of your way to care about the contract, and not because I think you''re using me but because you are confident in yourself and believe that there won''t be any need for you to act."


    Actually, she was just repeating what she said a few seconds ago but right now I was willing to let it slide.


    "Sigh. Whatever. Are youing or not? Cuz I''ll have to make preparations ording to that," I said.


    She was quiet for a while as she thought over what she should respond. During this, my eyes wandered and I saw that the night hadpletely covered the sky and there was a slight snowfall going on. But what caught my attention was the reception girl behind the bar.


    She had changed, the girl I saw when I entered the cafeteria was no longer there. Rather there was a girl with strawberry blond hair. Can''t say I didn''t know that one.


    "I don''t think I can go," Ellyn said, directing my attention back to her. "It''d be weird, plus I''ve already promised Leon and I have some things to do with him since both of us will be staying in the dorms."


    "I see. Well, I just wanted to ask. And if Leon''s staying with you then there''s no need to worry about your father as well," I stated.


    "I''m sorry."


    "Why are you sorry? You didn''t reject me for a date, did you? I would''ve squeezed a sorry out of you if that were the case, but since it''s not, you don''t have any need to be sorry," I said.


    She chuckled a bit at this.


    "What?"


    "Nothing. I never knew you had a thing forme jokes in you," saying that, she stood up, paid for the tea, and left.


    ''Was that ame joke?'' I wondered to myself.


    After I was sure that she''d left this area, I got up from my seat and moved toward the bar. Going there I sat on one of the wooden stools that''d just been ced a few moments ago and tapped the table to get the girl''s attention.


    Her brows lifted a bit when she saw me. "Now, now, we sure have an unusual customer today," she chanted as she came and stood in front of me on the other side of the bar.


    "Yeah. I couldn''t really help it. After all, the apple cider you gave mest time was so wonderful that I got drunk on my way back," I replied.


    "Well, I did say that it was something new we had. You would havee back sooner orter."


    ''Did she say that back then?''


    [She did.]


    ''Okay, she did.''


    "So, would you be so kind to provide me again with some of that beer¡ªoh sorry, apple cider I mean. Can I get one shot of that?" I asked, kindly.


    "Of course, you can," she said with a neat smile, and then moved back to the wooden shelf where arge number of bottles were kept.


    She picked up a familiar bottle and walked back to me, then she opened up the cap and decanted some of the liquid in a ss. The color of the liquid was familiar too; brownish gold.


    "There you go," she slid the ss toward me.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Thank you, kindly."


    I gripped the ss, it was cold. Bringing it close to my lips I took a sip.


    ''Fuck it''s bitter as hell!''


    [This time it''s real alcohol and a low-quality one over that.]


    ''There''s no need for you to tell, even I can guess that.''


    [Be careful. It''s your first time drinking, isn''t it? When I drank for the first time I woke up the next day, half covered in mud by the side of a road.]


    ''I know. But I appreciate the advice either way. Now to get back¡­''


    "As I''ve said, this is truly the best cider I''ve ever tasted. A wonder indeed," I said as I took another sip.


    Despite the shitty taste it had, my expression didn''t flinch. I smiled as if I were drinking an immortality serum.


    "Ahhh! That was sure some good shit!" After finishing the drink I mmed the empty ss on the bar and wiped my mouth.


    "You liked it?" She asked while wiping a bottle with a linen cloth.


    "I loved it!"


    "I''m d to know that."


    "Yeah, and the next time Ie I''d like to get some real alcohol instead of cider," I said.


    "Of course, we have many drinks you can choose from," she replied.


    I got up from the stool, pulled out my transaction card, paid for the drink, and left the cafeteria.


    "Take care~ And try not to fall in the gutters on your way back," she said as I stepped out of the building.


    ''Bullshit. There are no open gutters on the campus, at least say something believable,'' I spat in my mind while I walked.


    The outsides were cold. A thinyer of snow had piled up on the ground and it was increasing over time as new kes rained from the sky. There were the regr gusts of wind that sent a chill down my spine.


    I put my hands inside the pockets of the jacket I was wearing, and now I realize how big of a mistake it was to not wear gloves. Leave wearing, I never bought any, in the first ce.


    I''d spent thest years of my former life being locked up in a tiny apartment room, and that had caused me to forget what being out in the cold was like. And I didn''t know if it was just my imagination, but I felt like the winters in this world were harsher than the ones I was experienced in.


    "Well, I know one thing now. What she''s doing is just for fun, to mess with me," I mumbled.


    It was true. After all, if she wanted to swindle some money out of me by providing me with the wrong drinks, then she should have charged more for the apple cider, but she charged the value of what that drink was worth¡ªwhich was less than the cider''s cost.


    I was thinking if there could be a specific reason for her doing all this when suddenly I felt dizzy.


    ''Here we go,'' I thought. It was time the alcohol was starting to kick in.

 Chapter 242 One Tipsy Night

    I mmed open the door to my room, and while I''d intented to walk inside I couldn''t help but fall over as my face hit the ground.


    I''d say it was because the alcohol was getting to my brain, but I can''t ignore the fact that my shoes were wet due to the snow.


    ''That should''ve hurt, yet I somehow feel nothing but numbness.''


    I forced myself up, and after struggling for a while I was able to get back on my feet. I closed the door shut, blocking the cold winds from entering inside.


    Removing my shoes I was about to go toward my room when my feet stumbled again and I lost bnce.


    "Got you!" the voice seemed familiar, thus when I turned my head to look I saw that it was Req.


    She was holding me, and keeping from falling over again. I didn''t want to, but neither did I have the strength to prevent myself from resting my head on her shoulder.


    ''This is strange, she never smelled this good. No, wait, I was the one who didn''t sniff her. Wait for a second, why would I sniff her? She was not a flower. She was a girl¡­or a sword? Ah, fuck it. Whatever.''


    "I told you to be careful, didn''t I?" she said as she supported me and helped me stand still.


    "How the hell I could''ve avoided this, huh? There is no way I would have let that girl tease me like I she wanted! I had to finish the drink!" at this point I couldn''t tell, but I was probably speaking louder than I usually do.


    "You can control the elements, right? Then all you had to do was turn the alcohol into water," she suggested.


    "I can do that?" I asked. I really had no idea.


    "You should be able to, haven''t you ever tried?" she spoke while helping me walk to the bed.


    "What? Of course, I haven''t tried! Why would I? I don''t go drinking alcohol all day!" I said as I sat on the bed.


    "Anyway, you should not drink it all in one big gulp¡ªlike you did¡ªif it''s your first time drinking. Your body ain''t used to that stuff, so you''d get drunk faster and the hangover will be more fierce too," she exined.


    "Ahh¡­that''s the best piece of information you could''ve given me right now," I muttered while I took my jacket off and threw it on the floor. I did the same with my socks.


    After that I was about to stand up again, but since my head was feeling heavy as a rock and I had no sense of direction whatsoever, I ended up stumbling again. And backward, this time.


    Req tried to prevent that by holding out her hand and grabbing my arm but failed. At the end, she ended up falling over me too. Fortunately, there was the bed behind us thus I fell on it with Req above me.


    ''Fucking cringe!''


    She was surprised at first but then her cheeks curled up into a mischievous smile.


    "You know, I actually don''t mind you getting drunk. I wouldn''t be made even if you do it daily," she said.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Shut up!" I snapped, and then pushed her to my side. Then I stood up, and this time I was able to make it without falling.


    "You should not move around too much, it can be dangerous if you hit your head and lost your memory or something," Req advised.


    ''If you''re that worried then don''t raise all the red gs, damn it!''


    I ignored her, and made my way toward the kitchen. My head was so heavy that I felt like I was carrying a boulder over my head, each step I took would feel like I was climbing over a mountain.


    But still, I knew I had to do this. This was the only way.


    I walked over inside the kitchen, used my elemental magic to turn on the stove, then took out some coffee power from a jar and transfered it in a cup. Then I remembered that I''ve turned the stove on but haven''t put the water to boil, so I did that.


    When the water was starting to boil, I turned off the stove and decanted the water into the cup. I skipped the sugar, and everything else that I used to mix in. It was just coffee and water.


    I came back into the room with the cup, sat on the bed and rested the cup on the desk. Req who was rolling on the lower end of the bed looked at me curiously.


    "Coffee? Seriously? Haven''t you had enough drinking already?" she asked.


    "Just shut up for a second!" I really meant that. With everything going on, I was getting irritated at her even when I didn''t want to.


    I was not in a good state. If I lost control of my mind then all the limiters I''ve set on myself would be useless. There''d be another disaster, another funeral, I didn''t want that.


    I picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. The coffee was hot and I burned my tongue, but it didn''t really matter as I took another big gulp anyway.


    In a total of three sips I finished the whole cup and set the cup on the desk.


    My mouth and throat was burning, and my tongue was not in good condition either. Soon I felt that burning sensation spread through my chest and then into my whole body. During this period, I closed my eyes and sat on the bed while leaning against the wall.


    Around half anter I opened my eyes, the world seemed a lot clear now. And while the heaviness and dizziness in my head had notpletely faded away, it had reduced to an extent where it was bearable and didn''t affect my actions.


    I tried to stand up, and was able to do it sessfully.


    "Seems like it worked," I mumbled.


    Req looked at me in astonishment. "No way! Don''t tell me you are not drunk anymore!"


    "Well, I was just going to say that."

 Chapter 243 Leave & Home [1]

    The next day my whole morning was spent attending the closing ceremony of the academy and collecting some information about the practical exam. It turns out that including Emmeric and Wynfir, a total of six people were found dead.


    Four from ss D, and two from ss C. There were no casualties in ss A and B. Actually, ss C would have also came out unscathed if it weren''t for me. But we can''t do anything about that.


    And it was around twelve at noon, I was busy deciding what I had to take back home and should I left here. I didn''t have much stuff to begin with so it was not that difficult. I packed two pairs of clothes and some daily use stuff, after that I was good to go.


    The vacations will be of one month and willst from fifteenth December¡ªtoday¡ªto fifteenth of January. It was not really a long period of time hence I thought I''ll buy anything if I need it at home. I always had my transaction with me anyway.


    I stood in front of my bed as I stared at my backpack, for a whole long minute I did nothing but stared at it.


    ''I was going home, wasn''t I?'' somehow it felt unreal.


    Perhaps I was too focused in that, that''s why when there was a knock on my door I couldn''t help but jump in surprise. After that I walked to the door, opening it I saw that Anya was standing there with a bag of her own; and it was much bigger than mine.


    "You areing, right?" was the first thing she asked, and from her facial expression I could see that she was genuinely concerned. Was I that unpredictable?


    "Of course, I''ming. That''s not the sort of thing you should ask," I said as I left from the front of the door and made way for her to enter.


    She stepped inside and I walked after her, I went to my bag and shoved some of the stuff that was remaining on the bed.


    "I was finishing packing up," I said as I closed the button of the bag when everything was inside.


    "Done," I swung and hung the bag on my shoulder. Then I went to a corner of the room where the Requiem sword was lying, and as of now it didn''t have a sheath. Since it only came when I wanted, it was only natural that I won''t cover it in one when it''s in my room especially when Reqins that it stains the beauty of the de.


    I held the sword in my hand, and then returned to where Anya was standing.


    "Let''s go," I said, and made we walked out of the room. Before leaving I made sure to lock everything properly, and went through everything in my mind to make sure that I was not forgetting anything.


    Anya was walking in front of me in the corridor, and it seemed like the right time so Imanded Req to make a sheath for the sword. She hesitated, but then agreed.


    A ckish smoke emerged from the sword''s de, and slowly covered it as it turned into a hard sheath. This time it also had a strap to attach it to my hip, and I made sure to do that.


    "I was just wondering," Anya interjected. "But shouldn''t you cover that sword? I mean, it can be pretty intimidation to some people. And we are still inside the academy campus so you''ll be breaking the rules."


    "But I have it in the sheath, what are you talking about?" I replied, sounding as honest as I could.


    She stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at me, her gaze dropped to my hips where I had sword.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You¡­really have it. Did I just hallucinate?" she questioned.


    "Hmm, it''s possible. Have you been getting enough sleep?" I asked in concern.


    "Well, yeah. I don''t think that''s the problem. Though I''m sure I saw it didn''t have a sheath a few moments ago."


    "It happens. I think you''re just way too excited to go back to home, that''s why you''re seeing things."


    "Something like that is possible?"


    "I don''t know."


    She seemed confused for a moment, then probably pushed those matters aside in her mind and began walking again.


    ''Damn, she''s just too easy to tease. I can''t get over this!'' I giggled internally as I thought of this.


    We walked out of the dorm building, then went to the office to officially inform the academy that we were leaving the campus. And I''d to say we had to wait quite a bit as many students were leaving for their homes and the line to fill the application was long.


    But when it was done, we were finally good to go. All that was left was to walk out of the campus. Anya had already said goodbyes to her friends¡ªprobably Ellyn and Leon¡ªand I didn''t have anyone to say that to, thus we were done here.


    We stood in front of the main gate, and showed the guard a paper we''d received from the office. After verifying the contents the man opened the gate and we stepped outside, into the real world.


    I didn''t fell particrly different, as I''d already escaped from the academy once, but Anya''s eyes were literally shining as she gazed at the view outside.


    The road was filled with wagons who transported all kinds of people, there were people wandering on the road too. After we walked on for a while and stepped into the city square, we saw many shops and stalls by the side of the roads. It was probably one of those big markets where you get things for a lesser price.


    After she was done living in the moment, we moved to the main road and booked a wagon for out city.


    The wagon''s wheels rolled on the paved road, and hourster it finally crossed the wall which surrounded the whole city. We came out in the while, and leaving Sofrora city behind and heading for the Roswell city¡ªour homnd.


    (A/N: The uing few chapters will focus more on the slice-of-life side of the story and explore Zero''s rtion with his family and the bonds he''d created aftering into the new world. I know that things were already pretty passive since the end of thebyrinth arc, but believe me, this will be thest of those parts.


    The Zaforths academy arc was divided into several mini-arcs, and the winter vacation mini-arc is thest one and will mark the end of Volume 2. You can treat thisst mini-arc as the calm before the storm. I''ll leave it up to you to decide what the storm might be.)

 Chapter 244 Leave & Home [2]

    It took us a whole day to reach Roswell city¡ªit usually takes half a day but since we took several breaks along the way and traveled withfort, it took us a little extra time.


    We had spent the night in an inn on the roadside, and by noon of the next day Anya and I were walking down the road that led to our house.


    The area around here hadn''t changed at all, and actually, why would it change? It had only been four months since we left and while it may have felt like a long time to us, out here in the world it was nothing so much.


    "Have you informed them that we areing?" I asked Anya as we walked alongside.


    "No, I haven''t," she replied. "I was thinking of giving them a surprise."


    "That''s a neat idea, count me in."


    Honestly, I was more than interested in seeing Ron''s face when we arrive at the doorstep out of nowhere.


    "I''m betting a hundred thousand C that he will cry," I proposed.


    "Well, well, there isn''t much meaning in doing all that. As I can''t bring myself to argue against that statement," Anya said.


    "So you think he''ll cry too?"


    "Yeah, some things don''t change."


    " ''Don''t worry about me kids, these are nothing but my tears of joy!''," I tried to mimic Ron but failed miserably.


    However, that didn''t stop Anya from breaking out into a burst of smallughter. Sheughed while trying to hold it in but was not able to.


    "We''re finally home, aren''t we?" I mumbled as we stopped in our tracks.


    In front of us was an iron gate and behind it a small garden and a house. Our house. My house.


    "Yeah, we are," Anya replied and we pushed open the gate and stepped inside.


    ***


    Anya knocked on the door while I stayed still on her side, a few momentster the door was opened by one of the maids. Her face lit up when she saw us but Anya put a finger on her lips and gestured the maid to stay quiet.


    The maid then followed Anya''s advice and stayed quiet while she opened the door. We got inside, and we were only in the hallway when a woman while golden blond hair and purple eyes appeared in front of us.


    Ainge; and from the look on her face, I could guess that she seemed to be searching for her. I didn''t know why.


    "Oh my, here you both are," she said as she stopped in front of us. "Wee home."


    Originally, the n was to surprise them but here we were the ones getting astonished instead by the fact that how she knew we would be arriving.


    "Did the academy tell you that we wereing?" Anya asked, not being able to suppress her curiosity anymore.


    "Now, now, we will have lots and lots of time for chatter. So why don''t the two of youe and sit first, I''m sure it must''ve been a tiring journey," Ainge said.<novelnext></novelnext>


    I had forgotten how caring and loving her voice sounded, I''d forgotten the warm look in her eyes, I''d forgotten how her words sounded like a melody even though she was just talking normally.


    I''d truly forgotten.


    "Yeah, I think I''m a little bit tired," I stated as I eased the bag on my shoulder.


    "But¡ª" Anya didn''t seem fully satisfied and was about to say something when she was interrupted by Ainge.


    "I know, my child. You want to surprise him, don''t you? I won''t stop you from doing that. Rather I''d like to see his face when he looks at you with utter amazement."


    I guess the whole family was interested in this. I didn''t know if this was wholesome or creepy. Either way, I was proud to be a part of it.


    "Come, he''s in the hall," Ainge said and led the way.


    We followed and after taking a couple of steps we arrived in the hall. There in the middle was Ron, sitting on a couch while skimming through a couple of documents. Since his back was toward us, he wasn''t able to see using; and we were careful enough to keep him from sensing our presence.


    Ainge gestured with her eyes toward him, and we did just that. Both Anya and I, taking measured and quiet steps, sneaked up behind the couch he was sitting on.


    "Father," Anya said, her voice was low but loud enough for him to hear.


    At first, he didn''t flinch¡ªI guessed that he was confused about the fact that he cares for his children so much that he was hearing her daughter''s voice. But then a secondter he put the documents on the table in front of him, and then stood up.


    Slowly he turned in our direction. His eyes widened.


    "Anya¡­Zero¡­"


    And there it was. His eyes got wet and before long tears were streaming down his cheeks. He wasn''t exactly acting ''father-like'' here, but for some reason, it didn''t feel weird, and neither was I angry at him for crying in front of his kids. I guess he had his own charm and personality that made him who he was.


    "I can''t tell you how much I missed you two!" he sulked.


    Then he wiped his tears and did something I hadn''t expected. He literally jumped over the couch, came to our side, and grabbed both me and Anya into a tight hug.


    "I missed you so much!!!" he said.


    "Come on, that''s not the way how a father acts," Ainge stated from behind, but from the tone of her voice, I could tell that she was just teasing him.


    "Yeah, I believe you are right. I can''t let my kids see my weak side, no kid should see their parent''s weak side. That''s the way of the world," saying that Ron released us from his hug and stood at a foot''s distance.


    "I''m sorry," he said while wiping the remaining tears off his face.


    "It''s fine," Anya replied.


    "Yeah," I agreed.

 Chapter 245 Leave & Home [3]

    The following day was spent in a snap, I never knew that time could pass this quickly. First of, Anya and I returned to our rooms and were surprised to see that they were still being maintained and had not a single particle of dust.


    After arranging our things and getting some rest, we were called by Ainge for lunch. It was good, tasting the food made by her hands after eating from the cafeteria for so long. It had a different feel to it.


    I don''t know if I could exin it to you, but most of the times eating in the cafeteria only filled with stomach, it didn''t quite satisfied my mind and made me feel like I''ve eating something. But the food made by Ainge did that, and I cherished that feeling.


    Now, here I don''t mean to say that the food in the cafeteria was bad. But if you''ve ever been away from your house for a while and thene back and tasted your mom''s cooking, you will understand what I was trying to say.


    Once the dinner was done, time flew by so quickly that I didn''t even realize. Most of it was spent in chatter. We shared our experiences at the academy, and the both of us were a little taken back to know how different the atmosphere around us was despite being in the same campus. But well, I guess it was only reasonable.


    It was not only us telling the stories, Ainge and Ron had a few too. Well, if the details about how Ron wasn''t able to concentrate on his work for a few weeks after we were gone and repeatable told Ainge how much he missed the kids, counts as a story. I asked them that if anything interesting had happened in the city while we were gone, turns out that everything was peaceful. That means at least now the ces which were not mentioned in the novel were not getting affected by the plot either.


    That was some information I was fortunate to get.


    "Now, now, I guess that''s enough talking for the while. You two should go and rest now," Ainge said, stopping the discussion.


    "But I''ve already rested," Anyained. She probably wanted to spent some more time with them, I thought that she still didn''t realize that we had a whole month to go.


    "No, you are going to bed right now. You have traveled a long distance and your body must be tired even if you deny it, I won''t be listening to any of your excuses," Ainge replied.


    "But¡ª"


    She probably wanted to say something else but she got a hard stare from Ainge, and that was enough to quiet her down. For some reason, that trick always worked. I wonder why.


    "Go to your rooms."


    That was the final statement, even Ron wasn''t able to say anything against that. Thus, both Anya and I stood up and went toward our rooms. It was still only seven in the evening so there was still some time left before dinner.


    Since I had nothing to do, I was going to lie on the bed in my room. That''s what you do on vacations, right?


    [So those are your parents?] Req''s voice resounded in my head while I was walking by the side of the garden, heading toward my room.


    ''Yeah, got any problem with that?''


    [Not really. Until and unless they try toe between us¡ª]


    ''Yes, yes, that''s enough.''


    [But I was just trying to make a point.]


    ''I''ll block you out if this is the only thing you want to talk about,'' I warned as I opened the door to my room and stepped inside.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Sigh, fine. Sometimes your just stubborn. Will it hurt so much to listen to me?" this time her voice wasn''t in my head, as she was in her human form, sitting on my bed while swinging her legs in the air.


    "I do that because I already know all the nonsense you''re gonna say," I stated.


    It was true. Though her personality was different and she was not a cardboard cutout, it still didn''t stop her from using some of the cliche lines I''ve read so many times in novels.


    "Sheesh! How can you be so cold to such a cute girl?" she asked as she looked at me with her puppy eyes.


    ''And then there is the thousand years old girl troupe. How can I possibly forget that?''


    "Will you get off my bed now? I wish to rest a bit," I said as I walked close and stood next to the bed.


    "Oh ho?!" Req muttered in amusement, her lips curling upward in a mischievous smile. "Why don''t you juste and lie down? We have enough space here for two people to fit in easily. It''s the winter season, so might feel cold if you''re alone."


    "It''s fine. The cold never bothered me anyway," I said as I sat on the other side of the bed.


    "Oh, I see," Req replied. "However, I am not as durable as you, thus I might need your assistance to get some sleep."


    "Just transform back in the sword," I advised. Even though I knew she already knew that solution and was only toying with me.


    "Hmm? What do I see here? Could it be that you are hesitating to sleep on the same bed as me because you won''t be able to control yourself?" she asked in an indecent tone.


    "Cut it out already," I said.


    "Hoo?! Now I know! My master won''t be able to control his manly instincts when he sleeps beside a beautiful girl!! That is the case! I finally get it!"


    "You have no intentions of going back to being a sword, do you?"


    "You bet I don''t."


    "Sigh, do whatever you want," letting out a sigh, I said.


    Unfortunately, I had no way to force her to transform back into the Requiem sword. I have tried it before but it didn''t work, that was something she controlled out of her own will.


    Thus all I did was ignore her as she sneaked into the nket andy on the bed beside me.


    And I maybe Ainge was right, I was tired. Probably that''s why I fell asleep even when I hadn''t intended to.

 Chapter 246 Nightmare

    It was a windy day. Dark clouds had shrouded the sky, only a few rays of sunlight were able to escape from there and shin down upon the world. Judging from the moisture in the air, rain was not unexpected.


    Down on the earth, in the grounds of a graveyard stood a small group of people¡ªboth men and women. They stood before a grave, which had been freshly nted.


    All of them had their gazes casting downward; some shed tears, some of the women leaned on the shoulders of their husbands, some were bbering amongst themselves about how they never expected this to happen.


    There was an old women who had a mental breakdown and was crying continuously while sitting on the ground, and there was a couple of a man and woman. The man clenched the woman with one of this hand as they watched toward the grave with a saddened expression on their faces.


    However, away from everyone else, standing alone in the back was a boy. This time, however, his weren''t golden and neither was he able to use magic. He was just a normal boy of fourteen.


    He was different from anyone else present. He was not crying, he was not cursing at the cruel fate, he was not leaning on anyone for support. He just stood there, quiet and still, as his eyes which had lost all life from them were locked on the grave.


    Seconds passed, then minutes, and then hours. It wasn''t long before all the fakers were gone, but the boy still remained.


    Even if now there was no one between him and the grave, he didn''t dare take a step forward and maintained his distance. There wasn''t any change in his behavior; he was still staring at the grave.


    Arge gust of wind passed by, making the grass fluter in the air. At first there were a few drops, but soon the sky was raining down on the earth. The clouds were dense and the rain didn''t show any sign of stopping. In fact, it grew more violent as time passed.


    The sound of water droplets crashing hard against the ground could be heard from anywhere in the graveyard.


    It rained and rained and rained, thunder shed in the sky, but the boy didn''t move from his ce. And it was not strange, not for him. Even if the whole world hade to an end that day, he wouldn''t have budged.


    After all, the dead don''t move.


    ***


    My sleep was broken when I heard a knock on my door. I woke up in an instant and looked to my side as I sat on the bed.


    Req was still there, but she was not sleeping. Her eyes were focused on me, as if she were watching me careful the whole time when I was sleeping.


    "Yes?" I said as I faced the door, I had no intentions of unlocking it right now.


    "Zero! It''s me," the voice was Anya''s. "Mother is calling us, it''s time for dinner," she said.


    "Oh, okay. Tell her I''ll be there in a minute," I replied.


    "Fine, but don''t take too long."


    After saying that she probably left since I heard the sound of footsteps resounding in the hallway.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You look like you''ve seen a ghost," Req mentioned, she adjusted on the bed and then sat beside me.


    It was then when I realized that my entire face was covered in sweat and my breathing was rough, and unbnced. I took note of this, and cleared my mind to calm myself. Before long I at least had my breathing under control.


    "Is something the matter?" she asked. Her tone was serious which depicted that she was genuinely worried about me.


    "Nothing much," I replied. "I just had a bad dream."


    "Was it really just a dream?" her question caught me a bit off guard.


    "What do you mean?" I inquired.


    "People emit a certain type of energy when they are dreaming, and since I''m a spiritual body now I can sense that energy. But yours was different right now. You were not dreaming, you were¡­remembering," she said, finally able to find the right word after a pause.


    "I¡­it''s nothing. None of your business¡ª"


    I was forced to realize the fact that Req was stronger and faster than me when I wasn''t able to resist as she forced me down on the bed and sat on top of me.


    "Don''t ever try to say that again. I don''t mind you ignoring me for my bad pickup lines but I won''t tolerate any of your bullshit if you ever tried to hide ANYTHING that is causing you trouble," she said as she brought her face close to mine.


    Her voice was dead serious, and carried a certain weight. Her eyes too, they were focused at me as if the rest of the world didn''t matter. She was not kidding at all.


    "From the moment you chose the Requiem sword, it became my right to know it if something is going wrong with your life. You didn''t forget, did you? Our souls are one, so on the spiritual level we are ONE being," she said, forcing her words into my mind.


    "I''m letting you off the hook here but if you tried to hide anything else from me again, I''ll get seriously mad."


    I wasn''t particrly worried about the sudden chance in her behaviour, in fact, I''ve suspected that something like this might happen. But above all, I was not worried because no matter how scary she made herself look, I knew that she couldn''t threaten my life even if she wanted to.


    First of all, I doubted the Requiem sword will allow her to even attempt something like that since we were in a kind of master-servant rtionship, but I was not too depended on that as there was no real contract between us. The sword just gave the the privilege to bend her will, that''s all. Anything other than that was my theory¡ªwhich I didn''t know if it was true or not.


    However, there was one another thing which granted my safety and she''d said it herself. ''Our souls are one''. That alone was enough to guarantee my safety.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you if anything troubles," I replied.


    ''Hah, as if¡­''

 Chapter 247 Sharper Than Any Blade, Painful Than Any Wound

    After that I went and joined the others to have dinner, leaving Req behind in my room. I''d told her to turn back into the sword but I didn''t really know if she did that or not. But well, it was fine as long as she doesn''t get seen by anyone.


    "Oh, I know. Why don''t the two of you go and visit the markets tomorrow?" Ainge suggested. We''d just finished eating and were having a little chatter before leaving for our beds.


    "Yes, it''s not like anything has changed but a few new shops have been opened which you might find to your liking," Ron added.


    "Hmm, I get the idea. But I don''t really have anything I want to buy, so it''ll just be a waste of time and money," I said.


    I already had everything I needed, and the idea of buying something just for the sake of it was strange to me. Even more so when I was practicing to limit my expenses as I knew what the conditions will be once the cmity strikes.


    "Come on, don''t be such a killjoy," Anya said; obvious, not in an offensive tone. "I was thinking about doing some shopping too."


    "But I don''t¡ª"


    "You say you don''t have anything you want to buy, when in reality you have only a few pair of winter clothes."


    "What do you mean? I have three sets, any more than that will be nothing but wastage."


    As I said that, there was an awkward moment of quiet as all of them stared at me for a good minute.


    "¡­"


    "Okay, it''s decided. You two are going for shopping tomorrow,'' Ainge dered.


    "I agree with that," Ron said.


    "Wait for a second, no one said I was okay with¡ª"


    "You don''t get a say in that, Zero," Anya asserted.


    [I''m on their side too. You are going to buy some winter wear tomorrow.]


    ***


    Dinner was done along with everything else for today and I was walking down the hallway with my hands in my pocket when I passed an opening in the air which was connected with the garden.


    The night had fell, and the moon was bright in the sky thus I decided to stop and take a look.


    I stepped out in the grass, and was weed by the cold breeze of the night. I walked a bit more and soon stopped before a wooden log that was lying horizontally on the ground. This was the ce where I''d told Anya about my reincarnation.


    It was quiet hard to do that, but I didn''t want to manipte and deceive my family anymore. So I told her everything. It was not as if she''d cornered me by questioning me like that, telling her was my own choice.


    I would''ve even told Ainge or Ron if they had asked me¡­I''ll be more than willing to tell them even now if they ask for it.


    ''After all, I don''t want things to end up like they did previously.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Some bad memories came rushing back. It wouldn''t have happened under normal circumstances, as I always keep those memories locked up in a lone corner of my heart and mind.


    But the dream I saw had opened up many old wounds.


    I sat on the log and looked up at the moon. I was trying not to think about it, but the more I tried, the more I failed.


    There was a sudden feeling of intense pain rising up in my chest, as if someone was stabbing me with a sword again and again and again.


    I was not having a heart attack, it was guilt. in guilt. But it was sharper than any de, painful than any wound. However the worst thing about it was that it could not be cured.


    The most I could do was cherish this new life I got and try to take things in a different direction, but that was about it. No matter how much ''right'' I did in this life, what I''d done in the past would not change.


    It was like a curse, a result of my actions. And I had no choice but to ept it.


    After all, even if I wanted to I couldn''t survive in this world if I tried to do everything in the ''good'' and ''honest'' way. Only Leon could do that. He had the world revolving around him, he had a system, he had a plot armor.


    "I wonder if this internal conflict of mine would one day be the reason for my fall," I mumbled as I stood up and left for my room.


    ***


    The next day I woke up ratherte. Sun was shining proudly in the sky by the time I walked out of my room.


    After taking a bath and changing in a fresh set of clothes, I was headed toward the main hall.


    Ron was sitting on his usual couch and reading a newspaper, I shifted my gaze and saw that Anya was also there.


    She looked quiet different. At first I wasn''t able to figure it out as my mind was still in the process of waking up, but then I noticed the difference in her dressing. Today, she wore more fashionable clothes.


    ''Ah, I remember now. We had to go for shopping today.''


    "Good morning," she and Ron greeted me as I made my way toward.


    "Good morning, I''d like to say. But I guess it''s prettyte for that," I said and sat beside.


    "So, are you still keen on taking me for shopping?" I asked, trying my chances for thest time.


    "Of course¡ª"


    "Zero, someone''s here to met you," Ainge said, interrupting Anya as she entered the hall. "I told them toe inside but they preferred to stay outside."


    "I''ll see," I replied as I stood up and took the hallway which led to the main door.


    As I approached the door, I saw a girl standing at the doorstep. She had sleek long hair, which were dyed in a bright red.

 Chapter 248 The Wind Of Time A

    "So you finally changed your mind?" I asked as I approached her.


    "Well¡­yeah, something like that," Ellyn replied.


    "Anyway,e inside," I said and made way for her to enter. However, her facial expression clearly showed that she was hesitating.


    "No, no, it''s fine. I''ll stay in an inn. I came here only because I wanted to meet with you," she replied.


    "I don''t think I can allow that."


    "Huh?" she mumbled in surprise.


    "Staying alone at an inn outside the academy and away from me is the worst choice you could make safety-wise," I exined.


    "That''s true, but I don''t want to trouble your family."


    "It''s not really a problem, in fact, they will be more than happy to have you. And it''s not like we don''t have a few guest rooms," I said. "Come."


    "Sigh¡­fine. But are you sure it''s okay?"


    "Yeah."


    She still looked like she wasn''tpletely pleased by the idea, but for now, she stepped inside along with the bag that she was carrying on her back.


    "By the way," I said as we were walking in the hallway. "How did you find my address?"


    "Oh, that? I asked Mr. Jekar about it," she replied.


    "I see."


    ''Ryfin, huh? Normally the academy shouldn''t have given away the information of their students that easily. But I guess since it was me, Ryfin didn''t bother doing that.''


    We came out from the hallway and stepped into the hall where Ron, Ainge, and Anya sat. They looked up at us, and except for Anya¡ªwho already knew Ellyn¡ªthe expression of everyone else didn''t suit my eye.


    "She''s Anya''s friend," I said before any misunderstanding could take birth.


    I''ve read a fair amount of rom myself and the misunderstanding troupe was among the ones I hated so much that my eyes started bleeding from cringe every time I saw that.


    There was a hint of disappointment on Ainge''s face, but Ron¡­ He was trying to keep up a poker face but I knew what thoughts were going on in his mind.


    ***


    After that, we had a bit of a conversation. Ellyn exined that she''de to visit Anya, although she did not make her reasons clear which was a thing I''d told her to do.


    I''ve also instructed her to not tell her family name until someone asks, since knowing them I knew they would be pretty intimated if they knew she was from such a high-ranking family.


    In the end, it was settled that Ellyn will stay here with us and a guest room was cleaned and maintained for her right after that.


    Anya was a little confused too, as she had no clue at all that Ellyn will being here. And to be honest, she was taken aback at first¡ªanyone would be if put in that situation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But things cooled down soon enough.


    "Oh, Ellyn! We were just about to go do some shopping. Would you like to join us?" Anya asked.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. She''s alsoing after traveling a lot hence it''s obvious she must be tired. If you really want to go, I think we should postpone it till evening," I said before Ellyn could respond.


    "What do you say?" I looked at Ellyn, and since she''s been working with me for a while now she knew when I was giving her a signal.


    "Yeah. I would''ve loved to go, but I think I should rest a little for now," she replied.


    "Humph. You''re just saying because you yourself don''t want to do it," Anya said with a puffed face.


    "Of course not," I said and tried to force a smile. Though I failed.


    ***


    I parted ways with Anya and Ellyn as Ellyn went into her room and Anya was busy checking her things to figure out what she had to buy.


    Since I didn''t have anything in particr to do, I took a hallway and right now was sitting in the garden.


    The sun was up in the sky and even though there were some clouds, I could feel the warm sun rays embracing my skin.


    The grass in the garden had grown quite a bit, and now it swayed whenever the wind passed by.


    "Ho! So here you are," someone said from behind as they put their hand on my shoulders. I didn''t need to think once to guess who it was.


    "And? Why are you filled with so much energy and looking like a teenager instead of a father," I asked as I stood up ad turned behind me.


    "Oh,e on. Don''t try to act dumb in front of me. I''m your father, I know my son''s choice very well," he said with a proud smile on his face as he pointed at himself with his thumb.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to beat the bush since I didn''t want to discuss the topic he was getting at.


    "That red-haired girl, she''s your girl isn''t she?" he said. "Don''t worry. It''ll only be natural that you would want to keep something like that a secret," he brushed my hair with his hands as he stood beside me and stared at the sky.


    "I guess you''reing to that age¡­time passes so quickly, it feels like just yesterday when you weren''t even able to walk on your own. But then after that incident, your condition started improving. You even started to learn sword arts, then you entered the academy."


    He let out a breath. "You''ve grown up," he said.


    "I don''t want to ruin your moment, but Ellyn isn''t my girlfriend. It''s true," I said, and then regretted saying it.


    "Yeah, I believe you. I''ve been through hell too when I had to introduce your mother to my father. But it''s okay, you can take your sweet time."


    This was one of those situations where the more you try to justify yourself, the more wrong you seem. That''s why I wanted to avoid this discussion.


    There was a moment of silence as both of us stared at the sky, the sun, and the grass as it swayed gently in the wind.

 Chapter 249 Nd The Gust Of Caution

    "Can I ask you for something?" I said.


    "Of course, you can. In fact, you don''t ask us for many things so I''d be more than willing to give you whatever you want. But yeah, if you want to get married right now, I''m afraid that won''t be possible. Even if it was legally allowed I want you toplete your education first¡ª"


    "I know, I know! This isn''t about marriage anyway. Wait! This was never about marriage. Why are you so fixated on that?!"


    "Hahahahah," Ron burst out into a peal ofughter. "I''m joking, joking," he said as he patted me on the back. "So, what is it?" he asked.


    "I want you to test my sword skills in a duel," I said.


    "Hmm? That''s an unusual thing to ask. Could I know the reason?"


    "It''s nothing big. I just never really got the chance to cross swords with you, so I wanted to try since this seemed like a good chance," I borated.


    "Well, I don''t have a problem with that. If anything, I''d be more than happy to do that. I never got the chance to test what my son''s capable of either," he said. "Just wait here, I''ll be back in a moment with the swords."


    After that, he left to bring the swords.


    [I''d like to know your reasons too¡­real reasons.]


    ''It''s a family thing, don''t poke your nose into it. Is it so wrong that I want to spend some quality time with my father?''


    [Whatever¡­]


    ''That was actually wrong. While the statement about spending some time with him wasn''t false, I wanted to spar with him for some other reasons as well. And it was to see his skill level.


    ''After all, even if I took the best possible route I will still be at the academy by the time the hit cmity will strike, thus it will take me some time to reach here. While the demons shouldn''t raid this area that quickly, I don''t want to take any risks.''


    ***


    A few minutester Ron returned with two wooden swords in his hands, he came up to me and handed one of the two.


    "Let''s get started then," he said with a smile and stepped a few meters back.


    He took his stance¡ªwhich was not too far from what the basic stances were¡ªbut it was clear that he''d done some changes of his own. I also shifted into a battle posture, however, I was more on the defensive side.


    After all, my goal was to test his skills and not beat him up. That''s why my main tactic would revolve around blocking his attacks and delivering a few counters out of formality.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though this was going to be harder than an all-out fight since I''d have to make sure that Ron doesn''t sense that I was going easy on him, I really didn''t want to face that oue. Therefore along with measuring his strength, I''ll have to make this spar look like a real one.


    "Are you ready?" he asked.


    "Whenever you are," I replied.


    A smile came on his face and right after that, he dashed toward me. Raising his sword above the shoulders his first attack was a basic upper-right to lower-left sh.


    Now, considering the speed of this attack, the obvious and reasonable choice would''ve been to dodge it entirely by taking two steps back. But I wanted to know how much force his attacks carried, thus I obstructed his sword''s path with my own.


    I lowered my sword to my right side and then moved it upright, smacking it straight with Ron''s sword. The angle wasn''t the best thus I felt the vibrations from the impact run into my bones.


    But it wasn''t much. Good to beat the shit out of some bandits, but not good enough to stand against the demons.


    "Not running away, eh?" he said as he remained rigid on his feet.


    "Why would I? I want to savor every moment of this," I replied.


    "Hehe, good. That''s the way I like it, you''ve inherited your father''s battle spirit," he said with a proud smirk on his face. "Now let''s see if you have your father''s strength as well!"


    He brushed off my sword by grating his against my sword''s de. This was something that could only be done while fighting with wooden swords, if you were to do this with a real sword you will probably throw back your opponent but at the cost of your de''s sharpness.


    I took a step back and held my sword in front of my chest with both hands. Ron was going full offensive though.


    He took a step forward and nted his left foot on the ground, he moved his sword up with just his right hand and brought it down straight toward me. It was a custom move, and it looked as if he were cutting something with an axe.


    I quickly moved my sword in front of my face while holding its hilt with one hand and grabbing the tip of the de with another. This was a way to keep yourself from getting pushed back, but again it was something you could use only with a wooden sword, or else you''d end up cutting your own hand.


    A secondter after I''d put up my defense his sword hit, no, it was supposed to sh with my de as the attack was directed toward my shoulder. But on the way, he changed the trajectory of his de and struck me on the left side of my chest.


    ''Still not enough,'' I said inwardly. Even if not blocked, the strength of his attacks was not enough to damage a demon.


    The next moment I hit his sword down with my left elbow. I jumped and spun in the air and threw a sh at him. I ducked under my sword and moved his de in an arc to brighten it in front of himself in order to block the next attack I threw at him.


    ''Well, at least his defense is better.''

 Chapter 250 Living In The Moment

    "That was a good one," Ron said as he sat on the ground beside me. Our little spar had ended and now we were taking a bit of a breather.


    "You are certainly growing. I''m sure you would have surpassed me by the next time you''re here," he said.


    "I''ll take that as apliment then," I replied.


    There was no winner for the previous spar; we just traded blows for half an hour and then stopped. It was enough time for me to assess his skills.


    And the result¡­well, I''ll have to get here as soon as possible when the cmity will strike. The academy rules won''t matter after that but I''m sure they will be valid during the time I''ll take my leave. Though I don''t really care for all that.


    In everything I was doing, the single goal I had was to save my family from being killed in the cmity. Anything else came afterward.


    "Zero," Ron called my name as he sat on the grass beside me. I turned to look at him, an indication that I was listening.


    "Are you enjoying your life?" he asked. He was looking at the sky, not at me. His eyes were calm¡ªfor once¡ªand his expression was rxed.


    The question came so unexpectedly that I was quiet for a moment. "What exactly do you mean by that?" I queried.


    "Huh? I asked if you were enjoying the way you are living your life."


    I still wasn''t able to grasp it.


    "What exactly do you mean by ''enjoying my life''?" I appealed, it was a strange term to me.


    "Sigh, sometimes I forget how dense you can be," he said with a slight smile. "What I mean to ask is do you think you''re living every moment of your life to its fullest? Are you sure that when you would have grown up to be an old man and when you will look back at the time you spent as your younger self, you won''t regret it and think that ''Oh, I should have done this, or I should''ve lived more in the present or ah, I wasn''t able to do this?''"


    His words took me by surprise and for the first time in a while, I was introduced to a question that had left me unable to think for a second. I''ve never really thought about living life in such a way. After all, I had so many things to take care of, a family I wanted to save, and a future I wanted to survive in.


    I never really had the time to sit and think about the present or what I''ll think of my actions in thete future.


    But I didn''t intend to lie, so I have him an honest answer.


    "I¡­honestly don''t know," I said.


    "I see. That''s fine then," he replied.


    "Huh? I thought I didn''t reply to what you were expecting me to. I thought your reply would a little harsher."


    "Haha, what''re you talking about? You said exactly what I wanted you to say. In fact, I probably would have smacked you if you said that you ARE living every moment of your life to its fullest. No one your age is mature enough to do that, and if they enjoying their present that means they are ignoring their future. That basically boils down to being careless."


    "What were you doing when you were my age? Were you enjoying your life?"


    "Heh, hell nah. If anything I was even less responsible than you. I was tangled up in day-to-day problems. Like how to look cool in school, how to outss everyone in my ss, just like every teenager I too dreamed about bing a hero and saving the world¡­ I remember I was also way too desperate about losing my virginity."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Wait, wait, you don''t have to disclose that many details!"


    He chuckled, "It''s fine. It''s not every day I get to talk to you like this."


    "Still, I''d like to ask how you met with her. Considering the way you describe yourself, I''m guessing most of the girls would''ve liked to keep their distance from you."


    "Ah, well, you''re not entirely wrong about that. I was the cheeky, full-of-energy, weirdo during my school days. But that was the reason I met your mother. Although I think you should ask her about this if you really want to know. It''s not fair for me to tell everything, is it?"


    ? "That''s fair I guess."


    "¡­"


    "Zero, let me ask this again. Are you living your life to its fullest?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Good. That''s the way it should be. Take your time, and learn everything the right way. After all, before enjoying your life, it''s important to learn how to live a life."


    ***


    We talked about a few more things after that, but since Ron had something to do he had to leave.


    I also walked out of the garden as it was beginning to get cold. I spent the rest of my time doing your everyday things, and soon it was evening.


    Though it was still five o''clock, the sun had settled behind the clouds and the cold wasing out on the roads.


    It was around this time when Anya came to pay me a visit while I was sitting in my room, reading a book.


    "Aren''t you dressed yet?" was the first thing she asked upon entering my room.


    "Why should I be?" I asked as I closed my book.


    "Don''t tell me you forgot. We are going shopping," she replied as if I was asking the most obvious thing.


    "No, I know that. But why should I wear good clothes when I am going to buy clothes?" it was a pretty logical question if you ask me.


    "Sigh. There''s no arguing with you. Just wear something other than what you''re wearing right now ande. Ellyn is also ready," she said.


    "Oh, that so? Well, I''ll be doing that then. Now if you will be so kind as to close the door," I replied.


    "Don''t take much time," she left, shutting the door close behind her.

 Chapter 251 When The Time Is Right

    I walked into the hall after wearing some better clothes¡ªas Anya had said¡ªand wrapped a cloak around myself.


    There I saw Ellyn and Anya waiting for me. Both of them were not dressed as fashionably as I''d thought since most of their fashion was covered by the cloaks they wore. Cloaks were necessary after all, it was the winter season.


    "Finally done?" Anya asked.


    "Yeah, let''s go," I said.


    ***


    After informing Ainge of our departure, we left our house behind and stepped out on the road.


    This road had less traffic because it was one of therger alleyways and not technically a road. The path was paved with cobblestone and the snowfall fromst night was collected on the sides.


    We walked on this path for a while before it emerged and connected with the main road. Now, this was what you would like to call a road. The ground was paved with grated sandstone and the road was wide enough for five wagons to move side by side.


    There were shops lined up on both sides of the road, they varied from small stalls to full-size shops. Wagons were rolling by from time to time and there were people wandering around as well.


    The poption was less, of course, due to the winter. But there were still enough to make it feel like a lively marketce.


    Almost all of them wore dark-colored cloaks hence it was difficult to distinguish one from the other. I wore one of the same colors¡ªdark green¡ªas well, however, thankfully Ellyn and Anya were easy to find out; Ellyn with her dark crimson cloak and Anya with ash gray.


    We walked side by side and were soon standing at the heart of the market.


    "What do we do now?" I asked. It was a genuine question. After all, I didn''t spend every day shopping. In fact, I can''t even remember thest time I went out to buy things with the motive of buying things.


    "Isn''t it obvious? We''re here to buy clothes and some other things. What else we''ll do," Anya replied.


    That was it, right there. She might not realize it but that very thing was my problem. I didn''t know how to buy clothes, I did not have a preference or fashion sense or anything fancy like that.


    "Let''s start from here then," Ellyn said and pulled us into the nearest shop.


    We passed among a cluster of the crowd and stepped inside the shop.


    "You shouldn''t be wandering off on your own like that. You''re not familiar with the city, you know that?" Anya warned her.


    "I know, I know. But I''m not a little kid¡ªI didn''t even get lost even as a kid¡ªso you don''t need to worry. Come on, let''s see something from here," Ellyn said as she pulled Anya''s arm and led her toward a specific section of the shop where the clothes were hung on the walls for disy.


    Since I was left alone with nothing in particr to do, I looked around in the shop in order to find something for me only to realize that they only had girls'' clothes in there.


    ''Well, it should''ve been obvious, shouldn''t it?


    [I agree with you on that. It was really really obvious just from looking at her reaction that she was drawn toward a shop that had clothes for girls. She is a girl, what do you expect?]


    ''I know. Just took a while to realize that.''


    [I really can''t understand you. Sometimes you act all smart and cocky and arrogant and the next moment you''re choking over simple things. So simple even a kid could guess.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I''m NOT "arrogant" mind you.''


    [If you think that, then you''re way too wrong about yourself. You should sit and take some time to think about your own character.]


    ''My own character, huh? It''s certainly not a topic I''d like to dwell on.''


    [Then I can''t do anything but correct you whenever you are about to make a bad decision because of your thoughts.]


    ''What has gotten into you today? You don''t normally talk like this.''


    [Now, do I?]


    ''Sigh. You''re still sticking to the fact that I didn''t tell you the reason why I held back while fighting my dad, aren''t you?''


    [¡­]


    ''At least try to hide it, if that''s the route you''re gonna take.''


    [Tch. How can I not be mad about that, huh? Only some time ago you promised me that you will tell me if there''s anything troubling you, but now this. How am I supposed to take this?]


    ''I didn''t tell you because it''s not something that''s troubling me.''


    [I know that. It''s something you''re WORRIED about, right?]


    Now, how the hell was she reading my feelings? I didn''t know that, and it frustrated me.


    ''Anyway, I won''t be telling you anything about it. It is something you should not know. Not now.''


    [¡­What do you mean by not now?]


    ''I can''t tell you right now, but if you behave yourself, I''ll tell you everything when the time is right.''


    [And how am I supposed to believe you on that when you just broke your promise?]


    ''Technically I haven''t since I never said ''I promise'' in the first ce, but I''ll that slide. And for the situation at hand, it''s up to you. Either you believe me or you don''t. Those are the only two choices you have, and I won''t be forcing you to choose anyone. So take your good time thinking about it.''


    I blocked Req from my head after that, since I needed to focus on what I was doing right now.


    Moving toward where Ellyn and Anya had gone, I saw that they were skimming through the clothes one by one, and rather than picking the best one, they were busy pointing out the cons in each of them.


    This was something my eyes could not bear to see. I mean, why even go through such trouble just to buy some clothes?


    Whenever I had to buy them¡ªeven in my former life¡ªI chose whatever looked like it would cover my body and I wasfortable in it. That''s all!


    Therefore, I moved back to the front of the shop and waited for them to finish their ''selection''.

 Chapter 252 Nothing But Thin Air

    It had been more than an hour and then I was in a different shop with Ellyn and Anya. This one was bigger and had more sections and clothes to pick from. And judging from the quality of the material the shop made and the clothes as well, I guessed that this should be one of those expensive ones.


    "Having trouble, ain''t ya?" The shopkeeper asked.


    During the time they were taking and choosing their dresses, I sat on a stool near the shop counter. The shopkeeper was just on the other side so it wouldn''t have been strange for him to try and start a conversation.


    "Not really. I''m just waiting," I replied.


    "Hehe, well. Ladies like to take their sweet time," he said. He came close to me and leaned forward while resting his hands on the counter.


    "Still though," he said. "You have good taste. Which one of them is your gal? Or perhaps both?"


    "Neither of them," I stated, and at the same time, wondered why people misunderstand this so easily.


    "Oh? Are you getting swindled then? Trying to get yourself somepany by paying a handy amount¡ª"


    "The blond one is my sister, and the red-haired one is her friend."


    The shopkeeper was silent and hesitated to speak for a while, perhaps there was nothing else to say.


    "Well, looks like I touched the wrong spot. Sorry for that," he said. I didn''t reply as I had no intention of stretching this conversation any longer.


    "Anyway, you might be here for some clothes too, na? I have something that''d look just great on you. Lemme show ya," he said ande to the other side of the counter.


    "It''s fine. I''m not here to buy¡ª"


    "Come on, just take a look. I''m sure you''ll like it. It''s not like you have anything better to do for now. Thosedies will take at least half an hour more, you can take my word for that."


    I nced in Anya''s direction and she seemed busy finding the best color that''d suit her, Ellyn was helping her so probably she''d chosen her own dress¡ªbut honestly, I can''t really say.


    "Show me then," I said and hopped off the stool. Nothing can be worse than sitting here and getting bored.


    "Now, that''s the spirit," a smile appeared on the shopkeeper''s face as he led to a specific section of the shop.


    Looking around I saw that this area had men''s clothes, however, since there were no customers I found it weird.


    "Are girls interested in men''s clothes as well?" I asked.


    "Hahaha, no no. These clothes haven''t been put up for sale yet, they have freshly arrived," he replied as we walked through walls of winter clothing.


    "Why are you showing them to me then?"


    "I said they are not up for sale yet, but that doesn''t mean I don''t want to sell them. I can''t change the stock on a working day, that''s all. Also, think of this as an apology for that misunderstanding."


    ''Yeah, yeah, I know you''re such a good man. You totally aren''t doing this to sell me some expensive stuff.''


    "Here we are," he said and stopped in his tracks.


    In front of him was a metal stand and on it was hung a cloak in the shade of dark gray and ck.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "This is what I wanted to show you, it''s one of the best cloaks you''d find right now."


    "Well, I wonder about that."


    I walked close and touched the fabric of the cloak. And while I didn''t have much experience in these types of things, I had been living in this world for quite a while and knew what was good and what was not.


    If I''m talking about this specific cloak, I''d say it was better than the ones I had now. It was also thick enough to keep me warm even on the windy nights of winter.


    I walked around the cloak and checked it from all sides; after all, it won''t be strange if he was trying to sell me some damaged goods.


    However, after examining it for a few minutes I saw no such things. I liked the look of the cloak, and the material it was made of was durable as well.


    "How much will it cost?" I asked.


    "Ah, it''s not really so much. Just 5000 C," he replied.


    That confirmed it. I was right with my first assumption, he was trying to sell me some expensive stuff.


    "Fine, I''ll buy it," I said.


    I was never really good at bargaining. If I liked something, I was going to buy it indifferent of the cost. That''s how it was in my previous life, and that''s how it is in this one as well.


    I''m not saying that it doesn''t cause me inconvenience, but I just ignore it most of the time.


    The shopkeeper then packed the cloak and I came back to the counter with him. I paid him with my transaction card. I still had to wait a few minutes before Anya and Ellyn were done picking up the dresses of their liking.


    After everything was done, we left the shop and were back on the main road.


    "You seriously bought this for 5000 C," Ellyn asked, a little surprised.


    "Leave it. That''s what he''s like," Anya said. "Couldn''t you have waited until I was done? I''m sure this cloak was worth half the price you bought it for."


    "Why should I have waited for you? I''m not a kid that you''ll buy me clothes," I stated.


    "Oh ho? Well, you are no less than one."


    "I can take that personally."


    "You should! Even if you are good in many other things, you are at the same level as a kid in daily life chores," Anya said.


    "Hey, you don''t need to go that hard on me. But then again, it''s not like what you''re saying is not true," I sighed.


    "You shouldn''t take that lightly. Things like these are what wille to be usefulter. Ellyn, you should tell him something too?" Anya said, though got no reply.


    "Ellyn?" She turned to look at her side, where Ellyn had been walking.


    But right now, there was no one but thin air.

 Chapter 253 A Night Of Cold And Incidents [1]

    "Where did she go?" Anya asked.


    "Who?"


    "Ellyn."


    "Wasn''t she with you?" I inquired.


    "Yes she was, but now she''s nowhere to be found," Anya stopped in her tracks and looked around to see, but her eyes only met with disappointment.


    "She must have wandered to some shop again," I implied.


    "Maybe, but she would''ve told me if that were the case," at this point, Anya was starting to get a little worried and concern was beginning to show on her face.


    "Do you think she got lost?"


    "I don''t think that''s out of the question. She is new to these areas, after all," I stated. Losing your way in an unknown city or ce was amon thing if you got careless. It was nothing new.


    "Tch! It''s starting to get dark as well, we need to find her soon or it''ll spell trouble," Anya said while trying to look in every direction possible.


    The sun was starting to hide behind the clouds, and since it was a winter day it wouldn''t take long for the sky topletely turn charred. Soon the cold winds will start to pick up the pace, and staying out won''t be the best choice. If Ellyn was really lost then she might have to book an inn or something in order to maintain her health¡ªgiven that she knew where the inns were located.


    "Why are you just standing there? Come help me find her!" Anya''s instructions came from behind.


    "But where are we going to find her? This marketce is way too big for us to search for a single person. And she will be on the move as well so it''ll be even more difficult," I said as I walked up to Anya and stood next to her.


    "So what are you saying then? We should leave her be and go back home?" she replied, there was a hint of anger in her voice.


    "That''s not what I meant here¡ªthough it won''t be that bad of a choice if you ask me. Anyway, what I''m saying is that we should split up and then search for her. It will be faster this way and since both you and I know this area well, there won''t be any chances of getting lost," I suggested.


    She stopped at her ce and took some time to think about it. Most likely she was calcting her options and figuring out the best possible option.


    "Fine. I also think we''ll find her sooner that way," she said, finallying to a decision.


    "Okay. Then you go check in the direction where we bought the clothes, I''ll check the way that leads to home," I stated.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Anya nodded, "Let''s meet here, right here again in about half an hour," those were my final words before both of us left in different directions.


    Going through the crowd of people, I passed through the main roads. As twilight was approaching the poption of people on the roads was slowly decreasing. It took me a few minutes before I was in an opening where there were rtively fewer people.


    I was walking toward one of the alleyways when I looked up in the sky and saw that the snow was falling from the sky. This was not good, not for Ellyn. The winds were also picking up their pace, if I had to guess so in about an hour the conditions outside won''t be suitable for roaming around.


    Looking away from the sky I entered one of the alleyways, it was narrow unlike the main roads and there was barely enough space for three people to walk side by side. After walking for a few minutes there were two turns in left and right, I turned left and kept walking.


    Following the path, I was again introduced to two turns, this time I took turns rightward. The same sequence repeated itself multiple times as I dived deep into the maze of alleyways that led toward the outer part of the city¡ªin short, the slum area.


    ''Which side now?'' again there were three paths in front of me.


    [Go straight, after that it will be left again, then straight, and then right. Also, increase your pace. I won''t be able to detect their mana if they wandered too far.]


    ''Yeah, I know.''


    I looked around and saw that there were little to no people in the alleyway I was currently in. Thus there was no need to hold back either.


    I took a stance and channeled mana throughout, a secondter I kicked off the ground andunched myself in the directions Req had told me. I was C rank, after all, covering this distance quickly didn''t even count as a problem. In less than a minute I reached the location as Req continued to guide me along the way.


    [They''ve stopped at a ce. You should hurry.]


    ''I disagree with that.''


    I stopped myself just before I count step out of the little cover. In front of me was a left turn and after that was an opening with enough space for a small crowd of people to stand. I peeked from the side and saw five people standing there beside a wall.


    Four were males, dressed in tight, pure ck clothing and each of them was carrying a short sword. Their faces were covered beneath masks as well, so it was impossible to identify them. But judging from their physic and their ability to masterfully hide their presence, I could tell that they were no ordinary humans.


    All of them stood in front of a wall and were pinning down the sole female, she was dressed in normal clothing and wore a dark crimson-colored cloak. Ellyn.


    Her hands and legs were tied with what I could identify as a tight rope, and her mouth was sealed with a thickce of cloth. On her neck was a pendant with a red crystal on its end and it was emitting a dim light. Ellyn was desperately trying to free herself from her current position but wasn''t even able to stand on her feet.

 Chapter 254 A Night Of Cold And Incidents [2]

    "Ummhhhh!" Ellyn was trying to scream but was not able to do so as her mouth was tied up with a thickce of cloth.


    "Just shut up for once!" one of the men cursed and kicked Ellyn hard on her jaw. Her head smacked on the ground and a few secondster the cloth tying her mouth turned red.


    "Why are you wasting time? We''re not here for fun," the guy beside that one said.


    "I know, she was just getting on my nerves," he spat.


    "Now, now, guys. Let''s not fight amongst ourselves, we have a job to finish," the third one said and slid out his sword from its sheath.


    He held Ellyn by her hair and bent down to match her level, then he pointed the tip of his de toward Ellyn and pressed it slowly against her chest. The sword tore her cloth and reached the skin, a bead of blood swelled up as the sword begin to pierce her skin.


    Ellyn''s eyes widened. "Nmhhhhhh! Sthhhpppppp!" she screamed, but her words weren''t able toe out clearly due to her mouth being tied up.


    "None of this is your fault miss, it''s your father who hates you. We are also just doing our job so don''t harbor any hard feelings for us when you go to the heavens," he said as began to press the de against her chest.


    Tears began to burst out of her eyes as she stared at the de that was about to stab her to death. She was also screaming but all of that was futile.


    [You are cruel.]


    ''I guess I am. But I guess it''s about time.''


    I opened the palm of my hand and a shard of ice materialized, I held it tight and then threw it upward. The shard shed with the wall and broke with a crackling sound, at the same time I bent and touched the ground.


    Four spikes of rock instantly emerged from where the men were standing, the three of them were quick enough to reach and dodged the attack by jumping away with a backflip.


    However, the one who was pressing the sword against Ellyn''s chest was not in the position to move quickly. The spike emerged just below him and since he was bending down, the sharp pointed edge of the spike stabbed his lower abdomen and tearing through his body, came out from the other side as the man''s corpse hung on it.


    Before the other three could get the time to think I used elemental magic again and once again spikes emerged from the ground beneath their feet. They were able to dodge sessfully but gained some scratches in the process.


    I came out from the cover andunched a series of ice shards in their direction followed by a line of fireballs. During the time they moved away in order to dodge those attacks I had closed the distance between them and myself.


    "Who the hell are you now?" one of them asked in a loud.


    ''This is not good. He shouldn''t get the time to speak.''


    I pped my hands together, and then slowly distanced them away from each other. As I did that, a rough sword made out of stone appeared in between¡ªI''d created it using the earth element and collecting all the dust present in the air in one ce and giving it a shape.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Grabbing the sword I leaped toward the guy who''d spoken, he brought forth his own short sword to defend himself. I was holding my own sword with my right hand and with my left, I grabbed hold of his de as he swung it toward me.


    It cut my flesh and a little amount of blood dripped from the sides of my palm, but the next the de of his sword froze into solid ice and then broke into pieces. His eyes widened as I drilled and pushed my sword into his throat. I left the sword stuck in his throat, he tried to take it out but before he could do that his body fell on the ground as he lost all life.


    "DON''T IGNORE US!!!" a scream came from behind.


    I bent down and ducked under the sword swing that came afterward, when the sword hadpleted its arc I stood up. Long ck beard and brown eyes; he was another of those men standing in front of me with his short sword. His eyes twitched a bit when he saw me.


    "Wait a minute. Aren''t you¡ª"


    He stopped talking as I punched him right in the chest. My fist was covered with a thick sheet of ice therefore I didn''t take much damage as my punch connected to his chest and tore open a hole. I could feel his lungs and heart when I pulled my hand back and released the elemental magic, causing the ice on my fist to shatter; doing that for too long could get me to ice burns.


    The man coughed blood, and gulps of blood spilled from his mouth.


    I could see the other side through the man''s chest.


    ''So this is how it feels to donut-kill someone, huh?''


    I thought as I bnced my body and looked at my fist; it was fine. My skin was a little red but I had not got frostbite.


    "Now, are you really going to go with thatme tactic?" I said as I turned toward Ellyn.


    The remainingst man was there as he held Ellyn from behind and posed his sword right after her throat. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.


    "This was our job, to begin with. It doesn''t matter how I do it," he replied and held Ellyn more tightly and pressed the de on her throat. "All that''s left is to see how will die first, this girl or you," he said.


    "Ah, that''ll be you," I said and flickered my hand in his direction. A series of ice shards of pointed ice shards flew toward him at great speed.


    He raised one of his hands to defend his face but all the shards flew past him, not a single one hitting him.


    "You missed," he said with a grin.


    "No, I didn''t."

 Chapter 255 A Night Of Cold And Incidents [3]

    "No, I didn''t."


    The crystal on the pendant that Ellyn was wearing slowly cracked open as light spilled out from it. One of my shards had hit it right in the center, causing it to break.


    In no time, the lighting out from the crystal disappeared and it crumbled into a dozen pieces.


    After that, the one who moved was not me but Ellyn. She snapped the rope tying her hands and legs, and before the man holding her could realize anything she jabbed him in the gut with her elbow.


    She bent her hands behind and grabbed the man''s head, pulling him upward. She swung the man above her head in aplete one-eighty and smacked him on the ground before herself. The man took a great impact and his sword slipped from his hand.


    But by this time he was somewhat aware of the situation as he grabbed Ellyn''s wrists and tried to jerk her off in order to free himself.


    However, Ellyn opened her palms rather than trying to resist the man.


    "Lightning!" she said and a magic circle opened right in front of the man''s face. A bolt of lightning was hurled toward his body and the man danced his death as the attack connected; ck fumes rose from his burned flesh when the lightning disappeared.


    Ellyn brushed her hands aside and took a few hurried steps back, though she could not maintain her bnce and fell on her hips. Rather than trying to stand back up, she sat there with her head buried in her arms.


    I walked up to her and in the process, I created another sharp shard of ice and flung it toward the man''s disgusting-smelling body. The attack was aimed perfectly and it pierced straight inside his heart.


    [Why did you do that for?]


    ''He wasn''t dead yet, I''m sure you could also tell.''


    [Sigh. I won''t even bother saying that he was not in the condition to move despite being alive.]


    "Are you hurt?" I asked as I sat beside Ellyn.


    Only then did I realize that this was not a good ce to sit as just a few steps away was the corpse of the man hanging from a stone spike and blood was sttered all over the ground, painting it in a deep red.


    I patted her on the back, slowly. "It''s fine. They''re all dead," I said.


    She lifted her head finally and saw that she was crying a handful; her face was a mess.


    "Th-They¡­ were sent by my father," a snob. "I-I could tell...b-by the way they were talking to me." Her eyes which had recently stopped shedding tears became wet again.


    Tears dripped from her eyes one after another, and she cried. Even harder than the time when Seiren was bullying her on the rooftop, harder than ever I''d seen.


    "It''s fine, everything''s alright. I''m here," I stated and patted her head.


    She leaned onto me and wrapping her hands around me pulled me into a tight hug and cried on my chest. I put my arms around her as well, not because of the reason you are thinking. It was to cover her with my cloak as the snowfall was increasing and she was likely to get cold.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "They will kill me¡­I know. S-Sooner orter, I''d be dead¡­" she whispered in a trembling voice.


    "No one will be able to do anything to you. Because I am here, and I will protect you from your father. We''ve made a contract, remember? Now, it doesn''t matter if he sends a group of killers or god himself, I will protect you because I''ve said that I will. You don''t need to worry about anything."


    She gripped me more tightly and buried her head in my arms and chest. She was so close I could feel her body heat.


    "Thank you¡­" she said lightly.


    "You don''t need to, or rather you shouldn''t say that. I am going to protect you because that''s what I have said I will. We made a contract, right? So there''s no way I''m going to let anyone touch you."


    She smiled a little after a long while. "So you are able to say things like this too, huh?" she mumbled.


    "Come on, we should go. The weather outside will worsen and Anya is worried about you as well. We shouldn''t make her wait too much," I suggested.


    "Y-Yeah, I think you''re right. We should go," she distanced herself from me and I helped her to stand on her feet.


    "Can you stand?"


    "Yes, I''m okay now."


    "Sorry but I can''t heal you, I can''t use healing magic," I said.


    [You would''ve been able to if you brought Requiem with you.]


    "No, it''s okay. You have already done enough," she replied.


    Even so, I wiped the blood from her face with my handkerchief. It turns out that she''d only bit her tongue when that man kicked her and there wasn''t any fatal injury.


    "I think you might want to step away, I have to burn these corpses first," I said and turned around.


    Ellyn took a few steps back and when she was at a safe distance, I used elemental magic and turned all the corpses on fire. I also released the elemental magic I''d cast before and all the stone spikes that had emerged from the ground disintegrated into dust.


    All the bodies burned, and I watched them. The smell of burning flesh entered my nostrils as the light of mes reflected into my eyes.


    Standing there as I watched them burn, a thought urred to me.


    ''I think this would be enough. At least now she won''t think that the contract we made is just for my benefit and I am using her. That''s how it should be. Since I can''t put a leash on her like I can with Req, I need to make sure that the thought of betraying me shouldn''t even ur in her mind. With this, she will start to depend on me, even if a little.''


    Standing there as I watched them burn, I thought about the time when I''d returned to the Sofrora kingdom after acquiring the Requiem sword.

 Chapter 256 A Meeting In The Past [1]

    A few months ago, when I returned to Sofrora city after clearing thebyrinth and acquiring the Requiem sword.


    My condition was as bad as it could get. I was covered in bandages and my whole body was falling apart as a result of my fight with the uth. I had to go back to the academy as soon as I could since it was the only ce where I could get the desired treatment.


    However, before doing that I had one more ce I wanted to visit. Although to go there I had to change my look, or there was no way I''ll be able to do what I wanted to.


    "Come on, we''re changing directions," I said to Req who was busy enjoying her cotton candy.


    ''Eh? But I want to buy some more of this stuff!" she said with the expression of a dissatisfied child. As if I''d snatched her favorite toy from her.


    "I''m not taking any excuses. I won''t be able to hang around with you so finish your candy quickly and turn back into the sword," Imanded.


    "Ugh!" she gave me a disgusted look. But it''s not like she had any other choice so after finishing the cotton candy she had to transform back into the Requiem sword.


    After that, I changed my ways, and rather than going toward the academy I went and booked a room in an inn for myself. Then I went to the market and bought some good-looking formal clothes, a new pair of shoes, a watch, and an expensive deodorant.


    I came back to the inn and removed my torn academy uniform. I would''ve preferred to take a bath, but since I could not take off the bandages, I cleaned myself with a wet towel and washed my hair and face.


    Then I wore the new clothes I''d bought,bed my hair in a neat way, rolled in my watch, sprayed myself with the deodorant I''d bought, and sneaked into the new pair of shoes. I left the inn and headed off to the central part of the city.


    Rather than going on foot, I booked a wagon and then headed off as I didn''t want any dust to be seen on my shoes.


    It took me a while but I reached my destination. Stepping out of the wagon, I paid the driver some extra tip and then turned around.


    In front of me was an enormous mansion, my own house was nothing in front of it. Made with white marble and stone the building was no less than a masterpiece in and itself. Thewn before the mansion was covered with bright green grass, and though I couldn''t see much due to the long wall surrounding the entire property, I could still notice that I''d rarely seen the nts that were nted inside as decorations.


    I walked close to the mansion, and in front of me stood a big iron gate. A guard came out from the check-post¡ªa boxed room¡ªthat was built beside the gate and stopped before me.


    "Halt!" he said as he tapped the ground with the spear he was carrying. "Who might you be?" he asked.


    "I want to meet with the Archduke," I said. All three families were archdukes since they came directly after the king in terms of rank.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, the expression on the guard''s face was not so nice. Of course, it was reasonable as what I was asking for without even stating my name was the same foolishness someone would show whilemitting suicide.


    But I did not want to give my name and rank since the chances of meeting him will fall even lower then. That''s why I thought of another way.


    I slid my hand inside my pocket and took out my transaction card. I flipped the card and showed the guard which contained the information about me being a student at the Zaforths magic academy.


    "I have something important to talk about," I added as I gave him the card.


    It wasn''t exactly an ID card but it worked the same since there was the academy''s logo printed on it along with my name and it was a student transaction card. Academy students had a reputation of their own since getting in was a task where the sons of even great nobles failed.


    If I wanted to meet with someone like the Archduke then I should have at least something backing me up.


    The guard took the card from me and examined it. He was probably checking whether it was fake or not. He went inside the check-post and a minuteter came out with a coin in his other hand.


    "Sounds like a real deal. You really are a student at the academy," he said as he handed me the card. He began to pass the coin to me as well when I stopped. "Keep it," I said and he tucked it inside his pocket.


    He thought over something for a while as he looked at me from head to toe, I gave him the best smile I could while keeping it natural as well.


    "Rem, take the young man inside," he said in a rather loud voice.


    Another guard came out from the check-post which was on the opposite side. He wasn''t bulky like this one but still, he wore a full metal armor and had an air of masculinity around him. He had a long beard and bushy eyebrows.


    ''Ah, well, this is certainly isn''t the Rem I was expecting.''


    "Follow me," Rem said while the other guard opened the gates, making way for me to enter.


    Rem took the lead, and I followed him inside the grounds of the mansion. As I walked I realized that the decision to leave the Requiem sword back at the inn was a good choice since I highly doubt that they would''ve let me in if I carried a weapon with me.


    I had no worry that it might set stolen because Req knew how to defend herself.

 Chapter 257 A Meeting In The Past [2]

    As I''d thought, thewn of this mansion was so big that my entire house could fit inside it and there''d still be a reasonable amount of space left.


    Rem led me inside the mansion and I was even more amazed by seeing the inside. I had never seen this type of architecture before, the way the pirs were built and supported the weight of the whole mansion along with contributing to the decoration of the mansion was just amazing.


    Although I wanted to admire the beauty of these things, I couldn''t look in every possible direction in awe because I had a reputation to maintain; an act I had to keep ying.


    Going around the big hall of the mansion and then through some hallways Rem and I finally entered a room that was guarded with a beautiful dark oak door. However, while stepping inside I saw that there was no one inside.


    Only two luxurious-looking couches and a round wooden table, everything other than that was either for decoration or something I didn''t know the use of.


    Rem gestured for me to take a seat and following his advice I sat on one of the couches. There was a notepad and pen lying on the table, Rem pointed at it with his finger.


    "Write whatever you want to talk about with the Archduke in form of a letter. If he is interested in you then you would get the opportunity to meet his grace, otherwise, you will have to leave," he exined.


    "I see. I will do that then," I replied. And for a minute after that, we both stared at each other.


    "My apologies," Rem said, moving away from me he went and stood by the side of the door.


    This was another of those hidden trails. If I had started writing while he was still there in a position where he could see what I was writing, then I''m sure I would''ve been kicked out right then and there.


    But with those things taken care of now, I picked up the pen and notepad. Then I wrote anything but one line: ''I know where your daughter is right now, and what you are trying to do with her.''


    Then I graciously tore the paper off the notepad and folded it twice before handing it to Rem.


    "Wait here," he said before leaving the room. I stood there before the door for a minute, then when I was sure that he''d left. I put my hand on the handle and tried to pull the door backward to open it. It didn''t budge.


    ''As I thought.''


    There was no window in this room either, by locking the door they were basically making sure I couldn''t do anything if my intentions were to deal any harm to the Archduke or the mansion.


    There was no reason toin so I went back to the couch and sat on my ce¡ªon the couch.


    I waited. A few minutes passed, then a few more, then half an hour passed. No one came.


    But then the lock of the door clicked and it opened, behind the door was a mob of guards and the Archduke himself.


    Two guards apanied him inside while the others waited outside. He came and I stood up to greet him, however, he gestured with his hand and I sat back. He took the ce on the other couch in front of me.<novelnext></novelnext>


    I took a look at him and understand what a high-ss noble is like. I am not even talking about the quality of his clothes here, just the way he sat was admirable on its own. His every movement was carefully gracious.


    The Archduke or Rulbenl Rosenberg was a man in his forties. He had long brown hair which had started to go white, the color of his eyes was gray and he didn''t have a beard. In short, he didn''t resemble Ellyn in the least.


    It was reasonable as well since Ellyn was their adopted daughter.


    "My greetings, your grace," I said as I bowed a little.


    He raised his hand, "There''s no need for that. I heard you had something you wanted to talk about?"


    ''What was the meaning of deliberately making me wait for half an hour when you can''t control your own emotions and jump straight to the topic,'' I thought.


    "Yes, your grace. It''s a rather important matter, but¡­" I stopped and cast my gaze at the two guards standing behind his couch. "I believe it is a sensitive matter and you wouldn''t like others to hear about it."


    "That is true," he said and gestured for the guards to leave the room. They followed his order and stepped out of the room, leaving us alone.


    "I believe you would like it if I get straight to the point?" I asked calmly. He nodded.


    "I see. Then let me say this, I know that you are trying to kill your own daughter," I said.


    "You are aware that you can get arrested for using me of this?" Rulbenl stated. I nodded.


    "Yeah, I know. Do you know that you can lose your archduke title if the word of this got out, your grace?" I appealed with a sweet smile on my face.


    His eyes twitched, he was probably not expecting this blunt way of speaking. Honestly, I would''ve tried a different approach but I did not have much time to waste on him.


    "On what basis are you using me of such lowly crimes? Do you have any proof to back your ims?" he inquired as he shifted in his seat.


    "Proof?" I said as I leaned back. "I think you are misunderstanding something. You are asking me for proof, but I have the girl herself, your grace. And both you and I know that she''d be more than willing to speak in public?"


    Rulbenl closed his eyes and sighed. He opened his again and leaned forward as he said.


    "So? What do you want? Money? Fame? Women?" he asked.


    "No, quite the contrary I''d say," the smile on my face changed.

 Chapter 258 A Meeting In The Past [3]

    "I''d like to help you in finding her andpleting what you want to do," I stated.


    "This is certainly something I don''t see every day. What are your reasons for doing this?" Rulbenl asked. "I assumed she was your friend, why would you betray your friends?"


    "Friend? No, your grace. I have a rather intense rtionship with her," I said.


    "Thus you want to help me so that you can remove her from your path?"


    "You''re quick on the uptake, your grace," I stated.


    "Hence? How can you help me? You wrote that you know where she is right now but even I know that much. She is hiding inside the magic academy," there was a sense of frustration on his face as he spelled that.


    "I think you didn''t understand me, your grace. What I will tell you is not her current location, but where she will be in the next couple of months," I rified.


    "Keep speaking."


    "I can provide the exact information of where she will be by the end of this year. In return, I want you to kill her," I exined.


    "What reason do I have to believe you on this? And even if I had a reason, how can you be sure of where she will be in the future?" he asked.


    "I know because I will be the one bringing her there. And for why should you trust me, that is up to you, your grace," I replied.


    I grabbed the notepad and the pen and wrote something around one paragraph¡ªwhich were the details of where she will be, to be precise. After that, I tore the paper out of the notepad and slid it toward Rulbenl.


    "By the end of the year, around the time when the winter vacations would have started in the academy. You can find your daughter in Roswell city in the area I''ve written about here. She will leave the academy so you can also tail her from there if you want," I said.


    "That''s all I want to say. Whether you believe it or not is your decision," with that I stood up and prepared to leave.


    "Wait. Why are you doing this?" Rulbenl asked from behind.


    "For my own good. I am very selfish, you see," I replied as I walked toward the door, my back facing the Archduke¡ªwhich was one of the most disrespectful things you can do to a noble.


    "Oh, one more thing before I leave. I also know that Ellyn Rosenberg is your adopted daughter. I wonder how the public will react if this got out," with those parting words I opened the door and left the room.


    If he had even a brink ofmon sense then he would understand what I was implying by thosest words.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After that, I was apanied by Rem and he led me outside the mansion, once outside I dropped my act and started walking toward my inn.


    As I walked, I thought about what decision Rulbenl will take. Will he trust me or not?


    But it didn''t really matter, to be frank. No matter what decision he made, he wouldn''t just let go and ignore the information I''d provided him with. After all, that was something only a fool will do.


    And I knew that he was not a fool¡­I hoped he was not a fool.


    Since this was a rather important element for me. Judging from the current rtionship I have with Ellyn, I highly doubt that she trusts me the way she trusts Leon. It is true that I have saved her from Seiren and we have made a contract but that is not enough.


    Leon saved her life when she was about to be killed by the people hired by his father, in the matter of trust he outsses me by andslide.


    Although she would not say this to my face, perhaps she would also follow my orders as I''d said in our contract. But deep down there will always be a void of doubt in her heart; an uncertainty regarding whether she can let her guard down in front of me or not.


    That''s why I needed to do something that will erase that sense of doubt. The best way to do that was to save her life as Leon had done. To save her when she is on the brink of death, to show her hope, and make her feel safe when she''d given up on this life and this world.


    Providing her father with her future whereabouts was just a way to do that. Even if Rulbenl didn''t trust me, I''m sure that when the winter vacations will start he send some of his men just in case what I''d told him was true.


    For that, I''ll have to somehow bring Ellyn to my home when the vacations will start, but that''s not really a huge problem. Plus I have a lot of time on hand so it''ll be easy to take care of.


    With those thoughts in mind, I returned to my room in the inn. I removed all the new clothes I''d bought. Then I used elemental magic¡ªwater and earth elements¡ªto make myself dirty and look like I''de out of a rough situation.


    I wore back my torn-up academy uniform, picked up the Requiem sword, checked out of the inn, and headed toward the academy. This was taken care of, now I had to move on to the main act.


    ***


    The mes slowly vanished as the corpses had mostly burned away. I turned around and saw Ellyn waiting for me as she clenched her cloak around herself tightly.


    "Let''s go, Anya is probably waiting for us," I said and walked up to her.


    "Yeah, I shouldn''t worry her too much," she replied and we walked side by side in the alleyways.


    ''This much will be enough, I think. Judging from her actions after I''ve saved her and the gradual change in her bodynguage, I believe she feels a little safer around me now. It''s fine, that''s how I want it to be.''

 Chapter 259 End Of The Night

    We walked side by side and soon left the alleyways and stepped out on the main road. By this time the sun hadpletely stepped down and the sky was dark. The snowfall was going on without any break as well. In short, it would be better to go back home as soon as possible.


    However, the first thing we did was go to a medical shop and buy some healing potions for Ellyn. I paid for it with the reasoning that it was my mistake that I let this happen.


    Once her tongue was healed I led her to where Anya and I had decided to meet after half an hour of searching for Ellyn. I didn''t exactly know how much time had passed although I did know that I''ll be a littlete or just on time.


    On our way, we decided that telling her about all this will make her worry for no reason and then Ellyn will also have to tell her the reason why they targeted her, so it was better to not tell her. Thus, we chose to go with the excuse that she really got lost and wasn''t able to find her way back.


    When we reached there I saw Anya standing there leaning against the pole of themplight.


    The number of people in the market had lessened thus it was pretty easy to spot her. As we were approaching her, something which I''dpletely ignored until now urred to me.


    "We are going to tell her that you lost your way, but what about the stuff you bought? It''s missing, right? How will we exin that?" I asked hurriedly.


    "It''s not a problem, both of us had our clothes in one bag and she was carrying them. So none of it is lost," Ellyn replied.


    "Great," I said and both of us reached Anya.


    As soon as Anya saw us she took a few quick steps toward us. "Where in the world were you Ellyn?" she said.


    "I''m sorry. I saw a dress which I liked so I rushed to that shop but then lost my way back, I tried to find you two but ended up in an even unknown area," she exined in an apologetic tone.


    "I told you not to wander alone, didn''t I? Do you know how worried I was?!" Anya said, her voice slowly twisting and trembling.


    "I think she knows. You''re crying, after all," I interjected.


    "Huh? What''re you talking about? I''m not crying! I''m really not¡­" she had to wipe her tears as they fell from her cheeks one after another.


    "Yes, yes, I''m here now. You there''s nothing to cry for," Ellyn said as she gave Anya a light hug.


    It took a while but she stabilized after a few minutes. "And why the hell did it take you so long?" she asked me.


    "I was busy finding her. You won''t believe how far away she''d wandered," I replied. "Anyway, I think we should get going now. The snowfall is increasing, and Ainge might be starting to worry as well."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yeah, I know," Anya said.


    All of us agreed on that, and we were on our way to head back when we remembered that we had not bought clothes for me. The only thing that I''d bought was the cloak I had chosen.


    Thus, it took us about an hour more to pick something for me. It took us thiste partially because I wasn''t able to choose something and in the end, Ellyn and Anya had to pick some clothes which suited me.


    After all that was done, we finally set for home. By the time we were returning the snow had pilled up so much on the roads that our feet were getting buried to the ankle each time we took a step.


    When we returned home, as expected, Ainge was angry at us for staying out for such a long time. All the me was shifted to me¡ªthat it took this long because I was not able to pick the clothes and decide what I wanted¡ªsince the three of us had decided to not tell anyone about Ellyn getting lost.


    I''d say it was a fair decision.


    Upon changing back into casual clothes we warmed ourselves in front of the chimney in the hall as we chatted about silly things. Saying ''we'' here would be probably wrong because I mostly listened.


    Ron had also returned from his work and was there to talk to us, so I''d say the time in front of the chimney till we waited for the dinner was not stale, as he kept us entertained.


    ***


    Dinner was done and it was night. I was inside my closed room. Sitting on my bed I was staring at the pieces of a broken crystal in my hand. It was the remains of the crystal from Ellyn''s pendant that those men put around her neck, I''d picked it up before leaving.


    At first nce, it looked like a magic crystal but what it did was the exact opposite of that. We''d learned about this in our sses and this was the reason Ellyn was not able to resist those men when they captured her.


    Rather than supplying mana like the magic crystals, this did the contrary and absorbed mana within itself. If added and modified with some custom magic spell it can make a pendant that can absorb all the mana of the person who wears it.


    It weakens the user, and that''s why Ellyn was not able to cast any spells when this was working on her. I had a theory that stated that the reason people of his world have superhuman physical abilities¡ªmeasured in ranks or status¡ªis because of the amount of mana present in their bodies.


    So since this absorbed the mana of the user, their physical capabilities decreased as well.


    To make sure of their sess rate, my guess was that the first thing those men did was to put the pendant around Ellyn''s neck.


    I clenched it and then slid it inside the drawer of my desk. If used properly, this could turn into a great weapon to help me in the cmity.

 Chapter 260 Not A Fairytale

    Days passed by quickly. Life here was much different from life at the academy. There was not a single day where I thought that I am bored. There were no more attacks made on Ellyn, thus everything was going on smoothly.


    Living with a family was really a great feeling, and it was something I had not experienced before. Talking with Ron about various things, there was not a single time where he didn''t marked Ellyn as my girlfriend and stated that there''s no use in me hiding it.


    I spent time with Ainge as well. Since I had nothing in particr to do, I helped her with her work¡ªexcept making food, of course. That was a thing I was still incapable of.


    I got to spent more time with Anya as well, we talked about things we weren''t able to do at the academy due to our obvious social gap there¡ªthe gap between a ss A and ss B student.


    When everything was like this; perfect. I felt like I had gone back in time, the time when I''d just reincarnated in this world. The five years I spent with everyone, the time when I didn''t know that this world was based on a novel. The time when I didn''t have to care about anything.


    Just like this, it was one of these perfect and peaceful days. I was sitting on a chair in the garden of our house since the weather was nice and the warm sunlight was pleasing in this cold.


    "The day''s nice today, isn''t it?" I turned to see that it was Ainge. "I was thinking about taking a little breather. Would you mind if I join you here?"


    "That''s not something you need to ask for," I replied. She came and sat on the chair beside me.


    We sat in silence for a while, looking at the nts which swayed gently when the gust of wind embraced them.


    I had not been able to start a conversation with Ainge whenever I was alone, so it was little weird. I knew the reason for this behavior very well, but I was scared to touch that part of my past. I was so scared that I didn''t even want to think about it.


    Thus the silence continued, or rather it would''ve continued if I hadn''t remembered something which I had been meaning to ask her for a while now.


    "Can I ask you about something?" I appealed.


    "I''m always listening," she said as she looked at me with a gentle smile on her face.


    "Ron was telling me about how he was like when he was younger, and he happened to talk about how his ''weird cheerfulness'' was the reason he was able to meet with you. Though when I asked him more about it, he said that I should hear that from you," I paused.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, I wanted to ask how the two of you met. Will you tell me that story?"


    "Sheesh, that man. Talking about such things in front of the kids," she blushed a little, probably as she remembered the memories of the past. She let out a breath. "Fine. I''ll tell you, but it''s not some fairytale like you are expecting. Even though we are your parents we are just normal humans in the end. And we met like normal people. So don''t go expecting some magical princess story, or you''ll be disappointed."


    "Well, it certainly would''ve been better if I got to know how he rescued you from an evil king, but I''ll be willing to settle for the story you have," I replied with a light smile. She smiled back.


    "Okay, so hear clearly since I won''t tell this again, it''s embarrassing," she said and settled back in her seat.


    "It was the time when both of us were around your age, and we happened to go at the same school. It was a just a normal magic academy but for us, it''s a castle of memories. I had been recently transfered to that school there.


    "However, not all was well at the start. Since I was new, I was bullied by other female students¡ªa part of it was also because I was one of the good looking girls in the school but not from a high ranking family and so the other girls were jealous, but I won''t say this since it makes me sound arrogant.


    "One day, when I returned to my ss along with the other students after the sword arts training session. I saw that my seat was broken in two and someone had painted a cartoon face of me on that broken desk. As I saw that and stood there with no ce to sit, the girls who were responsible for this and involved in the process startedughing at me.


    "Back then I was the silent, introverted type of girl, the exact opposite of your father. So I wasn''t able to talk back to them or do anything else. In the end, I was on the verge of tears and was going to sit on that broken seat when your father jumped in.


    "He was a ball of energy, and didn''t care in the least about what the others said about him. He talked down the girls, forcing them to shut their mouths¡ªat that time I was impressed by how quickly he was able to handle the situation, butter I got to know most of the girls were disgusted by his very presence and didn''t want to argue with him.


    "After that he offered me his seat. It wasn''t much, but I think this was the incident he was referring to. Since it was after this day that we started talking, and after a year starting dating," she finished. "As I''ve said, it''s not a fairytale, just a stupid story of two stupid people in their teenage years."


    "If he offered his seat to you, then where did he sat?" I asked.


    She busted out into aughter at this, her cheeks red from theughing.


    "That day he sat on the ground in front of the teacher''s podium. During the whole ss he sat there and I don''t think he regret it even to this day¡ªdespite the fact that he became theughing stock of the whole ss that day."

 Chapter 261 New Years Eve

    Fifteen days passed in a snap. And today it was 31st December, the day of New Year.


    In this world people didn''t celebrate Christmas or anything like that but apparently, new year was a thing here.


    The preparation had been done, it was night and all of us had gathered in the main hall. On the table there was a cake standing proudly which Ainge and Anya had made together. Ellyn would''ve helped too but cooking wasn''t her strong ground.


    It was a good threeyered cake and had took a great deal of time for them to bake it.


    ''But I guess it''s too big even for six people.''


    [Seven.]


    ''Yeah, six people. Even so, I think we will be able to finish only half of it.''


    Fortunately, this world did have something like a fridge. It worked on an entirely different technology, or rather magic I should say. The deign of it was the same rectangr box like it was in my former world but for the cooling system it took help of magic.


    I''d studied a bit about it in the library since I found it interesting.


    Custom magic spells were used to keep the things inside cool. The ice element was borrowed and its coldness was circted in the whole fridge through runes that were inscribed all over its body on the inside.


    Therefore I did not have to worry about the cake going waste. I would''ve force fed myself if that were the case.


    "Zero, what are you doing there? Come here, it''s about time," Ron said as he called me to where everyone stood¡ªaround the table at the center of the hall.


    "Yep, I''ming," I said and walked to there and stood beside Anya.


    We looked at the clock, it was just marked at 11;59 and there about a minute remaining before the start of a new year.


    All of our eyes were pinned on the clock as it slowly ticked forward. Now less than thirty seconds were remaining. All of us were on the edge. Fifteen seconds. There was a quiet and silence shrouded the hall. Ten seconds.


    Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.


    "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"


    "Happy New Year!"


    "Happy New Year!"


    "Happy New Year!"


    "Happy new year!"


    All of us said at the same time, though Ron was the loudest. There were wide smiles on the faces of everyone present here. And by now I could hear the firecrackers that were bursting outside¡ªyou might think that how this world had firecrackers but apparently, creating them with magic was one of easiest tasks.


    The celebrations came after that. Ainge had already prepared dinner¡ªoops! Special dinner I should say. She''d put in more work in it and that I could tell by the smell as it was served in front of us by the maid.


    As I put in the first bite, a nuclear bomb of vors exploded inside my mouth. Words are not enough to describe how wonderful and delicious it was.


    The celebrations went on for a while and it was 2 o''clock at night when I went to bed.


    ***<novelnext></novelnext>


    Opening the door to my I stepped inside and the first thing I saw was the excited figure of Req.


    "Did you brought it as you''ve said you will?" she asked hurriedly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    "Yes, yes. I''ve brought it as I''ve said I will," I showed the te I was holding in my hands which carried the cake Ainge had made.


    "Hehe, I wuv you so much!" she said as I handed him the te.


    Since she didn''t have a physical body, Req had no to eat in order to stay alive. But despite that her interest in food was no less. I think it was reasonable since rather than being in ''food'', her interest was inclined more toward the types of food that weren''t avable in her time period. Anyone would be excited to try the food they have never even seen before.


    I changed into my night clothes and sat on my bed. Req was sitting on the same bed but on the lower side as she ate the cake.


    "Don''t spill it on the bedsheets; I am not in any mood to do the cleaning," I stated.


    "I know, I know. I won''t ever do that," she replied without even looking at me.


    Judging from the way she was eating¡ªwith pure enthusiasm¡ªthat didn''t sound very convincing.


    In the meantime, I had picked up a book for myself. I opened it andy on the bed and started reading it.


    Soon Req finished eating and threw the te toward the desk¡ªshe literally threw it toward the desk, it was a wonder itnded perfectly and didn''t broke.


    "Oh, I just remembered. You said you telling me about ''it'' when the time is right, right?" she said as she sneaked inside the nket beside me.


    I skimmed through my memory, I did have told something like this to her. Back when we had to buy clothes.


    "What of it?" I appealed.


    "I am willing to wait, but when the time will be right?" she asked.


    "To be honest, I don''t really know either. The time will be right when the time will be right, that''s it," I stated.


    "What the hell? That doesn''t make any sense?" she retorted.


    "It is what it is. I don''t really know when the time will be right, but you will know when it is time. The circumstances will be right, and there won''t be any harm in telling you then. So I will. You shouldn''t worry about it too much."


    "Heh? That sounds like you''re giving me an excuse," she said.


    ''That''s because I was giving her an excuse, after all. If possible, I wanted to avoid telling her about the cmity before it happened.''


    "I can''t do anything about that," I stated.


    She sighed and gave me a disappointed look, I ignored her. After that, she gave up and settled herself in the bed.


    "Wait a minute, are you going to sleep with me again?" I asked.


    She giggled. This time I sighed.

 Chapter 262 Acceptance

    As much as I hate to admit it, the time here passed and the vacations slowly came to an end. It was thest day of our vacation and ourst day at home. Fourteenth of January, we were leaving one day prior because it takes about a day to reach Sofrora city.


    "The time passed quickly, didn''t it?" Ainge said. It was after breakfast and we all were sitting in the hall.


    "Oh, my kids. I''ll miss you so much!!" Ron said in his overly emotional voice.


    "Still, it was kind of great. Taking a break from the academy, right?" Anya added.


    "Yeah. Things were going at a pretty fast pace so it was nice to take a breather," I replied.


    At this time Ellyn walked into the hall while carrying her bag on her back. She also wore a cloak just like Anya and I did.


    "Are you done packing up?" Anya asked.


    "Yep. All set," Ellyn said as she gestured at the bag she was carrying. I came to notice that it was a different backpack than the one she''d arrived in. This one was bigger so probably she changed it take back the clothes we''d purchased.


    "I guess it''s about time we should get going," I said, finally uttering the words no one wanted to hear.


    It was natural. I didn''t know about Ellyn but neither Anya nor I wanted to leave, but that was the way of the world. We hade here to spend our vacations and they wereing to an end, we had to go back and continue with our lives.


    All of us stood up and prepared to leave. It didn''t take time as we had done our packing already and were waiting for Ellyn, not that she was here there was nothing else left to dy us.


    We took our bags and walked toward the main door and Ainge and Ron escorted us. No matter how much I wanted this moment tost, no matter how hard I wished for this distance to the door to nevere to an end, no matter how much I wanted to take them with me and run away from here because I was scared of the cmity.


    Things were still going to go the way they were intended to. This moment won''tst forever, the distance to the door will eventuallye to an end, and I couldn''t run away with them because there will be no ce left to hide as the whole world will burn.


    And thus just like that, before I knew it we''d arrived at the doorstep. The three of us stepped outside and then stopped, Anya and Ellyn turned around and bid their farewell.


    However, inside me, a burst of emotions were raging wildly. I had been confused about one thing ever since I came to this world. I was hesitating, as I didn''t know whether I had the right to do it or not. After all the things that happened in my former life, I was scared to even entertain the idea that what will happen if things ended up the same way.


    But then at the final moment, everything calmed down just like the sea does after a storm is over.


    I knew what I had to do. This was a different world, and most of all I had already realized my mistake so I wasn''t going to do it again. There was no possible way for things to end up the same way, thus there was no reason for me to be hesitating as well.


    I took a deep breath and then turned around, there was a smile on my face.


    "I''ll be going now¡­mother, father," I said.


    Except for Ellyn who didn''t know what it was all about, the three of them were probably stunned upon hearing this as none of them said anything for a few seconds. But it was only a momentary astonishment.


    "Take care," Ainge¡ªno, mother said with a warm smile on her face.


    "Oh, my dear son! I can''t believe you are leaving this soon. I''ll miss you so much," father cried out as he pulled me into a hug.


    "I think you all should hurry now, or you''ll bete," mother advised.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yeah, I think so too," Anya said.


    "I agree," I said as I freed myself from his grip


    ***


    After bidding our farewells we left the household and came to a wagon. It took us a while but once booking a wagon was done, it was an easy journey from there. We stopped and took breaks several times since there was no need to rush our way back to the academy.


    ***


    It was night and we were expecting to reach the academy tomorrow. The wagon''s wheels were rolling, Anya and Ellyn had fallen asleep but I was still awake. I didn''t know why but I just didn''t feel like sleeping.


    Thus I was looking outside the wagon at the continuously changing scenery. It was not a dark night as the moon was gleaming brilliantly in the sky; you could walk fine without a torch with the help of the moonlight.


    "Can''t sleep?" I turned to look and saw it was Anya.


    "Something like that. Did I wake you up by any chance?" I asked.


    "No, I wasn''t asleep either," she replied. If that was true then she was very good at acting asleep.


    "Anyway, congrattions," she said, her voice was just a little more than a whisper as she probably didn''t want to wake Ellyn.


    "For what?"


    "For clearly a hurdle. You finally called them ''mother'' and ''father''. That''s a big improvement I''d say."


    "Ah, that. Do you think that they were happy about that?" I asked, this was something I had been thinking about since then.


    "Of course, why they won''t be? I''m sure they were more than happy to hear you call them that," she rified.


    "And what do you think?"


    "I''m d that you finally epted it."


    "I see."


    ''I had forgotten. No, that''s not quite right. I was ignoring the fact that Anya knew about my reincarnation. That was because after a few initial ways it didn''t feel like she was not my real sister.''


    I looked back outside at the moon which stood proudly in the sky as the wagon rolled forward.


    And just like that, our vacations came to an end¡­

 Chapter 263 The Sword Of Red [1]

    While Zero was returning from his home, some rather unusual things were unfolding at the academy.


    It was night, and the sound of someone''s footsteps resounded in the night''s quiet behind the Instrs building.


    With clean brown hair and a fair skin tone, the man carried a sword on his waist. He walked with an air of certainty around him, it was like the dark of night did not scare him at all.


    He walked a long way before he was into an isted area, away from the rest of the campus where there was only in ground. And then he stopped.


    His eyes were pinned at a certain something which was a distance of around a dozen of two meters.


    It was another man but since his face was on the other side, it was hard to recognize who it was. However, there was one thing which would seem strange to even a kid.


    Below his feet was opened arge magic circle; its light was dim so it was hard to spot it from afar but when standing close, it was clear as day.


    Some type of energy was rising up from the circle and gathering around the man''s hand. He seemed to be doing something, as there were sparksing out from the area around his hand.


    From behind it looked like he was drawing something in the hair with his hands¡ªsomething circr.


    "Quite busy, aren''t you?" the man with the sword said.


    The man in front of him stopped, left every motion and stood still.


    "Ryfin Jekar, huh? I''ve been told to be wary of you," he said. He was right, the man with the sword was indeed Ryfin; ss 1B''s homeroom teacher.


    "Then you should''ve followed that advice," Ryfin replied. "Your time here is over. I can''t have you causing any more troubles."


    "Troubles, you say? I''m afraid but you are going to have lots of them soon. For starters, I''LL LET YOU TASTE DEATH!!" the man disappeared from his ce and appeared right before Ryfin.


    It was not teleportaion, his speed was just too fast. The man raised his arm and snatched at Ryfin.


    A burst of sparks appeared between the two as Ryfin slid out his sword from its sheath and blocked the man''s attack.


    "Some nails you''ve got there," Ryfin said as he gestured toward the man''s hand with his eyes.


    From his fingers were emerging sharp ws that were at least five centimeters long and strong enough that they didn''t break even after shing with Ryfin''s sword.


    "You''re not going anywhere!" the man said and held the de of Ryfin''s sword with both his hand. Surprisingly, his hand didn''t bleed when he did that.


    "Oh? I think you might have a misunderstanding here," Ryfin said. Despite the situation he was into, his voice was cool andposed, as if he didn''t have a care in the world.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The man narrowed his eyes as he didn''t understood what Ryfin meant. He increased his grip around Ryfin''s de as to not let him escape.


    Though his narrow eyes were forced to be widened with shock when the next second Ryfin disappeared from in front of his eyes. There was no sound, no movement, he just vanished.


    "You were pretty confident about the durability of your skin, weren''t you?" the voice was Ryfin''s, and it wasing from the behind.


    Before the man could turn to look two jets of blood were sprayed before his face, looking down he saw that both of his palms were cut in half and his fingers were lying on the ground.


    The man''s face distorted with anger, and he growled like a beast as he turned toward Ryfin.


    "Well, well, now you are looking like your kind," Ryfin said and jerked his sword in the air, removing the man''s blood from the de.


    However, his words were on point. The man''s body was changing.


    His veins started popping up as extra blood rushed into them, his muscles erged and the size of his limbs increased. His canines teeth shifted forward and grew in length, soon after that his other teeths grew in size as well.


    And they didn''t look like human teeth at all. They were pointed at the end, like a beast''s.


    But the thing which set him apart from humans, and monsters as well was the glowing horn that tore his skin and came out from his forehead. It was glowing in a bright white with a tinge of red.


    The man was no longer a human. In fact, he never was.


    "You need to be erased! You are a threat!" he said, his voice was heavier this time when he spoke.


    "Oh? I''d to say I''m proud that your kind sees me as a threat," Ryfin said as he bowed down graciously, as if epting his words as praise.


    "You will die!" the man screamed.


    His horn shone brightly and glowing lines emerged from the steam was his horn and spread all over his body. They were like tattoos, expected that they were glowing and looked more like runes.


    The man opened his jaw and a tiny ball of energy appeared before his mouth. But it grew in size. First it was the size of a pea, then it grew bigger and turned to the size of a ball, from it kept growing in size and in about a second or two it was as entire coliseum.


    At a size big the ball of energy started interacting with its surroundings. The wind around the area picked its pace and in time quick and powerful gusts were hitting Ryfin and flickered his clothes and hair. The dirt from the ground also started getting attracted toward the ball of energy.


    "Man, that''s something,," Ryfin said; he said to raise his voice because the wind was now even louder. "If you released it here you''ll wipe out half the city¡­I''m afraid I can''t have that."


    Putting his sword back in its sheath, Ryfin raising his right hand toward the sky and held his wrist with his left hand.

 Chapter 264 The Sword Of Red [2]

    Ryfin closed his eyes and chanted an incantation; it was a long one and even at this level, it took him five seconds toplete it.


    Once done, he bent his knee and smacked the ground with his right palm.


    A big magic circle opened with Ryfin''s palm at its epicenter. It was filled with runes and it expanded until both Ryfin and that man were within its reach.


    Ryfin stood up and pped his hands together, and a pir of light was shot up from the magic circle. The pir of light closed inward and when it disappeared neither Ryfin nor the man were there. The big ball of energy was vanished as well.


    ***


    Somewhere far away from the Zaforths magic academy, in the sea was an ind. It was the same ind where the student''s practical exam had been conducted.


    But now it was quiet, however that quiet was soon to be disrupted.


    Two men appeared at the center of the ind, one was holding an enormous ball of energy before his mouth. He was about done charging it up with mana by now and was ready tounch it whenever.


    Ryfin on the other hand took out his sword and held it toward the man. There was something different about his sword. From the hilt to the de, the sword was made with red. However, it was not paint. But the metal it was forged from was red itself.


    ''Should I use magiken?'' Ryfin thought as he looked at the man and calcted the odds of this fight.


    ''Nah, it''s not worth it.''


    The man or the other hand took action. He faced Ryfin andunched the enormous ball of energy toward him.


    As the ball of energy moved forward it destroyed the ground beneath itself. All the trees, rocks, and dirt were burned away and turned to ashes.


    Ryfin raised his sword as the ball of energy rushed toward him. There was a smile toward him as he held his sword and prepared to sh.


    There was an explosion, one that could be seen from miles away. A shock wave was released that affected the entire ind. The trees that were closed to the explosion evaporated and turned into steam, and the ones that were far away broke due to the shock wave''s impact.


    For a few seconds the entire ind was shaking abruptly and was covered in a bright sh.


    When the light disappeared, what came into view was not an ind but just a few miles ofnd. Only one fourth of the ind was left, everything other than that was instatly reduced to atoms due to the explosion.


    Since thend had vanished, the sea water invaded the empty space and huge tides thatter took the shape of tsunamis were formed. They hit the remaining of the ind, sending the water droplets flying in the sky.


    When the droplets rained down it looked as if it were raining.


    The man who''d sted the attack was still on thend and was looking for Ryfin, but he was nowhere to be found.


    "My, my, you took down almost all of the ind," the man turned behind, following the direction where the voice came from.


    There he saw Ryfin, standing unscathed. There was a prism of translucent energy around him which mostly likely was a barrier.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It would have been a disaster if I that happened at the academy," he said.


    "You piece of shit! How the hell did you survived that?" the man asked in a wild voice.


    "Hmm? That''s pretty easy, a shame that you couldn''t figure it out by ourselves. I created a personal barrier to keep myself from taking any damage and then dashed through that ball of energy to get behind you. So that I won''t fall in the sea when thend will vanish," Ryfin exined as he swung his sword around in his hand.


    "Impossible! No one can counter that explosion!" the man screamed.


    "I''m sorry but I just did that," Ryfin remarked. "Anyway, enough ying around. It''s time I get rid of you."


    "As if I''m just gonna let you¡ª"


    There was a sh light, a trail of red that moved toward the man and passed him. Blood dripped from the man''s mouth and he was stopped mid sentence.


    He looked down, and saw Ryfin standing close to him. He looked at his sword and his eyes followed its de. Soon he realized that the sword was drilled right at the center of his chest.


    "There goes your core," Ryfin said and pulled out the sword.


    As if all the life had been sucked out of him, the man fell limp on his knees. His horn and the lines emerging from it lost their light and turned white. The man lost his life.


    Ryfin wiped the blood on his sword and then put it back in its sheath. Then he bent his knees and sat down, he inserted his hand inside the hole in the man''s chest. After fiddeling around for a bit he pulled out an orb covered in blood.


    However, it was already broken. And as soon he grabbed it in his hand the orb crumbled into pieces.


    "Tch. Still no good, huh?" Ryfin mumbled with a disappointed look on his face as he closed his palm into a fist.


    ***


    A magic circle opened on the grounds of the academy and with a pir of light Ryfin appeared there.


    ? "Fancy seeing you here," he said as walked forward.


    In front of him stood a woman and from the looks of it, it seemed like she was waiting for him there.


    Long blonde hair and light violet eyes, she was dressed in a beautiful ck dress and a cloak. She was none other than Auciel Skystav; ss 1A''s homeroom teacher. (A/N: Character art in paragraphments.)


    "Well, someone should be there to handle things if you weren''t enough to stop them," she said.


    "Hah, that''s a good joke. I will die before ever losing to likes to them," Ryfin replied.


    "I''m afraid I can''t argue on that," Auciel said and both of them walked side by side.

 Chapter 265 Neither Human Neither Monster

    "Were you able to get it?" Auciel asked as they walked toward the Harts.


    "No, it was destroyed by the I pulled it out," Ryfin said with a sense of disappointment on his face. "How many times has it been already?"


    "Including this, three," she stated. "It''s getting harder to find them. They are able to blend within us quite well."


    "I just want someone to tell me how the hell are they able to get the academy''s uniforms," Ryfin bbered.


    What he was referring to was that the man he''d fought today was wearing the academy''s uniform. But calling it a ''man'' wouldn''t be right. It was neither a human nor a monster, it was something entirely else. For now, the people of this world liked to call them¡­


    "Those damn demons, they are bing more troublesome," Ryfin said. "By the way, did make sure to close the portal?"


    "Yeah. But that bastard had made it pretty wide already. It drained almost all of my mana to close it," Auciel stated.


    Both of them walked in silence for a while. They knew what they were dealing with, and they knew that dwelling about it for no reason wouldn''t solve anything.


    "Do you think the prophecy wille true?" Auciel asked, hesitating was showing quite clearly on her face as she uttered those words.


    "So they''re calling it ''prophecy'' now? Sigh¡­" Ryfin shook his head, as if disappointed. "Honestly, I don''t know. And I don''t care either. If ites to that then we''ll just have to deal with it. It''s simple."


    "We both know that''s not possible. Even now there''s only you who can stand them, and that''s when there is only one of them. What will happen once theye in numbers?"


    Ryfin didn''t reply, instead he pulled a cigarette and matchsticks. He struck and lit the matchsticks and then light up the cigarette with it. He put the matches back in his pocket and put the cigarette in his mouth.


    "This academy was built for that very purpose, remember?" he said as he blew the smoke out of his mouth.


    "No, that''s not quite right. The goal was to create a hero, but we are still far away from reaching that goal," Auciel replied.


    "Come on, don''t worry too much. We''ll see what we can do when the situations arrives. No use worrying over it now," Ryfin said.


    Both of them entered the Harts. They moved in hallways, first they were filled with people and employees doing their work¡ªthis was the office building, after all¡ªhowever as the two of them went further inside the building and descended some stairs, climbing down onto the underground floors. The strength of people around started decreasing.


    Soon, the corridors were empty and their onlypanion was the sound of their own footsteps.


    Though it didn''tst long as they reached a door, opening it they stepped inside. It was quite a big room for an underground floor.


    The ceiling was high and the overall area was spacious. There were many people working around. Among them two moved forward as they saw Ryfin and Auciel enter the room.<novelnext></novelnext>


    One was a woman wearing a heavy coat, she had sleek shoulder-length ck hair and chestnut colored eyes. Her name was Steph Redcliff; ss 1D''s homeroom teacher.


    "Were you able to get it this time?" she asked as she approached the two of them.


    "Nah, no luck this time either," Ryfin replied in a disappointed voice.


    "That''s a pity. But at least you took care of the demon," said the man apanying Steph.


    With neat brown hair the man was wearing a pair of sses. He was Robert Elistium; ss 1C''s new homeroom teacher who had been hired in ce of Challes.


    "Took care of it, huh? I sure did. But that bastard sted off an entire ind," Ryfin replied as he walked past Robert and toward the center of the room.


    There in the middle was a cylindrical pir which rose about the height of four feet. On top of it covered in a frame of ss was an orb. It was broken in half but was still glowing in a very dim, almost unnoticeable light.


    It was simr of the core of the demon Ryfin had tried to take out but it had crumbled. But this hasn''t, and was somehow still working.


    However, it contained an enormous about of mana. So much that it was surrounded by a dozen high-tier magic circles that were continuously neutralizing its power. It was important to do that.


    Since all the mana inside the orb was in form of energy and that energy had nowhere to go, the orb would explode if it was left out in open.


    "Out of three demons we only managed to retrieve the core of one," Ryfin said as he looked at the orb. "Any exnation for that doctor?"


    "I''m afraid I don''t have that at the moment," a man who seemed to be in histe sixtes with a long beard said as he came and stood next to Ryfin. He was Gaden, the one in charge of the team researching the orb and its powers.


    "The cores naturally crumble away after the demon that its inside dies, there shouldn''t be any way to take them out without detroying them. But still, we have this here," Auciel said as she came next to Ryfin.


    "No, that''s not quite right," Gaden objected. "The cores crumble because we destroy them. And we destroy them because ording to what we know so far, that''s the only way to kill a demon. Whereas this core you see right here, came from a demon who died without us killing it. Thus its core was not destroyed and we retrieved it and stabilized it before it could lose the mana within it."


    "And how did that demon died, I''d like to ask?" Ryfin said.


    "I don''t have an actual reason for it but I believe it was because of the sudden change in its surroundings, the density of mana in the atmosphere, etc. He was the first demon we caught, so I think his body didn''t get much time to adapt to the conditions of this world," Gaden exined.


    "Oh? I see, that''s a letdown. I thought he did suicide or something," Ryfin mumbled quietly.

 Chapter 266 Return

    It was morning and the slight sunlight was falling onto our faces as we sat inside the wagon.


    I hadn''t slept muchst night since I didn''t feel like it or you could also say that I was busy gazing at the stars and the moon in the crystal clear sky.


    Ellyn and Anya were different, however. Anya was awake with me for a while but she soon fell into a slumber as well and both of them slept soundly until I woke them up in the morning.


    I don''t need to say it outright that during that time Req didn''t hesitate to give me some wild suggestions, which I obviously ignored.


    "We''re finally back, huh?" Ellyn said under her breath as she stretched her body. Perhaps theziness still hadn''t left her.


    "So we are," Anya replied, looking at the changing scenery out of the wagon.


    A few minutester the rolling wheels of the wagon came to a halt and we stopped at the side of a main road.


    "This is as far as I go," the wagon driver said, and he wasn''t wrong. You didn''t see many public vehicles near the academy so I guess there was some kind of rule preventing that.


    We stepped out of the wagon and since the only luggage we had was on our backs, we didn''t have to waste much time there. After paying the wagon driver we left for the academy on foot.


    Going through the crowds of people I noticed the obvious change in Sofrora city and Roswell city. I don''t know if it was because this was the capital city but the architecture of the buildings here looked much more premium and delicate.


    Around ten to fifteen minutester we were standing before the gate of the academy. We stepped inside and were stopped by the guards, although they made way for us to get inside once we showed them our transaction cards.


    Inside the campus, the three of us walked together to the dorm buildings but since we had different buildings this was where we parted ways. Anya and Ellyn went to the ss A dorm buildings while I headed toward the ss B one.


    After climbing the stairs and taking a walk in the corridor I was soon standing before the door to my room.


    I took out the key from my pocket and inserted it inside the door lock. The lock gleamed in pink and the runes inscribed on the key lit up and I heard a clicking sound which indicated the unlocking of the door. I pulled the key back and slid it into my pocket.


    Then twisting the doorknob I opened the door and stepped inside. There was an air of nostalgia as I took out my shoes and went toward the main room. Or so I''d like to say, but it was really just the smell of dust.


    Still, though, it didn''t feel like I was in an unknown ce. Coming back here was like returning to a second home. I stood there staring at the surroundings, I let out a breath and slumped my backpack on the bed.


    I had some dusting to do, so I couldn''t rx before that until I wanted to powder myself up. Req also transformed into her human form and watched me while I cleaned¡ªwhile making her usual seducing attempts, of course.


    Once the cleaning was done, I sat and took a breather for a while. Then I took a bath and changed my clothes as they had been dirty from one day of continuous travel.


    Most of the things were done for the moment thus I told Req to watch the room and went outside.


    I came down from the dorm building and headed toward the cafeteria. I put my hands in the pocket of my jacket, and as I walked into the academy grounds I saw that the poption of students was still quite low from what it used to be.


    It was understandable since most of the students were still away at their homes. However, since today was thest day of the vacation I was constantly seeing students enter from the gates and go toward the dorms as they arrived back.


    Reaching the cafeteria I saw that there was not much crowd there either, only five of the seats were upied. I went to the counter and ordered a coffee and some sandwiches.


    As I''ve said, there wasn''t much rush at the cafeteria thus I got my order in only a span of about ten minutes. I picked up the tray and sat on a seat beside the ss wall.<novelnext></novelnext>


    I nced outside as I sipped my coffee and ate the sandwiches. It was then that I noticed the slight change at the campus.


    There were decorations at the light poles and the buildings. The cafeteria was decorated as well. I found this strange and thought about it as I ate my meal.


    Then it urred to me, something about the plot which I had forgotten because it was insignificant and had not left much impact.


    Today was thest day of the vacation and tomorrow, on the day of reopening, the academy will be holding a fest. In the novel, loli_pop had added it basically as a filler and since there was nothing much happening in that part, I had forgotten about it. It''s been quite a few days since I checked my diary so that must be the reason.


    I finished my meal and stood up. Going to the counter I first paid for the things I''d ordered and then bought some donuts, and asked them to be packed. I paid for it as well, took the package, and left the cafeteria.


    I wasn''t particrly excited or anything about the fest as it was your usual trope of generic fest you see in every other novel and anime. Plus, there won''t be anything worth my attention going on so I had no reason to get pumped up about it.


    ***


    After cleaning her room, taking a bath, and changing into some better-looking clothes Ellyn left her room.


    She walked in the corridor of the ss A dorm building until she found what she was looking for. Standing in front of Leon''s room she knocked on the door.


    "Yep, just a minute," his voice said from behind. A few secondster the sound of running on the floor was heard as Leon came and opened the door in a hurry.


    "Phew! I didn''t make you wait much, did I?" he asked.


    "No, not at all."


    "You''re back, huh? I''m d to see you after such a long time," he said. One month wasn''t exactly a ''long time'' but exaggerating was in his blood. "Why''re you standing there,e inside. You might catch a cold," saying as he made way for Ellyn to step inside.


    "As you can see, I just arrived so thought I''d say hello," Ellyn replied as she stepped inside Leon''s room. It wasn''t weird or anything for her, she had been here many times before.


    "You know, I was getting really worried about you. Since you were there out alone and all the stuff with your dad, and I was not there to protect you as I''ve promised you that I will¡­you''re fine, right?" Leon asked, a sense of worry in his voice.


    There was also a hint of guilt on his face and it was probably there because he would''ve med himself if something had happened to Ellyn and he was not able to protect her


    Ellyn looked at him for a few seconds and thought about everything that had happened to her that day. The time when she had been held captive by the men sent by her father, the time when they were just about to kill her and she''d given up on life.


    At that time when the de was just on her throat and the man was about to push it in, she hadpletely given up on life. But then Zero came and saved her, just like he had said he will.


    Until then even if she didn''t want to think about it, she couldn''t help but harbor some doubts about Zero in her heart. And there was no ming her. She had witnessed the things he''d done and the lengths he can go to, thus it was hard for her to trust him.


    But he kept his end of the deal and protected her. There were no such doubts lingering inside her anymore.


    "No, nothing of sorts happened. I was fine," Ellyn replied.

 Chapter 267 Fest & Rain [1]

    The next day I woke up a littlete. I didn''t have this problem before but during the time I was home I was sleeping rather soundly thus Ized out in the morning.


    Though it wasn''t much trouble. I was able to take a bath, change into the academy uniform, and left for the sses before the time was up. I''d checked the clock before leaving the room and since there were still ten minutes left I decided to grab a quick breakfast from the cafeteria.


    But in the end I only took a coffee as the cafeteria was already bustling withte students. I ordered it in a paper cup and left after paying rather than sitting there and taking my time to drink it leisurely.


    With the ss of coffee in hand I walked inside the main building and hurried to the ss white I finished my coffee.


    Entering, I saw that I wasn''t the only e. In fact, three other students stepped inside the ssroom at the same time as me. I went and took my usual seat since I was lucky enough to find it empty¡ªotherwise this would''ve been the third time I''d had to swap seats.


    I sat and waited, soon the clock marked the start of the ss and after a span of a few seconds Ryfin entered the ssroom. Surprisingly, it looked like he hade here running too since his forehead was covered in sweat.


    He stood before the podium and looked at us, clearing his throat he said.


    "The sses for today are suspended, and you all have to assemble in the academy grounds. So don''t waste anymore time and get going," hemanded.


    Most of the students had already guessed about the school fest, and that this was something rted to it. Thus no questions were asked. The students got out of there seats and walked out of the room¡ªI was one of them.


    Going through the corridor''s we met with the students of other sses at the grounds, and from the looks of it they were probably arriving at the same time as us too.


    ? Soon all of the sses were in the academy, and the view looked like a small city had gathered here. It was because we were not talking about only the four sses from the first year, but all the four years were assembled here. That made a total of sixteen sses; the student strength was incredible.


    The grounds were decorated as well. There were a lot of new poles added and I could see magic lights attached on top of them. There was a stage in front of us that was decorated with curtains.


    When all of the students seemed to have gathered, someone climbed on the stage and checked the mic. From where I stood I couldn''t see who that person was but my best guess was Mr Halls since he was one who made most of the announcement.


    "As the most of you would have probably guessed, the academy is holding a fest for you all tonight. The academy has arranged for everything, from the production cost to the employees. You will see all kinds of stalls and we hired the best men for each of them," he said, and from his voice I was now sure that it was Mr. Halls.


    "That''s all I''d to say. The sses for today are suspended thus you can leave the grounds and enjoy yourself. The fest will officially began at eight pm tonight so you have a lot of time at hands to make ns for yourself," with those parting words Mr. Halls stepped off the stage.<novelnext></novelnext>


    We were then dismissed and the rows of students that had been aligned scattered into hundreds of small pieces as if someone had stepped between a cluster of ants.


    I had nothing in particr to do so along with every other student I also turned around and started to walk toward the cafeteria. I had missed on the breakfast so I was nning on doing that first.


    Though things didn''t quite went as nned and in the middle of my way I saw someone approaching me. Seeing them made my mood dull.


    "Back from the vacations, I see," da said as she approached me. "Did you enjoyed the holidays or were you busy taking care of a secret mission somewhere out in the wild?" she asked.


    "That''s none of your business," I replied.


    "Come on, don''t be like that. I said that we should work together, didn''t I? We shouldn''t ignore each other like this then," she said.


    "Yeah, and let me rephrase that correctly. You said that we should work together, and I DECLINED."


    "I know, that''s why I''m here to ask again," da said. Until now she was walking on my side to match my pace but now she took two wide steps and stood in front of me.


    "Will you take me in as your partner? I know you use people for your own good and I''m totally fine with that. In fact, I think I can be pretty useful to you. And in more than one way I''d say¡­" as thosest words left her mouth she slid her skirt up, revealing a porting of her thighs.


    "Seduction? That is thest thing you can win me over with," I sighed. At first I was irritated by her attempts but now I was just straight up disappointed.


    "Well, there was no harm in trying. You learn everything new I guess," she said idly.


    "But don''t think this is over yet. I''ve sworn that I''ll work by your side so that I can get to Leon with your help, and I''m not going to give up on that anytime soon. You won''t be getting rid of me anytime soon," she said, and then left in her own direction.


    ''Actually, I can get rid of you quite easily if I want to. But I needn''t go that way unless I have a solid reason.''


    I left and headed for the cafeteria to get a breakfast, after that I went back to my room since I had nothing much going on.

 Chapter 268 Fest & Rain [2]

    It was night by the time I stepped out of the room to join the school fest. There was cold outside, colder than normal days. Thus I was dressed in the set of clothes Anya had picked for me and over that I was wearing the cloak I''d liked.


    Coming out of the room I leaned forward to the railing, even from here I could the see the beautiful view in front of me. No, it probably looked better from up here.


    Hundreds of new magic lights that had been nted all around the area by the academy were gleaming and from there they looked like little fireflies.


    The face of the area had changed as well. It no longer was a in grassy ground. Instead, there were stalls and tents and poled everywhere. And of course, the crowd of students too. It seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves.


    It looked different. Different from what I''d imagined while editing this part of his novel.


    "I think it''s about time I should go and check around for a bit," I mumbled.


    [I want to go too!] Req said in a pleading voice.


    ''No, I can''t have that. You can''t go down there in human form and I won''t run around carrying a sword with myself, so no. You''ll here.''


    [Hmph, you''re always like this!]


    ''The most I can do is bring some good stuff for you. I''ve heard they have the best chefs cooking here.''


    [¡­Really?]


    ''Yup.''


    [Fine. But you''ll have to bring two of everything. Understand?]


    ''Yes, yes, I know.''


    I locked the door to my room and walked down the stairs of the dorm building. Coming down and out in the open I saw the real craze of the fest. The vibe was as lively as it could get.


    I could see students walking in groups with their friends and having fun. Most of the students were already down here celebrating and enjoying the fest and it was not because they were way too much excited but because I hade down a littlete. The fest was supposed to start at eight and right now it was eight-twenty.


    This was something I did deliberately because I didn''t like being early at these types of events.


    I walked into the crowd and took a look around the area. The entire fest was build around the cafeteria¡ªas it was the closest to the dorms¡ªand expanded its boundaries as you moved forward. The longest it go was to the edges of the main building and to the sides of the coliseum.<novelnext></novelnext>


    With my hands inside my pockets I explored the area. The lighting was especially good as there were magic lights of every color.


    As Mr. Halls have said there were a variety of stalls scattered everywhere. The types varied from food, games, clothes, mini dramas and some more entertainment rted stalls.


    While I was wandering around in the area I stopped a few stalls that were specifically made for couples, and consisted of games that couldn''t be yed alone. Obviously, these ces were crowded with young lovely-dovey couples and seeing that the people from the academy had changed the color of magic lights in that area to pinkish-red.


    It wasn''t as if you had to be a couple to y those games, but considering the themes they were based on¡­you wouldn''t want to y those with a bro.


    One could tell without even looking that it was not a ce for me thus I moved forward and moved toward the food section.


    There were many food rted stalls lined up in a specific section with a shade of yellow and golden magic lights. And after waiting in line for about half an hour, it was totoally worth it when I got to taste the dishes. Now there was no doubt in what Mr. Halls has said.


    The academy had indeed invited the best of the chefs to this fest.


    This might actually seem like a loss of money and something the academy didn''t have any reason to do but it was quite the contrary. While the quality of everything present here was above best, the prices were skyrocketing as well and were way too highpared to the prices outside.


    But since everyone wanted to enjoy the fest and the audience consisted of young students¡ªnobles¡ªwho didn''t care all that much about money, it was a great way to grab some cash out of their pockets.


    Once I was done eating I moved around and tested out some other things too but, none of them were enough to hold my attention. I tried some games but they didn''t suit me, I tired watching drama but got bored, I tried watchingedy shows or dances but wasn''t interested. In the end, after exploring the whole area the food was the only thing for me in this fest.


    But it was obvious and I already knew that I wasn''t going to enjoy any of this¡ªperhaps that''s why I leftte. After all, these types of events were meant to be enjoyed with friends.


    ¡­I didn''t have any of those.


    ***


    Away from the Zaforths magic academy, right at the geographical center of the Sofrora city. The people were out shopping for the night, new shops were being opened. This was the market time for those higher ss nobles who were busy the whole day and now got a little time for themselves.


    The main street wasn''t bustling, but was full with people either way. There in the middle of the street, at the height of about ten feet. There was a distortion in the air. No one noticed it, as it wasn''t exactly noticeable until you stood right in front of it.


    But you could see it if you were right in front of it, like a noble''s twelve year daughter who had run off from his mother''s grip to see something at a certain shop she liked. Although she stopped when she saw these little spark appearing out of nowhere in midair.


    Then, reality itself seemed to split apart in two as a hole was opened in teh fabric of space.

 Chapter 269 Massacre [1]

    It seemed like reality itself was splitting apart as a hole was opened in the fabric of space. Darkness spilled out from the hole. At first, it was the size of a ball but in no time it turned to the size of a door. From outside it was like something was forcing it open from the other side.


    The noble''s daughter stared at the strange hole as she stood before it. She had not seen something like this before, and being the curious kid she was this had left her perplexed.


    Her eyes widened to their maximum for a second, but it was only for a very short span of time. It was such a small amount of time that even she herself wasn''t able to realize what happened.


    She didn''t even get the time to think, since she didn''t have her head anymore.


    A four-legged beast, the size of a bear, jumped out of the portal. It opened its jaw¡ªrevealing fangs that were as long as human fingers¡ªand bit off the girl''s head from her body. All of it followed in such a short span of time that neither the girl nor the people around her were able to realize anything.


    But they did realize it when they saw fountains of blood pumping out from the girl''s decapitated neck.


    The beastnded on the other side and it munched on the girl''s head¡ªmaking crunching sounds as it chewed through her skull and eyes¡ªwhile her headless body fell limp and motionless on the ground.


    "Wh-What the hell is that!?"


    "A Monster! A MONSTER!!!"


    "It killed that girl! What the hell are the guards doing?!"


    "Why the fuck is there a monster in the middle of the city?!"


    "Run, run, run, run, run! Run for your life!"


    "Mom, what is that?"


    "It''s nothing, don''t look there. Come on, we should hurry home."


    A number of screams and cries followed and the people in the surroundings broke out into a rush. All of them mindlessly ran away from the epicenter of the incident in a desperate attempt to save their lives.


    Though one person did not run. Instead, slowly walked toward the girl''s corpse that nowy like a doll on the roads. It was her mother.


    "A¡­A-Alicia!" she probably wanted to scream but things happened so quickly that no words wereing out of her mouth. Perhaps her brain still wasn''t willing to ept the death of her daughter.


    Perhaps she thought her daughter was just sleeping¡­without a head, that is.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She reached out to the corpse and sat on her knees. She guided the girl''s body in herp and attempted to pat her head. But then again, she ended up touching the gush of blood and meating out of the girl''s neck.


    Turning her head to the side she looked at the beast that had jumped out of the portal and had just finished munching on the girl''s head.


    It was the size of a bear but its body was much thicker and more muscr than that of a bear. The shape of its head was like a lion and the color of its skin was a dirty maroon as if it had been burned. It walked on four legs, but by no means it was an animal or monster mankind had seen before.


    With crimson-red eyes, the beast red at the mother and turned in her direction. It growled and licked its teeth with its long and pointed tongue as it continued to walk in her direction.


    The mother''s body was split into three pieces. Her daughter''s corpse was bathed in her mother''s blood as her bowels were sttered out in the open along with a few more of her internal organs and gastric fluids.


    Though the said beast was still a bit far away and hadn''t attacked the woman. Rather, it was another beast that came from behind the portal as the previous. It flew out of the portal and stretched out its limb, reaching for the woman''s body with its razor-sharp and long ws.


    The beast split the woman into two parts¡ªher lower abdomen and the center of her chest¡ªdividing her into three as a result.


    This beast was almost the same as the one that hade out previously and the only difference between them was that this one was even bigger in size¡ªprobably the size of an orc.


    As it lowered its neck and began to eat the flesh of the woman, the portal from where the beast hade outgrew in size, soon it was as big as a five-floor building. And as it grew, more and more beasts of different sizes rushed out of it and began to hunt down the nearby humans.


    Although most of the people around the area had run away from where the portal had opened, they weren''t fast enough to outrun the beasts. Moreover, the beasts had more than just the road to run.


    Several of them were scampering wildly on the walls of the buildings since they had ws that were strong enough to be able to clench into the concrete.


    This allowed them to chase down the humans, and since the number of beasts that came out of that portal¡ªand wereing out constantly¡ªwas in thousands and increasing. It didn''t take much time for it to turn into a massacre.


    The corners of the roads and the walls of the buildings were sttered and washed with blood. Human organs were flying around on the road; the guts were a real problem, as they caused many people to slip and fall over.


    Those lucky ones were those who died instantly. Since the beasts were hunting and feasting on the humans even if they were still alive.


    They killed with absolute equality. Whether it was a man, a woman, a crippled, a kid, or an infant. None of it mattered to them. They saw everyone as nothing but a source of satisfying the eternal hunger that was burning inside their stomach.


    They were, by all means, befitting of the word ''demons''.

 Chapter 270 Massacre [2]

    There was chaos on the roads. The roads had been getting harder to run on due to all the flesh and blood sttered around.


    People were running for their lives, trying their hardest for their desperate attempt to live. The numbers constantly decreased as they ran. Some cut their legs cut off and fell on death''s door, some were chopped in half while some were swallowed as whole.


    One of those running survivors was Gazef Soghill. He was clenching tightly to his right shoulder to stop the bleeding since his arm had been tore off while running by a beast¡ªit it hadn''t been for another person who directly fell in front of that beast, he would''ve been dead by now.


    But since he got the chance to live, he had to everything in order to make the most of it. And right now he was doing just that.


    He had his two sons with him, one reaching his mid-teens and the other was around thirteen years old. Both of them were Gazef''s up most priority, and all he wanted to do was somehow get the two of them out of this hell.


    He didn''t care about his own life that much. A part of it was because he was already almost dead due to the blood loss and there was little time left before his body stopped moving.


    However, he didn''t really had to wait for that long. A beast that was running ferociously on the walls of the buildings next to him marked Gazef as its target and jumped on him.


    Gazef wasn''t looking in the direction but straight ahead as his sole goal was to get his sons out of here. Therefore he was unable to see or dodge when the beast pped him on the back with its wide ws and smacked him to the ground.


    The surface of the road where he fell shattered from the intensity of the hit. Gazef''s spine was probably shattered due to the impact, but before that happened he was able to sessfully shove his sons away from himself and the beast.


    He didn''t do it deliberately, rather his subconscious mind did it for him.


    "Dad!" the younger son screamed as he looked at Gazef. He wanted to run off to him, but the older sibling was keeping him from going there.


    Perhaps he was mature enough to know that going there would mean nothing. That, or it was just his selfish human nature surfacing and preventing him from going there since he was sure to lost his life.


    "R¡­R-Run....as far as you can," Gazef said in a trembling and broken voice before the beast above him ripped him to shreds with its razor like ws.


    "No! Dad!" the younger sibling cried, a burst of tears flooding out of his eyes. But by this time even his body was telling him to run.


    Before he realized it, he was running away with his older brother. Leaving his dad behind and watching as the beast ate.


    "Don''t look back! It''ll all be useless if we didn''t make it out alive," the older sibling said.


    He clenching his younger brother''s hand more tightly and increased his running pace.


    But running wasn''t going to do nothing. The road was already filled with many people who were sprinting for their life. And even worse, the people from the nearby buildings and house had also realized what was going and deciding to escape, making the road blockage even more intense.


    Therefore if they wanted to escape sessfully they first had to find a way with not much people around. The older sibling knew this and was acting ording to it. Soon he found what he was looking.


    A small opening between two buildings; a side alleyway. In a rush like this not many people would be able to spot small openings like this thus they will mostly be empty, or less crowded than the main streets at the least.


    It made for a good hiding spot and a escape route. The older was aware of this and ran toward that alleyway. For a second his eyes only saw the entrance of that alleyway and the way in between, the rest of the world was overshadowed.


    No matter how mature, he was still a kid. Naive enough he left his guard down and if he caught the attention of any demon beast at the moment, he wouldn''t have had any time to get out of the way.


    However, as fate may have it, nothing of sorts happened. He sneaked inside the alleyway and pulled his brother as well.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The alleyway was dark but it was enough space for three people to walk side by side, thus they didn''t face any problem while running away. Though, he had to stop when his younger brother suddenly came to a halt.


    "What happened? We have to go!" he said, urging his brother to keep.


    "I¡­I cant. W-We left father behind¡­mother is at home too, and she doesn''t know about this. Everyone''s¡­dying....everyone''s gonna die," the younger sibling sulked.


    In all reality, nobody could me him for acting like this. In fact, for a thirteen-year-old he had done fairly well to avoid breaking down until now even after seeing his parent die right after his eyes.


    Not many kids were strong enough to do that¡­not many adults were strong enough to do that.


    "But we have to go! If we got caught as well then father''s death will be for nothing. You remember what he said atst, right? He told us to run, as far as we can. We have to do that," the older sibling said.


    But at the core of things, he was as scared and worried as his younger brother. He was putting up the tough guy act because he couldn''t afford to cry in front of his brother.


    "I can''t. My feet won''t move, they''re numb. I''m scared!" the younger brother said as huge drops of salt and water dripped down his cheeks.


    "I''m scared, I don''t want to die!"


    "It''s alright. It''s alright. You don''t have to be scared, you won''t die. I''m here after all. If any beast ising for you, they''ll have to get through me first!?" the older sibling said with a forced smile on his face as he pointed at himself with his thumb.


    "You''re lying! You''re scared too! I know! We all are going to die!" he cried more violently and screamed.


    "No, you''re wrong. Everything will be fine¡ª"


    A ssh of blood pped the older brother''s body when a demon beast came from the sky andnded right above his brother.


    It ttened his brother''s body and what his eyes gazed at now was no longer his ''brother'' but a lump of flesh and blood.


    The beast looked at him and growled as he stepped off his brother''s meat and took steps toward him.


    The older didn''t got nothing to say, he wasn''t even able to run. His brain was still functioning somehow thus his body moved back with a few, unmeasured back-steps.


    But since he was going without looking backward his feet stumbled and he fell. His head smacked the ground, and his eyes caught the sight of the sky.


    There what he saw squeezed out the little life that was left in him.


    In the sky were portals¡ªthe same as the one that had opened on the street. But the difference in size was like day and night. They bigger and wider than anything ever build; even bigger than the castle gates.


    But it was not just their size which scared him, the numbers. The portals numbered in hundreds, no. Thousands, probably even more than that. And from those hundreds of thousands of portals wereing out hundreds of thousands of demon beasts.


    Hey on the ground, looking up with his dead eyes as the demons rained from the sky.

 Chapter 271 Portal [1]

    The cold yet gentle breeze of winter brushed my hair as I was standing on the rooftop of the ss B dorm building, and looking down at the colorful fest.


    In the end, I wasn''t able to fit there. I tried but it was of no use. You were meant to enjoy these sorts of events with your friends. Even if you wanted to, you couldn''t wander around and go to each stall alone just to please yourself.


    And if you wanted to do that¡ªas I did¡ªyou''ll eventually end up visiting every stall present in the fest and then there won''t be anything left to do anymore. That''s why I was up here.


    "It''s beautiful, won''t you say?" Req said from my side, referring to the several hundred colorful magic lights gleaming and giving off quite a view.


    She was floating in the air while eating a te of spicy fried rice, and this was her second te.


    "It is beautiful, indeed. Quite full with people too," I replied as I leaned on the railing and gazed down.


    I was randomly looking down at whatever I saw but there I caught sight of Anya. She was with Ellyn and Leon; can''t say I didn''t see thating. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and I was happy to see that. At least someone was making use of this fest.


    ''Still. Friends, huh? I had been so caught up in all the things going on with my life that I never really got the time to make any. Leave making aside, I didn''t even have the time to think about it.''


    It was not as if everyone ignored me or I was invisible or anything. The students who sat beside me in the sses tried to start a conversation, but I ended them quicker than expected. Mostly because I didn''t have time for it.


    ''Friends. That was a luxury I didn''t have in my previous life too, it wouldn''t be of much importance in this life either.''


    My vision was suddenly bleached from the side as something very bright shed in the distance. It was so bright that I had to cover my eyes to protect them.


    When the sh vanished I causally looked in the direction where it hade from, since you didn''t see things like this every day.


    But there what I saw pushed my soul out of my body for a while. Right on top of the Coliseum, in the air was floating a dark and round object.


    I was stunned, so much that it''s impossible to describe it in words. However, I gained myposure soon with a few breaths.


    ''There''s no way that could be a portal. I mean, it was supposed to happen at the end of the first year. There were still six whole months left.''


    Even so, I wasn''t able to just ignore it. Even if it was not a portal something inside me was urging me to go and check. Thus, I was set on the move.


    "Come on, we''re leaving," I said.


    "Huh? But I''ve only eaten three of the dishes. You said you''d bring me more!" Req protested.


    "I will. Later," I stated.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She had an unsatisfied gesture but then followed me anyway. The portal-like thing was levitating in the air above the coliseum and the sh hade from that way too. Thus I got out of the dorm building and deviating from the rest of the students in the fest, I walked in that direction.


    It didn''t take as much time as I should have to reach there. It was probably because subconsciously I had started running. Therefore in the span of around five minutes, I reached in front of the coliseum.


    There weren''t any guards or people from the staff standing outside. It was because most of the staff was busy with the fest and the coliseum was like a big yground thus there was no need for guards there.


    Because of this, I was able to get inside pretty easily. I followed the shortest route, and that was the one from where contestants entered in the arena.


    To my horror, as I reached closer I started to hear sounds of loud shing and growling. With each step I took, my heartbeat increased. I didn''t realize that I had also started sweating and my breathing was rough.


    Atst, I reached the end of the dark tunnel-like passageway that opened into the area. I slowed my pace and made sure to make no noise, concealing my presence. Walking close to the wall I peeked outside.


    What I saw turned my greatest fear into reality.


    That dark ball-like this was, in fact, a portal. And in the middle of the area was Ryfin, fighting against two four-legged monsters. Or rather I should say, demons.


    The sounds that I was hearing were from his shining red sword as he defended and attacked the demons. The two of them were attacking him constantly, but he was able to hold his stance pretty well.


    He was in a better condition¡­unlike me.


    ''What the hell?! This couldn''t be happening.'' The words resounded in my head and I felt my whole body going numb.


    "Impossible," I mumbled. At the same time, my feet stumbled and I leaned against the wall.


    ''This is wrong. This shouldn''t be happening right now. I mean, it was supposed to start at the end of Leon''s first year of the academy. But there were whole six months left before that. How could this happen then? No, this is bad. Very bad. More than bad.''


    The thing I was fearing more than anything ever since I came to this world was now right before me. And I was unprepared. I''d thought that I still have time, enough time to prepare for it. But in the end, I was just a fool to believe that.


    The only thing I had right now was the Requiem sword. And there were so many things that needed protection.


    This was bad. Very bad. More than bad. So bad that for the first time in both my lives, I was truly feeling ''scared''.


    The dark ball-like thing was an inter-dimensional portal, the beasts Ryfin was fighting against were demons. The cmity was starting.

 Chapter 272 Portal [2]

    As I was standing there, perplexed. The size of the portal floating in the air increased all of a sudden and another demon jumped out of it. And this one ignored Ryfinpletely and was heading toward me.


    Though Ryfin had noticed it, and he''d spotted me as well.


    "Watch out!" he warned while constantly fighting against the two other demons. But he waste.


    By the time his voice reached me the demon was already more than halfway through and just a second away from reaching me. It took me a moment to realize the situation as well. But when I did I wasted no time and used [Foresight]. Though in the process I had forgotten what I was dealing with.


    My skill worked as it should and showed me all the possible futures for the uing 0.1 seconds along with the one that was most likely to happen. But before I could do have acted on it the demon was changing its course.


    Its ws came for my chest and would have scratched right through my heart if Req hadn''t pulled me back in time. I avoided getting killed by a hair''s breadth.


    The beastnded a few feet away from me and then turned behind. I reacted based on my instincts and did the thing that I shouldn''t have done.


    I raised my hand toward the beast and using elemental magic Iunched a big zing fireball toward it. The fireball burnt through the air and shed with the beast resulting in a fiery explosion.


    However, when the mes died out the beast stepped out of the smoke totally unscathed. The fire had done nothing. And I knew it wouldn''t, because normal magic didn''t work on their skins. At least, not the fewer power spells like a simple fireball.


    But I still cast it. Why? Probably because I was scared and was panicking badly. Worse than I''ve ever done. I was trembling and my hands were shaking when I thought of everything that was about toe.


    The demon growled as it took measured steps toward me, staring at me with the eyes of a predator. I gulped in nervousness.


    At the same time, I felt someone''s fingers intertwining against mine. Looking to the side of my shoulder I saw Req holding my hand and looking at me with calm andposed eyes.


    She nodded, her eyes not straying away from me. There was no need for words in a situation like this, I knew what she meant. And that was enough to bring me back to my senses.


    I nodded back and then took a deep breath. As I exhaled, I let all the tension flow out of my body. Finally, I was calm. And could fight and make the right decisions properly.


    Req noticed this change and the usual cheerful smile returned to her face as she transformed into the sword with a sh. In my right hand, I now held the Requiem sword.


    "Now, let''s get at it for real," I said as I faced the demon who was about to attack.


    I took my stance and the next second the demon jumped at me with both of its paws wide open and sharp, long ws extending from its fingers. I raised my sword in front of my head and blocked its attack.


    Although the force behind it was much stronger than I''d expected and it caused the ground below me to crumble and cave in about two feet deep.


    The demon moved but I was using [Foresight] and predicted its next attack. The demon stood back on two feet like a bear.


    ''It will p his hands and produce a shock wave in an attempt to put me off bnce.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Before the demon had the chance to do that I changed my stance and held the Requiem sword with both hands. I swung it down straight and an arc of ck light was released from the de of the sword.


    The arc of light hit the demon and with an impact, it went right through him. The demon stood still for a second until its body separated from the middle and both of his sides fell to the ground. He was peeled like a banana.


    ''So that''s Dark Edge, huh?''


    [Pretty handy, isn''t it?]


    I was still only able to use it for close range since the arc of light died out before reaching a faraway target, but it was useful nheless.


    Turning in Ryfin''s direction I saw that he had finished the other two demons as well. And I''d to say, I hadn''t expected him to do this. I knew that he was strong and that there was something weird about him. But I never could have anticipated for him to beat two demon beasts at the same time.


    For the moment there was no other beasting out thus I walked up to him.


    "Don''te here. Go and stay with the rest of your ssmates," he said when I approached him.


    "It won''t be of any use. There''s nowhere left to run," I said as I pointed up at the sky.


    He followed where I was pointing and looked upward. There were a thousand new portals opening and their size was increasing too. Soon, millions of demons were going to rain from these.


    "Will you try listening to what I have to say for once? The academy had already prepared for this situation long ago. So shut up and go," he stated.


    Listening to him I remembered how the students had escaped the initial stages of the cmity in the novel. All of them were transported to a secret and safe location using a big teleportation circle. Right now, he was probably referring to that.


    But remembering that at least cause me to worry about one less thing, and it was Anya. She was already with Leon and while I saw him as the worst piece of human trash ever made, I was able to trust him when it came to ying hero and protecting girls.


    There was no need to worry about her escape route as well since the academy will take care of that. With these things out of my mind, I could focus on others.


    "Sorry, but right now I have somewhere else I have to go," I said.


    "Do you even¡ªah, then again. You will probably handle it. Fine, do whatever you want," Ryfin said as he raised his sword once more. "But if you want to leave, do it quickly. Or else you''ll be stuck," as he finished that sentence three demons jumped out of the portal above the coliseum.


    I didn''t know why he thought I would ''handle it''. But I had no time to dwell on it.


    Turning around, I summoned the sheath of the Requiem sword and put the de inside it. Then running out of the coliseum, I left for Roswell city.

 Chapter 273 Scared & Cold [1]

    I ran out of the coliseum and sprinted straight on the grassy ins of the academy. By this time the number of demons running around in the academy had increased quite a bit, and were increasing constantly.


    I didn''t know for how much longer Ryfin will be able to stand on his grounds or how many students will be killed before they make it to the teleportaion circle. But I cared about none of that. Anya would be safe, and that was all I wanted to know¡ªthough I still low-key hoped that Ryfin could surive long enough to tell Anya that I''ve left the academy.


    If she knew that I''d left on will then she would surely understand where I was going and why. After all, they were her parents too. I know as soon as she would know what''s going on in the world the first thing she would want to do is to run off to the Roswell city and protect out parents.


    But she had no need to do that, I was there for it. It was my sole purpose as of now, nothing else mattered.


    ''Req, get ready. We''re in for a ride,'' I said.


    [of couse, I am ready. Seeing this I''m sure something interesting is bout to happen.]


    I never really used sentences like ''we''re in for a ride''. Perhaps the tension was getting to me, perhaps I was more than worrried and scared, perhaps I was edging over the fact that I might make it in time.


    Jumping into the air as high as I could I used elemental magic and created a form out of ice. Then I started running forward in the direction wherey the Roswell city, and as I ran I continuously created footing for myself and dissolved the bridge behind me.


    Soon I was pretty high up in the sky and out of the academy campus. This way I could at least skip the roads and all the buildings and get there by a straight route in a straight line. This was the fastest way.


    There was a chance that some students might have seen me when I ran up in the sky, but the chances were low since it was night and dark. Moreover, even if they saw I couldn''t care less.


    Running over the city I saw hundreds of new portals opening in the sky and tens of thousands of demon beastsing out of them. They dashed out of the portal and rained down on the ground, they killed and at people like they were not humans but livestocks¡ªwhich they kinda were, for the demons beasts.


    Demon beasts, or more specifically the lower-demons. These were not true demons as they have not been born that way. If I go by the novel''s logic, then these were just mindless killing machines made for the sole purpose of killing and decreasing the poption of humans.


    They had been created by the real demons by ting the ''cores'' into monsters or animals. That was one way to make someone a demon, but not the type you see in novels.


    If those ''cores'' were nted into any other living being they would not gain demon powers and then be able to contain their will andter use that power to fight against the demons. Instead, they would just be one of these; mindless blood-hungry monsters.


    However, the fact that these were not real demons only made my anxiety worse. I knew beforehand how ridiculously strong the real demon, or to be precise the higher-demons were¡ªwar lords,manders, sins, etc. But seeing that power disyed in reality waspletely different from just ''knowing''.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Tch! I''m not fast enough,'' bringing myself out of the mindly wonders I focused on increasing my pace. The slipperiness of the ice was helping me to walk faster than usual and I was running at my full speed, but it wasn''t enough.


    It took around half a day when you go there with a wagon but it didn''t have that much time. Although the destruction of the Roswell city was not shown in the novel¡ªonly the Sofrora city was in the spotlight because the mc was there¡ªbut I had no doubt that the demon beasts would appear as well.


    After all, the portals were supposed to open in ''all over the world''.


    Looking straight forward I concentrated all my attention toward running. I stimted the mana inside my body and enchanted my physical abilities as much as I could. Now I was at my max speed; abination of mana enhancing and my C rank agility.


    Tearing through the air I dashed forward in the sky. There were times when I barely avoided shing with one of the demon beasts that were falling down from the portals. There were times when I ran too fast that I was just a step away from stepping out of my ice bridge.


    But I had no fear. All I wanted was to reach there to my parents before the demons do. I wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs.


    ***


    The air was beginning to get heavy and the clouds had started rumbling. It was past midnight probably, but the moon was shining bright in the sky but it was overshadowed by the dark portals that were starting to pop up everywhere in the sky.


    I had entered past the borders of the Roswell city a few minutes ago and the condition here was not the best. Even though there weren''t as many portals as there were in the Sofrora city but they were starting to appear, and quite frequently over that.


    I looked down in order to search for my house, but what I saw was a massacre. People were on the roads getting devoured and obliterated by the demon beasts. The roads streets and walls were stained with blood. Bodies were ripped part and different parts of organs were lying at different ces.


    But I ignored it. People were getting killed; women and children too. And I had the power to save at least a few of them, however I didn''t. Neither did I felt any sympathy for them. They didn''t matter, they were no more significant than a grain of dust for me right now.


    I had to save my parents, that''s all I cared for right now. It was my sole purpose for living, as of this moment.


    Thus I turned my head back up and turned toward the direction of my home, hoping in my heart that I was not toote.

 Chapter 274 Scared & Cold [2]

    At a distance in the nks family household, the condition were not so well. There neighborhood had already been surrounded by the wild demonic beasts, and most of the people they knew had been killed¡ªsome right in front of their very eyes.


    They had no ce to run, nor a ce to hide. All they could do was hold out and surive until someone adventures or a military unit arrives for help. Ron was aware of this, and of his powerlessness as well.


    He had seen some of his friends try to fight those beasts with the sword art skills they had, and he had seen all of them get killed before he made the decision to take her wife and escape to the roof of their house.


    As of now it was the safest ce since they at a ce where the beasts wouldn''t notice them normally. But he didn''t know until how longer it will be a safe ce; those monsters were falling down from the skies, after all.


    There he stood, at the corner of the roof with his wife, Ainge. Both of them were stressing out and they knew the seriousness of the situation. However, out of the two Ainge was more worried than scared.


    Leaving aside the sorrow she felt to see some of the people she knew for years get killed and devoured right before her eyes, her heart was aching and worrying about the wellbeing of her children. Right now she was more worried about Zero and Anya than her own life; like any mother would be.


    She was worried and clenching around her heart tightly. But as fate may have it, that was when a portal opened right above their house and a beast jumped out of it.


    Itnded on the roof and the whole house shook from the impact. It was big and scary, anyone could tell from looking that one swoop of its hand was enough to rip apart the bodies of both of them.


    The beast turned toward them and prepared to assault, it pressed itself down and locked its eyes at them.


    Instantly Ron came and stood in front of his wife, hiding her behind himself as he held his sword straight toward the beast.


    "Still haven''t given up on ying the hero, have you?" Ainge said. It was one of those lines to ease the tension of the moment.


    "You guessed it. I haven''t, and I don''t n to," Ron replied as he stood rigid and red down at the beast.


    As a matter of fact, his hands were not trembling, even though he was scared from the inside. His legs were not shaking, even though he wanted to run. His mind was able to think properly, even though his heart was screaming to take his wife and kids and run away somewhere far from here.


    A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, and dripped down. The beast roared and dashed toward him at a speed that was almost impossible to dodge.


    "Haaaaaaaaa!" Ron let out a battle cry as he raised his metal sword against the beast.


    Deep inside his heart, he knew that he won''t get out of this alive. Deep inside his heart, he knew that even when he was buying her time and wanted at least her to get out alive, her wife would not run and leave him behind. Deep inside his heart, he knew that he was going to die here.


    He knew all of that, and it didn''t matter the least to him. He was going to die, so what? He wanted to go with a bang. If this beast right here was going to kill him he wanted to at least deliver one sh to him before giving out to death.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thus he swung his sword, as hard as he could, as hard as he had ever did in his entire life.


    But the beast was already close, he was going to miss. Quite clearly. He began to close his eyes when he saw the beast''s we toward his face.


    ¡ªBOOM!


    The beast was smacked down t on the roof as big pieces of ice fell on it one after another until they hadpletely crushed it and its corpse was nothing but a mess of flesh and blood. Even then the rain of ice did not stop.


    The shards fell, again and again and again they rained upon the creature. They stabbed and tore and cut the demon beast''s body until it waspletely covered beneath a pile of freezing cold and sharp ice.


    Once the rain of ice had stopped it did not move again.


    Both Ron and Ainge were taken aback by this. Somethingpletely unexpected had happened. They looked at each other, and then back at the dead beast.


    Eventually, they weren''t going to die anymore. Though what came next was even more of a surprise.


    A figure of boynded right on top of the beast''s corpse. There was no denying it, he was Zero.


    His hands and legs were starting to go white due to the overuse of ice element. He looked down at the corpse and opened his mouth to let out a breath, as he did, pale mist escaped outside.


    "Don''t you even dare bastard," he mumbled, and stabbed one more long shard of ice right in the center of the beast''s chest.


    He made sure to push it deep inside until he heard a faint crackling sound. Finally, when he was sure that the demon waspletely dead. He stepped off its corpse and headed toward where his parents stood.


    "Zero?" Ron said in confusion; it was going to take a bit of time for him to realize that this wasn''t a dream he was having in thest seven minutes of his death.


    "Oh, mom," Zero said almost unknowingly when Ainge ran straight to him and wrapped him in a tight, motherly hug.


    "Dear god, you are fine," she said, a stream of tears going down her cheeks. Zero smiled, and hugged her back.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. And I''m here," she replied.

 Chapter 275 Escape & Everything I Had [1]

    "I''m so d you''re fine. No, that shouldn''t be it. Why are you here in the first ce? This is dangerous, you could''ve lost your life," mother said after releasing me from her hug. "And where is your sister?"


    "So many questions at once, that''s no unlike but. Anyway, I am here because I want to get the two of you out of here safely. Yes, I know I can lose my life in this but the goes for father and mother as well," I said. "Regarding Anya, by now she should be already in a safe ce out of danger."


    "You left your sister alone, that''s not a very good thing to do," Ron added from the side.


    "I left her because I know will be safe, and that she is with people who can protect her far better than I could," I replied.


    "Oh? I see that''s the case, huh? I''d want to talk to you about himter," he mumbled.


    ''So now he''s assuming that the "people" I''m referring to is a "he". Well, nothing out of ordinary I guess.''


    "Saving you two is my up most priority right now, and even you yourself can''t stop me from doing that," I said, with quite a determination in my voice. Though I knew it came off pretty bad; adding emotions in my voice was so much of a bother and I never really did that. Therefore I was unexperienced.


    "Sigh. You are my son, alight," father said as he stretched his body. "Fine, we''ll go with you."


    "But dear, how can we¡ª"


    "We''ve already seen that he can beat these monsters, haven''t we? And he is our son, I think we should trust him with this," father said, interrupting her in the middle.


    She looked down, but eventually seemed to havee to an agreement. Even I have to realize that so I''m sure she must know that arguing with father wasn''t much of a use. He was going to do whatever he says once he has set his mind on it. There was no convincing him.


    "Fine," she said atst.


    "Okay! We''re getting out of here!" father said in a cheerful tone with a smile on his face.


    Thus it was decided. I first used elemental magic and with the help of the fire element I melted the frost that had been starting to grow on the skins of my hands. It was a result of the overuse of ice magic.


    I did the same with my legs and my whole body too, since I was going to use a lot of more ice magic. Once I was done, I prepared to take my parents out of the city; I had already tracked the shortest path out of the city whileing here so it was not a problem.


    "Let''s go," I said and created a slope of ice that led straight down to the ground.


    I intended to take them back to the academy and then use the teleportaion circle¡ªwhich the students used¡ªand transport them to the safe ce that had been built for this situation.


    Also, I was not going to use the ice bride and take them back through air like I came here. The reasons for that were pretty clear. I had only been able to pull off that stun because of my C rank agility, and because I was alone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    For carrying three people I''ll have to create a longer and wider bridge and of course, movement speed will be much slower. Thus the chances of a demon beast jumping right on top of them and the possibility of the bridge itself falling apart will be high, very high in fact.


    Therefore I was going to take them back through thend. I knew the risks will not be lower here either, as we''ll have to go through the demon beasts. But that I could handle. All I had to do was protect them and not let a single beast get near them.


    I had to kill them all, that''s it.


    There was no second guessing it. We all get down from the slope I''d created and stepped out of our property and onto the streets.


    "This way," I said and guided them toward the path I''d decided on.


    I made sure to walk close to them, and told them to walk close to each other. I didn''t want to be careless, after all.


    We walked onto an empty street, then took a few turns. I had been trying to avoid it for as long as I could, but eventually we came on one of the main roads.


    These were the ces where the density of demon beasts were the highest along with the rush of people who were trying to save their own live someow, and I had to cross two before leaving the city¡ªand this was the shortest and safest route I could manage to locate.


    As we traveled on the roads, running but making sure to not let out guard down. The horrific scene of death was revealed. There were dead bodies lying around inpete open, some of them were intact and still in one piece while some were beyond recognition.


    Mother wasn''t able to bear the view and leaned close to father, he also quenched his eyes and avoided to look at the corpses directly.


    I didn''t really want them to see and notice this, but I wasn''t disturbed by the scene around us. In fact, I was looking at severed heads lying on the roads without hesitation.


    And no matter what one would say, this was important too. I just couldn''t close or turn away my eyes when there were beasts wandering around in the city and could attack us from anywhere at any time.


    Unfortunately, my horrors came true. Soon we were out of the empty part of the city and now the roads were filled¡ªboth with people and hundreds of demon beasts.


    It didn''t took much time for them to notice us, and two of them ran toward me at the same time.


    I came to a halt and gestured my parents to stop behind me.


    "Please stand behind me and close to each other. I wouldn''t want you to be attacked while I''m upied," I said.


    They were adults, of course, and there was no need for me to inform them of that. They stood close to each other, and once I''d taken note of their location I turned my attention toward the beasts and slid out the Requiem sword from its sheath.

 Chapter 276 Escape & Everything I Had [2]

    I released the Requiem sword and when I held the sword in my hand its sheath I had on ,y waist turned back to shadows and vanished away.


    ''Now time for buffing myself.''


    The first thing I did was to activate [Foresight] and imed the ability to see 0.1 seconds into the future. After that I stimted the mana inside my body, and directed it toward my sword''s de.


    "Magiken!" I said.


    A ton of pressure was released from the de and pitch ck shadows covered the sword, enveloping the de in darkness. I felt the power of magiken spreading into my body; even though I was knew I had gotten somewhat used to it.


    The cloak I wore flickered back due to the air and I held the sword straight toward the beasts. I set my stance, in a way I could both counter the demons and be there to protect my parents.


    "Lightning!" I said and pointed the sword at one of the beast.


    A magic circle opened at the edge of my sword and a surge of lighting was sted at the beast with a loud crackling sound. It hit the running beast right in the face and exploded, but the beast came out of the smoke totally unscathed.


    ''Knew it. Low tier spells aren''t going work on them.''


    I changed my strategy and shifted with the sword as main way to offense as I waited for the beast. They didn''t make me wait for long.


    One of them came at me from the front while the other one climbed on the walls on my right side.


    I stepped forward and dashed in full speed, leaving a trail of air behind. I titled my sword to an angle as I leaped below its giant body and gushed open its chest with a clean cut while it tried to smack and rip me with its ws.


    The [Foresight] told me the next uing attacks and I dodged them ordingly. While I may this, it wasn''t exactly as easy as that.


    Although I was able to see the future with my skill, these demons were so fast that if I waste to react for even the thousand part of a second, I would take the hit.


    I was pushing my body to its limit.


    Just as I ducked under a swing of the demon''s arm I saw and opening. Quickly pushing myself in the air and dashing forth I lowered myself to the ground and sneaked right below the demon''s body.


    "Fuck you!" I said and used elemental magic.


    I produced the most powerful me''s I''ve ever did. A tornado of fire rose around me and was sted up in the air. In no time it covered the beast above me itself.


    The fire was so strong and concentrated that instead of burning its skin, the mes acted like a de and opened a wide hole in the center of its chest and prated through.


    As soon as I was sure that the beast was dead I calmed the mes down to nonexistence¡ªwhile they were powerful, I was also taking the damage even after standing in the center of the tornado.


    The second I got out from under the dead beast''s I looked for the other one. I wasn''ting for me, and that''s why I was scared.


    I turned and ran in the direction where my parent''s stood and there I saw the beast closing in toward them.


    "You fucking piece of shit!" my brows furrowed as anger and fear filled me at the same time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The beast jumped to stomp on them. I used elemental magic again and a great wall of thick ice rose between my parents and the beast.


    It crashed directly with the wall and was put off bnce for a while. That was enough of a time.


    "Thunder!" I said and pointed my sword toward the demon. A magic circle opened at the tip of my sword and below the demon''s feet.


    There was a loud rumbling of clouds and the next second lighting fell from the sky and onto the beast, burning and melting its skin.


    ''Thunder. This was the upgraded version of Lightning, I thought it might work. Seems like I was right.''


    However the beast was not dead yet, and I knew this would happen. Using a spell like that was not the right way to kill it, after all. I had only meant to slow him down. And it did sessful.


    No time was wasted. Before the beast could recover I was already running toward it at my full speed.


    I jumped in the air when I was a few meters away. Raising my sword up with its tip pointed downward Inded on the beast''s back. Setting on feet on the two of its shoulders, I stabbed him in the back and dug the de deep inside its body, right in the center of its chest.


    I directed my mana toward the de.


    "[Dark Edge]" I said.


    Its whole body shook as a pulse of dark light was transmitted through its body. I heard a slight crackling sound and the beast didn''t move after that. A few momentster is body split apart in two parts from the middle and both the pieces fell on opposite sides.


    I jumped out of its corpse and reached for my parents, they were safe.


    [Releasing Dark Edge when the de is already inside its body, that''s a clever way to do it¡­and cruel.]


    ''Cruel? Showing mercy to these beasts will be thest thing I''ll want to do.''


    "Are you fine?" mother asked as I stood next to her.


    "Yeah, I''m okay."


    I was disying my powers openly in front of them, and I feared that they might start to question me about it but they didn''t. Perhaps they knew this was not the right time for things like that.


    "I''m sorry, but I guess we have some visitorsing," father said, pointing toward the horizon of the road.


    There were a hundred, no. Probably a thousand demon beasts running straight toward us. I looked up at the sky, the number of portals had increased.


    ''Well, this was bound to happen.''


    I stood straight and strengthen myself to face the wave of death. I had my [Foresight] activated, the Requiem sword was on magiken, and I had my elemental magic. There were no excuses, I had to do this. I had to protect and get them out of here.


    ''Heh, talk about a thrilling experience.'' I couldn''t help but sweat in fear.

 Chapter 277 Escape & Everything I Had [3]

    Three beasts charged toward us at once, two came for me but the other one nked from my side and headed from where my parent''s stood.


    I took on the two in front of me with the Requiem sword, both of them brought their ws down but I intercepted them with the de.


    At the same time I used elemental magic and created a protective wall around my parents; I covered it from the top while invoking spikes on the outer side of the walls, and I made it thick enough so no demon beast could break it easily.


    Not until I was done with the other two, at least.


    Two big and bulky beast''s released the weight of their bodies as they pushed me back with their ws pressed against the de of my sword. I was forced back, my feet slid backward, but I didn''t let go of the stance.


    Frost started to pile around the feet of the beast''s as I used elemental magic and made movement difficult for them. They noticed this and started to jerk their bodies violently.


    "[Dark Edge]," I said.


    An arc of pitch ck light was sted off the sword''s de and straight toward the demons.


    Though since they were moving their hands frequently it didn''t connect where I''d intended but it was not aplete waste either as the right arm of one of the beast''s was cut apart.


    ''The one that''d went for my parents will attack me from the back. A powerful swipe of hand aimed for my chest.''


    I was using [Foresight] without stopping, thus predicting the attacks was a little easier. Although not as much as I had expected because the demon beast''s were fast, so fast that even the dy of millisecond could get me killed.


    My body was hardly keeping up.


    I jumped up and the beast''s bulky hand whipped the air where I stood a moment ago. I performed a back flip in the air andnded on the beast''s shoulder. Without a second''s dy I buried the sword deep in the back of its neck.


    "Dark Edge."


    A ck shed edged out from within the demon''s body and I heard a faint crackling sound, soon the bulky beast was divided into two. Before its body could fall to the ground I pressed my knees down and then kicked off,unching myself up in the air.


    Spinning in a full three-sixty-degree circle I swung my sword as I came down on the other side and decapitated the beast that was still within the grasp of my ice.


    Its head went spinning in another direction and Inded behind the demon. I stopped to take a breath¡ªbe as it may, I was not much of a athletic. And that''s where I made a mistake.


    The [Foresight] skill showed me the events happening in the next 0.1 seconds, but I wasn''t fast enough to respond.


    A log of flesh connected to the side of my stomach, the impact was so powerful and hard that I could feel the cracking of my ribs. I was able to see from the corner of my eye, and it was not a "log of flesh". But the arm of the demon I''d decapitated.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Well, of course it''s still alive. I haven''t destroyed its core yet,'' I thought as I was flung back in the air at an intense speed.


    I flew for a few seconds and then crashed onto the ground, rolling on the grass and dirt I managed to stop myself soon but not quickly. I''d gained quite a lot of damage. My ribs were broken, that''s for sure.


    Still, I pulled myself up ignoring all the pain and the first thing I did was to increase the thickness of the wall around my parents. Now that I was at a distance, I couldn''tprise on their safety.


    Although both of the remaining beast''s had freed themselves from my ice and were running toward me. But still, I couldn''t take any risks about their safety.


    I gripped my sword tightly and took a step forward and prepared to run, but before I could dash forth a painful stinging sensation spread in my head.


    "Ahhh!" I couldn''t help but groan, even though that was something I didn''t do often. I held my head and smacked it a couple of time in hope of getting rid of the pain.


    Though nothing happened, the pain was still here. No, that''s not quite right. The pain had been there for a while now, and it was I was constantly using [Foresight] for over an hour now. I was using it without stopping, despite it being an active skill I was using it on ''always on'' like a passive one.


    Along with that I was continuously using my magiken and elemental magic for the same amount of time. After all, only because of doing this had I been able to get my parents out of the Roswell city.


    We were outside the walls of the city and in the grassy ins and grounds. But doing that had cost me dearly.


    Now the pain was spreading from my head and to my eyes as well; I felt as if someone was crushing my head and my eyes would pop out soon.


    Unfortunately, I did not have to the luxury to worry about that. The two beasts had already closed the distance.


    I jerked my head left and right and tried to ignore the pain. Dashing toward the demon''s I engaged in abat. However, this pain had started to affect my uracy.


    When I was fending off against the demon whom''s head I''d cut off, the other one came behind me and stood on two feet.


    It brought forth its hand and held me within its grasp, the one in front also came and stood just a feet away from me and began to prepare for a final blow.


    I could''ve freed myself from the demon''s grasp but chopping off its hand but¡­


    ''Actually, this is not as bad,'' I thought and raised my sword straight toward the sky and closed my eyes.


    "Wrath Of the Sky. Resistance III."


    I said and opened my eyes. Two magic circle with different runes appeared before the tip of my sword.

 Chapter 278 Calamity [1]

    Dark clouds appeared above me and spun in a vortex. The next second a loud rumbling thunder was heard and a sh spread within the clouds. A pir of lightening rained down from the skies and fell straight down on me, and the two demon beast''s that were with me.


    Everything went white when the lightning hit the ground. I was not able to see, hear, or feel anything.


    Though when the initial sh disappeared and my vision cleard I was suddenly dropped down on my feet, turning around I saw the upper body of both the beast''s had been turned into ash. Not only that, everything¡ªincluding the ground¡ªwith a twenty meter radius around me had been burned.


    Without wasting any time I released [Dark Edge] two times and destroyed the core within their chests.


    [Double casting, huh? That was a pretty good way to use it.]


    ''Well, it was the best way to kill the both of them at once.''


    Wrath Of The Sky. It was the upgraded version of Lightning and so far the most powerful lightning based spell that had been taught of the first year students.


    Whereas Resistance III. It was a self-protection spell of the same level. After all, if I hadn''t used that then I would''ve been turned to ash along with the demons.


    "Fuck," I groaned and held my head as I walked toward where my parents stood. The pain in my head had not dulled and was still continuing to hurt my eyes and brain.


    It felt like my head would get crushed between two rocks.


    ''Not like I have a choice, do I?'' I thought. There was always the option of stop using [Foresight] until the next demon beasts show up but I didn''t want to put my trust in that too much.


    That is, because I had been using it for more than an hour and this was the first time I''dst thing long. Therefore if I stopped using it now, the chances were high that I would either won''t be able to use it again for a while or I will fell unconsciousness.


    Thetter had happened with me when I first hit the fifteen minute time span¡ªI was out for whole day. It could be the worst possible oue if that happened right here in the middle of this chaos, thus I believed bearing with the pain was a better option.


    [You shouldn''t ignore it for long. It can cause you more than just pain if not taken care of,] Req warned.


    ''I would really like to do that. Unfortunately, I can''t. And just stop talking in my head for once! It''s making it worse!''


    After brushing her off I came near the protective conical of stone I''d built around my parents. I used elemental magic and dissolved all the stone to dust, and out came my mother and father who were carrying worried and concerned look on their faces.


    "Zero! Are you fine? Why''d you lock us in there like that!?" mother asked as soon as she stepped close to seem. The fear of losing me was clear in her voice.


    "I''m fine. And I needed to do that to protect you from those beasts," I said and tried to put a calm look on my face, putting all the pain behind the curtains.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "But that is far too dangerous," she protested.


    "I''m sorry mother, but I won''t listen to a word you say right now. I''v already made myself clear that I''ll protect and take you both out of here safely, and I''m not going to go back on my word," I said in a rigid voice, as if I were making a statement.


    ? ''How strange,'' I thought to myself.


    ''The words I''m saying even surprise me. I used to be a person who only cared about myself, other people were just dolls meant purely for my entertainment. Even if I wanted to save someone my inner instincts wouldn''t have let me, yet here I was. Risking my life for the sake of others. I doubt if I''d been able to do this had I been the person I used to be.''


    "You are being stubborn now," mother said.


    "I aware. And I''m quite proud of it," I said.


    Turning around I looked at the surroundings. We''d left the city and were now out in the grassy open fields.


    Though you might think this was some progress, in reality these ins were the parts I was most worried about even though the poption of demon beasts here was slighlty less from the city inside.


    After all, in the city I had ces where I could hide and take routes that were less popted and avoid meaningless fighting and struggle. Here however, I was out in the open and every demon beasts roaming in the area could see and attack us.


    That''s why our pace had slown down by a huge margin after stepping out of the city walls; since I was fighting new beasts at every ten minutes or so.


    And as fate may have it, things took a turn for worse.


    When I was looking out and pinning the locations of the faraway beasts who were running toward us, a loud pulsing sound was heard. It was loud, so loud that I could not describe; the loudest sound I''d ever heard. And it came from above.


    Looking up I saw hell, and realized the horrors I''d created while working as an editor for loli_pop.


    There in the sky space itself was torn apart, and three colossal portals opened. They were big, and I mean really big. Big big. Probably the height of a skyscraper and the width of a mountain.


    And from those colossal portals came out floods of demon beasts who had the sole desire to kill and eat humans. Their strength was probably in millions, and as they jumped out of the portals and ran on the ground thend shook violently as if an earthquake had urred.


    And those millions and millions of demon beasts charged straight toward me. They were in a frenzy, stepping over their own kin and doing whatever possible to get to the meal first.


    As you would have guessed probably, the meal was in fact, us. It was, in all aspects, a cmity.

 Chapter 279 Calamity [2]

    "That''s¡­that''s a lot of them. Don''t be reckless, I think we all should run. You can protect us that way," mother said as she was consumed with fear and worry.


    Father stayed quiet.


    "Don''t worry. This is the first time I''ve sworn to protect someone, I''m not going to back off just like that," I said.


    ''So I said,'' I thought as I looked at the millions of demon beasts charging straight toward us. ''But facing all these demons at once is going to be one hell of a task. If I were to be blunt, what I was going to do was pure madness.


    ''Even though I had the Requiem sword, even though I had the ability to look 0.1 seconds in the future, even though I could use elemental magic without the use of magic circle or incantations. Despite all that I was simply outsses in numbers.


    ''I would have had to go god-speed if I wanted to face all these demons while protecting my parents at the same time. And doing that was simple not possible. I knew that. Perhaps this time I was not in control. One against millions was something that seemed impossible.''


    I sighed and prepared myself to do whatever it takes to get my parents out of here safe and sound. That was when a voice ringed in my head.


    [I''m afraid I can''t provide you with an army to make the numbers equal. But if you want, I can at least make it two against millions. Well, that is if you want my help. I''m not forcing you or anything.]


    I lowered my head and sighed again, this time it was because I was disappointed in myself.


    However, I did not have the luxury to do that for long¡ªthe ground was rumbling and it felt like it would split apart from the force. Thus I raised my head and held the Requiem sword straight.


    ''Yeah, I would be d to have you right now. Would you?'' I heard a slight giggling sound afterward.


    My sword shed a bright light and upon vanishing there was Req standing beside me with a smile on her face.


    "Let''s do it then," she said. I nodded.


    Turning behind toward my parents I saw that they were as confused as I had expected them to be. It was understandable. They were seeing me do things they didn''t have a clue about before¡ªsuch as my elemental magic.


    But they were not asking me about it because they were adults and knew that this wasn''t the time for that sort of thing. I wanted to pass Req in that too.


    "I promise I''ll exin afterward," I said in an apologetic tone. They nodded after a bit of thinking and then I turned forward.


    "Let''s massacre those demons," I said and held Req''s left hand.


    She stretched out her right hand in the air and the Requiem sword materialized within her grasp. I did the same but since the sword couldn''t be used by both of us at the same time, I used my magic to create a sword of ice.


    I''d been practicing this for quite a while and now was able to create a pretty sturdy one. I made its edge especially sharp.


    "What''s the n?" she asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Stay close to my parents and protect them. That takes the top priority. After that, reduce their numbers however you like. Running is not an option since they will be everywhere, so fighting is the only thing we can do," I said.


    "Leave it to me," she replied and rasied the sword toward the iing horde of demons.


    I used my magic and created a protective wall around my parents and made it translucent so that I can what is going on inside. Although that didn''tprimise its thickness at all.


    "Mother, father. I''d like you to wait in there until I take care of things outside," I said, turning my face toward them. Even though the wall around them was see-through, it was blurry and I could only see them nod slightly.


    With that it was set in stone, now didn''t need to look back and focuspletely on eliminating the demon beasts.


    I held the ice sword tightly, by this time the demons were only a little distance away.


    ''Okay, let''s get this done with,'' I thought as I dropped the ice sword to the ground and brought my hands together with palms facing toward the sky.


    ''This is going to be the most powerful elemental magic I''d ever cast.''


    I used it and a ball of fire appeared before both of my palms, I continued to supply it with mana and it grew in size. In the span of a few seconds it was the size of a house, and looked like a small sun.


    Then I started titling my hands and facing it in the direction of the demons, and as I moved my hands I pressed the fireball from the sides and forcefully reduced its size.


    By the time my hands were stretched out toward the army of demons, the fireball had beenpressed to the size of a tennis ball.


    I transfered the ball and held it with only my right hand. I pulled my arm back, aimed for the demons, and threw it like a baseball with all the force I could manage.


    The fireball flew straight toward the demons and soon it vanished from my size as it was small in size.


    One second, two second, three seconds, four seconds¡­


    What we heard and saw then was a big explosion right at the head of the demon army. The initial ball of explosion rose like that of a nuclear explosion¡ªalthough it was small in sacle.


    First came the shock wave, then the burst of heat. I didn''t have the exact numbers but that explosion blew up at least a thousand demon beasts at once. However, all it did was slow them down for a second or two.


    The ces left by the dead demons were overtaken by the new onesing from the behind.


    I pulled out my ice sword from the ground and got read to face them in a hand-to-handbat. My heat was beating faster and faster, the demon beasts were just a mile away from us now.

 Chapter 280 Calamity [3]

    Time ran out quickly, and the wave of millions of demon beasts charged toward Zero and Req. However they were prepared for this, Req grips the Requiem sword firmly and takes her posture.


    Despite the fact that ownership of the sword now belonged to Zero, one still couldn''t deny that it looked graceful in her hands.


    Zero on the other hand creates another sword of ice in his hands after deducing that one might not be enough after all.


    The wave of demon beasts hit, blood flew into the sky, and thenceforth started a painful and desperate battle for survival.


    Zero was quick on his feet, as fast as he could manage at that point. He took on multiple demon beasts at once. Swinging both his swords in the air wildly he started shredding the beasts in no time.


    He jumped and shed. The heads, arms, and pieces of flesh of the beasts were tossed in the sky as he separated them from the host''s skin. The ground was stained in the dark demon blood, and his clothes and hands were painted the same color.


    Although it wasn''t that easy to stand on his ground. By this time the beasts had taken notice of his presence the ones that were close to him were starting to mark him as their target.


    There was not a second where he could spare the movement and rest his arms a bit. He had to move continuously, he was turning around in every direction and facing the demons. The situation was thus that if he stopped even for a split second the next thing he could see will be his death.


    It was hard, but he managed somehow. After all, he had no other choice but to face them here and now.


    The situation for Req wasn''t much easier, in fact, it was much worse. Be that as it may, she was stronger than Zero even when her powers had been cut more than half. She knew this, hence she was off against more demons.


    She was faster and more precise. Rather than standing in one ce like Zero she was moving and shing demons and destroying their cores. In the midst of the hustle, Zero had forgotten to tell her how to kill the beasts properly but she was watching him, and watching was all she needed to know.


    It looked like she was killing them effortlessly¡ªwhich was true to some extent¡ªbut she was having some trouble against their numbers.


    The same was true for Zero as well, the numbers of the demon beasts were starting to weigh down on him. While attacking and ripping the beasts with his magic-made swords he was covering his back and protecting himself by creating a wall of ice and stone.


    ? It was a moving wall that blocked the area wherever he was about to take damage, but this obviously, was not automatic. Zero had to present a part of his mind to control the defensive wall while making sure to not let his focus waver when he was attacking.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There was a lot of pressure on his brain, more than one would think. After all, he was using [Foresight] too. In fact, since the time he left the academy, he had never stopped using it, and now he was beginning to feel the bacsh.


    He fought and fought and fought, despite the fact that his brain was slowly starting to melt under all the pressure. The concentration of demons around him was increasing and soon it reached a point where he could not handle it with the sword alone.


    He released his elemental magic yet against and an enormous tornado of mes burst up around him. It swallowed all the demons that were near and burned their skinnings; opening the part of their bodies where the coresy.


    Seeing this Zero instantly discharged a burst of icicles and each was targeted toward a demon core. More than half met their mark and defused the demon beasts.


    The mes vanished after finishing a cluster of beasts, but it didn''t take much time for the new ones to take their ce and before knowing it Zero was again engaged in swordbat against the new beasts.


    "Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!!!" he let out a loud scream as he swung his swords and sprinkled the blood of the demons in the air.


    With each strike, he screamed, out of his throat. It was probably the hardest he''d screamed ever. More than a hundred demons were surrounding him and he was swinging his des continuously, along with the defensive wall. But after that, he didn''t stop screaming.


    He screamed and swung his swords, and as he was doing that when he was screaming his throat out. His eyes gleamed in a re of light green, and the next second his vision reddened.


    Blood spilled out from the side of his eyes and stained his vision. This was the result of using [Foresight] without break, this skill was beginning to harm him. Yet he ignored all of it and stood on his grounds against the demons.


    He shed them, ripped their skins apart, crushed their bones, and crumbled their cores. His hands were moving in a furry, at this point he didn''t even know what he was doing. The pressure on his brain was just that much.


    Already he was fending off more than a hundred demons at once but soon more came around and began to surround him. Seeing this he released the fire tornado again, after all, if he were to be surrounded then it would mean trouble.


    This time the mes were even higher, even hotter, even fiercer. He burned the demons that were, for the moment, around him. This much time some time, not much but a few seconds.


    But in that short amount of time, he heard something, in the midst of all this chaos there was a faint sound of crackling. He didn''t need to think to know where this sound came from. Turning behind he saw that some of the demon beasts were near his parents, and were smacking the protective wall he''d created.

 Chapter 281 Calamity [4]

    Req and Zero were blocking the way on the front but since the demons were so much in numbers they were nking from the sides invading the space behind them. There were not many who had noticed this route since demon beasts¡ªor lower demons as described by Zerocked intelligence.


    However, more than a dozen had reached behind and two were after Zero''s parents. They were standing before the protecting ice conical he''d created and were smacking their bodies against it in order to break the ice.


    The ice he''d created was especially thick and rigid, but cracks were starting to appear on it as the demon beasts hit it with their heavy bodies. Although it was due to the very fact that the ice was thick that it hadn''t been broken.


    Zero was about to run off in that direction and crush the cores of those demons as soon as he saw the scene when a cluster of demons surrounded him yet again. His fury crossed all limits, right now he wanted to be there at all costs.


    Though the beasts weren''t going to let him do it just like that. He had to fight his way out, there was no other option. Thus he raised his sword against and engaged inbat.


    However he didn''t ignore his parents¡ªhe couldn''t afford to¡ªand for the moment while he was away, he used his magic and hundreds of sharp spikes appeared on the outer side of the protective conical.


    The beasts again smacked their bodies against it, and this time the spikes drilled inside their bodies.


    But it was not enough, they will eventually get over this too. Zero looked at Req in hope of finding help but she was in no such state where she coulde to his aid.


    Even though she was closer to his parents than him, she was fending off against over more than a thousand demon beasts at once. She didn''t have enough space or time to leave her grounds.


    Zero was desperate to save his parents, just the thought of them dying here scared him beyond death. He wanted to get there, but he couldn''t. Thus he was putting his body on overdrive, he was forcing himself to do more than what he was capable of.


    His muscles were burning and he could feel the heat, he could sense the cracking of his bones and slip of his joints, the sensation of his brain being crushed under all the pressure, that feeling was not strange to him.


    He could feel his blood rushing through his veins, going all around his body and then flowing out of his eyes. He could feel his heart throbbing, his mind working faster than it''d ever done to find a way out of this mess.


    Finally when there was no other option avable to him¡ªeven if there was, he couldn''t see it in his current state¡ªhe discharged an explosion using elemental magic and put himself as its epicenter.


    The explosion was powerful, and the mes were so hot that they burned away entire bodies of the demons that were close and their cores fell to the ground. However, in the process of all this, he got damaged as well.


    More than half of his skin was burned and he had lost all feeling in his left arm. He wasn''t immune to the mes he produced, that''s why he was avoiding doing this until all other options were exhausted.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though this had bought him some space and without wasting any more time he dashed straight toward where his parents were. However, he was far from them, while fighting the demons he''d moved away without realizing it.


    He ran as fast as he could, as fast as his body would allow him before breaking down, but deep down he knew that he won''t reach in time. The beasts near his parents had almost broken the ice conical despite the fact that those spikes had shredded their skin.


    It was only a moment before the ice brokepletely.


    And right now it was the only thing Zero didn''t want to happen. While running he raised his hands and hurled two icicles aimed toward the cores of the demons, but even that took longer than expected.


    For some reason the speed of those icicles was lower than it should be, he didn''t know why.


    The icicles flew in the air, going between every other demon in the distance before Zero ran with all the speed he could gather.


    The beasts near Zero''s parents hit the ice with their bodies and atst, it broke. A crack spread throughout the conical and then it shattered down like broken ss. Zero''s heart pounded intensely.


    The two beasts reached out for his parents, Ron stood before his wife and prepared himself to bear the attack. However, what happened was something none of them had expected.


    From the skynded a girl with a sword glowing in golden, and her shadow fell upon the heads of Aigne and Ron. She passed right in between the two beasts and with a swing, severed their heads. Shended on the other side and after that, the icicles released by Zero''s met their mark and destroyed the core of those demons.


    The girl stood up and flung her blonde hair to the side. Zero''s eyes widened upon seeing her and he came to a halt, Ainge and Ron were surprised too. After all, she was their daughter: Anya.


    "I think I made it just in time," she said, taking a breath.


    "Don''t you think you should thank me for that?" another girl''s voice said from behind.


    Soon a wagon that was traveling at great speed stopped and nearly stumbled, though atst, it came to a stop and tossed a lot of dust into the air before hitting Anya. From the driver''s seat jumped out a girl, named da.


    This pushed Zero further into a state of shock, but for once he was a little rxed.

 Chapter 282 Calamity [5]

    "Anya! What are you¡ªno, why are you here?!" Zero asked,ing to a halt. Even though she had saved Ainge and Ron, this was the worst thing that could happen right now. For now she was in danger as well.


    "I think this isn''t the best time for talks like that, will you agree with me on that?" anya said, gesturing to their surroundings.


    And she was right. Even though they had killed over a thousand demon beasts there wasn''t much difference in their numbers, and they wereing close. From the front and now from the sides as well.


    Despite the desperate circumstances and the chaotic situation, Zero was no fool. It didn''t took him a second to realize that, and thus he kept his questions to himself and gave Anya a nod.


    "You''re right bout that, so let me tell you something important while we still have some time," he said. "Listen closely, the only way to kill these beasts is to destroy the core that''s buried deep inside their chest. If that is not destroyed, then they won''t die even if you cut their bodies in a trillion pieces."


    "I understand. That''ll be helpful," Anya replied and raised her magiken-activated sword. Seeing that there wasn''t much distance left between the new wave of beasts and themselves, she was getting into her battle stance.


    da followed her while staring at Zero and gesturing him of something with her eyes, she then slipped out her sword and stood opposite to Anya, covering Zero''s parents in between.


    Of course, they also wanted to scold their daughter foring out in the dangers of the world, but unfortunate time was what they allcked right now.


    Zero on the other side, despite the miserable condition he was in, gets in the posture of fight again.


    He was about to create another protective barrier around his parents when he suddenly stops himself. Doing this like trapping them inside a cage, if they were out then they could at least run and get out of the way if a beast makes his way to them. That''s why he decided to leave them in the hands of Anya¡ªand da.


    The new wave of demon beasts hits them and in no time all of them were locked inbat.


    Zero was back in action too, although this time things weren''t going quite well for him. He was having difficulty in swinging his sword, and a part of it was because he''d lost all sensation in his left hand.


    However, that wasn''t the only reason¡­


    He swung his ice des and cut off the head of a beast, then he stabbed deep in its chest until he heard that crackling sound. Protecting himself from the behind with the levitating wall of ice and stone, he turned around and stabbed another one.


    He turned again and stabbed yet once more, though this time something weird happened. His vision turned blurry, and he felt like his head was spinning. Darkness started to swell up in in the corners of his vision.


    He was fighting alright, but slowly he was losing control over his body.


    His attacks were starting to get slow, his des were beginning to turn dull, and his movement wascking.


    Then it happened. For a moment he lost concentration and control over his body and magic.


    The ice swords he was holding crumbled into nothing along with the protecting wall floating behind him. He was out in the open and the beasts weren''t going to let this go.<novelnext></novelnext>


    They jumped at him, five of them, all at once. And they would have easily ripped him to shreds and eaten him alive. Though before they could do that a ck sh of light hit them and wiped them offpletely.


    It was a blow of [Dark Edge] from Req and it''d cleared out a dozen beasts near Zero; she got herself some time tounch a protective attack for him.


    [What are you doing? Stay focused! You would''ve died just now!] Concern was clear in her voice.


    ''Y-Yeah. I''m sorry, I lost myself for a bit there. I''ll be careful from now on,'' he replied and got hold of himself.


    He passed this as an ident and didn''t tell her the real reason despite he was aware of it. Perhaps he didn''t want her to lose focus as well, or he just didn''t want to ept it himself.


    But whether he wanted to ept it or not, it was the truth.


    He was turning low on mana, and was beginning to feel the symptoms of mana exhaustion. And it was not strange thing either.


    After all, he had used elemental magic continuously for five hours when he came running here from the academy, and he was using [Foresight] since then too. Then he had also used his magiken for quite a long time before he handed the sword to Req. And even now he was using elemental magic torge extents.


    It was not strange at all that he would use up all of his mana. If anything, it was a wonder that hested thing long.


    In his mind he knew this, but he also knew that there was no other way.


    Anya and da were on the rear protecting his parents. Req was on the front-lines facing tens of thousands of beasts¡ªand new iing continuously¡ªat once. He had to stand on the middle ground or else the beasts would reach directly to Anya inrger quantities.


    And as skilled as she was with sword, this was not something she could handle. He had to go this, after all he was the one who set up this situation.


    Thus he braced himself as he wiped the blood running down from his mouth, nose, and eyes.


    He recreated his ice swords and after a stare, dashed toward the iing demon beasts with a battle cry. He ran straight into them, and killed three in an instant.


    However, they were surrounding him again. The protective wall on his back was now gone and he hadn''t noticed that. Of course, the beasts weren''t going to let this chance go just like that.


    One of them came at Zero''s rear and scratched him with its razor sharp ws. A good chunk of flesh was ripped off from Zero''s back, revealing his inner muscles and some parts of his rib cage.


    He felt intense pain and stumbled forward, and in hope to dodge and get away from the other attacks that the beasts were about tounch he forcefully expanded the range of [Foresight] to all his surroundings, to predict the attacks of all of them at once.


    That was his mistake.

 Chapter 283 Chaos [1]

    He was already abusing his [Foresight] skill and forcefully increasing its range was thest push it needed. Neither his brain nor his eyes were able to handle that much stress and to prevent his head from exploding under pressure the skill shut itself down automatically.


    This was a safety measure all of the high-level skills have in them, but here it rather did the opposite. The effects started to kick in.


    Just like when Zero had deactivated his skill after using it continuously for thirty minutes for the first time, he started to slowly lose consciousness.


    The view before his eyes danced and ran in every other direction. He fell to the ground, with many a demon beasts around him, all of them ready to attack.


    One of them stood on two feet and raised its bulky arms up in the air and targeted Zero down on the ground; it was nning on smacking Zero to death and making him a pulp of flesh and meat and blood.


    Its arms were halfway through when suddenly a sword stabs the beast in the side of the chest, it was da. She gritted her teeth and pressed the sword further, but the demon''s skin was hard. Thus she activated her magiken.


    The de of her sword shone and she, atst, pushed it deep inside the chest of the beast. There it pierced and destroyed its core, killing the demon as it fell lump to the side.


    "See? You NEED my help, and I just proved how helpful I can be," said da as she nced at Zero with the side of her eye.


    At the same time, she engages another beast inbat, it leaped toward her and she blocked it with her sword after delivering a furry of shes. However, one more came at her from the back and yet another from the side.


    This was bound to happen, as the number of beasts wasn''t going to go down that easily.


    She would''ve been stabbed and shredded right then and there, but as those beasts were charging a strip of pure darkness came.


    It was like a long scarf, and it was so ck that it seemed to have been made of pure shadows.


    The scarf was moving at will, and before soon it wrapped itself around all the beats near da and Zero. The beasts had let their guard down because they didn''t know whether to see this thing as an enemy or not and before they could have decided it was already toote.


    The scarf tightened all of a sudden and was as hard as a rock and as sharp as a de, ripping close to the bodies of the beasts it squashed them into pieces. As strange as it may seem, the scarf had wrapped itself around the chests of all the beasts.


    Thus when it tightened and tore through their skin, it ended up destroying the cores as well.


    [I told you to be CAREFUL just a few moments ago, and here you are getting yourself killed again!] Req scolded inside Zero''s head; and even if she was not aware of it, she was providing him with more pain as right now his brain was already under too much pressure, a mind link just made it worse.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Tch! It was not really my mistake. I get it! I get it already! I''ll be careful from now on so get out of my head,'' Zero replied in a tired-sounding voice and brushed her off.


    This scarf was, of course, sent by Req. In fact, it was one of the attacks the Requiem sword could perform: [Scarf of the Night Sky].


    Since the surroundings were clear, at least for now. da took the moment and helped Zero to stand up. Though that was quite a difficult task in itself.


    Zero was losing consciousness rapidly along with control over his body. Then there was the wide gush the beast had opened in his back; blood was losing a lot of blood as well.


    It was like his body wasn''t listening to him. He wanted to stand up and take hold of his feet and body, but he couldn''t. He didn''t know why exactly, he just couldn''t.


    But be that as it may, da wasn''t about to give up either and despite the struggle she had to do, in the end, she was able to make him stand on his feet by supporting him on her shoulder.


    "Now you owe me a big one. Once all this is over, you''ll have to take me on your team or whatever you have. I''ll work for you, and you''ll help me in return," she said in his ear; though he didn''t hear all that clearly since his sense of hearing was beginning to fade all the same.


    Therefore he didn''t reply either. He probably didn''t want to.


    They started to walk forward; due to his injury, da had intended to drop him to Anya and then take hold of beasts in the middle grounds herself.


    She didn''t exactly know why, but on this cold and chilly night of winters she suddenly felt hot. And it was not the type of hot you feel while standing under the sun or near a campfire, it was the type of hot you feel when you have a very high fever.


    The only difference was that instead of feeling it in her head and body, she was getting a burning sensation in her stomach. And it increased to tenfolds within seconds. She touched her lips with her free hand and found that there was blooding out.


    She looked at the blood on her fingers, and then she tilted her head down and looked at her stomach.


    Then all became clear to her.


    There she saw the hand of demon beastsing out of her stomach, tearing her skin and prating her body from one end to the other.


    Soon the hotness she was feeling faded, and she was cold; too cold. She looked at Zero who had the same nk expression on his face, the light in her eyes faded and she slowly resigned to the ground.

 Chapter 284 Chaos [2]

    Zero looked at da as she slowly resigned herself, her body hung from the arm of the beast behind her until it pulled its arm back and she stumbled to the ground like a lifeless doll.


    "I warned you before. Working me with isn''t beneficial," he mumbled, all the more blood dripping from his mouth as he spoke.


    Then he cast his dead and tired gaze toward the single demon beast standing just a few steps away from him. He raised his hand and tried to use elemental magic once again.


    He''d intended to create a sword but what came forth was a short shard of ice; and even that he was able to create with tough luck. The elemental magic was working, it''s just that every time he used it now it felt like he was burning his own soul as fuel.


    But he didn''t have the luxury to give excuses, thus he held that shard like a knife and got in the posture to tackle the demon beast. He moved forth but the demon was severed in two with a sh of [Dark Edge] before he could even reach close.


    It was Req, of course. But this time she didn''t say anything.


    He didn''t care about it either. And this time too, he didn''t know why. It was like he was beginning to lose his mind from all the pain and pressure and stress.


    He turned toward his parents, and seeing the view there his heart sunk even deeper. Since da has left Anya''s side and he was no longer stopping the beasts in the middle. After Req, all the remaining beasts were directed toward Anya and his parents.


    She was single-handedly protecting them and somehow keeping herself alive at the same time.


    Zero felt an intense pain inside his chest¡ªmore painful than anything he''d felt¡ªwhen he saw the state Anya was in.


    Her clothes and face were stained with blood, and she had injuries all over her body. There were cuts so deep that even he¡ªfrom that distance¡ªcould see them clearly. She was panting and clutching her sword as hard as she could.


    Even someone who wasn''t a warrior could tell, she wasn''t going tost much longer.


    "A-A¡­A¡­" Zero wanted to call her name, or rather scream it out. But all that came out of his mouth were gulps of blood.


    He wanted to run quickly to her but his legs were not moving, he was barely walking. Just a little dis-bnce and he would fall. His consciousness was fading away and he had just a nick of awareness left.


    He was also losing his vision. And through that blurry and distorted vision, he saw Anya, and he stretched out his hand toward her as to hold her within his grasp.


    He clenched his fingers, but all he caught hold of was air. He stumbled forward, his feet struck a rock, and he fell.


    As he fell he saw that Anya had looked in his direction, and despite the miserable condition she was in, she passed him aforting smile. Her lips moved, but since he was too far away he couldn''t make anything of what she said.


    His head hit hard on the ground, and everything turned ck. Atst, he fell into the slumber of unconsciousness in the midst of all this chaos.


    ***


    My body felt light. It was like I was floating deep inside a nice cool ocean, covered with water and aforting environment. My body was so rxed that I didn''t even feel anything.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Strange, isn''t it? I thought so too. Just that I wasn''t able to think at that moment. My mind seemed to have stopped working for a small span of time. It was the worst thing that could''ve happened, and it did.


    Why? I didn''t know.


    How? I didn''t know.


    For what reason? I didn''t know.


    All I knew was that this was happening because I was careless. I forced myself into believing that I had time before the cmity hits, and that was my biggest mistake. I should''ve prepared everything as if the cmity was going to strike tomorrow.


    ''Ah, so careless I was. There was just one thing I wanted to do, just a handful of people I wanted to save. Yet I failed. Again. Likest time. Even though this time I was the one who wanted to protect, I failed.''


    The gears of my mind began moving again and feeling flooded back into my body. I didn''t know for how long I was out but I was surely knocked out.


    The first thing I heard was a loud ringing noise that seemed to have torn through my ears, then the pain came in, along with the memories of what had happened before I passed out. I''d gained quite a lot of injuries, so the pain of obvious. Thus pain was what I got.


    Then my hearing resolved and things became clear, I felt like I could open my eyes now, so I did.


    Light came rushing into my eyes, and it took a moment before I got used to it.


    I tried to make something of the situation around me. Right now I was lying on the ground in a different position and ce from where I''d fallen. And it was a bit strange since I wasn''t feeling the hard rock below my head.


    Rather it was something soft, like someone''sp. Looking up I saw mother''s face. She was gazing at the side with tears dripping from her eyes.


    ''What could have happened?'' The question rose in me.


    I followed her line of sight and turned my head to the side, and the world stopped for me when I saw what was there.


    It was nothing scary, of course, it was just my sister.


    She was lying on the ground over a deep red carpet of no particr shape with her eyes gently closed. She still held the sword in her hand, though there was no use of it now I guess. It was fine, she was sleeping.


    But one thing still bugged me, she seemed shorter than usual. I took a moment to notice the difference, and then I finally found it.


    The lower half of her body was missing, she was ripped in two from her stomach¡ªthe ce where that deep red carpet wasing out.


    But it was fine. She was just sleeping, after all.

 Chapter 285 I Wanted To Be A Hero [1]

    I stared at Anya for a few minutes. She was there, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Well, it was only to be expected.


    She had fought for a good while and efficiently too, it was only natural that now she was tired and wanted some sleep. There was just one thing I couldn''t understand and it was why she didn''t have her lower body.


    But I was willing to ignore that for now; more like I didn''t want to know why. After all, I could always ask her when she woke up. So it was not much of a problem anyway.


    She was sleeping, yeah. And I didn''t want to disturb her, thus I turned forward. There I saw my father.


    He was standing in front at a distance from me and mother, though something felt weird. He was panting, had more than a few scratches on his body, and was holding his sword straight up.


    He stood in a battle posture, with his back against it and it looked like he was trying to protect mother and me.


    Why was he doing this? I didn''t know. It didn''t really make sense. But there was one thing that I was sure of, and it was whatever he was trying to do. It was dangerous, he shouldn''t be there.


    Perhaps some part of my brain was still asleep at that point, because then when it started working again everything came crashing down. And my heart throbbed faster.


    "Father! What are you doing there?! Come back, it''s dangerous there!" I screamed out of my throat.


    He turned his head to the side.


    "Isn''t that obvious? I''m doing what I should''ve done a long time ago, as the head of this family," he said.


    It didn''t really make sense to me, what the hell was he on about?


    "What are you talking about? This is no time for jokes, pleasee back here," I pleaded.


    "It is no joke, my son. I''m just doing what I should''ve done from the start. As the head of this family, it is my responsibility to protect you, your mother, and your sister.


    "I was a fool for not realizing that earlier¡­ that''s why I failed¡­ but I can save you. Protecting the family is my job, not yours! I was an idiot for letting you do whatever you wanted. I should''ve listened to your mother''s advice and scolded you a little.


    "Then perhaps you wouldn''t have turned out this spoiled," there was a sense of regret in thest of his words. His voice seemed deeper than it was.


    "This is not right! You won''t be able to fight those beasts! They are way above your league, you''ll just get yourself killed! Please, let me handle this ande back!"


    The tension was getting to me, and thinking about it now I know that the words I said were not right. They must have hurt him more than his wounds, but at the moment I was not aware of it.


    All I wanted was my family, safe and sound.


    It seemed like he wasn''t going to listen to me, thus I forced my body up and tried to walk up to him. However, my body was a little too broken down.


    Just when I put my foot forward I stumbled and fell back in my mother''sp.


    "You''ve done enough, Zero," she said as she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a gentle embrace. "You should leave it all to your parents now. I know we aren''t that good and sometimes act silly, but we are adults, you know?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It''s not that I don''t trust you. But this is something only I could handle. These demons cannot handle normal swordsmanship, only I can take care of them.''


    Perhaps the tension of the situation was getting to their heads, all the more reason for me to end this quickly.


    Therefore, since I wasn''t going to win them with words here I tried to move my already broken-to-the-bone body and distanced myself from her embrace.


    It was easy to do, she wasn''t holding me tightly or anything; it was just the gentle embrace of a mother. I sat back on my knees, ready to go and aid father.


    Though that was when I noticed something, all the color drained from my face and I felt nauseous.


    "H-How?" I mumbled in a rapidly trembling voice.


    There was a hole¡­ in her stomach. Her dress was stained red with her own blood, and more wasing out when with just a little movement.


    Her palms were red too, and now that I noticed it my clothes were also dyed crimson from where she held me.


    This was wrong, very wrong. I didn''t know what to do. This situation was something I''d never ounted for. My mind was starting tog, I was not able to think clearly anymore.


    It was getting harder to even breathe.


    She looked at my panicked state, and despite the condition she was in, she passed me a gentle smile and held my chin.


    "Mother¡­ how did this happen?" I asked, somehow finding the words.


    "Don''t worry about me, it was just a little ident," she replied.


    Though a few secondster her eyes gleamed as the light of the rising sun reflected on the tears that had swelled up inside. They fell,ing down the stream from her cheeks.


    "You shouldn''t have seen this," she whispered as she tried to hold back her tears but failed. "You shouldn''t have seen this¡­ no son should see her mother like this¡­"


    She cried and pulled me into a tight hug. This time she was holding me tightly as if she didn''t want to let me go. I, of course, performed no resistance.


    I was not in a state to do that; I was still trying to get over the fact of what the hell had just happened.


    Both of us stayed there together. Until I finally understood the meaning behind father''s words; understood why he''d said that he could at least save me.


    Both of us stayed there together. She was crying continuously, resting her head on my shoulder. I could feel her heat on my chest, though I was sure it was just blood.


    Both of us stayed there together. Until that heat finally faded away and I could no longer feel her heartbeat.

 Chapter 286 I Wanted To Be A Hero [2]

    Right after that, I started hearing the sound of shing des. Actually, it was not the shing of two des, I had grown used to this sound by now.


    It was the sound of the shing of a sword and the w of a beast. Turning behind I saw that father was now engaged in a battle with a demon beast.


    I barely stopped my heart froming out of my mouth and my brain to explode.


    This was wrong. I was being put up in a desperate situation right now. I didn''t want to leave mother here, or Anya. But I also didn''t want to let father fight that beast alone; I knew he wouldn''tst long.


    Someone was ying a dirty game with me here. I didn''t like that.


    Iy mother on the ground carefully, then I removed my battered cloak and put it upon her. After removing the cloak I noticed some of the deep cuts I''d gained under it and on my body.


    I ignored them; my own cuts were the least of my worries right now.


    Then I dragged myself to Anya. I didn''t have another cloak and my shirt was glued to my skin due to all the blood, thus I took her cloth and covered her with it.


    Once done, I turned toward my father and forced my body to stand on two feet.


    It was hard, as I could feel my very bones shaking and creaking. Still, I forced my body to its limits and stood on two feet, swinging my hands in the air to maintain bnce.


    I let out a breath and then took a step forward. I was thinking of how I should deal with that beast but before that coulde true the world in front of me rolled and I stumbled forward, falling on my knees yet again.


    It was only to be expected. After all, I had more than a few broken bones and ribs and torn-up muscle fibers.


    Even so, it didn''t matter much. So what if I can''t stand and walk?


    I used my hands and crawled my way near Ron. In the process, my lower body gained more scratches and cuts, but at the moment I noticed none of that.


    But after a while even doing that seemed impossible. All the energy had drained from my body, if anything I was probably moving only on will.


    "Father! Please stop! You will die," I screamed, and it hurt my throat while doing so.


    "What the hell are you doing here?" he screamed back, something I hadn''t expected out of him. "You are wasting your time here, you should run as far as you can while you still have the chance!"


    I paid no heed to a single word he said. Run away, he says. That''s the stupidest shit I''d heard that day.


    Rather than that I looked for Req. In this situation she was the only one who could save him, thus I searched for her in every direction.


    I tried sending a thoughtmunication, but it didn''t work. My mind was too messed up and jumbled up for that at the moment. Therefore I searched for her with my eyes.


    And soon I caught sight of her. There she was, still where I''d told her to be. Holding the frontlines and fighting against a literal mountain of demon beasts.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''But this is no good,'' I thought.


    When I say a literal mountain of demon beasts, I mean a literal mountain of them. There were no routes of escape. She couldn''t move away from there.


    If she did then also those beasts woulde flooding down directly toward us.


    It was a lost cause.


    I stretched out my hand and tried to reach out to him. I used every single muscle fiber avable in my body, but it still wasn''t enough. I tried using magic, but I couldn''t.


    "Aggghhhhhhhhh!" I grumbled in frustration.


    Why wasn''t this working?


    "Hush now, boy," he said while blocking the beast with his sword. "Let daddy handle this, for once," he said.


    He pulled his sword back and dashed to the side, the beast grabbed in the air and got nothing. He kicked the beast to the side and leaped away before it could turn ande at him.


    Taking a few steps back, he changed his posture. nting his feet on the ground he held his sword tightly and thenunched himself toward the beast.


    He reached close and drilled his sword forward. But then he stopped.


    His shoulder turned red as the beast bit off a heavy chunk of flesh from his left shoulder and some part of his neck.


    I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth; in the process, I bit my tongue.


    Father stood still, but for some reason, so did the beast. After a moment the one who fell was not him, but the demon. There I saw it. Before the demon had bitten him he was sessful in ting the sword in its core.


    "Why¡­" I mumbled. "WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!"


    I screamed and smacked the ground with my hands, damaging my skin in the process.


    "Uggghhh! Damn it!" Yet again.


    There came a sword, and it flew right past me and behind me. I heard a scream, and it was of a beast. Looking behind I saw one of them, with a sword stuck in its chest right where the core is found.


    I looked back at my father, he was facing me and standing somehow. He wasn''t dead yet. There as I saw him standing there with a satisfied smile on his face rather than pain and despair, I remembered one thing he''d said.


    ''I wanted to be a hero.'' and heroes never live a long life.

 Chapter 287 The Dark Memories Of The Past [1]

    Ron fell facedown on the ground right after at the same time as the demon beast behind Zero. But as he fell there was no sign of despair, regret, or pain on his face; he carried a smile.


    Though none of this mattered to Zero. He sat there on his knees, looking nkly at his father''s corpse. There was no expression on his face, it was just in.


    However, even then one could tell that all the color had drained from his face and it seemed like someone had squeezed his soul out.


    He stayed quiet; there was no voiceing out of his mouth. And there was a buzzing and ringing in his ears as if a bomb had exploded right next to him. All the sound the demon beasts around him made was canceled out. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing and heartbeat.


    Then the moisture in his eyes increased, and soon they gleamed and reflected like ake under the moon in the night sky. Slowly the liquid increased, and soon there was what you could say, water in his eyes.


    A single drop of tear left his eye, traveling in the air it aimed for the ground. Zero took a breath, a deep inhale that provided his lungs with air.


    The drop of air covered half the distance to the ground, and at that time all the demon beasts near Zero jumped at him all at once. Req delivered a huge blow of ck energy, clearing out the chunk around her, and turned toward Zero as she sensed something¡ªsomething dangerous.


    "No! Don''t do it! That''s too much, you won''t be able to handle it!!!" she screamed and dashed toward Zero.


    She ran fast, clearing the beasts in the way with one sweep of the sword. She stretched out her hand and was about to reach Zero when a drop of the tear hit the ground.


    There was conjured great ice, and not just a shard or a pile of ice it was. With Zero as the epicenter cold winds were hurled in every direction. The winds were so cold that they froze the ground itself as it moved forward.


    Since the ground turned to ice, one could see arge blue circle appearing and expanding outward. The winds moved further and froze everything that came their way.


    Whether it be a demon beast or Req, everyone was frozen solid into a statue of ice. The process was rather fast and in the span of about a minute the area of hundred miles of radius around Zero waspletely and utterly turned to ice.


    This was Zero''s elemental magic, or rather this was Zero''s true elemental magic. These were the extent of his powers. All the demon beasts within the hundred miles radius were frozenpletely.


    Although there was a major w in his power as of now; Zero was not immune to his own elemental magic. Therefore as he sat there on his knees, the ice froze him as well.


    Slowly his body was covered in ayer of frost, and he lost consciousness as he fell into a state simr to that of cryogenic sleep. As he fell into a deep slumber, the events that had happened forced him to remember the dark memories of his past which he had locked away deep inside his heart.


    ***


    I was thirteen years old when I figured that I was not like all the other people. It was on the day my dog died. I''d gone to take him on a walk¡ªafter being lectured by my mom for it¡ªand we were returning home.<novelnext></novelnext>


    We were walking on the side of the road when he noticed another dog on the other side and started barking and trying to run toward him. I was just a thirteen-year-old boy and he was a good big german shepherd.


    It wasn''t long before he freed himself from my grip and ran toward the dog across the road. He was so focused on the dog before him that he didn''t notice when a truck came from the side and hit him, tossing him high in the air.


    He was whirled up and spun before he crashed down a few yards away. He probably died just then, but the truck driver didn''t care to stop and ran over him, turning his body into a crushed pulp.


    A momentter all the cars stopped since there was a dead dog at the center of the road, and then I ran up close to him. I stood there as I looked down at Fluff¡ªit was his name.


    I couldn''t recognize him; his head was utterly crushed. But as I stood there looking down at him, a smile could be seen on my face. I was thrilled. Loads of adrenaline and dopamine were rushing in my veins.


    To tell it in a way you could understand, what I felt at that moment was simr to the feeling you get whileing down a roller coaster.


    My whole body was entertained and refreshed. I liked this feeling. I wanted more of it.


    Later on, I did a few experiments to confirm that¡ªfor example throwing a brick at my neighbor''s kid, throwing the puppy of a stray dog from the top of a building, deliberately starting a fight with a student in my school, and then beating him till he bleeds from his nose and mouth.


    I did some research on the inte as well, and after a while, it was confirmed.


    It was just me and that feeling which came whenever I saw others in pain and suffering. I knew that soon I was gonna get addicted to it, but I didn''t care. Nothing mattered.


    Now I just needed a way to get more of this; the things I was doing up until now were simply not enough. Therefore I searched for a few days, eyeing and analyzing everything around me carefully and finding what I could use. Then one day I found the answer I needed.


    It was at my school. During the time of recess, I saw a student getting bullied by a group of four. They were making fun of him, snatching his things away, making him do weird things and actions, and beating the shit out of him.


    They were at a ce that was out of sight and couldn''t be found until you deliberately searched for it; a storeroom behind the school building at the corner of the ground.


    I stayed there and watched, and observed the fact that even after the bullies beat him up and went away, the boy didn''t dare try to tell anyone. He sat there and sobbed for a while, then picked himself up, dusted the uniform, and went back.


    This lit an idea in my mind. I knew what I had to do. And as I thought of the things I could do this way, a grin washed over my face.

 Chapter 288 The Dark Memories Of The Past [2]

    I knew what I had to do, but I wasn''t going to do it in the way normal bullies do. I wanted arger amount ofb rats. Therefore I chose a rather different method that could benefit me in the long term.


    I started off by trying to make friends¡ªsince I didn''t have any¡ªand to do that I made a good public image of myself. I began studying eight hours a day¡ªwhich was more than enough for a student in the 8th grade¡ªand improved my marks.


    Soon I was at the top of the ss with the highest scores. Then it was time for sports. I begged my parents to buy me some gym equipment, and they did after a lot of pleading.


    I started working out for two hours a day. Out of twenty-four hours in a day, I slept for six hours, five were spent in school, and I studied for eight hours and worked out for two. In the remaining three hours I did my daily things such as bathing and eating and in the time that was left after everything I read books about socializing and improving talking skills.


    Six months in the future, I was where I wanted to be. I was the top student in my ss in both studying and sports. And unlike the previous toppers, I was charismatic. I had made a ridiculous amount of friends and was popr in both ss and school¡ªno grade 8th students had abs, after all.


    Having friends was an important part, thus I made sure to not mess up in that, and soon I had friends not just in ss 8B, but in the entire grade. When I thought that everything was perfect, I began with the second stage.


    I picked a handful of students who I knew were weak in socializing and had little to no friends of their own other than me.


    Now being such a popr persones with benefits of its own, people trust you. And they tell you things they might not tell others. The same went for me, and I knew a lot of dirty, selfish secrets.


    I was really grateful for that since I used those secrets against them to ckmail the rats I''d chosen. I called them in the same storeroom at the corner of the ground behind the school building.


    I started by beating the shit out of them, then I used the things from the storeroom such as a metal rod. It was good, but I soon got bored of it. So I made those three rats beat each other in a brawl and set the condition that whoever gains the most injuries will have to take the metal rod in their ass.


    They fought like wild animals while I sat there and watched them with a satisfied smile on my face. Once I was done I made sure to take those rats to the nurse''s office and inform them that they had beaten each other in a fight¡ªwhich was not a lie by the way.


    This went on for quite a few days and I learned that I should not provide them with permanent injuries or the chances of me being found out will rise.


    One day rather than calling them in the storeroom I called the rats in the boy''s bathroom. I had just got a new idea. I made one put his head on the toilet seat and drink the water and the crap within.


    He was refusing to do that so I made the other one force his head inside and told him that if he didn''t make him do it, it would be his turn instead.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Humans are really selfish creatures, when it came to his own welfare he did just what I''d told him and forced the other student''s head inside the toilet seat.


    I couldn''t even begin to describe the wonderful expression they had on their faces, and it became even more exhrating when I told them that they can''t vomit or they''ll have to eat it back.


    Out of three the one that was remaining became my personal punching bag. I had the sand one at home but using a human was just a whole new experience. I enjoyed that quite a lot.


    This went on for a few months. As the days passed I collected more and moreb rats, though I made sure to leave a good bunch unharmed. After all, if all of them saw my true side then who would be there to defend me if one of the rats tried to spill the beans?


    And this has happened quite a few times. Often one of the rats would get fed up with everything and use me of horrible crimes I didn''t even know about in front of the whole ss.


    Obviously, no one believed him.


    But since these cases were increasing I doubted that some students were starting to get suspicious¡ªespecially the toppers whose ce I''d snatched.


    Then at the end of the final semester, something unexpected happened. All of the rats that I''d collected came together and started to protest against me in order to introduce the school to my true identity.


    They had decided to sacrifice their own school life for that since they said that they didn''t care if I let out the secrets I''d been using to ckmail them.


    I don''t know if they had expected me to get scared because of all this, because I did just what they had told me to. I released their secrets in the school using the ss message group.


    And not just their secrets, I released the secrets of everyone I''d known of. I did this because I was soon going to change schools because my dad had to travel frequently because of his job. Thus I had nothing to fear.


    As the secrets were known to everyone, the ss fell intoplete disaster. No one was able to trust anyone anymore. Some students were so scared that they even stoppeding to school.


    The ss 8B of that year fell, never to rise again.

 Chapter 289 The Dark Memories Of The Past [3]

    My dad had a transfer and we changed cities, and obviously, my school changed too. I had just turned fourteen when I got admission to a new school in the 9th grade.


    This time it was a little different. I already knew what I had to do. Thus from the very first day, I started building my image and working on my reputation.


    Since this was a new school and no one knew what I was like before¡ªand this time I already had abs and a well-built body¡ªit took me only a month to reach the position I held in my previous school.


    ? I befriended everyone in the ss and the grade. I studied my ass off so that I could attain the first position on the very first test, and that did happen. In no time I was the student everyone liked.


    Henceforth when I thought I''d built a reasonable amount of reputation I started my entertainment again and searched for newb rats.


    Time repeated itself and I did the exact same things with the rats but with different methods. I got bored very soon¡ªthat was a bad habit of mine¡ªso eventually I had to find new ways to entertain myself.


    At first, I didn''t know what to do, but after browsing the inte for a few days I got to know about the dark web. It was a dangerous ce, but equally fun for a person like myself.


    I went there and watched a lot of things which students of my age shouldn''t watch. From there I learned new methods of torture and used them on my rats.


    Of course, I had to tone them down to a huge extent so that I could avoid any type of suspicion. For example, if I had to cut a person''s finger in the original form then I had to tone it down and make it up by just crushing the finger with a hammer or something. That way I could say that the said student injured himself while ying or while hammering a nail.


    Though when I had to really do something extreme, I made the other student do it¡ªso that my name wouldn''t be stained. I still remember one time when I made a student break another''s arm.


    On my orders, he bent the other student''s arm behind his back until it broke and then twisted it around his neck like a scarf. After that, I made him report himself to the school and say that he made a mistake during a fight.


    Of course, he was expelled. And the whole school was shocked that a student could do something like this. Some even called him a psychopath.


    There was another time when nothing was appealing to my interests. No matter what I did I wasn''t getting that rush of dopamine that I liked so much.


    So I decided to take things a little further. I picked a rat who was a hard introvert. He had no friends, people didn''t even notice him in the ssroom, and he was also socially awkward henceforth he was marked as a weirdo. Perhaps he was a little mentally unstable too¡ªI am not sure about this but I often heard other students say that.


    I had befriended him too, of course. And there was no way that he was going to deny a request from this only friend of his. I knew that and capitalized on it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    During recess, I called him on the rooftop. We stood near the railing, looking at the view outside and talking about a few things. He said how he was really grateful to me, and that I was the only person he could share his feelings with.


    I acted upon the image I''d built of myself and listened to every bit he had to say. After that I looked at him and smiled, then I pushed him off the roof.


    He fell facedown, and his body sttered like a meatball when he hit the ground. By sheer coincidence, he fell upon another student, leaving a great beautiful view for me.


    I looked at the scenery as long as I could without being seen by anyone, then I walked back down the roof.


    Later on, people suspected that either he fell from the roof by ident or he killed himself. The type of student he was made it easy to believe in either of the oues.


    And this time I got a bonus when I saw the faces of his parents the time they''de to take their son back from school. The staff didn''t know how to give them the news, and when they did.


    Man, it was a sight. They broke downpletely. Even though they were supposed to be adults, they cried and sobbed like kids when they heard that their son was dead. I was watching from a corner, and really enjoyed the look on their faces.


    This went on for quite a bit, but this time my dad''s transfer came sooner than expected. I knew I had to leave this school, so I decided to pack things up.


    Unlike my previous school, the rats here didn''t try to protest against me. Perhaps they were not foolish and aware of what I was capable of.


    Still, I released all the secrets I''d been able to collect in the school group before I left. The same happened with ss 9C as had happened with ss 8B. The trust between the studentspletely fell off the cliff.


    The ss was physiologically destroyed.


    I changed schools again but this time it was midterm, I''d left in the middle of the 9th grade. Though that didn''t make much of a difference. I did the same in the new school.


    All of this went on as I kept changing schools due to my dad''s transfer. Every time I followed the same procedure, and every time the result was the same. But because of this very reason, I started getting bored of it.

 Chapter 290 The Dark Memories Of The Past [4]

    By the time I turned fifteen and reached the end of my 10th grade, I''d grown used to the normal experiments and entertainment I was doing for myself.


    Because no matter what I tried, the setting was the same every time and I was bored with it now. I wasn''t getting the dopamine rush I loved so much, and it was starting to frustrate me now.


    I wanted something new, something different, something big. Yeah, that''s right. I wanted to do something big this time. But I didn''t know what I could do, therefore I started searching for new ways.


    I began searching for new ways in every ce, and for that, I started noticing things closely. The people that were around me, the things they did, the way they acted, the rtionships they had, how they had them, and what could make things go south, I started observing every little detail.


    Then one day, I found what I was looking for. And it was not somewhere out in the world, but rather in my own house.


    It was the time of night, I''d woken up from my slumber to go pee when I heard some voices down from downstairs. I sneaked to the side and listened and tried to watch.


    It was my mom and dad, they were arguing over something. After listening for a while things became a little clear. Mom found some messages on dad''s phone; he was talking to a woman in his office.


    That in itself was not wrong, but he was doing it in a way no married man should do. After listening to it a bit more, I got to know that the advances were made from the woman''s side. His mistake was that he got tempted easily.


    My parents fought over it for a good while before things calmed down finally. They resolved the matters, of course. Dad apologized many times and messaged that woman at the moment and told her not to talk to him again, and blocked her contact afterward.


    Things calmed down, and while a normal kid would have taken a breath of relief what I saw was an opportunity. I saw the path to a way where I would be able to see so much suffering and despair on the faces of humans that I''d never have seen even in my wildest dreams.


    Thus from the next day onwards, I started working on it and nning things out. For what I was going to do, I needed money. Lots and lots of money.


    However, that was not really a problem. Because from all the rats I''d had in all the schools I''d been to, I had collected a fair amount of money. Forcing the poor to give me a good sum of money had a satisfaction of its own.


    But that was not enough, so I used the current rats I had and told them to bring me money. I didn''t care where they brought it from; stealing, snatching, begging, whatever they did it was their own problem. I just wanted the load.


    It took me about seven months to collect the amount I needed, and once that was done I moved on to the next stage.


    I entered the dark web again that day. Actually, I''ve been using it for a while to find what I was looking for. But now I finally had the money, so I rented a woman from there.


    And I''d say, it was pretty cheap there. I didn''t know you could rent humans for such a reasonable price. But then again, it was the dark web.


    I''d have to spend a lot of money just to keep myptop and information safe, or there were high chances that the next day someone would have rented me with a discount.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Once the payments were made I met with the woman¡ªvirtually that is, I was not a fool to go meet someone connected to the dark web in person. I was also just a teenager, so I didn''t think it was right to meet with her in person even if no dangers were involved¡ª and told her what she had to do. Her work was simple, really.


    All she had to do was meet with my dad by sheer coincidence, do that multiple times and then start seducing him.


    I had spent a fair amount of time stalking my dad so I knew the bar where he went every Saturday, thus the location of where she''d to meet was confirmed.


    Things started well, but after four Saturdays my dad was starting to get trapped in her web. It was understandable, I''d chosen her because she was used to this kind of stuff.


    During that time I continued squeezing money from my rats, and after a span of two months, he was cheating on my mom. And I knew this because she''d sent me the *** tapes of my dad as proof.


    Three monthster I finally got the opportunity I was waiting for. One day my mom was at her work, and I had school, but it was a holiday for dad.


    As expected he called her home¡ª though I am sure she was the one who pushed the idea since I''d told her to do that¡ª and they had a nice little party. ording to my instructions, she made sure to get himpletely drunk.


    Once that was done, she pulled him into the bed and informed me at the same time through a message. I yed the final trick then. I called mom and told her to bring me something I''d forgotten; I told her that it was really important, and can''t be dyed.


    She went home, and well, things went as I''d expected. To see the looks on their faces I''d also arrived home a few minutes after mom¡ª I never really went to school, to begin with.


    A lot of drama happened after that. I remember seeing my mom fall to the floor when she caught both of them in the bed. She was broken down to the core. No words wereing out of her mouth, only tears.


    Dad tried exining everything, but of course, he had nothing to exin. Everything was there in front of her. She sat still for a few hours as if something had snatched her life.


    The look she had on her face was different, unlike dad who had pure despair, regret, and sadness. Her expression was something I''d never really seen before, and it left me perplexed as much as it thrilled me.


    The intensity was just as I''d expected. I got back the dopamine rush, and this time it was much wilder, much harder, and bigger than ever and itsted long. I felt like I was floating. I was really happy, really thrilled.


    There was nothing else in the world I wanted right now, I was at my prime and was enjoying every day that went filled with sadness, suffering, and despair.


    Three dayster my parents got divorced, something I''d expected. I moved in with mom, although she was never the same after that.


    However, a week after the divorce something that I hadn''t expected happened. Something terrible, something that made me fall into despair, rather than making me enjoy it.

 Chapter 291 The Dark Memories Of The Past [5]

    After the divorce, I was given a choice to make, and though it was meant to be a serious choice I just flipped a coin to decide whether I''ll live with mom or dad.


    The end result was that I ended up living with mom. I''d paid all the fees of the woman to the woman I''d rented from the dark web and then she disappeared. All of her names, credits, and addresses were fake, and she went back into the world where she came from.


    Dad lived alone after that though that''s just what it looked like on the surface. I''ve been stalking him for a few days after the divorce and turns out he''d started talking with thatdy from his office again.


    I could me him for this and raise suspicion about his character but I knew it was because of me. After the divorce, he became a huge alcoholic and perhaps even started taking drugs. Thatdy might have just used this opportunity.


    There was some more despair I got to see because of that, and it brought me great pleasure. However, things don''t always go as you expect or want them to.


    I was no different.


    It was a bright summer day, and a week had passed since the divorce. I came back from school after ying around with my rats for a bit¡ª I didn''t get pleasure from that anymore but I did it anyway; it was a sight to the eyes.


    I was rather tired. The summer sun had drained the energy out of me and I just wanted to rest a bit. I climbed up the floors of the apartment.


    Standing before the door I wiped the sweat off my forehead and then opened the door. The apartment we were living in wasn''t big since mom was having trouble with money.


    There were just two rooms, and a small hallway floored with wooden nks which connected them to the door. Opening it, I came inside and threw my bag on the floor.


    The moment I turned back and lifted my eyes I saw something that wasn''t supposed to be there. It was nothing strange though, just my mom. But she was hanging from the fan through a rope that was knotted around her neck. There was a stool down near her feet that had fallen to one side as if someone had kicked it away.


    I stood and stared at her for a moment. Her body was slowly swinging from left to right due to the wind that came in through the window. She was dead, that was for sure.


    I should''ve known, it was as clear as day. But for some reason, I wasn''t able to process that fact. It was as if my brain had stopped working.


    For the second time in my life, I didn''t know what to do.


    A few minutester my senses came back and I got control over myself. The first thing I did was to call the police, and after that, I called dad and told him about it; told him that mom had killed herself.


    He sounded depressed, and his words indicated that he was not surprised by this turn of events. I hung up the call, and then I didn''t know what else to do.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So I folded my legs and sat there on the floor as I watched mom''s hanging body. I didn''t dare go near her, I was scared.


    A whileter I heard the sound of buzzing sirens. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.


    ***


    The day of her funeral arrived and went, and I stood there at a distance as I watched everything happen and watched my mom get buried in the ground.


    It was a windy day. Dark clouds had shrouded the sky, and only a few rays of sunlight were able to escape from there and shine down upon the world. Judging from the moisture in the air, the rain was not unexpected.


    Now there was a grave at a distance of a few yards in front of me with my mom''s name engraved on it. I was there, and along with me was a small cluster of people; rtives and such.


    Most of them were crying, and those who weren''t were talking about how much of a good person she was and that this shouldn''t have happened to her. Sobbing and emphasizing were in the air.


    My dad was also there. On her shoulder was leaning that same woman from his office. Now that I had seen it with my own eyes, I had no doubt about it.


    All of them were here, crying and sobbing for my mom''s sake. But I knew that all of these were just fakers. No one had any effect when they got divorced, and even now I was sure that they were gonna live their life like usual from tomorrow onwards. As if nothing had happened.


    Slowly time passed, and they went away. Hours passed and now I was the only one standing there. I was at a distance because I was still scared.


    I was not scared because she might yell at me and say that it was all my mistake. I was scared because I knew that she would be right.


    Clouds had shrouded the skypletely by now, and soon the rain started. Drop by drop the water fell from the sky and soon it was a shower; the sound of droplets hitting the ground resounding in the graveyard.


    Thunder rumbled in the clouds, but I didn''t flinch. I was just staring at the grave. This time I was not feeling any joy, there was no rush of dopamine or adrenaline.


    What I felt was pure despair. There was a heaviness in my heart, so heavy that I felt like it mighte out. I had been trying to stop myself, but in the end, I failed.


    Along with the rain a tear slid down from my eyes, and soon there was a stream of them flowing down.

 Chapter 292 The Dark Memories Of The Past [6]

    I fell to the ground on my knees, closed my eyes, and more tears flooded out. I opened them again and there was another wave of salty water rolling down my cheeks.


    I held my neck, I was sort of having trouble breathing. My chest was heavy, so heavy, more than I could handle. Therefore¡­


    "AAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    I let out a scream, a loud scream. I took a breath, more tears rushed down. Then again.


    "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    I screamed again. I took another breath, more tears flooded out, and I screamed yet again. More and more, louder and louder, I screamed as hard as I could until my throat started aching.


    All of it came crashing down and hit me hard where I hadn''t expected it.


    My mom was dead, gonepletely. She had disappeared from the world, she didn''t exist anymore. No matter how much I wanted to meet her and apologize I couldn''t do that. I was not allowed to. She was gone.


    And it was because of me. She killed herself because of the divorce, and that happened because of me. Technically, I was the one who killed her. I was the murderer of my mother.


    I did it because I was feeling good by seeing people in despair, I was blinded by that pleasure so much that I didn''t notice what I was doing. I knew I was like this naturally, someone had already told me that.


    But I should''ve kept myself in control. I shouldn''t have let my urges and desires take control of me. I shouldn''t have let my sadistic side take control of my life.


    "It was all my fault¡­" I mumbled as I looked up into the rain. At the same time, lighting shed in the sky.


    My mom was gone. I hadn''t realized her importance and how much she meant to me because I was blinded by my own desires. But now that she was not here and in a ce I could never reach, I knew the weight of my mistake.


    That was the day when I started hating this sadistic side of mine more than anything I''ve done in my entire life. I hated it with everything I had, I hated it more than the students who became a victim of it.


    But there was nothing I could do now. There was no way of bringing the dead back to life. However, there was one thing I could do, and it was to bury this side of mine that caused this disaster.


    I decided that I would take control over this side, not the other way around. That is what I was supposed to do anyway. I had just strayed from the path that was shown to me by someone, and it had cost me a great deal. I wasn''t going to let that happen anymore.


    Two monthster my dad married thatdy from his office, and they decided not to take me in¡ª I wasn''t going to stay with them anyway.


    I bought the apartment room where I lived with my mom, and I did this so that I could never forget what had happened when I lost control, and so I can prevent it from happening again.


    It was around this time that I picked up novel writing as a hobby. Controlling my sadistic urges was easier said than done, and there were some times when I''d almost given up.


    Therefore I chose this way and relieved myself through my writing¡ª by torturing the fictional characters I''d created. This wasn''t anything much and didn''t give me any dopamine rush, but was enough to keep me in control.


    I stopped going to school too because I felt no need to do so anymore. Or rather I should say I didn''t want to go there again. The most I did to make up for that was to study at home¡ª I was used to doing that anyway.


    Things went on like this and soon I turned sixteen, and then it happened. On a cold winter night, I fell down the stairs and died, then I found out that I''d reincarnated inside the novel of the author I hated.


    And this was a rather ruthless setting. I was reincarnated as a side character and I had to use the knowledge of the future I had along with the help of my sadistic nature.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Yeah, in the world keeping myself in control was difficult, but my sadistic nature was also important if I had to survive here. I had to lean on its help. Though this time I would be the one in control.


    This was a new chance. I was born into a good family and had loving parents. I thought that I would do things differently this time and that I wouldn''t let it end the same way it did in my past life.


    Although I failed yet again. My parents died again right in front of my eyes, and I wasn''t able to do anything. Here I was, frozen to a stature with my own magic.


    ''How pathetic.''


    I had been trying to seal away the memories of my past parents, but I ended up remembering them again.


    ''Truly pathetic I am.''


    I had given up all hope. If my parents were dead along with my sister, then there was no reason to continue living in this world.


    It was a matter of time. As soon as I would decide to let go of my consciousness the ice would freeze mepletely and I would fall into a deep sleep never to wake up again.


    And I was just going to do that. Slowly, I started to release the hold of the consciousness I was clenching onto for so long.


    However, just at that time when I was about topletely lose myself in the darkness, I saw a ray of life. And I wasn''t saying that in a metaphorical way, I literally saw a ray of light.


    For some reason, the sheet of ice on my face melted. Things came into view, and soon all the ice that was covering my body melted and evaporated into mist.


    I was able to feel things again, and I sensed someone''s palm on my face.


    As soon as my vision came back, I saw that there was a person standing in front of me.


    There as I sat on my knees looking up, I saw that there was a girl standing before me.


    She had light, sky-blue colored hair and golden eyes along with a snow-like fair skin tone. She was dressed in pure ck clothes, and the texture of those was sort of weird; as if they were made out of shadows.


    When she saw me look at her,pletely dumbfounded, a slight smile appeared on her face.


    "Finally awake, huh? Must''ve been pretty depressing in there," she said


    I didn''t know her. I had never seen this girl before. But still, for some reason, I felt as if I knew her. And not just knew her, it was like I was aware of who she was.


    "Who¡­ are y-you?" I asked, though my voice was rather broken and trembling.


    "Oh yeah, there we go with the ssic question," she sighed and took a step back. Then looked back at me.


    "Listen, this might seem weird and not make sense but¡­ I am you," she said.


    She was right, it didn''t make any sense.

 Chapter 293 I Am You

    "Yeah that doesn''t make any sense," Zero replied.


    He was right in his way of thinking, the girl was totally different from him. She had long blue hair while he had normal ck hair, she had a light and soft voice while his pitch was deep. But most of all, she was a female!


    There''s no way they could be the same person.


    "I know, I know. It''s hard to grasp, but it''s true," she replied as she raised her hand toward Zero.


    "Don''t worry, it''s healing magic," she said, calming Zero down who had raised his arms up in a defensive posture.


    Soon a golden-colored magic circle opened before her palm and a bright glow came out of it and went around Zero''s body, engulfing him as the shining particles circled around him.


    In no time all the pain left his body. The injuries he''d gained were healed, and the magic had such a power that even the chunks of meat that were torn off from his body by the beasts and his skin that was burned regenerated itself.


    "That''s a high-level magic spell," Zeromented. But there was more to it than that.


    She didn''t reply and closed the magic circle when Zero waspletely healed. He was feeling much better now, and for once he was able to think straight again¡ª since the headache from the overuse of [Foresight] had also gone away.


    "Now, let''s get back to talking. We don''t have much here," she said. "What I said was true, no matter how weird it seems. I am you, Zero nks. I came here from the future."


    It was not as if everything she said wentpletely over Zero''s head, but he was having a hard time believing all that.


    A normal person would have interrupted her and wouldn''t have let her finish what she wanted to say, but he listened to her calmly¡ª even though still disturbed by his parent''s death, he was now back in hisposed and rational state of mind.


    "Okay, let''s just say what you said is true. I believed you even when I don''t know you at all, but one thing still remains. How in the world did I be a girl in the future?" he asked.


    "That huh? Can''t say I ampletely used to it either. But well, let me clear one thing for you: this is not my body," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Things are rather hard and rough in the future, and there came a time when my physical body waspletely destroyed. So to save my life, Req merged my soul with hers and as a result, both of us now share the same spiritual body," she said in a dark tone as if she was still not happy with how things turned out.


    "Wait what? You have Req with you?" Zero asked hurriedly.


    "I said that I am you, didn''t I? It''s obvious that she''ll be with me," she replied.


    "I see. But if you both are really in the same body, then where is she? To me it seems like you are the one talking," Zero questioned.


    Zero was having a hard time believing all this¡ª or rather he didn''t want to¡ª but there were a few things that forced him to. For example, the girl knew about Req. Which in itself should be impossible, but she did not only know about her but she knew the name he called Req as well.


    "There is one body, but the consciousness of two people. I canmunicate with her in my mind but we''ll have to switch ces if we want to take control of the body. Right now I am the one controlling the body, so she can''t talk with anyone outside."


    "Hmm, if that''s the case then switch once. I want to talk to her," Zero said.


    "Sigh. You don''t trust people easily, huh? Well, it is me so I can understand. I still have that problem. But fine, if that''s what it takes to finish this quickly then I''ll do it," she said and closed her eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Nothing special happened and she opened her eyes again, but this time the voice that came out was different.


    "Yup, here I am. Ask what you wanna ask," she said. This time her voice was the same as Req''s; there was no doubt about it. And Zero was rather surprised to see this.


    "Are you Req?" he asked.


    "Okay, we are short in time here so I''ll make this quick. You might not be able to recognize your future self but I can do that. So¡­"


    She turned to where the frozen statue of Req stood. "Lend me a hand here," she said and closed her eyes. "Sure," the girl replied to herself, opening her eyes again.


    She raised a hand toward Req and soon the ice covering her body was undone as if the elemental magic spell itself was undone. Req soon started moving and the first thing she did was look at the girl.


    The girl again closed her eyes only to open them again while Req stood there staring at her for a while.


    "I see, I understand now," Req said as she walked next to Zero.


    "See? There''s no way I''ll fail to recognize myself," the girl said.


    Now that Zero was listening to both of them at the same time, he realized that their voices were the exact same.


    "Wait, for real? Req, is that really you from the future?" Zero asked, he still didn''t want to ept the fact that he was a girl in the future.


    "Yeah, I am a spiritual being so I can directly see the soul of things. And hers is the same as mine. Also, there is not just her; there are two souls merged into one, the other being¡­ yours," Req said. "I knew spells for time travel existed, but now I''ve seen one."


    "Damn¡­ So it''s true then," Zero mumbled, looking at Req and then back at the girl.


    The girl repeated the process of closing her eyes and opening them again.


    "Now have you cleared your doubts?" she asked.


    "I have onest question," Zero proposed.


    "Sigh. Fine, ask whatever you want," she replied.


    "What is the thing that I regret the most in my life? If you are really me then you should know that."


    "I see. I, of course, know that; I am you after all. And the thing you regret the most in your life has happened today, in fact. The moment when you weren''t able to save your parents from the demon beasts, that is when you cursed yourself the most," she said in a serious tone.


    A slight smile appeared on Zero''s face, but it was only there for a few seconds. "Damn, you are right after all. You really are me."


    "And the fact that I am a girl in the future," he added.


    "Oh don''t worry about that. I am here to change that future, after all," the girl said, or rather Zero of the future was the one to say those words.

 Chapter 294 Warlord [1]

    "What? Wait a second, are you talking about changing the future?" Zero asked.


    "Yeah."


    "But wouldn''t that like¡­ create some paradoxes? You should know what I''m talking about right? Trying to change the future might mess up the whole timeline," he reasoned.


    Now that he was sure that the girl in front of him was a future version of himself, he was quick on the uptake and was cooperating with her¡ª or himself¡ª in no time.


    "You are right, but I have already done an experiment by changing something minor in the future before I came here and the rules of time travel here are rather simple. Neither a paradox nor a new timeline is created if you changed something in the past, instead of that the current future timeline vanishes out of existence and a new future is created," she replied.


    "So¡­ what you''re saying is that if you change something here in the future then it won''t mess up the timeline but create a new future?" Zero asked in confirmation.


    "Yeah, that''s right."


    Zero stood there for a while and wondered over this fact. This was a real discovery. If the future could be changed, then perhaps he can¡­


    "What are you here to change?" He finally asked the most important question.


    The girl exhaled. "I''m here to change this very moment, because if things went on like this then¡ª"


    She was stopped mid-sentence as an enormous shockwave hit them. She acted quickly and created a magical barrier around herself, Zero, and Req.


    The intensity of the shock wave increased and in a few seconds, it was so strong that all the buildings in Roswell city crumbled to small pieces as the ground shook abruptly. The demon beasts that had been frozen due to Zero''s ice also broke into pieces along with their cores.


    Trying to find the source of this shockwave Zero looked toward the sky, thereing out of the portal was a humanoid-looking figure. But it was not a human.


    He looked like one, but he had some features that humans don''t have.


    Coming out of his forehead were two long horns that bent upward like a crown. His chest was covered in abs, he had crimson eyes and long white hair that came down to his waist. And above all, he was floating in the air.


    He shook his hand in the air and another intensive shockwave was released and the Roswell citypletely turned to dust this time.


    Then he looked down at where the crumbled and frozen pieces of the demon beastsy, and a look of disgust took over his face as he gazed upon them.


    "All of you worthless insects, can''t even do one job properly," he mumbled with all the disgust he could muster in his voice while his long hair swayed in the wind.


    Then his eyes caught the sight of Zero and the others. At first, he was going to ignore them but the barrier that surrounded them had been strong enough to defend against his shockwaves¡ª two of them that is. This caught his attention.


    "So some humans are still left? Well, it doesn''t make a difference," he whispered under his breath.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then he turned back, and raised his hand up in the sky, toward the Moon. He clenched his fist, and a few secondster the whole Moon rumbled. Soon a cloud of dust appeared on the edges of the Moon.


    "I will end this at once," he said and then turned around toward Zero.


    And he brought down his hand in a rush as if throwing a ball toward Zero and the others.


    "What the hell is he up to?" Zero said as he looked at the demon in confusion. "If I''m not wrong then he must be a demon warlord."


    He wasn''t able to understand what this demon was trying to do, but soon he noticed something, and it was on the Moon. It was like the Moon was slowlying close. Zero squinted his eyes to look closely, and then he understood.


    The Moon really wasing close. The demon had somehow split the Moon in half and now one part of it wasing toward them at great speed.


    "What the fuck! He is literally smashing the moon at us!" Zero eximed. "I hate to say this but we are done for! No way we can stop that!" he added. It was out of character for him to say this, but you don''t see half of the Mooning toward you every day.


    The half-moon soon entered the''s atmosphere and caught fire. Perhaps the demon had also increased its speed because it wasing rather fast.


    "Tch¡­ Can''t you see that we are talking," the girl¡ª or the Zero from the future¡ª said in a frustrated tone. There was a dark shadow covering her face as if she were angry; pushed beyond all limits.


    Which she was because this demon had just interrupted her when she was about to exin something important to Zero. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.


    By this time the piece of Moon was directly above their head, and the initial effects could be seen on the''s surface.


    "Stay here for a bit," she said to Zero in a calm and dark tone. And he recognized it because he also sometimes spoke like that.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Nothing, just take care of this bastard so that we can have a good talk with someone interrupting us afterward," she said.


    She looked up toward the iing part of the Moon that was a few minutes away from smashing them to a pulp. Other than that, it would destroy more than half of the earth on impact.


    Looking at it with dark and dull eyes she raised her hand toward the sky and the iing moon. The shadow that was in the form of her clothes extended itself and covered her hand.


    "Shatter."


    She said, and it happened. The next moment the colossal part of the Moon that wasing toward them broke into a billion small pieces.


    She closed her fist, and this time each of those small pieces shattered into a million more pieces. This time they were so small that half of the moon that wasing toward them turnedpletely into dust.

 Chapter 295 Warlord [2]

    The dust of the Moon rained upon the ground but it didn''t do any damage.


    The girl¡ª or Zero of the future¡ª then looked at the humanoid demon floating before the portal in the sky.


    A whirl of wind circled around her feet as she was slowly lifted up in the air. She went up and up and soon passed out of the barrier and lifted herself up in the sky until she was at the same level as the humanoid demon.


    She looked at him with her dull and dark golden eyes. They were golden to say, but when observed closely it could be seen that they had lost all shine.


    "Sorry, okay? But you are a nuisance," she said and stretched out her right hand to the side.


    She opened her fist and the ck shadows that were also covering her body assembled themselves between her fingers and slowly took a shape. Soon it looked like a sword; a pitch-ck sword.


    "Is that the Requiem sword?" Zero asked.


    "Yes, it is," Req replied, looking up. "But it is more than that."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I am not so sure myself, but it''s like your future self has merged himself with Requiem as well along with my future self. He is not using the sword, in a way, he is the sword now," Req exined.


    Zero just listened and observed up in the sky in awe.


    "Human, do you intend to fight?" the demon asked, taking note of her.


    Her lips curled into a smirk. "No, not at all." She looked up directly at him. "I intend to annihte you."


    She swung her sword at him and a surge of ck was released toward the demon along with an intense amount of pressure. It hit him like a storm and the demon¡ª despite being confident in his own strength¡ª had to raise his hands in defense.


    The ck energy hit him and exploded, when the smoke from the explosion cleared Zero saw that the ground in the direction where she''d swung her sword had beenpletely destroyed.


    "You, you are strong," the demon said as he eyed the girl in front of him.


    She was strong, so far the strongest human he''d seen. Even stronger than the man in the academy they''d been told to be careful about. She could prove to be a threat in their operation, thus he had to take care of her somehow.


    He raised his hands toward her and released his magic. Suddenly she felt a strong pressure on her shoulders that was pushing her down. A secondter the ground just below her copsed and drowned deep in the surface of the surface. Although she didn''t get any damage.


    "Gravity magic. That''s your strong suit, huh? I still remember. Although it was a lot harder fighting you then. But now it won''t have any effect on me, my resistance is stronger," she said, looking at her left palm.


    ''It''s not working?'' the demon thought. He increased his power but it still didn''t work. Now he was using as much as power he used to pull down the moon but the girl before him was not affected.


    ''I can use more force to bring her down, but it''s possible that I''ll cause more destruction than I''m allowed to. And even then I''m not sure if it''ll be enough; I don''t know her true powers yet. I''d be foolish to think that what she did just now was the true extent of her powers.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was then that he noticed something that he hasn''t done until now. The girl before him was not a human, she was more like a spirit, or a weapon.


    ''Maybe I should try and get her to our side. With her power, she will prove to be a good asset,'' the demon thought, and with that in mind, he lowered his arm and stopped his magic.


    "Girl, I have a proposal for you. Leave the humans and join our side; you will be far happier that way. We''ll treat you better than these disgusting little pests," he said.


    "So? What do you say?"


    She didn''t reply. A few seconds passed and she said nothing, a couple of minutes passed but she said nothing. Then finally she lifted her head, there was new darkness in her eyes. Deep and dull.


    "Zero, hold the ground tight. I''d thought not to do many changes but now I might perhaps end up destroying this area. This timeline will be erased anyway so it won''t make much difference," after saying that she strengthened the barrier around Zero and Req.


    Turning to the demon she looked him dead in the eye.


    "You bastard!" she said as she clenched her left fist tightly. "I spent my entire life hunting you motherfuckers down so that I can erase all existence of your race, and now you''re saying I should join you?!"


    "How dare you say that to my face without fearing for your life?" she screamed. "Did you forget how I killed youst time? How I tore you to pieces and then ate you alive just like it happened with my parents? Don''t you remember how I destroyed your kingdoms and eradicated almost your entire race?


    "DON''T YOU FUCKING REMEMBER?!" she shouted. "Well of course you would not. Because if you did, you would''ve thought a million times before saying that!


    "I wanted to keep this simple, but you forced me! Now regret! Regret and fall in despair!"


    She raised her sword straight toward the demon.


    "Magiken!"


    "Final form!"


    A burst of shadows engulfed her de and her handspletely turned ck, covered by those same shadows.


    "Ebony de!"


    She swung her sword down toward the demon, and from then the sky rained a wall of ck. It fell from the sky and then went down, destroying the ground; it was a big wall of ck shadows that moved forward until it shed with the demon.


    There as it shes, all the vision has vanished since the impact absorbed all light that was present there. There was a moment of calm, and then it exploded. A huge explosion, equal to a million nuclear bombs.


    Zero was protected by the barrier but he had to close his eyes or he would have gone blind.


    Everything that came under the explosion was simply marked out of existence; whether it be ground, cities, demon beasts, or even portals that connected the two realms. All of it was annihted.

 Chapter 296 Warlord [3]

    The ground rumbled and cried, the earth before Zero''s feet was shaking so rapidly that he thought the world might break. This was an earthquake of an intensity he''d never felt or even seen before.


    He was barely able to stand on his feet, thought that didn''tst long and he lost his bnce. Although in the middle he was stopped by Req who then held him from the behind as she gazed up at the future Zero¡ªdespite the fact that she couldn''t see a thing due to the light released from the explosion.


    There was a single loud buzzing sound after the explosion thatsted long until the light from the st faded in the sky. Slowly the view of the upside became clear.


    There was total devastation around them. All thend, as far as the eye could see, had turned charred and reduced to ash. Even the Roswell city was gone; all the buildings and structures and roads, all were vanished without a trace. All there was left was ash and ck and ebony.


    However Req''s eyes were elsewhere. She was gazing up at the future Zero and the demon he was sparing with. First she saw the demon.


    He was still floating up in the air with his back straight, but it would be wrong to say that he took no damage. In fact, he was barely alive.


    His body waspletely burned, his horns had been broken in two. But most of all, there was a cut starting from the top left of his shoulder and going down, slicing deep into his skin. There was no need to tell how deep the cut was.


    It was perfect, and precise. So carefully measured and performed but equally powerful. It had sliced straight through the demon''s hard skin. His hand and shoulder werepletely separated from his body¡ªthere was a very fine but clear gap in between¡ªbut they were still attached to his body.


    "That''s a dirty little trick you are ying," the girl before the demon said in a heavy voice. Her eyes had gonepletely dark, and the shadows engulfing and intertwining around her body had increased.


    "But it suits you. Dirty little tricks are all you pests capable of doing," she said with a sarcastic smirk.


    Her words were true. Almost all of the demon''s body on the left side had been cut apart, but he was holding them together with his gravity magic. That was just a trick to keep his body together and prevent blood loss.


    She raised her eyelids and looked upon the demon, and it sent quite a shudder down the demon''s spine. There was pure bloodlust in those eyes of hers.


    He now realized the difference in their power. Even his gravity magic¡ªone of the most powerful magics in the demon world¡ªwas nothing but childsy for her. She rejected it like a parent does the wishes of a spoiled kid.


    "You''ve already taken much of my time. I''d thought to end it with thatst one but it seems like I''m growing weak. All the more reason to finish this quickly," she said.


    She raised her right to the side, in which she held thepletely ck sword. Soon the stems of dark shadows started emerging from the de and connecting to her hand.


    In a matter of seconds her sword waspletely absorbed among the other shadows that covered her hands and body. She then closed her fist and looked at it as if checked, then her gaze came back to the demon.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Farewell. Ssznozz Kilsek; the demon warlord," she said. What happened after couldn''t even be counted in a second, it was much faster than that.


    She vanished from her ce and even before the after image she''s left behind could fade she appeared again right in front of Ssznozz the demon.


    He felt a stinging sensation and his body went cold. Looking down he saw her right hand had stabbed right in the center of his chest, and crushing his core to literal pieces it hade out from the other side.


    "It was nice killing you¡­again," she said.


    He coughed blood and looked at the beautiful girl before him as all the life faded out of his eyes. His body went limp and cold, and it hung down from her arm.


    However, a few momentster she felt heat spreading in the center of his body. At first she was confused; after all, this hadn''t happened before. But it didn''t take her long to realize what was going on.


    She pulled her arm out, but the demon''s body still floated. A purplish-ck glow shone from his chest, and the next second his entire body started shrinking. And as it was shrinking, it pulled in all the air from the surroundings.


    ''A self explosion, huh? By shrinking his body to an impossibly small level forcefully he intends to create a small ck hole. But that ck hole won''t have enough energy to sustain itself; an upleted ck hole to be precise. And due to that it will eat itself and explode,'' she thought, looking at the now-forming ck hole.


    [But it''s not really a problem, is it?] Future Req''s voice resounded in her head.


    ''Yeah. I was just thinking that this didn''t happenst time.''


    By this time the demon''s body had been reduced and whaty there now was a dull ck orb around the size of a fist with a bright and continuously moving ring around it. The ring was moving rapidly around the orc; and with each rotation its speed increased.


    [It''s going to explode.]


    ''And we can''t have that, can we? After all, even though it''s small the explosion will be equivalent to that of a supernova explosion. This won''t be able to withstand it.''


    Thinking that she stretched out her hand, the shadows covering her entire palm ck like a skintight glove. She pulled forward and then grabbed the orb with her hand. The shadows covering her hand slipped from between her fingers and encircled the orb.

 Chapter 297 Warlord [4]

    Any normal person would have burned out of existence from touching it, but those shadows were protecting her.


    ''Do I have enough power to use it again?'' she wondered in her mind.


    [Yeah. But you''ll have even less time to exin things. Just making yourself exist in the past when you''re from the future consumes a lot of mana, you know. Do use your time carefully.]


    ''I know. I will,'' she replied. ''Now, to take care of this mess.''


    "Absolute Null!" she said.


    It wasn''t a sh move of any sort, though that still didn''t change the fact that it was terrifyingly powerful; in fact, it was so powerful that it was disgusting.


    Absolute Null. Just as its name suggested, it had the power to reject and nullify any attack. After that it didn''t matter whether it was a god-level attack or cosmic-level.


    It was more like a skill than it was a spell; but it still used the user''s mana when used.


    The orb she was holding cooled down and lost all its energy soon before it vanished.


    "Phew! That took a lot of time," said the future Zero, brushing her strands of hair to the side that wereing over her eyes.


    After that she came down to the ground near Zero and Req. The extra shadows covering her body went back and she returned to her usual ck clothing.


    She removed the barrier around them, and stood before Zero with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I lost my cool and wasted time," she said.


    On the other hand, Zero was more than just shocked. This was one of those rare times when he was having trouble keeping a nk face.


    "What the fuck! Are you really me? I mean, am I that fucking powerful in the future? That''s a ridiculous level of power. You straight up pped that warlord!" he said.


    "Well yeah, it''s true. I am powerful," she said but with a saddened look on her face. "I have be one of those overpowered characters I used to hate so much, but it came to this because I was driven by my hatred for the demons."


    "That''s what I''m about to tell you, because I don''t want you to follow the same path and end up like me. That''s why I came here," she stated.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She looked at the ground and three thrones made of stone and ice emerged up right before Zero, Req, and herself. "Sit, I have a little story to tell," she said as she sat on the throne behind.


    Seeking her advice and following her lead the two of them sat as well. Zero half expected the seat to be cold just like it was when he created something simr but apparently it wasn''t. He settled in the throne, and so did Req.


    When both of them werefortable, the Zero from the future created another barrier around themselves to prevent any disturbance from happening.


    "Now, let''s get to it," she said and crossed her legs; though she realized it was too much of a girlish pose so with an awkward and irritated face she put them back as they were.


    "Anyway, as you said I am powerful; too powerful in fact. But I didn''t get all these powers at once or activated some system like you see in novels and stuff," she started.


    "There is only but one simr point in our lives; both of us were parents right before our eyes and lost control over our elemental magic. The difference came after that, and it was meing to save you. However, no one like that came for me. I stayed here, frozen by my own magic. Well, until the warlord came and the ice was broken with his shockwaves.


    "I wanted to die so bad; after all, there was nothing left for me to live for. But I was way toote, my body and a part of my mind were already thinking of survival and disregarding my suicidal feelings. Thus I fought the warlord there, and it was hard, the hardest fight of my life. Mind you that since no one hade to save me from the future, my wounds weren''t healed as well; I was in the same condition you were before I healed you.


    "I fought him in a half-dead state. Although as I fought, strong hatred started to take birth in me. Why did my family die? Who was responsible for all this? Who''s fault this was? I thought about all that. And the answer, of course, were the demons. Hatred that crossed all limits came out from me, and it gave me a new goal.


    She looked at Zero with a smirk and her darkened eyes. "I wanted to kill them, kill all of em." she said. "I wanted to erase everyst one of them, they who were responsible for the death of my family.


    "I was filled with a new ambition, and since I had no family to care about now I found no need to suppress my sadistic side. I let it out in the open; though this time I was the one in control. I unleashed the monster within, and alone with the help of Req and the Requiem sword I fought until I''d drained everything out of my body.


    "And in the end I killed him. It was through a cheap and dirty trick, of course, but that''s what suits me anyway. After killing, I looked at his body while intense hatred was flowing out of my body. Then I sat on my knees and started eating his corpse. I still am not sure why I did that, but I just did.


    "From there it was the goal of my life to eradicate the demon race. Nothing else mattered to me; not Ellyn, not Leon, not Ryfin, no one. I used everyone to gain power and then discarded them when they were of no use. Once I had gained enough power I entered the demon realm and started a genocide. Killing every demon that came into sight one by one.


    "However, I had underestimated them quite a lot; and I paid for it. In a fight against three demon generals I kind of died; since they destroyed my physical body. If Req hadn''t saved me then by merging our souls together, I would have been dead now. After that I was one with the Requiem sword, and I experienced a sort of power I''d never even imagined in my dreams."


    "However, that came with its own losses," she said, looking at her own legs.

 Chapter 298 The Future Of Nothingness [1]

    "Anyway," she said, looking back at the Zero of the present. "Apart from getting closed into the body of a female, I got powers that surpassed allmon sense."


    "What do you mean by that?" Zero asked since her wording seemed weird to him.


    "You can''t understand because you are still not on that level. And as weird as it sounds to say this to my past self, I''d say that you are weak. Right now you are still on the level of humans¡ª of physical entities.


    "However I was forced to discard that physical body and with that went all my limits too. I took upon a spiritual body and rose to new heights. After connecting with the Requiem sword I was able to harness its full potential. There was so much power that I hadn''t even thought existed.


    "To put it in simpler terms; I''d grown from a man to a god," she said. But while saying this there was no ounce of happiness or thrill in her eyes. Her voice was also dry as if she were telling a story she didn''t really like.


    Zero might have liked to pass this off as a joke or question his sanity but in only a few moments he had witnessed what she ¡ªor rather he himself¡ª was capable of doing. That''s why he stayed quiet.


    "But that much power was still not enough. I wanted some more; as there were still some demons who were capable of standing on equal grounds with me even after my power-up. In fact, one of them had given me a good beating and destroyed a few cities in our fight. That''s when I decided to go a step further.


    "I had a n in mind, and with a little help from Req, I was able to make it possible. I went back to the human realm and spent a good number of years trying to find the magic items that the five kings¡ªwho stood against Req in the past¡ªhad left behind. Each of those items contained tremendous levels of power, and I ended up finding all of them."


    There was a pause because she noticed a slight spark of curiosity in Zero''s eyes. No one else would have noticed it, of course, she did because both of them were the same. Zero also caught up on this.


    "Do you still have those?" he asked.


    She passed him a slight smile, that was clearly a forced and tired one. Then raising up her right hand she stretched it out a little toward Zero.


    The ck shadows covering her hands moved back, revealing her palm and some of her fingers. And there in each of her fingers was a ring¡ªa total of five of them.


    All of them were gold colored with a matt finish, but each of them had a different pattern engraved on them.


    "So they really do exist!" Zero said, looking at the rings.


    "Oh yeah, I used to doubt the existence of these when I first heard about them from Req. I''d forgotten that" she mumbled to herself, and then pulled her hand back.


    The shadows covered her hand again and the rings were lost in darkness again.


    "Anyway, after collecting these rings I was almost ready to get on with my n. I''d trusted the information Req had given me, of course, but as it was my nature I had also confirmed its existence beforehand through various ways.


    "Thus I now had both the rings and the Requiem sword, so I used their powers together and tore a gap in the fabric of space. And from there I entered into the Nihility."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Wait for a moment there, what''s that you are talking about?" Zero questioned.


    "Exactly what it means. Nihility is a dimension of absolute nothingness. However, that is quite contradictory. Since there exists something, and that is energy; in its purest form.


    "When I entered the Nihility that energy started getting absorbed into my body. And for that very reason, I had to return within a few seconds or my body would have exploded. However, even that much was enough.


    "The energy that I had absorbed had connected me with Nihility, and when I opened my status window there I saw a new skill: Absolute Null. It wasn''t what I wanted to get, but far greater than that.


    "It was a defensive skill, and the world''s strongest one; I can say this confidently. Because upon activation it transferred any attacks that had been cast on me into Nihility and there they all lost their power and got nullified. Its only drawback was that despite being a skill it used too much mana, but it was eptable.


    "Now I had all the power I needed, thus I began my massacre of the demon race. Within a few days, I wiped them outpletely. I was much like a viin to them; after all, I killed without caring if it was a man a woman, a child, or an infant.


    "No one stood a chance in front of me, there was not a single demon general, not a single warlord, that could face me. In fact, I was just a few steps away from killing the demon lord and wiping out their race.


    "There was no one to stop me; I was finally going to get my revenge. I had the perfect defense, no one could attack me or defeat me. I truly had be a god. Right? ¡­Wrong," she said, in a rather heavy tone.


    "I had underestimated the demons. A few of them had escaped and were researching in secret just to create a demon to fight me, and I''d to say they did seed in that. With the body of the demon lord, a new monster was created, one that was powerful enough to rival me. And the worst part, while researching upon me the demons too had discovered the Nihility. Of course, they didn''t have the power needed to open a hole in the fabric of space. So they copied its concept.


    "They gave the monster the ability to absorb its opponent''s power,press it, and store it in its core; it had six cores, by the way. The end result was sessful. Its power was somewhat simr to Absolute Null, and for the first time in a while, I had trouble in a fight.


    "I defeated him of course, in the end. I was powerful. Too powerful. Way too powerful than that was necessary," she said, staring down at the ground.


    "...What happened?" Zero finally spoke after a pause. She looked up at him with the same forced smile.


    "Why do you think I came back to the past?"


    "Because you wanted to change the future for a better one?"


    "You are right but wrong. I wanted to change the future, but not to a better one. I just want the future to be something other than what it is right now."


    "...And why is that?" Zero was serious by this point, he could sense the heaviness in her voice.


    "I mean," she said. "There''s nothing left in the future; no one left. They died, all of them. All the people from the demon and human realms. And¡­I was the one who killed them."

 Chapter 299 The Future Of Nothingness [2]

    "What? You killed all of them? You mean, each and every person?" Zero eximed.


    "Yeah¡­ I did. In my fight with the modified monster created by the demons, I broke through both of the realms. Both of us were insanely powerful and fought without any limiters," she said, staring down.


    "First it was the demon realm that was destroyed, then at one moment our attacks shed and tore through space again. Of course, it wasn''t enough to lead us to Nihility, but it opened a portal between the demon and the human realm. It opened for just a matter of seconds, but in that time we got inside it in the midst of our fight.


    "And there we fought more. Cities were destroyed with punches and humans fell like flies. I remember Leon, Ellyn, and the others came to stop me¡ª of course, they didn''t know it was me since my appearance had changed¡ª but they were being a nuisance, so I killed them off too.


    "Our fight continued for a good while, when it ended and I was finally free after killing the modified demon I came to know that in the process I''d ended the whole world¡­


    "Not a single soul was left, not even corpses¡­ All of it was gone, down to ashes. The face of the Earth looked like a barren. And I was the one responsible for it¡­ responsible for it all¡­


    "And as I sat there in the barrennds with the ashes of people rubbing against my face, I realized something. My revenge wasplete, true; I had wiped out the entire demon race. But in the process ofing here, in the process of getting all this power, I lost everything. Everything I could have cared for in the future, the people who would have cared for me. I killed them with my own hands.


    "And now that my revenge wasplete, I was left with nothing to live for, no one to live with, no one to protect, no one to avenge, nowhere to go, nowhere to return to, nowhere to stay, and nowhere to die.


    "There was nothing left¡­ absolute nothing," as she spoke, she looked up at the sky. "The sky there was covered by ck clouds and mist that was hurled up in the air during our fight.


    Her head tilted back down, and the darkness in her eyes rose. "I tried to kill myself," she said. "But it was of no use. I was just too powerful to be killed; death was something that was not allowed for me to have. Everybody was gone and now I was left alone in the world with no means of escape.


    "I spent many miserable and lonely years in that state until an idea finally urred to me. It was born from the regret I was feeling without any pause from the time I ended the world. The heaviness in my chest made me realize that there was still something I could do, and it was to avoid this future from evering true by changing the past.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "And when I actually thought about it, I came to find that this was something I always wanted to do; from the time I had turned into a spiritual body. Because even I was urging for revenge at that point somewhere deep inside I wanted to change things. After all, revenge was not what I wanted to do when I came into this world.


    "What I wanted was to slowly stray away from my sadistic side and start seeing people like people while quietly living a peaceful life. Even though thetter might''ve not been possible even if I changed the entire timeline, I still could stop myself froming at this stage. I was more of a monster than a human."


    As she spoke, there was a sense of regret in her voice. That''s when she took a pause and stared into nothingness for a while before lifting her head back up and deciding to continue.


    "Thus it was decided what I wanted to do. I will travel back in time and change the turning point of my life; which was the death of my parents. I spent a few months trying to figure out how I will do that¡ª like what changes I will need to do, how will I do them, and how can I perform all this without creating a paradox. But above all, I needed to find a way to actually do time travel.


    "Doing that was possible since I''d confirmed it from Req and had myself found some evidence of its existence¡ª when you reach a certain power level you get to know things you weren''t even aware of before. Thus in the span of five months I finally figured it all out," she said, looking into Zero''s eyes.


    "The answer to time travel existed in Nihility, a ce where vast amounts of energy existed in its purest form. Therefore I used the power of the five rings and the Requiem sword to open up a hole in the fabric of space yet again.


    "As I entered the Nihility I experienced another burst of power all around my body. However, as much pain it was this time I nned on staying for a bit longer than before; and I had something I needed to do. When I waspletely inside the Nihility I used my skill of [Foresight]¡ª which at that time was around level 5.


    "And just as I activated it an insane amount of energy was absorbed into my body. It was too much, and I felt like I was really going to explode this time. So I escaped back into the human realm. However, uponing back when I looked at my status screen, or my skill, to be precise. I saw that it had changed.


    "Instead of Foresight it was now called [Time surge], and its description was something like this: With this skill, the user can travel through time or make someone else travel within it."


    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 300 The Future Of Nothingness [3]

    "It was something I could not believe right away," she said with a slight smile thatsted only for a millisecond. "Everything did go like I wanted. I went into the Nhility and activated the skill thinking that somehow all the pure energy present there will merge with my time-rted skill while getting absorbed into my body and creating something that was close to time travel.


    "But still, I hadn''t expected it to go just like I''d thought. Nihility is a strange ce and I still don''t understand its rules and how things work there. However, for some reason, I got what I wanted."


    As she spoke, Zero was quietly paying attention. The things about the Nhility were quite interesting to him. Other than that, he was amazed at the fact that he wasn''t having even a bit of a problem trusting what his future variant said. For one reason or another, he knew that he would''ve ended up doing something like this if she hadn''te in between to save him.


    "Once I had gained the power to travel in time, I of course tested it on a small scale first beforeing here. I did some things. For example, I picked up a stone and put it in a certain ce, then I went back in time and stopped myself from doing that. From that, I got to know that this world did in fact change your future rather than creating any paradox or alternate timelines.


    "I was able to interact with my past self, and whenever I convinced him to not put the stone in that ce, the future was rewritten and I lost consciousness because the future I existed in waspletely erased from existence. And if you''re wondering how I have these memories if I lost consciousness then it''s because even though the future version of myself was erased, the past version still remembered that a Zero came from the future to stop him from putting the stone there.


    "And that past version of me also knew my n of testing this skill by going back in time and stopping my past self, so that way he was able to understand that the n worked. In fact, I don''t remember traveling back in time at all. The only memory I have of time traveling is when I came here.


    "Well, that''s about it. Once I was sure that the time traveling was working and I would not create any paradoxes, I decided to do the final thing. However, even that was a hard task in itself. Because just like the other skill I got from the Nhility, this one too consumed my mana when used. And this time it used even more; just after testing it once I felt like I was about to die¡ª which was a strange feeling considering my level. I hadn''t felt this much drained in a long long while.


    "ording to Req''s calction, I would only be able to use this skill three times before Ipletely run out of mana. That''s why I needed to be careful. I nned everything and went through all the details once again before I finally jumped into the past.


    "Well, that''s about it. Now I''m here in front of you, and I guess I have probably taken too much time in telling you about what happened in the future. But it was important too," she said.


    "Hmmm," Zero mumbled as he shifted in the throne and held and yed around with his bangs. "How many times can you make a time leap?" he asked.


    "Of course, you would have noticed," she said. "Originally there were three chances, as I just told you. One I used whening here, but after that something unexpected happened and I ended up using a bit more mana than I''d thought. So now only one chance worth of mana is left within me."


    "And what do you n to do with it?" Zero asked.


    "I always intended to use it on you, that is my n. I''ll send you back in time, one day of the academy festival before the cmity started," she replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh? Why not send me to the very beginning?" Zero questioned. "Or could it be that it is somehow connected to your saying ''I don''t have much time left'' again and again."


    "Hah," she smirked. "So you''re not even leaving out your future self, huh? Well, there''s no point in hiding it so I''ll tell you. Yeah, you''re right. It is connected to why I''m saying that there''s not enough time. And as for why I''m saying that, well, it turns out that I''m notpletely immune."


    Her words left Zero in a perplexed state, and he wasn''t able to figure out their meaning. Which wasn''tpletely true, since he kinda knew what she meant but was not entirely sure about it.


    "What do you mean?" he asked atst.


    Upon that question she straightened up and looked at Zero, then she cast her gaze down at her stomach. Slowly, the shadows covering her stomach moved back and her skin was revealed. And with that came a hole.


    "The time travel didn''t exactly go as I expected," she said. "It seems like when this skill is used to make a long jump in time it damages your body. I made the jump of a few decades and in the process lost most of my internal organs," after saying that she looked up and the shadows covered her body back.


    "I am somehow keeping myself alive with the cloak of the Requiem sword but that won''tst long, it''s the truth. That''s why I keep saying that I don''t have much time. And that''s why I can''t send you in the very beginning of things, since I don''t know much damage you will take from the leap."


    "I see. I kind of expected something like this," Zero said, as he continued to think.


    After that he didn''t say anything for a while, he was busy thinking. He was going through everything his future version has said anding to his own conclusion.


    Then after a good ten to fifteen minutes, he stood up and looked at the girl sitting on the other throne in front of him.


    "Okay, what do you want me to do?" he asked.


    A smile came over her face, and this time it was not a forced one. She was genuinely smiling, for she was for the first time in a while, taking a breath of relief.

 Chapter 301 The Future Of Nothingness [4]

    "What I want you to do is really simple," she said, standing up herself.


    "I will send you back in time so that you can redo everything that has happened. You will keep the memory of what happened here so it will be easy for you to avoid the cmity and save our parents. In short, I will give you a chance to redo this part of your life, and you will have to makeplete use of it¡ª since there will be no second chance this time; the timeline will change so I can''t say that my future will remain the same and another Zero of the future wille to save you."


    "I know that, and that''s why I''m getting a little worried here," said Zero. "This is the only chance I will get, but despite the fact that I have knowledge of the future and when and how the cmity is gonna take ce. I still don''t have enough power to save my parents. Hell, I don''t think I can even let them out of this battlefield.


    "I mean, just look at the warlord you defeated. He had the power to control fucking gravity, how am I supposed to fight against that?!" There was a sense of panic in his voice¡ª which was pretty rare in itself¡ª but he was trying his best to hide it.


    "Don''t worry about him, he won''t make an appearance this time," she stated.


    "How are you so sure?"


    "Because I know the reason why he appeared. The warlords generally don''te until the demon beasts hadpleted their work, however, this one did because a problem urred. And that problem was nothing but you freezing all the demon beasts in this area. They weren''t able to continue their rampage, that''s why he had toe.


    "If you can make it so that you can escape from here without harming or stopping the beasts on arger scale then he is never going to make an appearance."


    "I see, so that''s how it is huh," Zero mumbled. "But the problem still remains, I am not powerful enough to stand against all these demon beasts. Even when I froze everything, it was only possible because I was not in the right state of mind and used my life force instead of mana to cast the spell."


    "So finally you remembered huh!" Req said, looking at Zero; anger and frustration were showing clearly on her face. "Just because I told you that you can use your life force as mana in case of emergency doesn''t mean that you have to fucking do it!"


    "I''m sorry. As I said, I was not in the right state of mind," Zero apologized.


    "Humph!" Req pouted and looked away. She was angry about the fact that Zero used something that could have caused him to die, but she was not an idiot to interfere when they were having an important conversation.


    "Anyway, I don''t think I can fight against all those beasts even if I gave it everything I have. We must find another way to do this," he suggested.


    "Yeah, I know. And I already have something like that ready. I mean, I never intended to let you fight against all these demon beasts. I have seen their armies, I know what they can do when they are higher in numbers," she stated.


    "Oh? Then tell me."


    "Wait for a minute, before that I have something else I want to ask," she proposed.


    "What?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I can''t send you decades back, but I can easily send you back some years. So, here is the question. Do you want me to send you at the time you reveal your identity to Anya?"


    The question was an absurd one, andpletely out of the blue. Thus Zero had to take a few minutes to think about it. Then finally he spoke.


    "Why do you want to know that?" he said, answering back with another question of his own.


    "Because that is one of the turning points in your life. What I mean is, your life could have beenpletely different if you had answered differently at that time and refrained from telling her that you are not her real brother but a reincarnate.


    "And I''m asking if you want to change that or not because from how I see it if you let it be as it is then you will run into some problems in the future."


    "What problems?"


    "I think you and I both know what I am talking about. We are the same person, after all; and with the same past," she said as she slowly walked closer to Zero.


    Thest words that left her mouth were enough to awaken a memory inside Zero that he had hidden even deeper than the suicide of his mom. And at that moment he understood exactly what his future self was saying.


    "Are you sure about that?" he asked.


    "No, of course not. I mean, she died in my timeline too. But as I am now, I can look back at my memories and notice things that you haven''t¡ª and most likely won''t. However, in the end, this is all just spection.


    "So¡­ what will you choose? Change your decision or not?"


    This had left Zero in a quite perplexed state. His brain had be dull for a moment though it started working as before in no time. Despite that, it took him a good while to answer that and make up his mind.


    "No, I won''t change it. Let it stay like it is. And if something like that is really gonna happen then I''ll just face it. I nned to do things differently in this life, after all," he stated.


    A smile came over her face. "I see you still haven''t forgotten what you had to do here," she mumbled to herself.


    "Sorry," she said. "I can''t send you back in years. That was just a test. I wanted to see what you would answer."


    "Anyway, now to get to the main point."

 Chapter 302 A Jump Back

    ?


    "You say that you can''t handle all the demon beasts, right? So that''s the problem. But in my n, I never intended for you to fight them. The only thing we have to aplish here is to get our parents safely out of there. That is your and my main objective," she said as she circled around Zero.


    "And how am I supposed to do that without fighting the beasts?" Zero asked.


    "Don''t twist my words here. I never said you won''t have to fight the beasts, it''s just that when you will fight them, you will be by yourself," she rified.


    Zero stared at her, in hopes that she will exin what she meant. And she understood that.


    "When I will send you back in time, on the morning of the academy festival, the first thing you have to do is go to Ryfin''s room," she said.


    "Ryfin?"


    "Yeah. I don''t know where but you''ll find a book there that contains the instructions to cast a certain magic circle. Take that book with yourself and escape without getting noticed by Ryfin."


    "And what book may this be?" Zero questioned.


    "It''s a teleportation magic circle," she said. "I don''t think I need to say what you will use it for. Get that book ande to your parents as fast as you can and then use it to teleport them to the safe location before the cmity arrives."


    "I see. But the way you put it I guess I can''t use that circle to teleport myself, right?" Zero mentioned.


    "Yeah, you''re right about that. Not entirely though. Technically you can use that circle to teleport yourself but you don''t have enough mana to activate it more than one time¡ª or you will die from mana exhaustion. So I''ll suggest you use it only to transport your parents."


    "Hmmm, but can''t Req use it instead of me?" Zero asked.


    "No, you can''t. We would have been super lucky if that were possible," she replied.


    "He¡ª or she, I guess, is right. I can''t use the new spells that have been created in this world, nor can I ess any of those magic circles. The only way to use magic for me is through the Requiem sword," Req exined.


    "So that won''t work huh¡­"Zero mumbled.


    "It''s the same for me. Apparently, once you be a spiritual being you have to use your own magic, you can''t interact with the spells or magic circles that already exist in the world or are newly created. It''s a¡­condition sort of," Zero of the future said.


    "But you shouldn''t worry about it too much. Once your parents are safe you can fight without any care, and you will be able to focus just on fighting than back when you were also protecting them. So I guess it will work out. You will be alone, so you can also just sneak your way out."


    "That''s true but, I still don''t feel all good about this," Zero mentioned. "Will this really work? The time travel I mean?"


    "Yes it will, the proof is standing right in front of you," she said as she stopped before him. She spread her arms wide on both sides and passed him a slight smile.


    As Zero watched the smile on her face, he noticed that her eyes twitched for a moment. And there as she stood with her arms wide open and carrying a smile on her face, she coughed and a trail of blood dripped down her lips.


    "Now, we better get this done quickly. Seems like time''s running out," she said and walked behind Zero. From there she passed him and stopped before Req.


    She put her arms on Req''s shoulder and leaned in from the back.


    "I know you want to save just him, but you will fail every time unless you save his parents. I think you have just seen what happens if his parents die," she whispered in Req''s ears.


    Req was shocked to hear this, but then she remembered who she was talking to and in what state he was. Thus she took a breath and said, "I will."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Zero of the future moved away from her and came back in front of Zero.


    "Let''s get started, shall we," she said. "Firstly, Req. Switch with Requiem; I can''t transport two people."


    Req did as she instructed. She stretched out her hand toward Zero and he held it, and she transformed back into the Requiem Sword.


    "You know what you have to do, right?" she asked, looking at Zero.


    "Yeah," he replied.


    "Good. Now¡ª"


    "Wait!" Zero said, stopping her midway. "If I go back in time and change things, then you will disappear from existence, right?"


    "Yes, you are right. I will," she replied.


    "But¡­ why. Isn''t that wrong? I mean, technically to save my future I am destroying your present," he reasoned.


    "Haha, that''s funny. Since when did you start caring about others, and about what''s right or wrong," sheughed, only a little bit though.


    Zero didn''t reply. It was more like he couldn''t find the words to say.


    "Anyway, I have an answer to that. You are not destroying my present, because it is already destroyed¡ª I destroyed it. And you are erasing me from existence since I am going to die anyway," she said.


    "There you go, now don''t waste much time. We can''t have all this go to ruins, can we?" saying that she moved close to him.


    Zero had a lot of things he wanted to say, but for some reason, all that left his mouth was silence. Perhaps it was because he had so many things to say, so many questions to ask, and so many queries to solve, that he couldn''t say anything.


    She stopped when she was just a step away from Zero, and looked into his eyes.


    "Bye-bye, my past self," she said; and for the first time, there was a hint of emotions in her voice. "I hope you do things differently and don''t turn out like me."


    With that, she put both her arms on Zero''s chest and pushed him back.


    He hadn''t expected it to go like this, thus he was startled a bit and stretched out his right hand to grab something and stop himself from falling.


    But soon after, before his hand could reach anywhere, everything that was before his eyes shattered into pieces¡ª as if the world he was seeing until now was a reflection in a mirror and now that mirror had been broken.


    The pieces of reality slowly moved away from him as he fell backward. In one of those pieces, he saw the reflection of his future self. She was there, looking at him and smiling while she waved goodbye to him.


    Soon that image disappeared too as all of the pieces vanished into nothingness. Everything around him turned ck, and he kept falling down where there didn''t seem to be an end.


    Then after a few seconds, his consciousness gave away, and he didn''t remember anything that happened after that.

 Chapter 303 Second And The Last Chance

    ?


    My eyes opened in a hurry and I threw myself up, outstretching my hand as if grabbing onto something in front of me. But my hands only caught air.


    I was breathing heavily and there was sweat all over my face and body. Aside from that, I felt tired. Really tired. As if I had been working nonstop for quite a few days.


    I looked around and found that I was lying on my bed inside my dorm room in the academy. At first, my brain wasn''t working at all, and everything seemed to have been paused for me. Then after a couple of breaths and blinking rapidly, I remembered what had happened.


    "Yeah, how can I forget," I mumbled to myself as I held my head; there was a singing pain that I''d been trying to ignore for a while now.


    It took a bit of time but now I knew everything that had happened. The cmity had arrived, and I failed to save my parents. After that, a future version of myself came and helped me. Once he¡ª or she¡ª was done telling me what happened in the future he sent me back into the past to make up for things that went the wrong way.


    "Well, seems like I got fucking Re: Zero''d," I said to myself and hopped out of my bed.


    It was real, after all; the time travel. And so was the fact that I became a god-level being in the future. As exciting as it may sound, I knew that I wasn''t going to get those powers now.


    I mean, it only happened because I went on a rampage against the demons after my parents'' death. However, in this new future, I will create one that won''t happen, and I think that will be for the best.


    It''s not the powers that I want, it''s my family.


    I yawned while I stood straight and stretched my body. There were a lot of things I had to do, so I was just getting ready for it all.


    Although as I was working out my body a fragment of memory that I haven''t remembered until now came to me and I suddenly stopped.


    "Status," I said out loud, and a translucent screen appeared before my eyes.


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    Rank: B


    Mana capacity: B


    Agility: B


    Stamina: B


    Skills->


    - [Foresight (Level 2)]: The user can see 0.1 seconds in the future by using this skill.


    ==============


    ''Just as I thought.''


    While I was fighting the hordes of demon beasts and overdriving my body forcefully, I had gotten a notification that my skill [Foresight] had leveled up. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That is well and fine but, why has my status increased too?" I asked out loud.


    "That''s because you met another version of yourself¡ª a more powerful version," someone said from behind; it was a girl''s voice, a girl I knew.


    Turning around I saw Req sitting cross-legged on my bed and looking at me.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "I don''t know how to exin it but¡­ to put it simply, you absorbed some of the energy bying in contact with your more powerful version," she said. "I can tell because I gained some mana too."


    "So that''s how it works, huh?" I mumbled. "Well, it''s not like I have any problem with that."


    I came and sat on the bed with my head down. I stared at the ground while my brain thought a million things all at once. I don''t know how many minutes passed but I just sat there and thought and thought and thought.


    A hell lot of things were going on in my mind. After all, this was a big opportunity and I couldn''t afford to let it go to waste. There was no chance of a mistake, I couldn''t even think about making a mistake.


    Things were going to be hard this time because now I knew what awaited me if I messed up this time too.


    ''What should I do?'' I thought to myself. ''There are many ways by which I can save mother and father and Anya, but I don''t know which one is the best. If I sat and simted all the possible ways with the current amount of information I have of the future¡­ no, it''ll take too much time and energy. I can''t have that right now. Then what? Which is the best possible way that''ll lead me to the best possible way? What should I¡ª''


    "Zero, are you fine?"


    Req''s voice woke me out of my thoughts and snapped me back to reality. Looking at her I saw that her gaze was directed toward me with a worried expression on her face.


    "Y-Yeah, I am fine," I replied.


    "You shouldn''t be this hard on yourself. I know that you have a big responsibility hanging upon you but you need to take it easy and think rationally if you really want to handle it without any mistakes," she said.


    Her words were true. Perhaps I was overthinking this a lot. Rather than worrying about what will happen, I should focus on what I can do right now. Because sitting here and overthinking will only lead to a waste of time, and that is one thing that I absolutely can''t afford right now.


    "You are right. I was worrying too much about this¡­ thanks for reminding me," I said to her and stood up.


    Apparently, all my injuries had also gone back to being nonexistent along with my clothes¡ª they had been torn to shreds once but now they were as good as new.


    In short, I was in a new body but with a mind that knew of the future.


    ''Now, as for the first thing I have to do," I said internally.


    "Get ready Req, we are going to steal a little something from our dear teacher," I said and wore the ck cloak I''d bought back from home; this was perfect for hiding my face, after all.


    I was going to do just what my future self had told me, and that was to steal a book Ryfin had. Because if I couldn''t get my hands on it then the entire n will fail badly.

 Chapter 304 Haste

    ?


    I told Req to turn back to the Requiem sword and hid her under my cloak¡ª it was long enough that it came down to my knees. Normally any other outfits except the academy uniform weren''t allowed until sses were going on but today they were going to be suspended.


    Today was the day of reopening¡ª I had confirmed it by the calendar. I had attended that speech in the previous timeline so I knew that most of the students and teachers were going to be there.


    Therefore my n revolved around that fact alone. During the time most of the academy''s poption will be busy attending the speech I''ll sneak up into Ryfin''s room and take the book.


    ''You ready?''


    [Yeah.]


    ''Let''s get this done with then.''


    Saying that I opened the door of my dorm room and got out, locking the door back again. After that, I came down to the dorm building and entered the grounds.


    However, rather than taking the normal route that went near the cafe and to the main building, I took the detour and went behind all the dorm buildings. From there I walked on the back boundaries of the Harts.


    All of the teachers had their own dorm rooms that were built beside the Harts¡ª or the office building, now I just had to find a way to get inside them.


    ''I don''t think that''s going to be much of a problem,'' I thought as I stopped behind the teacher''s dorms.


    Looking up I saw a five-floor building with many rooms in it, and right now I was standing before the rear wall of it. Going into the building won''t be that hard but there was just this little problem.


    ''I don''t know which one is Ryfin''s room.''


    I mean, his character didn''t even exist in the novel so I had no way of knowing that.


    "Well, I''ll once I get inside," I mumbled. All the teachers were on the grounds right now meaning this building waspletely empty. I had all the time I needed in the world to find that book.


    Therefore I looked around and decided on a route. After that, I took a few steps backward and got into a posture. Kicking off the ground I ran toward the building and jumped up as soon as I reached it.


    I pressed one of my feet on the wall and pushed myself back, through that I jumped to the side of the wall, stretching out my hand, and grabbed onto the railing of the second floor. I swung my body like a pendulum two times before I flipped up andnded on the balcony.


    I looked around to see if there were any witnesses; there were none. Then I crouched down below the window and peeked inside; I knew that there was no one inside but I wanted to be on the safe side nheless.


    Once I was sure that I was alone at least here¡ª if not in the entire building¡ª I checked the window and found that it wasn''t locked. Then I carefully lifted up the window pane and made way for myself to enter.


    Now, here I could have easily used magic but I didn''t want to leave any trace of myself behind so I was ying it safe by going inside like this.


    I sneaked inside the building through the window and closed it afterward¡ª didn''t lock it though. I took a good look at my surroundings after that. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Seemed like I was in a teacher''s room, but I was sure that it wasn''t Ryfin''s. After all, I could tell that by just a nce at the side wall. No matter how suspicious Ryfin may be, he wouldn''t wear a woman''s dress¡­ I hoped he wouldn''t.


    Since it wasn''t Ryfin''s room I quickly but carefully got out of it and stepped into a sort of corridor that was connected with other rooms¡ªthe design was vaguely simr to our dorm buildings.


    There was one thing I discovered once I was out in the corridor, and it was that the rooms were marked with number tes. Yeah, number tes, not nametes. Rather than the name of the room owner the number of which ss they were the homeroom teacher of was mentioned.


    For example, the room I just came out of was marked 1C, meaning it was the room of ss 1C''s homeroom teacher. This made this rtively easy since now all I had to do was find the room with ss 1B marked on its door.


    I moved in the corridor while making sure that my footsteps didn''t make any sound. Fortunately for me, this floor contained all the homeroom teachers of the 1st year sses, thus I found Ryfin''s room on the same floor.


    Or rather, how should I say it? It was just beside ss C''s room. It ruined the room sure but I didn''t have to waste much time finding it, so hey that''s a plus point.


    I pushed the door of his room back slowly and opened it, there was no one inside, thus I didn''t waste any time and stepped in. There was no time, after all. Therefore I went straight to searching for the book.


    My future self hadn''t told me exactly where it was, but I guess that was too much to ask. Though I couldn''t afford toin so I started searching for it everywhere.


    Under the bedsheets, in the wardrobe, drawers, under the bed, every ce where it could possibly be.


    [Uhh, Zero. I think¡ª]


    ''Not now Req, I''m kinda in a hurry.''


    [But¡­]


    ''Just wait for a second,'' I said while shifting a giant wardrobe and looking behind it. It wasn''t there either. I went to the bed again and flipped the bedsheets off and looked under the mattress to check if there was some hidden chamber under it. But no luck this time either.


    "Could you stop making a mess out of my room please?"


    A voice called, and I immediately stopped all my movement. Then I sighed. I mean, I recognized this voice.


    ''This is what you were trying to tell me, right?''


    [...Yeah]


    ''It''s my fault. I was being hasty even though you told me to take it easy,'' I said that, but it wasn''t really easy to not be hasty in a situation like this.


    I dropped the mattress and turned around toward the door, but the door was closed as I''d left it. However, in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed was standing Ryfin.

 Chapter 305 The Book Of Hope [1]

    ?


    There was no use in ying dumb since he''d caught me red-handed, and I didn''t have time for doing that anyway. Thus I decided to go with the more direct approach.


    "When did youe in? No, rather I should ask how did youe in?" I asked, standing before him while also preparing myself in case he resorted to violence.


    "Hmmm? I didn''t," Ryfin replied.


    There was a bit of silence in the room because I wasn''t able to understand what he meant by ''I didn''t.'' After seeing that he wasn''t going to say anything else, I continued.


    "What do you mean?" I questioned.


    "I''m saying that I didn''t enter the room, I was always here standing in this corner," he said. "You were so busy making a mess out of my things that you didn''t even notice."


    Once those words left his mouth I kinda knew what had happened, and more or less right now I was more cautious of him than I''d ever been.


    ''Is he speaking the truth?'' I asked Req just to clear my doubts although I already knew that it was all true.


    [Yeah¡­ that''s what I''ve been trying to tell you.]


    Of course, she had noticed. Ryfin was present in this room even before I entered¡ª no, perhaps he was here even before I entered the building. All this while he kept his presence so low that I didn''t even notice his existence.


    I looked at him and prepared myself to defend myself at any moment or escape if that was necessary.


    "What do you want?" I asked.


    "Hmmm? You''re talking about me?" he said, pointing at his face with his index finger. "I don''t want anything. However, it seems like you do want something after all."


    A bead of sweat dripped from my forehead; this was getting bad. I wouldn''t have had any problem fighting him before but I didn''t know what his limits were and what he was capable of doing, and in the previous timeline I had seen him fend off the demon beasts pretty easily as well.


    Thus I wanted to avoid a fight if I could.


    "Oh? It seems like I''ve got something in my left hand," he said as he raised it up. "Could it be that this is what you are looking for?"


    There was a book in his hand. A pretty thick one with a crimson-red leather cover on it; there was a diagram of a circle made of gold at the center of its cover and it looked like a magic circle whose ends covered the entire book.


    It wouldn''t be strange to think that this was the book I was looking for; the one with the magic circle for teleportation in it.


    "How did you know I was looking for it?" I questioned; still cautious.


    "Well, I just had this feeling that you might need this book. So I came here just to deliver it to you," he said, and then we stared at each other for a while.


    "Okay, yeah. Sorry, that was a bad one," he said while running his right hand through his hair. "I knew that this might be what you''d be looking for because, well, there isn''t anything worthy of any value in my room. This book is the only thing that might be of any use to you."


    "Here, take it," saying that he tossed the book toward me. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Instinctively, I hurled forward and caught it with both my hands. This was something many lives depended on, I couldn''t let it fall just like that.


    After getting hold of the book I straightened up and put my guard up again which I''d dropped for a second there. And now I realized how much of a deadly situation I was just in. While I was focused on catching the book Ryfin could''ve attacked from anywhere, I was all open.


    However, for some reason, he didn''t do that.


    "Why are you giving this to me so easily?" I asked. "Surely you aren''t the merciful type, are you?"


    "How harsh of you to say that to your teacher," he said, making an expression as if he got hurt. Hah, as if¡­


    "I am giving you this without any ulterior motives. I thought you might have some need for it, so as a good teacher and instructor, I am giving this book to you."


    "And you expect me to believe that?" I muttered.


    This time he didn''t reply, rather just looked straight into my eyes while a little smile covered his face. I was staring back and was conscious of each and every inch of my body.


    I went so focused that I could hear myself breathing and feel my heartbeat. I gripped the book tightly and the slight noise of my hand rubbing against the leather cover fell onto my ears.


    A gust of wind blew outside, tossing the leaves in the air and making them rustle. The curtains on the windows danced, and since the window was open a group of leaves came swimming inside.


    One of them flickered and jerked in the air as it moved forward. It was a clean brown leaf that had fallen from a tree somewhere near, or it was also possible that it came from miles away.


    It danced and swirled in the air, going in circles and various patterns. Slowly as it moved gently and without a care with the flow of the wind, the leave came between me and Ryfin.


    My eyes focused on it, however, it was only for a second. In that second I exhaled and relieved my lungs, in that second another bead of sweat dripped from my forehead, in that second I felt my heart pounding, and in that second I saw Ryfinpletely vanish from his ce.


    ''Shit¡ª''


    Suddenly a burst of wind hit me from behind and forced me to take a few steps forward while my cloak swayed forward, all the leaves present in the room went all over the ce.


    I instantly turned to look back and saw Ryfin standing behind me. Before I could say anything he grabbed my shoulder and forcefully pulled me toward him.


    I used [Foresight], the next first thing but that turned out to be a bad move. I was stunned at what I saw; the skill wasn''t showing any future projections of him. There was only one him, that was living in the present.


    Then I tried to resist him by force but was surprised to see that I could do nothing at all. Pushing his hand off my shoulder felt like I was pushing a mountain.


    My heart stopped for a second, he was way too powerful than I''d expected.


    ''I underestimated him.''

 Chapter 306 The Book Of Hope [2]

    ?


    Here I was in a position where he could easily kill me if he wanted to, however for some reason he didn''t do that. Instead, he stepped beside me and patted me on the shoulder.


    "See? I am giving you the book just because I am a good teacher. Or else I could''ve done many things if I wanted," he said. "So take this and get out of here."


    Saying that he moved past me and left out of the door. There I was left, standing therepletely and utterly stunned.


    ''Why didn''t you step in?''


    [I sensed no murderous intent from him.]


    ''Yeah... I know. Neither did I.''


    That''s what I was most stunned about. All the time he was in the room his presence waspletely zero. If I wasn''t seeing him I had no way of telling that he was even here.


    "Fucking hell¡­" I murmured and let out a breath of relief.


    I probably should have worried about how to handle Ryfin from now on but at the moment I was too upied to think about it. I grabbed the book close to myself and ran toward the opened window. Jumping out of it Inded on the ground and went toward the student dorm buildings while constantly making sure that no one saw me.


    ***


    Ryfin was standing in the corridor, and soon he heard a noise that made him sure that Zero had left the building. However, he was not the only one who heard that noise.


    "What will you take to NOT show off for once?" asked a woman''s voice. From one of the rooms stepped out a woman with beautiful blonde hair; ss 1A''s homeroom teacher Auciel Skystav.


    "What do you mean? I wasn''t showing off! Don''t exaggerate my doings like that!" Ryfin responded.


    "Oh? Since when did you be so innocent?" Auciel asked as she walked close to him.


    "I wonder what you''re talking about, wasn''t I always like this?" Ryfin said, then after a few moments he smiled.


    "Why did you let the boy take the book?" another female voice asked. "No, I should rather ask why you GAVE the boy that book?"


    Out came Steph Redcliff, ss 1D''s homeroom teacher from another room. She walked close to both of them and stood next to Auciel.


    "Hmmm? I gave it to him because he needed it," Ryfin replied, actingpletely oblivious.


    "WHAT? That''s not a valid reason!" Steph was about to scream, but she lowered her voice upon realizing that Ryfin was just kidding with her.


    "That''s not something to joke about, Ryfin. That book was an important property to the academy, and you let that boy take it like that," said Auciel.


    "Oh? And who was the one who gave the academy the ''property'' you speak of? If I remember correctly, it was someone named Ryfin," he stated.


    "Listen, the book''s mine and the student''s mine. You two shouldn''t care about what I do with them. I know we''re colleges but we''ve all got personal things going on, so better not interfere in each other''s life," he said, this time his tone was serious.


    "Now let''s go. We''ve to go check if that thing really works or not," saying that Ryfin led the way and got out of the building along with the two other homeroom teachers following him.


    From there they went to the underground facility in the Harts. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***


    I was on my way back to my dorm room with Ryfin''s book in my hand. By this time the announcement for the academy fest had been made and the students were returning; a little happy that the sses for today were suspended.


    I had already seen all this unfold before, so it kinda felt weird. No matter how many times I''ve seen the time-travel thing in movies and novels, it is an entirely different thing when you feel it in real life. Ironically, the protagonists of those stories said the same thing.


    I was going toward my dorm room through the crowds of students when I saw someone approaching me¡­ again.


    "Back from vacation, I see," da said as she approached me. "Did you enjoy the holidays or were you busy taking care of a secret mission somewhere out in the wild?"


    "That''s none of your business," I replied.


    "Come on, don''t be like that. I said that we should work together, didn''t I? We shouldn''t ignore each other like this then," she said.


    "Yeah, and let me rephrase that correctly. You said that we should work together, and I DECLINED."


    "I know, that''s why I''m here to ask again," da said. Until now she was walking on my side to match my pace but now she took two wide steps and stood in front of me.


    "Will you take me in as your partner? I know you use people for your own good and I''m totally fine with that. In fact, I think I can be pretty useful to you. And in more than one way I''d say¡­" as thosest words left her mouth she slid her skirt up, revealing a porting of her thighs.


    "Seduction? That is thest thing you can win me over with¡­" I was gonna decline and send her off again, but then I remembered what had happened back then.


    Anya didn''te alone to save me, da was with her and was driving the wagon.


    ''Should I?''


    [I''d say you should.]


    Req was right, I had to be as careful as I could to make sure everything goes the right way.


    "You know what? I might have just the thing for you to do," I said.


    Her face lit up upon hearing this. "I''m up for anything. I can even give you my virginity if that''s what you''re interested in."


    "Should I pick someone else for this job?" I murmured.


    "No, no, I''m sorry. I''m listening," she said instantly. "What do you want me to do?"


    "Do you know how to drive a wagon?" I asked.


    "Damn, how did you guess?" she replied. "I won''t say I''m a professional but, I know enough to take you to another ce without killing you in between."


    "Why? Do I have to take you or someone somewhere?"


    "No," I said. "Quite the contrary."

 Chapter 307 The Book Of Hope [3]

    ?


    "Contrary? What do you mean?" she asked, a confused look taking over her face.


    "Hmmmm," I took a look around at our surroundings. "Let''s talk somewhere else," I said.


    "Well, fine by me."


    I hid the book in one of the straps that were on the inner side of my cloak, then along with da I went to the rooftop of the ss B building.


    This was something sensitive, so I''d rather not let it be overheard by someone¡ª not like anyone would believe, but I wanted to be overly cautious.


    Soon we reached the rooftop, opening the final door, I stepped out in the open. Today''s weather was windy¡ª and that was understandable, considering what was toe.


    The strong gust of wind passed by, whirling my cloak in my direction and flickering my hair¡ª making it a mess that now covered the upper brows of my eyes.


    I went and leaned on the railing followed by da who also came close and stood beside me.


    "Tell me now, what is it that you want me to do?" she asked. At the same time, she adjusted her hair which had been disrupted by the wind, and removed the strands from the front of her face.


    I looked up; the clouds were gray and it looked like soon the rain was upon us.


    "I know something that will happen in the future, and if that happens I want you to do something," I said while continuously looking up at the sky.


    "Well well, I knew you weren''t going to tell me anything easy to do but this! I''d say this is rather too much," she eximed with a smile that showed both surprise and thrill.


    "So you won''t do it? Too much for you?" I asked, at the same time an icicle formed before my palm that was inside my pocket at the moment.


    "No, I never said that. In fact, this is too good of an opportunity to be left like that. I will do it, tell me what you have for me," she said,


    "You don''t need to know everything, just what you have to do. Today something will fall upon this world, something bad that nobody will expect. When that happens, it will harm the academy too. And when that happens I won''t be here, that''s why my sister will worry about me. Doing that she will try to leave the academy ande where I would be at¡­"


    "And you want me to stop her from doing that?" she questioned.


    "No, not quite. Normally you would not do anything at all, however, I want you to keep a close watch on her. If you think she is going to leave the academy ande to me, that''s when I want you to stop her. That''s all I want you to do."


    "Hmm, I see. By the way, what is this thing that will fall upon the world? And where the fuck are you going?"


    "THAT''S ALL, I want you to do," I repeated, emphasizing my words.


    Her expression underwent a change, though it was probably enough to make her understand that she didn''t need to know anything else than what I told her.


    "Will you be able to do it?" I questioned. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Of course, this is nothing. I expected something harsh from you. While keeping a girl from leaving for her brother, I can do it with my eyes closed. However¡­ I think you know that I won''t be doing it for free."


    "First do what I told you and prove your value, then ask for anything in return," I stated.


    "Fine. I will do that, it will be good if you owe me one, after all."


    ***


    After that, I came down from the rooftop. da went her way and I, after a few minutes of walking, opened the door to my room. Stepping inside I locked the door and then removed my cloak, and throwing it on the bed I sat on it.


    I took the book in my hands and opened it, soon after I called Req and she took it from behind me. Hugging me from behind she peeked into the book while her arms were wrapped around my neck.


    "Can you read this?" I asked.


    "No."


    Thenguage the book was written in was unknown. I had never seen it before, neither in loli_pop''s novel nor in any other book nor scroll in this world.


    I flipped through some pages and saw a few diagrams. They looked like small magic circles, and there were arrows pointing at them and highlighting what was written and describing it in detail.


    I flipped more pages and this time reached the center of the book. This time I could understand what was written there. In fact, I could barely call it writing.


    On both center pages of the book, a big magic circle was drawn with the runes that I could read and understand. But despite that, this magic circle wasplex and multyered.


    "This is not going to be easy," I said to myself and stood up, holding the book in my hand.


    "What are you going to do?" Req asked.


    "I''ll try to decode this magic circle and find out how it works. Even if my future self didn''t tell me to do that, I think it will be easier to use the circle if I know how it works¡ª that''s how magic works anyway," I exined.


    I pulled back the chair and sat on the desk. Taking out a nk sheet of paper and pen I began unsolving the runes and figuring out how this magic circle worked and what was its purpose.


    Even though I knew that this was a teleportation magic circle, it took me a few hours to decode it all.


    "Finally done," I took a breath of relief as I put the pen down and stretched my arms.


    "So? How does it work?" Req, who had been sitting patiently on the bed all this time, asked curiously.


    "It looksplex, which it is. But the way it works is quite simple actually," I said. "Once activated, this magic circle takes the object or person who stands inside it and transports it to somewhere else where the receiver magic circle is cast."

 Chapter 308 "You Are Scared" "Im Not"

    ?


    Yeah, the basic concept of the magic circle was really simple. However, making that simple concept work was hard in itself. First of all, the spell requires a hell lot of mana to activate.


    And this is not any standard type of mana intake, in this spell the more people you will teleport and the longer the distance will be, the more mana it will take. Simrly, it goes the other way around too.


    For example, if you were to teleport 100 people to a distance of a thousand miles, it would require an enormous amount of mana. But if you had to teleport an insect to a distance of only a decimeter or so, the amount of mana required would be more or less the same.


    This was one of those spells where you were bound to expend a great amount of mana unless you are teleporting the right amount of people at the right distance. Finding that ''right scale'' was kinda hard if not impossible, but even if I did find it out it wasn''t going to be of any use to me.


    Since my future self had told me that with this spell I could transport my parents to the safe location in loli_pop''s novel, the magic circle that worked as the receiver was already ced there; so I couldn''t do anything about the distance.


    And as for the number of people, my future self had already warned me that the most I would be able to teleport are two people¡ªonly my parents. I could take the risk by defying his word and trying to teleport myself along with Req to the safe location, but being in the situation I was in, I wanted no risks.


    After all, I knew pretty messed up things could happen to you if teleportation went wrong. I, of course, wouldn''t want that. Thus it was decided, all I was going to use this magic circle for was to teleport only my parents to the safe ce. It doesn''t matter if I had to fight my way out after that, I didn''t care much about it.


    "We''re done here," I said as I closed the book and stood up. I was done decoding the circle and knew how to use it, therefore I had no need to waste any more time here.


    "What are you going to do now?" Req asked as she flew close to me.


    "Ah well, I have to do some preparations," I said as I put the book inside the straps of my cloak and left my room.


    I came down from the ss B dorm building and walked toward the ss A one. I didn''t know where she was but I was first going to check into her room.


    Soon after I was climbing the stairs to the upper floor of the ss A dorm building. Reaching the second floor I walked toward a certain room. A few stepster I stopped and turned toward the door, knocking on it gently.


    The door was locked from the inside so there was a good chance that she was there. Within the count from one to seven, the door opened, revealing the figure of my sister; Anya.


    "Zero?" from her expression she was perhaps a little surprised to see me here.


    As for me, I had nned to get straight since I was short on time but just when my eyes witnessed her face I froze. The horrifying scene of her death I''d seen shed before my eyes.


    My chest pained as I remembered the lifeless look in her eyes. The face that was as bright as a sunflower right now had once gone pale, and it sent shivers down my spine when I thought of it.


    My entire body got chills, and a feeling rose from deep within. I wanted to hug her tightly and tell her how d I was to see her alive.


    Thinking that my hand even moved a little forward, but then stopped myself in time. How weird would it be for me to do that? I didn''t want toplicate the situation more than it already is.


    "Hey, are you busy?" I asked.


    "Not really, I was just nning stuff for the fest with Ellyn and Leon," she replied. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I see. Well, I wouldn''t take much of your time," I stated. ''I really wanted to take a bit more of your time and exin everything that''s gonna happen to make sure you will be safe at all costs.'' "I just wanted to give you this," saying as I took out an envelope letter from my pocket.


    "What''s this for?" she asked as I handed her the letter.


    "Don''t open it right now," I said hurriedly before she could tear the seal and see the contents. "It''s not meant to be seen right now."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" there was a rather confused look on her face.


    "I know it will sound a little weird but, will you try believing in me for this?" I suggested.


    "Hmmm. Well, most of the things you do or say don''t make sense," she said in a joking manner. "Fine, I''ll do what you say."


    "Good. Now, don''t open this letter right now, but I want you to keep it with you."


    "Then when do you want me to open it?" she asked.


    "That''s a rather easy question. You''d know when you have to open it, but I''ll give you a hint anyway. When you want to ask me something or tell me something, and I am not near you for the moment, that''s when you have to open it. You will find the answer inside," I exined.


    The confusion on her face increased, and it was understandable. Anyone would think of my words as nonsense, that''s why I was trying to make it as less confusing as possible for her.


    "Fine, if that''s what you want then I''ll do just that," she replied.


    "Thanks, I''m grateful for that," I said.


    Then since I didn''t have anything else to say now I just stood there and the feeling of hugging her rose in me again.


    "Do you wannae inside? We can n things out together," she suggested, snapping me back to reality.


    "Huh? Ahhh, no. Thanks for the offer but I''ve got something I have to take care of."


    "I see."


    After that, I waved her goodbye and walked back down the dorm building. The sound of my footsteps echoed in the corridor since right now there weren''t many students around.


    [You''re scared.]


    ''I''m not.''

 Chapter 309 Rush To Save [1]

    ?


    I got out of the ss A dorm building and was now on the grounds. All of the things that I needed to do were done, and all the preparations that I needed had been made. Now it was time for me to leave the academy and go to Roswell city¡ªgo to where my parents were.


    There was roughly an hour left before the start of the academy fest, and if I remember correctly the cmity hits about two to two and a half hours after the start of the fest.


    Last time it took about four and a half hours to reach the speed at my max speed, and when I reached there it looked like the cmity had reached there only a few moments ago.


    This rified two things. First, the portals that caused the demon beasts to enter this world and start the cmity won''t open all over the world at the same time. Second, Sofrora City was the epicenter of the cmity. If I take the guess then it should start from the very center of the city.


    This gave me a lot more time to cover the distance between the two cities since thest I left for my home was when I saw the cmity hit the school and even then I reached there only a few moments after the cmity.


    So now if I were to leave before the cmity even started, the chances of making it in time were quite high. Also, my stats had increased to B now so I was going to get a boost from that as well.


    I had assigned work to da too, Ryfin''s book was strapped within my cloak and everything was ready, thus I was good to go. I quickly went up on the roof of my dorm building since that was the closest to the boundary of the academy.


    Standing before the railing I gazed out at the city as the wind gushing out from the clouds and brushing through trees embraced and danced around me, fluttering my cloak forward.


    There were people in front of me. Families, walking on the roads and enjoying their time of life. There were little children ying around, and people going to their daily jobs. Soon all this was going to get destroyed.


    Right now I had the power to stop it. If I told the authorities then they can at least evacuate the city before the cmity hits. But I was going to do none of that.


    Many students from the academy were going to die too, there will probably be some whom I knew.


    Though I doubt that would make much difference. Most of the people I knew in the academy had negative rtions with me. Either they wanted me dead or I wanted them dead.


    ''Actually no, now that I think about it there might be one person I was somewhat interested in. The girl with strawberry blonde hair worked at night in the cafeteria. I wonder if she will die too, but ah well. There''s nothing I can do about it.''


    Thosest words were just meant to console me. Since I could save her if I wanted to, but I wasn''t doing any of that since I didn''t want to waste any time.


    It took me a few minutes to clear my mind with those thoughts, though in reality, I might have liked to stay and think about them for a little longer


    A sigh escaped my mouth as I looked up toward the sky; it was gray as if it were going to rain soon. I jumped and stepped on the slim iron railing. Then I used elemental magic and created pressure below my feet. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    I let it charge for a few minutes and then released it. Two explosions urred, each below my feetunching me high up in the air.


    When I reached the maximum height I froze the dust particles below my feet and created a tform for me to stand. However, now came the hard part which was going to use up a lot of my mana.


    Because even though I could create a tform by freezing the dust particles below me, that tform of ice was going to fall down due to gravity since there was nothing holding it up in the air.


    Therefore I had to create a new tform and step on it before the previous one fell. This was basically what I did before too, but this time I was a little worried since there was a chance of people seeing me up here. Also, this time since there were people below me I had to disintegrate the ice tform before it fell upon someone''s head.


    Although I didn''t have the privilege to worry about such things. Thus I went forward with my n and started dashing forth toward Roswell City as fast as I could. And surely this time stepping on the next tform felt a little easier since my stats had gone up; I felt like my speed was faster than before as well.


    ''How much time would it take for us to reach there if I kept going at this speed?''


    [It''s not urate, but around three and a half hours.]


    ''Let''s make it three then.''


    With that, I filled my entire body with mana and ran as fast as I could. I was having some problems keeping up with it since my body was not used to traveling at this speed. However, that problem got resolved on its own as I went along with it.


    ***


    While Zero was doing his best to reach Roswell City as soon as possible, there was a battle going on. And it was not the usual battle you would expect, it was a battle of inner struggle; a battle one fights with themselves, with their own mind.


    The Requiem sword was tied to his waist, and inside that sword was Req''s soul. Inside apletely dark space, she was sitting in the center, hugging her knees and looking down.


    Ever since the time jump, she was constantly thinking about something. It has caused a major difference in how she responded and talked to Zero, but since he was too caught up with things at the moment he didn''t notice that.


    There were two extremes going on inside her head that were fighting each other. She was trying to make a decision, and that decision was going to decide what was going to happen to Zero in the uing turn of events.

 Chapter 310 Rush To Save [2]

    ?


    Roswell city was in sight, I could see the walls around it and was soon about to enter inside. By this time I was starting to feel tired, but it was less than before since my mana capacity has increased as well.


    I looked around in the sky and saw no signs of any portals, well, for now at least. This meant I was here on time, and that was a good thing.


    I kept up my speed and soon entered the boundaries of the city. After that, it didn''t take me long to reach my home. However, since the portals had not appeared here yet and I didn''t want to make a fuss if possible, I lowered the ice bridge and then jumped out of it.


    Making sure that no one noticed Inded on the outer part of the city. From here on out it was a journey on foot, however, I didn''t take the usual way through the road. Since I wanted to reach there as soon as possible I made full use of my speed and took a different way.


    Jumping from roof to roof of different houses I made a run for it, and because I was going so fast and normally people don''t sit staring at roofs, I moved without being seen.


    In the span of a few minutes and a long jump down to the roadter, I was standing in front of my horse.


    "Finally here!" I said as I exhaled. I was out of breath, but there was no time to rest.


    I pushed open the outer gates and went inside, running and huffing. I stormed inside the house. I hoped from all my heart that my father and mother both were at home right now.


    Running through the corridor I made it to the main hall. There I saw both of them sitting on the couch around the table.


    Father was working on some of his documents, and Mother was reading the newspaper.


    "Mother! Father!" stopping before them, I screamed my lungs out.


    Both of them looked at me at the same time, and Mother stood up with a worried look on her face; probably because I was not looking in the best condition.


    "Zero?! What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be at the academy right now? Did something happen?" Mother asked in a concerned tone.


    "Fuck that! Come with me, we need to get out of here fast!" I replied.


    "Stop right there! Since when did my son start usingnguage like that?!" Father said as he put the documents on the table.


    "I''m sorry Father, but we don''t have time for this," I said as I went and grabbed the wrist of both of them. "We have to go. RIGHT NOW!"


    I was trying to take them but they stood their ground. I could''ve easily dragged them out of here if I used force but I''d never do that.


    I wanted to get this done quickly, but I didn''t know for how long I''d be able to stop myself from sitting here and talking with them while confirming that they were real since thest time I saw them they were dead.


    "What do you mean? Why do we need to go? And where are you taking us?" Mother asked.


    "I don''t have time to exin, we just¡­ need to go," I said in all desperation. Once my parents were safe only then could I take a breath of relief. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Zero, will you exin what you are trying to say?" Father asked, he had a confused expression on his face. It was as if he was trying to believe my words but I couldn''t give him enough reason to do that.


    I paused there for a minute and looked at them. Then I simted this situation from their perspective. They didn''t know what was going to happen, or what would happen to them. I came out of nowhere and was asking them toe with me.


    Even though they were my parents it was no surprise that they were going to ask questions. It was weird of me to try and take them like this.


    I sighed and decided to give them. "I don''t have to exin but¡ª"


    [Zero! To your left!]


    Suddenly the wall on my left broke with an explosion, and in came a demon beast charging straight toward us.


    There was no thinking involved, my body moved on its own. My hand went to my waist on its own and grabbed the Requiem sword. I kicked off the ground at the same time as I pulled the sword out of its sheath.


    A battle cry left my mouth as I reached near the beast. The sword was swung, and all the rage in me was pushed inside the de as it touched the side of the beast''s neck.


    "Dark Edge!"


    A ck sh appeared and I spun around in the air andnded on the other side, blood covering the edge of my sword. Behind me, the head of the beast fell to the ground.


    "Begone," I said, and a pointed pir of ice emerged from the ground and stabbed right through its chest, breaking through the core.


    I looked behind, and the beast was dead. Then I gazed out of the broken wall. From there I saw multiple portals opening in the sky, and thousands of demon beastsing out of them.


    I spotted a ground of theming toward me and my parents, and my eyes narrowed. Pointing my sword toward them I activated a spell.


    "Wrath of the Sky!"


    A magic circle opened before the tip of my sword, and soon a pir of lighting fell from the sky and upon the demon beasts, burning them to a crisp.


    Turning toward my parents I walked toward them with blood on my sword and my deep ck cloak swaying back and forth.


    They had taken a defensive posture themselves by the time I reached there, and standing before them I offered my hand again.


    "Let''s get out of here," I said.

 Chapter 311 Rush To Save [3]

    ?


    Running along with my parents to the back side of our house toward thewn, I stopped at a ce that looked somewhat safe. Looking around I saw the demon beasts raging all over the area.


    It was only a few minutes before they came here.


    ''Req, I''m leaving the safety in your hands for now.''


    The Requiem sword in my hand shone and soon turned into a girl that stood beside me. My parents looked at her with amusement but that didn''t really matter right now.


    "You can count on me for that," Req said as she formed a sword in her hands.


    She nced a look at the demon beasts all around us, held the sword up, and took a posture. Once I was done with that I turned toward my parents and took out Ryfin''s book from within my cloak.


    ***


    After reassuring Zero that she would take care of all the demon beasts, Req dashed and stood near the boundary of the house. A hell of demon beasts wasing toward them, and it didn''t take much long for them to close the distance.


    One of the demon beasts was headed straight toward her. She gripped the Requiem sword swiftly and looked at the monster and when it was only a few steps away, her body moved.


    With minimal movement, she got close to the beast and drilled the sword deep into its chest. Before the beast could do anything else she slid the sword across as she moved forward and sliced the beast in two.


    Its body fell numb on the ground with blood around it and a core that was also cut in two parts.


    Soon the rest of the demon beasts joined and met with the same fate, they were getting shed and killed like they didn''t pose a threat at all. In fact, that was precisely the case.


    These monsters were nothing for her to be afraid of, to the point where she was not even killing them by herself and was just letting her instincts do all the work.


    Right now with a dead look in her eyes, her body was moving like a machine, every movement and attack was calcted and to the point.


    The demon beasts were not a threat, that was one thing. But at this moment there was something else upying and weighing down her mind, something much more important.


    It was regret.


    Ever since she and Zero came back in time a certain scene was ying in her mind. It was the moment when Zero saw the death of his parents and sister and lost control over his powers which resulted in him almost killing himself by freezing to death.


    Had it not been for the future Zero, the current one would have died. And it would be no one else''s but her fault.


    After all, all that happened because he saw the death of his family. He was badly injured to help them and she was already upied by tens of thousands of demon beasts hence was not able to help them in time.


    However, that was not the truth. If she wanted, she could have saved them and killed all of the demon beasts present there without breaking a sweat. But she didn''t. She didn''t and let his parents die, which ended up almost killing him too.


    Although it was not like she let them die simply because she was evil or anything like that, she had a good reason for choosing that.


    Her master and the one who freed her from thebyrinth was Zero, he was the person whom she shared her soul with.


    Therefore it was not wrong for her to think that he was the only one she needed to protect. To her, he was the only person she cared about in the entire world. To her, he was the one she #$#%@.


    Thus it didn''t even ur to her once that seeing the death of his family would affect him so much to the point where he would lose the will to live. Had she known this beforehand she would have done everything in her power to make sure that his family was safe.


    Only if she knew beforehand...only if she had given it a bit of thought...only if she had thought things from the perspective of a normal person rather than the perspective of a thousand-year-old warrior with blood-stained hands.


    If only...


    But she didn''t, and now she was regretting it to the point that it was hindering her from functioning normally.


    "Huh?"


    Right when all these things were going on in her mind one single demon beast managed to escape from her side and dashed toward Zero and his parents.


    She turned, and her eyes widened when she saw the sight.


    The beast was only a few yards away from them and if it managed to reach there then...


    Zero was busy setting up the magic circle, and even if he noticed there was a good chance that the beast would harm his parents.


    ''If that happened again..'' she thought.


    The tragedy was going to repeat itself and this time there would be no future Zeroing to save the day.


    Zero will die again. He will die. And just like before it would be her fault. The weight of his death...she won''t be able to bear it.


    Just as she was thinking about it, more demon beasts rushed from her side and headed toward Zero and his parents.


    That was the moment it clicked in her mind. A realization.


    She instantly became aware of how stupid she had been acting, and that the answer to her problems was extremely simple.


    ''If I wasn''t able to save his parentsst time, then all I have to do is make sure that I absolutely don''t let them die this time around. After all, that''s why we were given a second choice¡ªto correct the mistakes we made.''


    A smile appeared on her face.


    She raised the Requiem sword high and supplied it with her mana.


    "Eclipse," she said, and the sword grew darker. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A dome of shadow expanded from the sword and swallowed the demon beasts along with her. Inside the dome, there wasplete darkness¡ªa ce where shadows ruled.


    "Been a while since I used this," she said to herself.


    A few momentster the dome disappeared and all that came out except Req were the dead bodies of the demon beasts that were cut in multiple pieces along with their cores.


    She turned and looked back at the remaining demon beasts and the new onesing from the portal. However, this time around she didn''t have that dead look in her eyes, she was smiling instead.


    Sometimes internal battles are much harder to fightpared to physical ones. After all, they are psychological and the one you are fighting against is yourself.


    This was one of those cases.


    But now Req had resolved her internal conflict, thus there was nothing to worry about on that front.


    ***


    "Father, Mother," I said. "I''m gonna send you two to a safe ce now. It may be possible that there won''t be that many people there when you arrive, or people you don''t know. But soon Anya wille and find out, so just stay where you arrive."


    "Zero, what are you talking about? How are we going to get out of this? There are¡­ all these monsters running all around," there was a sense of worry in my father''s voice as he said that.


    "Aren''t youing with us?" my mother asked. She must have picked up on the words when I said that I would be sending ''you two'' to a safe ce.


    "No, I wille. But I can''t go with you right now," I replied. "However, Anya will be there, so you don''t need to worry."


    "But¡­ why aren''t youing?"


    "It''s more like I can''t¡­" I said as I looked at the book in my hands.


    A st was heard nearby and looking in that direction I saw Req engaged in battle with three demon beasts at once. Her movements were fluid, and she didn''t seem to have any trouble.


    And it was understandable. This girl had fought the army of millions of demon beasts alone in myst life. Three beasts were nothing to her.


    "We don''t have time to waste," I said, hurrying them.


    "But¡­"


    "Mother, believe me. I will reach there, and I will be fine," I was trying to reassure her but I knew my words couldn''t console her much.


    "Dear, see there," Ron said as he pointed toward Req. Then both of them saw how mercilessly she was ughtering the beasts as they came one after another.


    "You saw how our son fought back then. I think he is capable of protecting himself. So let''s believe in him and don''t make this hard for him?" he said.


    "Please, mother, father. We are running out of time," I urged.


    "We are ready, send us where you want," Father said, hugging my mother from the side. She probably was still not happy with this decision, but for now, had decided to stay quiet.


    Looking at them I nodded and then flipped through the pages of the book and got to the center page. There a magic circle was printed on both pages.


    I went and put the book down on the ground near their feet with those pages facing toward the sky. I bent one of my knees and sat on the ground and put my right palm above the magic circle drawn on the pages.


    I closed my eyes, visualizing all the mana within my body. Then I opened them back and pushed the mana down in the magic circle.


    The circle on the book that was dark ck slowly lit up as it absorbed mana from me. In my mind, I set up the number of people that have to be teleported to two, and some of the runes on the magic circle changed shape on their own.


    Then with a strange sound, the magic circle expanded outside the book and onto the ground with the book at its center. The circle was the same as the one in the book, just that it had grown big and was now activated.


    The color of the circle was blue, and it was shining rather brightly. I stood up but let the book remain where it was. My parents were standing inside the radius of the circle so when I begin to step out of it my father put a hand on my shoulder.


    "Don''t prove me wrong, ande out of this safely," he whispered in my ears and then patted me on the back. I passed him a reassuring smile and then stepped out of the circle.


    Then I stood a few steps away facing toward the circle and raised my right hand towards it. Then I started reading the incantation that was written in the book.


    The runes in the magic circle started moving and the circle slowly began spinning. There were three borders of it, two moved in an anti-clock direction while one moved clockwise.


    And as it happened, I felt my mana getting sucked up at a rather rming rate.


    Then a very bright, blinding light came out of the magic circle that covered my parents within it. Thest scene I saw was them smiling and waving goodbye to me.


    I smiled back, but before they could see it the light wasunched up toward the sky and the magic circle closed and shattered into sparkles of small shining orbs of light.


    My parents were nowhere to be seen now. Only the book was lying there on the ground, and the light on the magic circle inscribed on it had dimmed down.


    I dropped my arm down and took my breaths. Just sending two people had consumed a hell lot of my mana. After that I went and picked up the book, strapping it back inside my cloak.


    ''I hope they reached there safely¡­'' I thought, looking up toward the sky.


    Then I heard a scream, no, there were many screams; the screams of monsters. Looking in that direction I saw a huge group of demon beasts, destroying the city buildings, anding toward us.


    ''I can''t rx even a bit, can I?''


    But it was fine; all was fine now. My parents were now out of danger, so I could now focus on doing other things. I was ready for whatever wasing.

 Chapter 312 Escape [1]

    Back at the academy, things were a mess. Soon after Zero had departed for Roswell city, portals had opened upon the academy campus, and demon beasts had started spilling out of them.


    The festival was going on, so all the students were in the open grounds, enjoying the night with their guards down. And it was wrong to me them for it. After all, no one would have expected such a tragedy.


    The demon beasts fell from the sky, directly onto the students. Some students died on the spot, while the rest ran for their lives.


    All the magic they were learning at the academy, self-defense techniques, and sword arts. all of it instantly went down the drain when they saw the blood of their friends and their bodies being torn to shreds and being eaten alive.


    Of course, there were a few exceptions, and Leon was one of them. When death rained from the sky, he did not run to save his own life. Instead, he resolutely remained in ce, unsheathing his sword with the purpose of safeguarding those around him.


    He didn''t really have to think much about it; that seemed like the most obvious choice for him. And why wouldn''t it be? He was confused when he saw the fleeing students, wondering why they were running away instead of standing and protecting each other.


    In that pivotal moment, he stood unwaveringly amidst the vibrant festival, gripping his sword firmly and directing its de towards a menacing demon beast.


    With a thunderous roar, the beast elevated its formidable limbs, only to ruthlessly bring them crashing down upon the earth. The ensuing tremors reverberated through the vicinity, disrupting the bnce of the fleeing students, causing some to stumble and falter. Yet, undeterred, Leon maintained his unwavering stance, resolute in his purpose.


    He stared right into the eyes of the beast as if inviting it toe to y with him. The beast''s eyes red red as it charged madly toward Leon, destroying everything and everyone that came between them.


    Exuding an aura ofposure, Leon tightened his grasp on the sword''s hilt, allowing the tension within him to dissipate with a deliberate exhale, and then locked his eyes on the beast.


    "Magiken," he said, and the de of his sword shone in red. He intended to kill this beast in a single hit, and he was more than capable of doing so.


    However, just then he took a good look at his surroundings. There were many demon beasts all around, mercilessly killing the students. Even if it took him one second to kill one beast, he still wouldn''t be able to save all of the students.


    He couldnd a wide-range attack, but then he would end up harming the students too, so it was a no-go. He didn''t have much time to think, since the beast in front of him was closing in.


    Therefore, his system suggested a way for him, and he followed it.


    In a measured voice, Leon uttered the words, "Agility boost," causing a fleeting radiance to envelop his body momentarily before subsiding. This was one of the body enchantments he was capable of using¡ªor a buff, in other words.


    "Strength boost. Mana enhancement. Greater aura. Increased recoil. Mana shield. Blessing of the Heavens. Lightning infusement. Body shield. Dark shield enchantment. Resistance III."


    One after another, his body shone and dimmed as he continued to buff himself with spells. This was surely an overkill considering Leon''s level, even a kid could tell that. But he still decided to go with it since he didn''t want to risk the lives of his ssmates.


    In the critical instant when the demon beast closed in, mere steps away from him, Leon unleashed his final spell.


    "Point charge," he said. As soon as the spell took effect, itbined itself with Mana Enhancement, Greater Aura, and Lightning Infusement.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The de of Leon''s sword became adorned with intricate, luminous patterns, glowing in a vivid shade of crimson. It pulsated with surges of electrical energy, while beneath each of his feet, two magic circles materialized.


    With an unwavering gaze fixed upon the demon beast, Leon observed as a matching patterned circle materialized upon the creature''s chest. In a lightning-quick motion, he propelled himself forward with astounding velocity, moving so swiftly that not a single student present could perceive his agile advance.


    A mere momentter, the beast came to an abrupt halt, while Leon reemerged behind it. Swiftly surveying his surroundings, he discerned the presence of another formidable creature. With an identical magic circle materializing upon its chest, Leon seamlessly vanished once more, leaving behind a trail of crackling lightning sparks in his wake.


    As if ensnared by an unseen force, the second beast also ceased its movements, rooted in its position. Before long, a ripple effect took hold, causing each of the surrounding demon beasts to sumb to the same fate, immobilized one by one.


    In a synchronized disy, shes of lightning danced through the air, apanied by a shower of sparkling sparks.


    Atst, Leon came into sight.


    "Point charge: Defuse," he said. In a breathtaking spectacle, the creatures were then cleaved in two, their severed forms descending to the ground, defeated and motionless.


    Leon had cut them right in the middle, destroying their cores as well. Within seconds, he had cleared about a hundred demon beasts at once.


    And although it wasn''t much since they wereing constantly, he bought enough time for the students to escape and cleared the way for those who were cornered.


    "Hurry up! Everyone, get out of here!" Leon screamed, guiding all the students.


    However, he didn''t tell the students where they had to go, as the teachers had already instructed them. They had been informed to run to the Harts and get in the basement. The academy staff was guiding the students there while all the teachers had drawn their weapons and fought against the beasts to protect them.


    When the crowd around Leon lessened, he turned his eyes toward Ellyn and Anya. Both of them were together at a rough distance from him and were fending off the beasts.


    "Ellyn, Anya,e on. Everyone has left here; we have to go too," Leon said in a voice loud enough to reach them.


    However, being denser than a ck hole, he had failed to realize that fighting against the demon beasts was not as easy for everyone as it was for him. Naturally, both girls were having a very hard time standing their ground.


    Even just making sure not to get killed seemed tough. Ellyn had multiple cuts on her hands and chest, while Anya had her left arm bleeding badly and a cut that had barely missed her neck.


    Noticing this, Leon once again took his stance.


    "Point charge," he said, and the de of his sword emitted sparks of lightning.

 Chapter 313 Escape [2]

    ?


    The beasts around the girls fell dead on the ground while Leonnded before them. Putting his sword in its sheath he instantly pulled out two advanced healing potions from his inventory¡ªthat were provided to him by the system¡ªwithout getting noticed and then turned to the girls.


    "Here, drink this," he said, passing the potion bottles.


    "You noticed very quickly, didn''t you?" Ellynmented as she let out an exhausted sigh.


    "Sorry," Leon replied, an expression of remorse taking upon his face. How quickly this guy could change his mood and expressions was a wonder.


    Both of them drank the potions, and within minutes their wounds were healed and the bleeding was stopped.


    "Now, we should hurry," Leon said, and following his lead both of the girls ran toward the Harts. Within walking distance, they meet the teachers who were standing on guard and constantly engaged in a battle with the beasts.


    Leon''s natural impulse caused by his hero syndrome was to stop and help the teachers, but for the moment he decided against it. Perhaps even he knew that right now it would be reckless to act in such a way.


    Shortly thereafter, the trio joined the rest of the students, swiftly making their way toward the Harts. Amidst a surge of urgency, they entered the building and were directed through a passage that descended into a basement beneath the structure.


    None of them had expected that such a ce existed, and they had pretty astonished reactions when they finally reached the said location.


    The basement down the ground was big, and not just big, it was huge. The ceiling was about the height of a three-story building, and the area itself was quite spacious. It had the floor tiled with marble with various patterns carved on it, and the walls were decorated in a simr fashion as well.


    However, there was not much furniture lying about. Aside from the student body and a small podium ced near the end of the walls, the basement was void of anything else.


    Leon, Anya, and Ellyn along with the other students settled inside and once everyone was within, the gates were closed shut. From the looks of it, the gates weren''t anything normal either.


    The gates possessed an impressive thickness, equivalent to the width of five individuals standing shoulder to shoulder.


    Their construction boasted ayeredposition, incorporating a blend of materials including iron, magic bricks, concrete, marble, sand, and steel. Upon closure, a magical sigil materialized on the inner surface of the gate, followed by another in a distinctive triangr configuration, suggesting the presence of powerful enchantments imbued within.


    The magic circles hadplex runes in them, so it was no mistake to say that they were created by a mage who advanced in magic.


    Half of the teachers came inside with the students, while the rest stayed outside guarding the doors.


    Inside chaos was breaking among the students as a good number of them were panicking. Some were injured, some were missing limbs, some were dead, and some had their friends dead. It was natural for them to panic in such a situation.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Although the majority was still of groups who were calm andposed despite being put in a tight situation¡ªjust like the academy had taught them to be. In the midst of all that was Anya. From the moment she entered the basement and all the time she took toe here, she was constantly looking for Zero.


    However, things didn''t seem good as her eyes weren''t able to catch sight of him. Once inside the basement, she separated from Leon and Ellyn and went off on her own to search for him. She ran through the number of students, making way for herself in the crowd. Yet she was not able to find him.


    Then a terrifying thought¡ªwhich she had been trying to ignore all this time¡ªurred in her mind.


    What if Zero wasn''t able toe inside the basement? What if he was cornered by those monsters and couldn''t get the opportunity toe here? What if he was ki¡ªno, that was not possible.


    Even in the worst of situations, she knew he wasn''t as weak as to die from this¡ªthough that didn''t reduce her worries. She looked at the gates of the basement; they were closed. Now he won''t be able toe here if he was somehow left outside.


    Her heartbeat was increasing with each passing second. Her face was covered in sweat and she was breathing rapidly. Her body was in constant motion, going from one spot to another as her eyes tried to look everywhere in hopes of finding him.


    But no matter how much she tried, no matter how desperate she was, she soon met a dead end.


    As she stood there, a surge of heightened awareness coursed through her veins, causing her heartbeat to quicken and reverberate throughout her entire being. The weight in her chest felt oppressive, like a massive boulder burdening her, making each breath an arduous task. Uncertainty gripped her, leaving her momentarily at a loss.


    She didn''t know what to do....except that she did.


    There was but one way to save Zero if he was still somewhere out there, and it was to go outside herself and look for him. She quickly stole a look at the doors. They were rigid, and breaking through them was impossible. Though it was not as if they couldn''t be unlocked.


    Theplex magic circles that were carved on the gates seemed like the most overwhelming part of it all, but the reality was different. They were made for security purposes so that nothing can break the doors from outside ande in, therefore opening them from the other side was almost impossible.


    But they were designed to be opened instantly from the inside in case some misfortune happened and the people in the basement had to leave outside.


    Spending time unlocking the doors could easily result in many causalities, that''s why most of these doors were unlocked just by putting your hand at the center of the magic circle and passing mana through it.


    This wasmon knowledge in the world. Naturally, Anya was aware of this too.


    After looking for Zero in the basement for a bit more when she had finally made sure that he wasn''t there, she decided to go outside and search for him.

 Chapter 314 Escape [3]

    ?


    The n was really simple. She would dash toward the door, open it just enough to let herself out, and then close it back while leaving some gap in between so she can open it again from the outside.


    She was really betting all her chances on the fact no one would notice her in the midst of all this panic. It was a reckless and idiotic n, but it was the best she could think of at the moment.


    Therefore she firmed her resolve and walked toward the door.


    ''I have to do it. I can''t leave him there to die.''


    She thought, taking a step forward.


    ''I''m well aware that by opening the door I''m putting the lives of all of the other students in danger, I know that very well but...for some reason, I am not bothered by it right now. I''m being selfish I guess.''


    Another step.


    ''I don''t want him to die.''


    She soon started running.


    ''I want to save him.''


    Faster.


    ''I want him to be by my side.''


    Faster.


    ''I want him to be with me.''


    She wanted to get to him as soon as possible.


    ''I just...can''t leave him behind like this.''


    All sorts of different thoughts were going through her mind while she was making a run for it. She''d almost reached the gates, when suddenly someone grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop in her tracks.


    "Why are you¡ª" Turning around instantly she said. Although her words stopped when she saw a familiar face. It was not as if she knew this person well, just that she was aware of her existence.


    The girl grabbing onto her arm was da. It was no wonder that Anya knew about her, due to being one of the three famous bullies she was pretty well known after all.


    "What are you doing?" Anya asked, her tonecking the respectful nature she usually carried.


    "You are going to find Zero, aren''t you?" da said, cutting right to the chase. Zero had given her a job to do, and she didn''t want to disappoint him. Thus she was going to do whatever it takes to stop Anya from leaving here¡ªalthough she was still going to follow what Zero had originally told her to do.


    Anya''s eyes narrowed and she looked at da with suspicion. The question hade rather out of the blue.


    "How do you know about¡ª"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Can we skip this already?" da said in a loud tone as if she was starting to get bored by the direction this conversation was going toward. "Zero is not here so you are going to get out through the gates and search for him. Such an idiotic decision I''d say."


    "As I said, how do you¡ª"


    "How I know about this doesn''t matters. But for yourfort, let''s just say that a flying elephant told me. What matters is that you are not using your brain right now. There are much better options than breaking out through the gates and putting my life in danger."


    "What? There is no other option I have," Anya said,ing to the main topic in the end. It was true, in this situation how da got this information didn''t really matter.


    "Huh? You really are an idiot."


    "How can you say that? Do you have a better option then? Mind you but I''m not gonna leave him alone out there," Anya replied.


    "Not even if he went out there at his own will?"


    At this Anya didn''t have any reply; partially it was because she didn''t understand what da meant by that.


    "He gave you a letter I believe, no?" da said, pointing toward the pocket of Anya''s zer.


    "He did but..."


    "Then when in the blue moon are you gonna read it?"


    Her words stung, but she did have a point. And all this made Anya think back to the time when Zero had given her the letter. He''d said to read it when the time is right and mentioned that she will know by herself when the right time wille.


    ''Is this the right time then?'' she wondered.


    She wasn''t sure, but now that she had a new option in front of her she didn''t want to back off. Therefore she took the letter out of her pocket and tore it open. Inside, the letter was written in Zero''s handwriting. The content of the letter went like this:


    [Anya, if you are reading this letter means right now da is with you. I know pretty wild things are happening in the world at the moment and death is raining down from the sky. I''m sure the academy has made preparations for the students to leave without getting killed, so I want you to follow that.


    da there is sent by me, I want you to do what she says and escape the academy along with the other students. I know you must be getting worried about me, and that''s the main reason you decided to read this letter. And to be honest, it is the same reason I''m writing it as well.


    But I don''t want you to worry about me. I know it''s a very selfish request, but please don''te searching for me. There is something very important that I have to do, and it is to save our parents. I''m sure you have thought about this too, but the academy can only save the students; the people outside are bound to die.


    However, I can''t let the same happen to our parents. I will save them, and make sure they get out of here unscathed. I believe I will be able to do it without any incident. Though I can''t focus my all on it if you came to find me, so I''m saying this again. Don''te to find me.


    Stay with Leon and the rest of the students, and soon you will meet with our parents. Trust me on this one. Don''t worry about me, I won''t die. I know that you know I''m strong enough to protect myself. I promise you, I wille back alive.


    This is a selfish request I know, but please let me be selfish for this once.


    -Zero]

 Chapter 315 Escape [4]

    ?


    After reading the letter, she didn''t say anything for a while and just stood there. Then a few minutester she folded the letter and ced it back into her pocket.


    "Have you changed your mind now?" da asked.


    "Are you...sure that he won''t die?" Anya queried, a sense of worry taking over her face.


    "I''ve met with him only recently and even then I know that he''s far much stronger than our average student here in the academy, and you are his sister who is with him since birth. You must know better," she replied.


    It was true, Anya knew that Zero was strong. He was even capable of doing things no one else was. She knew he was strong enough to fight against these beasts...still, something inside her was still not ready to ept it.


    She took her time and thought about it for a few minutes. In the end, she steeled her heart and decided to trust Zero for this. It was not every day he asked her for something, in fact, this might very well be the first time. That''s why she didn''t want to disappoint him.


    "You are right, he is not so weak to get killed by these insects," Anya said.


    "Finally you got some brains!" da exhaled, as ifpletely disinterested in the topic. "Well, my work is done so I''m off then."


    With those words, she disappeared into the crowd before Anya could stop her and ask a few more questions she had in mind.


    It left a bitter taste in Anya''s mouth, but since she didn''t want to chase after her she went back to Leon and Ellyn. They obviously were worried about her and bombarded her with loads of questions when she reached there. Though she got off with the excuse that she got separated due to the intense crowd.


    It wasn''t a very good excuse¡ªin fact, it was a rather bad one¡ªbut no one questioned her further.


    By the time she reached there, most of the students in the basement had calmed down and the teachers had taken control over the student body.


    Although there were still some who were scared to death, and other than that even the calm students were confused about what the hell was going on. So now it was the time to clear all that confusion and get the students safely out of danger.


    Among the teachers who were inside was Mr. Halls, who soon stood before the podium, and without any introduction, he spoke in a rushed and panicking tone¡ªa rare thing for him to do.


    "I''m sure most of you are already aware of the danger we are in right now. As I speak, many people are getting killed by those monsters all across the world. However, we have prepared for this situation; thus, you all needn''t worry about your lives. Your safety is the academy''s responsibility."


    His manner was rushed, and his voice broke many times as he spoke. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "We will now transport you to a safe location we had determined beforehand. It is a ce built for survivors, so don''t get surprised if you find people who are not from the academy," he said, and all of the students listened.


    All of them were scared, and not sure what to do. However, being a student of such an academy had taught them to not panic in situations like these. Now of course, there were many of them who did not fall into this category, but no one had the time to worry about them. They were going to be transported nheless.


    "The rest of the situation will be exined to you once you reach the safe location," Mr. Hall announced. "Now we will teleport you there."


    He gazed across the entire student body present before him, closed his eyes, and then opened them again while a bead of sweat formed on his forehead and then dripped down on the ground.


    He exhaled once and then got a hold of himself. Raising his voice as much as he could, he said. "All the students, if any of you are using any kind of magic or spell right now, stop it immediately."


    His voice stormed across the basement, and the intensity of it hushed even the students who were dying of panic and uncertainty. Those who were using spells to protect themselves followed his words and stopped.


    This was an important thing to do. After all, teleportation magic was still new to humanity. There was no guarantee that a different spell¡ªno matter the scale¡ªbeing cast at the same time wouldn''t mess up the teleportation.


    After a few minutes, once everything had settled down. Mr. Halls stepped down from the podium and turned toward the man standing beside him.


    "Do it," Mr. Halls said to the man.


    "All right," replied the man. He was also known by the name Ryfin.


    He stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles, then he moved forward and stood in front of the podium. Facing all of the students¡ªor to be precise, facing what was below them.


    Ryfin stretched out his right hand, and soon after the ground below the students'' feet started glowing. All of the patterns that were carved on the marble¡ªwhich in reality were not fancy patterns but runes.


    With the activation of the runes, a colossal blue magic circle materialized beneath the students'' feet, expansive enough to epass them all. Ryfin signaled to Mr. Halls from the side of his eye, he understood the signal and walked inside the range of the magic circle.


    Ryfin then turned his focus back and concentrated on his magic. A few glowing sparks appeared around Ryfin''s hand and at the same time the magic circle began to spin around. It had three borders, two moved anticlockwise while one moved in a clockwise direction.


    The speed increased, and then soon the entire basement was dyed in a blinding white light. It covered all the students and teachers present within the circle, and when it vanished, they were gone along with the light. Leaving only sparkles of shining light.

 Chapter 316 Escape [5]

    ?


    A subtle smile adorned Ryfin''s lips as he observed the basement brimming with a myriad of shimmering dots, casting a mesmerizing disy of radiant light. It resembled a whimsical dance of countless fireflies, illuminating the space with their ethereal glow.


    However, the enchanting spectacle proved fleeting, as the sparkling lights gradually diminished, and the magic circle enclosing the area closed, concealing its enchanting aura.


    Ryfin''s hand descended to his waist, eventually finding its way into his pocket.


    "Well, this took longer than expected," he mumbled to himself. He took a good look around the entire basement; at the moment he was the only one there.


    However, it soon changed. Suddenly, a resounding bang reverberated against the basement door, jolting Ryfin from his momentary calm. The magic circle adorning the door flickered erratically, and the ground beneath their feet trembled. The disturbance repeated, more forceful this time, triggering the dislodging of debris from the ceiling, adding to the growing sense of urgency and peril.


    "The party is here I guess," he said to himself and turned toward the gate as he waited patiently for the neer to break in. All the students were gone so there was no need to protect this ce anymore.


    After three more forceful bangs, the thick protective door finally exploded into pieces. A cloud of dust billowed, obscuring the entrance. In the next moment, the ominous silhouette of a demon beast emerged from the haze, its fangs bared menacingly.


    The beast had wounds and injuries all over its body, although despite that it was still kicking and ready to attack anytime. The beasts roared and ran toward Ryfin, closing the distance at a fast pace.


    However, secondster another figure snapped out from the dust. This figure possessed a humanoid form, distinct from the demon beast. Swiftly and seamlessly, it darted forward with astonishing speed, appearing as nothing more than a fleeting shadow to the untrained eyes of ordinary humans.


    Then it jumped. The figure soared into the air, executing a graceful front flip before gracefully descending. With impressive precision, itnded directly in front of the demon beast


    Her blonde hair swayed as she turned back toward the demon and gazed at it with her purple eyes. It was a girl who held a sword in her hand. She was Auciel Skystav, ss 1A''s homeroom teacher.


    "Well well, see who''s here," Ryfin said in a teasing tone as he stopped in his tracks.


    "Shut up," Auciel retorted sharply, raising her sword in defiance as the beast closed in on her. She activated her magiken and her de bathed in a purple hue.


    As the beast drew nearer, it lunged at Auciel, pouncing upon her with a ferocious assault of shing ws. She put the sword up, stopping the ws with her de. Locked in a tense struggle, she braced herself against the relentless force exerted by the towering creature, steadfastly resisting its attempts to overpower her.


    Though a few minutester she shed the sword right, opening a gush in the beast''s hand.


    "Blitz of fire," she chanted and two magic circles appeared beneath her feet.


    In a burst of explosive energy, the circles detonated, propelling her into the air with remarkable agility. Executing a graceful aerial somersault, she skillfullynded behind the beast.


    She narrowed her eyes and exhaled. The demon beasts were a lot stronger than she''d expected. Despite being the second strongest teacher in the academy, she was having trouble defeating it. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    She didn''t have much time either since soon this entire area was to be flooded with thousands of their kind. And she had something else she needed to take care of as well.


    Therefore she decided to use all of the cards she had at her disposal.


    Letting out a breath she straightened her body and gripped the hilt of her sword tightly as she visualized and increased the mana flow in her body.


    "Magiken. Second form: Sr de," she said, activating the next level of her magiken.


    Magiken was a technique that had multiple forms, each of them unique to the wielder. Normally only the first and basic form was used by the majority since the higher you climbed the more mana you needed.


    However, there were a few powerful people who were able to reach the second form. Auciel was one of them.


    Upon activating Sr de, Auciel''s form became shrouded in a mesmerizing mist blending hues of purple and white, reminiscent of the ethereal cosmic clouds scattered across the vast expanse of the universe.


    Then she charged toward the demon who by now had turned back in her direction. In a swift motion, Auciel sprinted forward, raising her sword high. As she did, the de of her weapon fragmented into numerous smaller des, leaving only the hilt gripped firmly in her hands.


    Hovering effortlessly in the air above her, the smaller des remained under Auciel''s direct control. Closing in on the demon, she executed a powerful downward sh. In a synchronized assault, the fragmented des surged forth, hurtling toward the beast from various angles and directions


    Despite the beast''s attempts to defend itself, the sheer number of des proved overwhelming. With over ten of them converging upon their target, the creature struggled to ward off every strike. It became the recipient of relentless shes and cuts, inflicted upon it from multiple angles, causing its form to be marred by numerous wounds.


    As the beast engaged in a fierce struggle against the onught of des, Auciel deftly maneuvered beside it. With a slight tilt of her sword, she harnessed the power of Sr de,manding it through her focused thoughts. Responding to her mental directive, the smaller des multiplied, swiftly doubling in number, intensifying the onught and overwhelming the beast with their increased ferocity.


    While half of the des continued their relentless assault on the beast, the remaining des altered their trajectory, soaring towards Auciel in a graceful disy. Aligning themselves in the air before her, they arranged themselves like a staircase, forming a stable tform. Fearlessly, Auciel stepped upon the floating des, using them as her ascent, propelling herself higher into the air.


    Having reached the necessary height, surpassing that of the towering demon, the des that had formed the staircase swiftly regrouped beneath Auciel''s feet, coalescing into apact tform.


    Utilizing the tform as aunching point, Auciel propelled herself forward, leaping onto the back of the demon beast. Simultaneously, two des were unleashed with remarkable speed, piercing the back of the creature''s feet, destabilizing its bnce and causing it to topple to the ground.


    At that exact moment, all of the dispersed des converged, seamlessly reassembling themselves onto the hilt of Auciel''s sword. The fragments merged harmoniously, forming once again a single, formidable weapon in her grasp.


    Aucielnded on the back of the beast and drove her sword directly into its chest. The resilient demon flesh offered resistance, requiring her to exert considerable effort and push the de deeper. Despite the struggle, she persisted, sessfully prating deep enough to strike and annihte the demon''s core, ultimately bringing about its death.

 Chapter 317 Last Job Before The Collapse [1]

    ?


    Pulling out the sword from the beast''s corpse, Auciel exhaled and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She instantly deactivated her magiken since on the second form it was eating up a lot of her mana.


    "That looked smooth. I can''t help but praise how pleasing your moments are to the eye," Ryfin said as he walked near her.


    "It''s not as fun to control though," she said, swaying her sword in the air to shake the blood off it. "And it''s tiring to use the second form." She ced the sword back in its sheath.


    "How are the things outside?" Ryfin asked.


    "Chaotic might be the right word for the question," she replied.


    "It''s a mess. These monsters are everywhere, and they are much stranger than we had anticipated. Even us teachers are barely able to handle them in one on one, and the fact that they are constantlying in thousands just makes it worse."


    "Well well we can''t save everyone, can we? We should follow the n that was prepared, or else we will have many more casualties," he said while he gazed toward the gate that had been destroyed.


    "You are right, but saving just the royalty doesn''t seem like the right n for me. Millions of innocent people are going to die¡ªwomen and children involved," she said.


    "You know, if I could then I would have saved each and every soul in this world. But I''m afraid even if I did save them this time, I won''t be there to save even a handful from the next wave."


    Saving everyone was simply not possible. Ryfin was right about that. It was the harsh reality they had to face. And not saving the people around them even when they had the power to do so, was a hard burden to carry.


    But they had to do it, they were professionals after all.


    Auciel sighed as she looked down at the ground. She knew this day woulde, she had prepared for it. But right now when the moment of truth was upon her, it was proving to be hard on her.


    "Come on, let''s go," Ryfin said, patting her on the back.


    There wasn''t much she could do about it now other than go along with the n. After all, it was always better to save a few than save none.


    "Are you gonna teleport us there?" she asked. Exiting out of the main gate through all of those beasts waspletely out of the question.


    "That''s the n," he replied. And then offered his hand to Auciel.


    "Oh? Quite the gentleman, aren''t you?" she said, holding his arm and standing close to him.


    "Well of course. I have to be as respectful as possible to you right now," he mumbled.


    "Right now?"


    "Hmmm. I don''t know how to exin it. But you''ll know once we get there," he said. "Now, hold on tight."


    Auciel snuck close to him, and he put his left arm around her.


    "Let''s go then," he said, and a magic circle appeared below their feet.


    It was big enough to cover both of them and had ruins simr to the circle that had teleported the students out. Ryfin raised his right hand, and the circle started spinning in anticlockwise and clockwise motion just like before. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Then a bright, blinding light emerged from the magic circle and swallowed both the teachers within itself. Auciel closed her eyes for a second, thinking that the light might be painful.


    But it wasn''t. In fact, it was just like how normal light is supposed to be. Though it was not just normal light after all.


    Auciel felt her consciousness fading away. She tried to get a hold of it by focusing and trying not to ck out but it didn''t work. It was just for a split second, but during that time period, she lost all control over her body. As if she was dead.


    However, right after that when she opened her eyes the view before her hadpletely changed. They were no longer in the basement but in a dimly lit room with stone walls.


    Rather than magic lights, there were fire torches ced on the walls to illuminate the area, and they were painting the room in a tinge of gold.


    Below their feet on the ground was carved the same magic circle that had stopped glowing just now. This was a different ce. They had teleported here.


    It was Auciel''s first time experiencing it. Ryfin removed his arm and let Auciel stand on her own. She took a step forward and was about to say something when her vision turned hazy and she felt her head spinning around.


    At the same time, she sensed some activity in her stomach that slowly rose up to her throat, and then just as it was about toe into her mouth, Auciel stumbled and rushed toward a corner of the room and let those fluids spill out of her mouth.


    The "stuff" wasn''t much, thus she was done soon. Coughing, she turned toward Ryfin while wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.


    "Is THIS what you were referring to?" she asked in an exasperated tone.


    Ryfin didn''t reply to that, rather a wide grin appeared on his face. He looked at Auciel like a totally innocent person who was being falsely used.


    "...Truly," she sighed, and then walked back to where he was standing.


    After all, they weren''t the only ones in this room. Due to all themotion, it had been ignored but right there at the entrance of the room stood a group of knights d in shining metal armor armed with spears and swords.


    "You arete," a guy among the knights said as he stepped forward.


    He wasn''t wearing his helmet, revealing his slightly long blond hair. There were wrinkles on his face and he seemed to be in his mid-forties. He was Zoendoln Jumiaci, the man who was first inmand of the royal army after the king. (Character image in paragraphments.)


    "Those monsters are already everywhere," he said, his voice heavy.


    "Well, well, I apologize for the dy. But my students are my first priority," Ryfin replied casually.


    "Are you trying to say that those students are more important than the royal family?" Zoendoln interrogated.


    "Certainly not~ What I''m trying to say is that if we are alreadyte then we shouldn''t waste the time any further," Ryfin replied.


    "I agree, there''s no saying when those demons might take down the castle," Auciel added.


    True, right now they were inside the royal castle at the center of Sofrora city. It was the castle where the royal family resided, and their job was to take them out of there to the safe zone.


    But as if Auciel''s words hade true, right after she said that the ground shook rapidly and the castle''s walls trembled.

 Chapter 318 Last Job Before Collapse [2]

    ?


    The demon beasts were attacking the castle and although the knights outside were fending them off, it was nothing but a one-sided massacre.


    These were the creatures that gave the academy''s teachers¡ªsome of the strongest people in the world¡ªa run for their money. Hence these knights standing a chance against them was simply not possible.


    "Ah well, the guests are here I guess," Ryfin said as he cracked his fingers and stretched. "Would you be so kind as to take us to the location?"


    Zoendoln eyed him and Auciel for a while, before letting out a sigh and deciding that arguing here was just a waste of time.


    "Follow me," he said and turned around. He walked outside of the room and Ryfin along with Auciel followed him.


    Four knights went with them while the rest of them held their positions. They were going through a closed hallway that was lit by the same kind of torches throughout.


    As they moved toward their destination, the castle shook multiple times as if it was getting hit by an earthquake. The shocks caused dust and debris to asionally fall from the ceiling.


    One more shock struck, and this one was far stronger than the rest. Its intensity was such that it caused one of the knights with them to stumble, and almost knock himself down on the ground.


    "Hmmm, could this situation be actually worse than I thought?" Ryfin mumbled.


    "You realize this now..?" Auciel asked. There was a sense of disgust in her voice, and it was understandable to some extent as well.


    After all, Ryfin was the only one underestimating these beasts and the cmity that had fallen upon the human race.


    "Wait till you see it from your eyes, you''ll then truly understand the seriousness of the situation we are in," Zoendoln added.


    "Oh? I hope not to be disappointed then," Ryfin said.


    They continued to walk down the path for a while and then climbed up the staircase for a few minutes. Atst, they reached their destination.


    They were standing in the throne room. It was huge, the roof was around thirty feet high and there was a chandelier hanging down at the center. The ground was decorated with a clean red carpet and polished cobblestones.


    Judging from the fact that they had to climb up in order to reach the throne room meant that the room they had teleported into was underground.


    Knowing that just made it more terrifying because it meant that the attacks of the demons were powerful enough to send shockwaves under the ground.


    Understanding this, Auciel gulped in nervousness as she walked toward the throne along with Ryfin and Zoendoln. Although she had prepared for this situation and knew the extent of the demons'' powers, she couldn''t help but get a little nervous while experiencing it in person.


    As the three of them followed by a group of guards walked toward the throne, the person sitting on it came into sight.


    Long white beard and a big body, eyes that were filled with experience, and a face that showed all the years this man had lived and depicted how truly old he was. But that was the thing. He was old, yet there was a sense of authority and power around him. (Character Image in the paragraphments)<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Most likely it was because the person sitting on the throne was none other than Ateron Lockhart; the king of the Zenith Kingdom. He was the direct descendent of one of the kings who fought using the magic items a thousand years ago.


    Seeing him the three of them stopped in their tracks at a distance of little over ten meters from his throne. They bowed down, showing their submission. Although it was only the two of them who did that, Ryfin was still standing straight.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Auciel whispered annoyingly as she pinched Ryfin''s clothes to grab his attention.


    "Who? Me? I''m doing nothing," he replied.


    "Then do something! Bow to the king!" she said.


    "Why? I don''t want to. Besides, we don''t have time for all this. The castle''s getting attacked, remember?"


    "You!"


    "It''s fine. Let him be," said the king, his voice was deep and heavy which perfectly suited his age and body. He raised his right hand a little, and with that Auciel and Zoendoln stood straight again.


    "See? Even the ''oh great king'' has no problems with it," Ryfin said, looking at Auciel and smiling slightly as if he''d pulled some great prank.


    "These habits will seriously get you executed someday," Auciel replied in an exasperated tone.


    "Nah, not possible. You know it," hearing that, Auciel sighed. Arguing with this man was going to take her nowhere, it was better to let him be than waste your time and energy.


    "Quiet down you two! Don''t forget you are currently in front of his majesty," Zoendoln said a little loudly, bringing back the attention of the two teachers to the current situation.


    Zoendoln was right. If going by the rules and ethics of the kingdom, Ryfin wasn''t the only one showing disrespect to the king. They both were. Since conversing amongst each other while being in the presence of the king was also considered just as much disrespectful as not bowing down to him was.


    "It''s alright Zoendoln. The current situation is not one where we have the luxury to pay much importance to ethics and behavior," said the king.


    "I have better things to be worried about," he said, looking at the girl sitting on a throne beside his¡ªwhich was a little smaller than the king''s throne.


    The girl''s name was Rishia Lockhart; the one and only princess of the Zenith Kingdom. (Character image in paragraphments)


    The throne she was sitting on initially belonged to the queen, but since her mother was long dead and her father couldn''t make his daughter stand for so long, she was using it for the time being.


    The entire castle was going to be destroyed sooner orter, so it didn''t matter anyway.


    "Young man," Ateron said, casting his gaze toward Ryfin. "I heard that you can take me and my daughter out of here."

 Chapter 319 Last Job Before Collapse [3]

    ?


    "Young man," Ateron said, casting his gaze toward Ryfin. "I heard that you can take me and my daughter out of here."


    "You heard that right, old man," Ryfing replied, totally casual.


    Auciel shot him a look but gave up after realizing that it was pointless.


    "Oh ho? You sure sound interesting," Ateron mumbled. "I see. If you are capable of doing so, then I believe we shouldn''t waste any more time on idle chatter and get us out of here."


    "Well, that''s what I came here to do anyway," he said, this time though his voice didn''t contain that energy it usually had; this time it was low.


    This was understandable because just like Auciel he also wasn''t satisfied with the n of just saving the royalty.


    Normally, he would have ditched the n right away and gone off to fight against all the demons by himself. But this time things were different. This time all of humanity was on the line.


    If the leaders weren''t transported safely to where the rest of the people were, the chances of someone bing the new leader and then a civil war breaking out were quite high.


    Without a proper leader, all the people won''t be able to stay united for much longer and that will make them even more vulnerable against the demons.


    And this was just the tip of the iceberg, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes.


    It was also safe to assume that the rich were using their money to get inside the safe zone, and it was also safe to assume that more than a few of them with the right connections along with money would be sessful in doing so.


    As a result, they will end up taking the seat that was originally meant for people with less money in their hands¡ªmostly themon folks.


    Ryfin didn''t like anything about this n. He wanted to save everyone, which was in fact a childish thought.


    He was aware of it as well. That''s why he controlled himself and satisfied himself with just being able to protect and keep his students safe.


    That was the only reason he was carrying out a n which he didn''t like anything about.


    "Let''s go then, take us where the magic circle that''s connected to the safe zone is located," Ryfin said.


    "There is no need to go anywhere, look carefully," Zoendoln stated, pointing toward the king''s throne.


    Both the thrones were ced on a tform that was elevated and a little higher than the remaining ground. When looking carefully, Ryfin observed that the said tform had fine carvings on it that were simr to all the magic circles they''d gone through till now.


    ''Isn''t it a bit careless to build such a magic circle right below the king? The teleportation magic is still not perfected you know, what would they do if the circle exploded and turned the old man and her daughter into shreds of meat?


    ''But then again, this doesn''t look like the main throne room so the old man most likely puts his ass somewhere else during usual days,'' Ryfin thought, as he cracked his fingers and moved forward a little.


    "Okay, okay, pay attention, everyone," Ryfin said while pping twice. "Everyone who wants to get out of here should stick close to the old man. I won''t wait long so move your legs quickly."


    "There''s no need to wait. His Majesty and Miss Princess are the only ones whom you need to transport," Zoendoln said.


    "Hm? What about you then? Aren''t you getting out too? The scary-scary demons are gonna destroy this castle very soon you know," Ryfin said. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Zoendoln didn''t reply, nor averted his eyes. He had said all he needed to.


    "I see. That''s how it is," Ryfin mumbled, yet again in that same low tone.


    "Well then," he said, turning toward the king and the princess. "I hope both of you haven''t eaten much."


    Thosest words caught Rishia''s attention which was clear from her expression. Noticing it Ryfin just showed a silly smile and went ahead to raise his hands up in the air to activate the spell.


    With the gesture of his right hand, the runes illuminated. The magic circle lit up in blue and spun just like before. Out of nervousness, Rishia grabbed her father''s hand and clenched it tightly.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll be alright," Ateron whispered to her. Looking at him she nodded.


    The speed of the magic circles spinning clockwise and anti-clockwise increased, and the entire throne room began to get illuminated by the light it emitted.


    "Go," Ryfin said to Auciel.


    "What about you?" she asked.


    "I''ll alsoe soon. But you need to be there with them since they are not familiar with the safe zone. The staff will be waiting for them but still."


    "But¡­"


    "And well, that''s not the only reason. I mean, what if I ended up sending the old man to the middle of a volcano or ocean? Someone needs to be there who can protect them if that happens," he said.


    Of course, he was joking. Even with his magic, he was only able to teleport people from one magic circle to another. Teleporting somewhere to a ce with no magic circle was simply impossible.


    Auciel knew this as well, although the joke did make her smile a little.


    "Fine," she said and stepped inside the magic circle.


    "Off you go," Ryfin mumbled.


    The light covered the entire room for a second, and when it disappeared the king, the princess, and Auciel were gone too. All that was left were glitters of sparking light particles that floated in the air.


    "Done with one more task," Ryfin said to himself as he turned around. There his eyes met with Zoendoln.


    "Why are you still here?" Zoendoln asked.


    "Hmmm, that''s a good question actually. So good that I can ask you the same," Ryfin replied, taking a step forward. "If you want, I can still teleport you to the king, you know. "Because if you stay here, one thing is certain; you will die."


    "I don''t fear death," Zoendoln stated. "I have lived my life serving the king, and today I havepleted my services to him. Even if it is death that awaits me now, I shall see to it."

 Chapter 320 Last Job Before Collapse [4]

    ?


    "Are you actually an idiot? If licking the old man''s ass is what you want, then you can do it for way longer if you stay alive."


    "That is indeed true, but it is not the only reason," Zoendoln said, looking toward the knights that were guarding the room. "I can''t just leave myrades behind to die and escape like a sacred cat. I am a knight of the Zenith kingdom, and I will die like one."


    "Ah well, I guess there''s no helping it then," Ryfin sighed, an exasperated expression on his face.


    Zoendoln didn''t reply.


    "Fine, just make sure to not die too quickly," Ryfin added.


    "Where are you headed to?"


    "Me? I still have onest thing left to do, after that, I''ll be in the safe zone as well."


    "I see. I wish you luck then."


    "Well, well, aren''t you being too generous? That stingy personality suits you better."


    Once again, Zoendoln didn''t say anything.


    "Anyway, goodbye¡­Zoendoln."


    With that, Ryfin used his teleportation magic upon himself and disappeared from the ce.


    Zoendoln kept staring into nothingness for a while, although he did not have the privilege to do so for much longer since soon after Ryfin left, the castle started shaking abruptly.


    Debris and dust begin falling off from the ceiling, along with all the decorations that were hung up there¡ªthat included some big chandeliers as well.


    The knights in the throne room who hade to escort Ryfin and Auciel to the throne room started to take their positions. They unsheathed their swords and raised them against the enemies that were soon toe.


    Some clicked their tongue while some gritted their teeth and looked around with narrowed eyes.


    The castle was continuously shaking, and the shrieking and roaring of the demon beasts were echoing through the empty halls and chambers.


    However, since no one knew exactly when the demons would break through the walls and make it inside, it created an eerie atmosphere of anticipation and fear.


    "My Men," Zoendoln said, his voice loud and clearly audible despite all the ruckus. "Are you scared?" he asked.


    The knights exchanged nces and were unable to decide on an answer, in the end, no one said anything. However, Zoendoln continued.


    "If you are scared, then you are free to get your ass out of here and make a run for it. However, one thing I guarantee you, and that is¡ª¡ªyou are going to die still. It does not matter whether you stay here to face those monsters or try to escape out of here. You are going to die, that much is certain.


    "Those fucking monsters out there," he said, looking toward the walls. "They are simply too much for us to handle, I can''t even see myself winning against them. They are monstrous beasts that are not of this world. They wille, and they will kill you."


    He paused and observed the look on the faces of his men. They were terrified.


    It was not as if they were not aware of this fact up until now¡ªdeep down, each and every knight present there knew that today would be theirst day¡ªit''s just that they were trying not to think about it.


    But Zoendoln spelling it out for them made the ignoring impossible. Once confirming the condition of the knights, he spoke again.


    "You are going to die here, that is your destiny¡ªyou cannot change it. However, the thing that IS in your control is the way you die. You can either die like a warrior while fighting against them till yourst breath, or you can die while trying to run away from them.


    "The choice is yours. Death is our destiny now, and while we can''t change that, we for damn sure can choose the way we die," after a slight pause, he continued.


    "If you want to run away you can run, if you want to stay and fight then you can stay and fight. It is entirely up to you and I''m not going to force you for either. And for myself personally," he looked back at the now-empty throne.


    "I''m going to give those bastards hell before entering one," he finished. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The knights yet again looked at each other, but each of them had already decided what they were going to do.


    Now, of course, not everyone was as courageous as Zoendoln. More than a few knights sheathed their swords and took the back way out, while the others decided to stay and fight with him.


    Just after that, a few more groups of knights who were patrolling to look for the demons came and united with the rest when they saw Zoendoln.


    After that, no one said anything. They had gonepletely quiet. Only the rumbling of the castle and the screams of the demons could be heard.


    Zoendoln was under quite a pressure, more than he had ever experienced in his entire life. And it was understandable. After all, he was standing there knowing that in the next few moments, he was going to die. However, that did not decrease his strength or resolve.


    In fact, it had quite the opposite effect. ''Since I''m going to die anyway, I might as well give this everything I have in thisst fight'' was the thought that he had.


    He started to build up his mana and was ready to activate his magiken at any time now.


    As he furrowed his brows, a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. Sliding down from there the bead of sweat fell from his cheek and sshed on the floor.


    Right after, an extremely loud explosion-like sound met their ears as the wall in front of their eyes sted into pieces, and in came an enormous horde of demon beasts.


    And they were not the only ones that came, one after another walls from all directions started breaking and crumbling, letting loads and loads of demon beasts inside the castle.


    The knights went into action instantly. Raising their swords they charged toward the beasts while screaming their throats out.


    Zoendoln also assumed a battle stance while unleashing all the mana he''d built up till now at the same time as his magiken.


    His de shone, his muscles expanded, his veins popped up, and the blood and mana cirction in his body peeked.


    "DIE YOU FUCKERS!!!" he said while screaming.


    He bent forward a bit just as he spotted a demon beasting toward him. His body felt light, his vision was clearer and his senses had been enhanced. Right now he was at his full potential, he felt like he could win the world.


    A slight yellowish aura surrounded his body, and just as the demon beast ran toward him. He sted himself off the ground, propelling forward toward the beast and raising his sword.


    "Die!" he screamed.


    Reaching close he brought the sword down with all his physical and magical strength, delivering a sh right at the center of the beast''s chest.


    ording to him, the attack was powerful enough that his sword should have sliced through the beast like butter. He knew he would die, but he wanted to at least kill a few of these monsters before that.


    However¡­


    "Seriously¡­? Are you kidding me¡­?" he whispered to himself.


    The sword had not even pierced the beast''s skin, there was no blood spilled either. All his attack did was give the beast a single small scratch.


    At the same time, the screams of his men filled his ears. He didn''t even have to look at them to know how brutally they were getting murdered. And he could not look, he didn''t have the courage to do so. All he did was look down at the ground.


    ''I guess we never really stood a chance,'' he thought to himself as he let out a heavy sigh.


    The demon beast before him raised its hand up and smacked Zoendoln in the head.


    The next second he saw the world spin at a high speed, then with a loud THUD sound his vision blurred, and soon cked outpletely.


    His body fell on his knees, while his head went flying and crashed on a pir before rolling away on the ground.

 Chapter 321 Indifference

    ?


    Back at the Zaforths magic academy, things were getting out of hand. All of the students had long been evacuated out of there, of course, and most of the teachers as well.


    But there were still a few staff members who were left behind to try and make the futile attempt to protect the academy infrastructure.


    And it truly was futile, since all of them were gruesomely murdered by the demon beasts within a few minutes. As of now, the academy grounds were open to the beasts, and they were ravaging all over the ce.


    Destroying the buildings and ces where they could find the smell of humans or any other living being. The academy grounds were dead, with no humans left there except the beasts.


    However, that soon changed. The air inside the basement chambers began to distort as the magic circle craved on the floor lit up, emitting a bright sh.


    When the light disappeared, it revealed the figure of a man named Ryfin¡ªhe had an exhausted expression on his face as if he was being forced to do something he really didn''t want to.


    "My my, just look at this ce," he mumbled, casting his gaze around the basement that was now demolished.


    Although he could hear their soundsing from above, there were no beasts in the basement.


    "Ah well, let''s get done with this too," he sighed. And with the same exhausted and bored expression on his face, he began to walk out of the basement.


    Fortunately for him, there were no beasts on the staircase either, thus he was able toe up to the grounds without any interruption.


    However, that happiness didn''tst long since he caught the attention of all the beasts that were roaming on the academy grounds.


    All of them looked at him, growling and baring their fangs toward him. Some stomped the ground while some roared so hard as to make the ground rumble.


    "Woah, scary~" Ryfin whispered as he looked at all this. "Well, I want to finish this soon so I won''t be fighting with you all. Sorry, but I hope you don''t mind."


    Saying that he activated a spell. Two intricate symbols materialized beneath his feet momentarily before dissipating. Within a few seconds, a gentle undtion rippled through the surrounding grass as he gracefully ascended, seemingly levitating above the ground.


    In no time he was up in the air, even higher than the tallest building in the academy


    "Well then," he said as he red down at the academy, his hair billowing due to the air currents in the sky.


    "From depths concealed, in Ebony''s embrace, Purify the impure, darkness'' grace: Shadow barrier."


    Right after hepleted the incantation, a ckish-purple wall emerged from the ground and took the shape of a dome-shaped barrier around the academy campus.


    "Good, now I can do this without worrying about identally killing any civilians who might be alive," Ryfin said, he was inside the barrier.


    He lifted his hand, unleashing electric sparks fueled by his mana. A magic circle formed, converting his mana into a growing sphere of pure energy. It swelled to the size of a triple-story building, then swiftly contracted, shrinking to the size of a tennis ball.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Inferno¡­uhhhh, whatever explosive attack!" Ryfin said and threw that shining red ball of energy toward the academy.


    Upon impact, the energy ball expanded in a split second, covering all of the academy grounds and causing an enormous explosion.


    All of the buildings, infrastructure, and even the ground, vanished without a trace¡ªall of it evaporated due to the sheer strength of the spell.


    The explosion was so colossal that if the barrier had not been there, the surrounding city would have also been demolished. But the barrier contained the explosion within itself, and that ended up increasing the damage inside the barrier.


    Now of course, when the smoke screen settled down there was no trace of the demon beasts as well. The entire ground within the barrier had been leveled clean, there was nothing left there.


    Except the man levitating up in the air.


    "Well, well, it was better than I expected. Although it would''ve been even great if I got to name it first," he said to himself while looking at the destruction he caused.


    "Anyway, can''t do anything about it now. I''m not that good with naming after all¡ªI''ll probably ask Auciel to choose a name for it."


    It was not unnatural for him to not have named this spell yet. After all, this was a new one he had created only recently. The spell he just unleashed was an imitation of an attack from the demon he had fought.


    He thought the attack looked cool, and decided to own it.


    As for the reason he just went and wiped out the Zaforths academy from the face of the, it was because those were the exact orders he got from the academy director.


    And it was totally understandable. Along with training students, the Zaforths Academy was also a hub for R&D on magic.


    There were a lot of important artifacts and magic items that were stored here, and while the most precious ones were transported to the safe zone, taking all of them was simply impossible.


    However, they couldn''t let these fall into the hands of demons¡ªsince there was no knowing what they might do¡ªthus the easy option was to blow everything up.


    That is why when everything and everyone was transported out of the academy, Ryfin was told to destroy everything on the campus so no one could use any information or magic item against humanity.


    "Phew, finally done with everything after all," Ryfin exhaled as he looked at his surroundings.


    He released the barrier around the academy and was about to teleport himself out of there when his eyes wandered off in a direction he didn''t want to look at¡ªtoward the city.


    Right before his eyes, many people were being killed by the demon beasts. The beasts were indifferent, whether it be a man, a woman, a child, or an infant.


    They knew just to kill, and killing was what they were doing.

 Chapter 322 Humanitys Last Line Of Defense

    ?


    An uneasy feeling rose in Ryfin''s stomach as he watched the gruesome sight unfold before him. Since he was up in the air, his field of vision was expanded¡ªto put it simply, he was witnessing even more deaths.


    [Ryfin, don''t look. Your job there is done,e back as soon as possible.]


    A voice resonated in his head. It was Auciel''s voice which she was transmitting to him through a spell, and at the same time, another spell was being used which made Auciel able to see everything around Ryfin.


    [Don''t look, it won''t do any good¡­]


    There was pain visible in her voice. After all, she was also watching all this unfold along with Ryfin.


    "I know¡­" Ryfin replied.


    She was right. Even if he saved these people from the beasts, they would be attacked by another horde right after since the portals were still open.


    The only way to stop this cmity was if they knew how to close the portals that connected the two worlds, and that they didn''t. Ultimately there was no saving these people, all Ryfin could do was dy their death.


    And looking at it from a logical point of view, doing that would just mean a waste of time and energy. Ryfin knew this all, he knew it but still, seeing this sight made him question his decision.


    [Ryfin, we need you here.]


    He sighed and closed his eyes. "How many times should I say that I know it damn it! I know okay?! I know everything that is going on in your mind and everything that you want to say!


    "I know it all, that''s why I won''t save these people ande to the ce where I can sit safe while knowing that there are people out there dying every minute! I know it!"


    His words were harsh but true.


    "How are we any different from these beasts¡­" Ryfin mumbled to himself. His voice was very low, Auciel probably didn''t hear that. Maybe she did, but either way, he didn''t care.


    He looked at the people for onest time before forcing close his eyes and teleporting himself out of there.


    ***


    It was a big and spacious hall. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all ted with metal. There were huge magic lights attached to the walls and the ceiling, illuminating the entire hall without any problem.


    And just like the basement in the academy, there was an enormous magic circle engraved on the metallic floor.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    This hall had been mostly empty only a few moments ago, but now it was filled with students wearing the uniform of the Zaforths Magic Academy.


    All of them had been teleported here via a transportation magic circle and Ryfin''s magic. This was the safe zone everyone was talking about, or rather, this hall was built inside the safe zone.


    That meant the students were out of danger, since ording to the teachers right now they were far away from the reach of the demon beasts.


    Despite this knowledge, it was of little help as the students remained in a state of confusion and fear. They were nervous and didn''t have a single clue about what was going on.


    The academy had expected this, it was a no-brainer after all. Therefore minutes after the students were teleported into the hall, the staff members and teachers also came out in the hall and started to calm down the students.


    However, it appeared that the teachers were unable to provide much assistance as the outbreak of panic was overwhelming. Then a loud voice resounded throughout the hall.


    "Be Calm students! I know that right now you are scared, confused, and frustrated. Not knowing what''s going on when you just saw people dying around you is hard. But at this moment, I want you all to try and look at the situation you are in, and think what would be the best thing for you to do."


    The voice was of Mr. Halls. As the students tried to look for the source of the voice, they saw a metallic tform descending from one of the walls.


    It seemed like it was moving not with magic but with the help of mechanicalponents¡ªmore advanced than anything the students had seen before.


    The tform stopped at a certain height, and Mr. Halls took a step forward toward the microphone in front of him.


    "May I have your attention please?" he said, and his voice was louder than usual. It reached all the students and for the moment they stopped whatever they were doing and looked in his direction.


    "Thank you. Now, I''m sure all of you are abruptly confused and scared due to all the things that keep happening one after another, and we are aware of that. That is why I''m going to exin to you all about the condition that our world is going through right now, and very likely be in the same state for the next couple of years, or maybe decades or centuries¡­"


    After that, he continued and began to exin everything from the portals that connected the two worlds to how the demons had invaded and the safe zone they were in.


    "That is all," he said once he was done exining. "We know that the current situation is no less than hell itself, and it may take a while for you to digest that fact. But it is what is. This world is our reality now. We will have to fight against these monsters to survive, and eventually, we will have to fight to take back our world.


    "Since as of now, we are forced to hide in this city of Havenreach¡ªhumanity''sst line of defense also known as the safe zone. But rest assured, this city is protected by a multyered magic barrier that is made especially for the purpose of keeping the demons out, and along with that this city has many more defenses and weapons in case of an invasion.


    "You all can rest assured, for now," with that Mr. Halls finished. The tform went up again, a gate opened in the wall and he went inside.

 Chapter 323 Reunion [1]

    ?


    Knowing the situation they were in caused more chaos than it solved. Only a minor amount of students were able to act rationally, the majority was still mumbling about how they are all going to die.


    Leon and the group were kind of in the middle.


    "Aggh gosh, is this seriously happening," Ellyn said in an exasperated tone.


    "Well, it seems like it. I guess we are in for big trouble," Leon replied.


    "Right Anya?" he looked in Anya''s direction but she did not notice. She was spacing out, staring into nothingness. After all, Zero was still not there.


    Now that she knew about the demons added with the fact that he was still out there between those monsters¡­it was making her think back on when she was about to go and find him.


    She began to doubt her decision. Maybe it would have been better if she didn''t follow what was written in the letter and went to find him anyway.


    She was doubting her actions, probably regretting them too. But more than anything, she was worried about her brother''s safety.


    "Anya?" Leon called again, patting her on the shoulder.


    "Hm? Oh! Yeah, you are right," she responded hurriedly.


    "Are you okay?" Ellyn asked since her behavior felt a little weird.


    "Yeah, I''m fine¡­"


    Ellyn was going to ask again but at that moment they heard a loud noise, looking back they saw that the metallic wall behind them was slowly opening like a sliding door.


    Once the doors werepletely opened the staff members started guiding the students through.


    Leon, Elly, and Anya moved as well. As they went through the gate and out they were in a tunnel-like structure that was madepletely with metal and had magic light attached to the ceiling.


    After walking for a few minutes they reached a dead end. However, that changed when the wall in front of them opened just like before and revealed the rest of the way.


    From there they entered another hall-like area. It was mostly the same as the one they had been teleported into, but bigger.


    And just like in the previous hall, there were people here as well who seemed to have arrived here via teleportation the same as the students did. This could be determined from the fact that there was a magic circle engraved on the floor of this hall too.


    This was done and there were two halls because the magic circle to teleport the students was slightly different from the ones used to transport the civilians¡ªthey were more optimized and developed.


    There were many kinds of people, but a good majority of them looked rich and were higher-ss noble¡ªwhich was pretty obvious from their attire.


    Since there was no ce to sit the people present were either standing or sitting on the ground near the walls.


    It was a little weird since they could have sat on their luggage, but there was a silly little problem with it¡ªthat they didn''t have any luggage, to begin with.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Everyone had teleported here in a desperate situation¡ªwhether it be a high-ss noble or middle-ss¡ªand it was obvious that they didn''t have any time to grab their luggage. The same was true for the students as well.


    The students were passing through the hall and were headed straight toward another door. They passed through the middle of the hall in a line while the staff members cleared the way.


    There was no talking or any sort of interaction between the students and the people present in the hall. Leave the students aside, the people in the hall weren''t even talking amongst themselves¡ªnot even among their families.


    This was not unexpected. After all, the casualties amongst the normal civilians were way too muchpared to the students of the academy since there were no incredibly strong teachers to protect them.


    Many families had lost their sons, fathers, mothers, or siblings. Worst of all, they had been killed right in front of the eyes of their loved ones.


    Up until now, the world was a peaceful ce far away from war and death, which slowly made the people foreign to scenes like this. And now witnessing the cruel fate of death unfold before them had left quite an impact.


    Among the students, Anya was walking on the side of the line while she continued to think about Zero.


    As her eyes wandered and saw the civilians and the misery on their faces, the thought of losing Zero forever and the same misery clouding her face appeared in her mind.


    She didn''t want to think about it and was on the verge of tears. To take her mind off of this she looked in the other direction, however, what she saw there made those tears finally flow down her cheeks.


    No, it was not her brother that she saw there. But her parents. It was really easy to spot them among the other civilians due to their simple and normal-looking clothes.


    Both of them were sitting near the wall on the right side, holding each other''s hands while staring down at the ground. Just like everyone else present in the hall, they were also stunned.


    Seeing them here came as a shock to Anya as well, and that made her stop in her tracks.


    "Anya what happen¡ªHEY WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!" Leon said¡ªor screamed¡ªwhen he turned toward her.


    "Anya? What happened? Why are you crying?" Ellyn asked as she put her arms on Anya''s shoulders.


    However, they got no response from her. Suddenly she started moving toward Ron and Ainge.


    "Where are you¡ª?" Leon tried to ask and stop her but failed.


    She separated from the line of students and was soon sprinting toward her parents. Tears were continuouslying down her face as she ran and there was a desperate look on her face.


    The hall was big thus it took her a few minutes to reach the ce where her parents were. But she did reach there. She stopped at a distance of a few steps, took a moment to catch her breath, and then looked at them.


    "Mom¡­Dad¡­" she said. They were still staring down at the ground when she reached there, but once she called them they looked up.


    As soon as they saw their daughter''s face¡­

 Chapter 324 Reunion [2]

    ?


    As soon as they saw their daughter''s face, an astonished expression appeared on their faces. Then it turned into a smile of hope and relief, then before they knew it tears swelled up in their eyes.


    "Anya¡­" Ainge said, looking at her.


    "M-Mom¡­Dad¡­" she was crying continuously. She moved a step forward and tried to wipe her tears, but stumbled and fell on her eyes.


    That was thest push it took before she had a breakdown. Big tears flowing out of her eyes and her nose running, she sobbed loudly in front of her parents.


    "I''m d you are alright¡­" she said while sobbing.


    Ainge moved forward, and gently held her daughter in a warm embrace.


    "Yes, it''s all right now. We are safe, and so are you," she said while patting her on the head.


    Ron, on the other hand, was not crying. Surely tears had made their way into his eyes as well, but as a man and the one supporting this family, he wiped them off and steeled himself.


    After all, if he broke down here then who would take care of his family? He could not afford to show weakness and vulnerability in this crucial situation.


    He strengthened his mind, after all his son was still not here. He couldn''t rx until his whole family was together, all safe and sound. Even after that, he still had a lot on his te to worry about.


    Their house had been destroyed and they were now in an unknownnd. They didn''t know whether they would get the money they had stored in the bank or not¡ªsince the banks got destroyed as well along with everything else.


    That was right. There were all these things he had to take of, there was no way he could afford to get weak here¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The voice slipped out of his mouth almost on its own, his eyes wide open. Surely he had let his guard down, but still, he had not at all expected this.


    He looked down and saw Anya hugging him just like she was hugging her Mom a moment ago.


    "Anya?" he mumbled. "What happened?"


    "Nothing," she said. "I''m d you are alright."


    "Haha,e on now. Did you really think something like a million super-powerful monsters raining down from the sky could kill me?" Ron said in a confident voice¡ªmore like a fake confident voice.


    "Well, when you say it out loud like that it surely doesn''t sound very convincing," she replied. He was not able to see since she was hugging him, but there was a small smile on her face.


    "Ah you are right, I shouldn''t have said it like that," he said.


    "Yup, you got yourself into a corner."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m also d that you are alright¡­" he whispered.


    "Mhm, I know."


    "I was scared that I might not see you again¡­"


    "I know, but now I''m right here. You don''t have to be scared anymore."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "It''s kind of pathetic, isn''t it? I shouldn''t be the one crying right now¡­"


    "No, I think it''s quite normal."


    "You think so..?"


    "Mhm."


    After that, the three of them calmed themselves down. Although they were relieved and happy to see each other safe and sound, there was still a pretty big thing to worry about.


    "Isn''t Zero with you?" Anya asked.


    "No, he came to our home and used some magic to transport us here. But I think that spell was not able to transport many people at once, that''s why he decided to stay behind," Ron exined.


    "So he''s still out there between those monsters¡­" Anya said, a sense of fear in her voice.


    "Don''t worry," Ron said, putting her on the shoulder. "He wille back. I know he will."


    "Yeah, he''s our son. He will surelye back," Ainge added. "And after all, he promised your dad that he woulde back to us."


    "He isn''t the type to break promises, and it was a promise between a father and a son. I don''t think he has the nerve to break it, and if he did then I''ll give him a good scolding," Ron said.


    "So for now, believe in him."


    Anya still looked troubled, and it was to be expected. Since she knew the seriousness of the situation more than her parents due to the academy exining everything about the demons.


    Nevertheless, it was not like she could do anything when she was so far away in this safe zone. Other than that, she knew Zero well, she knew that he does what he says. Even in the letter he said that he woulde back, that''s why¡­


    "Okay, let''s believe in him for this," she said.


    ***


    "AGGGGHHHHHHH!! YOU FUCKERS GIVE ME A REST FOR A SECOND!!"


    I screamed at the top of my lungs as I continued to swing the ice swords I''d made with my magic.


    There was a whole group of demon beasts surrounding me and I had to fend off against them all at once. There were six or seven probably? I didn''t even have the time to count properly.


    I was just defending and countering any attack that came my way. I was continuously using [Foresight] for quite a while now and my eyes were paining badly¡ªit was like someone was stabbing them nonstop.


    One demon beast came from the right, it was a little too close to me. Thus I took this moment and quickly dashed toward it. Slipping in through the opening I spotted with the help of [Foresight] I drilled the ice sword in my right hand into its chest, destroying the core.


    However, doing that left me wide open from the rear. The demons weren''t going to let an opportunity like that go to waste.


    Two of them jumped at once behind me. I didn''t have the time to turn around and counter with a sword, thus I decided to use my elemental magic.


    "Maelstrom: White!" I said.


    Countless ice spikes burst from the ground behind me, some of them impaling the demon beasts while some trapping them for a while by acting as walls and pirs.

 Chapter 325 Overload [1]

    ?


    I used this time to turn toward them and raise my right hand.


    "Maelstrom: Red!"


    My hands erupted with a tempest of red mes, eagerly reaching for the demon beasts trapped in ice. The fire was massive, easily asrge as a double-story building. Its fierce heat devoured the frozen confines as it moved hungrily toward its prey.


    The hungry mes engulfed the beasts, setting them aze and melting the ice around them. However, the fire wasn''t enough topletely reduce them to ashes.


    Hence I decided to take a step further.


    "Maelstrom: Blue!"


    The mes transformed, now aze with a scorching blue hue, and their temperature soared to unprecedented levels. Faint screams echoed from the demons as the inferno consumed their flesh and blood, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.


    The mes disappeared and the cores of both the demon beasts dropped on the ground. I knew this would happen; it was idiotic to expect mere mes to burn the cores.


    Right now I would very much like to go there and smash those cores so that the beasts can''t regenerate themselves, but sadly I didn''t have the luxury to do that.


    In fact, I didn''t even have the choice to rx for a second. Despite killing three demon beasts right now, I was still surrounded by a great number of them.


    I could ask Req for help, but that wasn''t a very good option. After all, while I was here fighting at most ten to fifteen demon beasts at once, she was there taking care of them in numbers that crossed thousands.


    Therefore I had to get out of this mess on my own. I mean, this was the worst part of fighting these beasts. They had a habit of surrounding you and then attacking you all at once.


    Although I was getting used to fighting the demon beasts with time, this was still hard. I had to use my [Foresight], elemental magic, swords, and normal magic spells, all at once if I wanted to stand a chance against them.


    Naturally, this was pushing my body far beyond its limits. Right now there was not a single part of my body that was not dying with pain and stress.


    But I had to do what I had to do.


    Thus without wasting a second, I created another sword of ice in my right hand. Then I modified both the swords and made them more lethal while fixing all the damage they had taken.


    I decided to add something new as well. Using elemental magic again I set the edges of the sword to fire.


    Now due to this, I started using up my mana even faster since I had to continuously use elemental magic to keep the swords from melting.


    ''This can be a pain in the ass. I''m causing more stress on myself.''


    Hence I decided that I would stop using this technique if it didn''t increase the damage rate. And with that decided, I once again began to fend off the demon beasts.


    Defend, counter, attack. That''s all I had to do. But it was much easier said than done.


    "Agggghhh!!! Why don''t you all just drop dead!"


    Ever since [Foresight] leveled up I was able to see 0.2 seconds into the future. However, in return, it made it even harder to use for longer amounts of time.


    If before I was able to use it for 15 minutes without any pain, then now I could only use it for six to seven minutes without any pain.


    And it had been well past an hour or two since I was using it, the amount of pain in my eyes and head was indescribable.


    "Wrath of the sky!" I said, immobilizing the demon beasts on my right as a pir of lighting fell on them from the skies.


    "Discharge!" I said, casting another spell.


    As I stood on the ground, a magic circle materialized beneath my feet, and a surge of electricity spread in all directions. While it didn''t cause significant damage, it gave the beasts a slight shock, buying me the precious fraction of a second I needed. That was all I required.


    "Maelstrom: White!"


    Spikes of ice shot up from the ground, stabbing the beasts as before. But this time, I fueled the attack with more mana, sessfully trapping all the demon beasts on my left.


    "Maelstrom: Blue!"


    A torrent of blue mes erupted from my hand, surging toward the demon beasts and engulfing them entirely. The mes voraciously devoured their flesh and blood until nothing remained but their cores, just as it had happened before. The beasts were once again wiped outpletely, leaving only their cores behind.


    "All right, this takes care of the left," I said to myself.


    "Now then," I looked forward to the beasts standing in front of me. There were six of them.


    I tightened my grip on the swords. The fire trick was consuming more mana than it was helping thus I turned it off. In return, I made the des as sharp as I could and modified their shape yet again.


    Now they were bigger¡ªcarrying a little resemnce to the des of chaos.


    I leaned forward, saw the locations of each demon beast, and then kicked off the ground. While I was dashing toward them I thought of what I was going to do.


    First I will use White to trap them, by that time I will reach near the beasts on the front. I will destroy their cores with the swords and use Blue on the ones behind them.


    By the time I finished sorting out the course of action, I had reached the decided location. I slowed my speed and then prepared myself to follow through with what I had thought.


    "Maelstrom: Whi¡ª"


    I wasn''t able to fire it at the right time.


    "H-Huh? What''s happening?..." I felt a little dizzy, but that was not the problem. I stopped in my tracks and saw that I was spitting blood, but that was not the problem either.


    The problem at hand was that I was losing my vision. It was getting blurry, and not your normal type of blurry. It was a reddish blur.


    Soon my entire field of vision got covered and I was unable to see anything at all. It took me a moment before I realized that I had overused [Foresight] to the point that now blood was draining down from my eyes.


    Although it was toote now. It had affected my brain as well and I was losing consciousness. Yeah, I was losing consciousness and was unable to see right when I could hear the demon beasts breaking free from the ice anding toward me.

 Chapter 326 Overload [2]

    ?


    I didn''t know how much time had passed since I fell and lost consciousness. I didn''t know what happened after that, but my best guess was that I cked out.


    Although that doesn''t fit very well because if I''d cked out then the demon beasts in front of me would have killed me right after that. But here I was, slowly gaining my consciousness back.


    But the fact that I cked out was confirmed because there was a gap in my memories.


    Anyway, I was nowing back to my senses. As soon as I regained the sense of touch, I felt a little weird.


    I don''t know what would be the right way to describe what I was feeling. It''s like¡­I was having trouble breathing. Well, rather than trouble, it was more like I was breathing abnormally.


    As if I was breathing mainly through my¡­mouth I think. That didn''t really make much sense. I mean, if I was unconscious I should be breathing through my nose and not my mouth.


    Also, the air I was drawing in through my mouth was warm¡ªwhich again was strange.


    ''What am I¡ª''


    Everything became crystal clear when I gathered the strength and opened my eyes.


    It turns out I was not actually breathing, but being fed air.


    I saw Req sitting over me, and her face was rather a little way too close to mine and she had her eyes closed. Which was only to be expected.


    After all, she was kissing me.


    I would have very much liked to say that she was giving me CPR, but the way her legs were wrapped around me and how she was kissing me was too passionate to be considered CPR.


    ''Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would get assaulted while unconscious,'' I said inwardly.


    I waited a few seconds in hopes that she would notice I''d regained consciousness and would back off. However¡­


    She pushed further. The grip of her legs tightened around my waist and she held my head with her hands. Till now she was only kissing me passionately, but now I felt her tongue entering my mouth.


    And actually, the fact that during all this my eyes were open made it even more weird.


    It seemed like she waspletely enjoying herself, but we were right in between thousands and thousands of demon beasts, plus this was getting troublesome.


    I wanted to go to my parents as soon as possible.


    ''Ah well, here we go¡­''


    I held her by her waist and turned around, getting myself on the top. After that, I held her arms, although all this girl did was interlock her fingers with mine.


    Then I backed my head and ended the kiss.


    "Req," I said.


    She opened her eyes hurriedly, her expression resembled that of a kid who had been caught masturbating by his parents.


    "What were you doing?" I asked.


    "Ah¡­haha¡­emmm¡­well, you had cked out so I was giving you air through my mouth," she said, clearly flustered.


    "Hmmm, is that so? But as far as I know, you do that to someone who has stopped breathing. And I''m pretty sure I only cked out and didn''t stop breathing," I said.


    "Ahh, w-well¡­" she struggled to find words. "I didn''t have a choice you know! You were out cold, I tried to wake up you up but it didn''t work. I shook you, pped you, licked your cheek, and screamed in your ears. But no matter what I did, you were not opening your eyes!" she said with a sulking face.


    Then suddenly she pulled me close, bringing my face closer to hers.


    "What do you say? Do you want to go at it again? It wasn''t as enjoyable since you were out," she said with the usual mischievous smile on her face.


    ''Just how quickly can she change her mood and expression...'' I thought to myself.


    "No, thanks. I don''t think we have the time for that," I said as I raised my right hand to the side and fired a shot of Red. It hit a demon beast that wasing for us.


    "Ugh, right. These damned beasts, what a way to spoil the mood," she said while she wiped the blood off my face with her fingers.


    I then stood up and offered her my hand, she took it and stood up as well.


    When I took a look around the area, there were rtively fewer demon beastspared to when I had cked out.


    "Just what the hell did you do?" I asked.


    "Hehe, wiped them off," she said, giggling like a child.


    Knowing that kind of amazed me a little. I mean, I knew that she was capable of standing on her own against thousands of insanely powerful demon beasts but still, this was a little too much.


    "Well, I don''t think they are gonna let us go that easily though," I said, pointing my finger toward an army of demon beasts¡ªor armies, since they wereing from all directions¡ªthat had freshlye out from the portals in the sky.


    I prepared myself and activated [Foresight]. However, just as I did that an unbearable amount of pain shed in my eyes and brain.


    ''I don''t think I''ll be able to use this for a good while,'' I thought. But fighting them without [Foresight] was basically suicide.


    "Damn, I might actually die in this one," I mumbled to myself.


    "Come on now, don''t be silly," Req said while pping me on the back.


    "I mean, it''s not like I want to die. I have my parents and sister waiting for me, and if I die then there''ll be no one left to protect. But it''s also true that my body is now starting to break down," I said.


    "Hmmm, that can be a problem. You are right," she mumbled as she took a look at me.


    Then she closed her eyes and held her chin as if she was in deep thought, thinking about something very important.


    A few seconds passed and the ground started to shake due to the enormous army of demon beasts that wasing toward us with the only intent to kill.


    "Okay, I decided," she said as she pped her hands. "We are going to use the real power of Requiem."


    "What do you mean by that?" I asked.


    "Well you see, your body right now is not strong enough to handle the full potential of Requiem, that''s why I put a limiter on its power so you don''t die. But seeing this situation, I think we''ll have to do something about that."

 Chapter 327 Overload [3]

    ?


    "Technically, your body is still not strong enough to use Requiem''s full power. That''s why I will be using it, not you," she said.


    "And¡­what exactly do you mean by that?"


    "Hmmm, what will be the best way to exin it," she mumbled to herself. "Well, you know how we both can use Requiem, right?"


    "Yeah, I know."


    "Just like that, I will be the one using Requiem''s full power. But just like we share Requiem, I''ll share that power with you," she exined.


    "Ah I see, so it''s like that."


    "Although there''s a drawback in this. Remember I told you that the quantity of mana in the atmosphere has reduced way too muchpared to my time? That has ended up weakening me quite a bit, so even I will only be able to use it for a few minutes."


    "Will it be enough to take care of them?" I asked, signaling toward the army of demon beasts that had very much closed the distance between us.


    "Hehe, you''ll see yourself," she giggled.


    ''Well, not like I have a better choice,'' I thought to myself.


    "Okay, let''s do it," I said, and a smile appeared on her face.


    She walked close to me and stood in front of me, raising her right hand toward me while she materialized the Requiem sword in her left.


    Seeing her face was enough to know what she was expecting me to do, thus I held her hand.


    "Now then," she said, closing her eyes. "You might feel a little something, but don''t get scared, okay?"


    "Yeah sure," I said nonchntly.


    Suddenly, a massive amount of pressure was released from her body, causing the ground beneath us to crack. I sensed a slight warmth emanating from her, but it was brief and quickly dissipated.


    She opened her eyes and then I noticed a wave of darkness and shadows erupting from the Requiem sword. The amount of shadows increased in no time as they spun around her.


    As I was seeing this unfold, the shadows began to stick to Req''s body. Then using our hands the shadows came to me as well and began to surround me.


    In a matter of seconds, I was able to see nothing. I felt something tightening around my body, it was soft andfortable.


    It was too soft to be called a cloth, but if it was then it was the softest and smoothest cloth I''d evere across.


    The shadows stopped whirling around us and disappeared into nothing, what came next was rather amusing.


    Req''s entire body was covered with ck clothing and a cloak. Then I looked at myself and saw that so was the case with me.


    My body was covered in pitch-ck clothing and a hooded cloak. I looked at my hands and saw that I was wearing ck fingerless gloves¡ªthe same was true for Req too.


    Our clothing was basically the same with a few changes made ording to our gender.


    I looked at her and then remembered something. "Req, isn''t this the same as the battle outfit you used back in the time?"


    "Yup, this is the one I used. Requiem gives you this outfit when you use her at her full potential," she said.


    "So the Requiem sword right now is running at its max?" I asked.


    "Yeah, although it won''t be as powerful since its power is getting distributed to you along with me. I think you can say it''s at fifty percent," she exined.


    "Ah, I see."


    She was right. After this outfit was on me I was feeling a great boost in my overall power.


    "Come on, don''t waste time in the chatter! I said that I could only maintain this for a few minutes, right? Once I run out of mana it will take a good while before I can use it again," she said.


    "Yeah, yeah. I also want to get out of this mess as soon as possible," I replied.


    "Hehe, let''s go then!" she said, with that same childish smile on her face.


    To be honest, what came next was not what I had expected when she said "Let''s go".


    A disturbance rippled through the dust at our feet, and a strange force began to lift us from the ground. We started levitating, defying gravity.


    Once off the ground, our ascent picked up speed rapidly, and within a matter of seconds, we found ourselves soaring high into the sky. The ground below us rapidly shrank in size as we ascended to great heights.


    We took off at the right time since right now I was able to see all the demon beasts gather beneath us.


    Req raised the Requiem sword. I didn''t know if she was using magiken or if it was connected to these outfits, but the de was covered in shadows.


    She lowered the sword, directing its tip towards the beasts, and a dark energy ball materialized at the de''s end. The ball expanded steadily until it reached the size of a basketball, crackling with mana.


    The energy ball grew, signaling an impending powerful attack.


    "Watch out for your eyes," Req said.


    The next second a beam was sted off from the energy ball. It went straight and hit the ground where the demon beasts were and exploded.


    As per thews of physics, the light came first, paving the way for an explosion that expanded dramatically, resembling the sheer magnitude of a massive nuclear st.


    The sound came next and it was the loudest thing I''d heard in a while. By that time we were also inside the explosion, but surprisingly¡ªor I should say unsurprisingly¡ªboth Req and I took no damage.


    For the next ten seconds or so all I saw was bright¡ªor well, I expected it to be bright. But the light emitted from the explosion was ck just like everything else rted to the Requiem sword.


    When the explosion died and I got a clear look at our surroundings, I saw that the ground had beenpletely demolished.


    Of course, the demon beasts were gone too. They had been decimated, even their cores were nowhere to be found.


    At that moment, there were a thousand things that I could have thought about. But what came to my mind was¡­


    ''So this is how I lost my first kiss, huh¡­''

 Chapter 328 Overload [4]

    ?


    "Well, that sure was something," I said.


    "Hehe, I know right?" Req replied with a big smile on her face.


    Although having a smile like that on your face after killing so many beasts and basically causing a nuclear explosion was kind of weird. But then again, I shouldn''t be the one saying that.


    "It''s been so long since I used you at this level! Ahh, you must have enjoyed it too, right Requiem?" she said while rubbing the Requiem sword against her cheek, as if it was a plushie.


    "How do we go down?" I asked while I took a look at the ground below us.


    It had been leveled clean and there were no signs of any demon beasts. Of course, the portals were still open but they were a little far away so it would take some time for new beasts to reach here.


    "Oh yeah, I didn''t tell you how to fly," she said. "Well, it''s not that hard. You just have to think in which direction you have to go and how fast you want to move, that''s all. Though it will take you some time to get used to it."


    She was right, it didn''t seem that difficult. However, I''m sure if I was still afraid of heights¡ªlike I was in my previous life¡ªthen it would''ve been much harder.


    "I see," I said as I stared at the clouds in the sky around us.


    It was evening and the sun was setting, leaving the sky colored in a shade of orange and gold. We were pretty high up thus the wind here was much faster and cooler, I didn''t dislike the feeling.


    This would have been a perfect moment to gaze at the scenery for hours, but only if my entire body was not dying in pain and those big portals were not there.


    "Take us down," I said. She was the one who was making us fly so I decided it was better to let her glide us down. After all, I was still getting hit by waves of unconsciousness and dizziness.


    "Uh, yeah¡­about that," there was a troubled expression on her face.


    "What? Is there a problem?" I asked.


    To that question, she replied by pointing toward my hands. I followed her line of sight and saw that the ck clothing on my hands was slowly melting. Or well, not just my hands but the clothing on my whole body was slowly melting down. The same was happening with Req too.


    "Don''t tell me the time is already over?" I asked.


    "H-haha¡­" she averted her eyes. That was enough of an answer.


    ''Are you kidding me?!'' I thought as I looked down and reminded myself that we were pretty high up in the sky. Levitating was an ability granted by this outfit, but Req had run out of mana and the suit was dissolving. Which meant no flying either.


    "W-well, I don''t think we''ll die from this¡­it''s not even that high," she said.


    "As a thousand-year-old warrior that may be true for you, but unfortunately for me, this much height is enough to kill me twice," I said. Of course, that sentence was as sarcastic as it could get.


    In the end, we didn''t have to wait much longer. A minute or twoter the clothingpletely dissolved and we started falling down at full speed.


    Req had managed to take us down a bit but the height was still too much for me to survive a direct fall.


    ''This is too much of a pain,'' I sighed.


    A barrier would have been perfect for this situation but I haven''t gotten around to learning those spells yet. It seemed like I was really in for some trouble.


    "Ah well, I just hope I have enough mana for this," I said to myself as I raised my hand down toward the ground.


    I closed my eyes and imagined a colossal amount of water then used my elemental magic to replicate it in reality. Fortunately, it worked.


    Down at the ground water started to take form, and in no time it started growing big. I made it in a spiral shape¡ªlike a tornado¡ªso that we could fall directly into it.


    Soon the water body was as big as I wanted it to be¡ªsomewhere around the size of a skyscraper. After that using elemental magic I maintained its shape while creating a bubble of water around us.


    I mean, if I directly fell into the water then I would still end up taking quite a lot of damage. But for that, I had to hold my breath, of course. That''s why I created the bubble only when we were just about to hit the water.


    Next came the moment of impact and we collided with therge water body beneath us. The collision was so powerful that we were pushed down underwater to a good distance.


    While it was getting harder for me to hold my breath by now, I nced at Req and saw that she was having no trouble at all. I didn''t know why, but that felt a little frustrating.


    Although I didn''t have the time to worry about those things though. Right after we stabilized I reversed the elemental magic to make the water disappear slowly and reach the ground.


    "That was so fun! I''ve never taken a dive in the water like that!" Req said with a face full of excitement.


    "Yeah sure, so much fun," I said nonchntly while reversing the water on my clothes to dry them.


    She passed me the Requiem sword and I put it in its sheath at my waist. The area had been cleared of demon beasts and it was going to stay that way for a while, that''s why I decided to take a little break.


    However, just at that time, something caught my eye. I heard a PING sound in my head, just like that of a notification. Right after that, a translucent white screen appeared before my eyes.


    ====STATUS====


    Name: Zero nks


    Rank: B


    Mana capacity: A


    Agility: B


    Stamina: A


    Skills->


    - [Foresight (Level 2)]: The user can see 0.2 seconds in the future by using this skill.


    ================

 Chapter 329 Demons And Demon Beasts

    ?


    The evening had passed and the sun was now down, leaving us in darkness. The only light present in the sky was from the moon and the glowing from the portals.


    Fortunately, it was a full moon thus the night was notpletely dark. It would have been a real pain in the ass if it was since that would put us at a disadvantage against the demon beasts.


    "Say, for how long will we have to walk like this?" Req asked with a tired and bored expression on her face.


    "Hmmm, I''m not sure myself. But I''d say at least for three days," I replied.


    "Three days?!! You''re joking, right?!"


    "No, I''m not."


    "Come on!!! I''ll die by walking for this long!"


    "You won''t. I''ve never heard of someone who can survive a fall from the sky but not walk for a few days. Also, it''s only been thirty minutes since we started walking."


    "That''s not what I''m talking about! I mean, I won''t literally die but that just makes it even more boring."


    "Oh really? Then did you used to travel by flying, back in the time?"


    "For the most part, yeah."


    "Ah¡­"


    To bepletely honest, the fact that she could fly had slipped my mind.


    "Well, don''t worry. I don''t think you''ll be bored. There are no beasts here at the moment but I''m certain we''ll face quite a lot on our way," I said.


    "Is that so?" she said while stretching her arms.


    After that, we continued to walk. Of course, just because I''d decided to rest didn''t mean I was going to sit around and take a nap.


    Covering the distance while fighting the beasts at the same time was basically impossible, so this was a great chance to do that while the demon beasts were away.


    As for where we were headed, well, one would think that our destination was Havenreach. That was technically right, but I wasn''t going to travel all the way there on foot.


    There were two main reasons for that. Firstly, I didn''t know where it was located. In loli_pop''s novel, Havenreach was a city built as thest line of defense for humanity where the humans could live and defend themselves from the demons.


    That was the ce where all the students from the academy had been teleported to and where I sent my parents. But in the novel, the precise location of Havenreach was not described hence I also had no way of knowing where it was.


    And secondly, even if I did know the location it would take us at least a month to reach there on foot. Therefore trying to do that was just a waste of time.


    Now, as for where I was really headed. To be honest, the answer was nowhere. I was just trying to get as far as possible from the city since all the cities were where most of the portals had opened.


    Naturally, the demons had done this to kill the maximum number of humans. After all, these demon beasts were only going tost for three days.


    I mean, these beasts were not real demons. These were just monsters who had been modified by putting a demon core inside their bodies. The real demons looked more humanoid, and they were the ones who created these beasts to take out most of humanity at once.


    Anyway, the point was that these beasts would die automatically in the time of three days since the demon cores installed within them were also acting as a poison, slowly destroying their bodies from the inside.


    Therefore, I was going as far as I could from the city to an area where there were little or no demon beasts left¡ªthat was the reason why I told Req that we would walk for three days.


    Once that is done and all the demon beasts die out, I will wait and recover all my mana then use the teleportation spell¡ªthe one I used to transport my parents¡ªto get myself and Req to Havenreach.


    Surprisingly, I had leveled up. Or well, perhaps it was not all that surprising. I had been pushing myself quite a lot after all.


    But due to that it will be a lot easier to hold out for three days and then gather my mana.


    Honestly, I would have preferred to get myself out of here as soon as possible. But the magic circle for that spell was soplex, probably the hardest I''d ever seen till now.


    Casting it took quite a lot of time and most of all, casting that spell takes almost all of my mana. Thus I needed to fill my mana poolpletely before using the spell¡ªwhich was not possible while I was constantly fighting the demon beasts.


    Therefore I had decided on this way of doing things.


    "Ah well¡­" I let out a heavy sigh as I continued to walk. Sure my stats had increased, but that did not mean I had recovered from all the physical damage I had taken.


    ''It''s at times like these when I wish I should have learned one or two healing spells,'' I thought to myself.


    I was not sure, but I probably had a high fever too since my body was feeling hot. At first, I''d thought that my hormones had been acting up due to that kiss but there was no way it wouldst this long.


    Nheless, I had no choice but to endure.


    While walking I took a look at my clothes. The cloak I was wearing was almost entirely torn up. I felt a little bad seeing that since this was the cloak I''d bought when I went shopping with Anya and Ellyn during the holidays.


    Then it urred to me, that I was feeling bad for something. Me feeling bad was a rare thing in itself if it didn''t involve my family but for something as insignificant as a piece of cloth.


    That made me wander in my thoughts again. This was not the only time I''d noticed something like this. Ever since I came to this world, I was slowly but certainly starting to act weird.


    I was not being myself. It was not like me to behave this way.


    I was¡­not acting like myself. It would have been convenient to dismiss this thought as just my imagination, so that was what I did.

 Chapter 330 Two Situations [1]

    ?


    The night had grown upon us, albeit the shining moon the only things present in the sky were the portals to the demon realm.


    It had been just about an hour since we started walking away from the cities. However, it seemed like that time was about to end soon because I could see a new army of demon beasts on the horizon.


    "Woo! Finally saw something that is not ground," Req said happily.


    "Well, good for you," I replied nonchntly while I began to think of a way to fight against this new wave of the beasts.


    My physical condition was a bit better now, so perhaps that would help. Granted, it didn''t mean that my wounds had healed or anything, it''s just that I had gotten used to the pain therefore it was not distracting me anymore.


    Other than that, with my status getting increased I had more mana and stamina. I haven''t used any magic at all during the time we were walking so it was safe to assume that I had recovered some of my mana as well.


    I tried to use [Foresight] and it seemed to work¡ªalthough I still felt pain in my eyes, it was not as bad as before.


    "Req, are you able to use any spell?" I asked.


    "Huh? Of course I can, didn''t you already know that?" she replied.


    "No, I meant to ask if you can use any spell without the Requiem sword," I rified.


    "Hmmmm. I don''t think so. I mean, I mainly fight with Requiem so I never really cared about learning individual spells. Also, did you forget that our mana is different from normal people''s? Both you and I can''t use magic without relying on Requiem," she exined.


    "Different mana huh," I mumbled. "What was it again?" I asked. Of course, I remembered what she had said before, it''s just that I wanted to check again.


    "Don''t tell me you forgot already?" she looked at me with a horrified face and then sighed. "I told you, didn''t I? Our mana is at a different frequencypared to the rest of the people. All the magic circles and incantations were created for people who have their mana on the normal frequency, that''s why we can''t cast spells using those."


    "Ah yeah, that was it," I said while I cracked my fingers and stretched my body.


    Just as I thought, that exnation was not entirely satisfying. It did rify the reason why I wasn''t able to use magic circles or incantations to cast spells, but there was a bit of a problem with that.


    When Req had told me about this before I went to the academy''s library. But out of all the books I read, not a single one of them mentioned that mana had a "frequency".


    I wanted to know what was the case with my mana so that I could improve upon it. Being thrown into this cmity had taught me well that I was nowhere near strong enough to survive in the world that was taking birth right now.


    The post-cmity world and the pre-cmity world were two entirely different things.


    ''Sigh, troubles never end huh,'' I thought to myself.


    Passing the Requiem sword to Req, I created the ice swords for myself to wield. Honestly, it would''ve been better to fight using the Requiem sword but she didn''t have any other means of fighting other than using the sword.


    I could tell her to leave her physical form and turn into a sword, but then I''d have to fight alone. She was able to take thousands of demon beasts on her own so fighting alongside her was logically the better option.


    As the demon beasts grew near, the ground beneath started rumbling. The screams and roars of the beasts echoed in the emptynds.


    "Let''s gooooooooo!!!" Req said. She was clearly excited to kill the beasts after being bored for so long.


    "What a pain," I sighed, taking a battle stance.


    The beasts came close and Req was the first one to act. Kicking off the ground sheunched herself toward the beasts. Her speed was so fast that for a while she was basically levitating above the ground.


    She collided with a group of demon beasts and with a single swing, put an end to their life. She was having fun, after all.


    I reverted my attention back to the beasts around me. Four of them wereing toward me. They were big, probably thrice as big as me.


    I reversed the ice sword in my right hand and then raised it toward them.


    "Maelstrom: White!" I said.


    ***


    "Anya? Are you alright?" Leon asked, patting Anya on her back. She was spacing out again.


    Right now they were inside a building that had been allocated to the students for spending the night. It was quite big, and just like everything else in Havenreach, this also looked more modern than anything they''d seen.


    It was made with bricks and concrete while the floor, walls, and ceiling were covered with metal.


    At that moment, Anya was standing in front of the room she''d been given. Ellyn and Leon were also with her, all of them were talking about how things would go on from now on when she suddenly stopped replying and started staring into space.


    "Y-Yeah, I''m fine," she replied, finallying back to her senses.


    "Are you still worried about your parents? I mean, I don''t mean this in a bad way but they seemed like they were in a rough state," Ellyn said.


    "Hmmm," Anya nodded.


    After meeting up with Anya, Ainge and Ron¡ªalong with all the other civilians¡ªhad been moved to the refugee area. It was a ce made for people like them to live, who didn''t have enough money left to buy a house in Havenreach.


    The ce was enough to live in, however, it was just that. It was a ce where you could only live. There were no other facilities or privileges you''d normally get in a house.


    Although just being alive at this time was considered lucky, no one had room toin.

 Chapter 331 Two situations [2]

    Chapter 331 Two situations [2]


    That night Anya didn''t get much sleep. All night she was fidgeting in her bed while thinking about her parents, and most of all, about her brother.


    Zero was still out there between those demons, and that fact was eating her from the inside.


    The following morning she got dressed, met with Ellyn and Leon, then went toward a ce they''d been called to by the academy staff.


    It was not far from the building they slept in and it took only about ten minutes to reach there.


    They reached there soon and when they stood before the building and looked at it, they realized that it was looking just like the building for a school¡ªor an academy.


    It was a huge building, so huge that the building of the Zaforths magic academy was nothingpared to it.


    The front walls were adorned with an uninterrupted expanse of ss windows, giving the impression that the entire fa?ade was made of ss when viewed from a distance.


    They crossed the outside boundary and entered the main campus along with all the other students who were here for the same purpose. In fact, there were way too many students here.


    However, the three of them didn''t give much thought to this and went on inside. They weren''t really familiar with the location but just went where the other students were going.


    Later on, they were standing inside a big hall along with all the other students. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that the ce was rather too crowded.


    ording to how things have gone in situations like these, the three of them were expecting Mr. Halls toe and make an announcement. But that wasn''t quite what happened.


    Sure, Mr. Halls came onto the stage. But he was not alone, along with him were three more gentlemen.


    All four of them spoke one by one and exined things to the students present there. It took around an hour for them to exin everything, then around half an hour to answer the questions of the students.


    Once all that was done, the students were dismissed. They had been told many things, some students were in outrage, some were confused, and some had gone numb from all these things happening.


    If it was about Anya, she came in one who had gone numb. At this point, she just wanted her brother back. That''s what was on her mind all the time, to the extent that she started spacing out every then and now.


    That day all the students were at the new academy building till night, they had been asked to take an exam so that the academy could reexamine the value each student held.


    After all, a student who was scared of the demons or didn''t have the will left to fight was simply a waste of resources.


    Once the test was finished, they were sent back to their rooms.


    Closing the door of her room after saying goodnight to Ellyn and Leon, Anya went andy numb on her bed. Throughout the day she had felt nothing. All she could think about was Zero. She was worried to death about his safety.


    Perhaps she would have felt a little better if she got to talk with her parents, but the refugee area was far away and she was upied by the exam all day.


    She felt useless, helpless. There was nothing she could do to change the situation she was in, or her family was in.


    As shey there on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Her vision went blurry and drops of tears began to flow down her cheeks.


    She felt like there was a huge boulder on her chest, or as if there was a spear stabbed in her chest. There was an indescribable amount of pain.


    She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees and clenching her chest as tears continued to flow down her face and drench the bed sheet.


    She cried, cried, and cried a lot. Yet not a single sound escaped her mouth.


    Somehow she managed to fall asleep¡ªprobably because she was exhausted both mentally and physically. However, that night she had a really bad dream.


    ***


    "Fucking hell they don''t know when to give up!" I screamed as I pulled out the ice sword from the chest of a demon beast.


    "Maelstrom: Red!" I said, releasing a tornado of red-hot mes toward the beasts on my side.


    As my [Foresight] kicked in, I instinctively leaned back to dodge an oing attack. Capitalizing on the opening, I wasted no time and swiftly maneuvered behind the beast. With a determined thrust, I drove the sword into its body, aiming straight for its core, and sessfully destroyed it, rendering the beast powerless.


    The battle continued, and I soon realized that I was surrounded by the relentless demon beasts. There were around thirty to forty of them, all ready to attack me at once. The situation felt overwhelming, and I knew I was in for a tough fight.


    I looked for Req but as usual, she was taking care of an army on her own¡ªplus she was far away.


    "This turned out badly," I sighed while continuing to dodge one attack after another.


    It was not as if I couldn''t get out of this situation. I still had an attack left which I hadn''t used till now¡ªalthough that one was sure to damage me as well.


    ''I mean, of course. I''m not some shonen protagonist who will save powerful attacks just so I can show them offter.''


    I did not have the privilege to do that here, plus there was no one to watch even if I did want to show off.


    "Ah well, whatever," I said to myself. Logically, taking some damage was better than dying.


    Therefore I prepared myself for it.


    "Resistance 4," I cast a defensive spell on myself, even though I hotter than ever before. The intense heat emanated a powerful and mesmerizing glow.


    knew it wasn''t going to do much.


    Then I used White to trap the beasts near me so that I could get myself a little space to move around.


    Facing the encircling beasts, I took a stance and raised my right hand, summoning a ball of red mes using Red. Simultaneously, my left hand rose, conjuring a ball of blue mes as I used Blue. The dual mes crackled with power, ready to be unleashed upon my adversaries.


    I brought my hands together, making the balls of me collide. With a surge of mana, the mes intensified, crackling with power.


    As the energy balls united, they created a new one that burned hotter than ever before. The intense heat emanated a powerful and mesmerizing glow.


    "Maelstrom: Purple!" I said.


    An explosion of scorching purple mes erupted with incredible intensity, powerful enough to melt the very ground beneath me. As expected, I found myself at the epicenter of this zing congration.

 Chapter 332 A Stranger

    Chapter 332 A Stranger


    Once the mes settled down all that was left was the melted ground along with burned corpses of the demon beasts. I mildly took a look at them and found that this time their cores had been destroyed well.


    Honestly, this was one sessful attack¡ªit did far more damage than I expected it to. Or well, I would like to believe that was the case.


    The attack did more damage than I expected, that much was true. However, it was by no means a "sessful attack". After all, just like the demon beasts I''d taken quite a beating as well.


    I had burn marks all over my body, my fingers had turnedpletely ck. I couldn''t feel my left leg even though it was there, and most of my clothing was gone too. If I hadn''t used the Resistance spell then I would be in the same condition as these beasts.


    I let out a sigh as I waited for the melted ground to cool down a bit. I had killed all the beasts that were near me so it would probably take a few minutes for the new ones to reach me.


    I hoped that theva on the ground would cool down or else I''d have to use my elemental magic again, and I really didn''t want to waste mana at this point.


    [Are you fine?] I heard Req''s voice in my head.


    ''Yeah, more or less.''


    [Doesn''t look that way to me.]


    ''I don''t care about how it looks to you.''


    I sensed that she grew slightly frustrated about that, but didn''t say anything.


    [Also, look above in the sky. There''s something weird happening there.]


    ''Hm? What do you mean by weird?''


    [I''m not sure, but I can feel that lot of mana is gathering at one ce and there''s this weird effect there, I don''t know how to exin it but¡­uh, it''s like the space there is wrapping.]


    That description was giving me a really bad feeling, and I wanted to prove myself wrong so I decided to look up.


    Henceforth I made up my mind and titled my head to look up in the sky. And there I saw it.


    Right above my head, there was a portal that was opening and would soon connect the human realm and the demon realm. From that portal wille millions of new demon beasts, and rain down on us.


    "Oh fuck¡­" those words came out of my mouth almost on their own.


    ***


    Back in Havenreach, Anya had gotten used to the new lifestyle. Or it would be more appropriate to say that she had no other option but to get used to it.


    As of now, she sat on a seat next to the window inside a ssroom of the academy building. Apparently, this new academy was called Silver Garden Magic Academy.


    All the students enrolled here hade from the four great magic academies all over the world which were the Stardust magic academy, the Crystal Leaf magic academy, the Wyvern Hall magic academy, and the Zaforths magic academy.


    Once the cmity hit the world all the students from those academies were teleported here to enroll in a single big magic academy called Silver Garden, and Anya was one of those students.


    The ss had just finished and she was staring out from the window as she let out a sigh.


    There were a lot of things on her mind, after all, it had been a month since they were teleported here and Zero went missing and even now there was still no sign of him.


    Anya was starting to get depressed¡ªor well, it would have been normal if she was. Surprisingly, she had been in a better condition these days.


    It was not as if she hadpletely forgotten everything about Zero, she still thought about him every night before sleeping. Whenever she was procrastinating thinking about him was the only thing she did.


    But during the day when she was with her friends, sheughed, studied, and tried to enjoy her time with them. The change was rather sudden, even Leon and Ellyn were not able to understand this development at first.


    However, it was not as if this change in her behavior hade out of nowhere. There was something that caused this change¡ªor perhaps someone. That''s why with time everyone has gotten used to this new way of living.


    "Heya Anya," someone called for her, making Anya shit her attention back into the ssroom.


    Next to her seat stood a guy who was about the same age as Leon. With ck hair and eyes along with a fair skin tone, he was rather on the handsome side.


    "The sses for today are over, should we go out to eat something? Ellyn and Leon areing too," he said.


    "Hmmm, I think I''ll pass," Anya replied.


    "What is this? Being all gloomy again?" the guy said as he leaned on Anya''s table.


    "Are you thinking about your brother again?" he asked. Anya didn''t say anything but replied with a nod.


    "Thought so," he said. "I''ve already told you this before, but thinking about him won''t do anything. Whatever the oue may be, you will have to ept it and move forward. I mean, you can''t stay depressed all the time, you still have your parents after all."


    While she was thinking about what he''d said, Ellyn and Leon also joined the group.


    "Come on Anya, let''s go. It''s not fun without you," Ellyn said.


    "She''s right, and see, the weather today is especially lovely," the guy said while looking outside the window.


    Anya let out a sigh, realizing that there was no arguing with these guys. "Fine, fine. I''ll go," she said.


    From the way she talked to this guy, it seemed like she had been on friendly terms with him since their conversation was usually casual.


    And she was grateful to him as well. After all, when she was at the darkest point in her life, drowning in depression and staying holed up in her room for days, he was the one who''d helped her toe out from that ce.

 Chapter 333 This Is The Best!

    Chapter 333 This Is The Best!


    My eyes were closed and darkness was all that I could see, but despite that, I still had


    control over my senses. And that meant I could feel pain.


    In fact, the pain was the only thing I felt.


    Slowly opening my eyes I took note of my surroundings and saw that right now I was


    inside a cave-like structure with my head resting in Req''sp.


    She was gently stroking my hair and touching my face. I didn''t approve of this either


    but well, it was at least better than being kissed while unconscious.


    I tried to get up and suddenly a wave of pain surged throughout my body and I was


    forced to lie back in herp.


    "I don''t think you should get up," she said, finally noticing that I was awake.


    "For how long was I out?" I questioned. "What happened?"


    "About three weeks I''d say," she replied.


    As soon as I heard that, I was this close to having a mental breakdown. However,


    despite being in the condition I was in, my mind didn''t waver¡ªthis was one of those


    times when I was d for all the mental training I put myself through.


    Still though, three weeks. That was a really long time. I''d nned to get out of this hell


    and meet with Anya and my parents in about four days, however, that n had


    completely gone into the gutter.


    "Thest thing I remember is that a portal opened right above our heads and millions


    of demon beasts rained upon us. I was fighting them and¡­yeah that''s about it. What


    happened after that?" I asked.


    "Nothing really. You kept fighting and fighting and fighting. After that you kept


    fighting the beasts for a whole week, then you copsed," she said.


    "And it''s safe to assume that once I copsed, you took care of all the beasts


    afterward?"


    "Yeah," her voice was different from usual. There was no energy in her voice, no


    cheerfulness like there usually is. It was a low, and calm voice.


    I looked up to see her face and found that she wasn''t smiling either. That usual


    childish smile she had on her face was gone,pletely. In ce of that, there was a


    bitter expression.


    "A whole week huh," I mumbled to myself.


    Honestly, I was amazed at myself. Fighting for an entire week didn''t just mean fighting


    for an entire week, it also meant that I went without food or water for a whole week


    and was still alive.


    If I had to guess, I''d say that the only reason I was alive was because of mana.


    Probably the energy needed to run by body was taken from the mana I had.


    However, that just makes the situation even worse because along with using my mana


    to perform an attack and fight against the beasts, I was also using it to keep myself


    alive. And for a whole week at that.


    That was something even I didn''t know I was capable of doing.


    I went for a whole week without food or water, so I guessed that was the reason why I


    was feeling this intense pain near my stomach.


    I had no idea how much hunger a person felt after not eating for seven days, but what


    I was feeling still felt like overkill.


    Therefore I decided to take a look. I bent my torso upward and Req helped me with


    that. Once I was sitting up straight the pain suddenly increased tenfold and I fell back


    in Req''s arms.


    I was able to look only for a second, but that was more than enough. Combined with


    the fact that the pain increased when I tried to get up, it wasn''t much trouble to figure


    out what was happening.


    There was a wound near my stomach and a deep one at that. There was a ck cloth


    wrapped around it like a bandage, and looking at it closely it was my cloak. It was


    probably Req who did that to stop the bleeding.


    "It wasn''t fatal, but caused a lot of bleeding.," she said. "Right when you were on the


    verge of copsing, a beast managed to get you. It would have killed you but I meddled


    in and stopped it¡­but I was toote."


    "What are you talking about? Even I could tell that I would''ve been stabbed right


    through my stomach and died. You managed to stop that from happening. How were


    youte?" I asked.


    "No, I WASte. This was aplete failure. My primary job is to protect you, but I''m


    not even capable of doing that. This is the second time I have almost gotten you


    killed¡­" she said, her voice dull.


    I couldn''t really understand what she meant by "second time". As far as I could


    remember, this was the only time when something like this had happened.


    After thinking about it for a second, I understood what she meant. She had failed to


    save me in the previous timeline where my powers went out of control and I almost


    froze myself to death, perhaps that''s what she was talking about. But I didn''t get why


    she was acting as if that was her fault.


    My powers going out of control was my fault and it had happened because I went


    insane after seeing my family die.


    As I was thinking about all that I felt something moist falling on my face. Looking up I


    saw that tears were dripping down from her eyes.


    She was crying. Req was crying. This thousand-year-old warrior who had lived in war


    and gone through many traumatizing events was crying.


    Why? Because she failed to keep me unscathed.


    "A-All of this¡­every time¡­I fail to protect you. All because I am addicted to battle, and


    I forget what my main purpose is when I''m fighting," she said as tears began to fall


    down from her eyes.


    "The time I spent in the war¡­the years I spent fighting, fighting, and only fighting, it


    had made me into a battle addict. Every time I fight I enjoy it, and I enjoy it so much


    that I forget about everything else. And I forgot to protect you too!"


    She cried and sobbed, her tears falling on my face.


    As she was going through all this, it took me a while but I soon understood the whole


    situation. I understood her mindset and her way of thinking.


    And when I understood it, all of a sudden it became really hard to stop myself from


    breaking out into a wide grin.


    ''This is the best!'' I thought to myself.

 Chapter 334 A Horrifying Thought

    Chapter 334 A Horrifying Thought


    Finally, something good was happening. However, that made this situation a little hard for me. I mean, as tears were falling down her tears it was getting even troublesome for me to stop myself from breaking out into a grin.


    When I realized what this could mean I forgot about all the pain I was feeling. Instead, all these new possibilities opened up in my brains and I started running simtions of the possible future.


    With this, things would get a lot easier for me. Or well, more like I''d have one less thing to worry about. But to get that I had to act right now, and thus I did.


    Ignoring all the pain and wounds, I sat up straight and faced Req. Her face was directly in front of me, this was the first time I''d seen her cry and at this moment she looked just like a normal girl.


    ''Well, it would be beneficial if her heart worked the same too.''


    I leaned forward and hugged her, gently embracing her in my arms. Of course, this resulted in an extreme sh of pain due to the wound near my stomach but I paid no attention to it.


    "It''s alright, whatever happened was not your fault," I said while hugging her.


    "N-No¡­it''s always because of me. If only I could control myself more, I would be able to protect you. But I can''t¡­even though I want to, my body¡­just goes into battle mode and then I don''t care about anything other than fighting," she said while sobbing.


    She wrapped her arms around me, holding me in her grip as she leaned her head on my chest.


    "It is not your fault Req. Anyone would be in the same position if they went through what you did. It''s not your fault that you are like this, so you don''t need to feel guilty about it," I said while I rubbed her head like a dog.


    "S-Still¡­" she said, gasping for air. "Even if that is true¡­I failed to protect you nheless. Nothing changes the fact that if I had been even a secondte, you would have died. I¡­would have lost you."


    "You are right. However, you were notte. You managed to save my life even if that was at thest second. It''s thanks to you that I''m here and alive," I said.


    "And I''m sure, you will protect me in the future as well. I¡­" a small smirk appeared on my face, "...trust you, Req."


    I had no idea why I hadn''t noticed it before. Perhaps because I never considered the possibility of something like this. I mean, I was always suspicious of people so I never thought about this but.


    This girl Req, she was genuinely hurt because she couldn''t protect me. She went through all that time living in a world painted with war and survived it withoutining, yet she was crying because she couldn''t protect me.


    This couldn''t have been more perfect for me. Until now, whenever I nned a future move I always had to take into ount the possibility that she might betray me or turn against me, therefore I always kept a backup n in case that turned out to be true.


    That was also the reason I didn''t rely on her that much, but now that I had seen what her true feelings were. I could use her more efficiently.


    Of course, there was the possibility that I waspletely wrong and that she was faking all this just to win my trust, however, that was fine too.


    If it was my trust that she wanted then I was ready to give it to her, if it was my affection she wanted I was ready to give it to her. This was a big gamble, but it was worth every single penny.


    "Don''t cry, Req," I said.


    She sobbed but then leaned back. Her face was a mess of tears as she looked at me and then shifted her gaze toward the wound on my stomach.


    "Will you forgive me for this time? I promise¡­I won''t let you get harmed ever again," she said, her voice cracking due to all the crying.


    To be honest, in the post-cmity world, there was nothing better I could ask for.


    "Hah, of course, I forgive you. I never med you for it, to begin with. There shouldn''t be a need for you to ask a question such as that," I said.


    "Really?" she asked, looking directly at me. Her eyes were glittery with all the tears.


    I didn''t want to leave any doubt in her mind. I wanted to believe that I trusted herpletely. Therefore what I was going to do next, I counted it as insurance.


    "Of course," I said.


    Then I leaned forward closer to her face, went ahead, and kissed her. As her lips met mine I was able to see a slightly surprised look on her face, although that didn''tst very long and her eyes turned rxed.


    I originally nned to just kiss her on the lips and then back off, however just as I was nning to do that she held me in her arms tightly and pushed forward, sliding her tongue into my mouth.


    To be honest, I was the fool for thinking that she''d let me back off. Hence for the next five minutes or so she kissed me passionately.


    Perhaps this was her way of dealing with the pain she was feeling, or maybe she was just horny. In this case, I had no clue.


    But I had achieved what I wanted, thus I paid it no mind. This kiss was the final move I needed to y. With that done I had won this game.


    Her heart was now mine.


    ''And here I was thinking that I was changing,'' I thought to myself. I was still a filthy excuse for a human being.


    However, just then a horrifying thought urred to me.


    What if everything I did was because I genuinely didn''t want to see Req crying, and the part about manipting her to protect me was just an excuse I gave to none other than myself? What if I was not manipting Req, but myself?


    That was a scary thought, I didn''t want to believe it at all. Therefore I discarded it immediately and decided not to think about this again.

 Chapter 335 Fall

    ?


    It had been two days since I woke up. Right now I was standing outside the cave-like structure Req had brought me to.


    It had been well over a month since then so the demon beasts had already died. The proof of that was that I could see their corpses lying everywhere on the ground, as far as the eye could see.


    My wounds hadn''t healed but they were at least in a better condition now. In this world, due to mana circting inside your body, wounds heal themselves a little fasterpared to how it was in my previous world.


    Basically, the pain was still the same but the bleeding had stopped. I had gotten used to the pain as well thus I was able to walk around.


    Although I still had to get this treated as soon as possible or it''d prove to be a problemter on.


    Though it didn''t seem like I had to wait much since during these days I hadpletely recovered my mana and was ready to cast the teleportation spell.


    And I was just about to do that. After all, I was a monthte. I couldn''t imagine how worried Anya and my parents would be.


    "Are you ready?" I asked Req when I saw hering out of the cave.


    "Yes," she replied while she handed me a book. Her usual childish smile had returned.


    I took the book from her and flipped through the pages. It was the book I''d stolen from Ryfin and fortunately, Req had kept it safe while I was unconscious.


    "Let''s get this done with," I mumbled as I looked at the magic circle drawn on the center two pages of the book.


    Afterward, I went and ced the book on the ground with those pages facing toward the sky. I raised my hand in Req''s direction, she held it and then transformed into the Requiem sword.


    I put the sword in its sheath as I prepared myself to cast the spell. The only reason I had told her to change into a sword was that I thought then it might only count as teleporting one person and reduce the load on me.


    Bending my right knee I sat on the ground and put my palm on the pages of the book. I closed my eyes and visualized all the mana stored up in my body and then directed it all into the magic circle on the book.


    The runes on the magic circle slowly lit up and then with a strange sound it expanded outside the book with me at its center.


    When the circle shone in a brilliant blue I stood up and began to read the incantations that were written in the book. The runes started moving and the circle expanded even more, creating three outward borders. Two of them moved anti-clockwise while one in the clockwise direction.


    I soon felt that my mana was being sucked at an rming rate and then a few secondster a blinding, bright light spilled out of the magic circle.


    All of my vision turned white and for a split second I felt like I was floating in space, and then something unexpected happened.


    ording to loli_pop''s novel, the receiving magic circles should be built on the ground inside a big hall.


    However, when I finally regained my vision I didn''t see any walls, nor did I feel any ground beneath my feet.


    Instead, what I saw was the sky, and rather than standing on the ground I started falling down at an insane speed.


    "What the hell?!" those words came out of my mouth on their own.


    This was not at all what should have happened. I mean, this could kill me. I was falling down straight to the ground from a very high point.


    I would have liked to use my elemental magic and save myself just like I did before but after the teleportation spell, I didn''t have enough mana left to do that. Apparently, this time the teleportation took even more mana thanst time.


    I faced the ground as I continued to fall down, and that''s when I saw it. I could see the safe zone, the city named Havenreach right below me.


    ''Why the fuck am I here?!''


    There was no magic circle in the sky. In fact, it would be ridiculous if there was one. I had no exnation for why I had been dropped right in the middle of the sky.


    I tried using elemental magic but couldn''t create enough water, it was a lost cause.


    I would have made a gamble and tried tond directly on the ground hoping that I would get away only with broken bones but my body was already wrecked.


    [Don''t worry.] Req''s voice resounded in my head. [I promised that I wouldn''t let you get hurt again, didn''t I?]


    ''But what will you do?''


    [I''ll use Requiem''s full power again.]


    ''But didn''t you say that it will probably take half a year before you can use it again?''


    [That''s right, but I still have some mana left. It will be enough to protect you from this fall. Although¡­]


    ''Although?''


    [No, it''s nothing. Get ready, I''m going to start.]


    Right after she materialized herself, holding my hand. I released the seal on the Requiem sword and once again I felt an enormous amount of pressureing out of her body, but this time it was less than before.


    The pitch ck outfit started forming on our bodies, but that too was not like before. Only my hands, legs, and chest were covered. Everything else was left in the open.


    [Worry not, even this much is enough to absorb all the damage from the fall.]


    As we got closer to the ground, Req used the flying ability of the outfit and brought us outside the city, near its border.


    I was thinking of doing that too. After all, it would have been troublesome if we crashnded right in the middle of the city.


    The ground got even closer and was only a few hundred meters away. Right at that time Req used the flying ability again, decreasing our speed before impact.


    But all it did was slow the speed, in the end, we still ended up crashing right on the ground. A loud explosive sound was released in the surroundings and a dust cloud surrounded us, but somehow I was alive.

 Chapter 336 Homecoming [1]

    ?


    For the next few minutes I continued toy on the ground while catching my breath. A dust cloud had formed around us therefore stopping me from seeing anything, but I could feel the dirt and ground beneath.


    "Finally here," I said to myself, letting out a sigh.


    Although as I was lying there I felt something weird. Req''s hand should have been holding my hand but I didn''t feel it there. It was strange so I decided to take a look in her direction.


    However, when I turned to the side I found nothing but a sword lying there on the ground. Req was not there, just the Requiem sword.


    "Req?" I called.


    There was no reply. I didn''t understand what was happening, she was here just a moment ago.


    I got up and tried to look for her. But found nothing. As I was walking the pain in my body suddenly increased and I ended up coughing blood.


    I thought it was just some blood, however it didn''t stop just then. I fell on my knees and suddenly started vomiting, which mostly consisted of blood since I hadn''t eaten or drank anything for a month.


    "Fuck, this is getting worse," I said to myself as I gasped for air. I needed to heal myself as soon as possible. The wound may not be fatal but by now it was starting to affect my insides, plus the wound was not the only damage my body had taken.


    But I needed to look for her first. Hence I wandered around looking for her, but found nothing.


    Then after ten minutes or so her voice resounded in my head.


    [Don''t worry, I''m fine,] she said.


    ''Where are you?'' I asked.


    [Huh? Why didn''t you notice? I transformed back into Requiem.]


    ''Why so sudden?''


    [You see, using Req at full takes a lot of mana. I didn''t have enough mana for it but still did it forcefully, hence now I don''t even have the mana left for manifesting myself. But I''m fine, so don''t get worried.]


    She was right, that did exin the situation. But for some reason I felt slightly frustrated at her actions. I didn''t know why so I paid it no mind.


    ''How long will it take before you can manifest yourself again?'' I asked.


    [Hmm. I''m not sure. I mean, this has never happened before so I have no idea.]


    ''Sigh. Why did you do it when you knew this would happen?''


    [Because I promised to not let you get hurt ever again.]


    ''Ah¡­''


    Well, that proved I seeded.


    There was no use crying about what had already happened so I waited till the dust cloud settled, picked up the Requiem sword and started walking toward Havenreach.


    As I got closer the view of the city became clear and well, it looked more like a futuristic city than a city set in a medieval fantasy setting.


    Naturally, I knew this beforehand. In fact, I had witnessed that tragedy when loli_pop decided to do this. In short, he had no clue about the world building of his world and had gotten bored by writing in a medieval setting, therefore he made this city more modern¡ªeven though it made zero sense.


    I mean, ording to the novel this was the most advanced city in the entire world. And it looked like one too since even at this distance I was able to see the long buildings that stood proudly.


    Thend around here waspletely leveled with no other city or settlement near Havenreach so it didn''t look strange, if it would have been otherwise then this modern city would''ve stood out like a sore thumb.


    I couldn''t see any corpses of demon beasts so it was safe to assume that this was located pretty far from the other cities and countries.


    ''Ah well, no use caring about that. It''s not like I''m getting free of troubles anytime soon,'' I thought to myself.


    As I walked forward toward the city the plot of the novel and what was going to happen next began to run in my mind. There was a lot of stuff that was going to happen from now on and it will be even worse than everything that had happened.


    To bepletely honest, there were a few things I had no idea about how I would deal with them. But I had no choice but to do it so there was no use inining.


    I had to do what I had to do.


    After a while I reached the border of the city. There was a big iron wall built around the entire city and I couldn''t see many gates leading inside the city.


    Fortunately though, I hadnded in the direction where the entrance gate was. It was a little far and took a few minutes but I finally reached there.


    I stood in front of the gigantic doors made of iron and waited. I thought about knocking but seeing the size of these gates made me change my mind¡ªI probably would have done it foredic relief if I was a character in some novel though.


    So I stood there and waited, a few secondster a small window opened in the gate and I saw the face of a man peeking from the inside.


    "Who are you?" he asked.


    "Human," I replied. Then he eyed me and took a look at the condition I was in.


    "Prove your identity," he dered. Of course, I wouldn''t be surprised to know that these guys already knew about how demons can look just like humans.


    I was aware of this hence I''ve kept something with me to help in this situation. I slid my hand inside my pocket, meddled there for a while but found nothing. Then I did the same with my other pocket but found nothing.


    ''It''s better not what I think it is¡­'' I thought to myself. I''ve seen this trope ur in movies way too many times, I''d die out of cringe if I ended up doing the same thing.


    Fortunately, I found it when I looked through the pocket of my shirt. This one was closed with a zip, that''s why I had kept it there¡ªthough I was still surprised that I managed to not lose it.


    I then went ahead and handed him the card. It was nothing but my ID card from the Zaforths magic academy.


    The guy took it and then closed the window. At that time I thought about how much mana it would take to break open this door in case he didn''t let me in.


    But then a minuteter he returned and handed me the card back. Then I heard a loud rumbling sound as those big iron gates began to move.


    As the gates opened I saw the view of the city before me.


    "Wee to Havenreach," the guy said.

 Chapter 337 Homecoming [2]

    ?


    Passing through the gates I took the first step inside Havenreach. Humanity''sst line of defense, the safe zone, I was finally here.


    As I walked inside I heard the same rumbling sound again and looking back I saw that the gates had been closed.


    In fact, once the gates were closed and my attention shifted back to the surroundings, I saw that a great number of people were guarding the gates.


    All of them were dressed in a greyish-ck uniform and carried swords They looked like abination of soldiers and knights so I didn''t know how to address them, thus I decided to refer to them as guards¡ªthat''s probably what they were in the first ce.


    "You look heavily injured. Come with me I''ll arrange for someone to take you to a hospital," said the guard who had checked my ID card.


    He was right, I was in dire need of medication. However, I wanted to see my family first. I''ve gotten used to the pain and was sure that I could survive long enough to see them.


    "No, it''s alright. I''ll manage by myself," I replied.


    The guard looked rather surprised, which was not unexpected. Normally, you''d think that someone who was injured to death like me would want to go to the hospital as soon as possible.


    "Still, you are in a bad state. I don''t think you should act with such ignorance," he said.


    "I''m not being ignorant, I''m well aware of my injuries. It''s just that I have something else I have to take care of," I replied.


    "What can be more important than your own life? Seeing that you havee from the outside I''m sure you know the current situation. Human lives are the most important thing right now," the guy argued.


    "What I have to do does not concern you. Your duty was just to let me inside which youpleted sessfully. Now I''d appreciate it if you left me alone," I said in a monotonous tone.


    Saying that I began to walk away from him however, it was then when I heard a voice.


    "Is this ''something else you have to take care of'' rted to the academy?" the voice said.


    I turned around and saw the person I was expecting the least to be standing there. It was Ryfin. With hands inside his pockets, he had a bright smile on his face as he walked closer to me.


    "I''m so d to see you alive~," he said.


    "Well, as you can see. I''mpletely alive and fine," I replied.


    "Hmm, I can see that you are alive but I''m not sure about the ''fine'' part, you know? Since you look a little¡­" he said while taking a look at me from head to toe.


    "That''s none of your business," I said and turned around to walk away. But just then he put this arm around my neck and stopped me.


    "Come on, don''t be so cold," he said. "You are going to see your sister, right? I''ll take you there."


    "I don''t need your help," he was already suspicious enough by being a person who didn''t exist in the novel, I knew nothing about him or his motives hence I didn''t want to involve myself with him much.


    "Don''t need my help, huh?" he repeated. "I don''t think you are on the right track if you think that. Since well, I''m sure you don''t know the path leading to the academy. This is a new city after all."


    Now that he''d said it, I realized it too. Why didn''t I think of this before? No, it''s not that I didn''t think of it. I was just way too desperate to meet with my family so I ignored it.


    The guard was kind of right, I was being ignorant¡ªeven if about a different thing.


    "Mr. Ryfin, I believe it won''t be good to make him move around much in that condition. He is badly injured," the guard said.


    "Oh yeah, you are right. I forgot," Ryfin said while snapping his fingers. "Fine, let''s fix this first."


    He took a step back and then raised his right hand toward me.


    A bright magic circle opened between his palm and my chest the next second. This magic circle radiated light and too much at that, unlike any other magic circle that I had seen before.


    Within the next few moments, a sudden wave of relief ran through my body. I didn''t know the correct way to describe that feeling.


    But if I really had to put it into words, then I''d say it was simr to the feeling you get after working hard for the entire day in the winter season and thening home and taking a warm bath.


    All the cuts and shes on my arms, legs, and the rest of my body started to heal. Or well, it was more like they regenerated since the skin that was cut was now growing back.


    I had expected it to heal the wound on my stomach too but it didn''t, although the pain around that area reduced rtively.


    After a minute or so the light vanished and the magic circle closed.


    "There there, all done," Ryfin said. "I''m not too good with healing magic either so this is all I can do right now, to get theplete treatment you''ll have toe to the academy."


    "So shall we go now?" he asked, looking at me.


    I was not too sure about what to do.


    ''What do you say?'' I asked.


    [Hmmm. I mean, why not go with him? He doesn''t seem like he has some bad motives¡ªat least not to me.]


    She was right about that. Even though I was suspicious of him I have never sensed any malicious intent from him.


    And going with him meant I''d probably reach there faster so, in the end, I decided to go.


    "Fine, I''ll go with you," I said in a disinterested tone.


    "Good! I''m happy that you decided toe along or else I''d have to drag you there," he replied.

 Chapter 338 Homecoming [3]

    ?


    As of now, I stood before an entirely new academy campus. This one looked more modern and developed, unlike the campus of the Zaforths magic academy. Of course, the campus was not the only modern-looking building in Havenreach, almost all of them were the same.


    Since I was with Ryfin I didn''t have any problem going inside the campus as the guards let us in immediately when they saw Ryfin. After that, as I was walking inside the academy grounds, I noticed that the students there were a lot more than before.


    "More kids, right? Our Zaforths magic academy has merged with the other three magic academies all over the world to create this new one. It''s called Silver Garden," Ryfin exined as we walked toward what looked like the main building.


    "I see,'' I replied but didn''t show much interest in it.


    After all, I already knew about this beforehand. Things had gone just like they were in the novel, and I was actually grateful for that.


    The cmity didn''t follow the novel and had arrived ahead of time, I was starting to suspect that it would change the plotpletely but fortunately, that didn''t seem to be the case.


    Or well, at least not yet.


    ***


    After that, I entered the main building of the academy and walked through the corridors and hallways along with Ryfin. Of course, given the condition I was in I got stared at by all the students who passed by. But it didn''t bother me much, I didn''t have time to mind such things.


    It had taken a few minutes but Ryfin led me to what seemed to be the infirmary, and right now I was sitting on a bed while the nurse here was preparing a healing potion for me.


    "I''d called for the healers, they will be here soon," Ryfin stated.


    "What about my parents and sister?" I asked.


    "Your parents have already reunited with your sister when all the citizens were transported here and are currently living in the refugee area. And as for your sister, she has been informed of your arrival and I believe she should be on her way here," he exined.


    That was a big relief. It meant that the teleportation spell had worked perfectly and my parents were sessfully transported here. I mean, I was sure that it would work but I was still worried. Though now that tension had been cured.


    "Would you take this off? I need to apply the potion and bandage," the nurse said.


    Following that, I took off my shirt and the cloak that was wrapped around the wound on my stomach. Once I was shirtless, all the deeper wounds I had sustained were revealed in the open along with the big one on the stomach.


    "That one looks deep, it''s a wonder you are still alive," the nurse said, looking toward my stomach.


    "Looks like you had a rough time," Ryfin said, and I could sense a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I mean, he already knew that I was going outside to save my parents. He was the one who gave me the book after all.


    Afterward, the nurse came with two containers of healing potion. She gave me one of them to drink, which I did. Then she started to apply the potion from the second container to my wounds.


    This was amon way to heal your wounds, I''d used a simr method after my fight with the uth. Although the quality of the healing potions back then was nowhere nearpared to the potions she was using right now.


    As she was doing all this, the healers arrived. This was my first time seeing full-on healers and I''d expected them to look more like the "ssic healers", but they looked just normal.


    In fact, I was sure they were the senior students studying at this academy.


    "Yes, you two. Would you be so kind enough to heal this guy over here? He''s in a pretty dire condition, as you can see," Ryfin said. I didn''t know the reason but his tone was still carefree, as if none of this mattered to him. He was the least serious person I''d seen ever since entering Havenreach.


    There were two healers, a guy, and a girl. They stood close to me and started using healing spells. I could easily sense that they were experienced as I started to feel better soon enough and my remaining wounds started to heal.


    In a minute or so, all of my injuries¡ªincluding the one on my stomach¡ªwerepletely healed and my body was back to normal.


    However, just as I was about to say something I suddenly felt dizzy. Everything in my vision started moving around and dancing in strange patterns. Soon, darkness began to cloud my visionpletely.


    The next moment my eyes closed on their own and I felt myself falling backward. Fortunately, I was on a bed or else I would have ended up smacking my head or something.


    When I fell, I lost consciousness instantly. Everything went dark, and I had no sense of my body anymore.


    ***


    Slowly but surely, the sensation returned to my body. I regained consciousness and tried to open my eyes. But I couldn''t. They felt too heavy.


    I didn''t know why but I felt so weak right now¡­No, that was not right. I did know. The reason I was feeling weak was so obvious. After all, I had not eaten or drunk anything for over a month.


    To forget such a thing, it seemed like the weakness andck of energy were starting to get to my brain too.


    ''Req, are you here?'' I asked.


    [Yes, I am. Right now I''m on the bed beside you. But don''t get your hopes up, I still can''t manifest myself.]


    ''Yes, yes, I know. I just wanted to know that you are with me.''


    [Worry not, I am.]


    Was I...high right now? I was not sure if it was just my imagination or not but I felt like I was talking like a drunk person.

 Chapter 339 Homecoming [4]

    ?


    I still felt weak but somehow how I forced open my eyes and the ceiling of the infirmary room came into sight. My vision was blurry at first but in a few minutes it became clear.


    I tried to get up and even seeded in doing so to an extent but then I fell back on the bed. The weakness and weariness I was feeling right now were way more than anything I''d experienced till now.


    However, taking note of the fact that I''ve awakened the nurse came close to me and helped me to sit up on the bed.


    "How much time was I asleep for?" I asked while she was lifting me up.


    "Three days," she replied.


    Ah¡­well, it wasn''t unexpected. I''d already slept for about a week so this was nothingpared to that¡­I think.


    After sitting straight on the bed I took a look at myself and found myself shirtless. I didn''t know why they had not put a cloth over me. Perhaps it wasn''t that important of a matter in their eyes.


    [You look skinner than before.]


    ''You can still see despite not being in human form?''


    [I won''t call it seeing, it''s more like sensing my surroundings through mana.]


    ''Ah, I see. As for what you said, isn''t it obvious that I''d lose body mass after going through all of that?''


    [Well, that''s true. Hehe~]


    ''Sigh.''


    While taking to Req my eyes wandered around the room and caught sight of something that I hadn''t noticed till now¡ªor I should rather say caught sight of ''someone''.


    Sitting on a chair a little distance from my bed was Anya. She was sitting up straight and looking at me, her face wasposed and her eyes looked¡­dull.


    She didn''t really have any expression on her face which was as rare as it was for me to have an expression.


    "Anya¡­?" I called out to her.


    She didn''t respond for a moment but then said, "Yes, brother? I see that you are awake."


    I had no idea why but that tone of speaking felt a little out of line.


    "Mhm¡­as you can see, I''m fine and alive," I said raising both my arms to show her that I had no injuries.


    "I know that, and I can see too. But you know, I''ve been here since the time you passed out. So even though you might not have any injuries right now I''m well aware of how many you had," she replied.


    I had no response to that question. I mean, I knew where she wasing from. If I had seen her in that state, or my parents, I would have been scared for my life. Yet how she was maintaining apose was a little unnerving.


    "Are you happy now?" she asked. The question was so out of nowhere that I didn''t know what to say. Therefore I couldn''t give her an answer in time.


    "I asked if you are satisfied with yourself right now?" she asked again.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "What I mean is, that you seem quite fond of breaking promises, don''t you?" she said.


    ''Ah fuck¡­I''m doomed,'' I thought to myself as some memories came flooding back. The memories of the letter I''d sent her through da. I''d told her that I woulde back home safely and that she didn''t need to worry about me, I promised that to her.


    Yet I came back in such a horrible condition.


    "W-Well, I''m alive as you can see. I promised you that I would return alive, right?"


    "Oh? So you DO remember the promise. What a surprise!" she said, sarcasm dripping in her voice.


    Again I had nothing to counter that. "I''m sorry¡­" I said, lowering my eyes.


    I''m not the type to ever apologize to someone but it was different when it came to my family. My family was my vulnerability, I could do anything for them. Thus I had no problem apologizing either.


    "What do you think a sorry will do? Will it relieve me of all the pain I felt this past month?"


    "..." I stayed quiet.


    "Answer, why are you not saying anything?" she stood up and walked closer to me.


    "You had promised me that you woulde back alive and that I don''t need to worry about you. You said you would. But then you don''te back, there is no trace of you for an entire world. And when you dide back, you were in a half-dead condition."


    "What am I to make of this? Do you not care at all about how I feel? About how our parents feel? You teleported them here and I''m grateful for that but did you think how will they survive in this unknown atmosphere?"


    "I saw them when they were here, all alone sitting in a corner. Given that you are somewhat smart, you should''ve been able to figure out that they won''t be okay on their own even if you did send them here."


    "I¡­I thought you would take care of them. Which you did¡­" I said.


    "That''s true, but what if I hadn''t seen them? They''ll have to wander around on their own in this unknownnd without much money or any house to live in. Did you ever give it a thought about how hard it could be given how everything happened so suddenly?"


    I had no answer again.


    "I''m sorry¡­" I said.


    She was standing just in front of me and I was looking down all the time hence I hadn''t been able to see her face, though when she didn''t say anything for a while I looked up. I saw that tears were rolling down her eyes.


    "Do you¡­now know? How much the thought of you being dead scares me? How much¡­it pains me¡­? You don''t care at all about those things, do you¡­?"


    "I¡­" she was right. I have not been paying attention to things like that.


    I was so focused on saving the lives of my family that I forgot about making their lives better.

 Chapter 340 Homecoming [5]

    ?


    If Anya had disappeared like I did and then came back in such a battered condition then I can''t even imagine how much my heart would have ached, yet I didn''t notice that she would be feeling the same.


    "I''m sorr¡ª"


    Before I could say any further I felt a sudden heat on my left cheek as Anya''s hand connected right to it. I had not expected her to p me.


    "Just how many times are you gonna say sorry!" she sounded irritated.


    I touched my cheek and felt her p while I tried to make meaning of what she had said. Looking up at her I saw that she was still crying and her face was distorted in a sad expression.


    ''Ah¡­''


    I didn''t know why I was so dense when it came to things like this¡ªperhaps because I had never truly cared for anyone till now.


    Realizing what I had to do I stood up¡ªalthough it proved to be a little hard due to the weakness. Once I was standing I took a step forward and put my arms around her, hugging her.


    "I apologize for behaving this way, but now I''m here right beside you. You don''t have to worry anymore, you can rest assured now," I said while hugging her.


    Suddenly she wrapped her arms around me as well and hugged me tightly and started to cry even harder. Or well, I would say that now was the time she was really crying.


    Until now she had been bottling up her feelings inside her since she had our parents to take care of and she couldn''t afford to let her be too vulnerable due to the current situation humanity was in.


    However, now that I¡ªher brother¡ªwas here, she could finally let it all out and cry without a care in the world.


    She cried, sobbed, and moaned. From her voice, I could feel how much pain she''d felt past these days, and knowing that made me feel like crying too.


    Unfortunately, being able to cry was a luxury I did not have.


    Soon shepletely leaned herself on me and I was forced to sit back down on the bed, although she still didn''t let go of me. She kept crying and sobbing for about ten minutes and all that time I kept her in my embrace and rubbed her head.


    Once she was done she leaned her head up and looked at me.


    "Sorry¡­" she said.


    "Hmm? For what?"


    "For acting that way¡­I was ming you for being ignorant about my and our parents'' feelings while I ended up doing the same thing. You must have gone through a lot too. I''m sorry for treating you that way."


    "No, I don''t think it was your fault. You were stressed and it''s true that I caused you pain. Plus, I think I needed that scolding," I said.


    "Also sorry for one more thing¡­" she said, looking up at me.


    "Yes?"


    "For dampening your chest¡­" she said in a low voice.


    "Ah¡­" to be honest, I hadn''t noticed that before. "Don''t worry, that''s not a big deal."


    After that, she stood up and sat back on the stool while giving me a towel to wipe my chest.


    ''I think I should ask them for a shirt first,'' I thought while wiping my chest.


    "Is everything else alright?" I asked.


    "For the most part, yeah. The majority of the academy students were transported here and a good number of civilians too. Although the total poption is even less than half now," she exined.


    "What about father and mother? Where and how are they?" Ryfin had given me an answer before but I wanted to ask her too.


    "They are currently staying at the refugee camp since we don''t have enough money to buy a house for ourselves," she replied.


    "Wait, does that mean?"


    "Yeah, they are doing jobs too. In order to support themselves," Anya stated.


    "What type of jobs?"


    "Jobs that are not suited for nobles."


    "Damn it¡­" I mumbled as I clenched my fist. I got them here safe and sound but now they were most likely doingbor to earn a living.


    I wanted to change that, no, I had to change that. I had to find out more about this new academy too and check how much things have strayed from the plot of the novel. I had to make myself stronger also since being out in the cmity made me realize that my current level was not enough to survive in the post-cmity world. I had to do a few other things I had in mind too.


    There were a lot of things I had to take off now. Just because I had gotten out of the cmity and brought my family to a safe ce, didn''t mean that all my problems had ended.


    If I had to say it in the clich¨¦ way, they were just starting.


    "Can you give me some clothes?" I asked the nurse.


    "That will be possible. Wait here for a minute," saying that she went to the other room that was connected to the infirmary.


    I began to stand up however just as I did I stumbled. Fortunately, Anya was there to catch me in time.


    "I think you should go eat something. You still look dead," she said.


    "Well, I was just about to go and do that. Also, I don''t know the way around here so can you show me where I can buy some food?"


    "That won''t be a problem," she replied. "And yeah, Mr. Ryfin had told me this, he said that you should meet with him after you have stabilized your body and are in a better condition."


    "Ryfin huh¡­" I thought that I''d gotten rid of him for now but it seemed like he still had some things going on.


    "Fine, I''ll see him," I said.


    "Also one more thing," Anya mentioned.


    "What?"


    "Go take a bath before anything else, you stink."


    "Really¡­?"


    "REALLY really."

 Chapter 341 Sweet Tooth

    ?


    After that, I went with Anya and a few staff members who showed me to a room. This was just a room that was temporarily allotted to me since I wanted to take a bath and stuff.


    During the time it took to take me to the room, I noticed the infrastructure of this building. Surely, it was just like loli_pop had nned.


    The hallways were ted with metal walls and flooring along with bright magic lights. This was a ce entirely different from the rest of the world and didn''t fit into the medieval setting of the world.


    "Phew, that felt good," I mumbled to myself as I held my hair. I was done taking a bath and doing that after such a long time felt truly refreshing.


    And of course, the bathroom here was modern too along with everything else. It hardly felt like I was in another world.


    I took the towel and dried myself, wearing a pair of shorts and getting out afterward.


    "Done?" Anya asked. She was sitting on the bed waiting for me.


    "Yeah," I replied while I took the clothes given to me by the nurse and wore them. It was a loose pair of a shirt and trousers.


    Also, I was the one who''d told her to wait for me so that I could go to the cafeteriater with her but I never thought she''d wait here. Not like I had a problem with it though.


    "Should we go?" I asked when I was donebing my hair and applying some perfume.


    "Sure," she replied and stood up. During the time we were in the room she was speaking less than usual. I didn''t know why was that but a lot of things have been happening, her mind was probably upied with something else. With that reasoning, I didn''t ask either.


    Although if it had been because of a reason as clich¨¦ as getting embarrassed since I was changing in front of her, I would''ve been fairly disappointed. I was her brother after all.


    ***


    After that I went with her toward the cafeteria since, of course, I was hungry. I hadn''t been paying attention to this fact for quite a while but now that I was in a safe environment, I couldn''t help but notice just how hungry I was.


    We went through a couple of hallways and then came out into what seemed like the cafeteria of this academy building. Although I didn''t know if calling it a cafeteria was even right or not.


    I mean, if going purely by size it was as big as the lobby of a hotel. The food stalls were lined up on the sidelines while the seats and tables were ced at the center.


    "This is the caf¨¦," Anya said as we stopped in our tracks.


    "Are the sses not going on?" I asked when I saw that there were still a good number of students present in the cafeteria.


    "No, they are. But the sses in this academy have a different schedule than our previous academy. Some sses are running while some are off. That way sses are going on most of the time," she replied.


    "Ah so it''s like that," I replied.


    "What about the money?" I asked as we walked toward the food stalls.


    "The students here aren''t charged anything, you can eat whatever you want and however you want," she said.


    "But I''m not sure if I''m a student or not," I said. "But then again, if they don''t notice it I won''t be the one to remind them."


    Actually, it was true. I really didn''t know if I was an official student at this academy or not. Technically all the students from the Zaforths magic academy who had managed to survive were enrolled here, but I was not sure.


    However, if they didn''t know whether I was a student or not then I was going to use that fact to myplete advantage.


    And following just that I went to the food stalls and picked up some dishes for myself.


    I took ten donuts, two pancakes, an apple pie, a few tiramisus, one banana split, threeva cakes, two strawberry shortcakes, one chocte cake, and arge cup of cappino


    I had to take Anya''s help to bring all of this stuff to a table, but in the end, I managed somehow. Once everything was transported to the table I sat there with a fork in my hand, ready to dig in.


    "Aren''t you going to eat?" I asked.


    "I just ate a while ago, I''ll only have some tea," she said pointing toward the cup of tea.


    ''Ehh? So my sister is on the tea team? How disgraceful,'' I thought to myself while taking a sip of my coffee.


    When I was done with a few sips I moved toward the main course. I started with the tiramisu, then a banana split, then one shortcake, then a few sips of coffee, and the apple pie. I took a breather afterward and then began with the chocte cake, then ava cake, the remaining tiramisu and banana split, then another shortcake.


    ''Fucking hell these are delicious!'' I eximed inwardly. All the dishes here were a thousand times better than anything I''d eaten before.


    A weird sort of warmth spread throughout my body as I continued to eat these dishes.


    [Oh no? What do I see here?]


    ''Hmm? What is it?''


    [You are blushing, aren''t you?]


    ''What the hell are you talking about? Me blushing is thest thing you''d see before you die. No, actually you won''t see it at all.''


    [Hehe~ But I just saw it!]


    ''Don''t lie, it''s no use.''


    [I''m not lying! Why would I lie? I really saw you blushing. It was just for a moment when you were engrossed in eating. Only for a second, it appeared on your face. Normally people wouldn''t have been able to see it but I did, since I''m always watching you!]


    ''You sure it wasn''t just your imagination? You are low on mana, you sure that you aren''t hallucinating or something?''


    [How rude! I''m sure of what I saw. And I expect to see you blushing more. You looked adorable~!]


    ''Agh shut up now.''


    [Still, putting that aside. You sure have a sweet tooth, don''t you?]


    I was going to deny that too, although I couldn''t when I looked at the table in front of me.

 Chapter 342 An Original Character [1]

    ?


    "Do you feel better now?" Anya asked as she took a sip from her cup of tea.


    "Yeah," I replied.


    I''d finished eating everything that I''d ordered and felt much more alive. Right now I was on my way to drinking the third cup of coffee while I continued to chat with Anya.


    "How were you doing while I was gone?" I asked.


    "You mean how did I adjust here?" I nodded to that. "Well, I won''t say that it was easy. To be honest, I was in a very worse condition when everyone was teleported here.


    "Everything had happened so suddenly, we were told about the demons and the invasion and that now we have to live in this new city. We didn''t have a house and were low on money so I was worried about mother and father too, after all, they had to live in the refugee area.


    "It was such a mess, honestly," she said as a sarcastic smile overtook her face. She was probably looking back at her actions and thinking about what she could''ve done better.


    That was a very normal way of thinking I''d say, I had gone through it as well. And not once but many times.


    When you are in a tough situation you struggle to find a way out, or when you do find a way you are not sure whether it is the right choice or not, whether you should choose this option or wait for another one to appear.


    The uncertainty that strikes in times like those is more terrifying than a physical wound. But despite that, you still make a choice and move forward¡ªnot doing anything is the worst choice after all.


    However, when you are finally past that tough situation and you look back at your past self, you realize how things would''ve turned out entirely different had you chosen the other option.


    Thenes the regret. If you had chosen to walk down the path that was in front of you, you think back on it and say to yourself that the situation would''ve been better if you had waited for a new path to appear.


    And if you had chosen to wait for a new path to appear, you look back on it and think that perhaps the oue would have been better if you didn''t wait and went on the first path.


    The cycle of regret and uncertainty continues until you finally ept the choices you made ande to terms with your current future.


    Although letting go of the past is easier said than done¡­In fact, it''s very difficult to do so.


    "So, how did you manage to get everything together? From the way I see it, you seem to be doing quite well right now," I continued.


    "Right?! I''m doing much better than before and it''s all thanks to him. When I was at the darkest point of my life he was the one who motivated me and gave me the energy to move forward. He was the one who told me that no matter what I did in the past, there is still a future ahead of me. Had it not been for him, I would most likely still be holed up in my room all depressed."


    As Anya talked about this person a cheerful expression took over her face. From what I could see, she admired this person. However, with just a little push this admiration would change into a different sort of feeling.


    ¡­The most cursed feeling out of all.


    "Are you talking about Leon?" I questioned. I''d done many things to keep him from getting into a rtionship with Anya, but it was possible that some developments had happened while I was not here.


    "Hmmm? No, Leon did try to cheer me up but I''m not talking about him," she replied.


    "Not Leon? Then who is it? I don''t remember you having any other male friends who are this close to you," I said.


    "Oh,e to think of it you haven''t met him. Actually, he transferred into ss A when we took the reevaluation exam," Anya replied.


    ''A new person? No, a new character?'' I thought to myself.


    This was some news to me. I don''t think there was any character like this in loli_pop''s novel. I mean, originally by this time I was supposed to be dead and Anya was a part of Leon''s harem so there''s no chance of any other guy popping up.


    I went through the memories I had of the novel again but still couldn''t find a character like this.


    That was strange. Not good. In fact, depending on the person himself it could be a big problem for me. Because if the guy she was talking about wasn''t a character from the novel then he was most likely an original character just like Ryfin¡ªwho didn''t exist in the novel.


    But unlike Ryfin this one was involving himself directly with the main cast¡ªa.k.a Anya.


    ''If I don''t do anything there''s a good chance that he might end up changing the entire plot!''


    I know that I''d left the idea of keeping the plot the same however as long as things went like in the novel I had a fair advantage, therefore I still wanted to keep the plot simr if not exactly the same for as long as possible.


    "Who is this guy you are talking about?" I asked as I took thest sip of my coffee.


    "Well, he¡ªah, you''re in luck, he''s here," Anya said while pointing behind me with her finger.


    Turning behind I saw three people. I recognized two of them¡ªthey were Leon and Ellyn. However, the third person was unknown.


    He was around the same age as Leon and was about the same height as well. He had jet-ck hair and eyes with a skin tone that was on the fairer side. (Character image in paragraphments.)


    But most of all, he was someone I did not know. Someone who did not exist in loli_pop''s novel. Someone who despite all that, was interacting with all of the main cast.

 Chapter 343 An Original Character [2]

    Chapter 343 An Original Character [2]


    The three of them came and stood near the table.


    "Anya! So you are here! We were searching for you all over the ce, you know," the unknown guy said as he greeted Anya with a smile.


    "Ah well, my brother is back as you can see so I had a few things to take care of," she replied.


    "Your brother?" he mumbled while his eyes searched the area around the table before finally setting on me. "Ah, so you''re her brother."


    "So I am," I said.


    "Zero, this is Akumi Kotsusube. The guy I was talking about," Anya said.


    "Ah, I see. I''m Zero," I said while I stretched out my hand toward him for a handshake. For the time being, I''d decided to behave normally and observe him before deciding on anything.


    However, he was spacing out¡ªeven though he was perfectly normal a second ago. No, that probably wasn''t the case. When looking closely I observed that he was staring at me with suspicion in his eyes, as if he''d seen a ghost.


    "Oh¡­yeah. I''m Akumi, nice to meet you," he replied, finally snapping back to reality and shaking my hand.


    ''Akumi, huh? That''s a weird name if going by the standards of this world. In fact, that totally sounds like a Japanese name,'' I thought to myself. Although someone having a name like that wasn''t totally out of ce since loli_pop had added a few Japanese characters.


    "Why don''t you all have a seat too?" Anya offered. The table we were currently upying had enough space for five people to sit.


    And that did end up happening, epting her offer the three of them dragged chairs from the side and sat around us. And just as I had anticipated, the new guy sat beside Anya.


    ''Why did I expect it in the first ce? Perhaps because it''s way too obvious?'' Still, I was not sure of it therefore I was stopping myself from taking any action immediately.


    "I heard that you took care of my sister while I was gone, thanks for that," I said to Akumi.


    "No no, don''t mention it, please. That''s what anyone would have done. She was so depressed at the time I couldn''t help but support her," he said and then nced at Anya with a smile.


    "Gloominess doesn''t look good on such a beautiful face, after all," he added. Anya being politeughed it off, but it got on my nerves, making me form a first under the table.


    ''Control Zero, control,'' or so I told myself. But it was rtively hard to do so when the matters were rted to my family.


    Still, I somehow calmed myself down while keeping a poker face.


    "Excuse me for a bit, I''ve to go get a refill," I said while I stood up along with my coffee cup. As I moved away I pinched Ellyn on her back¡ªwho was sitting next to me¡ªbefore I went toward the stalls.


    Finding the coffee stall I waited after ordering a cup. A few secondster I saw Ellyning over to me.


    "That wasn''t really a nice way to call," she said and stood next to me.


    "Hmm? It was the best way to call you without anyone noticing," I replied. "Moreover, I have something important to talk about."


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "About that new guy, Akumi. I want you to tell me everything you know about him, everything rted to him, every single detail," I said.


    "That much¡­?" there was a sense of hesitation on her face. Of course, asking for this much information about a person was creepy in its own way but I didn''t care about things like that.


    "I get it, but I can''t tell you everything right now. I mean, I don''t even remember every single detail about him. Plus, it''d take a good amount of time," she said, signaling toward the table where Anya and the others were sitting.


    "That''s true," I said as I took my new cup of coffee. "Fine, meet me at the rooftop tonight," saying that I left.


    It felt like I heard her saying something else but I wasn''t able to hear it clearly. Maybe it was just my imagination, and even if it wasn''t I''d said all I wanted to hence I went straight to the table.


    As I got closer I saw Akumi chatting with Anya casually, looking at them made it obvious that they had be close. After all, I''d known Anya for a long time now and she wasn''t the type to open up to just anyone.


    If she was doing it with him that meant she had acknowledged him and felt like she could let her guard down around him. And that was something I didn''t really like.


    After that, I went and chatted with them for a while, although I was mostly listening to the conversation they were having.


    "Still, how did you make it out alive? I mean, from those demons," Leon asked.


    "Yeah, I''m curious too!" Akumi said. "Did you fight them or something?"


    "No, no, there''s no way I could fight them. Have you guys even seen just how powerful those demons were?" I replied.


    "Yeah, I''d heard people talk about how it was even hard for the teachers to fight them," Ellyn added.


    "Exactly, for me to fight them would''ve been impossible," I stated.


    "Then how did you manage to make it out alive?"


    "Well, it''s not anything great. I just ran away," I said. "I knew that fighting those demons is impossible that''s why I hide and ran until I was far away."


    "Hmmmm, even so, running away from them sounds like a pretty impossible task in itself," Akumi said.


    "You are right. When I came here I was in a half-dead condition. If it hadn''t been for the healers here I would''ve been dead by now," I stated.


    "Well, all''s well that ends well," Anya said. "The most important thing is that you made it out alive, and right now you are here between us. I couldn''t ask for anything more."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t go anywhere now," I said, looking her in the eye.


    That was right. Now that there was this unknown person around her, there was no way I was going to leave her alone at all.

 Chapter 344 An Original Character [3]

    Chapter 344 An Original Character [3]


    "Well, I think it''s time for me to leave now," I stated as pushed my chair back and stood up.


    "What? You''re leaving already?" Anya asked with a sulking face. I could understand that after staying away from me for a month she wanted to spend some time with me, but unfortunately, I had other things to take care of first.


    "Yes, I have to meet with Ryf¡ªMr. Ryfin too," I added.


    "That''s true but¡­" she mumbled.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here now, you can meet me whenever you want."


    "Agghh, fine!" she said.


    After bidding goodbye with Leon and the others I left the cafeteria and went to meet with Ryfin. There were a few things I wanted to ask him, and I''m sure he had something to talk about too. After all, there''s no way that man would call me for a normal reason.


    However, as I was walking through the hallways and going through the corridors I suddenly realized something.


    ''I don''t know the way¡­'' I thought to myself. The building of this academy was foreign to me and I wasn''t familiar with the ways.


    I thought about going back and asking Anya to take me to the staff room however that didn''t feel right. Therefore I decided on a different way of doing things.


    Anya had brought me to the cafeteria from the temporary room that was given to me and I was brought to that room by the staff present in the infirmary. Fortunately, I remembered all of those ways.


    Therefore I decided on going to the infirmary first and there asking about the way to the staff room. It seemed like a good n of action thus I instantly changed directions and started going toward the infirmary.


    I walked and walked and walked for a while as I continued to observe the new building. No matter how many times I reminded myself of this, this academy and this entire city were set on a modern theme.


    Although looking at it after living in the medieval setting for so long feels a little weird.


    ''In fact, I''m surprised that the other people got used to this so quickly. After all, for them, these modern things should''ve beenpletely new and strange.''


    As I walked I noticed that I was gathering the attention of the other students who were passing by. It took me a moment to realize why was this, though I finally did in the end.


    I was the only one who was not wearing a uniform. The clothes given to me were casual clothes and made me stand out from the rest of the students who were in the academy uniform.


    ''Now that I think about it, there were a lot of people looking at me in the cafeteria too,'' I thought to myself.


    Drowning in these thoughts I was making my way toward the infirmary when suddenly someone called me from behind.


    "Zero," they said, in an extremely rude and arrogant tone.


    Turning behind I saw that it was Akumi. With hands in his pocket, he was standing at a distance of a few steps from me. But when I stopped and turned around he took a few steps forward and stood directly in front of me.


    "Ah it''s you," I said in a tone that was more simr to a mumble.


    "You see, there''s actually something I wanted to ask you," he said, his eyes seemed like he was looking down at me and his attitude reeked of arrogance.


    ''Why is he feeling more and more like a typical bully character?'' I thought to myself.


    "Why the fuck are you still alive?" he asked, his voice louder than before.


    "Huh¡­?" I was taken aback by that question for a bit. Even if for a split second, I lost myposure. Although I instantly put my guard up and calmed myself.


    "Why do you mean by that? What exactly are you talking about?" I asked back. Icked information about him and his motives, therefore for the moment, I decided to y along a bit and let things go ording to his script.


    "I asked why the fuck are you still alive? You should''ve died a long time ago," he said.


    "When Anya told me that you went missing in the cmity when you should''ve died way before that, I did think it was a little weird. But I thought you died anyway so it''s fine and I shouldn''t care about it, but I was wrong! You are still fucking alive!"


    ''Now, now, isn''t this an interesting turn of events?''


    "I don''t understand what you are saying. Why do you think that I should have died? I don''t believe we''ve met before but, do you hate me for something?" I asked. "That''s the only reason I could think of for why someone would want another person to be dead."


    "Yeah, you''re right. You are so right! I fucking hate you! Because of you, Anya won''t depend on me anymore! I was so close to making her fall in love with me, but you just fucking had toe and interrupt us!" he said loudly as he moved forward and held me by my cor, pushing me against a wall.


    While he was doing that I was thinking that was it really okay for this idiot to reveal so much information like that to me. I mean, at this point I was genuinely confused whether he was saying all this on purpose or if he was really that dumb.


    "Even back at the Zaforths academy, I nned to meet her by sending her those letters and setting everything up. But that time I was interrupted by that bastard Leon! Now this time it''s you!"


    ''Wait a second¡­letters?''


    He increased his grip around my cor as he angrily red at me.


    "Why the hell do you all like to get in my way that much? You''re nothing but side characters!" he screamed.


    ''Wait wait wait, just¡­let''s take a moment and think about this. I know this is sudden, and it camepletely out of nowhere. But still, if what this guy is saying was true, then I just might have found Mr. X.''

 Chapter 345 An Original Character [4]

    ?


    "What are you talking about? I''m confused. And would you mind letting go of my cor?" I said.


    "Tch. You haven''t really done anything to me, that''s true. You are but a petty side character after all. But you being alive is what causes me problems," Akumi grumbled as he pushed me further against the wall.


    "That''s why, I''m going to kill you," he dered, anger shing in his eyes.


    "Umm¡­I still don''t understand what you''re talking about but¡­if you are going to kill me then is it really okay for you to tell me that? I mean, won''t I have time to prepare if I know you''re targeting me?" I asked.


    Here I was not acting, I genuinely didn''t know why he was stating that he wanted to kill me if he wanted to.


    "Hah, that''s not a problem. I can tell you because no matter how strong you may be, you will never be a match for me. I can kill you whenever I want, even at this moment I can end your life if I want to. Whether you get the time to prepare or not, it will have no zero effect on the oue," he stated.


    "But you know, I can report what you said to me to the academy staff too. A few students who were passing by have seen you hold my cor and push me against the wall so that will serve as evidence. Also if after this I directly go and report then even the traces of your mana could be found on my shirt," I exined all that to him in a very polite manner.


    "Once it''s confirmed that you were really going to kill me, the academy will most likely expel you. People who aren''t a student at the Silver Garden Academy aren''t allowed inside the campus, thus you won''t get any future chance of killing me


    "That is why," I stared directly into his eyes. "If you were going to kill me, you should have kept it a secret rather than spilling it out to me."


    "Y-You!" frustration was clear on his face. "For a side character, you do talk a lot!" he said, although while fuming he let go of my cor and took a step back. Perhaps what I had said hit him in the heart.


    "Hm? Don''t tell me¡­you didn''t think about all of this and just came here to threaten me without thinking about the consequences?" I asked innocently.


    "W-What?!" his voice cracked and he took a few seconds to think before responding.


    "Of course not!! Do you really think I''de here without thinking anything through? I already knew everything you said, it''s just that I''m not afraid of the academy staff! If I want, I can wipe them out along with you! After all, they too are nothing but NPCs!"


    "What about you though? You told me that I shouldn''t tell you my ns, however, you just did the same by telling me all that. Doesn''t that make you an idiot and a hypocrite?" heughed as he said that, trying to console himself by ming me.


    "Oh? That''s not the case though. Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. If you defined everything I said as a ''n'' then I believe you should really sit and think about your life choices," I replied.


    "Also, if it is as you said, then you already knew everything I said, didn''t you? Then I didn''t reveal any information to you since you were already aware of everything I was going to say," I mentioned.


    "Y-You¡­that''s true. Agggghhhhh!! Fuck it, whatever. I''ll see when ites to it!!" he eximed. "But I''m going to kill you! Remember that!"


    With that he left, stomping the ground in frustration with loud and noisy steps as he went away.


    "Well, that wasn''t much trouble," I mumbled to myself as I adjusted my cor.


    What he said did indicate that this guy was X¡ªthe person who sent those letters to Anya and arranged for Winston and his friends to corner her¡ªhowever, after this exchange with him I was having a hard time believing that.


    After all, I''d thought that X would be at least a little intelligent and not an insecure, uncertain, and delusional idiot.


    Though now that I think about it, his actions did hint at him being that way.


    Despite that I''d gained a lot of useful information by interacting with him and a lot of my suspicions were confirmed too, there was a lot to think about. However, at the moment I decided to put that on hold and do what I was originally going to.


    Which was to meet and have a talk with Ryfin.


    Therefore I turned around and went back on my way toward the infirmary.


    ***


    After I went to the infirmary I asked the people present there about the directions to the staff room. But it turned out that at this time¡ªevening¡ªRyfin was usually in his own office hence I was given the directions to there.


    I''d followed the way they''d told me and was now standing before the door to his office. I tried opening the door and directly going inside but it was locked, so I knocked.


    "I''m Zero, I heard that you''d something to talk with me," I said.


    A few secondster the door opened automatically. It went sliding inside the wall like a futuristic door and revealed the way to the room.


    I stepped inside and entered the room, the door closed on its own afterward. My eyes wandered around the office as it was quite spacious and well-decorated, or perhaps that was not the right word.


    The office wasn''t really decorated, in fact, there was minimal furniture and essories there. However, they were ced with precision and the entire room was so organized that it looked like it was decorated for an asion.


    Near one of the walls was a big wooden table with a lot of files scattered over it. Behind it was a chair with Ryfin sitting on it.

 Chapter 346 Discussion [1]

    ?


    "Yo! You came sooner than I expected," Ryfin said.


    "Oh really? I don''t think so," I replied as I walked toward the table.


    "Here have a seat," he stated, pointing toward the two chairs that were ced on the other side of the table.


    "Why thank you. But you didn''t need to say that, I was going to sit anyway," I said as I took a seat in front of him.


    "Ouch, at least try to hide your hostility," hemented.


    "I don''t see a reason to do so," I answered. "Aside from that, why did you call me here?"


    "What? And here I thought that you might have a lot of questions since this ce ispletely new to you. I just wanted to help you, you know," he said with a smile, the type that got on my nerves.


    "Quit joking around, I know you won''t call me for just that reason. Tell me the truth," I stated.


    "You''re no fun, are you? It wouldn''t have hurt to have a little chat."


    "Apparently, I don''t seem to have the time for it. State your business."


    "Fine, fine. Honestly, kids these days are so rigid," he sighed.


    "But it''s true, really. I don''t have any ulterior motives as you are expecting me to. I called you here because as a teacher at this academy, there are certain things I have to inform you of."


    "And what those might be?"


    "You''re aware that you still aren''t officially a student at Silver Garden, right?" he said while he opened a drawer and took something out of it.


    It was a card which he then hurled toward me. Raising my hand I caught it and looking at it I saw that it was an ID card.


    Or well, my ID card from the Silver Garden Academy. All the information mentioned on the card was exactly the same as the one I got in the Zaforths Academy, but theyout of it was different.


    ''Wait a second,'' I thought to myself as I was looking through it. Then I noticed that not all information was the same, there was something else that was different¡ªother than theyout.


    "Why am I a student of ss 1A?" I asked, looking at Ryfin. As I asked that question a big smile covered his face¡ªor perhaps a grin would be the better word to define it.


    "That''s a good question. You see, during the time you were sleeping after getting treated by the healers I took the moment and registered you as a student of this academy¡ªthat''s why you have that ID card right now," he said, pointing toward the card.


    "But here at Silver Garden, a new exam was added when all the other students were enrolled after getting teleported here. It was a reevaluation exam."


    ''Ah, Anya did mention an exam like that,'' I thought.


    "The exam was to determine the value of each student and resign their sses based on how much they are worth. All the students from the four academies took the exam and new sses were given to them based on their power level and strength," he exined.


    "And? Where do I fit into all this? I don''t remember taking an exam like that," I said.


    "Yeah, you didn''t. It was me who assigned you this ss."


    "What?!"


    "I said I''m the one who put you in ss A."


    "Why?"


    "Why you ask? It''s because I wanted to."


    "And why you wanted to?"


    "Because now that things have been serious, I''ve been assigned as the homeroom teacher of ss 1A. There are a lot of interesting students in this ss, both the old ones and the new ones. I just thought that having you deal with those students would be entertaining and fun to watch."


    "That is your reason!" I said, rather loudly. I was a little enraged after all. From the way he said that it was like he was treating me as a source of entertainment. Although I did end up calming myself down afterward.


    ''It''s not something worth getting angry over. Getting into ss A shouldn''t really be an issue now,'' I said inwardly after giving it some thought.


    After all, the whole reason I''d avoided getting into ss A was to avoid gathering attention toward myself, and at that point, I didn''t know that this world was based on loli_pop''s novel.


    Now that those things were cleared out and I didn''t really have any problem interacting with the main cast and getting some unwanted attention, getting in ss A perhaps wasn''t a problem.


    In fact, it might prove to be helpful since I could keep watch on Akumi¡ªas he was in the same ss.


    "Say Zero, do you know the purpose of this new academy?" Ryfin asked, looking at me.


    I actually knew due to information in the novel but I decided to y dumb here.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "You see, the attack of the demons was something that was already predicted by us. That''s the reason all four academies were established¡ªto find ways to fight against the demons and search for candidates who could fight from the side of humanity when the time came for it.


    "And now that this disaster is upon us, all four academies were merged together along with all the strong students in them. So what I really want to say is, the main purpose of Silver Garden is to create a team of heroes who can fight for humanity," he exined.


    "So all the students in ss A are potential candidates for being a hero?" I added.


    "Exactly!" he said, snapping his fingers.


    "Do you want to make me one?" I asked.


    "Well, it certainly would be interesting to see you ying one."


    "I won''t. You know that well," I said. "I am no hero."


    To that reply, he chuckled a little.


    "You don''t get to decide for yourself whether you are a hero or not, that is something the world decides for you. If the world wants you to be a hero, then you will be a hero irrespective of whether you want that or not."

 Chapter 347 Discussion [2]

    ?


    "You don''t get to decide for yourself whether you are a hero or not, that is something the world decided for you. If the world wants you to be a hero, then you will be a hero irrespective of whether you want that or not."


    "If that''s the case," I said as I put my hands above the table and interlocked my fingers. "I might end the world for forcing me to do something which I don''t want to do."


    "Oh, scary scary. I''m shivering so bad right now," he said, clearly making mocking me.


    Though I couldn''t me him for this, I was the one who gave him the chance after all.


    "Still, putting the jokes aside. Why don''t you want to be a hero? Isn''t that the sort of thing young boys dream of being," Ryfin asked.


    "Well¡­" his words made me remember none other than my own father who had the dream of being a hero in his teen years. "Those who dream of that have not seen the real world and are still living inside their fairytale fantasies. And those who are aware of the reality but still strive to be a hero are what you call na?ve."


    "Oh? That''s some perspective you''ve got there. What makes you hold that philosophy?" he questioned.


    "Are you seriously asking me that? What is a hero anyway?" I said. "You can say that a hero is a symbol of hope for the people in despair, an idol, someone the people can look up to, someone who can give the people a sense of security and safety.


    "But I don''t believe that to be the case. You only find those types of heroes in books¡ªthey don''t exist in our world, they can''t."


    "Then what do YOU think a hero is?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.


    "Nothing more than a strong soldier whom the government officials can push the responsibility on, someone whose death will be celebrated as a ''sacrifice''. Or in simpler words, a sacrificial pawn," I stated.


    Most of what I''d said was bullshit and I didn''t mean any of it¡ªI was just spouting the things he expected me to say. However, one thing that I truly believed in was that heroes were people who could prove to be quite useful if you knew the correct way to handle them.


    "All right I get it. You carry some deep philosophical stuff too. Not that I get any of it though," he said, stretching his arms.


    "Then why''d you ask?"


    "No reason. Just killing time I guess?"


    "What?!"


    "Huh? I mean, you refused to have some idle chat before so I had no choice left but to go at it in a roundabout way," he rified.


    "You¡­" I sighed. However, after that, I instantly realized my mistake.


    It''s not that he was outwitting me¡ªwell, maybe but that was not entirely the case. The reason he gets me to do what he wants every time we meet is because I get so worked up while dealing with him.


    I should be cautious of him but I get overly cautious and that diverts my attention.


    To put it simply, I get so busy trying to locate the hidden mines that I end up stepping on the obvious, visible ones.


    But now I realized what mistake I was making and nned to not repeat it. Thus I adjusted my approach and decided to talk to him about one thing that piqued my interest.


    "There''s something I want you to tell me," I said.


    "You want me to TELL you? Not something that you want to ASK me?" he queried.


    "Take it however you want."


    "Ah well, not that it matters. Fine, I''ll tell you whatever it is that you wanna know."


    I let out a breath and shifted back in my chair.


    "When I used the magic circles to teleport myself here, I was transported in mid-air instead of to the receiving magic circles. Why was that?" I asked.


    "That huh. Well, it''s notplex really. Once we confirmed that everyone had been transported inside the city, a barrier was cast that covered the entirety of Havenreach. It''s a barrier that stops those demons from entering the city but along with that it stops any kind of teleportation as well¡ªwe can''t have those demons teleporting inside after all," he exined.


    "But I did reach there though, the teleportation was sessful," I mentioned.


    "As I said, the barrier only blocks teleportation inside Havenreach. But you can still teleport anywhere in the space within the borders of the receiving magic circles¡ªwhich also includes the space above the barrier."


    "So that''s how it works huh¡­" I mumbled.


    "Oh and by that I remembered, do you still have the book you borrowed from me?" Ryfin asked.


    "No, I used it for teleporting myself here. How could I still have it?" I replied.


    "What? You don''t know? You can pick up the book once the magic circle expands."


    "Well, I certainly had no way of knowing that," I answered.


    That was a lie. That book was important therefore I''d grabbed it right before I teleported. Since I didn''t have ess to my own room right now I''d told Anya to hold onto that book.


    "That''s too bad, it was a precious book, you know," he said, probably to himself.


    "Now, if you have nothing else to discuss I will be taking my leave," I said as I stood up.


    "Don''t forget your ID card, it''s important here. The card also works as the key for the door lock to your room so make sure to not lose it," he informed.


    "And where is my room?"


    "The room number is written on the card, but finding the room in the dorm buildings is up to you¡ªask someone for help if you can''t find it."


    I looked at the card and at the bottom left corner, my room number was written.


    ''691 huh¡­Why do I always get these types of rooms¡­?'' I thought to myself.


    As I was looking through the card my eyes fell again on my ss, ss 1A.


    "Do you really think I''m strong enough to be put in ss A?" I asked innocently.


    "Now, now, that''s not really a good joke. You fought against those demons and made it out alive. If that is not enough of a proof of your strength then I don''t know what is. In fact, put this ss A in your situation and most of them will be dead," he said.


    ''Well, it was worth a try.''


    After that, I turned around and began to leave. However, just when I''d taken a few steps Ryfin called to me again.


    "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you this but there''s more evidence to prove that you''re worthy to be put in ss A," he said.


    "And what that might be?" I asked as I stopped in my tracks.


    "Those teleportation magic circles, I''m the only one who can use them. Many people have tried but even with the book, they died since the magic circle was tooplex for them to handle."


    This made me turn toward him, rather instantly.


    "The strain on their brain was too much,bined with mana exhaustion their heads went boom," he gestured an explosion with his hands as he said that.


    ''This bastard! He let me take that book knowing full well that it could''ve killed me!''

 Chapter 348 Dazzling Lights Of Darkness

    ?


    The sun had started to set and the sky was painted in a tinge of orange and gold. The clouds present in the sky were not white but dark, giving the entire atmosphere an eerie vibe.


    I was standing at the main entrance gate of the Silver Garden Academy while I nced up at the sky. A gentle gust of wind passed by making the scarf I wore dance in the air and make my hair flutter.


    It was the mid of February and the winter season was nearing its end, but the winds still carried a chill in them.


    I let out a breath as I looked at the path in front of me. The lights of Havenreach had lit up the whole city in dazzling brightness, however, there was still an emptiness in it.


    As if something was missing, something important. If I were to make a guess I''d say that it was something that made a functioning human society into a "human" society.


    From what I could see, there were not many people on the streets. Which wasn''t unexpected since it was nearing dark and given the circumstances no one wanted to stay out at night.


    Nheless, the people who were out carried a sadness on their faces. They were most likely the people who were given important jobs and posts, leading them to work hard even in these conditions.


    The effect of that looked clear on their faces. As I stepped out of the campus and began walking down the road, I started to see it more clearly.


    The people here were depressed. They had lost family members and friends right in front of their eyes, their houses had been destroyed, their money had been taken, and everything went downhill in an instant.


    Putting it in simpler terms, they had been robbed of their existing life. It was not all that unnatural for them to act this way.


    When looking at it this way it seemed like the dazzling bright lights of Havenreach were there to outshine the darkness and sadness that the people were harboring in their hearts.


    ''I wonder if this can somehow be useful to me,'' I thought to myself as I continued to walk down the road.


    Unlike Zaforths Academy, this academy allowed the students to venture outside the campus whenever they wanted. Hence right now I was able to go somewhere I really wanted to, ever since I came back.


    It was to meet my parents. After my meeting with Ryfin, I''d asked Anya the location of the refugee camp and right now I was on my way there.


    ''What do you think about it, Req? Isn''t this city growing too much in color?''


    I asked the question in my mind, normally it would have gotten to Req and she would have replied instantly. However, this time no answer came.


    There wasplete silence. I waited and waited and waited, and waited a bit more. But there was no answer. Everything had gone quiet.


    "As I thought¡­" I mumbled.


    Req had run out of mana after using the full power of the Requiem sword for a second time, that''s why she wasn''t able to materialize herself in human form till she recovered her mana.


    All this time we were only talking through our mental connection. I had been wondering about this for a while but now it was confirmed.


    Communicating with telepathy also used up her mana, even though she did not mention it at all. We were talking for quite a long time after that, it was only natural that she would run out of her remaining mana as well.


    I had no idea how long would it take for her topletely recover her mana but one thing I did know was that I was going to be by myself for a while now.


    ***


    Going through various roads, twists, and turns I finally arrived at the refugee area.


    It was a little different than what I''d expected. The building in front of me was a big¡ªand by big I mean really big¡ªrectangle-shaped building. It had little resemnce to a warehouse albeit that it didn''t have a curved roof.


    There were some people outside who were probably the people living there, perhaps wanted some alone time and came out. The gate was open so I went inside and soon was stopped at what looked like the reception area¡ªthe type of ce where you''d check in if this were a hotel.


    "What you might be here for?" the woman behind the counter asked.


    "Here to see my parents," I replied. Along with that I pulled out my student ID card and showed it to her.


    "Ah, you''re a student at Silver Garden," she mumbled to herself.


    Apparently, the students of Silver Garden had gained quite a reputation. The reason for it¡ªaside from the fact that it was something loli_pop added in the novel¡ªwas that word had gotten out about the Hero program.


    Or should it say it was deliberately spread to give people a little peace of mind? The Hero program in a nutshell was what Ryfin had told me.


    The Silver Garden Academy was training strong students and making them even more strong so that they could fight against the demons and save humanity.


    Due to this, the students gained various perks both inside and outside of the academy campus.


    "Please follow me," she said and came out from behind the counter as another woman took her ce.


    From then she led the way and I walked behind her. Since she had not asked me about the names of my parents, I was guessing that all of the people staying here were kept in one ce rather than being assigned different rooms.


    And that guess was proved right when I did reach the location. Opening the door I entered an enormous hall with a high ceiling.


    Inside, there were many beds lined up side by side at a bit of a distance from each other. Each bed had a stool, chair, and a cupboard with it.

 Chapter 349 The Smile That Could Never Flourish

    ?


    There were some people who were sleeping on their beds, some were talking amongst themselves, some were sitting alone lost in thought, and some beds were empty.


    The people present here were of all sorts of ages. Children, adults, old people, everyone.


    "You''ll find your parents here, and if you don''t then you can check in the dining hall that''s a few steps to the left in this row," the woman with me said.


    "I see," I replied and after that, she went back.


    I stepped inside the hall and began to look for my parents, however, it was not an easy thing to do. The hall was simply too big. There were at least a few hundred people present here, and that was not all.


    There were five more refugee camps just like this one. If Anya hadn''t told me which one our parents were in I''d probably have even more trouble finding them.


    Still, I continued to walk forward as I looked at each bed, searching for my parents. I crossed half of the hallway but still didn''t find them, but after taking a few more steps I finally caught sight of them.


    Their beds were side by side and right now both of them were sitting on a single bed, talking to each other about something.


    ''Finally,'' I thought to myself, letting out a breath.


    I didn''t know what it was, but I felt relieved. As if a great burden had been lifted off my chest.


    From the moment I learned that this world was based on loli_pop''s novel and my parents were going to die, my biggest concern had been to save their lives. When the cmity started I tried to do that and failed. However, I tried again and finally, I had done it.


    Right now my parents were safe, away from the dangers of the world.


    I almost smiled, or more like I was going to smile. But the muscles of my face had been trained so much to keep a poker face that I could not do it. I''m sure Req would have teased me for it if she was able to talk.


    With a sense of relief, I walked toward my parents. For some reason the distance between us felt longer than it was, hence I didn''t know when but I increased my pace. Soon before I knew it I was running.


    I halted a few steps before their beds, breathing from my mouth as my hair fell over my face with sweat above my eyes.


    "Mother, father!" I said.


    They looked at me, their faces stunned in surprise. And then that surprising expression turned into a gentle, warm smile.


    "You finally made it back," father said, making a fist and stretching out his arm toward me.


    "Of course I did. I made a promise, after all," I replied, making a fist and shing it with his. It was like the type of high-five teenage students used to do and it felt sillying from an adult like him, but at the moment I couldn''t care less about that.


    ***


    After that, I spent a good deal of time talking with them and discussing things. Mother broke down in tears soon after she saw me, saying how worried she was and how angry she was at me for doing such reckless things.


    She pulled in a gentle embrace as she cried. It felt nice¡­to be held by someone. It felt good to be held¡­by a parent.


    And that nice feeling ended up increasing my fears, the fear of losing all this. The fear of losing them. The war with demons had just started, after all. But that''s what I was here for, to prevent that from happening.


    When she finally calmed down we were able to have a talk. Anya had already informed them of my arrival during the time I was out cold in the infirmary.


    However, that did not help in lessening their worries. She told me how father had started crying when Anya found them, and hearing that now he suddenly got flustered.


    There were lots of other things we talked about, I exined my situation to them and how I was living in the academy, about the Hero program as well. But we talked about little, insignificant things too¡ªsuch as my mother mentioning how I''d gotten skinnier.


    With that said though, as we were talking I was constantly feeling the many stares. The stares of jealousy, sadness, envy, and such negative emotions.


    Of course, these stares were noting from demons or monsters but from the people present in the hall. The people who had lost their family members and would never be able to meet and talk with them like we were doing right now.


    That was thest push that made me finalize my decision.


    "Mother, father, I''m going to get out of here. As soon as possible," I said.


    "Hmmm? What do you mean ''get us out''?" father asked.


    "This is not a good ce to live, you don''t even have any privacy either. Plus the atmosphere here is always filled with negative emotions, it''s not good for your mental state," I said.


    ''And there is no guarantee that one of these people won''t have a mental breakdown and start killing everyone, losing control over themselves,'' I thought to myself but avoided saying it out loud.


    "I''ll buy you a house," I stated.


    "Buy us a house? You do know that we''re short on money, right? How will you do that?" mother asked.


    "We were only given one-third of the total money we had in our bank ounts," father mentioned.


    I knew about this already. All of the people were given one-third of the money they had in their bank ounts. This was done because when the cmity hit, along with the banks the money itself was destroyed too.


    Therefore the one-third part given to the people came directly from the funds of the government. However, they did not have enough money to give it out for free, hence the one-third tactic.


    "What we have right now is nowhere near enough to buy a house," he said.


    "I know that. I''ll do whatever it takes, but I WILL get you out of here as soon as humanly possible and get you to a nice house where both of you can livefortably," I said.


    I was serious about it.

 Chapter 350 Night & Encounter

    ?


    I talked to them a bit more and after that decided to take my leave. However, I left by telling them that I''de to see them again and the promise of getting them a house.


    Mother and father were still not sure about that idea but I was serious about it. I had to collect shit tons of money and buy them a nice house as soon as possible¡ªor a mansion would be even better I think?


    Either way, that refugee camp wasn''t a ce for them to live and I was going to do something about it. The question of how I nned to get that money was still unanswered but I will eventually get to that.


    With those thoughts in my mind, I was walking down the lonely road on my way back to the academy. Darkness had enveloped the sky and the night had made its way here. But the lights of Havenreach still illuminated the city.


    On my way, I noticed that this time around there were even fewer people on the road¡ªor perhaps I should say that there were none. It had been over five minutes since I crossed thest person, after all.


    I had been walking alone since.


    "Things are going to get rough again," I said to myself as I walked with my hands inside my pockets.


    I didn''t really believe in fate, or heavens, or gods. It was by pure coincidence that just when I was thinking about all the new things that I had to do and the problems in my way, something happened.


    I felt an immense pressureing from my right side. I went on guard immediately, sensing the uing threat. I jumped back, and the next moment a bright curved arc of energy appeared ahead of me.


    Slicing everything in front of it, destroying the newly built road the arc of energy went from one side to another right in front of my face and then disappeared.


    If I had been even a millisecondte I would have been hit by it, and surely it was something capable of killing in one hit. I didn''t have the Requiem sword with me right now either.


    Shifting my attention immediately to where the attack came from I searched for the person behind it. I felt a presence there and inside those alleyways, I saw a shadow moving at a quick speed.


    However, before I could pursue it the shadow disappeared and the presence vanished.


    I could''ve used Maelstrom to attack from a long distance but at this moment I was in the middle of the city. Doing a shy attack like that was sure to attract the attention of some guards.


    There was already enough trouble for me. I didn''t want to get myself involved in more than that.


    ''He''s stronger than I anticipated,'' I thought to myself.


    Of course, I knew the person who delivered that attack. Akumi Kotsusube, a person I really needed to watch out for.


    After I told him that it would get him in trouble if he tried to kill me inside the academy campus I knew that he would try to ambush me when I got outside.


    I was already expecting the attack. However, I ended up underestimating him. It was a fatal mistake from my side that could''ve gotten me killed.


    But more than anything, it was a mistake that I never used to make. I was aware that underestimating your opponent was the worst thing you could do before a battle.


    ''Is the pressure finally making me lose myself?'' I pondered.


    There were a lot of things happening all at once and I''d just gotten out after fighting those demon beasts. Perhaps all this was slowly starting to take a toll on my body and mind.


    Under normal circumstances, one would be advised to take it easy and have some rest. However, I had no time to rest. At least not now, not until everyone I care for is safe andpletely away from danger.


    Letting out a sigh I began to walk toward the academy again.


    ***


    [A Few Moments Before Zero Was Attacked.]


    The night had arrived yet the city of Havenreach was bright and glittering. Although deep in the narrow alleyways where the lights could not reach, the darkness spiraled.


    Zero was walking on the main road,pletely alone while he was lost in deep thought. However, on the other side, there was someone waiting for this opportunity.


    Wearing a mask and clothes of dark color was Akumi. He had been following Zero from the moment he left the academy academy, searching for a chance where he was alone.


    And now, that chance was finally given to him.


    He lurked in the shadows of the alleyways, slowly approaching Zero while still maintaining enough distance to not give himself away.


    He looked around a little, taking note of his surroundings to make sure that no one else was around. Once it was confirmed, he decided to begin.


    Using his speed and agility Akumi jumped over a few buildings and houses and went ahead of Zero. Then he came down and hit himself in a narrow alley from where he could get a clear and straight view of the main road.


    ''Good, let''s do this,'' he said inwardly as he raised his arm idly in the air.


    There right in front of his hand, a gap in space-time appeared and a small portal opened. Akumi put his hand inside the portal and from there he pulled out a sword.


    The sword had a shining golden de and a blue hilt. When he was done taking out the sword the portal closed automatically.


    He held the sword with both his hands and now the only thing left for him to do was wait for Zero to cross the road.


    ''Just you wait, I''m so gonna kill you right here. You were acting so cocky back then, acting like you''re the one in power. This time I''ll show you who''s really in control. And once I kill you, there will no nothing stopping me from getting even closer to my oh-so-cute Anya-chan!''


    As he waited for Zero, his thoughts started to go astray.


    ''I''m sure she''ll be super sad once you die but I''ll be there for her. I will console her just like I did before, that will make our rtionship more strong. I slowly get closer to her and then we''ll fall for each other.


    ''We will do all sorts of stuff that couples do like going to a hot spring or a summer festival and having a party together for Christmas¡­a-and also things like holding hands and stuff. Oh, wait for a second, now that I think about it if we start dating then we will eventually do THAT too, right? I mean THAT!


    ''I''ll hold her hands, I-I''ll also get to kiss her, hold her in my arms¡­a-and then¡­t-then¡­''


    "Aggghhhhh! I''m getting embarrassed just thinking about it!" he said to himself, throwing his hands upward as if cheering¡ªhis face red as a tomato.


    However, while this gentleman was busy exploring his dream world and imagining all sorts of fantasies he forgot what he was mainly here to do.


    He did end up remembering it though it was just when Zero was right in front of him, crossing the road. Just a few more steps and he would be out of sight.


    "Ah fuck I got distracted!" he grumbled as he raised both his hands, holding the sword up high.


    In a hurry, he brought the sword down. The de sliced nothing but thin air however an arc of energy was released from the de, as if that sh had materialized itself and was now moving forward toward Zero.


    Unfortunately, the attack was way toote and messy. Zero saw iting and moved back just in time to avoid it.


    "Ahhhhhhh! He dodged it!" Akumi mored.


    He noticed Zero looking in his direction. "Shit!" he said, and jumped back inside the alleyway, disappearing in the shadows.

 Chapter 351 Night & Fire

    ?


    As I opened the steel door in front of me and stepped forward I was suddenly hit by a gust of cold air.


    "You''rete," the girl standing near the railing said.


    "I had some things to do," I replied.


    She turned toward me, revealing her face. Her long red hair wasing over her shoulders, covering the sides of her face. Her eyes shone a little as they reflected the moonlight.


    She looked beautiful¡ªwhich to say, was the way she always looked. However, this time her face was a little stressed up. Her cheeks puffed up and her brows furrowed as she stared right at me.


    Perhaps she was a little angry at a certain someone who had beente to arrive at the said destination.


    Right now I was on the rooftop of the Silver Garden Academy and the girl waiting for me was Ellyn. I''d told her toe meet me here at night yet I was the one who ended up gettingte.


    "It''s not good to keep a girl waiting, you know. I''d been standing here for about half an hour now," she said.


    "I went to see my parents. Naturally, anyone would prioritize their parents over a girl," I replied as I walked closer and stood next to her.


    "No, I think that''s just you," she said.


    "I guess I''m the only nice guy left in this world then."


    "I wouldn''t want to hear that from you¡­"


    ''Ah, she''d seen some of my true nature,'' I thought to myself.


    "Still, I''m grateful that you kept waiting. I mean, it''s pretty cold up here," I said.


    "You had something you wanted to know, didn''t you? I couldn''t be helped," she said, looking away. For some reason, her voice got quieter toward the end of the sentence even though she started really loud. She looked away and at the same time, a gust of wind passed by, making her hair flutter that hid her face even more.


    "Well then, I''m not wearing a coat or anything like that or I would''ve given it to you. But I can at least do this," I said.


    Afterward, I raised my hand a little, and using my elemental magic I created a fireball. It floated in the air in front of us and then I increased its size. The mes flickered and soon the heat reached us, making the atmosphere a little warmer.


    "It''s fueled by magic so there''s no risk of it being blown away by the wind," I added.


    "Woah! I knew you could use magic without using a magic circle or incantation but seeing it in person is still amazing," she said while looking at the fire, her eyes wide in astonishment as the faint glow of the mes fell on her face.


    Her face was a little red too, mostly likely because of the cold.


    "Now then, getting to the main topic," I said as I leaned back against the railing.


    "Yes, I''ve got all the information avable about him," she replied.


    "Let''s hear it then."


    She took a breath and then began to speak. "Akumi Kotsusube. Back when we were still in the Zaforths academy he was in ss 1C. His grades were average in the entrance exam however he was more of a battle type of student than a study one.


    "He didn''t have many friends. I asked some of the people who were in ss 1C and all of them only knew him as just another ssmate¡ªsome didn''t even remember his name. However, he changed after the attack of the demons started and we were teleported here.


    "In the reevaluation exam, he was in the top three and was transferred into ss 1A. He became really social too and since he had good looks it didn''t take him much time to get popr. He''s not quite on the level of Leon but I heard that there''s a good number of girls who''re after him.


    "Then when you disappeared and Anya was depressed, he started talking to her and motivated her to get things back on track. This was something I saw personally, if it hadn''t been for him Anya would''ve been depressed till the moment you came back.


    "From then on he became friends with Leon and me too. Although not on the same level as he is with Anya," she exined. "That is all."


    "I see, I see. What about his family background?" I asked.


    "About that, I tried looking for it but¡­"


    "But?"


    "There isn''t one."


    "Hmm?"


    "He has no family record. In fact, before the entrance exams for the academy there is no record of the person named Akumi Kotsusube," she said. "It''s as if¡­"


    "He never existed¡­right?" I said,pleting her sentence.


    "Yeah¡­"


    "Hmmm. This certainly is something interesting," I said. However, that was not really the case. I was fifty percent sure that I''d find something like this.


    "Umm, is Akumi an enemy?" Ellyn asked, looking at me.


    "What do you think?" I asked back.


    She took a bit of time thinking about it before she said anything. "It''s true that his background is suspicious and he suddenly got strong without any training or anything. But from what I''ve seen, he doesn''t seem like a bad person."


    "Is that so?"


    "At the very least, he is not a fake person. He doesn''t try to pretend to be someone he is not¡­like I do," she said, lowering her gaze.


    "Now, I wonder about that," I said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You never really know how a person truly is until they want to show you themselves. That means you can never be hundred percent sure whether or not someone is faking their personality or not. Since you don''t know what the real person is like you can''t tell if what''s in front of you is real or not," I exined.


    ''Just like you don''t know that all the things I do around you are pre-nned and done to get your trust and alter your feelings.''


    Ellyn had developed an inferiorityplex. She hated herself¡ªno, that won''t be the right word. She was so disgusted with herself that she automatically thought everyone else was better than her.


    It was one of her major ws. Though it proved useful to me so I didn''t really care.

 Chapter 352 Night & Scarf

    ?


    "As for your original question," I said. "I don''t know whether Akumi is an enemy or not. However, one thing''s for certain and it''s that he is someone to watch out for. I know he''s been on friendly terms with you, but still, I want you to keep a watch on his actions."


    "So that means he is neither an enemy nor a friend, huh" Ellyn mumbled. "Then that makes him a suspicious figure."


    "Yeah, I guess that''s the best way to address him at the moment."


    "Anyway, I appreciate the information," I added, looking at her.


    "Don''t mention it. I will help you, and in return, you will protect me from my father. That''s our deal, isn''t it?" she mentioned.


    "Hmmm, from that I remembered. Where is your father right now? Did he make it into Havenreach?" I asked.


    "Yes¡­" she answered. "Although my current mother could not make it, he was the only one who arrived.''


    "Ah, my condolences."


    "No, it''s not a big deal. I''m sure he''ll get a new wife before too long," she said, and as those words left her mouth I could spot a bitter smile on her face.


    I waited and didn''t say anything for a minute. The fire in front of us continued to burn, casting a golden and warm glow.


    "Huh?" a surprised voice left Ellyn''s mouth on its own as if something she was never expecting just happened.


    "It''s not going to be okay," I said as I rubbed her head. The "something-she-was-never-expecting" was me giving her a head pat. Her face instantly went red and she kept looking straight at me in surprise.


    "D-Don''t people say that it''s going to be okay in times like these?" she asked, finally snapping back to reality.


    "Yeah they do, but it never gets okay; things never get better just by thinking about it. That''s why I''m saying it''s not going to be okay," I replied.


    "However, no matter how bad the situation gets for you, no matter how many times your father tries you kill you, even if an entire army of assassinses after you. I will be there and I will protect you."


    The redness of her cheeks increased and all of a sudden she averted her eyes. I pulled back my arm but still kept looking at her.


    "Y-Y-You didn''t have to say it like that, idiot¡­I know you''re going to protect me. That''s¡­our deal after all," she said while blushing intensely while she tried not to look directly at me.


    ''Okay, so far so good. At least here everything''s going good,'' I thought to myself.


    "No, even if our deal ended here I''d still protect you since I''m now aware of your situation. You don''t have to worry about that," I stated.


    "H-Huh? A-Ah, I see," she replied while stuttering.


    "Hmm?" I said, looking at the scarf around my neck. "What a loss, I could''ve wrapped this around you even if I didn''t have a coat."


    I took off my scarf and was going to offer it to her, however¡­


    "I-I''ll be going back now so there''s no need for that! See you tomorrow," she said in a hurry, and after that, she rushed back down.


    "Sigh, it would''ve been a little better if I got to wrap this around her," I mumbled to myself, looking at the scarf in my hand.


    ''Ah well, whatever, it''s good enough as it is. Ever since I came back to Havenreach there''s been problems after problems from every side. For once I was d to see that with her everything was going fine.''


    "Now then, I should head back as well," I said and extinguished the fire in front.


    I wore my scarf back since the wind was strong and started heading back.


    ''Still, just as I thought; her hair WAS super soft, after all.''


    ***


    "How much is it?" I asked.


    "Ah, you don''t have to pay for it."


    "Why? Is there some kind of discount going on?"


    "No, that''s not it. Are you a new student perhaps?"


    "Yes."


    "That exins it. You see, the students of Silver Garden Academy don''t have to pay for anything they buy inside the academy campus."


    "I see. That''s how it is."


    "Yes. You just have to show your student ID."


    "Here, there you go."


    "Hmmm. Yes, everything''s good. Thank you," the girl behind the counter said, handing me the carry bag and my student ID card.


    After that, I turned back and began to walk toward the dorm buildings. It was prettyte at night right now so I was really grateful that the shopping district was still open.


    I mean, I''d to attend sses from tomorrow but I had forgotten to buy the academy uniform¡ªand I remembered it just when I wasing back after meeting with Ellyn.


    It couldn''t have been helped since I was really busy but if by chance the shops had been closed it would''ve caused real trouble for me in the morning.


    ''It is amazing though. This area is way bigger than Zaforths Academy,'' I said inwardly.


    At the moment I was in the shopping district of Silver Garden Academy. Which, of course, was built inside the academy campus. There were all sorts of shops here, whether it be clothing, food, cosmetics, medicines, magic items, or anything else you could think of.


    Basically, this was just like the shopping districts that were in the city but a mini version of that¡ªalthough based on its size I wasn''t sure if calling it a "mini version" was right or not.


    Afterward, I went back to the dorms and fortunately found my room without having to ask anyone for help. Since I had my own room now, I went back and brought back the stuff I''d given Anya to keep which included the Requiem sword.


    She was sleeping at the time I arrived so I had to knock a few times and wake her up, though it ended up working out in the end.


    "Ahh~ Finally! I''ve been kind of waiting for this," I said as I threw myself on the bed of my room. "This bed is so fucking soft and fluffy!"


    From tomorrow onwards I was going to attend the sses at this academy, not to mention it was ss A. Along with that the rest of the academies have beenbined so I was sure that I''ll see some new students.


    And new students mean new problems. Back when I got into the Zaforths magic academy my n was to live a slow life and not stand out at all. However, that n went down the drain and I ended up abandoning that idea.


    It''s not like I was going to st a fireball right as I stepped inside the ssroom, but if standing out a bit was going to help me avoid a bigger problem then I had no problem with that.


    ''Troubles are piling up again, huh¡­'' I thought to myself as Iy on the soft andfortable bed. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I was asleep.

 Chapter 353 Alone

    ?


    The sun was beginning to climb up in the sky, scattering the rays in all directions. The air right now was fresh and cool which gave a refreshing feeling while taking a breath.


    I took a sip of my coffee while I sat on the window frame of my room, watching the sunrise before me. Currently it was five in the morning, the sses at Silver Garden Academy started at seven but I''d woken up early.


    To be honest, it wasn''t much of a surprise. There were so many things going on all at the same time that it made it almost impossible for me to rx.


    "Honestly, these things never end," I said to myself while gazing at the scenery outside.


    There were a lot of things I had to deal with. Firstly, I wanted to get my parents into a good house so I needed money for that. However, I didn''t really have any idea where I would get that money.


    I could try robbing a bank or something like a heist but that had more cons than it had benefits. Plus, doing something like that alone could prove to be a little rough.


    I needed something that was more reliable and efficient. But no matter how hard I tried I couldn''t think of anything at the moment, therefore I decided to put this on hold for a bit.


    However, this was not all that I had to do. Fighting against the demon beasts had made me realize that I was nowhere near strong enough to survive in the post-cmity world.


    Sure my Foresight skill had leveled up and my status had increased too, but other than that there was nothing else I had.


    There was the Maelstrom series that I''d developed but that was basically my elemental magic. Normally, I used my elemental magic in more of a free-style way but that consumed more mana and time, and the result wasn''t hundred percent urate either.


    That''s why I made the Maelstrom series. In a nutshell, the Maelstrom attacks were attacks that were preprogrammed in my mind and the only thing I had to do was put my mana in it.


    This was different than usual since normally while using I had to decide all sorts of things like the speed of the attack, its distance, uracy, area of effect, the damage it would deal, etc. before I could cast the spell.


    But with the attacks in the Maelstrom series, those things were already decided, which made the attack faster and more efficient.


    However¡ªand a big HOWEVER¡ªit still wasn''t enough. These attacks didn''t carry much firepower since they were more focused on uracy. And the one that dealt heavy damage¡ªMaelstrom Purple¡ªended up damaging me as well upon casting.


    Anyone could tell that it wasn''t a good thing. After all, you aren''t supposed to take any damage from your own magic. Yet I did, which meant that I didn''t have enough control over my magic.


    If I sum this all up in a single sentence it would be that I needed to get stronger. Much more stronger than what I was now.


    Originally I had nned to train with Req when I got the time but since she was out of mana right now, that option wasn''t avable.


    There were a few other ways I''d thought up that would increase my strength exponentially, but none of them could be done right away.


    I needed more time, and perhaps¡­more people. I wasn''t sure about this idea but since the scale of things had increased doing things all by myself was getting harder and harder.


    ''But well, I don''t have any friends orrades so getting more people is totally out of the question,'' I thought to myself.


    I couldn''t get the help of other people, if I was going to do something I had to do it by myself. That was something I shouldn''t forget, and I didn''t n to.


    I just needed to expand my capabilities. Up until now, I was in afort zone since I knew what was going to happen and my power level was enough to make me be able to control the things around me.


    Now though, things had changed. I couldn''t tell with a hundred percent certainty what was going to happen and I wasn''t strong enough either. But all that meant was that I had ovee these hurdles.


    If was going to continue with the ns I had for the future then I needed to get through this situation. After all, up until now, I wasn''t really sure about my end goal.


    I didn''t know what I would do, I didn''t know where I wanted to go, I was just going along with the flow. However yesterday when I met my parents and saw their condition, I finally realized it.


    I wanted to create a world where the people I care for could live safely and I could lead my own peaceful life¡ªwhich by the way had been utterly destroyed.


    To get those two things there was only one way, and that was to end the plot of the novel. I had to make sure that the demon lord gets defeated and humanity wins. Once I end the novel I''ll be free.


    However, there was just this little problem with this¡ªby the time I died, loli_pop had notpleted the novel. Therefore I didn''t know how it was going to end.


    Although since I was an author myself I could pretty much guess the ending.


    "I make it sound easy but actually doing all that is going to be a LOT of trouble," I mumbled before taking a sip of coffee.


    Nheless, there was no other option. I simply had to continue with this n and end the plot of the novel, no matter how hard it proved to be.


    "But before all that," I said as I jumped and stepped down from the window frame. "There is someone I need to take care of."


    That''s right. All that was in the future. The thing I needed to deal with at this moment was one guy.


    "Akumi Kotsusube, he is sure someone I never expected toe across."

 Chapter 354 The Girl Near The Fountain [1]

    ?


    I stood in front of the body-sized mirror on the wall while I changed into my academy uniform. It wasn''t all that different from my previous one and the only major change was that now the color of the uniform was ck with stripped patterns of red on it.


    "Okay, good to go," I said to myself, adjusting my zer.


    I wanted to take the Requiem sword with me but they didn''t allow students to carry weapons with them so that was a no-go. I didn''t really understand the meaning behind this rule. I mean, now that the demons were attacking they should at least let the students carry a sword in case they were targeted.


    ''Ah well, whatever,'' I sighed internally before leaving my room.


    After that, I went to the cafeteria to have breakfast. I was expecting to run into Akumi there but it didn''t happen. I waited there a bit but since it was almost time for the sses to begin I went on my way.


    As I was walking down the hallway toward the ssroom I began to think about how I would act and the atmosphere I would see in the ss.


    I was more or less familiar with the ss A students of the Zaforths academy but now that the other academies hadbined I didn''t really know what to expect.


    Of course, there were some people I knew via the novel but that was an entirely different thing.


    "Sigh, I''ll see when ites to it," saying that I put my hands in my pocket and continued to walk.


    A few minutes passed, then ten minutes, it was probably half an hour by then but I was still walking. In fact, I had been walking faster than before now.


    However, I still didn''t reach the ssroom.


    ''Ohe on, not again¡­'' I said inwardly. ''But well, I mean, this academy is a lot bigger than the previous one and there are a lot of hallways and corridors so it shouldn''t be something new. And I''m new here, it''s my first day actually going through the campus.''


    Still, no matter how I tried to escape from it, no matter what excuse I gave. The truth wasn''t going to change. And the truth at this moment was¡­


    "Fuck! I''m lost!" I said out loud.


    Judging from how much time I''d spent wandering around it was now an unavoidable fact that I was going to bete for my first ss in the academy. I couldn''t really say that I was fond of it.


    ''I mean, I did say that I wouldn''t mind standing out a bit but this is way too soon!''


    Hurriedly, I tried to look for a way. But I waspletely lost in the maze of these hallways. It''s not as if there weren''t any rooms around me, just that they were either ssrooms of a different year or rooms for the academy staff¡ªsometimes I came across storerooms as well.


    Despite that, I still continued to look for a way out. Even though I was going to bete I didn''t want to miss the ss.


    A few more minutes and finally I saw an opening. To my misfortune though, it wasn''t an opening to the main grounds. It was a garden area connected to these hallways¡ªor well, many hallways I should say.


    Basically, it was like a hub that connected multiple hallways. There were flowers nted on the side and a beautiful fountain was running at the center.


    Other than me there was no one else here, except that was not the case. On the side of the fountain was sitting a girl,pletely by herself as she stared into the water.


    She had long snow-white hair that came down to her waist and a pair of crimson-red eyes that were staring nonchntly toward the water in the fountain. She wore the same uniform as me which meant she was also a student here.


    ''Finally, someone I can ask directions from,'' I thought to myself as I began to walk toward her.


    "Excuse me?" I said, standing at a distance of a few steps from her.


    Hearing me say that she was startled for a second before looking in my direction.


    "Yes?" she asked, her voice was soft and had a sort of calming tone to it.


    "I actually got lost while going to the ssroom, could you please tell me the way to ss 1A?" I appealed.


    Right after I said that I was suddenly hit with a Deja Vu feeling. I felt like this entire thing had already happened before.


    After thinking about it for a second I finally remembered. I''d lost my way during the entrance exams for the Zaforths academy too and at that time she was the one whom I asked the directions.


    "Uhh, sure¡­you have to go this way," she said, pointing toward the entrance of a hallway. "After going straight for a while take a left, then a right, again a right, then straight, you''ll be there."


    "Got it," I replied.


    "By the way, if you don''t mind me asking. What are you doing here?" I questioned.


    "Ummm¡­nothing really. It''s just that this ce is quiet and there aren''t many people around," she said.


    Well, she was right about that. There weren''t that many people here.


    "Are you a senior student?" I asked.


    She seemed bothered by the question but then decided to answer it anyway.


    "No, I''m a first-year student. ss 1A," she replied.


    "Wait, that''s the same as me. Are you sure you should be sitting here?"


    "Why?"


    "I mean, the ss already started. I''mte too since I got lost."


    "Oh no!" she was startled by this information. "I didn''t notice the time at all," she said in a worried tone.


    "Wanna make a run for it?" I suggested.


    She looked like she was hesitating to answer and a troublesome expression on her face.


    "Are you sure¡­?" she asked.


    "Huh? I don''t see a problem, other than the fact that the more time we will waste here the morete we''ll get," I said.


    "Okay then, if you don''t have a problem¡­" she said in a low voice as she stood up.

 Chapter 355 The Girl Near The Fountain [2]

    <h4>Chapter 355 The Girl Near The Fountain [2]</h4>


    As I went along with her I soon reached the right ssroom. I was taking notes of the path and it turns out I had taken two wrong turns and ended up going in an entirely different direction.


    I could hear the voice of the homeroom teachersing from the ssroom which clearly implied that I was alreadyte and at the same time I recognized the voice.


    "We''rete," I said to the girl with me. She had a slight look of concern on her face but didn''t reply.


    In fact, the whole time we were walking she didn''t say a word. From what I could see, she was the quiet type.


    Standing in front of the ssroom''s entrance, I saw the view of the ssroom filled with students. There were people whom I''d seen at the Zaforths academy before but also faces I was seeing for the first time.


    And behind the podium, I saw the homeroom teacher whose voice I recognized. Of course, it was Ryfin.


    This was the new ss 1A.


    When Ryfin noticed us he stopped giving his speech and turned to face us.


    "You two are quitete," he said. Along with his words, the attention of the students was also directed toward us.


    I didn''t know why, but when the students turned their eyes toward us the hands of the girl before me started trembling and she lowered her eyes.


    "It seems that way," I said to Ryfin.


    "Would you mind telling me why?" he asked.


    "There was something I had to do beforeing here, and it took longer than I expected," I stated. Of course, I wasn''t going to tell him that I got lost, it''d just give him one more reason to tease me.


    "Don''t waste any more time then,e inside and take your seats," Ryfin instructed.


    Following that I stepped inside the ssroom and looked around to see an empty seat.


    The basic architecture of this ssroom was the same as the previous one with a staircase-like structure where the seats were ced. However, this one was much bigger and better built.


    I looked around and finally found an empty seat. It was the sixth row from the back on the right side. Fortunately enough, Anya, Leon, Ellyn, and Akumi were sitting only two rows ahead of me.


    I went ahead and took my seat¡ªit was thest one beside the stairs since the other seats in the same row were already upied.


    While I sat there I could hear the students starting to talk amongst themselves. The talk was mostly about the new student who entered the ss out of nowhere¡ªme, in simpler words.


    "Now, now, quiet down everyone," Ryfin said loudly, quieting everyone down.


    Meanwhile, I tried looking for the girl who brought me here and as I scanned my surroundings I found her sitting in a cluster of girls on the left side of the ssroom.


    ''Well, I didn''t even get to ask her name,'' I said inwardly.


    Still, I''d say I was a little surprised to see her here. After all, the attack on the academy was quite destructive.


    Even though the teachers had started protecting the students right away, the demon beasts were too much of a threat and no matter how much they struggled there were still a few casualties.


    As I continued to watch her I noticed that something was off about her, or perhaps about the area where she was sitting¡ªher surroundings to be precise.


    She had tilted her head down with her eyes staring at the desk in front of her, as if she didn''t want to look up or at the people around her.


    On the other hand, the girls around her seemed to have formed a group and were talking amongst themselves. From far away it looked like they were just chatting together and she was simply not a part of the conversation.


    However, while observing closely one could notice the group of girls asionally pointing toward her and looking in her direction while passing words among themselves.


    She seemed overwhelmed by this scene.


    ''Bullying, huh,'' I thought to myself.


    It was clear as day, and I say this because the entire ssroom was more or less aware of it.


    There were people who looked at her with pity, people who looked at her with anger, people who looked at her with jealousy, and even people who for some unknown reason looked at her with fear.


    Yet no one tried to do anything¡ªwhich was nothing unusual, if you ask me. That''s how it always went with bullying. I was able to say it with such confidence because in my past life, I had bullied and abused students, and even then the other students who knew about it didn''t dare to do anything in order to prevent me from continuing with my actions.


    There was but one very simple reason for all this: nobody wanted to get involved. They didn''t want to get dragged into others'' mess and the best way to do that was to feign ignorance.


    The more I observed that girl the more I felt like I had seen her somewhere before, even prior to meeting her during the entrance exams. There was a doubt in my mind but since I didn''t know much about her, I decided to keep it at rest for the moment and turned my attention away from her.


    The ss went on as usual. It had already been about a month since the academy started and I was joining now, therefore obviously I had missed a lot of things.


    However, the ss in itself was not that different. Ryfin taught us about how to cast two spells at the same time¡ªin short, double casting.


    It was quite hardpared to doing one spell at a time since you had to calcte a lot of things simultaneously and not lose your concentration while doing that. Other than that, you also had to do all that in a rtively short amount of time or you''d end up getting killed by the enemy.


    And from now on the "enemy" were the demons and demon beasts hence a single miscalction meant certain death. The students knew that well.


    In the end, it turned out that despite missing a month''s worth of sses I still was not in the red zone. From what I could gather, all the things they had taught till now fell within the area of what I already knew¡ªmore or less.


    The double casting taught in today''s ss was something I had a good grasp of a long time ago. In fact, now I was pushing myself to be able to do quadruple casting¡ªthe highest number of spells that were simultaneously cast by a human till date.

 Chapter 356 Griffin!

    <h4>Chapter 356 Griffin!</h4>


    "All right, that''s it for today," Ryfin said, announcing the end of the ss with those words. Then he picked up the files and papers he was carrying with himself from the podium and left the ssroom.


    Right as his presence was gone a certain someone became the center of attention of the entire ss. And of course, just as you''d expect that certain person was none other than myself.


    "Is he the new student?"


    "I heard that he came from the outside after the gates were closed. That''s like, totally impossible!"


    "There were so many of those monsters scrambling around all over the world, how in the hell did he manage to survive that?!"


    "He isn''t an undead, is he? Someone go and cast healing spells on him to check!"


    "Those monsters were so fucking strong! How in the world did he manage to make it out alive?"


    All sorts of remarks andments could be heard about me throughout the entire ssroom. This was something which made me feel sick in the stomach.


    I knew this was eventually going to happen but still, knowing that didn''t change anything.


    "Zero!" Anya said as she walked toward me. "How did you get sote?"


    "Ah¡­well, I got lost," I replied in a quiet¡ªalmost murmur-like¡ªvoice.


    "Hehe, that''s what I thought," she said with a bright smile on her face.


    "Wait a second, you already expected that I would get lost?"


    "Huh? I''m your sister, you know. I''ve been watching you for YEARS. Obviously, I''d know the blunders you make," she replied.


    "That''s true I guess," I said.


    "Yeah. Therefore I also know that you don''t like public attention," she said aftering close, whispering near my face.


    It was a bit surprising, to be honest. I thought I always hid it pretty well but I guess family is family. And it''s true that I let my guard down when I''m only around her or my parents.


    "Won''t talking to me spread weird rumors about you as well?" I asked.


    To that, she smiled, took a step forward, and ced both her hands on my shoulders.


    "I. Don''t. Care."


    I didn''t know why but hearing her say that felt oddly rxing.


    "Thank you," I said.


    "No need."


    I was d, d that I had a family. That is why I was nning to do everything I could in order to protect them.


    "By the way," I said. "Who is that girl over there?" I asked, pointing toward the white-haired girl who came to the ss with me.


    "Ah her, she is one of the brightest students in the academy. Her name''s Neon Bloodbender," Anya replied.


    "That is one hell of a family name," Imented.


    "Yeah, they say the ''blood'' partes from the color of their eyes. Apparently, everyone in their family has deep-red eyes, as if they had been painted with blood," she exined.


    "I see."


    "What made you interested in her out of the blue?


    "Nothing, just a little curious," I said. "Anyway, what are you going to do now?" I asked, changing the flow of the conversation.


    "Hmm, I''m not sure. There''s half an hour before the physical training ss so I guess I''d just sit in the garden or go to the shopping district with Ellyn," she said.


    "Well, see you in the next ss then. I''ll go find somece that''s quieter than here."


    With that statement, I began to descend the stairs and was about to exit the ssroom. However, just before I could do so I was stopped by a certain guy.


    He had ash-colored hair that came down to his shoulders and a pair of striking leaf-colored eyes. His face was well-proportioned. In fact, it was so well made that he almost looked like a girl. The only thing keeping me to not thinking of him as a girl was his fairly built muscr body.


    "Stop here for a moment," he said while he stood right between me and the exit.


    "What business you might have from me?" I asked.


    "That is a good question. However, I do not have anything in general to make you do. Though I do have one thing which I would like to ask of you," he said.


    "And what could that be?" I questioned.


    "Tell me, is it true that you came from the outside after the teleportation gates were closed?"


    "Yes, it''s true," I replied nonchntly.


    "Oh? How can I believe that you are not lying? How can I believe that it is not just a fake story you spread to be the center of attention?"


    ''How can you be THAT wrong with your judgment?'' I thought to myself. Getting attention was thest thing I wanted¡ªperhaps not even thest.


    "Before I answer that, would you mind telling me who you are?" I asked. I pretty much had an idea but still, it won''t hurt to confirm.


    "Who? Me?"


    "Yes. You."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Howe you don''t know how I am?!"


    "Uhh¡­because I don''t, I guess?"


    "Listen carefully! I am Alfric Griffin! The son of Normand Griffin! The one and only heir of the Griffin family!" he said in a rather loud voice.


    "I see," I replied, the shortest answer I could give. "Anyway, if you think I''m lying and this story is fake then you are free to ahead and ask Mr. Ryfin about it. You can also ask the people in the infirmary as they were the ones who healed me."


    "I hope that answers all your questions," saying that I took a side step and went outside the ssroom.


    Alfric Griffin was one of the characters from loli_pop''s novel. He was the only heir of the Griffin family because he had killed¡ªor assassinated¡ªhis other four siblings when he was twelve.


    ording to the novel he was from one of four magic academies around the world that had now been merged to form the Silver Garden academy. He was quite popr in his previous academy since he was a Griffin, and that poprity continued even here.


    In the original plot, he wasn''t an important character. The only major thing he did was work with Ellyn''s father in an attempt to kill her, but that n was ruined by the oh-so-great Leon.


    However, aside from him, there was one more character from loli_pop''s novel here. And from how I handle things, this one could be beneficial for me in the future.

 Chapter 357 Bloodbenders

    <h4>Chapter 357 Bloodbenders</h4>


    Neon Bloodbender. The girl with snow-white hair and deep red eyes.


    She was the one I had been interacting with and had seen her way back but what slipped my mind was that she was one of the supporting cast in loli_pop''s novel¡ªin other words, she was another member of Leon''s harem.


    She was always bullied by everyone in the academy and the reason for that was the family she belonged to and the reasons surrounding that.


    Her family name "Bloodbender" was a result of a trait that everyone in the family had¡ªdeep red eyes and pale white skin. Due to that with time, people started calling them the Bloodbenders.


    They used to have a good reputation as almost all of the family members excelled at magic and turned out to be great adventurers or schrs from the academy. However, it was also due to that power that the general public started fearing them.


    The blood-red eyes and pale white skin already gave them quite an intimidating appearance and this new fear was doing them no favors either. And coincidentally, with these physical features, they also happened to resemble a mythical monster.


    Vampires.


    All the cards were already up there on the table. Red eyes, pale skin, powerful enough to inspire fear, the connection of blood in their name, and the unusually urate resemnce to vampires.


    It wasn''t long before people slowly stopped thinking of them as humans. The family from the start had people who they were at odds with, people who hated them due to personal or political reasons.


    The political part was important since after the Griffin family, the Rosenberg family, and the Lovett family, the Bloodbenders¡ªbeing as powerful as they were¡ªwere going to be the fourth family who could provide the kingdom with a new ruler in case something were to happen to the royal family.


    Their current circumstances and the intense drop in public reputation presented the other families with a great chance to clear out thepetition.


    Thus the strings were pulled behind the curtains and as a result, the Bloodbenders were officially marked as monsters disguising themselves as humans.


    The reasons for these actions were the family''s strength and capability in magic which no normal human could have, their resemnce to monsters and how their skin made them look like walking corpses, and the evidence of several human dead bodies found within their property.


    As a result, they were exiled from the kingdom¡ªwell, at least on paper. There was more to what really happened to them.


    The night after this news was published a manhunt was announced by an unknown client. The reward for it was so ridiculously high that people even thought it was fake, yet they participated.


    While the family was gathering their stuff and preparing to leave the kingdom, they were attacked by mods of adventurers, assassins, and even normal citizens.


    They tried to fight back but were simply outnumbered. Within the span of a week the entire family was wiped out, not a single Bloodbender was alive¡ªor so the world thought.


    Neon Bloodbender, the daughter of the family''s head had managed to survive the manhunt. Although she had to be on the run for the rest of her life until she came to the Zaforths magic academy.


    The academy was cut off from the rest of the world and worked as a separate body, thus had no political influence over it. It was a good ce where she could take shelter and she did just that.


    But after the cmity when the entire world was turned upside down, many things changed and people were trying to kill her again¡ªsince the Silver Garden academy was not that separate from Havenreach.


    Though as you''d expect, Leon came to save her, then she fell in love with him h h h¡­and then became a part of his harem.


    That was the story in the novel and considering how she was being treated in the academy it seemed like her backstory hadn''t changed at all.


    However, what mattered the most to me was that just like everyone in her family she was a magic expert as well. She did not have a ridiculouslyrge mana pool or was able to cast ten advanced spells at once, but mentally she was a genius when it came to magic.


    And by genius, I literally mean that. She could analyze magic spells quickly, remember the mostplex spells, and understand how they work to replicate them or to make a counter spell for them, or to amplify their strength. There was a lot.


    That was the reason it urred to me that she could be beneficial to me if I yed my cards right.


    Seeing how things stand now she hadn''t been attacked and saved by Leon which meant I still had time.


    "Well, before that I have someone else I need to deal with," I said to myself as I stood up. I was sitting somewhere on the campus with beautiful trees around to pass the time before the ss started.


    ''I can''t let Akumi run wild for long or he''ll spell trouble,'' I thought.


    He was a wild card in this world and if he continued to do everything ording to his own will, I won''t be able to predict shit.


    I didn''t care about keeping the plot the same as the novel but I still preferred it being simr.


    Therefore I needed to do something about him. Also, from his actions I determined that he was obsessed with Anya in a way that made my blood boil.


    As I thought of his intentions regarding her I clenched my fists, just thinking about it had thrown me into anger. I wasn''t about to bear anything when it came to my family, and during my absence, if he had done anything to her he was going to pay for that¡ªin ways more than one.


    ''Ah well, calm down Zero,'' I said inwardly as I took a deep breath.


    I stood up and began to walk toward the ssroom. There were a lot of things going on right now and it was easy to lose sight of my actual goal if I let myself have tunnel vision.


    I needed to do this rationally, just like I always have.

 Chapter 358 Suggestion [1]

    <h4>Chapter 358 Suggestion [1]</h4>


    After that, I went to the next ss which was physical training. Well, calling it just "physical training" would be an understatement since sword arts, learning to cast spells and actually casting them, hand-to-handbat, and everything rted to that were covered in this ss.


    I was d that today the topic was hand-to-handbat since if it was sword arts I wouldn''t have been able to pull it off without the Requiem sword and Req.


    Once the sses were over and it was evening I left the academy building, strolling forward in the grass fields inside the campus as the sun began to set.


    By this time I was starting to build up an appetite therefore I decided to stop by the cafeteria first. The new cafeteria here had many dishes I had never tried before so I was kind of curious about it as well


    Hence I picked up my pace and headed toward the corridors that lead to the caf¨¦. After a few minutes, I was there and saw that the ce was already starting to get filled up with students.


    I went to the counter and ordered for myself and once I got my order, I looked around to find a seat and finally settled for the one beside the big ss wall with a full view of the campus outside.


    I''d brought a couple of sandwiches with a filling that I had not seen before and arge cup of coffee. Taking a sip of my coffee I stared outside through the ss wall as I continued to think about all the things that were going on.


    In fact, I was thinking about this stuff almost all the time. Getting stronger, protecting my parents, dealing with Akumi, surviving¡­it all was probably starting to take a toll on me mentally.


    And just so it happens to be, right now Req was out as well due tock of mana. She was my only partner in crime and after spending some time without her I was beginning to notice her absence.


    As all this was going through my mind I noticed someone taking the seat in front of me. This was a table meant for two people anyway so I was expecting this to happen, although not like this.


    I tried to ignore the person but soon felt their gaze upon me, and a few momentster the person spoke up.


    "Hello there," she said. Looking in her direction I saw that it was da.


    "Why are you here?" I asked.


    "Come on now, that''s not the proper way to talk to someone," she said teasingly.


    "The proper way is what I want it to be," I replied.


    "Fair I guess," she mumbled, as if satisfied with the answer.


    "Again, why are you here?"


    "There''s no particr reason really. There''s a lot of uproar about you in the academy so I thought why not go and see how you''re ACTUALLY doing," she said.


    "Mind telling me what exactly is this uproar you speak of?" I asked.


    "Don''t tell me you really don''t know?"


    "No, I more or less have an idea. Just that I want to hear it from a consumer''s point of view," I said.


    "Well, it''s mostly the talk about how you survived being out in the cmity for over a month and came back alive. Though that''s just the base of it," she exined.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Students have started seeing you as a powerful individual. After all, it''smon sense that no normal person could have gone through what you did and lived to tell the tale. The attention you so desperately avoided is now alling back to you all at once."


    "That''s kind of strange. I thought I gave an official exnation saying that I basically hid until the beasts were out of sight and then ran till I reached Havenreach," I questioned.


    "You really thought that was gonna keep the rumors from exploding? And even if your story was taken as a fact, running away from demons that only a handful of people could fight against. That''s a pretty heavy achievement in itself.''


    "Well, that''s true," I said.


    "What are you gonna do now? You hated being the center of attention, didn''t you?" she asked, looking curious.


    "It''s not a problem. When I came back to the academy I was already expecting all this to go down, the ''being center of attraction part'' as well," I stated. "I''ll deal with it for the moment, people will eventually get bored with the topic and move on."


    "Hmmmm. It''s a good n, but you might face a problem," da mentioned.


    "What that might be?"


    "What will you do about the final exams? They are in three months from now. Students will be tested based on their magical and physical ability," she exined. "I have seen what you are capable of and if all of that were to be put in public, yeah you''d be up there beside Leon as the star of the academy."


    "Ah, I forgot about the exams. The first year is ending, isn''t it?" I mumbled.


    Three months from now the final exams will be conducted for the first-year students of the Silver Garden Academy. After all the academies had merged as one, the officials had decided to not make the students repeat a year and let them move on to the second year.


    This was mainly done so that there could be space for new students as at the moment humanity needed as much firepower as possible to fight against the demons, and the Silver Garden Academy was the best ce to produce it.


    After all, even if you put the Hero program aside all the students who will graduate from the academy would be joining the SAF (Special Armed Force) which was made specifically to fight against the demons and consists of highly capable swordsmen and mages.


    Of course, the SAF was something created by loli_pop in the novel¡ªthe overly simplified name was the obvious representation of it.


    "Have you thought about how you''ll deal with the exams? I''ve heard it is going to be pretty hardcore so just hiding your powers might not be usible this time," da said, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    "Well, I haven''t given it much thought but it shouldn''t be much of an issue. I''ll deal with it when the timees," I replied.


    ''I already have too much in my hands at the moment.''


    However, as I said those words, a slight smile lit up on da''s face. She shifted forward in her chair, looking at me.


    "And that''s where I have a suggestion to make," she said.


    I took a sip of my coffee.

 Chapter 359 Suggestion [2]

    <h4>Chapter 359 Suggestion [2]</h4>


    "Let me join forces with you."


    "No."


    "Why?!"


    "I think we have already gone through this many times," I said.


    "Just let me join your team!" she said, urging the matter.


    "I don''t HAVE a team. I work alone. How many times do I need to tell you that?"


    "Then get a team. Sooner orter you will wear yourself out and won''t be able to work alone any longer. That''s where a teames in, and I''m the best person to be the first member," she said with confidence.


    There was a point in what she was saying, I was beginning to see it now. However, working with a team was simply not my cup of coffee. I preferred to work alone, that''s how it has always been.


    If I work alone there is no one I have to doubt and the only person I need to trust is myself which makes things a lot easier.


    "I''ve already told you many times and I''ll say it again. I don''t want to work with you, and that is not going to change," I stated.


    "What? But we''ve already worked together once, haven''t we? Remember when you told me to deliver a letter to your sister and take care of her while you were out? I believe I handled that pretty well," she said.


    "That was just something I asked you to do, there was nothing about working together as a team," I tried to rify.


    "Well, maybe. But it did prove that I''m able to do things you want done, right? I proved myself worthy of you. Also, I was the one who leaked the n of those two bitches which ended up working in your favor. There''s a lot I''ve done to help you if you sit and think about it," she described.


    "You see, the thing is I just don''t care. If you are saying that I should let you join me since you helped me in the past my reply would be that you were a fool to do so," I said. "If you want me to say it more clearly: I simply used you when it benefitted me and then threw you aside."


    "I know! Believe me, I know this is exactly what you did! And that''s why I''m telling you to use me again. Use me when it benefits you, and in return, I will take your help for granted in order to get close to Leon," she said, a spark in her eyes.


    "Why do you think I would like to go out of my way in order to help you in getting fucked by Leon when it does not concern me at all?"


    "Well, because I won''t ask you to do anything other than what you are already doing. I already have a basic n in mind."


    "Oh? You even made a n based on the assumption that I will let you work with me?"


    "Yeah. You see, the main girls who are currently close to Leon are Ellyn and your sister. I know you are overly protective about your sister and won''t let Leon date her so she is not of concern. The remaining one is Ellyn and you are already manipting her to some extent.


    "So what I want you to do is manipte her more and make her fall in love with you. If you do that the path for me will be open with no obstacles in between, after that I will take care of the rest."


    "What an abomination of a n," Imented.


    "Haha, maybe. But I think it will work, granted that you help me," she said.


    She was not entirely wrong. There were many holes in this n however I could see it working. However, she failed to make me see what I would gain from this which made her negotiations fall apart.


    What she was offering me was herself. Basically, she would work for me and do anything I want and in return, I should go along with this n of hers.


    It was a good deal. However, it all fell apart when I had no need for her.


    "Well, I do hope that your n works," I said as I took my te and stood up. "Without me, that is."


    I was done eating hence I left the cafeteria afterwards. She could havee following after me but for some reason, she didn''t. However, I had a feeling she would approach me again which was honestly kind of a pain dealing with.


    ***


    The sun was setting casting a golden glow on the entire campus. I was taking a stroll through the grounds of the campus, going toward the dorm buildings.


    I was done with today and there was nothing more I had to do. If possible I would have trained myself however I had already refined my magic as much as I could right now and training with the Requiem sword wasn''t of much use without Req.


    The atmosphere was good therefore I kept my pace slow. Taking small steps I was looking at the bright horizon which at the moment was looking beautiful¡­and far.


    On the horizon, the first and closest thing I saw were the boundaries of the Silver Garden Academy. Next were the buildings of Havenreach, they were all so big however from this angle all of it just looked like an inconsistent slim line. Then came the vast sky which right now was dyed in a gradient of golden and orange. In the end, the farthest was the sun, spraying all the colors that were filling up the sky.


    I was looking at the horizon as I walked, and since I was looking at the horizon I walked slower and slower. Before I realized it, my feet felt heavy¡ªas if the entire world was tied to them.


    I was looking at the horizon when I felt that, and I eventually lowered my pace even more. I slowed down and felt the slightly warm light of the sun falling on my skin.


    I was looking at the horizon, when I dropped my arms to my side and let out a deep and weighed sigh.


    I was looking at the horizon, and I kept looking at it for a while.

 Chapter 360 The Maelstrom series

    <h4>Chapter 360 The Maelstrom series</h4>


    A week had passed since then. I was starting to grow used to this new lifestyle in the Silver Garden Academy, and it wasn''t much trouble.


    One thing I noticed was that the sses had improved. Now they were teaching more practical things that are directly used in battles.


    At the same time new research was being done on the body of the demon beasts and all the information was being presented to the students in a form they could understand easily and use to know their enemy better.


    Till now they have found out that the weak point of the demon beasts was their cores, however, no one really knew what the cores were since they haven''t been sessful in retrieving a functioning one.


    Of course, I was already aware of all this information due to the novel but hearing it again refreshed the memories so it was kind of helpful in a manner.


    Aside from all that, there was the problem with Akumi. He was starting to be more and more of a trouble and I felt like now was the time when I needed to deal with him.


    During this past week, I noticed him keeping tabs on me and following me everywhere he could without drawing suspicion to himself. There were also some moments when he found me alone and tried to attack me but then stopped after remembering we were inside the campus.


    Although I had gone to meet my parents one more time this week and he followed me there as well. I had not taken any empty streets and it was pretty crowded so he wasn''t able to take action else I''m sure he would''ve engaged inbat with me.


    He was also growing close to Anya which got on my nerves. All of those things had made me decide that I was going to take care of him in a few days.


    That was part of the reason why I was here in this training room, trying to refine my magic further.


    Just like the Zaforths Academy, Silver Garden also offered personal training rooms in which students could lend and use the space to train themselves.


    This one was better equipped than the previous one with more targets, weapons, and even some books dedicated to efficiently using magic circles.


    However, what I was doing here was work on my elemental magic.


    "Maelstrom: Red," I said as I raised my right hand and a ball of hungry crimson mes appeared before my palm.


    It was about the size of a wheel and was bustling with mes that were ready toe out and burn everything in range.


    This was a basic attack of Red. It was good for dealing a wide range of damage in a short amount of time however just like Blue and Purple it was quite unstable.


    Therefore to improve on that and increase its power more I decided topress it. Using elemental magic I controlled the mes and forced them to gather in an even smaller space, pushing the ball of fire to the size of a baseball.


    At this point, the mes were not visible. It just looked like a red energy ball. Doing this was of course consuming quite a lot of mana but I didn''t have to invest my focus in since I had already predetermined the value for the amount of mana to be used in thepression¡ªit was automatic, in a nutshell.


    Next, I used some more mana and started to spin the ball on its axis. It started slow but soon I increased the spinning speed to the speed of sound.


    Then I aimed at the human-like targets in front of me and released the attack. The ball of red shot out from my hand at an insane speed and left behind a lot of recoil.


    The ball flew straight toward the target leaving a trail of faint red energy behind on its path. At the point of impact, the ball went right through the target''s chest and collided with the wall behind. Right after that, it exploded the surrounding area was consumed by red-hot mes.


    "Not quite what I wanted," I said to myself. Rather than hitting the target, the attack went right through it.


    "Perhaps I could use this as a long-range attack, like a sniper," I mumbled while using elemental magic to wipe out the mes with water. This room was made to withstand this type of training hence there was no damage even after an explosion like that.


    After that, I tried the same thing with Blue but the result was no different. The projectiles were bing so hot and carried so much energy that they were outright going through the target.


    However, this was not that much of an issue. What I wanted to find out was a safe way to use Purple. Maelstrom Purple was an attack that was the most unstable in the entire Maelstrom series.


    Right after creating it bybining Blue and Red the ball of energy that was created would explode right after a few seconds and would end up damaging me as well.


    This was a problem with my elemental magic. If I was not careful my fire would burn me too, my ice would freeze me too, my water would drown me too.


    Usually, the magic isn''t supposed to harm its source but for some reason, my elemental magic totally ignored that rule. Perhaps it was because my elemental magic was free-style magic that didn''t actively make use of magic circles and the ruins inscribed on them. Or maybe I was missing something while casting it.


    Whatever the reason was it caused me great inconvenience and I was searching to fix it as soon as possible.


    But the closest thing I''d got out of it was automating a sequence in which the elemental magic would disintegrate right before it was going to harm me.


    For example, if my fire somehow turned around and was on its way to burn me it would extinguish itself right beforeing in contact. This was of course just a makeshift. Under normal circumstances, the fire would have hit me and I wouldn''t have been burned even if I waspletely consumed by it.


    "Ah well, it is what it is," I said to myself and continued to train some more.

 Chapter 361 Trust [1]

    <h4>Chapter 361 Trust [1]</h4>


    "Nine hundred ny-seven"


    "Nine hundred ny-eight"


    "Nine hundred ny-nine"


    "One thousand!"


    As thosest two words left my mouth I let myself fall on the ground beneath. Turning around on my back I looked at the ceiling while breathing heavily from my mouth.


    This was my first time doing a thousand pushups in a single set and to be honest, it was a little more harder than I expected.


    There were a lot of things going on and I needed to be as strong as possible in order to deal with them, that''s why I was doing everything I could in order to push myself to my very limits.


    The physical workout consisting of a thousand pushups, five thousand sit-ups, and a two-hour-long nk was a part of it.


    After resting for a bit I picked myself up on my feet. I wiped my sweat off and then wore my uniform back as I was training shirtless.


    Once I was done with it I left the training room and headed toward the dorm buildings. I had gone for training after I was done with evening and by the time I came out it was night.


    The sun had gone down behind the clouds and the shining bright moon was up in the sky. I changed my n a bit and went to the cafeteria before going to my room since I was getting a bit hungry and when I was done with that I headed for the dorms.


    I got up to my floor and stood before the door of my apartment. I entered the key and unlocked it, opening the door and stepping aside.


    As I went inside I was more or less tired and had no ns but to go to sleep, however, what I saw inside changed that.


    In front of therge window in my room, bathing in the bright moonlight was the figure of a girl. Her ocean-blue colored hair was matching well with the rest of the night sky behind her and her deep red eyes contrasted beautifully with the luminous moon.


    "Req," the words left my mouth on their own.


    Noticing my presence she turned toward me. However, before she could say anything I walked to her with an increased pace and pulled her in my arms.


    "I''m so d you are back," I said while hugging her tightly.


    "Yeah, it''s as a thought¡­" she said, though her voice was low as if she was just talking to herself.


    "You know Zero you don''t need to do this," she appealed, looking at me.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" I was a little confused by those words.


    "Ah, I guess you won''t understand. Well, listen then," she said.


    "You see, when you leave your physical body and be a spiritual lifeform there are many benefits thate along with that. Like you won''t age, you won''t easily die, you won''t get hungry, you won''t have to sleep, you won''t feel pain, you can levitate freely in the air, and many things like that.


    "However, there are many cons to that as well. You stop feeling anything. You can''t taste any food, you can''t smell any fragrance, you can''t feel touch, you can''t feel the warmth of another person¡­You are alive, but yet for some reason, it seems like you died long ago."


    As she finished her words the color from my face had almost drained. I instantly knew what she was hinting at by telling me all this.


    The fact that she can''t feel touch meant that no matter what I did to her she won''t feel it. If I touch her it would mean nothing, if I pat her head it would mean nothing, if I hug her it would mean nothing, even if I go ahead and kiss her she won''t feel a thing.


    That means all this time when I thought I had been sessful in manipting her feelings, I had in reality done nothing at all.


    The n I carried out in the cave was to kiss her and engage in romantic physical activity with her so that I could stimte her senses which would release tons of dopamine in her brain and in that state, she would have clouded judgment.


    It would be easier to break through her when she''s like that and make her agree to my words. That''s what I did, or well, thought that I was doing.


    However, if she does not feel anything means that back then was the same. She was not stimted, and there was no dopamine release in her brain. All the time she waspletely sane and had a hold of her judgment.


    I let go of her and took a step back. "If you were aware of everything then why did you agree to my words? You must have noticed that I was just trying to manipte your feelings so that I could use you," I asked.


    "Because I don''t mind being used by you, Zero," she replied. "Do you remember the time when you freed me by releasing the seal in thebyrinth? From that point on you were my master, I am here so that I can be of use to you. Why don''t you understand that?"


    "I don''t understand that because I don''t trust you. I will give it to you straight since there''s no point in hiding that now. I don''t trust you, I don''t trust anyone. Heck I don''t even trust myselfpletely¡ªthat''s why I always have backup ns," I stated.


    "You are lying¡­to yourself," she said.


    "Huh?! What do you mean?"


    "If you really didn''t trust me then back when we were fighting the demons you wouldn''t have left yourself vulnerable in front of me. You were badly injured that time and if I wanted to, I could have killed you easily. The fact that you let me take care of you proves that you do in fact trust me," she exined.


    "That''s nonsense! I simply did not have another choice at that time!"


    "You just said that you always have backups, didn''t you? If that is true then why you didn''t have a n for a situation like that? Maybe that was because somewhere in your mind you knew that I didn''t pose a threat to you and that you could rely on me."

 Chapter 362 Trust [2]

    <h4>Chapter 362 Trust [2]</h4>


    "T-That''s¡­not true!" I said, raising my voice.


    However, for some reason, I could not find a way to counter what she was saying. It was as if the words weren''ting to my mind.


    ''Is she telling the truth? No that''s not possible! It''s utter nonsense. Why would I go out of my way to trust her when that will only cause trouble? There''s no way I''d do something that stupid. There''s no fucking way I am that stupid!


    ''There must be something wrong, perhaps she is trying to manipte me somehow. Yeah, that is entirely possible. Maybe she is using some kind of ancient magic to control my thoughts. Yes, yes, that must be it! That is why I am not able to think of anything to counter her argument.


    ''I mean, me trusting someone and relying on them?! What type of utterly garbage statement that is?! I work alone, I always work alone. There is no use trying to trust others, they will either just betray you or get used by your enemies, ultimately causing you harm.


    ''Working alone is the best. I can take care of everything by myself. I can have full control over everything I do. I don''t have to share my ns with anyone and if I don''t share information there''s no way it can be leaked and used against me.


    ''Yup, that is right. I found the thing! She is using magic to make my mental capacity weak. Or else I would never work with others. I can''t¡­work with others.


    ''I have to find a way to quickly break through this magic or I''ll be in deep trouble. Think Zero think! Think harder! Think like your life depends on it! Think! Think! Think!


    ''Find a solution! How will you break out of this situation? Consider all your options! Evaluate all the results! Find the best possible result that could be gained with the best possible route in the least amount of time! Think! Think! Think! Think!


    ''Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! 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Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Think!...''


    "You are right," I said. "Somewhere along the way¡­I did start to trust you¡­and rely on you. I know that...¡­ I know it better than anyone else¡­"


    I was taking a few steps back but I stumbled and fell on my knees. I tried to get up but then gave up. I sat there on the ground, with my hands dropped in defeat, with my gaze down as I looked down, with my heart sinking deep as I finally recognized the truth I was aware of for the longest time.


    "I knew it when I was fighting the demons with you¡­" I said. "I knew when I almost died and let you take care of me¡­I knew it when you held me in your arms and tended to my wounds¡­I knew it when you had to disappear due tock of mana and I was robbed out of your existence which I had grown so used to¡­I knew it all the time¡­"


    She was right. She was right the entire time. There was no ancient magic involved here. There was no maniption involved here.


    The only reason I could not think of a way to counter her argument, no matter how hard I tried was because deep inside I knew she was telling the truth.


    In fact, I was only trying to think so hard just to avoid acknowledging the truth. I was trying to run away, I was trying to hide behind reasons, what-ifs, and made-up logic. However, I couldn''t hold the truth in any longer¡ªespecially when she said it right on my face.


    "It''s alright Zero, trusting others and relying on them is not a crime," Req said as she came close and knelt down in front of me.


    "I know that. But for me, who had cut himself off from humanity. Trusting others is like a sin. I just cannot rely on others since I''m the one who''d end up hurt in the end," I mumbled.


    I did not know what caused it. But at this moment I could not stop myself from not saying the things I was always keeping buried deep inside my mind.


    It was as if Req had cut a hole in a bag of things which I didn''t want to get outside, because I was scared of them.


    "You don''t have to worry about that with me, Zero," she said, holding my hand. "Do you know why I brought up this topic at all?" she asked. I didn''t know thus I stayed quiet.


    "I can''t feel anything no matter how much Ie in contact with you, no matter how many times I hug, no matter how many times I sit in yourp or kiss you, I never felt a thing. But you see Zero, even though I didn''t have the sense of touch being with you never felt empty.


    "It was not cold, it was not stale. There was substance in it. Back then when you held my hand, even if you were doing it because you were annoyed with me being so clingy and were trying to get me off you, it was warm despite me not being able to not feel it directly.


    "I don''t know how to describe it properly, but it was a feeling which I had not experienced before. However, ever since you kissed me and were trying to actively be physical with me¡­that special feeling was not there anymore. Then even when you were kissing me I felt cold, as if I was kissing air. When you were hugging me it felt like nothing was there at all.


    "From what I could think, I came to the conclusion that this was happening because you were trying to manipte me. Hence to do that you were faking your actions and forcing yourself. It was not natural, that''s why I didn''t feel anything.


    "So the reason I''m even talking about this is because I want you to stop. Zero, you don''t have to do all this if you want to use me. I mean, you are my master after all. If you have something you want me to do then just say it, and I will do it happily for you.


    "Just¡­go back to how you were."

 Chapter 363 It’s been hard, hasn’t it?

    <h4>Chapter 363 It''s been hard, hasn''t it?</h4>


    Req came forward and then held my hand. I could feel that, I could feel her skin, I could feel the softness of her hand, her delicate fingers, and everything else. However, that was not true for her.


    She could feel none of it. It was the cost she had to pay in order to be immortal, and looking at how she didn''t CHOOSE to be a spiritual entity all of it rather seemed like a curse.


    "How¡­" I said. "How can I go back?" I asked. I was unsure of it myself as I didn''t exactly know what she was asking me to do.


    "Just don''t think about manipting me," she replied. "Tell me Zero, what was the reason you wanted to use me?"


    "Because you are strong, and if I made you feel like I loved you then you will do anything I want you to do. Basically, you are a valuable asset whom I didn''t want to lose at all cost. That''s why to ensure that you never betray me or never leave me, I went along with this n," I exined.


    "It...makes me kinda happy to know you think so highly of me. But there''s a w in your analysis Zero," she said.


    "What is it?"


    "There is no way I can never leave you or try to betray you. First of all, I won''t ever think about doing that even in my dreams. But other than that there''s the contract I have with you which was made when you released me from the seal. You are my master, and I can''t exist without you," she said.


    "So, what I''m trying to say is. You only have to trust me and try to rely on me. I have been watching over you for a long time now and I know that you want to do everything alone and by yourself, however, I''m sure you have also noticed that it is starting to take a toll on you now.


    "And that is only to be expected, Zero. No one can be alone for too long. After all, humans are creatures who are made to live in groups."


    "But¡­" I spoke up. "Every time I have tried to rely on other people something has gone wrong¡­either I ended up hurting them or got hurt due to them. And I''m too dangerous to be left with people anyway.


    "I''m sure something will go wrong this time too¡­That''s why! That is exactly why I have always opted to be alone! If I''m alone that automatically solves everything! There is no need to worry about anything!


    "When I''m alone I don''t have to worry about the consequences of the things I do because I know I can handle them! However, that is not the case with others! There''s no way to know whether they will be able to keep up with me or not! And aside from everything else¡­you know the type of person I am!


    "I use people! I can cause them pain without regretting anything! I can destroy peoples'' lives if it benefits me in the end and I won''t hesitate for a second before doing it! I have literally killed not only because it would help me in my matters but also because I just fucking wanted to!


    "You see, Req! I enjoy the pain of others! I like the screams! I like it when they shiver in fear and pain! I like it when they beg for their lives! I love that absolute look of horror on their faces!


    "But the thing is! I don''t want to be that way! This is never what I wanted, this is not how I wanted to be! At least not this time! I wanted to live a peaceful life, have a loving family, and live how a normal person is supposed to!


    "That is all I wanted but this world wouldn''t even let me have that much! I am thrown into this hell fighting with demons and shit and forced into an environment where I can''t help but rely on my shitty side if I want to survive and move forward toward a better future for me and my family!


    "And yeah! I HAVE TO DO IT ALONE¡­I-I¡­I CAN''T BE WITH OTHER PEOPLE¡­IT IS¡­even if I¡­COUGH COUGH¡­want¡­COUGH COUGH COUGH¡­to¡­COUGH COUGH COUGH¡­"


    Screaming that hard had me down on the ground and coughing badly. My mouth was dry, my throat was stinging and my chest was in piercing pain. I held my throat in order to calm my coughing and slowly gained control.


    "It''s alright, Zero," Req said as she sat on the ground near me. "You can rx now," she stretched out her arms toward me and held my head, drawing me close to herself.


    "You have been strong for too long, I understand that now. It''s true that you don''t let much of your feelings out, after all, even I was not able to figure out all this despite being with you for so long.


    "But now I know, and that is all that matters," as she said those words she brought my head close to her chest, hugging me.


    "It''s been hard, hasn''t it?" she asked. At this point, I was basically resting my head on herp.


    "..." I said nothing to that question.


    "You have been fighting everything alone for so long, but you can rest now. Right now I am here with you, and from now on I will always be with you. Not because of some contract, but because I want to," slowly she started stroking my hair with her hands.


    I was not looking up so I couldn''t see what kind of look she had on her face but for some reason, I felt like it would be a really nice look.


    "You can rest, Zero. You can rx now. Also, you don''t have to hate yourself for having such a personality. Just the fact that you realize it''s not the right thing to do, already makes you better than someone who does not recognize that.


    "I promise, together we will get through all this and you will have the peaceful life you want. And you will never be alone again, Zero."


    Her voice felt really nice right now, there was a strange sort of softness and warmth in it. She was continuously stroking my hair as Iy there on the ground resting my head on herp.


    That was thest thing I remember from that day, since a few momentster I fell asleep just like that.

 Chapter 364 A Good Night Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 364 A Good Night Sleep</h4>


    Perhaps I knew the reason, perhaps I didn''t. Either way, I didn''t care about it. But one thing was clear and it''s thatst night I had gotten the best sleep in a while.


    As the morning hit the mark and the sun rays entered my room through the big ss window, I slowly opened my eyes.


    Before me, I saw the figure of a beautiful girl. The sunlight was glistering through her ocean-blue hair, making her deep-red eyes shine like gems as she looked at me.


    "Were you staring at me the whole night?" I asked.


    "You bet I was! It was a one-in-a-million chance after all! There''s no way I''d let it go," she said with a smile. It was that usual, cheerful childish smile that I was so used to seeing on her face.


    "You didn''t sleep?" I asked.


    "As a spiritual being I don''t have the need to sleep," she replied.


    "I see. I''m not sure whether that''s a sin or a con."


    "Hmmm, I never thought about it actually. It can be helpful since you are saving up a lot of time but even though it doesn''t affect me physically¡ªsince duh, I don''t have a physical body¡ªbeing constantly awake for such a long time is kind of mentally exhausting."


    "What time it is by the way?" I asked.


    "Huh? It''s around eight in the morning."


    "Fuck I''mte," I said calmly. The sses started at seven and I was already one hour in.


    "Wanna make a run for it?" Req questioned.


    "Nah, I''ll skip the sses for today. After all, since you''re back there''s something I want you to do," I mentioned.


    "Hehe~" her face lit up brightly with a smile. "I''ll do anything for you," she said.


    I looked at her for a moment, then I pulled myself close to her and hugged her. It was not a tight and deep hug like yesterday, rather it was light and gentle.


    "I missed you," I said. "And I''m faking it this time."


    "Mhm. I know," she replied.


    ***


    After that, I exined the current situation to Req. Everything regarding Havenreach, Silver Garden, the cmity, and about Akumi. I didn''t tell her about him being a character from the novel since those details weren''t important, but other than that now she was equipped with all the information she needed.


    Then I went to have breakfast and once I was done with that I came to my room and told Req to transform into the sword and took her to the personal training rooms.


    Normally students weren''t allowed to carry weapons with them but bringing them for training was an exception. It was allowed to carry your own swords and weapons to the training rooms as well since most of the high-ss noble families had some weapon that they passed on from generation to generation.


    Due to that, I was also able to take the Requiem sword with me.


    Once inside I locked the room from the inside and I had already scanned the room to check that there were no security cameras installed there so I could have Req go back to her human form.


    "This ce is pretty well made," she said, looking around the entire area. "So, what is it that you want me to do?" she asked.


    "Teach me," I said. "I want to¡ªno, I have to be stronger. You said that you have put limiters on the Requiem sword so I don''t end up killing myself with an overload in power, therefore I want you to make me strong enough to use it without those limiters."


    "Hmmm, I see," she said while walking around with her hands behind her back. "Well, sure. But you won''t be able to do it soon. I mean, it even took me years to be able topletely master Requiem."


    "That''s quite alright. Right now I just want to be strong enough so that I can take care of Akumi without a problem. I have observed him for quite a long time and he is strong, I can tell that much," I said.


    Underestimating your enemies was one of the deadliest mistakes you could make and I knew better than to do that. It was not as if I couldn''t take Akumi head-on in my current state, but it was not a guaranteed win.


    What I wanted was a hundred percent certainty that I don''t lose to him. I didn''t want to take any risks, after all.


    "Well, I might just have the thing for you," Req said, looking at me.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "Hmmm¡­" she seemed a bit confused as if she was finding the right words to say but couldn''t. "Agh, it''s better to just show you," she said in the end.


    She raised her right hand and the Requiem sword materialized there. She then held the sword with both of her hands and looked at me. "Watch carefully," she said.


    "Eclipse," with those words she pulled the Requiem sword out of its sheath.


    Right after that, a ck hue was released from the de which in a matter covered the entire room. It was as if it was enveloping me within itself.


    Soon there wasplete darkness. My sight waspletely gone and I couldn''t see anything at all, everywhere was ck. Even Req was not visible to me anymore.


    "Is this a pocket dimension or something like that?" I asked out loud.


    "Yup, you guessed that right," Req said, appearing in front of me.


    "Just like Dark Edge, Eclipse is another one of Requiem''s attacks. With this, you can capture your opponents in a pocket dimension. You haveplete control over the space-time in this dimension so killing anyone is an easy task, it can be done just by thinking about it," she exined.


    "Isn''t this too broken though? I mean, if I can trap people inside and am able to control everything in this dimension, I can basically one-shot-kill anyone no matter how strong they are?...is that what you wanted me to ask?" I said.


    "Ugh," there was a slight hint of dissatisfaction on her face.


    "There must be a drawback in this, right?"


    "Yeah," she admitted. "Try concentrating your mana around your body."


    I went along with her words and began to concentrate my mana around my body. A second or twoter I saw a bright crack on thepletely dark roof, and then those cracks started to appear all around me.


    Those cracks rapidly increased in size and amount beforepletely breaking the ck hue apart. My surroundings shattered like a mirror and I was back in the training room.


    "You can do anything you want with your opponent as long as they are inside but breaking out of the pocket dimension is easy, and once they figure out how to do it it''s basically useless," she rified.


    "I see," I said. "You are right, this might be the perfect thing for him."

 Chapter 365 Limiters [1]

    <h4>Chapter 365 Limiters [1]</h4>


    "While passing your mana into Requiem try to imagine the area you want to capture within Eclipse. Normally you''d want to keep it big enough to get both yourself and your enemy inside it," Req exined, standing next to me while I held the sword with both my hands.


    Following her words I began to transmit my mana into the Requiem sword. I looked in front of me and in my imagination started to trace the area that I wanted to capture inside the pocket dimension.


    I continued that and maintained the process for about ten minutes but nothing happened.


    "It isn''t working," I said.


    "Huh? That''s weird," she mumbled to herself and then was lost in thought, trying to figure out what was the missing piece.


    "Oh!" she enlightened, pping her hands. "After passing your mana through Requiem you have to visualize it going through the de anding out in the form of a ck mist that covers your target area."


    "Isn''t this something you should have told me at the start?" I questioned.


    "Hehe, well, I''m not that good of a teacher I guess. I mean, this is my first time teaching someone how to fight," she said,ughing with an amusing expression on her face.


    "Ah well, I expected that much," I said to myself and then returned my focus to the practice.


    This time I ran through the entire process again. First, I passed my mana into the Requiem sword and then in my mind, I traced the area I wanted to cover. After that I visualized my manaing out of the de and clouding around the target area.


    For the first few minutes nothing happened therefore I increased the mana input to ten folds. Then finally a few momentster I noticed a ck hue¡ªsimr to how it was with Req¡ªstarted to leak out from the edges of the de.


    The ck hue grew in size and started to take the shape of a dome that I''d visualized beforehand. However, the speed at which it grew was much lesspared to when Req did it¡ªwhich was kinda obvious since this was my first time trying this attack.


    And since I was trying it for the first time it was no surprise that the ck hue copsed on itself only when it was halfway throughpletion and the attack broke apart.


    "Well, only to be expected I guess," I said to myself, lowering the sword.


    "So? How''d it feel? Think you can master it?" Req asked.


    "Yeah, I pretty much understand how this works. I just need to practice it again and again and once I get used to it there''ll be no problem," I replied.


    "I thought you wanted to master it quickly though?" she questioned.


    "It won''t be a problem. I know my capabilities well and mastering this attack is barely a day or two''s work," I rified.


    "I see. Is that all you want for now?"


    "No, there''s one more thing I want you to do," I mentioned.


    "What is it?"


    "Remove the limiters on the Requiem sword."


    "What? You''d die if I did that. I told you before, didn''t I?"


    "I know, but I want to see how much I can handle before I die. So what I want you to do is release the limiters till I reach my limit and then put a stop."


    "I see¡­wait a second, you said it like that intentionally, didn''t you?!"


    "Hmmm. Well, I don''t know. I wonder if I did," I said, looking the other way. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn''t


    "Aggh! You!" she said, puffing her cheek and looking at me. "I never thought you would try to tease me."


    "What are talking about? I didn''t do that."


    "No, you clearly did.''


    "Maybe it''s just your imagination."


    "You''re still doing it!"


    "I am not¡ª"


    Right as those words left my mouth Req closed in on me. Grabbing my shirt with both her hands she leaned in, bringing her face so close to mine that our lips were only a centimeter apart.


    "If I started teasing you''ll be in trouble," she said as she looked directly into my eyes.


    "Come on, you know this doesn''t work on me. If you are expecting me to get flustered you''ll only be disappointed," I said.


    "Zero~" she whispered, bringing her lips close to my ears.


    "I can''t hold back any longer. I''m going to release it," she said in ascivious tone.


    "Going to release what? I''d be better if you rified that," I said.


    "Hmm?" she looked at me with an oblivion face. Then she released my shirt and took a step face.


    "The limiters, of course. Weren''t you the one who told me to do so?" she said in apletely normal voice.


    "I see, the limiters."


    "What did you think I was going to release?"


    "Hmmm, your grip on my shirt," I said.


    "Realllllly?"


    "Yeah."


    "Well, anyway," she said. "Give me your hand."


    I raised my right hand toward her and she held it. "Be ready," she advised. "I am," I replied.


    Then as if a switch was turned on, as if a dam was opened. I suddenly felt an increase in my overall power. I didn''t know how to describe that feeling well, but I was kind of feeling light.


    Like the force of gravity had suddenly been decreased for me. It was a strange sort of feeling.


    I looked at my right hand and saw it was beginning to get covered by the ck shadow-type material that had covered Req''s and my body back when we were fighting the demon beasts.


    The shadows started from my fingers and from there started to climb over my hand. As the shadows moved forward the power within me increased as well.


    By the time they got to my elbow, I had started feeling ufortable and when they were reaching near my shoulder it was getting hard to bear.


    Perhaps it was showing on my face since then Req put the limiters back again and the ever-increasing power stopped.


    "This is the max you can handle right now, and you can maintain this form for five minutes," she said.

 Chapter 366 Limiters [2]

    <h4>Chapter 366 Limiters [2]</h4>


    "Five minutes huh?" I mumbled as I looked at my hard right.


    It was now covered in the ck shadow-like material that went up to my shoulders and stopped there. At this moment I was feeling an immense increase in my overall power hence I decided to test it out.


    I turned toward the target dummies ced in the training room. I was going to ask Req to materialize the sword so I could use it¡ªsince she was the only one who could create the Requiem sword while still being present in her human form.


    However, just as I thought about the Requiem sword it automatically materialized in my hand.


    "I see. These types of things can certainly prove to be useful," I said.


    After that, I raised the sword up and then shed it down toward the human dummies.


    "Dark Edge," I said.


    A big arc of dark energy was released from the de and it flew toward the targets at an insane speed before colliding with them and shing all ten targets in half at once.


    Using Dark Edge was much easier now and the attack was more powerful than before as well. Those were quite obvious things that had improved in this form of mine.


    "Req," I said.


    "Yes?"


    "Attack me."


    "Huh?" she seemed confused. "What do you mean?"


    "I want to test my defensive capabilities," I rified.


    "Ah, you meant it like that," she said. "Fine."


    She went and picked up one of the swords present in the room for herself and then went into a battle posture. I myself turned toward her, straightening my back and nting my feet on the floor¡ªgoing in a defensive posture.


    "Here Ie," she said and dashed toward me right after that.


    Her speed was insane. I knew she was holding back but even then I wasn''t able to see her clearly¡ªit''s like there was a blur effect surrounding her body while she was moving. And I''m sure I wouldn''t have been able to see even that if I wasn''t using Requiem''s power.


    She came close and raised her sword to deliver a blow. I took a step back and obstructed the blow with my de. A second after that a shockwave was released, knocking everything down present in the training room.


    Then she backed off a little only toe back at me with a barrage of shes and strikes. It was hard but I was somehow able to keep up with her speed and block her strikes.


    The spar went on for maybe thirty seconds and after that she stopped for a bit and readjusted her posture, also giving me some time to rest.


    "Increase your speed a bit more," I implied.


    "Are you sure? I mean, that may be a little rough for you," she said.


    "No, I can handle it," I said, and I meant it.


    "Okay then."


    She came at me again and naturally this time her speed was much faster than before. At this point, she was basically looking like a blur of colors to me.


    I wouldn''t have been able to defend against her. But well, that was only because I was not using my skill since I wanted to test how much I could handle without it.


    ''[Foresight],'' I said internally and activated my skill. The skill was now at level 2 and allowed me to see 0.2 seconds into the future.


    Right as the skill was turned on I was able to see multiple Req''s and was able to predict her attacks. I moved back a few steps to adjust my posture and then began to obstruct Req''s attack, blocking her sword with mine.


    Soon we reached such a speed that multiple shockwaves were going off and destroying things inside the training room. If it hadn''t been for the strong walls I''m sure the entire building would be getting wrecked by now.


    "Faster!" I said to Req.


    Since this was in the middle of a spar she didn''t say anything to that and simply increased her speed even more.


    "Magiken!" I said, releasing my magiken.


    The de of the sword glowed in ck as a dark mist surrounded it and my body received another buff with the magiken. I was able to see her more clearly and my body was able to keep up with her better than before as well.


    The spar continued. At times she stopped and changed her attacking pattern and every time she did that I had to adapt to that in order to defend.


    However, all this didn''t go on for that long. Once I hit the five-minute mark the shadow-like material on my hand disintegrated, indicating that the extra power I''d gained from the Requiem sword was gone now.


    "How long will it take before I can use it again?" I asked.


    After the training, both Req and I were sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.


    "Hmmm. You are using about 10% of Requiem''s full power so I''d say in your current state it''s safe to use it only once in a day," she replied.


    "I see. Meaning I can use it three times a day if I''m ready to see death again, right?"


    "Yeah¡­though I wouldn''t rmend doing that. Even if you didn''t die you''ll be out of mana for quite a long time, and in the middle of a fight that can create a huge difference," she suggested.


    "I know. I''ll try to use it one time a day or maybe it won''t be needed at all. I was just counting my options if I ever got into a rough situation," I rified.


    "Sigh. Fine I guess," she said, and then rested her head on my shoulder.


    "What are you going to do now?" she asked.


    "Well, actually there are a lot of things that I have to do. But first I have to take care of Akumi and for that, I''ll have to put in some days to master Eclipse and get a hang of Requiem''s power," I exined.


    Nothing much had changed from before. I still needed to gather money to get my parents a house, I still needed to be as strong as I could, I still needed to deal with Akumi, I still needed to find a way to end the plot of the novel and finally get out of this hell.


    However, for some reason now that Req was with me I wasn''t stressing over it like before. I was able to think about it calmly and create a well-defined n.


    ''I guess¡­knowing that you have someone you can rely on really helps.''


    I thought to myself. That was something I never thought I would think.

 Chapter 367 A Plan Not Mine [1]

    <h4>Chapter 367 A n Not Mine [1]</h4>


    It had been 2 days since I started training with Req and by now I hadpletely learned how to use Eclipse. Along with that, I also got a hang of handling 10% of Requiem''s full power.


    After all, while it gave me an enormous buff the power itself was quite hard to control since I wasn''t used to it. Though now I was learning to do that.


    But that''s not what took the priority right now. I was equipped with all that I needed to face Akumi and thus I was going to go forward that route now.


    For that I already had a n in mind¡ªor well, it wasn''t really "my n" since I was not the one doing most of the things.


    I had been observing Akumi all this time and from what I could tell he was going to do something to me, thus what I needed to do was give him the chance to strike.


    From there I would simply go along with what he had in mind. Before I had told him that he couldn''t kill me inside the academy campus since he would get in trouble as well. Therefore I''m sure he will try to kill me when I''m outside the campus, and that''s exactly what I was doing now.


    It was past ten in the night and I had left the academy campus a few minutes ago. There were still a few people on the streets which didn''t make it a suitable spot, hence I decided to walk down a path that was less crowded.


    I turned and took an alleyway that was far from the main street. There were obviously lights on the road since this entire city was illuminated with bright magic lights even at night, however, I stopped seeing anyone walking down the same path after a few minutes of walking.


    Now it was just me, walking alone in an alleyway. The only sound I could hear was my footsteps. I put my hands inside my pocket and continued walking.


    [Do you really think he''lle?] Req asked. She was able tomunicate with me through telepathy again and I also had the Requiem sword attached to my waist.


    ''Yeah, he will,'' I replied. ''He wants to kill me so badly and this is the only way he can do that. Since if he tried to kill me inside the academy campus he will get caught no matter where he does it or how sneaky he tries to be.''


    [I understand that but isn''t what you are doing seems way too fishy? Like, it''s obvious you are trying to lure him out? Only an idiot will fail to see that.]


    I chuckled a bit at that. ''Yeah, only an idiot,'' I said.


    ***


    About ten minutester I began to hear some footsteps behind me. I had no need to look behind in order to confirm, I knew that two people had emerged and were tailing me.


    Those two people soon increased their pace and were closely next to me, and then they were on my side. Both of them seemed about somewhere in their thirties and had fairly built bodies.


    ''Mercenaries perhaps,'' I thought to myself.


    One of them went and stood in front of me, blocking my way forward while the other stood behind me.


    "Excuse me?" I said, just like any normal student would in this situation. "Can you please step aside?" I asked politely.


    However, I didn''t receive a response. No, that wouldn''t be the right thing to say. I did get a response, it''s just that the response came in the form of a kick on my back rather than in the form of words.


    The guy behind me kicked me in the back, hurling me forward as I crashed face-down on the ground. Then the guy in front of me took a few fast steps forward and kicked me in the face. That kick was hard and made me turn my body. Now I was lying on my back, looking up at the beautiful night sky.


    One of them came close and held me from my cor, pulling me up. I was basically hanging on his hand when he delivered a hard punch on my face, then another, then another, and once again.


    After that, he threw me on the ground and kicked me in the stomach. By that time the second guy also came and joined him and both of them started beating the crap out of me.


    A dozen or so kickster they stopped and looked at me¡ªtheir expression was of disgust and disappointment.


    "What a loser," one of them said. "He had a fucking sword with him, yet he never used it."


    "Who knows, maybe he doesn''t even know how to use a sword," the other one replied.


    "The sword looks quite expensive though. Can we take it?"


    "Hmm, we were only expected to deliver the boy so I think taking the sword would be fine. From what I can tell, it will fetch a great price."


    Then the guy bent on his knees and tried to take out the Requiem sword from my waist. However, no matter how hard he tried the sword was noting out of its sheath and neither was the sheath ready to leave my waist.


    It was like the sword was stuck to my body.


    "Tch, it''s noting off!" the guy said in an irritated tone.


    He tried pulling the sword forcefully but it still wasn''t ready to bulge even a bit.


    "Ah fuck it!" he said and kicked me in the stomach trying to pent out his frustration.


    "W-What are you¡­doing?" I asked in a weak, squealing voice.


    "BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" he screamed and kicked me in the face, knocking me unconscious.


    Or well, supposedly knocking me unconscious.


    One of the two guys then came close and picked me up, hanging me on his shoulder. They then began to walk toward a certain path into the alleyways.


    To a ce where someone was most likely waiting for me.

 Chapter 368 A Plan Not Mine [2]

    <h4>Chapter 368 A n Not Mine [2]</h4>


    From there those guys carried me to somewhere and I couldn''t see where since my eyes were closed. I was supposedly unconscious after all.


    And that brought me to the current situation.


    Right now I was sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall while my hands were tied behind me. I was most likely in some room and the two guys who kidnapped me were there with me as well.


    Though just now it seemed like things were about to get moving again. The door to the room opened and I heard the footsteps of someoneing inside.


    "Finally! Just look at you!" the person who came inside said in an aggressive tone. "You are there, lying on the ground after getting beat up like a pathetic loser! That''s what you deserve, you fucking background character!"


    "Hmmm, I think you''re a bit wrong there. If you ask me I''d say Zero was a side character rather than a background character. I mean, background characters are those who just stay in the background and are never given any dialogue or anything like that.


    "Whereas side characters do have some degree of dialogue. And from what I remember, Zero did have a good amount of dialogue dedicated to him before he died. Wouldn''t you agree?" I spoke with my eyes still being closed.


    "What the hell?!" the voice I heard in response was of astonishment and uncertainty.


    I finally opened my eyes and saw that the guy who had entered the room just now was in fact, Akumi¡ªthough I knew that already.


    He had a surprised expression on his face. Which was kinda only to be expected. I mean, unconscious people aren''t supposed to speak, after all.


    "Hey, you fuckers! Didn''t I tell you to knock him out before bringing him here?!" he screamed, looking toward the two guys who brought me here.


    "We did knock him out. I don''t know how he''s conscious again!" one of them replied.


    "Agh! These nobodies can''t even do a simple job!" Akumi said in a frustrated manner.


    "Don''t worry," the other guy said. "If we somehow failed to knock him out then we will simply do it now."


    Saying that he began to walk toward me as he cracked his fingers, looking at me with his eyes full of anger.


    "Well, I don''t wanna be the party popper but you already brought me to where I wanted to be," I said as I stood up on my feet. "Therefore I have no reason to take your beating now¡ªthough I don''t know whether to call it a beating or not since it didn''t even tickle."


    Using elemental magic I burned the ropes that were tying my arms and turned toward the man. He screamed in rage and threw a punch directed toward my face.


    I raised my left hand, blocking his punch and gripping his hand tightly.


    "You''re weak," I said, and then used elemental magic.


    Starting from the arm his body began to freeze. There was a look of fear and horror on his face as he desperately tried to remove the ice. But neither was he able to relieve his hand from my grip nor was he able to get the ice off his body.


    In a few seconds, he waspletely frozen. What stood before me now was nothing but a statue of ice. I increased my grip and his now-frozen arm shattered into pieces and following that his entire body soon broke apart and fell on the ground.


    The other guy with him saw this and was struck with fear. There was sweat on his face and his eyes were desperately trying to find a way to get out of here. Then he looked toward the exit door and began to run for his life.


    "Hey, you''re next. Don''t run like that," I said. The next moment I dashed from my current position, appearing right in front of him.


    Perhaps he wasn''t able to see me since he didn''t stop and crashed into me. It didn''t make me move however he lost his bnce and fell onto his knees.


    "You should be careful while you run, you know," I said as I bent toward him. With my right hand, I grabbed his head and then looked him in the eye.


    "Hmm. You were the one who said that I''m a loser since I didn''t use my sword back then, right? Well, you see. It''s not that I can''t use my sword or don''t know how to use a sword, it''s just that I don''t HAVE to use my sword for the likes of you," I stated.


    He didn''t respond, or more like he couldn''t. His entire body was trembling and he was not able to move a muscle. His body was already dead.


    Since I didn''t want to waste much time on him and let Akumi escape, I quickly used my elemental magic again and set his body on fire. However, I also didn''t want to have a burning man running around here so I made the fire hot enough to turn him into ashes after a few seconds of suffering.


    After that, I turned and looked at Akumi. He hadn''t moved from his location at all and was just watching me in disbelief. However, the look on his face was different from these two.


    He didn''t fear me, he wasn''t scared of me, he wasn''t scared for his life, he didn''t want to run away. It''s more like he was caught off guard by this sudden change of events.


    "Now then, shall we begin?" I appealed.


    "You! You fucking side character! You shouldn''t have had powers like these! Then how?! Tell me how! How are you able to use magic like this?! How?! How the fuck are you able to do that?!" he screamed in confusion, like a kid in an exam who didn''t know the answer to a single question.


    "Who knows why I have these powers? Why don''t you go ahead and figure that out for yourself?" I said, taunting him.


    "Ah well, whatever," he mumbled, irritated. "It doesn''t matter if you can use magic like that. After all, you are nothing but fantasy. I am the only one who''s real in this world, I am the only one who''s alive, Throughout heavens and earth, I alone am the one who truly exists.


    "I''ll just kill you with my own hands, and then m-marry my darling Anya," he shouted.


    Something about his words made me clench my fist.


    He raised his right hand and a portal opened near him.


    "Come, Excalibur!" he said and pulled out a sword from the portal.


    ''Did he just say Excalibur!? I said inwardly.

 Chapter 369 Collision [1]

    <h4>Chapter 369 Collision [1]</h4>


    "Come, Excalibur!" Akumi, and pulled out a sword from the portal near him. The sword had a golden de and a blue-colored hilt.


    Zero was a little surprised at this since even he was not expecting him to pull out an Excalibur. Excalibur was a famous sword and he''d read about it in many novels.


    It was supposed to be an extremely powerful sword however here he didn''t know what it was capable of.


    In response he went ahead and pulled out the Requiem sword from its sheath, wielding it toward Akumi.


    "Die you fucker!" Akumi screamed and dashed toward Zero.


    Adjusting his sword in a defensive stance, Zero firmly nted his feet on the ground. However, this defensive maneuver served merely as a deceptive feint, for in the next instant, he swiftly transitioned into an offensive posture and propelled himself forward with a decisive lunge.


    Both of them came close and swung their sword, the des shed and the two most powerful swords in the world collided. A shockwave was released that was strong enough to crack the walls of the room they were in.


    They stood rigid in their positions, applying as much force as they could in order to push the other back. The struggle went on for a few seconds and then Zero slowly started getting pushed back.


    "DIE!" Akumi screamed, pushing forward which forced Zero to take a step back.


    "Magiken!" Zero said, and the de of the Requiem sword was shrouded in ck. Increasing his overall strength with magiken he pushed forward again, regaining his bnce.


    "Sun of death!" Akumi said and right after his sword began to emit a bright, blinding light. Zero tried to resist however the light was so bright he had no choice but to close his eyes for a few seconds.


    It was such a short amount of time but when he opened his eyes again Akumi was gone. He looked around but he was nowhere in the room. Understanding the situation Zero closed his eyes again and increased his focus on his surroundings.


    In the blink of an eye, Zero''s intuition detected a presence behind him. In an instant, he propelled himself into the air, narrowly evading Akumi''s swift sh that sliced precisely where he had stood a mere moment ago.


    In the air, Zero tracked Akumi''s location and used elemental magic. On the ground ice appeared below Akumi''s feet and soon captured his legs, trapping him in one location.


    "Dark Edge," Zero said and swung his sword down toward Akumi while being in the air. An arc of dark energy was released that rapidly moved toward Akumi.


    Akumi swung the Excalibur down, releasing a simr form of energy with the only difference being that it was golden in color. Both of the attacks collided in mid-air and exploded, making the ground shake as a result.


    Zeronded on the ground and raised his left hand toward Akumi.


    "Maelstrom: Red!" he said, and a ball of red swirling energy materialized in front of his palm. Then the ballpressed in size and rapidly spun on its axis before beingunched toward Akumi at a speed faster than that of sound, causing a sonic boom.


    The attack was insanely fast yet Akumi was able to see and react to it. Using his physical strength he freed himself from the ice trapping his feet and stepped back. Raising his sword he swung it in front of himself.


    The de of his sword came in contact with the shining destructive ball of energy. The energy ball was split apart by the sword and instead of exploding all the energy released was absorbed by the Excalibur.


    Without wasting a single millisecond Akumi kicked off the ground,unching himself toward Zero while simultaneously raising his sword for an uing attack.


    Zero used elemental magic and created multiple walls of thick rock between Akumi and himself however it wasn''t of much use since they weren''t able to stop him at all. Cutting through the walls Akumi arrived right before Zero and swung his sword down toward him.


    In his defense Zero put up the Requiem sword, obstructing Akumi''s strike. The two des collided again and the energy released was so high that it caused a small explosion.


    "For a side character, you aren''t supposed to be this strong!" Akumi said, gritting his teeth.


    "Well, that''s not my problem," Zero replied and poured more mana into the Requiem sword. The ck shadows covering the des ignited with darkness, devouring the lighting from the Excalibur.


    Zero took a step forward, pushing Akumi back despite his resistance. Akumi hadn''t been able to notice but it wasn''t due to hisck of strength that he was getting pushed back.


    Zero had turned the ground beneath Akumi''s feet into ice which decreased the friction between his feet and the ground, making it easier to push him back.


    Finally with some precise and calcted moment, Zero jerked Akumi''s sword away. However, his respite was short-lived. With lightning speed, Akumi unleashed another relentless sh, forcing Zero to duck low to avoid the de.


    He stood back up and concentrated all his physical strength and mana in his legs, Zero kicked Akumi on the side of his abdomen, hurling him back.


    Akumi flew in the air for a few seconds before crashing brutally into the ball behind him. His vision went blurry for a second since he had hit his head on the wall as well, however, he was able to force himself back into consciousness.


    Despite that Akumi was in a vulnerable state for a few seconds there. The thought of using Maelstrom Purple on him did cross Zero''s mind however since that attack would also blow up this entire ce and gather the attention of the entire Havenreach, he decided to avoid that.


    Through the support of his sword, Akumi stood back up and looked at Zero. He was devastated with anger and frustration.


    How could he be struggling against a mere side character inside a novel? That was straight-up pathetic. He wanted none of it.


    His temper was reaching its limits and it showed in his eyes, and in the bloodthirsty way he looked at Zero.


    It was enough now, he wasn''t going to take any of this shit now.

 Chapter 370 Collision [2]

    <h4>Chapter 370 Collision [2]</h4>


    "That''s it!" Akumi grumbled, breathing intensely. "I am going to end you now!" he dered, looking at Zero in a way a hungry animal would look at its prey.


    He held the Excalibur with both his hands and pointed it toward Zero


    "Gluttony of the King!" he said and supplied the Excalibur with his mana.


    "With this, you are finally going to¡ª"


    Stopping him mid-sentence Zero dashed forward and attacked with a barrage of shes. "Sorry, but I''m not going to just stand here and listen to your monologue," Zero said as he continued his attack.


    Akumi defended with his de, blocking the Requiem sword with his Excalibur. In between the spar, he switched his stance and began to attack, forcing Zero into a defensive position.


    cing his foot firmly upon the ground, Akumi elevated his sword, executing a swift descent within a mere second. In a prompt and adept counteraction, Zero adeptly wielded the Requiem sword with both hands, effectively intercepting the trajectory of Akumi''s attack and concurrently fending off the impending strike of Excalibur.


    "Dark Edge!" he said, releasing an arc of dark energy toward Akumi that forced him to back off and dodge the attack.


    Right after that, he dashed forward. "Maelstrom: Blue!" he said,unching a big ball of blue mes toward him.


    Akumi held his sword up to sh the fireball in two just like he''d done before. However, just a second after the moment of action he realized that it would be a wrong move and that he had been put into a tough situation.


    The fireball was a feint meant to distract him. Once he uses the Excalibur to destroy the fireball, Zero¡ªwho is just behind and ready to attack¡ªwill jump at him when he''s not ready.


    He tried to move away from his location but noticed that his feet were again frozen to the ground, making him unable to move. And at the same time, he was feeling weak for some reason, as if someone had sucked a certain amount of mana from him.


    He was in a desperate situation. There was barely a second left for him to think and decide what he was going to do. If he decides to repel or destroy the fireball then Zero will attack him from behind and if he decides to defend against Zero then the fireball will damage him first.


    Left with no other choice Akumi decided to use thest and most powerful card left in his arsenal.


    "Magiken! Second form: Speed King," he said, activating the second level of his magiken.


    His entire body emitted a bright golden aura along with his sword, and the next moment he simply vanished from where he was standing.


    The fireball hit the ground, scattering blue mes all over the ce and causing an explosion. Zero himselfnded on the ground and tried to look for Akumi, he was also a bit surprised to see him vanish so quickly like that.


    As he was standing there looking around Zero suddenly sensed a presence behind himself. He was going to turn around and defend himself, however, before he could do that he was kicked in the back and hurled forward.


    Zero flipped over in mid-air tond on his legs and avoid crashing down, but just as he was about to move himself Akumi again appeared before him. He struck down Zero with his sword at a time when he wasn''t able to defend properly, sending him flying backward.


    He crashed down on the ground and rolled over a few times before stopping himself. He quickly got up and looked for Akumi and this time he found him standing at a distance.


    However that changed soon with a sh of bright light, and the next thing Zero saw was him standing only a few steps ahead of him.


    Zero raised his sword in defense but before he could do anything else Akumi appeared on his side and delivered a sh right after that. Zero somehow managed to block the attack in time however he waste and ended up getting pushed back.


    It wasn''t that Zero was starting to grow weak or that Akumi''s strength had suddenly increased. It was just that Akumi''s speed was simply too much for Zero to keep track of him with his eyes.


    To counter this Zero activated his [Foresight] skill which along with showing possible future attacks also made his vision a little clearer.


    Akumi again appeared in front of him and raised his sword. Though this time with the help of Foresight Zero was more or less able to see him and was able to barely defend himself in time.


    However, his posture wasn''t current which made Zero take an enormous amount of recoil, making him shift in his position and take a step back.


    "It''s over," Akumi said. "You have no chance of winning against me. You never did."


    "I see," Zero replied as he stood straight, gaining his bnce back. "So is the your most powerful form or something?" he asked.


    "Yeah, you got that right," Akumi said. "It''s the second form of Excalibur''s magiken. With that right now I am the Speed King. Now, of course, I won''t be telling you what that means or how it works. I''m not an idiot after all."


    Zero didn''t say anything for a second and kept looking down at the ground, and then he looked up. There was a devious smile on his face, simr to that of a spider who had sessfully trapped its prey into its web.


    "Idiot? Yeah, you''re right. You are not an idiot," Zero said. "I mean, you are even more stupid than an idiot!" saying that Zero broke out into a sarcasticugh.


    Seeing that made Akumi even more frustrated. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, staring at Zero with bloodshot eyes.


    "It doesn''t matter what you say, since you are going to die. Laugh all you want, since I''m going to make you go silent forever," Akumi grumbled.


    "We''ll see," Zero replied, looking at him with that same devious smile.


    That crossed the line for Akumi. He again moved forward, dashing toward Zero at an insane speed. He was just as fast as before, Zero didn''t have the time to properly defend himself. And this attack was targeted toward his neck so if the defense failed he was surely going to die.


    However, even though Zero did not have the time to defend himself with his sword. He did have the time to utter a single word.


    "Eclipse," he said.

 Chapter 371 Pain [1]

    <h4>Chapter 371 Pain [1]</h4>


    "Eclipse," Zero said.


    A ck mist rose from the de of the Requiem sword and quickly covered the entire room, along with Akumi and Zero himself.


    In an instant darkness took over everything and the speed at which it spread across the room was even faster than Akumi''s.


    The light Akumi''s de was emitting no longer shone as bright as before, it was as if the darkness was eating on the light of Excalibur.


    "What the hell is this?" Akumi said, irritated as he looked around.


    "Oh nothing much, I just turned the lights off," Zero said in a sarcastic manner.


    "Tch!" Akumi clicked his tongue in fury. "Die!" he screamed as he dashed forward at an insane speed.


    Reaching Zero he swung his sword, targeting Zero''s neck. The de touched Zero''s skin and then went through his neck. A smile of satisfaction appeared on Akumi''s face although that was only for a moment.


    Zero''s body which he had just cut into two turned into smoke and disintegrated, leaving him therepletely alone as he tried to figure out what the hell just happened.


    "What are you doing over there?" a voice called out to him. Looking in the direction where the voice came from he saw Zero standing in the opposite direction to where he was right now.


    "Don''t tell me you can''t see clearly," Zero said, mocking him. All it did was anger Akumi beyond limits.


    "Just you wait!" he screamed and then dashed toward him. This time he sliced open Zero''s stomach however just like before the body he''d shed turned into smoke and disappeared into nothing.


    "Again you''re swinging your sword in the air like an idiot. I''m over here, you know," he looked around and saw that Zero was standing in yet another direction.


    "AAAGGGHHHH! I''LL FUCKING KILL YOU! JUST YOU WAIT YOU FUCKER!"


    Screaming, he dashed toward Zero and cut him down with his sword but the process repeated itself and all he cut was nothingness.


    Zero called out to him from a different direction and he went toward him again and ended up with nothing but frustration and anger.


    This went on for a while. With his speed, Akumi continued to strike Zero down right after he appeared in a new ce but he still wasn''t able to kill him. He was moving at his max speed, as fast as he could, yet he was not able to aplish his goal.


    After a few minutes or so Akumi finally stopped to take a breath. He was breathing heavily and was covered in sweat. Since he was using the second form of his magiken it was about time it started to take a toll on his body.


    "Tired?" Zero asked, appearing before him again. Akumi didn''t say anything to that and only stared at Zero like a wild animal. Then after a few seconds, he spoke.


    "Stop kidding me!" he said. "This can''t be happening for real! How the fuck can I lose to a mere side character? Why the hell are you this strong anyway? In the novel you were just a useless nobody who died to make the plot progress, then why is it so hard to kill you now?!


    "You are nothing but a character inside a novel, yet you act so arrogant! In this world, I am the only one who''s real, I am the only one who is not a cardboard cutout of a character, I am the only one who is really alive. Even then I can''t beat you, how the fuck is this possible!?"


    Rather than replying to Zero, it looked more like he was talking to himself.


    "I see, so that''s how you think huh," Zero said. "ording to you this is a fake world and everyone except you is fake as well."


    "Yeah, that is right! Listen if you want, although it might throw you into an existential crisis! This world is nothing but a novel, and you are nothing but a side character in this novel and so is everyone else!" Akumi screamed.


    Zero looked as if he was lost in thought then after a second he took a step forward and looked at Akumi.


    "So if your statement is correct and this world is fake then¡­" he snapped his fingers. "...you shouldn''t feel the pain as well, right? I mean, how can you feel pain in a fake world?"


    A second or twoter Akumi''s right arm dropped to the ground, and blood began to stter out from his shoulder. At first, Akumi wasn''t able toprehend what just happened, but soon when the pain finally kicked in¡­


    "AAGGGGHHHHHH!!" he began to scream his throat out while he tried to stop the blood with his left hand. However, he wasn''t able to do it and fell to the ground.


    "If this is a fake world, then I wonder why are you feeling pain then?" Zero said as he walked close to him. "But well, I am but a human, and humans make mistakes. I may be wrong about you feeling pain, so let''s just check it once again."


    He snapped his fingers again and this time Akumi''s left leg was split apart into three parts. He screamed even harder, so loud that he stopped sounding like a human.


    The blood from his leg sttered all over the ground, and in the state of confusion, he tried to stop it by covering it with the palm of his left hand but just as he went on to do it he realized that he was already using his left hand to stop the blood from his right shoulder.


    In this state of confusion and agony, he could do nothing but scream, scream, and scream harder and he continued to get devoured by intense and piercing pain.


    "Hmmm, maybe testing it one more time would be better. I mean, I don''t want to use you just because of my error in judgment," Zero said and snapped his fingers again.

 Chapter 372 Pain [2]

    <h4>Chapter 372 Pain [2]</h4>


    Akumi''s breath stopped for a second when his right leg suddenly got pulverized as if a huge boulder had fallen onto it. Its shape waspletely distorted. Rather than a leg, it looked more like a chunk of meat and blood.


    Scream was all Akumi could do. Hey there on the ground, covered in a pool of his own blood.


    Zero came close and stood next to him, then he held his Requiem sword and pointed it at Akumi''s chest. He pressed it against his skin and then slowly pushed it further. The de pierced through his skin and stabbed inside his body, cutting through his bones and muscles.


    "Tell me, do you feel pain?" Zero asked as he twisted the sword inside Akumi''s chest. He screeched in agony and horror and was clearly in no state to answer that question.


    "Come on, don''t be so cold to me," Zero said nicely. He pulled out the sword from Akumi''s chest and then stabbed it in his stomach, twisting it afterward.


    "Do you feel pain?" he asked again. "I mean, if it''s as you say and this world and everything within it is fake then you shouldn''t feel any ounce of pain. And if you aren''t feeling any pain then it shouldn''t matter how much I do this, right?" while twisting the sword he pushed it further deep inside Akumi''s stomach.


    "I''m sure you must be familiar with this quote. ''Those who do not understand true pain will never understand true peace.'' Simrly, if you can''t feel the pain in this world that means this world is fake.


    "On the contrary, if you do feel pain then that means this world is real, and everything else in it is as well. And that means, I¡ªthe one providing you with this pain, is also in fact, real."


    Zero then again pulled out the sword and stabbed Akumi near his shoulder, twisted it, and pulled it out again. He repeated the process a few times and asked him the same question again and again.


    After a moment Akumi stopped screaming. He was alive and was aware of all the pain being inflicted on him, but after losing so much blood and screaming for so long he simply did not have the energy left to scream anymore.


    "W-W¡­W-Who¡­a-are¡­you?" he asked in a low, cracking voice. His eyes looked dead as if all the light had been stolen from them.


    "Who am I huh?" Zero repeated the question as he looked down at him. He took a step back, raised his right leg backward, and then struck Akumi with a kick hard on his face.


    "I am the one asking questions here," he said and then crushed Akumi''s face with his feet, breaking his nose.


    "Do you feel pain?" he asked yet again. Akumi didn''t say anything, he looked like he was dead. He was breathing very slowly and his eyes were almost closed. But then his lips moved a little as he tried his hardest to say something.


    "Y¡­Y-Y-Y...¡­Yes...I-I do¡­feel pain," he replied.


    "See, you do feel pain after all!" Zero said. "And the fact that you feel pain means this world is real, and everything else in it is real, and I am real."


    "Now if only you had acknowledged it earlier we wouldn''t have had to waste so much time on this," saying that Zero snapped his fingers again.


    However, this time Akumi''s body wasn''t destroyed. Instead, he found himself standing on his legs with all his body parts intact, as if they had never taken any damage, to begin with.


    He was confused, surprised, and baffled, but more than anything he was relieved. He fell on his knees and held his chest tightly as he then felt up his body, touching his hands and legs that had previously been sliced apart.


    "Do you get it now? Zero said to him. "You are not the only one who''s real in this world. Everyone and everything is. There are no side characters or even characters to begin with.


    "Every person you see here is a human, a real human. They have their own life, their own consciousness, their own heart, their own family, and their own story.


    "Just like you and me."


    Akumi slowly raised his head and looked Zero in the eye.


    "What? Do want me to prove it to you again? Zero asked, pointing the Requiem sword toward him.


    "Huh? No! Never! I get it! I totally get it!!!" he said instantly and backed away like a scared animal.


    "Oh I see, you do get it after all," Zero mumbled.


    "I-If you don''t mind me asking¡­" Akumi said in a low voice. "Can I ask who you really are?"


    "You still haven''t been able to figure it out huh," Zero said. "Well, I am just like you."


    "What do you mean?" Akumi appealed.


    "What I mean is, I am also someone who got reincarnated into this world. Just like you did." Zero stated.


    "WHAT?! ARE YOU SAYING THE TRUTH?!" Akumi eximed, surprised by what Zero had said.


    "Yeah. And to make things more clear for you, lemme go through the situation once again. This is a real-world that is based on a novel written by loli_pop. All the events happening in this world are the same as the novel along with the characters, except that they are real people now.


    "I am someone who is originally from the same world as you. I died there and found myself reincarnated in this world as Anya''s brother, Zero," Zero exined.


    Akumi was in awe. It was clear from the look on his face that he had been expecting none of this. It was more or less understandable as well since the feeling of finding another reincarnated person in another world was simr to the feeling ofing across someone from your homnd in a different country.


    "Now your turn," Zero said, looking at him.


    "Huh? My turn in what?" Akumi asked, a little confused about what he had to do.


    "It''s your turn to tell me everything about yourself. How you died and how you were reincarnated, and everything else you were doing in this world," Zero rified.

 Chapter 373 X [1]

    <h4>Chapter 373 X [1]</h4>


    Before I died I was of fourteen years of age. I hadpleted my middle school recently and had shifted to a new city to join a good high school. However, due to that, I had to live alone in an apartment.


    My parents did it for me so I could have afortable ce to study and improve myself, but I did everything except study. It was mostly because I got into anime and games so much.


    I indulged myself in watching anime all day and then pulled all-nighters to y games and harass people online. Due to that at some point, I even stopped going to school.


    All I would do was wake up, order food online, watch anime, eat food, watch more anime, eat more food, masturbate, y games, and then sleep. I had stopped going out of my roompletely and had shut myself out from the outer world.


    My parents started to worry about me when they found out about my condition after they got calls from the school. The city I lived in was far from our home so they couldn''te to see me but they started to call me every day. I answered them for a few days and then smashed my phone. It was irritating, after all.


    In the midst of all that I picked up loli_pop''s novel. There wasn''t much story in it but it had hot girls and lots of sex scenes so it was good enough to keep me reading.


    Although one day when I was busy reading the novel someone knocked on my door. I tried to ignore it at first but it didn''t stop so I went and opened the door, and there I saw my parents. They had finally arrived.


    Right after I opened the door they began to scream at me, using me of how I had wasted their money and was a disappointment as their son.


    It made me angry, really angry. I brushed my father aside and left the room. I thought about going outside and breathing in some fresh air to calm myself down, so I went downstairs.


    However, when I was walking down the stairs I slipped and fell. Hitting my head on a sharp spot on the stairs I died on the spot.


    After that, the thing I wished for every single night finally happened to me. I found myself reincarnated in a world of sword and magic. I had seen tons of anime and read dozens of light novels about this thus I knew the scenario very well.


    That''s why I was able to figure out that rather than being reborn as a baby and restarting my life from zero I had just been summoned into this world with a new body. I had no family here, nor anywhere where I belonged.


    Soon after that, I found out about my powers. I had Excalibur with me and a good status, which made me quite a lot more powerfulpared to a normal person.


    A month or soter in this world I finally figured out that this world was the same as the novel I was reading. And up until you pulled me out of it I was in the illusion that I had somehow jumped inside the novel and that this world was not real.


    I found out about the Zaforths Magic Academy and got myself enrolled. With the powers I had getting in was no tough of a task. And there I saw Anya and fell in love with her.


    ***


    "And since you knew the plot of the novel, you knew you could use that to your advantage. However, when you saw that the plot was straying from its original direction and Anya was not falling in love with Leon, you crafted a n to make it happen," I said, interrupting Akumi.


    "You sent Anya a letter telling her that she had to get together with the person who saves her or me¡ª her brother will die, and then you hired and sent three students to harass her at a time when Leon would be passing near her. He ended up saving Anya which forced her into a tough mental state since she was being forced to enter a rtionship which she clearly didn''t want."


    That was right. I knew the moment I recognized who he was. Akumi was X, the person who sent Anya that letter back in the academy. He was also someone originally not from this world and knew about the plot of the novel, that''s how he was able to n it all out without leaving any trace and execute it wlessly.


    "What? No," Akumi stated, looking at me. The answer was rather surprising. Had I miscalcted something?


    "It''s true that I sent her that letter and that I arranged for those students to corner her, but I didn''t n for Leon to save her. Nor did I want to get him and Anya in a rtionship to have the advantage of knowing what''s going to happen in the future," he rified.


    "What do you mean? Why''d you do it then?" I asked, trying to confirm my doubts.


    "While it''s true that I did all that, I did all of it so that could be the one to save her from those students and then get in a rtionship with her.


    "Although when the time to do that came, I suddenly had a bad stomach ache due to the food I ate in the morning and I wasn''t able to reach there in time to save her. That n was a total failure," he exined.


    "I see," I mumbled as I nodded my head. "So that''s why you did all of that huh."


    There was no way for me to know it at that time, I had severely misjudged something important. All the time I was trying to figure out what the intentions of X were, I thought of all the things he could try to aplish yet I wasn''t able to reach a satisfying conclusion.


    Why?


    Because the thing I had miscalcted, was the fact that Akumi was a fucking idiot.

 Chapter 374 X [2]

    <h4>Chapter 374 X [2]</h4>


    "And then the cmity arrived," Akumi said. "I don''t know the reason but it arrived sooner than it did in the novel and I was obviously not prepared for it. I somehow survived with the help of Excalibur and all the reincarnation privileges I''d got but now I don''t know what I''m going to do.


    "Though since you had note back and Anya was in a depressed state, I decided to help her out of it. I''d admit that since I didn''t think of anything except me as real, the partial reason I did it was so that I could get close to her¡ªwhich I eventually did. Then you arrived and here we are now," he stopped, finishing with his exnation.


    "I see," I mumbled. "And what do you n to do from now on?" I asked.


    "Honestly," he said. "I don''t know."


    "I was not able to read much in the novel after the cmity arrived so I don''t know what''s going to happen in the future¡ªand that kind of makes me feel insecure," he admitted.


    "I more or less expected that," I stated. "And thus I''d like to propose an offer."


    It was something I had in mind for quite a long time and it was also the main reason I came here to confront Akumi.


    "What is it?"


    "How about you join me? We are both fellow reincarnates, I think it''d be wiser if rather than fighting each other we joined forces in order to survive in this world. I have read the novel quite ahead after the cmity arrived so I know more than you about the future, and if webined our strengths I think it''ll be a better choice," I suggested.


    "What?! Really?! Can we really do that?" he asked in excitement, his eyes shining with hope.


    "Well, I certainly didn''t expect you to react this way," I added.


    "I mean, of course. I was also thinking of suggesting the idea that we should join sides, it will be more profitable that way. You know the future which I wascking and now I know that both of us are more powerful than the average person here, hence we will be able to do better if we work together," he replied.


    ''Hmmm, that worked out better than I expected,'' I thought to myself.


    After that conversation with Req, I realized that working alone might be the easiest way for me but it was not the most efficient way. Hence I was going to change the way I do things a bit and see the difference in the oue.


    With that reasoning, I decided to team up with Akumi to speed up some of my ns a bit. Also, if he worked with me or under me then I''d be able to easily keep him in check and make sure that he doesn''t do anything to Anya.


    Other than that, he was a valuable asset. To put it simply, he was crazy strong. The only reason I''d been able to win was because he''s an idiot, if not for that lucky buff I would''ve been dead by now.


    And I know I can use his strength to my advantage and make enormous gains with that. Hence, I considered teaming up with him a fairly good choice.


    Obviously, I won''t be TEAMING UP with him. It''ll seem like that but in reality, it''d be him working under me.


    "So what do you say?" I asked.


    "Of course, I''d dly team up with you!" he eximed.


    "Even though I sliced your body apart a few moments ago?" I added.


    "Ah¡­well, you were trying to make me realize something. And I was also attacking you at that time. But it''s all behind us now, so there''s no problem now," he said, smiling.


    ''Am I dreaming or is this guy really that optimistic?'' I said inwardly.


    "That is certainly a remarkable way of looking at things," Imented.


    I raised my right hand toward him, offering a handshake. He raised his own and then shook hands with me while continuously smiling.


    "Deal," I said.


    "A deal it is," he replied.


    I disabled Eclipse after that and we were back and out of the pocket dimension.


    "Though yeah!" Akumi said, pping his hands as if he suddenly remembered something.


    "Yes?" I asked.


    "I''m in love with your sister. Can I marry her?"


    A secondter the Requiem sword that I''d thrown drilled itself inside the wall right next to his face.


    "Don''t even think about it, there''s no way I''m giving my sister to you," I stated, making itpletely clear that the deal I had with him was purely rted to business. Though I somewhat doubted if he had the brains to read between the lines.


    ***


    Location: The Gat Town.


    Thendscape bore witness to the remnants of devastation, with the ruins of crushed and demolished houses stretching as far as the eye could discern. What was once a flourishing town nowy in utter disarray, reduced to mere rubble and silent echoes of its former vitality.


    This of course was the result of the cmity. Along with everywhere else in the world the demon beasts had also run over this town, killing each and every person and destroying everything in their way.


    However, today a little bit was activity was noticeable in this dead town.


    At a distance from the town near the mountain, the ground began to shake¡ªas if an earthquake had urred.


    The rumbling of the earth increased with each second, the trees that were somehow standing fell and rocks began to fall from the mountains.


    Then an explosion urred. It was so big that it could be seen from miles away. When the smoke and fire from the st settled down, the view came into sight.


    There was a hole in the ground and the earth around it had melted and turned intova. And in the midst of all that was what looked like the figure of a girl.


    She was carrying a staff and her long hair fluttered in the air as she stood between the hungry mes that continued to devour the nts and forestation near them.


    "Ichigo!" the girl said, her voice intense enough to give people chills.

 Chapter 375 Ghost of Revenge [1]

    <h4>Chapter 375 Ghost of Revenge [1]</h4>


    The mes flickered in every direction. Everything was burning. The trees, the grass, the rocks, and even the ground. In the midst of all those mes and heat was the figure of a girl.


    She had long ck hair that had a shade of red and was holding a staff in her hands. Her body was totally covered with hungrily burning mes yet she was not taking any damage from it. It was as if all the mes were under hermand.


    Which was true, in a sense¡­


    "Ichigo!" she said, her voice full of anger. Her eyes showed the hatred she carried and looked as if they were burning themselves.


    She was Xara, one of the three adventurers whom Zero had abandoned inside thebyrinth in the Gat town. Due to his actions, her other two friends had died right before her eyes and shepletely med Zero¡ªor Ichigo, the fake name he gave to them¡ªfor it.


    However, to understand how she arrived at her current state, we will have to turn the wheel of time back a bit to know what happened.


    ***


    "Idiot¡­please¡­don''t cry," were thest words she heard from Spene before his soul left his body and hey there limp on the ground.


    Tears fell down her eyes she touched his face, shaking his body in hopes of waking him up. Both none of them worked. He, after all, was dead.


    She cried and cried a lot. However, when she was done with crying she remembered. She remembered the face of the person who caused all of this, and a fire of hatred was ignited in her heart.


    And that fire gave birth to the mes of revenge.


    "I''ll¡­kill you," she said, her words carrying the weight of all her hatred and anger.


    At the same time, a bunch of goblins jumped at her from the side. They were no different from Zero. After all, they also yed a part in the death of her friends.


    "Firestorm," she said, raising her staff toward the goblins. A cloud of fire formed at the head of her staff and was sted toward the goblins, burning them alive.


    Although the attack was not as powerful as it should''ve been since she had run out of mana and by now only a small amount of it had been replenished.


    She stood up and looked around her. This was abyrinth, a nest for monsters. There was no decrease in the number of goblins running towards her.


    "I''ll kill you all, everyone!" she said, her expression a mix of disgust, anger, and sadness.


    She raised her staff straight up, concentrating all her mana in the magic crystal at the head of the staff.


    "Inferno." "Firestorm." "Fireball."


    A tempest of mes spiraled into existence around her, rapidly expanding in size within a matter of seconds. Stationed at the epicenter of this fiery vortex, she stood impervious, rendering any attempt by goblins futile as they were incinerated upon approach.


    Subsequently, an eruption at the zenith of the tornado triggered theunch of numerous fireballs in every conceivable direction. Upon impact, these incendiary projectiles ignited, unleashing a congration that mercilessly consumed the surrounding area, swiftly decimating any goblin foolish enough to draw near.


    This went on for a minute or so before the tornado finally disappeared. Xara took a step forward but stumbled, her vision went blurry and she was about to fall down but she prevented that by forcing herself into consciousness.


    The results of overusing her mana were beginning to show, and even she knew that she''d die of mana exhaustion if she continued to go on like this.


    However, she did not have any other choice. There were only two options: either get killed by the goblins or die of mana exhaustion. She chose thetter.


    Moving forward she raised her staff yet again, casting five fireballs at once andunching them toward the goblins. Her fireballs had also improved since now they exploded upon contact¡ªthough that obviously took more mana out of her as well.


    She stopped for a moment to take a break when she noticed that she had cleared out the goblins around herself. She drilled the staff on the ground and stood by leaning on it.


    Her heartbeat was skyrocketing and she was panting intensely, her vision was getting less and less clear with each passing minute yet she continued to move forward.


    Soon the break time was over and she heard the screams and roars of the goblinsing from all directions.


    She stood up, holding her staff.


    "Explosion!" she chanted. "Explosion!" she said again.


    "Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion! Explosion!"


    She kept repeating the spell over and over, wreaking havoc inside thebyrinth. Since now there was no one inside thebyrinth other than herself she didn''t care about how much damage she dealt or in which direction she fired her spells.


    All she wanted was to kill her enemies, and she was doing that quite well.


    Though with each spell she grew weaker, but that was not enough to stop her.


    Or was it?


    It may sound good to the ears, but you can''t change the facts and thews of the world. It didn''t matter what her intentions or motivations were, it didn''t matter how unfair the world was to her, the rules were still the same.


    Shepletely ran out of mana and the exhaustion hit her. She fell onto her knees and lost her vision. She could still hear the sounds of the goblins who were running towards her.


    In the end, no matter how many of them she killed they still came back. That''s how it was fighting inside abyrinth, it was as if there were an infinite number of monsters.


    There was no way out for her now. All she could do now was wait for death to relieve her from this cruel world.


    However¡­


    "I refuse to ept this!" she screamed.


    "I can''t die yet! If died then there would be no one left to kill him! I have to be the one¡ªNO! I WILL be the one to kill him! I''ll take my revenge and only think to die after that!"


    The pain of being betrayed by Zero and the death of his friends was stinging deep inside her heart, and that heart now longed for revenge. She wanted to make Zero go through the same amount of suffering she did and feel the same amount of pain. And to aplish that, she was willing to do anything.


    "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT ANY OUTCOME OTHER THAN THAT!!!"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!